COURTNEY
was a distinguished scholar, and wrote
many works on Greek literature. D.
Apr. 10, 1825.
COURTNEY, Leonard Henry, Baron Courtney of Penwith, statesman. B. 1832. Ed. Cambridge (St. John s College). He was second wrangler and bracketed first Smith s prizeman. He was called to the Bar (Lincoln s Inn) in 1858, professor of political economy at University College 1872-75, and examiner in constitutional history at University College 1873-75. He then entered politics and was Under secretary of State to the Home Depart ment 1880-81, to the Colonial Office 1881-82, Financial Secretary to the Treasury 1882-84, and Chairman of Com mittees and Deputy Speaker 1880-92. Lord Courtney s Diary of a Church-Goer is very valuable as an indication of the complete Eationalism of many distin guished nominal Christians. It was pub lished anonymously, but republished under his name in 1918. He admits that his proper place is "in the outermost court of the Gentiles " (p. 225). He rejected all Christian doctrines, including (apparently) even personal immortality, and was merely a Theist. D. May 11, 1918.
COURTNEY, William Leonard, M.A.,
LL.B., writer. B. Jan 5, 1850. Ed. Somersetshire College (Bath) and Oxford (University College). He became Fellow of Merton in 1872 and headmaster of Somersetshire College in 1873. In 1894 he began to edit the Fortnightly Review, and he has been for many years on the editorial staff of the Daily Telegraph. Mr. Courtney follows a modified Kantian philosophy. He defines God as " the sum of individual consciousnesses " (Construc tive Ethics, 1886). In an introduction to Do We Believe ? (1905) he observes that " a hard, definite, logical, and systematic religious faith is almost an impossibility in the England we know," but he finds " a certain virtue about Christian maxims of action " (p. 7).
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COUSIN, Victor, French philosopher.
B. Nov. 28, 1792. Ed. Paris. In 1815
he became professor of philosophy at the
Lycee Bonaparte ; and in 1817 he inter
rupted his course to study philosophy in
Germany. In 1828 he resumed his lectures
at Paris, and in 1830 became General
Inspector of the University. He was
admitted to the Academy, joined the State
Council (1831), and became Minister of
Public Instruction (1840). Cousin founded
the Eclectic School in French philosophy
a liberal Pantheistic system combining
Scottish and German elements with Greek
and French. He translated and edited the
works of Plato, Descartes, Aboard, and
Proclus (27 vols.). Of his own eighteen
volumes the chief is Le Vrai, Le Beau, Le
Bien. D. Jan. 12, 1867.
COVENTRY, Henry, M.A., Deist. B. about 1710. Ed. Cambridge (Magdalen). He published a discreetly Deistic work, Philemon to Hydaspes, relating a conversa tion with Hortensius upon the subject of false religion (1736). Walpole refers to it (Letters, i, 17) as a " pretty account of superstition." Coventry was one of the contributors to the Athenian Letters. D. Dec. 29, 1752.
COWARD, William, M.A., M.D., physician. B. about 1650. Ed. Hart Hall and Oxford (Wadham). In 1680 he became a fellow of Merton. He graduated in medicine in 1687, and practised first in Northampton and afterwards in London. In 1702 he published Estibius Psychalethes, in which he denied the spirituality and immortality of the mind. In 1704 he was called to the Bar of the House of Commons for his opinions, and his book was burned. He retracted, but republished the book. D. 1725.
COWEN, Joseph, politician. B. July 9, 1831. Ed. private school and Edinburgh University. While a student Cowen adopted advanced ideas, and was enthusi astic for Mazzini. Joining his father s 186
