1800 January 27. (Jefferson to Joseph Priestley). "to all this I add that to read the Latin & Greek authors in their original is a sublime luxury; and I deem luxury in science to be at least as justifiable as in architecture, painting, gardening or the other arts."
Joseph Priestley ( 1733 –1804) was an English chemist, natural philosopher, separatist theologian, grammarian, multi-subject educator, & liberal political theorist who published over 150 works. The controversial nature of Priestley's publications, combined with his outspoken support of the French Revolution, aroused public & governmental suspicion; he was eventually forced to flee in 1791, first to London & then to the United States, after a mob burned down his Birmingham home & church. He spent his last ten years in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania.
Research & images & much more are directly available from the Monticello.org website.
