---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But at the time when he wrote…"
description: "\"But at the time when he wrote, Englishmen, with the rarest exceptions, wrote only in French or Latin; and when they began to write in English, a man of..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64a/george-saintsbury-23162_englishmen_but-at-the-time-when-he-wrote-englishmen_1231895.png"
---

#  But at the time when he wrote, Englishmen, with the rarest…

![“But at the time when he wrote, Englishmen, with the rarest exceptions, wrote only in French or Latin; and when they began to write in English, a man of genius, to interpret and improve on him, was not found for a long time.” quote by George Saintsbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64a/george-saintsbury-23162_englishmen_but-at-the-time-when-he-wrote-englishmen_1231895.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64a/george-saintsbury-23162_englishmen_but-at-the-time-when-he-wrote-englishmen_1231895.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64a/george-saintsbury-23162_englishmen_but-at-the-time-when-he-wrote-englishmen_1231895.png)

> “But at the time when he wrote, Englishmen, with the rarest exceptions, wrote only in French or Latin; and when they began to write in English, a man of genius, to interpret and improve on him, was not found for a long time.”

[George Saintsbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saintsbury/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

When English writers began using English, there was a long period lacking a brilliant interpreter to refine the language.

**In simple terms:** Early English lacked a great literary critic.

Key Takeaway

Support development of literary criticism in emerging languages.

Themes

language evolution literary criticism historical context

Mood

analytical historical

Type

literary educational

When to use this quote

- academic curricula
- publishing houses
- literary societies

Key Concepts

cultural development critical standards intellectual history

Questions to Reflect On

- What factors delay the emergence of literary critics?
- How does language maturity affect literary quality?

A Different Perspective

Some argue other languages faced similar gaps.

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