C. exercised a very powerful influence upon the thought of his age, not only by his own writings and personality, but through the many men of distinction both in literature and active life whom he imbued with his doctrines; and perhaps no better proof of this exists than the fact that much that was new and original when first propounded by him has passed into the texture of the national ideas.  His style is perhaps the most remarkable and individual in our literature, intensely strong, vivid, and picturesque, but utterly unconventional, and often whimsical or explosive.  He had in a high degree the poetic and imaginative faculty, and also irresistible humour, pungent sarcasm, insight, tenderness, and fierce indignation.

All the works of C. shed light on his personality, but Sartor Resartus especially may be regarded as autobiographical.  Froude’s Thomas Carlyle ...  First 40 Years of his Life (1882), Thomas Carlyle ...  His Life in London, by the same (1884), Letters and Memories of Jane Welsh Carlyle (1883), various Lives and Reminiscences by Prof.  Masson and Nichol, etc.

SUMMARY.—­B. 1795, ed. Edin., studies for Church but gives it up, tries law, then tutor, takes to literature and writes for encyclopaedias and magazines, and translates, m. 1826 Jane Welsh, settles in Edin., writes essays in Edinburgh Review, goes to Craigenputtock 1828, writes Sartor and corresponds with Goethe, Sartor appears in Fraser’s Magazine 1833-4, settles in London 1834, pub. French Revolution 1837, lectures, pub. Heroes, and Chartism and Sartor as a book 1839, Past and Present 1843, Oliver Cromwell 1845, Latter Day Pamphlets 1850, writes Frederick the Great 1851-65, Lord Rector of Edin.  Univ. 1865, Mrs. C. d. 1865, writes Reminiscences 1866 (pub. 1881), d. 1881.

CARRUTHERS, ROBERT (1799-1878).—­Journalist and miscellaneous writer, b. in Dumfriesshire, was for a time a teacher in Huntingdon, and wrote a History of Huntingdon (1824).  In 1828 he became ed. of the Inverness Courier, which he conducted with great ability.  He ed.  Pope’s works with a memoir (1853), and along with Robert Chambers (q.v.) ed. the first ed. of Chambers’s Cyclopedia of English Literature (1842-44).  He received the degree of LL.D. from Edin.

CARTE, THOMAS (1686-1754).—­Historian, b. near Rugby, and ed. at Oxf., took orders, but resigned his benefice at Bath when required to take the oath of allegiance to George I. He was sec. to Francis Atterbury (q.v.), and was involved in the consequences of his conspiracy, but escaped to France, where he remained until 1728.  After his return he pub. a life of the Duke of Ormonde (1736), and a History of England to 1654 in 4 vols. (1747-54), the latter a work of great research, though dry and unattractive in style.