Page:A new and general biographical dictionary; containing an historical and critical account of the lives and writings of the most eminent persons in every nation v1.djvu/378

 342 A S C H A M. in?, was elected fellow of his college, by the intereft of Dr. Medcalf, the matter [A]. He then applied himfelf to the Greek language, in which he attained to an excellence pecu- liar to himfelf, and read it publicly in his college, with uni- verfal applaufe. At the commencement in 1536, he was J<J. p. 9. made mafter of arts ; and foon after appointed by the univer- fity to teach the Greek language publicly in the fchools. He did not at firft go into the new pronunciation of the Greek, which his intimate friend fir John Cheek endeavour- ed to introduce in the univerfity j but, upon a thorough ex- amination, he adopted this pronunciation, and defended it with gieat zeal and ftrength of argument [B]. In July, Wood's *542 he folicited the univerfity-of Oxford to be incorporated Fafti Oxon. matter of arts there ; but whether his requeft was granted or vol.i.col.65 >notj foes not appear by the regifter. In order to relax his mind, after fevtrer ftudies, he thought fome diverfton necef- fary ; and (hooting with the bow was his favourite amufe- rnent, as appears by his " Treatife on Archery," which he dedicated to King Henry VIII [c], who fettled a penfion upon [A] A man (fays Dr. Afcham, in his School-matter) meanly learned him- ielf, but not meanly aff"eHoned to fet forward learning in others. He was partial to none, but indifferent to all j a matter of the vhole, a father to every one in that college. There was none fo poor, if he had either will to good- Dels, or wit to learning, that could lack being there, or depart from thence for any need. He was a pdp : ll, indeed ; but, would to God, smongft all us pro- teftant- I might once fee but one, that Vould win like praife, in doing like good for the advancement of le.'rning and virtue. And jet, th'ughhe were a pipi' 1, if ?jiy young man, given to JKW learning (as (hey termed it) went beyond hi' fellows in wir, labour, and towardnefj, even the fame lacked nei- ther open praife to encourage him, nor private exhibition to maintain him. [B] Mr. Afcham in one of his let- ters, obf. rves, that the cppofers of this pronunciation objefl, (hat it is in ufe novhetebut among theEnjliflij and that the modern Greeks reject it. He replies to this, that ufe and cuftom cannot now ' e juftly urged, fince the anciei.i and g.enu ne Greek has ceafed to be a living language j and that the modern Greeks are fo extremely dege- nerated, that no argument can properly be drawn from their authority. He in- fifts particularly upon the letter K, which is very differently pronounced by the patrons of the new pronunciation fr m the oppofers of it ; fince the lat- ter pronounce the word X*?EKD, (hi- ucrno, in which, as he oblerves, they miftake in three letters, x, t>, I?. That the Latins have retained the very found as well as fenfe of this word in their gubei no, only ch.iriging the x into a y, as the ancient Greeks frequently did. With regard to B, he quotes the autho- rity of Euftathiuf, who, in explaining this line of Homer, Ea it xa.T 'O' y.ttwsjo, &c. tells UF, the B? is Uie peculiar found cx- prefled by the bleai-.ng of the (heep j and therefore it is eafy to determine, whether it is to be pronounced nit or l>e^ agreeably to the Engli/h manner; un- lef, fays he, the Greek {heep bleated in a different mariner from thofe of Eng- land, Germany, and Italy. Epift. ia. lib. iii. [cj It was iutitled, " Toxophiius ; '' the School, or Partitions of Shoot- " ing, in two books," written, fays Mr. Wood, in 1544, and printed at London in quarto, i^yi. Some per- fons objected to his diverting himfelf ' with