Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 51.djvu/172

 of Hojah Effendi's ‘Reign of the Sultan Orchan,’ and dedicated it to Lady Jane Merick, who had formerly been the wife of Sir Peter Wyche. Seaman states as the reason of his presenting the work to her: ‘Not only because (during my youth) I began the study of the Turkish language while I was a servant of your family, but likewise as having had my education, in the use of my pen, under the Right Honourable Sir Peter Wyche (your then noble husband) in the time of his embassie there.’

After 1650 Seaman, at the instigation of the Hon. Robert Boyle, who contributed 60l. to the cost of the undertaking, commenced his magnum opus, the translation of the New Testament into Turkish, and in 1659 he published the three epistles of St. John, under the title ‘Specimen S.S. Scripturæ … Turcicè redditæ opera G. S.’ In the following year he prepared, also at the desire of Boyle, a Turkish version of the ‘Short Catechisme’ of John Ball (1585–1640) [q. v.] This work (of which a copy exists in the Bodleian Library) is a small octavo, printed apparently at Oxford. There is neither title-page, author's name, nor date.

The New Testament was completed and published in quarto at Oxford in 1666. It is a creditable monument of Seaman's erudition and industry, and remained for a century and a half the only printed Turkish version. In 1670 Seaman published a Turkish grammar, concerning which several letters passed between himself and Dr. Pococke, who bestowed great care and pains in correcting and improving the style of the Latin preface and epistle dedicatory. In the dedication Seaman acknowledges the assistance he had received from Boyle, who contributed 20l. (to be paid in books) towards the cost of the work, and to Cyril Wyche, the son of his former patron, Sir Peter. At this time Seaman had a house in Whitecross Alley, Moorfields. He died on 7 Nov. 1680, and was buried in the church of Upton-Scudamore, having held the rectory for fifty-two years. He is stated to have been a moderate nonconformist. He was married and left issue.

[Twells's Life of Dr. Edw. Pocock; Court Books of the Levant Company; information from the Rev. R. Powley, rector of Upton-Scudamore, Wiltshire.]  SEAMUS (fl. 1712), Irish poet. [See .]

SEARCHFIELD, ROWLAND (1565?–1622), bishop of Bristol, born in 1564 or 1565, entered Merchant Taylors' School in 1575, and matriculated as fellow from St John's College, Oxford, on 6 July 1582, aged 17. He graduated B.A. on 11 Oct 1586, M.A. on 2 June 1590, and B.D. on June 1597, being dispensed from the usual exercises on the ground that he was 'engaged on certain duties at the command of the archbishop of Canterbury.' He graduated D.D. on 1 June 1608, maintaining in his theses that various forms of religion were incompatible with unity of faith; that no one could be saved by the faith of another; and that heretics should be compelled to conform outwardly. He was appointed rector of the university on 21 April 1596, and was licensed to preach on 17 Feb. 1605-6. In 1601 he was made vicar of Evenley, Northamptonshire, and rector of Burthrop, Gloucestershire, and in 1606 he became vicar of Charlbury, Oxfordshire. On 18 March 1618-19 he was elected bishop of Bristol, being consecrated on 9 May following, and receiving back the temporalities on the 28th. He died on 11 Oct, 1622, and was buried in Bristol Cathedral. John Manningham describes him as 'a dissembled Christian, like an intemperate patient which can gladly heare his physician discourse of his dyet and remedy, but will not endure to obserue them' (Diary, Camd. Soc. p. 11). By his wife Anne, daughter of Ralph and Mary Hutchinson, he had one or more sons. The stone placed over his grave was subsequently removed to make room for the communion table.

[Wood's Athenae Oxon, ii. 861; Godwin, De Praesul. Angliae, ed Richardson; Lansd, MS. 984, f. 23; Cal. State Papers, Dom. 1619-23, pp. 44, 459; Le Neve's Fasti, ed. Hardy; Clark's Reg. Univ. Oxon. passim; Foster's Alumni Oxon. 1500-1714; Clode's Memorials of the Merchant Taylors' Company, p. 665; Robinson's Reg. Merchant Taylors' School, i. 22.]

 SEARLE, THOMAS (1777–1849), rear-admiral, son of James Searle of Staddlescombe, Devonshire, was born on 29 May 1777. He entered the navy in November 1789, served on the Mediterranean, home, and Newfoundland stations, and in 1796 was in the Royal George, flagship of Lord Bridport, by whose interest he was made lieutenant, on 19 Aug., to the Incendiary fireship. In 1797 he was in the Prince, flagship of Sir Roger Curtis; in 1798, in the Nemesis frigate, on the North American station, and in 1799 commanded the Courier cutter in the North Sea. On 26 Nov. 1799 he was made commander on the recommendation of Lord Duncan, who was greatly pleased with his activity during the year, and especially with his gallant capture of a large French privateer on 23 Nov. From