Cave Beck

He was educated in a private school in London run by a Mr. Braithwayte, and on 13 June 1638 was admitted as a pensioner of St. John's College, Cambridge.

in 1642, and then enrolled as a trainee lawyer at Gray's Inn, London on 1 August 1642.,[2] but does not appear to have gained any legal qualifications.

In 1660, he accompanied Hereford to the Netherlands as part of a deputation to bring King Charles II back to England at the time of The Restoration.

Beck is remembered for his book, "The Universal Character", printed in London in 1657 by Thomas Maxey[2], on behalf of William Weekly, bookseller of Ipswich.

The book's full title was "The Universal Character, by which all Nations in the World may understand one another's Conceptions, Reading out of one Common Writing their own Mother Tongues.

A French translation of the book (Le Charactere Universel) was published by Maxey's widow Anne in London in 1657.

Rules for pronunciation of the numbers were also set out, as follows : 1 = On, 2 = Too or To, 3 = Tre ('tray'), 4 = For ('fore') or Fo, 5 = Fi ('fie'), 6 = Sic, 7 = Sen, 8 = At, 9 = Nin ('neen'), 0 = o ('oh').

[8] However, a modern expert suggests that, 'though Beck's originality as a linguist cannot be rated highly, he should certainly be remembered as the creator of the first complete 'Universal Character' to be printed, not only in Britain but, in all likelihood, in the whole of Europe' [9] On the frontispiece of Beck's "The Universal Character" is an engraving by William Faithorne, and the figure of the European is supposed, with great probability, to be the portrait of the author.