John Boys (priest)

degree in the usual course, but migrated to Clare Hall in 1593, apparently on his failing to succeed to a Kentish fellowship vacated by the resignation of Mr Coldwell, and which was filled up by the election of Dr Willan, a Norfolk man.

His first preferment was the small rectory of Betteshanger in his native county, which he tells us was procured for him by his uncle Sir John Boys of Canterbury, whom he calls 'my best patron in Cambridge.'

Whitgift's death (February 1604) made little alteration in his circumstances; Archbishop Richard Bancroft soon took him into his favour, and he preached at Ashford, on the occasion of the primate holding his primary visitation there on 11 September 1607.

It appeared accordingly next year in quarto, under the title of An Exposition of the Dominical Epistles and Gospels used in our English Liturgie throughout the whole yeere, and was dedicated to his 'very dear uncle,' Sir John Boys of Canterbury.

In his dedication Boys takes the opportunity of mentioning his obligations to Sir John and to Archbishop Whitgift for having watered what 'that vertuous and worthy knight' had planted.

The work supplied a great need and had a very large and rapid sale; new editions followed in quick succession, and it would be a difficult task to draw up an exhaustive bibliographical account of Boys' publications.

In 1620 he was made a member of the high commission court, and in 1622 he collected his works into a folio volume, adding to those previously published five miscellaneous sermons which he calls lectures, and which are by no means good specimens of his method or his style.

Francis Bacon's Essays and The Advancement of Learning, Sandys's Travels, Owen's, More's, and John Parkhurst's Epigrams, Piers Plowman, and Richard Verstegan's Restitution, with Boys' favourite book, Josuah Sylvester's translation of Du Bartas's Divine Weeks all feature.