BOW 
Ing forward a perfon, who, from his zeal in the caufe of 
letters, and his abilities to promote it, is a very fit luccef- 
for to his learned friend and partner. In 17 66 he wrote a 
Latin preface to Joannis Harduini, Jefuita;, ad cenfuram 
fcriptorunv veterum prolegomena; in which he gives an 
account of that work, and of the manner in which it has 
been preferved. The remarks of Mr. de Miffy, a very 
learned and accurate man, were publilhed about the fame 
time, in a Latin letter, addrelJ'ed to Mr. Bowyer. In 1767 
lie was appointed to print the journals of the houfe of lords, 
and the rolls of parliament. In 1771 he loft a fecund wife, 
aged feventy, whom he had married in 1747. In 1774 he 
publifhed The Origin of Printing, in two cftkys. 1. The 
lubftance of Dr. Middleton’s Dift'ertation on the Origin of 
Printing in England. 2. Meerntan’s Account of the Art 
at Haerlem, and its Progrefs to Mentz, with occafional 
Remarks, and an Appendix. The original idea of this 
ul'eful work was Bowyer’s ; but it was completed by Mr. 
Nichols. He alfo made confiderable additions to the lexi¬ 
cons of Schrevelius, Hederic, and Buxtorf; the Latin 
ones of Faber and Littleton, and the Englifh Dictionary 
of Bailey; and he left behind him many other proofs of 
his critical (kill in the learned languages. In 1777, he 
clofed his literary career with a new edition of Bentley’s 
Dift’ertation on the Epiftles of Phalaris, 8vo. with additi¬ 
onal notes and remarks of others. He died, November 18, 
1777, aged feventy-eight, after having been afflicted, the 
laft ten years of his life, with the palfy and the ftone. He 
certainly flood unrivalled, for more than half a century, 
as a learned printer, of which his own publications are an 
inconteftable proof; and to his literary and profeflional 
abilities he added an excellent moral character. He was 
a man of the drifted probity, and alfo of tire greateft li¬ 
berality; particlarly in relieving the neceftitous, and aflift- 
ing every fpecies of diftrefs. Many minute particulars of 
him, "that do not come within our plan, may be feen in the 
Anecdotes of his Life, publifhed by Mr. Nichols. Some 
extracts from his Will, however, (hall be annexed, as an 
indifpenlable tribute to his memory. After a liberal pro- 
vifion for his fon, among other legacies are thefe : “ I like- 
wife give to my fon all my plate; except the fmall (ilver 
cup v/hich was given to my father (after his lofs by fire) 
by Mrs. James, and which I give to the Company of Sta¬ 
tioners in London, hoping they will preferve it as a memo¬ 
rial. Having committed my body to the earth, I would 
teftify my duty and gratitude to my few relations and nu¬ 
merous benefactors after my father’s lofs by fire. I give 
and bequeath to my coitfin Scott, lately of Weftminfter, 
brewer, and to his fifter, fifty pounds each. I give and 
bequeath to my relation Mr. Thomas Linley and his wife 
one thoufand pounds four percent, confolidated annuities, 
to be transferred to them, or to the furvivor of them ; and 
which I hope they will take care to fettle, at their deaths, 
for the benefit of their fon and daughter. I give to the 
two fons and one daughter of the late reverend Mr. Mau¬ 
rice, of Gothenburgh in Sweden, who married the only 
daughter of Mr. Richard Williamfon, bookfeller, (in re¬ 
turn for her father’s friendfhip to mine,) one thoufand 
pounds (our per cent, confolidated annuities, to be divid¬ 
ed equally between them. Among my father’s numerous 
benefaffors, there is not, that 1 can hear of, one alive : to 
feveral of them I made an acknowledgement. But one 
refpeclable body 1 am dill indebted to, the univeriity of 
Cambridge ; to whom I give, or rather reftore, the fum 
©f fifty pounds, in return for the donation of forty pounds 
made to my father at the motion of the learned and pious 
mafter of St. John’s college, doCtor Robert Jenkin : 
to a nephew of his 1 have already given another fifty 
pounds, as appears by his receipt of the 31ft of May, 1770. 
The benefactions which my father received from Oxford 
I can only repay with gratitude ; as he received them, not 
from the univerfity as a body, but from particular mem¬ 
bers. I give thirty pounds to the dean and chapter of Can¬ 
terbury, in gratitude for the kindnefs of the worthy Dr. 
Stanhope (fome time dean of Canterbury) to my father; 
Y E R. 3 2 7 
the remembrance of which amongft the proprietors of his 
works I have long outlived, as I have experienced by not 
being employed to print them : the like 1 might fay of the 
works of Mr. Nelfon, another refpeCtable friend and pa¬ 
tron of my father’s, and of many others. I give to doctor 
William Heberden my little cabinet of coins, with Hickes’s 
Thefaurus, Triltan, and the odd volume, Spanheim’s Nu- 
mifmata, Harduin’s'Opera SeleCta, in.folio, Nummi Po- 
pulorum et Urbium, in quarto, and any other of my books 
he choofes to accept: to the reverend doCtor Henry Owen, 
fuch of my Hebrew books, and critical books on the New 
Teftament, as he pleafes to take; to Richard Gough, Efq. 
in like manner, my books on topographical fubjefts : to 
Mr. John Nichols, all books that relate to Cicero, Livy, 
and the Roman hiftory, particularly the Cenotaphia of 
Noris and Pighius, my Grammars and Didlionaries, with 
Swift’s and Pope’s works : to my fon, whatever books (not 
deferibed above) he thinks proper to take. And now I 
hope I may be allowed to leave fomewhat for the benefit 
of printing. To this end, I give to the mafter and keep¬ 
ers or wardens and commonalty of the myftery or art of 
a ftationer of the city of London, fuch a fum of money as 
will purchafe two thoufand pounds three per cent, reduced 
Bank annuities, upon truft, to pay the dividends and yearly 
produce thereof, to be divided for ever equally amongft 
three compofitors or preflmen, to be defied from time to 
time by the mafter, wardens, and aftiftants, of the faid 
company, and who at the time of fuch election (hall be 
fixty-three years old or upwards, for their refpeclive lives, 
to be paid half-yearly; hoping that fuch as (hall be mod 
deferving will be preferred. And whereas I have herein 
before given to my fon the fum of three thoufand pounds 
four per cent, confolidated annuities, in cafe he marries 
with the confent of my executors : now, I do hereby give 
and bequeath the dividends and intereft of that fum, till 
fuch marriage takes place, to the faid company of ftationers, 
to be divided equally between fix other printers, compofi¬ 
tors or prelfmen, as aforefaid, in manner as aforefaid ; and, 
if my faid fon (hall die unmarried, or married without fuch 
confent as aforefaid, then I give and bequeath the faid ca¬ 
pital fum of 3000I. to the faid company of ftationers, the 
dividends and yearly produce thereof to be divided for ever 
equally amongft fuch other oldprinters, compofitors or pre(T- 
men, for their refpedlive lives, to be qualified, chofen, and 
paid, in manner as aforefaid. It has long been to me matter 
of concern, that fuch numbers are put apprentices as com¬ 
pofitors without any (hare of (chool-learning, who ought to 
have the greateft : in hopes of remedying this,. I give and 
bequeath to the faid company of ftationers fuch a fum of 
money as will purchafe one thoufand pounds three per cent, 
reduced bank annuities, for the life of one journeyman 
compofitor, fuch as (hall hereafter be deferibed; with this 
fpecial truft, that the mafter, wardens, and aftiftants, (ball 
pay the dividends and produce thereof half-yearly to fuch 
compofitor : the faid mafter, wardens, and aftiftants, of the 
faid company, (hall nominate for this purpofe a compofitor 
who is a man of good life and converfation, who (hall 
ufnally frequent fome place of public worfhip every Sun¬ 
day unlefs prevented by ficknefs, and (hall not have work¬ 
ed on a newfpaper or magazine for four years at lead be¬ 
fore fuch nomination, ’ nor (hall ever afterwards whilft he 
holds this annuity, which may be for life, if he continues 
a journeyman : he (hall be able to read and conftrue La¬ 
tin, and at lead to read Greek fluently with accents; of 
which he (hall bring a teftimonial from the reftor of St. 
Martin’s Ludgate for the time being. I could wifti that 
he (hall have been brought up pioufly and virtuoufly, if it 
be poflible, at Merchant Taylors, or fome other public 
fchool, from feven years of age till he is full feventeen, 
and then to ferve feven years faithfully as a compofitor, 
and work feven years more as a journeyman, as I would 
not have this annuity beftowed on any one under thirty-one 
years of age : if after he is chofen he (liould behave ill, 
let him be turned out, and another be chofen in his (lead. 
And whereas it may be many years before a compofitor 
may 
