BOYSE, Boys, or Bois, John, one of the translators of the Bible in the reign of James I. was son of William Bois, rector of West Stowe, near St Edmundsbury, Suffolk, and born at Nettlestead in Suffolk on the 3d of January 1560. He was taught the first rudiments of learning by his father; and his capacity was such, that at the age of five years he read the Bible in Hebrew. He went afterwards to Hadley school; and at 14 was admitted of St John's college, Cambridge, where he distinguished himself by his skill in Greek. Happening to have the small-pox when he was elected fellow, he, to preserve his seniority, caused himself to be carried in blankets to be admitted. He applied himself for some time to the study of medicine; but, fancying himself affected with every disease he read of, he quitted that science. He was ten years chief Greek lecturer in his college, and read every day. He voluntarily read a Greek lecture for some years at four in the morning, in his own chamber, which was frequented by many of the fellows. On the death of his father, he succeeded him in the rectory of West Stowe. At the age of 36, he married the daughter of Mr Holt, rector of Boxworth, in Cambridgeshire; whom he succeeded in that living, October 13. 1596. On his quitting the university, the college gave him
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1001. His young wife, who was bequeathed to him with the living, which was an advowson, proving a bad economist, and he himself being wholly addicted to his studies, he soon became so much involved in debt, that he was obliged to sell his choice collection of books, consisting of almost every Greek author then extant. When a new translation of the Bible was by King James I. directed to be made, Mr. Bois was elected one of the Cambridge translators. He performed not only his own, but also the part assigned to another, with great reputation; though with no profit, for he had no allowance but his commons. He was also one of the six who met at Stationers Hall to revise the whole; which task they went through in nine months, having each from the company of stationers, during that time 30s. a-week. He afterwards assisted Sir Henry Saville in publishing the works of St. Chrysostom. In 1615, Dr. Lancelot Andrews, bishop of Ely, bestowed on him, unasked, a prebend in his church. He died on the 14th of January 1643, in the 84th year of his age. He left a great many manuscripts behind him, particularly a Commentary on almost all the books of the New Testament.—When he was a young student at Cambridge, he received from the learned Dr. Whitaker three rules for avoiding those distempers which usually attend a sedentary life, to which he adhered with equal constancy and success. The first was, To study always standing; the second, Never to study in a window; and the third, Never to go to bed with his feet cold.