CHEKE, SIR JOHN

CHEKE, SIR JOHN, a celebrated statesman, philologist, and divine, descended of an ancient family in the Isle of Wight, was born at Cambridge in 1514, and educated at St John's College. After taking his degrees in arts, he was first chosen Greek lecturer; and then, in 1540, professor of that language, with a salary of £40 a-year. In this station he was principally instrumental in reforming the pronunciation of the Greek language, which had been much neglected, and was imperfectly understood. About 1544 he went to court, and was appointed Latin tutor to Prince Edward. About this time he was made canon of the college newly founded at Oxford, so that he must then have been in orders. On the accession of his royal pupil to the crown, Mr Cheke was first rewarded with a pension of a hundred marks, and afterwards obtained several considerable grants from the crown. In 1550 he was made chief gentleman of the privy chamber, and was knighted the following year; in 1552, chamberlain of the exchequer for life; in 1553, clerk of the council; and soon afterwards secretary of state and privy-counsellor. But these honours were of short duration. Having concurred in the measures of the Duke of Northumberland for settling the crown on the unfortunate Lady Jane Grey, and acted as her secretary during the nine days of her reign, on the accession of Queen Mary he was sent to the Tower, and stripped of the greater part of his possessions. In September 1554 he obtained his

liberty, and a license to travel abroad. He went first to Basel, thence to Italy, and afterwards returned to Strasburg, where he was reduced to the necessity of reading Greek lectures for subsistence. In 1556 he set out to meet his wife at Brussels; but before he reached that city he was seized by order of Philip II., thrown into a waggon, and thus ignominiously conducted to a ship, which brought him to the Tower of London. He soon found that religion was the cause of his imprisonment; for he was immediately visited by two Catholic priests, who endeavoured to convert him, but without success. He was at last visited by Fleckenham, who told him from the queen that he must either comply or be burned. This powerful argument had the desired effect; Sir John Cheke formally complied, and his lands, upon certain conditions, were restored; but his remorse soon put an end to his life. He died in September 1557, at the house of his friend Mr Peter Osborne, in Wood Street, London, and was buried in St Alban's church. He left three sons, the eldest of whom, Henry, was knighted by Queen Elizabeth.

He wrote, 1. A Latin translation of two of St Chrysostom's homilies, Lond. 1543, 4to; 2. A Latin translation of six homilies of the same Father, Lond. 1547; 3. The Hurt of Sedition, Lond. 1549, 1576, 1641; 4. A Latin translation of the English Communion Service, printed among Bucer's Opuscula; 5. De Obitu doctissimi et sanctissimi theologi Domini Martini Buceri, &c., Lond. 1551; 6. Corpus Heroicum, in Antonium Deneium, Lond. 4to; 7. De Pronunciacione Graeca Linguae, Basle, 1555, 8vo; 8. De Superstitione; 9. Several Letters published in his life by Strype; 10. A Latin translation of Archbishop Cranmer's book on the Lord's Supper, 1553; 11. Translation of Leo de Apparatu Belli, Basle, 1554. He left also a great many unpublished writings, which are most probably lost.