WILLIAM, the most learned printer of his age, was born at White Friars in London, December 17, 1699. His father, whose name also was William, had been eminent in the same profession; and his maternal grandfather (Ichabod Dawks) was employed in printing the celebrated Polyglott bible of Bishop Walton. At a proper age, he was placed for grammatical education under the care of Mr Ambrose Bonwicke, a nonjuring clergyman of known piety and learning, who then lived at Headly, near Leatherhead in Surrey. Here Mr Bowyer made great advances in literature, and a firm attachment commenced betwixt him and his master. On the 30th of January 1713, the whole property of the elder Mr Bowyer was destroyed by fire; on which occasion Mr Bonwicke generously undertook the education of his pupil for one year. In 1716, young Mr Bowyer was admitted a fizser at St John's college, Cambridge, where Dr Robert Jenkin was at that time master. He continued at the college of Cambridge under the tuition of the reverend Dr John Newcombe till June 1722, during which period he probably took his degree of bachelor of arts; and it appears that he was desirous of obtaining a fellowship, though it is not certain that he ever stood a candidate for that honour. Soon after this he had an opportunity of repaying the kindness which Mr Bonwicke had shown him, by officiating some time after his death in the capacity of a schoolmaster for the benefit of his family.

Mr Bowyer now entered into the printing-business Bowyer, along with his father. One of the first books which received the benefit of his correction was the complete edition of Selden, in three volumes folio, by Dr David Wilkins. This edition was begun in 1722, and finished in 1726; and Mr Bowyer's great attention to it appeared in his drawing up an epitome of Selden de Synedriis, as he read the proof sheets. In 1727, he drew up an excellent sketch of William Baxter's Glossary of the Roman Antiquities. This was called "A view of a book entitled Reliquiae Baxterianae." In a letter to a friend. A single sheet 8vo. By this first public proof of Mr Bowyer's abilities, Dr Wotton and Mr Clarke were highly pleased; but as it was never published, and a very few copies printed, it is very seldom found with the glossary. In 1727 Mr Bowyer lost his mother; on which occasion he received a letter of consolation from Mr Chishull the learned editor of the Antiquitates Antiquae. In October 1728 he married Miss Ann Prudom, his mother's niece, a very accomplished lady, by whom he had two sons, William and Thomas: the former of whom died an infant, and the latter survived his father. In 1729 Mr Bowyer published a curious treatise, entitled, "A Pattern for young Students in the University; set forth in the Life of Ambrose Bonwicke, some time scholar of St John's College, Cambridge;" but though this treatise was generally ascribed to Mr Bowyer, it was in reality the production of Mr Ambrose Bonwicke the elder. About this time it appears, that Mr Bowyer had written a pamphlet against the Separatists, though neither the title nor the occasion of it are now remembered. The same year, through the friendship of the Right Hon. Arthur Onslow, he was appointed printer of the votes of the house of commons; which office he held, under three successive speakers, for near fifty years. In 1731 Mr Bowyer published, and, it is believed, translated, Voltaire's Life of Charles XII. This year also his wife died; on which occasion his friends Mr Clarke and Mr Chishull wrote him very affectionate and Christian letters. He remained a widower till 1747, when he married a very benevolent and worthy woman, Mrs Elizabeth Bill, by whom he had no children. In 1733 he published a piece in two sheets 4to, entitled, "The Beau and the Academic:" being a translation from a Latin poem recited that year at the Sheldonian theatre: and in 1736 he was admitted into the Society of Antiquarians, where he became an active and useful member. In 1737 Mr Bowyer lost his father; and on this occasion Mr Clarke again addressed to him a letter of consolation. In 1742 our author published a translation of Trapp's Latin Lectures on Poetry, in which he was assisted by Mr Clarke, though the latter had a contemptible opinion of the performance.

In 1749, Mr Bowyer, along with Dr Burton, was virulently attacked by Dr King in a piece entitled Elogium famae infrivensi Jacci Etonensis five Gigantis: or "The praises of Jack Eaton, commonly called Jack the Giant."—This abuse was probably occasioned by Mr Bowyer's having hinted in conversation some doubts concerning the Doctor's skill in Latin. Our author drew up some strictures in his own defence, which he intended to insert at the conclusion of a preface to Montesquieu's Reflections; but by Dr Clarke's advice Bowyer, they were omitted. In 1750, a prefatory critical dissertation and some notes were annexed by our author to Kuster's Treslile De usu verborum mediorum; a new edition of which, with farther improvements, appeared in 1773. He wrote likewise about the same time a Latin preface to Leedes's Veteres poetarum citati, &c.—Being soon after employed to print an edition of Col. Bladen's translation of Caesar's Commentaries, that work received considerable improvements from Mr Bowyer's hands, with the addition of such notes in it as are signed Typogr. In the subsequent editions of this work, though printed by another person during our author's lifetime, the same signature, though contrary to decorum, and even to justice, was still retained. In 1751, he wrote a long preface to Montesquieu's "Reflections on the rise and fall of the Roman Empire;" translated the dialogue between Sylla and Socrates; made several corrections to the work from the Baron's "Spirit of Laws;" and improved it with his own notes. A new edition, with many new notes, was printed in 1759. In 1751 he also published the first translation that ever was made of Rousseau's paradoxical oration, which gained the prize at the academy of Dijon in 1750; and which first announced that singular genius to the attention and admiration of Europe. On the publication of the third edition of Lord Orrery's "Remarks on the Life and Writings of Dr Swift," in 1752, Mr Bowyer wrote and printed, but never published, "Two Letters from Dr Bentley in the Shades below, to Lord Orrery in a Land of thick darkness." The notes signed B, in the ninth quarto volume of Swift's works, are extracted from these Letters. In 1753, he endeavoured to allay the ferment occasioned by the Jew bill; with which view he published, in quarto, "Remarks on the speech made in common council, on the bill for permitting persons professing the Jewish religion to be naturalized, so far as prophecies are supposed to be affected by it." This little tract was written with spirit, and well received by those who were superior to narrow prejudices. Its design was to show that whatever political reasons might be alleged against the bill, Christianity was in no danger of being prejudiced by the intended protection promised to the Jews. The same year some of Mr Bowyer's notes were annexed to Bishop Clatton's translation of "A Journal from Grand Cairo to Mount Sinai and back again."—In 1754, Mr Bowyer with a view of lessening his fatigue entered into partnership with a relation; but some disagreement arising, the connection was dissolved in three years. On the death of Mr Richardson in 1761, Mr Bowyer succeeded him as printer to the Royal Society, through the favour of the late Earl of Macclesfield; and, under the friendship of five successive presidents, enjoyed that office till his death.

In 1763, Mr Bowyer published an excellent edition of the Greek Testament, in two vols 12mo. It appeared under the following title: Novum Testamentum Graecum; ad fidem Graecorum solum Codicum MSS. nunc primum impressum, adiuvante Joanne Jacobo Wettenhio, justa Sectiones Jo. Alberti Bengelii divisi; et nova interpretatione sapius illustratum. Accedere in altero volumine, Emendationes conjecturales virorum doctorum undecunque collectae. This fold with great rapidity: the Conjectural Emendations were well received by the learned, and are thought to be a valuable work. The president and fellows of Harvard college in Cambridge expressed their approbation of this edition in very high terms, in a letter to Mr Bowyer, written in the year 1767. "This work (say they), though small in bulk, we esteem as a rich treasure of sacred learning, and of more value than many large volumes of the commentators." A second edition of the Conjectures on the New Testament, with very considerable enlargements, was separately published, in one vol. 8vo, in 1772. Bishop Warburton having censured a passage in the former edition, Mr Bowyer sent him a copy of this book, with a conciliatory letter. Dr Warburton's Divine Legation had received very considerable advantage from Mr Bowyer's corrections; and this even in an edition which was necessarily given to another press. In 1761 he was employed to print his Lordship's Doctrine of Grace. A second edition being soon wanted, and Mr Bowyer not having been intrusted with the care of it, he prepared a series of letters to the bishop in his own defence; of which, together with a few he had formerly received from that great writer, he afterwards printed twelve copies, of which ten have since been destroyed. However, there is the best authority for asserting, that notwithstanding any little alterations which happened, Dr Warburton always retained a sincere regard for our author. In 1765, at the request of Thomas Hollis, Esq. Mr Bowyer wrote a short Latin preface to Dr Wallis's Grammatica Linguae Anglicanae. He wrote also a large English preface for the same work, which, however, still remains unprinted. In 1766 he entered into partnership with Mr Nichols, who had been trained by him to the profession, and had for several years assisted him in the management of his business. The same year, Mr Bowyer wrote an excellent Latin preface to Joannis Harduini, Jefuteae, ad Centuriam Scriptorum veterum Prologomena. Juxta Autographum. In 1767 he was appointed to print the journals of the house of lords and the rolls of parliament. This year he printed Mr Clarke's excellent and learned work on "The Connection of the Roman, Saxon, and English Coins;" and wrote some notes upon it, which are interspersed throughout the volume with those of the author. Part of the Dissertation on the Roman festivity was likewise Mr Bowyer's production; and the index, which is an uncommonly good one, was drawn up by him entirely.

In January 1771 Mr Bowyer lost his second wife, and again received a letter of consolation from his old friend Mr Clarke, who had sent him one almost forty years before on a similar occasion. In the Philosophical Transactions for this year was printed a very ingenious "Inquiry into the Value of the ancient Greek and Roman Money," by the late Matthew Raper, Esq. But his opinions not coinciding with those of Mr Bowyer, he printed a small pamphlet, entitled, "Remarks, occasioned by a late Dissertation on the Greek and Roman Money." In 1773 three little tracts were published by him, under the title of "Select Discourses." 1. Of the correspondence of the Hebrew months with the Julian, from the Latin of Professor Michaelis. 2. Of the Sabbatical years, from the same. 3. Of the years of Jubilee, from an anonymous writer in Masson's Histoire Critique de la Republique des des Lettres." In 1774 he corrected a new edition of Schrevelius's Greek Lexicon; to which he has added a number of words, distinguished by an asterisk, which he himself had collected in the course of his studies. Considerable additions, still in manuscript, were made by him to the lexicons of Hederic and Buxtorf, the Latin ones of Faber and Littleton, and the English Dictionary of Bailey; and he left behind him many other proofs of his critical skill in the learned languages. In 1774 was published, "The origin of printing, in two essays. 1. The substance of Dr Middleton's Dissertation on the Origin of Printing in England. 2. Mr Meerman's Account of the Invention of the art at Haarlem, and its progress to Mentz, with occasional Remarks, and an Appendix." The original idea of this valuable tract was Mr Bowyer's, but it was completed by Mr Nichols.

Although our author, during the last ten years of his life, had been afflicted with the palsy and stone, he not only preserved a remarkable cheerfulness of temper, but was enabled to support the labour of almost incessant reading; and he regularly corrected the learned works, especially the Greek books, which came from his press. This he continued to do till within a few weeks of his death, which happened in November 1777, when he had nearly completed his 73rd year. For more than half a century Mr Bowyer was unrivalled as a learned printer; and many of the most masterly productions of this kingdom have come from his press. To his literary and professional abilities he added an excellent moral character; and he was particularly distinguished by his inflexible probity, and an uncommon alacrity in relieving the necessitous.