John Chamberlayne

John Chamberlayne (1666–1723) was an English writer and translator, and the younger son of Edward Chamberlayne. He was born about 1666, probably in or near London.

Life and career

In 1685 he published a translation of Philippe Sylvestre Dufour's The Manner of making Coffee, Tea, and Chocolate as it is used in most parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, with their Vertues. This amusing tract became very widely popular. The same year he entered as a commoner in Trinity College, Oxford, and from here, 24 June 1686, dates his translation of A Treasure of Health by Castor Durante Da Gualdo, Physician and Citizen of Rome (Il Tesoro della Sanità, 1586). Leaving Oxford without a degree, he proceeded to the University of Leyden, where on 12 May 1688 he entered himself as a student.[1] Here, it would seem, he chiefly studied modern languages,[2] of which, according to contemporary report, he knew sixteen. On his return he filled various offices about the court. He was successively gentleman waiter to Prince George of Denmark, gentleman of the Privy Chamber first to Queen Anne and then to King George I. He was also secretary to Queen Anne's Bounty Commission, and on the commission of the peace for Middlesex. In 1702 Chamberlayne was elected a fellow of the Royal Society. He contributed three papers to its "Transactions":

  • A Relation of the Effects of a Storm of Thunder and Lightning at Sampford Courtney in Devonshire on 7 Oct. 1711 (No. 336, p. 528).
  • Remarks on the Plague at Copenhagen in the year 1711 (No. 337, p. 279).
  • An Account of the Sunk Island in Humber (No. 361, p. 1014).

In the Sloane Manuscripts there are a number of letters from Chamberlayne on the affairs of the society. None of these, however, are of special importance. Chamberlayne was also a member of the Society for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge. He translated for this body Osterwald's Arguments of the Book and Chapters of the Old and New Testament, 3 vols. 1716; new ed. 3 vols. 1833.

Chamberlayne died at his house in Petty-France (now York Street), Westminster on 2 November 1723, and on 6 November was interred in the family burying-ground at Chelsea, where he had a residence, and where on his church wall a tablet was placed to his memory.

Major translations

Chamberlayne's most important work was his translation of Brandt's History of the Reformation in the Low Countries, 4 vols. 1720-3. In the preface to a part of this published in 1719 he relates that Fagel assured Bishop Burnet "that it was worth his while to learn Dutch, only for the pleasure of reading Brandt's History of the Reformation". Chamberlayne also continued his father's Present State of England after his death in 1703, and issued five editions. The son's name still appeared on editions that were published after his own death (as late as 1756). He also published Pufendorf's History of Popedom, containing the Rise, Progress, and Decay thereof, 1691; Oratio Dominica in diversas omnium fere gentium linguas versa, Amsterdam, 1715; Nieuwentyt's Religious Philosopher, or the right Use of contemplating the Works of the Creator, 3 vols. 1718; Fontenelle's Lives of the French Philosophers, 1721 and Jacques Saurin's Dissertations, Historical, Critical, Theological, and Moral, of the most Memorable Events of the Old and New Testaments, 1723.

References

  1. ↑ Edward Peacock, Index to English speaking students who have graduated at Leyden University, 1883, p. 19
  2. ↑ Sloane Manuscript 4040, f. 104

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Chamberlayne, John". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.

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