Miles Smith

, a Fletchers Son, received his first breath within the City of Hereford, became a Student first in C. C. coll. about 1568. whence translating himself soon after to Brasnose, took the degrees in Arts as a member of that house; wherein by the benefit of a severe discipline that was in his time exercised, and by his indefatigable industry, he proved at length an incomparable Theologist. About that time he was made one of the Chaplains or Petty-Canons of Ch. Ch. and took the degree of Bach. of Div. as a member of that Royal foundation. Afterwards he became Canon Residentiary of the Cathedral Ch. of Hereford, Doctor of Divinity and in 1612. Bishop of Glocester; to which See (which was given him for his great pains in translating the Bible) he received consecration 20. Sept. the same year. From his youth he constantly [••] plyed himself to the reading of antient Classical authors of the best note, in their own Languages; wherewith, as also with Neotericks he was plentifully stored, and lusted after no worldly thing so much as books; of which tho he had great store, yet there were none scarce to be found in his Library, especially of the Ancients, that he had not read over, as hath been observed by those, who have perused them since his death. He ran thro the Greek and Latin Fathers, and judiciously noted them in the margin as he went. The Rabbins also, as many as he had with their Glosses and Commentaries, he read and used in their own idiom of speech. And so conversant he was, and expert in the Chaldaick, Syriack, and Arabick, that he made them as familiar to him, almost, as his own native tongue. Hebrew also he had at his fingers ends, and with all stories of all times: And for his rich and accomplished furniture in that study, he had this Elogy given him by a learned Bishop of this Kingdom, that he was a very walking Library. For this his exactness of those Languages, he was thought worthy by K. Jam. 1. to be called to that great work of the last translation of our English Bible, wherein he was esteemed the chief, and a workman that needed not be ashamed. He began with the first and was the last Man in the translation of the work; for after the task of translation was finished by the whole number set a-part, and designed to that business, being some few above 40. it was raised by a dozen selected from them, and at length referred to the final examination on Bilson Bishop of Winton, and this our author, who, with the rest of the twelve, are stiled in the History of the Synod of Dort, vere eximii & ab initio in toto hoc opere versatissimi, as having happily concluded that worthy labour. All being ended, this excellent person Dr. Smith was commanded to write a Preface, which being by him done, ’twas made publick, and is the same that is now extant in our Church Bible, the original whereof is, if I am not mistaken, in the Oxonian Vatican. He hath written, besides what is before-mentioned,

Sermons. Lond. 1632. fol. They are 15 in number, and were transcribed out of his original MSS, the first of which is on Jer. 9. 23. 24. He departed this mortal life in the beginning of Nov. 1624 in sixteen hundred twenty and four, (having always before been very favourable to the Calvinian Party in his Diocess,) and was buried on the 9. of the same month, in our Ladies Chappel, in the Cath. Ch. of Gloucester, leaving behind him two Sons which he had by his first Wife, (Mary Hawkins of Cardiff,) named Gervase of the Midale Temple Gent. and Miles Smith, and this character by the zealous men of the Ch. of England, that tho he was a great Scholar, yet he was a severe Calvinist, and hated the proceedings of Dr. Laud, especially after he was made Dean of Gloucester. Over his grave was afterwards a white stone laid, without any inscription thereon, only his Arms impaled by those of the See of Glouc.