Thomas Willis

whom some pedagogical Writers call Volentius, was born of a gentile Family of his name living at Fenny compton in Warwickshire, began to be conversant with the Muses in S. Johns Coll, in Easter term 1602, aged 19 years or thereabouts, took the degrees in Arts, and soon after became Schoolmaster at Thistleworth or Istleworth in Middlesex, where he spent near 50 years of his time in the instruction of youth, for whose use he wrot these things following.

Vestibulum Linguae Latinae. A Dictionary for Children, consisting of two parts, &c. containing near ten thousand words, besides thrice the number derived from, and known by, them &c. Lond. 1651. oct.

Phraseologia Anglo-Latina. Anglicisms latinized &c. Lond. 1655. oct. This is the same which hath another title sometimes set to it, running thus. Proteus vinctus. Clar. 1655. Sive aequivoca sermonis Anglicani, ordine alphabetico digesta, & latine reddita. To this Book was afterwards added—Paraemilogia Anglo-latina. Or, a collection of Engl. and Lat. Proverbs and proverbial sayings matched together. Both which were printed in one Vol. at Lond. 1672. oct. This last was wrot with a design to supply what was defective and wanting in our Author Willis his Phraseologia, &c. by Will. Walker, bred up in School learning under Joh. Clerk Bach. of Div. sometimes publick Schoolmaster of Lincoln, afterwards teacher of a private School in Fiskerton in Nottinghamshire and a Writer of school-books: under whom he the said Walker being ripen’d for the University, was sent to Trin. Coll. in Cambridge, where he took the degrees in Arts and one in Divinity; afterwards he became Master of the publick School at Lowth in Lincolnshire, (founded by K. Ed. 6.) then Rector of Colsterworth in the same County by the donation of Dr. Tho. Pierce, as Prebendary, I think, of Lincoln, (who had been for several years a great encourager of Mr. Walker’s useful studies) and at length Master of the Free-school at Grantham, where he continued to the time of his death which hapned in the beginning of January, or thereabouts, an. 1684. This person, who was very useful in his generation, hath written and published, (1) Treatise of English Particles, several times printed. (2) Troposchematologiae Rhetoricae libri duo. Lond. 1668. dedic. to his Patron Dr. Pierce . before mention’d. (3) Explanations of the Royal, commonly called Lillyes, Grammar, in two parts. Lond. 1670. 74. oct. (4) Modest plea for Infant Baptism. Cantab. 1677. in tw. (5) English Examples of the Lat. Syntaxis, &c. Lond. 1683. oct. with his picture before it; aged 59 years; and other things, as ’tis probable, which I have not yet seen, particularly his Dictionary of English and Latine Idioms, and his book intit. De argumentorum inventione libri duo, &c. in oct.