Bois (Boys), John

BOIS (BOYS), JOHN: Church of England scholar; b. at Nettlestead, near Hadleigh (35 m. e.s.e. of Cambridge), Suffolk, Jan. 3, 1561; d. at Ely Jan. 14, 1644. He studied at St. John's and Magdalen Colleges, Cambridge, was elected fellow of the former in 1580, and was Greek lecturer 1584–1595; became rector of Boxworth (5 m. n.w. of Cambridge) 1596, and prebendary of Ely 1615. He was one of the translators of the Authorized Version, belonging to the Apocrypha company, and when his own part was done is said to have assisted the other Cambridge company on the section from Chronicles to Canticles; he was one of the delegates engaged in the final revision. He assisted Sir Henry Savile (who calls him "most ingenious and most learned") in his edition of Chrysostom (8 vols., Eton, 1612 [1610–13]), and left many manuscripts, but his only published work was Veteris interpretis cum Beza aliisque recentioribus collatio in quattuor evangeliis et apostolorum actis (London, 1655).

Bibliography: The life of Bois, founded partly on his diary and written by Anthony Walker, is printed in Francis Peck's Desiderata curiosa, ii, 325–342, London, 1779, and additions to it by T. Baker are appended to Peck's Memoirs of . . . Oliver Cromwell, London, 1740. Consult also DNB, v, 311–313.