ALLEN, (Taoxxs,) a celebrated ma thematician of the 16th century. He was born at Uttoxeter in Staffordshire, in 1542; was admitted a scholar of Trinity Col lege, Oxford, in 1561; vihere lie took his degree of master of arts in 1567. In 1570 he quitted his college and fellowship, and retired to Gloucester Hall, where he stu died very closely, and became Canons for his knowledge in antiquities, philosophy, and mathema.tics. He received an invita tion from Henry, Earl ofNorthumberland, a great friend and patron of the mathe maticians, and he spent some time at the Earl's house, where he became acquaint ed with those celebrated mathematicians, Thomas Harriot, John Dee, Walter \Var ner, and Nathaniel Torporley. Robert, Earl of Leicester, too, had a great estcem for Allen, and would have conferred a bishopric upon him; but his love for soli tude and retirement made him decline thc offer. His great skill in the mathematics, gave occasion to the ignorant and vulgar to look upon him as a magician or conju rer. Allen was very curious and indefati gable in collecting scattered manuscripts relating to history, antiquity, astronomy, philosophy, and mathematics ; which col lections have been quoted by several learned authors, and mentioned as in the I3ibliotheca Allcniana. He published in
Latin the second and third books of Pto lemy, " Concerning the Judgment of the Stars," or, as it is usually called, of the quadripartite construction, with an ex-po sition. He wrote also notes on many of Lilly's books, and some on John Bale's work, " De Scriptoribus Mag. Brittan nim." He died at Gloucester Hall in 1632, being 90 years of age.
Mr. Burton, the author of his funeral oration, calls him " the very soul and sun of an the mathematicians. of his age." And Selden mentions him as a person of the most extensive learning and consum mate iudgment,the brightest ornament of the University of Oxford. Also Camden says, he was skilled in most of the best arts and'sciences. A. VVood has also transcribed part of his character from a manuscript in the library of Trinity Col lege, in these words : "He studied polite literature with great application he was strictly tenacious of academic discipline, always highly esteemed both by foreign ers and those of the university, and by all of the highest stations of the church of England, and the University of Oxford. He was a sagacious observer, an agreea ble companion," &c.