BOWYER, WILLIAM, a celebrated English printer, distinguished for his scholarship, was born 19th December 1699, in Whitefriars, London. Having completed his education at Cambridge, he entered the printing establishment of his father, where, in superintending in particular the literary and critical department of the business, he was enabled to take the fullest advantage of his ac curate and extensive scholarship in correcting for the press, emendating, etc., the various im portant and learned works which passed through his hands. He at once won distinction for the Bowyer press, and greatly enhanced the value of many of the works which he published. The works in connection with which he is now best known are the Origin of Printing; and his Critical Conjectures and Observations on the New Testa ment, collected film various authors, as well in dr ganl to words as pointing, with the reason on which both are founded. It is for the last of these works that he claims notice here. He prepared it at first in connection with an excellent edition of the Greek text, which he issued in 1763. The writers from
whom the collection is principally made, besides Bowyer himself, are Bishop Barrington, Mr. Mark land, Professor Schultz, Michaelis, Dr. Henry Owen, Dr. Woide, Dr. Gosset, and Mr. 'Weston. While the best that can be said of the conjectures is, that they are often ingenious, the alterations in pointing, not being altogether conjectural, may for the most part be safely relied on. The work re ceived the highest commendations from the most eminent Greek scholars, and was translated into German by Dr. Schultz, professor theology and Oriental languages at Leipzig. It was enlarged in 1773; published in 1782 in 4to, but the fourth and best edition appeared in 1812. Mr. Bowyer died 18th November 1777, in his 7Sth year. For fuller account see Literary Anecdotes of the Eighteenth Ceiling, comprising memoirs of William Bowyer, printer, F. S. A., and many of his learned friends, '1y John Nichols, F.S.A., in 9 vols., 8vo.— W. J. C.