FARNABY, or FARNABIE, THOMAS, a learned critic and gram marian, was born in London in 1575. His grandfather was of Truro in Cornwall ; but his great-grandfather, an Italian musician, was the first of his family who settled in England. Ile was admitted as a servitor of Merton Oxford, in 1590; but being of an unsettled disposition, he quitted the university abruptly, changed his religion, and passed over to Spain, where he was received into a Jesuits' college. But be soon grew weary of their discipline; and in 1595 joined Sir Francis Drake and Sir John Hawkins in their last expedition. He is reported also to have served subsequently as a soldier iu the Low Countries. Gaining no profit in these expeditions, he returned to England, landed in Cornwall, and in the urgency of his necessities descended to the humble employment of teaching children their horn book. In this situation he assumed the name of Thomas Bainrafe, the anagram of Farnabie. After some time he changed his residence to Martock in Somersetshire, where ho established a grammar-school for youth with great success, under his own name. From Martock he removed to London, and opened a echool in Goldsmiths' Rents behind Red-cross-street, near Cripplegate, where his reputation became so established, that the number of his scholars, chiefly the sone of noblemen and gentlemen, amounted at one time to more than 300. Antony it Wood says, his school was so frequented that more churchmen and statesmen issued from it thau from any echool taught by one man iu Whilst hero he was created MA. in tho University of and on the 24th of April 1616 was incor porated in the same degree at Oxford. In 1636 he quitted London to reside at Sevenoaks in Kent, resuming his former occupation, aud, with the wealth which he had accumulated, purchased landed property both in Kent and Sussex. In 1641 he became mixed up in the com
motious of the times as a favourer of the royal cause, and was committed to prisou, first in Newgate, and afterwards in Ely House. It was at one time debated in the House of Commons whether he should not be transported to America. Wood insinuates that some of the members of both Houses who had been his scholars were among those who urged his being treated with severity. He died on the 12th of June 1647, and was interred in the chancel of the church at Sevenoaks.
His own works were-1, Index Rhetoricus &bolls accommodatus,' 12mo, Load., 1625: to which in 1646 were added 'Formulas Oratories et Index Poeticue the fifth edition was printed in 1654 ; 2, Flori legium Epigrammatum Grxcorum, eorumque Latino versu h variis redditor•tm, 8vo, Loud., 1629, 1650; 3, 'Systeme Grammaticum,' 8vo, Load., 1641 ; 4, 'Phraawologia Anglo.Latina,' 8vo, Lend. ' • 5, Tabulas Lingua:: Grxem,' 4to, Lond.; 6, 'Syntaxis,' 8vo, Loud. His editions of the classics, with annotations, were, Juvenal and Persius, 12mo, Lend., 1612; Amet., 1662; Hag., 1663; Seneca, 12mo, Lend., 1613; Amst., 1632, 1631; 8vo, Pat., 1659; 12mo, Amet., 1665 ; Martial, 12mo, Lond., 1615 ; Gen., 1623 ; Lond., 1633; Lucan, 12mo, Lend., 1618 ; Svo, Francof., 1624; Virgil, 8vo, Load., 1634 ; Ovid, fol., Par., 1637; 12mo, Lond., 1677, &c. His 'Notes upon Terence' were finished only as far as the fourth comedy when be died ; but Dr.
Merits Caeaubon completed the last two comedies, and published tho whole at London, 12mo, 1651. Other editions were 8vo, 1669 ; and Salm, 1671. Dr. Bliss, in his additions to Wood's Athenm,' says, "Farnaby intended an edition of Petronius Arbiter's Satyricon.' "