took place in 1631. He was buried in the chancel of Instow Church, and from tombstones of other members of his family in the same building it appears that he was twice married, his first wife, Rebecca, having died 6 Oct. 1614. In his lifetime Downe seems to have published nothing; but in 1633 ‘Certain Treatises of the late reverend and learned John Downe’ were ‘published at the instance of friends’ at Oxford. This volume consists of ten sermons, prefixed by a letter from Bishop Hall, to whom it was dedicated, and the obituary sermon preached over Downe by his friend George Hakewill, D.D., archdeacon of Surrey. Hall, after praising Downe's learning and social virtues, expresses the hope that ‘we shall see abroad some excellent monuments of his Latin poesy, in which faculty, I dare boldly say, few if any in our age exceeded him.’ Hakewill describes him as knowing well the Hebrew, Greek, Latin, French, Spanish, and (‘I think’) Italian languages, and as being deeply versed in theology and the works of the fathers. Downe's sermons are written in a style which is certainly superior, both in lucidity of expression and choice of language, to many similar works published by some of his contemporaries, but the diversity of his accomplishments is better illustrated by a second volume of his literary remains, which appeared in 1635. This was entitled ‘A Treatise of the True Nature and Definition of Justifying Faith, together with a defence of the same against the answer of N[icholas] Baxter,’ and contains, beyond the treatise (15 pp.) and the defence of it (195 pp.), two sermons, a translation in verse of the ‘Institution for Children,’ by M. Antonius Muretus, a few original sacred poems, and some verse translations of the Psalms. No specimens, however, of the Latin poetry which Bishop Hall desired to see abroad are included. In Cole's ‘Athenæ Cantab.’ (Brit. Mus. Addit. MS. 5867, fol. 16), under the heading ‘John Dun’ (with a cross reference to ‘John Downe’), it is stated that ‘when King James was at Cambridge in 1614, Bishop Harsnet, then vice-chancellor, and the university were so rigid in not granting the doctorate that even the king's entreaty for John Dun would not prevail.’ John Donne [q. v.] is here referred to. Hakewill in his sermon hints that Downe ought to have received the higher degree; but Dr. Donne was alone refused it in 1614.
[Prince's Worthies of Devon, p. 262 (copied mainly from Hakewill's sermon); Wood's Fasti Oxon., ed. Bliss, i. 286.]
DOWNES, Lord, [See Burgh, Sir Ulysses Bagenal, 1788–1863.]
DOWNES, ANDREW (1549?–1628), Greek professor at Cambridge, was born in Shropshire in or about 1549, and educated under Thomas Ashton in the grammar school at Shrewsbury, where was also Robert Devereux, earl of Essex, with whom he afterwards became acquainted at Cambridge. He was admitted a scholar of St. John's College, Cambridge, on the Lady Margaret's foundation, 7 Nov. 1567, took his B.A. degree in 1570–1, was elected a fellow of his college 6 April 1571, commenced M.A. in 1574, was admitted a senior fellow 30 Jan. 1580–1, and graduated B.D. in 1582. When he entered St. John's the Greek language had been almost forgotten and lost in the society, and the study of it was revived by Downes and his pupil, John Bois [q. v.] Downes was elected regius professor of Greek in the university in 1585 (Graduati Cantab. ed. 1873, p. 487).
He was one of the learned divines appointed to translate the Apocrypha for the ‘authorised’ version of the Bible. Subsequently he, Bois, and four other eminent scholars were charged with the duty of reviewing the new version. For this purpose they came to London, repaired daily to Stationers' Hall, and in three quarters of a year completed their task. During this time they were duly paid by the Stationers' Company thirty shillings a week, though they had received for their previous work of translation nothing ‘but the self-rewarding ingenious industry.’ Downes afterwards became so jealous on account of Sir Henry Savile's greater approbation of Bois's notes on Chrysostom that he was never reconciled to his pupil, who nevertheless often confessed that ‘he was much bound to blesse God for him.’
In an undated letter to Salisbury preserved in the State Paper Office, and supposed to have been written in 1608, Downes expressed a desire to have part of the 160l. per annum that was assigned for the better maintenance of the Lady Margaret's divinity lecture. On 27 April 1609 Dudley Carleton informed J. Chamberlain that Sir Henry Savile had been appointed to correct the king's book, which task had been entrusted first to Downes, next to Lionel Sharpe, then to Wilson, and lastly to Barclay, the French poet. On 17 May following a warrant was issued for the payment of 50l. to Downes of the king's free gift.
He used to give private lectures in his house, which D'Ewes declined to attend, on the ground of expense. Under date 17 March 1619–20 D'Ewes writes: ‘I was, during the latter part of my stay at Cambridge, for the most part a diligent frequenter of Mr. Downes' Greek lectures, he reading upon one of De-
