Myles Davies (1662 – 1715 or 1716) was a Welsh author. He published the ''Athenae Britannicae'' in 1716.

Biography

Davies was a native of Whiteford, near

Holywell Holywell may refer to: * Holywell, Flintshire, Wales * Holywell, Swords, Ireland * Holywell, Bedfordshire, England * Holywell, Cambridgeshire, England * Holywell, Cornwall, England * Holywell, Dorset, England * Holywell, Eastbourne, East Susse ...

in Flintshire,

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. His parents George and Elizabeth Davies lived in Tre'r Abbot.

Isaac D'Israeli Isaac D'Israeli (11 May 1766 – 19 January 1848) was a British writer, scholar and the father of British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli. He is best known for his essays and his associations with other men of letters. Life and career Isaac wa ...

said his biography was quite unknown. He was educated at the English Jesuit College in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, and was made a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

priest on 17 April 1688. He left Rome on 15 October 1688 to work with the

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

s in Wales, but soon converted to

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

, and in 1705 published an explanation (''apologia'') for his surprising conversion in ''The Recantation of Mr Pollett, A Roman priest''. The preface to one of his books describes him as "a gentleman of the Inns of Court". He was a learned and erudite scholar, but eccentric to the verge of insanity. In 1715, he published the first volume of his ''Athenae Britannicae'', a critical history of pamphlets called ''Icon Libellorum''. It was described as "a queer production, but cram full of curious information". The ''Libellorum'' included a letter written in

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

and a

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

ode to Robert Harley, first Earl of Oxford. Davies became a mendicant scholar, selling his own books. He would visit the house of a potential patron and send in a bundle of his books, with perhaps an ode to the recipient, in the hope of receiving a gift in return. He was often rejected or insulted when trying to obtain payment or return of his work. By 1812, his work was described as extremely rare.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Davies, Myles 18th-century Welsh writers 18th-century British male writers People from Holywell, Flintshire Year of death unknown 1662 births 1710s deaths 17th-century Welsh Roman Catholic priests Converts to Protestantism from Catholicism