Nicholas Fuller (c. 1557 – 1626) was an English
Hebraist
A Hebraist is a specialist in Jewish, Hebrew and Hebraic studies. Specifically, British and German scholars of the 18th and 19th centuries who were involved in the study of Hebrew language and literature were commonly known by this designation, a ...
and
philologist
Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as th ...
.
Life
The son of Robert Fuller by his wife Catharine Cresset, he was a native of
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...
, and was born about 1557. He was sent to schools at Southampton, kept by John Horlock and
Adrian Saravia. He entered, in the capacity of secretary, the household of
Robert Horne,
bishop of Winchester; and on his death through the influence of
William Barlow who was Horne's brother-in-law, continued as secretary to
John Watson.
On Watson's death in 1584, he determined to live a scholar's life. His means were insufficient for his purpose, but he obtained an appointment as tutor to William and Oliver Wallop, sons of
Henry Wallop
Sir Henry Wallop (c. 1540 – 14 April 1599) was an English statesman.
Biography
Henry Wallop was the eldest son of Sir Oliver Wallop (d. 1566) of Farleigh Wallop in Hampshire. Having inherited the estates of his father and of his uncle, Sir Joh ...
, and, accompanying them to Oxford, instructed them by day, while he pursued his own studies at night. He was a member of
Hart Hall, Oxford
Hertford College ( ), previously known as Magdalen Hall, is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on Catte Street in the centre of Oxford, directly opposite the main gate to the Bodleian Library. The colleg ...
and graduated B.A. 30 January 1586, and M.A. 30 March 1590. He found a friend in
Robert Abbot, took orders, and was presented to the ill-paid living of
Allington in Wiltshire. The duties were light, and Fuller applied himself to the study of languages, especially in their bearing on theology.
He corresponded with foreign scholars, and in 1612 he published at
Heidelberg
Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...
, at Sir Henry Wallop's expense, ''Miscellaneorum Theologicorum''.
[''Miscellaneorum Theologicorum, quibus non modo scriptures divinae sed et aliorum classicorum auctorum plurima monumenta explicantur atque illustrantur, libri tres.''] Fuller in 1616 corrected and had printed another at Oxford under his own supervision. To this he added a fourth book and a preface, partly autobiographical. He had in the meantime, 14 October 1612, become a prebendary of Salisbury Cathedral through
Henry Cotton. A third edition of the ''Miscellaneorum'' was published at Leyden in 1622, with the addition of an ''Apologia'', a good-humoured reply to
Drusius, who had attacked him in his ''Notes on the Pentateuch''. Another edition issued in 1650, after Fuller's death, contained two more books. The work was also reprinted in
John Pearson's ''
Critici Sacri.''
Fuller left several manuscripts; his 'Dissertatio de nomine יהוה' was published in
Adriaan Reland
Adriaan Reland (also known as ''Adriaen Reeland/Reelant'', ''Hadrianus Relandus'') (17 July 1676, De Rijp, North Holland5 February 1718, UtrechtJohn Gorton, ''A General Biographical Dictionary'', 1838, Whittaker & Co.) was a noted Dutch Oriental ...
's ''Decas exercitationum philologicarum'' (1707). He also compiled a lexicon, which may not have been completed, and was not published. He died in 1626. He is spoken of in high terms of admiration by Buxtorf (''Dissertatio de Nominibus Hebrais'') and by
Edward Pocock (''Nota Miscellanea in Portam Mosis'').
Thomas Fuller
Thomas Fuller (baptised 19 June 1608 – 16 August 1661) was an English churchman and historian. He is now remembered for his writings, particularly his ''Worthies of England'', published in 1662, after his death. He was a prolific author, and ...
describes him as 'happy in pitching on (not difficult trifles, but) useful difficulties tending to the understanding of scripture,' and adds that 'he was most eminent for humility'. Fuller was married, and had a son and daughter named Michael and Catharine.
Notes
References
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Fuller, Nicholas
1557 births
1626 deaths
17th-century English Anglican priests
Christian Hebraists
Alumni of Hart Hall, Oxford
16th-century English clergy