William Levinz (25 July 1625 – 3 March 1698), doctor of
medicine
Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...
and
Regius Professor of Greek at
Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...
, was
President
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of
St John's College, Oxford, from 1673 until 1698.
Life
He was the son of William Levinz of
Evenley, near
Brackley
Brackley is a market town and civil parish in West Northamptonshire, England, bordering Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, from Oxford and from Northampton. Historically a market town based on the wool and lace trade, it was built on the inter ...
,
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by
two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...
; and brother of
Creswell Levinz and
Baptist Levinz.
Robert Levinz
Robert Levinz, Levens or Levinge (161518 July 1650), Royalist, was a son of William Levinz of Senkworth, near Abingdon, who carried on the business of a brewer at Oxford. His grandfather, William Levinz, was an alderman of Oxford, and five times ...
was his uncle. He was educated at
Merchant Taylors' School, proceeded as probationary fellow to St. John's College, Oxford, in 1641, and became a fellow in 1644, taking the degree of B.A. in 1645, and M.A. in 1649. He refused to submit to the authority of the
parliamentary visitors of the university in 1648; but his name occurs continuously in the college register. He was ''
Terræ filius
The ''terræ filius'' (son of the soil) was a satirical orator who spoke at public ceremonies of the University of Oxford, for over a century. There was official sanction for personal attacks, but some of the speakers overstepped the line and fel ...
'' in 1651.
At the reception of the chancellor
Edward Hyde on 9 September 1661 Levinz, though ill, made a speech. He took holy orders, and proceeded to the degree of M.D. in 1666. On 10 October 1673 he was elected President of his college. In 1678 he was made sub-dean of
Wells Cathedral
Wells Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Wells, Somerset, England, dedicated to St Andrew the Apostle. It is the seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells, whose cathedra it holds as mother church of the Diocese of Bath and Wells. Built as a ...
, and canon residentiary in 1682,
Peter Mews
Peter Mews (25 March 1619 – 9 November 1706) was an English Royalist theologian and bishop. He was a captain captured at Naseby and he later had discussions in Scotland for the Royalist cause. Later made a Bishop he would report on non-confor ...
, then
Bishop of Bath and Wells
The Bishop of Bath and Wells heads the Church of England Diocese of Bath and Wells in the Province of Canterbury in England.
The present diocese covers the overwhelmingly greater part of the (ceremonial) county of Somerset and a small area of D ...
, being a former President of St John's. Levinz was Greek reader from about July 1661, and regius professor of Greek from 24 November 1665 to 1698. He died suddenly, while addressing a college meeting, on 3 March 1698. He was buried in St. John's College chapel, with monument, describing him as ''optime literatus, mansuetus, modestus, justus, pius.'' He was unmarried.
Works
According to a manuscript note in the
Bodleian Library copy, Levinz was the author of a history of the year 1660, ''Appendicula de Rebus Britannicis'', which was printed anonymously in the third (1663) and subsequent editions of the ''Flosculi Historici Delibati nunc Delibatiores redditi sive Historia Universalis'' of the Jesuit
Jean de Bussières
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* Jea ...
.
References
;Attribution
Year of birth unknown
Year of death unknown
People educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood
English classical scholars
Presidents of St John's College, Oxford
1625 births
Regius Professors of Greek (University of Oxford)
People from Evenley
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