Dr. Charles Balguy (1708 – 28 February 1767) was an English physician and translator. Balguy was born at Derwent Hall, Derbyshire, and was educated at Chesterfield Grammar School and

St. John's College, Cambridge St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corporation established by a charter dated 9 April 1511. The ...

, where he took the degree of M.B. in 1731, and M.D. in 1750. He practised at

Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...

, and was secretary of the literary club there. He contributed to the ''Philosophical Transactions'', and in 1741 he published, anonymously, a translation of

Giovanni Boccaccio Giovanni Boccaccio (, , ; 16 June 1313 – 21 December 1375) was an Italian writer, poet, correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanist. Born in the town of Certaldo, he became so well known as a writer that he was somet ...

's ''

Decameron ''The Decameron'' (; it, label=Italian, Decameron or ''Decamerone'' ), subtitled ''Prince Galehaut'' (Old it, Prencipe Galeotto, links=no ) and sometimes nicknamed ''l'Umana commedia'' ("the Human comedy", as it was Boccaccio that dubbed Dan ...

''. This was the best translation in English at the time and was reprinted several times. He wrote some medical essays, and particularly a treatise * ''De Morbo Miliari'' (Lond. 1758)
''The Decameron, Or, Ten Days' Entertainment'', of Boccaccio
By Giovanni Boccaccio, Charles Balguy * ''An Account of the Dead Bodies of a Man and Woman, Which Were Preserved 49 Years in the Moors in Derbyshire''; He died at

and was buried in the chancel of St John's Church, where there is a marble monument to his memory, describing him as "a man of various and great learning". The statement that he translated the ''Decameron'' is recorded by his school friend, Dr

Samuel Pegge Samuel ''Šəmūʾēl'', Tiberian: ''Šămūʾēl''; ar, شموئيل or صموئيل '; el, Σαμουήλ ''Samouḗl''; la, Samūēl is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the bi ...

, in the

College of Arms The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional Officer of Arms, officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the ...

, who expressly mentions the fact. egge's Collections in the College of Arms, vol. vi. ; Derbyshire Archaeological Journal, vi. 11 ; Nichols's Literary Anecdotes, vi. 4, 74, 122./ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balguy, Charles People from Chesterfield, Derbyshire 1708 births 18th-century English writers 18th-century English male writers 1767 deaths 18th-century English medical doctors Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge People educated at Chesterfield Grammar School