Monk, James Henry, Dd

Monk, James Henry, D.D.

an English prelate, was born at Huntingford, Herts, in the early part of 1784. His preparatory education was received at the Charterhouse, and he then entered Trinity College, Cambridge, where he became a fellow in 1805. Two years later he occupied the position of assistant tutor, and in 1808 succeeded Porson as regius professor of Greek. While in this chair he applied himself faithfully to critical analyses of various Greek texts. He published, in conjunction with C.J. Bloomfield, D.D., The Posthumous Tracts of Richard Porson. During his professorship an exciting dispute arose concerning the occupancy of the chair of botany, and Sir James Edward Smith, president of the Linnaean Society, London; being disappointed :in not securing the position, made bitter use of his pen concerning it. In reply, Monk published A Vindication of the University of Cambridge (1818), which, from the prominence of both parties, caused considerable stir in literary circles (Lond. Quart. 19:434-446). In 1822 he resigned his professorship to accept the deanery of Peterborough, and eight years later was made bishop of Gloucester. During this year (1830) he published a Life of Richard Bentley, D.D. This work not only possesses literary excellence and biographical interest, but also comprises a large portion of the literary annals of the first half of the last century, besides valuable historical facts concerning the University of Cambridge. "The style is generally plain and masculine, and if sometimes negligent, and at others elaborate, its ordinary tone is that of a writer of strong sense and of elegant and scholarlike accomplishment" (Lond. Quart. 46:120). Many minor inaccuracies have been justly and severely criticised (Edinb. Rev. 51:321), but its general merit caused it to receive a hearty welcome by the literati. In 1836 Bristol was added to Gloucester, and he became the bishop of the united dioceses. This office he held until his death at Stapleton, near Bristol, June 6, 1856. See Stubbs, Registrum Socrum Anglicanum (Oxf. 1858, 8vo); Allibone, Dict. of Brit. and Amer. Authors, s.v.; Hallam, Hist. Lit. 2:275; and the Reviews quoted. (H.W.T.)