Comments
VENN
Adm. pens. at ST CATHARINE'S, June 27, 1823. B. 1805. ' Matric. Michs. 1823; B.A. (34th Wrangler; Class. Trip., 1st Class) 1827; Tyrwhitt scholar, 1827; M.A. 1830. Fellow and Classical Lecturer, 1828-32. Sir Thomas Adams Professor of Arabic, 1831-54. Regius Professor of Hebrew, 1854-82. Adm. ad eundem at Oxford, 1847. Ord. deacon (Lincoln) 1829; priest, 1831. R. of Trunch, Norfolk, 1832-82. Canon of Ely, 1854-82. He knew at least 20 languages, and taught Hebrew, Arabic, Sanskrit, Persian, Gothic, and indeed almost any language for which he could find a student. He spent much time in the transliteration of Oriental languages into the Roman character, according to a system devised by himself; and also in promulgating a system of printing English with diacritical marks to show the sound of each vowel without changing the spelling of the word; but his really remarkable powers were dissipated by his versatility and lack of concentration. Author, An Essay on Algebraic Development; The Gospels and Acts so printed as to show the Sound of each Word without change of spelling; Hebrew-English and English-Hebrew Lexicon, and other translations, etc. Died Mar. 7, 1882, at Trunch. Left his library to St Catharine's. (Hist. Reg., 77, note 9; D.N.B.; Foster, Index Eccles.; Clergy List; Crockford; Boase, II. 63; Cambridge Review, 1882, III. 225.)