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Purvey, John

(Encyclopedia)Purvey, John, c.1354–c.1421, English scholar, who in support of the Lollardry movement completed the first thorough translation of the Bible into English. Becoming associated with John Wyclif at Oxf...

Bale, John

(Encyclopedia)Bale, John, 1495–1563, English dramatist and clergyman. An ardent proponent of the Reformation, he used the stage as a vehicle for his views. His most famous play, King John (written c.1535), shows ...

Rennie, John

(Encyclopedia)Rennie, John, 1761–1821, British civil engineer. In London he designed the Waterloo (1811–17) and Southwark (1815–19) bridges. London Bridge, also designed by him, was built (1824–31) by his s...

Bampton, John

(Encyclopedia)Bampton, John, 1689–1751, English clergyman, founder of an Oxford lectureship on religious subjects. The Bampton Lectures, now given biennially, have frequently given rise to lively controversy. ...

Rewald, John

(Encyclopedia)Rewald, John rēˈwôld [key], 1912–94, American art historian, b. Berlin. Rewald emigrated to the United States in 1941. He was recognized as a foremost authority on late 19th-century art. His book...

Pye, John

(Encyclopedia)Pye, John, 1782–1874, English engraver, founder of modern landscape engraving. As an illustrator for popular art annuals, he executed plates for landscapes by J. M. W. Turner, Claude Lorrain, and Ga...

Pym, John

(Encyclopedia)Pym, John pĭm [key], 1583?–1643, English statesman. A Puritan opposed equally to Roman Catholicism and to Arminianism in the Anglican church, Pym early became prominent in the parliamentary opposit...

Pynchon, John

(Encyclopedia)Pynchon, John pĭnˈchən [key], c.1626–1703, American colonist and merchant, b. England; son of William Pynchon. He emigrated to Massachusetts Bay colony with his father in 1630. When his father re...

Quidor, John

(Encyclopedia)Quidor, John kĭdôrˈ [key], 1801–81, American painter, b. Tappan, N.Y., studied with J. W. Jarvis. Little appreciated in his own time, he was subsequently accorded a place among the best early Ame...

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