Charles Balguy
Encyclopedia
Dr. Charles Balguy 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, where he took the degree of M.B. in 1731, and M.D. in 1750. He practised at Peterborough
, 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
's Decameron. This was the best translation in English at the time and was reprinted several times. He wrote some medical essays, and particularly a treatise
He died at Peterborough
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
, in the College of Arms, who expressly mentions the fact.
Balguy was born at Derwent Hall
Derwent, Derbyshire
Derwent is a village 'drowned' under the Ladybower Reservoir in Derbyshire, England. The village of Ashopton, Derwent Woodlands church and Derwent Hall were also 'drowned' in the construction of the reservoir. There is no formal memorial to any of the villages...
, Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
, and was educated at Chesterfield Grammar School
Brookfield Community School
Brookfield Community School is a school located on Chatsworth in the west of the town of Chesterfield, Derbyshire in England.-Admissions:Brookfield Community School is a secondary school and a Sports College And A Language College...
and St. John's College, Cambridge, where he took the degree of M.B. in 1731, and M.D. in 1750. He practised at Peterborough
Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
, 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
Giovanni Boccaccio was an Italian author and poet, a friend, student, and correspondent of Petrarch, an important Renaissance humanist and the author of a number of notable works including the Decameron, On Famous Women, and his poetry in the Italian vernacular...
's Decameron. 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 Peterborough
Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
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 Pegge
Samuel Pegge the elder was an antiquary.Born at Chesterfield, Derbyshire, he was the son of Christopher Pegge and his wife Gertrude, daughter of Francis Stephenson of Unstone, near Chesterfield...
, in the College of Arms, who expressly mentions the fact.