Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Entick, John
ENTICK, JOHN (1703?–1773), schoolmaster and author, residing in St. Dunstan's, Stepney, was probably born about 1703. According to the 'Address,' December 1770, prefixed to his 'New Latin and English Dictionary,' 1771, he was ten years at college. And must have commenced teaching about 1720. His first publication, the 'Speculum Latinum,' was in 1728, 'to make Latin neither tedious nor obscure,' on a system tried by him with success when it was his 'lot to be perplexed with a very dull boy.' In this work he made known that he was ready to print the 'Evidences of Christianity from the great Huetius, Eusebius,' &c., if encouraged; and the announcement was followed by the book in 1729, he styling himself on its title-page student of divinity. In 1736 he issued a proposal, which fell through, to print 'Chaucer' in 2 vols, folio, with explanatory notes; and there and thenceforth he put M.A. after his name, though there is no evidence where he obtained his degree. In 1754 he published his 'Phaedri Fabulae,' with accents and notes. In 1755 he agreed with Shebbeare and Jonathan Scott to write for their anti-ministerial paper, 'The Monitor,' appearing every Saturday, at a salary of 200l. a year; and his attacks on the government, in Nos. 357, 358, 360, 373, 376, 378, and 380, caused his house to be entered and his papers seized under a general warrant in November 1762. He sued the authorities for illegal seizure over this, claiming 2,000l. damages, and obtained a verdict for 300l. in 1765. He published in 1757 a 'New Naval History,' with lives and portraits, dedicated to Admiral Vernon. He married a widow in 1760, losing her the same year; and in 1763 he published a 'General History of the Late War.' In 1764 he issued his 'Spelling Dictionary,' each edition of which comprised twenty thousand copies; in 1766 he brought out an edition of Maitland's 'Survey of London' with additions; in 1771 appeared his 'New Latin and English Dictionary' and an 'English Grammar'; and he is likewise credited with a 'Ready Reckoner,' some pamphlets on freemasonry, and a share both in the new 'Week's Preparation' and the new 'Whole Duty of Man.' Altogether, as his own 'Address' (supra) puts it, he was engaged for half a century either as tutor, schoolmaster, writer, or corrector of the press, labouring incessantly, chiefly for Dilly. He died at Stepney (where he was buried) on 22 May 1773, he being about seventy years old. He left a large work, in 4 vols., 'The Present State of the British Empire,' helped by other hands, nearly ready, which was brought out in 1774. In 1776 appeared a new edition of his 'Survey and History of London,' with his portrait, from a picture by Burgess, in clerical dress, as frontispiece; and Crakelt and others have edited his dictionaries repeatedly down to 1836. In Lysons's 'Environs,' by error, his name is printed 'Entinck.'
[Howell's State Trials, xix. col. 1029 et seq.; Entick's Latin Dictionary, 1771; Gignoux's Child's Best Instructor, 6th ed.; Watt's Bibl. Brit.; Lysons's Environs of London (1795 ed), iii. 437, 467; Bromley's Catalogue; Nichols's Illustr. Lit. v. 803; Lady's Mag. 1773.]