{{For|the American author|Richard M. Brett}} {{For|the theatre consultant|Richard Brett (theatre consultant)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}} thumb|right|300px|Whitestaunton Manor, the Brett family seat in Somerset. '''Richard Brett''' (1567–1637) was an English clergyman and academic. During the translation of the King James Version of the Bible, Brett served in the "First Oxford Company", responsible for the later books of the Old Testament.

==Life== 300px|thumb|right|Church of Holy Cross and St Mary, Quainton, Buckinghamshire. From a family of Catholic recusant sympathisers, Richard was the son of Robert Brett, gent., of Whitestaunton Manor in Somerset.<ref>A.P. Baggs and R.J.E. Bush, 'Parishes: Whitestaunton', in R.W. Dunning (ed.), ''A History of the County of Somerset'' Vol. 4 (V.C.H., London 1978), [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/som/vol4/pp231-238 pp. 231-38] (British History Online, accessed 24 November 2018).</ref> He was born in London. He attended Hart Hall, Oxford which he entered as a commoner in 1582. He was appointed Rector of Quainton, Buckinghamshire, in 1595. That same year, he was granted a Fellowship in Lincoln College under Richard Kilby, where he pursued his study of Latin, Greek, Aramaic, Arabic, Hebrew, and Ge'ez (Ethiopic) tongues. In 1597 he was admitted bachelor of divinity, and he proceeded in divinity in 1605.<ref>'Brett, Richard', in J. Foster (ed.), ''Alumni Oxonienses 1500-1714'' (Oxford, 1891), [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/alumni-oxon/1500-1714/pp171-200 pp. 171-200] (British History Online, accessed 24 November 2018). A. à Wood, ed. P. Bliss, ''Athenae Oxonienses'', 3 vols (F.C. & J. Rivington, &c., London 1813), II, [https://archive.org/details/athenaeoxoniense02wooduoft/page/311 p. 611] (Internet Archive).</ref>

He died in Quainton on 5 April 1637, aged 70, and is buried in the chancel of Quainton Church, which he served for 43 years. Over his grave a monument with his effigies and a Latin and English epitaph was erected by his widow.<ref>G. Lipscomb, ''The History and Antiquities of the County of Buckingham'' (J. & W. Robins, London 1847), I, pp. 390-444, [https://books.google.com/books?id=taAgAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA433 at pp. 433-34] (Google).</ref> His will was proved in P.C.C. in June 1637.<ref>Will of Richard Brett, Rector of Quainton, Buckinghamshire (P.C.C. 1637, Goare quire), [http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D871765 Discovery Catalogue].</ref> By his wife Alice, daughter of Richard Brown, sometime mayor of Oxford, he left four daughters, of whom Margaret married Calybute Downing in 1627.<ref>{{DNB Cite|wstitle=Downing, Calybute}}</ref>

==Works== His scholarly publications were in Latin.

*Two translations from Greek into Latin: **''Vitæ sanctorum Evangelistarum Johannis et Lucæ à Simeone Metaphraste concinnatæ'', Oxford, 1597. **''Agatharchidis et Memnonis historicorum quæ supersunt omnia'', Oxford, 1597. *''Iconum sacrarum Decas in quâ è subjectis typis compluscula sanæ doctrinæ capita eruuntur'' (Joseph Barnes, Oxford 1603).<ref>Full text (page images) at [https://books.google.com/books?id=1T2TFX7P_dYC&pg=Frontcover Google] (open).</ref>

==References== * McClure, Alexander. (1858) ''The Translators Revived: A Biographical Memoir of the Authors of the English Version of the Holy Bible''. Mobile, Alabama: R. E. Publications (republished by the Maranatha Bible Society, 1984 ASIN B0006YJPI8 ) * Nicolson, Adam. (2003) ''God's Secretaries: The Making of the King James Bible.'' New York: HarperCollins {{ISBN|0-06-095975-4}}

==Notes== {{Reflist}}

==Further reading== * Stanley M. Burstein, "Richard Brett," in volume 1 of ''Dictionary of British Classicists,'' ed. Robert Todd et al. (Bristol: Thoemmes, 2004), pp.&nbsp;104–05. ;Attribution {{DNB|wstitle=Brett, Richard}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brett, Richard}} Category:1567 births Category:1637 deaths Category:Alumni of Hertford College, Oxford Category:Fellows of Lincoln College, Oxford Category:Translators of the King James Version Category:Anglican clergy from London Category:16th-century English translators Category:17th-century English translators Category:16th-century English clergy Category:17th-century English Anglican priests Category:17th-century Anglican theologians Category:16th-century Anglican theologians Category:Greek–Latin translators