Richard Bentley (1662-1742), English classical scholar. Bentley was born near Leeds, Yorkshire, and was educated at Wakefield and at St. John's College, Cambridge. He excelled in classics and became an expert in historical philology. He made his reputation when asked to comment on the first edition of a manuscript of the Greek Chronicles of John of Antioch. Bentley used his expert knowledge of language to restore corrupted passages and make amendments that clarified the manuscript into an authoritative text. In 1693 he became curator of the Royal Library and in 1710 Master of Trinity College, Cambridge. He made many original editions of works by classical authors such as Terence and Horace. This engraving comes from the biography by Monk printed in 1833.