SIR JOHN CHEKE, Regius professor of Greek at Cambridge under Henry VIII., holds his place in English literature mainly because of his attempt to restore the language to its purity by rejecting Latin and French words. The most notable of his surviving works is the pamphlet on “The Hurt of Sedition,” written in 1549. He was born at Cambridge in 1514, and after completing his studies at St. Johns College he became “kings scholar” and later Regius professor of Greek at a time when almost nothing was known in England of that language. Roger Ascham, the celebrated author of “The Schoolmaster,” studied under him, and about 1544 he became tutor to Prince Edward. He was imprisoned by Mary because of his preference for Lady Jane Grey, and his property was confiscated. He died in September, 1557.