Martyn, HENRY

Martyn, HENRY, a missionary-martyr, was born at Truro, February 18, 1781, and educated at Truro grammar-school and St John's College, Cambridge. He was senior wrangler and first Smith's prizeman in 1801, and next year became Fellow of his college. At first he meant to study law, but the influence of Charles Simeon, acting on his own enthusiastic temperament, determined him for a missionary. After taking orders he served some time as Simeon's curate, but in 1805 sailed for India as a chaplain under the Company. He was stationed successively near Serampore, at Dinapore, and at Cawnpore, and from the beginning gave himself to the study of the native languages with an eager zeal that surmounted even his greatest difficulty—broken health. He translated the whole New Testament into Hindustani, Hindi, and Persian, as well as the Prayer-book into Hindustani and the Psalms into Persian; and next, his ardour rising as the sands of his time ran swiftly out, sailed to Bushire, travelled thence to Shiraz, Tabriz, Erivan, Kars, Erzeroum, and Tokat, where he sank exhausted by fever, 6th October 1812. His Life was written by Sargent (1819; new ed. 1885), Wilberforce (1837), and G. Smith (1892).