COXE

coxe, william (1747-1828), english historian, son of dr william coxe, physician to the royal household, was born in london on the 7th of march 1747. educated at marylebone grammar school and at eton college, he proceeded to king's college, cambridge, and was elected a fellow of this society in 1768. in 1771 he took holy orders, and afterwards visited many parts of europe as tutor and travelling companion to various noblemen and gentlemen. in 1786 he was appointed vicar of kingston-on-thames, and in 1788 rector of bemerton, wiltshire. he also held the rectory of stourton from 1801 to 1811 and that of fovant from 1811 until his death. in 1791 he was made prebendary of salisbury, and in 1804 archdeacon of wiltshire. he married in 1803 eleanora, daughter of william shairp, consul-general for russia, and widow of thomas yeldham of st petersburg. he died on the 8th of june 1828. during a long residence at bemerton coxe was mainly occupied in literary work. his _memoirs of sir robert walpole_ (london, 1798), _memoirs of horatio, lord walpole_ (london, 1802), _memoirs of john, duke of marlborough_ (london, 1818-1819), _private and original correspondence of charles talbot, duke of shrewsbury_ (london, 1821), _memoirs of the administrations of henry pelham_ (london, 1829), are very valuable for the history of the 18th century. his _history of the house of austria_ (london, 1807, new ed. 1853 and 1873), and _memoirs of the bourbon kings of spain_ (london, 1813), give evidence of careful and painstaking work on the part of the author. the style, however, as in all his works, is remarkably dull. his other works are mainly accounts of his travels: _sketches of the natural, political and civil state of switzerland_ (london, 1779), _account of the russian discoveries between asia and america_ (london, 1780), _account of prisons and hospitals in russia, sweden and denmark_ (london, 1781), _travels into poland, russia, sweden and denmark_ (london, 1784), _travels in switzerland_ (london, 1789), _letter on secret tribunals of westphalia_ (london, 1796), _historical tour in monmouthshire_ (london, 1801). he also edited gay's _fables_, and wrote a _life of john gay_ (salisbury, 1797), _anecdotes of g. f. handel and j. c. smith_ (london, 1798), and a few other works of minor importance. some of his books have been translated into french, and several have gone through two or more editions. coxswain (properly "cockswain," and pronounced _cox'n_, usually shortened to "cox"; from "cock," a small boat, and _swain_, a servant), in the navy, a petty officer in charge of a ship's boat and its crew, who steers; the coxswain of the captain's gig takes a special rank among petty officers. in the national lifeboat institution of great britain the "coxswain" is a paid permanent official on each station, who has charge of the lifeboat and house, is responsible for its care, and steers and takes command when afloat. the word is also used, generally, of any one who steers a boat.