Richard Farmer This article is about the 18th century scholar ; for the American businessman , see Richard T. Farmer . Richard Farmer ( 1735 - 1797 ) was a Shakespearean scholar . Born at Leicester , England , he was educated at Cambridge , where he ultimately became Master of Emmanuel College . Farmer became a clergyman , and held a prebend in St . Paul 's Cathedral . He wrote an Essay on the Learning of Shakespeare ( 1767 ) , in which he maintained that Shakespeare 's knowledge of the classics was through translations , the errors of which he reproduced . This article incorporates public domain text from : Cousin , John William ( 1910 ) . A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature . London , J.M. Dent & sons ; New York , E.P. Dutton . Categories : A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature | 1735 births | 1797 deaths | People from Leicester | Alumni of Emmanuel College , Cambridge 