Gerald Maclean Edwards

Sidney Sussex College Gerald Maclean Edwards

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1899. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER VII MAGISTER EXIMIUS After the death of Dr. Aldrich, the Executors appointed to the Mastership Samuel Ward, B. D., formerly Scholar of Christ's, where he was admitted in 1589, and Fellow of Emmanuel. He held, along with the Mastership, the Rectory of Great Munden in Hertfordshire and the Archdeaconry of Taunton; and afterwards, as we shall see, the Lady Margaret Professorship. His Diary, now in the Sidney Library, deals chiefly with his earlier Cambridge life. It is to a great extent simply a catalogue of his own shortcomings recorded from day to day. Most of the reflections contained in it are of no great interest, except that they give evidence of a Wonderfully simple and blameless nature. For instance, he accuses himself of "my negligence in serious meditating of my catechising," "my negligence in hearing and calling to mynd the common-placeTM "my thought of pride att reading of Greek, commencing of teaching my auditors the Greek accents," "my over great dinner," "my intemperance in eating plums," " my little pity of the boy which was whipt in the Hall," "surmisings of M. N. that day when he were speaking of them that saught prayse, as we were coming downe Gogmagog." Fuller, who knew Ward well, bears testimony to the gentleness of his nature and the acuteness of his intellect in a striking passage which is quoted at the end of this chapter. The lengthy correspondence between Ward and Usher, contained in Richard Parr's life of the Archbishop, abounds in evidences of his profound erudition and his constant readiness to place it at the disposal of other' scholars. He was one of the translators of the Bible, whose work was completed in 1611, "having cost the workmen as light as it seemeth twice seventy times seventy-two days and more." Ward was on the Comm...