8 



who was the great General of the Parliament Army, 1645 

 to 1650 born in Denton, 17 Jan'y, 1611-12, died at 

 Belburgh, near York, 12 Nov., 1671, and Thomas the 

 sixth Lord Fairfax who resided for many years on his 

 estates in Virginia and was the intimate friend and patron 

 of Washington and who died at Greenway Court near 

 Winchester, Va., in 1781, aged ninety-one years. 



Edward Fairfax, the poet, born at Denton, Yorkshire, 

 and died in the Parish of Fewston about 1631. The 

 consideration of his writings was the leading and principal 

 topic discussed in this communication. He seems to have 

 preferred a life of study and retirement to that of military 

 service in which his brothers and other members of the 

 family were distinguished. Having married he lived 

 at Fewston and there spent his time in literary pursuits. 

 His best known production is a translation of Tasso's 

 poem of "Jerusalem Delivered," which appeared in 1600 

 and was received with enthusiastic and continued appro- 

 bation. Its popularity has revived in the present century 

 and several editions have appeared in England and the 

 United States. His work on demonology entitled "A 

 Discourse of Witchcraft, as it was acted in the family of 

 Mr. Edward Fairfax of Fewston, in the county of York, 

 in the year 1621," was particularly noticed and fully ex- 

 plained, giving a very interesting and instructive sketch 

 of the condition of witchcraft at that period. 



Edward Fairfax was a firm believer in witchcraft. He 

 imagined that some of his children had been bewitched ; 

 and he had some of the witches brought to trial, though 

 without obtaining a conviction. He, however, only shared 

 in the common superstitions of the age and was settled 

 in the conscience of having the sure ground of God's 

 word to warrant all he believed, and the commendable or- 

 dinances of the English church to approve all he practised. 



