E D W ARDS. 277 
ED'WARDS (George), a celebrated ornithologift, 
"born in 1693, at Weft Ham in Eflex. Being defigned for 
commercial life, lie was placed witli a tradefman in Lon¬ 
don, who happened to be a man of education. This cir- 
cumftance, with that of his chamber’s being made the 
repofitory of the library of a deceafed phyfician, gave 
the youth a turn to literature and fcientific inquiry, 
which detached him from the purfuit of gain. He palled 
fome years in travelling, with no fixed purpofe, but that 
of indulging his curiofity with the various objects of na¬ 
ture and art. On his return he clofely applied to the 
ftudy of natural hiftory, and pradlifed the drawing and 
colouring from nature of fuch animals as fell under his 
infpedlion ; in which performances he ftrictly attended 
to correcinefs of imitation. His birds were admired by 
the curious; and by his exertions in this branch lie ob¬ 
tained a decent fubfiftence and a large acquaintance. In 
1733, through the recommendation of fir Hans Sloane, 
he obtained the place of librarian to the college of phy- 
ficians. In 1743, he publiftied the firft volume of his 
Hiftory of Birds, in quarto, with fifty-two coloured 
plates from original drawings, and full defcriptions in 
French and Englifh. Of this fplendid work fucceflive 
volumes appeared in 1747, 1750, and 1751. The author 
difplayed the characteriftic piety of hisdifpofition, though 
in a manner fomewhat lingular, by a dedication of the 
concluding volume “ To God,” drawn up and fubfcribed 
in the cuftomary mode of thofe formularies. As fupple- 
mentary to this work, he publiftied, in three fucceflive 
parts, 1738, 1760, and 1763, Gleanings of Natural Hif¬ 
tory, confifting of coloured plates of birds, fifties, infedts, 
and plants. The whole of his labours comprifes upwards 
of fix hundred fubjects in natural hiftory, firft delineated 
and defcribed by himfelf. For this valuable work he 
juftly obtained a high reputation, and w'as particularly 
efteemed by the illuftrious Linnteus. For his Hiftory of 
Birds he was honoured by the Royal Society, in 1750, 
with fir Godfrey Copley’s medal; and in 1757 he was 
chofen a member of that body, wliofe memoirs he en¬ 
riched with various occafional papers on fubjedts of na¬ 
tural hiftory. In 1769, he withdrew from his office at the 
college of phyficians, and purchafed a fmall houfe at 
Plaiftow in Eflex. He had previously difpofed of his 
large colledlion of drawings to lord Bute. He publiftied, 
in 1770, an odlavo volume of Eflays, chiefly collected 
from the prefaces and introductions to his books. Fie ad¬ 
ded fome imftruCtions for drawing and painting in water¬ 
colours, and for etching. His patience was tried in his 
latter years with the (tone, and with a cancer which de¬ 
prived him of the fight of one eye; but he bore all his 
bufferings with the greateft fortitude and refignation, and 
died at the age of eighty, in July 1773. 
ED'WARDS (Jonathan), an Anglo-American divine, 
of confiderable talents, born at Windfor, in Connecticut, 
in 1 703. He was entered a ftudent at Yale college in 1716, 
where he took his degree of bachelor of arts before he 
%vas feventeen years of age. He diftinguiflied himfelf by 
the diligence of his application to the ulual courfe of 
collegiate (Indies, and made confiderable progrefs in his 
acquaintance with the fciences, and particularly natural 
philofophv, which he cultivated through life with plea¬ 
sure, and that degree of dilcernment which lie eminently 
pofleffed. In 1722, at the requeft of feveral minifters in 
New England who were entrufted to adt on behalf of the 
Englifti prelbyterians at New York, he went to that city, 
and preached there with great acceptability. Soon after 
this he received invitations from feveral churches to of¬ 
ficiate among them, with a- view to his fettlement as their 
minifier ; but being chofen tutor of Yale college in 1724, 
he feduloufty devoted himfelf to the duties of that office 
for above two years. In 1726, his maternal grandfather, 
the Rev. Mr. Stoddard, minifter of a congregation at 
Northampton, being from his great age under the necef- 
ftty of calling in the aid of a colleague, Mr. Edwards was 
induced to refign his tutorfliip and accept of that fitua- 
Vol. VI. No. 349 
tion, where he was ordained to the pafloral office in the 
following year. In this connedlion he continued refpedted, 
beloved, and happy, for many years, until, in 1744, a fud- 
den revolution took place in the difpofition of the people 
towards him, which terminated 'm‘hls formal difmiffion 
from his minifterial charge. In 1751 he accepted of an 
invitation to become Indian miffionary at the town of 
Stockbridge, in the province of Maflachufets bay, where 
lie difeharged the duties of that office for fix years, to 
the fatisfadlion of the inhabitants, both Englifh and In¬ 
dians, and was honourably fupported by the com’miftioners 
of the fociety in London for propagating the gofpel in fo¬ 
reign parts, who placed great confidence in his judgment 
and vvifdom in all matters relative to that inftitutjon. In 
this quiet retreat he enjoyed more time to devote to the 
profecution of hisftudies, than during the. preceding years 
of his life, and he diligently improved it in preparing dif¬ 
ferent treatifes for publication, and in digefting materials 
for numerous other theological works, which he intended 
to complete if he met with the neceffary encouragement. 
In 1757, on a vacancy taking place in the prefidency of 
the college of New Jerfey, the trtiftees eledted Mr. Ed¬ 
wards to that honourable ftation. He had, however, 
fcarcely entered upon his new office, when the fmall pox, 
which he had hitherto efcaped, became prevalent in the 
Jerfeys, and he fell a vidlim to the difeafe in March 1758, 
in the fifty-fifth year of his age. In his religious princi¬ 
ples he was a rigid Calvinift, and proved himfelf one of 
the ableft defenders of fome of the peculiarities of the Ge¬ 
nevan fchool. Befides a vaft number of manuferipts, 
which he left behind him, on almoft all fubjedts in divi¬ 
nity, and in feripture criticifm, he was the author of a va¬ 
riety of fingle fermons, publilhed during his life-time, and 
of a colledtion of Sermons on various important Subjedts, 
8vo. publilhed after his death in 1763. He alfo publilhed 
a great number of tradbs on religious controversy. 
ED'WARDS, (John), a learned and pious divine of 
the church of England, fon of the Rev. Thomas Ed¬ 
wards, born at Hertford, in 1637. After receiving his 
grammatical education at Merchant-tailor’s fchool in 
London, lie was fent, in 1633, to the univerfity of Cam¬ 
bridge, where lie was entered at St. John’s college. Soon 
after his admiffion, he was chofen Scholar of the houfe, 
and quickly recommended himfelf to notice by the man¬ 
ner in which he performed his exercifes both in his tutor’s 
chamber and in the college-hall. Towards the clofe. of 
his under-graduatefhip, lie was appointed one of the mo¬ 
derators for the year. When he was middle bachelor lie 
was chofen fellow of Ills college ; and, during the time 
of his fenior bachelorlliip, was again appointed moderator 
in the fchools, where his performances were fo able as to 
be long fpoken of with great commendation. In i6'j' 4, 
he undertook the duty of Trinity church, in Cambridge ; 
and, from the excellence of his pulpit-compofitions, was 
frequently attended by many members of the univerfity 
of confiderable (landing and rank. In 1663, when the 
plague raged at Cambridge, he removed from the college 
into the town, that he might devote himfelf entirely to 
the edification and comfort of his parifliioners in the time 
of that calamity. In 1668 he was chofen one of the lec¬ 
turers of Bury St. Edmund’s in Suffolk, whither he re¬ 
moved, and difeharged the duties of the office with great 
reputation and acceptability for twelve months, when he 
reSigned it, and returned to his college. Here, however, lie 
met with fome circumftances of difguft, which determined 
him to refign his feliowfliip, and remove to Trinity hall, 
where he entered himfelf as a fellow-commoner, and per¬ 
formed the regular exercifes in the civil law. Not being 
willing, however, to remain unemployed in his clerical 
profeflion, he accepted of an invitation to become minifter 
of the parilh of St. Sepulchre, in Cambridge, where his 
fermons attradled the fame refpedtable audience as had 
formerly attended him in Trinity church. In 1676, lie 
was prefented to the living of St. Peter’s in Colchefter; 
and, during three vears that he continued there, was 
4 B highly 
