284 E G E 
EGE'DE (Paul), fon of the former, miffionary and bi- 
fhop of Greenland, born in 1708. From his twelfth year, 
that is 1721, he was one of his father’s mod active affift- 
ants ; and Denmark was much indebted to him for the. 
fuccefs of its Greenlandic colony. A defire to promote 
the welfare and happinefs of the Greenlanders was the 
mod ardent wilh of his heart, as appears by his lad pub¬ 
lication, entitled TJfcrretninger om Gronland, ud dragne af 
en Journal holden fra 1721 til 1788; Kiopen. 1789, large 
Svo. with plates. This journal, which the author be¬ 
gan in his twelfth year, and continued to his eightieth, 
contains a great many curious fads refpeCling the Green¬ 
landers, and the fuperditious notions they entertain in re¬ 
gard to a kind of pretended conjurors whom they call 
Angekok. As it is carried down to a late period, it may 
ferve to fupply the deficiencies in what his father and 
Krantz wrote on the date of Greenland, and the manners 
and CLtdoms of its inhabitants. He died on the 3d of 
June, 1789. 
E'GEK, a town of Hungary: eight miles eafi-fouth- 
ead of Levens. 
To EGE'LIDATE, v.a. \_egelidare, Lat.J To thaw ; 
alfo to make cold, or congeal. Bailey. 
E'GELN, a town of Germany, in the circle of Lower 
Saxony, and duchy of Magdeburg : dxteen miles fouth- 
wed of Magdeburg. 
E'GENBURG, or Eggenburg, a town of Germany, 
in the archduchy of Audria: twelve miles fouth-wed of 
Znaym, and thirty-fix north-wed of Vienna, Lat.48. 37. 
N. Ion. 33. 30. E. Ferro. 
E'GER,/. See Eager. An impetuous or irregular 
flood or tide.—From the peculiar difpolition of the earth 
at the bottom, wherein quick excitations are made, may 
arife thole egers and flows in fome eduaries and rivers ; as 
is obfervable about Trent and Humber in England. Brown. 
■■—An early tulip. 
E'GERI, a lake of Swifferland : eight miles fouth-ead 
of Zug. 
E'GERI, or Aegeri, one of the grand communities, 
which, with the town of Zug, forms the canton of Zug. 
In this diftriCl, on a mountain, called Mongartcn , a famous 
battle was fought in 1315, between the Audrians and 
the Swifs, when the latter, with a far inferior number of 
troops, gained a complete victory. 
EGE'RIA, a nymph of Aricia in Italy, where Diana 
was particularly worlhipped. She was courted by Numa 
Pompilius; and, according to Ovid, became his wife. 
This prince frequently vikted her ; and that he might 
introduce his laws and new regulations into the date, he 
folemnly declared before the Roman people, that they 
were previoudy fanCtified and approved by the nymph 
Egeria. Ovid fays, that Egeria w'as fo difconfolate at 
the death of Numa, that die melted into tears, and was 
changed into a fountain by Diana. She is reckoned by 
many as a goddefs who prefided over the pregnancy of 
women; and fome maintain that die is the fame as Lucina. 
To EGER'MINATE, v.a. [ egerminare , Lat.] To bud 
or fpring out. Bailey. 
EGERMI NA'TION,/ [from ex, out of, and germino, 
Lat. to fprout.] The ait of budding; the ait of lprout- 
ing forth. 
E'GERO, a fmall ifland, near the coad of Norway, in 
the North Sea : twenty-four miles fouth of Stavanger. 
E'GERTON (Thomas), vifeount Brackley, lord-high 
chancellor of England, fon of fir Richard Egerton, born 
in Chediire about 1340. Fie was educated at Brazen- 
nofe college, Oxford, whence he removed to Lincoln’s- 
inn, and purfued the dudy of law. He foon acquired 
profeflional reputation, and in 1581, was appointed folici- 
tor-general. In 1584, lie rofe to the office of attorney-ge¬ 
neral, and was knighted. The maderdiip of the rolls 
was conferred upon him in 1593 ; and in 1596, from the 
queen’s fpecial favour, he received the feals, with the 
title of lord keeper. He was at the fame time fworn of 
the privy-council, Few perfons have enjoyed their ad- 
E G G 
vancement with more general approbation than this emi¬ 
nent lawyer, who may be confidered as one of the wor- 
thied of queen Elizabeth’s reign, when great places were 
ufually beflowed upon approved merit and abilities. On 
the acceffion of James, Egerton was continued in his of¬ 
fice, and created baron of Ellefmere. He was foon after 
created lord-high-chancellor, which pod he occupied 
above twelve years, with great dignity and reputation. 
He prefided as lord deward at the trials of lords Cobliam 
and Grey de Wilton. In 1610, he was defied chancellor 
of the univerfity of Oxford, when he zealoully occupied 
himfelf in checking the progrefs of popifli and calvinidical 
opinions in that feminary, and in fupporting the doCtrine 
and difeipline of the church of England, to which he 
was fincerely devoted. He didinguiffied thei merit of 
Williams, afterwards the celebrated archbifhop of York, 
made him his chaplain, and brought him into the king’s 
notice. He was alfo a friend and favourer of the great 
fir Francis Bacon, with whom he lived feveral years in 
habits of intimacy. In 1615, when his health had begun 
to decline, he underwent a profeflional attack from lord 
chief-jtiftice Coke, relative to an interference of the court 
of chancery in a matter of common law, which that great 
lawyer judged illegal. The cafe was heard before the 
king, affifted by feveral eminent lawyers, who decided in 
favour of the chancellor. He was foon after appointed 
high-fteward at the trial of the earl and countefs of So- 
merfet for the death of fir Thomas Overbury ; and, after 
the earl’s conviction, he (leadily refuted to affix the great 
leal to the pardon which the king’s weaknefs granted him. 
His age and infirmities at length canted him earneftly to 
requeft his difmiffion from his office of chancellor. The 
king, who appears greatly to have efteemed him, com¬ 
plied with fome reluctance, and as a mark of his appro¬ 
bation, raifed him, in 1616, to the dignity of vifeount 
Brackley. He further intended to honour him with an 
earldom and a petition, and fent his fucceffior Bacon, with 
the earl of Buckingham, to acquaint him with this de- 
fign ; but the aged ftatefman, then on his death-bed, re¬ 
plied by faying that thefe things were now only vanities 
to him. He expired at York-houfe, in the Strand, 
March 15, 1617, in his feventy-feventh year. The pro- 
pofed earldom of Bridgewater was conferred upon his 
fon. Chancellor Ellefmere (the name by which he is 
generally known) was of a highly venerable prefence, 
and in all refpeCls worthily filled the great ftation which 
he occupied. Flis difpofition was open and fincere, his 
adminiftration lionelt and upright. His private character 
was virtuous and honourable. There was printed during 
his life-time, his Speech in the Exchequer Chamber, in 
Robert Calvine’s caufe, commonly called the cafe of the 
Poftnati. After his death appeared his Privileges and 
Prerogatives of the Pligh Court of Chancery'; and his 
Obfervations concerning the Office of Lord Chancellor. 
There were likewife publifhed, from fome papers faid to 
be written in his own hand, Lord Chancellor Egerton’s 
Obfervations on the Lord Coke’s Reports; but it is 
doubted whether thefe are his. Fie left to his chaplain 
Williams four manufeript collections, relating to, 1, The 
Prerogative Royal; 2, The Privileges of Parliament; 3, 
Proceedings in Chancery; 4, The Power of the Star- 
chamber ; which are fuppofed to have been the fource 
of that prelate’s legal and political knowledge. 
To EGE'ST, v. a. \_egero, Lat.] To throw out food at 
the natural vents.—Divers creatures fleep all the winter; 
as the bear, the hedge-hog, the bat, and the bee: thefe 
all wax fat when they fleep, and egejl not. Bacon. 
EGES'TION, J'. [cgejlus, I,at.] The aft of throwing 
out the digefled food at the natural vents.—The animal 
foul or fpirits manage as well their fpontaneous actions 
as the natural or involuntary exertions of digeltion, egef 
tion, and circulation. Hale. 
EGESTUO'SITY, f. Extreme poverty. Scott. 
EGES'TUOUS, adj. [. egejluojus , Lat.] Very poor. • 
EGG,/, [oeg, Sax. cugk, Erfe.] That which is laid 
by- 
