Cobden, Edward

, D. D. and a chaplain in ordinary to George II. was educated at Trinity college, Oxford, where he took his bachelor’s degree, but appears to have removed to King’s college, Cambridge, where he took his master’s degree, in 1713. In 1723 we find him again at Trinity college, Oxford, where he took the degrees of B. and D. D. July 6 of that year. He became early in life chaplain to bishop Gibson, to whose patronage he was indebted for the following preferments; viz. the united rectories of St. Austin and St. Faith, in London, with that of Acton, in Middlesex, a prebend in St. Paul’s, another at Lincoln, and the archdeaconry of London, in which last he succeeded Dr. Tyrwhitt in July 1742. His whole works were collected by himself, in 1757, under the title of “Discourses and Essays, in prose and verse, by Edward Cobden, D. D. archdeacon of London, and lately chaplain to his majesty king George II. above twenty-two years, in which time most of these discourses were preached before him. Published chiefly for the use of his parishioners,” one large 4to volume, divided in two parts. Of this volume 250 copies only were printed, 50 of which were appropriated to a charitable use. | In 1748 he preached a sermon before the king at St. James’s, entitled “A Persuasive to Chastity,” which was not a virtue exemplified at that time in the highest place, and he is said to have lost his situation of chaplain by it. Among his works is his “Concio ad Clerum, xi cal. Mail, 1752,” and three sermons preached after the noted one on “Chastity.” The last time he preached hefore the king was Dec. 8, 1751. He resigned his warrant for chaplain Nov. 23, 1752, after having delivered into his majesty’s hands his reasons in writing for so doing. His income, he says, was hut moderate (all his preferments together not exceeding S50l. per annum clear, which, he added, was as much as he desired, and more than he deserved. This income, frugality and moderation converted into plenty, and contentment into happiness); but about this time he met with losses amounting to above 2000l. which reduced his substance very low. In 1762, Dr. Cobden lost his wife; whom he survived little more than two years, dying April 22, 1764, aged more than eighty. He appears to have been a good and conscientious man, but with a mixture of oddity in his character as well as style, and not so wholly free from ambition as "he would make us believe. His poetical talents, which he was fond of gxercising, are not of the first rate. ¹