Edward Leigh

Esq. Son of Hen. Leigh, was born at Shawell in Leycestershire, 24. of March 1602, being the day and year on which Qu. Elizabeth deceased, bred in Grammar learning under one Mr. Loe of Walshall in Staffordshire, became a Communer of Magd. Hall under the tuition of Will. Pemble, an. 1616, ran through the severe discipline then and there used, and proceeded in Arts in 1623: But before his Regency was expired, he went to the Middle Temple and studied the common Law, (wherein he made considerable progress) yet before he had been there two years, he, with others were forced thence by tho great plague that violently raged in London, an. 1625. So that instead of retiring into the Country, he went into France and spent there half an year with great improvement to himself and his studies. After his return he spent some years in the said Temple, not only in the study of the Laws but of Divinity and History; in both which in his elder years he attained to some eminence. Afterwards he retired to Banbury in Oxfordshire, and became a constant hearer for some time of that noted puritanical preacher Will. Wheatley. But he dying in 1639 our author Leigh receeded to London, where continuing till the civil distempers broke forth, was upon the withdrawing of divers members of that unhappy convention called the Long Parliament, to the King at Oxon, chose a Recruiter or Burgess for the Town of Stafford. Afterwards, upon a vacancy, he was appointed one of the House of Commons to sit in the Ass. of Divines (as did Philip Earl of Pembroke, Will. Visc. Say &c. of the House of Lords) with Joh. Selden, Franc. Rous, Bulstr. Whitlock, &c. other members of the said house; where he behaved himself as learnedly as most of the Divines then sitting. He was also then a Colonel of a regiment for the Parliament, was Custos Rotulorum for the County of Stafford, and afterwards was numbred among those Presbyterian members that were turned out of the House of Commons by the Army 6. Dec. 1648 and imprisoned thereupon in the publick Inn called the Kings head in the Strand. From which time till towards the Kings restauration (when he with the rest of the ejected members then living, were restored by General Monk to their places in Parliament) he had little else to do but to write books, the titles of which, among others, which he wrot before that time, do follow.

Selected and choice observations concerning the twelve first Caesars &c. Oxon. 1635. oct. To which he added six more, making up the number 18, which were printed with the former, in another Edition. The observations on the rest that followed, were made by Henry Leigh the authors eldest Son, M. of A. of Magd. Hall, which being printed with the former at Lond. 1657 in oct, had this title put to them Analecta Caesarum Romanorum. Afterwards they were illustrated with their several effigies and coines—Lond. 1664. oct, and in another Edit. that came out in 1670 in oct. they had observations of the Greek Emperours added to them by the same hand.

Treatise of Divine promises, in 5. books. Lond. 1633, there again the third time 1650, and the fourth in 1657. octavo.

Critica sacra, on the Hebrew words of the old, and on the Greek of the New, Testament. Lond. 1639 and 46. in qu. There again in two parts in fol. 1662. In which book, the author expressing his great skill in the Languages, was the reason therefore why the learned Usher primate of Ireland had a respect and kindness for him.

Supplement to the Critica sacra. Lond. 1662. fol.

A Treatise of Divinity in three books. Lond. 1646. qu.

The Saints encouragement in evil times: or, observations concerning the Martyrs in general. Lond. 1648. 51. oct.

Annotations on all the New Test. Lond. 1650. fol.

A philological Commentary: or, an illustration of the most obvious and useful words in the Law, with their distinctions and divers, acceptations, as they are found as well in Reports antient and modern, as in records and memorials never printed. Lond. 1652. 58. 71. oct.

A Systeme or body of Divinity in 10 books Lond. 1654. and 62. fol.

Treatise of religion and learning in 6. books Lond. 1656. fol. Which book, laying dead on the Booksellers hands, had this title put to it in 1663. Faelix consortium: or, a fit conjuncture of religion and learning, in one entire volume, consisting of six books, &c. From which Treatise Will. Crowe of Suffolk, Master of the Free-school at Croydon in Surrey took many things when he composed his Elenchus Scriptorum in sacram scripturam, &c. Lond. 1672. octavo.

Choice French proverbs. Lond. 1657. 64. oct.

Annotations on the five poetical books of the old Test. viz. Job, Psalmes, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Canticles. Lond. 1657. fol.

Second considerations of the High Court of Chancery. Lond. 1658. in 2 sh. in qu.

England described: or, the Counties and Shires thereof briefly handled. Lond. 1659. oct. Copied mostly from Camden.

Choice observations on all the Kings of England from the Saxons to the death of K. Ch. 1. Lond. 1661. oct.

Three Diatriabes or discourses, 1. Of travel. 2. Of money. 3. Of measuring, &c. Lond. 1671. oct. This book is called in another edit. 1680. The Gentlemans guide in the three discourses, &c. He also published The Magistrates Authority, in two Sermons, Lond. 1647 qu. penn’d by Christopher Cartwright B. of Div. and Minister at York. To which our Author Leigh put a preface, to vindicate himself against a lying pamphlet, as he calls it, which entitles him, a man of a fiery disposition, and one generally made chair-man upon any business that doth concern the Clergy. He paid his last debt to nature in his house called Rushall Hall, on the second day of June, 1671. in sixteen hundred seventy and one, and was buried in the Chancel of the Church of Rushall near to Walshall, a Market Town in Staffordshire, before mention’d, as I have been informed by letters written to me by his Son Henry.