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Biography of Edward HerbertName: Edward HerbertBirth Date: March 3, 1583 Death Date: August 20, 1648 Place of Birth: Shropshire, England Nationality: English Gender: Male Occupations: philosopher, poet, diplomat Edward Herbert The English philosopher, poet, diplomat, and historian Edward Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Cherbury (1583-1648), is considered the father of English deism. His major work, "On Truth," is one of the few metaphysical treatises in English philosophy.Edward Herbert was born on March 3, 1583, the first son of Richard and Magdalen Herbert, at Eyton, Shropshire. Edward was precocious in his early studies, and the poet John Donne was employed as a tutor for the Herbert children. On the death of Richard Herbert in 1596 the family moved to Oxford, where the young philosopher studied at University College. When he was barely 15, Edward married. The poetry of his younger brother, George Herbert, has been widely recognized, but Edward's Latin and English verse has also earned him recognition as an important disciple of Donne.For the next 20 years Herbert divided his time between attendance at the courts of Elizabeth and James I and travels on …showed first 150 words…
…showed last 150 words…religione gentilium (1663; Ancient Religion of the Gentiles). The universal characteristics of true religion are identified as the notions that there is one God, that He is worthy of worship, and that He rewards and punishes man, judging him according to his practice of virtue and his sorrow for sin. Further Reading Useful studies of Herbert's life and work are in the introductions to the English translations of his works: De veritate, with an introduction by Meyrick H. Carre (1937), and Lord Herbert of Cherbury's De religione laici, introduced by the editor and translator, Harold R. Hutcheson (1944). The Autobiography of Edward, Lord Herbert of Cherbury contains a useful introduction to his life and work together with letters and a continuation of his life by Sidney Lee (1886; 2d rev. ed. 1906). For deism, in general, Clement C. J. Webb, Studies in the History of Natural Theology (1915), and Peter Gay, Deism: An Anthology (1968), are recommended. |