John Eachard | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1636? |
| Died | 7 July 1697 |
| Occupation | satirist |
| Nationality | English |
John Eachard (1636? – 7 July 1697) was an Englishdivine andsatirist, noted for his humorous descriptions of the contemporary clergy.
FromYoxford inSuffolk,[1] he was educated atSt Catharine's College, Cambridge, of which he became master in 1675 in succession toJohn Lightfoot.[2] He was created D.D. in 1676 by royal mandate, and was twice (in 1679 and 1695) vice-chancellor ofCambridge University.[3]
In 1670 he had published anonymously a humorous satire entitledThe Ground and Occasions of the Contempt of the Clergy enquired into in a letter to R. L., which excited much attention and provoked several replies, one of them being fromJohn Owen. These were met bySome Observations, etc., in a second letter to R. L. (1671), written in the same bantering tone as the original work. Eachard attributed the contempt into which the clergy had fallen to their imperfect education, their insufficient incomes, and the want of a true vocation. His descriptions, which were somewhat exaggerated, were largely used byMacaulay in hisHistory of England.[3]
He gave amusing illustrations of the absurdity and poverty of the current pulpit oratory of his day, some of them being taken from the sermons of his own father. He attacked the philosophy ofThomas Hobbes in hisMr. Hobbs State of Nature considered; in a dialogue betweenPhilautus and Timothy (1672), and in hisSome Opinions of Mr.. Hobbs considered in a second dialogue (1673). These were written in their author's chosen vein of light satire, andJohn Dryden praised them as highly effective within their own range. Eachard's own sermons, however, were not superior to those he satirized.Jonathan Swift alludes to him as a signal instance of a successful humorist who entirely failed as a serious writer.[3]
A collected edition of his works in three volumes, with a notice of his life, was published in 1774.The Contempt of the Clergy was reprinted in E. Arbors English Garner.A Free Enquiry into the Causes of the very great Esteem that the Nonconforming Preachers are generally in with their Followers (1673) has been attributed to Eachard on insufficient grounds.[3]
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Eachard, John".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 8 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 789.| Academic offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Master ofSt Catharine's College, Cambridge 1675-1697 | Succeeded by |
