IERMIN, MICHAEL (JERMIN)

Paraphrasticall Meditations, by Way of Commentarie, upon the Whole Booke of the Proverbs of Solomon.

London, R. Badger for Philemon Stephens and Christopher Meredith, 1638.

Folio (280 x 190 mm). In contemporary full calf with five raised bands and richly gilt spine. Light wear to extremities and small paper label pasted on to upper compartment. Light marginal miscolouring throughout, otherwise fine. (6), 726 [i. e. 729], (26) pp. (wanting the errata leaf).

Rare first edition of Michael's work containing commentaries on paraphrastical meditations.

"Michael German (1591–1659), born in 1591 at Knows, Devonshire, was the son of Alexander Jermin, merchant and sheriff of Exeter, of which place his grandfather was twice mayor. He matriculated at the age of fifteen at Exeter College, Oxford, 20 June 1606, was elected a scholar of Corpus Christi College 23 Sept. 1608, and a probationer fellow 25 April 1615, graduating B.A. 12 Oct. 1611 and M.A. 24 Jan. 1615. On leaving Oxford he went abroad as chaplain to Princess Elizabeth, electress palatine, and proceeded D.D. at Leyden. He was again in England by 1624; on 27 July graduated D.D. at Oxford, and was made chaplain to Charles I in the same year. In 1628 he became rector of St. Martin's, Ludgate, suffered much for the royal cause when the civil war broke out, and was ejected from his living in favour of Thomas Jacombe [q. v.] His property was taken from him, and he was obliged to live on the charity of fellow-royalists. He retired about 1652 to his son-in-law's house at Kemsly, near Sevenoaks, and died suddenly, 14 Aug. 1659, while returning from preaching at Sevenoaks. He was buried north of the altar at Kemsly, where a marble monument was raised over his grave. Wood describes him as a pious and laborious man." (DNB).

Order-nr.: 60553