Henry Dunster

Henry Dunster.—This person was a pious and learned divine, who, to escape* the persecutions of Archbishop Laud, retired to New England in 1640. Upon his arrival, he was chosen president of Harvard college, Cambridge; which office he held with great reputation and usefulness for the space of fourteen years. He is said to have been fitted by the Lord for this work, and to have been a most able proficient in the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin languages, and an orthodox and powerful preacher. He is denominated " one of the greatest masters of oriental learning that New England had ever known."* But having espoused the peculiar sentiments of the baptists, the overseers of the college, in the year 1654, procured his removal from the office of president; when he was succeeded by the worthy Mr. Charles Chauncey.+ Upon Mr. Dunstcr's removal from the college, he retired to Scituate, where he died in the year 1659- He had a principal hand in publishing the Psalms in metre for the use of public worship, among the churches of New England; and in his last will and testament he ordered his body to be buried at Cambridge; and, to the honour of his memory, he bequeathed legacies to those very persons who had been the authors of his removal from the place;

• Life of Mr. Cawton. p. 78—80. + Ibid. p. 7,31, Sec.

t Granger's Biog. Hist. vol. iii. p. 47. $ Athena Oxoo. vol. ii. p. 432.

H Palmer'!* Noncon, Mem. vol. i. p. 252.