Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 18.djvu/138

 the author's study for ten years, when a transcript was made for the Duke of Richmond and Lennox. This transcript was burnt in the banqueting house at Whitehall. At a later date the poet's son William rediscovered the original among the loose papers in his father's library, but no complete manuscript copy is now known. Mrs. Cooper, in ‘The Muses' Library,’ 1737, printed the fourth eclogue, ‘Eglon and Alexis,’ from a manuscript (containing the twelve pieces) in the possession of the Fairfax family. Another eclogue has been printed in ‘Philobiblon Miscellanies,’ vol. xii. It is highly probable that a poem in Addit. MS. 11743, ff. 5–6 (which manuscript contains many papers relating to the Fairfax family), entitled ‘Ecloga Octava. Ida and Opilio,’ is one of the lost eclogues.

Fairfax lived a studious and retired life. On the authority of Brian Fairfax we learn that ‘he was very serviceable to his brother, Lord Fairfax, in the education of his children, the government of his family, and all his affairs.’ He resided at Newhall, in the parish of Fewston, Yorkshire. In 1621 two of his daughters were supposed to be bewitched, and Fairfax drew up a full account of the affair. This curious document is printed in ‘Philobiblon Miscellanies,’ vol. v., under the title of ‘A Discourse of Witchcraft. As it was acted in the Family of Mr. Edward Fairfax of Fuystone in the County of York, in the year 1621. From the Original Copy written with his own hand.’ In the preface to the ‘Discourse’ Fairfax describes himself as ‘neither a fantastic Puritan nor superstitious Papist, but so settled in conscience that I have the sure ground of God's word to warrant all I believe, and the commendable ordinances of our English Church to approve all I practise.’ The domestic troubles attributed to the machinations of the reputed witches continued until April 1623. Fairfax was buried at Fuiston on 27 Jan. 1635 (, Chorus Vatum). His widow was buried on 21 Jan. 1648.

Brian Fairfax mentions that several letters, ‘which deserve to be published,’ passed between Fairfax and the Romish priest, John Dorrell [Darrel], then a prisoner in York Castle, on the subject of the pope's supremacy, infallibility, idolatry, &c. Dodsworth, who describes Fairfax as ‘a singular scholar in all kind of learning,’ states that he wrote a ‘History of Edward the Black Prince,’ which was not published. William Fairfax, the translator's eldest son, a scholar of some repute, was ‘grammatical tutor’ of Thomas Stanley, the editor of ‘Æschylus.’

[Letter of Brian Fairfax to Atterbury in Atterbury Correspondence, iii. 255–69; Hunter's Chorus Vatum; Thoresby's Ducatus Leodiensis, ed. Whitaker, pp. 39, 64; ‘A Discourse of Witchcraft,’ Philobiblon Miscellanies, vol. v.; Mrs. Cooper's Muses' Library, 1737; Collier's Bibl. Cat. i. 267–9.]  FAIRFAX, FERDINANDO, second of Cameron in the peerage of Scotland  (1584–1648), son of Thomas Fairfax, first baron [q. v.], of Denton in Yorkshire, and Ellen Aske, was born 29 March 1584 (, Great Lord Fairfax, p. 6). Fairfax married in 1607 Mary, daughter of the third Lord Sheffield (ib. p. 7). His father seems to have wished to make him a soldier, for he is reported to have said: ‘I sent him into the Netherlands to train him up a soldier, and he makes a tolerable country justice, but is a mere coward at fighting’ (ib. p. 12).

In the last three parliaments of James I and the first four parliaments of Charles I Fairfax represented Boroughbridge (Return of Names of Members returned to serve in Parliament, 1878). His father became Baron Fairfax of Cameron in 1627, to which title Sir Ferdinando succeeded 1 May 1640. In the first Scotch war he had commanded a regiment of the Yorkshire trained bands, but he does not seem to have taken any part in the second war (, pp. 27, 34). In the Long parliament he represented the county of York, sided with the popular party, and was one of the committee charged to present the Grand Remonstrance (, iv. 436). In religious matters he appears to have desired the limitation of the powers of the bishops, but he expressed himself opposed to the alteration of the liturgy (Fairfax Correspondence, ii. 180). When the king left the parliament and established himself at York, Fairfax was one of the committee of five sent thither by parliament to represent it and watch the king's actions (his instructions, dated 5 May 1642, and his letters to parliament are printed in the Old Parliamentary History, x. 493, 511, 518–29). He signed the protest against the presentment of the royalist grand jury of Yorkshire (29 Aug. 1642), and received the thanks of the House of Commons for so doing (, iv. 648). Shortly after, at a meeting of the partisans of the parliament at Leeds, he was chosen to command the parliamentary forces in Yorkshire; the selection was approved by parliament (27 Sept.), and he received a commission from the Earl of Essex in December (Fairfax Correspondence, iii. 21;, v. 91). A treaty of neutrality between the leaders of the two parties in the county was signed at Rodwellhaugh on 29 Sept. 1642, to which Fairfax agreed, stipulating that it should be void unless approved