BEECHING

beeching, henry charles (1859- ), english clergyman and author, was born on the 15th of may 1859, and educated at the city of london school and at balliol college, oxford. he took holy orders in 1882, and after three years in a liverpool curacy he was for fifteen years rector of yattendon, berkshire. from 1900 to 1903 he lectured on pastoral and liturgical theology at king's college, london, and was chaplain of lincoln's inn, where he became preacher in 1903. he became a canon of westminster in 1902, and examining chaplain to the bishop of carlisle in 1905. as a poet he is best known by his share in two volumes--_love in idleness_ (1883) and _love's looking glass_ (1891)--which contained also poems by j.w. mackail and j. bowyer nichols. he was a sympathetic editor and critic of the works of many 16th and 17th century poets, of richard crashaw (1905), of herrick (1907), of john milton (1900), of henry vaughan (1896). under the pseudonym of "urbanus sylvan" he published two successful volumes of essays, _pages from a private diary_ (1898) and _provincial letters and other papers_ (1906). his works also include numerous volumes of sermons and essays on theological subjects.