GUEST

guest, edwin (1800-1880), english antiquary, was born in 1800. he was educated at king edward's school, birmingham, and at caius college, cambridge, where he graduated as eleventh wrangler, subsequently becoming a fellow of his college. called to the bar in 1828, he devoted himself, after some years of legal practice, to antiquarian and literary research. in 1838 he published his exhaustive _history of english rhythms_. he also wrote a very large number of papers on roman-british history, which, together with a mass of fresh material for a history of early britain, were published posthumously under the editorship of dr stubbs under the title _origines celticae_ (1883). in 1852 guest was elected master of caius college, becoming ll.d. in the following year, and in 1854-1855 he was vice-chancellor of cambridge university. guest was a fellow of the royal society, and an honorary member of the society of antiquaries. he died on the 23rd of november 1880. guest (a word common to teutonic languages; cf. ger. _gast_, and swed. _gast_; cognate with lat. _hostis_, originally a stranger, hence enemy; cf. "host"), one who receives hospitality in the house of another, his "host"; hence applied to a parasite.