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Edward Taylor (ca. 16421729 ) was a colonial American poet, physician, and pastor.

Taylor was born in Sketchly, Leicestershire, England and emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in America in 1668 . During his voyage to America, Taylor chronicled his Atlantic crossing from April 26, 1668 to his landing July 5, 1671 in his now published ''Diary''. Upon graduating from Harvard , he became a physician and pastor in Westfield, Massachusetts .

While Taylor was a prolific poet, his work languished in relative obscurity until 1937 , when his manuscripts were uncovered by Thomas Johnson, long-buried in the library of Yale University. The first sections of Taylor's ''Preparatory Meditations'' ( 16821725 ) and ''God's Determinations touching his Elect'' (ca. 1680 ) were published directly following their discovery; however, Taylor's complete poems were not published until 1960 .

Taylor is the only known American poet who wrote in the Metaphysical style. His best-known work is the Conceit titled "Huswifery," a direct comparison between Weaving and God 's salvation through Divine Grace .