On the 17th of February, A. D. 1682-3, he was instituted to the rectory of Bladen cum Capella de Woodstock, in the county of Oxford. Dr. Thomas Marshall, then dean of Gloucester, and rector of Lincoln College, was his predecessor in this living, who having resigned it, Mr. Prideaux was presented thereto, by the lord keeper North, it being in the gift of the great seal, held it with his student's place, at Christchurch, by virtue of his being library keeper of that college; for as there is no salary belonging to that of fice, except forty shillings per annum paid to a deputy, the student, who has it, has the privilege of holding one living, without vacating his student's place by his institution thereto.

On the 15th of October A. D. 1683, Mr. Prideaux lost his father, who died in the 78th year of his age. He was descended of a family, that had flourished in many places both in Cornwall and Devonshire, at Prideaux, Orcharton, Addeston, Thuborough, Soldon, Netherton, Ford Abby, and Padstow; as appears from the herald's books, Cambden, Leland's Itinerary, Fuller's Worthies, Risdon's Survey of Devon, Caren's Survey of Cornwall, and Prince's Worthies of Devon; who all make honourable mention of this family. He was a gentleman of great worth, sobriety and discretion, and well learned in most parts of literature, that became a gentleman to know. He studied first at Sidney College in Cambridge, where he was under the care of Dr. Paul Michelthwayt, afterwards master of the temple: from thence removed to Exeter college in Oxford at the invitation of Dr. John Prideaux, then rector of that college; and from thence he went to the Inns of Court, in order to make himself acquainted with the laws of the realm; and after this travelled abroad, and spent some time in foreign countries. By these means he improved his natural understanding, and acquired those accomplishments, which made him honoured and respected beyond most of his time in the county where he lived; to which he was very useful in the commission of the peace and lieutenancy. From the restoration to the time of his death, he had the chief management of affairs in the county of Cornwall,

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which, on account of his known wisdom and integrity, were mostly referred to him.

Mr. Prideaux now wholly gave himself up to his studies and attended the duties of his function, going constantly to Bladen and Woodstock every Sunday from Christ-church. And that there might be no deficiency in the ministerial duties at any time, he kept a curate resident at Woodstock, to attend them; so that both churches were constantly served morning and afternoon every Sunday.

And that they might always continue to be so served, Dr. Fell, who was then bishop of Oxford, as well as dean of Christ-church, projected the building an house for the minister of Woodstock; and having accordingly purchased a piece of ground on the left hand of the gate, going into the park from the town of Woodstock, and formed the model for the house; committed the care of building it to Mr. Prideaux, under whose 'direction it was finished in the year 1685, and afterwards settled for the use of the minister for ever, in case he shall reside thereon; otherwise for the use of the poor of the town of Woodstock. It is built in the form of a cross, upon the park wall over against Chaucer's house. The purchase of the ground, and the building of the new house thereon, was wholly at the expense of the learned and pious bishop Fell, which cost him above 6007, but the converting the old house, which stood there before, into out-houses and offices, and fitting up the same, was wholly at the charge of Mr. Prideaux.

From the time that he was master of arts, and a tutor in the college, he was always very zealous and diligent in reforming such disorders and corruptions, as had from time to time crept into it; and made use of all opportunities in his power for suppressing them. This of course drew on him the ill-will of many of his fellow collegians, as must always happen to those, who endeavour at the reformation of discipline. But at the same time he had the friendship and esteem of the best men, and such whose reputation was highest in the university; particularly of bishop Fell, Dr. Pocock, the learned Hebrew and Arabic professor, Dr. Mar

shall, dean of Gloucester, and rector of Lincoln College, Dr. Bernard, Savilian professor of astronomy, Dr. Mills, the editor of the Greek Testament, Dr. Henry Godolphin, late dean of St. Paul's, Mr. Guise of All Souls College, and many other learned and valuable men.

On the 6th of February, A. D. 1684-5, died king Charles the IId, and his brother James the IId was proclaimed king the same day. The summer following happened the invasions of the earl of Argyle in Scotland, and the duke of Monmouth in England, which having both miscarried, and both the conductors of them being cut off, king James now looked upon himself as thoroughly settled on the throne; and began to take open measures for subjecting these realms to popish superstition. At the same time, bishop Fell declining very fast in health, Mr. Prideaux foresaw the confusion, which afterwards followed in the college upon his decease, when the king imposed a popish dean to succeed him; and therefore determined to retire from it, and settle on his cure, and on the 16th of February, A. D. 1685-6, he married Mrs. Bridgett Bokenham, only daughter of Anthony Bokenham of Helmingham in the county of Suffolk, Esq. who was the son of a younger brother of sir Henry Bokenham of Thornham, in the county of Suffolk; and her mother was the daughter of Thomas Townsend of Horstead, in the county of Norfolk, Esq.

In the year 1686, at the public act, Mr. Prideaux proceeded doctor of divinity; and having exchanged his living of Bladen cum Woodstock, for the rectory of Saham in Norfolk, as soon as that act was over, left Oxford, and settled upon his prebend at Norwich.

The last thing he did at Oxford, was to attend the funeral of his friend bishop Fell, who died on the Saturday of that act; and was buried on the Tuesday following, in the cathedral of Christ-church, under the dean's stall in the latin chapel. As soon as Dr. Prideaux had seen him put into the ground, he immediately left Oxford, and never afterwards returned thither. This good bishop was, for his piety, learning, and wisdom, esteemed one of the most eminent pre

lates of his time; and the college, which long enjoyed the benefit of his wise and useful government, is so much indebted to him on that account, as well as for his buildings and other benefactions, that he may deservedly be esteemed the second founder.

Dr. Prideaux always looked on him as the author of the book called, The Reasons of the Decay of Christian Piety, which came out in the name of the author of The Whole Duty of Man; and his reasons for it were, that in the summer of 1676, he made a visit to sir William Morice at Werrington, in the county of Devon (who was his uncle, having married a sister of his father's when among other discourse that passed between them, sir William told him, he thought bishop Fell was the author of that book; for that whilst he attended at court, as secretary of state, a little after the restoration, he heard the bishop preach a sermon in the king's chapel, with which he was so much pleased, that he desired to have a copy of it, which was accordingly presented to him; and that some years after, on the publication of the book called The Decay of Christian Piety, he found the sermon in the very same words in that book; and thence concluded, that the person who preached the one must be the author of the other. Dr. Prideaux was afterwards farther confirmed in this opinion; for as he attended the press in the theatre at Oxford, whilst another of the books ascribed to the same author was printing there, he often found whole lines, and sometimes two or three together blotted out, and interlineations in their stead, which he knew to be of bishop Fell's hand-writing; and this was a liberty, which it was unlikely any but the author should have taken. So that his opinion upon the whole was that the book, called The Whole Duty of Man, was written by an author still unknown; but that all the other books assigned to the same author were written by bishop Fell and Dr. Allestry. And that whereas the first of them, that was printed, either by design or mistake of the bookseller, came forth under the name of the author of The Whole Duty of Man, they suffered all the others to come out under the same disguise, the better to conceal what they intended should be a

secret. And as to what bishop Fell says in a preface to a folio edition printed at Oxford, in which all these books are comprised together, where he mentions the author as lately dead, it was generally understood to be meant of Dr. Allestry, who was then lately deceased.

On Dr. Prideaux' settling at Norwich, the whole management of the affairs of the cathedral fell into his hands; and this burden remained upon him ever after whilst he lived. On his first undertaking them, he found all matters there in the utmost disorder and confusion; for they had no rentals, whereby to receive their rents, nor any treasurer's book, whereby to pay the salaries of the officers and other outgoings; but the audit book of the former year was the only guide, which either the receiver or treasurer had for what was to be done in the following year; and that was very confused and defective. By these means the affairs of the church being kept in an intricate and dark state, the seniors often imposed on the juniors. In order to remedy these inconveniences, the doctor was at the pains to examine all the ledger books, and out of them he made an exact rental in the order of the alphabet, which being every year writ over in a book, the receivers have ever since continued to receive the rents thereby. At the same time he made a book for the treasurer in a due and orderly method, according to which the salaries and all other payments and expenses of the church have ever since been made; and by the help of these two books, he reformed the audit book, supplying what was defective therein, and putting the whole in a proper method; and these his regulations have ever since been followed in all their books of accompts; by which means every thing is made plain and easy. He examined also and sorted all their charters and evidences, and disposed them in drawers according to their proper order, by which means they may easily be referred to; whereas before this, they lay in a very confused and disorderly manner, on the floor of a room, which was unpaved and covered with dirt, and the windows broken; all which he repaired. The register books likewise and other