CHAPTER IX
In the
year 1715 the Mayor of Norwich living in Bishop Gate Street and the nearest way
from thence to the Town Hall being through the precinct of the Cathedral Church,
whenever there was held a common Council or Court of Aldermen, he usually went
that way, and had the sword carried before him through the said precinct in the
same manner as through the rest of the city which being looked upon as an
invasion upon the jurisdiction and rights of the Church, there had like to have
been a controversy between the Church and the City about it, for the preventing
of which the Dean told the Mayor and Aldermen that it was by grant from the
Dean and Chapter that the Mayor had the sword carried before him within the
said precinct whenever he and the Aldermen should come to the said Cathedral
either to prayers or sermon, and offered to them that if they would accept of
the like grant for the said Mayor to do the same within the said precinct on
all other occasions whatsoever they would be ready to comply with them herein,
which proposal being accepted, instruments were drawn accordingly hereto and
mutually sealed on both sides and so ended this matter.
This year
the Dean was necessitated to the hard work of expelling from the Cathedral for
great immoralities two of the minor Canons (so the Coral Vicars are there
called) and the hardship was the greater in that he had been forced to expel
two others of them before for like crimes. The charge upon the present
criminals was no less than that of fornication and adultery of which they were
both convicted by their own confession. One of them was a Frenchman who came
hither under the notion of a Refuge for his Religion and that merit obtained
him this place in the Church, and two other formal benefices in the
neighbourhood which together made him up a maintenance of £100 per annum, all
this he enjoyed for above 20 years with a thorough reputation for sobriety,
though all that time he was a secret whore master making it his endeavour to
corrupt all the maid servants that lived with him, but at length one of them
proving with child all came out for the refusing to submit to any of those
means which had been proposed by him for the hiding of both their shames out of
hopes of forcing a marriage with him then lately become a widdower her big
belly at length discovered the matter and the thing was made out so clear
against him that he was forced to confess it but instead of acknowledging the
sin he justified himself by the example of Abraham, for his words were when
called to an account for it, why may not he lie with his maid as well as
Abraham with his Maid Hagar, and he carried on this impudence so far that when
the bastard was born it proving a female child he baptised it himself and gave
it the name of Hagar. After this several other Accusations of the same nature
came in against him from such as before were afraid of making the discovery
lest they should be overborn in their evidence by the reputation of the man
being on this account cast out of the Church and forced also to quit his
livings he left Norwich and went to London and that other minor Canon took the
same course, for when forced to quit the Church he left his wife upon her
father's hands and repairing to London there under the notion of Chaplain
became stallion to an old cast miss of a certain nobleman. Both these persons
were very good quire men as to their voices however bad in their morals and to
find men equally qualified in both for the filling up of those places in the
quire the Dean used to complain was one of the hardest parts of his office. But
preferring harmony of life and conversation before the harmony of the voice in
singing, when both could not be had together, he had always in the choice of
minor Canons more regard to the former than the latter and this forced him more
than once to put men into those places for the sake of their sobriety who were
not so well skilled for the singing of their part in the Quire when others
could not be had who were both way qualified for them.
The
Rectory of Westhall in Suffolk which is an Apropriation belonging to the Dean
and Chapter of Norwich through the tenants neglect of renewing his lease
falling within the term allowed by law for the granting of a concurrent lease
of the same. The Dean prevailed with the Chapter to make a grant of it to the
Vicar by a lease to him of 21 years provided, ( 1 ) that he should so long live
and continue Vicar of the said Parish of Westhall and actually reside thereupon
and personally serve the cure of the same,( 2 ) that he annually pay unto the
said Dean and Chapter the Rent and corn Rent formerly reserved and so that he
also pay an additinal rent of £9 per annum to be in lieu of a fine by which
method the living was augmented to the minister without any damage to the
Church except only the loss of the first fine, forever after the fine is paid
in the additional rent as for instance in the present case the usual fine for
the renewal of the lease was £21 the additional rent £3 per annum in seven
years makes up this sum, so the Church hath its full rights in this later way
as well as in the former and with this advantage that in this later way six
parts in seven of the said fines are paid before they are due in the former
way. Dr. Prideaux had many years before while only prebendary of the Church
formed this scheme, for the benefit of the ministers that served the cures of
the appropriated parishes and obtained an Order of General Chapter for the
putting of it in execution in all the appropriated parishes belonging to that
Church. But Dean Fairfax being absent battled it all on his return. But Dr.
Prideaux on his coming to be Dean after him pursued it strictly and this is the
third appropriation which he had so settled and he would in the same manner
have settled all the other Appropriations belonging to that Church could he
have had them within his power. But this not happening but when the tenants
lease is expired or at least run out to the time of concurrency, the Dean had
no opportunity from either of these ways of executing this scheme many more
than in three parishes here mentioned. Would all Bishops, Chapters and Colleges
follow this example, they might in many places very much augment the
maintenance of the parochial Clergy without damaging their own Revenues,
excepting only in the loss of the first fine and it is scarce to be imagined
that any of them would gruch to give up so much for the sake of the great
benefit would hereby occur to the Church in general.
How much
the maintenance of the ministers of Apropriated Parishes will be augmented by
this Scheme will appear by this following example. Suppose the clear value of
the Appropriation be £70 per annum at 7 years end one years clear value that is
the said £70 is the usual fine for the renewal of such leases, this by 10
pounds per annum is paid in 7 years time and leaves £60 per annum to the
ministers by way of augmentation to his living and so in proportion in other
appropriations more or less according as the said appropriations are higher or
lower in value.
A New
church being built at Yarmouth and the concurrence of the Dean and Chapter of
Norwich being requisite in order to its consecration by reason of the rights in
the mother Church as appropriators and patrons of the same, the Dean took care
on this occasion to have a proviso entered in the instruments of conservation
for the saving to the said Dean and Chapter all the rights in the said mother
Church and parish of Yarmouth as Patrons and Appropriators of the same.
And Dr.
Prideaux in several other cases saved the rights of the Church of Norwich by
procuring like salvos for them especially in two Acts of Parliament which the
City of Norwich sued out, the first for a Court of Conscience and the other for
a workhouse to be erected in the said City in both which Acts the General words
would have brought the Close under the jurisdiction and power of the City and
in a great measure destroyed the Peculiar rights and liberties belonging to the
same. But that Dr. Prideaux procured salvos to be inserted into the said Acts
for the saving of them. The first of these Acts passed before he was Dean and
the other some years after. However it must not be here omitted that Dr.
Prideaux often acknowledged that the Dean and Chapter never found the City
carrying on any design against them for their invading of any of the rights but
that they ever acted fairly with them in all such matters and never refused in
all their bills which they prepared for Parliament to admit into them all such
clauses as the Dean and Chapter desired might be inserted for the saving of all
the liberties, rights and privileges belonging unto them, and Dr.Prideaux took
care as well before he was Dean as after to have all such clauses ready for them.
Mr.
Prodreys one of the prebendarys of the Church of Norwich dying on the llth of
February 1716, Dr. Thomas Sherlock as Master of Catherine Hall in Cambridge lay
claim to his prebendship by virtue of the act of Parliament above mentioned.
But the local status of the Church to which the Dean and all the prebendarys
had been solemnly sworn at their installation strictly forbidding them to admit
anyone to be Dean or prebendary in the said Church who at the same time is Dean
or prebendary of any other Cathedral Church. And Dr. Sherlock being both that
is Dean of Chichester and prebendary of Pauls, the Dean informed him that he
thought himself obliged by oath not to admit him. The original grant to the
Master of Catherine Hall was by the letters patents of the Queen which
incorporated the next prebendship that shall fall void in the Church of Norwich
with the masterships of the said Hall for ever and these letters Patents are
confirmed in the Act of Parliament above mentioned and therefore a power being
in the said local status reserved to the Crown of altering, enlarging and
reforming the same according as it shall be thought most fitting. The Dean did
acknowledge that the Queen by her letters patents and much more by Act of
Parliament might in this case revoke and abolish that part of the local status
of the said Church which is above mentioned. But whither there be any thing in
the said letters patents or in the said Act of Parliament that amounts hereto
is the sole question in this case that which chiefly made the Dean doubtful
herein was a clause in the Queen's letters patents which commands that the said
Master of Catherine Hall be installed in the Cathedral Church pront mos est,
this the Lawyers who were against the proviso in the Committee of Parliament as
is above mentioned desired to be in the opinion a full salvo to all the status
of the said Church and it would certainly be so did this clause include all
that is customarily done at the like installation in that Church and all the
qualifications which are by the local status of the said Church required in
order thereto. But this is the matter in dispute. For the decision hereof the
Dean advised Dr. Sherlock to apply to the Kings Bench for a mandamus assuring
him that on his serving of it upon him he would immediately put in his answer
and forthwith by consent go to a hearing which being accordingly done and the
case argued in Court two terms together, on the third judgment was given for
the said Dr. Sherlock and a peremptory mandamus being issued out according
hereto for the installation of the said Dr., the Dean paid full obedience
thereto and so ended this matter to the full satisfaction of the said Dean, all
that he aimed at herein being to clear his conscience to the said oath above
mentioned which was fully effected by this determination.
In
Hillary Term 1717 he published the second part of his connection of the History
of the Old and New Testament, and he dedicated this part as well as he had the
former to the Earl of Nottingham in acknowledgement of the favours he had
received from that great and worthy Nobleman.
Dr.
Prideaux having been beholden to his worthy friend Mr. Prempton Gordon for
correcting the press all the while this work was there in printing, he thought
himself obliged to acknowledge it in his preface to the 1st part and there give
him that character which his learning and other merit deserved which so far
recommended him to the favour of the Lord Chancellor Parker that on reading the
said Preface he sent for him and made him his Chaplain and afterwards preferred
him. And thus far to have been the occasion of serving that worthy and learned
gentleman was much to the satisfaction of Dr. Prideaux.
This
History was the last work he did for the public. For after he had passed the
70th year of his age he formed infirmitys grew fast upon him which were
hastened on by what he had suffered on his being cut for the stone and the ill
management he afterwards fell under in the cure of the wound. From that time he
was seised with a paralitical shaking in his left hand, which about six years
after seised his right hand, also and at length weakened it to the degree that
he could no longer hold pen to write, and as these weaknesses of body crept
upon him they weakened and much impaired the vigour of his mind so that he
could no longer carry on his studies with that strength and assiduity as
formerly which made him think it time to give over as one superannuated for any
further undertaking, and therefore though he had other works in design and for
some of them had his materials in a great part ready for the composure, yet in
his case of infirmity he thought it properest to drop them all. For should he
begin any of them, he had no probable view of living to finish and whatsoever
he should finish under those decays of age which were then upon him would be
only as the dregs of his life and he would not affront the public so far as to
offer any such thereto, and therefore for the remainder of his life he sent
nothing more to the press, but confined himself solely to the duties of the
Station which God had called him to and faithfully to discharge these and bear
the burden of his infirmities was work enough for him during the latter part of
his life.
For some
time after his publication of the Connection of the old and new testament,
hardly a post passed without some letters to him of Remarks and observations
upon it from the learned in different parts of the Kingdome. Some raising
difficulties, others desiring information as to the Explaing some difficult passages
in it. To all which he was always ready to answer and give the best
satisfaction he could till by age and other infirmity he became incapable of
bending his mind to any matter of difficulty. But no one made remarks and
objections with such solidity of Learning and strenght of argument, as his
worthy and learned kinsman Walter Moyle of Bake in the County of Cornwall Esqr;
he was one of the nearest relation the Dean had in the world, his father Sir
Walter Moyle being unkle to him and his mother who was one of the daughters of
Sir William Morice Secretary of State to King Charles the Second was his first
cousin. This Gentleman for his learning Judgement and with mixed and great
humanity and goodness of temper was justly esteem by everyone that had the happiness
of being acquainted with him. In his younger time he served severall years in
Parliament in the Reign of King William where he made a Considerable figure by
his great knowlege and learning much beyond his age. But for upwards of twenty
years before he died he retired to his seat in Cornwall where he collected a
yery good library of Books, amongst which he spent the residue of his life he
was the only person yet had no opinion of his own writings. So that to the
great loss of the learned world he not long before his death destroyed most of
his finished pieces, he died on the 9th June Anno Domini 1721 in the 49th year
of his age.
From the
year 1686 to the time of his death the Dean resided constantly at the Cathedrall
of which he was a member excepting only the four years that he lived at Saham
and how he employed himself there is sufficiently shown by what is here above
related of him. During all the time that he was Dean he never had the least
difference with the Chapter or any of the members of it which other Deans his
predecessors were scarce free from. This was owing to the prudence and
integrity of his conduct towards them, for he always treated the prebendarys
with all the respect that was due unto them, was as careful of their rights as
of his own, and never took upon him to determine anything of their Common right
and interest of their Church without the Common consent and advice of the
Chapter taken along with him herein, neither did he ever hide anything from
them but laid everything openly and fairly before them that related to all
matters proposed without any by ends of his own, which was a procedure which
this place had not always been acquainted with, so that being fully satisifed
of his faithful and just dealings with them, they most an end trusted all their
affairs with an entire and implicit confidence in his hands, and they never
found themselves deceived thereby.
His
constant residing at the Cathedral Church gave him the opportunity of well providing
for its repairs, this he always took especial care of, and yet as well before
as after he was Dean. For while he was prebendary, he was for the most part
Treasurer and to repair the Church was one main part of his office. His method
was according to the direction of the local status to order the Church every
Lady day to be carefully reviewed by able workmen and what decays were found he
took care to have repaired by the Michaelmas following unless the repairs were
so great as to exceed what the Revenues of the Church could bear, and then what
could not be done in one year was done in two and had he not taken timely care
one year at a great expense thoroughly to repair the steeple, a great storm
that a little after followed would in all likelihood have brought it down and
bore a great part of the Church with it to the ground.
He always
took care to preserve a good correspondence with the City and its Magistrates
by paying them all due respects and accommodating them in the Cathedral with
whatsoever they at any time desired to be there done for their better
convenience in their attending the divine service whenever they came thither to
it which sometimes did put him to needless charge, but this was never spared
when any thing was desired by them for their better accommodation in this
particular. Although the interest of the Church and that of the City did
sometimes interfere yet Dr. Prideaux took care so far to reconcile matters,
that during all this time there was no such thing as a breach between them and
this he did while he was only prebendary as well as afterwards when Dean. There
was indeed a long Law suit between the City and the Dean and Chapter about the
houses in Tombland built upon the Close walls and lying between the two gates
leading into the said Close. These houses were built in the late times of
Rebellion upon the grounds which certainly belonged to the Church but by the
mismanagement of Dr. Artley who was then Dean this cause was lost, but all this
was over and Dean Artley dead before Dr. Prideaux came to the Church. After
this the suit was no longer renewed and now long possession and the statute of
limitations hath put the cause beyond retrieve.
In the
74th year of his age finding himself so much weakened by his infirmities then
growing upon him that he could no longer use his books for the benefit of the
public as formerly and being desirous that hs collection of Oriental books
should not be dispersed but kept all together in some public library for public
use, he allowed Mr. Edmond Prideaux, his son, to make a present of them to
Clare Hall in Cambridge where his said son had received his Education and in
acknowledgement thereof and of the kindness he there received while of that
College, they were sent thither accordingly and placed in the College library
to the number above a hundred and fifty volumes. [ In the earlier MSS, 1727
- Edmond states three hundred ].
For about
a year before his death he was taken with an illness that so far reduced him,
as to confine him to his Chamber; and his Infirmity Increased so fast upon him,
and to such a degree, as rendred incapable of helping himselfe in the Common
offices of Life, all which was the effect of the ill conduct he fell under
after his being cut therefore for the long Confinement, and the loss of blood
he then sustained weakened him so in his limbs that he was never free from
paraliticall shakings and Rheumatick pains so that he gave himselfe up to the
thoughts of death, which he expected with that cheerfulness and resignation,
which he had from the reflections on a well spent life.
Dean
Prideaux died on Sunday the 1st of November Anno Domini 1724 in the seventy
seventh year of his age, after an illness of about ten days, and was buried on
Wednesday following in the Cathedral Church of Norwich acording to his own
direction.