By T. H. Baker. 293 
under his roof. He was a person of great modesty, well skilled in the Latin, 
Greek, and Hebrew languages, and versed in all such learning as was necessary 
to make him a compleat divine; and therefore after the restoration of his 
Majesty King Charles II. when ancient learning began to be in repute again, 
he became much esteemed by the ministers and loyal gentry of his neighbour- 
hood, was restored to what he had lost, and by the favour of Thomas Freek 
Esq. was made Rector of Melcomb Horsey, in Dorsetshire, in January an. 1660. 
“When Dr. Earl was translated from Worcester to Salisbury he made choice 
of our author Martin to preach his primary visitation sermon, and intended 
his farther promotion in the church, but being untimely taken away, his design 
failed. However, when Dr. Seth Ward became bishop of that place, he collated 
him to the prebendship of Yatsbury, in the church of Sarum, by the resignation 
of Mr. Daniel Whitby, on the 10th of Dec. an. 1668 (about which time he made 
him his dean rural for the deanery of Chalk), and soon after upon a vacancy, 
the dean and canons would have elected him canon resident, but his modesty 
would not permit him to give them any encouragement. In the month of 
October, 1675, he was made Chaplain to Charles, Earl of Nottingham, and in 
the beginning of Oct., 1677, he was collated by the said Bishop Ward (who had 
a singular respect for him and his learning), to the prebendship of Preston in 
the said Church of Sarum: which prebendship, with his rectory, vicaridge, and 
lecture (little enough for such a modest and learned person, and so great a 
sufferer for his loyalty as Mr. Martin was), he kept for some time after the 
Prince of Orange came to the Crown. 
“At length, sticking to his old principles, and denying the oath of allegiance 
to him and his queen, was deprived of all, except his lecture, which being. worth 
about £30 per annum, was all that he had left to keep him till the time of his 
death, as was reported'; but Bp. Burnet in the Vindication of his Sermon at 
Dr. Tillotson’s burial, p. 62, saith, ‘Mr. Martin was continued by me in his 
living till his death, which happened two years ago,? and I still paid him the 
income of his prebend out of my purse. He would not indeed not take the oaths, 
but he would never join in the schism with the rest of the non-jurors, whose 
principles and practices he said to me he detested. 
“* He hath written and published several sermons, as (1) Hosanna, a Thanks- 
giving Sermon, intended to have been preached 28 June, 1660, &c., on Psalm 
118,—22, 23, 24, 25, Oxon, 1660, qu. It is dedicated to William, Marquis of 
Hertford, and lady A.P, meaning, I suppose, Arundella Penruddock, mother to 
Col. John Penruddock. 
“*(2) Lex Pacifica, or God’s own law of determining Controversies ; on Deut. 
xvii. 12, Lond. 1664, qu. It was preached at the assizes at Dorchester, for the 
county of Dorset, the 5th of Aug. 1664, and is dedicated to Sir Matthew Hale, 
1“ Fyrom hence to the end of the quotation seems impossible to be wrote by 
Anth. Wood.”—Note by Loveday in Bliss’s edition of Athene Oxonienses. 
2 This could not be, for his successor, Rev. Nath. Highmore, M.A., was 
instituted to the living of Bingham’s Melcombe in 1690, and John Martin did 
“not die till November, 1695. 
