THE BIRTHPLACE OF MATTHEW PRIOR. 70 



In the list of subscribers to the 1718 edition of Prior's 

 poems are several Wimborne names. 



Two more extracts and we shall have a sufficiency of 

 material from which to make our deductions. 



That it was well known, in spite of his learning and of the 

 high position to which he had attained, that he was of humble 

 origin, may be gathered from the following words of Queen 

 Anne, written to the Earl of Oxford : 



" 1711, Nov. 19, . . I have no objection to Mr. Prior then what I men- 

 tioned in my last, for I always thought it very wrong to send people abroad 

 of meane extraction : but since you think Mr. Prior will be very usefull at 

 this time, I will comply with your desire." 



Does the following extract refer in reality to Matthew 

 Prior's mother, or was the " Dutch baker " the mother of 

 some Chloe or other friend of the poet's ? 



" 1698, Aug. 15, Richard Powys to Matthew Prior, 



" I doubt you will draw another bill upon (me) for a charge, I am to tell 

 you has fallen upon you, though I doubt it will be hardly allowed in your 

 extraordinaries, which is that you must buy a new equipage of mourning for 

 your good old mother, the Dutch baker in King Street, and fell down dead 

 on Friday last. The virtuous young lady you may be sure is under great 

 affliction and wants you to comfort her." 



The Prior family then were living, when first we hear of 

 them, at Godmanstone, in Dorset. The first ancestor we hear 

 of had six children, five sons and a daughter. Of the sons, 

 Arthur went to London, where he became a successful vintner, 

 Avhose house, the Rummer Tavern, was a favourite meeting 

 place for the more learned . men of position in the reign of 

 Charles II. Possibly Samuel, who seems to have owned 

 the " Rhenish Wine House," was another of the five sons. 

 A third, Christopher, appears to have remained at Godman- 

 stone. The other two, Thomas and John, who had been 

 apprenticed to carpenters at Fordington, removed to Wim- 

 borne, where Thomas died ; and where George married and 



