82 THE BIRTHPLACE OF MATTHEW PRIOR. 



Court. He became M.P. for East Grinstead in 1701. Under 

 Queen Anne he changed his politics and became a Tory. 

 In 1711 he was employed in connection with the Peace of 

 Utrecht. But on the death of the Queen, the Whigs triumphed. 

 And Prior, returning to England in 1715, was impeached and 

 for a time imprisoned. He was released in 1717, but his sole 

 income was that derived from his college fellowship, which, 

 he had prudently retained, although he had given the income 

 to another. His friends arranged about the publication of 

 his poems, of which an issue of 2,000 copies in 1718 brought 

 him in 4,000 guineas. To this Lord Harley added a similar 

 sum, and Down Hall was purchased for him (in Essex). Here, 

 for the most part, he resided during the remainder of his 

 life. He died of a fever at Lord Harley's seat at Wimpole, 

 in Cambridgeshire, on the 18th of September, 1721. The 

 lengthy Latin inscription, consisting of 65 lines, on his monu- 

 ment in Westminster Abbey, was written by Dr. Robert 

 Freind ; and over it was placed his bust by Antoine Coy se vox, 

 which had been presented to him by Louis XIV. The epitaph 

 is given in full by Dr. Johnson. Notice that here he is 

 described as Armiger. 



J. have tried in this paper simply to speak of the birthplace 

 and early life of the poet, and to give a very brief account 

 of his later life ; but not in any way to comment upon him as 

 a poet. In his writings, he did but bear witness to the 

 habits of bis time. May I conclude with the words of the 

 Duchess of Portland (cf. Works of Lady M. W. Montague, 

 Vol. I., p. 63), that he was " beloved by every living thing 

 in the house, master, child, and servant, human creature, 

 or animal." 



The following is a list of some of the works which might be 

 with advantage consulted by those wishing to know r more of 

 Matthew Prior : 



" Lives of the Poets," by Dr. Samuel Johnson. 



" Matthew Prior," by George A. Aitken, " Cont. Review," 

 May, 1890, Vol. LVIL, pages 715-729. 



