THE ROYAL DUBLIN SOCIETY 81 



entrusted to Van Nost, but it was not until the 

 of January 1756, that the monument neared comple- 

 tion, and the Dean and Chapter of Christ Church 

 Cathedral, in which it was proposed to erect it, were 

 asked to assign it a suitable position. It was put up in 

 the nave, where it remained for more than a century. 

 In 1870, on the restoration of the Cathedral by Mr. 

 Henry Roe, the monument was removed to the crypt. 

 The Council of the Royal Dublin Society, deeming it 

 undesirable that a memorial of so much interest should 

 remain in obscurity, sought permission to have it re- 

 stored to the body of the church. This was granted, 

 and in 1890 the expenditure of a sum of 60 was 

 authorised by the Society for its restoration, and removal 

 to the south porch, where the monument is still placed. 

 The Society's minute book shows that Van Nost was 

 paid 150 guineas for the monument, and 30 guineas 

 for its erection. Berkeley, who penned the elegant 

 inscription 1 on the monument, styled his friend 

 " Societatis Dubliniensis, auctor, institutor, curator." 

 On a scroll in the hand of one of the figures are 

 the following words " This monument was erected 

 to Thomas Prior, Esq., at the charge of several 

 persons, who contributed to honour the memory of 

 that worthy patriot, to whom his veracity, actions and 

 unwearied endeavours in the service of his country 

 have raised a monument more lasting than marble." 

 The following is the inscription to Prior's memory in 

 Rathdowney Church : 2 



Sacred to the memory of Thomas Prior, Esq., 

 who spent a long life in unwearied endeavours to 



1 Inscriptions, <Sr-v., Christ Church Cathedral, Rev. John Finlayson, 

 1878. 



2 "Preservation Memorials of the Dead," Journal, 1911, vol. viii., 

 No. 4, p. 425. 



F 



