202 Memoir of Rev. John Prince, LL. D. 



guished for talents and attainments, afterwards Professor of Mathe- 

 matics and Natural Philosophy in Harvard University. He was 

 ordained over the First Church in Salem, on the lOlh of Novem- 

 ber, 1779. On the 8th of December, 1824, the writer of this no- 

 tice w^as settled as his colleague. . He died on the 7th of June, 1836, 

 having nearly completed his 85th year. His ministry lasted 57 

 years and 7 months. 



The disease of which Dr. Prince died was stone in the kidney, 

 producing frequent and violent attacks of strangury, for twelve years. 

 It was, of course, distressing in the highest degree, accompanied 

 by an impaired function, and ending in the entire destruction of the 

 organs affected by it. It is very remarkable, however, that in all 

 other respects, time and suffering seemed to have failed to make any 

 impression upon his system. His appetite, organs of digestion, eye- 

 sight, and general activity, either of sense, or muscle, or nerve, were 

 not in the slightest degree impaired ; and this was still more obser- 

 vable, inasmuch as from early life, and for more than fifty years, he 

 had been afflicted with a severe cough, and a double hernia. His 

 extraordinary enjoyment of general health, notwithstanding these 

 local infirmities, can only be accounted for by the serenity and cheer- 

 ful equableness of his feelings and spirits, partly owing to a happy 

 natural temperament, and partly to the benign influence of his scien- 

 tific and philosophical pursuits. 



When Mr. Prince was preaching as a candidate, in Salem, in 

 1779, his cough was so violent, that serious apprehensions were felt 

 that he would soon sink into a decline. At the meeting, called 

 for the purpose of seeing whether the society of the First Church 

 would give him a call to settle, the following curious incident oc- 

 curred. One of the parish, before the vote was put, rose and re- 

 marked, that he entirely concurred with all the rest of the society in 

 admiring Mr. Prince very much as a man and a minister, but doubted 

 about the expediency of settling him, as his complaints were so 

 alarming that, in all probability, they would soon be called to bury 

 him. Another member, who was a physician, in reply, admitted 

 that Mr. Prince was in delicate health, but expressed the opinion 

 that he might get over his complaints ; and, after having earnestly 

 advocated his settlement, concluded his argument by saying that he 

 should not be surprised if, after all, Mr. Prince should live to bury 

 the whole of them. The extravagant expression turned out to be 

 a true prediction. He did live to bury them all. These circum- 



