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KEMP'TEN, a town of France, in the department of 
Mont Tonnerre : one mile eaft of Bingen. 
KEMP'TEN, a town of Bavaria, fituated on the river 
Her, lately imperial. Both the burghers and magiftracy 
here profefs Lutheranifm; and in the town is a handfome 
pariih-church, and a grammar-fchool. This town afferts 
that it is of greater antiquity than the imperial abbey 
which hands near it; and the latter again maintains that 
the town owes its walls, and its very appearance of a town, 
to the abbots, and was for a long time fubjeCt to them, 
not the leaft thadow of their independence appearing be¬ 
fore the thirteenth century. In 1525, the town, for the 
Turn of 30,000 golden guilders, purchafed to itfelf all 
rights, prerogatives, profits, and perquisites, particularly 
all tolls and taxes, belonging to the abbey, both within 
and without the town ; which compact received the lanc- 
tion, not only of the emperor Charles V. but alio of his fuc- 
celfors, and likewife that of the lee of Rome. By virtue 
thereof, the abbey is to build on its ground no more than 
what is abfolutely neceffary, and for its own fervice; and 
not to fortify the abbey, or raife any ItruChires conducive 
thereto; nor within a mile of Kempten to hold, or caule 
to be held, any market, either public or private. In the 
year 1633, the town was taken, lword in hand, by the 
imperialilts, with the fiaughter of at leaft two-thirds of the 
burghers. Its airdfiiient in the matricula of the diet and 
circie was, in the year 1683, reduced from 156 florins to 
.52 ; to the imperial chamber at Wetzlar it paid 4.0 rix- 
dollars, 54 kruitzers. It had no villages, but was poflefled 
of lands^ moneys, tithes, and other income. In 1801, 
this town and abbey were given to the elector of Bavaria: 
thirty-fix miles fouth of Auglburg, and forty-four foutli- 
eaft of Ulm. Lat.47.43. N. Ion. 10. 17. E. 
KEMP'TEN, a princely abbey of Germany, founded, 
or repaired and enriched, by Hiidegard, wife of Charle¬ 
magne, in the eighth century. The abbot ranked among 
the ecclefiaftical princes at leaft as early as the year 1150. 
In the matricula of the empire he was aflelfed at 6 horle 
arid 20 foot, or 152 florins; and paid to the chamber of 
Wetzlar 182 rix-dollars, 56 kruitzers. To this abbey be¬ 
longed fome towns and villages. 
KEM'SER, a town of Bengal: fifteen miles fouth-fouth- 
eaft of Curruckpour. 
KEM'SEY, or Kemp'sey, a pleafant, handfome, well- 
built, village, in the county of Worcefter. Here king 
Henry II. had a palace, and fome time kept his court; in 
this palace Henry III. was kept a prifoner a little while 
before the battle of Evelham : four miles fouth of Wor- 
cefter. 
KEM'SKOI, a town of Ruflia, in the government of 
Tobolfk. Lat. 57.25, N. Ion. 92. E. 
KEM'UEL, J. [Heb. God is rifen.] A man’s name. 
To KEN, v. a. [cennan, Sax. kennan, Dut. to know.] 
To fee at a diftance ; to defery,'—The next day about 
evening we faw, within a kenning , thick clouds, which 
did put us in fome hope of land. Bacon. 
We ken them from afar, the fetting fun 
Plays on their fliining arms. Addifon. 
To know. Obfolete. —’Tis he, I ken the manner of his gait. 
Shakefpeare. 
Now plain I ken whence love his rife begun : 
Sure he was born fome bloody butcher’s fon. 
Bred up in ihambles. Gay's Pajlorals. 
KEN , J. View ; reach of fight.'—When we confider 
the reafons we have to think, that what lies within our 
hen is but a finall part of the univerfe, we fliall difeover 
an huge abyfs of ignorance. Locke. 
Rude as their fliips was navigation then ; 
No ufeful cotnpafs or meridian known: 
Coafting, they kept the land within their ken, 
And knew the North but when the pole-ftar {hone. 
Dry den. 
KEN, a river of Scotland, which rifes in the louth-weft 
KEN 
part of Dumfriesftiire, pafles by Darly, New Galloway, 
&c. in Kircudbrightfliire, and joins the Dee in Kenmoor 
Loch. 
KEN, a river of England, which rifes about three miles 
eaft from Amblefide, in the county of Weltmoreland, and 
runs into the Irifti Sea about fix miles weft-north-weft of 
Lancafter. Lat. 54. 8. N. Ion. 2. 48. W. 
KEN, a river of England, in Devonfhire, which runs 
into the Ex near its mouth. 
KEN, a town of Hindooftan, in the province of Beh- 
ker : twenty miles north of Behker. 
KEN, or Kenn, a fmall low ifland in the Perfian Gulf, 
with a few flirubs. Lat. 27. 54, N. Ion. 50. 76. E". 
KEN (Thomas), an eminent EnglBh prelate, who was 
deprived for refufing to take the oaths to king William, 
was the fon of an attorney in London, and born at Berk- 
hamftead in Hertfordfliire, in the year 1637. He re¬ 
ceived his claffical education at Winchefter fchool, whence 
in 1656 he was elected to Nevv-college in Oxford. Alter 
taking his degree of B. A. in 1661, and that of M. A. in 
1664, he entered into holy orders, and became chaplain to 
lord Maynard, comptroller of the houfehold to king 
Charles II. In 1666, being chofen a fellow of Winchef¬ 
ter college, he removed to that place; and foon afterwards 
was appointed domeftic chaplain to Dr. Morley, biftiop 
of that fee, from whom he received a prefentation to the 
reCtory of Brixton in the Iile of Wight, and afterwards, 
in 1669, to a prebend in the church of Winchefter. About 
the year 1673, the fame patron gave him the reCtory of 
Woodhey in Hampfhire ; which he foon refigned, from 
confcientious motives, conceiving that he ought to be fa- 
tisfied with the preferments which he before poflefled. In 
1675, he took a tour to Rome, accompanied by his nephew 
Mr. Ifaac Walton ; and, after his return home in the fame 
year, was often heard to fay, that he had reafon to thank 
God for the eft'eCt produced by his travels, for that the 
feenes which he had witnefled contributed to confirm him, 
if poflible, more ltrongly than before, in a conviction of 
the purity of the proteftant religion. In 1678, he was ad¬ 
mitted to the degree of bachelor of divinity ; and, in the 
courfe of the following year, commenced doCtor in the 
fame faculty. Not long afterwards, being honoured with 
the appointment of chaplain to the princefs of Orange, he 
went to Holland. The prudence and piety with which he 
difeharged the duties of this office, effectually fecured to 
him the elteem and confidence of his miftrel's ; but he in¬ 
curred the temporary dilpleafure of her confort, (after¬ 
wards king William III.) by obliging one of his highnefs’s 
favourites to fulfil his engagement to a young lady of the 
princefs’s train, whom he had feduced under a promife of 
marriage. His honelt and commendable zeal on this oc- 
cafion gave fo much offence to the prince, that he very 
warmly threatened to turn the doCtor out of his polt. 
Properly relenting this haughty threat, the latter, after 
having obtained leave from the princefs, voluntarily re¬ 
figned his appointment; nor would he confentto refume 
it for one year longer, till entreated by the prince in perfon. 
At the expiration of the term above mentioned, Dr. 
Ken'returned to England, where the king (Charles II.) 
appeared to be fatisfied with his conduCt, and appointed 
him chaplain to lord Dartmouth, who received a commif- 
fion to demolifh the fortifications at Tangier. Having at¬ 
tended his lordfhip on this expedition, and returned with 
him to England in the year 1684, he was immediately ad¬ 
vanced to be chaplain to the king, by an o^der from his 
majelty himfelf. This was clearly underftood to be an 
earneft of future favours ; but it had not the effect of ren¬ 
dering him fo complaifant to his royal mailer as to make a 
Jacrifice to him of propriety and decorum. A ftriking 
proof of this was afforded in the fummer of the prefent 
year, when, upon the removal of the court to Winchefter, 
the doctor’s prebendal houle was fixed upon for the refi - 
dence of Eleanor Gwyn, one of the king’s iniftreffes. Dr. 
Ken, however, was too warmly attached to the interests 
of religion and virtue, to fubmit to an arrangement which 
might 
