782 
P O C O C K E. 
He immediately engaged a matter in the Arabic tongue, 
and a Servant of the nation for the purpofe of familiar 
converfe in it 5 and he undertook the tranflation of feve- 
ral Arabic books, among which was a colledttion of 6000 
proverbs. Having received a commiflion from Dr. Laud, 
then bilhop or London, for the purchafe of Greek coins, 
and Greek and Oriental manufcripts, he employed him- 
felf in its execution ; nor amidft thofe literary labours 
did he negleft the proper duties of his office, but dis¬ 
charged them with great fidelity, even when they expofed 
him to imminent danger from the plague. In 1636, being 
informed by Laud of his intention of nominating him the 
firft profeflor of the Arabic lefture founded by that mu¬ 
nificent prelate at Oxford, he returned to occupy a place 
fo conformable to his wifhes. To this, after taking the 
degree of B. D. he was formally appointed in Auguft; 
and he opened his lectures with an eloquent Latin oration 
on the nature and ufe of the Arabic tongue. The Solici¬ 
tations and generous offers of his friend Mr. John Greaves 
(fee vol. viii. p. 826.) to procure him as a companion in a 
journey into the eaft, induced him, however, after obtain¬ 
ing leave of abl’ence, to embark with that learned mathe¬ 
matician in 1637 for Conftantinople. During his ftay in 
that city he employed himfelf in perfecting his knowledge 
of the oriental tongues, and in purchafing manufcripts 
for archbifhop Laud ; and alfo officiated as chaplain to the 
Engiifli ambaflador. In 1640 he Set out on his return; 
and, patting through Paris, had an interview with the 
illuftrious Grotius, who was much gratified on being con¬ 
sulted by him on an Arabic tranflation of his noted book 
“ De Veritate Chriftianae Religionis.” 
On his arrival in England, Pococke had the mortifica¬ 
tion to find his generous patron Laud a prifoner in the 
tower. His Arabic profelTorfhip, however, had been 
founded in perpetuity; and he proceeded to discharge its 
duties, though the political commotions of the times were 
unfavourable to new and learned ftudies. In 1643 he 
was prelented by his college to the reflory of Cbildrey 
in Berkshire, and he fet himfelf to perform the functions 
of a parifh prieft with all the modefty and Simplicity of 
his character. In his difcourfes to a rural congregation 
he judicioutty kept down his erudition to Such a degree, 
that one of his parifhioners characlerifed him to an en¬ 
quiring friend as “a plain honett man, but no latiner." 
In 1644, the Salary of his profefiorfhip being Seized by the 
l'equettrators as part of the archbifhop’s ettate, Pococke 
was reduced to his country living. Soon after, by the 
interett of the learned Selden and other friends, he ob¬ 
tained the rettoration of his Salary, and alfo a protefilion 
under the hand of General Fairfax from the violences of 
the Soldiery. In 1648 he was nominated to the Hebrew 
profefTorfiiip at Oxford with the prebend of Chrift-church 
annexed. His fteadinefs, however, in refilling to Subscribe 
the Engagement occafioned Some attempts to deprive him 
both of his prebend and profettbrfhips ; he a&ually lott 
the prebend, but the interceffion of a great proportion of 
the new body of the univerlity placed in it by the parlia¬ 
ment prel'erved the latter to him. In the mean time he 
calmly purfued his ftudies and duties; and in 1650 he pub- 
liflied his “ Specimen Hillorice Arabum,” being a dif- 
courle in Arabic, with a Latin tranflation, taken from the 
General Hiftory of Gregory Abulpharagius, to which he 
added many learned and ufeful notes. In 165a he enga¬ 
ged to afford his attiftance to the editors of the Polyglott 
Bible, his talk being the collation of the Arabic Penta¬ 
teuch. He likewife, at Dr. Walton’s requeft, gave various 
directions concerning the plan and execution of the 
work. 
The era of fanaticifm was now approaching, in which 
the fufficiency of parifh-clergymen was judged, not from 
their learning and morals, but from their fuppofed gifts. 
The Berkshire committee for ejecting Scandalous and in¬ 
sufficient minifters in 1654 Summoned Pococke before 
them upon a charge from Ibmeof his parifhioners of Chil- 
drey who were not Satisfied with liis preaching, and 
thought him deficient in the Spirit; and he was in danger 
of being ejected from his living on account of ignorance 
and insufficiency. But Some of his Oxford friends,parti¬ 
cularly the celebrated independent Dr. John Owen, So 
warmly reprefented the difgrace which would follow the 
rejection, upon Such grounds, of a man eminent for his 
learning throughout Europe, that the profecution was 
abandoned. In 1655 he pubiifhed “Porta Moils,’’ being 
fix prefatory difcourfes of MoSes Maiinonides, containing 
an account of the Talmud of the Jewifh doftrine and 
discipline. They were written in Arabic expreffed in 
Hebrew characters. Pococke added a Latin verlion, with 
a large appendix of miscellaneous notes; and this work 
was the firft production of the Hebrew preSs at Oxford. 
In 1659, according to his promife to Selden, he pubiifhed 
the “ Annals of the Patriarch Eutychius,” in Arabic and 
Latin, with the preface of Selden, and notes. 
The restoration of Charles II. was a favourable event 
to him, in common with other royalifts. He obtained 
the reftitution of his prebend or canonry of Chrift-church ; 
and in that year, 1660, took his degree of doctor of divi¬ 
nity. He continued during life to perform the duties of 
both his profettbrfhips, though he had the mortification 
to find that oriental literature, with molt other kinds of 
Serious ftudy, fell into discouragement in the new reign. 
His further publications were, “ Carmen Abu Ifmaeiis 
Tograi, Arab, et Lat. Gregorii Abul Farajii Hiftoria 
Dynaftarum, Arab, et Lat. 4to. 1663, 1674, with a Sup¬ 
plement; Commentaries upon Micah, Malachi, Hofea, 
and Joel.” In thefe laft he is a defender of the purity of 
the Hebrew text againft the objections of Several learned 
men, and particularly labours to Set in a ftrong light the 
predictions in the Old Teftament generally SuppoSed by 
Chriltians to relate to JeSus Chrift. This laft work he 
pubiifhed in 1691 ; and if he intended, which is not cer¬ 
tain, to purfue the fame plan with the other minor pro¬ 
phets, he was prevented therein by his death, which hap¬ 
pened on the 10th of September in that year, being in the 
87th year of his age. A gradual diminution of ttrength 
and bodily vigour had for Some time previoufly to this 
indicated his approaching diflolution, but his intelledsand 
memory were continued almoft unimpaired to the laft. 
His body was interred in the cathedral of Chrift-church j 
and on the north wall there is a monument, with an in¬ 
scription, from which the following is a extraCI : “ Ed¬ 
ward us Pococke, S.T.D. cujus nomen audias, nihil hie 
defama delideres.” To the excellence of his private cha¬ 
racter, Mr. Locke bears the moft ample testimony. He 
represents him as free, open, and intelligent in his con¬ 
versation ; Sincere, modeft, humble, and tranquil, Singu¬ 
larly charitable, and forgetful of injuries. He adds, “His 
life appeared to me one conftant calm; and I can Say of 
him what few men can fay of any friend of theirs, nor I 
of any other of my acquaintance; that I do not remem¬ 
ber I ever once Saw in him one aCtion, that I did or could 
in my own mind blame, or thought amifs in him.” As 
a Scholar, his knowledge of language comprised all the 
principal Oriental tongues, with Some European, beiides 
the Latin and Greek. He was father of a numerous fa¬ 
mily, of whom the eldelt Son, Edward Pococke, pub- 
lifhed under his father’s direClion, in 1671, an Arabic 
work, with a Latin verlion, entitled “PhiloSophus Auto- 
didaCtus, five Epiltola Abu Jaalir Ebn Tophail de Hai Ebn 
Yokdhan.” The defign of the author Abu Jaalir Ebn 
Tophail, who was a Mahometan philofopher, is to fliow, 
by an ingenious fiCiion, how human reafon, by observation 
and experience, without any attiftance, may arrive at the 
knowledge of natural things, and from thence rife to 
Supernatural, particularly to God and a future Hate. For 
this purpofe he fuppofes a perfon, Hai Ebn Yokdhan, 
brought up by himfelf, where he was altogether deftitute 
of inttruCtion, but what he could get from his own ob¬ 
servations. Mr. Pococke had alfo prepared an Arabic 
hiftory, with a Latin verfion, and actually Sent it to the 
preSs; but this performance, not being printed off when 
