JOHN PRINCE. 349 
de Totnes, the Norman (favourite of the Conqueror), granted to the 
great Benedictine abbey of St. Sergius and Bacchus at Angers, 
described in his charter as ‘‘ecclesiam Sancte Marie de Totenes.” 
The main building, however, dated from the fifteenth century, 
and seems to have been the conventual church of the priory of St. 
Mary, founded by Judhael. Being connected with the priory, the 
vicars were presented to the living by the prior and convent, until 
the suppression of the monasteries, except when our sovereigns 
seized the temporalities of this alien house during the wars with 
France. From Edward IV.’s reign the presentations were made 
by the Crown, but virtually by the Corporation, whose recom- 
mendation seems to have been accepted by the sovereigns, as the 
Corporation had to find the vicar’s stipend, there being no small 
tithes, and the great tithes being in the hands of a layman. 
To a literary man like Prince there was one thing in the church 
which attracted his attention, and this was the library in the 
parvise. Near the south entrance is an arched stone door-way in 
one of the side aisle seats, through which access is obtained by 
means of a winding stone staircase to the parvise or small room 
over the porch, in which is still stored over three hundred volumes, 
nearly all of which are very old, the greater portion having been 
printed before the commencement of the eighteenth century. In 
1619 one Gabriel Barber delivered to Mr. Richard Lee, Mayor, 
£35, whereof £10 was to be employed towards the procuring of 
a library ; and it is evident that from this gift this hbrary originated. 
From the following entry in the accounts of Philip Ley, Mayor of 
Totnes 1645-46, it seems that this parvise was the original place 
in which they were kept: ‘1646, July 20. P* for removing the 
books from the church porch to Mr. William Tillard’s house” (a 
member of the Corporation). This removal was in troublous times, 
and just before the occupation of Totnes by the Royalist army 
under Lord Goring, and the removal was no doubt for safety. It 
is not merely a guess which notes the interest that Prince felt in 
this library, for I find in the town accounts entries which show 
that he looked after its preservation: ‘°1676. Paid Mr. Prince for 
carriage of some of the library bookes from Exon here which ware 
new bound, 2s. 6d.;” and in the same accounts are entries of 
expences on the library, and among them: ‘“ P* Mr. Prince for 
binding the books, £2 10s.; for marking the books and gold, 
8s. 2d.” They are all marked “T. C.” in gold letters. Unfor- 
