Body and Blood of the Lord, here publicly preached, and also received, in the Saxons' Time, about seven hundred Years ago," 1566, octavo, being a sermon translated out of Latin into Saxon, by Alfric, abbot of St. Alban's about the year 996, and appointed to be delivered to the people at Easter, before they should receive the communion. This piece was accompanied with two "Letters" of Alfric, "Letters" of Alfric, which were brought forwards to afford additional proof that the doctrine of the real presence was not then admitted by the church. Another considerable work of the archbishop contains the lives of his predecessors in the see of Canterbury, and is entitled, "De Antiquitate Britannicæ Ecclesiæ, et Privilegiis Ecclesiæ Cantuarensis, cum Archiepiscopis ejusdem LXX," 1572, folio. Most of the copies of this work want the account of Parker's own life, he having caused it to be suppressed while he lived; on which account Mr. Strype has inserted it in the appendix to his Life of our prelate. The materials for this performance were collected from ancient historians, by John Josceline, secretary, or chaplain to our prelate, who was himself the digester and compiler of it. The best edition of it was published at London, in 1729, folio, illustrated with excellent engravings. Strype's Life of Parker, passim. Biog. Britan. Brit. Biog. Neal's Hist. Purit. vol. I. ch. iv.vi. Warner's Eccl. Hist. vol. II. p. 424-445.

-M.

PARKER, SAMUEL, an English prelate in the seventeenth century, notorious for his temporizing servile spirit, and the scandalous sacrifice of his principles, was the son of John Parker, a serjeant at law under the protectorate of Oliver and after the Restoration, and born at Northampton, in the year 1640. He was educated in grammar-learning among the puritans at his native place; whence he was sent, in 1656, to the university of Oxford, where he was entered of Wadham-college, and placed under a presbyterian tutor. Here he is said to have led a very strict and religious life, and became a member of a society of young students who met weekly to fast and pray to gether, and were distinguished by the name of Gruellers, from their making water-gruel their principal diet. So constant was he in his attend ance upon prayers, sermons, and sacraments, in the meetings of the puritan party, that they esteemed him as "one of the most precious young men in the university." In 1659-60, he was admitted to the degree of B. A. Upon

VOL. VII.

the restoration of king Charles II. he hesitated for a time what side to take, but still continued freely to talk against episcopacy; on which account, being discountenanced by Dr. Blandford, the new warden of Wadham-college, he withdrew from that house, and became a member of Trinity-college. In this society, by the conversation and arguments of Dr. Ralph Bathurst, then senior fellow, he was prevailed upon to renounce his puritanical opinions, and to become a zealous member of the church of England. He now lost no oppor tunity of ingratiating himself with his new friends, and of affording proofs of the sincerity of his conversion, by opposing the principles, and by endeavouring to exercise his wit at the expence of the party which he had quitted. In 1663, he took the degree of M. A. and on that occasion went out grand compounder. Soon afterwards he entered into holy orders, and resorting frequently to London, became chaplain to a nobleman, whom he was accustomed to divert by his drolleries and reflections on his old friends the puritans. In 1665, he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society; and about the same time he published some physico-theological essays, entitled, "Tentamina physico-theologica de Deo: sive Theologia Scholastica, ad Normam novæ et refor mata Philosophiæ concinnata," quarto. These essays were attacked in a piece, entitled, "of the Bulk and Selvedge of the World, by N. Fairfax, M. D. ;" and they were severely criticised by the celebrated Andrew Marvel, in his "Rehearsal transprosed," who calls them, "a tedious transcript of our author's commonplace-book, wherein there is very little of his own, but the arrogance, and the unparalleled censoriousness that he exercises over all other writers." In 1666, Mr. Parker published, "A free and impartial Censure of the Platonic Philosophy," quarto, in a letter written to a friend; which was soon followed by a second letter to the same gentleman, containing "an Account of the Nature and Extent of the divine Dominion and Goodness, especially as they refer to the Origenian Hypothesis concerning the Pre-existence of Souls, &c." quarto. These pieces were written in defence of some passages in his essays; and the last of them called forth the animadversions of the author of an excellent tract, entitled, "Deus Justificatus: or, the divine Goodness vindicated and cleared, against the Assertors of absolute and inconditionate Reprobation."

The dedication of the author's; Tenta4 M

the papists regarded him as a proselyte to their faith, appears from two letters which were written about this time. In the first, sent by a jesuit of Liege to a jesuit of Fribourg, is the following passage: "the bishop of Oxford himself seems to be a great favourer of the catholic faith. He proposed in council, whether it was not expedient, that one college at least in Oxford should be allowed to the Catholics, that they might not be forced to be at so much charges in going beyond sea to study; but it is not yet known what answer was made. The same bishop having invited two of our noblemen (i. e. Roman-catholics), with others of the nobility, to a feast, drank the king's health to a certain heretical lord there, wishing his majesty good success in all his undertakings. Adding also, that the religion of the Protestants in England, did not seem to him in a better condition than Buda was before it was taken; and that they were next to atheists who defended that faith." The other letter, written by father Petre, a jesuit, and privycounsellor to king James, and directed to father la Chaise, contains these words: "The bishop of Oxford has not yet declared himself openly; the great obstacle is his wife, whom he cannot rid himself of his design being to continue bishop, and only change communion; as it is not doubted but the king will permit, and our holy father confirm: though I do not see how he can be further useful to us in the religion he is in, because he is suspected, and of no esteem among the heretics of the English church; nor do I see that the example of his conversion is like to draw many others after him, because he declared himself so suddenly. If he had believed my counsel, which was to temporize for some longer time, he would have done better; but it is his temper, or rather zeal, that hurried him on." These two letters were first printed in "a third Collection of Papers relating to the present Juncture of Affairs in England," &c. 1689, quarto. So little decency did bishop Parker observe in his compliance with the most unjustifiable measures of the court, that he rendered himself quite contemptible; and his influence and authority in his diocese became so very insignificant, that when he assembled his clergy, and desired them to subscribe an address of thanks to the king for his declaration of liberty of conscience, he could only prevail with one clergyman to concur with him in it. The last effort which he made to serve the views of the court, was by publishing "Reasons for abrogating the Test, &c." 1688,

quarto; in which he endeavoured to palliate, or represent in false colours, the popish doctrine of transubstantiation, and likewise took great pains to excuse, and explain away, the shameful idolatry practised in the church of Rome. To this piece various able answers soon appeared, which are enumerated in the first of our authorities; and among others, one by Dr. Burnet, who observes, that Parker's book "raised such a disgust at him, even in those that had been formerly but too much influenced by him, that, when he could not help seeing that, he sunk upon it." "I was desir ed," says he, "to answer his book with the severity that it deserved: and I did it with an acrimony of style, that nothing but such a time, and such a man, could in any sort excuse.' At length, the shame and vexation which he felt at being despised by all good men, brought on him a distemper, of which he died unlamented, at the president's apartments in Magdalen-college, in March 1687-8, when he was about forty-eight years of age. Bishop Burnet's character of him is, that "he was a man of no judgment, and of as little virtue, and as to religion rather impious. He was covetous and ambitious; and seemed to have no other sense of religion but as a political interest, and a subject of party and faction. He seldom came to prayers, or to any exercises of devotion; and was so lifted up with pride, that he was become insufferable to all that came near him.-There was an entertaining liveliness in all his books: but it was neither grave nor correct." Dr. Nichols, in his "Defence of the Church of England," calls him "a high-flown affected writer, entirely devoted to the court, and scarce notable for any thing besides smart satyrical expressions." After his death, a piece was published, said to be taken from his manuscripts, and entitled, "a Discourse sent to the late King James, to persuade him to embrace the Protestant Religion; with a Letter to the same Purpose," 1690, quarto; and he left behind him a History of his own Times, in Latin, which was published in 1726, under the title of "Reverendi admodum in Christo Patris Samuelis Parkeri, &c. de Rebus sui Temporis Commentariorum Libri quatuor, &c." octavo; of which two English versions afterwards appeared. Our prelate had a son, of his own name, who was a man of learning, and after the revolution adhered to the principles of the nonjurors. He was the author of an English translation of "Tully's five Books de Finibus, or, moral Ends," 1702, octavo; “An

Abridgment of the Ecclesiastical Histories of Eusebius, Socrates, Sozomen, and Theodoret," 1729, quarto; "Bibliotheca Biblica, or, a Commentary on the five Books of Moses, extracted chiefly from the Fathers," quarto, &c. Biog. Britan. Brit. Biog. Burnet's Own Times, vol. II. pp. 260 and 296.-M.

PARKHURST, JOHN, a learned and pious divine of the church of England in the eighteenth century, was the second son of John Parkhurst, esquire, of Catesby in Northamptonshire, where he was born in June 1728. He was educated in grammar-learning at the school of Rugby in Warwickshire. Being a younger son, he was intended for the church, and entered of Clare-hall, in the university of Cambridge, where his application and improvement were highly commendable. He proceeded B. A. in 1748; M. A. in 1752; and was many years fellow of his college. Soon after he had entered into holy orders, by the death of his elder brother he became heir to a very considerable estate; though, as his father was still living, it was some time before he came into the full possession of it. When, however, it descended to him at the death of his father, his accession of fortune produced no change in his manners or pursuits. He still continued to cultivate the studies becoming the clerical profession, paying particular attention to that of the original languages of the Jewish and Christian scriptures. From his family-connections, as well as from his learning and piety, he might have reasonably looked forwards to preferment in the church; but he never obtained any. This circumstance some have attributed to his being considered as a disciple of Hutchinson, from his partiality for the writings of that singular character. But might not his fortune, which placed him above the want of preferment, be the reason why none was conferred upon him? Besides, he was so attached to retirement, and a life of close and intense study, that he had no inclination to seek after preferment. Yet he took pleasure in the exercise of the clerical duty, and for a long time officiated in the capacity of curate, with exemplary zeal and diligence, but without any salary, in his own chapel at Catesby, which, after the demolition of the church of the nunnery there, served as a parish-church. When some years afterwards he became possessed of the right of presentation to a living, he considered church-patronage as a trust, rather than a property, and instead of taking it himself, he bestowed it on a gentleman known to him only

by character, from no motive but a persuasion. that he would faithfully discharge the duties of. his office. The living referred to was Epsom, and the person benefited, the late reverend Jonathan Boucher.

In the year 1754, Mr Parkhurst married a lady who brought him a daughter and two sons; and after her death he took a second wife in 1761, by whom he had one daughter, who had a passion for classical learning, and arrived at a degree of perfection in it which is rarely met with in the female world. He had begun his career of authorship in the year 1753, by publishing "a friendly Address to the Reverend Mr. John Wesley, in Relation to a principal Doctrine maintained by him and his Assistants," octavo, which has had the fate of most controversial treatises, that of being forgotten or uninteresting after the period when it made its appearance. Our author's next work was the result of much labour and application, and was given to the public in 1762, under the title of "an Hebrew and English Lexicon, without Points; to which is added, a methodical Hebrew Grammar, without Points, adapted to the Use of Learners," quarto. Independently of numerous etymological and philosophical disquisitions which occur in it, and which are tinctured by the author's peculiar opinions, this performance reflects great credit on his learning and patient enquiry; and it deserves to be recommended, as affording valuable assistance to the biblical student in forming an acquaintance with the Hebrew scriptures. That such was the general opinion of its merits, may be concluded from its favourable reception by the learned world, and the encouragement which was thus afforded the author to correct and improve it. In 1778, he published a second edition of this lexicon, considerably enlarged; and a third in 1792. But Mr. Parkhurst's philological studies. were not confined to the Hebrew language: for in the year 1769, he published "a Greek and English Lexicon to the New Testament; to which is prefixed a plain and easy Greek Grammar," in quarto. Of this work a second edition made its appearance in 1794; and so desirous was the author of rendering his literary labours more generally useful, that he continued to revise, correct, enlarge, and improve both his lexicons, till within a few weeks of his death. It was his intention to give new editions of them in octavo, with his last corrections; and he had completed the copies, and received the first proof-sheet of the Greek