PRIDEAUX, HUMPHREY, D.D., was born at Padstow in Cornwall in the year 1648, and after his education, first at Liskeard and Bodmin, and subsequently at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford, he became successively rector of St. Clement's, Oxford ; prebendary of Norwich ; rector of Bladen, Oxfordshire ; vicar of Saham, Norfolk ; archdeacon of Suffolk ; vicar of Trowse, Norfolk ; and in 1702 dean of Norwich. It is said that it was owing to ill-health alone that he was not raised to the episcopal dignity. In pass ing through his various offices, he published, from time to time, many well-known works, which proved him to possess great classical attainments, as well as theological knowledge and polemical divinity, and the more special acquisition of eccle siastical law. These works would, indeed, have kept his name from oblivion ; but what secures him lasting reputation is his Connection of the Old and threw Testaments, in the History of the yews and Neighbouring Nations, from the declen sion of the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah to the time of Christ. This admirable work, notwith standing the increased knowledge of recent dis coveries in Oriental literature, is not likely to be supplanted, so thoroughly has the author illus trated his subject with all sorts of suitable learning —Greek, Latin, Hebrew, and rabbinic. It was published in two several portions, the former of which serves, in Prideaux's own words, as an epilogue to the Old Testament,' and the latter as a prologue to the New.' Considered, indeed, in
this point of view, the work may well be deemed the earliest of English contributions to what the Germans call Einleitnng, very much of its contents having passed into the Introductions of modern times. Of the sterling qualities of the author and of his book, in its own particular department of Biblical science, the late learned Dr. M'Caul, who was himself an accomplished scholar in that line, thus writes It is an example and specimen of profound and varied reading and scholarship, and is therefore not merely a compendium of informa tion convenient to the student, but by laying open to him the sources, the knowledge of whose exist ence is the first condition to becoming learned, an introduction to learning itself' (An Account of the Rabbinic Authorities, prefixed to Tegg's edition of the Connection [London 1858], vol. i. p. xxxvi.) One proof of the excellence of this great work is its frequent republication. Besides the useful edition with notes and analyses, and introduction by Dr. M'Caul and Mr. Wheeler, which we have referred to above, the work is found in a very recent edition of the Oxford University press [1850, which has often reprinted it. The eleventh edition of 1749, in four vols. 8vo, is the best of the old editions. Dean Prideaux died in the year 1724.—P. H.