person nominated by the archbishop for the approbation of the convocation, a man, as they very well knew, "eminent for his probity, his learning, and skill in languages." Being accordingly unanimously elected, he entered on his office two days after, Aug. 10, with an inaugural speech, part of which was afterwards printed, "ad finem notarum in Carmen Tograi," edit. Oxon. 1661. After this introduction, the book, which he first undertook to read on, was the " Proverbs of Ali," the fourth emperor of the Saracens, and cousin-german and son-in-law of Mahomet; a man of such account with that impostor, not only for his valour, but knowledge too, that he used to declare, that if all the learning of the Arabians were destroyed, it might be found again in Ali, as a living library. Upon this book, observing the directions of the archbishop in the statutes he had provided, he spent an hour every Wednesday in vacation-time, and in Lent, explaining the sense of the author, and the things relating to the grammar and propriety of the language, and also shewing its agreement with the Hebrew and Syriac, as often as there was occasion. The lecture being ended, he usually remained for some time in the public school, to resolve the questions of his hearers, and satisfy them in their doubts; and always that afternoon gave admittance in his chamber from one o'clock till four, to all who would come to him for farther conference and direction.

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He does not appear, however, to have given more than one course of those lectures before he took second journey to the East, along with Mr. John Greaves, and this by the archbishop's encouragement, who was still bent on procuring manuscripts, and would not lose the advantage of such agents. The archbishop also allowed him the profits of his professorship to defray his expences, besides which Mr. Pocock enjoyed his fellowship of Corpus, and had a small estate by the death of his father. The whole annual produce of these he is supposed to have expended in this expedition. During his absence Mr. Thomas Greaves, with the archbishop's consent, supplied the Arabic lecture. On Mr. Pocock's arrival at Constantinople, the English ambassador, sir Peter Wyche, entertained him in his house as his chaplain, and assisted him, by his interest, in the great object of his journey. In pursuit of this he made several valuable acquaintances among some learned Jews, particularly Jacob Romano, author of an addition to Buxtorf's "Bibliotheca Rabbinica," a man of great learning and candour; but his ablest assistant was the learned and unfortunate Cyril Lucar, patriarch of Constantinople (see LUCAR), to whom we owe that valuable MS. the "Codex Alexandrinus;" and Nath. Canopius, who to avoid the fate of his master Lucar, came to England, and lived for some time under the patronage of archbishop Laud, who gave him preferment in Christ church, from which he was ejected in 1648. He derived some assistance also from his fellow-labourer in the collection of books and MSS. Christian Ravius, but especially from John Greaves, whose zeal in this research we have already noticed.

At length about the beginning of 1640, Mr. Pocock's friends began to solicit his return; the archbishop in a letter dated March 4 of that year says, "I am now going to settle my Arabic lecture for ever upon the university, and I would have your name to the deed, which is the best honour I can do for the service." Accordingly he embarked in August, but did not return home entirely by sea, but through part of France and Italy. At Paris he was introduced to many of the learned men of the time, particularly to Gabriel Sionita, the celebrated Maronite, and to Grotius, to whom he communicated a design he had of translating his treatise "De Veritate" into Arabic, for the benefit of the Mahometans, many of whom he believed were prepared for more light and knowledge than had yet been afforded them. Pocock at the same time candidly told Grotius, who very much approved the design, that there were some things towards the end of his book, which he could not approve, viz. certain opinions, which, though they are commonly in Europe charged on the followers of Mahomet, have yet no foundation in any of their authentic writings, and are such as they are ready on all occasions to disclaim. With this freedom Grotius was so far from being displeased, that he heartily thanked Mr. Pocock for it, and gave him authority, in the version he intended, to expunge and alter whatsoever he should think fit.

His journey home was attended with many melancholy circumstances. While at Paris, and on the road, he heard of the commotions in England, and on his arrival, he found his liberal patron, Laud, a prisoner in the Tower. Here he immediately visited the archbishop, and their interview was affecting on both sides. The archbishop thanked him for the care he had taken in executing his commissions, and for his interesting correspondence while abroad, adding that it was no small aggravation of his present misfortunes that he no longer had it in his power to reward such important services to the cause of literature. Mr. Pocock then went to Oxford, to dissipate his grief, and in hopes of enjoying some tranquillity in a place which had not yet become the scene of confusion; and there he found that the archbishop had settled the Arabic professorship in perpetuity by a grant of lands. He now resumed his lecture, and his private studies. In 1641 he became acquainted with the celebrated John Selden, who was at this time preparing for the press, with no very liberal design, some part of Eutychius's annals, in Latin and Arabic, which he published the year following, under the title of "Origines Alexandrinæ," and Mr. Pocock assisted him in collating and extracting from the Arabic books in Oxford. Selden's friendship was afterwards of great importance to him, as he had considerable influence with the republican party. In 1642 Oxford became the seat of war, and was that of learning only in a secondary degree. Mr. Pocock was however removed from a constant residence for some time, by the society of Corpus Christi, who bestowed on him the vacant living of Childrey in Berkshire, about twelve miles from Oxford, which of course he could easily visit during term time, when he was to read his lecture. As a parish priest, his biographer inforins us, that "he set himself with his utmost diligence to a conscientious performance of all the duties of his cure, preaching twice every Sunday; and his Sermons were so contrived by him, as to be most useful to the persons who were to hear him. For though such as he preached in the university were very elaborate, and full of critical and other learning, the discourses he delivered in his parish were plain and easy, having nothing in them which he conceived to be above the capacities even of the meanest of his auditors. And as he carefully avoided all ostentation of learning *, so he would not indulge himself in the practice of those arts, which at that time were very common, and much admired by ordinary people; such as distortions of the countenance, and strange gestures, a violent and unnatural way of speaking, and affected words and phrases, which being out of the ordinary way were therefore supposed to express somewhat very mysterious, and in an high degree spiritual. His conversation too was one continued sermon, powerfully recommending to all, who were acquainted with him, the several duties of Christianity."

But all this found no protection against the violence of the times. Immediately after the execution of archbishop Laud, the profits of his professorship were seized by the sequestrators, as part of that prelate's estate, although Mr. Pocock, in a letter to these sequestrators, endeavoured to shew the utility of this foundation to the interests of learning, and his own right to the settlement of the founder, which was made with all the forms of law. This for some time had no effect, but at last men were found even in those days who were ashamed of such a proceeding, and had the courage to expose its cruelty and absurdity; and in 1647 the salary of the lecture was restored by the interposition of Selden, who had considerable interest with the usurpers. Dr. Gerard Langbaine also, the provost of Queen's college, drew up a long instrument in Latin, stating the legal course taken by the archbishop in the foundation of the Arabic lecture, and the grant the university had made to Mr. Pocock of its profits. This he and some others proposed in congregation, and the seal of the university was affixed to it with unanimous consent. About the same time, Mr. Pocock obtained a protection from the hand and seal of general Fairfax, against the outrage of the soldiery, who would else have plundered his house without mercy.

In 1648, on the recommendation of Dr. Sheldon and Dr. Hammond, he was nominated Hebrew professor, with the canonry of Christ church annexed, by the king, then a prisoner in the Isle of Wight, and was soon after voted into the same lecture by the Committee of Parliament, but a different canonry being assigned him than that which had been annexed to the professorship, he entered a protest against it, that it might not become a precedent, and prejudice his successors. In the interim he found leisure and composure to publish at Oxford, in the latter end of 1649, his very learned work entitled "Specimen Historiæ Arabum." This contains a short discourse in Arabic, with

his Latin translation, and large and very useful notes. The discourse itself is taken out of the general History of Gregory Abulfaragius, being his introduction to his ninth dynasty (for into ten dynasties that author divided his work), where being about to treat of the empire of the Saracens or Arabians, he gives a compendious account of that people before Mahomet; as also of that impostor himself, and the new religion introduced by him, and of the several sects into which it was divided. And Mr. Pocock's Notes on this Discourse are a collection of a great variety of things relating to those matters out of more than an hundred Arabic manuscripts, a catalogue of which he adds in the end of his book.

In November 1650, about a year after publishing the preceding work, he was ejected from his canonry of Christ church for refusing to take the engagement, and soon after a vote passed for depriving him of the Hebrew and Arabic lectures; but upon a petition from the heads of houses at Oxford, the masters, scholars, &c. two only of the whole number of subscribers being loyalists, this vote was reversed, and he was suffered to enjoy both places, and took lodg. ings, when at Oxford, in Baliol college. In 1655 a more ridiculous instance of persecution was intended, and would have been inflicted, if there had not yet been some sense and spirit left even among those who had contributed to bring on such calamities. It appears that some of his parishioners had presented an information against him to the commissioners appointed by parliament " for ejecting ignorant, scandalous, insufficient, and negligent ministers." But the connection of the name of Pocock with such epithets was too gross to be endured, and, we are told, filled several men of great fame and eminence at that time at Oxford with indignation, in consequence of which they resolved to go to the place where the commissioners were to meet, and expostulate with them about it. In the number of those who went, were Dr. Seth Ward, Dr. John Wilkins, Dr. John Wallis, and Dr. John Owen, who all laboured with much earnestness to convince those men of the strange absurdity of what they were undertaking; particularly Dr. Owen, who endeavoured with some warmth to make them sensible of the infinite contempt and reproach, which would certainly fall upon them, when it should be said, that they had turned out a man for insufficiency, whom all the learned, not of England only, but

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