Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 46.djvu/362

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1649, 4to. 11. 'Theologiæ Scholasticæ Syntagma Mnemonicum,' Oxford, 1651, 4to. 12. 'Conciliorum Synopsis,' printed with above, and in English at end of M. Prideaux's 'Easie and Compendious Introduction.' 13. 'History of Successions in States, Countries, or Families,' Oxford, 1653. 14. 'Epistola de Episcopatu,' fol. (of which Wood saw one sheet). 15. 'Euchologia; or the Doctrine of Practical Praying, being a Legacy left to his Daughters in private, directing them to such manifold Uses of our Common Prayer Book as may satisfy upon all Occasions,' &c., London, 1655, 8vo. 16. 'Συνειδησολογία; or the Doctrine of Conscience, framed according to the Points of the Catechisme, in the Book of Common Prayer . . . for the private Use of his Wife,' London, 1656, 8vo. 17. 'Manuductio ad Theologiam polemicam,' Oxford, 1657, 8vo. 18. 'Sacred Eloquence; or the Art of Rhetoric as it is laid down in Scripture,' London, 1659, 8vo. 19. 'Hypomnemata Logica, Rhetorica,' &c., Oxford, 8vo. He also wrote some of the poems included in 'Justa Funebria,' &c., Oxford, 1613, on the death of Bodley, and 'Epithalamia,' Oxford, 1625, on the marriage of Charles I. He was credited (Wood, Athenae, ii. 291) with a large share in the compilation of Robert Stafford's 'Geographical and Anthological Description of all the Empires and Kingdoms ... in this Terrestrial Globe,' London, 1618, 4to.

Matthias Prideaux (1622-1646?), the second son, was born in the parish of St. Michael's, Oxford, in August 1622, matriculated from Exeter on 3 July 1640, was elected fellow of the college on 30 June 1641, was admitted B.A. on 2 Nov. 1644, and proceeded M.A. on 3 Dec. 1645. Before taking this latter degree he had become a captain in the king's service. He died of smallpox in London about 1646. Under his name was published 'An easy and compendious Introduction for Reading all sorts of Histories: contrived, in a more facile way, &c., out of the papers of Mathias Prideaux,' Oxford, 1648, 4to; a work, no doubt edited by his father, which reached a sixth edition by 1682 (Prince, Worthies, p. 660; Athenae, iii. 199; Boase, pp. xxx, 66).

[Wood's Athenae (ed. Bliss) and Fasti; Clark's Reg. Univ. Oxon. (Oxf. Hist. Soc.); Prince's Worthies of Devon; Fuller's Worthies; Boase's Hist. of Exeter College and Reg. (Oxf. Hist. Soc.); Masson's Life of Milton; Nash's Worcestershire; Green's Antiquities of Worcester, 1796; Perry's Church Hist.; Gardiner's Hist. of Civil War; Le Neve's Fasti; Foster's Alumni Oxon.; Lowndes's Bibl. Man.]

E. G. H.

PRIDEAUX, JOHN (1718–1759), brigadier-general, born in Devonshire in 1718, was second son of Sir John Prideaux, sixth baronet, of Netherton Hall, near Honiton, Devonshire, by his wife Anne, eldest daughter of John Vaughan, first viscount Lisburne. On 17 July 1739 he was appointed ensign in the 3rd foot-guards (now Scots guards); he was adjutant of his battalion at Dettingen (27 July 1743), and became lieutenant-colonel of his regiment on 24 Feb. 1748. On 20 Oct. 1758 he was appointed colonel 55th foot, in succession to George Augustus, third viscount Howe [see under Howe, William, fifth Viscount Howe], killed at Ticonderoga. Pitt's instructions to General Amherst, commander in America [see Amherst, Jeffrey, Lord Amherst], were that, while Wolfe attacked Quebec, attempts should be made to penetrate into Canada by way of Ticonderoga and Crown Point, and that at the same time he should pursue any other enterprises that would weaken the enemy without detriment to the main object of the expedition (see Pitt to Amherst, 10 March 1759, Parkman, ii. 235). Amherst decided to attempt the reduction of Fort Niagara, and entrusted the task to Prideaux, who had just arrived, appointing Sir William Johnson [q. v.] his second in command. Prideaux was to ascend the Mohawk river with five thousand troops, regulars and provincials, accompanied by Indians under Johnson, to leave a strong garrison at Fort Stanwix, the great portage, descend the Onondega, leaving part of his force under Colonel Haldimand [see Haldimand, Sir Frederick] at Oswego, and to attack Niagara with the rest. Fort Niagara, standing on the site of a former post, was a strong fort, recently rebuilt by the French in modern style, and garrisoned by part of the French regiment of Béarn. Prideaux landed before it on 7 July 1759, and commenced the attack in force. The British engineers proved so incompetent that, to Prideaux's intense disgust, the first approaches were completely swept by the French fire, and had to be constructed afresh (Prideaux to Haldimand, 15 July 1759, Parkman, ii. 245). On 19 July 1759 the batteries were ready. Prideaux beat off a French vessel which attempted to land reinforcements in the morning, but in the afternoon was struck on the head by a fragment of shell, which burst prematurely at the mouth of one of our cohorns, and killed him on the spot. He is described by some writers as an unpopular officer. Colonel Massey, 46th regiment [see Massey, Eyre,, Lord Clarina], the next senior officer of the regulars, waived any claim to command in favour of Sir William