John Rider

received his first being in this World at Carrington in Cheshire, applied his Genie to Academical studies in Jesus coll. an. 1576. took the degrees in Arts, as a Member thereof, and after he had remained some years in the University in the instruction of Youths in Grammar, became Minister of S. Mary Magd. at Bermondsey near to London, afterwards Rector of the rich Church of Winwick in Lancashire, Archdeacon of Meath in Ireland, Dean of St. Patricks Church near to Dublin, and at length Bishop of Killaloe, an. 1612. where he was much respected and reverenced for his Religion and learning. While he remained in Oxon he composed,

A Dictionary English and Latin; and Lat. and Engl. Oxon. 1589. in a large thick qu. It was the first Dictionary that had the English before the Latin, (epitomizing the learnedst and choicest Dictionaries that were then extant,) and was beheld as the best that was then in use. But that part of it which had the Latin before the English, was swallowed up by the greater attempts of Franc. Holyoake, who saith that he designed and contrived it so, before the Vocabularies or Dictionaries of Becman, Funger, and Martin came out; notwithstanding it appears that he was beholding to them, and made use of their materials in his Dictionary that he published, an. 1606. Besides the said Dictionary our author Rider hath also written,

A Letter concerning the news out of Ireland, and of the Spaniards landing, and present state there. Lond. 1601. qu. And having had controversies with one Hen. Fitz-Simons a learned Jesuit of Ireland, published a book intituled,

Claim of Antiquity in behalf of the Protestant Religion. —When this was printed I know not. The confutation of it, I am sure, with a reply to Rider’s Rescript or Postscript, written by the said Fitz-Simons, were printed at Roan in Normandy, an. 1608. qu. as I shall tell you under the year 1643. He also (Rider) published other matters; which having been printed in Ireland, and therefore few or none of them come into these parts, I cannot give you the titles of them. He departed this mortal life on the twelfth day of Novemb. 1632 in sixteen hundred thirty and two, and was buried at Killaloe, in the Cathedral Church there dedicated to the memory of S. Flannan, leaving behind him the character of a learned and religious Prelate.