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 his assurance that the residents in the west of England desired the king's return. When he followed Monck to London in 1659 and became an inmate at Monck's house as 'his elbow-counsellor and a state-blind,' they were greatly pleased. It was the duty of Morice 'to keep the expiring session of parliament steady and clear from intermeddling,' a task which he executed with great judgment. He received, through Sir John Grenville, a letter from Charles, urging him to bring Monck over to the restoration, which he answered with warmth, and he arranged the meeting of Grenville and Monck, guarding the door of the chamber while they were settling the terms for the king's return. In February 1659-60 Charles bestowed on him, with the general's approbation, 'the seal and signet, as the badge of the secretary of state's office,' and in the next month he was created by Monck colonel of a regiment of foot, and made governor with his son of the fort and island of Plymouth. Morice was knighted by Charles on his landing, and at Canterbury, during the king's journey to London, was confirmed in the post of secretary and sworn a privy councillor (26 May 1660). Many favours were bestowed upon him. He and his son William received the offices of keeper of the port of Plymouth, with certain ports in Cornwall and of Avenor of the duchy, and on their surrendering the patent for the governorship of Plymouth, a pension of 200l. a year was settled on the son, who was made a baronet on 20 April 1661. The father obtained an extended grant of land in Old Spring Gardens, London, and a charter for two fairs yearly at Broad Clist, Devonshire. With the old court party his tenure of the secretaryship was not popular. They complained of his lack of familiarity with foreign languages and of his ignorance of external affairs. His friends endeavoured in 1666 to make out that he was principal secretary of state, above Lord Arlington, but failed in their attempt, and at Michaelmas 1668 Morice found his position so intolerable that he resigned his office and retired to his property, where he spent the rest of his days in collecting a fine library and in studying literature. A letter about him, expressing his deep disgust against Charles II for not keeping his promises and for debauching the nation, is in 'Notes and Queries' (1st ser. ix. 7-8). Morice died at Werrington on 12 Dec. 1676, and was buried in the family aisle of its church. His wife was Elizabeth, younger daughter of Humphry Prideaux (eldest son of Sir Nicholas Prideaux), by his wife, Honour, daughter of Edmund Fortescue of Fallapit, Devonshire. She predeceased him in December 1663, having borne four sons (William, John, Humphry [see below], and N icholas) and four daughters. Morice founded an almshouse in Sutcombe, near Holsworthy, Devonshire, for six poor people, and endowed it with lands.

There is a portrait of him in Houbraken and Birch's 'Heads' (1747, ii. 35-6) ; another hangs in Exeter College Hall (, Exeter Coll. 1893).

Morice's learning was undoubted. When young he wrote poetry, and Prince had seen some of his verses that were 'full of life and briskness.' But his chief preoccupation was theology, and he continued through life a scrupulous censor of orthodox divinity. On a visit to Oxford in November 1665 he and some others complained of a sermon at St. Mary's with such effect that the preacher was forced to recant, and when William Oliver was ejected in 1662 from the church of St. Mary Magdalene, Launceston, he received from Morice 'a yearly pension for the support of his family.' The independent party in religion made it a rule in parochial cures to admit to the communion none but those who were 'most peculiarly their own flock,' and in Morice's district the sacrament was administered in the church of Pyworthy only. His views on this point, composed in two days, were set before the ministers, and about two years later their official answer came to him. He then composed a ponderous treatise in refutation of their arguments which he issued in 1657, with the title of 'Cœna, quasi Κοινη?. The new Inclosures broken down and the Lord's Supper laid forth in common for all Church-members.' A second edition, 'corrected and much enlarged,' was published in 1660, with a dedication to General Monck. Many theologians took part in this controversy, and among them John Beverley of Rothwell, John Humfrey, Humphrey Saunders of Holsworthy, Anthony Palmer of Bourton-on-the-Water, Roger Drake, M.D., and John Timson, 'a private Christian of Great Bowden in Leicestershire.' From the heading of an article (v. 215) of the 'Weekly Pacquet of Advice from Rome,' it would seem that Morice printed a letter to Peter du Moulin [q. v.] on the share of the Jesuits in causing the civil war in England, and two political pamphlets (1) 'A Letter to General Monck in answer to his directed to Mr. Rolle for the Gentlemen of Devon. By one of the excluded Members of Parliament. Signed R. M., 1659;' and (2) 'Animadversions upon General Monck's Letter to the Gentry of Devon. By M. W., 1659,' are sometimes attributed to him ( and, Dict. of Anon. Literature, i. 98, ii. 1380). John Owen dedicated to him the first volume