KEN, Thomas, a deprived bishop of Bath and Wells, descended from an ancient family established at Ken-place, Somersetshire, was born at Berkhamstead, Hertfordshire, in the month of July 1637. At the age of thirteen lie was sent to Winchester School, where he. remained some time, and thence removed to New College, Oxford, of which he became a probationer-fellow in 1657. He took his degrees regularly; pursued his studies closely for many years; and in 1666 became a fellow of Winchester College, soon after which he was appointed domestic chaplain to the Bishop, and obtained the rectory o. Brixton in the Isle of Wight. In 1674, he made a journey to Rome, and after his return took his degrees in divinity. Not long afterwards, having been appointed chaplain to the Princess of Orange, he went to Holland, where his piety and prudence gained him general esteem; but [7:12:691]having offended the prince, afterwards William HL, by obliging one of his favourites to espouse a young lady of the princess’s train whom he had seduced by a promise of marriage, Ken returned to England, and was employed to attend Lord Dartmouth in quality of chaplain to Tangier. Having returned with this nobleman in 1684, he was immediately appointed chaplain to the king, and not long afterwards nominated, without solicitation, to the bishopric of Bath and Wells. He attended the king in his last illness, and did his utmost to awaken the royal conscience; speaking, says Burnet, “with great elevation of thought and expression, and like a man inspired.” The sudden death of the king delayed his admission to the temporalities of the see of Wells; but, on the accession of King James, new instruments were prepared for that purpose, and Ken entered upon the exercise of his episcopal functions. In 1685, he published an exposition of the Church Catechism; and, the same year, he gave to the world Prayers for the use of the Bath. He took no part in the popish controversy which was then so warmly agitated, though, in his discourses from the pulpit, he frequently took occasion to notice and confute the errors of Popery; nor did he hesitate, when preaching in the chapel-royal, to set before the court the dangerous policy of its projected coalition with the sectaries. Some attempts were made to gain him over to the interest of the popish party; but these proved completely abortive; and when the declaration of indulgence was ordained to be read, in virtue of the dispensing p£wer assumed by the king, Ken was one of the seven who openly opposed it, and who were in consequence sent to the Tower. But though he ventured to disobey the mandate of his sovereign for the sake of his religion, he refused to transfer his allegiance; and, accordingly, on the arrival of the Prince of Orange, he s"hffered himself to be deprived, and withdrew to Longlèate, a seat of Lord Weymouth, in Wiltshire, where he composed many pious works, and amused himself with writing verses, which, however, have but little of the spirit of poetry in them. Eventually he had settled on him a pension of L.200 a year, which was punctually paid out of the treasury as long as he lived. Dr Ken, who had long been afflicted with colic pains, experienced, in 1710, a paralytic attack, which deprived him of the use of one side; and, after lingering for some time in a hopeless state, he expired at Longleate, upon the 19th March 1711. His works, consisting for the most part of devotional pieces, in verse as well as in prose, were published in 1721, in four volumes. (a.) Ken, a small island in the Persian Gulf. It possessed at one time a flourishing commerce, and is still capable of supplying refreshments to vessels, being better planted than most of the islands. Its ancient name was Kataia. It has a low and rocky coast in some parts, and must be approached with caution in the night. Long. 53. 40. E. Lat. 26. 27. N.