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THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD 
IN  FICTION 

|  AMUEL-F-HULTON 


no 


JiiiVERSlTY 

IIRP&BY 


THE    CLERK    OF    OXFORD 
IN    FICTION 


THE 

CLERK  OF  OXFORD 
IN  FICTION 

BY 

SAMUEL    F.    HULTON 


"j'AY  SEULEMENT  FAICT  ICY  UN  AMAS  DE  FLEURS 
ESTRANGIERES,  N'Y  AYANT  FOURNY  DU  MIEN  QUE 
LE  FILET  X  LES  LIER." 

MONTAIGNE,  Essais,  1.  iv.  ch.  xii. 


WITH  TWELVE   ILLUSTRATIONS 


— GEORGlO,   DOMINO  CVRZON,   PlO  CANCfiLLARlO 


METHUEN    &    GO. 

36     ESSEX    STREET    W.C. 
LONDON 


First  Published  in  1909 


JUN  2  4  1965 


PREFACE 

HE  who  would  include  within  a  portable  volume 
the  complete  story  of  Oxford  Clerks  in  Fiction  is 
as  onewho  strives  to  "  shut  up  the  sea  with  doors." 
For,  in  the  first  place,  he  must  fetch  his  beginning  from 
the  very  beginning  of  all  things  ; — \K  A/oV  ap-fcopwog, 
he  must  open  with  a  description  of  the  visit  to  the 
classic  Ford  and  the  naming  thereof,  at  an  uncertain 
date,  by  Europa  and  her  bovine  abductor :  he  must  then 
rescue  all  that  has  survived  the  long  navigation  from 
the  first  ages  to  our  own,  tales  of  the  foundation  of  the 
City  by  Mempric,  shortly  before  that  monarch  was 
devoured  of  wolves  at  Wolvercote,  of  the  University  by 
Greek  Philosophers  who  sailed,  strange  shipmates,  with 
the  Trojan  Brutus  to  Albion,  and  the  like :  while,  in 
connection  with  these  ancient  traditions,  he  must  note 
various  theories  held  by  modern  writers  with  regard  to 
the  origin  of  the  place; — as,  for  example,  that  by  the 
ingenious  Niebuhr,  who,  observing  that  caps  have 
tassels  and  that  the  streets  of  Oxford  are  not  macada- 
mized, comes  to  the  conclusion  that  the  University  was 
originally  colonized  by  the  Pelasgi,  which  he  further 
confirms  by  detecting  in  the  periodical  departure  and 
return  of  the  inhabitants,  according  to  the  vacations, 
traces  of  the  migratory  habits  of  that  famous  tribe. 
And  supposing  all  this  to  have  been  accomplished,  and 
that  the  writer,  still  undaunted,  pass  from  the  mythic 


vi      THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

to  the  heroic  age,  he  will  then  discover,  that,  during  the 
many  centuries  which  form  this  second  period  of  his 
work,  a  succession  of  versatile  scholars  followed  their 
books  in  the  already  famous  Schools  of  Oxford : — St. 
German,  for  instance,  that  "  malleus  Pelagianorum," 
Gildas  of  holy  memory,  the  Venerable  Bede,  St.  John 
of  Beverley,  Scotus,  that  great  clerk  who  made  the 
immortal  repartee  to  King  Charles  the  Bald,  and  who 
was  eventually  slain  by  Freshmen  with  their  table- 
pointels  or  penknives,  St.  Grimbald,  St.  Neot,  and 
others  who  for  learning,  piety,  or  wit  were  of  a  catholic 
reputation :  he  will  read  moreover  legends,  such  as  that 
one,  in  the  life  of  St.  Frideswyde,  of  "  the  youth  clothed 
in  white,  and  of  pleasant  speech,  and  comely  counte- 
nance," who,  meeting  the  fugitive  virgin  and  her  two 
companions  in  what  are  now  known  as  Christ  Church 
Meadows,  "  rowed  them  in  his  ship-boate  to  Bampton, 
some  ten  miles  distant  up  stream,  within  the  space  of 
one  hour " ;  and  he  will  become  aware  that  the  Uni- 
versity was  already  in  those  earliest  times  a  little 
world  in  itself,  and  that  the  Oxonian  was  even  then 
equipped  with  the  very  aptitudes,  physical  and  mental, 
which  distinguish  him  to-day.  And  as  he  realizes 
how  vast,  as  regards  both  time  and  subject,  is  the  task 
he  has  enterprized,  then  though  the  work  may  have 
been  begotten  with  his  first  dawn  of  day,  when  the 
light  of  common  knowledge  began  to  open  itself  to  his 
younger  years,  he  may  yet  well  doubt  that  the  darkness 
of  age  and  death  will  cover  both  it  and  him  long  before 
the  performance. 

No  such  superhuman  task  will  be  attempted  here. 
Time  and  space  alike  forbid  that  what  follows  should 
be  more  than  the  mere  fragment  of  a  wondrous  tale ; 
and  I  have  thought  it  best,  therefore,  to  take  up  the 


PREFACE  vii 

story  of  the  immemorial  Clerk  of  Fiction  at  the  point 
where  it  begins  to  run  parallel  with  that  of  the  mush- 
room Clerk  of  History,  and  to  carry  it  down  no  further 
than  to  the  end  of  the  first  half  of  the  nineteenth 
century.  Some  one  has  said -that  "the  Middle  Ages 
lasted  at  Oxford  until  the  Great  Exhibition  of  1851," 
that  year  having  marked  the  commencement  of  a  series 
of  radical  changes  in  the  constitution  and  educational 
system  of  the  University.  At  that  date,  then,  I  have 
paused,  as  on  the  verge  of  a  precipice.  There  be  some 
things,  and  these  so-called  reforms  are  among  them, 
which  are  of  such  a  nature  that  either  to  speak  of  them 
or  to  hold  one's  peace  is  alike  unsafe.  The  best  policy 
is  to  keep  at  a  distance  from  them ;  for  though  Truth 
may  be  the  best  mistress  a  man  can  serve,  it  has  been 
well  observed  withal,  that  "whosoever  in  writing  a 
modern  history  shall  follow  too  close  at  her  heels,  she 
may  haply  strike  out  his  teeth  for  his  labour." 

And  from  another  point  of  view  also,  this  work  must 
be  regarded  as  a  fragment.  In  dealing  with  the  com- 
plicated web  of  life  in  a  microcosm  such  as  is  an  Uni- 
versity, a  writer,  if  he  would  make  an  epic,  must  follow 
a  single  strand  of  the  twisted  yarn.  Here,  out  of  the 
many  stories  of  many  varieties  of  Oxford  Clerks  which 
were  offered  for  choice,  I  have  taken  for  my  clew  that 
of  the  peculiar  local  product,  styled,  in  the  Canterbury 
Tales,  by  excellence  "  the  Clerk  of  Oxenford  " ; — a  clew 
which  first  fully  revealing  itself  in  Chaucer's  poem,  and 
reappearing  at  intervals  in  mediaeval  manuals  of  wit 
and  humour,  in  character-sketches  such  as  those  of 
Overbury,  Earle,  and  Saltonstall,  and  in  the  essays  of 
Steele  and  Addison,  Amherst  and  Johnson,  runs  on 
unbroken  through  more  modern  works  of  fiction. 
Immortal  himself,  "the  Clerk"  supplies  a  link  where- 


viii     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

with  to  connect  together  the  short-lived  generations  of 
Oxford.  Such  having  been  my  choice,  little  mention 
will  be  made  here  of  the  character,  with  whose  sayings 
and  doings  Fiction,  when  dealing  with  academical  life, 
has  chiefly  concerned  itself,  namely,  "the  Young 
Gentleman  at  an  University " ; — the  youth  known  in 
the  seventeenth  century  as  the  "  Rascal-Jack "  or 
"  Tarrarag,"  in  the  eighteenth  as  the  "  Slicer  "  or  "  Man 
of  Fire,"  and  described  in  our  own  times  by  Mark 
Pattison  as  the  "  Fast  Young  Man,"  or  the  "  Ruffian  of 
the  Playground."  This  favourite  actor  must  play  but 
a  minor  part  in  the  following  pages,  because  the  pursuit 
of  social  and  athletic  accomplishments,  though  followed 
doubtless  with  more  success  at  Oxford  than  elsewhere, 
is  after  all  but  a  common  denominator  of  Youth 
throughout  the  World,  whereas  the  object  of  this  work 
is  an  examination  of  those  endowments,  which  have 
been  for  centuries  so  peculiarly  his  own,  as  to  entitle  the 
"  Clerk  of  Oxford  "  to  a  distinct  Kingdom  of  Nature. 
He  then  is  the  single  thread  of  interest  which  has 
guided  me  in  the  following  selection  of  prose  and 
verse.  Thus  the  principal  chapters  contain  portraits 
of  the  hero  drawn  at  various  dates  by  contemporary 
artists;  and  they  are  introduced  by  lines,  the  work  of 
Oxford  Hands,  in  which  those  didactic  notes  may  be 
detected, "  full  of  high  sentence  and  sounding  in  moral 
virtue,"  which  from  Chaucer's  day  onward  have  formed 
the  "  Clerk "  -  motif,  and  have  ever  rendered  that 
typical  Oxonian  a  Man  of  Mark,  not  only  among 
ignorant  lay-folks,  but  also  among  lettered  Scholars 
of  other  Seminaries  of  sound  learning  and  religious 
education.  In  the  minor  chapters,  the  varying 
fortunes  of  the  University,  during  some  six 
centuries  of  its  existence,  are  briefly  narrated  in  verse, 


PREFACE  ix 

most  of  which  is  contemporary  with  the  events  it 
describes :  but  from  such  excursions  this  work,  com- 
posed in  rondo-form,  invariably  returns  to  its  principal 
theme,  that  the  reader  may  note  how  powerless  have 
been  success  and  adversity,  war,  and  religious  and 
political  persecutions,  to  vary  the  essential  nature  and 
property  of  the  Oxford  Clerk.  Unchanged  amid  the 
changing  scenes  around  him,  he  it  is  who  gives  a 
rounded  and  symmetrical  form  to  the  whole  composi- 
tion. 

And,  finally,  it  must  be  admitted,  that,  even  when 
this  work  is  regarded  as  a  fragment,  that  fragment  is 
itself  fragmentary ;  for  so  great  is  the  mass  of  material 
which  is  relevant  to  it,  that  it  is  impossible  to  set  it 
all  out  fully  here.  I  have  therefore  quoted  only  what 
seemed  to  me  to  be  the  less  obvious  and  common  part 
thereof;  and  even  then  I  have  found  it  necessary  to 
abridge  some  of  the  selected  documents,  for  otherwise 
it  had  been  difficult  to  bring  so  great  vessels  into  so 
small  a  creek. 


CONTENTS 

CHAP.  PAGE 

PREFACE  .......  v 

I.  CLERKS  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION,  CIRCA  1400  A.D  .  i 

II.  EARLY  GROWTH  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY          .           .  27 

III.  CLERKS  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION,  CIRCA  1500  A.D  .  45 

IV.  EARLY  TRIALS  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY           .          .  64 
V.  CLERKS  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION,  CIRCA  1600  A.D  .  91 

VI.  HALCYON  DAYS  .  .  .  .  .  .122 

VII.  THE  GREAT  REBELLION          .          .          .          .154 

VIII.  THE  PURITAN  USURPATION  .  .  .  .191 

IX.  RESTORATION  AND  REVOLUTION  .  .  .205 
X.  CLERKS  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION,  CIRCA  1700  A.D  .  242 

XI.  POLITICAL  PERSECUTION         ....    273 

XII.  THE  PASSING  OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES  AT  OXFORD  .    313 

XIII.  CLERKS  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION— CONCLUSION      .    361 

INDEX      .......    379 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING   PAGE 

THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD        .....       2 

From  the  Ellesmere  MS.  of  the  Canterbury  Tales 

NEW  COLLEGE  .......      37 

From  the  MS.  of  THOMAS  CHANDLER,  Warden  1454-1475  ; 
here  reproduced  from  Archceologia,  vol.  liii.  PI.  xv. 

BURNING  OF  RIDLEY  AND  LATIMER  .  .  -74 

From  JOHN  FOXE'S  Acts  and  Monuments  (1784),  iii.  429 

OXFORD  CROWN-PIECE,  A.D.  1644     ....    164 

From  INGRAM'S  Memorials  of  Oxford,  vol.  ii. 

ESCAPE  OF  CHARLES  I.  FROM  OXFORD,  A.D.  1646  .     185 

From  True  Information  of  the  Beginning  and  Cause  of  all  our 
Troubles;  1648 

OXFORD  MEMORIAL  MEDAL,  A.D.  1648        .  .  .    192 

From  ANTHONY  WOOD'S  Historia  .  .  .   Univ.  Oxon.,  i.  414 

SCHOLARS  AT  A  LECTURE      .....    240 

From  a  Print  by  HOGARTH,  1737 

DR.  SYNTAX  AT  OXFORD  (ROWLANDSON)    .  .  .297 

From  WILL.  COMBE'S  Tour  in  Search  of  the  Picturesque 

A  COLLEGE  GATE  (WATSON  AND  DICKENSON)      .  .    299 

INTRODUCTION  OF  THE  POPE  TO  THE  CONVOCATION  AT 
OXFORD  (GILLRAY)          .....    338 

INSTALLATION  OF  LORD  GRENVILLE  AS  CHANCELLOR  OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY  (GILLRAY)        ....    339 

THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD,  A.D.  1814  .  .  .  .361 

From  R.  ACKERMANN'S  History  of  Oxford 


THE    CLERK    OF    OXFORD 
IN     FICTION 

CHAPTER   I 
CLERKS  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION,  CIRCA  1400  A.D. 

"Tails  Universitas  est  Oxoniensis, 
Qualis  Sol  fulgoribus  radians  immensis ; 
Iste  Mundi  splendor  est — Ilia  lux  Anglorum — 
Super  bonos  malosque  lucet  lux  amborum." 

ANON.,  circa  1400  A.D. 

"  'Omnis  amor  clerici,  amor  clerici ! ' 
Scribitur  Oxoniae  ad  ostium  studii : 
Si  amorem  clerici  habere  nequiam 
Osculabor  ostium  et  cito  fugiam. 

'  Al  clerkyn  love,  clerkyn  love  ! ' 

Ys  ywyrt  at  Oxinfort  on  ye  scolow's  door ; 

Yf  clerkyn  love  have  y  ne  may, 

I  may  kyss  ye  scoldor,  and  farin  my  way." 

MS.  of  the  1 4th  century,  in  the  Library 

of  the  Corporation  of  Leicester. 
Retrospective  Review,  N.S.,  vol.  i.  419 

AMONG  the  genre  portraits  drawn  by  Chaucer  in 
the  Book  of  the  Tales  of  Canterbury,  appear  the 
earliest  sketches  of  the  mediaeval  Oxonian. 
Of  these,  the  most  finished  is  that  of  "  the  Clerk  of 
Oxenford,"  one  of  the  dramatis  personae  of  the  Tales, 
and  the  representative  of  the  University  in  that  "  com- 
\ 


2       THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN   FICTION 

pany  of  sundry  folks  "  which  made  the  famous  pilgrimage 
to  the  shrine  of  St.  Thomas  : — 

A  Clerk  ther  was  of  Oxenford  also, 
That  unto  logik  hadde  longe  y-go.1 
As  lene  was  his  hors  as  is  a  rake, 
And  he  nas  nat  right  fat,  I  undertake  ; 
But  loked  holwe,  and  ther-to  soberly. 
Ful  thredbar  was  his  overest  courtepy;2 
For  he  had  geten  him  yet  no  benefyce, 
Ne  was  so  worldly  for  to  have  offyce. 
For  him  was  lever  have  at  his  beddes  heed 3 
Twenty  bokes,  clad  in  blak  or  reed, 
Of  Aristotle  and  his  philosophye, 
Than  robes  riche,  or  fithele,  or  gay  sautrye.4 
But  al  be  that  he  was  a  philosophre, 
Yet  hadde  he  but  litel  gold  in  cofre; 
But  al  that  he  mighte  of  his  freendes  hente, 
On  bokes  and  on  lerninge  he  it  spente, 
And  bisily  gan  for  the  soules  preye 
Of  hem  that  yaf  him  wher-with  to  scoleye.6 
Of  studie  took  he  most  cure  and  most  hede. 
Noght  o  word  spak  he  more  than  was  nede, 
And  that  was  seyd  in  forme  and  reverence, 
And  short  and  quik  and  ful  of  hy  sentence. 
Souninge  in  moral  vertu6  was  his  speche, 
And  gladly  wolde  he  lerne,  and  gladly  teche. 

Contrasted   with   the  Clerk  of  Oxenford   is  "  hende 
Nicholas,"  the  hero  of  the  Miller's  Tale  :— 

Whylom  ther  was  dwellinge  at  Oxenford 
A  riche  gnof,  that  gestes  heeld  to  bord,7 
And  of  his  craft  he  was  a  carpenter, 
With  him  ther  was  dwellinge  a  povre  scoler, 

1  Y-go — betaken  himself.          2  Overest  courtepy — uppermost  short-coat. 

3  "  He  would  rather  have  at  his  bed's  head." 

4  Fithele — fiddle  ;  sautrye — psaltery. 

6  "  He  prayed  for  those  who  paid  his  school  expenses." 

6  Conducing  to  moral  virtue,  etc.       7  A  rich  churl,  who  took  in  lodgers. 


THE   CLERK  OF  OXFORD 

FROM    THE    ELLES1MERE    MS.  OF    THE    CANTERBURY    TALES 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1400  A.D.  3 

Had  lerned  art,  but  al  his  fantasye 

Was  turned  for  to  lerne  astrologye; 

And  coude  a  certeyn  of  conclusiouns 

To  demen  by  interrogaciouns, 

If  that  men  axed  him  in  certein  houres, 

Whan  that  men  sholde  have  droghte  or  elles  shoures, 

Or  if  men  axed  him  what  sholde  bifalle 

Of  everything,  I  may  nat  rekene  hem  alle.1 

This  clerk  was  cleped  hende  Nicholas,2 
Of  derne  love  he  coude,  and  of  solas;3 
And  ther-to  was  he  sleigh  and  ful  privee, 
And  lyk  a  mayden  meke  for  to  see. 
A  chambre  hadde  he  in  that  hostelrye, 
Allone,  withouten  any  companye, 
Ful  fetishly  y-dight  with  herbes  swote; 
And  he  himself  as  swete  as  is  the  rote 
Of  licorys  or  any  cetewale; 
His  Almageste  and  bokes  grete  and  smale, 
His  astrelabie,  longinge  for  his  art, 
His  augrim-stones  layen  faire  apart,4 
On  shelves  couched  at  his  beddes  heed; 
His  presse  y-covered  with  a  falding  reed;5 
And  al  above  ther  lay  a  gay  sautrye, 
On  which  he  made  a  nightes  melodye, 
So  swetely,  that  al  the  chambre  rong; 
And  "  Angelus  ad  Virginem  "  he  song ; 6 
And  after  that  he  song  the  kinges  note ; 
Ful  often  blessed  was  his  mery  throte. 
And  thus  this  swete  clerk  his  tyme  spente 
After  his  freendes  finding  and  his  rente.7 

1  He  knew  a  selection  of  problems,  wherewith  to  decide  questions  as 
to  coming  weather,  and  other  future  events. 

2  Hende— courteous.  8  Derne— secret. 

4  Almageste — an    astronomical    treatise ;     astrelabie,    an    astronomical 
instrument ;  augrim-stones,  counters  for  calculation. 

5  Falding  reed — a  red  cloth. 

6  For  this  hymn,  see  Appendix  to  Chapter  I. 

7  According  to  the  money  provided  by  his  friends  and  his  own  income. 
See  Chaucer's  Works,  ed.  by  W.  W.  Skeat, 


4       THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

This  Carpenter  had  wedded  newe  a  wyf, 
Which  that  he  lovede  more  than  his  lyf; 
Of  eightetene  yeer  she  was  of  age ; 
Jalous  he  was,  and  heeld  hir  narwe  in  cage ; 
For  she  was  wilde  and  yong,  and  he  was  old, 
And  demed  himself  ben  lyk  a  cokewold,  etc. 

A  third  sketch  is  that  of  "  joly  Jankin,  sometyme  clerk 
of  Oxenford,"  and  fifth  husband  of  the  Wife  of  Bath. 

Oxford  Society  at  the  close  of  the  fourteenth  century, 
with  its  fusion  or  confusion  of  nations  and  classes, 
furnished  the  student  of  human  nature  with  a  bound- 
less field  for  observation.  To  the  University  which 
had  produced  a  succession  of  Schoolmen  such  as  Bacon 
and  the  "  subtle "  Scotus,  Burley  the  "  perspicuous " 
and  Bradwardine  the  "  profound,"  the  "  invincible " 
Ockham,  and  other  "  resolute,"  "  irrefragable,"  and 
"  solid  "  Doctors,  came  scholars,  not  only  from  England, 
Ireland,  Wales,  and  Scotland,  but  also  from  France 
and  Italy,  Sweden,  Bohemia,  and  Poland,  and  rendered 
it  for  a  time  the  most  famous  of  the  seats  of  learning, 
nay,  rather  a  little  world  in  itself.  Its  schools  attracted 
old  and  young;  regular  and  secular;  all  sorts  and 
conditions  of  men,  from  children  of  small  tradesmen, 
artisans,  and  even  villeins,  up  through  many  intervening 
grades,  to  sons  of  noblemen  and  lords  of  parliament. 
High  and  low,  rich  and  poor,  there  met  together :  and 
before  the  century  closed,  there  could  have  been  seen, 
living  among  the  needy  Fellows  of  Queen's  College, 
the  "eleemosynary  boys,"  the  impotent  folks  who  fed 
in  the  hall,  and  the  indigent  poor  who  received  the 
statutory  pea-soup  at  the  gate  of  the  College,  a  youth 
destined  to  be  the  greatest  of  English  kings, 
"  triumphator  Galliae,  hostium  victor  et  sui,  Henricus 
quintus,  hujus  Collegii  et  cubiculi,  minuti  scilicet,  olim 
magnus  incola." l 

1  Inscription  under  Henry's  portrait  at  Queen's  College.     This  founda- 
tion claims  Edward  the  Black  Prince  also  as  an  alumnus ;  and  it  would 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1400  A.D.  5 

Many-coloured  was  life  in  the  mediaeval  University. 
Although  no  School  for  Saints,  it  was  here,  never- 
theless, that  St.  Edmund  of  Abingdon  wedded  the 
image  of  Our  Lady  with  a  ring,  and  vowed  to  cleave 
in  spousehood  to  Her  alone  all  his  life  long.  Here, 
too,  in  his  undergraduate  days,  St.  Richard  of  Wych 
resigned  to  his  brother  a  landed  estate,  and  a  maiden 
to  whom  he  was  betrothed;  and  though  the  local 

appear  that  Crecy  as  well  as  Agincourt  was  won  in  the  playing  fields  of 
Oxford. 

See   Poem   on    Queen   Caroline  rebuilding  the  lodgings  of  the  Black 
Prince  and  Henry  V at  Queen's  College,  Thomas  Tickell  (1733) : — 

"Where  bold  and  graceful  soars,  secure  of  fame, 
The  pile  now  worthy  great  Philippa's  name, 
Mark  that  old  ruin,  Gothic  and  uncouth, 
Where  the  Black  Edward  passed  his  beardless  youth, 
And  the  fifth  Henry  for  his  first  renown 
Outstripped  each  rival  in  a  student's  gown. 

In  that  coarse  age  were  Princes  found  to  dwell 
With  meagre  monks  and  haunt  the  silent  cell : 
Sent  from  the  Monarch's  to  the  Muse's  Court, 
Their  meals  were  frugal,  and  their  sleeps  were  short ; 
To  couch  at  curfew-time  they  thought  no  scorn, 
And  froze  at  Matins  every  winter  morn ; 
They  read,  an  early  book,  the  starry  frame, 
And  lisped  each  constellation  by  its  name ; 
Art  after  art  still  dawning  to  their  view, 
And  their  mind  opening  as  their  stature  grew. 

Yet  whose  ripe  manhood  spread  our  fame  so  far, 
Sages  in  peace  and  demigods  in  war  ! 
Who  stern  in  fight  made  echoing  Cressi  ring, 
And  mild  in  conquest,  served  his  captive  king? 
Who  gained  at  Agincourt  the  victor's  bays, 
Nor  took  himself,  but  gave  good  Heaven,  the  praise 
Thy  nurselings,  ancient  dome,"  etc. 

See  also  Triumph  of  Isis,  Thomas  Warton  (1749) : — 

"  Not  all  the  toils  of  thoughtful  peace  engage ; 
'Tis  thine  to  form  the  hero  and  the  sage. 
I  see  the  sable-suited  prince  advance, 
With  lilies  crowned,  the  spoils  of  bleeding  France 
Edward — The  Muses  in  yon  hallowed  shade 
Bound  on  his  tender  thigh  the  martial  blade, 
Bade  him  the  steel  for  British  freedom  draw, 
And  Oxford  taught  the  deeds  that  Cressi  saw." 


6       THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

school  of  dancing  was  remarkable  for  energy  and 
variety,  eschewed  such  frivolous  amusement,  that  he 
might  devote  himself  to  the  more  congenial  pursuit  of 
logic.1  And  if,  after  the  death  of  St.  Thomas  Cantelupe 
(1282),  Oxonians  no  longer 

Strove  to  wind  themselves  too  high, 
For  sinful  man  beneath  the  sky, 

there  were  still,  doubtless,  in  Chaucer's  day,  many  who 
led  the  retired  and  blameless  existence  mapped  out 
for  the  docile  in  College  Statutes.  On  the  other  hand, 
there  were  men  whose  exceptionally  high  spirits  or 
extraordinarily  low  morals  constantly  stimulated  the 
growth  of  the  University  police  system;  leaders  in 
the  battles  between  the  Nations,  Northern,  Southern, 
Welsh,  and  Irish,  into  which  the  Clerks  were  divided, 
and  in  the  physical  encounters  between  Town  and 
Gown;  promoters  .of  feuds  between  Masters  and 
Students,  Faculty  and  Faculty,  and  the  disciples  of 
rival  Schoolmen ;  scholar-poachers  and  scholar- 
highwaymen  ;  rakehells,  haunters  of  taverns  and 
brothels.  Again,  love  of  life  and  adventure,  and  the 
pleasures  of  society,  led  as  many  to  the  crowded  city, 

1  Acta  Sanctorum  (April  i),  vol.  x.  278 :  "  Ricardus  autem  dixit 
fratri  suo,  'Non,  carissime  frater,  non  propter  hoc  turbetur  cor  tuum, 
nam  adeo  curialis  ut  fuisti  erga  me,  ero  et  erga  te.  Ecce  restituo  tibi 
terram  et  chartam,  sed  et  puellam,  si  sibi  et  amicis  suis  placuerit, 
nunquam  enim  os  ipsius  deosculatus  sum.'  Confestim  igitur  Ricardus 
reliquit  tarn  terram  quam  puellam,  et  ad  Studium  Universitatis  Oxoniae  .  .  . 
se  transtulit,  ubi  Logicam  addidicit."  Oxford  dancing  was  already  of 
repute  in  Chaucer's  day.  The  poet  writes  of  Absolon,  the  parish-clerk, 
in  the  Millers  Tale, 

"In  twenty  manere  coude  he  trippe  and  dance, 
After  the  scole  of  Oxenforde  tho, 
And  with  his  legges  casten  to  and  fro." 

St.  Richard's  views  appear,  however,  to  have  been  extreme :  "  Juvenis 
choreas,  tripudia,"  (Square  dances  as  well  as  round  ?  )  "  et  vana  consimilium 
spectaculorum  genera  sic  detestando  fugiebat,  ut  nee  blanditiis  nee 
coaetaneorum  suasione  contra  naturam  aetatis  ad  ea  flecti  posset  vel 
induci." 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1400  A.D.  7 

as  did  zeal  for  knowledge.  If  some  stole  what  they 
could  from  their  famishing  stomachs  and  half-covered 
bodies  in  order  to  buy  books,  others  neglected  study 
for  the  care  of  food  and  dress,  and  would  "boosen 
their  breasts,  and  pinch  their  bellies,  to  make  them 
small  waists ;  and  strain  their  hosen  to  shew  their 
strong  legs;  seeming  to  challenge  God  of  gifts  he 
had  given  them,  and  to  amend  him  in  his  craft  as  if 
he  failed  therein."  "  Sunt  pueri  pueri,  vivunt  pueriliter 
illi,"  remarks  the  author  of  a  mediaeval  Pilgrim's  Scrip ; 
and,  again,  "  Per  pisces  et  aves  multi  periere  scolares  " ; 
while  in  a  third  passage,  laying  aside  his  frosty  beard 
and  other  philosophical  shew,  and  speaking  so  familiarly 
that  the  most  wild  and  haggard  heads  must  needs 
listen  to  the  wholesome  warning,  he  notes  under  the 
heading  "Juventus,"  "  Alea,  Bacchus,  Amor  mulierum, 
reddit  egenum ;  Nunquam  qui  sequitur  haec  tria,  dives 
erit:"1  and,  sure  enough,  among  the  lusty  youth  of 
Oxford  were  to  be  found  slaves  of  dice,  draughts,  and 
the  "inordinate"  game  of  chess;  patrons  of  the  jovial 
supper ;  and  alas !  many  of  whom  it  was  said,  that 
they  might  have  been  made  scholars,  could  they  but 
have  learned  to  decline  "mulier":  sportsmen,  too, 
"  who  gave  the  bread  of  the  children  of  men  to  hawks 
and  hounds":  in  short,  followers  of  all  those  various 
distractions  from  study,  against  which  a  succession  of 
College-founders  pronounced  anathema.  Even  in  the 
crowded  lecture-room,  the  enthusiast  of  the  time,  who 
had  crossed  land  and  sea  to  be  initiated  into  the 
mysteries  of  knowledge,  might  yet  find  himself  in  a 
minority.  The  thyrsus-bearers  were  indeed  many,  but 
the  inspired  few :  and  by  the  side  of  laborious  and  life- 
long soldiers  of  wisdom  stood  those  who  "offered 
but  the  fuming  must  of  their  youthful  intellects  to 
philosophy,  reserving  the  clearer  wine  for  the  money- 

1  "Carminum  proverbialium,  totius  humanae  vitae  statum  breviter 
delineantium,  necnon  utilem  de  moribus  doctrinam  jucunde  proponentium, 
loci  communes  in  gratiam  juventutis  selecti." 


8       THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

making  business  of  life,"  and  favourites  of  fortune, 
who,  "helped  by  the  influence  of  great  men,  were 
permitted  to  proceed,  like  goats,  by  leaps  and  bounds, 
over  the  academical  course " ; 1  while  if  the  University 
could  boast  sons  of  genius,  whose  application  and 
achievements  seemed  to  the  common  scantling  of  the 
day  nothing  less  than  superhuman,  she  numbered  also, 
among  her  children,  many  of  whom  it  was  written, 

Oxoniam  multi  veniunt,  redeunt  quoque,  stulti. 

In  studying  such  a  Society,  an  artist  might  well  have 
been  led  to  select  violently  contrasting  types  of  men 
and  manners,  and  "to  cover  his  canvas  with  sanguine 
paint-splashes " ;  and  the  temptation  to  do  so  has  in 
fact  proved  too  strong  for  most  of  those  who  have 
left  fancy  pictures  of  University  life  during  this  period. 
Thus  all  the  wisdom  of  "  a  great  clerk  Grosseteste  "  or 
an  "  admirable  Doctor  Bacon,"  of  whom 

We  read  how  busy  that  he  was 
Upon  clergy  an  Head  of  Brass 
To  forge,  and  make  it  for  to  tell 
Of  such  things  as  befell ; 

and  all  the  seven  years'  labour  that  he  laboured,  are 
brought  to  confusion  by  the  half  minute's  "lachesse" 
of  some  supernaturally  simple  and  careless  scholar- 
servant.2  St.  Edmund  of  Abingdon,  clothed  in  his 

1  See  Richard  de  Bury,  Philobiblon,  chap.  ix.  148,  152  (1345  A.D.). 

2  It  would  seem  that  to  Grosseteste,  rather  than  to  Bacon,  belongs  the 
credit    of   having    invented   those,  philosophizing   Brazen-heads,    for  the 
fabrication  of  which  the  Oxford  of  fiction  became  a  great  centre  during 
the  Middle  Ages  (Gower,   Confessio  Amantis,  iv.   234 ;  and  Richard  of 
Bardney,  de   Vita  Rob.   Grosthed,  cap.  xx.,  in  Wharton's  Anglia  Sacra, 
vol.  ii.):  and,  moreover,  while  the  few  sentences  which  Bacon's  "Head" 
uttered  before  its  premature  dissolution,  were  of  no  great  philosophical 
value,  Grosseteste's  masterpiece  appears  to  have  been  endowed  with  the 
genuine  "Oxford  Manner,"  and,  in  the  public  lectures  which  it  delivered 
on  Saturdays,  to  have   "corrected  errors,  and  to  have  readily  solved  all 
the  great  problems  of  humanity  "  ;  as  Bardney  puts  it, 

"  Tempore  Saturni  loquitur  Saturnia  proles; 
Corrigit  errores,  consulit  in  dubiis." 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1400  A.D.  9 

customary  suits  of  stiff  and  knotted  horsehair,  preaches 
the  Crusade  to  a  congregation  of  well-dressed  Oxonians 
in  All  Saints'  Churchyard.  The  Devil  sends  "  weather 
dark  and  grisly  "  to  break  up  this  open-air  service  ;— 

"Grisliker"  weather  than  it  was,  might  not  on  earth 

be; 
And    folks,  for    dread    of   their   clothes,   fast    go   to 

flee; 

the  Confessor,  himself  unmoved,  prays  Heaven  for 
protection  against  the  coming  tempest ;  and  with  such 
success,  that,  whereas  on  the  north  side  of  the  High 
Street  where  he  stands,  "not  a  drop  of  rain  falls  to 
disturb  a  man's  mood,"  on  the  south  side  the  storm 
bursts  like  a  great  flood,  overwhelming  those  who,  in 
fear  for  their  raiment,  have  deserted  the  preacher: — 
Faith  and  Austerity  keep  dry  and  clean ;  Vanity  and 
Faithlessness  are  "  well  washed  and  wet  to  the  skin." 3 
And  then  there  are  the  two  portraits  which  Richard 
de  Bury  has  left  us  in  the  Philobiblon  (1345  A.D.);  the 
one  of  himself  as  a  refined  bibliomaniac,  the  other, 
in  contrast  therewith,  of  one  of  those  young  Oxford 
Philistines  to  whom  he  was  about  to  hand  over  the 
delicate  treasures  of  his  library.  "You  may  see,"  he 
writes  of  the  latter,  "some  headstrong  youth  lazily 
lounging  over  his  book.  His  nails  are  black  as  jet, 
and  with  them  he  marks  any  passage  that  pleases 
him.  He  inserts  a  multitude  of  straws  in  different 
places,  so  that  the  halm  may  remind  him  of  what  his 
memory  cannot  retain ;  .  .  .  and  when  spring-time 

This  art  of  shaping  the  most  rough  and  lifeless  material  into  Mercuries, 
and  of  inspiring  them  with  vitality  and  wit,  had  been  brought  to 
perfection  by  Chaucer's  time  in  the  Oxford  Schools ;  see  Chaucer's 
House  of  Fame,  iii.  175;  and  the  story  of  the  Oxford  "Head"  which 
prophesied  the  dethronement  and  death  of  Richard  n,  in  Anthony  Wood's 
Annals  under  the  year  1388,  and  Knighton's  Chron.  Angliae,  v. 

1  Metrical  Life  of  St.  Edmund  the  Confessor  >  edited  from  Laud  MS. 
108  (1295-1305  A.D.)  by  Carl  Horstmann  for  the  Early  South  English 
Legendary  (Early  English  Text  Society). 


io     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

comes,  the  volume  will  be  stuffed  to  its  great  injury 
with  primroses,  violets,  and  quatrefoil.  He  does  not 
fear  to  eat  fruit  and  cheese  over  the  open  pages,  or 
carelessly  to  carry  a  cup  to  and  from  his  mouth ;  and 
because  he  has  no  wallet  at  hand,  he  drops  into  books 
the  fragments  that  are  left.  Continually  chattering, 
he  is  never  weary  of  disputing  with  his  companions, 
and  while  he  alleges  a  crowd  of  senseless  arguments, 
he  wets  the  book,  lying  half  open  in  his  lap,  with 
sputtering  showers.  Aye,  and  then  hastily  folding 
his  arms,  he  leans  forward  upon  it,  and  by  a  brief 
spell  of  study,  provokes  a  prolonged  nap ;  and  then 
by  way  of  mending  the  wrinkles,  he  folds  back  the 
leaves  to  their  no  small  hurt.  Whenever  he  finds  an 
extra  margin  about  the  text,  he  will  write  thereon  any 
frivolity  that  strikes  his  fancy,  or  will  cut  it  away  to 
use  as  material  for  letters ;  and  he  is  shameless  enough 
to  employ  the  leaves  from  the  ends,  inserted  for  the 
protection  of  the  book,  for  various  uses  and  abuses," 
etc.  When,  however,  Chaucer's  studies  of  the  Oxford 
Clerk  are  examined,  it  is  seen  that  his  art  is  more 
subtle  than  that  of  his  brother-writers.  He  does  not 
secure  his  effect  by  thus  forcing  extremes  to  meet; 
nor  is  there  anything  of  the  caricature  about  his 
portraits  of  "joly  Jankin,"  "hende  Nicholas,"  and 
"the  Clerk  of  Oxenford."  Their  circumstances  are 
comfortable.  They  all  own  books  in  days  when 
books  were  rare  and  of  great  price.  Nicholas  has  also 
a  set  of  astronomical  instruments ;  and  rents  a  private 
chamber,  when  poorer  men  were  content  to  live,  three 
or  four  together,  in  one  room.  The  Clerk  is  the  proud 
possessor  of  a  horse,  although  a  lean  one,  and  rides  to 
Canterbury  instead  of  making  pilgrimage  on  foot. 
Nor  are  they  remarkable  for  great  virtue  or  great 
vice.  Their  position,  indeed,  in  mediaeval  Oxford,  as 
far  as  regards  morals,  must  have  corresponded  closely 
to  that  occupied,  in  comparatively  recent  days,  at 
Worcester  College  by  "  the  Smilers,"  men  of  moderate 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1400  A.D.  n 

tastes  and  habits,  who  were  placed  in  hall  at  a  table 
between  that  of  "  the  Saints  "  or  serious  men,  and  the 
table  of  the  fast  and  festive  set  known  as  "  the  Sinners." 
Jankin  is  perhaps  a  prig;  but  the  Clerk  and  Nicholas 
represent  respectively  life  grave  and  life  gay,  as  lived 
by  average  undergraduates  in  a  mediaeval  University, 
before  Colleges  were  numerous,  and  "shades  of  the 
prison-house  had  closed  upon  the  growing  boy."  In 
The  Prologue,  and  the  Tale  of  Beryn,  an  attempt  made 
by  an  anonymous  author,  in  the  early  part  of  the 
fifteenth  century,  to  continue  the  Canterbury  Tales>  the 
"  Clerk  of  Oxenforth "  takes  the  broad  view  that  "  in 
order  to  guard  against  error,  it  is  commendable  to  have 
a  very  knowledge  of  things  reprovable  "  ;  and  Chaucer's 
Nicholas  carries  on  an  intrigue  with  his  landlord's 
wife,  which  is  accompanied  by  many  humorous 
but  coarse  incidents.  In  short,  their  behaviour 
testifies  to  the  accuracy  of  Dr.  Jowett's  conjecture, 
"that  the  people  of  the  Middle  Ages  were  probably 
very  like  ourselves,  only  dirtier  in  their  habits."  x 

1  Life  of  Dr.  Benjamin  Jowett,  by  Dr.  Evelyn  Abbott  and  Dr.  Lewis 
Campbell,  ii.  147.  Comp.  also  an  early  sketch  of  English  scholars  at 
the  University  of  Paris,  drawn  by  "Dan  Burnel,  the  Asse"  in  Nigel's 
Speculum  Stultorum,  A.D.  1180. 

"Inde  scholas  adiens,  secum  deliberat  utrum 

Expediant  potius  ista  vel  ista  sibi. 
Et  quia  subtiles  sensu  considerat  Anglos, 

Pluribus  ex  causis  se  sociavit  eis. 
Moribus  egregii,  verbo  vultuque  venusti, 

Ingenio  pollent,  consilioque  vigent. 
Dona  pluunt  populis,  et  detestantur  avaris ; 

Fercula  multiplicand  et  sine  lege  bibunt : 
'Wessayl'  et  'drinkhayl,'  necnon  persona  secunda, 

Haec  tria  sunt  vitia  quae  comitantur  eos. 
His  tribus  exceptis,  nihil  est  quod  in  his  reprehendas ; 

Haec  tria  si  tollas,  coetera  cuncta  placent." 

Anglo-Latin  Satirical  Poets  (Rolls  Series) 

"Then  sage  Burnel  considered  well,  with  due  deliberation, 

What  faculty  his  choice  should  be,  what  sect  or  class  or  nation ; 
But  chiefly  then  the  Englishmen  were  praised  for  wit  and  cunning, 
For  pregnant  parts  and  generous  hearts,  all  mean  behaviour  shunning. 


12     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

These  average  men  Chaucer  then  proceeded  to 
invest  with  certain  qualities  and  peculiarities,  of  which, 
while  some  were  specially  typical  of  the  Oxford  of 
his  day,  others  were  already,  and  still  are,  characteristic 
of  members  of  that  University.  For  the  pilgrimage 
to  Canterbury  at  the  close  of  the  fourteenth  century 
was  not  the  first  occasion  on  which  "the  Clerk  of 
Oxenford"  had  represented  Oxford  among  various 
estates  of  men.  As  early  as  the  year  1197,  when  the 
Schools  had  but  lately  risen  to  the  dignity  of  a 
Studium  Generale,  his  quiet  demeanour,  fastidiousness 
on  the  score  of  language,  and  zeal  to  receive  and 
impart  instruction,  had  already  attracted  the  notice  of 
strangers,  and  made  the  city  remarkable  as  one 
"  wherein  abounded  men  of  discretion,  skilled  in  mystic 
eloquence,  weighing  the  words  of  the  law,  bringing 
forth  from  their  treasures,  to  him  that  asketh,  things 
both  new  and  old."1  He  figured  again  at  the  recep- 
tion of  Boniface  of  Savoy  in  1252,  when  Oxonians, 
"by  their  courtesy,  dignity  of  bearing,  style  of  dress, 
and  gravity  of  manners,"  so  impressed  the  Provencal 
clerks  who  accompanied  the  Archbishop,  that  they 
were  fain  to  recognise  Oxford  as  a  worthy  rival  of 
Paris.2  Rendered  immortal  by  Chaucer,  he  has  lived 
on  unchanged,  with  the  same  striking  peculiarities  now 

Much  he  approved  the  rule  they  loved,  whose  prudent  care  had  striven 

To  cheer  with  wine  the  discipline  that  drier  souls  had  given. 

Three   sins   alone    these    gallants    own,    though    these    are    black   and 

heinous ; 

They  seek  relief  in  good  roast  beef,  from  Scotus  and  Aquinas ; 
With    merry   souls   they   drain    their  bowls ;   and   then,    when   each    is 

mellow, 

With  lighter  head  each  seeks  his  bed  to  play  with  his  bedfellow. 
And  pity  'tis  they  sin  in  these,  for  sages  wise  declare  to  us, 
From  sins  but  three  had    they  been  free,   their  lives  had   been  more 

virtuous." 

THOMAS  WRIGHT,  England  in  the  Middle  Ages 

1  Letter  of  Senatus,  Prior  of  Worcester,  to  the  Prior  of  Osney,  quoted 
in  Universities  of  Europe  in  the  Middle  Ages,  II.  ii.   348,  by  Hastings 
Rashdall. 

2  Matt.  Paris,  Chronica  Majora,  v.  353  (Rolls  Series). 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1400  A.D.  13 

fairly  represented,  now  exaggerated  in  caricature,  by 
writers  of  successive  ages.  Changes  in  the  conditions 
of  life  at  Oxford,  such  as  the  gradual  contraction  of 
the  University  from  a  cosmopolitan  to  an  insular,  and 
from  a  democratic  to  an  aristocratic  society,  and  the 
decay  of  the  "unattached,"  and  the  growth  of  the 
collegiate,  system  of  residence,  have  brought  about 
the  extinction  of  many  old,  and  the  formation  of  many 
new,  varieties  of  men ;  but  in  the  specific  character  of 
this  general  ancestor  of  both  old  and  new,  they  have 
effected  no  material  modification.  Five  centuries  have 
not  weakened  the  pulse  of  life  in  the  "Clerk  of 
Oxenford."  Unsuperseded  as  yet  by  any  of  the 
divergent  modern  varieties,  differing  from  him,  though 
they  do,  so  widely  in  bodily  and  cerebral  development, 
this  aboriginal  stock  still  predominates  in  the  Oxford 
of  to-day,  over  athletes  by  flood  and  field;  over 
politicians;  and  men  of  fashion: — the  rock  pigeon 
among  tumblers,  carriers,  and  runts,  those  birds  of 
great  size  and  massive  feet;  trumpeters;  jacobins  and 
fantails. 

At  the  same  time,  the  Clerk  and  his  companions 
distinctly  belong  to  fourteenth-century  Oxford. 

When  Chaucer  was  composing  the  Tales  (1386-1400), 
Wycliffe,  the  last  of  the  great  Schoolmen,  was  but 
lately  dead,  and  the  fame  of  the  University  still  stood 
very  high.  In  her,  indeed,  the  intellectual  life  of 
England  was  focused.  While  the  Schools  of 
Cambridge  had  yet  to  make  themselves  a  name,  and 
while  with  the  "  arundiferous  Cam  "  there  was  associated 
as  yet  in  the  minds  of  men  a  reputation  for  eels  rather 
than  for  education,1  the  country,  for  two  centuries 
past,  had  looked  to  "  the  hallowed  bank  of  Isis'  goodly 
flood"2  for  a  never-failing  supply  of  persons  well- 
qualified  to  serve  both  in  Church  and  State,  "  to  resist 
heretics  by  their  sapience,  and  to  comfort  and  counsel 

1  J.  Thorold  Rogers,  Six  Centuries  of  Work  and  Wages,  p.  105. 

2  Drayton,  Polyolbion^  nth  Song,  399. 


14     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

the  king  by  their  teaching  and  witty  discipline." 1  So 
long  and  so  complete  had  been  this  dependence,  that 
historians,  unable  to  account  satisfactorily  for  the 
steady  march  of  civilization  in  the  past,  except  by 
ascribing  the  initiation  and  direction  of  such  progress 
to  Oxford,  drew  the  natural  conclusion  that  the  founda- 
tion of  the  University  must  have  followed  very  closely 
upon  the  discovery  of  the  British  Isles.  Vague  guesses, 
with  which,  in  the  absence  of  reliable  evidence,  modern 
writers  must  perforce  be  content,  such  as  "that  the 
history  of  Oxford  began  in  the  year  912,  when,  accord- 
ing to  the  Saxon  Chronicle^  Eadward  the  Elder  took 
possession  of  the  place,"  "  that  the  name  was  acquired 
by  the  classic  ford,  because  at  that  spot  oxen  very 
frequently  passed  over  the  river,"  and  "that  the 
University  probably  owed  its  origin  to  a  migration  of 
Masters  and  Scholars  from  France  in  or  about  the 
year  1167,"  would  not  only  have  failed  to  satisfy  the 
scientific  curiosity  of  their  mediaeval  predecessors,  but 
would  have  seemed  to  them  wholly  unworthy  of  a 
City  "which  was  A.  per  se,"  and  of  a  University,  to 
which,  as  Richard  de  Bury  writes,  "the  Palladium 
had  been  recently  transferred  from  Paris."  Barriers 
in  the  path  of  .sober  research  but  provided  them  with 
an  excuse  to  soar  into  the  region  of  imagination  and 
conjecture,  and  to  seek  there  more  worthy  genealogies. 
Thence  they  fetched  that  simple  and  poetic  etymology, 
which  finds  in  the  place-name  Oxford  the  words  of 
encouragement  addressed  either  by  Europa  to  her 
bovine  abductor,  or  by  the  virgin  Frideswyde  to  her 
milk-white  steed.2  Thence  came  the  myths  of  the 

1  Chronicle  of  John  Hardy  ng,  chap.  no. 

2  In  Oxoniensis  Academia  (John  Pointer,  1749),  in  a  description  of  the 
Conduit  which  was  set  up  at  Carfax  by  Otho  Nicholson  in  1610  (removed 
to  Nuneham  Park  1787),  appears  the  following  explanation  of  the  open 
work  thereon,  consisting  of  the  capital  letters  O,  N.   (i.e.  the  initials  of 
the  founder's  names),  and  of  the  figure  of  a  lady  riding  on  an  ox  over  a 
ford  (said  to  be  the  figure  of  Queen  Maud,  sister  to  the  Emperor) : — 
"  Under  all,  just  over  the  cistern,  is  the  brazen  figure  of  Europa  daughter 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1400  A.D.  15 

foundation  of  the  city,  at  the  very  dawn  of  civilization, 
by  Mempricius,  the  contemporary  of  Homer  and  the 
prophet  Samuel,  and  of  the  University  by  philosophers 
who  accompanied  the  Trojan  Brutus  to  Albion. 
Thence  came  those  tales  which  formed  the  creed  of 
all  loyal  Oxonians  through  the  Middle  Ages;  but 
which,  within  the  last  thirty  years,  modern  historians, 
"  slitting  the  thin-spun  lives  "  of  the  kings  and  heroes, 
scholars,  saints,  and  virgins,  which  were  worked  into 
it,  have  finally  condemned  "as  an  elaborate  web  of 
fiction  woven  at  the  close  of  the  fourteenth  century." l 

But  it  was  to  excellence  in  the  arts  of  war,  no  less 
than  to  excellence  in  those  of  peace,  that  Oxford  owed 
her  pre-eminence.  In  the  "  Historiola,"  inscribed  about 
the  year  1375  in  the  Chancellor's  book,  she  boasts  her- 
self to  be  "  not  only  first  in  point  of  foundation  of  all 
the  Studia  then  existing  among  the  Latins,  the  most 
general  in  the  number  of  sciences  taught,  and  the  most 
firm  in  the  profession  of  Catholic  Truth,  but  also  the 
most  distinguished  for  the  number  of  her  privileges  "  ; 2 
and  these  privileges  are  the  trophies  of  victories  lately 
won  over  many  and  various  foes,  of  Exercises  by  the 
performance  of  which  her  children  have  qualified  them- 
selves to  rank  as  Graduates  in  the  science  of  attack  and 
defence,  to  be  hailed  Masters  of  Arms  as  well  as  of  Arts. 

of  Agenor,  King  of  Phoenicia,  with  whom  Zeus  being  in  love,  transformed 
himself  into  a  bull,  and  carried  her  away  into  this  part  of  the  world.  She 
is  represented  riding  upon  an  ox,  and  crying  '  ON,  ON  ! '  Hence  the 
town,  according  to  tradition,  was  called  '  Ox,  on  !-ford."' 

Anthony  Wood,  in  his  City  of  Oxford  (Oxford  Histor.  Society) 
vol.  n.  132,  writes:  "  Before  we  go  any  further,  we  must  insert  an  old 
tradition  that  goeth  from  father  to  son  of  our  inhabitants.  When 
Frideswyde  had  been  so  long  absent  from  hence,  she  came  from  Binsey, 
triumphing  with  her  virginity,  into  the  City,  mounted  on  a  milk-white  ox 
betokening  innocency  ;  and  as  she  rode  along  the  streets,  she  would  forsooth 
be  still  speaking  to  her  ox,  '  Ox,  forth  ! '  '  Ox,  forth  ! ' ;  or,  as  'tis  related, 
*  Bos,  Perge  ! '  that  is,  '  Ox,  go  on  ! '  or  '  Ox,  go  on  forth  ! '  And  hence 
they  say  that  our  City  was  thereafter  called  '  Ox-forth  ! '  or  *  Oxford.' " 

1  Hastings   Rashdall,   Universities  of  Europe  in  the  Middle  Ages,  II. 

".  323- 

2  Early  History  of  Oxford  (Oxford  Hist.  Soc.),  p.  10, 


1  6     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

The  story  of  the  University's  triumphs  over  Friars,  Arch- 
deacons of  Oxford,  and  Bishops  of  Lincoln  ;  over  rival 
Schools  at  Stamford  ;  over  Jews  ;  and,  above  all,  over 
the  Mayor  and  Commonalty  of  Oxford,  belongs  to 
the  department  of  History  :  and  has  not  the  glorious 
record  of  them  been  written  in  the  books  of  the 
chronicles  of  Anthony  Wood  !  Here  it  will  be  sufficient 
to  note  that  "  the  bands  of  half-starved  students  who 
towards  the  end  of  the  twelfth  century  began  to  pour 
into  the  town/'  "  the  groups  of  shivering  scholars  huddled 
round  a  teacher  as  poor  as  themselves  in  porch  and 
doorway,"  have  now,  after  a  strenuous  youth,  grown  into 
a  corporation  which  has  made  itself  supreme  within  the 
walls  of  the  city,  and  practically  independent  of  con- 
trol from  without. 

Such  is  Chaucer's  Oxford  ;  — 

TravTonopos,  airopos  err'  ovdev  c 


and  in  the  resourcefulness  of  their  art,  Chaucer's 
Oxonians  are  no  unworthy  sons  of  a  subtle  mother. 
The  poet  puts  Nicholas,  Jankin,  and  u  the  Clerk,"  each 
of  them  in  turn,  to  the  trial,  and,  thanks  to  his  liberal 
education,  no  one  of  them  is  found  wanting; 

crofybv  TL  TO  p.r)xavo€v  re^j/aff  inrfp  e\7riS' 
Trore  p.ev   KOKOI/,  aXXor'  eTr'  ecr$A6j>  e 


And,  first,  "hende  Nicholas."  "Opportunity  is  the 
Bay  or  Port  of  Fancy,"  writes  Richard  Brathwaite  in  his 
Comment  on  the  Miller's  Tale  :  l  "  Many  storms  and 
billows  did  this  amorous  student  suffer  ;  many  rubs  and 
oppositions  did  he  encounter  ;  before  he  was  wafted  to 
the  long-expected  harbour  .  .  .  To  be  short,  as  Fancy 
cannot  endure  to  be  long,  on  a  day  when  the  Carpenter 
is  gone  to  Oseney,  our  youthful  Boorder  boords  his 
amorous  Hostess,  and  that  so  familiarly  as  it  requires  a 
curtain  for  the  love  of  modesty.  Passionate  are  his 

1  A  Comment  upon  two  Tales  of  our  Ancient  Poet,  Sir  Jeffray  Chaucer  ; 
by  R.  B.  (1665),  edited  for  the  Chaucer  Society  by  C,  F   E.  Spurgeon. 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1400  A.D.  17 

Enter-breaths,  intimate  his  Love,  desperate  his  Life,  if 
he  may  not  enjoy  that,  without  which  he  desires  not 
any  longer  to  live.  But  Alison  seems  relentless. 
Nothing  daunted,  however,  by  this  repulse,  Nicholas 
takes  quite  another  course,  and  hopes  to  obtain  by  an 
easy  parley  what  he  cannot  win  by  a  violent  assault. 
Nor  is  he  frustrate  of  his  hopes.  Alison  yields  to  his 
entreaties,  and  swears  to  be  at  his  commandment,  pro- 
vided that  opportunity  prevent  all  occasion  of  her 
husband's  jealousy.  Her  consent  quickens  Nicholas' 
conceit.  Playing  the  part  of  a  profound  astronomer,  he 
persuades  the  *  sely  jalous '  Carpenter,  that  it  has  been 
revealed  to  him  in  a  trance,  how  all  the  world  shall  be 
overwhelmed  by  a  deluge ;  and  suggests,  as  a  way  of 
escape  from  the  imminent  danger,  that  they  three 
should  take  refuge  in  three  kneading-tubs,  with  hatchets 
to  cut  them  down  from  the  roof  where  they  are  to  be 
tied,  when  the  Flood  has  once  entered.  Accordingly,  at 
the  appointed  time,  Nicholas,  Alison,  and  the  Carpenter, 
climb  into  the  troughs ;  and  when  the  last-named  has 
at  length  gone  to  sleep,  the  other  two  descend,  and 
take  amorous  solace  together  below.  Nicholas  has  a 
fine  world  on't.  His  Host  is  encaged ;  his  Hostess  in 
his  arms  embraced ;  and  his  rival  Absolon,  the  amorous 
parish-clerk  who  serenades  Alison,  is  dismissed  with 
ignominy.  Nor  does  his  wit  desert  him  in  the  hour  of 
retribution.  When,  instead  of  harrowing  the  feelings  of 
others,  he  himself  is  scarified ;  when  the  Carpenter, 
hearing  his  cries  of  pain,  and  thinking  the  deluge  is 
come,  cuts  the  ropes  by  which  his  tub  is  tied,  and  crashes 
to  the  ground;  and  the  neighbours,  great  and  small, 
rush  in  at  the  uproar;  the  Scholar  is  not  discon- 
certed, but  is  ready  with  an  explanation  of  the  equivocal 
position.  With  more  than  frontless  impudence,  he 
avouches  that  it  was  the  Carpenter's  own  distempered 
conceit  which  brought  him  to  his  misfortune  ;  for,  stand- 
ing in  awe  of  a  second  Noah's  flood  which  out  of  his 
own  brain-sick  phantasy  he  had  long  imagined,  he  had 


1 8     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

caused  tubs  to  be  hanged  in  the  roof,  and  had  prayed 
the  Clerk  and  Alison  to  sit  there  with  him  for  company. 
This  the  two  had  been  forced  to  condescend  to,  neither 
being  willing  to  incur  his  displeasure,  nor  cross  the  fury 
of  his  temper.  So  merry  a  relation  changeth  the  com- 
mon people's  admiration  into  laughter.  When  the 
Carpenter  vows  and  swears,  they  will  not  listen,  but  jeer 
him  as  a  madman ;  and  by  their  light  credulity  they 
vindicate  the  wantons  from  dishonour." 

Nicholas'  triumph  was  no  great  one;  indeed,  he  him- 
self admits, 

A  Clerk  had  litherly  biset  his  while, 
But  if  he  could  a  Carpenter  beguile ; 

and  it  is  pleasant  to  turn  from  this  exhibition  of  a  de- 
plorable cunning  in  matters  of  secret  and  illicit  love,  to 
observe  elsewhere  the  equally  skilful  handling  by 
another  Oxonian  of  difficulties  which  too  often  attend 
the  honourable  estate  of  matrimony.  "  Joly  Jankin  " 
was  the  fifth  husband  of  the  Wife  of  Bath  ;— 

My  fifth  housbonde,  God  his  soul  blesse, 
Which  that  I  took  for  love,  and  no  richesse, 
He  som-tyme  was  a  Clerk  of  Oxenford, 
And  had  left  scole,  and  went  at  hoom  to  bord. 

During  the  lifetime  of  her  fourth  husband,  the  Wife, 
"  bewitched  "  by  the  appearance  and  conversation  of  the 
Scholar,  volunteered  that,  "  should  she  ever  be  a  widow, 
he  should  wed  her " ;  and  accordingly,  within  a  month 
of  her  husband's  funeral,  the  marriage  was  solemnized. 
As  the  Wife  allows, 

He  was,  I  trowe,  a  twenty  winters  old, 
And  I  was  fourty,  if  I  shall  seye  sooth; 

and  this  disparity  of  age,  coupled  with  incompatibility 
of  temper,  soon  threatened  to  wreck  the  happiness  of 
the  wedded  pair.  Jankin  attempted  to  check  his  wife's 
inveterate  habit  of  gossiping  from  house  to  house;  but 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1400  A.D.  19 

she,  "  by  nature  a  verray  jangleresse,"  persisted  in  doing 
as  she  had  done  before.     No  sooner  did  he  attempt  to 
restrain  her  of  her  range,  than  she  would  have  had  him 
re-convey  to  her  the  lands  and  goods  she  had  bestowed 
upon   him  at  marriage.     Her  request  met  with  a  firm 
refusal ; — as  Brathwaite  puts  it, "  though  a  meer  Scholar, 
he  was  no  such  Gooselin."     He  plied  her  with  lectures 
out  of  old   Roman  stories,  and  confirmed   them   with 
Holy  Writ ;  but  she  valued  these  goodly  precepts  and 
proverbs   "not  worth  the  bloom  of  a   hawthorn."     He 
read  aloud,  whenever  he  had  leisure,  "  a  book  of  wikked 
wives,"  wherein  were  recorded  the  history  and  fate  of 
Eve,  Delilah,  Clytemnestra,  Xantippe,  and  other  women 
famous   or  infamous.     The   Wife's   patience   was   soon 
exhausted.     One  night,  as  he  read,  she  suddenly  tore 
three  pages  from  the  book,  and  struck  him  a  blow  on 
the  cheek,   so   that    he    fell    backward    into   the   fire. 
Springing  up  "like  a  mad  lion,"  he   felled  her  to  the 
ground.     The  crisis  had   come.     The   breach   between 
husband  and  wife  seemed  irreparable.     And  yet,  though 
Courts  of  Love,  those  tribunals  of  high  authority  which 
interpreted  the  regular  code  of  amorous  jurisprudence 
existing   in   this   romantic   age,  had   ruled,  that,   even 
under  ordinary  circumstances,  "  true  love  could  not  exist 
between  married  persons," l  the  tact  of  Jankin,  in  the 
present  peculiarly  hopeless  case,  was  such,  that  a  recon- 
ciliation was  effected,  and  the  reunited  pair  lived  ever  after 
in  affection  and  kindliness,  one  towards  the  other.     The 
Wife,  it  is  true,  in  the  concluding  lines  of  her  Prologue, 
attributes  this  happy  consummation  to  the  fact   that 
her  husband  consented  to  burn  the  objectionable  book, 
and  "  to  give  her  the  bridle  in  her  hand  "  to  have  the 
governance   of  his   house,  land,   and  tongue:  but  the 

1  Eleanor  of  Provence  presiding  over  a  Court  of  Love,  composed  of  the 
highest  married  ladies  in  Europe,  examined  and  affirmed  a  judgment  of 
Ermengarde,  Countess  of  Narbonne,  in  the  momentous  words  :  "  Dicimus 
et  stabilito  tenore  firmamus,  amorem  non  posse  inter  duos  jugales  suas 
extendere  vires." 


20     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

actual  principle,  by  the  adoption  of  which  Jankin  re- 
tained his  wife's  wayward  affections  so  successfully, 
that,  in  the  lengthy  retrospect  which  she  took  of  her  life, 
he  figured  as  the  best  beloved  of  her  five  husbands, 
appears  in  an  earlier  passage,  and  testifies  to  the  pro- 
found knowledge  of  the  "  gaie  science "  possessed  by 
this  youthful  Oxonian.  Says  the  Wife, 

Now  of  my  fifthe  housbond  wol  I  telle ; 
God  lete  his  soule  never  come  in  helle  ! 
And  yet  was  he  to  me  the  moste  shrewe; 
That  fele  I  on  my  ribbes  al  by  rewe, 
And  ever  shal  unto  myn  ending  day — 

And  then  she  proceeds  to  give  a  reason  why  she  is 
so  charitable  in  her  blessings  towards  him,  who  was  so 
shrewd  in  his  blows  towards  her.  "  True  it  is  he  gave 
me  store  of  rib-roast,  imagining  belike  I  was  of  the 
nature  of  the  wall-nut  tree  that  must  be  cudgelled 
before  it  be  fruitful :  but  though  he  gave  me  correction, 
he  had  another  winning  way  to  gain  my  affection : — 

For  thogh  he  hadde  me  bet  on  every  boon, 
He  coude  winne  agayn  my  love  anoon. 
I  trowe  I  loved  him  beste,  for  that  he 
Was  of  his  love  daungerous  to  me. 
We  wommen  han,  if  that  I  shal  nat  lye, 
In  this  matere  a  queynte  fantasye; 
Wayte  what  thing  we  may  nat  lightly  have, 
Ther-after  wol  we  crye  al-day  and  crave. 
Forbede  us  thing,  and  that  desyren  we; 
Frees  on  us  faste,  and  than  wol  we  flee." 

Excellent  in  wisdom,  Jankin  had  realized  that  the  way 
to  win  women  is  seemingly  to  wean  the  affections 
from  them.  Proffered  ware,  be  it  ever  so  precious,  is 
disvalued  by  them ;  far-fetched  and  dear-bought  is 
good.  He  was  therefore  sparing  and  nice  in  his  love. 
He  caused  his  wife  now  and  then  to  bite  o'  th'  bridle 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1400  A.D.  21 

and  to  fast,  that  her  stomach  might  become  stronger  for 
the  next  feast : — 

Follow  women — they  will  fly  you : 
Fly  but  women — they'll  draw  nigh  you : 
If  you  would  a  woman  prove, 
Seem  to  love  not,  when  you  love. 

And,  last,  "the  Clerk  of  Oxenford."  It  was  the 
season  of  the  year,  just  entering  into  May,  when 
Chaucer's  daisies  spring.  "  Small  fowls  "  were  singing, 

The  thrustelis  and  the  thrusshis  in  the  glad  morning, 
The  ruddok  and  the  goldfinch : — 

Tubal  himself,  the  first  musician,  with  key  of  harmony, 
could  not  unlock  so  sweet  a  tune.  In  the  brooks,  trout 
were  beginning  to  leap;  and  the  salmon  had  left  the 
sea,  to  take  his  pastime  in  fresh  waters.  Turtles  sat 
billing  among  the  little  green  boughs,  and  bees  began 
to  go  abroad  for  honey.  In  the  fresh  grass  "pry- 
merosis  "  and  many  another  flower  were  newly  blowing, 
to  comfort  the  eye,  and  to  make  glad  the  heart  of  Man. 
Nature,  indeed,  was  mindful  of  all  her  children,  many 
though  they  were :  and  now,  at  her  call,  this  greatest  of 
her  great  wonders,  the  Oxford  Clerk,  bidding  farewell 
to  his  books  for  a  season,  plunged  forthwith  into  the 
unwonted  dissipation  of  a  pilgrimage  to  Canterbury.1 
He  found  hknself  among  "new  men,  strange  faces, 
other  minds."  He  was  rallied  by  the  genial  host  of  the 

1  Cf.  Chaucer,  Legend  of  Good  Women,  Prologue  : — 

"And,  as  for  me,  though  that  my  wit  be  lyte, 
On  bokes  for  to  rede  I  me  delyte, 
And  in  myn  herte  have  hem  in  reverence, 
And  to  hem  yeve  swich  lust  and  swich  credence, 
That  there  is  wel  unethe  game  noon, 
That  from  my  bokes  make  me  to  goon : 
But  hit  be  other  upon  a  haly-day, 
Or  elles  in  the  joly  time  of  May ; 
When  that  I  here  the  smale  foules  singe, 
And  that  the  floures  ginne  for  to  springe, 
Far  wel  my  studie,  as  lasting  that  sesoun  ! " 


22     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Tabard  Inn  for  his  silence  and  "  shamfastnesse,"  and 
when  the  time  came  for  him  to  tell  a  tale,  he  was  en- 
treated not  to  speak  above  the  heads  of  his  audience : — 

"  Sir  clerk  of  Oxenford,"  our  hoste  sayde, 
"Ye  ryde  as  coy  and  stille  as  dooth  a  mayde, 
Were  newe  spoused,  sitting  at  the  bord;1 
This  day  ne  herde  I  of  your  tonge  a  word. 
I  trowe  ye  studie  aboute  som  sophyrne, 
But  Salomon  seith,  'every  thing  hath  tyme.' 
For  goddes  sake,  as  beth  of  bettre  chere, 
It  is  no  tyme  for  to  studien  here. 
Telle  us  som  mery  tale,  by  your  fey; 
For  what  man  that  is  entred  in  a  pley, 
He  needes  moot  unto  the  pley  assente. 
But  precheth  nat,  as  freres  doon  in  Lente, 
To  make  us  for  our  olde  sinnes  wepe, 
Ne  that  thy  tale  make  us  nat  to  slepe. 

Telle  us  som  mery  thing  of  aventures ; — 
Your  termes,  your  colours,  and  your  figures, 
Kepe  hem  in  stoor,  til  so  be  ye  endyte 
Heigh  style,  as  when  that  men  to  kinges  wryte. 
Speketh  so  pleyn  at  this  tyme,  I  yow  preye, 
That  we  may  understonde  what  ye  seye." 

Such  fears  were  groundless.  The  Clerk  acquitted 
himself  with  complete  success.  He  told  the  story  of 
Grisildis,  which  he  had  learned  at  Padua  from 
Petrarch;  but  while,  with  the  superior  taste  of  an 
Oxonian,  he  omitted  the  Italian's  long  and  "im- 
pertinent proheme,"  he  added  to  the  tale  an  "envoy" 
all  his  own,  wherein,  with  that  didactic  tone  which  has 

1  The  Clerk's  deportment  was  strictly  correct.  Chaucer  had  probably 
in  his  mind  here,  the  following  passage  from  a  Commentary  upon 
Boethius'  Disciplina  Scholastic^  written  by  William  of  Wheatley,  who 
flourished  at  Oxford  about  1300  A.D.  (MS.  Exeter  College) :— "  The 
scholar  who  has  assumed,  or  is  about  to  assume,  a  name  of  so  great 
reverence  as  that  of  Master  of  Arts,  ought  to  be  so  chaste  and  modest  in 
word,  look,  and  action,  that  he  may  resemble  a  virgin  newly-espoused" 
("  gestu  perinde  ac  verbis  virginem  viro  recens  enuptam  referens"). 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1400  A.D.  23 

ever  been  the  keynote  of  the  Oxford  Manner,  he 
pronounced  the  age  of  masterful  Walters  and  patient 
Grisilds  to  be  passed  away,  and  that  of  Men  and  Super- 
men to  be  at  hand ;  and  "  in  words  of  high  sentence " 
prepared  all  wedded  men  for  the  temper,  the  manners, 
and  the  policy  of  the  New  Woman,  or  "  Archewyfe,"  of 
the  day.  And  the  story  won  greater  praise  than  did 
any  other  of  the  series  : — 

This  worthy  Clerk,  whan  ended  was  his  tale, 

Our  hoste  seyde,  and  swoor  by  goddes  bones, 

"  Me  were  lever  than  a  barel  ale 

My  wyf  at  hoom  had  herd  this  legende  ones; 

This  is  a  gentil  tale  for  the  nones ; 

As  to  my  purpos,  wiste  ye  my  wille; 

But  thing  that  wol  nat  be,  lat  it  be  stille."1 

In  the  Prologue^  and  the  Tale  of  Beryn,  the  Clerk's 
triumph  is  complete.  There  it  is  told  how  his  philo- 
sophical and  logical  training  enabled  him  to  act  readily 
and  correctly  in  a  difficulty  which  threatened  to  break 
up  the  good  fellowship  of  the  Canterbury  Pilgrims. 
The  "  Sompnour "  had  blamed  the  Friar  for  disclosing 
too  intimate  an  acquaintance  with  vicious  habits,  and 
had  vowed  vengeance  on  him  for  telling  a  tale  of  a  false 
"  Sompnour  "  :— 

So  cursed  a  tale  he  told  of  me,  the  devill  of  helle 

him  spede 
And   me,  but   yf  I  pay  him  wele,  and  quyte  wele 

his  mede. 

But  "  the  Clerk  "  interposed  :- 

The  Clerk  that  was  of  Oxenforth  unto   the  Somp- 
nour seyd, 

"  Me  semeth  of  grete  clerge  that  thow  art  a  mayde ; 
For  thou  puttest  on  the  Frere,  in  maner  of  repreff, 

1  Original  but  rejected  end-link  to  the   Clerk's   Tale.     See  Chaucer's 
Complete  Works,  ed.  by  W.  W.  Skeat,  vol.  iv.  424,  vol.  v.  351. 


24     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

That  he  knoweth  falshede,  vice,  and  eke  a  theff, 
And  I  it  hold  vertuouse  and  right  commendabill, 
To  have  a  very  knowlech  of  things  reprovabill, 
For  whoso  may  eschew  it  and  let  it  pas  by; 
Or  els  he  myght  fall  theron  unward  and  sodenly. 
For  thoughe  the  Frere  told  a  tale  of  a  Sompnore, 
Thow  oughtist  for  to  take  it  for  no  dishonore; 
For  of  al  craftis  and  of  eche  degre, 
They  be  nat  al  perfite,  but  som  nyce  be." 

It  was,  indeed,  no  mere  boast  of  Richard  de  Bury 
that  "  Paris  spent  furtive  vigils  in  the  vain  attempt 
to  emulate  the  subtlety  of  Oxford " ;  for  to  "  Mater 
Oxonia,"  as  to  an  Oracle,  all  questions  might  be  sub- 
mitted for  solution,  whether  questions  of  the  Faith,  as 
to  which  Wycliffe  said  "  suche  doutes  we  shulden  sende 
to  the  scole  of  Oxenforde,"  or  such  mundane  "  aenig- 
mata "  as  the  right  and  proper  ways  to  tame  a  Shrew 
or  to  maintain  peace  in  a  company  of  Pilgrims.1  An 
excellent  spirit  and  knowledge  and  understanding  were 
found  in  the  "  Clerk  of  Oxenforth,"  the  shewer  of  hard 
sentences  and  dissolver  of  doubts.  And  the  tribute 
paid  to  his  wisdom  was  all  the  greater,  because  it  was 
rendered  by  the.  Knight;  for  in  those  days  when  a 
poor  but  ambitious  youth  found  but  two  avenues  for 
advancement  open  to  him,  those  of  Arms  and  of 
Learning,  and  when  he  must  have  hazarded  his 
fortunes  on  either  the  "Rouge"  or  the  "  Noir,"  con- 
siderable jealousy  existed  between  the  two  professions. 
"  Cedant  Arma  Togae  ! "  was  an  admission  rarely  to  be 
found  on  a  warrior's  lips :  and  such  a  generous  recogni- 
tion by  a  Soldier  of  the  practical  value  of  a  Scholar's 
education,  as  that  which  was  made  by  the  "verray 
parfit  gentil  knight,"  is  probably  unique : — 

"  Lo !  what  is  worthy,"  seyd  the  knight,  "  for  to  be  a 
Clerk ! 

1  Richard  de  Bury,  Philobiblon,  chap.  ix.  sec.  146  ;  Select  English  Works 
of  Wycliffe,  ed.  by  Thomas  Arnold,  i.  93. 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1400  A.D.  25 

To  sommon  among  us  then  this  mocioune  was  ful 

derke. 

I  comend  his  wittis  and  eke  his  clerge, 
For  of  either  part  he  saveth  honeste." 


APPENDIX  TO  CHAPTER  I 
THE  HYMN  OF  CHAUCER'S  OXFORD  CLERK 


Angelus  ad  Virginem 

subintrans  in  conclave, 
Virginis  formidinem 

demulcens  inquit,  "  Ave  ! 
Ave,  regina  Virginum  ! 
Cell  terraeque  dominum 
Concipies 
et  paries 
intacta, 
Salutem  hominum, 

tu,  porta  celi  facta, 
Medela  criminum." 

"  Quomodo  conciperem 

que  virum  non  cognovi  ? 
Qualiter  infringerem 

quod  firma  mente  novi?" 
"Spiritus  sancti  gratia 
perficiet  haec  omnia. 
Ne  timeas, 
sed  gaudeas 
secura ; 
quod  castimonia 

manebit  in  te  pura 
dei  potentia." 

Ad  hec  Virgo  nobilis 

respondens  inquit  ei, 
"Ancilla  sum  humilis 

omnipotentis  dei ; 
tibi  celesti  nuncio 
tanti  secreti  conscio 
consentiem  ; 
et  cupiens 
videre 

factum  quod  audio, 
parata  sum  parere 
dei  consilio." 


Gabriel  fram  evene  king 

Sent  to  ye  maiden  swete, 
Broute  hire  blisful  tiding, 

And  faire  he  gan  hire  grete ; 

"Heil  be  thu,  ful  of  grace  arith  ! 

for  gode's  sone  this  evene  lith 

so  for  mannes  louen 

wile  man  bicomen, 

and  taken 
fles  of  ye  maiden  brith, 

manken  fre  for  to  maken 
of  senne  and  deules  mith." 

Mildeliche  im  gan  andsweren 

ye  milde  maiden  thanne ; 
"Wiche  wise  sold  ichs  beren 
child  with-huten  manne?" 
Th'  angle  seide,  "ne  dred  te  nout ! 
Thurw  th'  oligast  sal  ben  iwrout 
this  ilche  thing, 
warof  tiding 
ichs  bringe : 
al  manken  weth  ibout 

thur  thi  swete  chiltinge, 
and  hut  of  pine  ibrout." 

Wan  ye  maiden  understud 

And  y'  angle's  wordes  herde, 
Mildeliche  with  milde  mud 

to  y'  angle  shie  andswerde  ; 
"  Hure  lordes  henmaiden,  iwis, 
ics  am,  yat  her  abouen  is ; 
aneftis  me 
fulfurthed  be 
thi  sawe, 

that  ics,  sithen  his  wil  is, 
maiden  with-huten  lawe 
of  moder  hauen  ye  blis." 


26     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Angelus  disparuit ;  Ye  angle  went  awei  mid  than, 

Et  statim  puellaris  al  hut  of  hire  sichte ; 

Uterus  intumuit  And  hire  wombe  arise  gan 

vi  partus  salutaris,  thurw  th'  oligastes  rnithe ; 

quo  circumdatur  utero  In  hire  was  Crist  biloken  anon, 

novem  mensium  numero ;  Suth  god,    suth   man,    ine  fleas 

post  exiit,  and  bon; 

et  iniit  And  of  hire  fleas 

conflictum,  iboren  was 

affigens  humero  at  time  ; 

crucern  qui  dedit  ictum  war-thurw  us  kam  god  won, 

soli  mortifero.  ye  brout  us  hut  of  pine 

and  let  him  for  us  slon. 

Eya  mater  domini !  Maiden  moder  makeles, 

que  pacem  reddidisti  of  milche  ful  abunden, 

Angelis  et  homini  Bid  for  us  im  that  the  ches, 

cum  Christum  genuisti.  at  warn  thu  grace  funde, 

Tuum  exora  filium  that  he  forgiue  hus  sinne  and  wrake 

Ut  se  nobis  propitium  and  clene  of  euri  gelt  us  make ; 

exhibeat,  and  eune  blis, 

et  deleat  whan  hure  time  is 

peccata,  to  steruen, 

prestans  auxilium  hus  give,  for  thine  sake, 

vita  frui  beata  him  so  her  for  to  seruen 

post  hoc  exsilium.  that  he  us  to  him  take. 

Arundel  MS.  284.  f  154  (circa  1250-1260  A.D.) 
(Academy^  vol.  xx.  p.  472) 


CHAPTER    II 

SELECT  DOCUMENTS  DESCRIBING  THE  EARLY 
GROWTH   OF  THE  UNIVERSITY 

I.  RISE  OF  THE  OXFORD  SCHOOLS 

"  r  I  ^HE  Honorable  Historic  of  frier  Bacon  and  frier 
Bongay,"  made  by  Robert  Greene,  utriusque 
Academiae  in  Artibus  Magister,  1594. 

SCENE  I.  Oxford  circa  1250  A.D.    The  Regent  House 
Enter  MASON,  BURDEN,  and  CLEMENT,  three  Doctors 

Mason.  Now  we  are  gathered  in  the  Regent  House, 
It  fits  us  talk  about  the  king's  repair; 
For  he,  trooped  with  all  the  western  kings 
That  lie  along  the  Dantzick  seas  by  east, 
North  by  the  clime  of  frosty  Germany, 
The  Almaine  monarch,  and  the  Saxon  duke, 
Castile,  and  lovely  Elinor  with  him, 
Have  in  their  jests  resolved  for  Oxford  town. 

Burden.  We  must  lay  plots  of  stately  tragedies, 
Strange  comic  shews,  such  as  proud  Roscius 
Vaunted  before  the  Roman  emperors, 
To  welcome  all  the  western  potentates. 

Clement.  But  more ;  the  king  by  letters  hath  foretold 
That  Frederick,  the  Almaine  emperor, 
Hath  brought  with  him  a  German  of  esteem, 
Whose  surname  is  Don  Jaques  Vandermast, 
Skilful  in  magic  and  those  secret  arts. 


28     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Mason.  Then  must  we  make  all  suit  unto  the  friar, 
To  friar  Bacon,  that  he  vouch  this  task, 
And  undertake  to  countervail  in  skill 
The  German ;  else  there's  none  in  Oxford  can 
Match  and  dispute  with  learned  Vandermast. 


SCENE  II.  Oxford 

Enter  KING  HENRY  in ;  FREDERICK  n,  Emperor  of 
Germany,  "Stupor  Mundi" ;  CASTILE;  ELINOR; 
VANDERMAST  and  FRIAR  BUNGAY 

Emperor.  Trust  me,  Plantagenet,  these  Oxford  Schools 
Are  richly  seated  near  the  river  side: 
The  mountains  full  of  fat  and  fallow  deer, 
The  battling  pastures  lade  with  kine  and  flocks, 
The  town  gorgeous  with  high-built  colleges, 
And  scholars  seemly  in  their  grave  attire, 
Learned  in  searching  principles  of  art. 
What  is  thy  judgment,  Jaques  Vandermast? 

Vandermast.  That  lordly  are   the   dwellings   of  the 

town, 

Spacious  the  rooms,  and  full  of  pleasant  walks ; 
But  for  the  doctors,  how  that  they  be  learned, 
It  may  be  meanly,  for  aught  I  can  hear. 

Bungay.  I   tell  thee,  German,  Hapsburg  holds  none 

such, 

None  read  so  deep,  as  Oxenford  contains : 
There  are,  within  our  academic  state, 
Men  that  may  lecture  it  in  Germany 
To  all  the  doctors  of  your  Belgic  Schools. 

Henry.  Stand  to  him,  Bungay:  charm  this  Vandermast ; 
And  I  will  use  thee,  as  a  royal  king. 

Vandermast.  Wherein  dar'st  thou  dispute  with  me? 

Bungay.  In  what  a  doctor  and  a  friar  can. 

Vandermast.  Before  rich  Europe's  worthies  put  thou 

forth 
The  doubtful  question  unto  Vandermast. 


EARLY  GROWTH  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY     29 

Bungay.  Let  it  be  this:  Whether  the  spirits  of 
pyromancy  or  geomancy  be  most  predominant  in 
magic  ? 

Vandermast.  I  say,  of  pyromancy. 

Bungay.  And  I,  of  geomancy. 

Vandermast.  The  cabalists  that  write  of  magic  spells, 
As  Hermes,  Melchie,  and  Pythagoras, 
Affirm  that  'mongst  the  quadruplicity 
Of  elemental  essence,  "  terra "  is  but  thought 
To  be  a  "punctum"  squared  to  the  rest; 
And  that  the  compass  of  ascending  elements 
Exceed  in  bigness  as  they  do  in  height; 
Judging  the  concave  circle  of  the  sun 
To  hold  the  rest  in  his  circumference. 
If  then,  as  Hermes  says,  the  fire  be  greatest, 
Purest,  and  only  giveth  shapes  to  spirits, 
Then  must  those  demones  that  haunt  that  place, 
Be  every  way  superior  to  the  rest. 

Bungay.  I  reason  not  of  elemental  shapes, 
Nor  tell  I  of  the  concave  latitudes, 
Noting  their  essence,  nor  their  quality; 
But  of  the  spirits  that  pyromancy  calls, 
And  of  the  vigour  of  the  geomantic  fiends. 
I  tell  thee,  German,  magic  haunts  the  ground ; 
And  those  strange  necromantic  spells 
That  work  such  shews  and  wondering  in  the  world, 
Are  acted  by  those  geomantic  spirits, 
That  Hermes  calleth  "Terrae  Filii." 
The  fiery  spirits  are  but  transparent  shades, 
That  lightly  pass  as  heralds  to  bear  news; 
But  earthly  fiends  clos'd  in  the  lowest  deep, 
Dissever  mountains,  if  they  be  but  charg'd, 
Being  more  gross  and  massy  in  their  power. 

Vandermast.  Rather  these  earthly  geomantic  spirits 
Are  dull,  and  like  the  place  where  they  remain; 
For  when  proud  Lucifer  fell  from  the  heavens, 
The  spirits  and  angels  that  did  sin  with  him, 
Retained  their  local  essence  as  their  faults, 


30     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

All  subject  under  Luna's  continent: 
They  which  offended  less,  hang  in  the  fire, 
And  second  faults  did  rest  within  the  air; 
But  Lucifer  and  his  proud-hearted  fiends 
Were  thrown  into  the  centre  of  the  earth, 
Having  less  understanding  than  the  rest, 
As  having  greater  sin  and  lesser  grace ; 
Therefore  such  gross  and  earthly  spirits  do  serve 
For  jugglers  witches  and  vild  sorcerers ; 
Whereas  the  pyromantic  genii 
Are  mighty,  swift,  and  of  far-reaching  power. 
But  grant  that  geomancy  hath  most  force; 
Bungay,  to  please  these  mighty  potentates, 
Prove  by  some  instance  what  thy  art  can  do. 

Bungay.  I  will. 

Emperor.  Now,  English  Harry,  here  begins  the  game ; 
We  shall  see  sport  between  these  learned  men. 

Vandermast.  What  wilt  thou  do? 

Bungay.  Shew  thee  the  tree,  leav'd  with  refined  gold, 
Whereon  the  fearful  dragon  held  his  seat; 
That  watch'd  the  garden  call'd  Hesperides, 
Subdued  and  won  by  conquering  Hercules. 

Vandermast.  Well  done ! 

\Here  Bungay  conjures  ;  and  the  tree  appears 
with  the  dragon  shooting  fire 

Henry.  What  say  you,  royal  lordings,  to  my  friar? 
Hath  he  not  done  a  point  of  cunning  skill  ? 

Vandermast.  Each  scholar  in  the  necromantic  spells 
Can  do  as  much  as  Bungay  hath  performed. 
But  as  Alcmena's  bastard  raz'd  this  tree, 
So  will  I  raise  him  up  as  when  he  liv'd, 
And  cause  him  pull  the  dragon  from  his  seat, 
And  tear  the  branches  piecemeal  from  the  root. 
Hercules  !     Prodi,  Prodi,  Hercules  ! 

[Hercules  appears  in  his  lion's  skin 

Hercules.  Quis  me  vult? 

Vandermast.  Jove's  bastard  son,  thou  Lybian   Her- 
cules, 


EARLY  GROWTH  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY      31 

Pull  off  the  sprigs  from  off  the  Hesperian  tree, 
As  once  thou  did'st  to  win  the  golden  fruit. 

Hercules.  Fiat !      [Here  he  begins  to  break  the  branches 

Vandermast.  Now,  Bungay,  if  thou  canst  by  magic 

charm 

The  fiend,  appearing  like  great  Hercules, 
From  pulling  down  the  branches  of  the  tree, 
Then  art  thou  worthy  to  be  counted  learned. 

Bungay.  I  cannot. 

Vandermast.  Cease,  Hercules,  until  I  give  thee  charge. 
Mighty  commander  of  this  English  isle, 
Henry,  come  from  the  stout  Plantagenets, 
Bungay  is  learn'd  enough  to  be  a  friar ; 
But  to  compare  with  Jaques  Vandermast, 
Oxford  and  Cambridge  must  go  seek  their  cells 
To  find  a  man  to  match  him  in  his  art. 
I  have  given  non-plus  to  the  Paduans, 
To  them  of  Sien,  Florence,  and  Bologna, 
Rheims,  Louvaine,  and  fair  Rotterdam, 
Frankfort,  Lutrech,  and  Orleans : 
And  now  must  Henry,  if  he  do  me  right, 
Crown  me  with  laurel,  as  they  all  have  done. 

Enter  BACON 

Bacon.  All  hail  to  this  royal  company 
That  sit  to  hear  and  see  this  strange  dispute. 
Bungay,  how  stand'st  thou  as  a  man  amaz'd? 
What,  hath  the  German  acted  more  than  thou? 

Vandermast.  What  art  thou  that  questions  thus? 

Bacon.  Men  call  me  Bacon. 

Vandermast.  Lordly  thou  look'st,  as  if  that  thou  wert 

learned ; 

Thy  countenance,  as  if  Science  held  her  seat 
Between  the  circled  arches  of  thy  brows. 

Henry.  Now,  monarchs,  hath  the  German  found  his 
match. 

Emperor.  Bestir  thee,  Jaques,  take  not  now  the  foil, 
Lest  thou  dost  lose  what  foretime  thou  did'st  gain. 


32     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Vandermast.  Bacon,  wilt  thou  dispute? 
Bacon.  No,  unless  he  were  more  learn'd  than  Vander- 
mast: 
For  yet,  tell  me,  what  hast  thou  done? 

Vandermast.  Rais'd  Hercules  to  ruinate  that  tree, 
That  Bungay  mounted  by  his  magic  spells. 
Bacon.  Set  Hercules  to  work  ! 
Vandermast.  Now,  Hercules,  I  charge  thee  to   thy 

task: 
Pull  off  the  golden  branches  from  the  root. 

Hercules.  I  dare  not.     See'st  thou  not  great  Bacon 

here, 
Whose  frown  doth  act  more  than  thy  magic  can? 

Vandermast.  By  all  the  thrones  and  dominations, 
Virtues,  powers,  and  mighty  hierarchies, 
I  charge  thee  to  obey  to  Vandermast. 

Hercules.  Bacon,  that  bridles  headstrong  Belcephron, 
And  rules  Asmenoth,  guider  of  the  north, 
Binds  me  from  yielding  unto  Vandermast. 

Henry.  How  now,  Vandermast;  have  you  met  with 

your  match? 

Vandermast.  Never  before  was't  known  to  Vander- 
mast, 

That  men  held  devils  in  such  obedient  awe. 
Bacon  doth  more  than  art,  or  else  I  fail. 

Emperor.  Why,  Vandermast,  art  thou  overcome? 
Bacon,  dispute  with  him  and  try  his  skill. 

Bacon.  I  come  not,  monarchs,  for  to  hold  dispute 
With  such  a  novice  as  is  Vandermast: 
I  came  to  have  your  royalties  to  dine 
With  friar  Bacon  here  in  Brazen-nose; 
And,  for  this  German  troubles  but  the  place, 
And  holds  this  audience  wfth  a  long  suspense, 
I'll  send  him  to  his  academy  straight, 
That  he  may  learn  by  travel,  'gainst  the  spring, 
More  secret  dooms  and  aphorisms  of  art. 
Vanish  the  tree ;  and  thou,  away  with  him  ! 

Exit  the  Spirit  with  Vandermast  and  the  tree 


EARLY  GROWTH  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY      33 

II.  SUPREMACY  OF  THE  OXFORD  SCHOOLS 

De  Laude  Univ.  Oxoniae,  by  Tryvytlam,  circa  1400  A.D. 
(Oxford  has  surpassed  all  Academies  ancient  and 
modern  ;  and  is  recognized  as  an  oracle,  to  which  all 
intellectual  questions  may  be  referred  for  solution.  The 
Oxford  Clerk  is,  even  at  this  early  date,  remarkable  for 
a  promptness  in  didactic  work,  and  a  passion  for 
enlightening  the  dark  world  which  lies  outside  the 
University.) 

Non  Romam  alloquor  urbem  egregiam, 
Non  villam  Cecropis,  non  Achademiam, 
Verum  te,  maximam  Anglorum  gloriam, 
Alumnus  invoco  Matrem  Oxoniam. 

Tu  firma  moeniis,  arvis  irrigua, 
Pratis  pulcherrimis  mire  melliflua, 
Fecunda  frugibus,  quaeque  placentia 
Ministras  civibus  in  summa  copia. 

Mater  militiae  cum  apta  fueris, 
Ut  turres  indicant  adjunctae  moeniis, 
Tamen  perfectius  dotata  diceris 
Minervae  munere,  donoque  Palladis. 

Plus  tibi  contulit  magna  scientia, 
Quam  unquam  fecerit  armorum  copia; 
Beata  diceris  per  orbis  climata, 
Sed  quia  singulis  solvis  aenigmata. 

Grandaeva  siquidem  mater  in  filiis 
Prae  cunctis  urbibus  gaudere  poteris, 
Cum  plene  cogites,  quot  proles  parturis 
Quae  mundum  repleant  doctrinae  rivulis ! 

Si  te  prioribus  villis  jam  comparem, 
Athenas  Cecropis  fatebor  sterilem, 
Et  Achademiam  urbem  inutilem 
Quae  quondam  dederat  doctrinam  uberera. 
3 


34     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Pallebit  livida  domus  Romulea ; 
Impar  putabitur  ejus  scientia, 
Quanquam  plus  vicerit  artis  peritia, 
Quam  armis  fecerit  vel  quam  potentia. 

Quodcunque  pinxerant  poetae  garruli, 
Quidquid  discusserant  veri  philosophi, 
Quod  magnum  dixerant  veri  theologi, 
Ad  instar  exprimis  Solaris  radii. 

Antiqua  respuens  ut  dicam  propius, 
Quidquid  ediderit  pulchra  Parisius,  (i.e.  Paris) 
Ut  verum  fatear,  informas  melius, 
Licet  haec  opera  distentat  latius. 

In  te  geritur  quidquid  scientiae 
Vel  artis  quaeritur  cum  gratia;  theoricae 
Diceris  thalamus,  platea  practicae, 
Et  cunctae  merito  fons  sapientiae. 

Olim  innotuit  inter  proverbia, 
Regnorum  sicuti  narrat  historia, 
Quod  quis  interrogat,  quaerat  in  Abela, 
Ubi  tune  forsitan  florebant  studia : 

Nunc  procul  dubio  si  quicquam  quaeritur 
Cuj usque  ratio  non  clare  cernitur, 
Mater  Oxonia  quaesita  loquitur 
Quidquid  in  dubiis  latens  ambigitur. 

III.  THE  FOUNDATION  OF  PUBLIC  LIBRARIES 

Between   the   years    1439   and    1447,   Humphrey,  of 
whom  Lydgate  writes, 

Duke  of  Glocester  men  this  prynce  call, 
And,  notwithstanding  his  estate  and  dignitie, 
His  courage  never  doth  appall 
To  study  in  bokes  of  antiquitie, 

presented  to  the  University  some  600  MSS, — "moun 


EARLY  GROWTH  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY      35 

bien  mondain" — "my  worldly  goods" — as  he  called 
them.  These  were  placed  at  first,  together  with  those 
which  had  belonged  to  Bishop  Cobham  (d.  1327),  in 
a  chamber  above  the  House  of  Congregation  on  the 
north  side  of  St.  Mary's  Church.  In  1488,  some  forty 
years  after  Humphrey's  death,  they  were  removed,  with 
the  other  literary  treasures  of  the  University,  to  the 
recently  completed  building  over  the  Divinity  School, 
known  as  Duke  Humphrey's  Library.  The  collection 
was  dispersed  when  the  library  was  pillaged  by  the 
Commissioners  appointed  by  Edward  VI  for  the 
Reformation  of  the  University.  The  following  lines 
describe  the  arrangement  of  the  books  as  made  during 
Humphrey's  lifetime.  They  form  stanzas  12  and  13 
of  Prooemium  I  of  a  Metrical  Translation  of  Palladius 
De  Re  Rustica,  now  preserved  at  Wentworth  Woodhouse, 
and  which  was  probably  a  presentation  copy  given  to 
the  Duke.  (Athenaum,  Nov.  17,  1888.) 

plu  .  .  .  cxxx 

At  Oxenford  thys  lord  his  bookis  fele 
Hath  eu'y  clerk  at  work.     They  of  hem  gete 
Metaphysic ;  phisic  these  rather  feele ; 
They  natural,  moral  they  rather  trete; 
Theologie  here  ye  is  with  to  mete ; 
Him  liketh  loke  in  boke  historical. 
In  deskis  xii  hym  selve  as  half  a  strete 
Hath  boked  their  librair  uniu'al. 

For  clergie  or  knyghthod  or  husbondrie, 

That  Oratour  Poete  or  Philosophre 

Hath  treted  told  or  taught,  in  memorie 

Eche  lefe  and  lyne  hath  he  as  shette  in  cofre; 

Oon  nouelte  unnethe  is  hym  to  p'fre. 

Ytt  Whethamstede  and  also  Pers  de  Mounte, 

Titus  and  Antony,  and  I  laste  ofre. 

"  At   Oxford    this   lord's    many   books    keep   every 
Clerk    at    work.      They    of   them     get    metaphysics. 


36     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Others  are  moved  by  physical  studies,  others  again 
by  natural  science.  Some  study  morality.  Theology 
is  here  to  be  met  with.  Many  like  to  look  into 
history.  This  lord  has  furnished  their  universal 
library  with  books  in  twelve  presses,  like  half  a  street. 
For  everything  about  religion  husbandry  or  chivalry, 
that  orator  poet  or  philosopher  hath  treated  of,  he 
hath  shut  up,  each  leaf  and  line,  in  his  memory,  as  in 
a  coffer,"  etc.  John  Whethamstede,  Abbot  of  St. 
Albans,  presented  Humphrey  with  Cato  Glossatus,  the 
Granarimn,  and  two  other  books  of  his  own  composition. 
Peter  de  Monte,  a  Venetian,  dedicated  to  the  Duke 
his  work  De  Virtutum  et  Vitiorum  inter  se  Differentia. 
Another  Italian,  under  the  name  "  Titus  Livius  de 
Frulovisiis  Ferrariensis,"  wrote  at  Humphrey's  request 
a  Life  of  Henry  v;  and  Antonio  de  Beccaria,  the 
Duke's  secretary,  translated  for  him  into  Latin  six 
tracts  of  Athanasius  (now  in  British  Museum). 

IV.  THE  FOUNDATION  OF  COLLEGES 

(illustrated  by  poems  on  the  foundation  by  William 
of  Wykeham  of  St.  Mary  College  of  Winchester  in 
Oxford,  commonly  known  as  New  College,  in  the  year 
1379,  and  that  by  William  of  Waynflete  of  Magdalen 
College  in  1448.  "The  plan  which  became  accepted 
as  proper  for  an  Oxford  College  was  itself  the  result  of 
many  tentative  steps  and  of  gradual  progress.  Till 
the  magnificent  foundations  of  Wykeham,  there  was 
no  example  of  a  College  built  on  a  consistent  plan,  and 
completely  furnished  with  chapel,  hall,  lodgings,  kitchen, 
cloister,  and  cemetery,  all  grouped  regularly  and  com- 
pactly round  a  quadrangle,  and  conforming  to  one 
consistent  architectural  design.  This  result  of  former 
experiences  once  attained,  it  was  never  again  forgotten ; 
and  New  College  has  served  as  a  model  which  all 
succeeding  Colleges  at  Oxford  imitated  more  or  less 
closely  "  :  T.  G.  Jackson  in  Wadham  College). 


NEW   COLLEGE,   OXFORD,   C.    1J54 

FROM  WARDEN    CHANDLER'S   M.S.  J    HERE  REPRODUCED    FROM    "  ARCHAEOLOGIA,  "   VOL.    Ill,  PL.   XV 


EARLY  GROWTH  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY     37 


i.  NEW  COLLEGE 

— L'immortal  Collegio  di  Maria 

Madre  del  Redentor,  Nuovo  chiamato ; 

Che  fu  da  1'Alma,  eletta  e  pia, 

Del  buon  Wicam,  gran  Cancellier,  fondato 

Con  tanta  architettura  e  maestria 

In  ogni  parte,  e  cosi  ben  dotato, 

Che  non  d'un  Vesco  sembra  un  opra  tale, 

Ma  di  Reggia  Potenza  e  Imperiale. 

Due  gran  Collegii  extrusse  il  gran  Wicamo, 
L'uno  in  Ossonia  qui,  1'altro  in  Guintone; 
Ma  pur  che  questo  sol  Collegio  chiamo, 
Si  star  puo  d'ogni  Piazza  al  parragone? 
Non  pur  sicur  da  battaria  di  mano, 
Ma  il  muro  puo  resistere  al  cannone, 
Fianchi,  Terreno,  Maschi,  e  Cavalieri, 
Che  tal  Comar  non  ha,  Rabo,  ne  Algeri. 


Gomara, 
Rabat,  and 
Algiers 
boast  no 
such  forti- 
fications. 


Fosse  con  acqua  viva,  e  Munitione 
Aste,  Picche,  Moschetti,  Arme  all'  usunza 
Che  ben  potriavsi  armar  tante  Persone 
Quant'  a  difesa  tal  fori  a  bastanza: 
Altr'  acque  ha  dentro;  vettovaglie  buone; 
Tesor,  Legna,  Carbone,  in  abondanza: 
Orti,  Quadri,  Ambulacri,  e  Laberinti, 
Frutt'  e  Fior  da  spalliere  ornati  e  cinti. 

Una  Torr'  ha,  che  ben  salva  e  riguarda 
La  gran  Porta  real  da  i  fianchi  chiusa: 
Non  gia  molto  eminente,  ma  bastarda, 
Tal  qual  ne  le  Fortezze  hogi  di  s'usa: 
L'altra  di  dentro  maggior,  piu  gagliarda, 
Serva  il  Tesoro,  e  TAula  tien  rinchiusa 
Da  la  sinistra;  e  qual  buon  Cavaliero 
Discopre  il  Fosso;  e'l  Forte  tutto  intiero. 


Arms  for 

defence. 

Water  and 

Food. 

Treasures. 

Gardens. 


Tower  at 
entrance. 


Muni- 
ment- 
tower. 


38     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 


Bell-tower. 


Chapel. 


TenChaplains, 
Three  Clerks, 
Sixteen 
Choristers, 
Seventy 
Scholars;  ten 
being  students 
of  Civil,  ten  of 
Canon  Law ; 
and  fifty  being 
engaged,  first 
in  the  pursuit 
of  Philosophy, 
then  of  Theo- 
logy. 

The  Warden, 


V'e  un  quadro  Campanil,  tant  eminente 
Che  s'erge  al  Ciel,  in  gran  Torre  formato: 
Si  forte,  maschio,  robusto,  eccellente, 
Che  tal  non  fu  sour  il  terren  fondato; 
Capace  si  che  ben  vi  puo  la  gente 
Habitar  per  difesa,  e  in  ogni  lato 
Signoreggiar  1'Aperto,  il  Tempio  intiero, 
Con  TAula,  e  Piattaforma,  e  Cavaliero. 

U'alte  Colonne  e  Guglie  e  circondato 

II  Tempio,  al  Claustro  opposto  a  manca  mano 
Musica  e  letta ;  un  Organo  indorato 
Che  ben  competer  puo  con  TOrvetano: 
II  Chor  con  tanta  e  tal  arte  intagliato 
Che  ne  stupisce  affatto  1'occhio  humano: 
Mostran  1'ampie  finestre  in  Ornamento 
Mirando  il  Vecchio  e  '1  Nuovo  Testamento. 

Catanvi  i  salmi  Cappillan  e  Choristi 
Con  Clerici,  che  fan  trente  Persone ; 
Theologi,  Philosophi,  e  Leggisti, 
Settanta  sono  in  tutta  perfettione: 
Horatori  e  Poeti  in  un  commisti, 
Di  tal  virtu,  che  non  ha  parragone : 
La  trina  Libraria  puo  dar  la  mano 
(Ben  dire  ardisco)  a  quella  in  Vaticano. 

Quadrato  e  '1  tutto ;  e  ogni  allogiamento 
Di  grado  in  grado,  ha  la  sua  differenza: 
Tien  il  Guardiano  un  Reggio  Appartamento 
Conveniente  a  sua  nobil  Presenza: 
Proprii  e  communi  servi,  a  complimento ; 
L'entrate  equale  a  contant'  eccellenza: 
Magnanimo  il  Custode  e  liberale; 
Collegio  Illustre,  Sant',  e  Hospitale. 

Educa  e  nutre  il  Guinton,  qual  materno 
Alvo,  piu  degni  spirti  a  perfettione 
Per  1'altro  di  Maria;  e  se'l  ver  scerno, 
Rendita  men  non  ha,  ne  men  persone : 


EARLY  GROWTH  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY  39 

Ma  questo  al  buon  Mercuric  ed  al  tremendo 
Marte  fu  fabricate  in  conclusione; 
Accio  che  Propugnacul  fosse  mtiero 
De  la  Christiana  Fe,  che  crede  il  vero. 

******  Wykeham's 

Cio  fe  Wicam  per  volunta  superna;  Arms;  Ar- 

gent— Two 

La  cui  Arme  ha  tre  rose  e  dui  sostegni  ;  chevronels 

Quasi  con  questi  i  dui  Collegii  assegni,  sable—  be- 

^                                                                 '    .  tween  three 

Le  Rose  i  Tempii  eretti  a  gloria  eterna.  roses  gules, 


Raccolta  rfalcune  rime  del  Cavaliero  Ludovico  j^bed  vert 
Petrucci,  Nobile  Toscano  ;    Oxoniae;  Ex- 
cudebat  Josephus  Barnesius  ;  1613 

Petrucci,  a  soldier  of  fortune,  after  serving  in  Crete 
for  the  Venetians,  and  afterwards  in  the  Hungarian 
wars,  retired  to  England,  and  came  up  to  Oxford  in 
the  year  1611.  He  spent  about  four  years  there,  as  a 
Commoner,  first  of  St.  Edmund's  Hall,  and  then  of  Balliol 
College.  In  the  Oxford  memorial  poems  to  Sir  Thomas 
Bodley,  Justa  funebria  T.  Bodleii  (1613),  to  which 
he  contributed  some  Italian  lines,  Petrucci  styled 
himself  "Cavaliero  Italiano,  nobile  Toscano,  del  Col- 
leggio  Baliolense,  humile  e  indegno  figluolo  di  tutta 
1'Academia." 

2.  MAGDALEN  COLLEGE 

Waynflete,  by  this  encouraged,  sets  his  thought 
Wholly  upon  his  building,  which  now  threats 
The  middle  sky,  built  of  hewn  stone  being  brought 
From  Headington's  deep  Quarr-pits,  which  repeats 
The  founder's  fame,  as  in  a  song.     The  Hall 
Spacious  within  and  high  without,  even  beats 
The  flitting  air  with  pinnacles  thick  and  tall  ; 

The  Church,  adorned  in  comely  sort,  shews  forth 
The  praise  and  glory  of  the  Founder's  worth. 

Then  the  brave  Tower  lifts  up  his  stately  head 
And   threateneth   Heaven.     What  said    I?   threaten- 
eth?    No, 


40     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

It    bears  up    Heaven,  whose   weight    might  well    be 

led 

Upon  his  high-reared  top ;  if  Atlas  grow 
Feeble  through  age,  and  cannot  bear  the  weight 
Of  Jove's  majestic  palace,  he  may  throw 
His  burthen  on  this  Tower,  whose  strong-made  height 
Would  bear  that  burthen  on  his  mounted  brow, 
Under  which  Atlas,  weak  through  age,  doth  bow. 

Nor  are  his  inmates  aught  inferior  deem'd 
To  his  exterior  beauties ;  whose  sweet  chime 
If  by  a  skilful  ringer  rightly  teemed, 
Surpass  the  spheres'  sweet  music  at  the  time 
When  sage  Pythagoras  did  hear  their  notes, 
Which  music,  since  unheard,  was  then  at  prime: 
These  sing  aloud  with  never  wearied  throats, 

And  trowling  in  each  other's  neck,  send  out 
Delicious  notes  and  tunes  heard  round  about. 

Cloisters  engirt  the  College  round,   and  serve 
Instead  of  galleries,  to  meditate 
Or  walk  and  talk,  and  certainly  deserve 
Abundant  praise;  but  I  must  dedicate 
My  Muse  to  other  matters :  yet  will  say 
Since  Bullen's — Victor's  rage  did  ruinate 
England's  fair  abbeys,  to  this  very  day 

They  want  copartners,  and  must  stand  alone 
Unmatch'd,  unparallelled  by  any  one. 

The  building's  inward  wall,  which  doth  behold 
The  goodly  quadrangle,  is  strongly  drest 
With  fair  and  stately  pillars,  which  uphold 
Rare  hieroglyphics,  in  which  are  express't 
Mysteries  worth  marking,  which  as  now 
Few  can  to  any  grounded  meaning  wrest: 
A  misery,  that  such  mysteries  should  bow 

Under  Oblivion's  yoke;  but  Time  prevails 
'Bove  all,  when  man  and  man's  invention  fails. 


EARLY  GROWTH  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY     41 

Into  this  quadrangle  with  spacious  lights 
Looks  a  fair  Library,  which  Waynflete  fill'd 
With  full  eight  hundred  books.    They  which  did  write 
Best  in  what  tongue  soever,  it  naught  skill'd, 
Were  there  laid  up.     This  place  enlarg'd,  requires 
Of  some  praiseworthy  man  to  be  upheld 
In  its  due  estimation,  and  desires 

That  some  as  benefactors  at  their  charge 
The  number  of  its  volumes  should  enlarge. 

Without  the  College,  on  smooth  Cherwell's  brink, 
Lie  pleasant  walks  reared  from  the  low-laid  ground : 
Down  on  th'one  side  the  bubbling  flood  doth  sink, 
Whose  parted  stream  doth  quite  encompass  round 
This  place  of  pleasure,  and  thus  gliding  on 
The  rugged  stones,  doth  make  a  murmuring  sound: 
And  to  raise  up  more  delectation, 

The  scaly  people,  living  there  at  ease, 
Dance  in  the  crystal  waters  what  they  please. 
****** 

Here's  a  full  quire  of  sweet-tuned  harmony — 
The  birds  chirp  out  the  treble ;  and  the  wind 
Whistling  among  the  leaves  deliciously, 
Maintains  the  tenor;  then  the  waters  kind 
Kissing  the  stones,  the  counter-tenor  blaze; 
And  lest  one  part  were  wanting,  here  we  find 
Minerva's  honey-birds  buzzing  the  base: 

All  things  in  one  so  sweetly  do  consent 
To  give  the  walkers  a  complete  content. 

Those  that  enjoy  this  pleasant  place  are  told 
A  hundred  and  six ;  of  which  in  order  thus : — 
First,  forty  Fellows  who  this  palace  hold : 
Thirty  Demies:  two  Readers  which  discuss 
On  both  philosophies:  one  more,  whose  charge 
Is  lecture-wise  to  explain  the  tenebrous 
Hard  knots  of  Scripture:  one,  who  writes  at  large 
Of  all  the  college  acts :  two  more,  whose  care 
Is  to  teach  those,  that  fit  for  grammar  are. 


42     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

The  quire  consists  of  twenty-nine ;  wherein 
There  are  four  chaplains,  who  by  turns  do  say 
The    clergy   prayers;    and   more   eight   clerks   there 

been, 

And  sixteen  choristers,  over  whom  bears  sway 
One  who  doth  teach   them   how   to   sing  with   ease, 
Whose  nimble  fingers  on  the  organs  play 
Gravely-composed  Church  music :  and  all  these, 
With  different  notes  which  sweetly  do  accord, 
Sing  Allelujahs  to  the  living  Lord. 
****** 

And  lest  unruly  ruffians  might  offend 
Their  studious  minds,  he  hath  encompass'd  round 
The  College  with  a  wall,  which  might  defend 
His  scholars  both  from  fear  of  any  wound, 
And  make  resistance  'gainst  an  army's  might : 
And,  ere  our  valour-murdering  guns  were  found, 
Did  well  perform  that  charge,  for  I  dare  write 

The     students,    with    few    friends    but    meanly 

strong, 

Might  have    maintained  it  'gainst   a   kingdom's 
wrong. 

Within  this  wall  is  placed  a  beauteous  grove, 
Like  Pindus,  where  the  sacred  Muses  dwell, 
Or  like  th'Epirian  woods,  in  which  great  Jove, 
Nursed  by  Melissus'  gracious  girls,  did  dwell. 
Here  naught  doth  want  to  furnish  recreation; 
The  studious  scholar  here  may  study  well, 
Mars  and  the  Muses  here  have  habitation; 

Here  are  both  walks  to  meditate,  and  places 
To  exercise  one's  mind  in  warlike  graces. 

The    swift-winged    arrow,   which    such   slaughter 

made 

In  France,  hath  here  butts  to  be  levelled  at; 
The  heavy  bar  here  sometimes  as  a  slade 
Is  foot-pitch'd  off,  and  like  a  massy  bat 


EARLY  GROWTH  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY     43 

Whirl'd  o'er  the  head,  divides  the  foggy  air; 
Here  do  they  leap,  and  leaping  vertebrate 
The  yielding  earth;  here  many  men  repair 
Their  sickly  bodies,  and  herein  do  find 
By  conference  contentment  to  the  mind. 

This  is  both  Campus  Martius,  to  augment 
Our  bodies'  strength  with  valorous  exercise ; 
And  Tempe,  studious  scholars  to  content 
With  its  delights.     On  the  one  side  there  lies 
Good  store  of  gardens  dress'd  with  borders  fine, 
In  which  are  glorious  flowers  pleasing  the  eyes, 
And  fruitful  trees,  which  each  in  other  twine ; 
These  keep  out  heat  and  cold,  and  also  suit 
The  Fellows,  whose  they  are,   with  walks    and 
fruit.1 

Now  Waynflete,  knowing  that  man's  life  was  prone 
To  all  unstaidness,  by  a  prudent  care 
Furnished  the  house  with  Statutes,  which  alone 
Might  always  keep   the  house  in  awe,   and  are 
So  absolutely  made  that  naught  might   miss 
Which  may  be  added  to  them.     To  prepare 
Like  fortune  to  that  house  that  founded  is 

By  worthy  Foxe,  these  laws  were  imitated, 
And   were  from    hence   into    that   house  trans- 
lated. 

Now  nothing  wanted  but  a  worthy  name 
To  make  the  work  complete ;  and  as  our  Queen 
Christened  Sir  Thomas  Gresham's  worthy  frame, 
Than  which  a  fairer  Burse  was  never  seen, 

1  Ralph  Agas'  Map  of  Oxford  (1566)  shews  the  whole  of  what  is  now 
called  "  the  Grove "  divided  into  several  sections  and  described  as 
"Gardeins,  Orchardes,  Pastures,  and  Walkes."  Part  of  the  ground 
covered  by  these  divisions  is  now  occupied  by  the  New  Buildings,  while 
part  remains  open  and  unplanted.  ( College  History  Series — Oxford— Mag- 
dalen College.} 


44     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

So  royal  Henry  named  this  stately  place, 
Than  which  a  fairer  never  yet  hath  been, 
Magdalen  College — surely  worth  the  grace 

Of  such  a  namer,  since  the  World  can  boast 
Of  no  such  College  in  its  spacious  coast. 

PETER  HEYLIN  (Magdalen  College),  Memorial 
of  Bishop  Waynflete,  circa  1619;  ed.  from 
the  original  MS.  by  J.  R.  Bloxam  for  the 
Caxton  Society 


CHAPTER    III 

CLERKS  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION,  CIRCA    1500  A.D. 

' '  Oxoniam  quare  venisti,  praemeditare  ; 
Nocte  dieque  cave  tempus  consumere  prave." 

Lines  on  a  glass  window  in  Merton 
College,  temp.  Henry  vm 

"  Now  if  a  pore  man  set  hys  son  to  Oxford  to  scole, 

Both  the  fader  and  the  moder  hyndyd  they  schal  be ; 
And  if  ther  falle  a  benefyse,  hit  schal  be  gif  a  fole, 

To  a  clerk  of  a  kechyn,  ore  into  the  chauncere. 
This  makyth  the  worschip  of  Clerkys  wrong  for  to  wry, 

Seth  sekelar  men  schul  have  mon  soulys  in  kepyng, 
And  pytton  here  personache  to  ferme  to  a  bayle, 
And  caston  doune  here  howses  and  her  housyng, 

Her  paryschun  destroy. 
Clerkys,  that  han  cunnyng, 
Schuld  have  monys  soule  in  kepyng ; 
But  thai  mai  get  no  vaunsyng 
Without  symony." 

Poems  of  John  Awdelay  (fl.  1426) 

Percy  Soc.  Publications,  xiv.  32 

OXFORD  was  not  always  to   be  justified  of  her 
children  in  so  triumphant  a  manner  as  she  had 
been  of   Chaucer's  Clerks.     A   hundred  years 
later,  and  the  tales  that  are  told  of  her,  are  of  a  Uni- 
versity fallen  upon  evil  days,  her  students  diminished  in 
number,  her  learning  neglected  and  despised. 

Among  Scholars,  indeed,  she  had  lost  prestige,  as, 
with  the  violent  suppression  of  the  first  great  Oxford 
Movement,  her  Schools  were  brought  again  under  the 
ecclesiastical  yoke,  and  the  intellectual  vitality  and 

45 


46     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

freedom  of  thought  which  had  marked  them  in  the 
fourteenth  century,  were  slowly  stifled  in  the  early  years 
of  the  fifteenth.  Nor,  as  Scholasticism  became  barren, 
did  any  fruitful  system  of  education  spring  up  quickly 
in  its  place.  "  The  Schools  were  full  of  quirks  and 
sophistry ;  all  things,  whether  taught  or  written,  seemed 
trite  and  inane,"  writes  Anthony  Wood  of  the  state  of 
Oxford  in  the  year  1 508  ;  and  though  all  the  English 
Scholars  who  were  pioneers  of  Humanism,  were 
Oxonians,  from  Duke  Humphrey,  Grey,  John  Free, 
Fleming,  and  Tiptoft,  to  Grocyn,  Linacre,  Latimer, 
More,  Colet,  and  Lily,  the  New  Learning  met  with  but 
a  half-hearted  welcome  from  the  University  at  large. 
In  the  streets,  "Trojans,"  under  the  leadership  of 
"  Priams "  and  "  Hectors,"  waged  war  upon  the 
"  Greeks,"  probably  with  hard  crabstick  and  old  iron,  as 
well  as  with  the  more  academical  artillery  of  syllogism 
and  enthymeme;  and  in  the  pulpits  those  whom 
William  Tyndale  called  "old  barking  curs,  Dun's 
disciples  and  the  dross  called  Scotists,"  continued  to 
denounce  the  study  of  Greek,  Latin,  and  Hebrew,  as 
heretical ;  until,  with  the  commencement  of  the 
Reformation  period,  Oxford  became  engrossed  for  a 
time  in  theological  controversy  to  the  exclusion  of  all 
other  interests. 

In  the  Ship  of  Fools  (1509),  Alexander  Barclay  gives 
a  Scholar's  view  of  the  typical  scholar-fool  of  the  time, 
"the  plougher  of  sand,"  "the  spider  weaving  subtle 
webs  out  of  its  own  bowels,"  and  who  studied  the  art 
of  logic,  not  for  the  purpose  of  striking  out  truth  by  the 
hard  encounter  of  arguments,  but  merely  to  cavil  and 
carp,  and  find  out  a  knot  in  every  rush.  The  poet, 
indeed,  with  a  delicacy  which  is  in  itself  strong  evidence 
that  he  was  educated  at  one  or  both  of  the  English 
Universities,  does  not  mention  either  Oxford  or 
Cambridge  among  those  seats  of  learning,  "Paris, 
Padway,  Bonony,  Orleance,  Tholows"  and  others,  to 
which  men  hastened,  and  from  which  they  returned 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1500  A.D.  47 

even  greater  blockheads  than  when  they  set  out:  but 
there  are,  nevertheless,  on  board  his  celebrated  "  navy," 
among  those  who  neglected  "  gramer  and  the  laudable 
sciences,  for  sophistrie,  logike,  and  their  art  talcatife," 
and  passed  their  lives  in  two  monosyllables,  the  "  est " 
of  assertion  and  the  "  non "  of  denial,  "  many  present 
from  this  our  royaulme,  as  well  as  from  beyond  the 


But  most  I  mervayle  of  other  fools  blinde, 

Which  in  divers  sciences  are  fast  laboring, 

Both  day  and  night,  with  all  their  heart  and  minde, 

But  of  Gramer  know  they  little  or  nothing, 

Which  is  the  grounde  of  all  liberal  cunning; 

Yet  many  are  busy  in  Logike  and  in  Lawe 

When  all  their  Gramer  is  scarcely  worth  a  strawe. 

One  with  his  speech  round  turning  like  a  wheele, 
Of  Logike  the  knottes  doth  louse  and  undo 
In  hande  with  his  Sylogismes  ;  and  yet  doth  he  feele 
Nothing  what  it  meaneth,  nor  what  longeth  therto; 
Nowe  Sortes1  currit,  now  is  in  hand  Plato; 
Another  commeth  in  with  Bocardo  and  Pherison, 
And  out-goeth  againe  a  foole  in  conclusion. 

There  is  naught  else  but  "est"  and  "non  est/' 
Blaberinge  and  chiding,  as  it  were  beawlys2  wise; 
They  argue  naught  else  but  to  prove  a  man  a  beast, 
"  Homo  est  asinus "  is  cause  of  muche  strife. 
Thus  passe  forth  these  fooles  the  dayes  of  their  life 
In  two  syllables,  not  getting  advertence 
To  other  cunning,  doctrine,  or  science. 

It  seems,  however,  improbable  that  "the  rude 
uplandish  man"  of  the  time,  and  "the  man  in  the 
mediaeval  street,"  had  persuaded  themselves  of  the 
advantages  of  the  New  over  the  Old  Learning,  and 

1  Socrates,  2  roaring  out, 


48     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

looked  with  disfavour  upon  Oxford  as  the  stronghold 
of  an  effete  Scholasticism.  Some  other  reason  must  be 
sought  to  account  for  the  appearance  of  numerous 
caricatures  of  the  "  Clerk  of  Oxenford,"  in  tales  which 
circulated  among  the  people  at  the  close  of  the  fifteenth 
century :  and  this  reason  is  probably  to  be  found  in  the 
want  of  worldly  success  which  now  attended  the 
laborious  and  gifted  Scholar.1  The  poor  but  ambitious 
man  looked  upon  the  University  as  the  door  to  the 
Church,  and  academical  distinction  as  the  passport  to 
clerical  preferment.  When,  then,  after  the  enforcement 
of  the  Statute  of  Provisors,  rights  of  patronage  were 
shamelessly  abused,  and  many  an  ignorant  priest  could 
be  found  holding  ten  or  twelve  benefices,  and  being 
resident  on  none,  while  well-learned  scholars  in  the 
Universities,  which  were  able  to  teach  and  preach,  held 
neither  benefice  nor  exhibition,  the  chief  attraction  of  a 
University  career  was  gone,  and  learning  became  in  his 
eyes  a  worthless  and  contemptible  possession.  It  is, 
indeed,  to  this  denial  of  reward  to  merit,  that  Oxford 
herself,  with  a  wealth  of  allegory  and  metaphor  which 
increases  as^the  agony  grows  more  intense,  attributes  her 
decline  in  the  fifteenth  century.  "  Once  she  had  been  as 
a  fruitful  vine ;  now  she  is  withered  and  barren.  She  is 
cast  aside  even  as  the  mud  which  is  by  the  way-side. 
Like  Rachel  she  weeps  for  her  children,  and  will  not  be 
comforted,  because  they  are  not ;  for  of  all  those  many 
thousands  of  students  who  had  once  resorted  to  her,  not 
only  from  England,  but  from  all  other  Christian 

1  A  hundred  mery  Tales — first  printed  by  John  Rastell  at  the  signe  of 
the  Meremayde  at  Powlys  Gate,  nexte  to  Chepesyde  (1525) :  The  Jests  of 
Scogin,  of  which  no  earlier  edition  is  now  to  be  found  than  that  of  1626 ; 
Thomas  Colwell,  however,  as  early  as  the  year  1565,  obtained  a  license  to 
print  The  Geystes  of  Skoggon  :  Merie  Tales  newly  imprinted  and  made  by 
Master  Skelton,  poet  Laureate,  imprinted  at  the  signe  of  St.  John 
Evangelist  by  Thomas  Colwell  (circa  1565).  Many  of  the  stories  collected 
in  these  popular  manuals  of  witticisms  were  current  in  the  fifteenth 
century ;  and  John  Scogin  and  Skelton,  the  Oxonian  wits  who  figure  as 
the  heroes  of  some  of  them,  flourished  about  the  year  1480 — See  Old 
English  Jest-books i  ed.  by  H.  C.  Hazlitt. 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1500  A.D.  49 

countries  as  well,  scarcely  one  now  is  left.  And  this 
transformation  is  due,  not  so  much  to  war  and  pestilence, 
as  to  contempt  of  the  claims  of  learning  and  virtue. 
'  Studientz  espirituelz,  fitz,  et  profitables,'  are  not 
nourished  in  their  high  enterprise.  They  labour  on 
until  old  age  comes  upon  them,  without  reward.  No 
one  looks  upon  them  with  the  eye  of  promotion.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  ignorant  and  the  vicious,  by  favour 
and  corruption,  are  advanced  to  high  places  and  profit ; 
* extolluntur,  proh  dolor!  ut  alios  doceant,  qui  seipsos 
docere  nesciunt/  Nor  are  these  merely  selfish 
complaints.  It  is  true  the  University,  *  England's 
goodly  beam,'  will  expire,  if  devoted  Scholars  are  not 
comforted ;  for  how  can  burning  and  shining  lights  be 
looked  for,  if  oil  and  wick  be  not  supplied  to  the  lamps  ? 
But  should  Oxford  fall,  Church  and  State  will  fall  with 
her.  For  unless  it  be  guided  by  a  Shepherd's  hand,  the 
silly  people,  like  a  wandering  sheep,  inevitably  strays 
from  the  right  path.  There  are,  indeed,  already  abroad 
in  the  land,  simple  laics,  who  dare  to  bellow  forth  their 
pestiferous  opinions,  and  with  swinish  snouts  to  profane 
the  mysteries  of  Sacred  Writ,  that  pearl  of  great  price 
('  de  mysteriorum  Sacrae  Paginae  pretiosissimis 
margaritis  porsinae  fauces,  proh  dolor!,  pascere 
presumunt  simplicium  laicorum ').  And  if  poisonous 
thorns  of  Ignorance  be  permitted  to  choke  the  fair  rose- 
garden  of  Learning;  if  Peter's  Ship,  now  tossing 
between  the  rocks  of  Scylla  and  the  whirlpool  of 
Charybdis,  be  still  left  in  the  hands  of  unskilled 
mariners  who  know  not  how  to  meet  the  coming 
tempest ;  then  surely  will  greater  and  more  intolerable 
heresies  against  God  and  Man  quickly  spring  into  life ; 
rebellion  and  obstinacy  against  our  sovereign  lord  the 
king ;  red  ruin,  and  the  breaking  up  of  laws." l 

1  See  Rot.  ParL  iii.  301,  468,  iv.  81,  for  years  1392,  1402,  and 
1415.  Wilkin's  Concilia,  iii.  381,  528,  for  years  1417  and  1438. 
Richard  Fleming,  bishop  of  Lincoln's  preface  to  the  Statutes  of  Lincoln 
College,  Oxford,  A.D.  1429.  Epist.  Academicae  (Oxford  Hist.  Soc.), 

4 


50     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Fact  and  fiction  alike  testify  that  these  complaints 
were  well  grounded.  Thomas  Gascoigne  tells  the  tale 
of  Fulk  de  Birmingham,  a  half-witted  person  who  had 
been  playmate  of  some  great  man  (probably  the  king), 
and  who  received  the  Archdeaconry  of  Oxford,  twelve 
prebends,  and  a  rectory  or  two ;  who  was  utterly 
ignorant  and  illiterate ;  was  never  ordained ;  never 
visited  Archdeaconry,  prebend,  or  rectory ;  was  daily 
drunk,  and  wholly  incapable  of  managing  his  affairs.1 
Caxton  shews  what  qualities  now  made  for  worldly 
repute,  in  a  sketch,  drawn  doubtless  from  the  life,  which 
is  to  be  found  at  the  conclusion  of  the  Epilogue  to  his 
Aesop  (1484):— 

"  There  were  dwellynge  in  Oxenford  two  prestes,  both 
Maystres  of  Art,  of  whome  that  one  was  quyck  and 
coude  putte  hymself  forth,  and  that  other  was  a  good 
symple  preest.  And  soo  it  happed  that  the  Mayster 
that  was  pert  and  quyck,  was  anone  promoted  to  a 
benefyce  or  tweyne,  and  after  to  prebendys,  and  for  to 
be  Dene  of  a  grete  prynce's  Chappel,  supposynge  and 
wenynge  that  his  felow,  the  symple  preest,  shold  never 
have  be  promoted,  but  be  always  an  Annuel,  or  at  the 
most  a  parysshe  preest.  So,  after  long  tyme,  that  this 
worshipful  man,  this  Dene,  came  rydynge  in  to  a  good 
paryssh  with  a  X  or  XII  horses,  lyke  a  prelate;  and 
came  in  to  the  Chirche  of  the  sayd  parysshe,  and  found 

pp.   153,    169,  and    185,    for  the  year    1438,   and   p.    357  for   the   year 
1471. 
Cf.  Hoccleve,  De  Regimine  Principum,  circa  1412  A.D.  : 

"Alias  !  so  many  a  worthy  clerke  famous 
In  Oxenforde  and  in  Cambrigge  also, 
Stonde  unavauncede,  whereas  the  vicious 
Favelle  hath  Churches  and  prebendes  mo 
Than  God  is  plesede  with  :  Alias  !  of  tho 
That  wernen  vertu,  so  to  be  promotede, 
And  they  helples  in  whom  vertu  is  notede." 

1  Thomas  Gascoigne's  Loci  e  libris  veritattim  (edited  by  J.  Thorold 
Rogers),  Introduction  Ixvi.  Gascoigne  began  to  reside  in  Oxford  not  later 
than  1416,  and  was  almost  constantly  there  from  thit  time  till  his  death 
in  1458. 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1500  A.D.  51 

there  this  good  symple  man,  somtyme  his  felawe,  which 
cam  and  welcomed  hym  lowely.  And  that  other  hadde 
hym,  '  good  morowe,  Mayster  John ! '  and  toke  hym 
sleyghtly  by  the  hand,  and  axyd  hym  where  he  dwellyd. 
And  the  good  man  sayd  '  In  this  paryssh.'  '  How,1 
sayd  he,  'are  ye  here;  a  sowle  preest,  or  a  paryssh 
preste?'  'Nay,  sir/  sayd  he;  'for  lack  of  a  better, 
though  I  be  not  able  ne  worthy,  I  am  parson  and  curate 
of  this  parysshe.'  And  then  that  other  avaled  his 
bonnet,  and  said,  '  Mayster  parson,  I  praye  yow  to  be 
not  displeasyd.  I  had  supposed  ye  had  not  be 
benefyced.  But,  I  pray  yow/  said  he,  'what  is  this 
benefyce  worth  to  yow  a  yere  ? '  '  Forsothe/  sayd  the 
good  symple  man,  '  I  wote  never ;  for  I  make  never 
accomptes  therof,  how  wel  I  have  had  it  four  or  five 
yere.'  '  And  knowe  ye  not/  sayd  he,  '  what  it  is  worth  ? 
It  should  seme  a  good  benefyce.'  '  No,  forsothe/  said 
he ;  '  but  I  wote  wel  what  it  shalle  be  worth  to  me.' 
'  Why/  sayd  he, '  what  shalle  it  be  worth  ? '  '  Forsothe/ 
sayd  that  other,  'if  I  doo  my  trewe  dylygence  in  the 
cure  of  my  parysshes  in  prechynge  and  techynge,  and 
doo  my  parte  longynge  to  my  cure,  I  shalle  have  Hevene 
therfore ;  and  yf  theyre  sowles  ben  lost,  or  any  of  them, 
by  my  defawte,  I  shall  be  punysshed  therfore;  and 
herof  am  I  sure.'  And  with  that  word  the  ryche  Dene 
was  abasshed,  and  thought  he  shold  do  better,  and  take 
more  hede  to  his  cures  and  benefyces,  than  he  had  done. 
This  was  a  good  answere  of  a  good  preest  and  an 
honest.  And  wyth  this  tale  I  wylle  fynysshe  alle  these 
fables." 

Alas !  no  such  improving  reflections  as  these,  occur 
to  the  compiler  of  Scogiris  Jests,  when  he  relates  how 
that  great  Oxford  Wit  secured  the  passage  of  an 
imbecile  pupil  through  an  examination  for  Orders. 
"  Here  a  man  may  see  that  Money  is  better  than 
Learning,"  is  in  fact  the  only  and  deplorable  lesson 
which  he  draws  from  the  tale.  "  There  was,"  he  writes, 
"  a  husbandman  beside  Oxford,  who  gave  Master 


52     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Scogin  a  horse,  that  he  might  help  to  make  his  son  a 
Deacon.  Now  when  the  slovenly  boy,  almost  as  big  as 
a  knave,  had  with  great  toil  learned  the  nine  Christ- 
cross-row  letters  of  the  alphabet,  he  said,  *  Am  I  past 
the  worst  now  ?  Would  God  I  were  ;  for  this  is  enough 
to  comber  any  man's  wit  alive ' ;  and  Scogin  then  knew 
that  his  pupil  would  never  be  anything  else  but  a  fool. 
Accordingly,  when  Orders  were  about  to  be  given,  he 
bade  the  boy's  father  to  send  in  a  letter  three  or  four 
gold  pieces :  and  this  the  man  was  content  to  do,  that 
his  son  might  become  a  deacon.  Then  said  Scogin  to 
his  scholar,  '  Thou  shalt  deliver  this  letter  to  the 
Ordinary  when  he  doth  sit  in  Oppositions ;  and  as  soon 
as  he  feeleth  the  letter,  he  will  perceive  that  I  have  sent 
him  some  money ;  and  he  will  say  to  thee,  "  Quomodo 
valet  magister  tuus  ? "  that  is  to  say,  "  How  doth  thy 
master  ?  "  Thou  shalt  answer,  "  Bene,"  that  is  "  Well." 
Then  will  he  say, "  Quid  petis  ?  "  "  What  dost  thou  ask  ?  " 
and  thou  wilt  answer,  "  Diaconatum,"  "  to  be  deacon." 
Then  shall  the  Ordinary  say,  "  Es  tu  literatus  ?  "  "  Art 
thou  learned?"  and  thou  wilt  say,  " Aliqualiter," 
"  Somewhat."  Thou  hast  then  but  these  three  words  to 
bear  in  mind, "  Bene,"  "  Diaconatum,"  and  "  Aliqualiter." ' 
Now  it  came  to  pass,  when  the  scholar  went  to  the 
Oppositions  and  delivered  the  letter,  the  Ordinary  said, 
*  Quid  petis  ?  '  and  the  scholar,  remembering  Scogin's 
words,  answered,  '  Bene.'  When  the  Ordinary  heard 
him  say  so,  he  said,  '  Quomodo  valet  magister  tuus  ? ' 
to  which  the  scholar  replied,  *  Diaconatum.'  The 
Ordinary  did  then  see  that  he  was  a  fool,  and  said,  '  Tu 
es  stultus ' ;  to  which  the  youth  said,  '  Aliqualiter,'  that 
is  '  Somewhat.'  '  Nay,'  said  the  Ordinary,  '  not 
Aliqualiter,  but  Totaliter,'  'a  stark  fool.'  Then  the 
scholar  was  amazed,  and  said,  '  Sir,  let  me  not  go  home 
without  my  Orders.  Here  is  another  angel  of  gold  for 
you  to  drink.'  '  Well,'  said  the  Ordinary,  '  if  you  will 
promise  me  to  study  your  book  and  learn,  you  shall  be 
a  Deacon  at  this  time.' " 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1500  A.D.  53 

The  unhappy  lot  of  the  unrewarded  Scholar  was  all 
the  more  conspicuous,  because  for  other  conditions  of 
men,  the  physician  and  lawyer,  the  husbandman,  artisan, 
and  labourer,  the  fifteenth  century  and  the  early  years 
of  the  sixteenth  formed  a  period  of  substantial 
prosperity.1  Then  it  is,  that  in  the  words  of  the 
mediaeval  couplet, 

Dat  Galenus  opes,  dat  Justinianus  honores, 
Sed  Genus  et  Species  cogitur  ire  pedes. 

The  great  Physician,  honoured  Lawyer,  ride, 
While  the  poor  Scholar  foots  it  by  their  side. 

Many  a  devotee  of  learning  at  Oxford,  Cambridge, 
and  Paris,  who  had  not  wherewith  to  buy  himself  books 
as  well  as  food  and  raiment,  saw  with  envy,  that  "  men 
who  put  their  Arts  in  their  males  as  soon  as  they  had 
learned  their  parts  of  reason,  which  is  the  first  book  of 
grammar,  and  took  them  to  the  winning  as  Merchants 
and  Brokers,  soon  amassed  money,  and  possessed 
volumes  without  number."  Not  that  these  successful 
business-men  ever  read  the  precious  works  they  owned. 
They  bought  them  merely  that  they  might  win  a 
reputation  for  wisdom :  "  Like  as  a  cock,  when  he 
shrapeth  in  the  dust  and  findeth  a  clear-shining  gem, 
beholdeth  it  and  letteth  it  lie,  for  he  had  lever  have 
some  corn  to  eat,  so  these  not-wise  men  but  looked 
upon  their  books  when  they  were  new  and  fine,  and 
then  turned  away  to  fill  their  bellies  and  come  to  their 
foolish  desires."2  These,  again,  were  days,  when  the 
rude  man  of  the  country  "  boasted  stately  clothes,  wore 
his  hair  bushed  out  like  a  fox's  tail,  and  had  gold  in 
abundance,"  3  while  the  ragged  Scholar,  begging  his  way 
to  Oxford,  would  crouch  to  some  rich  chuff  for  a  meal's 
meat,  and  sing  "  Salve  Regina  "  outside  the  Manorhouse 

1  J.  Thorold  Rogers,  Hist,  of  Agriculture  and  Prices ;  iv.  pp.  23,  61. 
3  Mirror  of  'the  World,  Caxton,  1481. 
3  Ship  of  Fools,  Alex.  Barclay,  1509. 


54     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

for  alms.1  When  such  things  were,  it  was  small  wonder 
that  burgher  and  "  uplandish  "  man  held  the  pains  taken 
at  the  Universities  by  ardent  students  to  be  but  lost 
labour,  and  judged  Money  to  be  better  than  Learning, 
and  "  an  ounce  of  mother-wit  to  be  worth  a  pound  of 
clergy." 

As  a  rule  then,  the  Clerk  of  Oxford  cuts  now  but  an 
awkward  figure  in  fiction.  Occasionally,  indeed,  a  tale 
is  found  which  suggests  that  his  traditional  resourceful- 
ness was  not  wholly  lost.  For  instance,  they  tell  of  a 
"pleasant  shift"  that  was  done  by  an  Oxonian,  who, 
when  he  was  to  proceed  Master  of  Arts,  contracted  with 
an  Alderman  of  the  town  to  supply  furs  for  his  gown 
and  hood  at  the  charge  of  six  pounds ;  and  said  to  him, 
"  I  will  pay  thee  the  next  time  that  you  and  I  do  meet 
together."  Now,  some  long  time  after,  this  Clerk  went 
one  day  towards  Carfax,  and  there  he  espied  the  Alder- 
man ;  and  when  he  saw  him,  he  turned  back.  But  the 

1  See  Lansdowne  MS.  762  (7) :  "A  process  or  exortation  to  tendre  the 
chargis  of  true  husbondys"  (temp.  Henry  vn),  in  which  contributions  to 
support  poor  scholars  are  mentioned  among  the  regular  burdens  to  which 
the  land  was  subject.  After  tithes,  purveyance,  taxes,  rent,  tribute  to 
friars,  and  silver  to  priests  that  go  to  Rome,  have  been  paid, 

"Then  cometh  Clerkys  of  Oxford  and  make  their  mone ; 
To  her  scole  hire  most  have  money." 

Anthony  Wood,  in  his  Annals  of  the  University,  under  the  year  1461, 
tells  a  tale  of  wandering  scholars  earning  their  suppers  by  composing 
epigrams.  Robert  Copland,  in  the  Hye  Way  to  the  Spyttell  House  (circa 
1535),  has  the  lines  : 

"These  rogers  that  dayly  syng  and  pray 
With  'Ave,  Regina  ! '  or  '  De  Profundis,' 
'Quern  terra  Ponthus,'  and  ' Stella  Maris ': 
At  every  doore  there  they  foot  and  fridge, 
And  say  they  come  fro  Oxford  and  Cambridge ; 
And  be  poore  scholars,  and  have  no  maner  thing, 
Nor  also  frendes  to  kepe  them  at  learning : 
And  so  do  lewtre  for  crust  and  crum, 
With  staffe  in  hand  and  fyst  in  bosum." 

See  the  series  of  statutes  which  affect  scholar-beggars; — 12  Richard  II, 
chap.  vii.  ;  n  Henry  vn,  chap.  ii.  ;  22  Henry  vm,  chap.  xii.  ;  14 
Elizabeth,  chap.  v. 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1500  A.D.  55 

Alderman  made  good  footing  after  him,  and,  overtaking 
him,  said,  "Sir,  you  promised  to  pay  me  my  money, 
when  we  did  next  meet.  Pay  me  then  now."  "  Now  ?  " 
exclaimed  the  Wit;  "Nay,  not  so.  We  meet  not 
together  now,  for  you  did  but  overtake  me.  When  we 
do  meet,  you  shall  have  your  money ;  but,  if  I  can,  I 
will  not  meet  you  these  seven  years,  even  though  I  have 
to  walk  backwards."  Then  there  is  the  tale  of  "  Jack," 
Scogin's  scholar-servant ;  "  how  he  made  his  master  pay 
a  penny  for  the  herring  bones."  On  an  occasion  when 
sickness  was  in  the  city,  Scogin  went  out  of  Oxford  and 
dwelt  at  St.  Bartholomew's ;  and  he  had  a  poor  scholar 
named  Jack,  to  dress  his  meat  for  him.1  Now  on  a 
Friday  he  gave  his  scholar  a  penny,  and  said,  "  Go  to 
Oxford  Market,  and  get  me  four  herrings  for  this  penny, 
or  else  bring  none."  Jack  could  get  but  three  herrings 
for  the  penny ;  and  when  he  brought  them  back,  Scogin 
said  he  would  have  none  of  them.  "  Sir,"  said  Jack, 
"  then  will  I :  and  here  is  your  penny  again."  And 
when  dinner-time  was  come,  Jack  set  bread  and  butter 
before  his  master ;  and  roasted  the  herrings,  and  sat 
down  at  the  lower  end  of  the  table,  and  did  eat  the 
herrings.  Then  said  Scogin,  "  Let  me  have  one  of  your 
herrings,  and  you  shall  have  another  of  me  another 
time."  Jack  answered,  "  If  you  will  have  one  herring,  it 
shall  cost  you  a  penny ;  for  you  will  not  get  a  morsel 
here,  except  I  have  my  penny  again."  And  while  they 
wrangled  together,  Jack  made  an  end  of  the  herrings. 
Now  it  chanced  that  a  Master  of  Arts,  one  of  Scogin's 

1  In  times  of  pestilence,  Fellows  and  Scholars  of  Colleges,  by  express 
permission  of  the  statutes  of  their  Societies,  would  retire  from  Oxford  to 
some  more  healthy  spot  in  the  vicinity.  Thus  Oriel  College,  of  which 
Scogin  is  reputed  to  have  been  an  alumnus,  migrated  to  St.  Bartholomew's  ; 
Exeter  College  to  Kidlington  ;  Lincoln  College  to  Gosford  ;  Trinity  College 
to  Garsington  and  Woodstock  ;  and  Merton  College  to  Cuxham,  Islip,  and 
Eynsham  ;  while,  for  more  than  two  hundred  years,  All  Souls'  College 
compelled  its  tenants  at  Stanton  Harcourt  Parsonage,  by  a  covenant  in  the 
lease,  ' '  to  find  four  chambers  furnished  with  bedding,  for  so  many  of  the 
Fellows  of  the  College  as  should  be  sent  there,  whenever  any  contagious 
disorder  should  happen  in  the  University." 


56     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

fellows,  did  come  to  see  him ;  and  when  Scogin  espied 
him  coming,  he  said  to  Jack,  "  Set  up  the  bones  of  the 
herrings  before  me."  "  Sir,"  said  Jack,  "  they  shall  cost 
you  a  penny."  "  What !  "  exclaimed  Scogin,  "  Wilt  thou 
shame  me?  "  "  No,  Sir,"  answered  Jack  ;  "  Give  me  my 
penny  again,  and  you  shall  have  the  bones ;  or  else  I 
will  tell  all."  Then  did  Scogin  cast  down  the  penny, 
and  Jack  brought  up  to  his  master's  place  the  herring 
bones ;  and  when  the  Master  of  Arts  entered,  Scogin 
bade  him  welcome,  and  said,  "If  you  had  come  sooner, 
you  should  have  had  fresh  herrings  for  dinner."  Thus 
did  Jack  make  his  master  pay  a  penny  for  the  herring 
bones. 

These  tales  of  ready  wit,  and  others,  such  as  "  What 
Master  Skelton,  the  laureate,  did,  when  after  eating  salt 
meates  at  Abingdon,  he  lay  at  the  Angel  Inn  at  Oxford, 
and  awoke  athirst,"  and  "  How  Scogin  and  a  chamber- 
fellow,  a  collegioner,  managed  to  fare  well  during  Lent," 
do  indeed  appeal  to  the  popular  raconteur  of  the  day, 
and  he  commends  those  famous  Oxford  Wits,  saying, 
"it  is  good  for  every  man  to  help  himself  in  time  of 
need  with  some  policy  and  craft,  or  be  it  no  deceit  or 
falsehood  be  used."  But  more  often,  "  a  meere  Scholar, 
a  meere  Ass,"  is  his  maxim  ;  and  where  Chaucer  genially 
rallied,  he  coarsely  ridicules  the  want  of  worldly  wisdom 
in  the  Oxford  Clerk.  He  is  no  respecter  of  persons,  and 
all  ranks  in  the  University  fare  alike.  Thus  the  novice 
or  Freshman  goes  with  a  company  of  wild  scholars  to 
steal  conies,  and  is  told  not  to  warn  the  quarry  in  any 
way  of  their  design.  "  At  last  it  was  his  fortune  to 
espy  a  stocks,  whereupon  he  cried  aloud, '  Ecce,  cuniculi 
multi ! ',  in  English,  '  Loe,  where  are  many  conies  ! ' :  and 
straightway  the  conies  ran  to  their  berries : — for  which 
his  felowes  chiding  him,  he  said,  *  Why !  who  a  devill 
would  have  thought  that  conies  could  understande 
Latine ! ' '  Then  there  is  the  tale  of  the  senior  man 
who  studied  "the  judicials  of  astronomy"  to  his  own 
undoing.  "  Upon  a  tyme,  as  he  was  rydyng  by  the 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1500  A.D.  57 

way,  he  came  by  a  herdeman,  and  he  asked  this  herde- 
man  how  far  it  was  to  the  next  town.     '  Syr,'  quod  the 
herdeman,  'it  is  rather  past  a  mile  and  a  half;  but  ye 
need  to  ryde  apace,  for  ye  shall  have  a  shower  of  rain 
ere  ye  come  thither.'     '  What,'  said  the  scoler,  '  maketh 
thee  say  so?     There  is  no  token  of  rain,  for  the  clouds 
be   both   fayr   and   clere.'      '  By   my   troth,'   quod   the 
herdeman,  '  but  ye  shall  find  it  so.'     The  scoler  then 
rode  forth ;  and  it  chanced,  ere  he  had  ridden  halfe  a 
myle  further,  there  fell  a  good  shower  of  rain ;  and  thys 
scoler  was  well  washyd  and  wett  to  the  skin.     Then 
torned  he  him  back,  and  rode  to  the  herdeman,  and 
desyryd  him  to  teach  him  that  connyng.     *  Nay/  quod 
the  herdeman,  '  I  wyll  not  teach  you  my  connyng  for 
nought.'     Then  the  scoler  profferyd  him  XL  shyllyngs 
to  teach  him   that  connyng.     The  herdeman,  after  he 
had  received  his  money,  sayd  thus ;  '  Syr,  see  you  not 
yonder  black  ewe  with  the  whyte  face  ?     Surely  when 
she  daunseth,  and  holdith  up  her  tayle,  ye  shall  have  a 
shower  of  rain  within  halfe  an  houre.'"     The  days  of 
"  hende  Nicholas,"  with  his  successful  weather  forecasts, 
were  indeed  passed  away ;  for  the  moral,  to  be  drawn 
from  this  story,  is,  "  that  the  connyng  of  herdemen  and 
shepardes,  as  touchinge  aulteracyons  of  weder,  is  more 
sure  than  the  judicials  of  astronomy." l     Finally,  when 
the  new-made  "  Mayster  of  Arts  "  ventures  to  London, 
he  falls  an  easy  prey  to  "  the  mery  gentilman  of  Essex 
which  was   ever   disposyd   to  play  many  pranks  and 
pageants."      "  Meeting  this   gentilman   in    Poulys,  the 
scoler  prayed  him  to  give  him  a  sarcenet  typet ;  and 
the  gentilman,  more  liberal  of  promise  than  of  gyft, 
graunted  him  that  he  should  have  one,  if  he  would 
come  to  his  lodging  to  the  sign  of  the  Bull  without 
Bishopsgate  in  the  next  morning  at  six  of  the  clock. 
This  scoler  then  came  next  morning ;  and  the  two  went 

1  In  folk-lore,  one-year-old  sheep,  known  to  the  Fancy  as  "hogs  "or 
"n°ggets,"  are  believed  to  gambol  like  young  lambs,  when  a  change  in 
the  weather  is  probable.  This  they  do  especially  in  the  month  of  March. 


58     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

together,  till  they  came  to  Saint  Laurence  Church  in 
the  Jewry.  There  the  gentilman  espied  a  priest  intently 
engaged  in  the  celebration  of  the  Mass  ;  and  he  told  the 
scoler,  '  Yonder  is  the  priest  that  hath  the  typet  for  you. 
Knele  down  in  the  pew,  and  I  will  speke  to  him  for  it.' 
Then  went  this  gentilman  to  the  priest,  and  said,  '  Sir, 
here  is  a  scoler,  a  kynnysman  of  mine,  greatly  dyseased 
with  the  chyn-cough.  I  pray  you,  when  Mass  is  done, 
give  him  three  draughts  of  your  Chalice.'  The  priest 
graunted  him  this ;  and  torned  him  to  the  scoler,  and 
said,  '  Sir,  I  shall  serve  you  as  soon  as  I  have  said  Mass.' 
The  scoler  therefore  tarried,  trusting  that,  when  Mass 
was  done,  the  priest  would  give  him  a  typet  of  sarcenet ; 
and  the  gentilman  in  the  meanwhile  departed  from  the 
Church.  Now,  when  Mass  was  said,  the  priest  put  wine 
in  the  chalice,  and  came  to  the  scoler  knelyng  in  the 
pew,  proffering  him  to  drink  of  it.  This  scoler  looked 
upon  him,  and  mused,  and  said,  '  Why,  mayster  parson, 
wherefore  proffer  you  me  the  chalice  ?  '  *  Marry,'  quod 
the  priest, '  for  the  gentilman  told  me  you  were  dyseased 
with  the  chyn-cough,  and  prayed  me  that  for  a  medicine 
ye  might  drink  of  the  chalice.'  '  Nay,  by  Seint  Mary/ 
quod  the  scoler,  'he  promysed  me  ye  should  delyver 
me  a  typet  of  sarcenet.'  (  Nay,'  answered  the  priest,  '  he 
spake  to  me  of  no  typet ;  but  he  desyred  me  to  give 
you  drink  for  the  chyn-cough.'  Then,  too  late,  did  this 
scoler  lerne  that  it  is  foly  to  truste  to  a  man  to  do  a 
thinge  that  is  contrary  to  his  old  accustomed  condy- 
cyons ;  and  he  said,  '  By  Goddes  body,  he  is,  as  he  was 
ever  wont  to  be,  but  a  mokkyng  wretch ;  but  if  I  live, 
I  shall  quyte  him ' ;  and  so  departyd  in  great  anger." 

The  Clerk  of  Oxenford,  his  virtues  and  foibles,  his 
logic  and  his  high  style,  now  serve  to  point  a  moral 
rather  than  to  adorn  a  tale.  "  A  rich  frankelyn  having 
by  his  wyfe  but  one  childe  and  no  mo,  for  the  great 
affection  that  he  had  to  the  said  childe,  found  hym  to 
scole  to  Oxforde  for  the  space  of  II  or  III  year.  Thys 
young  skoler,  in  a  vacacyon  tyme,  for  his  disporte,  came 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1500  A.D.  59 

home  to  his  father.  It  fortuned  afterwarde  on  a  day, 
the  father,  mother,  and  the  young  skoler  being  seated  at 
table,  the  young  skoler  sayde,  '  I  have  studied  sophistrie, 
and  by  that  science  I  can  prove  these  two  chekyns  in 
the  dysshe  to  be  thre  chekyns.'  *  Mary ! '  sayde  the 
father,  '  That  wolde  I  fayne  see.'  The  skoler  then  toke 
one  of  the  chekyns  in  his  hande,  and  sayde, '  Lo !  here 
is  one  chekyn ' ;  and  incontinente  he  toke  both  the 
chekyns  in  his  hand  joyntely,  and  sayde,  'here  is  two 
chekyns :  and  one  and  two  makyth  three :  ergo  here 
is  three  chekyns.'  Then  the  father  toke  one  of  the 
chekyns  to  himselfe,  and  gave  one  of  the  chekyns  to  his 
wife,  and  sayde  thus  ;  '  Lo,  I  will  have  one  of  the  chekyns 
to  my  parte ;  and  thy  mother  shall  have  another ;  and, 
because  of  thy  good  argument,  thou  shalt  have  the 
thirde  to  thy  supper :  for  thou  gettest  no  more  meate 
here  at  this  tyme.' "  These  popular  tales  show  also  the 
change  which  had  come  over  the  "high  style"  of  the 
Clerk.  A  hundred  years  before,  this  style  had  been 
"short  and  quick  and  full  of  high  sentence."  Then 
French  influence  was  to  be  marked  in  the  construction 
of  English  prose ;  and  Chaucer,  as  Skinner  writes  in 
his  Etymologicon,  was  "  introducing  French  words  by 
waggon-loads  into  our  English  vocabulary."  But  now, 
in  their  attempt  to  construct  what  Dante  calls  "an 
illustrious  vulgar  tongue,"  to  refine  it  and  make  it  a 
fitting  instrument  for  the  various  requirements  of  courtly 
conversation  and  literature,  Oxonians  were  Latinizing 
the  English  language.  They  were  striving,  as  did 
Rabelais'  young  scholar  of  Limouzin  in  later  days, 
"par  veles  et  rames  locupleter  le  vernacule  de  la 
redundance  Latinicome." x  "You  must  crucify  the 
quadrangle,  and  ascend  the  grades,  and  you  will  find 
him  perambulating  his  cubicle  near  the  fenester,"  said 
"  the  scoler  of  Oxenforde  that  delytid  moche  to  speke 
eloquente  English  and  curious  termes,"  as  he  directed  a 

1  Rabelais,  bk.  ii.  chap.  vi.  Comment  Pantagruel  rencontra  ung  Limousin 
qui  contrefaisoit  le  languaige  Francois. 


60     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

porter  to  a  friend's  rooms  in  College.  "  And  pray,  Sir, 
what  is  a  fenester?"  asked  the  man.  "It  is  the  dia- 
phanous part  of  an  edifice,  erected  for  the  introduction 
of  illumination,"  answered  "  the  skoler."  And  when  he 
took  his  shoes,  "  which  were  pyked  before,  as  they  used 
that  tyme," l  to  be  clouted,  he  would  say  to  the  cobbler, 
"  O  thou  curious  artificer,  that  hast  perfected  the  art  of 
repairing  old  and  decayed  calcuments,  I  pray  thee  set 
two  triangles  and  two  semicircles  upon  my  subpeditales, 
and  I  shall  pay  thee  for  thy  labour."  Upon  which  the 
cobbler,  because  he  understood  him  not  half,  answered 
him  shortly,  "Sir,  your  eloquence  passeth  my  intelli- 
gence; but  if  I  meddle  with  it,  the  clouting  of  your 
shoon  shall  cost  you  ten  pens." 

Thus  already  the  time  had  got  a  vein  of  making  the 
Clerk  ridiculous,  and  of  putting  upon  his  profession 
various  absurdities  which  were  to  render  him  a  laughing- 
stock to  succeeding  generations.  Nor  is  it  only  as  the 
follower  of  unprofitable  and  ill-respected  arts,  that  he 
is  now  ridiculed ;  but  often  also,  as  being  distinguished 
by  the  weak  health,  dull  spirits,  and  eccentric  manners, 
that  are  bred  in  a  retired  life  free  from  bodily  exercise 
and  those  disports  which  most  men  use.  And  this  is 
due  y>  the  fact,  that,  owing  to  a  change  in  the  system 
of  residence  at  Oxford,  the  lawless  "  unattached  "  scholar, 
who  lived  as  he  listed,  was  becoming  a  "  rara  avis "  ; 
freshmen  being  now  usually  caged  in  a  College,  which, 
with  its  hall,  chapel,  and  recreation-ground,  was  intended 
to  supply,  and  doubtless  did  supply  to  docile  youths, 
all  the  necessaries  of  life  within  its  massive  gates. 
Subjected  to  an  elaborate  code  of  discipline,  the  Clerk 
henceforward  had  but  few  opportunities  of  displaying 
prowess,  either  in  sport  in  Beaumont  Fields,  or  in 
earnest  in  the  many  faction-fights  which  enlivened  the 
streets  of  mediaeval  Oxford.  Then,  again,  in  the  old 
days,  as  a  "  chamberdekyn,"  he  had  depended  for  his 

1  The  "time"  is  that  of  Edward  iv,  before  the  exaggerated  "square 
toes  "  of  the  Tudors  had  been  introduced. 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1500  A.D.  61 

scanty  subsistence  to  no  small  extent  upon  the  means 
derived  from  the  chase,  and  had  won  a  name  for  skill 
and  daring  as  a  poacher  and  a  raider  of  hen-roosts. 
But  as  soon  as  he  became  the  inmate  of  a  College,  he 
passed  from  this  savage  and  predatory  to  what  may  be 
called  a  pastoral  state  ;  a  step  towards  civilization,  which 
was  figuratively  described  by  fifteenth-century  Oxford 
in  the  famous  legend  of  the  "  All  Souls'  Mallard  "  :— 
when  once  he  became  a  member  of  an  endowed  Founda- 
tion such  as  Archbishop  Chichele's,  he  no  longer  needed 
to  hunt  for  a  precarious  dinner  in  the  neighbouring  farm- 
yards or  amid  the  reeds  of  Isis  and  Cherwell ;  his 
former  quarry  was  now  ready  to  his  hand,  and  moreover 
specially  fattened  for  the  table,  in  the  "  pullo-phylacium," 
"domus  gallinarum,"  or  collegiate  fowlhouse; — to  use 
the  words  of  the  All  Souls'  Allegory,  "  the  Mallard  or 
wild  Drake  was  discovered,  imprisoned  and  grown  to 
a  vast  size,  in  the  foundations  of  the  College." 1  It  is, 
indeed,  to  this  conversion  of  the  Clerk  of  Oxford  during 
the  great  college-building  period  (1375-1458),  from  a 
free  and  hardy  self-helper  into  a  beneficiary  leading  a 
confined  and  comparatively  soft  existence,  that  are 
due  portraits  of  the  time  which  represent  him  "  living  a 
monastic  life  sequestered  from  the  tumults  and  troubles 
of  the  world,  a  mere  spectator  of  other  men's  fortunes 

1  The  above  interpretation  of  the  Mallard  Legend  is  confirmed,  when 
examination  is  made  of  the  chief  features  of  the  Feast  of  the  Invention  of 
the  Mallard,  a  festival  observed  in  old  days  annually,  but,  since  1701,  in 
the  first  year  of  each  century  only.  "  Mallard  Night,"  as  it  is  called,  opens 
with  a  pretended  search  for  the  tutelary  Bird  in  various  parts  of  the  College, 
which  is  conducted  by  the  junior  Fellows  who  bear  torches  and  sticks ; 
time  and  implements,  it  will  be  noted,  being  those  which  a  primitive 
poacher  would  deem  most  favourable  for  his  illicit  sport :  the  Night  closes 
with  a  chorus  of  triumph  over  the  captured  quarry,  known  as  the  ' '  Mallard 
Song,"  and  a  prolonged  orgie  after  the  habit  of  the  primitive  poacher.  It 
is  clear  that  the  festival  was  originally  instituted  by  the  College  authorities 
for  the  purpose  of  effecting  a  yearly  catharsis  of  any  predatory  passions 
that  might  survive  among  the  alumni :  and  that  such  a  precaution  was  by 
no  means  unnecessary,  is  shewn  by  the  frequent  outbursts  of  those  passions 
which  occurred  until  comparatively  recent  times  in  societies  which  did  not 
encourage  a  like  purgation. 


62     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

and  adventures."  And,  as  time  went  on,  this  seclusion 
became  more  complete.  In  the  thirteenth  and  fourteenth 
centuries,  senior  members  of  endowed  institutions  had 
often  engaged  in  the  active  management  of  College 
property.  They  had  farmed  estates  with  bailiffs,  and 
had  bred  and  sold  horses ;  they  had  been  their  own 
bakers,  brewers  and  architects ;  and  had  thus  been 
brought  into  contact  with  agricultural  labourers,  grooms 
and  farriers,  masons  and  bricklayers  ;  and  had  purchased 
agricultural  instruments,  baking  and  brewing  utensils, 
and  building  material.  They  had  kept  minute  accounts 
of  expenses,  and  had  schemed  to  increase  the  income 
of  their  foundations.  But  when,  as  one  of  the  results  of 
the  great  revolution  in  the  system  of  agriculture  in 
England  which  followed  the  Black  Death,  bailiff-farming 
gradually  gave  way  to  farming  by  tenants  at  a  fixed 
rent,  and  when  the  business  of  baking  and  brewing 
became  general,  and  the  contractor  and  middleman 
appeared  in  the  land,  Fellows  of  Colleges  had  fewer 
opportunities  of  acquiring  and  of  displaying  a  practical 
knowledge  of  secular  business  ;  and  rapidly  deteriorated, 
in  the  opinion  of  the  vulgar-spirited,  into  "  mere  College 
authorities  who  lived  retired  from  the  world,  and  were 
as  children  in  commercial  matters."  In  an  age  of 
extending  trade  and  great  material  prosperity,  and  when 
it  was  thought  to  be  the  duty  of  every  man,  one  way  or 
another,  "  to  bestirre  his  stoompes,"  the  Clerk  was 
pictured  "  sitting  in  a  corner  with  a  pot  of  beer  and  a 
pound  of  beef  at  his  side,  concluding  syllogisms  ;  reading 
all  things  and  professing  none."  He  was  declared,  by 
the  successful  merchant  and  daring  adventurer  of  the 
day,  "  to  spend  the  winter  with  his  nose  over  the  fire ; 
and  in  summer  to  plod  along  with  his  eyes  bent  down- 
wards, as  though  he  sought  pearls  among  the  pebbles, 
or  staring  into  the  element  as  if  to  see  when  the  man 
in  the  moon  would  come  out  among  the  stars."  Though 
he  read  sometimes  of  the  famous  deeds  of  men  of  action 
in  the  past,  "  the  base-minded  fellow  was  never  the  more 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1500  A.D.  63 

ready  to  do  vigorous  service  himself;  but  was  as  one 
who  thrust  his  head  into  a  tub,  and  cried, '  Bene  vixit 
qui  bene  latuit/  '  he  hath  lived  well  that  hath  loitered 
well."3  Such  were  some  of  the  popular  views  of  the 
Clerk  and  his  life.  To  a  generation  which  knew  no 
other  content  but  wealth,  bravery,  and  town-pleasures, 
the  contemplative  student  was  a  proverb  of  reproach, 
philosophers  were  but  madmen,  and  poor  scholars  an 
example  to  take  heed  by. 


CHAPTER    IV 
EARLY  TRIALS  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY 

ACADEMIAE  OXONIENSIS  BREVE  CHRONICON 
AB   ANNO    INCARNATIONIS    1524 

USQUE  AD  ANNUM  1603 

A.D.  1524 

"  rT~^HE  occasion  of  the  Erection  of  Christys  Church 
in  Oxford  by  the  Cardinal  Thomas  Wolsey, 
the  number  of  the  work  folk,  what  he  there 
pretended  " — being  Caput  7  of  the  History  of  Grisilde 
the  Seconde^  a  narrative  in  verse  of  the  Divorce  of  Queen 
Katharine  of  Arragon,  written  by  William  Forrest, 
sometime  Chaplain  to  Queen  Mary  I,  and  edited  from 
the  Author's  MS.  in  the  Bodleian  Library  for  the 
Roxburghe  Club  by  the  Rev.  W.  D.  Macray.  In 
the  poem  Queen  Katharine  appears  as  "  Grisilde," 
Henry  VIII  as  "  Walter."  Here  I  have  modernized  the 
spelling. 

At  time  when  this  man  in  high  favour  stood, 
Walter  with  him  talking  familiarly, 
A  certain  gentleman  with  much  sober  mood, 
As  then  a  suitor,  stood  there  aloof  by, 
On  whom  as  Walter  that  time  cast  his  eye, 
He  asked  him,  with  countenance  "beninge," 

If  that  with  him  then  he  would  any  thing; 
64 


EARLY  TRIALS  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY     65 

To  whom  the  party  thus  entered  his  suit, 
Beseeching  his  grace  to  grant  his  licence 
A  scholar  of  his,  his  school  here  to  permute 
Beyond  the  seas,  to  do  his  diligence 
For  more  acquiring,  by  study's  pretence, 
Of  literate  knowledge  for  years  two  or  three, 
The  abler  after  to  serve  his  Majesty. 

At  whose  contemplation  Walter  furtherway 
Condescended  to  his  humble  request, 
And  to  the  Cardinal  he  there  did  say, 
"  I  marvel  why  our  folk  are  so  earnest 
Their  youth  beyond  sea  to  have  interest, 
To  the  consuming  of  our  Royalm's  treasure ; 
Have  we  not  Schools  them  at  home  to  recure?" 

"  Sir,"  quoth  the  Cardinal,  "  pleaseth  your  grace 
Me  to  assist  in  that  I  do  pretend, 
I  shall  so  work  in  convenient  space 
As  fast  hitherwards  to  cause  them  to  descend 
As  ever  thitherwards  they  did  themselves  bend ; 
And  other  also  of  each  Christian  port 
For  the  like  purpose  hither  to  resort." 

"  My  lord,"  quoth  Walter,  "  further  your  pretence 
Which  is,  I  perceive,  some  study  to  begin, 
And  ye  shall  be  sure  of  our  assistance 
What  way  so  ever  ye  think  best  therein." 
Upon  which  occasion  he  did  not  lyn,*  *lyn= 

The  plot  devised  and  curiously  cast,  ielay). 

To  set  therewith  in  hand  wondrously  fast. 

Most  cunning  workmen  there  were  prepared      The  tri- 

With  speediest  ordinance  for  every  thing,  workmen^ 

Nothing  expedient  was  there  aught  spared  and  lack ' 

That  to  the  purpose  might  be  assisting;  overseers, 

One  thing  chiefly  this  was  the  hindering,  was  the 

The  work-folk,  for  lack  of  good  overseers,  Sling^ 

Loitered  the  time,  like  false  triflers,  the  work. 


66     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

They  were  thus  many,  a  thousand  at  the  least, 
That  thereon  were  working  still  day  by  day ; 
Their  payments  continued,  their  labours  decreast, 
For  well  near  one  half  did  naught  else  but  play. 
If  they  had  truly  done  what  in  them  lay 
By  so  long  space  as  they  were  trifeling, 
At  his  fall  had  been  little  to  doing. 

Man's  vain  The  work  was  wonderful  passing  curious, 

before  And  too  much  set  forth  to  his  vain  glory; 

God's  Too  much  it  cannot  be  too  glorious 

ferredfthe  To  His  honour  that  reigneth  eternally; 

work  can  Th'  other  preferred,  that  being  laid  by, 

never  take  _,.  .  A    . 

g00d  The  work  cannot  take  prosperous  success; 

success.  Of  the  godly  I  take  therein  witness.1 

1  Cf.  Rede  me  and  be  not  wrothe,  by  William  Roy  and  Jerome  Bar- 
low, English  Observant  Franciscans:  Strasbourg,  1528  (Arber  Reprints) : 
"Dialogue  between  two  prestes  servants,  named  Watkyn  and  Jeffraye"  : 

Watkyn.  In  those  parties  it  is  verified 
That  he  hath  a  College  edified 
Of  marvellous  foundation. 

Jeffraye.  Thou  mayest  perceave  by  reason 
That  vertue  shall  be  very  geason 

Among  a  set  of  idle  losels, 
Which  have  riches  infinite, 

The  wealth  and  worldly  delight, 
Given  to  pleasure  and  to  nothing  els. 

Watkyn.  They  rede  there  both  Greke  and  Ebrue. 

Jeffraye.  I  will  not  say  but  it  is  true 
That  there  be  men  of  great  science  : 
Howbeit  where  pride  is  the  beginning, 

As  we  see  by  experience, 
And  if  thou  consider  well, 
Even  as  the  Tower  of  Babel 

Began  of  a  presompcion, 
So  that  College,  I  dare  undertake, 

Which  the  Cardinal  doth  make, 

Shall  confound  the  region. 
What  is  it  to  see  dogges  and  cattes 

Gargell  heddes  and  Cardinall  hattes, 
Daynted  on  walls  with  moche  cost, 

Which  ought  of  dute  to  be  spent 

Upon  povre  people  indigent 
For  lacke  of  fode  utterly  lost, 


EARLY  TRIALS  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY     67 

There  should  have  been  read  within  that  precinct, 
To  th'  instruction  of  all  that  thither  came, 
The  seven  Sciences  seriously  link't, 
As  in  their  orders  the  Schoolmen  can  name; 
The  Readers  to  have  been  men  of  great  fame, 
The  picked  purest  through  all  Christiandom, 
If  meed  or  money  might  cause  them  to  come. 


But  how  ever  it  was,  God's  aid  there  did  lack, 
It  had  not  else  quailed,  as  it  sheweth  yet; 
That  Pride  therein  had  aught  hindered  back, 
I  trust  Humility  shall  perfectly  complete, 
To  set  up  God's  House,  as  me  seemeth  meet, 
For  His  inestimable  benevolence 
Shewed  of  His  grace  to  her  magnificence; 


God's  aid  was 
not  there 
assisting 
because  of 
pride ;  God 
grant  humility 
to  fulfil  that 
which  pride 
lacked  grace 
to  do. 


Our  noble  Queen  Mary  it  is  that  I  mean; 
Who,  as  she  is  most  noblest  now  of  all, 
That  noble  work  not  yet  finished  clean, 
Nobly  God  grant  her  to  make  it  formal, 
To  His  honour  and  glory  special : 
Her  other  affairs  first  brought  to  good  fine, 
God  through  His  grace  her  heart  thereto  incline. 


Wishing  our 
noble  Queen 
Mary  time  and 
power  to  finish 
what  is  lacking 
in  that  noble 
foundation. 


So  have  we  here  said  the  cause  original, 
How  Frydeswide's  House  a  Study  became 
By  the  great  travel  of  the  Cardinal, 
Whose  soul  God  shield  from  the  infernal  flame, 
And  prosper  in  virtue  the  Students  of  the  same; 
They  endeavouring  so,  virtuously, 
No  doubt  to  God's  pleasure  shall  much  edify. 


A.D.  1530 

Oxford  and  the  Great  Divorce.  In  this  year  King 
Henry  proposed  to  the  University  a  question  concern- 
ing his  marriage  with  Queen  Katharine,  sometime  the 


68     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

wife  of  his  brother,  Prince  Arthur: — "An  divino  et 
naturali  jure  sit  prohibitum  ne  frater  uxorem  fratris, 
etiam  mortui  sine  liberis,  ducat  uxorem  "  ? — 

Caput  9  of  the  History  of  Grisilde  the  Seconde — 


Walter,  to 
appease  the 
worldly 
rumour, 
causeth  his 
case  to  be 
disputed  at 
Oxford. 


Yet  for  that  Walter  would  not  be  thought 
Of  heady  power  to  work  contrariously, 
He  sent  to  Oxford,  as  plans  he  sought 
To  have  his  case  there  tried  by  the  Clergy  ; 
At  which  traveling  certainly  was  I, 
Attending  upon  a  certain  good  man, 
Wherefore  in  the  same  I  somewhat  say  can. 


John  Long- 
land  was  Chief 
Commissioner: 
Friar 
Nicholas, 
chief  Solicitor 
for  the  King, 
was  openly 
withstood. 


Thither  was  sent  as  Chief  Commissioner 
The  Bishop  of  Lincoln,  one  John  Langeland, 
With  certain  other  that  well  could  flatter, 
The  learned  judgment  there  to  understand; 
Where  one  friar  Nicholas  took  much  in  hand, 
As  chief  Defendant  in  the  foresaid  case, 
Who    found    himself    matched    even    to    the    hard 
face. 


Those  that 
spake  against 
the  King,  were 
disdained  and 
threatened ; 
those  who 
supported 
him,  were 
rewarded, 
cheered,  and 
made  much  of. 


The  Uni- 
versity Act 
was  deferred, 
because  five 
incepting 
Doctors 
would  not 
agree  to  the 
divorcement. 


But  there  was  used  no  indifferency ; 
Such  as  by  learning  made  against  the  King, 
They  were  redargued  most  cruelly, 
Threatened  also  to  forgo  their  living; 
On  th'  other  side  all  thereto  inclining, 
They  had  high  cheering  with  meed  otherway; 
Falsehood  triumphing,  Truth  quaking  for  fray. 

That  time  an  Act  there  should  have  gone  forward, 
Where  seven  famous  Clerks  that  Inceptors  were, 
Because  in  this  case  Five  would  not  draw  toward, 
It  was  deferred  to  their  heavy  cheer, 
For  that  their  chief  friends  were  presently  there; 
Mawdelay,  Mooreman,  Holyman,  also 
Mortimer,  Cooke,  with  other  two  mo, 


EARLY  TRIALS  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY     69 

These  Five  in  nowise  would  grant  their  consents, 
The  Regent  Masters  were  of  the  same  mind; 
Rather  they  granted  to  forgo  house  and  rents 
Than  wittingly  so  to  shew  themselves  blind; 
The  Proctors,  for  gains  they  hoped  to  find, 
Through  friendship  they  made,  obtained  the  grace 
Of  Bishop  Langeland  the  Act  to  take  place. 

The  matter  long  time  there  hanging  in  suspense, 
Without  having  th'  University's  Seal 
As  to  confirm  Walter's  foresaid  pretence, 
For  which  the  Bishop  hard  threatnings  did  deal, 
To  his  reproach  and  hindrance  of  good  heal ; 
If  so  that  some  there  had  had  him  at  large, 
I  would  of  his  life  have  taken  no  charge. 

For  on  the  outgates,  where  he  by  night  lay, 
Were  Ropes  fast  nailed,  with  Gallows  drawn  by, 
To  this  intent,  as  a  man  might  well  say, 
"  If  we  so  might,  such  were  thy  Destiny." 
His  servants  oft  handled  accordingly, 
As  one  indeed  making  water  at  a  wall, 
A  stone  right  heavy  on  him  one  let  fall. 


Women  that  season  in  Oxford  were  busy; 
Their  hearts  were  good,  it  appeared  no  less; 
As  Friar  Nicholas  chanced  to  come  by, 
"Alas,"  said  one,  "that  we  might  this  knave  dress 
For  his  unthankful  daily  business 
Against  our  dear  Queen,  good  Grisilidis; 
He  should  evil  to  cheave,  he  should  not  sure  miss.' 

With  that  a  woman,  I  saw  it  truly, 
A  lump  of  osmundys  let  hard  at  him  fling : 
Which  missed  of  his  noddle,  the  more  pity, 
And  on  his  friar's  heels  it  came  tryteling, 
Who  suddenly  as  he  it  perceiving, 
Made  his  complaint  upon  the  woman,  so 
That  thirty  the  morrow  were  in  Bocardo. 


These  five, 
and  the 
Regent 
Masters, 
would  rather 
surrender  all 
than  give  their 
consents. 


Popular  hatred 
of  Bishop 
Longland. 
On  Lincoln 
College  gates 
were  gallows 
drawn  with 
chalk,  and 
ropes  of  hemp 
nailed  thereon, 
to  signify  that 
he  and  his  were 
worthy  the 
like  for  their 
going  against 
the  truth. 


Women  in  Ox- 
ford sided  with 
the  Queen,  and 
had  foiledFriar 
Nicholas, 
if  their  hands 
might  have 
served  to  their 
hearts. 

I 

One  of  them 
threw  a  lump 
of  iron  at  him, 
which  missed 
his  head  and 
rolled  on  to  his 
heels :  and  on 
his  complaint 
thirty  women 
were  lodged  in 
Bocardo 
prison,  in  the 
North  Gate. 


70     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 


The  Regent 
Masters  stood 
firm.     The 
Bishop  called  a 
secret  Con- 
vocation of  his 
supporters, 
and  there  they 
stole  the  Uni- 
versity Seal 
and  affixed  it 
to  such  false 
instrument  as 
they  had  con- 
trived. 

The  sorrow  of 
many  good 
Graduates  for 
this  stealing 
the  Seal. 


The  consent 
of  Oxford  was 
forced  and 
stolen  from 
her.     May 
God  reward 
the  traitors 
after  their 
deserts  ! 


There  they  continued  three  days  and  three  nights, 
Till  word  was  sent  down  from  Walter  the  King, 
Who  fret  at  the  heart,  as  vexed  with  sprites, 
That  Grisildy's  part  they  were  so  tendering, 
To  all  that  so  did,  this  word  down  sending, 
That  magre  their  teeths,  he  would  have  his  forth, 
And  ere  long  time  make  some  of  them  small  worth. 

But  yet  for  all  that  the  Five  foresaid  Clerks 
With  most  of  the  Regent  Masters,  that  tide, 
For  all  the  threatnings  that  flatterers  barks, 
From  that  was  the  right,  they  would  no  wit  slide. 
The  Bishop  Langeland  did  thus  then  provide, 
A  Convocation  of  certain  to  call, 
And  got  the  Seal  consented  of  all. 

For  which  was  weeping  and  lamentation; 
I  was  then  present  and  heard  their  complaint : 
"Alas!"  they  said,  "in  pitiful  fashion 
Now  is  good  Oxford  for  ever  attaint ! 
Thou  that  hast  flourished,  art  become  faint! 
Thou  wert  unspotted  till  this  present  day, 
With  truth  evermore  to  hold  and  to  say. 

"  But  notwithstanding,  considering  as  thus 
Thou  wert  with  power  and  might  overlaid, 
Thou  therefore  remain'st  innoxious, 
As  doth  by  violence  the  ravish't  maid. 
Every  one  his  duty  on  each  pate  be  paid; 
That  is,  who  of  us  hath  wronged  the  right, 
God  to  their  deserts  their  doings  requite! 

"This  to  this  end  we  put  in  remembrance 
To  the  knowledge  of  our  posterity, 
That  all,  that  season,  made  no  dissemblance, 
But  ten  to  one  stuck  to  the  verity ; 
But  chief  that  ought,  had  no  sincerity. 
False  Ambition  and  keeping  in  favour 
Declared  in  this  much  lewd  behaviour." 


EARLY  TRIALS  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY     71 

Walter  presented  with  th'  University's  Seal,  The  King's 

Seeming  to  him  all  had  condescended,  mgthe° 

The  merrier  that  day  he  made  his  full  meal;  University's 

Now  had  he  all  things  as  he  pretended. 
Forwards  he  went,  he  was  not  defended, 
The  good  silly  Grisild  for  to  put  down, 
And  in  her  stead  his  new  minion  to  crown. 


A.D.  1549 

This  year  was  a  Commission  appointed  by  King 
Edward  VI  to  visit  the  University  "in  capite  et 
membris,"  one  of  the  Commissioners  being  Dr. 
Richard  Cox,  Dean  of  Christ  Church. 

"  Of  Doctor  Cockes,  Dean  of  Christys  Church,  most 
devillish  disordering  there,  and  of  his  despoiling  the 
said  Church  and  other  in  Oxford  to  the  maintenance 
of  his  filthy  and  vile  carnality  " — Caput  7  of  the  History 
of  Grisilde  the  Seconde — 

Now  learning  is  worthy  of  preferment  The  fruit  of 

And  of  all  degrees  to  be  magnified,  Perfe,_ct  learn', 

_  .  ing,  how  much 

For  learning  rendereth  the  low  excellent,  it  furthereth 

And  the  excellent  witty  to  be  tried; 
Learning  and  wisdom  together  allied, 
As  friends  and  kin  of  consanguinity, 
They  needs  shall  work  to  much  utility. 

Admixed  with  Grace,  I  mean,  as  no  less,  But  learning, 

For    Science,    Saint    Paul    saith,    the    mind    doth void  of  srace, 

.    ,,  leads  men  to 

inflate :  fleshiy  folly 

Of  Science  hath  many  had  plenteousness,  as  it:  did  Dr- 

And  void  of  Grace  hath  proved  far  ingrate; 
Using  their  learning  after  devillish  rate; 
As  Doctor  Cockes,  with  a  Comb  thereto  set, 
Through  fleshly  folly  caught  in  the  Devil's  net. 


72     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Abhorring  his  order  of  sacred  Priesthood, 
A  whore  he  took ;  wife  could  he  take  none, 
For  contrary  vow  he  made  unto  God 
When  of  his  Ministers  he  took  to  be  one ; 
And  for  he  would  not  to  the  Devil  alone, 
He  wrought  by  all  means  others  to  entrap 
With  him  for  ever  to  curse  their  mishap. 

He  wrought  by  his  holy  stinking  Martyr 
Peter,  that  Paul  his  breath  could  not  abide, 
For  that,  like  Satan's  true  knight  of  the  Garter, 
His  holy  doctrine  he  here  falsified, 
That  who  of  Priests  in  marriage  was  not  tied, 
He  was  afflicted  turmoiled  and  tost, 
To  loss  of  living  and  some  other  cost.1 

So  much  abhorred  this  vaging  varlet 
All  signs  of  goodly  conversation, 
That  whereso  a  priest  with  shaven  crown  he  met, 
He  shook  him  up  with  detestation, 
And  in  Oxford  his  ordination 
Was,  whoso  there  a  crown  on  him  did  fit, 
His  College  he  should  for  his  crown's  sake  amit. 

This  was  a  worthy  famous  Doctor, 
This  was  a  man  worthy  of  preeminence, 
This  was  a  Christian  true  Professor, 
This  was  a  man  of  right  intelligence ; 
The  Devil  he  was  !    I  say  my  conscience, 
He  was,  I  say,  an  arrant  cursed  Thief; 
His  acts  declare,  ye  need  no  further  preif. 

1  Cox  and  Peter  Martyr,  being  married,  brought  their  wives  into  Christ 
Church,  being  the  first  of  all  that  did  so  ;  and  not  only  permitted  the 
Canons  to  marry,  or  any  Head  of  a  College  or  Hall,  but  suffered  women 
and  idle  huswives  to  enter  into  each  House  to  serve  there  :  which  was 
looked  upon  as  such  a  damnable  matter  by  the  Catholics,  that  they  styled 
the  lodgings  that  entertained  women  and  children,  "  coney  buries ": 
Anthony  Wood,  Annals,  sub  anno  1549. 


EARLY  TRIALS  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY     73 

He  robbed  the  Church  of  Frydeswyde,  I  say, 
Of  Chalices,  Crosses,  Candlesticks  with  all, 
Of  silver  and  gilt,  both  precious  and  gay, 
With  Copes  of  tissue  and  many  a  rich  Pall, 
Dedicate  to  God  above  aeternal. 
And  other  Colleges  may  him  well  curse, 
For  through  him  they  are  yet  far  the  worse. 

He  was  chose  Chancellor  for  faults  amending; 
He  mended  indeed  from  good  to  the  bad ! 
He  was  a  Chancellor  of  the  Devil's  sending, 
Never  was  Town  that  such  an  other  had ; 
So  made  he  ordinance  that  a  proud  lad 
With  men  right  reverend  might  shew  him  checkmate 
And  went  disguised  in  ruffian  rate. 

He  set  them  all  clean  out  of  discipline, 
And  saw  them  settled  in  heinous  heresy; 
He  let  them  at  will  wickedly  incline, 
He  nothing  to  virtue  did  edify, 
But  what  to  good  order  was  contrary ; 
So  wrought  he,  that,  truly  to  make  report, 
As  the  Dean  was,  so  were  the  most  sort.1 


A.D.  1554 

In  this,  the  first  year  of  the  reign  of  Queen  Mary, 
Edward  Anne,  one  of  those  whom  Jewell  had  instructed 
in  religion,  having,  through  the  zeal  he  bore  to  reforma- 
tion, made  a  copy  of  verses  against  the  Mass,  Mr. 
Walsh,  the  Dean  of  Corpus,  of  which  College  Anne  was 
a  scholar,  whipped  him  in  the  common  hall,  giving  him 

1  Anthony  Wood,  Annals,  i.  100,  etc.  ;  Cox  became  Chancellor  of  the 
University  in  1547;  "he  permitted  certain  rude  persons  to  abuse  the 
Catholic  Religion  in  ballads,  libels,  etc.;  to  make  copes  and  surplices 
ridiculous,  and  to  act  the  saying  of  Mass  like  the  mumbling  of  charms  by 
an  old  canjurer  ;  and  suffered  youths  to  nose  and  impudentize  the  Doctors 
and  Masters  of  the  old  stamp  without  correction." 


74     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

a  lash  for  every  line.     "  Never  surely,"  saith  Mr.  Andrew 
Lang,  "  was  poet  taught  so  sharply  the  merit  of  brevity." 

Precatio  contra  Missam,  anno  Mariae  primo,  per 
Edouardum  Annum,  Juelli  alumnum. 

(Joannis  Juelli  Vita — Laurentio  Humfredo  autore: 
1573). 

"  Supplex  oro  patris  veniant  coelestis  ad  aures 

Ex  animo  paucae  quas  recitabo  preces: 
Ecce  patent  aditus;  patet  alti  janua  coeli ; 

Ad  summum  votis  jam  penetrabo  Deum. 
Summe  Pater,  qui  cuncta  vides,  qui  cuncta  gubernas, 

Qui  dat  cuncta  tuis,  qui  quoque  cuncta  rapis, 
Effice  ne  maneat  longaevos  Missa  per  annos, 

Effice  ne  fallat  decipiatque  tuos. 
Effice  ne  coecos  populorum  reddat  ocellos, 

Missa  docens  verbo  dissona  multa  tuo : 
Effice  jam  rursus  Stygias  descendat  ad  undas 

Unde  trahit  fontem  principiumque  suum." 
Respondet  Dominus  spectans  de  sedibus  altis, 

"  Ne  dubites  recte  credere,  parve  puer : 
OKm  sum  passus  mortem,  nunc  occupo  dextram 

Patris,  nunc  summi  sunt  mea  regna  poli: 
In  coelis  igitur  toto  sub  corpore  versor, 

Et  me  terrestris  nemo  videre  potest. 
Falsa  sacerdotes  de  me  mendacia  fingunt ; 

Missam  quique  colunt,  hi  mea  verba  negant. 
Durae  cervicis  populus  me  mittere  Missam 

Fecit,  et  e  medio  tollere  dogma  sacrum : 
Sed  tu  crede  mihi,  vires  scriptura  resumet, 

Tolleturque  suo  tempore  Missa  nequam." 

A.D.  1556 

On  March  21,  Thomas  Cranmer  was  burnt  in 
Canditch  over  against  Balliol  College. 

Like     Mutius,    Cranmer,    thou     diddest     burn     thy 
hand : — 


?o 

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11 


12 


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5  SB 

si 
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o  a" 

£°  P  ^ 
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O  P  a 

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EARLY  TRIALS  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY     75 

Oh,  but  I  injure  thee  thus  to  compare: 
Nothing  was  like,  the  fire,  the  cause,  the  man ; 
Yet  likest  thee,  of  all  that  storied  are. 
He  had  a  Theatre  of  Men  to  see 
What  thou  did'st  represent  to  Angels'  eyes : 
He  burnt  his  hand  to  cinders  carelessly 
Which  thou  by  burning  diddest  sacrifice: 
Thou  diddest  sow  thine  hand  into  the  flame, 
Which  he  consum'd  and  could  not  reape  againe: 
Thy  Love  did  quench  the  burning  of  the  same, 
Acting  with  pleasure  what  he  did  with  paine. 
In  him  't  was  wonder  that  he  did  presume 
To  touch  the  flame  with  flesh  contaminated ; 
In  thee  Jt  was  wonder  that  the  flame  did  burn 
An  holy  hand  to  glory  consecrated. 

Chrestoleros  ;  seven  bookes  of  Epigrames  by  T.  B. 

(i.e.  Thomas  Bastard,  New  College,  1586- 

90),  London,  1598 

A.D. 1561 

Many  were  the  changes  in  Religion  by  which  Oxford 
was  troubled  in  the  days  of  Henry  VIII,  Edward  VI, 
Mary,  and  Elizabeth,  as  indeed  appears  in  the  story  of 
the  strange  adventures  of  the  Relics  of  St.  Frideswyde 
and  the  body  of  Catharine,  wife  of  the  Reformer,  Peter 
Martyr. 

Henry  vm. — The  shrine  of  St.  Frideswyde  plundered  ; 

1538. 
Edward  VI. — Catharine  Martyr  buried  in  the  Cathedral; 

1553- 

Mary. — Catharine's  body  exhumed  and  cast  upon  a 
dunghill  in  the  Dean's  stable-yard  ;  1557. 

Elizabeth. — James  Calfhill,  sub-dean  of  Christ  Church, 
deputed  to  reinter  the  body.  At  this  time  the 
Relics  of  St.  Frideswyde  were  discovered  carefully 
bestowed  in  two  silken  bags  and  hidden  in  the 
obscurest  part  of  the  Cathedral.  These  were  now 


76     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

placed  by  Calfhill  in  a  coffin  with  Catharine's  body, 
and  were  buried  at  the  east  end  of  the  Church  ; 
1561. 

"De  Sancta  Frideswida  et  Catharina  Martyre,  Jac. 
Calfhillus " :  Encomiastica  Carmina  de  Catharina,  P. 
Marty ris  uxore ;  Argentinae,  1561. 

Ossa  Frideswidae  sacro  decorata  triumpho 

Altari  festis  mota  diebus  erant. 
E  tumulo  contra  Catharinae  Martyris  ossa 

Turpiter  in  foedum  jacta  fuere  locum. 
Nunc  utriusque  simul  saxo  sunt  ossa  sub  uno ; 

Par  ambabus  honos  et  sine  lite  cubant. 
Vivite  nobiscum  Concordes  ergo,  Papistae : 

Nunc  coeunt  Pietas  atque  Superstitio. 


A.D.  1565 

Robert  Dudley,  Earl  of  Leicester,  now  lately  elected 
Chancellor  of  the  University,  visited  Oxford. 

"  In  Adventum  Illustrissimi  Comitis  Leicestrensis, 
cum  primum  Cancellarius  Oxoniensis  Academiam  ac- 
cederet" 

Ad  illustrissimos  Comites  Warwicensem  et  Leicestrensem 
Oratio  gratulatoria  Bristoliae  habita,  April,  1587  :  Oxon; 
ex  officina  typographica  Josephi  Barnesii :  I2mo. 

Redditur  Oxonio  Bustis  Erepta  Repente 
Te  Veniente  Salus;  Das  Vrbi  Dudlee  Lucem; 
Exhilaras  Vultu ;   Spem  Cedit  Amabile  Nomen. 
Consilit  E  Luctu  Languens  Academia,  Regnat, 
Invidiosorum  Voces  Suppressit,  Ovatque. 
Xerxis  Opes  Nomenque  Jacent ;   En  Nobile  Sidus 
Indevincibilis  Superat  Comes  Omnia  Mundo. 
Egregius  Splendor  Laudisque  Excelsa  Cupido 
Efficiunt  Similem  Ter-magnis  Regibus  Esse. 


EARLY  TRIALS  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY     77 

Non  Secus  Interius  Splendet  Viget  Intima  Virtus ; 
Accumulansque  Tuas  Laudes,  AEterna  Triumphans 
Vivet  Saecla,  Magisque  Vigens  Lucentia  Tanget 
Astra  Sono ;  Et  Coelo  Veneranda  Locabit  Amantem. 

These  capitals  form  the  following  complimentary 
inscription  :— ROBERTUS  .  DUDLEUS  .  CANCELLARIUS  . 

OXONIENSIS  .  COMES  LECESTRENSIS  .  VIVAT  .  LAETUS  . 
MULTA  .  SECULA! 

A.D.  1566 

The  University  being  pretty  well  recruited  and  settled 
with  good  government,  it  pleased  Queen  Elizabeth  to 
visit  it  in  her  Progress  taken  this  year. 

AD  OXONIAM 

(Elizabethan  Oxford'.  Reprints  (Oxford  Hist.  Soc.), 
P-  233). 

R  Regia  Virgo  venit :  laetos  celebrato  triumphos ; 

Exuperans  Reges,  Regia  Virgo  venit. 

G  Grata  peregit  iter,  cum  primum  visa  veniret, 

I  Invisit  cum  te,  grata  peregit  iter. 

A  Accipis  ecce  tuam  Reginam,  Oxonia  felix, 

V  Vincentemque  viros  accipis  ecce  tuam. 

I  Incipias  hilares  hilaris  celebrare  triumphos, 

R  Regia  Virgo  tibi  grata  peregit  iter. 

G  Gaudia  summa  dedit  veniensque  videndaque,  visa 

O  O  certe  plusquam  gaudia  summa  dedit 

T  Tu  properare  jube  laetantes  carmine  vates, 

I  Ingenium  prodant  tu  properare  jube; 

B  Blateret  ipse  suos  versus,  recitetque  Cherillus, 

I  Ignarus  quamvis  blateret  ipse  suos. 

G  Gaudeat    et    Faunus    cum    Phoebo,    et    quisque 

triumphet ; 

R  Regia  Virgo  tibi  grata  peregit  iter. 

A  Accipiantque  sonos  mirantia  rura  canoros, 

T  Te  laetam  noscant  accipiantque  sonos. 

A  Adjuvet  atque  tuas  voces  campana  cadentes, 


78     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

P          Perstringatque  aures,  adjuvet  atque  tuas. 

E  Ex  quocunque  modo  poteris,  celebrate  triumphos ; 

R          Regia  Virgo  tibi  grata  peregit  iter. 

E  Ergo  triumphus  eat ;  sed  non  satis  istud ;  at  isto 

G          Grandius  baud  possis ;  ergo  triumphus  eat. 

I  I  cito,  cuncta  para;   Regina,  Oxonia,  tecum  est; 

^T_        Tarda,  quid  hie  cessas?     I  cito,  cuncta  para. 

I  I  cito,  parva  para,  nam  sedula  pauca  parare 

T          Tanta  digna  nequis;   I  cito,  cuncta  para. 

E  Et  tamen  ilia  licet  sint  parva  et  pauca,  tri- 
umpha ; — 

R  REGIA  .  VIRGO  .  TIBI  .  GRATA  .  PERE- 
GIT .  ITER. 


A.D.  1577 
The  Assize  at  Oxford,  known  as  "  the  Black  Assize." 

"  There  be  daungerous  diseases  unknowen  to  the  most 
part  of  Physicians,  as  that  disease  especially  which  was 
at  Oxford  at  the  Assizes  anno  1577,  and  began  the 
6th  day  of  July;  from  which  day  to  the  I2th  day  of 
August  next  ensuing  there  died  of  the  same  sicknesse 
510  persons,,  all  men  and  no  women.  The  chiefest  of 
which  were  the  two  Judges,  Sir  Robert  Bell,  Lord 
Chiefe  Baron,  and  Maister  Sergeant  Baram  ;  Maister 
Doile,  the  High  Sherriffe ;  five  of  the  Justices ;  foure 
Counsaillours  at  the  Law ;  and  one  Atturnie.  The  rest 
were  of  the  Jurers  and  such  as  repaired  thither.  All 
infected  in  a  manner  at  one  instant,  by  reason  of  a  damp 
or  mist  which  arose  among  the  people  within  the  Castle- 
yard  and  Court-house,  caused,  as  some  thought,  by  a 
traine  and  trecherie  of  one  Rowland  Jenkes,  booke- 
binder  of  Oxford,  there  at  that  time  arraigned  and 
condemned ;  But,  as  I  thinke,  sent  onely  by  the  will  of 
God,  as  a  scourge  for  sin  shewn  chiefly  in  that  place  and 
at  that  great  assembly,  for  example  of  the  whole  realme ; 
that  famous  Universitie  being,  as  it  were,  the  fountain 


EARLY  TRIALS  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY     79 

and  eye  that  should  give  knowledge  and  light  to  all 
England.  Neither  may  the  Universitie  of  Cambridge 
in  this  respect  glory  over  Oxford,  as  though  they  had 
greater  priviledge  from  God's  wrath  ;  for  I  read  in  Hall's 
Chronicle,  in  the  I3th  year  of  King  Henry  VIII,  that 
at  the  Assize  kept  at  the  Castle  in  Cambridge,  in 
Lent  anno  1522,  the  Justices  and  all  the  Gentlemen 
Baillives,  and  others  resorting  thither,  took  such  an 
infection,  that  many  gentlemen  and  yeomen  died,  and 
almost  all  which  were  present,  were  sore  sick  and 
narrowly  escaped  with  their  lives." 

THOMAS  COGAN, 
The  Haven  of  Health,  London,  1589 

"  Hear  now,  I  pray,  the  poor  Knight's  Lamentation, 
wherein  he  earnestly  bewayleth  the  late  loss  of  divers 
worthy  gentlemen's  lives ;  a  dirge  which  appeareth  in  a 
book  called  A  Poor  Knight,  his  pallace  of  private 
pleasures,  gallantly  garnished  with  goodly  galleries  of 
strange  inventions,  and  prudently  polished  with  pleasant 
posies  and  other  fine  fancies  of  dainty  devices  and  rare 
delights ;  the  same  being  written  by  a  Student  of 
Cambridge,  and  published  by  I.  C.  Gent ;  imprinted  at 
London ;  Richard  Jones,  Over  against  Saint  Sepulchres 
Church;  I579-"1 

"  Stand    still,   ye   fiends    of    Limbo    Lake,   ye  hellish 

hounds,  give  ear, 
Stay,  Theseus,  on  thy  whorling  wheel,  hark  what  I 

shall  declare ; 
Come,  plunge  in  pit  of  painful  plight,  ye  Furies  three, 

I  pray; 
Oh   Pluto,  mark   my  doleful   mone,  give  ear  what    I 

shall  say; 
And  rue  with  me  the  rueful  chance,  and  mone  the 

ill  success, 

1  Three   Collections  of  English   Poetry  of  the  latter  part  of  the  i&h 
century,  Roxburgh  Club  Publications,  1844, 


So     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

The  doleful  dole,  the  heavy  hap,  the  dumps  of  deep 

distress, 
Which   Oxford  Town  hath  had  of  late,  most   fresh 

and  new  in  mind; 
Hark,  hark,  ye  dames  of  Stygian  flood  and  wail  by 

course  of  kind, 
As,  though  no  tears  of  Furies'  eyes  will  ease  the  fatal 

fall, 
Yet  plaints  of  you  which   Furies  be,  may  move  the 

mind  of  all 
To   say   with   me,   as    I    have   said,   Alas!,    help   to 

deplore 
And    wail    that    chance,   like    to   which    chance    no 

chance  has  chanced  before 
In    Oxford    Town,    or    English    soil,    since    worthy 

Trojan's   time, 
Since  Brute  in  coast  did  seek  by  fame  to  clustering 

clouds  to  climb. 
Oh  strange  disease,  most  strange  to  tell,  and  strange 

to  call  to  mind, 
As  thundering  Fame  hath  tolde  for  truth,  as  reason 

did  her  bind. 
Alas !     alas !     I    rue    to    think,    I    tremble     for     to 

tell, 
My  fainting  heart  is  much  appalled,  my  soul  in  grief 

doth  dwell ; 
But  yet  alas !   what  boot   to  mone,  where  tears  will 

not  avail  ? 
No   gentle  words  will   fence   the   fort  where  denting 

death  assail ; 
No  sugared  terms  will  stay  his  stroke ;  no  force  will 

make  him  fly; 
No   subtil   skill    of  mortal   minds ;    he   weigheth   no 

hideous  cry; 
No  worthy  acts  can  banish   death,  or  cause  him  to 

relent ; 
No  fame,  no  name  for  good  deserts,  no  days  in  justice 

spent, 


EARLY  TRIALS  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY     81 

Can  him  intreat  to  hold  his  hand ;  no  hope  for  future 

gain 
Which  will   redound    to   common   wealth,  can  cause 

him  to  abstain : 

But  oft  that  impe  by  whirling  wind  is  blasted  to  decay 
And  soonest  bears  the  withered  leaves,  whereof  most 

hope  doth  stay. 
Of  Trojan   soil   let    Hector  say ;   let   Pyrrhus  speak 

for  Greece, 
Or  join    Achilles,  if  you  please,  and   Paris  with  his 

piece : 
Macedon's  Prince  may  tell  his  tale,  and  Caesar  may 

discharge ; 
That  good  Hamilcar's  eldest  son  by  proof  may  tell 

at  large — 
What  need    I    range?   since  ranging  far   doth   breed 

to  great  annoy, 
Since  Bell  and  Barham  may  blaze  forth,  which  once 

were  England's  joy. 
Ah   sounding   Bell !    ah   Barham   bold !    (I   mean  in 

Justice'  cause), 
Ah   true  maintainers  of  the  right  and  strengtheners 

of  the  laws ! 
How  oft  can  Westminster  report,  whose  record  cannot 

lie, 
Your  true  deserts  in  pleas  of  price,  your  worthy  wits 

to  try! 

How  oft  can  all  Assizes  say,  "  Lo  Bell!  Lo  Barham  he  ! 
Perdy    in    skill    of    lawyers'    trades,    those    worthy 

champions  be ! " 
How  oft  hath  Bell  been  sounded  of  through  every 

shire  and  town, 
How  oft   hath   Barham  through   his   deeds  achieved 

high  renown  ! 
But  out,  alas  !,  the  Bell  is  broke  and  Barham's  tongue 

doth  stay, 
For   Death   hath  struck,  whose  daunting  darts  each 

worldling  must  obey; 

6 


82     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Both  Judge  and  Sheriff,  Sheriff  and  Clerk,  yea  Clerk 

and  Crier,  all 
Must   give   account    before   the   Judge,   when    Christ 

his  crier  call ; 
And  well,  I   hope,  hath  Bell  deserved,  and   Barham 

shall  have  meed, 
With  all  the  rest  above  the  skies,  whereas  the  Angels 

feed. 
And  you,  ye  doughty  knights,  whose  corps  be  laid 

in  mourning  grave, 
Whose   bones   shall    long   be   kept    in   store,  a   good 

reward  shall  have : 
And  though  ye  wail,  ye  Templars  all,  for  them  which 

ye  did  know, 
Which  oft  within  your  costly  courts  their  sage  advice 

did  shew; 
Yet    since    the    Fates    have    cut    their    clews,    since 

Lachesis  hath  said 
That  she  would  stretch  her  hand  no  more,  then  be 

you  well  a-paid, 
And  stay  from   murmuring  at   their  fate,  such  fatal 

hap  had  they, 
Whom    God   had    long   ordained   before    to   visit   in 

that  day; 
As   few   have   seen   or   heard   the   like,   with   watery 

eyes  lament, 
With   salted    sighs  and    gushing   tears,  which   all    in 

vain  be  spent, 
In    Oxford    town   and   anywhere   where    fame    hath 

blown  her  blast, 
And   scalding   sighs   in   sundry   breasts    hath   vowed 

for  aye  to  last. 
What  shall    I   say?     What  shall  I  write?     Or  shall 

1  leave  my  verse? 
How  can  my  hand   hold   fast   my  pen  these  dolors 

to  rehearse? 
Nay,  nay,  a  grief  as  great  as  that  did  more  augment 

my  pain, 


EARLY  TRIALS  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY      83 

Which  yet  hath  lurked,  concealed  fast,  but  cannot  so 

remain. 
E'en   for   your   sakes,   ye   Students  all,  whose   griefs 

increase  my  smart, 
For  whom  my  mind  was  troubled  sore,  all  flattery 

set  apart ; 

Not  mine  alone,  but  thousands  more,  did  see  them- 
selves agreeved, 
And  asked  on  knees  of  mighty  Jove,  your  time  might 

be  releeved. 
How  many  hearts   have  wept  with   us  which  never 

saw  that  towne, 
How  many  cheekes  were  moist'ned  here  with  teares 

that  ran  adowne ! 
Should  Cambridge  smile  and   Oxforde   weepe,  then 

Cambridge  were  unkind ; 
Nay,  nay,  my   harts,  your   swelling  smart   did   beat 

in  every  mind, 
And  floodes  of  teares  for  you  did  flow,  repleat  with 

mestful  mone, 
So  Cambridge  sware  that  Oxforde  towne  shall  never 

mourn  alone. 
May  God   forbid   that   Cambridge   hart  should   ever 

harden  so, 
That  would  not  send  forth  gushing  teares,  to  weep 

for  Oxforde's  wo. 
For  why?   no  hart  was  hardned  so,  though   it  were 

made  of  brasse, 
That  would   not   weepe   for   Fraunce  his   fall,   when 

fierce  Affliction  was; 
And  rue  with  Antwerpe's  ruinous  ruthe :  alas !  what 

hart  had  hee, 
That  would  not  say  "  Antwerpe,  adew,"  or  "  Fraunce, 

Christ  fight  for  thee"! 
Then  who  could  cease  (although  he  would)  your  fate 

for  to  deplore? 
Sith   wounds    that   sticke    more   nere   the   bone,   do 

breed  the  greater  sore 


84     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

And  though  the  case  were  far  unlike  to  Fraunce  and 

Antwerpe's  ruthe, 
Yet  was  your  case  as  straunge  to  tell,  as  Fame  hath 

told  for  truth : 
Yea,  though  your  chance  were  much  more  less,  yet 

ought  we  to  complain, 
Sith  that  your  joy  increase  our  mirth,  your  wo  doth 

bring  our  pain. 
Then    what    was    left    for    Cambridge    town,    when 

Oxforde  felt  the  rod, 
But  still  to  waile  and  wepe   for  you ;    and  pray  to 

mighty  God, 
That   hee,   when   his   good   pleasure   was,   his   heavy 

hand  would  stay, 
And  with   his   power,   as  well   hee   can,   remove   his 

scourge  away. 
And  cease  not  you,  as  wee  for  you,  to  Jove  for  us 

to  call, 
That   hee   would   hold   his   stroke   away,   and   keepe 

our  town  from  thrall : 
That  you  which  felt  his  heavy  hand,  and  wee  which 

rued  the  same, 
May  join  in  one  to  laud  the   Lord,  and  praise   his 

holy  name. 
And   bee  content  to  beare   the  blow,  which   hee  to 

you  hath  lent; 
Though  you  had   taste  of  bitter  pangs,  good  harts, 

yet  be  content: 
For   why?   when   God   shall   thinke   it   good,  in   the 

twinckling  of  an  eye 
Hee  can  remove  that  hee  hath  sent,  your  constancy 

to  try. 
Till   then  wee  weepe   and   pray  for  you,  and   listen 

what  insue, 
Desiring  Christ  to  stay  his  hand.     From  Cambridge 

thus  'Adew'!" 


EARLY  TRIALS  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY     85 

A.D.  1592 

It  being  now  twenty-six  years  since  Queen  Elizabeth 
visited  the  University,  she  this  year  came  again,  that  she 
might  take  her  last  farewell  thereof,  and  behold  the 
change  and  amendment  of  Learning  and  Manners  that 
had  been  made  in  her  long  absence. 

Apollinis  et  M us  arum  Euktika  Eidyllia  in  serenissimae 
Reg.  Elisabethae  auspicatissimum  circum  Oxoniam 
adventum  decimo  die  Calend.  Octobris,  anno 
MDLXXXXII-.  Oxoniae:  Excudebat  Josephus 
Barnesius: — Elizabethan  Oxford'.  Reprints  (Oxford 
Hist.  Soc.) : 

Ergo  ades,  Elisabeth,  nostros  visura  penates, 

Pieridumque  domos? 
Ergo  ades  ut  spectes  exercent  qualia  nostrae 

Ludicra  bella  Scholae? 
Hie  nobis  supremus  honos:  en  erigit  omnes 

Nominis  aura  tui ! 
Coelica  Diva  vides  reficit  quam  suaviter  omnes 

Numinis  aura  tui : 
Cernis  ut  ampla  cohors  juvenum  per  compita  passim 

Densat  utrinque  vias : 
Per  vicos  glomerata  frequens  stant  ordine  longo 

Gens  onerata  stolis ; 
Hi  tibi  gratantes  clamant,  lectissima  Princeps, 

"  Vivat  Elisa  diu  ! " 
Vivas,  et  firma  teneas  pro  jure  precantur 

Regia  sceptra  manu : 
Tu  parili  studio  doctas  feliciter  artes 

Dulcis  alumna  fove ! 
Praeside  te  nostri  florescant  rostra  Lycaei; 

Principe  te  vigeant ! 
Sic  veniente  die  subsellia  nostra  sonabunt, 

Et  fugiente  canent; 
"  Vivat  Elisa  diu  nobis !     Post  funera  semper 

Vivat  Elisa  Deo  ! " 


86     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

A.D.  1603 

On  March  24  Queen  Elizabeth  died,  that  benefactress 
of  the  University;  under  whose  rule  the  Oxonians  had 
increased  in  number,  holiness,  and  virtue.  Thereupon 
the  most  ingenious  of  the  Academians  did  exercise  their 
fancies  in  verses  lamenting  her  death : 

(Oxon.  Acad.  Funebre  Officium  in  memoriam 
Elisabethae  Reginae :  Oxoniae ;  Josephus  Barnesius, 
almae  Academiae  typographus ;  1603) 

Chronogram 
Morlens  Deo  fLoret  eLIsa  (=1602) 

Viva  fuit  mundi  flos;  est  nunc  mortua  coeli: 

Haud  periit:  moriens  floret  Elisa  Deo. 
(Date  of  death  according  to  old  style  =  A.D.  1602.) 

Anagram 

Elizabetha  Tudora  Regina 
In  zelo  gratia  a  deo  habetur 

Te  tua  nobilitas  reginam  fecit;  et  ipse 
Zelus  te  gratam  fecit,  Eliza,  Deo. 

Tumulus  Elisae 

Quae  jacet  hoc  tumulo,  rogitas?  Decus  orbis,  Elisa. 
Quae  fuit  ilia,  rogas?     Nomen  Elisa  sat  est. 
Urges?    habe.     Fuit  beata  (dum  fuit) 
Princeps  Angligeni  gloria  stemmatis, 
Grata  cunctis  et  superis  amata : 
Corporis  forma  Venus,  et  Diana 
Mente,  Pallas  ingenii  nitore, 
Necnon  omnigenis  Pallas  in  artibus; 
Junonis  animum  pectoris  claustro  gerens: 
Ergo  Diana,  Venus,  Pallas,  Elisa,  tuo 

Cum  Junone  jacent  tot  numina  magna  sepulchro. 


EARLY  TRIALS  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY      87 

Anima  Elisabethae  pinnata, 

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A.D.  1603 

Queen  Elizabeth  being  now  dead,  King  James  came 
to  the  throne ;  to  whom  the  University  addressed  a 
Book  of  Verses  in  token  of  loyalty : 

(Acad.  Oxon.  Pietas  erga  Jacobum  Regent :  Oxoniae : 
Excudebat  Josephus  Barnesius,  Acad.  Typographus : 
1603) 


88     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 


Francis, 
Baron 
Norris  of 
Rycote — 
John 
Howson, 
bishop  of 
Oxford, 
1619. 


Chronogramma  in  annum  Christi,  in  quo  inauguratus 

Jacobus  Rex 
regeM  Dat  sCotla  brItann!s(  =  A.D.  1603) 

Reginam  quondam  Scotis  dedit  Anglia,  Regem 
Scotia  restituit  jam  tandem  grata  Britannis: 
Millenus  nobis  et  sexcentesimus  annus 
Tertius  antiqua  plantam  de  stirpe  reduxit. 

Anagramma 

Jacobus  Steuartus 

A  tribus  es  vocatus 

Quo  tria  te  jam  regna  vocant,  perge,  inclyte 
Princeps ; 

Hiberni  et  Angli  Principem  et  Scoti  vocant. 
A  tribus  es  Populis  communi  jure  vocatus ; 

Pietate,  amore,  lege  communi,  regas ! 

In  idem 

Oxoniae  si  quis  quaerat,  cur,  magne  Jacobe, 

Rex  es  Vocatus  a  Tribus,  triplici  die, 
Sufficiat  ratio  haec :  numero  Deus  impare  gaudet, 

Atque  hominum  in  urbe  semper  est  ordo  triplex. 
Primum  nempe  gradum  qui  Nobilitate  refulgent, 

Docti  "secundum,  tertium  Populi  tenent. 
Norricius  primus,  Procancellarius  Howson 

Regem  secundus,  Vicecomes  vocat  ultimus. 
Si  voce  hac  triplici,  Clarum  Qui  stirpe  potentes, 

Docti  Eruditum  praedicant,  Populus  Pium, 
Expectent  ergo  Heroes,  Doctaeque  Cohortes, 

Populusque,  Regem  Nobilem,  Doctum,  Pium. 

THOS.  JAMES,  Bibliothecarius  Publicus 

Proclamation  of  King  James  at  Oxford 

Prodiit  hinc  subito  vox  unica  grata  Britannis 
Magnanimum  nobis  Jacobum  accedere  regem. 
Pandite  nunc  Helicona,  Deae ;  quid  deinde  secutum? 
Vos  meministis  enim,  vos  et  memorare  potestis. 


EARLY  TRIALS  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY     89 

Primus  ibi  ante  omnes,  nam  non  mihi  visa  tacebo, 
Nuntius  Oxonian  venit  ipse  Noritius  heros, 
Antiquis  illustris  avis  et  Marte  verendis; 
Constitit  ut  medio,  magna  comitante  caterva, 
Os  humerosque  Deo  similis,  mirantur  et  omnes 
Quae  nova  fata  ferunt.     Cava  buccina  sumitur  inde; 
Ter  canit ;    et  sonitus  ter  rauca  reverberat  Echo. 
Turn  sic  exorsus.     Placet  omnia  ferre  per  auras. 
Quid  juvat  haec  celare  diu?      Cognoscite  Elisam 
Jam  superas  adiisse  domos,  data  fata  secutam ; 
Ipse  patrum  ritu,  quibus  haec  concessa  potestas, 
Nuntio  legitimum  Jacobum  accedere  regem. 
Obstupuere  omnes;    cunctis  vox  faucibus  haesit; 
Spemque     metumque     inter    stat     saxea     turba     per 

urbem ; 

Ac  si  Gorgoneae  spectaverat  ora  Medusae. 
Spes    jubet     esse     hilares;     prohibet     timor;     omnia 

mortem 
Et     vitam      intentant:       Neutrumque     et     utrumque 

videtur ; 

Quid  facerent?     Nequeunt  tantos  sufferre  dolores: 
Nee  possunt  contra  tantam  sperare  salutem. 
Postera  lux  oritur,  niveo  signanda  lapillo. 
Nuntius  accelerat  Londini  missus  ab  urbe; 
Indubitata  novi  manifestans  gaudia  regis: 
Quoque  magis  credatis,  ait,  decreta  potentum 
Aspicite  heroum  quae  promulganda  feruntur. 
Dixit;    et  Howsono,  quo  non  integrior  alter 
Praefuit  Oxoniae,  dedit  inclyta  jussa  legenda: 
Vir  pius  haud  potuit  tantos  celare  triumphos; 
Convocat;    occurrunt  primaevi  Heliconis  alumni; 
Res  patet;  applaudunt,  induti  et  corpora  cocco, 
Invaluit  quod  more  loci,  sollenniter  omnes 
Jacobum  referunt  per  singula  compita  Regem. 
Quis  turn  laetitiam,  quis  et  omnia  gaudia  fando 
Explicet,  aut  possit  verbis  aequare  triumphum? 
Jam  stabat  veneranda  phalanx,  gravitate  Catones, 
Queis  risisse  novum,  plaudentes,  vertice  ab  ipso 


90     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Pilea  tollentes;  Tantos  agit  ardor  amantes:1 
Affectu  hos  sequitur,  superat  clamore  juventus. 
Flamrnat  amor;    solem  radiantem  pilea  condunt: 
Et  quoties  nomen  Jacobi  fertur  ad  aures, 
Ingeminant,  Vivat ! ;    Vivat!,    loca  muta  reclamant; 
Nee  clamasse  semel  satis  est,  juvat  usque  morari 
Et  tales  audire  et  tales  reddere  voces. 
Te  Maecenatem  clamant  Heliconis  alumni ; 
Te  doctum  docti,  te  fortia  pectora  fortem ; 
Te  mites  mitem,  superantem  laude  priores. 
Singula  quid  referam?     Te,  te,  ter  maxime  princeps, 
Spem,  votum,  agnoscit  ter  felix  Anglia  Regem." 

JOHN  PRIDEAUX,  Exeter  Coll :  Socius 
(Bishop  of  Worcester,  1641) 

1  Cf.  John  Davies,  Microcosmos  :  Oxford,  1603. 

"Her  Eies,  witnesse  my  eies,  lights  of  the  Land, 
Oxford  and  Cambridge,  distill'd  joyfull  teares, 
With  cries  among  ;    for  loe  the  Doctors  stand 
Prest  with  the  presse,  filling  the  World's  wide  Eares 
With  shouts  of  joy,  that  fainted  late  with  feares. 
Up  go  their  Caps  !  so  Gravity  for  joy 
Doth  Light  become,  and  Age  like  Youth  appeares ; 
Which  doubled  mirth,  to  see  Eld  play  the  Boy, 
And,  with  Cap  tost  till  lost,  to  sport  a  Toy." 


CHAPTER    V 

CLERKS  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION,  CIRCA  1600  A.D. 

"  Nascitur  in  tenebras  animal  puer  inscius  infans : 
Conferat  Oxoniam  se ;  cito  fiet  Homo." 

Epigrams,  iii.  45,  by  JOHN  OWEN  (New  College,  1582) 

"  A  creature  born  i'  th'  dark,  rude,  infant,  child, 
To  Oxford  sent,  will  soon  a  Man  be  stil'd." 

Owen's  Epigrams  englished,  by  THOMAS  HARVEY,  1677 

' '  Oxford  and  Cambridge,  Cambridge  and  Oxford, 
Would  both  of  you  I  might  please  with  a  word  ! 
You  in  your  wombes  good  and  bad  clarkes  do  nourish, 
And,  like  kinde  mothers,  tenderly  do  cherish: 
Though  some  you  breed  to  amplify  your  fame, 
Yet  others  do  ye  nurse  yourselves  to  shame. 
So  fatally  it  fares  with  famous  Schooles ; 
They  send  foorth  famous  men,  some  wise,  some  fooles." 

JOHN  DAVIES  of  Hereford,  The  Scourge  of  Folly, 
Epigram  216.     Oxford,  1603 


T 


O  speak  plainly  of  the  disorder  of  Athens,  who 


playing  at  dice,  such  quaffing  of  drink,  such 
daliaunce  with  women,  such  dauncing,  that  in  my 
opinion  there  is  no  quaffer  in  Flanders  so  given  to 
tippling,  no  courtier  in  Italy  so  given  to  riot,  no  creature 
in  the  world  so  misled  as  a  student  in  Athens.  Such 
a  confusion  of  degrees,  that  the  Scholar  knoweth  not 
his  duty  to  the  Bachelor,  nor  the  Bachelor  to  the 
Master,  nor  the  Master  to  the  Doctor.  Such  corruption 
of  manners,  contempt  of  magistrates ;  such  open  sins, 


92     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

such  privy  villany ;  such  quarrelling  in  the  streets,  such 
subtil  practises  in  chambers ;  as  maketh  my  heart  to 
melt  with  sorrow  to  think  of  it. 

"  Moreover,  who  doth  know  a  Scholar  by  his  habit  ? 
Is  there  any  hat  of  so  unseemly  a  fashion,  any  doublet 
of  so  long  a  waist,  any  hose  so  short,  any  attire  either 
so  costly  or  so  courtly,  either  so  strange  in  making  or 
so  monstrous  in  wearing,  that  is  not  worn  of  a  Scholar  ? 
Have  they  not  now,  instead  of  black  cloth,  black  velvet ; 
instead  of  coarse  sackcloth,  fine  silk?  Be  they  not 
more  like  courtiers  than  scholars,  more  like  stage-players 
than  students,  more  like  ruffians  of  Naples  than  dis- 
puters  in  Athens?  I  would  to  God  they  did  not 
imitate  all  other  nations  in  the  vice  of  the  mind,  as  they 
do  in  the  attire  of  their  body ;  for  certainly,  as  there  is 
no  nation  whose  fashion  in  apparel  they  do  not  use,  so 
there  is  no  wickedness  published  in  any  place  that  they 
do  not  practise.  .  .  . 

"  Is  it  not  become  a  by-word  among  the  common 
people  that  they  had  rather  send  their  children  to  the 
cart  than  to  the  University,  being  induced  so  to  say  for 
the  abuse  that  reigneth  in  the  Universities ;  who  sending 
their  sons  to  attain  knowledge,  find  them  little  better 
learned,  but  a  great  deal  worse  lived,  than  when  they 
went ;  and  not  only  unthrifts  of  their  money,  but  also 
banckerouts  of  good  manners  ?  Was  not  this  the  cause 
that  made  a  simple  woman  in  Greece  to  exclaim  against 
Athens,  saying,  '  The  Master  and  the  Scholar,  the  Tutor 
and  the  Pupil,  be  both  agreed ;  for  the  one  careth  not 
how  little  pains  he  taketh  for  his  money,  the  other  how 
little  learning '  ?  " 

Thus  wrote  John  Lyly  of  Magdalen  College  in 
Euphues,  The  Anatomy  of  Wit  (1579):  "That  the 
envious  led  thereunto  by  malice,  the  curious  by  wit,  and 
the  guilty  by  their  own  galled  consciences,"  straightway 
reported  this  passage  to  be  an  attack  directed  against 
Oxford,  appears  from  the  "  Address  to  my  good  friends, 
the  Gentlemen  Scholars  of  Oxford,"  which  the  author 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1600  A.D.  93 

affixed  to  a  second  edition  of  Euphues ; 1  and  that  the 
cap  which  the  Oxonians  of  the  time  thus  hastily  put  on, 
proved  no  misfit,  is  evident  from  the  attempts  to  enforce 
a  general  reformation  of  manners  made  by  successive 
Chancellors  of  the  University,  from  the  Earl  of  Leicester 
to  Archbishop  Laud.2 

The  Middle  Ages  are  said  to  have  lasted  at  Oxford 
"down  to  the  date  of  the  Great  Exhibition"  of  1851  ; 
but,  at  the  time  when  Lyly  wrote,  the  University  was 
suffering  from  the  disorders  and  irregularities  which 
attended  the  transition  from  the  early  to  the  late  stage 
of  this  mediaeval  period.  There,  as  elsewhere,  the  times 
were  "  times  transhifting "  ;  the  noise  and  din  of  the 
outside  world  reaching  even  Democritus  Junior,  as  he 
led  his  "sequestered  and  monastique  life,  ipse  sibi 
theatrum,"  at  Christ  Church.  "  I  hear,"  he  writes,  "  new 
news  every  day.  Now  come  tidings  of  maskings,  revels, 
sports,  plays  .  .  .  new  discoveries  and  expeditions. 
To-day  we  hear  of  new  lords  and  officers  created ;  to- 
morrow of  some  great  man  deposed;  and  then  again 
of  fresh  honours  conferred.  Beside  those  ordinary 
rumours  of  wars,  plagues,  fires  .  .  .  meteors,  comets, 
apparitions,  prodigies  .  .  .  shipwrecks,  piracies,  sea- 
fights  and  such  like,  which  these  tempestuous  times 
afford,  ...  there  come  also  new  books  every  day, 
pamphlets,  currantoes,  stories,  whole  catalogues  of 
volumes  of  all  sorts ;  new  paradoxes,  opinions,  schisms, 

1  English   Reprints,   John   Lyly :    Euphues •,    The   Anatomy    of    Wit ; 
Euphues  and  his  England,  edited   by   Edward   Arber   (1868),  pp.    30, 
139,  207. 

2  Leicester's   letter   ot   reproval   to   the    University  in  1582  is  a  mere 
paraphrase  of  the  above  passage  from  Euphues  (Anthony  Wood,  Annals, 
ii.  213).     For  the  general  depravity  of  Oxford  during  the  period,  drinking, 
gaming,  smoking,    excess   in   apparel,  neglect    of  academical   dress,    and 
irreverence  to  seniors,  see  Annals  under  the  years  1588,  1590,  1606,  1608, 
1623,   and  Register  of  Magdalen  College,  edited  by  W.  D.  Macray,  pp. 
103,  in.    For  years  1630,  1633,  1639,  etc.,  see  Library  of  Anglo-Catholic 
Theology ;    Laud's  Works,   vol.   v.  (History  of  Chancellorship},  pp.  49, 
&3>  259>  on  drinking  houses ;  the  wearing  of  boots  and  spurs,  long  hair, 
slashed  doublets  ;  and  tavern-haunting. 


94     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

heresies,  and  controversies  in  philosophy  and  re- 
ligion."1 

Of  such  disturbing  influences,  there  were  two  which 
especially  affected  the  community  at  Oxford.  Though 
the  oscillations  were  less  violent  than  they  had  been  in 
the  reigns  of  Henry,  Edward,  and  Mary,  the  pendulum 
of  Religion  ;was  still  swinging  with  a  vengeance ;  passing, 
as  it  did,  from  the  Establishment  laid  down  by  Arch- 
bishop Parker  at  the  beginning  of  Elizabeth's  reign,  to 
the  Calvinism  patronized  by  Leicester  during  his 
Chancellorship  of  the  University  (1564-1588);  and  from 
the  Calvinism  of  Leicester  to  the  Arminianism  of  Laud 
(1606-1641).  Oxford  was  in  fact  a  battleground,  where 
a  series  of  indecisive  victories  and  defeats  was  being 
fought;  where  bitter  feelings  of  partisanship,  and  "an 
infinity  of  trifling  and  base  controversies  "  divided  each 
College  against  itself,  and  where  "  the  pulpit  was  used 
for  purposes  either  of  private  revenge  or  of  attacks  on 
public  authority."  Such  a  condition  of  things  did 
not  make  for  discipline.  "  The  persons  of  the  chief 
Governors  of  the  University  and  the  Heads  of  Houses 
were  deeply  disgraced ;  their  authority  was  greatly 
weakened;  whilst  the  junior  sort  were  drawn  to  an 
utter  contempt  of  those  whom  they  heard  openly  and 
confidently  condemned  and  depraved." 2 

In  addition  to  these  religious  convulsions,  a  social 
revolution  was  on  foot.  Educational  reformers,  from 
Sir  John  Elyot  onward,  had  eagerly  advocated  the 
higher  education  of  "  children  of  gentlemen,  which 
were  to  have  authority  in  the  public  weal "  ;  and  some 
of  them  had  lived  to  regret  the  success  of  their  ex- 
hortations. "The  Devil  gets  him  to  the  University": 
lamented  Latimer  in  1 549 ;  "  He  causeth  great  men 
and  esquires  to  send  their  sons  thither,  and  put  out 

1  Robert  Burton  (B.N.C.   1593;  Ch.  Ch.  1599-1639),  The  Anatomy  of 
Melancholy  (1621),  "  Democritus  Junior  to  the  Reader." 

2  See  "Articles  drawn  up  by  the  Vice-Chancellor  and  Heads  of  Houses 
against  the  Puritans,"  Anthony  Wood,  Annals,  1602. 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1600  A.D.  95 

poor  scholars  that  should  be  divines " ;  and  Ascham 
echoed  the  lament.1  For  Society  at  this  time  invaded 
the  Universities,  and  converted  them  to  its  own  uses. 
It  was  but  a  few  years,  since,  "  fleshed  with  the  abbey- 
lands,  and  their  teeth  set  on  edge,"  these  "new  set- 
up great  men  and  esquires "  had  frankly  requested 
Henry  VIII  to  distribute  among  them  the  endowments 
of  colleges  ;  and  now  they  were  gaining  the  same  end  by 
'  packing "  at  elections  to  fellowships  and  scholarships, 
and  by  "  making  bribage "  in  grammar-schools  which 
sent  boys  to  the  Universities.  Parts,  learning,  poverty, 
and  election,  were  of  no  avail  against  their  wealth  and 
influence.  "  Except  one  be  able  to  give  the  regent  or 
provost  of  a  House  a  piece  of  money,  ten  pound,  twenty 
pound,  yea,  an  hundred  pound,  a  yoke  of  fat  oxen,  a 
couple  of  fine  geldings,  or  the  like,  though  he  be  never 
so  toward  a  youth,  nor  have  never  so  much  need  of 
maintenance,  yet,"  continues  Philip  Stubbes,  "he  comes 
not  there,  I  warrant  him.  If  he  cannot  prevail  this 
way,  let  him  get  letters  commendatory  from  some  of 
reputation,  and  perchance  he  may  speed  in  hope  of 
benefit  to  ensue."2  To  the  same  effect  writes  R.  C. 
(probably  Richard  Corbet,  the  celebrated  Christ  Church 
wit  and  poet)  in  Time's  Whistle  (1614-16): 

Loth  am  I  to  rip  up  my  nurse's  shame, 
Or  to  accuse  for  this  those  schooles  of  fame, 
The  Academies;  yet  for  reformation 
Of  this  abuse,  I  must  reprove  the  fashion 
Of  divers'  seniors,  which  for  private  gaine 
Permit  some  ignorant  asse,  some  dunce,  attaine 
A  Scholler's,  or  a  Fellow's  place  among  'em. 
Some  think,  perhaps,  of  malice  I  do  wrong  'em; 

1  Sir  John   Elyot,    The   Governour>   i.  chap.   iv.    (1530): — Latimer's 
Sermons^    Parker    Society,  i.    pp.    69,    203 : — Ascham's   letter :    Strype, 
Memorials  of  Cranmer,  bk.  ii.  chap.  vi. 

2  Philip  Stubbes  (Worcester  College),  Abuses  in  Ailgna  (i.e.  Anglia), 
pt.  ii.  20(1583). 


96     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

But  the  poor  student  knows  it  to  be  true, 
Which  wanting  means,  as  often  wants  his  due. 

To  get  preferment  who  doth  now  intend, 

He  by  a  golden  ladder  must  ascend. 

That  cursed  gold  doth  bear  so  great  a  sway, 

That  nurseries  of  learning  do  decay ; 

For  not  the  means  of  taking  our  degrees 

Are  quite  exempt  from  bribes ;  for  double  fees 

A  Dunce  may  turn  a  Doctor,  and  in  state 

Walk  in  his  scarlet : — oh,  unhappy  fate ! 

When  paltry  pelf  doth  worthless  ignorance 

Unto  the  top  of  learning's  mount  advance.1 

The  Poor       Poor  scholars  had  fallen  upon  evil  days.     Many,  no 

ar'     doubt,  who  were  not  willing  to  give  up  a  University 

career,  earned  a  precarious  living  by  acting  as  servants 

1  Timers   Whistle,  by  R.  C.,  Early  English  Text  Society.     For  charges 
of  taking  bribes  brought  against  Heads  of  Houses,  see  History  of  Corpus 
Christi   College  (Oxford  Hist.  Soc.);  History  of  New  College,  pp.   121, 
132,      138     (College}   History     Series ;     Oxford',      New     College}  ;     and 
Register  of  Magdalen  College,  ed.  by  W.  D.  Macray.     See  also  Description 
of  England  in  1577,  by  William  Harrison ;  and  Stat.  31  Eliz.  chap.  6. 
Cf.    also   the  quaint   poem,    "  Tom   Tel-troth's   message  and  his  Pen's 
Complaint,"  written  by  Jo.  La.  Gent  (John  Lane),  London,  1600  : 
"  England's  two  Eyes,  England's  two  Nurceries, 
England's  two  Nests,  England's  two  holy  Mounts, 
I  meane  England's  two  Universities, 
England's  two  Lamps,  England's  two  sacred  Founts, 

Are  so  pulled  up,  pulled  out,  and  eke  pulled  downe, 
That  they  can  scarce  maintaine  a  wide-sleav'd  gowne. 

Lately  as  one  Came  o'er  a  Bridge,  he  saw 

An  Oxe  stand  o'er  a  Forde  to  quench  his  drouth ; 

But  lo  !  the  Oxe  his  dry  lips  did  withdraw 

And  from  the  water  lifted  up  his  mouth  ; 

Like  Tantalus,  this  drie  Oxe  there  did  stand  : — 
God  grant  this  dark  Enigma  may  be  scan'd. 

And  Rhetoricke  adornde  with  figures  fine, 

Trick 'd  up  with  tropes,  and  clad  in  comely  speech, 

Is  gone  a  pilgrim  to  the  Muses  nine, 

For  her  late  wrong  assistance  to  beseech : 

Now  rich  Carmudgeons  best  orations  make 

Whilst  in  their  pouches  gingling  coyne  they  shake." 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1600  A.D.  97 

to  rich  students,  or  by  performing  menial  work  in 
Colleges,  although  they  were  fain  "  to  heel  their  tutor's 
stockings  at  least  seven  years,"  or  to  live  the  life  of  a 
"  Pierce  Fennyless,  that  made  clean  shoes  in  both 
Universities,  a  pitiful  battler  all  his  time ;  full  often 
heard  with  this  lamentable  cry  at  the  buttery-hatch, 
'  Ho,  Lancelot !  a  cue  of  bread  and  a  cue  of  beer ' ! ; 
never  passing  beyond  a  farthing,  nor  ever  munching 
commons  but  on  gaudy-days."1  But  such  services 
were  now  felt  to  be  irksome  and  beneath  the  dignity 
of  a  gentleman ; 2  and  the  prevailing  dearness  of  living 
and  dearth  of  patronage,  "  haec  tanta  caritas  rerum  et 
haec  nulla  caritas  hominum,"  drove  many  from  the 
studious  walls  of  Oxford.  Their  hapless  fate  is  often 
depicted  in  contemporary  fiction.  "  Troth,  and  for  my 
part,  I  am  a  poor  gentleman  and  a  scholar,"  laments 
George  Pyeboard  in  The  Puritan ;  "  I  have  been  matri- 
culated in  the  University,  wore  out  some  six  years 
there,  seen  some  fools  and  some  scholars,  some  of  the 
city  and  some  of  the  country,  kept  order,  went  bare- 
headed over  the  quadrangle,  eat  my  commons  with  a 
good  stomach,  and  battelled  with  discretion.  At  last 
having  done  many  sleights  and  tricks  to  maintain  my 
wit  in  me,  I  was  expelled  the  University  for  stealing  a 
cheese  out  of  Jesus  College."3  Some  followed  the 

1  See  the  case  of  Flamineo,  the  poor  scholar,  in  John  Webster's  White 
Devil  or  Vittoria  Corombona,  1612  ;  and  of  Pennyless  in  The  Black  Book, 
1604;  Thomas  Middleton's  Works,  ed.   by  Alex.  Dyce,  vol.  v.     "Cue" 
or  "q  "  stands  for  the  Latin  "quadrans." 

2  See  History  of  Corpus  Christi  College  (Oxford  Hist.  Soc.),  pp.  50,  51. 

3  The  Puritan,  or  the   Widow  of  Watling  Street  (1607).     By  George 
Pyeboard  is  supposed  to  be  meant  George  Peele,  the  celebrated  Oxford 
Wit  and   Poet;    a    "peel"   being   a   board   with   a   long  handle   which 
bakers  used  for  putting  pies  in  and  out  of  the  oven.     The  association  of 
Jesus  College  with  Welsh   students  and   cheese  evidently  followed  very 
closely  upon  its  foundation  in   1571    by   Hugo  'Price,   Treasurer   of  St. 
David's  :  cf.  the  ancient  lines  on  the  College  : 

"Hugo  Preesh  built  this  Collesh 
For  Jesus  Creesh  and  the  Welsh  geesh 
Who  love  a  peesh  of  toasted  cheesh — 
here  it  eesh  I" 

7 


98     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

example  given  of  old  time  by  Roger  Bacon's  discarded 
scholar-servant,  the  storied  Miles,  and  "  rode  to  hell 
upon  the  devil's  back " ;  and  some,  with  Glanvil's 
"  scholar-gipsy,"  "  roamed  the  world,  but  came  to 
Oxford  and  their  friends  no  more." l  Others  returned 
home  to  become  burdens  to  their  families.  They  re- 
fused to  learn  a  trade,  "  to  leave  books  and  turn  block- 
heads." As  Scholars,  "they  disdained  to  spend  their 
spirits  upon  such  base  employments  as  hand  labour " ; 
but,  at  the  same  time,  they  did  not  shrink  from  "  eating 
their  families  out  of  house  and  home."  "  A  crumb  of 
learning  makes  your  trade  proud,"  says  the  Clown  to 
the  Scholar  Laureo,  in  the  comedy  of  Patient  GrissiL 
"Would  you  could  leave  Latin  and  fall  to  make 
baskets !  You  spend  all  day  peeping  into  an  ambry, 
and  talk  of  monsters  and  miracles  to  no  purpose.  You 
think  'tis  enough  if  at  dinner  you  tell  us  a  story  of 
pigmies, — and  then  munch  up  our  victuals  ;  but  that 
fits  not  us :  or  the  tale  of  the  well  Helicon, — and  then 
drink  up  our  beer.  We  cannot  live  upon  it."2 

It  is  of  this  social,  rather  than  of  the  religious,  revolu- 
tion, that  clear  traces  are  to  be  found  in  contemporary 
fiction.  The  capture  of  the  Universities  by  the  wealthier 
classes,  and  the  patronage  given  to  learning,  and  the 
visits  paid  to  Oxford  and  Cambridge,  by  both  Elizabeth 
and  James,  created  a  demand  for  sketches  of  academical 
life:  and  this  demand  was  met  by  a  generous  supply 
in  such  popular  works  as  Sir  Thomas  Overbury's 
Characters,  John  Earle's  Microcosmography,  and  Wye 
Saltonstall's  Picturae  Loquentes,  of  numerous  "  pictures 

1  Robert  Greene's  Honorable  History  of  Friar  Bacon,  1594;  Glanvil's 
Vanity  of  Dogmatizing,  1661  :  "  There  was  lately  a  lad  at  the  University 
of  Oxford  who  was  by  his  poverty  forced  to  leave  his  studies  there ;  and 
at  last  to  join  himself  to  a  company  of  vagabond  gipsies.     Among  these 
extravagant  people,  by  the  insinuating  subtilty  of  his  carriage,  he  quickly 
got  so  much  of  their  love  and  esteem  as  that  they  discovered  to  him  their 
mystery,"  etc.     See  Matthew  Arnold's  Scholar -Gipsy. 

2  The   pleasant    Comedy    of   Patient    Grissil,    by   William    Haughton 
(Oxford),   in   collaboration   with   Henry  Chettle    and  Thomas  Decker  j 
1613. 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1600  A.D.  99 

of  the  Oxford  world  quaintly  drawn  in  various  colours," 
and  of  many  "  witty  descriptions  of  the  properties  "  of 
sundry  Oxford  types  and  celebrities.1 

Indeed,   a    fairly   complete   gallery   can    be    formed. 
There  are  portraits  even  of  the  "  University  Dun,"  "  a  An  Uni- 
follower   cheaply  purchased,  for   his    own    money  hath 
hired  him,  and  he  will  wait  upon  your  stairs  a  whole 
afternoon,  and   dance   attendance  with    more   patience 
than  a  gentleman-usher  "  (Earle) ;  and  of  a  "  Townsman  A  Towns- 
in  Oxford,"  "  whose   phrase    savours  somewhat   of  the  ma?  ir\ 

•  f  c  Oxford. 

University,    being    fragments    gleaned    out    of    men  s 

mouths ;  while  he  gives  his  words  with  a  punctual  stiff 
pronunciation,  as  though  they  were  starched  into  his 
mouth  and  dare  not  come  out  faster  for  fear  of  ruffling. 
He  takes  ill  words,  for  he  knows  he  deserves  them,  and 
yields  the  supremacy  of  the  wall  to  any  gown  ;  but  he 
loves  not  a  scholar  in  his  heart,  for  he  sides  against 
them  though  it  be  but  at  a  foot-ball  match.  He 
frequents  sermons  at  St.  Mary's,,  only  to  spy  out  his 
debtors,  whom  he  afterwards  haunts  at  their  colleges, 
and  troubles  by  knocking  at  their  chamber-doors ;  but 
receives  no  answer,  for  he  is  known  as  well  there  as  a 
Sergeant  in  the  Inns  of  Court,  and  alike  hated.  He's  a 
burr  that  sticks  close  to  freshmen's  gowns,  and  one  that 
strives  to  writhe  the  pliantness  of  youth  to  all  ill 
actions  "  (Saltonstall).  Earle  has  contributed  likenesses 
also  of  the  "  Carrier  "  and  the  "  Colledge  Butler."  The  A  Carrier, 
former  is  "an  ambassador  between  father  and  son, 
bringing  rich  presents  to  the  one,  but  never  returning 
any  back  again.  .  .  .  He  is  the  young  students'  joy 
and  expectation,  and  the  most  accepted  guest,  to  whom 
they  lend  a  willing  hand  to  discharge  him  of  his  burden. 
His  first  greeting  is  commonly  '  Your  friends  are  well ' ; 

1  Sir  Thomas  Overbury  (Queen's  College,  1595-8),  "A  Wife,  now 
the  widow  of  Sir  Thomas  Overbury,  etc.,  whereunto  are  added  many 
witty  characters,"  etc.  (1614).  John  Earle  (Ch.  Ch.  or  Merton  College, 
1619),  Microcosmographie,  etc.  (1628).  Wye  Saltonstall  (Queen's  College, 
1619),  Picturae  Loquentes  (1631). 


TOO     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

and  in  a  piece  of  gold  he  delivers  their  blessing.  You 
would  think  him  a  churlish  blunt  fellow,  but  they  find 
An  old  in  him  many  tokens  of  humanity."  "  The  old  Colledge 
Butierge  Cutler  ...  is  never  so  well  pleased  with  his  place  as 
when  a  gentleman  is  beholding  to  him  for  shewing  him 
the  Buttery,  whom  he  greets  with  a  cup  of  single  beer 
and  sliced  manchet,  and  tells  him  'tis  the  fashion  of  the 
College.  He  domineers  over  Freshmen  when  they  first 
come  to  the  Hatch,  and  puzzles  them  with  strange 
language  of  Cues  and  Cees,  and  some  broken  Latin 
which  he  has  learnt  at  his  Bin." 1 

Of  the  more  important  characters  thus  brought  upon 
A  meere     the  academical  stage,  "  the  meere  Fellow  of  an  House  " 

TT    11  -f 

an  House.  daims  precedence.  His  development  had  been  a  rapid 
one.  Polydore  Vergil,  writing  of  Oxford  in  the  year 
1534,  had  conjectured  that  "along  with  many  Masters 
and  Governors  of  Colleges  who  were  remarkable  for 
lively  teaching  and  profound  learning,  there  might, 
peradventure,  be  issuing  from  that  learned  theatre  of 
the  world,  others  which  were  nothing  egregious  in  these 
points,  but  were  content  to  run  the  race  of  their  lives 
luxuriously  in  the  University"  ("qui  omne  curriculum 
vitae  ibidem  sese  molliter  curando  transigunt  ").2 
William  Harrison,  again,  in  his  Description  of  England 
in  7577,  wrote  that  "  after  forty  years  of  age,  the  most 
part  of  students  do  commonly  give  up  their  wonted  dili- 
gence, and  live,  like  drone  bees,  upon  the  fat  of  Colleges." 
But  these  mild  hints  are  scarcely  preparation  sufficient  for 
the  startling  apparitions  which  Giordano  Bruno  introduces 
to  the  reader  of  La  Cena  de  le  Ceneri  (1584),  dialogue  I : 

Smitho.  Parlavan  ben  Latino  ? 

Teofilo.  Si. 

Smi.  Galantuomini  ? 

1  "Cue"  is  half  a  farthing,  formerly  denoted  in  College  accounts  by  the 
letter  "q,"  for  "quadrans."     "Cee,"  a  term  current  in  Universities  for  a 
certain  quantity  of  beer  ;  the  sixteenth  part  of  a  penny's  worth. 

2  Polydore  Vergil,  English  History  (Camden  Soc.),  p.  219. 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1600  A.D.         101 

Teo.  Si. 

Smi.  Di  buona  riputazione  ? 

Teo.  Si. 

Smi.  Dotti? 

Teo.  Assai  competentemente. 

Smi.  Bencreati,  cortesi,  civili  ? 

Teo.  Troppo  mediocremente. 

Smi.  Dottori  ? 

Teo.  Messer,  si ;  padre,  si ;  madonna,  si ;  madre,  si ; 
credo  da  Oxonia. 

Smi.  Qualificati? 

Teo.  Come  no  ?  Nomini  da  scelta,  di  roba  lunga,  vestiti 
di  velluto,  un  de  quali  avea  due  catene  d'oro  lucente  al 
collo ;  e  1'altro,  per  Dio,  con  quella  preziosa  mano,  che 
contenea  dodici  anella  in  due  dita,  sembrava  un  richissimo 
gioielliero,  che  ti  cavava  gli  occhi  ed  il  core,  quando  la 
vagheggiava. 

Smi.  Mostravano  saper  di  Greco  ? 

Teo.  E  di  birra  eziandio. 

Smi.  Com'  eran  fatti  ? 

Teo.  L'uno  parea  il  comestabile  de  la  gigantessa  e 
1'orco,  1'altro  1'amostante  de  la  dea  de  la  riputazione. 

In  the  third  and  fourth  dialogues  are  lively  sketches 
of  two  Oxford  Doctors,  with  whom  Bruno  disputed 
about  the  motion  of  the  earth,  at  Fulke  Greville's  house 
in  London ;  "  two  fantastic  puppets  ("  due  fantastiche 
befane"),  two  night-mares,  two  shadows,  two  quartan 
agues,"  as  he  calls  them.  There  is  Nundinio,  who 
opens  the  discussion  "  with  a  heavenly  glance  upward, 
and  a  gentle  smile  on  his  lips " ;  but,  before  long,  "  is 
shewing  his  teeth,  squaring  his  jaws,  knitting  his  brows, 
and  shrieking  with  rage."  A  little  later,  the  Doctor 
Torquato  takes  up  the  argument.  "  He  assumed  a 
solemn  look,  such  as  that  which  Divom  Pater  is  said  to 
have  worn,  when,  sitting  in  the  council  of  the  gods,  he 
fulminated  his  terrible  sentence  on  the  profane  Lycaon. 
Having  glanced  at  his  golden  necklace,  and  stared  at 


102     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

the  breast  of  the  Nolan  as  though  he  missed  a  button 
there,  he  sat  upright,  drew  his  arms  from  the  table, 
shook  his  shoulders,  snorted  somewhat,  settled  his  velvet 
cap  upon  his  head,  twisted  his  moustache,  composed  his 
perfumed  visage,  arched  his  eyebrows,  and  expanded  his 
nostrils.  Then  resting  his  left  hand  upon  his  left  side, 
placing  together  three  fingers  of  his  right  hand,  and 
dealing  blows  from  right  to  left,  he  began  to  fence, 
speaking  as  follows,"  etc.  Needless  to  relate,  the  Oxonians 
lost  both  the  argument  and  their  tempers,  and  departed 
hurriedly  without  saluting  their  opponent ;  Greville  felt  it 
his  duty  to  apologize  for  their  incivility  and  ignorance,  and 
to  invite  the  stranger's  compassion  for  a  land  "  widowed 
of  all  good  literature  so  far  as  related  to  philosophy  and 
mathematics  " ;  and  the  blameless  and  triumphant  Nolan 
concludes  his  tale  by  grouping  Oxford  Doctors  gener- 
ally into  a  "  costellazione  di  pedantesca  ostinatissima, 
ignoranza,  e  presunzione,  mista  con  una  rustica  incivilita 
che  farebbe  prevaricar  la  patienza  di  Giobbe." 

Bruno  was  one  who  imagined  every  place  where  he 
came,  to  be  his  theatre  ;  and  not  a  look  stirring,  but  his 
spectator :  and  these  accounts  are  tinged  without  doubt 
with  mortification  at  the  indifference  which  had  been 
shewn  by  Oxford  to  his  learning  and  originality.1 

1  Bruno  visited  Oxford  in  the  year  1583,  heralding  his  coming  by  the 
following  letter  :  "  To  the  most  excellent  Vice-Chancellor  of  the  Academy 
of  Oxford,  to  its  illustrious  Doctors,  and  famous  Masters,  greeting  from 
Philotheus  Jordanus  Brunus  of  Nola,  doctor  in  perfected  theology,  a  pro- 
fessor of  pure  and  blameless  wisdom,  a  philosopher  known  and  approved 
by  the  foremost  Academies  of  Europe ;  to  none  a  stranger,  save  to  churls 
and  savages ;  a  waker  of  slumbering  souls,  a  queller  of  presumptuous  and 
kicking  ignorance ;  in  all  his  actions  betokening  a  general  love  of  man- 
kind ;  .  .  .  hated  by  spreaders  of  folly  and  by  hypocrites,  but  loved  by 
men  of  proof  and  zeal,  and  applauded  by  the  nobler  spirits  "  (Dedication, 
etc.,  of  the  Opening  of  the  Thirty  Seals}.  On  his  arrival  at  Oxford,  he 
was  permitted  to  lecture  on  the  immortality  of  the  soul  and  the  ' '  five-fold 
sphere"  ;  and  when  "the  noble  and  learned  Polonian,  Albertus  Alasco," 
visited  the  University,  he  took  part  in  one  of  the  public  disputations  which 
were  held  for  the  delectation  of  the  prince  (1583).  No  English  record 
of  his  performances  exists,  and  Anthony  Wood,  the  observant  Oxford 
historian,  does  not  even  mention  his  name ;  but  Bruno  gives  his  own 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1600  A.D.          103 

Other  foreign  scholars,  John  Hotman,  for  instance,  who 
visited  the  University  in  1581,  and  Isaac  Casaubon, 
who  was  there  in  1613,  acknowledge  in  the  most 
generous  terms  the  courtesy  and  hospitality  they  met 
with  from  all.1  At  the  same  time,  the  malicious 
artist  could  have  cited,  without  much  difficulty,  many 
instances  of  placemen  in  Colleges,  clerks  emulating  the 
pride  and  ostentation  of  the  courtier,  to  prove  his 
portraits  no  mere  caricatures :  and,  further,  it  must  be 
admitted,  that,  on  the  whole,  the  foreigner  has  not 
handled  Oxford  Dons  with  any  more  severity  than  did 
their  own  compatriot  in  the  following  character-sketch.2 
"A  meere  Fellow  of  an  House,"  wrote  Overbury,  "ex- 
amines all  men's  carriage  but  his  own ;  and  is  so  kind- 
hearted  to  himself,  he  finds  fault  with  all  men's  but  his 
own.  If  he  hath  read  Tacitus,  Guicchardine,  or  Gallo- 
Belgicus,  he  contemns  the  late  Lord  Treasurer  for  all 
the  state  policy  he  had;  and  laughs  to  think  what  a 
fool  he  could  make  of  Solomon,  if  he  were  now  alive. 

account  of  what  happened,  in  La  Cena  de  le  Cenert,  dialogue  4.  "  Go  to 
Oxford,"  he  exclaims,  "and  make  them  tell  you  what  happened  to  the 
Nolan  when  he  disputed  with  their  professors  before  the  Polish  prince  and 
the  English  nobility.  Make  them  tell  you  how  that  chicken  in  stubble, 
the  poor  Doctor  whom  the  University  put  forward  as  its  coryphaeus  on 
that  momentous  occasion,  attempted  to  answer  his  arguments,  and  how 
fifteen  times  he  was  left  stuck  fast  in  as  many  syllogisms.  Learn,  too,  with 
what  discourtesy  the  swine  ("quel  porco")  behaved,  and  with  what 
patience  and  humanity  that  other  responded,  shewing  that  he  was 
Neapolitan -born  and  nurtured  under  a  more  benignant  sky.  Let  them 
tell  you  in  what  manner  they  brought  to  an  end  the  Nolan's  public  lecture. " 
In  his  valedictory  oration  to  the  University  of  Wittenberg,  where  he  con- 
trasted their  generous  treatment  with  that  which  he  had  met  with  else- 
where, Bruno  describes  what  that  "manner"  was.  "  You  Wittenbergers 
did  not  thrust  out  your  noses  ;  you  did  not  sharpen  your  jaws  against  me, 
as  they  did  at  Oxford.  You  did  not  puff  out  your  cheeks,  and  beat  your 
desks,  and  stir  up  your  scholastic  rage  against  me"  (De  Lampade  Com- 
binatorial). In  La  Causa,  Bruno  withdrew  many  of  the  charges  he  had 
brought  against  Oxford. 

1  John  Hotman,  Letters  under  the  year  1581  ;  Life  of  Isaac  Casaubon , 
by  Mark  Pattison. 

2  Sir  Thomas  Overbury  gives  two  sketches  of  "  a  meere  Fellow  "  in  his 
Characters,  of  which  the  above  is  a  combination. 


104     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

He  wears  his  apparel  much  after  the  fashion  ;  his  means 
will  not  allow  him  to  come  too  nigh ;  they  afford  him 
mock-velvet  and  satinisco,  but  not  without  the  College's 
next  lease's  acquaintance.  He  hath  sworn  to  see 
London  once  a  year,  though  all  his  business  be  to  see 
a  play,  walk  a  turn  in  Paul's,  and  observe  the  fashion. 
He  will  not  leave  his  part  in  the  privilege  over  young 
gentlemen  in  going  bare  to  him,  for  the  Empire  of 
Germany;  and  at  meals  he  sits  in  as  great  state  over 
his  Penny  Commons,  as  ever  did  Vitellius  at  his  greatest 
banquet.  He  is  a  Pedant  in  shew,  though  his  title  be 
Tutor;  and  his  Pupils  in  broader  sense  are  Schoolboys. 
On  these  he  spends  the  false  gallop  of  his  tongue ;  and 
with  senseless  discourse  tows  them  along,  not  out  of 
ignorance.  He  shews  them  the  rind,  conceals  the  sap  ; 
and  by  this  means  he  keeps  them  the  longer,  himself 
the  better.  He  hath  learned  to  cough  and  spit  and 
blow  his  nose  at  every  period,  to  recover  his  memory ; 
and  studies  chiefly  to  set  his  eyes  and  beard  to  the 
new  form  of  learning.  His  religion  lies  in  wait  for  the 
inclination  of  his  patron ;  neither  ebbs,  nor  flows,  but 
just  standing  water  between  Protestant  and  Puritan. 
His  dreams  are  of  plurality  of  benefices  and  non- 
residency;  and  when  he  wakes,  he  acts  a  long  grace 
to  his  looking-glass,  against  the  time  he  comes  to  be 
some  great  man's  chaplain.  He  hath  less  use  than 
possession  of  books.  He  is  not  so  proud  but  he  will 
call  the  meanest  author  by  his  name ;  nor  so  unskilled 
in  the  heraldry  of  a  study,  but  he  knows  each  man's 
place.  If  he  be  to  travel,  he  is  longer  furnishing 
himself  for  a  five  miles  journey  than  a  ship  in  rigging 
for  a  seven  years  voyage.  He  is  never  more  troubled 
than  when  he  is  to  maintain  talk  with  a  gentle- 
woman, wherein  he  commits  more  absurdities,  than 
a  clown  in  the  eating  of  an  egg.  He  thinks  himself 
as  fine  when  he  is  in  a  clean  band  and  a  new 
pair  of  shoes,  as  any  courtier  doth  when  he  is  first 
in  a  new  fashion.  Lastly  he  is  one  that  respects  no 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1600  A.D.          105 

man  in  the   University,  and  is   respected  by   no   man 
out  of  it." 

In  these  days,  the  first-born  of  wealthy  parents,  "  who  A  Young 
would  have  estate  and  observance  enough,  how  little  wit  ma 
soever  he  might  attain  to,"  was  usually  bred  at  home,  Univer- 
with  tutors  and  preceptors  to  wait  upon  him  and  play 
with  him ;  and  completed  his  education  abroad.  "  He 
visited  Italy  or  the  Emperor's  Court,  or  wintered  in 
Orleance,  whence  he  returned  the  complete  and  admired 
man  of  the  world,  and  qualified  to  court  his  mistress  in 
broken  French,  wear  his  clothes  in  the  latest  fashion, 
sing  some  outlandish  tunes,  and  discourse  of  lords  and 
ladies,  towns,  palaces,  and  cities." x  A  University  career 
was,  nevertheless,  looked  upon  as  a  step,  although  a  low 
one,  on  the  ladder  of  fashion ; 2  and  here  and  there,  at 
Oxford,  might  be  found  gilded  youths,  who  had  been 
sent  thither,  not  to  obtain  knowledge,  for  they  reckoned 
no  more  of  their  studies  than  did  Spend-alls  of  their 
cast  suits ;  but  to  keep  them  from  the  common  riot  of 
the  time:  like  little  children,  whom  their  parents  put 
to  school  to  keep  them  from  under  feet  in  the  streets. 
Such  idle  young  boys,  who  spent  their  days  loitering  in 
shops  or  lounging  in  the  public  market,  and  were  known 
in  the  University  Statutes  as  "  Scurrivagi "  or  "  Tru- 
tanni,"  were  classified  by  Dr.  Ralph  Kettell  of  Trinity 
College  either  as  "  Tarrarags  " — "  these  were  the  worst 
sort,  rude  rakehells " — or  as  "  Rascal-Jacks,  Blind- 

1  Robert  Burton,  Anatomy  of  Melancholy,  pt.  i.  sec.  2,  mem.  3,  subs.  15 
(1621). 

2  The  various  grades  of  Fashion  are  shewn  in  Overbury's  Character, 
"the  Inns  of  Court  man":   "he  is  distinguished  from  the  scholar  by  a 
pair  of  silk  stockings  and  a  beaver  hat,   which  makes  him  contemn  a 
scholar  as  much  as  a  scholar  doth  a  schoolmaster.     By  that  he  hath  heard 
one  mooting,  and  seen  two  plays,  he  thinks  as  basely  of  the  university,  as 
a  young  sophister  doth  of  his  grammar-school.     He  talks  of  the  university 
with  that  state,  as  if  he  were  chancellor ;  finds  fault  with  all  alterations 
and  the  fall  of  discipline,  with  an  '  It  was  not  so,  when  I  was  a  student,' 
although   that  was  within  this   halfyear.   .   .  .   He  is  as  far  behind  the 
courtier  in  his  fashion,  as  the  scholar  is  behind  him,  and  the  best  grace  in 
his  behaviour  is  to  forget  his  acquaintance." 


1 06     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Cinques,  Scobber-lotchers " — "these  did  no  hurt;  were 
sober,  but  went  idling  about  the  College  Grove,  with 
their  hands  in  their  pockets,  and  telling  the  number  of 
the  trees  or  so." l  It  is  an  offender  of  the  latter  class, 
that  Earle  describes  in  his  sketch,  a  "  Young  Gentleman 
A  Rascal-  of  the  University."  "  He  comes  to  Oxford  to  wear  a 
gown,  and  to  say  hereafter  he  has  been  at  the  university. 
His  father  sent  him  thither,  because  he  heard  there  were 
the  best  fencing  and  dancing  schools.  From  these  he 
has  his  education ;  from  his  tutor  the  oversight.  The 
first  element  of  his  knowledge  is  to  be  shewn  the 
Colleges,  and  initiated  into  a  tavern  by  the  way,  which 
hereafter  he  will  learn  of  himself.  The  two  marks  of 
his  seniority  are  the  bar  velvet  of  his  gown,  and  his 
proficiency  at  tennis,  where,  when  he  can  once  play 
a  set,  he  is  a  freshman  no  more.  His  study  has 
commonly  handsome  shelves;  his  books  neat  silk 
strings,  which  he  shews  to  his  father's  man,  and  is 
loath  to  untie  or  take  down  for  fear  of  misplacing.2 
Upon  foul  days,  for  recreation,  he  retires  thither,  and 
looks  over  the  pretty  book  his  tutor  reads  to  him, 
which  is  commonly  some  short  history  or  a  piece  of 
Euphormio,  for  which  his  tutor  gives  him  money  to 
spend  next  day.  His  main  loitering  is  at  the  library, 
where  he  studies  arms  and  books  of  honour,  and  turns 
a  gentleman  critic  in  pedigrees.  If  you  speak  to  him 
as  a  scholar,  he  telleth  you,  you  mistake  him ;  he  is  a 
gentleman ;  and  loath  to  mar  his  style  with  that  title. 

1  See  Laudian  Statutes,  Tit.  xv.   chap,  ii.,   "de  coercendis  otiosis  et 
male  feriatis  scholaribus  in  civitate  oberrantibus " ;  and  "Life  of  Ralph 
Kettell"   (1563-1643)  in  John   Aubrey's   Brief  Lives,   ed.    by  Andrew 
Clarke,  vol.  ii.  p.  26. 

2  Cf.  The  Compleat  Gentleman,  Henry  Peacham  (1622) :   "Parents  take 
their  sons  from  school,  as  birds  out  of  the  nest,  ere  they  be  flidge,  and 
send  them  so  young  to  the  university,  that  scarce  one  among  twenty 
proveth  aught.  .  .  .  These  young  things  of  twelve,  thirteen,  or  fourteen, 
have  no  more  care,  than  to  expect  the  next  carrier,  and  where  to  sup  on 
Fridays  and  fasting  nights  ;  no  further  thought  of  study,  than  to  turn  up 
their  rooms  with  pictures,  and  place  the  fairest  books  in  openest  view, 
which,  poor  lads,  they  scarce  ever  open,  and  understand  not." 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1600  A.D.          107 

Sometime,  upon  entreaty,  he  vouchsafeth  to  be  a 
Bachelor,  and  thinks  he  hath  done  the  degree  great 
grace  in  taking  it.  His  companion  is  ordinarily  some 
stale  fellow,  that  has  been  notorious  for  an  ingle  to  gold 
hat-bands '  (i.e.  tuft-hunter),  '  whom  he  admires  at  first, 
afterward  scorns.'  .  .  .  But  he  is  now  gone  to  the  Inns 
of  Court,  where  he  studies  to  forget  what  he  learned 
before,  his  acquaintance  and  the  fashion."  If  Earle's 
young  gentleman  was  no  worse  than  a  "  Rascal-Jack," 
it  is  to  be  feared  that  Burton's  "  Antonius,  tiro,  films  A  Tar- 
Stephanionis,  nobilis  e  rure,"  rapidly  developed  into  a  rarag' 
"  Tarrarag  "  of  the  "  Tarrarags  " : 

Aequivocus.  Optatus  mihi  advenis,  Antoni ;  quo  tarn 
diluculo  ? 

Antonius.  Ad  publicas  lectiones. 

Aeq.  Ad  lectiones?     Quid  ita? 

Ant.  Ut  ediscam. 

Aeq.  Et  quid  edisces,  si  Diis  placet? 

Quot  sunt  predicabilia  ?     Nugas  has  apage,  sis. 

Ant.  Has  Nugas  vocas? 

Aeq.  Nugas  omnium  nugacissimas. 

Ant.  Itane? 

Aeq.  Ita.     Quid  tibi  cum  genere  et  specie? 

An  tu  filius  et  haeres,  isque  patris  unicus? 

Ant.  Quid  inde? 

Aeq.  Quid  tibi  ergo  cum  scientiis? 

Viderint  has  tricas  fratres  natu  minimi, 
Quos  ad  servitutem  novercans  natura  peperit, 
Vile  vulgus,  inopes,  et  id  genus  hominum, 
Quos  ad  laborem  damnavit  tristis  Horoscopus. 

Ant.  At  quid  vis  interim  faciam? 

Aeq.  Quid  faciam,  rogas? 

En  tibi  pictas  chartas  et  omne  genus  aleae; 
Hae  Musae  sunt  studiis  aptiores  tuis. 
Da  te  mihi  per  dies  aliquot  discipulum  modo; 
Dedocebo  te  mores  istos,  efrmgam  de  novo, 
Et  efrlciam  te  peritissimum  omnium  artificem. 


1 08     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Ant.  Artificem  cujus  artis? 

A  eg.  Artis  potatoriae, 

Veneris,  aleae,  ut  potare  possis  strenue, 
Et  cum  decore  fumum  e  naribus  evomere, 
Obvios  salutare,  et  ambire  dominam. 

Ant.  At  compotationes  hasce  interdixit  serio  pater. 

Aeq.  Interdixit  pater? — quid?   eris  etiamnum   puer? 

Ant.  Jussitque  ut   darem   operam   studiis    noctes   et 
dies. 

Aeq.  Non  refert  quid  jussit,  satis  superque  doctus  es. 

Ant.  Egone  doctus  sum? 

Aeq.  Potes  chartis  nomen  apponere? 

Ant.  Possum. 

Aeq.  Iterum  dico,  satis  superque  doctus  es. 

Ant.  Sed  Latinum  vult  pater. 

Aeq.  Bene  se  res  habet. 

Audi,  hoc  ubi  memoriter  edidiceris, 
c  Qui  nescit  dissimulare,  nescit  vivere/ 
Ne  quid  ultra  de  Latinitate  cogitaveris. 

Ant.  Qui  demum  tempus  impendam  ? 

Aeq.  Etiamne  rogitas? 

Tu  sis  solicitus  de  cane  venatico, 
De  cantu  et  chorea,  venatione  et  aucupio, 
De    lanista   et  domina;   haec   studia   te   magis 

decent. 
Sed   heus  tu,   invitor  ego  ad  proximum  oeno- 

polium 

Hac  nocte  ad  coenam ;  eris  hospes  meus, 
Aderunt  puellae  illic,  combibones  optimi,  tibi- 

cines ; 
Pergraecabimur    una ;    genio     noctem     addixi- 

mus. 

Ne   quid   haesites;   mecum  ibis;   eris  acceptis- 
simus. 

Ant.  Quando    ita    suades,    Aequivoce,    due    quovis, 
sequar. l 

1  Robert  Burton,  Philosophaster,  written  1606,  revised  1615  ;  acted  in 
Christ  Church  Hall  by  Students  in  1617. 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1600  A.D.          109 

In  spite,  however,  of  religious  and  social  problems, 
in  spite  of  proud  and  ignorant  Dons,  and  youths  who 
ruffled  and  roisted  it  out,  exceeding  in  apparel  and 
haunting  riotous  company,  the  first  half  of  the  seven- 
teenth century  was  emphatically  the  learned  age  in 
the  history  of  Oxford.  If  the  question  "whether  it 
were  becoming  for  eldest  sons  to  be  wise  men/'  was 
undecided,  it  was  generally  agreed,  that,  for  a  younger 
brother  of  the  period,  wit  was  like  to  be  his  best 
revenue.  "  If  he  were  not  prepared  to  marry  a  rich 
widow,  to  take  to  the  king's  highway  and  strike  fair 
for  Tyburn,  or  to  live  the  poor  gentleman  of  a  Company 
in  the  Low  Countries  and  to  die  without  a  shirt," l  he 
must  to  the  University,  there  to  qualify  himself  to 
secure  a  place  at  Court,  to  serve  some  great  man,  or 
to  compass  a  benefice.  When,  too,  it  was  a  paradox 
of  the  time,  "  that  the  Court  made  better  scholars  than 
the  Universities,  for  if  a  monarch  vouchsafed  to  be 
teacher,  every  man  must  blush  to  be  non-proficient"; 
and  it  was  written  of  King  James,  "his  Kingdom  was 
of  Wits,  in  every  knowledge  An  Academy,  and  his 
Court  a  Colledge,"2  all  the  world  wished  to  be  of 
repute  for  nimble  intelligence  and  ready  learning.  For 
these  reasons,  Oxford  was  thronged  with  Scholars  and 
"  would-be  "  Scholars.  There  is  the  pedant  "  who  dare  The 
not  think  a  thought  that  the  nominative  case  governs  Pedant- 
not  the  verb"  (Overbury);  and  "the  Dunce,"  "  that  The 
most  unprofitable  of  God's  creatures,  being,  as  he  is,  Dunce- 
put  clean  beside  the  right  use;  made  fit  for  the  cart 
and  flail,  and  by  chance  entangled  among  books  and 
papers "  (Overbury).  The  "  plodding  student "  is  a  The 
kind  of  "  alchymist  that  would  change  the  dull  lead 
of  his  brain  into  finer  metal.  He  has  a  strange  forced 
appetite  for  learning ;  and,  to  achieve  it,  brings  nothing 
but  patience  and  a  body.  His  study  consists  much  in 

1  "Younger  Brother,"  Earle's  Microcosmography -. 

2  Hugh  Holland,  A  Cypress  Garland  to  the  sacred  forehead  of  our  late 
Soveraigne^  1625. 


no     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

the  sitting-up  till  after  midnight,  in  a  rug-gown  and 
night-cap,  to  the  vanquishing  of  some  six  lines  ;  yet 
what  he  has,  he  has  perfect,  for  he  reads  it  so  long 
to  understand  it,  till  he  gets  it  without  book.  .  .  .  He 
is  a  great  discomforter  of  young  students  by  telling 
them  what  travel  it  hath  cost  him,  and  how  often  his 
brain  turned  at  philosophy ;  and  makes  them  fear  study 
as  a  cause  for  duncery.  .  .  .  He  is  like  a  dull  carrier's 
horse,  that  will  go  a  whole  week  together,  but  never 
out  of  a  foot's  pace;  and  he  that  sets  forth  on  a 
Saturday,  shall  overtake  him "  (Earle).  The  special 
A  Bold  product  of  the  age  is,  however,  the  Scholar-Mountebank, 
w^k  h*s  sophistical  buzzing,  and  his  parcel-Greek, 
parcel-Latin  gibberish ;  the  philosophaster,  theologaster, 
poetaster ;  whose  maxim  is, 

Ne  dubites ;  unica  virtus  erit  impudentia ; 
Nescire,  aut  haesitare,  stolidum  existimo.1 

There  is  the  bold  forward  man  "who  thinks  no  vice 
so  prejudicial  as  blushing.  He  is  still  citing  for 
himself  that  a  light  should  not  be  hidden  under  a 
bushel ;  and,  for  his  part,  he  will  be  sure  not  to  hide 
his,  though  it  be  but  a  snuff  or  a  rush-candle.  If  he 
be  a  scholar,  he  has  commonly  stepped  into  the  pulpit 
before  a  degree ;  yet  into  that,  before  he  has  deserved 
it.  He  never  defers  St.  Mary's  beyond  his  regency, 
and  his  next  sermon  is  at  St.  Paul's  Cross.  .  .  .  He 
is  one  that  has  all  the  great  names  at  Court  at  his 
fingers'  ends,  and  their  lodgings ;  and  with  a  saucy 
'  My  lord '  will  salute  the  best  of  them.  ...  Of  all 
disgrace  he  endures  not  to  be  non-plussed,  and  had 
rather  fly  for  sanctuary  to  nonsense  which  few,  than 
to  nothing  which  all,  descry.  .  .  .  Wiser  men,  though 
they  know  him,  yet  take  him  for  their  pleasure;  or, 
as  they  would  do  a  sculler,  for  being  next  at  hand. 
Thus  preferment  at  last  stumbles  upon  him,  because 
he  is  still  in  the  way ;  and  his  companions,  that  flouted 

1  Robert  Burton,  Philosophaster. 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1600  A.D.          in 

him  before,  now  envy  him,  when  they  see  him  come 
ready  for  scarlet,  whilst  themselves  lie  musty  in  their 
old  clothes  and  colleges"  (Earle).  With  him  may  be 
classed  "  the  pretender  to  learning,  who  would  make  A  Pre- 
others  more  fool  than  himself,  for  though  he  knows  Learning, 
nothing,  he  would  not  have  the  world  know  so 
much.  .  .  .  He  is  tricked  out  in  all  the  accoutrements 
of  learning,  and  at  the  first  encounter  none  fares 
better.  He  is  oftener  in  his  study  than  at  his  book, 
and  you  cannot  please  him  better  than  to  deprehend 
him  ;  yet  he  hears  you  not  until  the  third  knock,  and 
then  comes  out  very  angry  as  interrupted.  You  find 
him  in  his  slippers,  and  a  pen  in  his  ear,  in  which 
formality  he  was  asleep.  His  table  is  spread  wide 
with  some  classic  folio,  which  is  as  constant  to  it  as 
the  carpet,  and  hath  lain  open  in  the  same  page  this 
half-year.  His  candle  is  always  a  longer  sitter-up  than 
himself,  and  the  boast  of  his  window  at  midnight.  He 
walks  much  alone  in  a  posture  of  meditation,  and  has 
a  book  still  before  his  face  in  the  fields.  His  pocket 
is  seldom  without  a  Greek  Testament  or  Hebrew  Bible, 
which  he  opens  only  in  the  Church,  and  that  when 
some  stander-by  looks  over.  He  has  sentences  for 
company,  some  scatterings  from  Seneca  and  Tacitus, 
which  are  good  upon  all  occasions.  He  is  a  great 
plagiary  of  tavern  wit,  and  comes  to  sermons  only 
that  he  may  talk  of  Austin.  His  parcels  are  the  mere 
scrapings  from  company,  yet  he  complains  at  parting 
what  time  he  hath  lost.  .  .  .  He  talks  much  of 
Scaliger  and  Casaubon  and  the  Jesuits,  and  prefers 
some  unheard-of  Dutch  name  before  them  all.  .  .  .  He 
is  a  great  nomenclator  of  authors  which  he  has  read 
in  general  in  the  catalogue,  and  in  particular  in  the 
title,  and  goes  seldom  as  far  as  the  dedication.  He 
never  talks  of  anything  but  learning,  and  learns  all 
from  talking.  Three  encounters  with  the  same  man 
pump  him,  and  then  he  only  puts  in  or  gravely  says 
nothing.  He  has  taken  much  pains  to  be  an  ass, 


H2     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

though  not  to  be  a  scholar ;  and  is  at  length  discovered, 
and  laughed  at "  (Earle).1 

A  Meere  In  Overbury's  "  Meere  Scholar,"  and  Earle's  "  Down- 
Scholler.  Tigfa  Scholar,"  may  be  recognized  studies,  taken  from 
right  two  different  and  opposite  points  of  view,  of  the  "  Clerk 
Scholler.  Qf  Qxenford."  Among  many  changes,  he  had  remained 
practically  unchanged ;  one  of  the  few  survivors  of  that 
society  which  had  lived  and  moved  in  mediaeval  Oxford, 
and  was  now  disappearing  so  quickly.  But  though  the 
forte  and  foible  of  his  character  were  still  much  as  they 
had  been  in  Chaucer's  day,  the  attacks  which  he  now 
had  to  parry,  were  delivered  in  different  lines,  and  at 
closer  quarters,  than  formerly.  For  the  world  of  learn- 
ing and  the  world  of  fashion  were  now  brought  together, 
corps  a  corps,  in  the  University ;  and  although  in  the 
ideal  gentleman  of  the  time  might  be  allied  the  graces 
of  both  the  Schools  and  Society,  elsewhere  "  the  meere 
Scholar  "  and  "  the  meere  Gallant  "  were  ever  at  dagger's 
drawing,  one  with  the  other.  That  is  one  only  of  many 
nimble  interchanges  of  mutual  contempt  which  is  re- 
corded in  Oxford  Jests?  when  a  scholar  walking  next 
the  wall,  a  courtier  jostled  him.  "  What  is  the  matter  ?  " 

1  For  such  a  Pretender  to  learning  at  work  in  London,  see  7"he  Return 
from   Parnassus,  written   for   a   Christmas   play   at   St.  John's   College, 

Cambridge,  1602,  and  printed  1606. 

Page  (speaking  of  his  master  Amoretto,  late  of  Cambridge  University), 
"  Presently  the  great  linguist,  my  master,  will  march  through  St.  Paul's 
Churchyard,  come  to  a  book-binder's  shop,  and,  with  a  big  Italian  look 
and  a  Spanish  face,  ask  for  a  Ronzard,  a  Dubartas,  Aretine,  and  the 
hardest  writers  in  Spanish ;  then  turning,  through  his  ignorance,  the 
wrong  end  of  the  book  upward,  use  action  in  this  unknown  tongue  after 
this  sort : — first,  look  on  the  title,  and  wrinkle  his  brow ;  next,  make  as 
though  he  read  the  first  page,  and  bite  a  lip  ;  then  with  his  nail  score  the 
margent,  as  though  there  were  some  notable  conceit ;  and  lastly,  when 
he  thinks  he  has  gulled  the  standers-by  sufficiently,  throws  the  book 
away  in  a  rage,  swearing  he  could  never  find  books  of  a  true  print  since 
he  was  last  in  loadna,  enquire  after  the  next  mart,  and  so  depart." 
For  a  corresponding  sketch,  see  Time's  Whistle,  by  R.  C.  (1614-16) 
(Early  English  Text  Society,  No.  48),  Satire  ii.  797. 

2  Oxford  Jests — a  collection   of  witty  jests,    merry   tales  and  pleasant 
joques— collected  by  W.  H.  (William  Hickes,  Tapster  at  the  Star  Inn, 

Oxford),  1669. 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1600  A.D.          113 

asked  the  man  of  letters.  "  I  do  not  choose  to  give  any 
fool  the  wall/'  answered  the  man  of  fashion.  "  But  I 
do/'  retorted  the  other;  and  gave  it  him.  In  this 
theatrical  age,  indeed,  when  from  the  Universities  to 
London  thronged  scholars  "  with  dorsers  full  of  lament- 
able tragedies  and  ridiculous  comedies,"  both  characters 
were  inclined  to  overact  their  parts  ;  "  the  pert  Juvenal," 
on  whom  had  fallen  a  double  portion  of  the  overweening 
conceit  of  the  Humanist,  as  well  as  "  the  gentleblood  and 
swash-buckler,  who  preferred  an  ounce  of  vain-glory  and 
strutting  before  a  pound  of  Learning."  "  I  have  fashioned 
all  in  the  university,"  boasts  Phantastes,  in  Barten 
Holyday's  Marriages  of  the  Arts  (1617-18)  ;  "the  philo- 
sopher who  shews  the  severity  of  his  profession  by  the 
ruggedness  of  his  gown,  and  the  merry  wanton  gallant 
with  his  rich  apparel,  the  fair  false  diamond  on  his 
finger,  and  the  gilt  watch  which  he  draws  out  in  the 
market  place,  though  there  be  a  clock  within  view  of  his 
eye,  to  shew  he  reckons  not  his  day  by  the  people's 
dyall."  And  it  was  not  only  by  a  pedantic  veneration 
for  deep  learning  that  the  lettered  shewed  his  contempt 
for  the  unlettered  coxcomb,  but  also  by  what  appeared 
to  the  latter  to  be  a  conscious  assumption  of  a  careless 
and  fantastic  carriage,  and  a  studied  neglect  of  all 
the  little  qualifications  and  accomplishments  which 
made  up  the  character  of  the  well-bred  man.  "  What 
Monsieur  Malegoe  is  this,  that  so  displays  the  fretted 
buffe  tafifety  facing  of  his  threadbare  cloak  ?  "  asks  the 
poet  in  Anthony  Nixon's  Straunge  Footpost  (London, 
1613),  when  "  the  poore  scholler"  passes  by.  "  Cannot 
he  walke  uprightly  like  an  honest  man,  but  jet  it  so 
like  a  jennet,  and  wagge  his  head  to  and  fro  like  a 
weathercocke.  Fie  upon  it !,  what  rusticall  legges  he 
maketh !  like  a  tennant,  or  a  country  curate  that  never 
came  nearer  a  University  than  Lincoln  Minster.  Odit 
profanum  vulgus.  He  is  none  of  your  Plebeians  in  his 
own  conceit,  but  Apollo's  grandson  christened  in  the 
Pirennean  or  Hyporennean  fount."  The  Clerk  was  in 
8 


H4     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

fact  artificial  enough  to  affect  simplicity ;  he  defied 
social  amenities,  not  because  he  was  by  nature  rude  and 
slovenly,  but  because  he  thought  such  behaviour  to  be 
in  keeping  with  the  pose,  which  he  had  assumed,  of  a 
man  of  wisdom  who  found  such  things  unworthy  his 
attention.  "  I  am  he  that  hates  manners  worse  than 
Timon  hated  men,"  says  Grobian,  the  head  of  a  Club  of 
Oxford  Pedants:  "And  what  did  he  hate  them  for? 
Marry,  for  their  foolish  apish  compliments,  niceties, 
lispings,  cringes.  I'll  tell  you,  fellow-Grobians,  what 
our  sport  is  to-night.  You  shall  see  the  true  shapes  of 
men,  such  as  nature  made  'em,  not  in  the  visor  and 
shadow  of  garbs  and  postures ;  pure  pate  men,  such  as 
ne'er  swathed  their  feet  in  socks  for  fear  of  the  grain  of 
their  own  bodies  ;  whose  beards  and  hair  have  never 
impoverished  the  wearers,  that  wisely  banish  a  barber 
as  a  superfluous  member  from  their  commonweal.  A 
tailor  is  admitted,  but  one  of  the  primitive  time,  that  cuts 
out  long  bellies,  short  skirts,  codpiece,  you  know,  and  most 
canonical  round  knees.  They  are  men  who  fly  a  perfumer 
as  the  infection.  Cooks  indeed  they  have,  for  necessity, 
not  for  riot,  fellows  that  never  lick  their  fingers,  but  carry 
in  their  countenances  the  profits  of  their  places.  Here's 
true  and  honest  friendship  :  no  slight  *  god-speeds,'  but  a 
'  how  do  you  ? '  so  well  set  on  that  you  shall  remember 
the  salute  a  week  after.  We  doff  our  heads  sooner  than 
our  hats,  and  a  nod  includes  all  ceremonies.  Our  Scholars 
are  right  too,  such  as  you  would  swear  did  look  to  nothing 
but  their  books,  very  plod-alls  of  Art ;  not  a  leaf  turned 
over,  but  you  have  his  hand  he  hath  read  it,  and  his 
mark  is  as  true  as  Peter's  thumb  on  a  haddock :  no 
regard  of  apparel :  Libertines  you  may  judge  them  by 
their  clothes,  and  Nazarites  by  their  hair :  their  gown  is 
like  a  dun  at  their  backs,  which  they  would  shake  off. 
Then,  for  the  matter,  no  grand  sallets  and  kickshaws  of 
learning,  but  the  very  bruise  of  Divinity,"  etc.1 

1  Grobiancts  Nuptials,  edited  from  a  Bodleian  MS.,  by  A.  Brandl  and 
E.  Schmidt  for  Ernst  Ruehl's  Palaestra,  1904.     The  date  of  the  play  is 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1600  A.D.          115 

A  philosopher  of  this  persuasion,  who  wilfully  neglected 
discourses  on  polite  behaviour,  Philbert's  Philosophy  of 
the.  Court,  Castiglione's  Cortegiano,  Guazzo's  work  on 
Conversation,  and  the  like  outlandish  braveries;  and 
who  persisted  in  devoting  his  mind  so  wholly  to  his 
mind,  that  he  gave  little  or  no  thought  to  his  manners ; 
could  expect  small  mercy  at  the  hands  of  "  the  meere 
Courtier."  "  The  Scholar  is  an  intelligible  Ass,"  writes 
the  worldly  Overbury,  "  or  a  silly  fellow  in  black,  that 
speaks  Sentences  more  familiarly  than  Sense.  The 
antiquity  of  his  University  is  his  Creed,  and  the 
excellency  of  his  College  (though  but  for  a  match  at 
football)  an  Article  of  his  Faith.  He  speaks  Latin 
better  than  his  Mother-tongue ;  and  is  a  stranger  in  no 
part  of  the  World,  but  his  own  Country.  .  .  .  His 
ambition  is  that  he  either  is,  or  shall  be,  a  Graduate ; 
but  if  ever  he  get  a  Fellowship,  he  has  then  no  fellow. 
He  was  never  begotten,  as  it  seems,  without  much 
wrangling,  for  his  whole  life  is  spent  in  Pro  and  Contra. 
.  .  .  That  he  is  a  complete  Gallant  in  all  points,  Cap 
a  pie,  witness  his  horsemanship  and  the  wearing  of  his 
weapons.  -  He  is  commonly  long-winded,  able  to  speak 
more  with  ease  than  any  man  can  endure  to  hear  with 
patience.  .  .  .  University  jests  are  his  universal  dis- 
course ;  and  his  news,  the  demeanor  of  the  Proctors.  .  .  . 
JTis  a  wrong  to  his  reputation  to  be  ignorant  of  any- 

there  conjectured  by  the  editors  to  be  the  year  1640,  and  the  authorship  is 
attributed  to  Roger  Shipman  and  William  Taylor  of  St.  John  Baptist 
College,  Oxford  :  but  in  a  letter  dated  Jan.  16,  1636-7  (State  Papers •, 
Domestic,  1636-7),  Dr.  Richard  Baylie,  President  of  the  College,  writes 
to  Archbishop  Laud,  "  Young  Charles  May  presented  us  with  a  mock 
shew  on  Saturday  last.  The  subject  was  slovenry  itself,  the  marriage 
of  Grobian's  daughter  to  Tantoblin,  but  the  carriage  and  acting  so 
handsome  and  clean  that  I  was  not  better  pleased  with  a  merriment 
these  many  years."  At  this  date,  Shipman  had  not  matriculated,  and 
Taylor  was  a  freshman.  May  matriculated  in  1634,  and  became  B.A. 
in  1638. 

The  philosophic  Oxford  Grobian  should  be  compared  with  his  naturally 
brutal  original  in  Dedekind's  Grobianus  de  simplicitate  morum,  Frankfort, 
1549. 


1 16     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

thing,  and  yet  he  knows  not  that  he  knows  nothing. 
He  gives  directions  for  husbandry  from  Virgil's 
Georgics,  for  Cattle  from  his  Bucolics;  for  warlike 
Stratagems  from  his  Aeneids,  or  from  Caesar's  Com- 
mentaries.1 He  orders  all  things,  and  thrives  in  none. 
His  ill  luck  is  not  so  much  in  being  a  fool,  as  in  being 
put  to  such  pains  to  express  it  to  the  world ;  for  what 
in  others  is  natural,  in  him  with  much  ado  is  artificial. 
In  a  word,  he  is  much  in  profession,  nothing  in  practice." 
For  the  defence  appears  John  Earle;  something  of 
"  a  meere  Scholar "  himself,  for  Lord  Clarendon  wrote 
of  him,  "  that  no  man  was  more  negligent  than  he  in 
his  dress  and  habit  and  mien ;  no  man  more  wary  and 
cultivated  in  his  behaviour  and  discourse :  insomuch  as 
he  had  the  greater  advantage  when  he  was  known,  by 
promising  so  little  before  he  was  known."  "  The  down- 
right Scholar,"  he  maintains,  "  is  really  good  metal  in 
the  inside,  though  rough  and  unsecured  without,  and 
therefore  hated  of  the  Courtier  that  is  quite  contrary. 
.  .  .  He  has  not  put  on  the  quaint  garb  of  the  age, 
which  is  now  become  a  man's  total.  He  has  not 
humbled  his  meditations  to  the  industry  of  compliment, 

1  Cf.  The  Elder  Brother,  John  Fletcher  (Cambridge) ;  probably  com- 
pleted and  revised  by  Philip  Massinger  (St.  Alban's  Hall,  Oxford),  London, 
1637  ;  Act  i.  Sc.  ii. 

(Brisac,  a  country  gentleman;  and  Charles,  his  son,  described  as  "a 
meere  scholar.") 

Brisac.  In  your  care 

To  manage  worldly  business,  you  must  part  with 
This  bookish  contemplation,  and  prepare 
Yourself  for  action  ;  to  thrive,  in  this  age, 
Is  held  the  palm  of  learning.     You  must  study 
To  know  what  part  of  my  land's  good  for  the  plough, 
And  what  for  pasture ;  how  to  buy  and  sell 
To  the  best  advantage;  how  to  cure  my  oxen 
When  they're  o'ergrown  with  labour. 

Charles.  I  may  do  this 

From  what  I've  read,  Sir;  for  what  concerns  tillage, 
Who  better  can  deliver  it  than  Virgil 
In  his  Georgics?     And  to  cure  your  herds 
His  Bucolics  is  a  masterpiece,  etc. 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1600  A.D.          117 

nor  afflicted  his  brain  in  an  elaborate  leg.  His  body  is 
not  set  upon  nice  pins,  to  be  turning  and  flexible  for 
every  motion,  but  his  scrape  is  homely  and  his  nod 
worse.  He  cannot  kiss  his  hand  and  cry,  'Madam!', 
nor  talk  idle  enough  to  bear  her  company.  His 
smacking  of  a  gentlewoman  is  somewhat  too  savoury, 
and  he  mistakes  her  nose  for  her  lips.  A  very  wood- 
cock would  puzzle  him  in  carving,  and  he  wants  the 
logic  of  a  capon.1  He  has  not  the  glib  faculty  of  sliding 
over  a  tale,  but  his  words  come  squeamishly  out  of  his 
mouth,  and  the  laughter  commonly  before  the  jest.  He 
names  this  word  '  college '  too  often,  and  his  discourse 
beats  too  much  on  the  university.  The  perplexity  of 
mannerliness  will  not  let  him  feed,  and  he  is  sharp  set 
on  an  argument  when  he  should  cut  his  meat.  He  is 
discarded  for  a  gamester  at  all  games  but  one  and 
thirty,  and  at  tables  he  reaches  not  beyond  doublets. 
His  fingers  are  not  long  and  drawn  out  to  handle  a 
fiddle,  but  his  fist  cluncht  with  the  habit  of  disputing. 
He  ascends  a  horse  somewhat  sinisterly,  though  not  on 
the  left  side,  and  they  both  go  jogging  in  grief  together.2 

1  Cf.  Robert  Burton,  Anatomy  of  Melancholy,  pt.  i.  sec.  2,  mem.  3. 
subs.  15  :  "  Because  they  cannot  ride  a  horse,  which  every  clown  can  do  ; 
salute  and  court  a  gentlewoman,  carve  at  table,  cringe  and  make  congies, 
which  every  common  swasher  can  do,  hos  populus  ridet  :  they  are  laughed 
to  scorn  and  accounted  silly  fools  by  our  Gallants." 

2  The  scholar  on  horseback  was  a  never-failing  subject  for  ridicule — See 
Thomas  Bastard   (New  College,   1586-90),   Chrestoleros ;   seven  bookes  of 
epigr antes,  by  T.  B.,  London,  1598  (ed.  by  A.  B.  Grosart),  lib.  iv.  30. 

"  Melus  was  taught  to  speake,  to  read,  to  write, 
Yet  clerkly  sooth  he  can  do  none  of  these ; 
He  learned  Logicke  and  Arithmeticke, 
Yet  neither  brawls  nor  ciphers  worth  a  peaze. 
The  Musicke  Schoole  did  teach  him  her  sweet  art, 
He  dealt  with  Rhetorique  and  Astrologie, 
Yet  neither  can  he  chaunt  it  for  his  part, 
Ne  can  he  tell  a  tale,  or  prophecie : 
And  yet  he  rides  as  Scholer-like,  ('tis  thought), 
As  never  any ;  yet  was  never  taught." 

See,  too,  "  Eques  Academicus,"  among  the  Poems  of  Vincent  Bourne 
(Trinity  College,  Cambridge,  1714). 


n8     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

He  is  exceedingly  censured  by  the  Inns  of  Court  men, 
for  that  heinous  vice,  being  out  of  the  fashion.  He 
cannot  speak  to  a  dog  in  his  own  dialect,  and  under- 
stands Greek  better  than  the  language  of  a  falconer. 
He  has  been  used  to  a  dark  room  and  dark  clothes,  and 
his  eyes  dazzle  at  a  sattin  suit.  The  hermitage  of  his 
study  has  made  him  somewhat  uncouth  in  the  world, 
and  men  make  him  worse  by  staring  on  him.  Thus  is 
he  ridiculous,  and  it  continues  with  him  for  some 
quarter  of  a  year  out  of  the  University.  But  practise 
him  a  little  in  men,  and  brush  him  o'er  with  good 
company,  and  he  shall  out-balance  those  glisterers,  as 
far  as  a  solid  substance  does  a  feather,  or  gold,  gold- 
lace." 

Such  is  the  portrait-group  of  early  seventeenth- 
century  Academians  presented  by  artists  of  the  time ; 
and,  of  it,  it  may  be  affirmed,  that,  "  though  change  of 
fashions  has  unavoidably  cast  shadows  upon  some 
places,  the  picture  as  a  whole,  being  drawn  from 
unchanging  nature,  stands  out  as  true  to-day  as  when 
it  was  originally  composed." l 

Except,  indeed,  so  far  as  it  deals  with  new  fashions 
and  manners,  subsequent  fiction  has  added  little  or 
nothing  to  the  work  of  Overbury,  Earle,  and  Saltonstall. 
In  their  day,  academical  society,  though  still  in  a  state 
of  flux,  was  nevertheless  falling  into  those  few  shapes 
which  it  has  maintained  ever  since ;  and  after  the 
Characters,  Microcosmography,  and  Picturae  Loquentes^ 
wit's  descant  upon  the  plain  song  of  Oxford  "types" 
tends  to  monotony.  The  old  familiar  faces  and  figures 
reappear  again  and  again,  but  thinly  disguised,  in  later 
work  dealing  with  University  life.  College-servants  and 
townsmen  "  whose  speech  savours  of  the  university," 
live  again  in  the  periodicals  of  the  eighteenth  century. 
There  is  the  Alderman  who  rejoices  to  make  classical 
allusions,  and  who,  when  a  scholar  excites  laughter  by 
saying  of  a  tough  goose  that  "  it  was  probably  one  of 

1  Preface  to  Microcosmography ',  edition  published  1732. 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1600  A.D.          119 

those  which  saved  the  Capitol,"  takes  the  earliest 
opportunity  to  make  the  same  remark  of  an  old  hen. 
Tradesmen  chop  logic  on  the  most  sublime  topics :  the 
shoemaker  affirms,  to  the  general  satisfaction  of  his 
audience,  that  "  the  world  was  eternal  from  the 
beginning,  and  will  be  so  to  the  end  of  it";  and  the 
mercer,  discoursing  on  politics,  wonders  "  What  a  deuce 
we  would  have !  I'm  sure,"  says  he,  "  there's  not  a 
happier  island  in  England  than  Great  Britain ;  and  a 
man  may  choose  his  own  religion,  that  he  may  !  whether 
it  be  Mahometism  or  Infidelity."  A  Music-master, 
criticising  Smith's  Harmonic,  is  of  opinion  "  that  it  is  not 
worth  a  farthing ;  it  might  teach  the  Thievery  mayhap ; 
but,  as  for  the  Praticks,  he  knows  a  betterer  method  " ; 
while  a  Scout,  with  an  excellent  knack  of  his  own  of 
using  hard  words,  advises  a  fellow-servant  "  to  be  true 
to  his  wife ;  for  Idolatry  would  surely  bring  a  man  to 
Instruction  at  last"1  Much  as  he  did  in  the  days  of 
Saltonstall,  the  Townsman  "takes  ill  words  of  the 
Gownsman,  and  loves  him  not  in  his  heart."  No  novel 
on  University  life  can  be  called  complete,  which  does 
not  include  at  least  one  Town  and  Gown  fight.  The 
"  meere  young  Gentleman  of  the  University  "  in  fiction, 
invariably  threatens  to  horsewhip  the  daring  tailor  who 
ventures  to  present  his  account  for  payment,  declares 
that  tradesmen  should  be  resisted  by  gentlemen  as  so 
many  duns  and  rascals,  and  affirms  that  he  never  knew 
one  in  his  life  who  was  not  a  complete  raff;  while  the 
Scholar  chimes  in  with  a  riddle,  and  likens  the  Town 
to  a  Roman  Fleet,  "for,"  says  he,  "the  City  Fathers 
are  all  '  naves,'  their  sons  '  puppes,'  and  their  daughters 

1  The  Student  or  Oxford  Miscellany  (1750),  i.  53.  The  London 
Evening  Post  of  May  1 8,  1756,  quotes  the  following  inscription  from 
a  sign -board  at  Oxford  : 

"  Here  are  Fabricated  and  Renovated  Trochiliac  Horologies,  Portable 
and  Permanent,  Linguaculous  and  Taciturnal :  whose  Circumgyrations 
are  performed  by  Internal  Spiral  Elasticks  or  External  Pendulous 
Plumbages :  Diminutives,  Simple  or  Compound,  invested  with  Argent 
or  Aurate  Integuments." 


120     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

'  nautae.' "  The  "  meere  young  Gentleman "  himself, 
whether  "  Rascal-Jack "  or  "  Tarrarag,"  has  a  hundred 
reincarnations  in  the  "  Smarts,"  "  Loungers,"  "  Loiterers," 
"Dashing  Men,"  "  Slicers,"  and  "Men  of  Fire,"  who 
figure  so  prominently  in  eighteenth-century  sketches  of 
Oxford  life.  His  ill-regulated  career  affords  indeed  the 
most  telling  materials  for  fiction  ;  and,  as  a  general  rule, 
University  and  College  authorities,  and  reading  men,  are 
introduced  merely  in  order  to  set  off  his  lawlessness  and 
high  spirits.  Thus  Heads  of  Houses,  when  they  are 
not  pompous  and  tyrannical  disciplinarians,  are  heavy 
stupid  recluses,  such  as  those  of  whom  the  Devil's 
Almanac  for  1745  predicted,  that  "they  would  be  so 
insensibly  translated  from  the  animal  to  the  vegetable 
world,  that  men  would  hardly  perceive  any  material 
alteration  in  the  individual."  Tutors,  again,  are  drawn, 
almost  invariably,  after  the  manner  of  Overbury's 
"  meere  Fellow  of  a  House " :  they  are  pedantical  and 
pedagogical:  "their  every  motion  is  syllogistical  and 
strictly  conformable  to  Mode  and  Figure.  They  enter 
a  room  in  '  Barbara/  and  salute  the  company  in  '  Darii ' ; 
they  pay  their  devotions  in  'Ferio'  and  dance  in 
*  Baralipton.' " l  And,  for  the  same  reason,  the  reading 
man  is  distinguished  by  "his  chin  being  stuck  in  his 
neck,  a  sneaking  bookish  look,  plodding  gait  and  dirty 
linen ;  while  he  never  opens  his  lips  but,  like  a  Brazen-head, 
in  sentences."  In  short,  in  dress  and  manner  he  serves  as 
a  foil  to  the  orators  of  the  coffee-houses,  the  champions 
of  the  High  Street,  and  the  jockies  of  Port  Meadow.2 

1  Nicholas  Amherst,  Oculus  Britanniae  (1721). 

2  James  Miller  (Wadham  College),  Humours  of  Oxford  (1730).     Com- 
pare Pope's  rendering  of  Horace  Epistles,  lib.  II.  ii. — 

"  The  man  who,  stretched  in  Isis'  calm  retreat, 
To  books  and  study  gives  seven  years  complete, 
See  !  strowed  with  learned  dust,  his  night-cap  on, 
He  walks,  an  object  new  beneath  the  sun  ! 
The  boys  flock  round  him,  and  the  people  stare ; 
So  stiff,  so  mute,  some  statue  you  would  sware 
Stept  from  its  pedestal  to  take  the  air  ! " 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,   1600  A.D.          121 

And  as  with  the  plays,  poems,  and  periodicals  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  so  with  the  novels  of  the  first  half  of 
the  nineteenth.  "  We  have,"  writes  Dr.  Mark  Pattison, 
"  the  stereotyped  parts  of  the  fast  undergraduate  beset 
with  duns,  contrasted  with  the  slow  reading-man  in 
woollen  socks  and  spectacles,  who  is  his  butt ;  the 
deluded  father,  the  inefficient  proctor,  a  pompous  and 
incapable  tutor;  a  gyp,  thievish  and  patronizing;  the 
breakfast  and  the  wine  party ;  the  ruffian  of  the  play- 
ground, who  is  the  admired  hero  of  the  bevy  of  charm- 
ing girls  who  come  up  to  Commemoration  in  pink 
ribands.  The  fast  young  man  is  the  first  part ;  the 
reading  student  is  only  brought  upon  the  scene  to  be 
guyed ;  and  the  senior  part  of  the  University  become 
stage  Dons,  who  are  only  there  to  provoke  our  derision 
by  various  forms  of  the  witty  description  of  Donnism, 
'  a  mysterious  carriage  of  the  body  intended  to  conceal 
the  defects  of  the  mind/" 


CHAPTER    VI 

HALCYON   DAYS,   1600-1636  AD. 

"  How  these  curiosities  would  be  quite  forgott,  did  not  such  idle 
fellowes  as  I  am,  putt  them  down." — JOHN  AUBREY  (1626-97),  Trinity 
College,  Oxon.  ;  Brief  Lives,  ed.  by  Andrew  Clarke,  i.  232. 

To  THE  UNIVERSITIE  OF  OXENFORD 

THOU   Eye  of  Honour,  Nurserie  of  Fame, 
Still  teeming  Mother  of  Immortall  Seed ; 
Receive  these  blessed  Orphanes  of  thy  breed 
As  from  thy  happy  issue  first  they  came. 
Those  flowing  Wits  that  bathed  in  thy  foord, 
And  suckt  the  honie-dew  from  thy  pure  pap, 
Returne  their  tribute  backe  into  thy  lap, 
In  rich-wrought  lines  that  yeelde  no  idle  woord. 
O  let  thy  Sonnes  from  time  to  time  supplie 
This  Garden  of  the  Muses,  where  dooth  want 
Such    Flowers    as    are    not,   or    come,   short    and 

scant, 

Of  that  perfection  may  be  had  thereby: 
So  shall  thy  name  live  still,  their  fame  nere  die, 
Though  under  ground  whole  worlds  of  time  they  lie : — 

Stat  sine  morte  decus. 
JOHN  BODENHAM,  Belvidere  or  the  Garden 
of  the  Muses,  1600 

OXFORD 

To  mount  above  Ingratitude,  base  crime, 
With  double  lines  of  single-twisted  rime, 


HALCYON  DAYS,  1600-1636  A.D.        123 

I  will,  though  needlesse,  blaze  the  sun-bright  praise 
Of  Oxford,  where  I  spent  some  gaining  days : — 

For,  Oxford,  O,  I  praise  thy  situation 
Passing  Parnassus,  Muses'  habitation; 
Thy  bough-deckt  dainty  Walkes,  with  Brooks  beset, 
Fretty,  like  Christall  Knots  in  mould  of  Jet; 
Thy  sable  Soile's  like  Guian's  golden  Ore, 
And  gold  it  yeelds  manured ;  no  mould  can  more. 
The  pleasant  Plot,  where  thou  hast  footing  found, 
For  all  it  yeelds,  is  yelke  of  English  ground : 
Thy  stately  Colleges,  like  Princes'  Courts, 
Whose  gold-embossed,  high-embattl'd  Ports, 
With  all  the  glorious  workmanshippe  within, 
Make  Strangers  deeme  they  have  in  Heaven  bin, 
When  out  they  come  from  those  celestiall  places, 
Amazing  them  with  glorie  and  with  graces: — 

But  in  a  word  to  say  how  I  like  thee; — 
For  place,  for  grace,  and  for  sweet  companee, 
Oxford  is  Heaven,  if  Heaven  on  Earth  there  be. 

JOHN  DAVIES  of  Hereford,  Microcosmus,  1603 

Veni  Oxford  cui  comes 
Est  Minerva,  fons  Platonis. 
Unde  scatent  peramoene 
Aganippe,  Hippocrene ; 

Totum  fit  Atheniense 

Immo  Cornu  Reginense. 

To  Oxford  came  I,  whose  copesmato 
Is  Minerva,  Well  of  Plato ; 
From  which  seat  doth  flow  most  seemlie 
Aganippe,  Hippocrene; 

Each  thing  there's  the  Muses'  minion; 
Queen's  College  Horn  speaks  pure  Athenian. 
RICHARD  BRATHWAITE  (Oriel  College), 
Barnabae  Itinerarium,  1638 


I24     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

THE  BODLEIAN  LIBRARY  (opened  1602  A.D.) 
Bibliotheca  nova  Oxon.  ad  Lectores 

Quaeritis  Autores?    "Coram,  quern  quaeritis,  adsum," 

Quisque  in  classe  sua  classicus  autor  ait. 
Tanti  operis  quantum  reliquo  vix  extat  in  orbe 
Quaeritis  autorem?     Bodleus  autor  erat 

JOHN  OWEN  (New  College),  Epigrams, 
3rd  book:  London,  1612 

Authors  seek  ye  ?     "  Ready  before  your  eyes  ! " 

Each  classic  author  in  his  classis  cries. 
Of  this  great  work  scarce  paralleled  on  earth 
Seek  ye  the  Founder?     Bodley  gave  it  birth. 

Owen's  Epigrams,  englished  by  THOMAS 
HARVEY,  1677 

PINDARIQUE  ODE 
The  Book 

Humbly  presenting  it  selfe  to  the  Universitie  Librarie 
at  Oxford. 

(From  the  original  in  the  author's  own  hand,  written 
at  the  beginning  of  the  copy  of  his  Poems,  folio,  Lond. 
1656,  presented  by  Abraham  Cowley  to  the  Bodleian 
Library.  The  book  has  the  following  inscription  written 
in  it  by  bishop  Barlow :  "  Liber  Bibliothecae  Bodleianae, 
ex  dono  Viri  et  Poetae  optimi,  D.  Abrahami  Cowley, 
authoris ;  qui  pro  singulari  sua  in  Bodleium  Musasque 
benevolentia,  Oden  MS.  insequentem,  Pindari  foeliciter 
imitatricem,  composuit,  et  manu  propria  exaratam 
apposuit,  VI.  Calend.  Jul.  MDCLVL") 

(i) 

Hail,  Learning's  Pantheon!     Hail,  the  sacred  Ark, 
Where  all  ye  World  of  Science  does  embark ! 


HALCYON  DAYS,  1600-1636  A.D.         125 

Which  ever  shalt  withstand,  and  hast  soe  long  withstood 
Insatiat  Time's  devowring  Flood ! 

Hail,  Tree  of  Knowledge !  thy  Leaves'  Fruit !  which 
well 

Dost  in  ye  midst  of  Paradise  arise, 
Oxford,  ye  Muses'  Paradise ! 

From  which  may  never  Sword  the  Blest  expell. 

Hail,  Bank  of  all  past  Ages,  where  they  lie 

T'enrich  with  Interest  Posteritie ! 

Hail,  Wits  illustrious  Galaxie; 

Where  thowsand  Lights  into  one  Brightnes  spread, 

Hail,  Living  Universitie  of  the  Dead ! 

(2) 

Unconfused  Babel  of  all  Toungs,  which  ere 
The   mighty   Linguist    Fame,   or   Time,   the   mighty 
Traveller, 

That  could  Speak,  or  this  could  Hear! 
Majestique  Monument  and  Pyramide, 
Where  still  the  Shapes  of  parted  Soules  abide 
Enbalmed  in  Verse!  exalted  Soules,  which  now 
Enjoy  those  Arts  they  woo'd  soe  well  below! 
Which  now  all  wonders  printed  plainly  see 

That  have  bin,  are,  or  are  to  bee, 

In  the  mysterious  Librarie, 
The  Beatifique  Bodley  of  the  Deitie ! 

(3) 

Will  yee  into  your  sacred  throng  admit 
The  meanest  British  Wit? 

Yee  Generall  Councell  of  the  Priests  of  Fame, 
Will  yee  not  murmur,  and  disdain 
That  I  a  place  amoungst  yee  claime, 
The  humblest  Deacon  of  her  train  ? 

Will  yee  allow  mee  th'  honourable  Chain? 

The  Chain  of  Ornament,  which  here 
Your  noble  Prisoners  proudly  wear? 


126     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

A  Chain  which  will  more  pleasant  seem  to  mee, 

Than  all  my  own  Pindarique  Libertie. 

Will  ye  to  bind  mee  with  these  mighty  names  submit, 

Like  an  Apocrypha  with  Holy  Writ? 
What  ever  happy  Book  is  chained  here, 
Noe  other  place  or  people  needs  to  fear : — 
His  Chaine's  a  Pasport  to  goe  everywhere.1 

(4) 

As  when  a  seat  in  Heaven 
Is  to  an  unambitious  Sinner  given, 

Who  casting  round  his  wondering  eye 
Does  none  but  Patriarchs  and  Apostles  there  espie, 

Martyrs  who  did  their  lives  bestow, 

And  Saints  who  Martyrs  lived  below, 
With  trembling  and  amazement  hee  begins 
To  recollect  his  frailties  past  and  sins ; 

Hee  doubts  almost  his  Station  there ; 
His  Soule  says  to  it  selfe,  How  Came  I  here? 

It  fares  no  otherwise  with  mee, 
When  I  myselfe  with  conscious  wonder  see 
Amidst  this  Purified  Elected  Companee: 

With  hardship  they  and  pain 

Did  to  this  happiness  attain ; 
Noe  labours  I,  or  merits  can  pretend, 
I  think  Predestination  only  was  my  Friend. 

1  Cf.  Nichols'  Progresses  of  James  /,  p.  554,  note  :  the  King,  during  his 
visit  to  Oxford  in  1605,  remarked  on  seeing  the  chained  books  in  the 
Bodleian  Library,  "Were  I  not  a  King,  I  would  be  an  Oxford  man  ;  and 
if  it  were  so  that  I  must  be  a  prisoner,  if  I  might  have  a  wish,  I  would 
have  no  other  prison  than  this  library,  and  be  chained  together  with  these 
good  authors." 

See,  too,  Oxonii  Encomium,  by  Edward  Benlowes  (1672). 

"  Tu  bene  juncta  Scholis  jactas  spolia  inclyta  Mundi. 
Num  tibi  par  moles?     Tantis  oppressa  tropaeis 
Tigna  gemunt ;  Heroes  in  isto  carcere  regnant 
Captivi,  gaudentque  suas  subisse  catenas. 
Haud  secus  ac  victi  Victores  undique  stipant 
Currus :  Ista  tuos  ornant  devicta  Triumphos, 
Queis  tecum  certasse  fuit  meruisse  Coronas." 


HALCYQN  DAYS,  1600-1636  A.D. 

(5) 

Ah  that  my  Author  had  been  tyed,  like  Mee, 
To  such  a  Place  and  such  a  Companee, 
Instead  of  severall  Countries,  severall  Men, 

And  Business  which  the  Muses  hate, 
Hee  might  have  then  improved  that  small  Estate 
Which  Nature  sparingly  did  to  him  give; 

He  might  perhaps  have  thriven  then, 
And  settled  upon  mee,  his  child,  somewhat  to  live; 
'T  had  happier  bin  for  Him  as  well  as  Mee: 

For  when  all,  alas !  is  donne, 

Wee  Books,  I  mean  you  Books,  will  prove  to  bee 
The  best  and  noblest  Conversation: 

For  though  some  Errors  will  get  in, 
Like  Tinctures  of  Original  Sin, 
Yet  sure  wee  from  our  Father's  wit 
Draw  all  the  Strength  and  Spirit  of  it, 
Leaving  the  grosser  parts  for  Conversation, 
As  the  Best  Blood  of  Man's  employed  in  Generation. 

ABRAHAM  COWLEY  (M.D.  Oxford,  1657) 

MERTON  COLLEGE  GARDEN 

by    John    Earle,    Fellow    of    Merton    College,    1619; 

Bishop   of  Worcester,   1662 ;    translated   to   Salisbury, 

1663.     See  John  Aubrey's  Natural  History  of  Surrey -, 

iv.  167. 

Hortus,  delitiae  domus  politae, 
Quo  Mertona  minus  beata  cultu 
Vincit  cultior  et  trahit  sorores, 
Quis  te  carmine  scribat  eleganti 
Quale  munditias  tuas  decebit? 
Quod  non  erubeant  tua  ambulacra 
Inter  gramina  natum  et  inter  herbas. 
Hoc  nunc  accipe  qualecunque  munus 
Nuper  quod  spatiis  vaganti  in  istis, 
Laetus  aera  dum  bibo  recentem, 


128     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 


(*?  testa  or 
fenstra) 


(*?nota) 


Effluxit  mihi  paene  nescient!, 
Dum  quid  vis  temere  Camoena  dictat: 
Nam  quae  non  ibi  nascitur  Camoena? 
Quis  non  hie  vel  inambulans  poeta  est? 
Hortus  blandulus,  optimus  recessus, 
Quo  non  Hesperii  magis  juvabunt, 
Et  quos  fabula  ramulos  inaurat, 
Vatum  somnia,  flosculos  poetae; 
Nee  quos  Italus  Atheos,  supremi 
Exspes  Elysii,  laborat  hortos. 
Ipsa  en  !     Simplicitas  placebit  una ; 
Non  hie  Daedaleas  amabis  artes, 
Ducta  multiplici  nee  herba  gyro 
Et  fallit  simul  et  tenet  videntem : 
Non  hie  fictitios  habes  Leones, 
Nee  Pardi  modo  Tygridisve  rictus, 
Et  quas  dispositas  solent  in  hortis 
Feras  fingere:  quid  feras  in  hortis? 
Nulla  in  Cornua  torta  Belluamque, 
Nulla  in  Literulas  secatur  herba; 
Non  Insignia  Regiumve  nomen 
Doctus  flosculus  exprimit,  nee  ulla 
Gramen  tonsile  scribitur  figura; 
Nee  quadratave  circulive  florum,  aut 
Malis  artibus  educata  Planta 
Festa*  clausa  latet  peculiari, 
Et  quidquid  nimis  insolente  cura 
Excultum  nimio  perit  labore.1 
Hie  nulla  tibi  constat  arte  pura 
Naturae  manus,  innocens  voluptas 
Ipsa  quam  dedit  hortulana  solum 
Hawkinsi2  minimo  labore  iota,* 
Alta  gramina,  vividumque  sepe, 

1  Many  College  gardens  at  this  time  displayed  knotted  beds  laid  out  in 
curious   and   complicated   geometrical   patterns,  arbours,  mazes,   artificial 
mounds,  and  topiary  works  as,  for  example,  the  King's  and  the  Founder's 
Arms  in  New  College  Gardens. 

2  Thomas  Hawkins,  the  gardener. 


HALCYON  DAYS,  1600-1636  A.D.         129 


Crinitumque  solum,  comataque  arbor, 
Et  septa  innumeris  onusta  baccis, 
Inter  quae  area  fusa  larga  aperta 
Primo  te  excipit,  allicitque  visu 
Exercens  hilares  bonosque  lusus. 
Quantae  Jupiter !  artis  et  cachinni 
Festi  dum  posita  toga  togati 
Stricto  corpore  ludicros  perite 
Inclinant  globulos,  et  orbe  ligni 
Currenti  fluidas  comant  arenas : 
Clamor  aera  percutit  canorus, 
Si  metam,  artifice  evoluta  dextra, 
Adserpit  rotula,  insequensque  rursum 
Tangentem  globus  excutit  secundus  : 
Quae  buctaria,*  gratulationes ! 
"O  quantus  tibi  ludus  est !     Valere  !  " 
Mox  in  devia  versus  ambulacra, 
Quae  spargit  tibi  arena,  cingit  arbor, 
Frondes  implicitae  super  coronant, 
Libens  continuas  subitis  umbras  ; 
Una  ad  horridulae  modum  cavernae 
In  longum  porrigitur  petente  *  rictu ; 
Haec  meta  breviore  terminatur, 
Disserentibus  aptior,  citasque 
Festinantibus  ambulationes : 
Errat  stridula  persilitque  ramos 
Avis  frondiferi  inquilina  tecti : 
Passim  in  arbore  figitur  sedile, 
Fultum  cortice,  racemulis*  opertum; 
Hie  paucas  metues  sedens  procellas, 
Et  tantum  Jove  grandinante  sparsus 
Securus  pluvias  rides  minores ; 
Et  Phoebus  minima  repulsus  arte 
Vix  interjicit  hie  jubar  minutum. 
Haec  munimina  tarn  serena  praestant 
Non  Laurus  sterilis,  inopsve  Myrtus, 
Nee  Buxus  ita  fronde  delicata, 
Arbor  sed  gravidis  recurva  pomis 


(*?  vic- 
toria) 


(*?patente) 


(*?ramuKs) 


130     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 


(*?  plane, 
(*?quae) 


(*?qua... 

catena) 

(*  ?  ramis 
or  carrus) 


(*?lepi- 
dum) 


Et  succi  teneri  Pyri  recentes, 
Et,  quum  serior  apparebit  aestas, 
Nux  infantula,  pendulumque  Prunum 
Parens  cui  titulum  dedit  Damascus : 
Non  umbra  est  tibi  inutilis,  sed  ipso 
Pastus  et  simul  abditusque  fructu, 
Cujus  fercula  sunt  suae  latebrae; — 
Decerpis  tenebras  tuas,  et  uno 
Umbra  rarior  est  minorque  porno. 

Hinc  edita  mentis  elevantur, 
Hunc  solum  artificis  vides  laborem. 
Captas  frigora,  liberumque  solem, 
Campis  desuper  incubans  amoenis ; 
Agellumque  vides  senis  morosi, 
Quern  calcat  nimis  improbus  viator 
Clamoso  male  devorandus  ore; 
Olim  et  nobilibus  serenda  plantis, 
Quae  super  piget,  inchoabit  annus, 
Galeni  foliis  dicata  septa. 
Dein  per  pascua  proximosque  colles, 
Excurrit  vagus  hinc  et  hinc  ocellus, 
Ifleam  arboribus  suis  latentem, 
Et  plani  *  viridaria  Cowleiana 
Quod*  nulla  violant  aratra  ruga, 
Et  quas  Bartholomaeus  iliceto 
Obscurat  casulas  sacro  frequenter. 
Hinc  hiulcam  tibi  Shotovere  barbam 
Impexumque  nemus  licet  videre, 
Nudam  quae  terit  orbitam  catenae* 
Nexus  multiplices  habens  caballus 
Essedarius  insidetque  racemus* 
Grata  pondera  devehens  togati. 
Retro  Pyramides  locosque  sacros, 
Templa  perpetuis  dicata  Musis, 
Et  totam  simul  aestimabis  urbem, 
Et  quidquid  globus  errat  ambulantum 
Ipsos  perspicies  et  ambulantes. 

Hie  tu  seu  lapidem*  tenes  libellum 


HALCYON  DAYS,  1600-1636  A.D.         131 

Ut  nunquam  tibi  sic  placeat*  libellus  ;  (*?  placet) 

Seu  quid  propitia  roges  Minerva, 

Ut  nunquam  tibi  promptior  Minerva  est ; 

Seu  blandos  tibi  misceas  susurros 

Ut  nunquam  tibi  dulcior  sodalis ; 

Seu  carmen  meditaberis  venustum 

Nunquam  lenius  evocata  Musa. 

JOHN  EARLE  (Merton  College) 

THE  BONNY  CHRIST  CHURCH  BELLS 

The  campanile  of  Oseney  Abbey  contained  what  was 
thought  to  be  the  best  peal  of  bells  in  England.  One 
of  these,  destined  to  become  the  present  "  Magnus 
Thomas  Clusius"  of  Christ  Church,  was  dedicated  to 
St.  Thomas  of  Canterbury,  and  bore  the  inscription, 

"In  Thomae  laude  resono  BIM  BOM  sine  fraude"; 

and  it  was  on  hearing  this  bell  ring,  which  he  had 
re-christened  "  Mary "  for  joy  at  Queen  Mary's  reign, 
that  Dr.  Tresham,  Vice-Chancel  lor,  exclaimed,  "O 
bellam  et  pulchram  Mariam  !  ut  sonat  musice  !  ut  tinnit 
melodice  !  ut  placet  auribus  mirifice ! ",  words  which 
were  clearly  in  the  mind  of  the  composer  of  the 
following  lines.  On  the  suppression  of  Oseney  Abbey 
in  1545,  seven  bells  were  removed  thence  to  the 
campanile  of  Christ  Church. 

The  catch  "  Hark,  the  bonny  Christ  Church  Bells !  ", 
set  to  the  music  of  Henry  Aldrich,  Dean  of  Christ 
Church,  appeared  first  in  the  Pleasant  Musical 
Companion,  1726,  sixteen  years  after  the  Dean's  death. 
Words,  as  well  as  music,  are  usually  attributed  to 
Aldrich;  but  the  former  belong,  at  any  rate  in  spirit, 
to  the  Halcyon  Days  (1600-1636),  and  I  have  included 
them  in  this  chapter  with  Corbet's  poems  on  "Tom," 
and  White's  catch  "  Great  Tom  is  cast." 

In  1680  ten  bells  were  hung  in  Christ  Church 
campanile,  "  Tom  "  being  removed  thence  and  reserved 


132     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 


(The  shrill 


out  prepara- 

Sling  ohf6 

Tom) 


for  the  tower  over  the  great  gateway.     The  peal  was 
increased  to  twelve  bells  in  1898. 

Oh  the  bonny  Christ  Church  Bells! 

One  two  three  four  five  six  ; 
They  are  so  woundy  great, 

So  wondrous  sweet, 
And  they  trowl  so  merrily,  merrily. 
Oh  the  first  and  the  second  bell, 

That  every  day  at  four  and  ten, 
Cry  "  Come,  come,  come,  come,  come,  to  Prayer  !  " 

And  the  Verger  troops  before  the  Dean. 

Tingle,  tingle,  tingle,  goes  the  small  Bell  at  nine, 

To   cal1   the    ^e^ts   home  5 

But  there's  never  a  man 

Wil1    leaVG   his    Can' 

Till  he  hears  the  mighty  TOM. 

Aedis  Christi  campanulae  ! 
Bis  tres  in  numero, 
Magnificae 

Dulcisonae 
Pulsantque  hilare  hilare. 

Prima,  et  prima  a  prima, 

Hora  quarta  et  decima, 
Ait  "  Adsis,  adsis  Precibus  !  " 

Ambulante  Vergifero. 
Tintinnuit  hora  tintinnabulum 

Ut  redeat  domum, 
At  combibo 

Manet  intro 

Dum  Thomas  det  sonum  ; 
Ac  nemo  sat 
Sibi  putat 

Nisi  THOMAS  edit  BOM. 
HENRY  BOLD,  fl.  1627-83  ;  New  College, 
1645  :  Latine  Songs  with  their  English  > 
a  posthumous  collection  ;  1685. 


HALCYON  DAYS,  1600-1636  A.D.         133 

'Ev  r&>  vao)  XpiVrov  e£ 


Kai  KpoTOVCTLV   i\apa>$  l\ap£)S 


Ats 

Etcrep^ou,   ep^ov  els  Ev 

Kat 


TlVVL    TLVVL    Tl    TO    K(o8(OVlOV    KoXel 
EtS    OLK.OV    (plXoTTOTOVS, 

'AXX'  ovdels  TO  K.av  Xffyfi  ecos  av 
Tov  r)x<a8r)  a.KOVcrr)  TOM. 

Notes  and  Queries,  i  st  Series,  vol.  xii.  p.  1  1  2 


To  "YONGE  TOM"  OF  CHRIST  CHURCH 

The  following  lines  are  from  Ashmol.  MS.  36,  f.  260, 
and  have  been  printed  in  Notes  and  Queries,  3rd  Series, 
ii.  494.  Other  and  shorter  versions  of  the  poem  appear 
in  Notes  and  Queries,  2nd  Series,  x.  466,  and  among 
the  Poems  of  Richard  Corbet,  edited  by  Octavius 
Gilchrist.  Richard  Corbet  of  Christ  Church  took  his 
Master's  degree  in  1605,  and  became  Dean  of  Christ 
Church  in  1620. 

"  Tom  "  has  been  recast  at  least  three  times  since  his 
removal  from  Oseney  Abbey  to  Christ  Church  in  1 545 : 
— in  1611,  as  described  in  the  following  lines;  in  1653; 
and  finally  in  1680: — Wood's  Life  and  Times,  Oxford 
Historical  Society,  i.  185,  ii.  484-90. 

Until  the  year  1680,  "Tom"  hung  with  the  rest  of 
the  peal  in  Christ  Church  campanile ;  and  besides  per- 
forming his  ordinary  duty  of  announcing  the  closing  of 
College-gates  at  night,  rang  out  in  honour  of  thanks- 
giving days,  victories,  installation  of  Canons,  etc. : 
Woods  Life  and  Times,  ii.  162,  iii.  151,  255.  Wood 
usually  refers  to  "  Tom  "  by  his  name,  and  "  the  great 
bell  of  Christ  Church "  which  announced  the  deaths  of 
members  of  the'  Society,  was  therefore  probably  some 


134     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

other  one  of  the  peal  ;  at  any  rate,  "  the  great  bell "  rang 
out  for  the  death  of  a  student  in  Dec.  1682,  a  date  when 
"  Tom  "  was  not  in  a  position  to  perform  such  a  duty : 
Wood's  Life  and  Times,  iii.  33. 

After  emerging  from  the  foundry  in  1680,  as 
"  Magnus  Thomas  Clusius  Oxoniensis,  renatus  Aprilis 
VIII,  MDCLXXX,  cura  et  arte  Christ.  Hodson/' 
"Tom"  was  hung  in  1682  in  Wren's  Tower  over  Christ 
Church  gateway,  and  "  rang  out  for  the  first  time  after 
he  had  been  recast,"  on  such  an  appropriate  day  as  the 
anniversary  of  the  glorious  Restoration,  May  29,  1684: 
Wood's  Life  and  Times  ^  iii.  95. 

Bee    dum,    you    infant    Chimes,   thump    not    the 

mettle, 

That  ne'er  outrunge  the  tinker  and  his  kettle; 
Cease  all  your  petty  larums,  for  today 
Is  Yonge  Tom's  resurrection  from  the  clay: 

And  know  when  Tom  shall  ringe  his  loudest  knells, 
The  bigg'st  of  you'll  be  thought  but  dinner  bells. 

Old  Tom's  growne  yonge  againe — the  fiery  cave 
Is  now  his  cradle  that  was  erst  his  grave. 
Hee  grewe  upp  quickly  from  his  mother  earth; 
For  all  you  see,  is  but  an  howre's  birth: 
Looke  on  him  well — my  life  I  dare  engage 
You  nere  saw  preteyer  babie  of  his  age. 

Some  take  his  measure  by  the  rule — some  by 
The  Jacob's  staffe  take  his  profunditie ; l 
And  some  his  altitude :  some  bouldly  sweare 
Yonge    Tom's    not  like    the    olde ;    but   Tom,    nere 
feare 

The  Criticke  Geometrician's  lyne, 

If  thou,  as  loude  as  ere  thou  did'st,  ringe  nine.2 

1  Jacob's  staffs  an  instrument  used  to  take  distances  and  altitudes. 

2  At  nine  p.m.  Tom  tolls  101  times  in  honour  of  the  number  of  Students 
upon  the  old  foundation,  and  gives  the  signal  at  which  all  Scholars  are 
required  to  repair  to  their  Colleges  and  Halls,  and  all  gates   are   to   be 
closed.      Univ.  Statutes,  "Stat.  de  Nocturna  Vagatione." 


;          HALCYON  DAYS,  1600-1636  A.D.         135 
Tom  did  noe  sooner  peepe  from  under  grounde 
ut  straight  St.  Marie's  tenor  lost  his  sounde.1 
h  how  his  Maypole  founder's  hart  did  swell 
Tith   full    moone   tydes    of  joy,   when    that    crackt 
bell, 
Choaked  with  envie  and  his  admiration, 
Runge  like  a  quart  pott  to  the  Congregation. 
Myles,2    what's    the   matter?     Belles    thus   out   of 
square 
hope  St.  Marye's  Hall  wont  longe  forbeare. 
ou   cockscombe-pate,  the   Clocke   hangs   dumbe   in 

towre, 
nd    knowes    not    that    foure    quarters    makes     an 

howre. 

Now  Broute's 3  joys  ringe  out :  the  Churlish  Cur 
Nere    laughes   aloude    till   great   belles    catch   the 
mur.4 

This  (puny)  Bell  is  proude,  and  hopes  noe  other 
But  that  in  time  hee  shal  be  greate  Tom's  brother : 
Thou'rt  wise,  if  this  thou  wishest :  bee  it  soe  : 
Let  one  henn  hatch  you  both;  for  thus  much  know, 

Hee   that   can    cast    great   Christchurch    Tom    so 
well, 

Can  easily  cast  St.  Marye's  greatest  bell. 

1  "The  very  day  that  Tom  was  cast,  St.  Marie's  tenor  was  burste  in 
a  peal " — Note  in  Ashm.  MS.  Richard  Corbet's  name  appears  on  the 
fifth  bell  of  St.  Mary's  Church,  as  junior  proctor,  1612.  Five  was  the 
usual  number  of  bells  for  a  parish  peal ;  and  as  the  present  tenor  or  sixth 
bell  is  dated  1639  (too  late  for  Corbet's  poem),  the  probability  is  that  the 
bell  which  records  his  name  was  recast  in  1612,  to  replace  "St.  Marie's 
tenor,"  which  he  represents  above  to  have  been  "  choaked  with  envie"  on 
the  day  "  yonge  Tom  "  was  recast.  So  that  a  probable  date  can  thus  be 
arrived  at  of  the  above  attempt  to  recast  Tom. 

2Myles  =  "The  Clarke  of  the  Universitie,"  Ashm.  MS.:  perhaps 
Edward  Miles,  bookseller,  mentioned  as  "  Clericus  Universitatis "  in 
1619;  see  Register  Univ.  Oxon.  (Oxford  Hist.  Soc.),  vol.  ii.  pt.  i.  p.  405. 

3  Broute  =  "Name  of  the  Bel-caster,"  Ashm.  MS. 

4  To  catch  the  mur  =  to  catch  a  severe  cold  with  hoarseness. 


136     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Rejoyce     with    Christchurch     and     looke     higher, 

Oseney, 

Of  Gyante  Belles  the  famous  treasury: 
The  base  vast  thunderinge  Clocke  of  Westminster, 
Grave  Tom  of  Linconne,  Hugh  Excester, 

Are  but  Tom's  eldest  brothers,  and  perchance 
He  may  call  cozen  with  the  bell  of  France.1 

Nere  grieve,  old  Oseney,  at  thy  heavy  fall : 
Thy  reliques  build  thee  up  again  ;  they  all 
Florish  to  thy  glory ;  their  sole  fame, 
When  thou  art  not,  will  keepe  great  Oseney 's  name. 
This  Tom  was  infant  of  thy  mightie  steeple, 
Yet  hee  is  Lord  Controwler  of  a  people. 

Tom  lately  went  his  progresse,  and  lookt  oer 
What  hee  ne'er  saw  in  many  yeares  before : 
But  when  hee  saw  the  old  foundation,2 
And  little  hope  of  reparation, 

Hee   burste  with   greife ;   and   lest   he   should   not 
have 

Due  pomp,  hee's  his  owne  bellman  to  the  grave. 

And  that  there   might   of  Tom   bee   still    strange 

mention, 

Hee  carried  to  the  grave  a  newe  invention  : 
They  drew  his  browne  bread  face  on  pretty  gines, 
And  made  him  stalke  upon  two  rowlinge  pinnes  ; 3 
But  Sander  Hill 4  swore  twice  or  thrice  by  heaven 
Hee  nere  sate  such  a  loafe  into  the  oven. 

1  Tom  of  Lincoln  was  cast  in   1610,  and  weighs  9894   Ibs.  ;   "Hugh 
Excester"  should  probably  be  read  "huge  Excester";  the  great  bell  in 
Exeter  Cathedral  being  known  as  the  Peter  Bell.     The  "bell  of  France" 
is  perhaps  the  great  bell  of  Rouen,  once  supposed   to  be   the  largest  in 
Europe  ;  it  was  melted  down  for  cannon  during  the  Revolution. 

2  Old  foundation,  "  Christ  Church,"  Ashm.  MS. 

3  Tom  was  drawn  to  his  new  locality  by  engines  upon  rollers. 

4  Sander   Hill,   the    "  Christ    Church   Butler,"   MS.   Ashm.  ;   perhaps 
the  Alexander  Hill  who  was  admitted  to  the  trade  of  "white  baker"  in 
1599:  see  Register  of  the  University,  vol.  ii.  pt.  i.  p.  338  (Oxford  Hist. 
Society  Publications). 


HALCYON  DAYS,  1600-1636  A.D.         137 

But  Tom  did  Sanders  (vex),  his  Cyclops  maker, 
As  much  as  hee  did  Sander  Hill  the  baker: 
Therefore,    loude    thunderinge    Tom,    bee    this    thy 

pride, 

When  thou  this  motto  shalt  have  on  thy  side, 
"  Great  World,  one  Alexander  conquered  thee, 
But  two  as  mightie  men  scarce  conquered  mee." 

Brave  constant  spirit,  none  could  make  thee  turne, 
Though   hanged,  drawne,   quartered,   till  they   made 

thee  burne; 

Yet  not  for  this,  nor  tenn  times  more,  be  sory, 
Synst  thou  wast  martyred  for  the  Churche's  glorie, 
But  for  thy  meritorious  sufferinge, 
Thou  shortly  shalt  to  heaven  goe  in  a  stringe: 
And  though  wee  grieved  when  thou  wast  thumpt 

and  banged, 
W7e  all  bee  glad,  Great  Tom,  to  see  thee  hanged. 

To  THE  FOUNDER  OF  GREAT  TOM 

(Parnassus  Biceps,  a  collection  of  poems  edited  by 
Abraham  Wright  of  St.  John  Baptist  College:  1656. 
The  following  poem  is  attributed  to  Richard  Corbet 
of  Christ  Church  in  Additional  MSS,  No.  22602,  Brit. 
Mus.) 

Thou  that  by  ruine  doest  repaire, 
And  by  destruction  art  a  founder; 
Whose  art  doth  teach  us  what  men  are, 
Who  by  corruption  shall  rise  sounder: 

In  this  fierce  fire's  intensive  heat 

Remember  this  is  Tom  the  Great: 

And,  Cyclops,  think  at  every  stroke  When  Tom 

With  which  thy  sledge  his  sides  shall  wound,         at  9  p.m., 
That  then  some  statute  thou  hast  broke  College  gates 

TT71  .   .     ,  are  not  closed 

Which  long  depended  on  his  sound  ;  in  accordance 


And  that  our  Colledge  Gates  doo  cry 

They  were  not  shut  since  Tom  did  die.  noctumavaga- 


tione. 


The  tradesman 
must  time  his 
drinking  by 
the  curfew  bell 
of  Carfax 
Church,  which 
rings  at  8  p.m. 
and  4  a.m. 


And  Scholars 
have  no  warn- 
ing that  the 
hour  is  come 
when  they 
must  call  for 
the  bill  and 
repair  to  their 
respective 
Colleges. 


138     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Think  what  a  scourge  'tis  to  the  City 
To  drink  and  swear  by  Carfax  bell, 
Which  bellowing,  without  tune  or  pity, 
The  day  and  night  divides  not  well ; 

But  the  poor  tradesman  must  give  oer 
His  ale  at  eight,  or  sit  till  four. 

We  all  in  haste  drink  up  our  wine, 

As  if  we  never  should  drink  more ; 

So  that  the  reckoning  after  nine 

Is  larger  now  than  that  before: 

Release  this  tongue  which  once  could  say 
"Home,  Schollers  !     Drawer,  what's  to  pay?" 

So  thou  of  order  shalt  be  Founder, 
Making  a  ruler  for  thy  people, 
One  that  shall  ring  thy  praises  rounder 
Than  t'  other  six  bells  in  the  steeple: 

Wherefore  think,  when  Tom  is  running, 
Our  manners  wait  upon  thy  cunning. 

Then  let  him  raised  be  from  ground, 
The  same  in  number  weight  and  sound ; 
For  may  thy  conscience  rule  thy  gaine, 
Or  would  thy  theft  might  be  thy  baine ! 


fflV   ID 

=3 

a 

• 

r""*'         ^ 

r 

Great        Tom     is       Cast, 


and  Christ  Church  Bells    ring 


6, 


and     Tom    comes     last. 


MATTHEW  WHITE,  organist  of  Christ  Church,  1611 ; 

Mus.  Doc.  Oxford,  1629. 
Catch  as  Catch  can>  or  the  Musical  Companion ,  1667. 


HALCYON  DAYS,  1600-1636  A.D.         139 

To  THE  LADY  ELIZABETH  PAULET 

"Lines  to  the  Lady  Paulet,  upon  her  Gift  to  the 
University  of  Oxford,  being  the  Story  of  the  Incarna- 
tion, Passion,  Resurrection,  and  Ascension  of  our 
Saviour,  exactly  wrought  by  herself  in  Needlework." 

(Three  poems  on  this  gift,  one  of  them  being  by  the 
admirable  Mr.  William  Cartwright  of  Ch.  Ch.,  are  given 
in  Parnassus  Biceps,  a  collection  made  by  Abraham 
Wright  of  St.  John  Baptist  College,  Oxon.,  of  "  several 
choice  pieces  of  poetry  composed  by  the  best  Wits  in 
both  Universities  before  their  Dissolution"  (1656). 
Others  upon  the  same  subject  appear  in  MS.  Bodley,  22. 

Lady  Elizabeth  Paulet's  portrait,  attributed  to  Daniel 
Mytens  the  elder,  hangs  in  the  Ashmolean  Gallery. 
She  wears  a  fine  apron  of  cut-work,  perhaps  her  own 
creation ;  and  holds  in  her  left  hand  a  small  picture  of 
the  Magdalen  made  in  needlework.  Her  gift  to  the 
University  is  recorded  in  the  Register  of  Convocation  to 
have  been  accepted  on  July  9,  1636.  The  work  is 
there  described  as  the  "  Life  of  our  Blessed  Lord 
depicted  in  needlework,  byssina"  (i.e.  of  silken)  "et 
aurata  textura,"  and  as  being  the  gift  of  a  lady  whose 
name  is  not  mentioned,  but  who  is  graced  with  the 
appellation  "  heroina."  It  appears  that  the  tapestry  is 
no  longer  in  existence:  see  Annals  of  the  Bodleian, 
W.  D.  Macray.) 

Madam — your  Work's  a  Miracle :  and  You 
The  first  Evangelist,  whose  skilful  Clue 
Hath  made  a  road  to  Bethlehem :  now  we  may 
Without  a  Star's  direction,  find  the  Way 
To  the  cratch,  our  Saviour's  Cradle;  there  Him  see, 
Mantled  in  Hay,  had  not  your  Piety 
Swath'd  Him  in  Silk;  they  that  have  skill,  may  see 
(For,  sure,  't  is  Pricked)  the  Virgin's  Lullaby: 
The  Oxe  would  fain  be  Bellowing,  did  he  not  fear 
That  at  his  Noise  the  Babe  would  Wake  and  Hear. 


140     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

And  as  each  passage  of  His  Birth's  at  strife 

To  excel,  so  e'en  the  Death's  drawn  to  the  life : 

See  how  the  greedy  Soldiers  tug  to  Share 

The  seamlesse  Coat,  as  if  your  Work  they'd  Tear ! 

Look  on  His  Reed !    That's  natural :  on  His  Gown ! 

That's  a  pure  scarlet :  so  Acute's  His  Crown, 

That  he  who  thinks  they  are  not  Thorns  indeed, 

Would  he  were  Prick'd,  until  his  ringers  bleed ! 

His  Cross — a  skilful  Joiner  cannot  know 

(So  neat  't  is  framed,)  whether  't  be  Wood  or  no: 

So  closely  by  the  curious  Needle  pointed, 

Had    Joseph    seen    't,    he   knew    not    where   't   was 

Jointed. 

His  Side  seems  yet  to  Bleed  and  leave  a  stain, 
As  if  the  Blood  now  Trickled  from  the  vein : 
Methinks  I  hear  the  Thief  for  Mercy  call ; 
He  might  have  Stole  't — 't   was  nere   Lock'd   up  at 

all. 
See    how    He    Faints !     The     Crimson    Silk    Turns 

Pale, 

Changing  its  grain.     Could  I  but  see  the  Veil 
Rent,  all  were  finish't ;  but  that's  well  forborn ; 
'T  were  pity  such  a  Work  as  This  were  Torn. 
Turn  but  your  eyes  aside,  and  you  may  see 
His  pensive  Handmaids  take  Him  from  the  Tree, 
Embalming  Him  with  Tears; — none  could  express, 
Madam,  but  You,  death  in  so  fit  a  dress; 
No  Hand  but  Yours,  could  teach  the  Needle's  Eye 
To  drop  true  Tears,  unfeignedly  to  Cry. 
Follow  Him  to  His  virgin  tomb,  and  view 
His  corpse  environ'd  with  a  miscreate  Crew 
Of  drowzy  Watch,  who  look  as  though  they  were 
Nere    bid    to     Watch     and     Pray,    but    Sleep    and 

Swear  : 

The  third  day  being  come,  and  their  Charge  gone, 
Only  some  Relicks  left  upon  the  Stone, 
One  Quakes,  another  Yawns,  a  third  's  in  haste 
To  Run,  had  not  your  Needle  made  him  Fast: 


HALCYON  DAYS,  1600-1636  A.D.         141 

And  to  excuse  themselves,  all  they  can  say 

Is  that  they  dreamed  some  one  Stole  Him  away: — 

You,  Madam,  by  the  Angel's  guidance  have 

Found  Him  again,  since  He  Rose  from  the  Grave: 

So  zealous  of  His  Company,  no  Force 

Could     Part     you,     had     not      Heaven     made     the 

Divorce : 

Where  He  remains  till  the  Last  Day: — and  Then 
I  pray  with  joy  You  there  may  Meet  Again. 

To  A  LADY  THAT  PRESENTED  THE  TEN  COM- 
MANDMENTS CUT  OUT  IN  PAPER- WORK  TO  ST. 
JOHN  BAPTIST  COLLEGE  IN  OXFORD 

(Rawlinson  MS.,  D.  390,  f.  86.     It  is  to  be  feared  this 
interesting  work  has  perished.) 

Let  Scribblers  brag  no  more,  with  Pen  endowed, 
Nor  Printers  of  their  new-found  art  be  proud, 
Who  might,  were  not  profaner  eyes  denied, 
See  here,  and  blush  to  see  themselves  Outvied. 
No  drenching  Pen  in  blackest  Ink ;  no  fear 
Of  Blots  or  Blurs  or  daubing  Fingers  here : 
A  Lady  Virgin  writing  has  designed, 
Writing  as  fair  and  spotless  as  her  Mind. 
White-handed  Women  now  b'  afraid  to  Write, 
For  this  way  you  Worke  best  that  are  most  White.1 
Let  babbling  Poets  no  more  stories  tell 
Of  ye  famed  Writing  of  fair  Philomel ; 
Nor  the  Chineses  of  their  Bark  of  Tree, 
(Sacred,  cause  't  ne'er  was  read,  nor  ere  wil  be) ; 
For  neither  Art  nor  Poet's  fancy  yet 
Have  any  way  invented  so  compleat. 
Printers  can  only  Stamp  the  Letters  down, 
And    make     Impressions     with     What's    not    Their 
Own; 

1  Probably  the  Lady  was  one  of  the  White  family,  and  kin  to   Sir 
Thomas  White,  who  founded  St.  John  Baptist  College  in  1555. 


142     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

This  Double  Artifice  we  find  in  You — 

You  make  the  Letters  and  the  Printing  too. 

Italian,  Roundhand,  Court,  and  Text  shall  now, 

With  all  old  Writing,  out  of  fashion  go ; 

They  that  can't  Work  their   Thought   out,  they  will 

call 

As  Dull  as  Those  that  never  Think  at  all. 
Be  sure  there  is  some  Magic  in  this  Pen; 
More  Charms  than  in  French  Billets-doux  are  seen : 
Let  those  that  fain  would  draw  their  lovers  in, 
Write  them  love-letters  Thus;  they're  sure  to  win: 
Had  Ovid  made  his  carefull  lovers  send 
Their  fond  Epistles  after  This  Way  penn'd, 
Dido  had  kept  her  fond  Aeneas  still, 
And  mad  Medea  Jason  at  her  will. 
But  while  I  praise  the  Art  with  which  you  write, 
The  Subject  still  I  had  forgotten  quite: 
The  Ten  Commandments — a  fit  choice  indeed ! 
For    when    God     Speaks,    he    doth    Fresh    Writing 

need: 

Had  you  but  lived  of  old,  of  any  tribe 
God  had  chose  You,  not  Moses,  for  His  Scribe; 
And     once     This     Writ,     and     This     Fair     Hand 

employed, 

He  ne'er  had  suffered  them  to  be  Destroyed. 
Ages  to  come  shall  still  admire  this  Piece, 
And  sooner  a  Commandment  lose  than  These; 
So  long,  till  Puzzled  Mortals  shall  not  know, 
Moses  or  You,  which  was  the  First  o'  th'  Two. 
But  why  then  to  St.  John's  presented?     Thus 
God  blessed   the   World    with   them,   and  You  bless 

Us; 

But  not  in  Thunders  and  in  Lightnings  sent, 
But  those  pure  Flames  alone  that  Love  can  vent; 
So  by  Your  Means,  but  that  e'en  God  was  There, 
St.  John's  would  have  excelled  Mount  Sinai  far. 
Yet  this  Misfortune,  Madam,  we  shall  find ; — 
We  are  Afraid  to  Shew  'em  in  any  kind ; 


HALCYON  DAYS,  1600-1636  A.D.         143 

For  Whosoever  doth  This  Writing  View, 
The    First     Commandment     Breaks — and    Worships 
You. 

UPON  THE  BURNING  OF  A  GRAMMAR  SCHOOL  AT 
OXFORD  l 

A  grievous  Lamentation 

Upon  a  Conflagration 

Of  the  Muses'  Habitation— 

What  heat  of  learning  kindled  your  desire, 
You  Muses'  Sons,  to  set  your  house  on  fire? 
What  love  of  honour  in  your  breasts  did  burn 
Those  sparks  of  virtue  into  flames  to  turn? 
Or  was't  some  higher  cause?     Were  the  hot  gods, 
Phoebus  and  Vulcan,  friends  once,  now  at  odds, 
(And  here  so  revell'd?  then  ne'er  let  the  dolt 
Be  praised  for  making  arms  and  thunderbolt; 
Let  poets'  pens  point  only  his  disgrace, 
His  clubby  foot,  horned  front,  and  sooty  face.) 
Whate'er  was  cause,  sure  it  was  an  event 
Which  all  the  Muses  justly  can  lament; 
And,  above  all,  for  rhyme's  sake,  Polihimney 
Bewails  the  downfall  of  the  classic  chimney. 
There  you  may  see  how  without  Speech  or  Sense 
Lay  the  sad  ashes  of  an  Accidence. 
What  number  here  of  Nouns  to  rack  did  go, 
As  Domus,  Liber,  and  a  many  mo! 
No  Case  or  Sex  the  furious  flame  would  spare; 
Each  Gender  in  this  loss  had  common  share; 

1  Oxford  Drollery^  pt.  iii.  : — Oxford  Drollery,  being  New  Poems  and 
Songs,  the  first  part  composed  by  W.  H.  (William  Hickes) ;  the  second 
and  third  parts  upon  several  occasions  made  by  the  most  Eminent  and 
Ingenious  Wits  of  the  University  :  Oxford,  1671.  The  earliest  appearance 
of  the  above  poem  which  I  have  been  able  to  trace,  is  that  made  in  a  book 
published  in  1635,  an(^  entitled  The  Grammer  Warre  or  the  Eight  Parts 
of  Speech  (being  a  translation  by  W.  Haywarde  made  in  1569  of  A.  Guarna's 
Bellum  Grammatical] .  There  the  poem  is  called  "The  lamentable 
burning  of  a  Pettie  Schoole."  The  book  has  an  introduction  by  I.  S, 


144     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Here  might  you  see  the  rueful  Declinations 
Of  fifteen  Pronouns  and  four  Conjugations: 
Some  Gerunds — Di,  and  some — Do,  overcome; 
And   some  with   heat   and   smoke   are   quite  strooke 

— Dum : 

Supines  were  gasping  upward,  void  of  senses ; 
And  Moods  grew  mad  to  see  Imperfect  Tenses: 
Adverbs  of  Place  fell  from  their  lofty  stories, 
As  Ubi,  Ibi,  Illic,  Intus,  Foris: 
Conjunctions  so  disjoined,  as  you  would  wonder; 
No  coupling  scarce,  but  it  was  rent  asunder. 
The  Prepositions  knew  not  where  to  be; 
Each  Interjection  cried  "  Heu  !  "  "  Woe  is  me  !  " 
For  the  due  joining  of  which  things  again 
A  neighbour  called ;  "  Qui  mihi "  came  amain ; 
Else  sure  the  fire  had  into  flame  so  turned 
That  Gods,   Men,   Months,    Rivers,   Winds,   and   all 

had  burned. 

Then  gan  the  flame  the  Heteroclites  to  cumber, 
And  poor  Supellex  lost  her  plural  number; 
Of  Verbs  there  scarce  had  scaped  one  in  twenty, 
Had  there  not  been  perchance  As  in  Praesenti: 
(Yet  for  all  this  the  fire  so  great  it  waxes, 
That  it  did  quite  undo  my  lord  Syntaxis: 
Had    Noun   and   Verb    been    there,    O   none    could 

bail  ye,. 

For  it  destroyed  old  Verbum  Personale. 
Had  the  Figura  but   appeared,  it  would  have  shewn 

ye  a 

Burning  trick,  for  it  destroyed  Prosodia : 
Which  is  the  cause,  I  fear,  as  late  I  see  Jt, 
Our  verses  run  so  lamely  on  their  feet; 
For  Jambicks,  Spondees,  and  the  rest  o'  the  crew 
Were  utterly  destroyed.     So  had  you  been  too, 
Had  you  been  there ;  but  yet  our  honest  Billy 
Nere  so  much  loved  the  rules  of  William  Lilley, 
As  to  be  burned  for  's  sake ;   but  stood  aloof  to  see 
Both  Masculine,  Feminine,  Neuter,  all  i'  fire  to  agree). 


HALCYON  DAYS,  1600-1636  A.D.         145 

LOVE-SONGS  OF  SCHOLARS 

Aspire,  my  gentle  Muse,  inflame  my  breast; 
Then  thus  my  gracefull  love  shall  be  exprest: — 
Her  Brow  is  like  a  brave  Heroicke  line 
That  does  a  sacred  Majestic  inshrine. 
Her  Nose  Phaleuciake-like  in  comely  sort 
Ends  in  a  Trochie,  or  a  long  and  short. 
Her  Mouth  is  like  a  pretty  Dimeter; 
Her  Eie-browes  like  a  little  longer  Trimeter. 
Her  Chinne  is  an  Adonicke;  and  her  Tongue 
Is  an  Hypermeter — somewhat  too  long. 
Her  Eies,  I  may  compare  them  unto  two 
Quick-turning  Dactyles  for  their  nimble  View. 
Her  Neck  Asclepiad-like  turnes  round  about 
Behind,  before  a  little  bone  stands  out, 
Her    Ribs    like    Staves    of    Sapphickes    doe    de- 
scend 

Thither,  which  but  to  name  were  to  offend. 
Her  Armes,  like  two  lambickes,  rais'd  on  high, 
Doe  with  her  Brow  beare  equall  Majestic. 
Her  Legs,  like  two  strait  Spondees,   keep  a  pace 
Slow  as  two  Scazons,  but  with  stately  grace. 
BARTEN  HOLYDAY  (Ch.  Ch.),  Technogamia,  or 
the    Marriages    of  the  Arts,   a   Comedy 
acted  by  the  Students  of  Christ  Church 
in     Oxford     before     the     University     at 
Shrovetide  (London,  1618) 


I  loved  a  lass,  a  fair  one, 
As  fair  as  e'er  was  seen; 

She  was  indeed  a  rare  one, 
Another  Sheba  Queen. 

But  fool  as  then  I  was, 

I  thought  she  loved  me  too; 

But  now  alas !  she's  left  me, 

Falero,  lero,  loo. 
10 


146     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

In  summer-time  to  Medley 

My  love  and  I  would  go; 
The  boatmen  there  stood  ready 

My  love  and  I  to  row. 
For  cream  there  would  we  call, 

For  cakes  and  pruines  too ; — 
But  now  alas !  she's  left  me, 

Falero,  lero,  loo. 

Her  cheeks  were  like  the  cherry, 

Her  skin  was  white  as  snow; 
When  she  was  blithe  and  merry, 

She  angel-like  did  shew: 
Her  waist  exceeding  small, 

The  fives  did  fit  her  shoe: — 
But  now  alas !  she's  left  me, 

Falero,  lero,  loo. 

As  we  walked  home  together 

At  midnight  through  the  Town, 
To  keep  away  the  weather 

O'er  her  I'd  cast  my  Gown  : 
No  cold  my  Love  should  feel, 

Whate'er  the  heavens  could  do: — 
But  now  alas !  she's  left  me, 

Falero,  lero,  loo. 

Like  doves  we  would  be  billing, 

And  clip  and  kiss  so  fast; 
Yet  she  would  be  unwilling 

That  I  should  kiss  the  last. 
They're  Judas-kisses  now, 

Since  they  have  proved  untrue, 
For  now  alas !  she's  left  me, 

Falero,  lero,  loo. 

If  ever  that  Dame  Nature, 

For  this  false  lover's  sake, 
Another  pleasing  creature 
Like  unto  her  should  make; 


HALCYON  DAYS,  1600-1636  A.D.         147 

Let  her  remember  this, 

To  make  the  other  true, 
For  this,  alas!  has  left  me, 

Falero,  lero,  loo. 

No  riches  now  can  raise  me, 

No  want  make  me  despair ; 
No  misery  amaze  me, 

Nor  yet  for  want  I  care. 
I  have  lost  a  world  itself; 

My  earthly  heaven,  adieu ! 
Since  she  alas !  has  left  me, 

Falero,  lero,  loo. 

GEORGE  WITHER,  Magdalen  College,  1604, 
A  Love  Sonnet  (abridged) 

OXFORD  FARE 

"Dulcissimis   Capitibus   invitatio  ad  frugi   prandiolum 
una  cum  billa  dietae." 

A  poem  by  John  Allibond  of  Magdalen  College : 
matric.  1616;  Master  of  Magdalen  College  School, 
1625-32;  Rector  of  Bradwell,  Gloucestershire,  1636- 
1658:  and  author  of  the  well-known  Rustica  Acad. 
Oxon.  nuper  reformatae  Descriptio  .  .  .  A.D.  1648.  The 
present  poem  has  been  printed  in  the  Gentleman's 
Magazine,  April  1823  ;  and  in  the  Register  of  Magdalen 
College,  ed.  by  J.  R.  Bloxam,  II,  Register  of  Clerks, 
p.  48. 

Evasit  annus,  ex  quo  Janus 

Commisit  conjugales  manus, 

Atque  ipse  amoris  veteranus 
Emeritus  sum  factus. 

Porrexi  ora,  te  ministro, 
Maritali  turn  capistro, 
Et  Cythereo  pulsus  oestro 

Spes  sum  longas  nactus. 


1 48     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 


Brawne. 


Ribbe  and 
Rumpe  of 
Beefe. 


Pye. 


Hen  and 
Bacon. 


Pigge. 


Tongue 
and  Udder. 


Dat  mandata  bifrons  Deus, 
Celebretur  Hymenaeus 
Quotannis: — nisi  mavis  reus 
Esse  indecori, 

Parendum  est;  Familiares 
Properate  nostros  lares 
Adire,  et  epulas  vulgares 
Admovere  ori. 

Proebebit  aper  colli  partem 
Tortoris  passus  scitam  artem, 
Quae  prima  famis  feret  Martem 
Pugnantem  saevo  ense : 

Sequetur  assi  costa  bovis, 
Et  salibus  conditum  novis 
Ejusdem  tergus,  dignum  Jovis 
Quod  apponatur  mensae: 

Autocreae  fumabunt,  quales 
Divinos  celebrant  Natales, 
Unde  odor  aromaticalis 
Cerebrum  intrabit. 

.  Et  cum  gallina  pmgue  lardum 
Quod  satiare  possit  guardum, 
Unless  the  hastye  Cooke  hath  marr'd  'um, 
Mensam  onerabit. 

Praeterea  non  decimalis 
Porcellus  auribus  et  malis 
Ad  latus  finis  adest,  qualis 
Judaeis  olim  nefas. 

Insuper  tenellum  uber, 
Cui  Romanum  impar  tuber, 
Et  linguam,  si  quid  ejus  super- 
est,  gustare  te  fas. 


HALCYON  DAYS,  1600-1636  A.D.         149 


Ascendit  avis  dein  solium 
Quae  salvum  facit  Capitolium, 
1  Brodwellianum  pasta  lollium, 
Coctis  malis  mersa. 

Et  quam  transmiserunt  Indi, 
En !  volucris  est  presto  scindi, 
Cepis,  uti  mos,  hie  inde 

Olentibus  conspersa. 

Post  apparatum  demum  istum, 
Cum  ovis  una  farre  pistum 
Lac  sequitur;  cui  saccharum  mistum 
Saporem  dulcem  proebet. 

Secunda  erunt  fercula 
Sales  et  epigrammata, 
And  now  and  then  our  pocula 
Stans  promus  exhibebit. 

Et  tamen  nequid  desit  plane 
Nimietati  Anglicanae, 
Habebitis  convivae  sane 

A  foolish  second  service. 

Uxoris  cura  vobis  partum 
Fumans  en !  pippino-tartum, 
Quod,  post  fundo  vulsam  chartam, 
Frustatum  quadris  parvis, 

Discindit  structrix.     Ecce  nostrum 
Longum  gerens  avis  rostrum 
Invasit  solum,  quae  in  posterum 
Ignotas  oras  petit. 

Et  hybernum  sequens  gelu 
Par  anatum,  ap<rgv  KVU  0q\v, 
Whereof  a  part  my  wife  will  deal  you 
And  friendly  bid  you  eate  it. 

1  Either  Broadwell,  near  Bampton  in  Oxfordshire ;  or  Bradwell  in 
Gloucestershire,  the  rectory  of  which  Allibond  held  from  1636  till  his 
death  in  1658. 


Goose. 


Turkey. 


Custard. 


Pippin- 
tart. 


Wood- 
cocke. 


Ducke  and 
Mallard. 


ISO     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Larkes.  Si  minores  quaeras  aves, 

Quibus  magis  forsan  faves, 
Alaudas  scilicet  vous  avez 

With  sugar  crumbes  and  sawce. 

Fruite  and  Postremo  caseum  tractemus, 

Cheese.  Et  horna  poma  degustemus  ; 

Et  tandem  gratias  agemus 

Cum  "Soli  Summo  Laus." 

Apud  vos  si  forte  pondus 
Habeat  vester  Allibondus, 
Adeste;  dabit  promus  condus 
E  meliori  vini  testa. 

Vocat  hospitalis  Hymen  ; 
Calcate  nostrum  —  vestrum  limen; 
Citate,  quisque,  gradum  ; 

TOUT 


EPULAE  OXONIENSES 

or  a  jocular  relation  of  a  banquet  presented  to  the 
best  of  Kings  by  the  best  of  Prelates,  in  the  year  1636 
in  the  mathematick  library  of  St.  John  Baptist's 
College  —  a  poem  by  Edmund  Gayton,  Fellow  of  St. 
John  Baptist  College,  describing  the  entertainment 
of  King  Charles  I  by  Archbishop  Laud,  Chancellor 
of  the  University  of  Oxford. 

THE  SONG 

It  was  (my  staff  upon  't  !  *)  in  Thirty  Six, 
Before  the  Notes  were  wrote  on  great  Don  Quix,2 
That  this  huge  Feast  was  made  by  that  High  Priest 
Who  did  caress  the  Royalest  of  Guests; 
Oves  and  Boves  ;  yes,  and  Aves  too, 
Pisces,  and  what  the  whole  Creation  knew. 

1  Gayton  was  superior  Bedell  of  Arts  and  Physic,  in  1636. 

2  Gayton  published  his  Pleasant  Notes  upon  Don  Quixote  in  1654. 


HALCYON  DAYS,  1600-1636  A.D.         151 

For  every  creature  there  was  richly  drest, 
As  numerous  as  was  great  Nevil's  feast.1 
Here  we  crave  leave  only  to  make  you  smile, 
For  in  the  Term  we  must  be  grave  awhile, 
At  the  exhibit  of  a  banquet  brought 
Where  all  our  gown-men  were  in  marchpane  wrought.2 

The  ladies  watered  'bout  the  mouth  to  see 
And  taste  so  sweet  a  Universitee. 
In  mighty  chargers  of  most  formal  paste 
A  Convocation  on  the  board  was  plac't : 
In  Cap  and  Hood  and  narrow-sleeved  Gown, 
Just  as  you  see  them  now  about  the  Town : 

With  this  conceited  difference  alone ; 
The  Scholars  now  do  walk,  and  then  did  run. 
There  might  you  see,  in  honour  of  his  place, 
Mr.  Vice-Chancellor  with  every  Mace; 
The  greater  Staffs  in  thumping  marchpane  made, 
The  smaller,  the  small  stick  of  the  small  blade. 

And,  after  these,  as  if  my  brethren's  call 
Had    fetched    them    up,    (Sol,    Hal,   and    Stout    Wil. 

Ball,) 

In  humble  postures  of  a  bowing  leg 
Appeared  the  Doctors,  Masters  Reg.,  non  Reg.: 
Then  in  a  mass,  a  sort  of  various  Caps, 
(But  could  not  hum,  for  sealed  were  their  Chaps), 

1  The  Inception-banquet  of  George  Nevil,  brother  to  the  great  Earl  of 
Warwick,  October  1452.     The  University  was  entertained  for  two  days : 
on  the  first,  600  messes  of  meat  were  served  ;  and  on  the  second,  300,  for 
the  Scholars  and  certain  of  the  Proceeder's  relations  and  acquaintance  : 
see  Anthony  Wood,  Annals,  A.D.  1452. 

2  Thomas  Crosfield,  Fellow  of  Queen's  College,  and  at  this  time  resident 
in  the  University,  writes  in  his  diary:  "The  baked  meats  served  up  in 
St.  John's  were  so  contrived,  that  there  was  first  the  forms  of  archbishops, 
then  bishops,  doctors,  etc. ,  seen  in  order  ;  wherein  the  king  and  courtiers 
took  much  content"  (Laud's  Works  (Library  of  Anglo-Catholic  Theology), 
vol.  v.  p.  152,  History  of  Chancellorship}. 


152     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Crowded  the  Senate,  as  if  they'd  mind  to  heare 
Some  speech,  or  fall  upon  themselves  the  cheare. 
It  put  their  Majesties  unto  the  laugh, 
To  see  the  Bedels  resigne  up  every  staff, 
And  were  eat  up ;  not,  as  it  used  to  be, 
Returned  by  his  gracious  Majestic. 

I  think  that  Jeffrey,  waiting  on  the  Queen,1 
Devoured  at  one  champ  the  Verger  clean. 
But  then  (O  rude!),  as  at  a  Proctor's  choice 
In  run  the  Masters,  just  like  little  boys, 
So  did  the  Ladies  and  their  servants  fall 
Upon  the  marchpane  Shew,  Doctors  and  all. 

The  Noblemen,  like  to  Clarissimos, 
Grandees  of  Venice,  did  adorn  these  shews 
In  velvet  round-caps  some,  and  some  in  square, 
(A  spectacle  most  excellent  and  rare :) 
But  their  good  Ladyships  most  courteously 
Simpered,  and  eat  the  soft  Nobility. 

Never  was  Oxford  in  such  woeful  case, 
Unless  when  Pembroke  did  expound  the  place:2 
Here  lay  a  Doctor's  Scarlet,  there  a  Hood 
Trod  under  foot,  which  others  snatch't  for  food : 
Caps,  Gowns,  and  all  Formalities  were  rent, 
As  if  the  Show  had  been  i'  th'  Schools  in  Lent.3 

1  Jeffrey  Hudson,  the  dwarf;  who  entered  Queen  Henrietta's  service 
about  the  year  1630. 

2  The  parliamentary  visitation,  conducted  by  Philip,  Earl  of  Pembroke, 
when  Colleges  were  purged  of  all  royalist  members  (1648). 

3  "  (  Coursing'  in  the  Schools,  which  in  olden  times  had  been  intended 
for  a  trial  of  skill  in  logic,  metaphysics  and  school  divinity,  now  ended 
not  infrequently  in  affronts,  hissing,  stamping  with  the  feet,  and  shoving  with 
the  shoulders  between  members  of  rival  Colleges"  :  see  Life  of  Anthony 
Ashley  Cooper  (Exeter  College,    1636),  by  W.   D.   Christie:  cf.    Laud's 
Works,  v.   71,   216;   Wood's  Life  and   Times,    Oxford   Histor.  Soc.,  i. 
299-300,  ii.  75,   83;  and  Mars  Togatus  or  Fighting  in  the  Schools,   in 
Edmund  Elys  (Balliol  College,  1651),  his  Dia  Poemata  or  Poetick  Feet 
standing  upon  Holy  Ground,  London,  1655. 


HALCYON  DAYS,   1600-1636  A.D.         153 

Chorus 

If  in  the  Trojan  Horse  inclosed  were 
Men  of  the  Helmet,  Target,  Sword,  and  Spear ; 
If  by  ingenious  Pencil  ere  was  cut 
The  learned  Homer's  Iliads  in  a  Nut ; 
Why  in  a  Bisk  or  Marchpane  Oleo 
Might  not  a  Convocation  be  a  Shew, 
Where,  for  to  please  the  beauteous  Ladies'  bellies 
Masters  were  set  in  Paste,  Scholars  in  Jellies? 


CHAPTER    VII 

THE    GREAT    REBELLION 

OXFORD  IN  THE  GREAT  REBELLION 

NOW   you   will    find    the   World    hath   been    so 
tost,  ^ 

The  Music  of  our  Academe  is  lost; 
For  since  the  State  in  Civill  Warres  has  burned, 
Our  silken  Hoods  have  all  to  Scarfes  been  turned ; 
'Mongst  us  there's  scarce  a  Verse,  nay  Line,  without 
"Charge!",  "To  the   Front!",  "To  the  Reere!",  and 
"Right  about!" 

Musarum  Oxon.  Epibateria,  Oxford,  1643 

THE  OXONIAN  IN  THE  GREAT  REBELLION 


Treasure  of  Armes  and  Artes,  in  whom  were  set 
The  Sword  and  Bookes,  the  Camp  and  Colledge  met ; 
Yet  both  so  wove,  that  in  the  mingled  throng 
They  both  comply,  and  neither  neither  wrong; 
But  poised  and  tempered,  each  reserved  its  seat, 
Nor  did  the  Learning  quench,  but  guide  the  Heate. 
The  Valour  was  not  of  the  furious  straine; 
The  Hand  that  struck,  did  first  consult  the  Braine: 
Hence  grew  Commerce  betwixt  Advice  and  Might ; 
The  Scholler  did  direct,  the  Souldier  fight. 

"  Elegie  on  C.  W.  H.,  slaine  at  Newark,"  Men- 
Miracles,  by.M.  LL.,  Student  of  Christ 
Church  (i.e.  MARTIN  LLUELLYN),  1646 


154 


THE  GREAT  REBELLION  155 

A.D.  1641 

ON   THE   EVE   OF  THE  WAR 

Oxford  acknowledges  the  mercy  of  Heaven  in  bring- 
ing the  King  safe  home  again  from  Scotland,  to  be  the 
defender  of  the  Muses  against  a  Fanaticism  that  would 
banish  from  them  both  maintenance  and  glory.  She 
begs  Charles  to  protect  Learning  from  Ignorance; — 
that  Ignorance  which,  coupled  with  Self-Conceit,  was 
engendering  at  the  time  in  the  most  dull  and  mechanic 
breasts  the  pestilent  conception  that  they  as  well  under- 
stood the  mysteries  of  Faith  and  Purity  of  Religion, 
as  did  the  most  orthodoxal  and  learned  Divines  and 
Doctors.1 

EucJiaristica  Oxon.  in  exoptatissimum  Caroli  regis  e 
Scotia  Reditum  gratulatoria,  Oxon.  1641 

We  are  revived :  't  is  Treason  now  to  faint : 
Just  with  such  joy  Angels  receive  a  Saint, 

1  The  leading  case  on  this  point  is  that  of  the  inspired  Cobbler  How, 
and  his  Sermon  on  the  Sufficiency  of  the  Spirit  -without  Humane  Learning 
(1640). 

' '  What  How  !     How  now  hath  How  such  Learning  found 
To  cast  Art's  curious  image  to  the  ground? 
Cambridge  and  Oxford  must  their  glory  now 
Vail  to  a  Cobbler,  if  they  know  but  How  : 
Though  big  with  Art,  they  cannot  overtop 
The  Spirit's  teaching  in  a  Cobbler's  Shop." 
Cf.    Insignia    Civic  as ;    the    Regiment    of  grutching    Anti- Royalists, 
Oxford,  1643. 

"Their  envious  mouthguns  they  discharge  at  home, 
Where  every  Cobbler  is  a  Statesman  grown. 
Knowing  how  to  Mend  the  Commonwealth,  these  Fools 
Would  have  no  King,  no  Learning,  and  no  Schools, 
No  Crosses,  Bells,  no  Service  that's  Divine, 
But  Sermons  made  in  Tubs  and  Casks  of  Wine. 
By  Ignorance  they  would  pull  Phoebus  down ; 
And,  like  to  Phaeton,  every  Cobbling  Clown 
Would  mount  into  the  Chariot  of  the  Sun, 
And  Set  the  World  on  Fire,  as  he'd  have  done." 
See,  too,  the  punning  "Epitaph"   on   How,  among  Robert  Heath's 
Epigrams •,  London,  1650. 


156     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

As  we  greet  your  Returne.     The  Soul  that's  gone 

And  widdowed  till  the  Resurrection, 

Comes  not  more  welcome  to  the  Trunk,  than  You 

To  Us,  who  are  our  Life  and  Glory  too. 

Factious  Report  had  raised  so  many  Feares, 

That  't  was  our  serious  wish  to  have  no  eares : 

Sometimes  the  Rumour  was,  our  Schooles  should  be 

Made  an  Exchange,  yet  yield  Divinity; 

'T  was  thought  an  Heresy  to  take  Degrees, 

Nor  was  Use-money  worse  than  Bedel's  Fees : 

This    made   some    credulous    Braines   watch    late    and 

sweat, 

Studying  to  learn  the  Arte,  Artes  to  forget. 
Nor  was  this  all  our  Fright ;  't  was  further  said, 
They  'Id  have  our  Purse  as  Empty  as  our  Head : 
Should     some    have    had    their    Wish,     Divines     had 

binne 

Threadbare  as  Poets,  Wealth  had  binne  a  Sinne, 
And  Titles,  Popery;  although  there  be 
Neither  in  Parts  and  Paines  a  Parity, 
Yet  Stipends  should  be  Equal ;  no  Reward 
The  more  for  him  that  Studied  or  Dranke  hard. 
But    Your    Approach     confutes     these     Pamphlets: 

We 

Laughing  at  them,  return  to  the  Library. 
You  shed  your  beames  to  Worth  in  order;  thus 
Your  gifts,  like  Nature's,  are  still  various: 
Though  learned  and  reverend  Patriarchs  have  bin, 
As  dangerous  Books,  still  like  to  be  called  in, 
Yet  Preachers  shall  be  Schollers : — You'll  advance 
Goodnesse  and  Art,  not  Lungs  and  Ignorance. 
****** 

R.  WEST,  Student  of  Christ  Church. 


A.D.  1642 

Aug.    23 :     The    Royal    Standard    was    set    up    at 
Nottingham.     A  double  Chronogram  on  the  year  1642, 


THE  GREAT  REBELLION  157 

the  one  in   Latin,  the   other  in   the   English   of  that 
Latin : 

tV  DeVs  laM  propItIVs  sis  regl  regnoqVe  hVIC 
VniVerso ! 

O  goD,  noVV  sheVV  faVoVr  to  the  king  anD  this 

VVhoLe  LanD  ! 

ABRAHAM  WRIGHT  (St.  John  Baptist  College), 
Parnassus  Biceps,  1656 

Sep.  12:  A  body  of  rebel  troopers  entered  Oxford, 
and  put  their  horses  for  the  night  into  Christ 
Church  meadows.  Many  of  them  came  into  Christ 
Church  to  view  the  cathedral  and  the  painted  windows 
therein,  much  admiring  at  the  idolatry  thereof. —  Wood's 
Life  and  Times,  Oxf.  Hist.  Soc. 

"  Christ  Church  Windows,  a  poem  in  defence  of  the 
decent  ornaments  of  Christ  Church,  Oxford,  occasioned 
by  a  Banbury  brother  who  called  them  idolatrous"; 
found  among  Cleveland's  poems  in  J.  Cleaveland 
Revived  (1658),  but  not  included  in  Clievelandi 
Vindiciae,  or  Cs  genuine  poems  (1677);  attributed  to 
R.  W.  in  MS.  CLXXVI,  Corp.  Christ.  Coll.  Library. 
Banbury  was  long  infested  by  Puritans.  It  was  there, 
that  "  Zeal-of-the-Land  Busy "  lived,  who  gave  up 
baking  Banbury  Cakes,  because  they  were  eaten  at 
bridals,  maypoles,  and  other  profane  feasts  (Ben  Jonson, 
Bartholomew  Fair,  1614);  and  also  the  fanatic  "who 
hanged  his  cat  on  Monday,  for  killing  of  a  mouse  on 
Sunday,"  as  recorded  in  R.  Brathwaite's  Barnabys 
Journal  (\6-tf>\ 

You  that  prophane  our  Windows  with  a  tongue 
Set,  like  some  Clock,  on  purpose  to  go  wrong; 
Who  when  you  were  at  Service,  sighed  because 
You  heard  the  Organ's  Music,  not  the  Daws ; 
Pitying  our  solemn  State;  shaking  the  head, 
To  see  not  ruins  from  the  Floor  to  the  Lead : 


158     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

To  whose  pure  nose  our  Cedar  gave  offence, 

Crying,  It  smelt  of  Papist's  Frankincense; 

Who  walking  on  our  Marbles,  scoffing  said 

Whose  Bodies  are  under  these  Tombstones  laid? 

Counting  our  Tapers  Works  of  Darkness,  and 

Choosing  to  see  Priests  in  blew  Aprons  stand, 

Rather  than  in  rich  Copes  which  shew  the  art 

Of  Sisera's  Prey  embroidered  in  each  part: 

Then,  when  you  saw  the  Altar's  Bason,  said 

Why's  not  the  Ewer  on  the  Cupboard  laid  ? 

Thinking  our  very  Bibles  too  profane, 

'Cause  you  ne'er  bought  such  Covers  in  Duck-lane:1 

Loathing  all  Decency,  as  if  you'ld  have 

Altars  as  foul  and  homely  as  a  Grave : 

Had  you  one  spark  of  Reason,  you  would  find 

Yourselves,  like  Idols,  to  have  Eyes,  yet  Blind. 

'Tis  only  some  base  niggard  Heresie 

To  think  Religion  loves  Deformity; 

Glory  did  never  yet  make  God  the  less, 

Neither  can  Beauty  defile  Holiness. 

What's  more  magnificent  than  Heaven,  yet  where 

Is  there  more  Love  and  Piety  than  there? 

My  Heart  doth  wish,  were't  possible,  to  see 

Paul's  built  with  Precious  Stones  and  Porphyry: 

To  have  our  Halls  and  Galleries  outshine 

Altars  in  Beauty,  is  to  deck  our  Swine 

With  Orient  Pearl,  while  the  deserving  Quire 

Of  God  and  Angels  wallows  in  the  Mire. 

Our  decent  Copes  only  distinction  keep 

That  you  may  know  the  Shepherd  from  the  Sheep, 

As  Gaudy  Letters  in  the  Rubrick  show 

How  you  may  Holy  Days  from  Lay  Days  know ; 

Remember  Aaron's  Robes,  and  you  will  say 

Ladies  at  Masque  are  not  so  rich  as  they: 

Then  are  the  Priest's  Words  Thunder-Claps,  when  he 

Is  Lightning-like  ray'd  down  like  Majesty. 

1  Duck-lane,  West  Smithfield  ;  a  place  generally  inhabited  by  sellers 
of  old  and  second-hand  books. 


THE  GREAT  REBELLION  159 

May  every  Temple  shine  like  those  at  Nile, 

And  still  be  free  from  Rat  and  Crocodile ! 

But  you  will  urge,  both  Priest  and  Church  should  be 

The  Solemn  Partners  of  Humility — 

Do  not  some  Boast  of  Rags?     Cynics . deride 

The  pomp  of  Kings,  but  with  a  greater  Pride. 

Meekness  consists  not  in  the  Clothes,  but  Heart; 

Nature  may  be  Vain-glorious  well  as  Art: 

We  may  as  Lowly  before  God  appear, 

Drest  with  a  Glorious  Pearl,  as  with  a  Tear; 

In  His  High  Presence,  where  the  Stars  and  Sun 

Do  but  Eclipse,  there's  no  Ambition. 

You  dare  admit  gay  paint  upon  a  Wall; 
Why  then  on  Glass  that's  held  Apocryphal : 
Our  Bodies  Temples  are: — look  in  the  Eye, 
The  Window,  and  you  needs  must  Pictures  spy ; 
Moses  and  Aaron  and  the  King's  Arms  are 
Daub'd  in  the  Church,  where  you  the  Wardens  were ; 
Yet  you  ne'er  fin'd  for  Papist: — Shall  we  say 
Banbury  is  turned  Rome,  because  we  may 
See  th'  Holy  "  Lamb  "  and  "  Christopher " ;  nay  more, 
The  "Altar-Stone"  set  at  the  tavern  door?1 
Why  can't  the  Ox  then  in  the  Nativity 
Be  imaged  forth,  but  Papal  Bulls  are  nigh? 
Our  Pictures  to  no  other  end  are  made, 
Than  is  your  Time  and  's  Bill,  your  Death  and  's  Spade ; 
To  us  they're  but  Mementos,  which  present 
Christ's  Birth,  except  His  Word  and  Sacrament. 
If  't  were  a  Sin  to  set  up  Imagery, 
To  Get  a  Child  were  flat  Idolatry: 
The  Models  of  our  Buildings  would  be  thus 
Directions  to  our  Houses,  Ruins  to  us; 
Hath  not  each  Creature  which  hath  daily  breath 
Something  then  which  Resembles  heaven  or  earth? 

1  Until  about  1770,  in  a  niche  in  a  piece  of  stonework  about  ten  feet 
high,  standing  under  the  sign  of  an  inn  in  Banbury,  called  the  Altar-Stone 
Inn,  was  a  stone,  pronounced  by  antiquaries  to  have  been  a  Roman 
Altar :  see  J.  N.  Brewer's  Oxfordshire,  p.  525. 


1 60     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 


The  Re- 
surrection. 


The  En- 
tombment. 


The  story 
of  Jonah. 


Suppose  some  Ignorant  Heathen  once  did  bow 
To  Images: — may  We  not  See  them  now? 
Should  We  love  Darkness  and  Abhor  the  Sun, 
'Cause  Persians  give  it  Adoration  ? 
And  plant  no  Orchards,  because  Apples  first 
Made  Adam  and  his  lineal  race  Accurst? 
Though  Wine  for  Bacchus,  Bread  for  Ceres  went, 
Yet  both  are  used  in  the  Sacrament. 
What  then  if  these  are  Popish  Reliques? — Few 
Windows  are  elsewhere  old,  but  these  are  new; 
And  so  exceed  the  former,  that  the  Face 
Of  these  comes  short  of  th'  Outside  of  our  Glass : 
Colours  are  here  mixed  so,  that  Rainbows  be, 
Compared,  but  Clouds  without  variety. 
Art  here  is  Nature's  Envy :  this  is  he, 
Not  Paracelsus,  that  by  chymistry 
Can  make  a  Man  from  Ashes,  if  not  Dust, 
Producing  Offspring  of  his  Mind,  not  Lust : 
See  how  he  Makes  his  Maker,  and  doth  draw 
All  that  is  meant  i'  th'  Gospel  and  the  Law: — 

Looking  upon  the  Resurrection, 
Methought  I  saw  a  blessed  Vision, 
Where  not  His  Face  is  merely  drawn,  but  Mind 
Which  not  with  Paint,  but  Oil  of  Gladness,  Shined : 

But  when  I  viewed  the  next  pane,  where  we  have 
The  God  of  Life  transported  to  the  Grave, 
Light  then  is  Dark,  all  things  so  Dull  and  Dead 
As  if  that  part  o'  th'  window  had  been  Lead. 

Jonas,  his  Whale  did  so  men's  eyes  befool 
That  they  have  begged  him  for  th'  Anatomy  School : 
That  he  saw  Ships  at  Oxford,  one  did  swear, 
Though  Isis  yet  will  scarcely  Barges  bear:1 

1  In  1624,  an  Act  of  Parliament  (21  Jac.  I,  c.  32)  was  made  "for  the 
opening  of  the  Thames  from  Burcote  by  Abendon  to  Oxford."  Crosfield 
of  Queen's  College  records  in  his  diary:  "On  Aug.  31,  1635,  a  barge 
was  brought  up  the  Thames  to  Oxford,  which  was  the  first  ever  came." 
Previous  to  this  date,  owing  to  the  river  being  choked  up,  there  was  no 
water-carriage  higher  than  Maidenhead  :  see  "  Historic  Towns "  Series, 
Oxford,  137. 


heart  of  the 

SC3-J 


THE  GREAT  REBELLION  161 

Another,  soon  as  he  the  Trees  espied, 
Thought  him  i'  th'  Garden  on  the  other  side. 

See  in  what  State  (though  on  an  Ass)  Christ  went  !  The  entry  into 
This  shews  more  Glorious  than  the  Parliament. 

Then  in  what  awe  Moses  his  Rod  doth  keep  The  passage  of 

The  Seas  ;  as  if  the  Frost  had  glazed  the  deep,  ^TJwfiSfe 

The  raging  Waves  are  to  themselves  a  bound  —  stood  upright, 

Some  cry  Help,  help  !  or  Horse  and  Man  are  drowned  !  ^  *  ^epths 
Shadows  do  everywhere  for  Substance  pass,  gealed  in  the 

You'd  think  the  Sands  were  in  an  Hour-glass. 

- 

You  that  do  live  with  Surgeons,  have  you  seen         xv.  8. 
A  spring  of  blood  forced  from  a  swelling  vein  ? 
So  from  a  touch  of  Moses'  Rod  doth  jump  Moses  and  the 

A  Cataract  :—  The  Rock  is  made  a  Pump;  Rock- 

At  sight  of  whose  O'erflowings,  many  get 
Themselves  away  for  fear  of  being  Wet. 

Have  you  beheld  a  sprightful  Lady  stand 
To  have  her  Frame  drawn  by  the  Painter's  hand? 
Such  lively  look  and  presence,  such  a  dress, 
King  Pharaoh's  Daughter's  Image  doth  express  :  Pharaoh's 

Look  well  upon  her  Gown,  and  you  will  swear  daughter. 

The  Needle,  not  the  Pencil,  had  been  there: 
At  sight  of  Her,  some  Gallants  do  dispute 
Whether  in  Church  'tis  lawful  to  Salute. 

Next,  Jacob  kneeling;  where  his  kid-skin's  such,       Isaac  and 
As  it  may  well  cozen  old  Isaac's  touch.  Jacob. 

A  Shepherd,  seeing  how  Thorns  went  round  about  Abraham's 
Abraham's  Ram,  would  needs  have  Helped  it  Out.      sacrifice. 

Behold  the  Dove  descending  to  inspire  Pentecost 

Th'  Apostles'  Heads  with  cloven  tongues  of  fire; 
And  in  a  Superficies  there  you'll  see 
The  gross  dimensions  of  Profundity:  — 
'Tis  hard  to  judge  which  is  best  built  and  higher, 
The  Arch  Roof  in  the  Window  or  'n  the  Quire. 

All  Beasts,  as  in  the  Ark,  are  lively  done  ;  The  Ark. 

Nay,  you  may  see  the  shadow  of  the  sun  : 
Upon  the  Landskip  if  you  look  a  while, 
You'll  think  the  Prospect  at  least  Forty  Mile. 
11 


1 62     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

There's  none  needs  now  go  Travel,  we  may  see 
Jerusalem,  At  Home  Jerusalem  and  Nineveh, 

Nineveh,       A      ,    ~     .  . 

Sodom.      And  Sodom  now  in  r  lames:  one  glance  will  dart 

Farther  than  Lynce  with  Galilaeus'  Art. 
Elijah's          Seeing  Elijah's  Chariot,  we  fear 

doTsla~   There  is  some  fiery  Prodigy  i' th>  Air- 

Purifica-         When  Christ  to  purge  His  Temple  holds  his  Whip, 
Temple^6  How  nimbly  Hucksters  with  their  baskets  skip ! 
St.  Peter.        St.  Peter's  Fishes  are  so  lively  wrought, 

Some     Cheapen     them,    and     ask    where    they    were 

Caught. 

Here's  Motion  painted  too :  Chariots  so  fast 
Run,  that  they're  never  gone,  though  always  past. 

The  Angels  with  their  Lutes  are  done  so  true, 
We  do  not  only  Look,  but  Hearken  too, 
As  if  their  Sounds  were  Painted :  thus  the  wit 
O'  th'  Pencil  hath  drawn  more  than  there  can  Sit. 

Cease  then  your  Railings  and  your  dull  Complaints. 
To  pull  down  Galleries  and  set  up  Saints 
Is  no  Impiety: — now  may  we  well 
Say  that  our  Church  is  truly  Visible. 
Those  that,  before  our  Glass,  Scaffolds  prefer, 
Would  turn  our  Temple  to  a  Theater. 
Windows  are  Pulpits  now : — though  Unlearn'd,  one 
May  Read  this  Bible's  New  Edition. 
Instead  of  here  and  there  a  Verse,  adorn'd 
Round  with  a  lace  of  paint,  fit  to  be  scorn'd 
Even  by  vulgar  eyes,  each  Pane  presents 
Whole  Chapters  with  both  Comment  and  Contents. 
The  Cloudy  Mysteries  of  the  Gospel  here 
Transparent  as  the  Chrystal  do  appear. 
'T  is  not  to  see  things  Darkly,  through  a  Glass; 
Here  you  may  see  our  Saviour,  Face  to  Face : 
And  whereas  Feasts  come  Seldom,  here's  descried 
A  Constant  Christmas,  Easter,  Whitsuntide. 
Let  the  Deaf  hither  come ! — no  matter  though 
Faith's  Sense  be  Lost,  we  can  a  New  Way  shew ; 


THE  GREAT  REBELLION  163 

Here  we  can  teach  them  to  Believe  by  th'  Eye; 

These  Silenced  Ministers  do  Edifie : 

The  Scripture's  Rays  contracted  in  a  Glass, 

Like  Emblems,  do  with  Greater  Virtue  pass : 

Look  in  the  Book  of  Martyrs ;    you  will  see 

More  by  the  Pictures  than  the  History: 

That  price  for  things  in  colours  oft  we  give, 

Which  we'd  not  take  to  have  them,  while  they  live ; 

Such  is  the  power  of  painting,  that  it  makes 

A  living  sympathy  'twixt  men  and  snakes. 

Hence  then  Paul's  Doctrine  may  seem  more  Divine, 

As  Amber  through  a  Glass  doth  Clearer  shine: 

Words  pass  away,  as  soon  as  headache  gone ; 

We  Read  in  Books,  what  Here  we  Dwell  upon  ; 

Thus  then  there's  no  more  fault  in  Imagery 

Than  there's  in  the  Practice  of  Piety ; 

Both  Edify:    what  is  in  Letters  there, 

Is  writ  in  plainer  Hieroglyphics  here. 

'Tis  not  a  New  Religion  we  have  chose; 

'Tis  the  same  Body,  but  in  better  Clothes. 

You'll  say  they  make  us  Gaze,  when  we  should  Pray, 

And  that  our  Thoughts  do  to  the  Figures  stray: 

If  so,  you  may  conclude  us  Beasts :  what  They 

Have  for  their  Object,  is  to  Us  the  Way. 

Did  any  e'er  use  Perspective  to  see 

No  further  than  the  Glass?   or  can  there  be 

Such  Lazy  Travellers,  so  given  to  sin, 

As  that  they'll  take  their  Dwelling  at  an  Inn? 

A  Christian's  Sight  Rests  in  Divinity : 

Signs  are  but  Spectacles  to  help  Faith's  Eye. 

God  is  a  Center — dwelling  on  these  words 

My  Muse  a  Sabbath  to  my  Brains  affords: 

If  then  nice  Wits  more  solemn  proof  exact, 

Know  this  was  meant  a  Poem,  not  a  Tract.1 

1  The  windows  described  in  this  poem  were  those  which,  "admirably 
well-performed  by  the  exquisite  hand  of  Abraham  Van  Ling,  a  Dutch- 
man," were  placed  in  the  Cathedral  about  the  year  1630,  Brian  Duppa 
being  Dean  of  Christ  Church  at  the  time.  Many  of  them  must  have 


1 64     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

A.D.  1643 

After  the  battle  of  Edgehill,  Oxford  became  the 
headquarters  of  the  royal  army  and  the  chief  seat  of 
the  royal  government.  Her  Schools  were  converted  into 
Magazines  for  Military  Stores,  her  Colleges  into  lodg- 
ings for  Courtiers  and  Soldiers ;  and  her  Sons  of  all 
degrees  and  ages  took  up  arms  for  the  King.  In  this 
year  a  malignant  fever,  known  as  the  camp  disease, 
became  prevalent  in  the  crowded  city,  and  many  a  good 
Scholar-Soldier  was  untimely  snatched  away  thereby. 

"To  my  Lord  B.  of  S.  on  New  Yeares  Day,  1643," 
perhaps  John  Digby,  Earl  of  Bristol  (of  Sherborne),  the 
diplomatist. 

Though  with  the  course  and  motion  of  the  year, 

Not  only  Stars  and  Sun 

Move  where  they  first  begun ; 

But  Things  and  Actions  do 

Keep  the  same  Circle  too, 
Returned  to  the  same  point  in  the  same  Sphere. 

Griefs  and  their  Causes  still  are  where  they  stood, 

'Tis  the  same  Cloud  and  Night 

Shuts  up  our  Joys  and  Light: 

Wars  as  remote  from  Peace, 

And  Bondage  from  Release, 
As  when  the  Sun  his  last  year's  Circuit  rode. 

Though  Sword  and  Slaughter  are  not  parted  hence, 

But  We,  like  Years  and  Times, 

Meet  in  unequal  chimes, 

Now  a  Cloud  and  then  a  Sun ; 

Undo,  and  are  undone; 
Let  loose  and  stopped  by  th'  Orb's  intelligence: 

perished  during  the  Puritan  Usurpation,  and  when  the  fanatic  Henry 
Wilkinson,  a  Canon,  "  tore  down  the  painted  windows  of  the  Cathedral 
and  stamped  furiously  upon  them  "  :  but  three  at  any  rate  survived  until 
modern  times,  namely  "Sodom  and  Gomorrah,"  "Christ  disputing  with 
the  Elders,"  and  the  ever  memorable  "Jonah  and  his  Gourd,"  dated 
respectively  1634,  1640,  and  1631. 


THE  GREAT  REBELLION  165 

Though  Combats  have  so  thick  and  frequent  stood, 

That  we  at  length  may  raise 

A  Calendar  of  Days, 

And  style  them  Foul  or  Fair 

By  their  Success,  not  Air; 
And  sign  our  Festivals  by  Rebels'  Blood. 

Though  the  sad  years  are  clothed  in  such  a  dress 

That  times  to  times  give  place, 

And  seasons  shift  their  grace, 

Not  by  our  Cold  or  Heat, 

But  Conquest  or  Defeat : 
And  Loss  makes  Winter ;    Summer,  Happiness. 

Nay,  though  a  greater  Ruin  yet  await;  The  new 

Such  as  the  Active  Curse 

Sent  to  make  Worst  Times  Worse, 

Death's  keen  and  secret  Dart, 

The  Shame  of  Herbs  and  Art, 
Which  proves  at  once  our  Wonder  and  our  Fate: — 

Though  these  conspire  to  sully  our  request 

And  labour  to  destroy 

And  kill  our  New  Year's  joy: 

Yet  still  your  wonted  Art 

Will  keep  our  wish  in  heart, 
Proportion'd  not  to  th'  rimes  but  to  your  breast. 
Thus  in  the  Storm  you  Calm  and  Silence  find, 
Not  Sword  nor  Sickness  can  approach  your  mind. 
MARTIN  LLUELLYN,  Stud,  of  Christ  Church, 
Men-Miracles,  1646 

"Mad  Verse,  glad  Verse,  bad  Verse:  Cut  out,  and 
slenderly  stitched  together  by  John  Taylor,"  Oxford, 
May  10,  1644  ( Works  of  John  Taylor,  the  water-poet, 
Spenser  Society).  John  Aubrey  writes  in  his  Brief 
Lives-.  "Anno  1643,  at  the  Act  time,  I  saw  John 
Taylor  at  Oxford.  I  guess  he  was  then  near  50.  I 


1 66     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

remember  he  was  of  middle  stature,  had  a  good  quick 
look,  a  black  velvet,  a  plush  gippe,  and  silver  shoulder- 
belt."  Anthony  Wood  adds,  that  "  he  kept  a  common 
victualling  house,  and  was  much  esteemed  by  the  Court 
and  the  poor  remnant  of  the  Scholars,  for  his  facetious 
company  and  for  the  pasquils  which  he  wrote  against 
the  Roundheads." 

Much  about  Easter-time  I  came  to  Oxford, 
Where  are  some  few  knaves  and  some  Misers  fox- 
furred  : 

In  Christ  Church  garden  then  a  gladsome  sight  was, 
My  sovereign  King  and   many  a  Peer  and  Knight 

was, 

The  hopeful  Prince,  and  James,  Dux  Eboracensis, 
Whom  God  preserve  from  Rebels'  false  pretences ! 
The  Sunne  of  Sacred  Majesty  did  frustrate 
My  former  griefes,  and  all  my  joys  illustrate : 
His  gracious  Eye  did  see  where  I  did  stand,  straight 
He  came  to  me,  put  out  his  royal  hand  straight, 
Which  on  my  knees  I  humbly  kneeled  and  kissed  it; 
I  rather  had  left  all  I  had,  than  missed  it. 
But  now  at  Oxford  I  am  safe  arrived, 
How  to  be  well-employed  my  brains  contrived ; 
My  purse  was  turned  a  Brownist  or  a  Roundhead, 
*  A  com       jror  au  ti^  Crosses  *  in  it  were  confounded  : 
with  a          For  some  employment  I  myself  must  settle ; 
cross.  Fire  must  ke  had  to  boyle  the  pot  and  kettle. 

Then  by  my  Lords  Commissioners,  and  also 
By  my  good  King,  (whom  all  good  subjects  call  so), 
I  was  commanded  by  the  Water  Baillie 
To  see  the  rivers  cleansed  both  nights  and  daily; 
Dead  Hogges,  Dogges,  Cats  and  well-flay'd  carrion 

Horses, 

Their  noisome  corpses  soiled  the  water-courses; 
Both    Swines    and    Stable-dung,    Beasts,    Guts,    and 

Garbage, 
Street-dirt  with  gardeners'  weeds  and  other  herbage : 


THE  GREAT  REBELLION  167 

And  from  these  waters'  filthy  putrefaction 
Our  meat  and  drink  were  made,  which  bred  infection. 
Myself  and  partner,  with  cost,  pains,  and  travel, 
Saw  all  made  clean  from  carrion,  mud,  and  gravel ; 
And  now  and  then  was  punished  a  delinquent, 
By  which  good  means  away  the  filth  and  stink  went. 
Besides,  at  all  commands  we  served  all  warrants 
To  take  boats  for  most  necessary  arrants, 
To  carry  ammunition,  food,  and  fuel, 
The  last  of  which,  last  winter,  was  a  jewel ; 
Poor  soldiers  that  were  maimed  or  sick  or  wounded 
By  the  curst  means  of  some  rebellious  roundhead, 
To  carry  and  recarry  them,  our  care  was, 
To  get  them  boats,  as  cause  both  here  and  there  was. 
Thus  have  I  been  employed ;   besides,  my  trade  is 
To    write    some    pamphlets    to    please    Lords    and 
Ladies. 

"On  April  26,  Reading  capitulated  to  the  Earl  of 
Essex.  The  great  want  at  Oxford  at  that  time  (if 
any  one  particular  might  deserve  that  style,  where  all 
necessary  things  were  wanted)  was  ammunition.  The 
fortification  moreover  was  very  slight  and  unfinished, 
and  there  was  no  public  magazine  of  victual  in  store ; 
while  the  Court,  a  multitude  of  nobility  and  ladies  and 
gentry,  with  which  it  was  inhabited,  bore  any  kind  of 
alarm  very  ill.  If  Essex  had  made  any  show  of  moving 
with  his  whole  body  that  way,  I  do  persuade  myself 
Oxford  and  all  those  parts  had  been  quitted  to  them  " : 
Clarendon's  History  of  the  Rebellion.  Essex  however 
stayed  at  Reading,  and  in  the  beginning  of  May 
convoys  of  arms  and  ammunition  reached  Oxford  from 
Queen  Henrietta ;  and  Charles  was  placed  in  a  position 
to  defy  any  force  that  could  be  sent  against  him. 

"A  Letter  sent  to  London  from  a  Spie  at  Oxford, 
written  by  owle-light,  intercepted  by  moonlight,  printed 
in  the  twilight,  dispersed  by  daylight,  and  may  be  read 


1 68     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

by  candle-light,  '  To  his  Hon.  and  Worshipful  friends, 
Mr.  Pym  and  to  all  worthy  members,  authors  and  aiders 
of  this  holy  Rebellion': — which  letter  was  intercepted 
and  taken  prisoner  by  John  Taylor  at  Layghton  Buzzard 
on  Thursday  22nd  of  April :  Printed  in  the  year  1643  " 
(John  Taylor's  Works,  Spenser  Society). 

Most  religious,  renowned,  and  notorious  Patriots. 

The  extreme  necessitie  that  these  parts  are  in 
through  the  scarcity  of  all  kinds  of  victuals,  makes  me 
conceive  that  the  Malignants  cannot  hold  out  long. 

The  wants  and  extremities  in  the  King's  party  are 
for  the  most  part  in  the  particulars  following :  Tobacco- 
pipes,  in  the  first  place,  are  but  four  for  a  penny ; 
Wheat  is  dear  at  three  shillings  and  eight-pence  the 
bushel ;  Mault  is  at  the  high  price  of  eighteen  shillings 
the  quarter ;  Beef  is  so  scarce  that  they  are  fain  to  pay 
twenty-pence  the  stone  for  it,  and  they  cannot  have  it 
at  that  rate  neither,  till  every  stone  weight  be  as  dead 
as  a  stone ;  their  Mutton  and  Veal  is  such  that  if  you 
had  it  in  London,  you  would  not  give  it  to  your  dogs ; 
besides  which,  they  are  fain  to  dress  it  with  old  wood 
so  tough  that  no  creature  is  able  to  eat  it ;  also  their 
Potage  and  Brpath  is  made  so  scalding  hot*,  they  are 
forced  to  blow  'em  or  let  'em  stand  and  coole :  they 
have  not  one  Baker  in  Oxford  that  hath  the  art  to  bake 
stale  bread ;  and  the  Brewers  do  brew  their  Beere  and 
Ale  so  new  that  for  the  present  it  is  not  for  any  one's 
drinking ;  all  manner  of  Fish  (fresh  and  salt)  is  at  such 
prices  that  no  man  can  buy  any  at  all  without  credit  or 
ready  money;  Horse.-meat  is  in  that  want,  that  one 
load  of  threshed  oats  here  is  valued  at  the  price  of  two 
loads  of  hay  with  you  there,  for  the  lowest  price  is 
twelve  shillings  a  quarter ;  Grass  is  eaten  so  bare  that 
the  horses  are  fain  to  feed  as  high  as  their  eyes  for 
seven  miles  compass  about  the  city ;  and  though  Stable- 
room  be  hard  to  be  had  often,  yet  they  are  so  foolishly 
mannerly  that  they  will  not  put  the  Churches  to  that 


THE  GREAT  REBELLION  169 

use,  as  you  know  me  and  our  armies  do  in  the  most 
places  where  we  come. 

Thus  have  I  shewed  you  briefly  the  miserable  con- 
dition of  Oxford,  and  that  in  all  appearance  the 
Malignant  Forces  will  not  stay  long  here ;  so  that  it 
is  the  most  politick  point  of  War,  and  the  safest  and 
speediest  way  to  win  a  City,  Town,  Castle,  Strength,  or 
Fortress,  when  the  Inhabitants  are  weakest  and  most 
unable  to  make  resistance;  and  men  are  never  in  worse 
case  to  stand  in  opposition  than  when  they  are  hunger- 
starved  with  want  and  necessity. 

But  alas  !  dear  Brethren  (in  Iniquity),  you  have  let 
leap  such  a  whiteing,  and  slipped  such  an  opportunity 
in  not  making  upon  Oxford  all  this  while,  the  King  and 
his  armies  being  busy  at  Bristol  and  at  the  siege  of  that 
brave  stiff-necked  garrison  and  city  of  Gloucester;  so 
that  Oxford  might  have  been  taken,  if  his  Ess Ex- 
cellency, and  the  valiant  nicknamed  Conquerour,1  had 
but  looked  upon  it  with  forty  men  and  one  gun,  as 
easily  as  you  may  go  to  Islington  and  eat  a  mess  of 
cream  ;  but  such  advantages  you  have  let  slip,  so  that 
now  you  may  cast  your  caps  at  it. 

On  July  14,  Queen  Henrietta  Maria  entered  Oxford, 
bringing  with  her  much-needed  money,  arms,  and 
ammunition.  She  was  greeted  in  her  new  character 
of  a  warrior-queen  by  Oxford  Clerks  in  a  collection  of 
poems,  called  Musarum  Oxon.  Epibateria,  Oxford,  1643. 

The  Birth  of  Princes  our  chief  theme  has  been; 
For  Schollars  now,  the  Safety  of  the  Queen. 
We  now  do  run  to  meet  you  in  the  Field, 
Wherein  we  see  your  Fanne  turned  to  a  Shield; 
Upon  your  Cheeks  the  Royal  Colours  lie, 
The  Rose  and  Lily  in  full  Majestic: 

1  Sir  William  Waller,  the  parliamentary  general,  named  "William  the 
Conqueror"  after  his  successes  in  Monmouthshire  and  Gloucestershire 
during  March  and  April  1643. 


1 70     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Your  lovely  Look  Commander  is  in  Chief 

Of  all  our  Hearts ;   your  Hands  pour  out  relief 

To  needy  Soldiers;   'mongst  your  female  train 

The  Lady  Money  follows  to  sustain 

Your  army  with  full  force,  which  was  not  got 

By  the  Publike  Faith,  that  handsome  sugar'd  Plot. 

Your  sweet  celestial  Voice  doth  far  more  cheer 

Than  any  Trumpet,  and  forbids  all  fear. 

Among  these  poems  is  one  composed  by  John  Beesly, 
Fellow  of  New  College,  wherein  he  prays  the  Queen  to 
enlighten  a  benighted  nation  : — for,  as  Lord  Clarendon 
writes  in  his  History  of  those  Times,  "  the  people  were 
infatuated  into  all  the  perverse  actions  of  folly  and 
madness  .  .  .  under  pretence  of  zeal  to  religion,  law, 
liberty,  and  parliaments  (words  of  precious  esteem  in 
their  just  signification),  they  were  furiously  hurried  into 
actions  introducing  atheism,  and  dissolving  all  the  ele- 
ments of  Christian  religion ;  cancelling  all  obligations, 
and  destroying  all  foundations  of  law  and  liberty ;  and 
rendering,  not  only  the  privileges,  but  the  very  being  of 
parliaments  desperate  and  impracticable."  Beesly  also 
describes  the  panics,  fears,  and  suspicions  which  the 
war  has  excited  in  the  Oxford  Garrison. 

Great  Luminary  of  our  Clouded  Sphere, 
In  long  Night  of  your  Absence  did  appear 
Prodigious  Works  of  Darknesse :  Men  grew  blind 
Not  only  in  the  Eyes  but  in  the  Mind ; 
Walk't  raving  in  their  Dreames,  acting  new  Rex 
About  the  Land,  carelesse  of  Age  and  Sex. 
And  once  among  the  Ancients  as  was  done 
By  shrillest  noise  to  help  the  groaning  Moone 
With  bells  and  basons,  so  were  we  faine  here, 
Amidst  this  great  Eclipse,  to  fright  out  feare 
With     drums    and    trumpets:    such    loud     Tumults 

made 
That  few  men  know  what  they  have  done  or  said. 


THE  GREAT  REBELLION  171 

In  this  State  Babell  or  Theomachie 

We  nickname  all  things :  Truth  itselfs  a  Lie ; 

Atheisme,  Religion ;  Fury  is  termed  Zeale ; 

Blood-thirsty  Faction,  Love  to  Commonweale  ; 

Rapine  is  thrifty  skilful  Art ;  to  bring 

Armes  against  Charles  is  to  Defend  the  King.1 

Anything  else  but  what  men  should,  they  doe 

In  this  eclipse  of  Sense  and  Reason  too — 

In  Thessaly  and  such  enchanted  places 

All    Things   wear   Masks   and   Vizards   and   strange 

Faces ; 

Coaches  beat  up  alarms ;  Forts  made  of  Styles ; 
Bushes  and  Thistles  go  for  Ranks  and  Files  : 2 
All  this  in  Calm  of  Peace,  when  Panick  Feares 
Made  us  take  Knives  for  Rapiers,  Rods  for  Speares  : 
But  now  we  'gin  to  smart ;  in  earnest  we 
Do  put  in  practice  sceptick  theory. 
Each  Pit  and  Wrinkle  in  the  brow  entwines 
And  wraps  up  strange  unthought-upon  designes. 
Spies,  Scouts,  and  Traitors  now-a-days  go  in 
The  shape  of  dearest  Friends  and  nearest  Kin  : 
Each  man  is  least  of  all  he  seems  or  tells ; 
Thus  they  which  boast  of  Faith,  are  Infidels : 
With  some  men  all  Apparel's  voted  down, 
Lest  Men  in  Women's  clothes  should  take  a  town : 
If  their  own  messengers  return  again, 
They're  either  bribed,  or  changed  to  other  men. 
Arrested  Packets  are  ript  up  and  read 
All  backwards  :  A  perhaps  must  now  be  Z  ; 
Or  in  their  Analytics  C  is  D, 
And  this  must  meane  dreadfull  State  Mystery: 

1  See  "The  Oxford  Riddle,"  post. 

2  See    WoocTs    Life    and   Times   (Oxford   Hist.    Soc.) :    "March    13, 
1643  : — Sir  Jacob  Astley,  governor  of  Oxford,  ordered  men  to   lop   the 
trees  and  cut  up  the  hedges  about  St.  Clement's  parish  and  toward  Head- 
ington  Hill,  for  the  better  discovery  of  the  enemy,  and  clearer  passage  for 
shooting  at  them :  June  12.  1643  ;  Houses  in  St.  Clement's  Parish  pulled 
down,   and  Bartholomew's  grove  cut  down,   for  fear  the  enemy  should 
harbour  there." 


172     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Dove-houses  must  be  search't,  lest  they  bring  home 
Some  other  winges  and  pennes  beside  their  owne : 
The  innocent  white  paper  they  suspect 
As  soiled  with  guilty  letters,  and  infect 
With  Onions,  Lemons,  and  Salt  Ammonick, 
Milk,  Egges,  or  Allum,  some  such  magick  trick, 
To  charme  the  eyes  of  Saints.     Therefore  they  dare 
Not  trust  the  Dayrie  or  the  Druggist's  ware; 
Thus  hath  their  Rack  of  Fancy  all  things  wrest 
Who  hatched  that  Chaos  in  their  ruder  breast.1 

Come  then,  dispel  and  scatter,  Queen  of  Light, 
These  foggy  vapours  of  the  dreadful  night ; 
Clear  up  these  Mists  of  Error;  break  that  Cloud 
That  it  dissolve  not  into  Storms  of  Blood. 


THE  OXFORD  RIDDLE 

suggested  by  the  contradictions  and  perplexities  of 
the  time  (Single-sheet,  printed  by  Leonard  Lichfield : 
Oxford,  1643). 

There  dwells  a  people  on  the  earth, 
That  reckons  true  Allegiance,  Treason  ; 
That  makes  sad  War  a  holy  Mirth; 
Calls  Madness  Zeal ;  and  Nonsense,  Reason : 

1  See  State  Papers,  Domestic,  1645,  Preface,  p.  ix,  and  State  Papers, 
Domestic,  Addenda  1625-49,  p.  657.  Disguises  were  many  :  one  spy 
was  arrested  at  Newport-Pagnell,  disguised  as  a  fiddler  (1644),  and  another 
was  detected  at  Carlisle  with  despatches  hidden  in  his  wooden  leg  (1645)  : 
in  one  case,  despatches  were  conveyed  between  Raglan  and  Denbigh 
Castles,  quilted  in  a  truss  of  linen  and  tied  next  to  the  body  of  a  woman- 
messenger ;  in  another,  a  woman,  "Scotch  Nan,"  travelled  with  letters 
hidden  in  her  dress  between  the  King  and  the  Marquis  of  Montrose. 
Communications  were  frequently  written  in  lemon -juice  and  the  invisible 
ink  of  the  period.  Cyphers  were  prevalent.  Words  were  often  spelt 
inversely  ;  intelligence  was  frequently  conveyed  under  guise  of  merchants' 
correspondence ;  or  romantic  names  were  substituted  for  real  ones : 
see  letter  dated  Jan.  8,  1644,  describing  events  at  Oxford,  from 
"  Fidelia"  to  "  Philitia,"  in  which  the  King  is  mentioned  under  the  name 
"  Silvander "  ;  Queen,  as  "  Eunabia  Silvander";  Duke  of  Hamilton  as 
"  Polimuse,"  and  Rupert  as  "  Sylvia." 


THE  GREAT  REBELLION  173 

That  finds  no  Freedom  but  in  Slavery; 

That  makes  Lies  Truth;  Religion,  Knavery: 

That  robs  and  cheats  with  Yea  and  Nay  : — 
Riddle  me,  riddle  me,  who  are  They  ? 

They  hate  the  Flesh,  yet  kiss  their  Dames  ; 
They  make  Kings  great  by  Curbing  Crowns ; 
They  Quench  the  Fire  by  Kindling  Flames; 
And  settle  Peace  by  Plundering  Towns. 
They  Govern  with  Implicite  Votes, 
And  Stablish  Truth  by  Cutting  Throats: 

They  kiss  their  Master,  and  Betray : — 
Riddle  me,  riddle  me  who  are  They? 

That  make  Heaven  Speak  by  their  Commission ; 
That  stop  God's  peace  and  boast  His  power; 
That  teach  bold  Blasphemy  and  Sedition, 
And  pray  High  Treason  by  the  hour ; 
That  damn  all  Saints  but  such  as  they  are, 
That  wish  all  Common,  except  Prayer ; 

That  idolize  Pym,  Brook,  and  Say : — 
Riddle  me,  riddle  me,  who  are  They? 

That,  to  enrich  the  Commonwealth, 

Transport  large  gold  to  foreign  states ; 

That  housed  in  Amsterdam  by  stealth, 

Yet  lord  it  here  within  our  gates ; 

That  are  staid  men,  yet  only  Stay 

For  a  light  night  to  Run  Away ; 

That  Borrow  to  Lend,  and  Rob  to  Pay : — 
Riddle  me,  riddle  me,  who  are  They  ? 

A.D.  1644 

May  29,  on  Wednesday,  being  the  eve  of  the  As- 
cension, Robert  Devereux,  earl  of  Essex,  generalissimo 
of  the  parliament  forces,  and  Sir  William  Waller,  going 
with  their  forces  from  Abendon  over  Sandford  Ferry,  and 
so  through  Cowley  and  over  Bullington  Green,  to  the 


174     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

end  that  they  might  go  towards  Islip,  faced  the  City  of 
Oxford  for  several  hours,  whilst  their  carriages  slipped 
away  behind  them.  This  gave  some  terror  to  the 
garrison  of  Oxford,  his  Majesty  being  then  therein  ;  and 
great  talk  there  was  that  a  siege  would  quickly  follow. 
Then  were  drawn  up  by  Bishop  Duppa,  and  printed  by 
Leonard  Lichfield,  typographer  to  the  University,  two 
Prayers,  the  one  for  the  Safety  of  his  Majesty's  Person, 
the  other  for  the  Preservation  of  the  University  and 
City  of  Oxford,  to  be  used  in  all  Churches  and  Chapels. 
And  the  second  of  these  Prayers  was,  as  follows  : — 

A  PRAYER  FOR  THE  PRESERVATION  OF  THE 
UNIVERSITY  AND  CITY 

O  Almighty  God,  who  art  the  only  sure  Refuge  and 
strong  Tower  of  defence  to  all  them  that  put  their  trust 
in  Thee,  receive  our  humble  Petition  ;  save  this  City, 
this  Nursery  of  the  Church,  and  Thy  afflicted  People, 
from  the  hands  of  their  Enemies.  We  know  that 
unless  Thou  keep  the  City,  the  Watchman 
watcheth  but  in  vaine;  unless  Thou  defend  us,  our 
Foundations  which  are  laid  in  dust,  cannot  stand  firme. 
We  acknowledge  our  weaknesse,  and  that  which  makes 
us  weaker,  our  sinfull  demerit.  But  Thou  art  both  the 
Lord  of  Hosts  and  the  Prince  of  Peace,  able  to  destroy 
the  strongest  Army  with  an  Army  of  most  despicable 
Creatures,  with  things  of  nothing,  with  sudden  weak- 
nesse and  follies,  with  a  Rumour  or  Imagination.  Thou 
canst  bring  us  to  the  brink  of  Destruction,  and  call  us 
back  againe.  Look  down  therefore,  most  mercifull 
Lord,  upon  this  Place,  and  according  to  Thy  wonted 
goodnesse  resist  the  Proud,  and  give  grace  to  the 
Humble  that  runne  to  the  shadow  of  Thy  wings  for 
succour.  Thou  that  stillest  the  raging  of  the  Sea  and 
the  madnesse  of  the  People,  say  to  the  one  as  to  the 
other,  hither  shall  thy  proud  waves  come,  and  no  further. 
Suffer  not  the  purpose  of  our  Oppressors  to  prosper. 


THE  GREAT  REBELLION  175 

nor  their  Force  to  prevaile ;  But  set  Thy  hook  into  their 
nostrils,  and  turne  them  back  or  confound  them  accord- 
ing to  Thy  good  pleasure  and  secret  wisdome,  by  which 
Thou  disposest  all  Events  beyond  the  meane  and  reach 
of  Man :  But  arme  Thy  lowly  Servants  with  Faith  and 
Patience,  raise  our  Spirits,  guide  our  Consultations, 
strengthen  our  Hands,  help  our  Wants,  blesse  our  En- 
deavours with  successe ;  That  we  being  delivered  like 
them  that  dreame,  may  praise  Thee  as  men  waked  out 
of  dust ;  and  having  seen  and  escaped  Thy  Rod,  may 
serve  Thee  ever  hereafter  with  true  obedience  through 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord  and  Saviour. 

A.D.  1645 

THE  SIEGE  OF  OXFORD  BY  FAIRFAX,  SKIPPON, 
BROWNE,  AND  CROMWELL 

For  Browne,  for  Skippon,  Cromwell,  and  for  Fairfax, 
We  have  a  well-stringed  Instrument  at  Cairfax* ;       (*  a  gal- 
And  then,  if  they  do  but  their  worke  by  halves,        lows) 
The  Parliament  will  hang  'em  up  like  Calves. 
Oxford  Besieged,  etc.,  by  IO-TA  (JOHN  TAYLOR),  1645 

From  May  22  to  June  5  was  Oxford  besieged.  By  a 
scheme  of  fortification  designed  by  Richard  Rallingson 
of  Queen's  College,  and  perfected  by  Bechman,  the 
Swede,  the  City  had  been  rendered  practically  impreg- 
nable : — "  The  rivers  were  so  ordered  by  locks  and 
sluices,  especially  at  St.  Clement's  Bridge,  that  the  town 
could  be  surrounded  by  water,  except  the  north  part. 
That  part  had  so  many  strong  bulwarks  so  regularly 
flanking  one  another,  that  nothing  could  be  more 
exactly  done."  William  Sanderson,  in  his  Life  and 
Reign  of  King  Charles  (1658),  mentions  as  one  of  the 
incidents  of  the  siege,  that  "  at  the  first  coming  of  Fair- 
fax to  Marston,  as  he  walked  on  the  bowling-green, 
an  eight-pound  bullet  whisked  over  his  head,  and 
moved  his  hat-brim." 


1 76     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Fairfax  and  Browne  Oxford  before  sat  down : 
For  the  Defendants  all  the  meadows  drown, 
Slight  out  their  forts,  and  all  the  suburbs  fire. 
Cromwell  doth  from  the  King's  pursuit  retire ; 
For     Cromwell     had     for     a     time     followed      the 

King: 

But  now  recalled,  doth  to  the  leager  bring 
His   well-armed    Troops :     while    Fairfax    views   the 

town, 

And  o'er  the  bowling-green  rides  up  and  down, 
A  cannon-bullet  from  the  works  doth  fly, 
Pity  it  missed !  which  wafts  his  head  close  by : 
And  makes  his  Excellence  in  great  fear 
Once  vaile  his  beavour  to  a  Cavalier. 

Stratologia,  by  A.  C.,  1662  * 

"  On  June  2,  about  one  of  the  clock  at  night,  Colonel 
William  Legge,  the  Governor  of  Oxford,  made  a 
successful  night  sally  towards  Headington.  Fifty-two 
of  the  enemy  were  killed,  ninety-two  were  brought  in 
prisoners.  Also  were  taken  30  or  40  cows  " :  Anthony 

1  Stratologia,  or  the  History  of  the  English  Civil  Warrs  in  English  Verse, 
by  an  Eye-witness  of  many  of  them,  A.  C.,  London,  1662.  In  the 
Epistle  to  the  Reader,  which  follows  the  Dedication,  this  Oxford  Minstrel- 
boy,  probably  Anthony  Cooper,  writes  : — 

When  first  for  Oxford,  fully  there  intent 
To  study  learned  Sciences  I  went, 
Instead  of  Logicke,  Physicke,  School  Converse, 
I  did  attend  the  armed  Troops  of  Mars ; 
Instead  of  Books,  I,  Sword,  Horse,   Pistols,  bought, 
And  on  the  Field  I   for  Degrees  then  fought. 
My  years  had  not  amounted  full  eighteen, 
When  I  on  field  wounded  three  times  had  been, 
Three  times  in  sieges  close  had  been  immured, 
Three  times  imprisonment's  restraint  endured. 
In  those  sad  times,  these  verses  rude  were  writ, 
For  poesie  a  season  most  unfit  : 
Yet  is  my  subject  high,  the   history  true, 
Presented  in  this  book  unto  thy  view  : 
Well  nigh  each  skirmish,  stratagem,  siege,  fight, 
In  these  late  warrs  we  here  present  to  sight. 


THE  GREAT  REBELLION  177 

Wood,  Annals,  sub  anno  1645.  Three  days  later, 
the  siege  was  hastily  abandoned,  and  the  theatre  of  war 
was  shifted  from  the  neighbourhood  of  Oxford. 

(Men- Miracles  and  other  Poems ,  by  M.  LL.  (i.e.  Martin 
Lluellyn),  Student  of  Christ  Church,  Oxford,  1646) 

THE  SPY  OF  THE  BUTTERY;  OR  THE  WELSH  DOVE: 
WALIAS 

Jack  Price  the  feirce 
To  the  Cook  Dicke  Peirce 
This  newes  was  to  tell  her 
From  the  King's  Cellar. 

Dicke,  I  had  writ  to  thee  before 

But  filthy  Fairfax — say  no  more ! 

Thou  know'st  't  would  be  a  dismal  hearing 

To  send  a  Letter  out  pickearing. 

Your  better  sort  of  Letters  go 

With  Pistols  at  the  saddle-bow; 

And  though  surprized,  they  much  condole, 

And  are  dismissed  upon  parole: 

But  mine,  once  snapped,  goes  sure  to  prison, 

Nay  faith !    perhaps  they  slit  its  weason : 

And  oh  the  rogues !    how  they  would  vapour 

To  see  the  carcas  of  Cap-paper ! 

Yet  now,  at  last,  thou  see'st,  it  comes : — 

But  stay  here,  Dicke,  and  wipe  thy  thumbs! 

And  now  if  friend  gain  friend's  belief, 
I've  tasted  naught  but  powdered  Beef; 
And,  Sirrah,  that,  in  my  opinion, 
Green  as  the  driven  Leek  or  Onion. 
Come,  Dick,  't  would  make  your  palate  whine, 
To  spit  salt-petre  and  void  brine. 
I  would  the  King  was  bound  to  dubbe 
Each  man,  whose  gut's  a  powdering  tubbe ; 
A  friend  of  yours,  if  he  were  righted, 
Would  not  be  long  from  being  knighted. 

12 


1 78     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

But  that's  all  one:    I  long  to  stickle 

For  such  another  fortnight's  Pickle. 

Our  Beef  was  Salt: — but,  heark  it,  Cozen, 

We  killed  Fresh  Roundheads  by  the  dozen ! 

I  think  the  varlets  dare  not  utter 

How  dear  they  paid  for  our  fresh  butter. 

By  my  consent,  if  they  would  tarry, 

The  rogues  should  rent  the  Kingdom's  dairy. 

Methinks  their  pay  was  fair  and  good ; — 

A  Pail  of  Milk  was  two  of  Blood ; 

And  ere  their  Butter  'gan  to  coddle, 

A  Bullet  Churned  i'  th'  Roundheads  noddle. 

Then  for  their  Cheese,  when  they  begun  it, 

We  oped  their  Veins  to  let  out  Runnet : 

On  Botley  Causeway,  on  our  words, 

Their  Brains  lay  thicker  than  their  Curds. 

And  now  I  think  on't,  I  can't  choose 
But  give  you  more  account  of  th'  newes : — 
Fairfax  in  person  northward  lay, 
Thou  know'st  he  drinks  that  climate's  whey ; 
But  oh !    his  Tent,  his  Tent,  alack ! 
'Twas  neither  Green,  nor  White,  nor  Black ; 
But  in  such  Colour  it  appears, 
That  Mortal  Sees,  and  Mortal  Fears : — 
Riddle  the  Rainbow's  colours  round, 
Or  pluck  a  Pedlar's  pack  to  the  ground, 
See  ribbons  which  may  bind  your  artirs, 
See  points,  and,  if  you  can,  see  gartirs ; 
I  say  this  Pedlar  or  that  Cloud 
More  Dismal  Colour  ne'er  allowed : — 
'T    was    Flaming    Crimson,    Dick !    which    did    por- 
tend, 

Oh !  Oxford,  Oxford,  thou  art  at  an  end  ! 
Like  some  fell  Comet,  sure  this  must  affright  us, 
Like  that  o'er  the  famed  City  sacked  by  Titus; 
Or  like  a  Flame  breathed  out  by  furze  or  bavins, 
And   Flame,   you   know,  frights   horses   worse   than 
spavins. 


THE  GREAT  REBELLION  179 

Into  this  Dismal  Tent  this  Fierce  Knight  comes: — 
"  Mum ! "   quoth  the   Trumpets ;   "  Be  unbraced,   ye 

Drums ! " 
Then   thrice   o'er    head    bright   glistering   blade    he 

shakes ; 
Thrice    were    our    eyes     much     dazzled     for    their 

sakes : 
After    some    pause, —  and    pause,    you    know,    was 

fitten— 

He  Plucked  his  Gauntlet  off,  his  Iron  Mitten; 
"Oxford!"  quoth  he,  "on  thee  I'll  have  no  pity, 
For  I  am  sent  from  far  by  the  Committee. 
The  Still-born  Child  shall  rue  the  day, 
For  want  of  Butter,  Milk,  and  Whey : 
Deceased  Infants,  (dire  mishap !) 
Shall  wish  their  Coffins  full  of  Pap : 
Custards  from  thee  't  is  I  will  thrust, 
That  shake  like  Agues  baked  in  Crust: 
No  more,  no  more  of  Fresh  Cheese  dream 
Which,  like  an  Island,  floats  in  Cream ! 
I  and  my  Men  will  eat  eft  soons 
Th'  Island  with  knives,  the  Sea  with  Spoons: 
Thy  Cheese-cakes  framed,  I  make  no  doubt, 
Sometimes  with  plums,  sometimes  without, 
I'll  send  to  London's  lycorish  sisters; 
They'll  cool  their  bodies  more  than  glisters  : 
When  they  are  full,  this  fame  may  be  begun, 
I  am  their  General  and  their  Islington." 

At  this,  one  night,  it  must  be  said, 
Our  Governor,  that  gallant  Blade, — 
But  to  the  wise,  thou  know'st,  few  words, — 
He  drew  us  out ;    we  drew  our  swords ; 
In  th'  twinkling  of  a  zealous  eye 
Down  fell  their  Foot ;    their  Horse,  they  fly ! 
We  killed  and  took,  like  mice  in  cupboard, 
Two  hundred  varlets,  Dick,  and  upward. 
In  what  a  case,  Dick,  think'st  thou  then 
Was  Fairfax  Fierce,  the  Dairy-man ! 


i8o     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 


(*taw  =  to 
take  aim, 
— as  with 
a  "  taw  " 
at  marbles 
(?),  or  to 
make 
ready  for 
action) 


And  which  shook  most,  guess  by  his  screetches, 

His  earthquake  Custards,  or  his  Breetches ! 

To  Marston  bridge,  who  scaped,  went; 

There  stood  the  Bloody  dairy-Tent ! 

Slashed  to  the  Bridge  they  come, — but,  one  supposes, 

Without  the  Bridges  of  their  Noses ! 

At  other  ports  lay  Browne  and  others; 
In  time  they'll  curse  they  e'er  had  mothers : — 
'T  was  Browne,  I  say;    and  thou  may'st  tell  it, 
Oh,  that's  a  heart  of  oak  like  billet ! * 
We  clawed  him  from  each  counterscarf; 
Sure  his  Accounts  come  short  at  's  Wharf! 
From  every  Port  we  killed  the  maggots, 
"  There's  one !  there's  two  !  "  so  on,  like  Faggots. 
The  east  line  common  soldiers  kept; 
The  north  the  honest  townsmen  swept; 
The  west  was  manned  by  th'  loyal  scholars, 
Whose  gowns,  you  slave,  are  black  as  colliers. 
They  taw'd  *  it ;  faith !  their  guns  would  hit 
As  sure  as  if  they'd  studied  it: 
They  rammed  their  bullet,  they  would  ha  't  in; 
Bounce  went  the  noise,  like  Greek  and  Latin ! 
And  for  their  Colonel  moreover, 
It  was  the  valiant  Earl  of  Dover : 
The  knaves  talked  much  of  the  Siege  of  Troy, 
And  at  this  Siege  they  leaped  for  joy: 
They  defied  Fairfax  and  his  forces, 
Said  he  was  Sinon,  and  brought  Wooden  Horses. 
Now  for  the  south  port,  Dick,  there,  I  say, 
The  noble  loyal  stout  Lord  Keeper  lay ; 

1  A  favourite  jest  of  the  Royalists  upon  Sir  Richard  Browne,  the  rebel 
general,  who  began  life  as  a  wood-monger.  Cf.  John  Taylor's  burlesque 
account  of  the  imaginary  capture  of  Oxford,  entitled  Oxford  Besieged, 
Surprized,  and  Pittifully  Entered,  the  2nd  of  June  1645  (Taylor's  Works, 
Spenser  Society) :  "  The  Illustrious  Bold  Browne,  in  whose  Braine  the 
Art  of  Armes  is  Billeted,  he  most  Terribly,  Fearfully,  drew  his  Trenchant 
Sword,  wherewith  he  Chopped  in  sunder  the  Faggot-band  of  his  Fury, 
insomuch  that  his  flaming  Valour,  like  a  burning  Bavin,  appeared  most 
Refulgently  perspicuous  to  the  besieged  Oxonians." 


THE  GREAT  REBELLION  181 

His  men  made  the  rascals  cry  they  were  mistaken 

To  show  their  hungry  teeth  at  Friar  Bacon  *  ;  *  Bacon's 

They  conjur'd  'em,  i1  faith !    and  laid  them  dead       ^Foll^ 

As  if  each  Helmet  was  a  Brazen-head :  Bridge. 

I  think  the  knaves  will  hardly  be  in  heart, 

Where  Courage  is,  and  they  suspect  Black  Art : 

'Tis  strange,  by  both  the  buckles  of  my  girdle, 

The   Devil   took   Roundheads,  'cause   they   were   o' 

th'  Circle; 

Yet  Pluto  cried  they  need  not  be  so  eager, 
For  why?  their  Heads  alone  were  in  that  Figure. 
But    to    conclude,   Dick,   all    ports    played    their 

parts, 

As  though  they  had  some  ringer  in  those  Arts; 
And  all  the  Rebels  are  run  hence  so  fast, 
As  't  were  from  Bacon  and  from  Vandermast. 


ON  THE  CREEPLE  SOULDIERS  MARCHING  IN  OXFORD 
IN  THE  LORD  FRANCIS  COTTINGTON'S  COMPANEE 

Stay,  Gentlemen !    and   you   shall    see   a   very   rare 

sight ; 
Soldiers    who,    though    they    want    Arms,    yet    will 

Fight; 

Nay,  some  of  them  have  never  a  Leg,  but  Will 
Their  Governor*;    and  yet  they'l  Stand  to  it  still.   *  William 

Legge, 
Governor 

Then  room  for  Cripples !    here  comes  a  Companee,    of  Oxford 
Such  as  before  I  think  you  did  not  see: 

Ran  tan  tan !    with  a  Spanish  march  and  gate 
Thus    they    follow    their    leader    according    to    his 

wonted  state. 

What  I  should  call  them,  I  hardly  do  know:— 
Foot  they  are  not,  as  appears  by  the  show; 
By  the   wearing   of  their   Muskets,   to   which    they 

are  tied, 
They  should  be  Dragooners,  had  they  horses  to  ride ; 


1 82     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 


*  Marten 

Van 

Tromp, 

the  famous 

Dutch 

Admiral. 


*  Holly 
Bush  Inn 
in  St. 
Thomas 
Parish, 
Oxford. 


And  yet  now  I  think  on  't,  they  cannot  be  such, 
Because    each    man    hath    taken     his    Rest    for    a 

Crutch ; 

To  these  their  Officers  need  not  to  say  at  alarms, 
"Stand  to  your  Colours  and  handle  your  Arms!" 
Yet  that  they  are  Soldiers,  you  safely  may  say, 
For  they'l  Die  before  they  will  Run  Away; 
Nay,  they  are  stout,  as  ever  were  Vantrumps,* 
For,    like    Widdrington,   they    fight    on    their    very 

Stumps. 

They  have  keen  Ostrich  Stomachs,  and  well  Digest 
Both  Iron  and  Lead,  as  a  dog  will  a  breast 
Of  mutton — But  now  to  their  Pedigree ! 
That  they  are  Sons  of  Mars,  most  writers  agree; 
Some   conceive   from   the  Badger,  old  Vulcan,  they 

came, 

Because,  like  him,  they  are  Mettle-men  and  Lame: 
The     moderns     think     they    came     from    Guys    of 

Warwick ;    and 

Some  think  they  are  of  the  old  Herculian  band, 
For,  as  by  his  foot  he  was  discovered,  so 
By  their  Feet  you  their  Valour  may  know; 
And      though     many     wear     Wooden     Legs     and 

Crutches, 

Yet,  by  Hercules,  I  can  assure  you  such  is 
Their  Steeled  Resolution,  that  here 
You'll    find    none    that   will    the    Wooden    Dagger 

wear. 

They're  true  and  trusty  Trojans  all,  believe  me, 
And   stride   their   Wooden    Palfreys  well ;    't  would 

grieve  me 

To  see  them  tire  before  they  get 
Unto  the  Holly  Bush,*  but  yet 
If  they  should  faint  at  the  end  of  the  town, 
They  may  set  up  their  horses  and  lie  down. 
Most  of  these  Fighters,  I  would  have  you  know, 
Were    our     brave     Edgehill     Myrmidons     a     while 

ago, 


THE  GREAT  REBELLION  183 

Who  wear  their  limbs,  e'en  as  their  looser  rags, 
Ready  to  leave  them  at  the  next  hedge,  with  brags 
That,  through  the  merits  of  their  former  harms, 
They    die    like    Gentlemen,   though    they    bear    no 

Arms. 

Now  some  will  suspect  that  my  Muse  may  be, 
'Cause  she's  so  Lame,  one  of  this  Companee; 
And  the  rather,  because  one  Verse  sometimes 
Is    much  shorter  than  his   Fellows   to   hold  up  the 

rhymes. 

I  confess  that  before  Cripples  to  Halt  is  not  good, 
Yet,  for  excuse,  she  pleads  she  understood 
That  Things  by  their  Similies  are  best  displayed, 
And    for    that    cause    her    Feet    are    now    lambick 

made. 

A.D.  1645-6 
THE  DARKENING  FORTUNES  OF  THE  KING 

"  Carol  sung  before  His  Majesty  in  Christ  Church  on 
Christmas  day,  1645,  when  after  his  deplorable 
defeat  at  Naseby  he  made  Oxford  his  winter 
quarters  "  : — Men-Miracles,  by  Martin  Lluellyn,  Student 
of  Christ  Church,  1646. 

Great  Copie  of  this  Solemn  Day 

Which  you  Transcribe  afresh, 
And  make  Afflictions  your  Array, 

As  God  made  His  of  Flesh ; 
God  Humbled  best  by  Afflicted  Kings  is  shewn, 
Because  their  Height  is  nearest  to  His  Own. 

Though  in  His  Train  the  Oxe  appeare, 

And  to  His  Court  intrude, 
It  was  no  Breach  of  Reverence  There — 

What's  Nature  is  not  Rude: 
This  Act  the  Oxe  with  Innocence  befell — 
They  cannot  Sin,  who  know  not  to  do  Well. 


1 84     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

But  some  into  your  palace  gat 

And  reared  a  threatening  head  ; 

Some  whom  your  Pastures  have  made  fat, 
And  your  own  Cribbe  hath  fed  : 

The  Wanton  Beasts  who  to  this  temper  rise, 

Are  Ripe  and  Fit  to  fall  a  Sacrifice. 

The  Beasts  who  to  His  Cradle  came, 

There  at  His  Manger  stood, 
Not  to  build  Triumphs  on  His  Shame, 

But  to  Receive  their  Food : 
But  Here  the  Herd  now  Surfeited  doth  stand, 
And  being  Full,  learns  to  Despise  the  Hand. 

But  as  the  Treasure  in  the  Mine 

Is  Treasure  still,  though  Trod, 
So  in  this  Cloud  our  Sun  You  Shine, 

And  God  in  Flesh  was  God : 
For  God  and  Kings  are  still  beyond  us  placed, 
And  Highest  still,  though  ne'er  so  low  Debased. 

A.D.  1646 

On  May  i,  Fairfax  again  appeared  before  Oxford. 
The  place  was  well  provisioned  and  provided  with 
ammunition,  while  the  indomitable  Scholars  and 
Soldiers  under  the  gallant  Governor,  Thomas  Glemham, 
were  prepared  to  defend  it  at  all  costs. 

SONG  IN  THE  SIEGE  OF  OXFORD 

Fill,  fill  the  Goblet  with  Sack  ! 
I  mean,  our  tall  black  jerkin  jack, 
Whose  hide  is  proof  against  rabble-rout, 
And  will  keep  all  ill  weathers  out : 
What  though  our  Plate  be  coined  and  spent, 
Our  Faces  we'll  next  send  to  the  Mint ; 
And  'fore  we'll  basely  Yield  the  Town, 
We'll  Sack  it  ourselves,  and  Drink  it  down. 


THE  GREAT  REBELLION  185 

Accurst  be  he  that  doth  talk  and  think 
Of  Treating,  or  Denies  to  Drink ! 
Such  dry  hop-sucking  narrow  Souls 
Taste  not  the  Freedom  of  our  Bowls; 
They  only  are  Besieged,  while  We 
By  Drinking  purchase  Liberty; 
Wine  doth  Enlarge  and  Ease  our  Minds ; 
Who  freely  Drinks,  no  Thraldom  finds. 

Let's  Drink  then,  as  we  used  to  Fight, 
As  long  as  we  can  Stand,  in  spite 
Of  Foe  or  Fortune !     Who  can  tell  ? 
She  with  our  Cups  again  may  Swell. 
He  neither  dares  to  die  or  fight, 
Whom  harmless  fears  from  healths  affright: 
Then  let  Us  Drink  our  Sorrows  Down, 
And  Ourselves  Up  to  Keep  the  Town. 

ROBERT  HEATH,  Occasional  Poems,  1650 

Unfortunately,  on  April  27,  Charles  had  taken  the 
fatal  step  of  leaving  "the  faithful  City."  At  three 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  in  a  disguised  manner,  with  his 
hair  and  beard  closely  trimmed,  and  in  the  habit  of  a 
serving-man,  he  passed  through  the  East  Gate  of 
Oxford,  in  attendance  upon  Master  John  Ashburnham, 
and  went  to  surrender  himself  to  the  Scottish  Army. 

CHRONOGRAM  =  1646 

reX  Inter  sCotos  oCCVLte  In  Castra  reCessIt 
oXonlo,  rVrl  Malo  fLoraqVe  faVente. 

Chronometra  Memorabilium  Rerum,  Canta- 
brigiae,  1646 

On  June  24,  Oxford  was  surrendered  by  the  King's 
command.  The  scholars  and  soldiers  of  the  garrison 
were  deeply  grieved,  and  indignantly  declared  that  "  the 


1 86     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

City  would  never  have  been  given  up,  had  not  the 
ladies  etc.  of  the  Court  required  fresh  butter  for  their 
early  peas": — "deinde  solid  jactitare  in  Aulicorum 
ludibrium  Urbis  deditionem  nil  aliud  suasisse  quam 
butyri  recentis,  quo  utique  pisa  precocia  tingerent 
curiales  foeminae  et  ductorum  amasiae,  penuriam " : 
Wood,  Hist,  et  Antiquit.  Univ.  Oxon.,  sub  anno  1646. 


CHRONOGRAM  =  1646 

ter  IVnl  oCtaVa,  CIVILIs  teMpore  beLLI, 
oXonla  Vrbs  reLIqVIs  regnl  est  aCCensa  tropaels 

(On  the  thrice  eight ;  i.e.  24th  day  of  June,  Oxford 
City  was  reckoned  among  the  rest  of  the  trophies  of 
the  kingdom.) 

Chronometra  Memorabilium  Rerum,  Canta- 
brigiae,  1646 


THE  SIEGE  AND  FALL  OF  OXFORD 

(Stratologia,  or  the  History  of  the  Civil  War  in  Verse, 
by  A.  C.,  1662.) 

(Even  Oxford  falls  under  the  fate) 
Of  all  the  rest  of  the  King's  garrisons : 
Here  Fairfax  self,  with  all  his  mirmidons, 
Had    lain    some     months,    and    done    what     in    him 

laid 

The  place  to  force ;  batteries  most  furious  made  ; 
And  many  desperate  bold  attempts  to  scale ; 
Nor  could  his  mines  nor  hand-granads  prevail. 

Never  was  place  with  greater  gallantry 
Defended  nor  assailed : — the  Enemy 
Thought  it  more  honour  Oxford  to  regain 
By     storm,     than     all     those     holds     they     yet     had 

ta'en ; 


THE  GREAT  REBELLION  187 

Those  undertakings  great  they  did  review 
Accomplished  late,  how  o'er  the  works  they  flew 
At  Bristol,  Basing,  Dartmouth  and  elsewhere; 
And  shall  their  fury  be  resisted  here  ! 
What  !     Shall   this   Town    not  yield  when  they  com- 

mand ! 
Shall     this    'twixt     them     and     their    great    triumph 

stand  ! 

Nay,  Cromwell  knew  it  was  the  only  Town 
Which  interposed  betwixt  him  and  a  Crown. 
Rather  than  Oxford  shall  their  hopes  defer, 
Rather  than  Glemham  shall  protract  the  war, 
As  many  pioneers  they  swear  they'll  bring 
As  Oxford  all  shall  into  Isis  fling 
With  spades  ;  the  City  all  to  fire  they  vow  ; 
Man,  woman,  child,  to  put  the  sword  unto; 
And,  ere  of  sudden  conquest  they  will  fail, 
On  one  another's  shoulders  mount  and  scale. 

Not   their   attempts    though   bold,   much   less  their  The 


vants,  of 

The  valiant  and  resolved  Glemham  dants  ;  Scholars 

Not  only  Oxford  bravely  he  defends,  ThtmaT 

But  often  sallying  out,  some  hundreds  sends  Glemham, 

Of  these  insulting  foes  to  Erebus.  of™™* 

The  Muses  proud,  to  Mars  propitious,  garrison, 

For  Schollars,  now  turned  Soldiers,  stoutly  fought,       cast^ 
And     more     by     Swords,     than    Words,    for    honour  Carleo- 

sought;  i^a* 

The  Gown  indeed  did  love  the  Royal  Cause  cense 

Consisting  with  Religion  and  the  Laws, 
Which,  life  and  limb,  they  ventured  to  maintain  Oxonium 

Most  bravely  :     What  !  Oxford  by  storm  be  ta'en  !        phium." 
They  vow  they'll  rather  on  the  works  all  die. 
Glemham  doth  therefore  all  their  powers  defy: 
If  Oxford  yield  he  must,  conditions  good 
He'll  have,  or  with  the  town  resign  his  blood. 
Shall  the  King's  Fort,  Metropolis,  submit 
To  terms  unworthy,  not  becoming  it  ! 


1 88     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

First  to  worse  straits  than  ere  he  yet  endured 
1fstleCar~      ln  Carlisle,  in  these  walls  he'll  be  immured  ; 
Glemham   Not  only  Mice,  Cats,  Horses  shall  be  meat, 

SafiSf  But  Boots  and  Shoes>  nay  Humane  Flesh  they'll  eat. 

eat  Dogs        These  brave  resolves  enforce  the  Enemy 

^Master   ^n  no^e  terms  with  Glemham  to  agree; 

David        And  Oxford  yielded  : — The  two  Princes  are, 

hS  tdlS  RuPert  and  Maurice,  shortly  to  repair 

Memoirs     To  forraign  parts :  the  Duke  of  York  must  go 

°of  excellent  His    n°ble   brother    and    his    Bisters    to, 

personages.  Now  at  St  James's ;  for  the  Parliament 

Had  all  the  royal  children  up  there  pent, 

Except  the  Prince,  who  had  escaped  their  hand  ; 

From  Exeter  of  late  they  did  command 

The  youngest  daughter  thither  to  be  brought; 

What  they'll  do  with  them,  divers  things  are  thought : 

Let  Royalists  pray  and  presage  the  best ! 

This  absent,  is  a  safety  to  the  rest. 

But  whither  doth  my  wandering  Muse  digress? 

These  Articles  the  Roundheads,  nothing  less, 

Perform :  this  the  Oxfordians  fully  finde,"  etc. 

The  Entry  of  Fairfax  into  Oxford  ;  his  magnanimity  ; 
and  how  he  preserved  the  Bodleian  Library: — "When 
the  City  was  taken,  the  first  thing  General  Fairfax  did, 
was  to  set  a  guard  of  soldiers  to  preserve  the  Bodleian. 
He  was  a  great  lover  of  learning ;  and  had  he  not  taken 
this  special  care,  that  noble  library  had  been  utterly 
destroyed,  because  there  were  ignorant  senators  enough 
who  would  have  been  contented  to  have  had  it  so  "  :  John 
Aubrey,  Brief  Lives  (ed.  by  A.  Clark),  i.  250.  Cardinal 
Mazarin  is  said  to  have  had  the  sum  of  .£40,000  ready 
to  buy  MSS  from  the  University  and  College  Libraries: 
Wood's  Life  and  Times  (Oxford  Hist.  Soc.),  i.  128. 

(Lines  by  Dr.  Henry  Fairfax  (Magdalen  College, 
Oxon.,  D.D.  1680),  in  Fairfax  MS.  32  f.  145,  Bodleian 
Library.) 


THE  GREAT  REBELLION  189 

Nam  postquam  Oxonium  junxisset  foedere  dextras, 
Atque  suas  tanto  Custodi  tradidit  arces, 
Quam  subito  Dux  ipse  trahit  de  pectore  curas 
Hostiles,  hauritque  animo  contagia  pacis ! 
Ingreditur  nudas  portas  cum  milite  casto ; 
Et  tanquam  turbam  Dux  ipse  animaverat  omnem, 
Nee  mortem  timuere  viri,  nee  strupra  puellae; 
Nusquam  terror  erat  gladiis,  et  coedibus  omnes 
Sponte  sua  tenuere  manus,  sine  foedere  justi. 
Interea  Dux  ipse  graves  sub  pectore  curas 
Concipit  intentus  Musis  Gentique  Togatae. 
"  Ite "  ait,  "  o  juvenes,  et  cingite  milite  forti 
Bodlei  sacros  aditus  et  templa  verenda; 
Cingite  doctorum  mentes  secretaque  magna; 
Nee  sinite  aeternos  bellum  violare  Penates." 
Dixerat ;  et  dicto  citius  fugere  per  urbem 
Armati  genii,  statimque  ad  claustra  steterunt 
Talis  Victor  erat ;  sic  ipsa  pericla  juvabant, 
Securumque  fuit  vinci:  Spoliator  adorat 
Captivas  arces,  et  se  putat  esse  minorem : 
Nam  turn  magne  tuo  sedem  Bodleie  sacello 
Quaerebat,  jam  jamque  tuis  se  voverat  aris. 
Ergo,  age,  in  aeternum  nostris  habitabit  in  oris, 
Inque  domo  famae  super  omnia  saecula  vectus 
Inter  Doctorum  castas  versabitur  umbras; 
Tecum,  Digbeie,  et  tecum,  Seldene,  loquetur ; 
Quodque  magis,  quod  nee  capiunt  haec  carmina  nostra, 
Bodleii  genio,  genio  Laudique  fruetur. 

SONG  AT  THE  SURRENDER  OF  OXFORD 

(Poems    lyrique,    inacaronique,    heroique,    by    Henry 
Bold  of  New  College  in  Oxford,  1664.) 

Thou  Man  of  Men,  whoe'er  thou  art 
That  has  a  loyal  royal  heart, 
Despaire  not,  though  thy  Fortune  frown ; 
Our  Cause  is  God's,  and  not  our  own: 


190     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

'Twere  sin  to  harbour  jealous  feares ; — 
The  World  laments  for  Cavaleers,  Cavaleers. 

Those  Things,  like  Men,  that  swarm  i'  th'  Town, 

Like  Motions,  wander  up  and  down ; 

And  were  the  Rogues  not  full  of  blood, 

You'd  swear  they  men  were,  made  of  wood : 

The  fellow,  feeling  wanton,  swears 

There  are  no  Men  but  Cavaleers,  Cavaleers. 

Ladies  bepearl  their  Diamond  Eyes 

And  curse  Dame  Shipton's  prophecyes; 

Fearing  they  never  shall  be  sped 

To  wrestle  for  a  maidenhead : 

But  feelingly  with  doleful  tears 

They  sigh  and  mourn  for  Cavaleers,  Cavaleers. 

Our  grave  Divines  are  silenced  quite 
Eclipsing  thus  our  Church's  light; 
Religion's  made  a  Mock,  and  all 
Good  Ways,  as  Works,  Apochryphal ; 
Our  Gallants  baffled ;  Slaves  made  Peers ; 
While  Oxford  weeps  for  Cavaleers,  Cavaleers. 

Townsmen  complain  they  are  undone; 

Their  fortunes  fail,  and  all  is  gone : — 

Rope-makers  only  live  in  hopes 

To  have  good  trading  for  their  ropes, 

And  Glovers  thrive  by  Roundheads'  ears, 

When  Charles  returns  with  Cavaleers,  Cavaleers. 


CHAPTER   VIII 
THE  PURITAN   USURPATION 

MODO  quis  deus  aut  editus  deo 
Pristinam  gentis  miseratus  indolem 
Si  satis  noxas  luimus  priores 
Mollique  luxu  degener  otium, 
Tollat  nefandos  civium  tumultus, 
Almaque  revocet  studia  sanctus, 
Et  relegatas  sine  sede  Musas 
Jam  pene  totis  finibus  Angligenum, 
Immundasque  volucres 
Unguibus  imminentes, 
Figat  Apollinea  pharetra, 

Phineamque  abigat  pestem  procul  amne  Pegaseo  ? 
JOHN  MILTON,  adj.  Rousium,  Oxon.  Acad. 
Bibliothecarium,  1646 

We'll  down  with  all  th'  Varsities 

Where  Learning  is  profes't, 
Because  they  practise  and  maintain 

The  language  of  the  Beast : 
We'll  drive  the  Doctors  out  of  doors, 

And  Arts,  whate'er  they  be; 
We'll  cry  both  Arts  and  Learning  down : — 

And  hey !  then  up  go  We  ! 
FRANCIS  QUARLES,  The  Shepheard's  Oracles,  1646 

A.D.  1648 

The  University  of  Oxford  held  out  for  some  two  years 

after  the  City  had  surrendered  to  Sir  Thomas  Fairfax. 

191 


192     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

So  desperate  indeed  was  the  obstinacy  of  the  resistance 
offered  to  those  who  were  appointed,  under  the  parlia- 
mentary ordinance  of  May  I,  1647,  to  visit  and  reform 
the  University,  that  it  was  not  till  the  spring  of  1648, 
and  then  only  by  violence,  that  the  Loyalists  were 
crushed.  On  April  1 1  of  that  year,  the  Earl  of  Pembroke, 
as  Chancellor  of  the  University,  appeared  on  the  scene, 
and  superintended  the  expulsion  of  such  Heads  of 
Houses  as  refused  to  submit  to  the  Visitation.  This 
was  followed,  on  May  2,  by  the  wholesale  ejectment 
of  all  contumacious  members  of  Colleges.  "Thus 
within  the  compass  of  a  few  weeks  an  almost  general 
riddance  was  made  of  the  loyal  University  of  Oxford, 
in  whose  room  succeeded  an  illiterate  rabble  swept  up 
from  the  ploughtail  and  the  dregs  of  the  neighbouring 
University.  Such  cruelty  was  there  shewed,  such 
tyranny  acted  by  the  Clergy  Visitors,  and  such  altera- 
tions made  by  them,  that  never  the  like,  no,  not  even 
in  those  various  times  from  King  Henry  VIII  to  Queen 
Elizabeth,  was  ever  seen  or  heard  of.  ...  But  lest  the 
sufferings  of  the  victims  should  stand  unrecorded  to 
posterity,  hundreds  of  silver  and  brass  Medals  were 
made  and  dispersed  into  divers  countries.  On  one 
side  was  the  Effigies  of  an  Altar,  and  this  wrote  upon 
it, 'P.M.  Acad.  Oxon.  1648';  and,  on  the  reverse,  this 
'  DEO,  Ecclesiae,  Principi  Victima.'  At  the  same  time 
also  were  the  said  words  weaved  in  black  ribbon  with 
silver  and  gold  letters,  and  commonly  worn  by  Scholars 
and  others"  :  Anthony  Wood,  Annals,  II.  ii.  614. 

The  arrival  in  Oxford  of  Pembroke,  "that  long- 
legged  piece  of  impertinency  whom  they  miscall 
Chancellor";  his  reception  by  "a  few  inconsiderable 
and  ill-faced  Saints,  Dragooners  in  Divinity,  mounted 
upon  miserable  hackneys,  some  ten  or  twelve  scholars, 
freshmen  and  all,  and  some  country  Parsons  who 
brought  up  their  sons  for  fellowships  "  ;  the  attendance 
of  soldiers  as  a  protecting  force ;  the  partiality  of 
Pembroke  for  foul  language;  his  intelligence,  which 


THE  PURITAN  USURPATION  193 

compared  very  unfavourably  with  that  of  the  steed  upon 
which  he  was  mounted ; 

"  Quin  ille  vivus,  Comite  multo  doctior, 
Arrexit  aures  et  diu  attentus  stetit; 
Togata  Dominum  cum  salutaret  cohors, 
Nee  usitatum  Button  accineret  Ave, 
Domini  Caballus  visus  interpres  sui 
Adhiniisse  fertur  illi  gratias  " ; 

the  brutality  with  which  the  Chancellor  executed  his 
mission;  and  the  conference  of  degrees  upon  his 
ignorant  supporters  ; — 

"  Ille  sibi  passimque  aliis  largitur  honores, 
Non  tamen  et  mores  poterat  meritumque  creare: 
Deliros  jam  Theologos,  Puerosque  Magistros 
Cernimus;    in    Cunas    Cathedrae,   inque    Crepundia 

versa  est 
Laurea  Bacca": — 

all  these  scandals  afforded  matter  for  infinite  jest  to 
the  bitter  writers  of  squibs,  such  as  Pegasus,  or  the  Flying 
Horse  from  Oxford ;  Newes  from  Pembroke  and 
Montgomery,  or  Oxford  Manchester' d ;  The  Owle  at 
Athens  ;  Tragi-comoedia  Oxoniensis,  and  others. 

PEMBROOKE'S  PASSE  FROM  OXFORD  TO  HIS  GRAVE 
(July  5,1648?) 

Hence !  Mountebank  of  Honour,  hence  away ! 
And  seek  some  cavern,  where  the  chearefull  day 
Ne'er  made  enquiry,  where  continued  night 
May  ne'er  expose  thee  to  the  shame  of  light. 
Base  property  of  State,  time-serving  Thing, 
Thy  Servant's  Slave,  and  Rebel  to  thy  King; 
Thou  Puppet,  who  can'st  neither  speak  nor  move 
If  Say  and  Oldsworth  teach  not  and  approve; 
For  which  records  to  after  times  will  shew 
Thee  an  ungrateful  Fool  in  Folio, 

'3 


194     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

O  how  would  Pembrooke,  thy  brave  brother,  grieve 

To  see  his  Heir  thus  play  the  under-shrieve, 

And  force  the  dwellings  of  the  Muses'  sons 

To  give  th'  Unlettered  their  possessions : 

And,  with  a  borrowed  dress  of  power,  sit 

To  cry  up  Ignorance  and  banish  Wit: 

In  which  thy  honour,  as  thy  soul,  is  tainted ; 

Compared  with  thee,  Manchester  may  be  sainted  : 

Had  Martin  done  't,  or  Mildmay,  who  in  evil 

Are  listed  journey-workers  to  the  Devil ; 

Or  had  thy  sacrilegious  Tutor  Say, 

Or  Cromwell,  made  the  finde  a  holiday 

By  such  an  act  as  must  his  realm  advance, 

And  perish  this  by  growth  of  ignorance ; 

It  might  be  borne,  nor  should  we  cozened  be 

From  such  impostors,  when  such  arts  we  see : — 

But  that  good  Pembrooke,  who  in  no  man's  hearing 

Was     ere      condemned      but     for     the     switch     and 

swearing ; 1 
One     who,    we     know,    had     ne'er    been     dipped     in 

treason 

Had  he  been  left  into  his  proper  reason ; 
A  mere  concurring  rebel,  that  doth  cry, 
Like  a  half-entered  whelp,  for  company; — 
For  the  great  Doctors  of  so  great  a  School 
To  be  confuted  by  so  great  a  Fool, 
There    lies    the    Wonder !    which    thus    solved    must 

be;- 

This  Age  produceth  naught  but  Prodigie ! 
A  hundred  horse  his  Lordship  had  to  boote; 
He  knew  his  own  wit  never  else  could  do  't : 
Arms  are  a  powerful  Ergo ;  and  make  Schism 
And  Folly  good,  maugre  a  Syllogism. 
Hadst  thou  but  sense  of  wit,  thou  would'st  be  slain 
With  the  just  rhymes  composed  in  thy  disdain ; 

1  In  1607,  a  Scottish  courtier  "switched  Pembroke  on  the  face"  at 
Croydon  races,  and  he  not  offering  to  strike  back,  there  was  ' '  nothing 
spilt  but  the  reputation  of  a  gentleman/' 


THE  PURITAN  USURPATION  195 

And  to  each  angry  Muse  an  object  stand, 
Till  rhymed  to  death  like  rats  in  Ireland.1 
But  we  will  bridle  Fancy,  nor  let  loose 
Too  much  brave  fury  on  so  tame  a  Goose: 
No,  thou  shalt  feel  ere  long  the  chastening  rod, 
First  of  the  abused  King,  next  of  thy  God ; 
And  when  just  Heaven  shall  due  vengeance  take, 
And  to  ingrate  thee  an  example  make, 
Apollo's  sons  shall  in  a  chorus  laugh, 
And  fix  upon  thy  tomb  this  Epitaph: — 

The  Epitaph 

Pembrooke  here  lies  underlaid 
Who  his  God  and  King  betrayed : 
To  which  sins  he  joined  this  other: — 
To  commit  Rape  upon  his  Mother. 
Whoso  unto  this  Grave  goes 
And  reads,  is  prayed  to  hold  his  nose; 
His  very  name,  thus  blasted,  must 
Be  e'en  more  nautious  than  his  dust. 


Rustica    Academiae     Oxoniensis          A    Rustical  Description   of  the 

nuper     reformatae     Descriptio     in  University  of  Oxford  lately  reformed 

Visitatione  Fanatica^    1648  ;    cum  in  a   Fanatical    Visitation,  1648  ; 

Comitiis     ibidem     anno     sequente ;  with  the  Committees  in  the  follow- 

et    aliis    notatu     non     indignis —  ing  year ;  and  other  things  worthy 

abridged  (by  John  Allibond,  D.D.,  to   be  noted— -(a  free  rendering  by 

Magdalen  College)  Edward  Ward,  1717) 


Rumore  nuper  est  delatum,  Whilst  out  of  Town  strange  news 

Dum  agebamus  run,  alarmed 

Oxonium  iri  reformatum  My  ears,  which  sounded  oddly, 

Ab  iis  qui  dicti  "  Puri."  That  Oxford  was  to  be  reformed 

By  Dunces  called  the  "Godly. 

1  It  was  once  a  prevalent  opinion  in  Ireland  that  rats  in  pasturages 
could  be  extirpated  by  anathematizing  them  in  rhyming  verse  or  by 
metrical  charms, 


1 96     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 


ii 


Decrevi  itaque  confestim, 
Obstaculis  sublatis, 

Me  oculatum  dare  testem 
Hujusce  novitatis. 


I  soon  resolved,  if  no  ill  chance 
Should  cross  my  resolution, 

To  make  my  eyes  the  evidence 
Of  this  new  Reformation. 


Ill 

Ad  Scholas  primum  me  trahebat 

Comitiorum  norma 
Queis  olim  quisque  peragebat 

Solenniter  pro  forma : 


III 


First    drawn    to    the    Schools,    b' 

Assemblies'  Rules, 
I  found  them  much  polluted, 
Where    Scholars    once    instead    of 

Fools, 
In  solemn  form  disputed. 


IV 


Expecto  Regies  Professores ; 

Comparuere  nulli : 
Nee  illic  adsunt  Inceptores, 

Nee  Togae  nee  Cuculli. 


IV 

I  King's  Professors  did  expect 

As  usual,  but  I  found  none, 
Nor    young     Inceptors,     but     th' 

Elect 

With  neither  Gown  nor  Hood 
on. 


Calcavi  Atrium  Quadratum 
Quo  Juvenum  examen 

Confluxit  olim  ;  video  pratum 
Quod  densum  tegit  gramen. 


Then  cross  the  Quadrangle  I  pass, 
Where    Youth    was    wont    to 

prattle, 
But  found  the  same   oer-run  with 

grass 
Enough  to  fatten  cattle. 


VI 

Adibam  lubens  Scholam  Musices 
Quam  Foeminae  et  Joci 

Ornassent  pridem,  sed  Tibicines 
Jam  nusquam  erant  loci. 


VII 

Conscendo  Orbis  illud  decus 
Bodleio  fundatore  : 

Sed  intus  erat  nullum  pecus 
Excepto  Janitore. 


VI 


To    the    Musick    School    I    next 

repaired 

By  Ladies  once  frequented, 
But  saw  no  sports,  no  musick  heard, 
The  place    seemed    quite   ab- 
sented. 

VII 

Mounting    the     Bodleian    Pile,    I 

stepped 

To  view  the  kingdom's  glory, 
There   only  found  the  knave  that 

kept 
That  famed  Repository. 


THE  PURITAN  USURPATION 


197 


VIII 

Neglectos  vidi  libros  multos, 
Quod  minime  mirandum  ; 

Nam  inter  Bardos  tot  et  Stultos 
There's  few  could  understand 


VIII 

Where  piles  of  books  in  woeful  case 
Neglected  lay  at  random, 

Because    the    Saints   had    not    the 

Grace 
Or  Wit  to  understand  'em. 


IX 

Dominico  sequente  die, 
Ad  sacra  celebranda, 

Ad  Aedes  propero  "  Mariae," 
Nam  "Divae"  vox  nefanda 


IX 

Next  Sunday,  I  to  "Mary's"  went 
To  hear  the  text  expounded  ; 
Plain    "Mary's,"   for    the  style  of 

"Saint" 

Was  plundered  by  the  Round- 
head: 


Ingressus  sedes  Senioribus 
Togatis  destinatas, 

Videbam  Cocis  et  Sartoribus 
Et  Lixis  usurpatas. 


XI 

Procancellarius  recens  prodit 
Cui  satis  literarum ; 

Quod  vero  quisque  probus  odit, 
Est  Conscientiae  parum. 


And  entering  where  the  Seniors  used 
To  loll  and  hear  the  Sermon, 
Saw  Cooks  and  Scullions  sit  con- 
fused 

With      Botchers      and      such 
Vermin. 

XI 

In  pomp  appeared  the  new  morose 
Book-learn'd  Procancellarius, 

Hated  by  all  good  men,  because 
His  conscience  is  nefarious. 


XII 


Procuratores  sine  Clavibus 
Quaerentibus  ostendas : 

Bedellos  novos  sine  Stavibus, 
Res  protinus  ridendas. 


XII 

Next,     what     I     ne'er     observed 

before, 

Saw  Proctors  sine  Clavibus ; 
And,   that  which  made   me   laugh 

the  more, 
New  Bedells  sine  Stavibus. 


XIII 

Suggestum  conscendebat  fungus 

Insulsa  quaeque  fundens  : 
So  dull  a  fool  was    ne'er  among 

us, 

Pulvinar  sic  contundens. 
(Edmund      Stanton,      Pres.     of 
C.C.C.) 


XIII 

At     length     a     little     Mushroom 

stuffed 
With    nonsense,    climbed    the 

pulpit ; 
Sure    cushion    ne'er    before    was 

cuffed 
By  such  an  empty  Dulpate. 


198     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 


XIV 

Defessus  hac  Dulmanitate 
Decrevi  Venerandos 

Non  adhuc  pulsos  civitate 
Amicos  visitandos. 


XIV 

Tired  with  dull  cant,  much 
tongue,  no  brains, 

And  looks  enough  to  fright  ye, 
I  moved  to  see  my  reverend  friends 

Not  yet  expelled  the  city. 


XV 


Collegium  petii  Animarum 
Nunc  proprie  sic  dictum  : 

Nam  rerum  hie  corporearum 
Vix  quicquam  est  relictum. 


XV 

To  All  Souls'  College  first  I  steered, 
Whose  name  was  well  adapted, 

For    few     Corporeal    Things     ap- 
peared, 
The  house  itself  excepted. 


XVI 

Hie  quaero  Virum  suavitate 

Omnimoda  politum ; 
Responsum  alibi  ingrate 

Custodem  custoditum. 
(Dr.    Sheldon   ejected  from    the 
Wardenship  of  All  Souls',  and  im- 
prisoned. ) 

XVII 

Ad  Corpus  Christi  flecto  gressum 
Qua  brevitate  possum  : 

Jurares  novis  probris  pressum 
Et  furibus  confossum. 


XVI 

I   sought  the  Warden,   that  sweet 

good  man, 

Polite  in  every  knowledge, 
But    heard    with    grief  my    friend 

was  ta'en, 
To  Prison  from  the  College. 

XVII 

I  then  to  Corpus  Christi  went 
So  oppressed  with  malediction, 

That    you'd    have     sworn,     twixt 

thieves  they  meant 
Its  second  Crucifixion. 


XVIII 


Ecclesiam  Christi  susque  deque 
Jactatam  mox  et  versam 

Et  sobolem  heu  !  longe  lateque 
Percipimus  dispersam. 


Christ     Church    was     tumbled    up 
and  down 

By  sanctified  ill-nature, 
And  all  her  children  of  the  gown 

Were  forced  abroad  to  scatter. 


XIX 

Rogavi  ubi  sit  Orator 

Divinae  plane  mentis : 

Proh  facinus  !  incarceratur 

Facundae  decus  gentis. 
(Dr.    Hammond     of    Ch. 

University  Orator.) 


Ch., 


XIX 

I    Hammond     sought,    divine    his 
sense ; 

But  found  incarceration 
Eclipsed  that  sun  of  eloquence 

And  glory  of  the  nation. 


THE  PURITAN  USURPATION 


199 


XX 

Hinc  domum  peto  Precursoris, 
Quern  triste  passum  fatum 

Recenti  narrant  vi  tortoris 

Secundo  decollation. 
(St.    John's  beheaded  a  second 

time,    when    the     President,     Dr. 

Bayly,  was  ejected.) 


xx 

Hence     to     St.      John's,      who'd 
undergone 

One  sad  Decapitation ; 
There  found  tormentors  carrying  on 

A  second  Decollation. 


XXI 


Turn  Sancto  Praeside  cadente 

Discipuli  recedunt ; 
Et  Cacodaemone  regente 

Nee  bibunt  jam  nee  edunt. 


XXI 

Their  holy  President  being  lost, 
The      Scholars      leave      their 

College, 
And  whilst   a  Hell-born  rules  the 

roost, 

Are     barred     of     food     and 
knowledge. 


XXII 

Heu  !  pulchra  domus,  nuper  laeta 

Dulcissimis  fluentis, 
Nunc  coeno  penitus  oppleta 

"  Canalis  "  putrescentis. 
(Dr.    Cheynel    appointed    Presi- 
dent.) 


XXII 

Alas  !     fair  House,  delightful  once, 
Where        pleasant        streams 

abounded, 

Now  poisoned  by  a  dirty  Dunce, 
Foul   Channel,  and  a  Round- 
head. 


XXIII 

Adire  nolui  Trinitatem 

Quam  nostis  prope  stare; 
Haereticam  Societatem 

Ne  videar  damnare : 


XXIII 


Old  Trinity,  tho'  near  I  came, 
I  passed  for  her  impiety  ; 

Because  't  was  dangerous  to  con- 
demn 
That  Heretick  Society; 


XXIV 


Nam  tanta  desolatione 

Quam  quis  nefandam  dicet, 
Occurrunt  nusquam  Tres  Personae 

Scruteris  usque  licet. 


XXIV 

For    in    these    wicked    times,     so 

blind 
Were   Youth  and    those  who 

taught  'em, 
That  nowhere  could  a  Churchman 

find 

Three  Persons,  had  he  sought 
'em. 


200     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 


XXV 

Reverse  tristis  fertur  casus 
Et  miserandum  omen 

Collegii,  cui  Rubens  Nasus 
Prae  foribus  dat  nomen. 


xxv 

Then  musing  on  the  wretched  case 

And  miserable  omen 
O'   th'   College,  from  whose  Nose 
of  Brass 

The  House  derives  its  nomen  ; 


XXVI 


Dederunt  illi  Principalem 
Rectores  hi  severi, 

Distortis  oculis  et  qualem 
Natura  vult  caveri. 


XXVII 


Mox  Aedes  ingredi  conatus 
Non  unquam  senescentes 

Stupescens  audio  ejulatus 
Horrenda  sustinentis  : 


XXVI 

Here  their  harsh  Rulers  placed  a 

dull 

Damned  Principal  t'  enslave  'em, 
Whose  eyes  distorted  in  his  skull 
Made   Nature  start   that  gave 
'em. 

XXVII 

Entering  New  College,  by  and  by, 
Where  Age  can  find  no  quarter, 

Amazed  I  heard  the  horrid  cry 
Of  one  that  suffered  torture : 


XXVIII 

Quod  dulce  nuper  Domicilium 

Ingeniis  alendis, 
Nunc  merum  est  ergastulum 

Innocuis  torquendis. 
(Will.  Collier  tortured  in  a  room 
beneath  New  College  hall,  lighted 
matches  being  held  under  his  hands, ) 


XXVIII 

A  pleasant  House,  built  with 
intent 

Our  freeborn  youth  to  cherish, 
And  now  a  Bridewell  to  torment 

The  loyal,  till  they  perish. 


XXIX 


Ad  flentem  me  recipio  tandem 
Flens  ipse  Magdalenam ; 

Et  gemens  video  eandem 
Vacuitate  plenam  : 


XXIX 


To  weeping  Magdalen  I  stroll, 
Myself  a  weeping  brother, 

There  sighing  find  that  College  full 
As  empty  as  another  : 


XXX 

Pro  Praeside  cui  quenquam  parem 
Vix  aetas  nostra  dedit, 

En  vobis  stultum  Capularem 

Ad  clavum  jam  qui  sedet : 
(Dr.     Goodwin,    vulgo    vocatus 

"  Nine-caps  "  :  see  Spectator,   No. 

494-) 


XXX 

In  room  o'  th'  President,  a  man 
No  age  produced  a  greater, 

A  humdrum  Dotard  leads  the  van 
And  rules  as  Gubernator : 


THE  PURITAN  USURPATION 


201 


XXXI 

Quam  vereor  ne  diro  omine 

Septem  regrediantur 
Daemonia,  divino  numine 

Quae  quondam  pellebantur. 
(Seven  devils,  once  driven  out  of 
Magdalen,  are  returning  to  her. ) 


XXXI 

These    direful    omens    made    me 

even 

Dread     all     those     devils    to- 
gether 
Driven    out    of   yore,    in    number 

seven, 
Were  now  returning  hither. 


XXXII 


Quocunque  breviter  flectebam 
Aut  dirigebam  visum, 

Id  totum  induit,  quod  videbam, 
Aut  lacrimas  aut  risum  : 


XXXII 


Where'er  I  strolled,  or  whatsoe'er 
I  thought  worth  looking  after, 

Induced  me  still  to  shed  a  tear, 
Or  else  provoked  my  laughter  : 


XXXIII 


Ingemui,  dum  viros  video 
Doctissimos  ejectos; 

Et  contra,  alternatim  rideo 
Stolidulos  suffectos. 


XXXIII 

I  wept  to  see  the  Learn'd  denied 
Th'  enjoyment  of  their  places, 

But     smiled     to     see     the     same 

supplied 
By  dull  unthinking  Asses. 


xxxiv 

Collegia  petis?     Leges  duras 
Habes  ;  nil  fas  videre 

Praeter  aedes  et  structuras  ; 
Scholares  abiere  : 


xxxv 

Culinas  illic  frigescentes, 
Capellas  sine  precibus, 

In  Cellis  cernas  sitientes, 
Et  Aulas  sine  Messibus. 


Survey  the  Colleges ;  you'll  find 
Hard  laws,  but  nothing  right- 

ful, 

Except     the     buildings     now    re- 
signed 

By  the  Scholars  to  the  Spite- 
ful: 

xxxv 

Cold    Kitchens,    where    no    meat 
they  dress  ; 

Chapels  without  devotion ; 
Dry  Cellars  ;  Halls  without  a  mess 

To  keep  the  jaws  in  motion. 


xxxvi 

In  Templis  quaeris  Conciones 
Aut  quidquid  est  decorum  ? 

Habebis  haesitationes 
Extemporaneorum. 


xxxvi 

No    Sermons    in    their     Churches 
heard ; 

From  decent  rites  they  vary 
For  hums  and  haws  of  picked  beard 

And  prayers  extemporary. 


202     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

XXXVII  XXXVII 

Heu  !  ingens  rerum  ornamentum          The  world's  great  ornament,  alas  ! 

Et  aevi  decus  pridem :  The  age's  pride  and  honour, 

Quo  tandem  pacto  hoc  perventum       O  tell  me  how  it  comes  to  pass 

Ut  Idem  non  sit  Idem?  The    Same's     the     Same    no 

longer  ! 

XXXVIII  XXXVIII 

Nam  vix   a    quoquam,    quod  nar-      But  so  't  is,  as  't  was  once  made 

ratur  known 

Obventum  olim  somnio,  By  some  old  dreaming  author, 

Compertum  erit,  si  quaeratur  Oxford     should    not      in     Oxford 

Oxonium  in  Oxonio.  Town 

Be     found      by     those     who 
sought  her. 

A.D.  1651 

"  The  members  of  the  Little  Parliament  oft  considered 
among  themselves  of  the  suppressing  Universities  and 
all  Schools  of  Learning  as  heathenish  and  unnecessary ; 
and  many  persons  of  debauched  principles  would  not 
only  preach  but  write  against  Humane  Learning": 
Anthony  Wood,  Annals •,  ii.  pt.  ii.  657. 

Alma  Mater — 

Many  do  suck  thy  breasts,  but  now  in  som 
Thy  Milk  turns  into  Froth  and  spumy  Scum ; 
In  others  it  converts  to  Rheum  and  Fleam, 
Or  some  poor  Wheyish  Stuff  instead  of  Cream. 
In  som  it  doth  Malignant  Humors  breed, 
And  make  the  head  turn  round  as  that-side  Tweed  ; 
These  Humors  vapour  up  into  the  Brains 
And  so  break  forth  to  odd  Fanatic  Strains  ; 
It  makes  them  dote  and  rave,  fret,  fume,  and  foam ; 
When  they  should   speak   of  Rheims,   they  prate  of 

Rome; 

Their  theam  is  Birch,  their  preachment  is  of  Broom. 
Nor  'mong  the  Forders  only  such  are  found, 
But  they  who  pass  the  Bridge,  are  just  as  Round. 


THE  PURITAN  USURPATION  203 

Som  of  thy  Sons  prove  Bastards,  sordid,  base, 
Who  having  sucked  thee,  throw  dirt  in  thy  face ; 
When   they  have   squeezed  thy   Nipples   and   chaste 

Papps, 

They  dash  thee  on  the  Nose  with  frumps  and  rapps ; 
They  grumble  at  thy  Commons,  Buildings,  Rents, 
And  would  bring  thee  to  farthing  Decrements. 
Few  by  thy  Milk  sound  Nutriment  now  gain 
For  want  of  good  concoction  of  the  brain : — 
But  this  Choice  Son  of  thine  is  no  such  Brat; 
Thy  Milk  in  him  did  so  coagulate 
That  it  became  Elixar,  as  we  see 
In  these  Mellifluous  Streams  of  Poesie. 

JAMES  HOWELL  (Jesus  College,  Oxon.,  1610), 
Eulogistic  Lines  prefixed  to  the  Comedies, 
Tragi-comedies,  with  other  poems  of  that 
miracle  of  the  age,  the  late  Mr.  William 
Cartwright  of  Christ  Church :  London, 
1651 

A.D.  1659 

"  No  sooner  was  Richard,  Lord  Protector,  removed, 
than  by  the  dissention  and  obstinacy  of  two  wicked 
parties,  the  Rump  and  the  Army,  the  Nation  was 
almost  ruined.  The  persons  who  had  formerly  got  the 
revenues  of  the  King,  loyal  Nobility  and  Gentry,  and 
the  Church,  began  to  gape  after  the  lands  of  the 
Universities,  and  thereby  to  overthrow  Learning " : 
Anthony  Wood,  Annals,  sub  anno  1659. 

The  Church's  Patrimony,  a  rich  store, 
Alas !  was  swallowed  many  years  before. 
Bishops  and  Deans  we  fed  upon  before, 
They  were  the  Ribs  and  Sirloins  of  the  Whore. 

Now  let  her  Legs,  the  Priests,  go  to  the  pot; 

They  have  the  Pope's  eye  in  them  ;  spare  them  not ! 

We  have  fat  Benefices  yet  to  eat; 

Bell  and  our  Dragon  Army  must  have  meat: 


204     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Let  us  devour  her  limb-meal,  great  and  small, 

Tythe  Calves,  Geese,  Pigs,  the  Petitoes  and  all ; 

A  Vicaridge  in  Sippets,  though  it  be 

But  small,  will  serve  a  squeamish  Sectarie. 

Though  Universities  we  can't  endure, 

There's  no  false  Latin  in  their  Lands,  be  sure; 

Give  Oxford  to  our  Horse,  and  let  the  Foot 

Take  Cambridge  for  their  booty,  and  fall  to't ! 

Christ  Church  I'll  have,  cries  Vane:  Disbrow  swops 

At  Trinity :  King's  is  for  Berry's  chops. 

Kelsey  takes  Corpus  Christi :  All  Souls,  Packer : 

Grave    Creed,    St.    John's :     New     Colledge     falls    to 

Hacker. 

Fleetwood  cries,  Weeping  Magdalen  is  mine: 
Her  tears  I'll  drink  instead  of  muscadine : 
The  smaller  Halls  and  Houses  scarce  are  big 
Enough  to  make  one  Dish  for  Hazelrig. 
We  must  be  sure  to  stop  his  mouth,  though  wide, 
Else  all  our  fat  will  be  i'  th'  fire,  they  cried  ; 
And  when  we  have  done  these,  we'll  not  be  quiet; 
Lordships  and  Landlords  next  shall  be  our  diet. 
Thus  talked  this  jolly  crew; — but  still  mine  Host, 
Lambert,  resolves  that  he  will  rule  the  rost. 

ROBERT  WILD  (St.  John's  College,  Cambr.), 
Iter  Boreale,  1660 


CHAPTER    IX 

RESTORATION  AND  REVOLUTION  (1660-1689) 
I.  POEMS  ON  AFFAIRS  OF  STATE 

"Tho'  here  new  Towers  and  Buildings  daily  rise, 

And  Arms  thrown  off,  we  wear  the  peaceful  Gown, 
Our  Hearts  admit  no  Change,  know  no  Disguise, 
Prepared  with  Pen  and  Sword  t'  assert  the  Crown." 

Lines  addressed  to  James,  Duke  of  York,  in  the 
Sheldonian  Theatre,  May  21,  1683 

"  T  T  PON   the   remove  of  the  most   Rev.  William 

y^J       Laud,   Archbishop   of  Canterburie,   his  body, 

from    Allhallowes,   Barking,    London,   to   St. 

John's    Colledge    in    Oxford;    July    the    xxist    1663": 

Extract  from  the  Vestry   Minute   Book  of  Allhallows 

Church,   under    the   date    July    1663 — See  Notes  and 

Queries ',  3rd  Series,  iii.  3. 

When  first  Injustice  pack't  up  his  High  Court, 
When  Usurpation  grav'd  a  Broad  Seal  for't; 
When  Death  in  Butcher's  dress  did  th'  Axe  advance, 
And  Tragike  Purpose  with  all  circumstance 
Of  fright  and  feare,  took  up  the  fatall  stage 
To  set  Rebellion  in  its  Rule  and  Rage ; 
When  Friendship  fainted,  and  lay  Love  starke  dead, 
When  few  owned  him  whom  good  men  honored 
Then  Barkinge  home,  thus  by  the  world  forsook, 
The  butchered  body  of  the  Marty  re  took ; 

205 


206     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Tore  up  her  quiet  marble,  lodged  him  sure 

In  the  chief  chamber  of  her  sepulture; 

Where  he  entire  and  undisturbed  hath  bin, 

Murther'd  and  mangled  tho  at  Js  laying  in : 

Where  he's  untainted  too,  free  from  distrust 

Of  a  vile  mixture  with  rebellious  dust; 

To  make  that  sure,  brave  Andrewes  begged  it  meet 

To  rot  at  coffin's,  and  to  rise  at  's  feet.1 

But  now  our  learned  Laud  Js  to  Oxford  sent : 
St.  John's  is  made  St.  William's  monument; 
Made  so  by  'mselfe;  this  pious  Prelate's  knowne 
Best  by  the  Books  and  Buildings  of  his  owne : 2 
Whom,  tho'  th'  accursed  Age  did  then  deny 
To  lay  him  where  the  Royal  Reliques  lye 
Which  was  his  due,  at  's  bodye's  next  remove 
He'll  Rise  and  Reigne  amongst  the  Blest  above." 

"  Upon  the  Picture  of  King  Charles  the  First  in  St. 
John's  Colledge  Library,  Oxon.  —  Written  in  the 
Psalms  "—Jeremiah  Wells  (St.  John's  College),  Poems 
upon  divers  occasions •,  Oxford,  1667. 

In  the  Library  of  St.  John  Baptist  College,  Oxford, 
is  a  portrait  of  King  Charles  the  First,  with  the 
penitential  Psalms  written  in  a  minute  hand  in  the 
lines  of  the  hair  and  face.  Charles  n,  when  he  visited 
Oxford  in  1663,  asked  it  of  the  College,  and  could  not 
be  refused;  but  when  he  thanked  the  Society  for  its 
loyal  reception  of  him,  and  invited  them  to  say  what  he 
could  do  for  them  in  return,  they  straightway  begged 
him  to  restore  to  them  the  Martyr's  picture. 

With  double  reverence  we  approach  and  look 
On  what's  at  once  a  Picture  and  a  Book; 

1  Capt.  Eusebius  Andrews,  a  devoted  Royalist,  beheaded  and  buried  in 
Allhallows  Church,  April  23,  1650. 

2  In  1636,  Laud's  quadrangle  at  St.  John  Baptist  College  was  completed, 
and  new  rooms  assigned  therein  by  special  direction  for  the  Library. 


RESTORATION  AND  REVOLUTION       207 

Nor  think  it  Superstition  to  adore 

A  King  made  Now  more  Sacred  than  Before. 

Here  no  fond  Artist  at  our  sight  lets  in 

The  sly  debauchery  of  painted  sin, 

Provoking  real  Lust  by  feigned  Art, 

As  if  his  Pencil  were  a  Cupid's  Dart; 

Nor  no  dissembling  Painter's  flattering  Glasse 

Turns  gross  Deformity  to  beauteous  Grace, 

And  mending  Doubly  Counterfeits  a  face. 

The  Object's  here  Majestick  and  Divine; 

Divinity  does  Majesty  enshrine ; 

Each  adds  to  th'  other  lustre;  such  a  thing 

Befits  the  image  of  a  Saint  and  King. 

Each  Lineament  o'  th'  Face  contains  a  Prayer ; 

Phylacteries  fill  the  place  of  Common  Hair, 

Which,  circling  their  beloved  Defender,  spread 

Like  a  True  Glory  round  his  Royal  Head. 

His  Mouth  with  Precepts  filled,  bespeaks  our  Ear, 

Summons  that  Sense  too,  bids  us  See  and  Hear: 

Both  are  Divine;  Blest  Moses  thus  did  see 

At  once  the  Tables  and  the  Deity: 

Thus  Faith  by  Seeing  comes ;  Religion  thus 

Enamours,  when  to  th'  Senses  obvious: 

This  sight  should  work  a  Miracle  on  the  Rout, 

Make  them  at  once  both  Loyall  and  Devout. 

No  massy  Crown  loads  his  diviner  Brow; 
This  would  Debase,  cannot  Adorne  him  now; 
'Tis  farre  too  gross  'mong  Spirits  to  have  place ; 
A  greater  Majesty  shines  in  his  Face. 
Thus  after  Death  eternized,  he  outvies 
The  New  Rome's  Saints  and  the  Old's  Deities, 
While     Pilgrims     from     the      world      around      shall 

come, 

Not  to  adore  thy  Birthplace  or  thy  Tomb, 
No  Sacred  Relique,  or  Remains  of  thine, 
Thy  Statue  or  thy  Picture,  Hearse  or  Shrine, 
But  the  bright  Lustre  of  thy  heavenly  Brow, 
Thyself  thus  plac't  in  Glory  here  Below, 


208     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

But  well  has  Art,  lest  our  weak  sight  should  fail, 

Covered  our  Moses  with  a  double  veil ; 

First,  then,  i'  th'  middle  of  some  brightest  day, 

Oppose  thy  sight  to  the  Sun's  fiercest  ray  ; 

Outface  him  in  his  Zenith :  if  this  light 

Do  not  destroy,  but  purify,  thy  sight, 

Then  mayest  thou  draw  the  Outer  Veil,  and  pry 

Into  this  Image  of  Divinity: 

But  not  the  Next;  some  mystery  sure  there  was, 

That  we  must  yet  but  see  thee  in  a  Glass. 

Had  Moses  seen  thy  radiant  Majestic, 
That  Prophet  had  resigned  his  Veil  to  Thee; 
Nor  had  he  needed  it;  wert  Thou  in  sight, 
His  twinkling  Splendour  had  held  in  its  light: 
His  Veil  had  hid  his  pious  Shame,  and  Hee 
Had  Doubly  been  obscured,  by  That  and  Thee: 
His  dazzling  Lustre,  though  Adored  Before, 
Had  only  served  to  shew  that  Thou  had'st  More : 
And  well  thou  might'st;  for  that  Divinity 
He  only  Gaz'd  upon,  is  Lodged  in  Thee: 
Thy  Countenance  does  with  Innate  lustre  shine, 
Whose  every  Feature's,  like  Thyself,  Divine; 
The  Lines  and  Thee  so  like  in  every  thing, 
That  while. we  see  the  Psalms,  we  read  the  King; 
Inabled  thus  Thyself,  Thyself  t'  inspire, 
To  be  at  once  the  Sacrifice  and  Fire; 
Glorious  Without,  thy  Body's  every  part 
Is  fashioned,  as  thy  Soul,  after  God's  heart. 
Those  Parcels  of  Religion  we  adore 
In  Others,  are  Completed  Here,  and  More. 
That  Impress  of  the  Deity  in  the  Mind 
By  Others  stampt,  we  in  thy  Body  find; 
Thy  frame  so  like  Divine  in  ev'ry  part 
That  thou  did'st  not  Resemble  it,  but  Art. 
The  Artist  has  Defined,  not  Drawn,  thee  here, 
Nor  is't  a  Picture  but  a  Character ; 
The  Emblem  of  thy  Mind :  Posteritie 
May  hence  learn  what  Thou  Wert,  and  They  Should  Be  ; 


RESTORATION  AND  REVOLUTION       209 

Thy  own  Example:  safely  may'st  thou  go, 
Thyself  the  Passenger  and  Conduct  too ; 
Know  but  Thyself;  All  Other  things  are  known; 
All  Science  here  is  Self-reflexion. 

The  Presbyterian  Maxim  holds  not  here, 
That  calls  Locks  impious,  if  below  the  ear; 
When  every  fatal  clip  lops  off  a  Prayer, 
And  he's  accursed  that  dares  but  cut  thy  Hair. 
The  Mad  Phanatick,  seeing  these  thy  rays, 
Struck  with  the  light,  falls  on  his  knees,  and  prays ; 
And  blind  with  lustre  that  did  round  him  shine, 
Acknowledges  the  Vision  is  Divine, 
And  washing  off  his  hypocritic  paint, 
He  reconciles  the  Subject  and  the  Saint. 
Those  Madder  Zealots,  that  as  soon  as  come 
From  the  Arabian  Impostor's  Tomb, 
Put  out  their  eyes  the  Image  to  retain, 
Counting  all  future  objects  are  but  vain, 
Would  here  be  saved  the  labour,  and  should  find 
True  Miracles  Strike  their  beholders  Blind : 
Nor  would  they  rest,  till  come  where  they  might  be 
Blest  with  the  lasting  sight  of  Heaven  and  Thee. 
And  now,  blest  Spirit,  while  thy  glorious  Ghost 
Remains  above,  may  we  thy  Mantle  boast; 
Still,  like  Apollo,  'mong  our  Muses  sit, 
Improving  both  our  Piety  and  Wit: 
Still  with  us  as  our  Guardian  Angel  stay, 
Thou  'rt  full  as  glorious  and  as  bright  as  They. 
To  our  new  Troy  Thou  the  Palladium  be; 
May  we  Ourselves  lose  when  we  forfeit  Thee, 
From  Thee  Protection  may  we  find,  and  Light; 
Safe  in  thy  Guard  ;  and  in  thy  Lustre,  Bright. 
May  our  continued  Piety  load  thy  Ears 
With  Pilgrims'  Vows  and  with  our  Daily  Prayers; 
And  may'st  Thou  oft  'mong  us  descend  and  see 
What's  far  too  Holy  to  be  aught  but  Thee. 
Resolve  our  scruple,  since  none  other  can; 
Our  too  much  Piety  makes  us  Profane; 
14 


210     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

While  seeing  thy  lustre  so  divinely  clear, 

We  scarce  believe  thou  art  in  Heaven,  but  Here. 

THE  OXFORD  ALDERMAN'S  SPEECH  TO  THE  DUKE 
OF  MONMOUTH,  WHEN  HIS  GRACE  MADE  HIS 
ENTRANCE  INTO  THAT  ClTY,  SEPTEMBER  1680 

"On  Sep.  16  and  17,  1680,  the  Duke  of  Monmouth, 
natural  son  of  Charles  II  by  Lucy  Waters,  was  at 
Oxford,  racing  in  Port  Meadow  by  the  means  of  Lord 
Lovelace.  The  University  took  no  notice  of  him :  but 
Alderman  Wright,  with  a  crew,  cried  out  *  God  save  him 
and  the  Protestant  Religion  ! ' '  A  long  satirical  ballad 
on  Monmouth's  entertainment  by  the  Alderman  on  this 
occasion  is  printed  in  Wood's  Life  and  Times  (Oxford 
Hist.  Soc.),  ii.  496. 

Stout  Hannibal,  before  he  came  of  age, 
Perpetual  wars  with  Rome  was  sworn  to  wage: 
You  lead  us  to  such  wars  ; — O  Happy  We ! 
Great  Prince,  you  are  a  Soldier  good  as  he ; 
Though  some  will  say,  to  give  the  devil  his  due, 
He  was  as  good  a  Protestant  as  you ; — 
You    to    that    Whore     of    Whores,    the    Whore    of 

Rome, 

Devoted  from  your  own  fair  mother's  womb, 
Tho'  in  the  schools  of  Jesuits  true  bred, 
You  scorned  to  learn  of  them  to  Write  or  Read, 
A  Protestant  the  more  to  be  admired 
That  never  was  Instructed  but  Inspired  : 
So  unconcern'd  from  Popery  you  pass; 
No  use  of  Understanding  in  the  case; 
True  Interest,  that  all  other  things  o'erpowers, 
And  generous  Indignation  made  You  Ours; 
E'en  so  in  Spain  to  Mass  come  trading  Jews, 
Cast  Drabs  turn  Quakers  but  to  spite  the  Stews. 
But  fears  and  jealousies  of  you  we  scorn, 
That  were  so  true  a  Son  of  Honour  born; 


RESTORATION  AND  REVOLUTION       211 

And  since  have  made  both  Gog  and  Magog  bleed ; — 
Act  but  the  Demagogue,  you'll  do  the  deed: 
You'll  Ram  and  Dam  proud  Anti-Christ  to  Hell ; — 
But  force  him  first  to  work  one  Miracle; 
He  that  with  four  hard  words  and  one  grave  Nod 
Turns  an  insipid  Wafer  into  God, 
Were  you  a  dough-baked  Duke,  with  less  ado 
To  Prince  of  Wales  may  Transubstantiate  You. 
Do  You  but  say  't,  we'll  swear  that  You  are  so ; 
And  rather  kiss  your  hand  than  kiss  his  toe. 
Resolved,  resolved !  it  shall  not  be  gainsaid ; 
Faith !  we'll  believe  your  Mother  was  a  Maid. 

Why  should  you  think  Ambition  any  Crime? 
We'll  make  you  duke  of  Venice  in  due  time; 
Or  if  you  scruple  to  Usurp  the  Crown, 
Having  once  raised  Us,  yourself  may  then  sit  down  ; 
You  and  your  friends  shall  have  the  foremost  place, 
Perhaps  we'll  join  Sir  Armstrong  to  your  Grace; 
Whether  You  reign  or  He,  't  is  much  as  one, 
Great  Alexander's  dear  Hephaestion. 

But  when  You  come  to  reap  these  goodly  fruits 
Sweet  Sir,  remember  then  Our  humble  suits : — 
First ;  let  the  lordly  Bishops  go  to  pot : 
'T  is  plain  their  Lordships  all  are  in  the  plot ; 
They  hold  none  Lawful  Heirs  but  Lawfully  Begot! 
Our  Commonwealth's  a  castle  in  the  air, 
If  still  we  pray  for  King  in  Common  Prayer: 
These  paltry  Scholars,  blast  them  with  one  breath ! 
Or  else  they'll  rhyme  your  Grace  and  Us  to  death. 
Then  O  brave  We !     Then  Hey  for  our  good  Town ! 
Then  Up  go  We,  when  Wit  and  Sense  go  Down ! 

SONG  ON  THE  DISSOLUTION  OF  THE  OXFORD 
PARLIAMENT,  1681 

The  last  Parliament  held  at  Oxford  opened  on 
March  21,  1681,  and  was  dissolved  on  March  28,  after 
seven  days'  existence.  Many  songs  and  poems  on  the 


tj 


212     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

life  and  death  of  this  "  mushroom "  or  "  week  "-ed 
Parliament,  the  attempts  made  by  the  violent  Whigs 
to  intimidate  or  coerce  Charles  II  into  giving  his  con- 
sent to  the  Exclusion  Bill,  the  King's  firmness  in 
defence  of  his  brother,  and  his  abrupt  dissolution  of 
parliament,  may  be  found  in  the  Ballad  Society's 
Publications,  Roxburghe  Ballads,  vols.  iv.,  v.,  and  also  in 
Wood's  Life  and  Times  (Oxford  Hist.  Soc.),  ii.  533. 

Local  disappointment  at  the  short  life  of  the  Parlia- 
ment is  described  in  the  following  lines.  Oxford 
tradesmen  had  been  expecting  to  reap  a  harvest  from 
the  Members,  and  charged  exorbitant  rates  for  accom- 
modation, etc.  As  Stephen  Penton  of  St.  Edmund 
Hall  writes  in  his  Guardian's  Instruction,  "they  put 
Dutch  rates  upon  their  houses,  so  that,  as  't  was  said, 
under  five  or  six  pounds  a  week,  a  Whig  could  not  have 
room  to  talk  treason  in." 


OXFORD  IN  MOURNING  FOR  THE  LOSS  OF  HER 
PARLIAMENT 

or 

LONDON'S  LOUD  LAUGHTER  AT  HER  FLATTERING 
HERSELF  WITH  EXCESSIVE  TRADING 

A  Pleasant  New  Song 

Now  Tapsters,  Vintners,  Salesmen,  Tailors,  all 
Open  their  mouths  and  for  their  losses  bawl 
The  Parliament  is  gone :— their  hopes  now  fail ; 
Palled  is  the  wine  and  egar  grows  the  ale. 
Now  rooms  late  let  for  twenty  pounds  a  week, 
Would     let     for     twelvepence,     but     must     lodgers 

seek: 

London  rejoices  who  was  sad  before, 
And  does  in  like  coin  pay  off  Oxford's  score. 

To  the  tune  of  " Packington's  Pound"  or  "Digby's 
Farewell." 


RESTORATION  AND  REVOLUTION       213 

(1)  London  now  smiles  to  see  Oxford  in  tears 
Who  lately  derided  and  scoffed  at  her  fears, 
Thinking  her  joys  they  should  never  be  spent 
But  that  always  they'd  last  with  the  Parliament: 
But  oh !  she's  mistaken,  for  now  they  are  gone, 
And  fairly  have  left  her  to  grieve  all  alone. 

(2)  Now  Vintners  and  Tapsters  that  hoped  for  such 

gain 

By  cheating  the  people,  have  cause  to  complain: 
The   Cooks   that   were   stored    with   provisions,   now 

grieve, 

While  London,  to  hear  it,  doth  laugh  in  her  sleeve. 
And  now  the  fat  Hostess  who  lives  by  the  sins 
Of  those  who  brought  many,  to  whimper  begins. 

(3)  So  dolefully  toll  now  the  Bells,  that  of  late 
With    loud    sounds    did    a  pleasure   to    hear    them 

create ; 

The  Inn-keepers  late  that  so  prodigal  were 
Of  standings,  have  horse-room  enough  and  to  spare ; 
Whilst  London  rejoices  to  think  of  the  time 
When    Oxford    Bells    jangled    and    scarcely    could 

chime. 

(4)  Now  Salesmen   and  Sempstresses  homeward    do 

pack, 
No    more    cries    the    Shoemaker,    "What    do    you 

lack?" 

The  Tailor  by  thimble  and  bodkin  doth  curse, 
And  swears  that  his  trading  could  never  be  worse; 
Yet    home    again    barefoot    poor    pricklouse    must 

trudge, 
Whilst  Oxford  he  bans,  and  his  labour  doth  grudge. 

(5)  The    Chairmen   who    thought   to   return   with    a 

load 
Of  silver  to  London,  to  store  their  abode, 


214     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Now  homeward  must  foot  it,  though  'tis  with  much 

pain; 

And  creep  in  their  chairs  to  secure  them  from  rain ; 
When  night  does  approach,  there  their  lodging  they 

make, 
For  a  better  to  purchase  no  money  they  take. 

(6)  The   Coffee    men   wish    that   in   London    they'd 

stayed 

And  not  to  have  rambled  in  hopes  of  a  trade; 
Their  shops  of  sedition  did  fail  of  their  end, 
And  back  now  their  puddle  to  London  they  send  ; 
While   she    doth    deride    them,   and    flout    them    to 

scorn 
To  see  their  ears  hanging  as  if  they're  forlorn. 

(7)  While  Chirurgeons,  of  all,   the  best  trading   will 

find; 
For    the    Cracks   having   fled,   they    have   left   work 

behind, 

That  doubtless  repentance  unfeigned  will  cause: 
The  Goldsmiths  and  Drapers  now  stand  at  a  pause, 
*  Padders      How  to  plan  in  their  journey  the  Padders  *  to  'scape; 
waynfen        While  London  for  joy  at  their  follies  does  leap. 


(8)  She   hears   the  loud  sounding  of  Oxford's   great 

bell, 

Which  the  Town's  heaviness  plainly  doth  tell; 
How  the  laughter  they  lately  against  her  did  vent 
For  enjoying  the  Court  and  the  Parliament, 
Is  now  turned  to  weeping,  and  each  one  sits  sad 
To  think  what  a  loss  by  dissolving  he's  had. 

(9)  Remember  then,  Oxford,  how  London  you  flout, 
For  she'll  be  still  even  with  you,  't  is  no  doubt : 
England's  chief  City  must  still  bear  the  bell, 

For  near  it,  the  most  part,  the  King  he  will  dwell, 
And  cheer  her  with  favours,  while  Oxford  sits  sad, 
And  many  lament  the  bad  trade  they  have  had. 


RESTORATION  AND  REVOLUTION       215 

THE  OXFORD  HEALTH 

or 

THE  JOVIAL  LOYALIST  :  A  New  Song 
London,  1681 

(abridged  from  Ballad  Society  Publications,  Roxburgh* 
Ballads,  v.  37.) 

We  will  be  loyal  and  drink  off  our  wine 
Though    Pope   and    though    Presbyter    both   should 

repine. 

No  State  Affairs  shall  ere  turmoil  our  brain ; 
Let  those  take  care  to  whom  they  appertain. 
We'll  love  our  King,  and  wish  him  happy  days, 
And  drink  to  all  who  daily  speak  his  praise: 
We'll  Loyal  prove,  and  ever  more  will  be 
With  Plotters  and  with  Plots  at  enmity. 

Tune  of  "  On  the  Banks  of  the  River,"  or  "  Packing- 
ton's  Pound." 

Here's    a    health    to    the    King    and    his    Lawful 

Successors, 

To  Tantivy  Tories  and  Loyal  Addressers ! 
No  matter  for  those  who  promoted  Petitions 
To  poison  the  Nation  and  stir  up  Seditions. 
Here's  a  health  to  the  Queen  and  her  ladies  of  Honour  ! 
A  pox  on  all  those  who  put  sham  plots  upon  her!1 
Here's  a  health  to  the  Duke  and  the  Senate  of  Scotland 
And    to   all    Honest   Men   that    from   Bishops   ne'er 
got  land.2 

1  The  infamous  Whig  informer,  Titus   Oates,  had   lately  accused  the 
Queen  of  an  attempt  to  poison  the  King. 

2  See  letter  of  Dr.    Zacheus   Isham,  Dean  of  Christ   Church,  to   Dr. 
Edmund  Borlase,  dated  March  31,  1681  :   "We  have  a  long  story  here  of 
a  private  conference  between  the  King  and  the  Earl  of  Shaftesbury,  who 
proposed  to  him  the  declaring  of  the  Duke  of  Monmouth  to  be  legitimate, 
and  the  enriching  of  himself  by  Church  lands  ;    but  the   King  rejected 
both  proposals  as  unjust "  :  Henry  Ellis,  Letters  illustrative  of  English 
History,  2nd  Series,  iv.  165. 


2i6     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Here's  a  health  to  L'Estrange  and  to  Heraclitus, 
And  true  Tory  Thompson  who  never  did  slight  us ! l 
And  forgetting  Broom,  Paulin,  and  alderman  Wrightus, 
With  Tony  and  Bethel,  Ignoramus  and  Titus,2 
Here's  a  health  to  our  Church  and  to  all  that  are  for  it ! 
A  shame  to  all  Papists  and  Whigs  who  abhor  it! 
Safe  may  she  be  still  from  new  ways  of  Refiners, 
And  justice  be  done  to  all  Protestant  Joiners  ! 3 

Then  come  all   you   Loyalists,   though  the  Whigs 

mutter, 
And  all  about  nothing  do  keep  up  their  clutter ; 

1  "A  new  dialogue  between  Heraclitus  and  Towser"  had  recently  been 
published,  "Towser"  being  the  nickname  bestowed  on  Roger  L'Estrange, 
the  Tory  pamphleteer  who  was  bravely  exposing  the  iniquities  of  Gates. 
Nat.  Thompson  was  a  writer  of  loyal  songs,  a  collection  of  which  he  issued 
in  1685. 

2  Brome  Whorwood  and  Alderman  Wright  represented  Oxford  City  in 
the  Whig  interest  in  Parliament,  1681.     Paulin,  an  Oxford  mercer  and  a 
Whig  fanatic,    "was  at  this  time  nearly  broke,   because  of  his  quarrels 
with  the  university  authorities,  all  trade  having  been  withdrawn  from  him 
and  his  creditors  falling  upon  him"  (Prideaux,  Letters  to  Ellis,  May  1681, 
Camden  Society).     "Tony"  is  the  Whig  leader,  Antony  Ashley  Cooper, 
1st  Lord  Shaftesbury.     Slingsby  Bethel  and  Henry  Cornish,  as  Sheriffs, 
had  systematically  packed  juries  in  the  Whig  interest :  "the  Law  was  in 
fact  become  a  captive  of  the  Faction,  like  a  Dog  in  a  String,  to  snarl  and 
bite  only  as  they  encouraged.      Bills  preferred  against  Whigs  for  high 
treason  were  invariably  thrown  out  by   Grand  Juries,  with  the  indorse- 
ment "  Ignoramus." 

3  One  of  the  most  noisy  of  the  "  Whig  dogs"  at  the  time  of  the  Oxford 
Parliament,  in  his  threats  against  the  King  and  the  Catholics,  had  been 
the  foolish  vapouring  "Protestant  Joiner,"   Stephen  Colledge.     He  had 
brought  with  him  his  famous  "Protestant  Flail,"  a  kind  of  life-preserver 
designed  by  him  for  use  against  the  Papists  : 

"This  Flail  was  invented  to  thrash  the  brain 
And  leave  not  behind  the  weight  of  a  grain 

With  a  thump. 

At  the  handle  end  there  hung  a  weight 
That  carried  with  it  unavoidable  fate 
To  take  the  Monarch  a  rap  on  the  pate. 
It  took  its  degree  in  Oxford  Town, 
And  with  the  Carpenter  it  went  down 
With  a  thump." 
On  July  8,  1681,  Colledge  was  indicted  at  the  Old  Bailey  for  high 


RESTORATION  AND  REVOLUTION       217 

In  spite  of  the  Pope  or  Jack  Presbyter  either, 
We'll  always  be  merry,  and  will  regard  neither. 
Although  they  may  Tory  and  Tantivy  name  us, 
We  care  not  a  pin :  there's  none  honest  will  blame  us. 
We'll  drink  to  the  King  and  his  Lawful  Successors 
And    to    all    those    who    prove    themselves    Loyal 
Addressers. 


VERSES  ON  THE  COMING  OF  THE  WHIG,  LORD 
LOVELACE,  TO  OXFORD  FROM  GLOUCESTER 
GAOL  IN  DECEMBER  1688,  AFTER  THE  LANDING 
IN  ENGLAND  OF  THE  PRINCE  OF  ORANGE 

With  him  came  some  300  followers,  among  whom 
were  some  Townsmen  of  Oxford  who  went  out  to  meet 
him,  and  several  pitiful  rascally  fellows  with  no  arms 
but  bills  and  staves:  see  State  Trials,  xii.-8i. 

The  following  poem  is  attributed  to  John  Smith, 
second  master  at  Magdalen  College  School,  and  appears 
in  the  Miscellany,  edited  by  John  Dry  den  in  1716, 
2nd  part,  198. 

A  late  expedition  to  Oxford  was  made 
By  a  Protestant  Peer,  and  his  brother  o'  th'   blade, 
Who  his  Lordship  in  triumph  from  Gloucester  con- 
veyed ; 

Which  nobody  can  deny. 

Had    you   seen   all    his    myrmidons    when     they 

came  to  us, 

Equipped  in  their  threadbare  gray  coats  and  high  shoes, 
You'd   have   sworn  not   the    Gaol,  but  all    Hell   was 
broke  loose ; 

Which  nobody  can  deny. 

treason,  but  according  to  the  corrupt  practice  above  mentioned  the  Grand 
Jury  returned  the  bill  with  the  finding  "Ignoramus."  The  following 
week,  a  bill  was  presented  against  him  at  the  Oxford  Assizes ;  the  Grand 
Jury  found  it  "vera  billa,"  and  Colledge  was  tried,  found  guilty,  and 
hanged  at  Oxford. 


2i 8     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

In  rank  and  in  file  there  rode  many  a  man ; 
Some  marched  in  the  rear  and  some  in  the  van ; 
And   for   want   of  their   hats,  they   had   head-pieces 
on; 

Which  nobody  can  deny. 

Tho  arms  were  not  plenty,  yet  armed  they  come, 
With  stout  oaken  plants  and  crabtree  sticks  some, 
To  cudgel  the  Pope  and  the  Bald-pates  of  Rome: 

Which  nobody  can  deny. 

Some  had  two  able  legs,  but  never  a  boot ; 
And  on  their  tits  mounted,  they  bravely  stood  to  't; 
But   for   the  name  of  a   horse,  they'd   as  well   gone 
on  foot; 

Which  nobody  can  deny. 

In  all   these   gay   troops,   'mongst   twenty   scarce 

one 

Had  halbert  or  pistol,  sword,  carbine,  or  gun ; 
A  sign  they  did  mean  no  great  harm  to  be  done; 

Which  nobody  can  deny. 

One  horse  wore  a  halter  among  all  the  rest; 
Nor  had  the  dull  wight  half  the  sense  of  his  beast, 
And  he  of  the  two  did  deserve  the  rope  best ; 
Which  nobody  can  deny. 

Here  were  many  gallants,  I  warrant  you,  that 
Had  ribbons  of  orange,  and  seaman's  cravat; 
The  defect  of  their  arms  was  made  up  in  state; 

Which  nobody  can  deny. 

Here    Mordant    and    G on    their    pampered 

steeds  prance ; 

D ,  Brab ,  G next,  and  J.  Willis  advance 

Who   phyzed    at    the    Switzer    who   caned    him    in 
France ; 

Which  nobody  can  deny. 


RESTORATION  AND  REVOLUTION       219 

In  this  cavalcade,  for  the  grace  of  the  matter, 
Lord    Lovelace    rode    first,   and    the   next    followed 

after ; 

They   galloped    up   town   first,   and    then    down    to 
water ; 

Which  nobody  can  deny. 

The  Mayor  and  his  brethren  in  courteous  fashion, 
Bade    him    welcome    to    town    in    a    fine    penned 

oration, 

And    thanked    him    for    taking    such    care    of   the 
nation  ; 

Which  nobody  can  deny. 

His  Honour  the  next  day,  in  courtship  exceeding, 
Returned  a  smart  speech  to  shew  them  his  breeding, 
Which,  when  Jt   is   in  print,  will   be  well   worth   the 
reading ; 

Which  nobody  can  deny. 

Having  thus  far  proceeded  to  secure  the  town, 
The     guards    were    straight     set,    and     the    bridge 

beaten  down ; 

And  tho'  no  great  courage,  his  conduct  was  shewn; 
Which  nobody  can  deny. 

Next  night,  alarums  our  warriors  surprise; 
Drums   beat,   trumpets   sound,   and   at   midnight   all 

rise 

To  fight  the  King's  army  that  came  in  disguise; 
Which  nobody  can  deny.1 

"On  Thursday  night  (Dec.  6),  about  three  o'clock,  was  a  great  alarm 
all  the  town  over,  that  a  party  of  the  king's  dragoons  were  coming  to 
plunder  the  city.  The  townsmen  betook  themselves  to  their  arms ;  and 
an  arch  of  Magdalen  College  bridge  was  broken  down  to  prevent  the  enemy 
coming  in.  Next  day  people  were  ferried  over  the  Cherwell  ;  and 
afterwards  planks  were  laid  over  the  chasm  for  the  convenience  of 
passengers  and  market  people  "  :  State  Trials,  xii.  8 1  ;  Wood's  Life  and 
Times  (Oxford  Hist.  Soc.),  iii.  286. 


220     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

The   Cits    were   straight  armed,   expert   men   and 

able, 
With   prongs    and    with    coal-staves    marched    next 

whooping  rabble, 
In  as  great  a  confusion  as  ever  was  Babel; 

Which  nobody  can  deny. 

In    the    midst    of    a    mob,    two    stout    draymen 

appear ; 

To  guard  Mr.  Ensign,  a  huge  nasty  tar 
Who  flourished  a  blanket  for  colours  of  war, 

Which  nobody  can  deny. 

At   the  foot   of    the   colours,   blithe   Crendon   did 

go, 

Who  played  a  new  tune  you  very  well  know; 
His  bag-pipes  squeaked  nothing  but  Lero,  lero ; l 
Which  nobody  can  deny. 

And   had    the   dear   Joys   now   but   come    in   the 

nick, 

I  fancy  they'd  shewn  them  a  slippery  trick, 
And  marched  more  nimbly  without  their  musick  ; 
Which  nobody  can  deny. 

Lines  by  Dr.  Thomas  Smith  of  Magdalen  College 
upon  Dr.  Jane,  Regius  Professor  of  Divinity,  and  those 
Heads  of  Houses,  who,  in  a  Convocation  holden  in  July 
1683,  nad  zealously  passed  the  famous  Decree  of  Passive 
Obedience,  and  now  tacitly  condemned  the  same  by 
causing  the  printed  copies  thereof  to  be  removed  from 
the  halls  and  public  places  where  they  had  been  hung 
in  triumph;  and  who,  moreover,  on  Dec.  12,  1688, 

1  The  song  "Lillibullero,"  by  the  Whig,  Thomas  Wharton.  Crendon 
was  a  local  piper  of  repute.  His  name  appears  in  both  of  the  Speeches 
which  were  spoken  in  the  Theatre  by  the  Terrae  Filius  in  1703.  In  the 
first,  Mander,  Master  of  Balliol,  is  described  as  a  "potator  indefessus,  in 
Alehouses  adeundis  frequentior  Crendonio "  :  The  University  Miscellany, 


RESTORATION  AND  REVOLUTION       221 

entered  into  an  Association  to  defend  the  Prince  of 
Orange  who  came  to  pull  the  King,  his  uncle  and 
father-in-law,  out  of  his  throne:  State  Trials,  xii.  83. 

In  Janum  bifrontem 

Cum  fronti  sit  nulla  fides,  ut  carmina  dicunt, 
Cur  tibi  bifronti,  Jane,  sit  ulla  fides. 

In  Associationem  a  quibusdam  Oxoniensis 
Academiae  Doctoribus  initam 

Nuper  sacrileges  infandi  schismatis  ausus 

Atque  monarchomachos  perculit  Oxonia : — 
Oxonia  antiquae  fidei  verique  magistra, 

Regibus  efftiso  sanguine  fida  suis. 
Unde  haec  fluxa  fides?   haec  inconstantia  morum? 

Scottorum  foedus  sic  revocare  decet? 
Fallimur.     En  Matrem  non  haec  infamia  tangit: 

Dediscunt  pauci  quam  dedit  Ilia  fidem. 

II.  POEMS  ON  ACADEMICAL  AFFAIRS 

"The  Oxford  Clerk  at  work  and  play,  in  1667  A.D.," 
from  Oxonium  Poema,  by  F.  V.  (Francis  Vernon, 
Student  of  Christ  Church,  1654),  1667. 

Aspicit  adversa  Wadhamum  sede  Johannes, 
Hirsuta  non  fronte  minax,  non  asper  ut  olim, 
Sed  comptus,  silvaeque  tenax  habitator  opacae. 
Inter  utrumque  jacet  non  magno  semita  calle  The  Caus- 

Aequa  tamen,  junctamque  viam  sibi  cernit  equestrem ;  leadT^*1 
Hanc  tu  carpe  ducem,  et  campos  dimittet  in  illos         the  New 
Quos  Nova  dixerunt  prisci  Vivaria  Patres :  Parks. 

Quid  tituli  varias  prodest  exquirere  causas? 
Prata  vides,  non  ilia  feris  studiisque  Dianae 
Inclyta,  sed  teneris  stadia  haud  incommoda  Musis. 

Vidimus  hie  doctam  certatim  ludere  pubem  Athletic 

Et  firmos  monstrare  toros  teretesque  lacertos : 


222     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Hie  etiam,  magna  Juvenum  occurrente  caterva, 
Modest      Oxonii  castas  memini  rubuisse  puellas. 

Hie  niveos  errare  greges  spectabis,  et  ipsas 
Volvere  se  saturas  per  opima  cubilia  vaccas: 
Schollars    Est  aliud  genus,  (haud  numero  te,  Frater,  in  isto 
pate  as       Pone  puer !)  juvat  hos  Logico  mugire  boatu, 
they  walk.  «  Distinguo  "-que,  "  Probo  "-que,  et  acuti  rixa  Lycaei : 
Hos  cernes  flagrare  oculis,  magnoque  tumultu 
Non  intellectas  portare  in  praelia  Formas — 
Mox  Burgersdicius  tumidus  crepat,  hinc  Brerewoodus 
Hinc  et  Aristotelis  tonat  Organon,  inde  fragore 
Insolito  Sandersonus  diverberat  aures ; 
Jamque  Poloniacis  acer  Smiglecius  armis 
Emicat,  oppositus  stat  Keckermanus  atrox  vi : 
Nee  mora,  cum  totam  videas  ardere  Conimbram, 
Et  Complutenses  vibrare  incendia  Patres. 
Parte  alia  nigras  longo  movet  ordine  turmas, 
Aspera  bella  ferens,  nee  segnior  ardet  Aquinas. 
Inde  Gigantaeus  per  vasta  volumina  Suarez 
Sternit  in  astra  viam,  ac  imponit  Pelion  Ossae; 
Quern  premit  assistens  praeacuta  cuspide  Vasquez. 
Dejicit  extructos  contorto  fulmine  montes 
Scheiblerus,  magnasque  quatit  moles  Herebordus. 
Tandem    Combachius     furit,    atque    Magirus     et     in- 

gens 
Nescio  quid  Batavum  demurmurat  Isendornus.1 

Sic  argumentis  concurritur;  horrida  strident 
Nomina,  et  insano  rumpunt  sese  omnia  bombo. 

1  Authors  and  books  cited  are:  Frangois  Burgersdyck  (1590-1629), 
Logica\  Edward  Brerewood  (B.N.C.,  1581),  Tractatus  quidam  Logici, 
Oxford,  1628  ;  Robert  Sanderson  (Lincoln  College,  1603),  Logicae  Arlis 
Compendium,  1618;  Martinus  Smiglecius,  a  Polish  Jesuit  (1562-1618); 
Bartholomaeus  Keckerman,  Prussian  Calvinistic  divine  (1573-1609);  the 
writers  of  the  University  of  Coimbra  in  Portugal,  and  of  the  University  of 
Alcala  in  Spain  (Collegium  totius  Complutensis  Academiae) ;  Francisco 
Suarez,  Spanish  Jesuit  theologian  (1548-1617) ;  Gabriel  Vasquez,  Spanish 
writer  (1551-1604);  Scheibler's  Metaphysics',  Adrian  Herebord's  Melete- 
mata;  Magirus,  either  John  the  Mathematician  (1615-1697),  or  Tobias 
the  philosopher  and  theologian  (1586-1651) ;  and  Gilbert  Van  Isendoorn, 
Dutch  philosopher  (1601-1657). 


RESTORATION  AND  REVOLUTION       223 


Ite  procul  nugae  tetricae,  longumque  valeto 
Turba  gravis  pad,  placidaeque  inimica  quieti ! 
Tractemus  lites  coram  Praetore,  sodales ! 
Infelix  campo  quisquis  se  torquet  aprico. 

Tu  potius,  Frater,  per  mollia  gramina  gressus 
Colloquio  risuque  feres;  frontemque  severam 
Deponens,  laetos  comitabere  laetus  amicos, 
Aut  si  solus  eris,  spirantes  suaviter  auras 
Ore  leges,  terrasque  teres,  nubesque  volantes 
Aspiciens,  magnum  tacitus  venerabere  Numen, 
Et  prece  digna  putes  jucundae  munera  lucis. 
Sed  si  tantus  amor  Musas  captare  fugaces, 
Nee  tibi  fas  lectis  erit  abstinuisse  libellis, 
Vel  bona  Gassendi  lassabit  pagina  dextram, 
Vel  tibi  subtiles  reteget  Cartesius  artes, 
Aut  meus  Euclides  docilem  te  ducet  alumnum, 
Et  solus  feret  in  penetralia  summa  sacerdos. 
Parce,  precor,  rixis  coelum  vexare  salubre, 
Et  non  sanguineis  aciem  disponere  campis. 

Dicite,  Pierides,  verna  quis  splendor  in  hora, 
Quantus      honos      Patrum,      totosque      effusa       per 

agros 

Quanta  seges  Juvenum,  necnon  et  plurima  Virgo 
Quot  vibrant  flores  totidem  movet  ore  colores, 
Et  trahit  assiduis  fluitantia  carbasa  ventis. 
Instat  turba  procul  pisces  superare  natando, 
Quae  fluvii  petit  amplexus,  et  verbere  molli 
Tentatura  undas  humeros  denudat  eburnos : 
Ille  recens  secto  gaudet  se  volvere  foeno, 
Perque  suos  nidos  trepidas  agitare  cicadas : 
Alter  at  in  stagno  ran  as  spectare  natantes 
Gestit,  et  humanas  imitantia  membra  figuras. 
Ille  diem  facili  gaudet  producere  risu 
Fronde  super  fultus,  placidosque  recondere  soles : 
Tristior    alter    erit,    dumque     ad    vaga    flumina    fer- 

tur, 
Virgilium  aut  magni  carmen  memorabit  Horati. 


J.  V.  Ex  Aede 
Christi. 


Petri 

Gassendi, 

Philosophia 

Epicurea  • 

Rene  des 

Cartes, 

Euclidis 

Elenienta. 


Swimming  in 
Merton  Pool 
and  Schollar's 
Pool. 

Tumbling  in 
the  hay. 

Frogs  swim- 
ming. 

Telling  stories 
under  a  hay- 


224     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Leaping.         Hie  saltu  nitet,  hie  jacto  secat  aera  disco, 

Wrestling.       Hie  socium  dura  sudat  detrudere  lucta. 

Playing  at       Non  omnes  unum  studium  rapit;  undique  venis 

Dissimili  pulsu  sanguis  micat,  et  trahit  artus ; 

Concordesque  ferunt  animos  discordia  vota. 

Pars  humiles  texit  calathos  atque  ordine  j uncos 

Complicat,  aut  varias  pingit  sibi  flore  corollas. 
Making  Trim-  Pars  quoque  gramineae  residens  in  margine  ripae 
rustesTnd       Non  regressuros  educit  arundine  pisces: 
flowers.  Quidam  oculis  lustrat  rimans  qua  lucius  haeret 

Fixus  et  invigilat  sociis  latebrosus  edendis. 

At  tu  qui  Musas  atrata  veste  fateris, 
Searching  for   Immundum  versare  lutum,  chobasque  latentes 
crawfish1          Eruere,  aut  melius  tectos  tibi  quaerere  cancros, 

Parce,  nee  invideas  miseris  ignobile  lucrum: 
Water-rats,      Nam  mihi  saepe  sorex  latebris  mordere  sub  illis 
toads,  snakes.  yiSUSj  et  informis  prodire  in  sidera  bufo 

Aut  inopem  fecit  pallere  volubilis  anguis. 
Denique  quis  finis  tantos  exponere  ludos 

Et  cunctos  numerare  jocos,  juvenumque  labores ; 
Bacon's  Study  Omnia  quae  summa  spectat  Baconus  ab  arce, 
Bridge  f          Et  reserit  praeceps  Iflaea  in  litora  flumen ! " 

Iffley.   ' 


Lines  to  my  Lord  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  upon  his 
famous  erection,  the  Theater  at  Oxford-,  printed  for  C.  S. ; 
London,  1675. 

(The  Sheldonian  Theatre  was  opened  July  9,  1669.) 


What  bold  Erection  starts  not  to  appear 
In  competition  with  thy  Theater? 

Pompey's  great  Structure  most  admired  stood, 
Yet  mingled  't  was  twixt  Excellent  and  Good ; 
Though  its  Perfection  some  in  vain  protect, 
Compared  with  Thine,  't  was  Ruins  when  Erect. 


RESTORATION  AND  REVOLUTION       225 

This  Model  would  renew  fierce  Nero's  frown, 
The  Murderer  of  his  Mother  and  his  Town ; 
Striving  to  sample  This,  he  soon  would  find 
His  artless  Platform  fall  so  far  behind, 
The  Furies  would  award  him  equal  Doom 
For  Building  up,  as  for  his  Burning,  Rome. 

The  adverse  French  and  Spaniards  here  Accord, 
Agreeing  praises  to  This  Work  afford, 
And  Pity  those,  whose  commendations  fall 
Or  on  their  Louvre  or  Escurial ; 
And  waving  them,  send  Artists  Here  to  see 
Not  what  Great  Courts  Are,  but  Ought  to  be. 

Near  Earth's  deep  centre  the  Foundation  lies; 
While  the  Roof  bids  Good  Morning  to  the  Skies, 
Whose  unsupported  Arch  floats  in  the  air 
As  if  no  Buildings,  but  a  Bird  hung  there. 
As  Mahomet's  Tomb  contends  the  ground  to  press 
And  seems  restrained  below  by  emptiness; 
Did  no  Attractive  Agent  buoy  up  all, 
Without  his  Epilepsy  he  must  fall, 
And  his  blind  Votaries,  who  under  kneel, 
The  Fatal  Pressure  of  their  Prophet  feel; 
The  Tomb  had  crush't  and  covered  them,  ere  this, 
And  been  Their  Monument  as  well  as  His : — 
These  arches  swim  aloft,  secure  from  harm, 
Without  the  fraud  of  his  Magnetick  Charm, 
Where  once  arrived,  themselves  protect, 
Instructed  by  mysterious  Architect : 
Angles  to  Angles,  Squares  to  Squares  apply; 
Each  Stone  is  Loadstone  to  his  next  Ally.1 

1  The  tomb  of  Mahomet  was  generally  believed  to  hang  in  the  air  with- 
out any  visible  supporter,  between  two  loadstones  artificially  contrived 
above  and  below.  ' '  The  flat  roof  of  the  Theatre  has  no  pillars  to  support 
it,  being  kept  up  with  braces  and  screws,  and  whose  main  beams  are  made 
up  of  several  pieces  of  timber,  from  sidewall  to  sidewall  80  feet  one  way, 
and  70  the  other,  whose  lockages  are  in  some  respects  not  to  be  paralleled 
in  the  world"  :  Oxon.  Academia,  by  John  Pointer,  1749. 

*5 


226     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

To  some  less  wary  in  distinguishing, 
The  bare  name  "  Theater "  depraves  the  thing : 
Thither  they  come,  entangled  in  their  fears 
Of  meeting  Savage  Objects;    Panthers,  Bears, 
Wolves,  Lions,  Tigers !     These,  thus  prepossest, 
Expect  some  Splendid  Desert;    at  the  best, 
Africk  immured !    for  such,  they  have  been  told, 
Were  all  the  Ancient  "  Theaters  "  of  old. 
But  all  the  Sights  in  this  Majestick  Frame 
Are  like  the  Spectators — Tractable  and  Tame : 
No  mangled  Gladiators  here  intrude; 
No  Tragick  nor  no  Mimick  Interlude ; 
The  Uni-        But  all  the  hours  they  solemnly  beguile, 
ACrtslty  And  ne'er  excite  our  Sorrow  nor  our  Smile. 

The  Doctors  of  all  Faculties  and  Arts 
Outshine  their  Scarlet  with  their  Radiant  Parts: 
Few  hours  in  gravest  state  of  questions  spent, 
Opponents  brandish  Dint  of  Argument, 
Till,  in  subjection  to  Victorious  Brains, 
The  captive  Adversary  sighs  in  chains. 
Divinity         Of  all  the  Statelies  in  this  Orb's  dispose, 
Act'  The  Choicest  Canton  is  reserved  for  those 

Who  prove  all  praise,  e'en  to  this  Theater  lent, 
Most  due  to  that  above  the  Firmament: 
And  such  the  sacred  Sons  of  Aaron  be, 
Who'd  fain  confute  us  into  Eternity. 
If  some  in  heat  of  disputation  stray 
From  Saint  Ignatius  to  Loyola, 
Them  the  profound  Professor  soon  recalls 
By  Fathers,  Schools,  Councils,  Originals: 
Such  was  the  grave,  the  primitive  Decree, 
But  some  Divines  are  now  o'  th'  Livery ; 
Religion's  Artifice,  and  Shopmen  ply  it, 
Not  to  gain  Proselytes,  but  Custom  by  it; 
Their    Sermons    sell    their    Wares: — who    can     in- 
vade 

With     stoutest     Lungs,     O!     he's     the     Man     of 
Trade ! 


RESTORATION  AND  REVOLUTION       227 

Next  these,  the  learned  Aesculapian  train  Physick 

Seek  to  retrieve  their  lost  rights,  but  in  vain; 
'Gainst  Bills  and  posting  Empricks  they  inveigh, 
And  prove  no  Pestilence  devours  like  they 
In  pension  with  the  Grave;  their  surest  Trust 
(The  Serpent's  curse)  is  "Thou  shalt  eat  the  Dust." 


Next,  Civil  Sanctions  guarding  man  from  man ;        Civil  Law. 
Rich  treasures  left  us  by  Justinian, 
Codes,  Pandects,  Digests,  set  a  shore  to  Pride 
And  Wrong  throughout  the  World.     Who  can  decide 
Which  of  the  two  have  more  Extensive  Claws, 
The  Roman  Eagles  or  the  Roman  Laws? 

Throngs  of  Learn'd  Youth  fill  up  the  lower  space;    Regent 
Hoods,  whose  Reverse  are  Silks,  their  shoulders  grace, 
Shoulders,  which,  three  years  since,  did  only  claim 
Less-graduate  Furrs,  the  Ermine  of  the  Lamb. 
These,  seven  long  years,  the  Liberal  Arts  obey; 
At  seven  years'  end,  as  Liberal  as  They. 

What  Structure  else  but  Prides  it  to  Reveal 
Treasures?   which  Bashful  This  would  fain  Conceal. 
Thus  Indian  Kings'  Exchequers  heap  up  store, 
But  in  their  Mines  lies  infinitely  more. 
Her  Sacred  Oracle's  Inspired  Lungs,  The 

Above,  all  Truths,  below  they  speak  all  Tongues. 
Spain,  Gascon,  Florence,  Smyrna,  and  the  Rhine,         and,  below 
May    taste     their    Language    here,    though     not    the  Jilting 

Wine :  Office. 

The  Jew,  Mede,  Edomite,  Arabian,  Crete, 
In  these  deep  Vaults  their  wandering  Ideoms  meet, 
And  to  compute  are  in  Amazement  hurl'd 
How  long  since  Oxford  has  been  All  the  World.1 

1  The  Theatre  was  first  used  for  printing  in  September  1669.  The 
type-foundry  was  set  up  in  the  basement,  while  printing  took  place  on  the 
floor,  except  at  the  time  of  the  Act.  The  first  book  completely  printed  at 


228     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

AN  OXFORD  GUIDE,  1691 

From  Academia,  or  the  Humours  of  Oxford,  by  Mrs. 
Alicia  D'Anvers,  wife  of  Knightly  D'Anvers  of  Trinity 
College,  and  daughter  of  Samuel  Clarke,  esquire  bedel 
of  the  University  :  1691. 

(John  Blunder,  man-servant,  visits  his  young  master 
at  Queen's  College,  and,  on  his  return  home,  describes 
Oxford  to  his  fellow-servants.) 

There's  in  the  Cellar,  to  my  thinking, 
Queen's  A  Horn,  or  something  else  to  drink  in, 

H°om§e  Which,  being  filled  full  as  it  can  hold, 

'Tis  his  that  drinks  it  off,  I'm  told: 
But  here's  the  thing  that  makes  the  rout;— 
When  you  drink  deep,  it  flies  about, 
And  douts  one's  eyes,  and  makes  one  cough, 
So  that  one  ne'er  can  tope  it  off.1 

the  Theatre  was  Epicedia    Univ.    Oxon.   in  obitum  Henriettae  Mariae, 
1669. 

See  James  Duport's  Mtisae  subsecivae,  1676,  "In  Theatrum  Oxon.  et 
Proelum  Typographicum  "  : 

"Bellositana  Actus  qui  mine  spectantur  arena, 

Praesentes  laudant  suspiciuntque  Sophi : 
Bellositana  olim  monumenta  perennia  Proeli 

Venturi  relegent  suspicientque  Sophi. 
Sermo  ad  praesentes,  ad  seros  charta  nepotes 

Dimanat ;  nempe  haec  permanet,  ille  fugit. 
Verba  volant,  sed  Scripta  manent ;   Vox  viva  docebit 

Viventes ;   Libros  Saecla  futura  legent. 
Praesenti  simul  et  venture  prospicit  aevo 

Qui  Scenam  Musis  erigit  atque  Typos. 
Sheldoniano  omnis  cedet  labor  ergo  Theatro, 

Ni  praestet  Proelum  forte  Typographicum." 

1  The  Horn  presented  to  Queen's  College  by  Robert  Eglesfield,  the 
Founder,  and  which  is  still  used  as  a  loving-cup  at  the  College  Gaudy. 
It  was  one  of  the  regular  sights  of  Oxford.  When  Charles  n  and  his 
Queen  visited  the  College  in  1663,  "they  were  met  at  the  chapel  door  with 
the  horn  full  of  beer,  and  there  they  drank "  :  Wood's  Life  and  Times 
(Oxford  Hist.  Soc.),  i.  499.  The  Morocco  Ambassador,  in  1682,  "viewed 
the  Chapel  and  Hall ;  but  when  the  Horn  was  presented  to  him  full  of 


RESTORATION  AND  REVOLUTION       229 

And  cause  they'll  have  no  Freshmen  here, 
At  first  the  Scollards  salt  one's  Beer.1 

Tom  asks,  what  fine  things  to  be  seen 
Beside  the  College  of  the  Queen  ? 
Cries  John,  A  many  in  the  Town : 
First,  there's  a  houge'ous  masty  Clown, 
As  you  go  into  th'  Physick  Garden;  The  Phy- 

M aster  ne'er  shewed  me,  but  I  stared  in.  Garden. 

The  Yat's  all  hung  about  with  whimwhoms, 
As  Fishes'  bones  and  other  thingums : 

beer,  he  refused  to  drink,  saying  in  his  own  language  and  a  proverb  of 
his  country,  '  God  preserve  me  from  horns  ! ' "  :  Hist.  MSS  Commission, 
I2th  Report,  Append,  pt.  vii.  p.  186. 

If  the  drinker  lift  the  vessel  too  hastily  to  his  mouth,  the  air  gets  in  and 
forces  a  quantity  of  liquor  in  his  face. 

The  Horn  is  thus  described  in  Ballard  MS.  47  (170) : 

"On  the  top  a  Jove's  Eagle  from  gold  lustre  borrows, 

And  it  ends  in  a  Fish,  like  the  picture  in  Horace : 

An  Emblem  as  good  as  you'd  possibly  wish  ; 

Like  an  Eagle  you'll  soar  if  you  drink  like  a  Fish. 
As  Doctors  on  boxes,  in  letters  of  gold, 

Write  on  the  outside  what  the  inside  doth  hold, 

So  '  Wacceyl '  's  inscribed  on  this  Horn  of  all  mirth, 

The  Elixir,  the  Syroup  of  Health,  and  so  forth. 
But  beware  of  its  motions  with  due  circumspection, 

Or  your  clothes  will  lament  a  large  winy  ejection : 

If  you  turn  it  awry  to  revenge  your  disgrace, 

Tho  it  push  not,  egad  !  it  will  fly  in  your  face." 
1  The  symbolic  pickling  of  the  Freshman  ("Bejaunus,"  "Becjaune," 
or  "  Yellowbeak")  by  the  administration  to  him  of  a  pinch  of  salt, 
"sal  sophiae,"  in  a  glass  of  wine,  beer,  or  water,  formed  the  conclusion 
of  the  elaborate  student-initiation  ("Depositio  Cornuum")  practised  in 
medieval  Universities.  Whitgift's  pupils  at  Trinity  College,  Cambridge 
(1567-77)  paid,  for  their  "saltyng"  and  the  entertainment  of  the  senior 
men  who  superintended  the  rite,  sums  varying  according  to  their  respective 
rank  ;  see  British  Magazine,  xxxii.  361,  508 :  while  John  Owen  (New 
College,  Oxford,  1582)  attributes  the  pungency  of  his  epigrams  to  his 
"peppering"  at  Winchester,  and  his  "salting"  at  Oxford  : 

"Oxoniae  salsus,  juvenis  turn,  more  vetusto, 
Wintoniaeque,  puer  turn,  piperatus  eram. 
Si  quid  inest  nostro  piperisve  salisve  libello, 

Oxoniense  sal  est,  Wintoniaeque  piper." 
At  Exeter  College,  in  1637,  it  was  the  custom  on  "fresh  nights"  for 


230     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

A  tree  cut       This  Giant  stands  as  you  come  first  in. 

into  the  J 

shape  of  a       r  or  I  took  heart  at  last  to  thrust  in  ; 

giant.  His  Head  has  got  an  Iron  Cap  on, 

To  keep  off  showers,  or  what  might  happen ; 

His  Face  is  like  a  Man's  to  see  to, 

And  yet  his  Body's  but  a  Tree  too : 

Strutting  SL   holds  a  Club  on's  shoulder 

Which  makes  him  look  more  fierce  and  bolder; 

And  I  was  told  there  was  another, 

Which  now  is  dead  and  was  his  Brother : 

I  went  on  th'  other  side  to  eye  'n, 

Not  caring  much  to  come  too  nigh  'n ; 

Lest  with  his  club  he  should  be  doing ; 

But  the  Folks  said  one  might  go  to  him : 

But  for  my  part  I  did  not  care 

To  look  in's  face — he  did  so  stare.1 

There  lies  a  Tooth,  I  tell  a  Fib  too, — 

Some  call't  a  Tooth,  but  most  a  Rib  do. 

senior  men  to  "tuck"  freshmen,  that  is,  to  grate  off  with  the  thumb-nail 
all  the  skin  from  the  lip  to  the  chin,  and  then  to  cause  them  to  drink  a 
beer-glass  of  salt  and  water;  so  too  at  Merton  College  in  1647  :  see  Life 
of  the  first  Lord  Shaftesbury,  by  W.  D.  Christie,  i.  15,  and  Wood's  Life 
and  Times  (Oxford  Hist.  Soc.),  i.  138.  "Savage  tricks  of  mustarding, 
salting  and  grubbing  freshmen  "  were  still  practised  at  Magdalene  College, 
Cambridge,  in  1679  (Hist.  MSS  Commission,  5th  Report,  483).  In  1680 
certain  "poor  children"  of  Queen's  College,  Oxford,  were  given  the  choice 
of  a  whipping  or  of  expulsion,  for  exacting  "fresh  fees"  ;  see  Flemings  at 
Oxford  (Oxford  Hist.  Soc.),  i.  313;  and  in  1682  James  Wilding  of  St. 
Mary  Hall  paid  eleven  shillings  and  sixpence  for  "fresh  fees  and  drink,"  see 
Collectanea,  i.  255  (Oxford  Hist.  Soc.).  The  Compleat  Mendicant  (1699) 
refers  to  a  custom  of  "  seasoning  freshmen  "  at  a  stone  on  Headington  Hill. 
"Fresh  fees"  and  salted  drink  are  mentioned  in  a  poem  "  Iter  Academi- 
cum,  or  the  Gentleman  Commoner's  Matriculation "  (Nicholas  Amherst, 
Terrae  Filius^  xli.,  A.D.  1721).  Hearne  in  1731,  and  Huddesford  in 
1772,  declared  traces  of  student-initiation  to  exist  in  many  Colleges ; 
and  finally  an  Oxonian  informed  the  editor  of  the  notes  on  Whitgift's 
pupils  in  the  British  Magazine ,  1847,  that  "going  to  the  Buttery  to 
drink  salt  and  water  had  formed  part  of  the  ceremony  of  his  admission  to 
College." 

1  The  Physic  Garden,  founded  by  Henry,  Earl  of  Danby,  in  1632,  became 
famous  under  its  first  superintendent,  Jacob  Bobart  (1632-1679),  and  his 
son  of  the  same  name  (1679-1719).  Several  poems  on  the  celebrated 
Giants  cut  in  yew,  "  Bobart's  '  Yew-men  of  the  Guard,'  "  are  found  in  the 


RESTORATION  AND  REVOLUTION       231 

A  vast  thing  'tis,  whateer  it  be, 
And  put  there  for  a  Rarity.1 
When  you  are  gone  a  little  further 
You  happen  just  on  such  another; 
A  Crane  it  is,  as  People  tell  ye, 
Growing  from  a  Tree-Stalk  by  the  Belly. 
Whether  alive  or  no's,  no  knowing; 
Her  Bill  touts  up,  just  as  if  crowing.2 


Wood  Collection  in  the  Bodleian.     Cf.  Carmina  Ojtadresimalia  ab  Aedis 
Christi  ahimnis  composita,  ed.  by  C.  Este,  1723  : 

An  Natura  intendat  Monstrum  ?    Neg. 
Hortus  ad  Auroram  Phoebeis  fertilis  herbis 

Stat,   Bobartanae  cura  laborque  manus. 
Hie  Corydon  vastos  immani  mole  Gigantes 

Aspicit,  et  pallens  stat  revocatque  gradum, 
Terribiles  horret  vultus  oculosque  minaces, 

Pectoraque  atque  humeros  clavigerasque  manus. 
Rustice,  sume  animos  :  non  hie  Titania  cernis 

Monstra,  licet  Tellus  his  quoque  mater  erat. 
Innocuos  tantum  taxos  Natura  creavit ; 

Humana  geminus  surgit  ab  arte  Gigas. 

These  triumphs  of  the  topiary  art  are  mentioned  as  still  surviving,  in  a 
poem  addressed  by  John  Burton  of  Corpus  College  to  the  Botanical  Garden, 
"vegetabilis  Regina  mundi"  ;  Opusctila  miscellan.  metrico-prosaica,  1771  ; 
and  also  in  William  Stukeley's  Itinerary,  vol.  i.  44,  2nd  ed.  1776  ;  but 
they  were  numbered  by  Wade,  Walks  in  Oxford,  1817,  among  "objects 
of  vulgar  admiration  which  had  long  since  given  way  to  the  natural  and 
graceful  dispositions  adopted  by  modern  taste." 

1  A  great  Whale-bone. 

2  Cf.  Examen  Poeticum  Duplex,  London,  1698  : 

Una  est  omnium  rerum  materia?    Aff. 
In  laeta  ponit  dum  formas  Daedalus  herba, 

Arboris  et  docta  brachia  falce  metit ; 
Pyramis  hie  tonsis  assurgit  lenta  racemis, 

Et  teres  in  viridi  cespite  frondet  Olor. 
Hie  viget  Aeacides  non  jam  mortalis,  et  arbor 

Una  Dei  telum  reddit  et  una  Deum. 
Inde  gravem  Alciden  taxus  jam  laeta  reponit, 

Cui  quondam  tristem  proebuit  usta  rogum. 
Planta  eadem  crescit  varia  sub  imagine  ;  cultor 

Si  jubet,  est  Heros ;  si  jubet,  ales  erit. 

So,  too,  Thomas  Tickell,  "taberder  of  Queen's  Coll.,"  in  his  poem, 


232     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 


Astronomy 
School. 
Musick 
School. 


Arith- 
metick 
School. 


Library. 


Two 
Globes. 

Ccelestial 


Terres- 
trial. 


The  Schools,  de  'e  mark,  's  a  very  fair  place 
With  Rooms  built  round  it,  but  a  square  place 
The  Doors  all  something  writ  upon, 
By  which  there's  something  may  be  known. 

That  School's  to  learn  ye  conjuring, 
}T  other  to  Whistle  and  to  Sing, 
And  how  to  play  upon  the  Fiddle, 
To  keep  the  Lads  from  being  idle. 
But  what  to  greater  good  amounts 
A  School  they  have  to  teach  Accounts ; 
By  which  each  one  may  cast  up  nearly 
How  many  Farthings  he  spends  yearly. 

A  Door  I  spied  was  open  standing, 
I  budged  no  farther  than  my  band  in: 
But  by  a  Schollard  I  was  holp  in, 
A  civil  youth  and  a  well  spoken; 
We  went  together  up  a  staircase, 
Going  till  coming  to  a  rare  place 
As  thick  of  Books,  as  one  could  thatch  'um ; 
And  Ladders  stood  about,  to  reach  'um. 
On  each  side  were  two  round  things  standing, 
Made  so  to  turn  about  with  handing: 
By  one  they  knew,  as  I  am  told, 
When  weather  would  be  hot  or  cold, 
What  time  for  setting  and  for  sowing, 
When  to  prune  trees  the  best  for  growing: 
By  this  they  make  the  Almanacks 
And  twenty  other  harder  knacks : 

The  other  thing,  when  round  it's  whirl'd, 
Shews  all  the  Roads  about  the  World; 

Oxford,  1707  : 

"How  sweet  the  landskip !  where  in  living  trees, 
Here  frowns  a  vegetable  Hercules  ; 
There  famed  Achilles  learns  to  live  again, 
And  looks  yet  angry  in  the  mimic  scene  ; 
Here  artful  birds,  which  blooming  arbours  show, 
Seem  to  fly  higher,  while  they  upward  grow  : 
From  the  same  leaves  both  arms  and  warriors  rise, 
And  every  bough  a  different  charm  supplies." 


RESTORATION  AND  REVOLUTION       233 

May  find,  if  well  you  look  about, 

There  all  the  Ponds  and  Rivers  out: 

But  that  the  Schollard  was  in  haste  so, 

He  would  have  shewn  our  house  at  last  too.1 

So  I  went  all  about  the  Meeting: 
Some  People  in  their  Pews  were  sitting ; 
Tho  but  a  few,  here  and  there  one, 
The  Minister  not  being  yet  come ; 
I'll  say't,  I  longed  to  hear  the  Preaching, 
1  warrant,  aye,  't  was  dainty  teaching. 
I  asked  a  young  Youth  what  it  meaned 
That  all  them  Conjuring  Books  were  chained:       Chained 
He  said  they  being  full  of  cunning, 
It  seems,  would  else  have  been  for  running: 
Before  they  had  them  chains,  they  say 
A  number  of  them  ran  away. 

As  I  went  on,  the  Folk  that  reads 
Would  many  times  pop  up  their  heads, 
And  douck  'urn  down  (may  hap)  again : 
And  these  are  called  the  Learned  Men. 
They  look  for  all  the  world  as  frighted ;  Students 

But  were  I  to  be  hanged  or  knighted, 
I  can't  imagine  what  mought  ail'd  'um, 
For  could  they  think  one  wou'd  a  steal'd  'um ; 
Well,  by  and  by,  there's  one  comes  to  me, 
I  thought  the  Fellow  might  have  knew  me, 
He  said  I  must  not  make  a  stumping, 
And  that  it  was  no  place  to  jump  in; 

1  Cf.  "  An  Oxford  Ramble,"  an  eighteenth -century  song  : 

"And  in  the  middle  stood  two  things, 

As  round  as  any  ball ; 
They  told  us  't  was  the  picture  of 

The  world  and  sea  and  all : 
And  they  that  did  them  understand, 

And  rightly  turn  them  round, 
Could  tell  us  what  o'clock  it  was 

In  the  world  that's  underground," 


234     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Whop  Sir,  thought  I,  and  what's  ado  here, 
About  the  nails  that  in  one's  shoes  are ; 
He  told  me  that  the  men  were  earning 
A  world  of  something  by  their  learning, 
And  that  a  noise  would  put  them  out, 
So  that  they  ne'er  could  bring  't  about. 
Well,  'cause  he  made  a  din  about  'um, 
I  daff'd  my  shoes,  and  went  without  'um. 
That  Fellow  gerned  and  cried  "  What's  that  for  ?  " 
I  said,  '  And  what  would  you  be  at,  Sir  ? 
My  shoes  I  take  under  my  arm 
Rather  than  do  their  Worships  harm, 
Because  I  would  not  leave  the  room, 
Until  the  Minister  be  come." 
At  that  he  laughed  so,  for  my  part 
I  thought  the  fool  would  break  his  heart; 
I  was  so  mad  to  see  'n  flout  me, 
I  longed  almost  to  lay  about  me ; 
But  thinking  that  might  there  be  evil, 
I  thought  't  were  better  to  be  civil : 
Tying  my  shoes  upon  my  feet, 
I  went  down  stairs  into  the  street. 
###*#* 

The  next  place  that  I  comes  you  in, 
Was  the  most  lovely  spacious  thing; 
To  know  the  name  is  no  great  matter, 
But  now  I  think  on  't,  't  is  the  Thatter ; 
The  The  Thatter  yard  about  beset  is 

With  holly  and  with  iron  lattice,1 
The  ends  of  which  same  bars  made  fast  are 

1  John  Evelyn's  Diary,  July  1669  :  "I  dined  with  the  Vice- Chancellor, 
and  spent  the  afternoon  in  seeing  the  rarities  of  the  public  libraries,  and 
visiting  the  noble  marbles  and  inscriptions  now  inserted  in  the  walls  which 
compass  the  area  of  the  Theatre,  which  were  150  of  the  most  ancient  and 
worthy  treasures  of  that  kind  in  the  learned  world.  Now,  observing,  that, 
people  approaching  them  too  near,  some  idle  persons  began  to  scratch  and 
injure  them,  I  advised  that  a  hedge  of  holly  should  be  planted  at  the  foot 
of  the  wall,  to  be  kept  breast  high,  only  to  protect  them  :  which  the  Vice- 
Chancellor  promised  to  do  the  next  season." 


RESTORATION  AND  REVOLUTION       235 

In  posts  of  stone  or  alabaster, 
And  upon  every  postes  top 
There's  an  Old  Man's  Head  set  up;1 

About  there  stand  a  many  brave  stones  Antiquities 

Which  are  for  all  the  world  like  grave-stones;  ISenJ6™" 

I  marie  why  they  were  carried  there, 
No  Folks  belike  are  buried  there. 
The  House  is  round — our  Master  has, 
You  know,  a  round-house  in  the  close; 
This  is  much  such  another  building, 
Save  for  the  painting  and  the  gilding, 
The  leading  on  the  top;  and  then  too 
'T  is  twenty  times  as  big  again  too ; 
A-top  of  all  's  a  little  steeple 
But  ne'er  a  bell  to  call  the  people. 
Down  in  the  Cellar  folks  are  doing 
Something  that  makes  a  world  of  bowing; 
Some  throw  black  balls,  their  heads  some  throwing 
As  if  they  backwards  were  a-mowing;  Printing- 

Stooping  a  little  more  to  view  'urn,  beneath 

They  kindly  asked  me  to  come  to  'urn  ;  the 

Theatre. 

A  world  of  paper  there  was  lying, 

Besides  a  deal  that  hung  a-drying ; 

They  being  wet,  as  I  suppose, 

Were  hung  on  lines,  as  we  hang  clothes, 

The  folks  below  began  to  hollow 

"  Whop,  you  there,  honest  country  fellow ! 

We'll  print  your  name ;  what  is  't,  I  wonder  ?  " 

Says  I,  "One's  John,  Sir;  t'  other  Blunder."2 

1  See  Oxonii  Dux  Poeticus>  M.  Aubry,  1795  : 

"  Si  quorum  fuerint  capita  ista  horrenda  requiras 

Quae  propter  Latam  stant  numerosa  Viam, 
Caesareos  totidem  vultus  truncataque  signa, 

Haud  veri  semper  nuntia,  Fama  refert : 
Terricula  at  pueris,  ego  credo,  erecta  protervis, 
Ne  nocua  hi  laedant  proxima  tecta  manu." 

2  Cf.   Through  England  on  a  side-saddle  in  the  time  of  William  and 


236     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Well,  in  comes  I  where  men  were  picking 

Of  little  things  that  make  a  nicking ; 

And  he  that  sent  me,  not  to  cheat  me: 

Came  up,  as  I  came  in,  to  greet  me: 

He  told  me,  them  small  things  were  letters, 

And  that  the  men  themselves  were  setters  ; 

And  so,  would  you  think  it !  why,  this  same  too 

Bid  one  o'  th'  Fellows  do  my  name  too  ; 

And  so  a'  did,  and  down  we  went 

To  have  John  Blunder  put  in  prent ; 

And  here  't  is  for  you  all  to  look  on  't, 

See  if  they  have  not  made  a  book  on  't : 

And  out  John  read  it  in  a  tune, 

"John  Blunder;  Oxford;  Printed  June": 

But  coming  to  the  figures,  was, 

But  that  Tom  helped  him,  at  a  loss, 

Not  knowing  what  i'  th'  world  to  do 

To  know  if  that  was  one  or  two; 

At  last  't  was  found  to  be  One  Thousand 

Six  Hundred,  Seventy  and  a  Dozen. 

Says  John,  The  Printers  are  such  Sots, 

This  bit  of  paper  cost  two  Pots  : 

Beside  it  cost  me  two  pence  more 

To  one  that  sits  to  dup  the  door 

That  is  quite,  as  it  were,  within  there, 

Where  one  sees  all  that's  to  be  seen  there; 

So  in  went  I  with  this  same  maiden, 
And  not  till  I  came  out,  I  paid  'en ; 
It  is  the  finest  place,  that  ever 
My  eyes  beheld,  it's  wrought  so  clever: 
Roof  of          The  top's  all  pictured  most  completely, 
Theatre.         Squared  into  golden  frames  so  neatly; 
Why,  there  is  drawn  a  power  of  things, 
Nay,  I  dare  say,  they  all  are  kings, 

Mary  i  being  the  Diary  of  Celia  Fiennes,  circa  1695 :  "  Under  the 
Theatre  is  a  roome  which  is  fitted  for  printing,  where  I  printed  my  name 
severall  times." 


RESTORATION  AND  REVOLUTION       237 

Brest  up  in  silken  garments  finely: 

Some  look  ye  sour,  and  some  look  kindly.1 

*  ###•##• 

I  thought  I'd  as  good  as  slip  o'er  one  day, 
Look  ye,  because  the  same  was  Sunday ; 
For  my  share,  I  was  loth  to  choose 
That  day  to  go  a-seeking  shows. 
But  going  down  to  Queen's,  to  see 
If  my  young  master  well  might  be ; 
And  passing  over  Carryfox, 
Which  is  the  market-place  of  Ox- 
-Ford,  where  two  little  Pigmies  stands 
Such  nimble-twiches  of  their  hands;  Carfax 

Just  o'er  the  place  where  Folks  sell  butter,  Church' 

And  with  two  hammers  keep  a  clutter; 
It  being  their  business  (so  belike) 
To  knock,  whene'er  the  Clock  shall  strike, 
A  Bell,  that's  hung  ye  so  between, 
That  so  they  might  be  sure  to  see  Jn  ; 
Alive,  sure  as  a  band  a  band  is, 
With  heads  no  bigger  than  one's  hand  is  ; 
As  long,  let's  see,  if  I  can  tell  now, 
About  as  long  as  from  my  elbow.2 

****** 

1  The  ceiling  of  the  Sheldonian  Theatre  was  elaborately  painted   by 
Streater ;  and  equally  elaborate  descriptions  of  the  work  can  be  found  in 
Plot's  Natural  History  of  Oxfordshire,  and  in  Urania,  by  Robert  Whitehall 
of  Merton  College,  1669.     The  latter,  after  a  very  lengthy  explanation  of 
the  artist's  design,  concludes  as  follows  : 

"These  to  the  life  are  drawn  so  curiously, 
That  the  Beholder  would  become  all  Eye, 
Or  at  the  least  an  Argus :  so  sublime 
A  phantsie  makes  essayes  to  Heaven  to  climb  ; 

That  future  ages  shall  confess  they  owe 

To  Streater  more  than  Michael  Angelo." 

2  Cf.  Carmina  Quadresimalia  (ed.  by  C.  Este),  Oxford,  1723  : 

An  qtricquid  movetur  ab  alio  moveatur?     Aff. 
Vidistin  celeres  quae  machina  nuntiat  horas, 

Et  quali  passu  noxque  diesque  fluunt  ? 
Hie  gemini  Heroes  magni  more  Herculis  adstant ; 
Fustis  utrumque  armat,  pellis  utrumque  tegit. 


238     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 


Christ 
Church. 


Cathedral 
service. 


Why,  I  have  seen  New  College  Mount 

And  stood  ye  a  good  while  upon  't ; l 

And  Magdalen  Walks,  and  Christ  Church  fountain, 

A  thing  that  makes  a  mighty  sprounting: 

Well,  Monday  comes,  and  hardly  neither 

Before  day-break  I  hies  me  thither; 

But  I  found  out  by  people's  saying 

These  organs  would  not  yet  be  playing, 

And  that  I  might  go  home  again 

And  come  and  hear  'em  just  at  ten ; 

By  then  the  bells  had  all  done  ringing 

The  Folks  were  come  and  set  a-singing; 

Tempus  adest.     Ambo  trepidantia  fustibus  aera 

Ter  quater  impellunt ;  ter  quater  aera  sonant. 
Non  matutinus  signat  constantior  horas 

Gallus,  non  solis  certior  umbra  diem. 
Miratur  Corydon  molemque  ictusque  Gigantum, 

Et  quis  eos  rogitat  spiritus  intus  agit. 
Non  anima  hoc  praestat,  non  vita  infusa  per  artus  ; 

Hoc  fabri  labor  est,  artificisque  manus. 

1  The  Mount,  commenced  in  1529-30,  and  completed  in  1648-49,  had 
stone  steps  and  winding  walks  up  to  the  top  ;  and  the  top  was  encompassed 
with  rails  and  seats.  Various  topiary  works,  including  a  Dial,  and  the 
King's  and  the  Founder's  Arms,  adorned  the  gardens : 

"Then  we  went  out  of  that  fair  place, 

All  up  upon  a  Hill ; 
And  just  below  a  Dial  did  grow 

Much  like  a  waggon-wheel : 
'T  was  bigger  by  half,  which  made  me  laugh, 

Just  like  a  garden-knot ; 
When  the  sun  shone  bright,  it  was  as  right 
As  is  our  Parson's  Clock." 

."  The  Oxford  Ramble"  (eighteenth-century  song) 

"On  Gardens  next  we  feast  our  ravished  eyes, 
Where  verdant  Yew  with  so  much  art  doth  rise, 
And,  to  th'  ingenious  artist's  great  applause, 
Green  hideous  beasts  distend  their  peaceful  jaws  : 
A  lofty  Mount  impending  oer  the  plains 
Artfully  raised  with  cost  immense  and  pains, 
From  whence  we  see  the  lofty  spires  arise, 
And  with  their  summits  touch  the  azure  skies." 

Oxford,  the  seat  of  the  Muses,  James  Heany,  1738 


RESTORATION  AND  REVOLUTION       239 


There's  some  are  fat,  and  some  are  lean, 

And  some  are  boys  and  some  are  men  ; 

But  what  I'm  sure  will  make  you  stare 

They  all  stand  in  their  shirts,  I  swear: 

Each  one,  when  they  come  in,  stand  still 

Bowing  and  wriggling  at  the  sill ; 

I  looked  awhile,  and  marked  one  noddy, 

Something  he  bowed  to,  but  no  body; 

For  these,  and  other  things  as  apish, 

The  Townsfolk  term  the  Scollards  Papish. 

The  organs  set  up  with  a  ding, 

The  white-men  roar,  the  white-boys  sing; 

"  Rum,  Rum,"  the  Organs  go,  and  "  Zlid " ; 

Sometimes  they  squeak  out  like  a  pig: 

They  gobble  like  a  Turkey  Hen, 

And  then  to  "  Rum,  Rum,  Rum,"  again : 

What  with  the  Organ,  Men  and  Boys, 

It  makes  ye  up  a  dismal  noise; 

All  being  over,  as  I  wis, 

Out  come  they  like  a  flock  of  geese.1 

The  place  as  I  went  in  at,  there, 
A  kind  of  Gatehouse,  as  it  were; 


Surpliced 
choir. 

Bowing  to 
the  altar. 


Tom 
Tower. 


1  Cf.  William  Prynne  (Oriel  College),  Histriomaslix  (1633),  P-  285  : 
"  As  for  the  Divine  Service  and  Common  Prayer,  it  is  so  chaunted  and 
minced  and  mangled  of  our  costly  curious  and  nice  Musitions  .  .  .  that  it 
may  justly  seeme,  not  to  be  a  noise  made  of  men,  but  rather  a  bleating  of 
brute  beasts  ;  whiles  the  coristers  ney  descant,  as  it  were  a  sort  of  Colts, 
others  bellow  a  tenour,  as  it  were  a  company  of  Oxen ;  others  barke  a 
counterpoint,  as  it  were  a  kennell  of  Dogs ;  others  rore  out  a  treble  like 
a  sort  of  Buls  ;  others  grunt  out  a  base,  as  it  were  a  number  of  Hogs  ;  so 
that  a  foul  evill-fav cured  noise  is  made." 

See  too  "  An  Oxford  Ramble  "  (eighteenth  century) : 

"  In  the  middle  of  prayers  just  up  the  stairs 

Was  Bagpipes  to  my  thinking ; 
And  the  people  below  fell  a-singing  too, 
As  tho  they  had  been  drinking." 

Organs,  however,  were  no  novelty  at  Oxford.  One,  probably  replacing 
an  earlier  one,  was  set  up  at  New  College  in  1458.  St.  John's  had 
one  in  1489,  All  Souls'  in  1458  :  see  Degrees  in  Music  ^  C.  F.  Abdy 
Williams, 


240     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 


Great 
Tom. 


Magnus 
Thomas 
Clusius. 


Brazenose. 


Lincoln. 


Academi- 
cal dress. 


A  top  of  which  a  Bell  is  hung, 

Bigger  than  ere  was  looked  upon : 

I  understood  by  all  the  people 

'T  was  bigger  than  our  Church  and  Steeple: 

At  nine  at  night,  it  makes  a  Boming 

And  then  the  Scollards  all  must  come  in. 

Now  I've  told  all  that  ere  I  see, 
Unless  the  Brazen  Nose  it  be, 
Clapt  on  a  College  Gate  to  grace  it, 
And  shew,  mayhap,  they're  brazen-faced  ; 
And  there's  another  thing  I  think  on, 
The  Devil  looking  over  Lincoln  ; 
Their  faults,  be  sure,  he  kindly  winks  on, 
The  other  Colleges  he  squints  on  ; 
A  world  of  pity  't  was,  I  swear, 
That  our  young  master  was  not  there.1 

Bess  willing  yet  to  be  more  knowing, 
Demands  what  clothes  the  Schollars  go  in? 
For  the  most  part  (says  John)  they  wear 
Such  kind  of  Gowns  as  Parsons'  are  ; 
Some  Trenchers  on  their  heads  have  got 
As  black  as  yonder  Porridge  Pot ; 
And  some  have  things,  exactly  such 
As  my  old  Gammer's  mumbles  Pouch, 
Which  sits  upon  his  head  as  neat 
As  't  were  sewed  to  't  by  every  pleat: 
Some,  I  daresay,  are  very  poor  tho, 
They  wear  their  Gowns  berent  and  tore  so, 
Hanging  about  them  all  in  littocks 
That  they  can  hardly  hide  their  buttocks. 
When  they  want  money,  I  believes, 
The  lads  are  fain  to  sell  their  sleeves, 

1  There  was  over  the  gateway  of  Lincoln  College,  until  about  the  year 
1740,  a  leaden  grotesque,  like  that  at  Lincoln  Cathedral.  John  Pointer 
(Oxoniensis  Academia,  1749)  writes:  "The  Image  of  the  Devil,  that 
stood  many  years  on  the  Top  of  this  College,  (or  else  that  over  Lincoln 
Cathedral)  gave  occasion  for  that  Proverb,  'To  look  on  one,  as  the  Devil 
looks  over  Lincoln,' " 


THE   LECTURE  (HOGARTH,   1736) 


SHEWING    VARIOUS    STYLES    OF    ACADEMICAL    HEAD-DRESS.        THE.LECTURER     IS    KNOWN 
TO    REPRESENT    MR.    FISHER    OF    JESUS    COLL.,    OXFORD,    REGISTRAR    OF    THE    UNIVERSITY 


RESTORATION  AND  REVOLUTION       241 

For,  look  ye,  many  a  time  I  meet, 

May  happen,  twenty  in  the  street, 

With  handsome  Gowns  to  look  upon, 

And  ne'er  a  Sleeve  to  all  their  Gowns. 

You  know  young  Master  for  a  M eater 

Was  for  his  years  a  handsome  Eater; 

Well,  and  his  Sleeves  are  gone  already, 

And  his  was  a  new  Gown  too,  Betty; 

And  hangs  about  his  legs  in  shatters, 

I  swear,  'has  torn  it  all  to  tatters. 

I  held  a  jag  aloft  to  shew  'n 

And  bid  'n  let  the  tailor  sew  Jn : 

He  laugh't  and  cried,  "  Why,  that's  no  fault,  John/' 

He  tore  't  to  pass  ye  for  a  Saltman.1 

Now  you  have  all,  let's  go  to  bed; 

I  well  'y  long  to  lay  my  head: 

And  John  that  motion  made  because 

Their  eyes  by  this  time  all  drew  straws; 

All  thank  him  round,  Sue,  Bess,  and  Tom, 

And  went  to  roost  all  everyone. 


1A  "Saltman"   is  a  senior   man  as   opposed   to  a   "Freshman."     A 
jed   gown   has   always   been   a   sign   of  seniority.     Cf.  ' '  Tyro  magis 
ipiens,    quod    toga    scissa    magis,"    Carmina    Quadresimalia,    ed.    by 
Este,  1723,  i.  22  : 

"Then  up  we  got,  and  out  we  went, 

To  see  this  gallant  town ; 
And  at  the  gates  we  met  a  Man 

In  a  sad  ragged  Gown  : 
As  for  his  sleeves,   I  do  believe 

They  were  both  clean  torn  off; 
And  instead  of  a  Hat,  he  wore  a  Cap  ; 
'T  was  a  Trencher  covered  with  cloth." 

"An  Oxford  Ramble"  (eighteenth  century) 

"  Gentlemanly  Dress  : — However  neat  you  may  be  in  other  parts  of 

>ur  dress,  with  regard  to  your  Academicals  the  case  is  just  the  contrary. 

ic  more  tattered  your  gown  is,  and  the  more  variegated  are  its  colours, 

ic  more  fashionable  it  is  esteemed.     A  new  gown  is  an  unerring  symptom 

)f  freshness  "  :  Hints  on  Etiquette  for  the  University  of  Oxford,  1838. 


16 


CHAPTER    X 

CLERKS  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION,  CIRCA  1700  A.D. 

OXONII  ENCOMIUM,  1672 

We  have  fair  Padua,  Lovain,  Leyden  seen ; 

At  Theirs,  as,  Oxford,  at  Your  Lectures  been : 
They  Arts'  Chief  Maids  of  Honour  are  ;— but  You, 
ARTS'  QUEEN  ! 

Benevohis,  Anagram  for  (Edward)  Benlowes 
(St.  John's  College,  Camb.) 

Bless'd  we  whom  bounteous  Fortune  here  has  thrown, 
And  made  her  various  blessings  all  our  own  ! 
Nor  Crowns  nor  Globes,  the  Pageantry  of  State, 
Upon  our  humble  easy  Slumbers  wait, 
Nor  aught  that  is  Ambition's   lofty  theme 
Disturbs  our  Sleep  and  gilds  the  gaudy  Dream. 
Touched  by  no  ills  which  vex  th'  unhappy  Great 
We  only  Read  the  Changes  of  the  State  ; 
Triumphant  Marlborough's  arms  at  distance  hear, 
And  learn  from  Fame  the  rough  events  of  war ; 
With  pointed  Rhymes  the  Gallic  tyrant  Pierce, 
And  make  the  Cannon  Thunder  in  our  Verse. 

See  how  the  matchless  Youth  their  hours  improve 
And  in  the  glorious  way  to  knowledge  move; 
Eager  for  fame,  prevent  the  rising   sun 
And  watch  the  midnight  labours  of  the  moon  ! 
Nor  tender  years  their  bold  attempts  restrain 
Who  leave  dull  time  and  hasten  unto  Man  ; 
Pure  to  the  Soul,  and  Pleasing  to  the  Eyes, 
Like  Angels,  Youthful,  and  like  Angels,  Wise. 

THOMAS  TICKELL  (Queen's  College),  Oxford,  1707 

IN  the  crowded  years  between  the  accession  of  the 
first,  and   the    abdication    of  the  second,  James, 
England,  the  "  Anglia  plena  jocis"  of  Elizabethan 
days,  put   away  childish   things ;  and,  one   by  one,  in 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1700  A.D.          243 

the  University  where  "  life  had  once  run  gaily  as  the 
sparkling  Thames,"  the  enchantments  of  Youth  grew 
faint  and  died  away. 

Down  almost  to  the  outbreak  of  the  Great  Rebellion, 
Oxford  breathed  from  her  towers  all  the  merriment  of 
the  Middle  Ages.  "  Mirth  is  as  necessary  to  health  as 
are  Food  and  Sleep,"  had  been  the  truth  revealed, 
centuries  before,  by  Grosseteste  to  her  infant  mind.1 
"  Dum  sumus  in  mundo,  vivamus  corde  jucundo  !  Care, 
away !  care,  away  i "  were  the  words  inscribed  in  no 
less  serious  a  volume  than  the  University  letter-book 
during  the  dark  days  of  the  fifteenth  century,  and  were 
at  once  an  echo  of  the  great  Clerk's  maxim  and  a  fitting 
preface  to  letters  which  are  a  compound  of  pathos  and 
playfulness.2  And  under  Elizabeth  and  James,  the 
same  joy  of  life  still  reigned  and  ruled  in  all  classes  of 
the  community.  A  glad  perennial  youth  was  not  yet 
become  the  exclusive  possession  of  the  Undergraduate ; 
but  through  the  wisdom  of  the  Wise  also,  as  it  did  in 
later  days  through  the  philosophy  of  Dr.  Johnson's 
fellow-Collegian,  Mr.  Edwards,  "  cheerfulness  was  some- 
how always  breaking  in."  Into  the  most  mournful  of 
their  academical  dirges  over  kings,  warriors,  and  scholars, 
this  happy  breed  of  men  admitted  poems  shaped  into 
the  forms  of  altars,  pyramids,  and  wings ;  chronograms, 
anagrams,  and  acrostics,  those  whetstones  of  patience 
to  such  as  practise  them ;  puns ;  and  many  another 
dainty  device  and  disport  of  wit.  Welcoming  mirth 
even  into  their  most  solemn  assemblies,  they  introduced 
among  the  grave  questions  sanctioned  for  discussion  at 
their  Public  Acts,  others  which  lent  themselves  to 
humorous  treatment  by  the  disputants ;  while,  on  the 
same  occasions,  the  Terrae  Filius  was  permitted  to 
burlesque  academic  disputations,  and  with  Fescennine 

1  Dixit  enim   Grosseteste   (fl.    1224    A.D.):  "Tria   sunt  necessaria  ad 
salutem  temporalem  ;  Cibus,  Somnus,  et  Jocus"  :  Monumenta  Franciscana% 
i.  64. 

2  Epistolae  Academicae,  1421-1503  (Oxford  Hist.  Soc.),  Introduction. 


244     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

liberty  to  make  the  foibles  and  frailties  of  those  in 
high  places  the  subject  of  his  merry  fictions  and  well- 
contrived  ironies.1  Now  sober  as  judges,  now  jocular 
as  Merry-Andrews,  they  would  seem  to  have  required 
in  the  serious  dramas  of  University  life  much  the  same 
qualities  as  were  demanded  by  an  Elizabethan  audience 
in  the  contemporary  theatre:  noise,  wit,  comic  relief, 
actuality,  exuberance,  and  spontaneity.  Success  in  the 
Schools  was  celebrated  by  feasting.  Drinking-bouts 
tempered  the  sobriety  of  new-made  Bachelors  and 
Masters.  At  Inceptions  in  Grammar,  an  inferior  degree 
in  Arts  sought  usually  by  would-be  schoolmasters,  the 
Vice-Chancellor  delivered  to  the  candidate,  instead  of  a 
book,  "  a  palmer  and  a  rodde  "  ;  "  the  Bedyll  purveyed 
a  shrewde  boy  " ;  and  the  incepting  Master  proved  his 
qualification  for  future  office  by  "  beting  the  boy  openly 
in  the  Scolys  " :  and  many  another  academical  function 
might  well  have  been  styled,  as  were  plays  at  the  time, 
"  a  lamentable  tragedy  mixed  full  of  pleasant  mirth."  2 

No  stronger  testimony  is  there  to  the  existence  of 
this  irrepressible  vivacity  than  that  afforded  by  col- 
lections of  such  pieces  of  humour  as  then  prevailed  in 
the  University ;  shewing,  as  these  do,  how  ready  must 
have  been  the  laugh,  how  near  the  surface  the  springs 
of  hilarity,  which  required  so  slight  an  incitement  to 
call  them  forth.3  These  Foundling  Hospitals  of  Wit 
were  put  together  in  days  when  Doctors  Merryman, 
Diet,  and  Quiet  were  still  reckoned  to  be  the  Student's 

1  For  ft  quaestiones  "  and  "  theses,"  see  Register  of  the  University,  vol.  ii. 
pt.  i.    170  (Oxford  Hist.  Soc. ):  such  questions  occur  as,    "An  critici  e 
republica   literaria   sunt  expellendi  ? ",   "An    Amor  sit  morbus?",   "An 
contingatsi    mul  amare   et  sapere?",    "  Eadem   est   curatio   amantium  et 
amentium,"  "  Criticorum  labor  est  occupatissima  vanitas,"  "An  quisquam 
sibi  stultus  videatur  ?  ",  "  An  impudentia  sit  tolerabilior  verecundia  ?  " 

2  Hastings  Rashdall,    Universities  of  Europe  in  the  Middle  Ages,    u. 
ii.   598;  Register  of  the   University  (Oxford    Hist.  Soc.),  ii.   8;    George 
Peacock,  Observations  on  the  Statutes  of  Cambridge ;  Appendix  A.  XXXVI, 
Book  of  Matthew  Stokys. 

8  See  Gratiae  Ludentes,  by  H.  L.,  Oxon.,  1628;  Anthony  Wood's  Modius 
Salium  ;  William  Hickes'  Oxford  Jests  and  Grammatical  Drollery. 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1700  A.D.          245 

best  physicians ;  and  when  it  was  still  held  that  there 
was  nothing,  beside  the  goodness  of  God,  which  pro- 
moted health  so  well  as  Mirth,  especially  Mirth  used  at 
supper  and  towards  bed -time;  and  if  the  "honest 
jokes"  preserved  therein  fail  to  please  in  this  our  so 
nice  age,  they  may  then  have  served  "to  unbend  the 
mind "  of  some  painful  Clerk  as  he  took  his  evening 
walk  in  the  fields,  or  to  set  the  company  in  a  roar  on 
some  festival  night  in  a  College  hall,  when  Fellows  and 
Scholars  gathered  round  the  great  central  brazier,  a  not 
over-critical  family  party,  "  to  take  solace  in  songs  and 
other  reputable  sports,  to  compare  one  with  another, 
and  to  read  and  recount  poems,  histories,  and  wonders 
of  the  world."  Famous  personages  figure  in  some  few 
of  these  academic  jests.  Queen  Elizabeth  visits  Oxford  ; 
and  the  gallant  Mayor,  as  he  rides  through  the  water  at 
her  side,  checks  his  horse  when  it  would  drink,  saying, 
"  I  will  teach  my  steed  better  manners  than  to  drink 
before  your  Majesty."  King  James  remarks  of  his 
entertainment  at  the  Universities,  that  whereas  Isaac 
Wake,  the  Oxford  Orator  and  the  proud  possessor  of 
an  elaborate  Ciceronian  style,  invariably  sent  him  to 
sleep,  the  Cambridge  deputy-Orator,  Antony  Sleep, 
never  spoke,  but  he  kept  him  awake  and  apt  to  laugh. 
"  Thou  little  morsel  of  Justice,  prithee  let  me  alone,  and 
be  at  rest !  "  exclaims  a  drunken  Fellow,  lying  on  Penni- 
less Bench  beneath  Carfax  Church,  to  a  Proctor  who  is 
none  other  than  the  busy  and  diminutive  Mr.  William 
Laud  of  St.  John  Baptist  College  :  "  Proctor  cum  parva 
Laude,"  is  the  description  given  by  hissing  Undergradu- 
ates of  Laud's  co-Proctor,  the  unpopular  Christopher 
Dale  (A.D.  1603):  "laudatur  ab  'his/"  puns  the  future 
Martyr  by  way  of  comforting  his  colleague.  Elsewhere, 
among  tales  of  Jacobean  Heads  of  Houses,  Proctors, 
Doctors,  and  Oxford  Eccentrics,  long  since  forgotten, 
we  read  of  the  simple  Freshman  or  Puny,  who  "  wished  he 
were  a  Crow,  that  he  might  fly  to  an  Orchard,  and  fill 
his  pockets  with  faire  plummes,  and  come  again,"  searched 


246     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

his  dictionary  to  find  the  Latin  for  "  aqua  vitae,"  and  pro- 
nounced "  Finis  "  to  have  been  a  great  writer,  because  he 
found  his  name  at  the  end  of  so  many  books ;  and  of 
the  Student  of  the  second  year,  or  "  Poulderling,"  who 
swore  that  he  once  drank  as  good  beer  as  ever  he  did 
in  his  whole  life,  and  who,  when  he  was  rallied  for 
wearing  but  one  spur,  retorted,  that,  if  one  side  of  his 
horse  went  on,  it  was  improbable  the  other  would  stay 
behind.  Then  lived  at  Oxford,  at  any  rate  in  fiction, 
the  Fellow  who  would  not  have  men  venture  into  the 
water  until  they  could  swim,  and  who  was  of  opinion 
that  Magdalen  Grove  would  be  a  better  grove  if  the 
trees  were  cut  down  ;  the  countryman  who,  seeing  the 
man's  skin  tanned  in  the  School  of  Medicine,  vowed  it 
would  make  good  buck's  leather;  and  the  discreet 
Alderman  who  assured  his  Brethren  that  they  would 
easily  overthrow  the  University  in  a  lawsuit,  if  by 
searching  the  ancient  records  they  could  shew  Henry  I 
to  have  been  before  Henry  II.  Nor  must  that  Founda- 
tioner be  forgot,  who,  when  reprimanded  by  the  Head 
of  his  College  for  wearing  an  extremely  short  gown, 
answered,  "  Good  sir,  have  patience  awhile,  for  it  will 
be  long  enough,  I  warrant  you,  before  I  have  another  "  ; 
nor  yet  that  Bachelor  whom  the  Vice-Chancellor  fined 
for  wearing  boots  contrary  to  the  statute,  saying  to  him, 
"  Your  boots  shall  cost  you  ten  groats  "  ;  "I  thank  your 
Worship,"  said  the  Wit ;  "  for  my  shoemaker  told  me 
they  should  cost  me  ten  shillings."  Hard  though  their 
lot  was,  poor  Scholars  were  not  yet  degenerated  into  the 
despised  and  dejected  servitors  of  the  eighteenth 
century.  One  of  them,  dropping  a  neat's  tongue  which 
he  was  carrying  to  the  dinner-table,  apologized  with  the 
remark  that  it  was  a  mere  "  lapsus  linguae " ;  another, 
arrested  by  the  Proctor  in  the  act  of  bringing  a  jug  of 
beer  into  the  College  under  his  gown  after  nine  of  the 
clock  at  night,  explained  that  he  had  been  sent  by  his 
master  to  the  stationer's  to  borrow  Bellarmine's  Works, 
and  that  it  was  that  which  he  had  under  his  arm ; 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1700  A.D.          247 

"whence  a  jug  with  a  big  belly  is  called  a  Bellarmine 
to  this  day  " : l  to  a  third,  begging  at  her  coach-side, 
Queen  Elizabeth  said,  "  Pauper  ubique  jacet " ;  and, 
with  a  broad  humour  in  keeping  with  those  spacious 
days,  came  the  retort, 

"  In  thalamis  hac  nocte  tuis,  regina,  jacerem, 
Si  verum  hoc  esset,  pauper  ubique  jacet." 

So,  too,  the  reminiscences  of  his  Oxford  life,  to  be 
gleaned  from  Edmund  Gayton's  Pleasant  Notes  upon 
Don  Quixote,  shew  the  University  as  being  still  "  the 
simple  child,  that  lightly  draws  its  breath,  and  feels  its 
life  in  every  limb."2  To  illustrate  what  strange  im- 
pressions strong  fancies  make  upon  men,  Gayton  tells 
of  the  Scholar  who  was  elected  to  the  high  and  mighty 
place  of  Mock  Emperor  or  Christmas  Lord  in  a  College. 
"  The  office  was  conferred  upon  him  by  seven  mock 
electors  with  much  wit  and  ceremony ;  he  ascended  his 
chair  of  state,  which  was  placed  upon  the  highest  table 
in  the  hall ;  and,  at  his  instalment,  great  pomp,  rever- 
ence, and  signs  of  homage  were  used  by  the  whole 
company.  Such  an  effect  had  this  upon  him,  that, 
having  a  spice  of  self-conceit  before  and  being  soundly 
peppered  now,  he  was  instantly  metamorphosed  into  the 
stateliest,  gravest,  and  most  commanding  soul  alive ;  his 
pace,  his  look,  his  voice,  his  garb  were  altered ;  and  so 
close  did  this  imaginary  humour  stick  to  his  fancy,  that 
for  many  years  he  could  not  shake  off  this  one  night's 
assumed  deportment ;  no,  not  until  the  time  came  that 
drove  all  monarchical  imaginations  out,  not  only  of  his 

1  But  see  New  English  Dictionary,  sub  ' '  Bellarmine  "  :  Jugs  with  long 
necks  and   capacious   bellies  were  called  bellarmines,  because  they  were 
designed  by   the    Protestants  in  the  Low  Countries  as   burlesques   upon 
Cardinal   Bellarmine.     In  excavations   made  in  the  quadrangle  near  the 
Sheldonian  Theatre   during   August   and   September  1899,    fragments  of 
Bellarmines,  pipes,  and  eating  and  drinking  vessels  were  found  in  greater 
profusion  than  almost  anything  else  :    see  Buried  Oxford  Unearthed,  by 
F.  H.  Penny. 

2  Pleasant  Notes   upon   Don  Quixote,  by  Edmund  Gayton  (St.  John's 
College,  1625),  London,  1654. 


248     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

head,  but  everyone's." 1  Strange  occasions  of  quarrel  put 
the  writer  in  mind  of  the  two  students,  "  one  a  Master, 
the  other  a  Bachelor  of  Arts,  walking  in  their  College 
grove,  of  whom  one  made  the  supposition, '  If  thou  and 
I  should  haply  find  a  purse  of  gold,  how  should  we 
divide  it  ? '  The  Master,  like  the  lion,  asked  the  greater 
share :  the  Bachelor  said,  '  Simul  occupantes,  aeque 
dividentes,'  '  Equal  purchase,  equal  share.'  The 
Master  would  not  forego  his  privilege  of  seniority ;  the 
Junior  insisted  upon  his  title  of  half.  At  last  it  grew 
so  hot,  that  they  fell  to  cuffs,  and  banged  one  another 
devoutly ;  until  weary  of  their  blows,  they  began  to 
examine  the  ground  of  their  falling  out,  and  discovered 
it  was  no  other  than  about  the  dividend  of  a  purse 
which  was  never  yet  found."  Then,  "the  knackings 
of  Sancho  Panza's  teeth"  remind  this  commentator 
upon  "  Don  Quixote,"  of  "  a  strong  fancied  man,  a 

1  Many  of  the  Colleges  at  Oxford  were  wont  to  elect  at  Christmas  an 
officer  whose  function  it  was  to  preside  over  the  festivities  of  the  season. 
For  an  account  of  the  reign  of  a  Christmas  Lord  at  St.  John  Baptist 
College  in  1607,  see  "  A  True  and  Faithfull  Relation  of  the  Rising  and 
Fall  of  Thomas  Tucker,  Prince  of  Alba  Fortunata,  Lord  St.  John's,"  etc., 
printed  in  Miscellanea  Anliqua  Anglicana,  from  the  MS.  of  Griffin  Higgs 
(matric.  St.  John's  College,  1606  ;  Dean  of  Lichfield,  1638).  Anthony 
Wood,  in  his  Annals,  ii.  136,  writes  :  "  On  the  iQth  of  November,  being 
the  Vigil  of  St.  Edmund,  king  and  martyr,  letters  under  seal  were 
pretended  to  have  been  brought  from  some  place  beyond  sea,  for  the 
election  of  a  King  of  Christmas,  or  Misrule,  sometimes  called,  with  us  of 
Merton  College,  Rex  Fabarum.  .  .  .  His  authority  lasted  till  Candlemas." 
Peter  Heylin  notes  in  his  Diary:  "Nov.  20,  1617;  Mr.  Holt  chosen 
Christmas  Lord  at  Magdalen  College,  and  solemnly  inaugurated  on  the 
2nd  of  January  following ;  in  which  I  represented  an  ambassador  of  the 
university  of  Vienna": — "No.  23,  1619;  Mr.  Stonehouse  chosen  Lord, 
and  solemnly  inaugurated  in  the  Christmas  holidays  ;  in  which  pomp  I 
represented  the  Duke  of  Helicon,  the  first  peer  of  his  principality." 
Thomas  Warton  found  entries  in  the  audit  book  of  Trinity  College  of 
disbursements  made  for  the  entertainment  of  a  "  Princeps  Natalicius" 
there,  in  1559  :  see  Oxford  Hist.  Soc.  Publications,  Collectanea, 
i.  p.  40.  Bishop  Poynet  of  Winchester,  in  a  reply  to  a  pamphlet  written 
by  Thomas  Martyn  (fl.  1539)  against  marriage  of  priests,  writes  :  "  They 
might  easily  perceive  that  in  playing  the  Christmas  Lord's  minion,  in  New 
College  in  Oxon,  in  thy  fool's  coat,  thou  did'st  learn  thy  boldness  and 
begin  to  put  off  all  shame." 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1700  A.D.          249 

Scholar  and  a  good  Trencherman,  who  was  bidden  to  a 
feast,  and  some  of  the  principal  dishes  to  be  served 
thereat  were  mentioned  to  him  ;  whereupon  he  went 
into  training  for  the  coming  tooth-encounter,  and,  on 
the  day  before  the  banquet,  did  eat  but  slenderly,  and 
took  methodical  exercise.  But  oh  !  the  mischance  !  no 
sooner  was  he  asleep  that  night,  than  his  heightened 
fancy  presented  all  the  catalogue  of  the  dishes  to  his 
soul  as  lively  as  if  he  had  been  at  table.  And  it  wrought 
real  impressions  upon  his  body,  so  that  he  managed  his 
hand  as  if  he  had  a  knife  in  it ;  and  ever  and  anon  he 
cried  out,  '  Sir,  pray  hand  me  the  Spring  of  Pork  ;  pray 
advance  the  Rump  of  Beef  this  way ;  the  Chine  of 
Bacon,  oh  the  Chine  !  With  your  leave,  Sir,  the  Chine ; 
and  then  the  first  dish  again  ! ' ;  while  in  his  compliments, 
his  teeth  kept  minim  and  semibreve  time  so  excellently, 
that  his  chamber-fellows  did  lie  there  and  laugh, 
wonderfully  pleased  to  see  their  friend  so  singularly 
contented  in  the  same  instant  at  bed  and  board.  At 
length  the  Scholar  waked  :  but  he  remembered  nothing 
of  his  banquet;  nor  would  he  believe  the  auditors' 
relation,  until  by  woeful  experience  he  found  his  face  so 
swelled,  and  his  gums  so  battered  by  the  repercussions 
of  his  grinders,  that  he  was  not  able  to  stir  his  jaws,  nor 
to  partake  of  the  good  cheer  at  the  feast,  except  it 
were  the  liquid  part  of  it." 

Such  were  some  of  the  quaint  old-world  customs  and 
thoughts  and  stories  which  lingered  on  in  the  University, 
to  receive  their  death-blow  in  the  Great  Rebellion  and 
the  Puritan  Usurpation  which  followed  it.  These  were 
things  which  the  Restoration  was  unable  to  restore ; 
and  they  had  become,  most  of  them,  mere  memories, 
when  Queen  Anne  ascended  the  throne. 

This  gradual  failure  of  the  zest  for  "  joca,"  in  which 
once  the  whole  learned  community  had  taken  solace,  is 
of  interest,  because  it  resulted  from  causes  which  were 
also  the  chief  of  those  which  converted  early  mediaeval 
into  late  mediaeval  Oxford  in  the  course  of  the  seven- 


250     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

teenth  century.     For,  firstly,  England  was  passing  at 
the  time  from  youth  to  manhood.     As  Sydney  Smith 
of  New    College   puts    it,   "our    ancestors    up    to   the 
Conquest   were   children-in-arms,  chubby  boys    in    the 
time  of  Edward  I,  striplings  under  Elizabeth,  but  men 
in  the  days  of  Queen  Anne  "  ;  and  the  influences  under 
which   the   country   aged   apace   had    nowhere   greater 
effect  than  at  Oxford.     There  Nature  herself,  and  even 
Supernature,  seem    to  have  felt  the  shock,  as  an  old 
world  made  way  for  a  new.     Thus,  at  the  first  approach 
of  the   Puritan,  the    Fairies   had    fled   the   spot ;   their 
dances  ceased,  and  the  sound  of  their  merry  tabor  was 
heard  no  more : — then,  as  the  Parliament  triumphed  in 
the  war,  the  Bees,  whose  ancestors,   attracted  by  the 
honeyed  eloquence  of  Vives,  had   settled  beneath  the 
leads   of  his    study   in    Corpus,   began    to    decline  in 
strength ;  on   the  murder  of  King  Charles,  as  though 
the  female  sympathized  with  the  male  monarchy,  they 
quickly  came  to  naught : — and,  later,  when  the  utilitarian 
Fellows  of  New  College  heralded  the  Age  of  Reason 
by  advancing  their  quadrangle  a  storey  higher,  Echo, 
who  haunted  Magdalen  water-walks,  and  had  been  wont 
in    happier   days    to   repeat    whole    hexameter  verses, 
straightway   took   offence,  and   "  was    never   quite   the 
same  afterwards."1     To  descend  to  mere  Man,  it  is  easy 
to   trace,   in    academic    addresses    and    functions,   the 
passage  from  an  age  of  Creation  to  one  of  Criticism, 
from  the  exuberant  fancifulness  of  Youth  to  the  self- 

1  See  the  "  Faeryes'  Farewell,"  among  the  poems  of  Richard  Corbet  of 
Christ  Church  : 

"  Witness,  those  rings  and  roundelayes 

Of  theirs  which  yet  remain, 
Were  footed  in  Queen  Marie's  days 

On  many  a  grassy  plain  : 
But  since,  of  late,  Elizabeth, 
And,  later,  James  came  in, 
They  never  danced  on  any  heath, 
As  when  the  time  hath  bin." 

For  the  tale  of  the  bees  of  Corpus,  and  the  Magdalen  Echo,  see  Dr. 
Robert  Plot's  Natural  History  of  Oxfordshire  (1677),  chaps,  i.  and  vii. 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1700  A.D.          251 

consciousness  and  self-analysis  of  Middle  Life.  That 
first  fine  careless  rapture,  with  which,  either  as  a 
"  chorus  suavis  Cygnorum  Isidis  ad  Vadum  incolentum," 
the  stripling  Oxford  had  mourned  the  death  of  Kings 
and  Scholars ;  or,  as  "  a  joyous  nest  of  singing  birds," 
had  welcomed  in  every  language  but  her  own,  the  visits 
of  Elizabeth  and  James,  the  betrothal  of  Charles,  "  the 
appearance  of  a  shoot  upon  the  Caroline  Vine,"  "  the 
blooming  of  a  rosebud  in  the  Caroline  garden,"  was  now 
lost  beyond  recapture.  A  mature  University,  and  one 
which  was  being  hailed  by  Dryden,  Trapp,  and  Cibber 
as  "the  modern  Athens,"  the  Court  of  Appeal  from 
London  on  all  points  of  taste  and  learning,  felt  it 
beneath  her  dignity  to  tolerate  the  waggish  knavery, 
the  merry  unrest,  of  her  younger  members.  From  her 
formal  and  unemotional  addresses  and  poems,  she 
banished  puns,  acrostics,  and  their  kind,  as  being  what 
Addison  of  Magdalen  termed  "so  many  antiquated 
forms  of  false  wit."  The  Terrae  Filius  disappeared 
from  her  Public  Acts ;  his  conceits  were  declared  to 
have  become  "  pedantic  and  out  of  date " ;  his  broad 
pleasantries,  "  unfit  for  ears  polite."  The  ideal  form  of 
entertainment  which  the  University  authorities  now 
strove  to  provide  on  those  occasions  is  well  described 
in  Lines  addressed  to  my  Lord  Archbishop  of  Canterbury 
upon  his  famous  erection^  the  Theater  at  Oxford  (printed 
for  C.  S.,  London,  1675): 

To  some  less  wary  in  distinguishing, 
The  bare  name  'Theater'  depraves  the  thing: 
Thither  they  come,  entangled  in  their  fears 
Of  meeting  Savage  Objects ;   Panthers,  Bears, 
Wolves,  Lions,  Tigers!     These,  thus  prepossest, 
Expect  some  Splendid  Desert;  at  the  best 
Africk  immured  !   for  such,  they  have  been  told, 
Were  all  the  Ancient  '  Theaters  '  of  old. 
But  all  the  Sights  in  this  Majestick  Frame 
Are  like  the  Spectators — Tractable  and  Tame: 


252     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

No  mingled  Gladiators  here  intrude ; 
No  Tragick,  nor  no  Mimick  Interlude; 
But  all  the  hours  they  solemnly  Beguile, 
And  ne'er  Excite  our  Sorrow  nor  our  Smile. 

Timid  visitors  might  lay  aside  their  fears :  Oxford 
Lions  were  fast  becoming  very  Mild  Beasts.  It  was 
now  more  in  accordance  with  the  spirit  of  the  time  that 
skulls  should  be  cracked  with  ponderous  arguments 
than  that  spleens  should  be  tickled  with  straws  and 
feathers ;  and  accordingly  nothing  was  admitted  hence- 
forward to  the  programme  at  the  Act  of  a  more  lively 
nature  than  florid  orations,  philosophical  disputes,  and 
mildly  humorous  Latin  dialogues  composed  by  College 
tutors  and  recited  in  the  Theatre  by  their  titled  pupils.1 

And,  secondly,  the  social  revolution,  which  had 
commenced  at  Oxford  in  the  days  of  Overbury  and 
Earle,  and  was  completed  in  those  of  Steele,  Addison, 

1  See  Joseph  Addison  on  Puns,  etc. ,  in  Spectator,  Nos.  56-62 ;  and 
John  Eachard  on  the  "Terrae  Filius"  and  the  Cambridge  "Tripos"  in 
Grounds  for  the  Contempt  of  the  Clergy,  1670.  For  examples  of  recitations 
at  the  Act,  see  "  Auctio  Davisiana,"  a  Latin  poem  on  the  sale  of  the  books 
of  Richard  Davies,  an  Oxford  bookseller,  in  1689,  which  was  composed 
by  George  Smalridge  of  Christ  Church,  afterwards  Bishop  of  Bristol  (a 
translation  appears  in  Booklore},  and  also  "Jus  Pilei  Oxoniensis,"  recited 
at  the  Public  Act  about  1696,  and  included  in  Musarum  Anglican. 
Analecta,  ii.  89. 

See  The  Oxford  Act,  London,  1693: 

"  Now  the  full-buttoned  Youth  appear, 
And  squeakings  fill  the  Theatre  : 
Their  parts  well-conned  say  over  prettily, 
Nay,  humour  all  things  wondrous  wittily  : 
The  prettiest  littlest  harmless  Baubles, 
Young  unfledged  Lords  and  callow  Nobles ; 
The  Ladies  might,  nor  would  they  scare  'em, 
For  Nosegays  in  their  Bosoms  wear  'em. 
Bought  Wit  is  best;  and,  it  has  been  said  for  it, 
It  must  be  theirs  who  fairly  paid  for  it. 
One  sings,  though  in  Heroicks  oddly, 
A  Catalogue  of  the  New  Bodley ; 
While  from  another  you  may  hear 
Our  swingeing  the  French  Fleet  last  year." 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1700  A.D.         253 

and  Amherst,  accounted  for  the  discontinuance  of  many 
an  ancient  social  function ;  for,  in  its  course,  many  new 
elements  were  introduced  into  academical  society 
which  failed  to  combine  freely  with  the  old ;  and,  under 
their  influence,  the  College  family  circle  with  its  homely 
joys  gradually  broke  up,  and  fell  apart  into  its  com- 
ponent particles.  Thus,  when  the  strong  hand  of 
Elizabeth  no  longer  restrained  them,  married  Heads  of 
Houses  straightway  brought  their  wives  and  children 
within  the  precincts;  and  ''womankind,  which,"  as  the 
mediaevally-minded  Wood  remarks,  "was  beforetime 
looked  upon,  if  resident  in  colleges,  as  an  abomination 
thereunto,"  now  first,  for  good  or  for  ill,  established  her 
footing  in  Oxford.  As  the  prudent  Queen  had  foreseen, 
these  newcomers  "were  not  content  to  live  as  the 
companions  of  learned  and  exemplary  men  ought  to  do, 
and,  like  sad  and  discreet  matrons,  to  bestow  their  time 
in  devout  and  godly  exercises.  They  intruded  and 
pressed  themselves  into  academical  affairs ;  and  took 
and  called  their  colleges  as  their  own,  as  '  their  lodgings,' 
'  their  gates,'  '  their  gardens/  '  their  porters,'  '  their 
tenants,'  etc."  The  old-fashioned  celibate  Fellow  was 
soon  shocked  by  the  issue  of  such  a  work  as  The 
Countesse  of  Lincolne's  Nurserie,  a  treatise  on  infant- 
nurture,  from  the  University  Press  (1622) — that  Press 
which,  on  its  restoration  in  1585,  had  proudly  boasted, 
"  Non  nugae,  non  aniles  fabulae,  hie  excudentur :  ea 
solum  ex  his  praelis  in  lucem  venient  quae  sapientum 
calculis  approbentur  et  Sybillae  foliis  sint  veriora " : 1 
he  was  disgusted  by  the  debate  at  the  Public  Act  of 
such  questions  as  "  An  uxor  perversa  asperitate,  potius 
quam  humanitate,  sanetur,"  and  "An  liceat  marito 
verberare  uxorem  ? ",  problems  which  every  married 
man  should  thrash  out  for  himself  in  the  privacy  of  his 
own  domestic  forum :  and,  as  "  places  of  Students 
become  troubled  by  Babes,  and  buildings,  reared  to 
keep  societies  of  men  engaged  in  prayer  and  study, 

1  Early  Oxford  Press  (Oxford  Hist,  Soc.  Publications),  pp.  15,  117. 


254     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

were  quickly  appropriated  by  nurses  and  children,"  he 
sadly  realized  that  a  new  influence  had  converted  the 
Father  of  his  College  into  a  mere  Paterfamilias,  and 
had  destroyed  the  old  intimacy,  founded  on  a  common 
life  and  common  interests,  which  once  had  existed 
between  the  Head  and  the  other  Members  of  the 
Collegiate  Body.  A  second  disintegrating  force  came 
into  play  when  youths  of  the  wealthier  classes  began 
to  resort  to  the  University  ;  for  Gentleman-Commoners 
were  "  apt  to  think  that  when  they  left  school,  they 
should  manage  themselves,"  and  consequently  proved 
far  less  patient  of  discipline  than  were  Foundationers. 
As  Stephen  Penton  of  St.  Edmund  Hall  wrote  in  his 
Guardians  Instruction  (1688),  "a  boy,  when  he  is 
plumed  up  with  a  new  suit,  fancies  himself  a  fine  thing  ; 
and  because  he  has  a  penny  commons  more  than  the 
rest,  thinks  he  ought  therefore  to  be  abated  a  penny- 
worth of  learning,  wisdom,  and  virtue  " :  and  the  honest 
Tutor,  who  is  not  content  to  be  "  a  mere  Jack-mate  and 
hail-fellow-well-met"  with  such  a  pupil,  but  attempts 
"to  promote  his  towardliness  and  proficiency,  and  to 
discipline  him  into  good  manners,  politics,  and  religion," 
prepares  for  himself  "  a  life  of  infinite  care  and  anxiety." 
It  is  clear,  indeed,  that  even  if  Baker  and  Miller,  in 
their  Comedies,  have  exaggerated  the  antagonism  that 
existed  between  Men  of  the  class  of  Cormorant  Calf 
of  Ba-lial  College,  Gentleman-Commoner,  Mr.  Soakwell 
of  Magdalen,  and  Beau  Trifle  of  Christ  Church,  and 
Fellows  of  the  type  of  Haughty  and  Conundrum  and 
Doctors  Paunch,  Codshead,  Ginnipig,  and  Belcher,  a 
gulf  was  nevertheless  opening  between  Governors  and 
Governed  in  the  University ;  and  that  the  evolution  of 
the  relations  which  exist  between  the  modern  Don  and 
the  modern  Undergraduate  was  already  accomplished.1 
And  while  Seniors  and  Juniors  were  thus  drifting  apart, 
the  old  equal  comradeship  no  longer  existed  among  the 

1  See  Thomas    Baker,  An   Act  at  Oxford,    1704,   and    James   Miller 
(Wadham  College),  The  Humours  of  Oxford,  1730. 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1700  A.D.          255 

latter  as  a  body ;  for  Gentleman-Commoners,  Scholars, 
Battelers,  and  Servitors  formed  separate  groups,  dis- 
tinguished, one  from  the  other,  not  merely  by  nice 
distinctions  in  cap  and  gown,  but  by  more  marked 
diversities  of  taste  and  social  position.  "  Low  "  was  the 
epithet  used  by  "bucks  of  the  first  head,"  with  their 
claret  and  arrack-punch,  to  describe  the  sprightly 
youths  who  drank  ale,  smoked  tobacco,  and  sang 
Bacchanalian  songs :  "  slow "  was  that  applied  by  the 
latter  to  sober  students  who  passed  the  evening  over 
Greek  and  the  water-bottle.  Steele's  "  Man  of  Fire  "  or 
"  Slicer "  loved  to  stand  at  a  coffee-house  door,  and 
sneer  at  passers-by  less  foppish  than  he.  "  Demme, 
Jack;  there  goes  a  prig!  Let's  blow  the  puppy 
up ! "  Amherst's  "  Smart "  would  say  to  some  boon- 
companion  ;  and  forthwith  "  they  would  stare  in  the  face 
of  some  plain  man  who  did  not  cut  so  bold  a  dash  as 
they  did,  would  turn  him  from  the  wall  and  raise  a 
horse-laugh  to  put  him  out  of  countenance."  In  short, 
a  strict  code  of  etiquette,  great  part  of  which  survived 
till  comparatively  recent  times,  now  impeded  familiar 
intercourse  between  the  various  sets  of  men  which  made 
up  the  Undergraduate  world.  The  original  "  Clerk  of 
Oxenford "  rode  all  day  without  speaking  a  word  to 
his  fellow-pilgrims,  because  he  was  meditating  upon 
some  "sophyme."  Not  so  the  four  very  gentlemanly 
Oxonians,  who  in  the  eighteenth  century  travelled 
inside  the  coach  from  Oxford  to  Birmingham  without 
exchanging  a  single  remark  on  the  way.  They  were 
silent  because  they  had  not  been  formally  introduced 
to  one  another;  and  when,  at  the  conclusion  of  the 
journey,  one  of  them  had  his  toes  accidentally  trodden 
upon,  and,  in  the  agony  of  the  moment,  ejaculated 
"  Dem ! "  he  was  held  to  have  committed  a  deplorable 
breach  of  good  manners.1 

1  For  traces  of  the  survival  of  this  Code  of  Manners,  see  the  remarks 
of  a  commentator  on  this  tale,  in  Hints  on  Etiquette  for  the  University  of 
Oxford  (1838):  "If  a  man  speak  to  another  before  he  has  been 


256     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

And  beside  causing  a  break-up  of  the  College  family 
circle,  the  social  revolution  brought  about  a  change  in 
the  system  of  residence  at  Oxford ;  and  from  this 
resulted  the  decay  of  many  a  festive  observance.  The 
University  was  no  longer  a  home  to  the  Oxonian,  as 
she  had  been  in  the  days  when,  after  he  had  once  been 
brought  up  as  a  mere  child  to  some  grammar-school, 
his  residence  in  the  University  city  had  been  an  un- 
broken one  for  years,  and  perhaps  for  life.  Now  he 
would  make  his  first  appearance  there,  as  one  of  "  those 
massy  fellows  from  the  great  Schools,"  "  Maypole  Fresh- 
men, that  were  tall  cedars  before  they  came  to  be 
planted  in  the  Academian  Garden ;  who  were  fed  with 
the  papp  of  Aristotle  at  twenty  years  of  age,  and  sucked 
at  the  duggs  of  their  mother,  the  University,  though 
they  were  high  Colossus's  and  youths  rampant." l  Nor 
was  residence  continuous  as  of  old ;  for  Vacations,  which 
had  once  meant  merely  a  respite  from  University 
Exercises,  were  now  being  developed  in  the  modern 
sense  of  the  word.  "  The  Long,"  indeed,  was  already 
in  1570  a  regular  institution;2  but,  towards  the  close 

introduced,  he  violates  one  of  the  first  rules  of  Oxford  etiquette.  In  the 
company  of  strangers,  a  man  may  whistle ;  he  may  behave  as  if  there 
was  no  one  in  the  room  but  himself;  but  let  him  not  speak,  except  to 
his  dog,  or,  if  he  be  at  an  inn,  to  the  waiter,"  etc.  See  too  the  "Hard 
Case"  in  Ye  Round  Table,  an  Oxford  periodical  (1878):  "A.,  an  under- 
graduate unprovided  with  academicals,  is  accosted  by  B.,  a  Proctor,  who 
requests  him  to  call  at  his  rooms  the  following  morning.  A.  has  never 
been  introduced  to  B.  What  should  A.  do  ?  " 

Certain  events,  again,  justify  a  man  in  holding  no  further  intercourse 
with  a  former  acquaintance.  Thus  "you  may  cut  a  friend,"  says  the 
New  Art,  teaching  how  to  be  Plucked,  a  work  attributed  to  Edward 
Caswell  (B.N.C.,  1835),  "because  he  wears  a  white  hat  in  winter; 
because  he  has  taken  to  reading ;  because  he  would  not  go  to  Abingdon 
with  you  in  a  tandem  ;  because  he  has  taken  to  wearing  his  cap  and 
gown  ;  because  his  wine  is  bad  ;  because  his  rooms  are  up  three  flights  of 
stairs  ;  because  another  man  says  he  is  an  ass  ;  because  his  hat  is  narrow- 
brimmed  ;  because  it  is  a  bore  to  nod ;  because  his  dog  hurt  yours,"  etc. 

1  Anthony   Wood's   speech    as   a   freshman,    Wood's   Life   and    Times 
(Oxford  Hist.  Soc.),  i.  140;  Dialogue  on  Education,  by  Lord  Clarendon 
(1670),  Clarendon  Tracts. 

2  For  the  development  of  the  Long  Vacation  from   its  origin  in   the 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1700  A.D.         257 

of  the  seventeenth  century,  the  Gentleman-Commoner  is 
found  to  be  indulging  in  other  and  frequent  intervals 
of  absence  from  Oxford.1  Then  Colleges  gradually 
relaxed  the  rigour  of  Statutes  which  permitted  those 
on  their  foundations  but  a  few  days'  absence  in  the 
course  of  the  year ;  travelling  became  more  rapid  ; 2  and 
eventually  "  the  City  seated  rich  in  everything,  girt  with 
wood  and  water,  pasture,  corn,  and  hill,"  was  as  a  desert 
at  both  the  most  genial  and  the  most  jovial  seasons  of  the 
year.  It  became,  in  fact,  more  difficult  for  the  ardent 
Scholar  to  obtain  permission  to  stay  in  the  University 
after  the  end  of  term  than  it  had  once  been  for  the  idle 
Scholar  to  obtain  leave  of  absence,  for  the  authorities 
made  it  clear  by  every  means  in  their  power  that  his 

occasional  removal  of  a  College,  commencing  in  the  fifteenth  century,  from 
Oxford  to  some  neighbouring  village,  on  account  of  plague,  scarcity  of 
provisions,  or  insanitary  state  of  the  town,  see  Register  of  Magdalen 
College,  New  Series  (W.  D.  Macray),  vol.  ii.  Preface. 

1  See  Stephen  Penton,  The  Guardian's  Instruction  or  the  Gentleman's 
Romance,   1688  :    "  It  is  a  common  and  very  great   inconvenience,  that, 
soon  after  a  young  gentleman   is  settled  and   but   beginning  to  begin  to 
study,  we  have  a  tedious  ill-spell'd  letter  from  a  dear  sister  who  languishes 
and   longs  to  see  him ;  and   this,  together  with   rising  to  prayers  at   six 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  softens  the  lazy  youth  into  a  fond  desire  of  seeing 
her  too.     Then,  all  on  a  sudden,  up  posts   the   liveryman  with   the   led 
horse,  enquires  for  the   College  where  the  young  squire   lives,  finds  my 
young  master  with  his  boots  and  spurs  on  beforehand  .   .  .  and  the  next 
news  of  him  is  at  home.     Within  a  day  or  two  he  is  invited  to  a  hunting- 
match  ;  and  the  sickly  youth  who  was  scarce  able  to  rise  to  prayers,  can 
now  rise  at  four  of  the  clock  to  a  fox-chase."     "Peregrine  Pickle  (1751) 
kept  his  own  horses,  attended  all  the  races  within  fifty  miles  of  Oxford, 
and  made  frequent  visits  to  London,  where  he  used  to  lie  incognito  during 
the  best  part  of  many  a  term." 

2  In  Bracton's  time,  circa  1250,  it  was  held   to  be  an  impossibility  to 
travel  from  Oxford  to  London  in  one  day :  see  Select  Passages  from  the 
Works  of  Bracton  and  Azo  (Selden  Soc.  Publications),  Introd.  p.  xxii 
and  p.  149:  "  De  Actionibus" — "  Ut  si  dicas,  existens  Oxoniae,  '  Hodie 
Londoniae    dare    spondes?',    talis    stipulatio    erit    inutilis,    nisi    tempus 
adjicitur  quo  fieri  possit  id  quod  deducitur  in  stipulationem ;  quia  omnino 
impossible  erit." 

Anthony  Wood,  on  April  26,  1669,  makes  the  following  entry  in  his 
Diary  :  "  Monday  was  the  first  day  that  the  flying  coach  went  from  Oxon 
to  London  in  one  day.  A.  W.  went  in  the  same  coach,  having  a  boot  at 
each  side." 


258     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 


*The 

College 

consisted 

of  but 

eight 

Members. 


*  i.e. 

Sandford, 
where  the 
Doctor 
was  court- 
ing a  lady. 


presence  in  the  vacant  seat  of  learning  was  no  longer 
desirable.  "  I  cannot  prevent  you  from  remaining  in 
College  during  the  Long  Vacation,  if  you  insist  upon 
it,"  said  an  eighteenth-century  Dean  to  the  younger 
Fellows  and  the  Demies  of  Magdalen ;  "  but  I  give  you 
fair  warning  that  you  must  attend  Chapel  twice  a  day, 
and,  as  I  shall  order  dinner  myself,  you  must  not  be 
surprised  if  your  commons  are  somewhat  shorter  than 
you  may  like.  There  are  some  devils  that  can  only  be 
cast  out  by  prayer  and  fasting,  and  I  consider  you  to  be 
of  that  sort."  l  ' 

Oxford  Society,  then,  at  the  close  of  the  seventeenth 

1  Story  told  by  Dr.  John  Shaw  (Demy,  Magdalen  College,  1764)  to 
Dr.  Routh  :  see  manuscript  note  at  the  end  of  Anthony  Wood's  Modius 
Salium  in  British  Museum.  Cf.  The  Oxford  Magazine  (1768),  i.  140, 
"Admonition"  by  Dr.  Sharpe,  Principal  of  Hertford  College,  dated 
June  27,  1757  :  "  Notice  is  hereby  given  that  the  buttery  and  kitchen  will 
be  put  out  as  usual  on  Saturday,  July  16,  being  the  last  day  of  term ;  by 
which  time  the  several  members  of  this  House  are  desired  to  repair  to  their 
respective  homes,  that  the  tutors  and  officers  of  the  College  may  be  at 
liberty  to  go  where  their  engagements  and  amusements  call  them. "  The 
admonition  was  burlesqued  by  the  wits  of  the  time  : 
"  Noverint  omnes  per  praesentes, 

Quotquot  in  Coll.  Hertford  sunt  studentes, 

Quod  termino  mox  exituro, 

Viz.   mense  Julii  prox.  future, 

Nil  erit  istic  quod  voretur, 

Ipsa  culina  extinguetur ; 

Quin  ut  omnino  vacet  domus, 

Cum  coquo  exulabit  promus ; 

Discedant  omnes,  (inquam,  sex)  ;* 

Haec  Consuetude,  haec  est  Lex  : 

Ad  suos  se  recipiant  ruri, 

Quod  ventri  sat  est,  inventuri, 

Tune  Principalis,  tune  Tutores, 

Quisque  secundum  suos  mores, 

Habebunt  tempus  otiandi, 

Et  quo  fert  animus,  vagandi. 

Illi,  quo  vadent  de  future, 

Nee  novi  sane,  neque  euro. 

Ipse  de  me  jam  sabulosum 

Ad  Vadum  tendam  Arenosum."* 

For  the  discomfort  of  life  at  University  College  during  the  Christmas 
and  Easter  vacations  (1810),  see  Life  of 'Shelley -,  by  T.  J.  Hogg. 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1700  A.D.         259 

century,  in  respect  of  its  constitution,  its  divisions,  and 
its  mode  of  life,  had  already  reached  the  state,  in  which 
it  was  destined  to  remain,  practically  unchanged,  until 
the  date  which  has  been  set  as  a  limit  to  this  work.  The 
ancient  simplicity  of  life  was  gone : — Anthony  Wood 
noted  in  his  old  age  the  change  of  tone  and  taste  which 
had  come  over  the  place  since  his  youth,  in  the  words, 
"  Scholars  now  aim  to  live,  not,  as  Students  ought  to  do, 
temperate  grave  and  plain  in  apparell ;  but,  as  Gentle- 
men, to  keep  horses  and  dogs,  to  turn  coalholes  and 
studies  into  receptacles  for  bottles,  to  swash  it  out  in 
dress,  and  to  wear  long  periwigs  " ;  and  to  live,  not  so 
much  as  a  Student  as  a  Gentleman,  was  the  aim  alike 
of  the  "Queen  Anne"  Undergraduate  and  of  his 
Georgian  and  early- Victorian  successors.  And  the 
Fiction  of  that  period  of  150  years,  whether  when 
dealing  with  the  vices  or  with  the  virtues  of  Oxford 
life,  tells  the  same  tale.  The  "poor  Scholar"  is  no 
longer  the  favourite  hero  of  academical  romance,  but 
gives  precedence  to  the  "Young  Gentleman  at  the 
University."  Thus  the  captious  Novelist  loves  to  dwell 
upon  the  temptations  to  extravagance,  dissipation,  and 
evil  companionship  which  beset  "the  easy-natured  in- 
experienced undergraduate  of  quality  "  in  the  course  of 
his  career  ;  and  the  guileless  youth  is  shewn  "  surrounded 
by  those  undesirable  attendants  who  seem  necessarily 
to  form  part  of  the  equipage  of  wealth  and  position." 
If,  for  a  moment,  the  townsmen,  in  Robert  Burton's 
Philosophaster,  viewed  the  first  coming  of  well-to-do  and 
high-spirited  gownsmen  with  some  apprehension,  they 
quickly  recovered  themselves,  and  recognized  that  there 
was  a  bright  side  to  the  picture : 

"  Oderint ;  irrideant ; 

Contemnant ;  cornutos  vocent ;  deteriores  non  sumus. 
Me  vocent  nasutum,  rubicundum,  sordidum, 
Et  vocent  usque,  dum  me  vocent  divitem," 

exclaimed  Rubicund  us ; 


260     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

"  Solvant,  inquam,  solvant !   Quod  reliquum  est,  eat ! " 
cried  the  philosophical  Sordidus ; 

"  Quando  vos  vultis,  idem  et  mihi  placet," 

acquiesced  the  more  timid  Cornutus;  and  the  three 
worthies  settled  down  to  prey  upon  the  careless  new- 
comers. Earle's  "  University  Dun,"  and  Saltonstall's 
"  Townsman  who  sticks  like  a  burr  to  freshmen's  gowns, 
and  strives  to  lure  the  pliantness  of  youth  to  all  ill 
actions,"  became  regular  institutions ; x  and  as  the 
academical  cap  and  band  developed  into  the  modern 
square-cap  and  tassel,  so  the  youth  who  in  Earle's  time 
"was  notorious  for  an  ingle  to  gold  hat-bands,"  de- 
veloped into  the  scientific  tuft-hunter  of  the  eighteenth 
and  nineteenth  centuries ; — rules  for  the  conduct  of  his 
sport  appeared  in  the  Lounger^  an  eighteenth-century 
periodical;2  in  the  year  1820,  the  well-known  song- 

1  Cf.  the  Speech  to  Convocation  of  R.  Bathurst,  Vice -Chancellor,  upon 
the  sporting  barbers  of  Oxford,  printed  in  his  Life,  by  Thomas  Warton : 
"Ipsi  otio  abundantes,  aliorum  nequitiis  et  voluptatibus  subministrant. 
Pisces,    aves,    lepores   sectantur ;    immo  quod    animal   est  prae  coeteris 
omnibus   fraudi    opportunum,    etiam   novitios   scholares   in    laqueos   suos 
pelliciunt ;  imberbium  ora,  si  non  smegmate,  certe  fucis  oblinunt,  et  quibus 
genas  non  possunt,  marsupia  saltern  expilant,"  etc. 

2  "This  form  of  sport,  so   little  known  outside   the  precincts  of  the 
University,"  writes  a  master  of  the  craft  in  that  periodical,    "has  the 
advantage  over  fox-hunting,  in  that  it  can  be  pursued  all  the  year  round, 
and  is  not  liable  to  be  interrupted  by  frost :  moreover,  far  from  being  an 
expensive  amusement,  it  is  frequently  found  to  be  extremely  profitable  to 
its  followers.  .   .   .  With  regard  to  the  best  places  to  find  in,  it  may  be 
observed  that   Livery  Stables  and   Billiard    Rooms  in  the  forenoon,  and 
Port  Meadow  and  the  High  Street  of  an  evening,  are  usually  esteemed  the 
best   lodging   for  game   of  this   kind.     It   may,   however,  be   sometimes 
necessary  to  try  their  own  rooms  ;   but  it  has  been  observed  that  those 
*  tufts'  who  take  much  to  laying  in  such  places,  are  of  a  cowardly  nature, 
and  seldom  shew  good  sport.     As  to  the  method  of  hunting  them,  you  are 
not  only  to  press  them  very  hard  at  first,  and  to  keep  as  close  to  them  as 
possible  afterwards  ;  but  you  must  be  careful  never  to  head  them  or  turn 
them    back,  for   the  *  tuft,'  though  a  simple   animal,  is  at   times  a  very 
obstinate  one  too ;  and  any  endeavour  to  make  him  go  the  way  he  does 
not  choose  to  go,  may  be  fatal  to  your  sport,  it  being  well-known  that  a 
*•  tuft '   when    once    suffered    to    get    away  from   you,   is    scarcely  ever 
recovered  again.     In  conclusion,  as  the  beaver  when  closely  pressed  by 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1700  A.D.         261 

writer,  T.  H.  Bayly  of  St.  Mary  Hall,  published  his 
popular  ballad,  "  The  Man  with  the  Tuft," 

"  I  ever  at  College 

From  Commoners  shrank, 
Still  craving  the  knowledge 
Of  Persons  of  Rank,"  etc. ; 

while,  in  1848,  Theodore  A.  W.  Buckley,  the  brilliant 
Scholar  of  Christ  Church,  produced  his  monumental 
work,  The  Natural  History  of  Toadies,  and  "  Tuft  "- 
hunters.  Turning  to  the  brighter  side  of  Oxford  life, 
we  find  that,  in  Anne's  reign,  Clubs  were  already  in 
existence,  nay  more,  flourished  in  almost  the  same 
number  and  infinite  variety  as  they  do  now : — philo- 
sophical, literary,  political ;  and  others  of  a  nondescript 
character,  such  as  those  which  are  burlesqued  in  the 
Spectator,— the  "Witty,"  "Nonsense,"  and  "Punning" 
Clubs,  the"  Banterers,"  the  "  Dull  Men,"  the  "  Handsome 
Club,"  and  that  merry  species,  which  seeming  to  have 
come  into  the  world  in  masquerade,  associated  them- 
selves together  under  the  name  of  the  "  Ugly  Club." * 

hunters,  has  been  known  to  leave  behind  him  that  part  of  his  body  for 
which  he  knows  he  is  pursued,  and  thus,  by  sacrificing  a  part,  save  the 
rest,  so  the  creatures  we  have  been  describing,  are  often  obliged  to  make 
valuable  deposits  for  the  benefit  of  their  pursuers,  particularly  when 
driven  into  taverns  and  coffee-houses,  whence  there  would  be  otherwise 
no  escape :  indeed,  I  am  informed  that  Commissions  in  the  Army  and 
Presentations  to  Livings  have  been  dropped  by  'tufts'  when  properly 
hunted,  and  which  have  never  failed  to  free  them  from  further  persecution. 
And  that  such  may  be  the  good  fortune  of  all  my  readers  who  are  fond  of 
this  amusement,  is  my  most  earnest  wish." 

1  For  an  example  of  "bantering,"  see  "A  bantering,  adverbial  de- 
clamation written  by  Mr.  Thomas  Brown  of  Christ  Church  upon  a  pair 
of  bellows  at  Mother  Warner's  in  Oxford,  for  the  use  of  Mr.  Alfred 
Carpenter,"  Thomas  Browris  Works.  As  to  punning,  the  art  would 
seem  to  have  survived  the  persecution  of  the  higher  critics,  such  as  Addison. 
About  the  year  1722,  what  has  been  pronounced  by  Lamb  to  be  the  best 
pun  in  the  language,  was  perpetrated  at  Oxford: — "A  scholar,  passing 
through  a  street,  made  to  a  fellow  who  had  a  hare  swinging  on  a  stick  over 
his  shoulder,  and  accosted  him  as  follows  :  '  Prithee,  friend,  is  that  thy 
own  hare  or  is  it  a  periwig  ? '  "  (Prose  Miscellanies  >  by  Swift  and  Sheridan  ; 
and  Charles  Lamb,  Elia). 


262     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

No  doubt  successors  could  be  found  at  the  present  day 
to  the  brilliant  figures  who  move  in  the  periodicals  of 
the  early  eighteenth  century: — to  Valentine  Frippery, 
for  instance,  "  the  pride  of  the  dancing  school,  with  an 
easy  slide  in  his  bow  and  a  graceful  manner  of  entering 
a  room,"  Jack  Flutter  "  in  his  stiff  silk  gown,  flaxen  tie- 
wig,  broad  bully-cocked  hat,  white  stockings,  and  thin 
Spanish-leather  shoes,"  and  Robin  Tattle,  "  that  handy 
man  at  a  tea-table";  to  the  Scholar-Nimrod,  whose 
studies  were  confined  to  treatises  on  the  Chace  and 
Farriery;  and  to  the  "Dashing  Men,"  "Slicers,"  and 
"  Men  of  Fire,"  prolific  parents  of  a  hundred  "  Jerry 
Bucks,"  "Peregrine  Pickles,"  and  "Bob  Logics."  The 
Lounger  and  the  Loiterer  are  not  yet  extinct.  "  Dapper- 
wit"  still  writes  "sonnets  to  his  lady's  thimble-case": 
when  the  "  high  midsummer  pomps "  come  on,  and 
crowded  trains  draw  up  in  the  Great  Western  Station, 
his  heart  beats  at  the  sight  of  a  pretty  face  as  wildly 
now  as  ever  it  did  in  some  long-past  June,  when  all  the 
vehicles  in  England,  from  the  Coach-and-Six  or  Landau 
with  two  postillions  down  to  the  One-horse  Chaise  and 
sober  Sulky,  whirled  passengers  up  to  the  Oxford  Act, 
and  he  saw  white  fustian  riding-habits  and  satin  waist- 
coats make  their  entry  at  the  East  Gate,  and  Dunstable 
Bonnets  mix  with  Square  Caps,  and  Gown  and  Petticoat 
go  by  the  side  of  Gown  and  Cassock.  Nor,  though  two 
hundred  years  have  flown  since  John  Dry  of  St.  John 
Baptist  College  sang  the  "  Nymphs  who  graced  Oxonian 
Plains,"  and  the  "  Signers'  Club "  laid  aside  canes  and 
snuff-boxes,  to  toy  with  ribands,  broken  fans,  and 
girdles,  in  memory  of  their  loves,  has  time  yet  silenced 
those  strains  or  stilled  those  passions.  Beauty  still 
reigns  over  all,  from  Headington  to  Hinksey:  Spirat 
adhuc  Amor ;  spirantque  commissi  calores  Isiaci  fidibus 
canori ! x 

1  For  poems  of  the  time  addressed  to  the  "  Toasts"  of  Oxford,  see  John 
Dry's  Merton  Walks,  or  the  Oxford  Beauties  (1717);  Nicholas  Amherst's 
Strephon's  Revenge,  a  Satire  on  the  Oxford  Toasts  ( 1 720),  and  his  Oculus 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1700  A.D.         263 

It  now  remains  to  consider  briefly  what  effect  was 
produced  upon  the  typical  Oxford  Clerk  by  the  changes 
wrought  in  academical  society  during  the  seventeenth 
century ;  for  the  mention  of  such  common  denominators 
of  Youth  throughout  the  world,  as  are  the  tastes  for 
love  and  dress,  sport  and  society,  would  be  irrelevant 
in  a  work,  the  proper  object  of  which  is  an  examination 
of  those  endowments  which  are  so  peculiarly  his  own 
as  to  entitle  the  Clerk  of  Oxford  to  a  distinct  Kingdom 
of  Nature,  had  not  the  increasing  prevalence  of  such 
tastes  in  the  University  at  this  time  wrought  a  notice- 
able change  in  him,  and  led  him  to  develop  what  had 
been  till  then  a  comparatively  neglected  side  of  his 
character.  He  may  have  read  and  marked  that 
Dialogue  on  Education  (1670),  in  which  Lord  Clarendon, 
but  lately  her  Chancellor,  urged  Oxford  to  promote 
the  growth  of  social  and  manly,  as  well  as  of  intellectual, 
accomplishments ;  to  encourage  the  acting  of  both 
English  and  Latin  plays,  as  being  the  most  natural  way 
to  introduce  assurance  and  grace  of  speaking ;  and  not 
only  to  permit  Schools  for  Dancing,  Fencing,  Riding 
and  the  like  Exercises,  but  to  countenance  them  with 
suitable  Structures  and  endowed  Professorships.  Or, 

Britanniae  (1724);  George  Woodward's  Oxford  Beauties  (i73°);  and 
Alma  Mater,  a  satirical  poem  by  a  Gentleman  of  New  Inn  Hall  (1733). 
Some  of  these  effusions  are  unpleasant,  and  all  of  them  are  long.  Shorter 
and  sweeter  are  the  "Verses  on  Miss  Brickenden's  going  to  Nuneham  by 
water,"  to  be  found  in  the  Oxford  Sausage ;  and  the  following  "Acrostic 
Lines  on  Miss  Betty  Tracy's  being  chosen  Lady  Patroness  for  the  year 
1737  of  the  High  Borlace"  (An  Oxford  Tory  Club) : 

"B-y  Wisdom,  Virtue,  and  by  Beauty  sway'd, 
E-rst  the  Borlaceans  chose  a  favourite  Maid. 
T-hree  Goddesses  to  please,  th'  Electors  strove, 
'T-was  Pallas,  Dian,  and  the  Queen  of  Love ; 
Y-et  never  did  they  all  the  choice  approve. 
T-his  union,  sought  in  vain  for  ages  past, 
R-esistless  Tracy  has  compelled  at  last. 
A-greed  the  jarring  Deities  appear ; 
C-onsenting  now,  they  with  one  voice  declare 
Y-e've  chose  a  Patroness  Wise,  Chaste,  and  Fair." 

Ballard  MS.  47,  f.  74 


264     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

again,  he  may  have  listened  to  the  advice  which  Steele 

of  Merton   gave  in  the  Guardian^  No.  94  (1713),  that 

the  poor  Scholar,  instead  of  dividing  his  day  between 

the  study  and  the  alehouse,  "  a  morning  bookworm,  an 

afternoon  maltworm,"  should  devote  some  moments  of 

his  leisure  to  the  acquisition  of  "  such  elements  of  good 

breeding  and  of  such  little  necessary  foppery,  as  would 

shorten    his   way   to   preferment   and    better   fortune." 

However  this  may  have  been,  it  is  clear  that,  while  the 

old  shy  and  shabby  type  of  reading-man  still  continued 

to  abound,  there  was  now  springing  up  by  his  side  a 

race  of  Scholars  who  sought  to  bring  themselves  into 

closer  harmony  with  the   changed    conditions  of  their 

environment.     Thus   the  modern  view  with   regard   to 

what  is  known  as  "talking  shop"  was  now  beginning 

to   prevail.     In   Jacobean   days  it   had   been   "  all   the 

fashion  with  the   merry  and   facete,   to  interlard   their 

common  discourse  with  quotations  from  the  poets  and 

sentences   from    classic    authors,"    but    "  now,"    writes 

Anthony  Wood  in  his  old   age,  "one  that  discourseth 

scholarlike,   viz :     by   quoting    the    Fathers,   disputing 

theologically  at  meals,  or   producing   a   verse   suitable 

to   the   occasion,  is    accounted   pedantical   and   paeda- 

gogical.     Nothing  but  news  and  affairs  of  Christendom 

is    discussed ;     and    that    generally    in    coffee-houses." 

Thomas  Warton,  writing  a  little  later,  in  his  Companion 

to  the  Guide,  throws  further  light  upon  the  way  of  life 

and  manner  of  conversation  which  were  now  in  vogue 

among  the  learned.     "  Learning,"  he  says,  "  is  no  longer 

a  dry  pursuit,  for  all  species  of  reading  can  be  perused 

over  appropriate  liquors.     In  our  coffee-houses  we  study 

amorous   tales    over    arrack-punch   and  jellies,   insipid 

odes  over  orgeat  and  capillaire,  politics  over  coffee,  and 

defences  of  bad  generals  over  whipt  syllabubs."     Then, 

too,  Philosophy  was  now  at  last  realizing  that,  if  it  was 

not  to  become  dronish,  useless,  and  directly  opposite  to 

the  real   Knowledge  and   Practice  of  the   World   and 

Mankind,  it  must  no  longer  sever  itself  from  the  more 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1700  A.D.         265 

sprightly  Arts  and  Sciences : — as  Warton  puts  it,  "  the 
Scholar  is  now  discovering  the  Schools  of  the  University  to 
be  more  numerous  than  he  has  hitherto  supposed.  Hence- 
forward he  must  reckon  among  them  spacious  Edifices, 
vulgarly  called  Tennis  Courts,  where  Exercises  are 
regularly  performed  morning  and  afternoon;  Billiard 
Tables,  where  the  Laws  of  Motion  are  exemplified ; 
and  Nine-pins  and  Skittle  Alleys,  designed  for  the 
instruction  of  Youth  in  Geometrical  Knowledge,  and 
particularly  for  proving  the  Centripetal  Principle.  Peri- 
patetics begin  to  execute  the  Courses  proper  to  their 
system  on  the  Parade.  Navigation  is  studied  on  the 
Isis;  Gunnery  on  the  adjacent  hills;  Horsemanship  in 
Port  Meadow  and  on  Bullington  Green,  and  the  Henley, 
Wycombe,  Abingdon,  and  Banbury  Roads.  The  Axis 
in  Peritrochio  is  admirably  illustrated  by  a  Scheme  in 
a  Phaeton;  and  the  Doctrine  of  the  Screw  demon- 
strated most  evenings  in  private  rooms,  together  with 
the  Motion  of  Fluids."  In  short,  there  are  signs  that 
the  sedentary  Scholar  was  beginning  to  turn  his  atten- 
tion to  the  pursuit  of  active  sports  and  of  social 
accomplishments.  And  it  is  this  combination  in  his 
person  of  the  Student  with  the  embryo  Athlete  and 
the  embryo  Man-of-the- World,  which  makes  the  Clerk 
of  this  period  so  valuable  and  indispensable  a  link  in 
the  chain  of  Fiction.  As  the  Pageant  of  sequent  Clerks 
passes  before  the  reader's  eyes,  this  one  "  holds  a  glass, 
Which  shews  him  many  more ;  and  some  he  sees,  Who 
two-fold  "  '  Firsts  '  "  and  treble  "  '  Blues '  do  bear ;  this 
one  gives  a  hand  to  Chaucer's  Pilgrim  Clerk  on  the  one 
side,  and,  on  the  other,  to  those  Admirable  Crichtons 
of  our  own  day,  who  have  proved  that  he  who  runs 
may  also  read,  and  that  it  is  but  a  step  from  the  bank 
of  the  eight-oar  to  the  Bench  of  Justice. 

Now  it  was  that  the  Clerk  essayed  his  first  short 
flights  in  Society  circles ;  and  numerous  contemporary 
records  shew  how  novel  and  remarkable  appeared  the 
fledgeling's  attempts  to  support  himself  in  a  strange 


266     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

element.  A  Scheme  to  Town  has  taken  the  place  of 
a  Pilgrimage  to  Canterbury.  London  is  already  fast 
becoming  a  suburb  of  Oxford ;  and  to  London  the 
Clerk  goes  down,  once  or  twice  a  year,  with  his  quarter- 
age in  his  pocket ;  and  there  he  indulges  in  a  round  of 
diversions,  until,  his  finances  exhausted,  he  is  obliged 
to  return  to  small  beer  and  half-penny  commons  again. 
His  preparation  for  the  journey  and  his  feats  of  horse- 
manship are  still  celebrated  in  prose  and  verse  as  they 
were  in  the  days  of  Overbury  and  Earle  : 

From  hence  a  Hat-band  borrowed,  thence  a  Hat, 

From  one  a  Riband,  t'other  a  Cravat ; 

That  both  Boots  Fellows  were,  I  dare  not  say, 

But  yet  our  rusty  Spurs  less  kin  than  they. 

One  friend  a  mouldy  Scabbard  did  afford, 

Another  kindly  lent  a  broken  Sword ; 

To  both  at  last  an  Aged  Belt  we  got, 

And,  after  all,  with  much  ado,  a  Coat. 

Never  did  Carrier's  beast  upon  his  back 

Carry  so  many  parcels  in  his  pack. 

But  up  we  got,  patched  up  from  Head  to  Collar ; 
Nine  Tailors  make  a  Man,  nine  Men  a  Schollar. 
Speedier  by  far  than  thought,  our  Coursers  flee; 
Shotover  Hill  is  the  first  place  we  see; 
Here  when  we  would  alight,  and  lead  the  way, 
No  compliments  would  make  our  coursers  stay : 
A  dart  was  once  Shot  over;  but  we  flew, 
As  if  we  now  had  been  Shot  over  too.1 

1  Poems  ^lpon  several  occasions,  Iter  Oriental e,  by  Jeremiah  Wells 
(St.  John's  College),  1666.  Cf.  Carmina  Quadresimalia  ab  Aedis  Christi 
alumnis  composita,  ed.  by  C.  Este,  1723  : 

An  omne  Corpus  componatur?     Aff. 
Dum  Granta  migrare  paras,  patria  arva  patremque 

Visurus,  laceram  ponis,  alumne,  togam. 
Mox  circum  volitans  notum  ignotumque  lacessis, 

Instrumenta  equiti  quaelibet  apta  petens. 
Sufficit  hie  ensem  longam,  latum  ille  galerum ; 

De  latere  alterius  cingula  rapta  geris. 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1700  A.D.         267 

The  Scholar's  attempts  to  throw  off  the  habits  and 
manner  of  the  Academic,  and  assume  the  dress  and 
bearing  of  a  Man  of  the  Town,  meet  with  varying  success. 
Banter,  the  pseudo-Oxonian  in  George  Farquhar's  play, 
Sir  Harry  Wildair  (1701),  boasts  that  "though  he  has 
been  sucking  Alma  Mater  these  seven  years,  and  in 
defiance  to  legs  of  mutton,  small  beer,  crabbed  books, 
and  sour-faced  doctors,  he  can  dance  a  minuet,  court 
a  mistress,  play  at  picquet,  or  make  a  paroli  with  any 
Wildair  in  Christendom."  He  declines  to  fight  a  duel 
with  Fireball,  the  sea-captain,  "  because,  as  an  Oxonian, 
he  has  a  right  to  be  very  impertinent " ;  and  when 
Colonel  Standard  declares  him  to  be  "  the  most  impudent 
young  dog  he  ever  met  with,"  he  answers  that  he  is 
"  a  Master  of  Arts "  and  pleads  "  the  privilege  of  his 
standing."  In  short,  in  spite  of  the  University,  he  is  a 
pretty  gentleman.  On  the  other  hand,  Jack  Lizard  is 
mightily  embarrassed  with  an  immoderately  long  sword, 
which  bangs  against  his  calf  and  jars  upon  his  right 
heel  as  he  walks,  and  comes  rattling  behind  him  as  he 
runs  down  stairs,  while  its  appearance  suggests  to  his 
sister  Annabella  the  idea  that  he  must  have  stolen  it 
from  the  College  kitchen.1  "How  is  my  Manner?  my 
Mien?  Do  I  move  freely?"  asks  young  Book  wit  of 
his  friend  Bob  Latine,  in  Steele's  comedy  The  Lying  Lover 
(1704).  "  Have  I  kicked  off  the  trammels  of  the  Gown, 
or  does  the  Tail  on't  seem  still  tuck't  under  my  arm, 
where  my  hat  is,  with  a  pert  Jerk  forward,  and  a  little 
Hitch  in  my  Gate  like  a  Scholastick  Beau?  This  wig, 
I  fear,  looks  like  a  Cap.  My  Sword,  does  it  hang 
careless  ?  Do  I  look  bold,  negligent,  and  erect ;  that  is, 
do  I  look  as  if  I  could  kill  a  man  without  being  out  of 

Est  qui  dissimiles  ocreas  tibi  commodat ;  uni 

Hie  properat  calcar  suppeditare  pedi. 
Hie  tibi  cum  modico  proebet  femoralia  nummo  ; 

Collectam  in  nodum  commodat  ille  comam. 
Sic  compostus  ovas  pavone  superbior ;  at  mox 

Cum  Grantae  repetas  moenia,  corvus  eris. 
1  The  Guardian,  No.  143  (1713). 


268     THE  CLERE  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Humour?  I  horridly  mistrust  myself.  I  fancy  people 
see  I  understand  Greek.  Don't  I  pore  a  little  in  my 
Visage?  Ha'nt  I  a  down  bookish  Lour,  a  wise  Sad- 
ness? I  don't  look  gay  enough  and  unthinking." 
Latine — "  I  protest  you  wrong  yourself.  You  look 
very  brisk  and  ignorant."  Bookwit — "  Oh  fie !  I  am 
afraid  you  flatter  me."  The  youth,  in  fact,  who, 
two  days  before,  was  in  hanging  sleeves  at  Oxford, 
becomes  a  jaunty  Town  Spark  in  a  moment,  and 
uses  the  advantages  of  a  learned  education  and  a 
ready  fancy,  in  making  love,  personating  the  character 
of  a  soldier,  fighting  imaginary  battles,  and  treating 
ladies. 

In  every  case,  however,  the  Clerk  is  eventually  found 
out.  He  is  merely  acting  a  part ;  and  no  one  can  long 
continue  masked  in  a  counterfeit  behaviour,  nor  can  any 
man,  as  Plutarch  says,  so  change  himself,  but  that  his 
heart  may  be  sometime  seen  at  his  tongue's  end. 
Sooner  or  later,  "  the  natural  manner  of  the  Academic, 
which  has  in  it  something  very  characteristic  and 
different  from  the  Town-bred  Coxcomb's,  discovers  him 
to  the  slightest  observer."  His  speech  betrays  him  ;  for 
"  the  University  has  given  a  very  particular  turn  to  his 
conversation,"  and  "  he  speaks  in  a  tone  elevated  with 
the  dignity  of  academical  declamation."  "  Though  the 
ambition  of  petty  accomplishments  has  found  its  way 
into  the  receptacles  of  learning,  he  has  not  realised 
that  to  trifle  agreeably  is  a  secret  which  the  Schools 
cannot  impart;  and  when  his  intention  is  perhaps 
merely  to  entertain  and  instruct  his  hearers,  he  is 
paradoxical  and  particular  in  his  notions,  formal  in  his 
phraseology,  and  unable  to  accommodate  himself  with 
readiness  to  the  accidental  current  of  conversation." 
Such  are  a  few  of  the  criticisms  passed  upon  "the 
harmless  Collegiate "  by  the  Guardians,  Babblers^ 
Connoisseurs,  and  Ramblers  of  the  eighteenth  century ; 
and  it  will  be  noticed  that  they  are  but  echoes  of  that 
passed  by  mine  Host  of  the  Tabard  Inn  upon  the 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1700  A.D.         269 

Pilgrim  Oxonian,  some  three  hundred  years  before.1 
Of  their  justice,  the  reader  can  judge  from  the  examples 
given  in  the  Guardian  and  the  Babbler  of  the  Clerk's 
table-talk.  "  At  supper,  the  first  night  after  his  arrival 
from  the  University,  Jack  Lizard  told  us,  upon  the 
appearance  of  a  dish  of  wild-fowl,  that,  according  to  the 
opinion  of  some  natural  philosophers,  they  might  be 
lately  come  from  the  moon.  Upon  which  the  Sparkler 
bursting  out  into  a  laugh,  he  insulted  her  with  several 
questions  relating  to  the  bigness  and  distance  of  the 
moon  and  stars ;  and  after  every  interrogatory,  would 
be  winking  upon  me,  and  smiling  at  his  sister's 
ignorance.  Jack  gained  his  point ;  for  his  mother  was 
pleased,  and  all  the  servants  stared  at  the  learning  of 
their  young  master.  Jack  was  so  encouraged  with  this 
success,  that  for  the  first  week  he  dealt  wholly  in 
paradoxes.  It  was  a  common  jest  with  him  to  pinch 
one  of  his  sister's  lapdogs,  and  afterwards  prove  he 
could  not  feel  it.  When  the  girls  were  sorting  a  set  of 
knots,  he  would  demonstrate  to  them  that  all  the 
ribbons  were  of  the  same  colour, '  or  rather,'  says  Jack, 
*  of  no  colour  at  all.'  My  Lady  Lizard  herself,  though 
she  was  not  a  little  pleased  with  her  son's  improvements, 
was  one  day  almost  angry  with  him ;  for  having 
accidentally  burnt  her  finger  as  she  was  lighting  the 
lamp  for  her  tea-pot,  in  the  midst  of  her  anguish  Jack 
laid  hold  of  the  opportunity  to  instruct  her  that  there 
was  no  such  thing  as  heat  in  fire.  In  short,  no  day 
passed  over  our  heads,  in  which  Jack  did  not  imagine 
he  made  the  whole  family  wiser  than  they  were 
before." 

The  Babbler,  No.  77,  records  the  hard  case  of  Tom 
Welbank,  the  young  Oxford  Daniel  who  was  thrown  to 
the  London  Lions.  It  must  have  been  about  the  year 
J738,  when  Tom  came  down  from  the  University,  and 
lodged  at  an  uncle's  near  the  Haymarket.  "  Now  this 

1  The  Connoisseur )  No.  xi ;     The  Babbler,  No.   77  ;     The  Guardian, 
No,  24  ;   The  Rambler,  Nos.  157,  179. 


270     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

uncle  lived  in  a  very  genteel  manner,  and  frequently 
saw  the  best  company;  and  conceiving  from  Oxford 
reports  a  very  high  opinion  of  his  nephew,  he  made  a 
party  on  purpose  to  display  the  talents  of  the  boy,  who 
was  previously  advised  to  exert  himself  on  the  occasion. 
The  company  consisted  of  two  noblemen  in  the 
Ministry,  an  eminent  divine,  a  celebrated  physician,  a 
dramatic  writer  of  reputation,  the  late  Mr.  Pope,  and 
Lady  Mary  Wortley  Montague.  The  time  after  dinner 
was  passed  in  one  of  those  unmeaning  random  sorts  of 
conversation,  with  which  people  generally  fill  up  the 
tedious  interval  to  an  entertainment ;  but  after  the  cloth 
was  taken  away,  poor  Tom  was  singled  out  by  Lady 
Mary,  who  asked  him,  with  the  elegant  intrepidity  of 
distinction,  if  he  did  not  think  London  a  much  finer 
place  than  Oxford.  Tom  replied,  that,  if  her  ladyship 
meant  the  difference  in  size  or  magnificence  of  building, 
there  could  be  no  possibility  of  a  comparison ;  but  if 
she  confined  herself  to  the  fund  of  knowledge  which  was 
to  be  acquired  at  either  of  the  places,  the  advantage  lay 
entirely  in  favour  of  Oxford.  This  reply  he  delivered 
in  a  tone  confident  enough,  but  rather  elevated  with  the 
dignity  of  academical  declamation ;  however,  it  would 
have  passed  tolerably,  had  he  not  endeavoured  to  blaze 
out  all  at  once  with  one  of  those  common-place 
eulogiums  on  classical  literature,  which  we  are  so  apt 
to  meet  with  in  a  mere  scholar  quite  raw  from  an 
university.  In  this  harangue  upon  the  benefits  of 
education,  he  ran  back  to  all  the  celebrated  authorities 
of  antiquity,  as  if  the  company  required  any  proof  of 
that  nature  to  support  the  justice  of  the  argument ;  and 
did  not  conclude  without  repeated  quotations  from  the 
Greek  and  Latin  writers,  which  he  recited  with  an  air 
of  visible  satisfaction.  Lady  Mary  could  not  forbear  a 
smile  at  his  earnestness ;  and  turning  to  Mr.  Pope,  '  I 
think,  Sir,'  says  she  in  a  half-suppressed  whisper,  *  Mr. 
Welbank  is  a  pretty  scholar,  but  he  seems  a  little 
unacquainted  with  the  world/  Tom,  who  overheard 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD,  1700  A.D.          271 

this  whisper,  was  about  to  make  some  answer,  when  Mr. 
Pope  asked  him  if  there  were  any  new  poetical  geniuses 
rising  at  Oxford.     Tom  upon  this  seemed  to  gain  new 
spirits,  and  mentioned  Dick  Townly  who  had  wrote  an 
epigram  on  Chloe,  Ned  Frodsham  who  had  published 
an  ode  to  Spring,  and  Henry  Knowles  who  had  actually 
inserted  a  smart  copy  of  verses  on  his  bed-maker's  sister 
in  one  of  the  weekly  chronicles.     Mr.    Pope   wheeled 
about   with    a    significant  look    to    Lady   Mary,   and 
returned    the    whisper    by    saying,    '  I    think    indeed, 
Madam,  that  Mr.  Welbank  does  not  know  a  great  deal 
of  the  world.'     One  of  the  statesmen,  seeing  Tom  rather 
disconcerted,    kindly    attempted    to     relieve    him    by 
expressing   a  surprise,   that   so   many  learned  men  as 
composed   the  University  of  Oxford,  should   seem  so 
disaffected   to   the  Government.     He  observed   it   was 
strange  that  learning  should   ever  lean  to  the  side  of 
tyranny ;  and  hinted  that  they  could  never  fall  into  so 
gross  an  error,  if,  instead  of  poring  over  the  works  of 
the  antients,  they  now  and  then  took  a  cursory  dip  into 
the   history   of  England.     There  was  a  justice  in  the 
remark,  which  poor  Tom,  being  unable  to  answer,  was  at 
a  considerable   loss   to  withstand :    however,   thinking 
himself  obliged  to  say  something,  he  ran  out  in  praise 
of   all    the    antient    histories,   and    concluded   with    a 
compliment  to   the   good    sense   of  the    University  in 
giving    them    so    proper    a    preference    to   the   flimsy 
productions   of   the    moderns.     The   nobleman    turned 
away  in  disgust ;  and  it  was  the  general  opinion  of  the 
table  that  Tom  would  make  a  pretty  fellow  when  he 
knew  a  little  more  of  the  world." 

A  century  had  passed  away  since  Overbury  and 
Earle  had  drawn  their  sketches  of  the  Scholar,  and 
since  Henry  Blount  had  advised  him,  on  entering  the 
world,  "to  unlearn  somewhat  the  learning  he  had  got  at 
the  University ;  as  a  man  who  is  buttoned  or  laced  too 
hard,  must  unbutton  himself  before  he  can  be  at  ease." 
In  the  course  of  that  century  a  transformation  had  been 


272     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

wrought  in  almost  every  aspect  of  academical  life :  so 
complete,  indeed,  had  it  been  at  one  moment,  that  her 
loyal  sons  had  been  unable  for  the  time  "  to  find  Oxford 
in  Oxford  City."1  But  social  revolutions,  wars,  and 
religious  persecutions  had  failed  to  change  the  nature 
and  property  of  the  Oxford  Clerk ;  and  now,  after  the 
storms  of  the  seventeenth  century,  he  repaired  his 
drooping  head ;  his  "  style "  was  as  "  high "  as  it  had 
ever  been  ;  his  "  speech  still  beat  upon  the  University  "  ; 
and  he  still  drew  his  decisions  upon  modern  problems 
from  the  ancient  classics.  His  passion  was  still  to 
instruct,  rather  than  to  amuse,  his  audience:  like  his 
ancestor  of  Chaucer's  day,  "he  would  gladly  teach," 
"  producing  from  his  treasure-house  things  both  old  and 
new."  And  the  verdict  passed  upon  him  by  the  world 
was  still  the  same.  To  his  detractors  he  was  no  other 
than  "an  intelligible  Ass";  to  his  admirers,  "sound 
metal,  but  unsecured,  who,  were  he  brushed  over  with 
good  company,  would  outweigh  the  courtier  as  gold 
doth  gold  tissue." 

1  See  Chapter  VIII.  above,  Rustica  Acad.  Oxon.  Descriptio^  last  verse. 


CHAPTER    XI 

POLITICAL  PERSECUTION  (1714-1760) 
SELECT  VIEWS  OF  OXFORD 

"ViRTUTE  SE  INVOLVIT" 

I.  ACADEMICAL  VIEWS 

"  I  had  brought  to  Oxford  the  ideal  of  a  College  —a  place  for  the  educa- 
tion of  youth ;  for  the  improvement  and  completion  of  early  learning 
during  the  vigour  of  life  ;  and  of  external  repose  and  internal  activity  for 
a  few  old  votaries  of  knowledge,  who  probably  in  consequence  of  that 
devotion,  had  continued  an  unmarried  life  till  age  had  left  them  with  only 
a  few  friends  or  distant  connections.  To  this  ideal  the  English  Colleges 
did  in  a  great  degree  answer  a  century  ago  :  but  they  are  at  variance  with 
it  in  the  present  day. " 

JAMES  BLANCO  WHITE,  Oriel  College,  circa  1826 

EXCEPT  where  otherwise  noted,  the  following 
poems  are  from  the  Carmina  Quadresimalia,  ab 
Aedis  Christi  alumnis  composita  et  ab  ejusdem 
Aedis  Baccalaureis  determinantibus  in  Schola  Naturalis 
Philosophiae  publice  recitata,  vol.  i.,  edited  by  C.  Este, 
[723;  vol.  ii.,  by  Anthony  Parsons,  1748. 

"  Carmina  Quadresimalia  sunt  quae  primo  die  Quad- 
resimae  publice  in  Scholis  recitantur  a  Baccalaureis 
determinantibus.  Cum  sint  ex  Epigrammatum  genere, 
potius  ad  delectandum  videantur  quam  ad  docendum 
comparata." 
18 


274     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

THE  RIVER 

An  Mixtio  sit  alteratorum  miscibilium  Unio?    Aff. 

Nympha  I  sis  medios  agros  dum  laeta  pererrat, 

Incaluit  madidae  Tamus  amore  Deae : 
Serpit  amans  tacitus,  sinuosaque  brachia  circum 

Fundit,  et  aeterno  foedere  jungit  aquas. 
Jam  torrens  idem,  et  limes  datur  unus  utrique, 

Nee  doluere  vices  ille  vel  ilia  suas. 
Tamus  amat  quidquid  sua  dulcis  amaverat  Isis; 

Et  quod  Tamus  amat,  Tamus  et  Isis  amant. 
Agnoscas  nullam  Tami,  nullam  Isidis  undam, 

Cum  nunc  imperium  Thamisis  unus  habet. 

GODSTOW  NUNNERY 

whither  Fair  Rosamund,  soon  after  the  arrival  in 
England  of  Queen  Eleanor,  retired  to  spend  the  rest 
of  her  days, — "  Rosemounde  ywis,  That  so  vair  womman 
was,  and  at  Godestowe  ibured  is,"  as  Robert  of  Gloucester 
wrote  in  his  Chronicle^  line  9859. 

An  Oinnia  vergant  ad  Interitum?    Aff. 

Qua  nudo  Rosamunda  humilis  sub  culmine  tecti 

Marmoris  obscuri  servat  inane  decus, 
Rara  intermissae  circum  vestigia  molis, 

Et  sola  in  vacuo  tramite  porta  labat: 
Sacrae  olim  sedes  riguae  convallis  in  umbra 

Et  veteri  pavidum  relligione  nemus; 
Pallentes  nocturna  ciens  campana  sorores 

Hinc  matutinam  saepe  monebat  avem ; 
Hinc  procul  in  media  tardae  caliginis  hora 

Prodidit  arcanas  arcta  fenestra  faces : 
Nunc  muscosa  extant  sparsim  de  cespite  saxa, 

Nunc  muro  avellunt  germen  agreste  boves : — 
Fors  et  tempus  erit,  cum  tu,  Rhedecyna,  sub  astris 

Edita  cum  centum  turribus  ipsa  rues. 


POLITICAL  PERSECUTION,  1714-1760     275 


SHOTOVER 

The  following  derivation  of  "  Shotover  "  is  supported 
by  George  Wither  (Magdalen  College)  in  Abuses  Whipt 
and  Stript  (1613),  where,  in  describing  the  wonders 
which  he  saw  as  an  Oxford  Freshman,  he  writes: 

"Yet  old  Sir  Harry  Bath  was  not  forgot; 
In  the  remembrance  of  whose  wondrous  shot, 
The  forest  by,  (believe  it,  those  who  will:) 
Retains  the  surname  of  Shotover  still." 

Local  tradition  still  tells  of  one,  Harry  Bear,  who 
lived  in  Headington,  close  to  the  quarry  which  is  called 
"  Harry  Bear's  Pit,"  and  who  was  wont  to  communicate 
with  a  friend  who  lived  at  Wheatley,  by  shooting  an 
arrow  over  the  hill.  The  figure  mentioned  in  the 
following  lines  as  being  cut  in  turf  about  the  third 
milestone  from  Oxford,  was  on  the  old  London  Road 
branching  from  Headington  Hill  along  Cheyney  Lane, 
and  going  over  Shotover  to  Wheatley.  This  road 
passes  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  Harry  Bear's  Pit 
(Oxford  Magazine ,  March  n,  1903). 

Shotover  is  probably  identical  with  the  Scotorne  of 
Domesday.  It  appears  in  the  Close  Rolls  and  Patent 
Rolls  of  John  and  Henry  III  as  Scotore,  Shotore, 
Shotovre.  As  to  the  fantastic  derivation  "  Chateau 
Vert,"  see  The  Early  History  of  Oxford  (Oxford  Hist. 
Soc.),  p.  348. 

An  motus  projectorum  fiat  ab  impetu  a  projiciente 
impresso  ?     Aff. 

Itur  ad  Augustae  qua  celsa  palatia,  collem 
Tertius  Oxonii  signat  ab  urbe  lapis. 

Agmine  pastorum  procul  hinc  certante  sagittis, 
Nomen  ab  eventu  fertur  habere  locus. 


276     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Dum  multi  exercent  aequo  certamine  vires 

Imbellique  vibrant  irrita  tela  manu, 
Unius  e  manibus,  sinuato  fortiter  arcu, 

Emissum  telum  trans  juga  summa  volat. 
Facti  signa  manent ;  hominisque  immania  membra, 

Qua  stetit  Arcitenus,  gramine  ficta  virent. 
Quicunque  immodicum  teli  mirabere  jactum, 

Aspice  quanta  manus  projicientis  erat ! 


THE  LEADEN  STATUES  OF  THE  NINE  MUSES  SET 
UP  ON  THE  CLARENDON  BUILDINGS,  A.D.  1717. 

An  quicquid  recipitur,  ad  modum  recipientis 
recipiatur  ?     Aff. 

Musarum  statuas  Corydon  dum  suspicit,  ornant 

Quae  Clarendoniae  culmina  celsa  Domus, 
"  Thyrsi,"  inquit,  "  magnae  nunc  ora  agnoscis  Elisae ; 

En  arcto  amplexu  Biblia  Sacra  fovet." 
"  Non  ita,"  Thyrsis  ait ;  "  quam  tu  tibi  fingis  Elisam, 

Anna  est;  virginibus  cingitur  ecce  suis: 
Venerat  Oxonium  ;  memini,  sic  ora  ferebat ; 

Ibat  femineo  sic  comitata  choro." 
Risit,  et  "  O  coecas  mentes  ! "     Fanaticus  inquit : 

"Virgo  Maria  haec  est  foemina,  Missa  liber. 
Jam  celsis  Idola  locis  statuuntur;  easdem 

Roma  colit  meretrix  et  Rhedecyna  deas." 


LINES  ON  THE  SAME 

(Poems  on  several  Occasions,  by  Nicholas  Amherst  of 
St.  John's  College,  1720.) 

In  Oxford,  crowds  of  stupid  bards  are  found, 
Where,  of  all  places,  bright  ones  should  abound ; 
Dull  plodding  blockheads  without  sense  or  fire 
Toil  hard  for  Fame  and  to  the  Bays  aspire: 


POLITICAL  PERSECUTION,  1714-1760     277 

From  deep  Logicians  shallow  Wits  commence, 
Old  dogs  at  Rhyme,  no  matter  for  the  Sense; 
If  but  the  lines  flow  smooth  and  jingle  well, 
The  man's  a  Poet  and  his  verses  sell. 
Nor  is  it  strange,  but  rightly  weigh  the  thing, 
That  our  soft  bards  so  indolently  sing, 
Or  that  the  Genius  of  the  Place  is  Dead, 
When  our  inspiring  Muses  Breathe  in  Lead : 
High  on  the  stately  dome,  with  harp  in  hand, 
These  lumpish  Deities  exalted  stand ; 
Fixed  as  a  Public  Mark,  that  all  may  know 
What  wretched  Heavy  Stuff  they  Print  below. 

"MERCURY"   IN  "TOM"  QUAD.,  CHRIST  CHURCH 

From  Lusus  alteri  Westmonasterienses,  curantibus 
Jacobo  Mure,  Henrico  Bull,  et  Carolo  B.  Scott,  1865-7. 
A  statue  of  Mercury,  the  body  of  which  was  of  lead, 
and  the  head  and  neck  of  bronze,  was  presented  to 
"the  House"  by  Dr.  Antony  RadclifTe  in  1695,  and 
gave  the  name  to  the  fountain  in  "  Tom  "  Quadrangle. 
The  story  of  the  deposition  of  the  figure,  which  was 
carried  out  some  seventy  years  ago,  is  as  follows : — 
Coming  to  Chapel  one  morning,  men  beheld  the 
eloquent  grandson  of  Atlas  arrayed  in  surplice,  Doctor's 
hood,  scarf,  bands,  and  trencher-cap.  A  frost  had 
hardened  the  water  in  the  basin,  and  given  access  to 
the  god  during  the  night;  but  the  ice  had  been  care- 
fully broken,  so  that  no  one  could  approach  him  in  the 
morning  without  a  plunge  into  freezing  water,  five  feet 
deep.  The  Dean,  "  king  Gaisford,"  in  his  rage  and 
fury,  commanded  that  the  statue  should  be  removed. 
The  bronze  head  rests  among  the  Wake  Archives  in 
the  Library:  Notes  and  Queries,  loth  Series,  iii.  32. 

Nonne  hoc  monstro  est  simile  ? 

In  platea,  Wolseie,  tua  stat  Mercurius,  qui 
Plumbeus  exiles  ejaculatur  aquas. 


278     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Quid  vult  hoc  monstrum  ?     Levis  est  deus  ille,  deique 

Materies  etiam  debuit  esse  levis. 
Ah  sensi  tandem !     Voluisti  symbolon  artis 

Et  disciplinae  symbolon  esse  tuae  : 
E  quovis  non  Mercurius  fit  stipite;  at  ilium 

Posse  vel  e  plumbo  te  fabricare  mones. 


HEADS  OF  HOUSES 

From  "the  Speech  that  was  to  have  been  spoken 
by  the  'Terrae  Films'  in  the  Theatre  at  Oxford, 
July  13,  1713,  had  not  his  mouth  been  stopped  by  the 
Vice-Chancellor,"  London,  1713. 

Triumphant  plenty  with  a  cheerful  grace 

Basks  in  their  eyes,  and  sparkles  in  their  face. 

How  sleek  their  looks !  how  goodly  is  their  mien  ! 

How  big  they  strut  behind  a  double  chin  ! 

Deep  sunk  in  down,  they  by  my  gentle  care 

Avoid  th'  inclemencies  of  morning  air, 

And  leave  to  tattered  crape  the  drudgery  of  prayer. 


From  Lusus  Westmonasterienses^  ed.  by  R.  Prior,  1730. 

Egit  securus  multos  Academicus  annos, 

Absente  et  podagro  praeside,  praeses  erat : 
Prorogat  in  lucem  placidos  impune  sopores, 

Et  linquit  pueris  taedia  longa  precum. 
Tandem  experrectus,  repetensque  negotia  vitae 

Ignavae,  nigrum  purgat  in  igne  tubum ; 
Curarumque  et  longa  librorum  oblivia  potat; — 

Qui  non  est  senior,  doctior  esse  velit. 
Scilicet  ad  summos  dudum  hie  pervenit  honores; 

Paret  ei  promus,  subjiciturque  coquus: 
Exauctas  epulas  quoties  lux  festa  reducit, 

Primus  decumbit : — non  ita  primus  abit. 
Quid  petat  ulterius?     Nimis  hunc,  Fortuna,  beasti ! 

Cui  quod  edat,  satis  est,  et  nihil  est  quod  agat. 


POLITICAL  PERSECUTION,  1714-1760     279 

From  the  Squib,  known  as  the  "  Norwegian  Owl," 
Gentleman  s  Magazine,  Oct.  1767;  Notes  and  Queries ', 
2nd  Series,  ii.  101.  The  date  of  the  composition  of 
the  Squib  was  between  the  year  1719,  when  Sir  Hans 
Sloane  became  President  of  the  College  of  Physicians, 
and  the  year  1726,  when  Bernard  Gardiner,  Warden  of 
All  Souls',  died.  During  this  period  the  Vice- 
Chancellorship  was  held  from  1719  to  1722  by  Robert 
Shippen,  Principal  of  B.N.C.,  and  from  1723  to  1726 
by  John  Mather,  President  of  C.C.C.  Shippen  is 
mentioned  in  the  squib,  but  not  as  Vice-Chancellor. 
Mather  was  unmarried  as  late  as  July  1724,  the  date 
of  the  publication  of  Nicholas  Amherst's  Oculus 
Britannia*,  for  he  is  addressed  therein  as  being  "  blest 
with  collegiate  honours — and  no  wife " ;  but  in  the 
squib  he  is  made  to  refer  to  his  "  placens  uxor."  The 
date  of  the  composition  may  therefore  be  placed  at 
about  1725. 

"Viro  insignissimo,  necnon  Patrono  et  Benefactori 
munificentissimo,  Domino  Hans  Sloane,  Equiti  aurato, 
Collegii  Medicorum  inter  Londinenses  Praesidi " : 

DOMINE, — Bubonem  Norvegensem,  pignus  amoris 
tui,  avem  perraram  perpulchramque,  in  quam  tota  stu- 
pet  Academia,  laeti  accepimus  incolumem  ac  sanam.  Per 
me  igitur  gratias  quam  maximas  rependit  Venerabilis 
Domus  Convocations,  quae  mihi  in  mandata  dedit  ut 
gratias  hasce  celeriter  et  sine  mora  rependerem,  ne 
ingrati  animi  nota  inureretur  nobis,  neve  ignorare 
videamur  quanti  pretii  tarn  insigne  beneficium 
aestimari  debet. 

Edwardus  Whistler,  legatus  academicus,  mihique 
consanguineus,  (utpote  uxor  illius  eandem  matrem,  licet 
diversum  patrem,  cum  mea  uxore  jactat)  jussu  meo  ad 
vicum  rusticum,  vulgo  vocatum  Wheatley,  fecit  iter, 
ut  ibi  praestolaretur  adventum  Bubonis,  eamque  ad 
Oxoniam  deduceret  prima  nocte,  sine  ullo  tubarum  aut 
tympanarum  strepitu,  et,  si  fieri  potuit,  private  fallen- 


280     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

tique  modo  ;  cavere  enim  necesse  esse  duxi,  ut  nullam 
molestiam  facesserent  Reginae  avium  vel  lascivi  Juvenes 
vel  profanum  Vulgus;  utque  nihil  accideret  per  quod 
fieret  publicae  perturbatio  pacis.  Pulsante  Thoma 
Clusio,  ipse  cum  coeteris  Collegiorum  Praefectis  primum 
salutavi  Bubonem  in  hospitio  meo.  Avem  discumbere 
fecimus  super  mollem  lecticam  juxta  focillum  ;  in  eodem 
lecto  quotidie  requiescit,  somno  ac  cibo  potuque  parurn 
indigens,  et  vitam  agens  vere  collegialem. 

Postero  die  quam  Bubo  in  gremium  Almae  Matris 
Academiae  recepta,  convenerunt  apud  Golgotha1  singuli 
Collegiorum  et  Aularum  Praefecti,  ut  novo  hospiti 
hospitium  assignarent,  deliberarentque  qualem  victum 
cultumque  praestare  ei  par  esset. 

In  hoc  venerabili  Congressu  ipse  pro  more  primus 
surrexi,  et  sequentia  verba  feci — 

"  Insignissimi  Doctores,  Vosque  egregii  Procuratores, 
est  mihi  placens  uxor  ;  sunt  etiam  quam  plurima  muaera 
a  me  volente  nolente  obeunda,  quae  atram  caliginem 
obducunt  diei,  quae  noctes  insomnes  reddunt.  Quando- 
quidem  ita  res  se  habet,  etiam  atque  etiam  a  vobis, 
Fratres  fraterrimi,  rogo,  ut  Bubo,  quae  mihi  sollicitae 
jucunda  oblivia  vitae  suppeditabit,  quaeque  uxori  curis 
domesticis  gravatae  innocuum  movebit  risum,  et  me 
absente  meas  vices  geret,  ut  haec  optatissima  Bubo, 
inquam,  inter  domesticos  meos  adsciscatur,  mihique 
perpetuus  fiat  hospes.  Verum  enim  verosi  huic  veoe- 
rando  Coetui  secus  statuere  in  hac  re  visum  fuerit, 
tamen  sorte  mea  contentus  abibo,  et  memet  paratum 
praestabo  publicae  voci  assentiri,  atque  viris  parere 
quorum  sententia  nunquam  sortilegis  discrepuit 
Delphis." 

Sic   fatus   resedebam,   et   protinus   Dominus   Doctor 

1  An  apartment  in  the  Clarendon  Printing-house,  "by  idle  wits  and 
buffoons  nick-named  Golgotha,  i.e.  the  place  of  Sculls  or  Heads  of  Colleges 
and  Halls,  where  they  meet  and  debate  upon  all  extraordinary  affairs  which 
occur  within  the  precincts  of  their  jurisdiction"  :  Nicholas  Amherst,  Terrae 
Filius,  No.  xi.  (1721). 


POLITICAL  PERSECUTION,  1714-1760      281 

Delaune,  reverendus  Sancti  Johannis  Baptistae  Praeses, 
surrexit  dixitque l — 

"  Insignissime  Vice-Cancellarie ;  de  via  recta  devius 
aberras.  Non  ea  mens,  non  id  propositum  fuit  a  Domino 
H.  Sloane,  ut  Bubo  senesceret  ad  instar  fratris  nostri 
Matthei  Hole  2  intra  Collegii  parietes,  donee  procumberet 
a  lethi  jaculo  ictus:  sed  data  est  Avis  ut  enecaretur 
coquereturque,  nobisque  exquisitissimas  proeberet  dapes. 
Mihi  enim  credite,  vel  si  mihi  fides  parum  sit  adhibenda, 
credite  Plinio,  qui  in  Naturali  sua  Historia  aperte  pro- 
fitetur  carnem  Bubonis  esse  sapore  praestantissimum  et 
omni  alii  cibo  longe  anteponendum.  Crastino  igitur 
die,  iterum  conveniamus  apud  hospitia  Domini  Vice- 
Cancellarii,  ibique  assata  Bubone  epulemur,  et  saluti 
Domini  Hans  Sloane  propinemus  Gallicum  vinum  eo 
modo  quo  par  est,  vel  potius  sine  ullo  modo  vel  mensura." 

Domino  Doctori  Delaune  respondit  Dominus  Doctor 
Dobson,  Collegii  Trinitatis  Praeses  laudatissimus,3  et 
sequentem  orationem  habuit : — 

1  William  Delaune,  President  of  St.  John  Baptist  College  (1697-1728). 
Hearne  declares  that  he  earned  the  name  of  Gallic  by  his  systematic  neglect  of 
duty  while  he  was  Vice-Chancellor,  and  charges  him  with  embezzling  the 
contents  of  the  University  Chest.     He  was  reputed  also  to  be  a  gambler. 
In  his  speech  above,   he  shews  himself  an  epicure,     Nicholas  Amherst 
dedicated  to  him  a  poem,  called  "The  Bottle-screw"  : 
"And  thou,  who  if  report  says  true 
In  pocket  always  bear'st  thy  Screw, 
Accept,  Delaune,  in  youthful  lays 
The  homage  which  the  Poet  pays." 

Thomas  Wagstaffe  (New  Inn  Hall,  1660),  in  the  sportive  epitaph  which 
he  composed  on  Delaune  in  his  lifetime,  has  the  lines  : 

"  Qui  et  ut  delicatulae  serviret  gulae, 
Unumquidquid,  quod  quidem  erat  bellissimum, 
Carperet,  ac  cyathos  sorbillaret  suaviter,"  etc. 

Nichols,  Literary  Anecdotes,  i.  36 

2  Matthew  Hole,  after  spending  the  greater  part  of  his  life  in  a  Somer- 
setshire vicarage,  became  Rector  of  Exeter  College  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
five.     He  died  in  1730  at  the  age  of  ninety-five  :   "the  heavy  old  woman," 
Hearne;  "Dr.  Drybones,"  Nicholas  Amherst,  Terrae  Filius,  Nos.  xxiv, 
xxx  (1721),  and  Oculus  Britanniae  (1724). 

3  William     Dobson,     President    of    Trinity    College    (1706-31):     see 
"  Recipe  for  making  a  Head  of  an  House  after  the  Dobson  kind  "  in  the 


282     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

"  Non  assentior  tibi,  Domine  Doctor ;  est  enim 
adagium  satis  notum,  '  si  me  ames,  ama  etiam  canem 
meum.'  Quod  si  canis  amandus  est  magistri  gratia,  ita 
debes  ratiocinari ;  si  colis  Dominum  H.  Sloane,  colenda 
est  etiam  Bubo  ejus.  Jam  vero  si  pectore  homicidali 
avem  mactemus  et  devoremus,  ipse  Dominus  Hans 
Sloane  metuet  ne  eadem  sors  ei  contingat,  si  quando 
intra  limites  Academiae  fuerit  deprehensus.  Quocirca 
ab  hoc  sanguinolento  proposito  vestras  cohibete  manus, 
et  aliquod  melius  inter  nos  ineamus  consilium." 

Relapso  in  sedem  Dom.  Doct.  Dobson,  sese  ad 
eloquendum  accinxit  Dom.  Doct.  Holland,  Collegii 
Mertonensis  Gustos  admirandus,1  atque  ita  est  exorsus  : 

"  Si  quid  est  in  me  ingenii,  Judices,  quod  vos  sentitis 
quam  sit  exiguum,  aut  si  quaeexercitafcio  dicendi  in  qua 
me  non  infitior  mediocriter  esse  versatum,  earum  rerum 
omnium  vel  in  primis  haec  Bubo  fructum  a  me  repetere 
prope  suo  jure  debet.  In  medium  igitur  proferam  quod 
mens  in  pectore  suadet  in  hoc  solenni  negotio  esse 
faciendum,  quodque  et  vobis  et  toti  Academiae  (cui 
Deus  sit  semper  propitius),  maxime  in  gloriae  et  laudis 
perennitatem  cedat.  Hortum  Botannicum  supereminent 
aedes  in  hospitium  Professoris  nostri  Botannici  ex- 
structae,  quae  amoenum  hunc  Hortum  omni  genere 
leguminis  olerisque  consitum  grato  et  ridenti  vultu 
aspectant.  In  hisce  aedibus  cohabitet  Bubo  una  cum 
Professore  Botannico,  qui,  ave  (quod  absit)  aegrotante, 
ei  opem  praesentem  ferat,  reducatque  ad  integram  sani- 

"  Speech  that  was  to  have  been  spoken  by  the  Terrae  Filius  in  the  Theatre 
at  Oxford,  1713," — "  Recipe  an  old  heavy  country  parson  :  extract  all  re- 
mains of  common  sense  and  common  honesty ;  and  then  put  in  gravity, 
formality,  hypocrisy,  and  pretended  conscience ;  of  each  a  large  quantity. 
Add  stupidity,  quant,  suff.  Fiat  Compositio  simplex;  Give  him  the 
Degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity,  and  then  S.  Caput  Mortuum." 

1  John  Holland,  Warden  of  Merton  College,  1709-34-  Hearne  writes 
of  his  appointment  to  be  Warden  :  "  I  believe  he  will  make  a  better  gover- 
nor than  his  predecessor  ;  but  as  for  Parts  and  Learning  he  has  very 
little,  and  upon  that  account  is  commonly  called  'Dull  John.'  But  these 
are  qualifications  not  minded  nowadays ":  Hearne  Collections  (Oxford 
Hist.  Soc.),  ii.  227. 


POLITICAL  PERSECUTION,  1714-1760     283 

tatem  arte  sua  vere  Apollinea.  Ne  vero  Professor  ipse, 
qui  Bubonis  curae  nullo  non  tempore  totus  vacabit, 
damnum  vel  minimum  sentiat  in  praxi  medicinali, 
solvatur  ei  obolus  quadransve  a  singulis  qui  Bubonem 
visendi  causa  Botannicum  frequentabunt  Hortum. 
Hinc  larga  excrescent  emolumenta,  quae  egregii  Pro- 
fessoris  fidelitatem  et  curam  abunde  remunerabunt, — 
suppeditabuntque  non  solum  et  illi  et  Buboni  victum 
competentem,  verum  etiam  quidquid  horum  animantium 
desiderat  vita." 

Hanc  orationem  vix  peroraverat  Dom.  Doct.  Holland, 
cum  Dom.  Doct.  Gardiner,1  Collegii  Omnium  Animarum 
Gustos  eminentissimus,  valde  motus  de  sede  prosiliit,  et 
hasce  iratas  voces  contra  Hollandum  projecit : 

1  Irritable  and  devoid  of  tact,  Bernard  Gardiner,  during  his  wardenship 
of  all  Souls'  (1702-26),  waged  continuous  war  against  a  heterogeneous  band 
of  Fellows,  which  included  Jacobites,  Non-jurors,  rabid  Whigs,  Tories, 
Deists,  and  Republicans.  As  Vice-Chancellor,  he  put  an  end  to  the 
orations  of  the  Terrae  Filii  at  the  Act.  The  Speech  which  was  to  have 
been  delivered  by  one  of  those  jesters  in  the  Theatre  in  1713,  contains 
much  scurrilous  abuse  of  him,  and  concludes  with  the  announcement  of  a 
"  Footrace  to  be  run  shortly  between  him  and  Doctor  Tadlow,  the  whole 
length  of  the  Divinity  School ;  the  best  of  three  heats  :  allow  weight  for 
inches :  prize,  a  rump  of  beef  and  ale  proportionable."  Tadlow  was  re- 
garded in  Oxford  as  an  animated  road-roller,  and  was  the  subject  of  the 
following  epigrams,  composed  either  by  Dr.  Abel  Evans  or  Dr.  Conyers  : 

"When  Tadlow  walks  the  streets,  the  paviers  cry, 
'  God  bless  you,  Sir  ! '  and  throw  their  rammers  by." 

"  The  paviers  bless  his  steps,  where'er  they  come  ; 
Chairmen  dismayed  fly  the  approaching  doom." 

"  Ten  thousand  tailors  with  their  length  of  line 
Strove,  though  in  vain,  his  compass  to  confine  ; 
At  length,  bewailing  their  exhausted  store, 
Their  packthread  ceased,  and  parchment  was  no  more." 

On  Tadlow's  death,  Gardiner  became  the  heaviest  weight  in  the  Uni- 
versity :  see  Nicholas  Amherst's  Ocuhis  Britanniae,  1724  : 

"  If  size  and  stature  raise  a  deathless  name, 
How  vast  your  praise,  how  bulky  is  your  fame ! 
Without  a  rival,  sir,  the  streets  you  tread, 
The  greatest,  wittiest  man  since  Tadlow's  dead  ; 
Since  that  huge  Atlas  fell,  you  reap  alone 
The  thanks  of  all  the  paviers  in  the  town." 


284     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

"Tace,  Circuliuncule,  tace,  inquam.  Ego  assatam 
Bubonem  comedere  cum  Doct.  Delaune  mallem,  vel 
crudam  vel  plumatam  Avem  protinus  deglutire,  quam 
cum  fatuo  Doct.  Holland  suffragan  ut  Bubo  apud 
Hortum  Botannicum  asservetur,  ibique  publicum  spec- 
taculum  fiat.  Nemo  enim  nescit  Socios  meos  ea  esse 
ignava  atque  nugaci  indole  praeditos,  ut  si  perpetuus 
ingressus  pateret,  perpetui  evaderent  Buboni  comites. 
In  Sacello  ita,  necnon  in  Bibliotheca,  ac  in  toto  Collegio 
meo,  foret  infrequentia  summa;  rueret  Disciplina: 
ruerent  Exercitia :  ruerent  Artes.  At  tales  minas 
avertat  Coelum,  aut  haec  mea  avertet  Dextra." 

Sic  fatus  anhelans  recumbit,  surrexitque  Dom.  Doct. 
Gibson,  Collegii  Reginensis  Praepositus  acutissimus,1 
qui  haec  gVea  -/rrsposj/ra  vpofftvfia : 

"  Domine  Doctor  Gardiner,  quare  tarn  iracundus,  tarn 
feiox,  tarn  contumeliosus  es  in  bonum  fratrem  nostrum 
Doct.  Hollandum  ?  Profecto  vultus  magis  rabidus  et 
magis  truculentus  apparet,  quam  Caput  Apri  illius 
quern  pauper  puer  de  Collegio  meo  trucidavit  decollavit- 
que,  unico  armatus  Aristotelis  libro.2  Dico  autem  tibi, 
quod  ni  tu  malus  esses  gubernator,  nullam  causam 
haberes  trepidandi  de  Sociis  tuis.  Sis  tu  igitur  mihi 
similis,  et  tui  Socii  erunt  similes  meis,  quos  libere 
permittam  Bubonem  visere  toties  quoties  volunt." 

Ad  haec  verba  Dom.  Doct.  Gardiner  surrexit,  et 
laeva  manu  prehenso  Domini  Doct.  Gibson  jugulo, 
dextra  comminuisset  eum,  ni  Bedellus  Theologiae  eo 
instanti  intrasset,  narrassetque  Bubonem  ita  male  se 
habere  ut  respueret  escam  a  manibus  uxoris  mea.  Hoc 
audito,  singuli  Praefecti  domum  festinanter  se  re- 
ceperunt,  ut  quisque  a  suo  Collegio  ablegaret  Medicum 
qui  aegrotae  Buboni  opem  pro  viribus  ferret.  Ipse 
vero,  monitu  doctoris  Shippen,  aequum  esse  censui  ad  te 

1  John  Gibson,  Provost  of  Queen's  College,  1716-1730. 

2  Legend  of  a  Scholar  of  Queen's  College  who,  being  attacked  by  a  wild 
boar  in  Shotover  Forest,  thrust  a  volume  of  Aristotle  down  its  throat,  and 
choked  the  animal. 


POLITICAL  PERSECUTION,  1714-1760      285 

de  rebus  hodie  inter  nos  gestis  scriptitare,  simulque 
humiliter  petere  ut  nobis  quam  primum  praecipias  quid 
in  hisce  arduis  negotiis  agendum  sit.  Hoc  igitur  in 
praecordiis  persuasum  habe  me  paratissimum  esse  tua 
exsequi  mandata,  et  memet  praestare  nullo  non  tempore, 
cum  omni  cultu  et  gratitudine,  tuum  servum  fidelissi- 
mum  humillimum. 


THE  FELLOW  OF  A  COLLEGE 
An  Idem  semper  agat  idem  ?    Aff. 

Isis  qua  lambit  muros,  ibi  cernere  possis 

Cum  veteri  Socium  consenuisse  lare: 
Huic  idem  vitae  rerumque  revertitur  ordo 

Normaque  stat  rigido  non  violanda  seni ; 
Nam  constans  sibi,  sole  torum  surgente  relinquit, 

Et  redit  ad  notum  sole  cadente  torum ; 
Huic  eadem  multos  felis  servata  per  annos, 

Huic  eadem  lectum  parvula  sternit  anus ; 
Conviva  assiduus,  lumbo  venerandus  ovino 

Pascitur,  et  totos  credo  vorasse  greges ; 
Mox  numerat  passus  sub  aprici  moenibus  horti ; 

Mox  terit  assueta  scripta  diurna  manu; 
Communem  historias  repetitas  narrat  ad  ignem, 

Dum  tria  sumuntur  pocula,  tresque  tubi. 
Quoque  die  hoc  fecit  Carolorum  tempore,  idemque 

Temporibus  faciet  fors,  Frederice,  tuis. 

A  FELLOW'S  EVENING  SONG 

(James  Miller  (Wadham  College),  The  Humours  of 
Oxford,  a  comedy  acted  at  the  Theatre  Royal  in  1730, 
The  Vocal  Miscellany,  1738.) 

What  class  in  life,  tho'  ne'er  so  great, 
With  a  good  Fellowship  can  compare? 
We  still  dream  on  at  our  old  rate 
Without  perplexing  thought  or  care. 


286     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Whilst  those  in  business,  when  opprest, 
Lie  down  with  thoughts  that  break  their  rest; 
They  toil,  they  slave,  they  drudge; — and  then 
They  rise  to  do  the  same  again. 

An  easier  Round  of  Life  we  keep: 
We  eat,  we  drink,  we  smoak,  we  sleep, 
We  reel  to  bed,  there  snore; — and  then 
We  rise  to  do  the  same  again. 

Come,  come,  let  us  drink 

And  give  a  loose  to  pleasure; 
Fill,  fill  to  the  brink ! 

We  know  no  other  measure, 
What  else  have  we  to  do 

In  this  our  easy  station, 
But  that  we  please,  pursue, 

And  drink  to  our  Foundation  ? 


A  FELLOW'S  MORNING  Vows 

(Autobiography  of  William  Taswell,  D.D.  (Ch.  Ch.), 
1681,  Camden  Society,  Miscellanies  >  ii.) 

"Oorpea  KCU  Kapirovs  p.rf   dvKK\i(riv  'HeXioto 

OVK  e$eAo>  (payelv  fj  /xeya  8e"i7rvov 
Ovde  7Tteu>  rpLrarov  TO  iroTrjpiov 

Kai  yap  X@*s  K€(pa\r)  \iav 

y\VK.vs  /3Xe(^>apo«rti'  t(pi£avfv  VTTVOS 

Tourou  papTvp  ftrrj  fjujvas  es  eTrra  Qcbs. 


THE  LOUNGER 
An  motus  sit  mensura  temporis?    Aff. 

Aversus  studiis,  nee  Musae  deditus  ulli, 
Multiplici  longum  content  arte  diem. 

Mane  novo  captat  rorantis  frigora  campi ; 
Septimaque  in  lento  ponitur  hora  gradu : 

Octava  notae  petit  otia  grata  popinae, 
Nonaque  ad  placidas  Isidis  errat  aquas. 


POLITICAL  PERSECUTION,  1714-1760     287 

At  decima  floras  inter  plantasque  vagatur, 

Lustrat  et  arboreos  terque  quarterque  duces : 
Undecima  celeri  properat  per  compita  gressu, 

Et  redit  ad  modicas,  ventre  monente,  dapes. 
Hunc  anus  assueta  redeuntem  conspicit  hora, 

Et  "prandendi,"  inquit,  "jam  mihi  tempus  adest. 
Non  ego  Knibbeas1  artes,  non  consulo  solem ; 

Certius  hie  medium  denotat  erro  diem." 


THE  BEDMAKER 
A  n  idem  corpus  possit  esse  in  duobus  locis  ?     Neg. 

Dipsas,  anus  sparsae  quadrata  per  atria  pubis 

Quae  sternit  lectos  una,  nee  ipsa  celer: 
Dum  matutinum  pro  more  deambulat  orbem, 

Ecce  inter  multos  anxia  pendet  heros: 
Ocyus  alter  aquas,  alter  jentacula  poscit; 

Tertius,  "  heus !  cura  ut  sit  mihi  flamma  domi." 
Ad  quemvis  ait  ilia,  "  locum  modo  mittar  ad  unum  ; 

Sed  neq  eo  esse  illic  hie  et  ubique  simul." 

TENNIS-PLAYERS 

An  motus  projectorum  fiat  per  impulsum  a  projiciente 
impressum  f     Aff. 

Vos  6  qui  grato  exercentes  membra  labore 

Optatis  belli  dicier  arte  pilae, 
Fidite  ne  semper,  qui  provolat  obvius,  orbi  ; 

Tyrones  dubios  hie  malus  error  habet. 
Ambo  notent  oculo  dextram  ferientis  acuto, 

Ambo  suspiciant  ut  pila  missa  volet. 
Oppositam  frustra  sperat  contingere  metam, 

Qui  non  ante  videt  qua  pila  tundet  humum. 
Cum  lusor  validum  contorqueat  arte  lacertum, 

Chordarum  implicitam  nexilis  ordo  rotat; 

1  Knibb — Oxonii  faber  horologicus. 


288     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Turn  celer  obliquo  sinuatur  in  aere  gyro, 

Transverse  et  piano  subsilit  icta  solo : 
At  cum  de  nervis  acri  sonat  incita  pulsu 

Et  trajecta  super  retia  radit  iter, 
Turn  se  humilis  longis  prope  terram  saltibus  urget, 

Non  nisi  sollerti  percutienda  manu. 
Qua  vi  jacta  cadet,  quove  impete  pulsa  resurget, 

Judicium  semper  dextra  moventis  erit. 


THE  FRESHMAN 
An  Natura  abhorreat  a   Vacuo?     Aff. 

Cum  primum  Isiacas  subeat  puer  inscius  arces, 

Humescit  modicis  sobrius  ecce  scyphis : 
Mox  comes  ad  cyathos  segnem  irritare  laborat, 

Tyro  magis  sapiens  quod  toga  scissa  magis ; 
"  Cur  sic  divinos  expelles  nectaris  haustus  ? 

Sic  olim  memini  sic  ego  cautus  eram. 
Unde  orae  cyathis,  tibi  quos  fabricantur  in  usus, 

Ad  summas  vinum  ni  geniale  fluat? 
Si  verum  dixit  veri  celeberrimus  auctor, 

Nil  Natura  Parens  quod  sit  inane  probat. 
Hinc  seu  parca  mihi  fuerit,  seu  copia  vini 

Largior,  usque  tamen  pocula  plena  bibam. 
Te,  Natura,  ducem  sequar  usque,  parabitur  aequus 

Vel  Bacchus  calici,  vel  tibi,  Bacche,  calix.5' 

OXFORD  ANTIQUARIANS 

In  January  1712,  a  Roman  pavement  was  discovered 
by  a  farmer  while  ploughing,  at  Stunsfield  or  Stones- 
field,  a  village  some  two  miles  from  Woodstock :  see 
Thomas  Hearne's  Discourse  concerning  the  Stunsfield 
tessellated  pavement'.  "Some  think  the  figure  portrayed 
thereon,  to  be  that  of  Oudin,  the  Danish  god,  with  the 
odd  horse  that  is  commonly  assigned  him ;  but  the 
figure  is,  in  my  opinion,  Apollo  Sagittarius,  with  a 


POLITICAL  PERSECUTION,  1714-1760     289 

Patera  or  Cup  in  his  left  hand,  and  a  Dart  in  his  right. 
The  animal  resembles  a  Griffin.  I  think  some  regard 
was  had,  in  designing  the  figures,  to  the  story  of 
Apollo  killing  the  Python " : — but  compare  John 
Pointer's  Account  of  the  Roman  Pavement,  etc.,  Oxford, 
1713:  "The  human  figure  does  not  represent  Apollo, 
but  Bacchus.  It  is  not  a  Dart,  but  a  Thyrsus  in  the 
right  hand ;  not  a  Patera,  but  a  Cantharus  in  his  left. 
The  animal  figure  is  not  a  Monster,  but  a  Panther." 

An  quodlibet  fiat  ex  quolibet?     Aff. 
Dum  curvo  Corydon  terram  molitur  aratro, 

Effosso  retegit  saxa  sepulta  solo. 
Multa  pavimentum  distinguit  tessera  pictum, 

Areaque  ornatu  versicolore  nitet. 
Spectatum  occurrunt  vicino  ex  rure  coloni, 

Doctaque  gens  arces  quae  colit,  Isi,  tuas. 
"  Hanc,"  inquit  Lycidas,  "  Oberon  sibi  condidit  aulam, 

Nocturnum  hie  Lemures  instituere  chorum." 
Hie  ait,  "  En !  aquila  immensum  secat  aethera  pennis, 

Cernis  ut  Idaeus  surgat  ad  astra  puer." 
Alatum  agnoscit  nasutior  ille  draconem, 

Cappadocisque  videt  spicula  et  ora  ducis. 
Conspicit  hie  Bacchum  inversa  pro  more  diota, 

Dum  sua  thyrsigerum  fert  tigris  Inda  Deum. 
Pro  libitu  varias  excudit  quisque  figuras ; 

Figmentumque  novum  dat  nova  quaeque  dies. 
Lis  sub  judice  adhuc ;  fors  est  venientibus  annis 

Eugenium  referet  Malburiumque  lapis. 

AN  OXFORD  DUN 

From  the  Splendid  Shilling  of  Mr.  John  Philips  of 
Christ  Church,  1703. 

Happy  the  Man  who  void  of  cares  and  strife 
In  silken  or  in  leathern  purse  retains 
A  Splendid  Shilling: — He  nor  hears  with  pain 
New  Oysters  cried,  nor  sighs  for  cheerful  Ale; 


290     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

But  with  his  friends,  when  nightly  mists  arise, 
To  Jun'per's  Magpye  or  Townhall  repairs : 
Where  mindful  of  the  nymph  whose  wanton  eyes 
Transfixed  his  soul  and  kindled  amorous  flames, 
Chloe  or  Phyllis,  he  each  circling  glass 
Wisheth  her  health  and  joy  and  equal  love; 
Meanwhile  he  smokes  and  laughs  at  merry  tale, 
Or  pun  ambiguous,  or  conundrum  quaint. 
But  I,  whom  griping  penury  surrounds, 
And  hunger,  sure  attendant  upon  want, 
With  scanty  offals  and  small  acid  tiff, 
(Wretched  repast !)  my  meagre  corpse  sustain ; 
Then  solitary  walk,  or  doze  at  home 
In  garret  vile,  and  with  a  warming  puff 
Regale  chill  fingers;  or  from  tube  as  black 
As  winter  chimney,  or  well-polish'd  jet, 
Exhale  mundungus,  ill-perfuming  scent: 
Nor  blacker  tube,  nor  of  a  shorter  size, 
Smokes  Cambro-Briton  (vers'd  in  pedigree, 
Sprung  from  Cadwalader  and  Arthur,  kings 
Full  famous  in  romantic  tale),  when  he 
O'er  many  a  craggy  hill  and  barren  cliff, 
Upon  a  cargo  of  fam'd  Cestrian  cheese 
High  overshadowing,  rides,  with  a  design 
To  vend  his  wares,  or  at  the  Arvovian  mart 
Or  Maridunum,  or  the  ancient  town 
Yclep'd  Brechinia,  or  where  Vaga's  stream 
Encircles  Ariconium,  fruitful  soil ! 
Whence  flow  nectareous  wines,  that  well  may  vie 
With  Massic,  Setin,  or  renown'd  Falern. 

Thus  while  my  joyless  minutes  tedious  flow, 
With  looks  demure  and  silent  pace,  a  Dun, 
Horrible  monster !  hated  by  gods  and  men, 
To  my  aerial  citadel  ascends  ; 
With  hideous  accents  thrice  he  calls ;  I  know 
The  voice  ill-boding,  and  the  solemn  sound. 
What  should  I  do?  or  whither  turn?  amazed, 
Confounded,  to  the  dark  recess  I  fly 


POLITICAL  PERSECUTION,  1714-1760     291 

Of  wood-hole;  strait  my  bristling  hairs  erect 

Through  sudden  fear;  a  chilly  sweat  bedews 

My  shuddering  limbs,  and  (wonderful  to  tell !) 

My  tongue  forgets  her  faculty  of  speech ; 

So  horrible  he  seems  !  his  faded  brow 

Entrenched  with  many  a  frown,  and  conic  beard, 

And  spreading  band,  admired  by  modern  saints, 

Disastrous  acts  forbode;  in  his  right  hand 

Long  scrolls  of  paper  solemnly  he  waves, 

With  characters  and  figures  dire  inscribed, 

Grievous  to  mortal  eyes ;  (ye  gods  avert 

Such    plagues     from     righteous    men !) :    behind    him 

stalks 

Another  monster,  not  unlike  himself, 
Sullen  of  aspect,  by  the  vulgar  called 
A  Catchpole,  whose  polluted  hands  the  gods 
With  force  incredible,  and  magic  charms, 
Erst  have  endued ;  if  he  his  ample  palm 
Should  haply  on  ill-fated  shoulder  lay 
Of  debtor,  strait  his  body,  to  the  touch 
Obsequious,  (as  whilom  knights  were  wont,) 
To  some  enchanted  castle  is  conveyed, 
Where  gates  impregnable,  and  coercive  chains, 
In  durance  strict  detain  him,  'till  in  form 
Of  money,  Pallas  sets  the  captive  free. 

Beware,  ye  debtors,  when  ye  walk,  beware. 
Be  circumspect;  oft  with  insidious  ken 
This  caitiff  eyes  your  steps  aloof,  and  oft 
Lies  perdue  in  a  nook  or  gloomy  cave, 
Prompt  to  enchant  some  inadvertent  wretch 
With  his  unhallowed  touch.     So  (poets  sing) 
Grimalkin,  to  domestic  vermin  sworn 
An  everlasting  foe,  with  watchful  eye 
Lies  nightly  brooding  oer  a  chinky  gap, 
Portending  her  fell  claws,  to  thoughtless  mice 
Sure  ruin.     So  her  disembowelled  web 
Arachne  in  a  hall  or  kitchen  spreads 
Obvious  to  vagrant  flies :  she  secret  stands 


29 2     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Within  her  woven  cell :  the  humming  prey, 
Regardless  of  their  fate,  rush  on  the  toils 
Inextricable,  nor  will  aught  avail 
Their  arts,  or  arms,  or  shapes  of  lovely  hue; 
The  wasp  insidious,  and  the  buzzing  drone, 
And  butterfly,  proud  of  expanded  wings 
Distinct  with  gold,  entangled  in  her  snares, 
Useless  resistance  make:  with  eager  strides 
She  tow 'ring  flies  to  her  expected  spoils ; 
Then,  with  envenom'd  jaws,  the  vital  blood 
Drinks  of  reluctant  foes,  and  to  her  cave 
Their  bulky  carcases  triumphant  drags. 

OXFORD  "TOASTS" 

From  Strephoris  Revenge  (1718),  a  satire  written  by 
Nicholas  Amherst  of  St.  John  Baptist  College  in 
answer  to  an  eulogistic  poem  on  the  "  Oxford  Beauties," 
entitled  Merton  Walks,  which  had  been  brought  out  by 
John  Dry  in  the  preceding  year.  In  the  preface  to  his 
satire,  Amherst  writes :  "  I  am  not  the  only  one  who 
has  taken  notice  of  the  almost  universal  Corruption  of 
our  Youth,  which  is  to  be  imputed  to  nothing  so  much 
as  to  that  Multitude  of  Female  Residentiaries  who  have 
of  late  infested  our  Learned  Retirements,  and  drawn  off 
Numbers  of  unwary  young  Persons  from  their  Studies. 
...  It  is  indeed  become  highly  scandalous  to  carry  the 
least  Mark  of  a  Philosopher  about  us ;  a  grave  Counte- 
nance and  a  sober  Habit,  are  treated  as  the  Object  of 
Ridicule;  and  the  Person  who  appears  not  to  have 
made  the  Beau  Monde  the  greatest  part  of  his  Studies, 
is  sure  to  be  laughed  at  for  a  dull  plodding  Wretch,  a 
mere  Clown,  and  a  Pedant:  There  appears  on  the 
Foreheads  -of  the  greatest  Part  of  our  Students  an 
unthoughtful  Openness  and  Levity ;  and  in  their  Dress 
an  unbecoming  Shewiness  and  Affectation  ;  Silk  Gowns, 
Tye  Wiggs,  and  Ruffles  are  become  necessary  Accom- 
plishments for  a  Man  of  Sense;  and  our  Colleges, 


POLITICAL  PERSECUTION,  1714-1760     293 

instead  of  grave  Philosophers  and  Literati,  swarm  with 
Smarts,  Foplings,  and  Consummate  Coxcombs." 

With  generous   grief  I  mourn   our   Oxford's  fate, 
Her  fading  glories  and  declining  state ; 
Homer  and  Virgil  quit  disgraced  the  field, 
And  to  the  skilful  Dancing-Master  yield  ; 
Our  Colleges  grow  elegantly  dull ; 
Our  Schools  are  empty  and  our  Taverns  full. 
The  gowned  Youth  dissolves  in  amorous  dreams, 
And  Pedantry  to  him  all  Learning  seems ; 
He  wastes  his  bloom  in  Vanity  and  Ease, 
And  his  chief  Studies  are  to  Dress  and  Please. 

If  through  the  lonely  smiling  meads  I  stray, 
And  by  the  Charwell  pace  my  thoughtful  way, 
Loud  Female  Laughters  reach  my  distant  ears, 
Before  my  eyes  the  tawdry  Manteau  glares; 
I  shun  th'  approaching  sight,  to  madness  wrought, 
And  lose  in  air  the  scattered  train  of  thought. 

If  to  the  Tavern  social  Mirth  invites, 
With  constant  Pain  I  spend  the  joyless  nights ; 
Scrawled  on  the  Glass  I  read  the  hated  Names, 
While  my  swoln  Breast  with  Indignation  flames ; 
The  whining  Blockheads  each  his  Toast  assign, 
And     pall     with     nauseous     praise     the     generous 

wine : 

I  fret,  I  rail,  with  angry  bile  I  fume 
And  broken  Pipes  and  Glasses  strew  the  room. 

Nay,  if  at  Church  I  bend  the  suppliant  knee, 
Not  then  from  their  damned  presence  am  I  free: 
Just  as  in  fervent  transports  I  expire, 
And  my  Soul  mounts  on  wings  of  hallowed  fire, 
Some  haughty  worthless  Minion  meets  my  sight 
And  checks  devotion  in  its  middle  height. 
Beauties  of  every  sort  and  size  appear, 
That  please  all  fancies  and  all  prices  bear; 
The  Tall  and  Short,  the  Jolly  and  the  Lean, 
Of  every  age  from  Forty  to  Fifteen ; 


294     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Black,  Brown,  and  Fair  are  ranged  in  different  Pews, 
That  Amorous  Customers  may  pick  and  choose: 
Here  sanguine  Youths,  disposed  for  married  lives, 
And  future  Parsons  are  supplied  with  Wives. 

Still  on,  my  Muse,  and  say  what  various  Arts, 
What  Cheats  are  practised  on  unthinking  hearts ; 
When  in  full  Balls,  in  dazzling  splendours  gay, 
Their  active  limbs  and  breeding  they  display : 
With  antick  airs  they  speed  their  steps  around, 
And  to  the  riddles  foot  the  trembling  ground ; 
The  damask  shoe,  enriched  with  curious  art, 
And  scarlet  stocking,  pierce  the  coxcomb's  heart; 
Charmed  with  her  pretty  shape  and  swimming  air, 
He  swears  that  Venus  is  not  half  so  fair : 
How  quick  her  eyes,  how  matchless  is  her  face, 
How  skilfully  she  moves !     With  what  a  grace ! 
Caught  by  inveigling  Arts  and  wily  Charms, 
He  throws  himself  distracted  in  her  arms ; 
The  ready  Priest  his  curse  with  Marriage  crowns ; 
He  weds — and  in  a  fortnight  hangs  or  drowns ! 

But  fly,  oh !    fly  from  their  destructive  Charms, 
Fly  from  th'  embraces  of  their  opening  arms ; 
Or  else  you  will  bewail,  alas !   too  late 
Your  ruin'd  Fame  and  your  abandon'd  Fate. 

I  know  a  Youth  whom  not  ignobly  born 
His  careful  Sire,  to  polish  and  adorn 
His  tender  artless  mind,  to  College  sent ; 
He  came,  and  oh !    behold  the  dire  event ! 
New  from  the  Rod,  and  Stranger  to  Mankind, 
Each  fair  Appearance  won  his  easy  mind ; 
As  yet  Experience  had  not  fledged  his  wings, 
But  as  they  seemed,  he  judged  of  Men  and  Things. 
With  him  each  glaring  Female  was  divine; 
Gay  were  the  Tawdry,  and  the  Shewy  Fine. 
Thoughtless  and  unsuspecting  of  deceit, 
Through  the  dark  guise  he  could  not  see  the  Cheat : 
When  now  but  a  few  moons  had  passed  away, 
To  Female  Cunning  he  became  a  Prey. 


POLITICAL  PERSECUTION,  1714-1760     295 

Now  he  to  vicious  idle  courses  takes, 
His  Logick-Studies  and  his  Prayers  forsakes; 
Puffed  up  with  Love,  a  studious  life  he  loathes, 
And  places  all  his  Learning  in  his  Clothes: 
He  "  Smarts,"  he  Dances,  at  a  Ball  is  seen, 
And  Struts  about  the  room  with  saucy  mien. 
In  vain  his  Tutor  with  a  watchful  care 
Rebukes  his  folly,  warns  him  to  beware; 
In  vain  his  Friends  endeavour  to  control 
The  stubborn  fatal  byass  of  his  Soul; 
In  vain  his  Father  with  o'erflowing  eyes 
And  mingled  threatenings,  begs  him  to  be  wise: 
His  Friends,  his  Tutor,  and  his  Father  fail; 
Nor  Tears,  nor  Threats,  nor  Duty  will  prevail ; 
His  stronger  Passions  urge  him  to  his  Fall, 
And  deaf  to  Counsel,  he  contemns  them  all. 
In  wedlock-sheets  he  stains  his  generous  birth, 
And  basely  mixes  with  plebeian  earth: 
Too  late,  disheired,  he  vents  unfruitful  sighs, 
For  ever  banished  from  his  Father's  eyes. 

Forewarned,  oh!   shun  the  glittering  tempting  bait, 
And      learn      from     hence     the     fond      Adventurer's 

Fate; 

Learn  hence  the  fair  Impostor  to  despise, 
Your  fame,  your  welfare,  and  your  peace  to  prize. 
Fear  not  abroad  to  find  some  pitying  Dame, 
With  artless  beauty  crowned  and  spotless  fame, 
Blooming  and  sweet  as  opening  roses  are, 
Chaste  as  Minerva,  and  as  Laura  fair. 

And  Thou,1  who  whilom  on  Oxonian  Plains 
Carol'st  with  lavish  art  thy  fulsome  strains, 
Forbear,  rash  Bard,  to  stain  thy  fairest  rhymes 
With  the  most  impious  of  these  impious  times; 
Preserve  unbroken  thy  poetic  trust, 
And  only  publish  praise,  where  praise  is  just; 
Forbear,  nor  vainly  thus  expect  renown ; 
For  see !   the  Muses  and  Apollo  frown ! 

1  The  author  of  Merton  Walks. 


296     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

THE  MAP  OF  LIFE 

From  the  Progress  of  Discontent >  written  in  1746  by 
Thomas  Warton  of  Trinity  College,  Oxford,  Sir  Thomas 
Pope's  foundation : — 

Cum  juvenis  nostras  subiit  novus  advena  sedes, 

Continue  Popi  proemia  magna  petit: 
Deinde  potens  voti,  quiddam  sublimius  ambit, 

Et  Socii  lepidum  munus  inire  cupit : 
At  Socius  mavult  transire  ad  rura  Sacerdos ; 

Arridetque  uxor  jam  propriique  lares : 
Ad  rus  transmisso  vitam  instaurare  priorem, 

Atque  iterum  Popi  tecta  subire  juvat. 
O  pectus  mire  varium  et  mutabile !     Cui  sors 

Quaeque  petita  placet,  nulla  potita  placet. 

When  now  mature  in  classic  knowledge 
The  joyful  youth  is  sent  to  College; 
His  father  comes,  a  vicar  plain, 
At  Oxford  bred — in  Anna's  reign; 
And  thus,  in  form  of  humble  suitor, 
Bowing,  accosts  a  reverend  Tutor ! 
"  Sir,  I'm  a  Gloucestershire  divine, 
"  And  this  my  eldest  son  of  nine ; 
"  My  wife's  ambition,  and  my  own, 
"  Was  that  this  child  should  wear  a  gown : 
"  I'll  warrant  that  his  good  behav'our 
"  Will  justify  your  future  favour ; 
"And  for  his  parts,  to  tell  the  truth, 
"  My  son's  a  very  forward  youth ; 
"  Has  Horace  all  by  heart — you'd  wonder — 
"  And  mouths  out  Homer's  Greek  like  thunder. 
"  If  you'd  examine,  and  admit  him, 
"  A  scholarship  would  nicely  fit  him ; 
"That  he  succeeds  'tis  ten  to  one; 
"Your  vote  and  interest,  sir! — 'tis  done." 

Our  pupil's  hopes,  though  twice  defeated, 
Are  with  a  scholarship  completed : 


O    u 

p  <J 


POLITICAL  PERSECUTION,  1714-1760     297 

A  scholarship  but  half  maintains, 

And  college  rules  are  heavy  chains: 

In  garret  dark  he  smokes  and  puns, 

A  prey  to  discipline  and  duns ; 

And  now,  intent  on  new  designs, 

Sighs  for  a  Fellowship — and  fines. 
When  nine  full  tedious  winters  past, 

That  utmost  wish  is  crown'd  at  last; 

But  the  rich  prize  no  sooner  got, 

Again  he  quarrels  with  his  lot: 

"  These  Fellowships  are  pretty  things, 

"  We  live,  indeed,  like  petty  kings : 

"  But  who  can  bear  to  waste  his  whole  age 

"  Amid  the  dulness  of  a  College, 
"  Debarr'd  the  common  joys  of  life, 
"And  that  prime  bliss — a  loving  wife? 

"  O  !   what's  a  table  richly  spread, 

"  Without  a  woman  at  its  head  ! 

"  If  but  some  benefice  would  fall, 

"  Then  feasts  and  dinners  !    farewell  all ! 

"To  offices  I'd  bid  adieu 

"  Of  dean,  vice-praes. — of  bursar  too ; 

"  Come,  joys  that  rural  quiet  yields, 

"Come,  tithe  and  house  and  fruitful  fields!"1 

Too  fond  of  liberty  and  ease, 
A  patron's  vanity  to  please, 
Long  time  he  watches,  and  by  stealth, 
Each  frail  incumbent's  doubtful  health; 

1  Cf.  Letter  of  Humphrey  Prideaux  (Christ  Church,  1668-86 ;  Dean  of 
Norwich,  1702),  Oxford,  July  9,  1685  :  "  I  believe  my  time  in  the  College 
will  now  be  short.  I  have  been  here  long  enough  to  begin  to  be  weary 
of  a  place  where  now  every  one  almost  is  my  junior ;  and  therefore  have 
resolved  to  retire  to  my  living,  and  fix  for  good  and  all  there  ;  and  in  order 
hereto,  I  have  hearkened  to  proposals  of  marriage  that  have  been  made  to 
me  ;  and  because  they  are  such  as  are  very  advantageous,  I  have  already 
got  so  far  as  the  sealing  of  articles  whereby  I  have  secured  to  myself 
^3000  ;  but  after  the  death  of  the  father  and  mother  whose  only  child  the 
gentlewoman  is,  I  believe  there  will  be  at  least  ^1500  more.  I  little 
thought  I  should  ever  come  to  this  !  "  (Letters  of  Prideaux  to  John  Ellis  > 
Camden  Soc.  Publications). 


298     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

At  length — and  in  his  fortieth  year, 

A  living  drops — two  hundred  clear ! 

With  breast  elate  beyond  expression, 

He  hurries  down  to  take  possession : 

With  rapture  views  the  sweet  retreat — 

"  What  a  convenient  house  !   how  neat ! 

"  For  fuel  here's  sufficient  wood ; 

"  Pray  God  the  cellars  may  be  good ! 

*'  The  garden — that  must  be  new  plann'd — 

"  Shall  these  old-fashioned  yew-trees  stand  ? 

"O'er  yonder  vacant  plot  shall  rise 

"  The  flow'ry  shrub  of  thousand  dyes : 

"Yon  wall  that  feels  the  southern  ray, 

"Shall  blush  with  ruddy  fruitage  gay: 

"While  thick  beneath  its  aspect  warm, 

"  O'er  well-rang'd  hives  the  bees  shall  swarm ; 

"  From  which,  ere  long,  of  golden  gleam, 

"  Metheglin's  luscious  juice  shall  stream : 

"This  awkward  hut,  o'ergrown  with  ivy, 

"We'll  alter  to  a  modern  privy: 

"  Up  yon  green  slope  of  hazels  trim, 

"An  avenue,  so  cool  and  dim, 

"Shall  to  an  arbour  at  the  end, 

"  In  spite  of  gout,  entice  a  friend. 

"  My  predecessor  lov'd  devotion — 

"But  of  a  garden  had  no  notion." 

Continuing  this  fantastic  farce  on, 
He  now  commences  country  parson. 
To  make  his  character  entire, 
He  weds — a  cousin  of  the  Squire; 
Not  over  weighty  in  the  purse, 
But  many  Doctors  have  done  worse : 
And  though  she  boasts  no  charms  divine, 
Yet  she  can  carve,  and  make  birch  wine. 

Thus  fixed,  content  he  taps  his  barrel ; 
Exhorts  his  neighbours  not  to  quarrel ; 
Finds  his  churchwardens  have  discerning 
Both  in  good  liquor  and  good  learning; 


POLITICAL  PERSECUTION,  1714-1760     299 

With  tithes  his  barns  replete  he  sees, 
And   chuckles  o'er  his  surplice  fees; 
Studies  to  find  out  latent  dues, 
And  regulates  the  state  of  pews; 
Rides  a  sleek  mare  with  purple  housing, 
To  share  the  monthly  club's  carousing; 
Of  Oxford  pranks  facetious  tells, 
And — but  on  Sundays — hears  no  bells; 
Sends  presents  of  his  choicest  fruit, 
And  prunes  himself  each  sapless  shoot ; 
Plants  cauliflowers,  and  boasts  to  rear 
The  earliest  melon  of  the  year; 
Thinks  alteration  charming  work  is, 
Keeps  bantam  cocks,  and  feeds  his  turkeys ; 
Builds  in  his  copse  a  favourite  bench, 
And  stores  the  pond  with  carp  and  tench. 
But  ah !    too  soon  his  thoughtless  breast 
By  cares  domestic  is  opprest; 
And  a  third  butcher's  bill,  and  brewing, 
Threaten  inevitable  ruin : 
For  children  fresh  expenses  yet, 
And  Dicky  now  for  school  is  fit. 
"Why  did  I  sell  my  college  life," 
He  cries,  "for  benefice  and  wife? 
"  Return,  ye  days !   when  endless  pleasure 
"  I  found  in  reading  or  in  leisure ! 
"  When  calm  around  the  Common  Room 
"  I  pufFd  my  daily  pipe's  perfume ! 
"  Rode  for  a  stomach,  and  inspected 
"  At  annual  bottlings,  corks  selected : 
"  And  dined  untaxed,  untroubled,  under 
"  The  portrait  of  our  pious  Founder ! 
"When  impositions  were  supplied 
"  To  light  my  pipe — or  soothe  my  pride ! 
"  No  cares  were  then  for  forward  peas 
"A  yearly-longing  wife  to  please; 
"My  thoughts  no  christ'ning  dinners  cross't, 
"No  children  cried  for  buttered  toast; 


300     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

"  And  every  night  I  went  to  bed 
"Without  a  modus  in  my  head." 

O  trifling  head  and  fickle  heart! 
Chagrin'd  at  whatsoe'er  thou  art; 
A  dupe  to  follies  yet  untried, 
And  sick  of  pleasures  scarce  enjoyed ! 
Each  prize  possess't,  thy  transport  ceases; 
And  in  pursuit  alone  it  pleases. 

From  TJie  Vanity  of  Human  Wishes,  by  Samuel 
Johnson  of  Pembroke  College,  Oxford,  1749. 

When  first  the  college  rolls  receive  his  name, 
The  young  enthusiast  quits  his  ease  for  fame; 
Resistless  burns  the  fever  of  renown, 
Caught  from  the  strong  contagion  of  the  gown : 
Oer  Bodley's  dome  his  future  labours  spread 
And  Bacon's  mansion  trembles  o'er  his  head.1 
Are  these  thy  views?     Proceed,  illustrious  youth; 
And  Virtue  guard  thee  to  the  throne  of  Truth ! 
Yet  should  thy  soul  indulge  the  generous  heat, 
Till  captive  Science  yield  her  last  retreat; 
Should  Reason  guide  thee  with  her  brightest  ray, 
And  pour  on  misty  Doubt  resistless  day; 
Should  no  false  Kindness  lure  to  loose  delight, 
Nor  Praise  relax,  nor  Difficulty  fright; 
Should  tempting  Novelty  thy  cell  refrain, 
And  Sloth  effuse  her  opiate  fumes  in  vain; 
Should  Beauty  blunt  on  Fops  her  fatal  dart, 
Nor  claim  the  triumph  of  a  Lettered  Heart; 
Should  no  Disease  thy  torpid  veins  invade 
Nor  Melancholy's  phantoms  haunt  thy  shade; — 
Yet  hope  not  life  from  grief  and  danger  free, 
Nor  think  the  Doom  of  Man  Reversed  for  Thee. 

1  There  was  an  ancient  tradition  at  Oxford,  that  Bacon's  Study,  a  room 
over  the  archway  of  a  tower  which  stood  on  Folly  Bridge,  would  collapse, 
when  a  wiser  than  Roger  passed  beneath  it.  The  Study  stood  until  the 
year  1779,  when  the  Oxford  Street  Commissioners,  fearful  lest  the  prophecy 
should  be  fulfilled,  in  self-defence,  demolished  the  building. 


POLITICAL  PERSECUTION,  1714-1760     301 

Deign  on  the  passing  world  to  turn  thy  eyes, 
And  pause  awhile  from  Letters,  to  be  Wise : 
There  mark  what  ills  the  Scholar's  life  assail, 
Toil,  Envy,  Want,  the  Patron  and  the  Gaol : 
See  Nations,  slowly  wise  and  meanly  just, 
To  Buried  Merit  raise  the  tardy  bust: 
If  dreams  yet  flatter,  once  again  attend, 
Hear  Lydiat's  life  and  Galileo's  end : 
Nor  deem,  when  Learning  her  last  prize  bestows, 
The  glittering  eminence  exempt  from  Foes; 
See,  when  the  Vulgar  'scapes,  despised  and  awed, 
Rebellion's  vengeful  talons  seize  on  Laud : 
From  meaner  minds  though  smaller  fines  content, 
The  plundered  palace  or  sequestered  rent, 
Marked  out  by  dangerous  parts,  he  meets  the  shock, 
And  Fatal  Learning  leads  him  to  the  Block : 
Around  his  tomb  let  Art  and  Genius  Weep ; 
And    Hear    his    Death,    ye    Blockheads,    Hear  and 
Sleep ! 

II.  POLITICAL  VIEWS 

"  Oxford,  that  magnificent  and  venerable  Seat  of 
Learning  Orthodoxy  and  Toryism." — BOSWELL'S  Life 
of  Johnson. 

(a)  TORYISM 

A.D.  1715 

No  sooner  had  George  I  ascended  the  throne  than 
the  loud  howling  of  the  "Whig  dogs"  broke  forth 
against  Oxford : — 

"The  High  Church  Rebel"— to  the  tune,  "Begging 
we  will  go." 

At  Oxford,  Bath,  and  Bristol 
The  Rogues  designed  to  rise, 

But  George's  care  and  vigilance 
There's  nothing  can  surprise: 

So  to  Tyburn  let  them  go ! 


302     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

"A  New  Song"— to  the  tune,  "Which  Nobody  can 
deny." 

When  at  Oxford,  that  eminent  Structure  of  Study, 
In    riots    and    treasons    their    Heads    are    turned 

giddy, 
The   Streams    must    be   foul,   where   the    Fountain 

is  muddy; 

Which  nobody  can  deny. 

"A  Whig  Riddle  for   the   Tory  Omen-hunters"— to 
the  tune,  "You  Fair  Ladies." 

Go  ask  the  Men  of  Oxford,  why 

Some  Wights  that  late  wore  Garters, 

Come  to  be  canonized  as  Saints 
Ere  they  Commenced  as  Martyrs; 

Let  Alma  Mater  shew  a  reason 

Why  Loyal  Feasting's  counted  Treason. 

"  Rue  and  Thyme  "—a  song  to  the  tune,  "  The  Vicar 
of  Taunton  Dean." 

As  I  walked  along  fair  London  town, 

The  rascally  Tories  flocked  up  and  down ; 

Tho  a  Thanksgiving  Day,  they  looked  wretchedly 

blue, 
Stuck  up  with  their  Rosemary,  Thyme,  and  Rue : 

Fa  la  la!     Fa  la  la!     The  Perkinite  Crew! 

Then  a  Student  of  Oxford  came  next  in  the  throng, 
Swears  he'll  bring  in  Perkin  before  it  be  long; 

He'll  stand  for  the  High  Church  and  Chevalier  too — 
But  if  Tyburn  should  catch  him,  the  Time  he 
will  Rue: 

Fa  la  la!     Fa  la  la!     The  Perkinite  Crew! 

Collection  of  State  Songs,  etc.,  that  have  been 
published  since  the  Rebellion,  and  sung  in 
several  Mug-houses  in  the  Cities  of  London 
and  Westminster )  London,  1716 


POLITICAL  PERSECUTION,  1714-1760     303 

Epigrams  on  the  descent  made,  Oct.  6,  1715,  upon 
Oxford  by  Colonel  Pepper  with  his  regiment  of  dragoons 
to  search  for  Jacobite  officers,  and  on  the  despatch  to 
Cambridge  on  Nov.  19  by  George  I  of  the  valuable 
library  which  had  belonged  to  Dr.  Moore,  Bishop  of 
Ely:— 

THE  OXFORD  EPIGRAM 

The  King  observing  with  judicious  eyes 

The  state  of  his  two  Universities, 

To  Oxford  sent  a  troop  of  horse:  for  why? 

That  learned  body  wanted  loyalty: 

To  Cambridge  books  he  sent,  as  well  discerning 

How  much  that  loyal  body  wanted  learning. 

JOSEPH  TRAPP,  Wadham  College,  Oxford 

THE  CAMBRIDGE  REPLY 

The  King  to  Oxford  sent  a  troop  of  horse, 
For  Tories  own  no  argument  but  force; 
With  equal  skill  to  Cambridge  books  he  sent, 
For  Whigs  admit  no  force  but  argument. 
SIR  WILLIAM  BROWNE,  Peterhouse,  Cambridge l 

One  of  the  favourite  methods  used  by  the  troublesome 
Whig  minority  at  Oxford,  known  as  the  "  Constitution 
Club,"  to  provoke  honest  Jacobites,  was  to  assemble  at 
some  tavern  in  the  town  on  the  28th  of  May,  and  to 
celebrate  the  birthday  of  the  Hanoverian  Usurper  by 

1  The  epigrams  have  been  put  into  Latin,  as  follows  : 

"  Regia  Musarum  inspiciens  vigilantia  sedes, 

Quam  bene  disposuit  munus  utrique  suum  ! 
Granta,  tuos  libris  prudens  ditavit  alumnos ; 

Militis  armati  te,  Rhedecyna,  manu. 
Huic  nempe  obsequium,  sapientia  defuit  illi ; 
Floruit  haec  doctis,  altera  mancipiis. 

"Rex  ideo  turmis  Rhedecynam  implevit  et  armis, 

Quod  vires  istic  pro  ratione  valent : 
Granta,  tuas  libris  ornavit  amantior  aulas, 
Quod  tibi  pro  summis  viribus  est  ratio," 


304     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

bonfires,  illuminations,  and  uproarious  songs ;  and  they 
effected  their  object  the  more  easily  because  all  good 
Tories  were  preparing  to  welcome  on  the  following  day, 
May  29,  the  anniversary  of  the  glorious  Restoration. 

"A  Song  for  the  28th  of  May,  the  birthday  of  our 
glorious  Sovereign,  king  George  " — to  the  tune  of  "  The 
King  shall  enjoy  his  own  again." 

The  Time  is  now  come 

That  we  fear  not  France  or  Rome 
Nor  all  the  rebel  Tory  Crew: 
The  Rebels  we  will  hang, 
And  the  Tories  we  will  bang, 
As  our  Forefathers  used  to  do: 

Let  Jem  fight  us  if  they  dare, 
Let  'em  rant  and  let  'em  swear; 
We'll  make  them  after  Perkin  run : 

Tis  the  28th  of  May, 

Let  us  revel  it  away, 
For  joy  that  the  King  enjoys  his  own. 

Then  bring  up  the  Jug 

To  us  friends  of  the  Mug: 
We'll  toast  the  Royal  Health  round : 

For  the  birth  of  the  King 

Let  us  quaff  laugh  and  sing; 
His  day  with  gay  frolic  be  crowned. 

The  mob  we  need  not  fear ; 

There's  enough  of  us  here 
To  beat  all  the  Tories  in  town  : 

We  have  got  a  better  day 

Than  the  29th  of  May, 
For  the  King  of  our  Hearts  has  his  own. 

Raise  the  faggots  higher, 
We'll  have  no  kitchen  fire 
To  celebrate  King  George's  day: 
Who  the  deuce  would  care 
Tho  the  Doctor  were  here 


POLITICAL  PERSECUTION,  1714-1760     305 

And  his  Duke  who  did  our  friends  betray? 

Our  mugs  now  let  us  mind; 

We  have  three  good  toasts  behind — 
The  Prince,  the  Princess,  and  Carter  John. 

In  all  the  month  of  May 

We  will  keep  no  other  day 
But  the  King's,  who  now  enjoys  his  own. 

While  the  bonfires  blaze 

With  our  Healths  and  Huzzas 
To  joy  we  all  our  friends  unite. 

Tomorrow  they  say 

We  are  threatened  with  a  fray; 
But  a  fig  for  that!  we'll  laugh  tonight. 

And  if  they  dare  come  out 

To  try  the  other  bout, 
The  word  is  "  George,"  and  their  work  is  done 

For  in  all  the  month  of  May, 

We'll  have  no  such  merry  day 
As  the  King's,  who  now  enjoys  his  own. 

A.D.  1750 

Cambridge  was  at  this  time  displaying  a  fulsome  spirit 
>f  flattery  rather   than   loyalty  towards   the   house  of 
Brunswick.     Its    chancellorship  was   bestowed  on  that 
most  ignorant  and  ridiculous  of  mortals,  the  Premier, 
le  Duke  of  Newcastle.     The  prosecution,  conviction, 
and  savage  punishment  of  some  honest  young  Oxonians 
who  had  boasted  over  their  cups  their  attachment  to  the 
House  of  Stuart,  afforded  another  opportunity  of  "  sup- 
porting the  throne";  and  William   Mason  (St.  John's 
College,  Cambridge)  bid  high  for   preferment   by   the 
mblication  of  Isist  an  Elegy,  in   which   he   contrasted 
the   loyalty  of   Cambridge  with  the  disaffection  of  its 
sister  University.     This  poem    drew  an  answer,  called 
The  Triumph  of  Isis,  from  the  younger  Tom  Warton, 
then  a  Scholar  of  Trinity  College,  Oxford,  twenty-two 
20 


306     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

years  of  age :  see  Studies  in  Oxford  History  (Oxford 
Hist.  Soc.),  Oxford  during  the  Eighteenth  Century^  by 
J.  R.  Green,  p.  172. 


"ISIS,  AN  ELEGY,"  by  William  Mason 

(The  river  Isis  appears  in  "  all  the  awful  negligence 
of  woe,"  and  reviews  the  past ;  sees  patriotic  sons  like 
Sydney,  Raleigh,  Hampden,  Addison,  and  Locke;  and 
recalling  the  days  when  she  boasted  as  proud  a  name 
as  did  the  Ilissus,  she  proceeds  to  lament  as  follows :) 

Alas !     how     changed  ?       Where     now     that     Attic 

boast  ? 

See  Gothic  license  rage  o'er  all  my  coast ! 
See  Hydra  Faction  spread  its  impious  reign, 
Poison  each  breast,  and  madden  every  brain  ! 
Hence  frontless  crowds,  that  not  content  to  fright 
The  blushing  Cynthia  from  her  throne  of  night, 
Blast  the  fair  face  of  day,  and  madly  bold 
To  Freedom's  Foes  infernal  orgies  hold : 
To  Freedom's  Foes,  ah !  see  the  goblet  crowned ! 
Hear  plausive  shouts  to  Freedom's  Foes  resound ! 
The  horrid  notes  my  refluent  waters  daunt; 
The  Echoes  groan ;  the  Dryads  quit  their  haunt. 
Learning,  that  once  to  all  diffused  her  beam, 
Now  sheds  by  stealth  a  partial  private  gleam, 
In  some  low  cloister's  melancholy  shade 
Where  a  firm  few  support  her  sickly  head, 
Despised,  insulted  by  the  barbarous  train 
Who    scour,    like    Thracia's     moonstruck     rout,    the 

plain  ; 

Sworn  foes,  like  them,  to  all  the  Muse  approves, 
All  Phoebus  favours,  or  Minerva  loves. 
Are  these  the  sons  my  fostering  breast  must  rear, 
Graced  with  my  name,  and  nurtured  by  my  care ! 
Must  these  go  forth  from  my  maternal  hand 
To  deal  their  insults  through  a  peaceful  land 


POLITICAL  PERSECUTION,  1714-1760     307 

And  boast,  while  Freedom  bleeds  and  Virtue  groans 
That  Isis  taught  Sedition  to  her  Sons ! ! ! 
Forbid  it,  Heaven !  and  let  my  rising  waves 
Indignant  swell,  and  whelm  the  recreant  Slaves ! ! ! 


"THE  TRIUMPH  OF  Isis,"  by  Tom  Warton 

("The  silver-slippered  virgin,  treading  lightly  the 
smooth  surface  of  the  dimply  flood,"  approaches,  and 
exhorts  the  poet :) 

When  Freedom  calls  and  Oxford  bids  thee  sing, 
Why  stays  thy  hand  to  strike  the  sounding  string? 
When  thus,  in  Freedom's  and  in  Phoebus'  spite, 
The  venal  sons  of  slavish  Cam  unite 
To  shake  yon  towers ;   when   Malice  rears  her  crest ; 
Shall  all  my  sons  in  silence  idly  rest? 

Still  sing,  O  Cam,  your  favourite  Freedom's  cause, 
Still  boast  of  Freedom — while  you  break  her  laws : 
To  Power  your  songs  of  gratulation  pay, 
To  Courts  address  soft  flattery's  soothing  lay. 

Let  Granta  boast  the  patrons  of  her  name, 

Each  pompous  fool  of  fortune  or  of  fame  : 

Still  of  Preferment  let  her  shine  the  Queen, 

Prolific  parent  of  each  bowing  Dean : 

Be  hers  each  Prelate  of  the  pampered  cheek, 

Each  courtly  Chaplain,  sanctified  and  sleek: 

Still  let  the  Drones  of  her  exhaustless  hive 

On  fat  Pluralities  supinely  thrive: 

Still  let  her  Senates  titled  Slaves  revere, 

Nor  dare  to  know  the  Patriot  from  the  Peer; 

For  Tinselled  Courts  their  Laurelled  Mount  despise, 

In  Stars  and  Strings  superlatively  wise ! 

'Tis  Ours,  my  son,  to  deal  the  sacred  bay 
Where  Honour  calls,  and  Justice  leads  the  way; 


30 8     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 


The 

Library, 
built  from 
funds  left 
by  Dr. 
Radcliffe 
(died 

1714),  was 
opened  on 
April  13, 
1749. 


A  concert 
managed 
by  Handel. 


Dr. 

William 

King, 

Principal 

of  St. 

Mary's 

Hall, 

and  head 

of  the 

Jacobite 

party  at 

Oxford. 


To     wear     the    well  -  earned     wreath     which     Merit 

brings 

And  snatch  a  gift  beyond  the  reach  of  Kings: 
Scorning,     and     scorned     by,    Courts,     yon     Muses' 

bower 
Still  nor  enjoys,  nor  asks  the  smile  of  Power. 

E'en  late,  when  Radcliffe's  delegated  train 

Auspicious  shone  in  Isis'  happy  plain ; 

When   yon   proud    Dome,    fair    Learning's   complete 

shrine, 

Beneath  its  Attic  roofs  received  the  Nine; 
Mute  was  the  voice  of  joy  and  loud  applause 
To  Radcliffe  due  and  Isis'  honoured  cause? 
What  freeborn  crowds  adorned  the  festive  day, 
Nor  blushed  to  wear  my  tributary  bay ! 
How  each  brave  breast  with  honest  ardour  heaved 
When  Sheldon's  fane  the  patriot  band  received ! 

While  Music  left  her  golden  sphere  on  high, 
And  bore  each  strain  of  triumph  to  the  sky ; 
Swelled  the  loud  song,  and  to  my  Chiefs  around 
Poured  the  full  Paeans  of  mellifluous  sound. 

But  lo !  at  once  the  swelling  concerts  cease, 
And  crowded  theatres  are  hushed  in  peace; 
See  on  yon  Sage  how  all  attentive  stand 
To  catch  his  darting  eye  and  waving  hand ! 
Hark !  he  begins  with  all  a  Tully's  art 
To  pour  the  dictates  of  a  Cato's  heart ; 
Skilled    to    pronounce    what    noblest    thoughts     in- 
spire, 

He  blends  a  Speaker's  with  a  Patriot's  fire; 
Bold  to  conceive,  nor  timorous  to  conceal, 
What  Britons  dare  to  think,  he  dares  to  tell. 
In  frowns  and  smiles  he  gains  an  equal  prize, 
Nor  meanly  fears  to  fall,  nor  creeps  to  rise: 
Bids  happier  days  to  Albion  be  restored, 
Bids  ancient  Justice  rear  her  radiant  sword; 


POLITICAL  PERSECUTION,  1714-1760     309 

From  me  and  from  my  country  wins  applause 

And  makes  an  Oxford's,  a  Britannia's  cause.1 

Ye  venerable  bowers,  ye  seats  sublime 

Clad  in  the  mossy  vest  of  fleeting  time ; 

Ye  stately  piles  of  old  munificence, 

At  once  the  pride  of  Learning  and  defence, 

Where  ancient  Piety,  a  matron  hoar, 

Still  seems  to  keep  the  hospitable  door ; 

Ye  Cloisters  pale,  that  lengthening  to  the  sight, 

Still  step  by  step  to  musings  mild  invite ; 

Ye  high-arched  Walls,  where  oft  the  bard  has  caught 

The  glowing  sentiment,  the  lofty  thought; 

Ye  Temples  dim,  where  pious  Duty  pays 

Her  holy  hymns  of  ever-echoing  praise; 

Lo !  your  loved  Isis  from  the  bordering  vale 

With  all  a  mother's  fondness  bids  you  hail. 

Hail,  Oxford,  hail !     Of  all  that's  good  and  great, 

Of  all  that's  fair,  the  guardian  and  the  seat; 

Nurse  of  each  brave  pursuit,  each  generous  aim, 

By  Truth  exalted  to  the  throne  of  Fame ; 

Like  Greece  in  science  and  in  liberty; 

Like  Athens  learn'd,  like  Lacedaemon  free. 

(&)  ORTHODOXY  (1730-1768) 

"  Johnson  :  '  Sir,  the  expulsion  of  six  students  from  the 
University  of  Oxford,  who  were  Methodists  and  would 

King's  speech  contains  many  thinly- veiled  allusions  to  the  "butcher 
Cumberland "  and  his  officers — "heroes  isti,  qui  quum,  non  modo  hostibus 
sed  suis  moliantur  exitium,  inde  tamen  nomen  et  gloriam  quaerunt.  .  .  . 
Hoscine  ut  colat  populus !  Hoscine  ut  nos  Oxonienses  colamus !  .  .  . 
Quam  me  pudet  igitur  istius  oratorum  et  poetarum  assentationis,  quae  tales 
viros,  immanitate  naturae  insignes,  semideos  fecit  et  praedicavit  !  "  After 
alluding  to  Government  spies — "  detestabiles  isti  delatores,  qui  ita  res 
nostras  modo  turbarunt " — the  orator  adroitly  contrived  to  excite  the 
Jacobite  feelings  of  his  audience  by  introducing  many  times  into  his 
peroration  the  word  "  Red  eat !  "—Thus  "  Red  eat  nobis  Astraea  nostra  !  " 
"Redeat  magnus  ille  Genius  Britanniae  ! "  "  Redeat,  efficiatque  ut 
revirescat  respublica  ! "  Each  time  he  made  a  considerable  pause  after 
the  word,  and  drew  forth  the  enthusiastic  applause  of  the  honest 
Jacobites  who  thronged  the  Sheldonian  Theatre. 


! 


310     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

not  desist  from  publicly  praying  and  exhorting,  was 
extremely  just  and  proper.  What  have  they  to  do  at  an 
University  who  are  not  willing  to  be  taught,  but  will 
presume  to  teach  ?  Where  is  religion  to  be  learnt,  but 
at  an  University  ?  Sir,  they  were  examined,  and  found 
to  be  mighty  ignorant  fellows/  Boswell :  '  But  was  it 
not  hard,  Sir,  to  expel  them,  for  I  am  told  they  were 
good  beings.'  Johnson  :  '  I  believe  they  might  be  good 
beings,  but  they  were  not  fit  to  be  in  the  University  of 
Oxford.  A  cow  is  a  very  good  animal  in  a  field,  but  we 
turn  her  out  of  a  garden/ 

"  One  day  when  Dr.  Johnson  and  Sir  Robert  Chambers 
were  together  in  the  garden  of  New  Inn  Hall,  Sir 
Robert  occupied  himself  in  collecting  snails  and 
throwing  them  over  the  wall  into  the  adjoining  premises. 
The  Doctor  thereupon  reprimanded  him,  and  pro- 
nounced his  behaviour  unmannerly  and  unneighbourly. 
'Sir/  said  Sir  Robert,  'my  neighbour  is  a  Dissenter/ 
1  Oh  ! '  exclaimed  the  Doctor,  '  if  so,  my  dear  Chambers, 
toss  away,  toss  away  as  hard  as  you  can  ! ' " — BOSWELL'S 
Life  of  Johnson. 


INTERCESSION  FOR  THE  UNIVERSITY 

Teacher  divine,  with  melting  eye 

Our  ruined  Seats  of  Learning  see, 
Whose  ruling  scribes  Thy  truth  deny, 

And  persecute  Thy  saints  and  Thee, 
As  hired  by  Satan  to  suppress 
And  root  up  every  seed  of  grace. 

As  Heretics  and  Lollards  still 

Thy  faithful  confessors  they  brand, 

With  all  their  strength  and  knowing  skill 
The  Spirit  and  His  work  withstand; 

In  league  with  Hell,  Thy  throne  t'  o'erthrow, 

And  raise  the  kingdom  of  Thy  foe. 


POLITICAL  PERSECUTION,  1714-1760     311 

Whose  knowledge,  vain,  unsanctified, 
Fills  every  synagogue  and  chair, 

Whose  guile  and  unbelief  preside, 

And  wage  with  Heaven  immortal  war: 

The  prophet's  nursing  schools  are  these, 

And  sinks  of  desperate  wickedness. 

True  prophets  once  they  surely  bred 
And  champions  for  th'  incarnate  God, 

Who  lived  Thy  dying  Love  to  spread, 
Who  sealed  the  record  with  their  blood, 

The  Truth,  the  Way,  the  Life  of  Grace, 

Blasphemed  by  this  degenerate  race. 

And  wilt  Thou  let  the  fountains  fail, 

Or  flow  through  earth  with  streams  impure? 
Thy  Gospel  must  at  last  prevail, 

Thy  Word  from  age  to  age  endure; 
And  Learning  fastened  to  the  Cross 
For  ever  serve  Thy  glorious  cause. 

CHARLES  WESLEY  (Ch.  Ch.),  Hymns  of 
Intercession,  1758 

"  On  some  late  expulsions  from  E H ,  O d, 

of  certain  gentlemen  for  holding  the  doctrines  of  Election, 
Perseverance,  and  Justification  by  Faith  alone,  man's 
natural  impotency  to  good  and  the  efficacious  influence 
of  the  Spirit." 

Rejoice  ye  Sons  of  Papal  Rome, 

No  longer  hide  the  head ; 
Mary's  blest  days  once  more  are  come, 

And  Bonner  from  the  dead. 

Where  Cranmer  died  and  Ridley  bled, 

Martyrs  for  Truth  sincere, 
See  Cranmer's  Faith  and  Ridley's  Hope 

Thrust  out  and  Martyred  there. 


312     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Another      containing      good      Advice      to      young 
Gownsmen  : — 

Ye  jovial  Souls,  drink  deep  and  swear 

And  all  shall  then  go  well ; 
But  oh !  take  heed  of  Hymns  and  Prayer, 

These  cry  aloud— E  X  P  E  L. 

London  Chronicle,  March  19-22,  24-6,  1768 


CHAPTER    XII 

THE  PASSING  OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES  (1760-1850) 

An  Omnia  vergant  ad  Interitum?     Aff. 
Me  nee  Musica  Turba  vocat,  nee  nobilis  Ille 
Quern  merito  jactas  doctum,  si  fama,   Patronum ; 
Nee  Camerae  Communis  amor,  qua  rarus  ad  alta 
Nunc  tubus  emittit  gratos  laquearia  fumos  ; 
Sed  novus  Oxonii  vestitus,  sed  nova  rerum 
Quae  surgit  facies,  paulatim  et  nascitur  ordo. 
Ergo  novis  rebus,  ceu  nosti,  inimicus,  ad  Almam 
Confugio,  officii  veteris  memor  usque,  Parentem, 
Ut,  dum  pauca  manent  veteris  vestigia  formae, 
Postremum  his  oculis  videam,  jubeamque  valere. 

"Oxford  Revisited  in  1773 — Dialogus  in 
Theatro  Sheldoniano  habitus  July  8," 
Selecta  Poemata,  ed.  by  Edward  Popham 

r  I  ^HE  heterogeneous  documents  brought  together  in 

this   chapter  have  this   in   common ; — they  are 

suggestive  in  their  various  ways  of  the  close  of 

what  has  here  been  called  the  later  mediaeval  period  of 

Oxford's  story,  and  also  of  the  birth  and  growth  of  the 

ideas  prevalent  in  the  modern   University.     They  are 

grouped  under  the  following  heads  : — 

I.  Decay  of   Jacobitism    and    growth   of   Modern 
Toryism. 

1.  Carmen   introductorium   Pietati   Oxon.>  etc. 

(1760). 

2.  Verses  on  the  arrival  of  Queen  Charlotte  in 

England  (1761). 
313 


314     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

3.  Odes,  etc.,  on  the   visit   to  Oxford   of  the 

Prince  Regent  (1814). 

4.  Macaronic   lines  on  the  visit  to  Oxford  of 

Princess  Victoria  (1832). 

II.  Growing  disposition  to  murmur  and  unquietness 

(1793). 
The  College  Cat,  by  Robert  Southey. 

III.  The   New   Examination  System  (1800),  and  its 

consequences. 

1.  Letter    in    verse    from   an    Undergraduate 

(1810). 

2.  Macaronic  lines  from  The  New  Art  teaching 

how  to  be  Plucked  (1835). 

3.  Song  from    S.  R.    Hole's    Oxford  Parodies 

(1840-44). 

IV.  Relaxation  of  the  old  Classical  Monopoly. 

Specimen  of  a  Geological  Lecture  by  Professor 
Buckland 


V.  Fanatical  Attacks  upon  the  Educational  System 

and  Discipline  of  the  University  (1834). 
Black    Gowns  and  Red  Coats,   by   George 
Cox  of  New  College. 

VI.  Decay  of  Orthodoxy. 

1.  Introduction  of  the  Pope  to  the  Convocation 

at  Oxford,  1809,  by  J.  Gillray. 

2.  Installation  of  Lord  Grenville  as  Chancellor, 

1810,  by  J.  Gillray. 

3.  Black  Gowns  and  Red  Coats,  1834. 

VII.  Intestinal  Feuds  bred  by  Neo-Catholic  Movement. 

1.  The  Hampden  Controversy  (1836-42). 

2.  The  Oxford  Argo  (1845). 


THE  PASSING  OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES     315 

VIII.  Destruction  of  mediaeval  Oxford  by  the  extension 

of  the  railway  system. 
Viae  per  Angliamferro  stratae  (1841). 

IX.  Eve  of  Revolution. 

Revolutionary  Manifesto,  issued  June  1 849. 


I.  DECAY  OF  JACOBITISM 

With  the  accession  of  George  III  (1760),  a  new 
political  era  commenced  at  Oxford.  In  the  fervour  of 
its  zeal,  the  University  presented  to  the  King  through 
the  Vice-Chancellor  a  printed  book  of  Verses  of  con- 
dolence and  of  congratulation  in  different  languages, 
entitled  Pietas  Oxoniensis. 

"  Carmen  introductorium  Pietati  Oxoniensi  praefigen- 
dum,  auctore  Gerardo  Higgenbroccio,  in  Artibus 
inceptore"  (from  the  Companion  to  the  Guide^  Thomas 
Warton,  ed.  published  1806). 

Nuper  spiravit  homo 
Cui  Georgio  nomen  fuit; 
Nunc  ille  abiit  domo, 
Dum  coelum  adhuc  pluit. 

Hie  erat  noster  rex, 
Nos  eramus  ejus  grex; 
Nunc  heu !  inter  nos  non  est, 
Nee  nobis  interest. 

Non  fuit  altus  homo,* 
Nee  fuit  valde  brevis; 
Non  fuit  gravis  homo, 
Nee  fuit  valde  levis. 

Non  erat  valde  pinguis 
Non  erat  valde  gracilis ; 
Probatur  omnium  linguis 
Multum  clemens  et  facilis. 


(*  Describ- 
itur  per- 
sona Regis 
nuperi.) 


3i6     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Patriae  dilectae  vixit  hie  amicus, 
Nee  regem  meliorem  facile  dicas. 


INCIPIT  ODA 

Sublatus  est;  O  flete, 
Nee  amplius  ridete, 
Dum  finis  venerit  hujus  anni, 
O  magnus  populus  Britanni : 
Flora  tu  quoque,  Rhedecyna, 
Magnorum  artium  officina, 
Pullata  tunica  incede 
Pro  hoc  defuncto  bono  rege. 
Consurgant  simul  omnia 
Collegiorum  Capita; 
Omnes  Poetae  capitales, 
Australes  vel  septentrionales ; 
Qui  sunt  Duces  aut  Marchiones, 
Nunc  semel  in  vita  Marones, 
Seu  filii  tantum  sint  Baronum, 
Seu  etiam  Baronettorum ; 
Sive  sint  Scoti  seu  Hiberni, 
Nil  interest,  nam  sunt  fraterni; 

Omnes  Doctores ; 

Ambo  Proctores; 
Qui  sunt  Regentes  vel  Tutores  ; 

In  tecto  qui  sedetis 

Sublimi  vel  profundo; 

Qui  pileo  gaudetis 

Quadrato  vel  rotundo ; 
Qui  vinum  generosum  combibatis, 
Vel  molle  Mildo  tantum  audeatis; 
Vel  quibus  marsupium  obesum, 
Vel  quis  marsupii  levis  est  pertaesum ; 
Vel  qui  coenaculo  in  communi 
Volumina  volvatis  fumi, 
Vel  qui  tabernas  frequentatis 
Habentes  satis  otii  gratis ; 


THE  PASSING  OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES     317 

Qui  colitis  Musas  divinas, 
Qui  colitis  Musas  equinas, 
Qui  colitis  Musas  caninas, 
Sive  sint  qui  colant  porcinas: — 

Omnes  et  singuli  praedictorum, 
Seu  versuum  Fabri  bonorum, 
Seu  versuum  Fabri  malorum, 
Consurgant  simul  et  petant  Londinium ; 
Sed  prius  scribant  aliquid  divinum, 
Quo  regis  aures  placide  palpentur : 
Qui  scribit  optime,  hie  erit  Precentor: 

Testentur  suum  jam  amorem 

Fundendo  lacrymarum  rorem ; 

Omnes  paranto  laureos  ramos ; 

Hi  pendeant  super  aureos  hamos; 

Sic  tumulum  regis  defuncti 

Celebrent  honore  largo  cuncti : 

Qui  non  plorare  noscit, 

Meretur  hie  flagellum; 

Quis  jam  non  fingere  possit 

Poemation  tenellum? 

In  unum  constipentur 

Omnes  lacrymae  botellum ; 

Lauri  omnes  colligentur 

In  fascem  per  Bedellum. 

Lacrymae  congestae  amarae 

Amariores  fient, 

Cui  Isidis  Camoenae 

Lacrymas  benigne  cient. 


Gratulatio  Univ.  Oxon.  in  Regis  Georgii  III 

inaugurationem 
Vice-Can.  Prolocutor 

Illustris  Princeps,  hie  botellus, 
Quern  meus  secum  fert  Bedellus, 
Includit  chymicam  parationem, 
Avus  ne  tuus  sit  in  oblivionem ; 


318     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Lacrymis  ex  singulis  et  cunctis 

Quas  unquam  fudimus  defunctis 

Nostris  principibus  vel  regibus, 

Cum  pereant  duris  legibus, 
Hae,  inquam,  hae  sunt  longe  amarissimae 
Quas  hie  inclusas  gerimus,  Rex  carissime : 
His  ossa  magna  digne  conspergantur 
Tarn  boni  tarn  humani  Principis, 
Qui  solus  est  cunctorum  qui  laudantur 
Qui  maxime  hos  rores  meruit  laudis. 
En  quoque  hue  portamus  laureos  ramos 
Quos  habemus  ecce !  super  aureos  hamos, 
In  altum  regis  tumulum  pendeanto 
Et  ejus  nomen  semper  celebranto : 

Praeterea  porto  alium 

Spirituum  Botellum, 

Per  eundem  meum  hunc 

Fidissimum  Bedellum ; — 
His  recreantur  animi  Britanni; 
His  excitentur  gaudio  perenni, 
Quod  tu,  tarn  pius  Princeps  et  serenus, 
Imperii  magni  sumis  jam  habenas  : 
Hos,  Princeps  bone,  accipere  digneris ; 
Gratias  turn  dabimus  cordibus  sinceris. 
Jam  vale !     Nunc  nos  ad  Oxoniam  ibimus  ; 
Sed  prius  audi  nos  haec  sentientes ; 
Pellemus  a  te  impetus  recentes, 
Cum  te  vel  simul  stabimus  vel  peribimus." 

"  Verses  on  the  expected  arrival  in  England  of  Queen 
Charlotte  (A.D.  1761),  by  a  Gentleman  of  Oxford — 
Containing  the  sentiments,  images,  metaphors,  machinery, 
similes,  allusions,  and  all  other  poetical  decorations  of 
the  Oxford  Verses  which  appeared  on  that  auspicious 
occasion  "  :  The  Oxford  Sausage  (1764). 

Yes, — every  hopeful  son  of  rhyme 
Will  surely  seize  this  happy  time, 


THE  PASSING  OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES      319 

Vault  upon  Pegasus's  back, 
Now  grown  an  academic  hack, 
And  sing  the  beauties  of  a  Queen 
(Whom,  by  the  way,  he  has  not  seen); 
Will  swear  her  eyes  are  black  as  jet, 
Her  teeth  are  pearls  in  coral  set ; 
Will  tell  us  that  the  rose  has  lent 
Her  cheek  its  bloom,  her  lips  its  scent; 
That  Philomel  breaks  off  her  song 
And  listens  to  her  sweeter  tongue ; 
That  Venus  and  the  Graces  joined 
To  form  this  Phoenix  of  her  kind, 
And  Pallas  undertook  to  store 
Her  mind  with  wisdom's  chiefest  lore: 
Thus  formed,  Jove  issues  a  decree 
That  George's  Consort  she  shall  be: 
Then  Cupid  (for  what  match  is  made 
By  poets  without  Cupid's  aid?) 
Picks  out  the  swiftest  of  his  darts, 
And  pierces  instant  both  their  hearts. 

Your  fearful  prosemen  here  might  doubt, 
How  best  to  bring  this  match  about, 
For  winds  and  waves  are  ill-bred  things, 
And  little  care  for  Queens  and  Kings ; 
But  as  the  Gods  assembled  stand 
And  wait  each  youthful  bard's  command, 
All  fancied  dangers  they  deride 
Of  boisterous  winds  and  swelling  tide; 
Neptune  is  called  to  wait  upon  her, 
And  Sea-Nymphs  are  her  Maids  of  Honour; 
Whilst  we,  instead  of  eastern  gales, 
With  vows  and  praises  fill  the  sails; 
And  when,  with  due  poetic  care, 
They  safely  land  the  royal  fair, 
They  catch  the  happy  simile 
Of  Venus  rising  from  the  sea. 
Soon  as  she  moves,  the  hill  and  vale 
Responsive  tell  the  joyful  tale; 


320     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

And  wonder  holds  th'  enraptured  throng 

To  see  the  goddess  pass  along; 

The  bowing  forests  all  adore  her, 

And  flowers  spontaneous  spring  before  her, 

Where  you  and  I  all  day  might  travel, 

And  meet  with  nought  but  sand  and  gravel : 

But  poets  have  a  piercing  eye, 

And  many  pretty  things  can  spy 

Which  neither  you  nor  I  can  see; 

But  then  the  fault's  in  you  and  me. 

The  King  astonished  must  appear, 

And  find  that  fame  has  wrong'd  his  dear; 

Then  Hymen,  like  a  bishop,  stands 

To  join  the  lovers'  plighted  hands ; 

Apollo  and  the  Muses  wait 

The  nuptial  song  to  celebrate. 

But  I,  who  rarely  spend  my  time 
In  paying  court  or  spinning  rhyme; 
Who  cannot  from  the  high  abodes 
Call  down,  at  will,  a  troop  of  Gods; 
Must  in  the  plain  prosaic  way, 
The  wishes  of  my  soul  convey. 
May  Heaven  our  Monarch's  choice  approve, 
May  he  be  blest  with  mutual  love, 
And  be  as  happy  with  his  Queen 
As  with  my  Chloe  I  have  been, 
When  wandering  through  the  beechen  grove, 
She  sweetly  smiled  and  talked  of  love ! 
And  oh!  that  he  may  live  to  see 
A  son  as  wise  and  good  as  he; 
And  may  his  Consort  grace  the  throne 
With  virtues  equal  to  his  own! 

Our  courtly  bards  will  needs  be  telling 
That  she's  like  Venus  or  like  Helen; 
I  wish  that  she  may  prove  as  fair 
As  Egremont  and  Pembroke  are; 
For  though  by  sages  't  is  confest 
That  beauty's  but  a  toy  at  best, 


THE  PASSING  OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES     321 

Yet  't  is,  methinks,  in  married  life 

A  pretty  douceur  with  a  wife: 

And  may  the  minutes,  as  they  fly, 

Strengthen  still  the  nuptial  tie; 

While  hand  in  hand,  through  life  they  go, 

'Til  love  shall  into  friendship  grow : 

For  tho'  these  blessings  rarely  wait 

On  regal  pomp  and  tinselled  state, 

Yet  happiness  is  virtue's  lot 

Alike  in  palace  and  in  cot: 

'Tis  true,  the  grave  affairs  of  state 

With  little  folks  have  little  weight, 

Yet  I  confess  my  patriot  heart 

In  Britain's  welfare  bears  its  part; 

With  transport  glows  at  George's  name, 

And  triumphs  in  its  country's  fame; 

With  hourly  pleasure  can  I  sit 

And  talk  of  Granby,  Hawke,  and  Pitt; 

And  whilst  I  praise  the  good  and  brave, 

Disdain  the  coward  and  the  knave. 

At  growth  of  taxes  others  fret, 
And  shudder  at  the  nation's  debt; — 
I  ne'er  the  fancied  ills  bemoan; 
No  debts  disturb  me,  but  my  own. 
What  though  our  coffers  sink,  our  trade 
Repairs  the  breach  which  war  has  made; 
And  if  expenses  now  run  high, 
Our  minds  must  with  our  means  comply. 

Thus  far  my  politics  extend, 
And  here  my  warmest  wishes  end — 
May  Merit  flourish,  Faction  cease, 
And  I  and  Europe  live  in  peace! 

The  loyalty  of  the  University  was  again  displayed  on 
the  occasion  of  the  visit  to  Oxford,  in  1814,  of  the 
Prince  Regent  and  his  guests,  the  Emperor  of  Russia 
and  the  King  of  Prussia,  with  their  distinguished  suites. 
At  the  great  reception  in  the  Sheldonian  Theatre,  "  old 
31 


322     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Blucher"  became  the  hero  of  the  day.  In  retiring  from 
the  building  he  was  almost  pulled  to  pieces  by  his 
admirers,  and  was  heard  to  remark  that  "  it  was  the 
hottest  struggle  he  had  ever  been  in  "  :  Recollections  of 
Oxford,  by  G.  V.  Cox. 

Odes  and  Poems  recited  in  the  Theatre  (specimen) 

Oxford,  thy  mossgrown  venerable  towers, 
The  Muses'  seat,  thy  academic  bowers, 
Welcome  the  good,  the  loyal,  and  the  brave, 
Who've  rescued  Europe  from  the  tyrant's  powers : 
E'en  Isis  opes  her  clear  translucent  wave 
In  this  heart-cheering  peaceful  happy  hour ; 
And  rapid  Cherwell  contemplates  no  more 
Those  who  on  Science'  classic  pages  pore, 

Save  where  some  maniac  sits  all  alone; 

For  lo!  to  meet  the  Princes  all  are  gone,  etc. 

Lines  on  the  creation  of  General  Prince  Blucher  a 
D.C.L.,  from  Lusus  alteri  Westmonasterienses^  ed.  by 
James  Mure,  Henry  Bull,  and  C.  B.  Scott. 

Coram  Academiacis  rubro  dum  tectus  amictu 

Stat  Blucher,  haec  clara  voce  Professor  ait : 
"  Insignissime  tu  Vice-Cancellarie,"  clamat, 

"Vosque  Procuratores,  nimis  egregii, 
Praesento  ecce  Virum,  qui  non  Civilia  curat 

Ulla;  nee  arbitrii  Jus,  nisi  bella,  sapit. 
Civili  date  Jure  gradum  : " — Stupet  inscius  Heros  ; 

Et  Ductor,  verso  nomine,  Doctor  abit.1 

All  the  best  features  of  modern  Toryism  were  dis- 
played by  the  University  on  the  occasion  of  the  visit 

1  It  was  in  this  year  1814  that  Madame  de  Stael  is  said  to  have  asked 
the  University  to  confer  upon  her  the  degree  of  D.C.L.,  and  to  have 
perpetrated  the  following  lines  when  her  modest  request  was  not 

granted  : — 

"  Oxford  no  more,  but  Cowford  be  thy  name, 
To  rear  up  Calves  to  thy  eternal  shame  (" 


THE  PASSING  OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES     323 

of  the  Duchess  of  Kent  and  the  Princess  Victoria  to 
Oxford  on  Nov.  2,  1832. 

"Poema  canino-anglico-latinum  super  adventu  recenti 
serenissimarum  Principum ; 

non 
Cancellarii  proemio  donatum  aut  donandum  ; 

nee  in 

Theatre  Sheldoniano  recitatum  aut  recitandum  " 

(by  Robert  Lowe,  commoner  of  University  College, 

afterwards  Lord  Sherbrooke) 

Dicite  praeclaram,  Musae,  mihi  dicite  Kentae 
Duchessam,  Princessque  simul  Victoria  nostro 
Singatur  versu,  Conroianusque  triumphus ;  *  *  Sir  John 

Et  quam  shoutarunt  Undergraduates  atque  Magistri ;   created 
Et  quantum  dederit  Vice-Chancellor  ipse  refreshment.  D-C.L. 

Rainy  dies  aderat;  decimam  strikantibus  horam 
Jam  clockis,  portae  panduntur ;  then,  what  a  rush  was, 
Musa,  velim,  memores :  si  possis,  damna  recounta, 
Quae  juvenum  nimis  audaces  subiere  catervae, 
Quot  periere  capi,  quot  gownes  ingemuere 
Vulnera  vae !  nimium  loyales  testantia  vires. 

Fugerat  all  patience,  cum  jam  procedere  troopum 
Sensimus,  et  loudo  Mavortia  trumpeta  cantu 
Spiravere :  venit,  venit,  Oh !  carissima  conjux 
Guelphiadae;  ad  currus  equites  spatiantur  anheli. 
Versibus  hie  fortes  liceat  celebrare  cohortes, 
Norrisiasque  manus  Abingdoniamque  juventam : 
Multa  the  rain,  et  multa  lutum,  permulta  caballi 
Damna  tulere  illis :  necnon  wiva  cuique  criebat 
Absentem  ob  dominum,  neque  enim  gens  est  ea,  cui 

sit 

Flectere  ludus  equos  et  pistola  tendere  marko, 
Ast  assueta  to  plough,  terramque  invertere  rastris. 

Quid  memorem  quanto  crepuit  domus  alta  tumultu  ? 
Intremuere  Scholae,  celsa  suspecta  cathedra 
Intremuit  Christchurch,  tremuit  Maudlenia  turris, 
Ratcliffique  domus,  geminisque  University  portis, 


324     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Doctorum  stipata  choro  pokerisque  tremendis 
Royalty  ubi  ingressa  est,  super  omnes  scilicet  ilia 
Guelphiadas  felix,  dextram  Rhedycina  benignam 
Cui  dedit,  accepitque  sinu,  propriamque  dicavit. 
Consedere  duces,  et  turn  Vice-Chancellor  infit, 
"  Si  placeat  vestrae,  Celsissima,  majestati, 
"  Nos  tuus  hie  populus,  tuaque  haec  Universitas  omnis 
"  Supplicibus  coelum  manibus  veneramur,  ut  adsit 
"  Omne  good  et  pulchrum  tibi  filiolaeque  serenae, 
"  Quae  matris  guided  auspiciis,  eductaque  curis, 
"  In  modern  literis,  Graecis  etiam  atque  Latinis, 
"  Triginta  magnos  volvendis  mensibus  orbes 
"  Imperio  explebit,  regnumque  a  sede  Londini 
"  Transferet,  et  nostram  multa  vi  muniet  Oxford." 

Insequitur  loud  shout;  loud  shoutis  deinde  quietis, 
Kentea  pauca  refert,  sed  non  et  pauca  fuerunt 
Clappea,  nee  paucis  se  gratified  esse  fatetur 
Curtseis,  tanto  mage  gens  perversa  fatigat 
Plausibus  assiduis  non  inflexibile  collum. 

Qualis  ubi  ingentes,  coacha  veniente,  portmantos, 
Greatcoatosque,  bagosque  humeros  onerare  ministri 
Bendentis  vidi,  quern  dura  ad  munia  mittit 
Angelus,  aut  Mitre,  vicinaque  Stella  Gazellae. 
Ilia  refert  "We   thank  you,  kind   Sir,  for  the  honour 

you've  done  us. 
"  Nought's  interested  us  more  in   the  tour,  which  we 

have  just  been  taking, 
"  Than  this  our  reception  in  Oxford.     I  beg  to  assure 

you  that  I  shall 
"  Always  endeavour   to  teach   my  daughter  whatever 

is  useful, 
"  That    she    may   be   fit    to   reign   over   a   great   and 

glorious  people." 

Dixerat ;  et  strepitu  prodis,  Conroie,  secundo, 
Phillimori  deducte  manu,  tibi  tegmen  honoris 
Obvolvit  latos  humeros  subjectaque  colla ! 

Jamque    silent    cunei;    turn    rhetor  with    paper    in 

hand, 


THE  PASSING  OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES      325 

Ore  rotundato  narrat  fortisslma  facta 
Herois,  narrat  fidum  Princessis  amorem, 
Multaque  dicta  before,  et  quae  race  postera  dicet, 
Protulit — in  totum  fertur  vox  clara  theatrum — 

OIK  sedato  respondet  pectore  Praeses — 
"Admitto  causa  te,  Vir  fortissime,  honoris 
"  Doctoris  gradui  civili  in  Jure  Periti" — 
Heu !  nimium  felix,  civilia  condere  jura 
Nescius,  aut  tenues  lingua  distinguere  causas, 
Non     Lincoln's     Inn     ilium,     non      Intima     Templa 

tulerunt, 

Furnipulive  aedes  clarum  boastavit  alumnum ; 
Nee  tamen  inde  minus  juris  consultus  abibat 
Suffragiis  doctis,  et  serto  templa  forensi 
Vinxit,  et  insigni  laetus  terga  induit  ostro 
Ah !  nullas  miserum  causas  subitura  reorum. 

Turn  subito  Praeses,  all  things  jam  recte  peractis, 
"  Nos  hunc  concursum  extemplo  dissolvimus,"  inquit — 
Exoritur  clamorque  virum,  clangorque  tubarum. 
EfFudit  vacuis  turbam  domus  alta  cathedris, 
Una  eademque  via  Princessam  effudit  et  ipsam. 
Curritur     ad    Christchurch,    de    Christchurch    curritur 

All  Souls. 

Alfredi  tandem  fessas  domus  alta  recepit 
Hospitio  of  the  best,  sed  quod   magis  hearty  voluntas 
Commendat  domini  cum  sedulitate  feloiim, 
Plurima  quam  nitida  quae  stant  opsonia  mensa 
Scrubbatumve  platum,  kidglovative  ministri. 

Quis  cladem  illius  luncheon,  quis  dishia  fando 
Explicet?    haud    equidem    quanquam     sint    voices    a 

hundred, 

Cast  iron  all,  omnes  dapium  comprendere  formas, 
Magnificaeque  queam  fastus  evolvere  coenae. 
Egressis  (neque  enim  possunt  eatare  for  ever) 
Gens  effraena  ruens,  nondum  graduatia  pubes, 
Ingeminat  loudos  plausus ;  hip  hip  hurra  coelum 
Percutit ;  high  wavere  capi ;  quadrangulus  huzzas 
Audiit,  atque  imis  tremefactus  sedibus  High  Street. 


326     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Turn  forte  in  turri,  sic  fama  est,  reading-man  alta 
Invigilans  studiis  pensum  carpebat,  at  ilium 
Startulat  horrid  uproar,  evertitur  inkstand,  ibi  omnis 
Effusus  labor,  impurus  nam  labitur  amnis 
Ethica  per  Rhetoricque,  expensive  fulgida  bindings, 
Virgiliumque  etiam  heroas,  etiam  arma,  canentem. 

Sit  satis  haec  lusisse — Peryaeam  mihi  pennam 
Fessa  adimit  Nonsense,  botelas  glassasque  claretque 
Poscit,  inexpletum  cupiens  haurire  trecenta 
Pocula,  terque  tribus  Princessam  tollere  cheeris. — 
Ergo  alacres  potate  viri — nee  fortia  doctor 
Pocula  si  quis  amat,  nee  si  commonrooma  magistrum 
Mensa  tenet  socium,  nee  si  quis  bachelor  aut  si 
Non  graduatus  erit,  idcirco  sobrius  esto; 
Sic  honors  acceptos  nobis  celebramus  in  Oxford — 
Hoc  juvat  et  melH  est — non  mentior — hie  mihi  finis. 


II.  CROWING  DISPOSITION  TO  MURMUR  AND 
UNQUIETNESS 

"The  College  Cat" 

Toll  on,  toll  on,  old  Bell !     I'll  neither  pass 
The  cold  and  weary  hour  in  heartless  rites, 
Nor  doze  away  the  time.     The  fire  burns  bright; 
And  bless  the  maker  of  this  Windsor  Chair! 
Of  polished  cherry,  elbow'd,  saddle-seated, 
This  is  the  throne  of  comfort !     I  will  sit 
And  study  here  devoutly,  .  .  .  not  my  Euclid, 
For  Heaven  forfend  that  I  should  discompose 
That  spider's  excellent  geometry ! 
I'll  study  thee,  Puss ! ;  not  to  make  a  picture, — 
I  hate  your  canvass  cats  and  dogs  and  fools, 
Themes  that  disgrace  the  pencil — Thou  shalt  give 
A  moral  subject,  Puss.     Come  look  at  me !  .  .  . 
Lift  up  thine  emerald  eyes !     Ah,  purr  away, 
For  I  am  praising  thee,  I  tell  thee,  Puss; 
And  Cats,  as  well  as  Kings,  love  flattery. 


THE  PASSING  OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES     327 

For  three  whole  days  I  heard  an  old  Fur-gown 

Bepraised,  that  made  a  Duke  a  Chancellor  : 1 — 

Bepraised  it  was  in  Prose,  bepraised  in  Verse; 

Lauded  in  pious  Latin  to  the  skies  ; 

Kudos'd  egregiously  in  heathen  Greek ; 

In  Sapphics  sweetly  incensed ;  glorified 

In  proud  Alcaics;  in  Hexameters 

Applauded  to  the  very  galleries, 

That  did  applaud  again,  whose  thunder-claps 

Higher  and  longer  with  redoubling  peals 

Rung,  when  they  heard  th'  illustrious  Be-furbelow'd 

Heroically  in  Popean  rhyme 

Tee-ti-tum'd,  in  Miltonic  blank  bemouth'd ; 

Prose,  verse,  Greek,  Latin,  English,  rhyme,  and  blank, 

Apotheosi-chancellor'd  in  all ; 

Till  Eulogy,  with  all  her  wealth  of  words, 

Grew  bankrupt,  all  too  prodigal  of  praise, 

And  panting  Panegyric  toil'd  in  vain, 

O'ertask'd  in  keeping  pace  with  such  desert. 

Though  I  can  poetize  right  willingly, 
Puss,  on  thy  well-streak'd  coat,  to  that  Fur-gown 
I  was  not  guilty  of  a  single  line: — 
'T  was  an  old  Furbelow,  that  would  hang  loose 
And  wrap  round  anyone,  as  it  were  made 
To  fit  him  only,  so  it  were  but  tied 
With  a  blue  riband: — 

What  a  power  there  is 
In  beauty!     Within  these  forbidden  walls 
Thou  hast  thy  range  at  will,  and  when  perchance 
The  Fellows  see  thee,  Puss,  they  overlook 
Inhibitory  laws,  or  haply  think 
The  statute  was  not  made  for  Cats  like  thee: 
For  thou  art  beautiful,  as  ever  Cat 
That  wanton'd  in  the  joy  of  kitten-hood. 

1  In  July  1793  was  the  public  installation  of  the  Duke  of  Portland  as 
Chancellor  of  the  University.  Convocations  were  held  on  three  successive 
days  for  the  recitation  of  prize  poems,  compositions,  and  complimentary 
verses. 


328     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Ah !  stretch  thy  claws,  thou  democratic  beast ! 

I  like  thy  independence.     Treat  thee  well, 

Thou  art  as  playful  as  young  Innocence: 

But  if  we  act  the  governor,  and  break 

The  social  compact,  nature  gave  thee  claws, 

And  taught  thee  how  to  use  them.     Man,  methinks, 

Master  and  Slave  alike,  might  learn  from  thee 

A  salutary  lesson  : — but  the  one 

Abuses  wickedly  his  power  unjust ; 

The  other  crouches  spaniel-like,  and  licks 

The  hand  that  strikes  him.     Wiser  animal, 

I  look  at  thee  familiariz'd  but  free ; 

And  thinking  that  a  child  with  gentle  hand 

Leads  by  a  string  the  large-limbed  elephant, 

With  mingled  indignation  and  contempt 

Behold  his  drivers  goad  the  biped  beast. 

ROBERT  SOUTHEY,  Balliol  College,  1793 

III.  THE  NEW  EXAMINATION  SYSTEM,  AND  ITS 
CONSEQUENCES 

With  the  Examination  Statute  of  1800  and  the 
subsequent  introduction  of  the  class  system,  Oxford 
became  infected  by  the  modern  manias  for  competition 
and  for  reducing  everything  to  a  palpable  concrete 
result. 

"  Poetical  Account  of  an  Oxford  Examination  " 

An  epistle  addressed  by  a  young  man  to  his  father 
in  the  country,  and  accompanied  by  Dr.  Coplestone's 
first  pamphlet  (1810),  repelling  the  attacks  upon  Oxford 
made  by  Sydney  Smith  in  the  Edinburgh  Review, 
Blackwoods  Edinburgh  Magazine ',  iii.  280. 

Since  the  cold  cutting  jibes  of  that  Northern  Review 
Have  tormented  and  teazed  Uncle  Toby  and  you, 
I'm  exceedingly  happy  in  sending  you  down 
A  defence,  which  is  making  much  noise  in  the  town, 


THE  PASSING  OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES      329 

Of  all  our  old  learning  and  fame  immemorial, 
Which  is  said  to  be  writ  by  a  Fellow  of  Oriel. 
Not  that  this  is  designed  to  elude  your  command 
Of  presenting  a  picture  of  things  as  they  stand : 
Alma  Mater  is  altered,  you  plainly  will  see, 
Very  much,  since  you  entered  in  seventy-three. 

Her  externals,  indeed,  remain  nearly  alike 
With  a  reverend  awe  the  beholders  to  strike : — 
The  scarves  of  our  Masters,  the  wigs  of  our  Doctors, 
The    staves    of    our     Bull-dogs,    the    sleeves    of    our 

Proctors  ; 
Though    e'en    here    some    small    matters,    it    must    be 

confess'd 
Have  been  changed,  and   the   men   are   less  decently 

dressed ; 

Some  canonical  rules  to  oblivion  are  creeping, 
And   from    under   some   gowns,  boots  and   gaiters  are 

peeping  ; 
But    the    things    that    are     marked    by    most     grave 

alterations 
Are  the  Schools  without  doubt  and  the  Examinations. 

You  remember  of  old  't  was  a  thing  understood, 
These     might     almost    be    managed    by    puppets    of 

wood ; 

The  mounting  of  pulpits,  the  bowing,  the  chatting, 
The  chopping  of  Logic,  the  rhyming  of  Latin — 
These  things  had  no  value,  except  as  forerunners 
Of  fine  flowing  bumpers  and  fat  greasy  dinners, 
And  a  Bachelor's  Gown  adorned  every  young  man 
Who  could  sport  th'  examining  Masters  a  can ! 
re  Saturnian  Times !    Thousands  sigh  o'er  your  lapse, 
ret  your  joyous  return  is  not  distant  perhaps : 

Yet  at  present  these  things  wear  a  different  look ; 
'hey    have    managed    it    so,   Sir,   by    hook    and    by 

crook, 

That  5pon  honour !  't  is  now  quite  a  rarity  grown 
To  see  a  young  gentleman  alter  his  gown. 


330     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Their  questions  so  strict  are,  their  looks  are  so  blue, 
He's   a   lucky   young   dog   that    can    squeeze    himself 

through. 

What  peril,  good  Lord !  modest  merit  environs 
From  four  fiery  young  Masters  just  hot  off  the  irons ! 
While   ingenuous   youth   appears   humming  and  ham- 
mering, 

No  pity  they  feel  for  your  stuttering  and  stammering ', 
They  screw  up  their   brows,  and    their   eyebrows  they 

knit, 

The  more  burning  your  blush  is,  the  sharper's  their  wit : 
At  each  Attic  retort  and  each  recondite  pun, 
You  the  titter  can  hear  round  the  gallery  run, 
Till  you're  quite  overpowered  with  their  dignified  fun  ; 
At  last  they  just  hint  you  may  seat  yourself  down, 
And  relinquish  all  thought  of  a  graduate  gown, 
Till     you    line    with     more     Greek    your     unclassical 
crown. 


The  all-pervading  and  tyrannical  influence  of  the 
Honour  Schools  at  Oxford  in  the  present  day  is  but 
too  well  known.  The  examination  system  has  in  fact 
grown  in  strength,  until  it  has  become  the  master, 
instead  of  being  the  servant,  of  teaching.  That,  already 
before  1850,  degree-examinations  had  become,  as  it 
were,  nightmares  to  the  Undergraduate,  appears  from 
the  famous  ballad,  too  long  to  be  set  out  here,  entitled 
"  The  Rime  of  the  New-made  Baccalere,"  and  also  from 
the  following  poems : — 

From  the  New  Art,  teaching  how  to  be  Plucked, 
Oxford,  1835,  a  work  attributed  to  Edward  Caswell, 
B.N.C 

Oh  fortunatos  nimium,  sua  si  bona  norint, 
Sleevatos  Bachelors !   neque  enim   sub  sidera  nightae 
Ad  bookas  sweatant ;  neque  dum  Greatomia  quartam 
Lingua  horam  strikat,  saveall  sine  candle  tenentes 


THE  PASSING  OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES     331 

Ad  beddam  creepunt  semasleepi;  nee  mane  prima 
Scoutus  adest  saevus  tercentum  knockibus  instans 
Infelix  wakare  caput.     Sed  munera  Mater 
Ipsa  dat  Alma  illis,  keepuntque  secantque  chapellam 
Quandocunque  volunt.     Si  non  velvete  minaci 
Ornati  incedunt,  non  pisces  ad  table  higham 
Quaque  die  comedunt,  ast  illis  cuttere  semper 
Quemque  licet  tutorem ;  illis  lectura  nee  ulla ; 
At  secura  quies  et  nescia  pluckere  vita. 

From  "  Oxford  Parodies,'5  appearing  at  the  end  of 
Hints  to  Freshmen,  a  work  attributed  to  S.  R.  Hole, 
B.N.C.,  1840-44  (late  Dean  of  Rochester). 

Song,  to  the  air  "The  days  that  we  went  gipsying." 

O  the  days    we   read   those  musty   books,   a  short 

time  ago, 
Were     certainly     the     seediest     a     man     could     ever 

know; 
We  filled  no  glass,  we  kissed  no  lass,  our  hacks  grew 

fat  and  sleek, 
We  thought   it   dissipation   if  we   rode   them   twice   a 

week. 
We  rose  up  early  in  the  morn,  we  sat  up  late  at 

e'en, 

And  naught   but   horrid  lexicons   about   us  could 
be  seen  ! 

Unheeded  lay  our  meerschaums  then,  our  "  Lopez " 

bound  in  green ; 
The    undisturbed   blue-bottle   was    on   our   team-whip 

seen; 
The   goblets   in   our    foxes'   heads    ne'er    shone    with 

good  Bordeaux, 
But  we  took   a  glass   of  something   mild,  and   talked 

about  "Great-go." 
We  rose  up  early,  etc. 


332     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

We    got    parental    letters    then,    in    which    't    was 

gravely  vowed 

How  "harrowed"  all    would    be  at   home,  if  we   per- 
chance were  "  ploughed  "  : 
And,  what  was   worse,  those   horrid  "duns"  an   early 

payment  wished, 

Till,  what   twixt   ticks    and    tutors   too,   we    felt   com- 
pletely "fished." 
We  rose  up  early,  etc. 

'T  is  past !  't  is  past !  't  is  won  at  last !     My  Muse 

no  longer  grieves ; 
We  sweep  adown   the    High    Street   now  in    our  long 

silken  sleeves ; 
And  envious   Undergraduates   sigh   forth   as  we   draw 

near, 
"  O     crikey !     How     I     wish     I     was     a    '  New-made 

Baccalere'": 
They   rise   up  when   they   like   at   noon,  they   sit 

up  late  at  e'en, 

And   hunt   and   quafif  and   smoke   and   laugh  the 
whole  term  through,  I  'ween. 

IV.  RELAXATION  OF  THE  CLASSICAL  MONOPOLY 

In  the  year  1819,  the  Lords  of  the  Treasury,  at  the 
instigation  of  the  Prince  Regent,  founded  and  endowed 
a  Readership  in  Geology  at  Oxford.  Buckland  received 
the  appointment,  and  delivered  his  inaugural  address  on 
May  15. 

"Specimen  of  a  Geological  Lecture  by  Professor 
Buckland,"  a  poem  attributed  to  Philip  Shuttleworth, 
Warden  of  New  College,  1822;  Bishop  of  Chichester, 
1840:  Fugitive  Poems  collected  by  C.  G.  Daubeny, 
Notes  and  Queries,  5th  Series,  xii.  302. 

In  Ashmole's  ample  dome,  with  looks  sedate, 
Midst  heads  of  Mammoths,  Heads  of  Houses  sate; 


THE  PASSING  OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES     333 

And  Tutors  close  with  Undergraduates  jammed, 
Released  from  cramming,  waited  to  be  crammed : 
Above,  around,  in  order  due  displayed, 
The  garniture  of  former  worlds  was  laid : — 
Sponges  and  shells  in  lias  moulds  immersed, 
From  Deluge  fiftieth  to  Deluge  first ; 
And  wedged  by  wags  in  artificial  stones, 
Huge    bones     of    horses,     now    called     mammoth's 

bones ; 

Lichens  and  ferns  which  schistose  beds  enwrap ; 
And  understood  by  most  Professors, — trap. 
Before  the  rest,  in  contemplative  mood, 
With  side-long  glance  th'  inventive  Master  stood, 
And  numbering  o'er  his  class  with  still  delight, 
Longed  to  possess  them  cased  in  stalactite: 
Then  thus,  with  smile  supprest ;  "  In  days  of  yore 
One  dreary  face  Earth's  infant  planet  bore; 
Nor  land  was  there,  nor  Ocean's  lucid  flood, 
But  mixed  of  both,  one  dark  abyss  of  Mud ; 1 
Till  each  repelled,  repelling,  by  degrees 
This  shrunk  to  Rock,  that  filtered  to  the  Seas. 
Then,  slow  upheaved  by  subterranean  fires, 
Earth's  ponderous  crystals  shot  their  prismy  spires; 
Then  granite  rose  from  out  the  trackless  sea, 
And  slate  for  boys  to  scrawl,  when  boys  should  be. 
But  Earth  as  yet  lay  desolate  and  bare: 
Man  was  not  then — but  Paramoudras  were. 
'T  was  silence  all  and  solitude ;  the  Sun, 
If  Sun  there  were,  yet  rose  and  set  to  none, 
Till,  fiercer  grown  the  elemental  strife, 
Astonished  Tadpoles  wriggled  into  life, 
Young  Encrini  their  quivering  tendrils  spread, 
And  tails  of  Lizards  felt  the  sprouting  head; 
(The  specimen  I  hand  about,  is  rare, 
And  very  brittle ;  bless  me,  Sir,  take  care ! ) : 

1  Cf.  Shuttleworth's  lines, 

"Some  doubts  were  once  expressed  about  the  Flood; — 
Buckland  arose ; — and  all  was  clear  as  Mud." 


334     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

And,  high  upraised  from  ocean's  inmost  caves, 
Protruded  Corals  broke  th'  indignant  waves. 
These  tribes  extinct,  a  nobler  race  succeeds ; 
Now  Sea-fowl  scream  amid  the  plashing  reeds  ; 
Now  Mammoths  range   where  yet  in  silence  deep 
Unborn  Ohio's  hoarded  waters  sleep ; 
Now  ponderous  Whales — 

(Here,  by  the  way,  a  tale 
I'll  tell  of  something,  very  like  a  whale. 
An  odd  experiment  of  late  I  tried, 
Placing  a  snake  and  hedgehog  side  by  side ; 
Awhile  the  snake  his  neighbour  tried  t'  assail, 
When  the  sly  hedgehog  caught  him  by  the  tail, 
And  gravely  munched  him  upwards,  joint  by  joint ; — 
The  story's  somewhat  shocking,  but  in  point.) 
Now  to  proceed : 

The  Earth,  what  is  it  ?     Mark  its  scanty  bound ; 
T  is  but  a  larger  football's  narrow  round: 
Its  mightiest  tracks  of  ocean,  what  are  these? 
At  best  but  breakfast  tea-cups  full  of  seas. 
O'er  this  a  thousand  deluges  have  burst, 
And  quasi-deluges  have  done  their  worst. 

Allow  me  now  this  map  of  mine  to  show, 
T  is  Gloucestershire  ten  thousand  years  ago. 

It  being  the  intention  of  the  versifier  to  produce  at 
present  only  a  specimen  of  his  intended  work,  he  has 
omitted  the  following  fifty  lines,  exclusively  geological, 
and  concluding  with — 

These  bones  I  brought  from  Germany  myself; 
You'll  find  fresh  specimens  on  yonder  shelf. 

As  also  a  digression  of  2300  lines,  of  which  the 
concluding  couplet  runs  thus : — 

So  curl  the  tails  of  puppies  and  of  hogs; 
From  left  to  right  the  pigs,  from  right  to  left  the 
dogs. 


THE  PASSING  OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES      335 

And  also,  for  the  same  reason,  the  still  more  digressive 
digression,  which  is  terminated  by  the  following  admir- 
able reflection — the  whole  passage  consists  of  5700 
fresh  lines — 

Not  wild,  but  tame  cats  only,  tear  their  prey. 

The  concluding  couplet,  which  is  given  without  altera- 
tion from  the  mouth  of  the  learned  lecturer,  is  here 
subjoined,  solely  because  it  seems  an  additional  proof, 
if  such  were  wanting,  of  the  close  connection  which 
exists  between  geological  speculations  and  not  the  ideas 
only,  but  also  the  language,  of  complete  poetry.  It 
will  be  observed  that  though  intended  only  as  a  common 
sentence  of  adjournment,  it  has  all  the  fluency  and  grace 
of  the  most  perfect  rhythm,  and  of  its  own  accord 
"  slides  into  verse  and  hitches  into  rhyme  " : — 

Of  this  enough;  on  Secondary  Rock 
To-morrow,  gentlemen,  at  two  o'clock. 


V.  FANATICAL  ATTACKS  UPON  THE  UNIVERSITY 

"Black  Gowns  and  Red  Coats" 

or 
Oxford  in  1834 

A  Satire  (by  George  Cox,  Fellow  of  New  College) 
addressed  to  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  Chancellor  of  the 
University,  Field  Marshal  in  the  Army,  etc. 

Arms  and  the  Man  I  sing — this  song  my  last — 
Who  Europe's  trumpet  filled  with  glories  past, 
Like  the  fifth  Charles,  in  wisdom's  weakest  hour, 
Fatigued  with  palaces  but  fond  of  power, 
Forsakes  his  Apsley  House,  and  packs  his  trunks, 
To  rule  o'er  cloisters  and  to  mope  with  monks. 
Of  the  Church  Militant  our  fathers  spoke; — 
The  Army  Clericized  is  now  the  joke. 


336     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Said  I,  to  mope  with  monks?     Monastic  vows, 
Thank    God !    are    passed  —  but    now,    the    monks' 

carouse ! 

Say  rather,  to  regale,  mid  Oxford's  spires, 
On  the  rich  cellars  of  her  Tuck-like  friars ; 
Praise  and  be  praised ; — and  find  in  Tory  shrine 
Its  flattery's  fumes  more  fuddling  than  its  wine. 
Fill  high  the  bowl !  a  thousand  covers  wait 
The  word  of  battle  round  the  warrior's  plate; — 
A  thousand  beakers  ruddy  to  the  brim 
Shed  the  iced  current  of  their  veins  for  him ; — 
Dread  is  the  carnage ; — piles  of  chickens  slain 
Sink   with   gashed    breast    and   strew   th'   embattled 

plain ; — 

Hark!  the  cannon  of  champagne  corks  flying; — 
See !  rent  fragments  of  the  bons  bons  lying ! 
War  to  the  knife  was  once  his  bloodier  work ; 
His  watchword  now  is  breakfast  to  the  fork.1 

How  strange  the  changes,  as  our  life  extends, 
We  see  around  us  in  our  foes  and  friends ! 
Strangest  of  all,  were  Ovid's  numbers  mine, 
Thy  Metamorphosis,  great  Duke,  should  shine: 

Touched  by  the  magic  wand,  from  off  thy  head, 
Drops  the  plumed  casque — the  hilted  sword  is  fled — 
The  gorgeous  epaulettes  resign  their  place — 
The  tranquil  band  supplies  the  flashing  lace — 
Emblem  of  wisdom,  with  nice  balanced  ends, 
In  curly  pomp  the  sapient  wig  descends — 
The  flat  round  cap  extends  its  velvet  brim — 
The  flowing  gown  enwraps  the  martial  limb; 
And  the  worn  soldier  stands  a  new-born  sage, 
The  boast — jest — pity  of  a  wondering  age. 

Yet  hail!  great  Hercules,  none  less  than  thou 
Could  cleanse  th'  accumulated  ordure  now; 

1  One  of  the   great  features  of  the   Installation,  etc.,  of  the  Duke  as 
Chancellor  of  the  University,  was  a  dejeuner  to  1000  persons. 


THE  PASSING  OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES     337 

Bring  pioneers  the  vast  morass  to  drain, 

With  pike  and  musket  storm  th'  unyielding  train ; 

Come  with  thy  baton — plant  thy  guns  of  bronze, 

Field-marshal  Chancellor,  dragoon  the  Dons ! 

Thrice  hail,  great  Hero !  though  thy  dauntless  front 

In  camp  or  senate  bears  the  battle's  brunt, 

Unmov'd  alike,  which  e'er  around  thee  play, 

Napoleon's  batt'ries  or  the  fire  of  Grey; 

Though   such    thy   grasp,   that   as    thy   brow   grows 

bare, 

Fame  with  her  bays  has  twined  her  olive  there; 
Though  such  thy  name,  no  equal  charm  may  suit 
To  frighten  Europe — or  to  puff  a  boot, — 
Here  is  a  task  for  all  thy  varied  powers, 
Thy  promptest  hand,  thy  most  deliberate  hours ; 
A  harder  field  than  that  where  Marmont  fled — 
A  sturdier  foe  than  those  Massena  led — 
A  fence  more  strong  than  ere  Reform-bill  set: — 
Oxford  shall  yield  thy  proudest  triumph  yet. 

Speak  but  of  change;  see  mustering  Masters  form 
In  scarf  and  hood  to  face  the  coming  storm, 
Doctors  and  Deans  to  Convocation  march, 
Gleams  the  red  robe  and  rustles  loud  the  starch : 
See  Balliol's  chief  in  front,  like  Ajax,  stand 
Firm  in  the  broad-hemmed  breast-plate  of  his  band ; 
While  from  the  ramparts  round,  at  many  a  gap, 
For  burnished  helmet  peeps  the  trencher-cap. 
Up,  proctors,  up,  the  foe  is  on  the  town — 
Flood  the  dank  moat — gird  on  the  velvet  gown — 
Hark !    the    proud    war-cry    of    the    Christ    Church 

clan — 

Pembroke  and  Queen's  send  many  a  murky  man — 
And  first  class  heroes  gather  in  a  row 

[uge  piles  of  books  to  hurl  them  on  the  foe ; 

[ere  Lexicographers  and  dull  divines 

Irush  with  their  ponderous  tomes  th'  advancing  lines ; 

'here  M tiller's  Dorians  and  the  rule  of  Dawes 
Whizz  through  the  air  and  crack  th'  invaders'  jaws ; 

22 


338     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Greyson  alone  avoids  the  dangerous  sport 
And  fearing  hides  behind  a  pipe  of  port. 

Well  may  he  fear !     Already  all  who  think, 
View  their  own  choice  with  wonderment,  and  shrink  ; 
Shrink  from  their  champion's  iron-featured  traits, 
Doubt  while  they  court,  and  tremble  as  they  praise. 
They  fondly  hoped  beneath  his  drowsy  reign 
Each  dear  abuse  unquestioned  to  maintain ; 
Beneath  the  aegis  of  his  wing  to  creep, 
And  grunt  in  dull  security  to  sleep. 
They  fondly  hoped,  untroubled  as  before, 
O'er  many  a  fat  plurality  to  snore, 
Each  vice  with  sleek  hypocrisy  to  hide, 
And  figleaf  sloth  decorously  with  pride. 
Well  may  they  start  to  see  his  eagle  eye 
Watching  to  pounce  upon  their  nest  from  high, 
To  find  their  cunning  framed  its  own  rebuke 
And  caught  a  Tartar,  when  it  sued  the  Duke. 

VI.  DECAY  OF  ORTHODOXY 

(1)  The  Introduction  of  the  Pope  to  the  Convocation  at 
Oxford  by  Cardinal  Broad-Bottom,  by  James  Gillray, 
published    Dec.    1809.      The  Oxford    Convocation    has 
assembled   to  elect  a  Chancellor   in  the   room  of  the 
Duke  of  Portland  (died  Oct.  30,  1809).     Lord  Grenville 
habited  as  a  Cardinal  is  presenting  the  Catholic  Petition 
for  the  vacant  Chancellorship.     The  Devil  to  whom  he 
presents  it,  leads  an  Italian  greyhound  (Lord  Grey)  in  a 
string.    The  Marquis  of  Buckingham  holds  up  the  Devil's 
tail.      The  Archbishop  of  York  and  the  Bishops  hold 
Mass-books,    shewing   that    they    intend    to    vote   for 
Grenville.     Lord  Temple  carries  the  cup  containing  the 
consecrated  wafer.    The  Pope  introduces  Napoleon  under 
his  train. 

(2)  Installation  of  Lord  Grenville  as  Chancellor  of  the 
University,  by  James  Gillray,  published  August  1810. 
On   Dec.    14,   1809,  after   a  hotly  contested    election, 


THE   INSTALLATION   OF   LORD   GKENVILLE,  AS  CHANCELLOR  OF 

THE   UNIVERSITY 

(GILI.RAY  ;  1809) 


THE  PASSING  OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES      339 

Grenville  polled  406  votes  for  the  Chancellorship,  Lord 
Eldon  293,  and  the  Duke  of  Beaufort  288.  Grenville's 
Installation  took  place  Jan.  10,  1810.  He  is  here 
shewn  in  a  balloon,  dropping  "  Letters  to  Earl  Fingal " 
(he  had  published  one  to  the  Earl  on  Catholic  Emancipa- 
tion). On  the  upper  part  of  the  balloon  may  be  seen 
the  face  of  a  person  (probably  Dr.  Hodgson,  Principal  of 
Brazenose)  whose  hand  drops  promises  to  members 
of  Convocation.  Buckingham  and  Stafford  view  the 
scene  from  the  windows  of  the  Radcliffe.  Fox,  as  a 
bird,  tries  to  assist  the  ascent  of  the  balloon  with  his 
breath.  The  Archbishop  of  York  appears  in  a  state 
carriage.  Sir  Watkin  Williams  Winn  and  two  brothers 
are  huzzahing  in  an  open  chaise  drawn  by  Welsh  goats. 
Sheridan  has  doffed  his  harlequin's  jacket  and  wand ;  it 
was  rumoured  at  the  time  that  he  would  have  had  a 
Doctor's  degree  conferred  upon  him,  had  he  been  able  to 
raise  money  sufficient  to  purchase  a  gown.  Lord  Henry 
Petty  with  a  chimneysweeper's  brush,  is  dancing  merrily. 
Crowe,  the  public  orator,  lies  asleep. 

(3)  Black  Gowns  and  Red  Coats  y  1834. — Attacks,  such 
as  the  following,  led  to  the  relaxation  in  1854,  and  the 
abolition  in  1871,  of  University  Religious  Tests,  those 
bulwarks  which  had  so  long  preserved  Oxford  as  a 
stronghold  of  the  Church : 

"Black  Gowns  and  Red  Coats"  (1834),  pt.  v 

Ah !  not  in  hampering  system's  close  restraint 
In  which  such  fires  no  sooner  blaze  than  faint, 
Nor  mid  the  soil  which  Oxford's  pomp  supplies, 
Can  Genius  thrive  nor  Piety  arise. 
'T  is  not  in  Schools  where  Aristotle's  page, 
Though     great     his     praise,    excludes     each     recent 

sage, 

As  if  Spinoza,  Bacon,  Locke,  Voltaire, 
Helvetius,  Bentham,  ne'er  had  breathed  the  air; — 
'T  is  not  in  Chapels  where  the  bellows  pant, 
As  the  strained  organ  roars  the  changeless  chant; 


340     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Or  the  hack  chaplain  dozes  as  he  reads 

With  twang  mechanical  the  galloped  creeds ; 

'T  is  not  in  scenes  like  these,  that  minds  extend 

Their  powers  of  thought  or  weigh  their  beings  end. 

To  prayer,  to  prayer ! — when  belfries  startle  here 

With  sounds  unwelcome  sloth's  reluctant  ear, 

No  bending  crowds  with  instant  homage  kneel 

Rapt  in  the  trance  of  Faith's  extatic  zeal : 

Oxford  in  vain  her  tolling  tempest  showers 

With  iron  voices  from  a  hundred  towers ; 

In  vain  o'er  hill  and  valley  mighty  Tom 

With  mouth  monastic  swings  the  loud  bim  bom ; 

Vain  is  such  summons,  since  before  the  fire 

The  lazy  Senior  hears  the  chime  expire 

Content  in  Common  Room  to  lounge  at  rest 

And  crack  by  turns  his  walnuts  and  his  jest  ; 

While  surpliced  Scholars,  as  if  souls  were  driven 

To  bliss  by  force  and  bullied  into  heaven, 

Rush  to  the  farce,  as  Dean  or  Censor  leads, 

To  count  in  haste  their  worse  than  rosary  beads— 

Perchance  to  while  the  time  with  some  lewd  theme, 

To  sketch  in  prayer-books,  or  at  least  to  dream, 

And  know  that,  while  in  chapel,  no  one  cares 

How  ill  or  little  they  may  say  their  prayers. 

Out  on  such  drones !    'T  is  well  for  them,  indeed, 
To  scorn  a  Chalmers'  preaching  or  his  creed  ; 
'T  is  well  the  lance  at  Papists'  heads  to  tilt 
From  walls  a  Wykeham  or  a  Waynfleet  built, 
And  threaten,  should  they  rise  to  earth  again, 
To  drive  their  Founders  from  their  own  domain. 
'T  is  well  in  church  their  eyes  on  heaven  to  fix 
For  Jews,  Turks,  Infidels,  and  Heretics, 
Call  them  their  brothers,  pray  to  see  enroll'd 
Such  scattered  stragglers  in  one   Christian  fold ; 
If  sallying  forth,  they  in  their  acts  applaud 
The  rage  of  Bonner  and  the  pride  of  Laud ; 
Pronounce  them  dogs,  pour  out  their  hoarded  spleen, 
And  spit  upon  their  Gentile  gaberdine. 


THE  PASSING  OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES     341 

"  Degrees  for  Methodists ! "   Old    Magnus  cries, 
"  What !  open  Oxford's  gates  to  common  spies ! 
Let  straight-haired  Puritans  behind  the  baize, 
To  turn  their  eyes  up  at  our  Green-room  ways ! 
Let  scholars  battel  who  can  cast  accounts, 
And  waken  conscience  to  surcharged  amounts  ? 
Fie  on  Lord  Grey !    Pray  God  these  Whigs  may  fall ! 
They've  no  religious  principles  at  all." 
— '*  Admit  Dissenters  !    Frightful !  "  lisps  my  dear, 
"  What !    bring  those  vulgar  working  people  here ! 
Some  low-born  grocer  or  some  mercer  saint, 
To  rob  my  Johnny's  honours  !    I  shall  faint !  " — 
— "  The   Church   in  danger  ! "   shouts    the   cassocked 

crowd ; 

"  The  Church  in  danger ! "  echoes  long  and  loud — 
Portentous  spell-word !  at  whose  direful  notes 
Even  loaves  and  fishes  stick  in  reverend  throats, 
Bristles  the  hair  on  every  Bishop's  wig, 
And  hands  let  fall  the  tributary  pig. 
Danger  forsooth ! — Oh !  could  their  necks  but  bow, 
The  danger  ne'er  had  been  so  small  as  now: 
The  kiss  is  proffered,  they  withhold  the  cheek: — 
The  hand  is  stretched,  they  spurn  it  in  their  pique : — 
'T  is  they  whose  pride  will  cause  the  ills  that  flow, 
Who  feed  the  snakes  of  Discord  as  they  grow, 
Till  last  their  terror  vainly  will  retract, 
And  mourn  too  late  the  suicidal  act 

This  is  the  vision  of  her  future   fate, 
If  thus  relentless  Oxford  bars  her  gate, 
If  thus  she  turns  her  faithful  friends  to  foes, 
And  rights  withholding,  justifies  their  blows; 
To  sit  like  Niobe,  a  thing  of  stone — 
A  childless  mourner  o'er  her  desert  throne — 
Stripped     of    her     church-rates — plundered     of    her 

stalls — 

Spoiled  of  her  tithes — the  Rachel  of  her  halls. 
May  heaven  avert  such  ruin  ! — even  today 
I  seem  to  hear  the  gathering  thousands  say, 


342     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

"Bring  the  black  cattle!  let  them  first  atone 
The  burning  insults  to  our  honour  shewn ! 
Let  them  be  taught  that  others  too  can  look 
On  the  dread  records  of  that  mystic  Book, 
Can  read,  mark,  learn,  and  inwardly  digest, 
And  Heaven  alone  may  judge  who  profits  best. 
'T  is  true  our  Whitfield's  learning  once  supplied 
To  Pembroke's  gloom  a  lustre  since  denied  ; 
'Tis  true  our  Wesley  shines  the  brightest  name 
On  Lincoln's  dingy  register  of  fame : 
But  we,  their  flock,  the  children  of  their  prayers, 
Robbed    of    their     honours  —  but     in     pain     their 

heirs ; 

Not  held  forsooth  as  worthy  to  undo 
The  sacred  latchet  of  a  churchman's  shoe ; 
Are  spurned — rejected — told  we  must  not  stain 
The  pure,  chaste  precincts  of  their  Oxford  fane. 
And  why  ?     Because  we  will  not  meanly  stoop 
To  play  th'  impostor,  or  affect  the  dupe : 
Since  we  refuse  to  truck  our  souls  away 
By  mocking  oaths  for  baubles  of  a  day, 
Or  swear  to  childish  statutes  only  made, 
Like  frowns  coquettish,  to  be  disobeyed : 
Since  darkly  soaring,  crookedly  sublime, 
We  bravely  scorn  their  wondrous  stairs  to  climb — 
Those  forty  steps  save  one,  built  up  on  high 
To  make  men's  passage  surer  to  the  sky, 
Like  Babel  piled  with  too  presumptuous  view, 
Like  Babel  doomed  to  end  in  jargon  too." 

VII.  INTESTINAL  FEUDS  BRED  BY  THE  NEO- 
CATHOLIC  MOVEMENT 

Oxford  is  divided  by  intestinal  feuds  into  hostile 
camps.  The  Arians  take  up  arms  under  Hampden,  the 
Tractarians  under  Newman,  the  Retractarians  under 
William  Palmer,  and  the  Detractarians  under  Charles 
Golightly. 


THE  PASSING  OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES     343 

(a)  The  Hampden  Controversy 

On  May  5,  1836,  Convocation  by  a  majority  of 
474  to  94  directed  that  Dr.  Hampden,  then  recently 
appointed  to  the  Oxford  Divinity  Chair,  should  be 
suspended  from  certain  privileges  and  duties  belonging  to 
the  Professorship,  such  as  assisting  in  the  appointment 
of  Select  Preachers  and  acting  as  one  of  the  judges  on 
any  complaint  of  heretical  teaching  made  to  the  Uni- 
versity. On  June  7,  1842,  after  great  excitement,  Con- 
vocation negatived  by  a  majority  of  115  the  proposal  of 
the  Hebdomadal  Board  to  rescind  the  decree  of  1836. 

Westminster  Review,  vol.  xxxviii.  p.  147,  July  1842 

"  We  turn  to  the  Convocation  held  at  Oxford  on  the  7th 
ult.,  prior  to  which  our  reporter  was  enabled  to  give 
the  public  from  his  own  peculiar  sources  of  in- 
formation, particulars  of  the  nature  and  object  of  the 
Convocation,  which,  but  for  his  zealous  exertions, 
would  have  been  confined  to  the  party  with  whom 
they  originated. 

"  It  is  almost  needless  to  state  that  the  object  was, 
in  consequence  of  the  rapid  spread  of  liberal  opinions 
at  the  University,  among  the  Heads  of  Houses,  since 
the  accession  to  office  of  Sir  Robert  Peel,  to  abrogate 
the  Statute  of  May  5,  1836,  passed  against  Dr. 
Hampden,  Regius  Professor  of  Divinity,  and  to  rein- 
state him  in  certain  privileges  annexed  to  his  office. 
The  following  papers,  relating  thereto,  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  reporter  of  the  Morning1  Chronicle. 


"  '  (Private  and  Confidential) 

" '  -    -  College,  Oxford, 
May  28,  1842 

" '  REV.  AND  DEAR  SIR,— I  am  directed  by  the  Vice- 
Chancellor  and  Heads  of  Houses  to  request,  in  the 
most  particular  manner,  your  attendance  at  a  Convoca- 


344     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

tion  to  be  held  on  Tuesday,  the  7th  of  June,  when 
matters  of  the  most  urgent  importance  will  be  brought 
under  your  notice.  The  nature  of  these  matters  is  ex- 
plained in  the  speech,  which  it  is  the  intention  of  the 
Vice- Chancellor  to  deliver  on  introducing  the  subject  to 
the  Convocation :  and  as  it  is  desirable  that  both  the 
motion  itself,  and  the  reasons  which  induce  the  Heads 
of  Houses  to  propose  it,  should  not  by  any  accident  get 
circulated  among  the  uncandid  and  misjudging  vulgar, 
I  send  you  the  accompanying  copy  of  the  speech  in 
the  original  Latin.  I  trust,  however,  that  the  adoption 
of  that  learned  language  will  occasion  you  no  great 
inconvenience.  All  the  words  which  we  use,  can  be 
found  in  Ainsworth's  excellent  Dictionary,  which 
probably  occupies  a  prominent  place  in  your  library ;  or 
of  which,  in  case  you  should  happen  to  be  without  a 
library,  you  will  without  doubt  be  able  to  procure  a  loan 
from  the  next  apothecary  or  some  other  neighbour. 
You  need  not  be  alarmed  at  the  prospect  of  any  diffi- 
culty from  the  use  of  Latin  idioms,  which,  in  all  proba- 
bility, you  have  totally  forgotten,  even  if  you  ever  knew 
them — for  I  am  proud  to  say  that  the  University  of 
Oxford  has  never  been  guilty  of  a  slavish  adoption  of 
the  language  of  the  sect  of  the  Papal  Schism,  but  has 
always  piqued  itself  on  writing  Latin  in  an  idiom  of  its 
own,  which  you  will  find  intelligible  by  the  meanest 
capacity. 

"'I  send  you,  together  with  the  draft  of  the  Vice- 
Chancellor's  speech,  a  card  which  you  will  find  illustra- 
tive of  the  last  paragraph  of  his  speech ;  and  conclude 
with  again  begging  your  early  attendance  on  this  oc- 
casion of  such  deep  importance  to  the  best  interests  of 
the  Church  and  State. 

"  '  I  am,  with  my  best  compliments  to  Mrs. ,  and 

your    interesting    family,    Rev.    and     Dear    Sir,    very 
sincerely  yours, 


- 


THE  PASSING  OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES     345 

"'  Inclosure  I 

" '  Speech  to  be  spoken   by  the  Vice-Chancellor,  in 
Convocation,  on  Tuesday,  June  7 : — 

" '  Habeo  honorem  vobis  proponendi  rescindere  statu- 
tum  quoddam  quod  in  praesenti  tempore  inconveni- 
entissimum  invenimus.  Placebit  meminisse  ut,  in  anno 
1836,  statutum  magna  majoritate  portaverimus,  quo 
condemnavimus  Doctorem  Hampden,  turn  nuper 
positum  in  regia  sella  divinitatis.  Causa  assignata 
hujus  voti  singularis  erat  certa  doctrina  de  Trinitate, 
quam  nasus  acutus  carissimi  nostri  Pusey  in  oblito 
quodam  doctoris  istius  opere  opportunissime  detruserat, 
et  in  lucem  traxerat.  Vos  autem  habetis  nimium 
sensum  supponere  talem  absurditatem  impulisse  nos 
votum  illud  proponere,  aut  nos  singulum  damnum  de 
doctrina  ilia  aut  ulla  alia  curavisse.  Hoc  erat  satis 
bonum  Puseyo  isto,  Puseyitisque,  publicoque;  nos 
autem,  in  hoc  voto  dando,  ut  in  aliis  rebus,  panibus  et 
piscibus  oculum  omnino  habuimus.  Detestabilis  ista 
administratio,  vulgo  "  Melbourne "  vocata,  res  summas 
gerebat:  causaeque  ecclesiae  et  civitatis  magnae 
consequentiae  erat,  ut  omni  modo  administrationem 
illam  quam  fortiter  pertunderemus ;  quia  dum  in 
potentia  manebat,  omnis  pinguetudo  ecclesiae  liberalibus 
vorabatur.  Hacpropter  votum  illud  petebamus, 
portabamusque,  nominaliter  contra  doctrinas  Doctoris 
Hampden ;  sed  (ut  feliciter  de  segete  et  saccharo  nuper 

ixit    vir    ille    facetus    et    practicalis    Galley    Knight) 
realiter  contra  Radicales. 

" '  Nunc  autem,  ut  feliciter  dixit  qua  parte  Virgilius, 
ille  celeberrimus  poeta, 

"Tempora  mutantur,  nos  et  mutamur  ut  ilia." 

"'Radicales  sunt  penitus  eversi:  Peelus  est  in 
potentia.  Peelus  autem  in  potentia  est  res  totaliter 
differens  Peelo  in  oppositione.  Si  tuto  possemus 


346     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

subvertere  ilium,  non  singulum  momentum  in  officio 
maneret,  quia  nobis  videtur  facere  omnia  ea  quibus  alii 
tantum  loquebantur  de.  Videte  autem,  fratres  carissimi, 
in  qua  lamentabili  positione  ponuntur  Ecclesia,  amicique 
Ecclesiae !  Si  subvertimus  Peelum,  mortuae  certitudini 
habemus  Johannulum.  Haec  est  res  non  singulo 
momento  contemplanda.  Necesse  est  igitur  ut  faciamus 
quodcunque  vult  Peelus.  Peelus  vult  praetendere  esse 
liberalis  ;  necesse  igitur  est  ut  nos  etiam  liberates  esse 
pretenderemus.  Et,  ut  condemnatio  Doctoris  Hampden 
opus  suum  omnino  peregit,  sine  ullo  damno  possumus 
liberalem  cursum  incipere  revocando  illam.  Invenimus 
longiore  familiaritate  Doctorem  ilium  Hampden  non 
esse  tarn  malum  socium  quam  dicebamus.  Moderatione 
magna  opus  est  in  momento  praesenti ;  et  judicatum  est 
nobis  melius  esse  omnibus  partibus  linquere  questionem 
illam  de  Trinitate  (quae  certe  est  questio  difficilis,  et 
una  de  qua  multi  homines  respectabiles  in  omnibus 
temporibus  dubitaverunt  et  adhuc  dubitant,)  supra 
pedem  questionis  apertae.  Non  celo  possibile  esse  ut 
habeamus  etiam  ultra  pergere :  nemo  scit  quam  longe 
ibit  Peelus :  sed  quid  possumus  facere  ? 

"'Magna  res  est  ponere  homines  rectae  sortis 
in  vacantibus  Episcopatibus :  Peelus  autem  dat 
Episcopatus :  ergo  si  Episcopatus  obtinere  volumus, 
necesse  est  placere  Peelo.  Vos  autem,  rustici  mei 
fratres  clerici !  quibus  observationes  meas  praecipue 
dirigo,  probabiliter  dicetis,  "  Quid  nobis  cum  Episcopatu  ? 
Sumus  homines  quieti,  sine  patronis,  sine  magnis 
talentis :  non  exspectamus  esse  Episcopi ;  non  omnes 
possumus."  Estnulla  sciens  :  episcopus  potest  esse  tarn 
quietus  quam  vult:  et  quanto  quietior,  tanto  melius. 
Non  opus  est  magno  talento  esse  Episcopus :  omnes 
habetis  satis:  et  bene  scio  nullum  esse  periculum 
principiorum  vestrorum  stantium  in  via  vestra.  Et 
quamvis  non  omnes  potestis  esse  episcopi,  potestis 
omnes  accipere  beneficia  de  illis  qui  habent  bonam 
fortunam  episcopatus  obtinere. 


THE  PASSING  OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES     347 

"'Sed  ut  probabiliter  dketis  unam  avem  in  manu 
valere  plus  duobus  in  arbusto,  precor  vos  meminisse,  ut 
illis  qui  nobiscum  vota  dabunt,  damnatum  bonum 
prandium  paratum  sit.  Non  necesse  est  loqui :  hoc 
tantum  postponit  horam  prandii :  nee  prandium  decet 
esse  frigidum.  Sola  res  quam  habetis  facere,  est  vota 
dare.  Si  autem  Puseyitae  isti  spurcissimi,  iniquissimi, 
impransi,  impransurique,  habeant  impudentiam  vobis 
resistere  (ut  scimus  illos  magnum  flagellum  fecisse),  vos, 
o  rustici  clerici !  potestis  vos  utiles  facere,  ut  faciunt 
Rustici  Domini  in  Domo  Communium,  infernalem 
strepitum  edendo,  et  clamitando  "  Quaestio  !  quaestio  ! 
dividite !  dividite ! ",  omnigenarumque  bestiarum 
aviumque  obscenarum  voces  imitando.  Tanto  citius 
prandium  obtinebitis,  cutesque  vestras  vino  implebitis.' 

"Enclosure  No.  II 

" '  The  Principal  and  Fellows  of College  request 

the  honour  of  the  Rev.  Mr. 's  company  at  dinner 

in  the  College  hall,  at  three  o'clock  on  Tuesday,  June  7th. 

"  *  The  dinner  will  not  be  served  till  after  the  close  of 
the  meeting  of  Convocation.' 

"  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  early  intelligence,  however 
much  desired  by  the  public,  if  prematurely  published,  is 
sometimes  attended  with  the  inconvenience  of  changing, 
perhaps  entirely,  the  course  of  anticipated  events. 
There  is  a  perverse  tendency  in  human  nature  to  follow 
in  certain  cases  the  rule  of  contraries,  so  that  when  an 
individual  finds  that  intentions  have  transpired  which 
he  had  privately  formed  and  communicated  in  confidence 
to  a  few  friends,  he  takes  a  pleasure  in  disappointing 
public  expectation  by  doing  exactly  the  reverse  of  that 
which  he  had  at  first  resolved  upon.  This  changeable- 
ness  appears  to  be  considered  essential  to  dignity  of 
character,  as  a  needful  assertion  of  freedom  and 
independence  of  action.  .  .  . 

"  The  friends,  then,  of  Dr.  Hampden  have  reason  to 


348     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

lament  that  the  Vice-Chancellor  of  Oxford  deemed  it 
incumbent  upon  him  to  act  upon  the  said  rule.  He 
had  not  foreseen  the  possibility  of  his  speech  being 
published  in  the  Morning  Chronicle.  .  .  .  The  speech, 
moreover,  was  not  only  published,  but  even  translated, 
for  the  use,  it  would  appear,  of  the  undergraduates  ;  on 
the  ground,  we  presume,  that  the  Vice-Chancellor  would 
be  the  more  open  to  attack,  if  sentiments  so  remarkable 
for  the  candour  with  which  they  are  expressed,  were 
rendered  into  plain  English,  for  the  benefit  of  those  alike 
unaccustomed  to  hear  truth  spoken  and  to  the  refined 
obscurities  of  the  Latin  tongue.1 

1  We  subjoin  the  translation ;  but  the  reader  will  at  once  perceive  that  it 
does  not  do  justice  to  the  spirit  of  the  original,  and  that  no  attempt  even 
is  made  to  give  the  meaning  of  some  of  the  more  emphatic  expressions  : — 

"I  have  the  honour  of  proposing  to  you  to  rescind  a  certain  statute 
which  at  the  present  time  we  find  very  inconvenient.  You  will  be  pleased 
to  remember  that  in  the  year  1836  we  carried  a  statute  by  a  large 
majority,  in  which  we  condemned  Dr.  Hampden,  then  lately  placed  in  the 
royal  Chair  of  Divinity.  The  assigned  cause  of  this  somewhat  singular 
proceeding  was  a  certain  doctrine  concerning  the  Trinity,  which  the  sharp 
nose  of  our  dearest  Pusey  most  opportunely  ferreted  out  in  some  forgotten 
work  of  the  Doctor,  and  dragged  to  light.  You  however  have  too  much 
sense  to  suppose  that  we  had  no  better  reason  than  the  one  assigned  for 
the  vote,  or  that  we  really  cared  ('singulum  damnum')  for  the  doctrine 
in  question  more  than  for  any  other.  Such  an  absurd  plea  did  well  enough 
for  Pusey  and  the  Puseyites  and  the  public ;  but  we,  as  in  other  things, 
had  solely  an  eye  for  the  loaves  and  fishes.  That  detestable  administra- 
tion, commonly  called  '  The  Melbourne,'  then  carried  on  the  government ; 
and  it  was  of  great  consequence  to  the  cause  of  Church  and  State  that  we 
should  attack  that  administration  as  completely  as  possible  in  every  way, 
since,  while  it  remained  in  power,  all  the  fat  of  the  Church  was  devoured 
by  the  Liberals.  For  this  reason  we  desired  the  resolution  to  be  adopted, 
and  we  carried  it,  nominally  against  the  doctrines  of  Dr.  Hampden,  but 
(as  that  facetious  and  practical  philosopher,  Galley  Knight,  has  happily 
said  regarding  corn  and  sugar)  in  reality  against  the  Radicals. 

"  Now,  however,  as  the  celebrated  poet  Virgil  has  somewhere  observed, 

'Tempora  mutantur,  nos  et  mutamur  ut  ilia.' 
'  The  times  are  changed,  and  we  must  change  with  them.' 

' '  The  Radicals  are  utterly  overthrown  :  Peel  is  in  power.  But  Peel  in 
power  is  a  totally  different  thing  from  Peel  in  opposition.  If  we  could 
safely  upset  him,  he  would  not  remain  a  single  moment  in  office,  because 
he  appears  to  us  to  do  all  those  things  which  the  others  only  talked  about. 


THE  PASSING  OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES     349 

"  These  untoward  circumstances  necessarily  led  to  an 
anxious  consultation  on  the  part  of  the  Vice-Chancellor 
and  the  Heads  of  Houses  upon  what  should  be  done ; 
and  the  reader  will  not  be  surprised  to  learn  that 
the  result  of  the  conference  was  that  the  speech 
should  not  be  spoken,  and,  in  fact,  that  it  should  be 
disavowed. 

But  see,  my  dearest  brethren,  in  what  a  lamentable  position  both  the 
Church  and  the  friends  of  the  Church  are  placed  !  If  we  upset  Peel,  to  a 
dead  certainty  we  have  Johnny.  This  is  a  thing  not  to  be  thought  of  for  a 
single  moment.  It  is  therefore  necessary  that  we  should  do  whatever  Peel 
wishes.  Peel  wishes  to  pretend  to  be  liberal :  it  is  therefore  necessary 
that  we  also  should  pretend  to  be  liberal.  And  as  the  condemnation  of 
Dr.  Hampden  has  quite  done  its  work,  we  can  begin  a  liberal  course, 
without  any  harm,  by  reversing  it.  We  find  on  further  acquaintance,  that 
Dr.  Hampden  is  not  such  a  bad  fellow  as  we  used  to  say.  Great  modera- 
tion is  necessary  at  the  present  time  ;  and  we  have  judged  it  better  on 
every  account  to  leave  the  question  of  the  Trinity,  (which  certainly  is  a 
difficult  question,  and  one  in  which  many  respectable  men  at  all  times 
have  doubted,  and  will  doubt),  on  the  footing  of  an  open  question.  I  do 
not  conceal  the  possibility  of  our  having  to  go  even  further.  Nobody 
knows  how  far  Peel  will  go.  But  what  can  we  do  ? 

"  The  great  thing  is  to  put  men  of  the  right  sort  into  the  vacant 
bishoprics  :  but  Peel  has  the  giving  of  the  bishoprics :  therefore,  if  we 
wish  to  obtain  bishoprics,  we  must  please  Peel.  But  you,  my  reverend 
country  brethren,  to  whom  I  chiefly  address  my  observations,  will  probably 
say,  'What  are  bishoprics  to  us?  We  are  quiet  men,  without  patrons, 
without  great  talents  :  we  do  not  expect  to  be  bishops  :  we  cannot  all 
be  so. '  There  is  no  knowing  :  a  bishop  may  now  be  as  quiet  as  he  likes  ; 
and  the  quieter,  the  better.  It  does  not  require  great  talents  to  be  a 
bishop  :  we  all  have  enough  :  and  I  know  well  there  is  no  danger  of  your 
principles  standing  in  your  way.  And  although  you  cannot  all  be  bishops, 
you  may  all  receive  benefices  from  those  who  have  the  good  fortune  to 
obtain  bishoprics. 

"  But,  as  you  will  probably  say  that  a  bird  in  the  hand  is  worth  two  in 
the  bush,  I  pray  you  to  remember  that  a  dinner  (*  damnatum  bonum ')  will 
be  prepared  for  those  who  give  their  votes  to  us.  There  is  no  necessity  for 
talking ;  it  only  postpones  the  dinner  hour ;  and  the  dinner  ought  not  to 
get  cold.  The  only  thing  you  have  to  do  is  to  give  your  votes.  But  if 
those  dirty  iniquitous  undined  and  undinable  Puseyites  should  have  the 
impudence  to  resist  us,  (as  we  know  they  have  made  a  great  whip  for 
the  purpose)  you,  O  country  clergymen  ! ,  may  usefully  employ  yourselves, 
as  the  country  gentlemen  do  in  the  House  of  Commons,  in  making  an 
infernal  noise,  and  shouting,  '  Question  !  question  ! ;  Divide  !  divide  ! ', 
and  imitating  the  voices  of  all  manner  of  unclean  beasts  and  birds.  So 
much  the  sooner  will  you  get  your  dinner,  and  fill  your  skins  with  wine." 


350     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

"  An  unforeseen  embarrassment,  however,  arose,  from 
certainly  the  unpardonable  neglect  of  the  friends  of 
the  Vice-Chancellor,  who  when  they  intimated  to  the 
country  clergy  that  the  above  speech  was  'a  weak 
invention  of  the  enemy,'  gave  no  other  explanation  of 
the  sentiments  entertained  by  the  authorities,  and  forgot 
to  state  that  the  inclosure  relative  to  the  dinner  was 
at  all  events  a  bona  fide  invitation.  Hence,  to  a  con- 
siderable section  of  the  country  clergy,  it  was  by  no 
means  clear  how  it  was  their  interest  to  vote ;  and 
many  stayed  away  (fearing  to  commit  themselves  by 
a  false  step),  upon  whose  votes  on  the  right  side  the 
most  implicit  confidence  might  otherwise  have  been 
placed.  Others,  again,  from  the  same  cause,  and  con- 
founded by  a  report  industriously  spread  at  the  time, 
that  Mr.  Newman  had  been  appointed  classical  tutor 
to  the  Prince  of  Wales,  thought  it  on  the  whole  safest 
to  vote  as  on  a  former  occasion.  The  result  was,  there- 
fore, that  although  as  many  as  125  changed  sides,  there 
was  yet  a  majority  of  1 1 5  against  the  revocation  of  the 
Statute.  Of  that  majority,  however,  more  than  one 
half,  it  is  known,  would  have  voted  with  the  friends  of 
Dr.  Hampden,  if  in  certain  matters  relating  to  'res 
temporales'  they  had  been  furnished  with  a  'sufficient 
reason.'  Indeed,  we  have  good  authority  for  stating 
that  should  any  decided  step  be  taken  by  the  present 
Government  in  the  disposal  of  its  patronage,  such  as 
the  elevation  of  Dr.  Hampden  to  the  episcopal  bench, 
the  parties  referred  to  will  hasten  to  retrieve  their  error. 
We  are  told  that  a  clergyman,  not  without  influence, 
and  said  to  be  related  to  the  Bishop  of  Exeter,  observed, 
that  the  moment  all  doubt  was  cleared  up  upon  the 
essential  point, 

1  Qua  via  felis  saltet,' 

it  would  be  seen  that  the  Oxford  clergy  had  not  lost 
that  veneration  for  '  the  powers  that  be/  in  which  the 
true  principles  of  orthodoxy  consist;  and,  rather  than 


THE  PASSING  OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES      351 

lie  under  the  imputation  of  not  being  willing  to  go  far 
enough,  he  himself  would  propose,  if  required,  that 
Herr  Straus  should  be  invited  to  fill  the  Chair  of 
Regius  Professor  of  Divinity,  on  the  retirement  or 
elevation  of  its  present  occupant.  V.  L." 

(b)  "The  Oxford  Argo" 

by  an  Oxford  Divine  (Henry  Bellenden  Bulteel, 
B.N.C.),  1845 

Arise,  my  soul,  and  bear  thee 
Aloft  on  eagle's  wing; 
Awake,  my  heart,  prepare  thee ! 
Burst  forth  at  length  and  sing ! 

Go  see  where  ancient  Isis 
Pours  down  her  classic  tide, 
Where  many  a  turret  rises 
Where  Oxford  sits  in  pride : 

At  many  a  Hall  and  College 
By  many  a  traitrous  stroke, 
The  Tree  of  Christian  Knowledge 
Falls  like  the  forest  oak. 

The  deadly  Upas  springing 
From  Christ  Church'  cloistered  pile, 
Her  poison  fast  is  flinging 
Throughout  Britannia's  isle: 

The  spreading  boughs  what  numbers 
Lie  heedless  underneath ! 
Not  deeming  that  their  slumbers 
Must  prove  the  sleep  of  death: 

Soon,  soon,  the  tainted  breezes 
Come  stealing  o'er  the  brain; 
The  soft  delirium  pleases : — 
They  sleep — nor  wake  again. 


See  Tract 
90. 


Bishop  of 
Oxford. 


352     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Cleft  from  the  noxious  branches 
They've  formed  a  keel  and  mast; 
The  framework  swift  advances ; 
The  Bark's  complete  at  last. 

They've  found  a  wondrous  pilot ; 
They've  found  a  ready  crew : — 
O  may  it  ne'er  be  my  lot 
To  sail  with  hearts  untrue ! 

There's  Newman  wise  and  simple, 
How  saintly  is  his  smile ! 
Alas !  beneath  each  dimple 
Lurk  treachery  and  guilt. 

By  him  the  light  impeded 
Makes  Churchmen  ready  quite, 
Soundhearted  and  soundheaded, 
To  swear  that  wrong  is  right. 

There's  Pusey's  gloomy  visage 
His  down-cast  eye  and  head, 
The  foremost  man  of  this  age 
To  prove  his  God  his  bread. 

There's  Hook,  that  priest  judicious; 
There's  Blomfield  spruce  and  prim ; 
One  looks  ahead  suspicious, 
One  keeps  the  boat  in  trim. 

There's  Philpotts,  seven  times  heated 
As  ne'er  he  was  before, 
Half-surpliced,  half-unseated, 
Tugs  at  his  broken  oar. 

Beside  him  gentle  Bagot 
Absorbed  in  slumber  seems  ; 
He  dreams  of  fire  and  faggot, 
But  seldom  tells  his  dreams : 


THE  PASSING  OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES      353 


See  'neath  his  apron  creeping 
The  self-denying  Nine: — 
Graves  for  their  names  to  sleep  in, 
Kind  Muse,  to  each  assign ! 


Nine  of  a 
committee 
who  would 
deny  burial 
to  dis- 
senters. 


There's  Keble  feebly  chaunting; 
There's  Palmer  cursing  sore 
The  Principle  that's  wanting 
To  keep  him  safe  on  shore. 

There's  philosophic  Sewell, 
Morality's  bright  gem, 
Convinced  that  all  would  do  well, 
Might  he  but  pilot  them. 


Non-natural,  but  real, 

There's  Balliol's  "honest  knave," 

Emits  a  blast  "ideal" 

To  puff  them  o'er  the  wave. 


w.  G. 

Ward,  his 

Ideal 

Church. 


By  heathen  gods  directed, 
There's  Williams  at  the  sail, 
In  paper  bags  collected 
Holds  back  the  "Gospel  Gale." 

See,  see !  the  Vessel's  ready, 
Her  main-sail  woos  the  breeze, 
And  all  her  hands  are  steady, 
Their  hearts  are  all  at  ease. 


Isaac 
Williams, 
Tract  No. 
80,  on 
"Reserve 
in  com- 
municat- 
ing 

Religious 
Know- 
ledge." 


Ah,  bark !  thy  cargo  weighs  thee 
Down  to  the  Ocean's  brim, 
False  confidence  betrays  thee; 
Thou  can'st  not,  shalt  not  swim ! 


354     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Is  there  no  God  in  Heaven, 
No  righteous  power,  to  rise 
Against  thy  cursed  leaven, 
Thy  lewdness,  and  thy  lies? 

Shall  vile  Prevarication, 
Shall  doctrine  false  as  Hell, 
Deceive  the  British  Nation, 
And  make  thy  Cargo  sell? 

See,  see !  the  lightning's  flashing, 
The  blazing,  tottering  mast, 
The  timbers  crackling,  crashing! — 
God's  Vengeance  burns  at  last ! 

By  one  fell  flash  benighted 
Thy  helpless  helmsman  falls ; 
That  pilot,  erst  farsighted, 
Now  rolls  two  sightless  balls. 

A  second  flash — she's  riven ! 
Her  magazine  beneath, 
Lit  by  the  fire  of  Heaven, 
Bursts  forth  in  flames  and  death ! 

Like  the  red  rocket  burning, 
Up  to  the  stars  they're  shot; 
Down  to  the  deep  returning 
They  sink — then  rise  and  rot ! 

Ezek.  Come,  birds  of  every  feather, 

xxxix.  17.  Come,  fish  of  every  fin, 

Rev.  xix.  , 

17.  Come,  seize  the  prey  together, 

The  rich  repast  begin ! 

Of  haughty  Laudian  bishop, 
Of  semi-Popish  priest, 
Ye  vultures,  eat  the  flesh  up, 
Ye  sharks,  devour  the  rest! 


THE  PASSING  OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES     355 

Else  from  the  floating  masses 
Shall  foul  miasma  rise, 
Earth  poison  with  its  gases 
And  putrefy  the  skies. 

Ah,  Bark,  thy  course  is  ended ; 
How  terrible  thy  lot ! 
Their  ways  they  should  have  mended, 
But  they  repented  not. 

Weep,  weep,  my  soul,  their  error, 
Pour  down  a  secret  flood; 
What  tho  their  end  be  terror, 
They're  still  thy  flesh  and  blood. 

Let  no  fierce  exultation 
Burst  from  this  breast  of  mine ; 
Thine  might  have  been  their  station, 
God  might  have  given  them  thine. 

But  see !  the  remnants  scattered 
By  God's  avenging  hand, 
In  thousand  fragments  shattered 
Unite  at  His  command : 

To  milestone  huge  He's  bound  them 
With  adamantine  chain, 
All  round  and  round  and  round  them, 
And  round  them  once  again. 

The  ponderous  mass  upheaving, 
Great  Gabriel's  reared  on  high, 
With  strength  beyond  conceiving, 
And  dashed  it  from  the  sky: 

Down,  down,  thou  wide  world's  wonder, 
Beneath  the  yielding  wave, 
Ten  thousand  fathoms  under, 
Go,  seek  thyself  a  grave ! 


356     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Sink,  Argo,  sink  for  ever! 

A  bottom  and  a  shore 

Thy  keel  shall  touch — no,  never ! 

Sink,  and  be  found  no  more ! 

Amen !  we  long  to  see  it : 
Repeat,  ye  Saints,  Amen ! 
Ye  Angels,  shout  "  So  be  it ! " 
Again,  again,  again ! 


VIII.  DESTRUCTION  OF  MEDLEY AL  OXFORD 

"Viae  per  Angliam  ferro  stratae,"  A.D.  1841 — lines 
attributed  in  Halkett  and  Laing's  Dictionary  of  Anon. 
and  Pseudon.  Literature  to  Thomas  Legh  Claughton 
Trinity  College,  Oxon.,  1826;  Bishop  of  Rochester, 
1867;  of  St.  Albans,  1877;  but  declared  in  Walter 
Hamilton's  Parodies  to  be  the  work  of  Frederick 
Fanshawe,  Balliol  College,  1838;  Fellow  of  Exeter 
College,  1842-55;  Headmaster  of  Bedford  Grammar 
School,  1855-74. 

The  poem  suggests  the  modification  of  its  mediaeval 
aspect  which  Oxford  was  destined  to  suffer  after  the 
coming  of  the  railway,  the  constant  disturbance  by 
visitors  of  its  ancient  academical  seclusion,  and  the 
loss  of  that  distinctive  character  which  had  once  marked 
the  conversation  and  social  tone  of  the  residents.  On 
June  i,  1840,  the  Great  Western  Railway  was  opened 
as  far  as  Steventon,  near  Didcot,  to  and  from  which 
place  Oxford  passengers  were  conveyed  by  omnibuses. 
The  influence  of  the  University  authorities  was  exerted 
to  keep  the  railway  at  a  distance,  but  in  1844  a  branch 
line  was  opened  to  Didcot  from  a  station  near  Folly 
Bridge.  The  line  to  Banbury  was  opened  in  1852. 

Tartareae  Musae,  vehementi  voce  canamus 
Carmen  in  infernos  quod  semper  tradat  honores 


THE  PASSING  OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES      357 

Artifices  illos,  Speculators,  atque  Mechanics, 

Quos  ferrum  fumusque  juvant  nebulaeque  vaporis — 

Non  ego  viginti  librarum  proemia  quaero, 

Nee  mea  mens  turpi  decepta  cupidine  lucri ; 

Carmina  non  fingo  mentes  motura  Leonum 

Infirmas,  puerisque  diu  plaudenda  sonoris 

Aut  Sheldoniaco  tumide  recitanda  Theatre — 

Tempus  erat  quondam  cum  tuta  petorrita  nobis 
Proebebantque  viam  portmanteaus  atque  trahebant 
Coachae  quadrijugae;  sed  nunc  stabula  alta, 

tabernae, 

Aurigae,  Guardi,  perierunt  turpiter  omnes : 
Omnia  cuncta  silent,  nam  "  Salisbury,  Mountain,  and 

Co.,  Sir," 
Jack    Adamumque    diu    celebrem,1    una    eademque 

tenet  nox: 

1  Aurigae  apud  Oxonienses  quondam  notissimi.  "  Salisbury,  Mountain, 
and  Co,  Sir,"  is  a  line  of  a  once  popular  Oxford  song,  called  "Tantivy 
Trot,"  which  was  written  by  Rowland  E.  E.  Warburton  (Corp. 
Christ.  College)  about  the  year  1834,  in  honour  of  the  "Tantivy,"  a 
coach  running  between  London  and  Birmingham  via  Oxford.  The 
famous  coachman,  Edward  Cracknell,  who  once  drove  125  miles  at  a 
sitting,  held  the  ribbons  between  London  and  Oxford,  Henry  Salisbury 
between  Oxford  and  Birmingham  : — 

"  Here's  to  the  dragsmen  I've  dragged  into  song, 

Salisbury,  Mountain,  and  Co,  Sir  ! 
Here's  to  the  Cracknell  who  cracks  them  along, 
Five  twenty-fives  at  a  go,  Sir  ! " 

Jack  Adams  is  mentioned  in  another  song  in  connection  with  the 
"Defiance,"  a  coach  which  ran  between  Oxford  and  London  via 
Dorchester,  Henley,  and  Hounslow  : — 

"From  the  box  of  the  'Royal  Defiance,' 

Jack  Adams,  who  coaches  so  well, 
Set  me  down  in  the  region  of  Science 
In  front  of  the  'Mitre'  Hotel." 

Tom  Mountain  was  a  coachman  connected  with  the  night-coaches 
running  between  Worcester  and  London,  and  Birmingham  and  London, 
via  Oxford. 

All  three  celebrities  are  mentioned  in  W.  Bayzand's  In  and  out  of 
Oxford,  1820-1840,  those  palmy  days  when  Oxford  could  boast  of 
having  in  and  out,  every  twenty-four  hours,  royal  mails  and  coaches  number- 
ing seventy-three  at  least  : — see  Oxford  Hist.  Soc.,  Collectanea,  iv.  267. 


*  On  the 
subject  of 
the  corpses 
of  donkeys 
and  post- 
boys, see 
Pickwick 
Papers. 


358     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Postchaisos  etiam  virides  flavosque  tenebrae 
Obscurant  atrae :  vosque,  o  clarissima  roadi 
Ornamenta  diu,  (defuncta  cadavera  quorum 
Quis  vidit?*),  juvenes  antiqui,  nomine  Postboys, 
Extinctum  genus,  ah !  periistis  morte  suprema ; 
Impia  nam  diri  redierunt  saecla  metalli 
Temporibus  nostris,  et  ferro  cuncta  moventur. 

Eustoni  static  misceri  murmure  magno 
Incipit,  et  longo  nectuntur  syrmate  currus, 
Visuri  Eboraci  muros  fumumque  Leodis. 
Machina  detrahitur  vinclisque  ligatur  aenis, 
Ac  manet  eructans,  fundoque  exaestuat  imo. 
Turn  campana  sonat,  stipatus  ut  Omnibus  intrat 
Moenia  Depoti,  Bagmenque  effundit,  et  omnes 
Quos  vehit  ad  trainum  seros  argentea  sixpence. 
Ascendunt  currus  baggos  tiketumque  gerentes 
Quisque  manu  cauta,  quod  nulli  amittere  fas  est ; 
Nam  si  forte  cadat  sublatum  flamine  venti, 
Quanquam  per  divos  jurares  atque  parentes, 
Officer  iratus  nil  crederet ;  inde  Policemen 
Caerulei  apparent,  qui  te  committere  quaddo 
Et  bis  viginti  solidos  multare  minantur. 
Non  hie  Havannae  placidos  emittere  fumos 
Audendum  est ;  argilla  brevis,  teretesque  cigarri 
Hinc  absunt;  densi  satis  una  nube  vaporis 
Omnia  miscentur.     Vosque  o !  procul  este  profani, 
Ite  canes  catulique  simul,  quos  femina  molli 
Veste  tegens  gremio  foveat,  vigilemque  Policeman 
Nequidquam  fallat: — 

Jamque  iterum  campana  sonat,  suspiria  fundens 
Machina  progreditur,  Zephyri  velocior  aura, 
Mobilitate  viget  viresque  acquirit  eundo; 
Tarda  quidem  primo,  sed  nunc  impulsa  vapore 
Ingrediturque  solo,  et  caput  inter  tunnela  condit. 


Hie  quoque  jamdudum  ferro  via  tecta  fuisset 
Oxoniae,  si  non  Vice-Chancellor  ipse  petition 


THE  PASSING  OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES      359 

Proctoresque  ambo  fecissent,  atque  Senatum 

Acriter  orassent  oblatum  expellere  Billum ; 

Quo  ne  Londino  juvenes  incurrere  possent 

Urbi  damnosae,  patriosque  expendere  nummos, 

Talorum  in  jactu,  visendis  atque  theatris. 

Sed  precor,  o  sapiens  Vice-Chancellor,  accipe  miti 

Pectore  consilium ;  et  si  ferrea  munera  nobis 

Haec  iterum  Occiduus  male  gratis  offerat  Ingens, 

Ne  pete,  suavis  Hyems,*  avertere  flamine  saevo         *  Philip 

Commoda  tanta  viae  Rhedecynae  rursus  ab  urbe :      p^of  St 

Tempus  enim  juvenum  pariter  nummosque  parentum  John's 

Sic  minus  expendes,  static  Stephanaea  caballis  Vice-Can. 

Mox  deserta  foret,  plorarent  Squeaker  et  omnes 

Queis  curae  est  rapidos  juvenes  imponere  screwis. 


IX.  EVE  OF  REVOLUTION 
"  Revolutionary  Manifesto  " 

Circulated  in  Oxford  at  Commemoration,  1849;  at  a 
moment  when  a  coming  Royal  Commission  to  inquire 
into  the  state  of  the  University  was  beginning  to  be 
talked  of  as  a  possibility  (attributed  to  Walter 
Waddington  Shirley,  Scholar  of  Wadham  College,  after- 
wards Regius  Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History):  see 
Notes  and  Queries,  1st  Series,  vols.  viii.  584,  ix.  113. 

LIBERTY!  FRATERNITY!  EQUALITY! 

The  cry  of  Reform  has  been  too  long  unheard.  Our 
infatuated  rulers  refused  to  listen  to  it.  The  term  of 
their  tyranny  is  at  length  accomplished.  The  Vice- 
Chancellor  has  fled  on  horseback.  The  Proctors  have 
resigned  their  usurped  authority.  The  Scouts  have 
fraternized  with  the  friends  of  Liberty.  The  University 
is  no  more.  A  Republican  Lyceum  will  henceforth 
diffuse  light  and  civilization.  The  Hebdomadal  Board 
is  abolished.  The  Legislative  Powers  will  be  entrusted 


360     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

to  a  General  Convention  of  the  whole  Lyceum.  A 
Provisional  Government  has  been  established.  The 
undersigned  Citizens  have  nobly  devoted  themselves 
to  the  task  of  administration. 

Signed— Citizen  CLOUGH  (President  of  the  Executive 

Council) 
SEWELL 

BOSSOM  (operative) 
JOHN  CONINGTON 
WRIGHTSON  l 

FLOREAT  LYCEUM! 

1  The  Vice-Chancellor  mentioned  in  the  Squib  was  Dr.  Symons, 
Warden  of  Wadham  College,  well  known  as  a  keen  but  inefficient 
horseman.  Of  the  signatories,  Arthur  Hugh  Clough  (Balliol  College) 
was  in  sympathy  with  the  revolutionary  movements  across  the  Channel 
of  the  year  1848,  and  had  been  in  Paris  with  Emerson  during  May  of 
that  year.  William  Sewell  (Exeter  College),  Professor  of  Moral  Economy, 
was  preparing  to  publish  his  pamphlet,  The  Nation,  the  Church,  and  the 
University  of  Oxford.  Bossom  was  the  porter  of  B.N.C.  John 
Conington,  for  some  years  after  he  took  his  degree,  was  looked  on  as  a 
dangerous  innovator  by  the  Oxford  Tory  party.  Henry  Wrightson  was 
an  aged  and  eccentric  Fellow  of  Queen's  College. 


THE   CLERK   OF   OXFORD,    A.D.    1814 
FROM  R.  ACKERMANN'S  "HISTORY  OF  OXFORD' 


CHAPTER    XIII 
CLERKS  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION — CONCLUSION 

THE  PILGRIM'S  SCRIP 

Being  maxims  selected  from  a  work  entitled  Mottoes  for  Crackers ,  forming 
together  a  complete  Freshmarfs  Manual ^  Oxford,  circa  1850. 

Early  Rising 

In  the  morning  when  the  Scout 
Comes  to  call  you,  tumble  out : 
With  old  Morpheus  boldly  grapple, 
Or  you  will  be  late  for  Chapel. 

Recreation 

When  the  morning's  work  is  done, 
Put  your  books  by,  one  by  one  ; 
Take  a  walk  or  make  a  call, 
But  be  sure  you're  back  for  "hall." 

Costttme 

Always  wear  your  Cap  and  Gown, 
Prudent  Freshman,  in  the  town ; 
When  a  walk  you're  bent  upon, 
You  may  put  your  "Beaver"  on.1 

Driving 

When  out  in  a  tandem  invited  to  go, 

Say  "Thank  you;  but  driving's  forbidden,  I  know; 

If  you've  leave,  I  will  come :  but  I  dare  not  till  then "  : — 

You  are  pretty  sure  not  to  be  troubled  again. 

1  "  In  beaver "  =  " in  a  tall  hat"  (and  the  costume  which  accompanies 

it) ;  in  mufti,  instead  of  in  academicals. 

361 


362     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Boating 

To  avoid  any  danger  to  life  and  to  limb, 
Don't  go  on  the  water  until  you  can  swim  ; 
And  unless  you  can  cut  a  respectable  figure, 
Be  content  with  a  tub,  and  eschew  an  outrigger. 

Cricket 

If  at  Cowley  some  day,  when  engaged  in  a  match, 
You  miss  at  a  crisis  a  difficult  catch, 
You  can't  be  surprised  if  you  hear  a  friend  mutter 
That  your  fingers  partake  of  the  nature  of  butter. 

Shooting 

If  to  sporting  you're  inclined, 
Guns  are  all  forbidden,  mind  : 
Should  you  doubt  it,  please  to  look 
At  that  Statute  in  the  Book 

Which  in  every  Freshman's  hand  is, 

"De  bombardis  non  gestandis." 

Etiquette 

If  at  parties  they  press  you  to  take  a  cigar, 
Say  "  I  cannot  indeed,  for  I  promised  Papa " : 
But,  if  tempted  to  smoke,  you  begin  to  feel  queer, 
Run  into  the  bedroom  at  once — there's  a  dear  ! 

Diligence 

He  who  would  the  dons  delight, 
Hard  must  study,  day  and  night ; 
Never  play  at  Cards  or  Pool,  or 
He  will  find  them  growing  cooler. 

Idleness 

Many  youths  who  come  to  College 
With  a  little  stock  of  knowledge, 
When  they  go  away, — how  sad  ! 
Leave  the  little  stock  they  had. 

THE  history  of  the  Oxford  Clerk  in  fictional  litera- 
ture has  now  been  brought  down  to  what  may  be 
called  modern  times.    The  object  of  this  work  has 
been  to  portray  rather  than  to  dissect,  and  not  so  much 
to  analyse  a  complex  character  as  to  trace  the  descent 
of  the  most   remarkable   of  its  elements   through   the 
changes  and  chances  of  some  six  centuries  of  academical 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD— CONCLUSION     363 

life.  It  now  remains  to  suggest  a  reason,  why  character- 
istics, which  one  might  think  were  common  to  scholars 
of  all  Universities,  should  nevertheless  have  been  practi- 
cally appropriated  to  Oxonians,  since  those  early  days, 
when  the  possession  of  them  rendered  the  Clerk  of 
Oxford  at  once  a  Man  of  Mark  in  Chaucer's  eyes,  while 
at  the  same  time  the  poet  apparently  could  detect  no 
points  in  the  manner  and  conversation  of  the  Clerks  of 
the  "  Soler-halle  "  at  Cambridge,  which  might  serve  to 
distinguish  them  from  any  other  "  testif  and  lusty " 
youths  of  the  time. 

The  patient  study  of  Fiction  leads  to  the  conclusion 
that  the  Genius  Loci,  who  has  been  present  at  Oxford 
from  the  first,  is  the  tutelar  God  of  great  Leaders  and 
of  great  Movements;  and  that  a  certain  seminary 
strength,  infused  into  matter  by  the  soul  of  the  place, 
has,  from  first  to  last,  manifested  itself  in  the  tempera- 
ment, actions,  and  language  of  her  children,  and  has 
imparted  thereto  a  peculiar  emphasis  which  compels 
attention  and  provokes  criticism.  The  mental  attitude 
of  those  who  have  been  educated  in  another  place,  shews 
something  of  the  natural  characteristics  of  the  dead  level 
country  in  which  their  lot  has  been  cast ; — its  meaning 
is  too  often  elusive  and  retiring ;  while  the  point,  from 
which  it  can  be  seen  and  appreciated,  is  sometimes  far 
to  seek.  Unsettled  in  their  convictions,  over-conscious 
of  difficulties,  and  fearful  of  rash  guidance,  they  hesitate 
to  take  any  definite  course  of  action  themselves,  and 
vouchsafe  little  to  their  disciples  but  the  advice  of 
warning  and  criticism.  Not  so  the  Oxonian.  Nature 
never  meant  him  for  a  negative  character;  and  his 
beauties  and  blemishes,  like  those  of  Mater  Oxonia 
herself,  go  out  to  meet  the  eyes  even  of  those  who  do 
not  look  for  them.  While  the  painful  scientist  of 
another  Studium  seems  unable  to  convince  himself  of 
the  world's  existence,  the  Clerk  of  Oxford  looks  as  if 
the  whole  universe  belonged  to  him.  In  spite  of 
invidious  references  made  to  him,  such  as  Overbury's 


364     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

"  meere  Scholar  who  thinks  it  a  wrong  to  his  reputation 
to  be  ignorant  of  anything,  and  yet  he  knows  not  that 
he  knows  nothing  " ;  Arundel's  "  babbling  beardless  boy, 
who  wants  to  fly  before  he  can  crawl,  to  read  before  he 
can  spell ;  and,  with  his  nose  in  the  air,  ventures  to  assert 
the  most  outrageous  opinions  in  the  face  of  authority  " ; 
and  Richard  de  Bury's  "  presumptuous  youth,  who 
judges  of  everything  as  if  he  were  certain,  although  he 
is  altogether  inexperienced " ;  in  spite  of  these  and 
other  censures,  he  is  fully  persuaded  that  the  wisdom  of 
his  University  embraces  all  that  is  worth  knowing,  and 
that,  when  he  has  attained  to  it,  he  has  reached  finality 
of  knowledge.1  "  The  excessive  profusion  of  the  sciences 
studied  at  Oxford  is  such,  that  a  science  which  is  there 
neglected  may  be  regarded  as  unworthy  the  name  " ; 2 
"all  that  there  is  to  know,  I  know  it;  what  I  don't 
know,  isn't  knowledge,"  have  been  the  first  and  great 
Articles  of  his  Faith  from  the  fourteenth  century  to  the 
twentieth. 

To  him  Oxford  is  the  same  infallible  oracle  that  she 
was  of  old ;  and  the  devotion  which  he  pays  her,  either 
consciously  or  unconsciously,  is  a  life-long  devotion. 
But  not  content  with  rendering  her  his  own  personal 
worship,  he  is  zealous  to  convert  others  to  the  faith : 
"Beata  diceris  per  orbis  climata,  quia  singulis  solvis 
aenigmata,"  he  cries  with  Tryvytlam;  and  summons 
men  from  all  lands  to  do  adoration  at  her  shrine,  to 
imbibe  her  august  traditions,  and  to  carry  away  her 
words  to  the  ends  of  the  world.3  To  him  she  is  still  the 
enchantress,  before  whom  kings  of  the  earth,  when  they 

1  See  Overbury's  character-sketch  of  the  "meere  Scholar,"  quoted  in 
Chapter  V.  above ;  Archbishop  Arundel's  censure  of  the  Oxonians  who 
defended   the   condemned   propositions  that   had   been   put  forward   by 
Wycliffe,    in    Wilkins'    Concilia,    iii.    322   (A.D.    1409)  ;     and    Richard 
de     Bury    on     Oxford     Clerks     generally,    in     Philobiblon,     cap    xvii. 
(A.D.  1345). 

2  ' '  Oxoniae   singulae   (scientiae)   sic    docentur,   ut    scientia  quae   illic 
respuitur,   nullatenus  licita   censeatur":  Ex  libro  Cancellarii,  circa  1375 
A.D.,  Munimenta  Acad.  (Rolls  Series),  ii.  367. 

3  See  Tryvytlam's  poem  in  Chapter  II.  above. 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD— CONCLUSION     365 

enter  within  her  walls,  become  as  blind  men ;  having 
eyes,  they  see  not,  until  they  are  enlightened  by  her 
counsels  : 1 — at  her  command,  Brazen-heads,  nay  even 
Blockheads,  still  "unfold  strange  aphorisms": — Horns 
speak  pure  Greek,  and  Echoes  babble  in  Hexameters, 
by  her  so  potent  art ; — and  he,  the  Clerk,  upon  whom 
rests  a  double  portion  of  her  spirit,  feels  himself  by 
hereditary  genius  a  shewer  of  hard  sentences,  a  dissolver 
of  doubts  ;  like  his  great  ancestor  of  Chaucer's  day,  "  he 
would  gladly  teach." 2  "  Ergo "  is  his  master,  that 
"  vetustum  '  Ergo  hoc '  Oxoniense,"  whose  dominion  was 
already  old  in  Petrarch's  time;  and  he  is  ready,  as  were 
the  members  of  the  Union,  when  that  Society  included 
Lowe,  Manning,  and  Gladstone,  "to  investigate  and 
solve  all  the  great  problems  of  humanity ;  eager  also  to 
cross  swords  with  every  foe;  and  only  too  glad  to 
illumine  the  path  of  all  those  whom  he  judges  to  be 
misguided  or  in  darkness.  No  mere  petty  considerations 
occur  to  his  fresh  ingenious  mind ;  no  sad  premonition 
that  the  world  will  go  on  much  the  same,  whatever  his 
eloquent  tongue  may  utter."  3  And  it  is  this  conscious- 
ness of  having  himself  found  Wisdom  and  the  Place  of 
Understanding,  and  this  craving  to  give  light  to  a 
benighted  world,  which,  expressed  as  they  are  in  every- 
thing that  goes  to  make  up  the  Oxford  Manner,  have 
made  the  typical  Oxford  man,  if  not  always  an  accept- 
able, at  any  rate  invariably  a  striking  figure  in  Society. 
This  is  no  place  either  to  sympathize  with,  or  to  censure, 
those  who  fail  to  appreciate  him.  There  is  no  account- 
ing for  taste :  some  cry  "  Hey  for  Garsington ! "  and 
some  cry  "  Hey  for  Horsepath ! " :  some  like  him  ;  some 
do  not.  It  is  sufficient  here  to  shew,  that  the  intensity 

1  See  the  legend  of  Earl  Algar,  and  the  superstition  which  made  Kings 
of  England  fear   to  enter  Oxford,  in   Wood's  City  of  Oxford,  Oxford 
Historical  Society,  i.  234-5,  ii.  128-30. 

2  See  Robert  Greene's  "Friar  Bacon";  and  the  story  of  the  Queen's 
College  Horn  in  Brathwaite's  poem  at  the  head  of  Chapter  VI.,  and  that 
of  the  Magdalen  College  Echo  in  Chapter  X. 

3  Life  of  Robert  Lowet  Lord  Sherbrooket  by  A.  P.  Martin. 


366     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

of  the  Oxford  Manner  is  such,  that  it  rarely  fails  to 
excite  violent  emotions  in  those  who  come  within  the 
sphere  of  its  influence,  whether  they  be  emotions  of 
profound  respect,  or  those  of  the  most  acute  exasperation. 
There  is  no  need  to  add  to  the  illustrations  which 
have  been  already  given,  of  the  nature  of  the  Clerk's 
conversation,  of  his  high  style,  and  of  his  tendency  to 
sacrifice  the  art  of  pleasing  to  the  zest  for  instructing 
his  audience.  What,  however,  is  worthy  of  further 
remark,  is  the  fact  that  the  didactic  intention  which 
pervades  his  speech,  pervades  also  his  silence.  Chaucer's 
Pilgrim  rode  "  coy  and  still,  and  spake  not  a  word  all 
day";  yet  his  stillness  was  a  stillness  which  could  be 
felt,  insomuch  that  it  inspired  the  genial  host  of  the 
Tabard  Inn  with  fear  that  the  Scholar  was  preparing 
to  launch  some  improving  moral  lecture  upon  his 
fellow-travellers.  Much  the  same  strong  impression 
was  made  upon  the  society  around  him  by  the  eloquent 
silence  of  Mr.  Walden,  the  Oxonian  whom  Richardson's 
heroine,  the  lively  Miss  Harriet  Byron,  met  at  Lady 
Betty  Williams'  dinner-party  :  —  "  While  the  voluble 
worldling,  Sir  Horace  Pollexfen,  was  conversing  in  a 
manner  infinitely  agreeable  to  the  gay,  and  to  those 
of  the  company  who  wished  to  drown  thought  in 
merriment,  the  Man  of  the  College  looked  as  if  he 
was  putting  the  baronet's  speeches  into  Latin,  and 
trying  them  by  the  rules  of  grammar.  He  seemed, 
on  anything  the  other  said,  half  to  despise  him ;  while 
it  was  evident  he  grudged  him  the  smile  that  sat  upon 
everyone's  countenance,  and  that  he  pitied  us  all,  and 
thought  himself  cast  into  unequal  company." x  "  Here 
comes  a  University  man  ! "  writes  the  author  of  Hints 
on  Etiquette  for  the  University  of  Oxford  (1838):  "He 
hurries  along,  as  if  every  minute  were  worth  gold.  From 
his  face  you  would  guess  that  he  knows  his  Scapula  and 
Facciolati  by  heart.  And  what  a  scrutinizing  gaze  he 

*  Sir  Charles  Grandison,  Letters  XL,  XII. ,  XIII. ,  XIV.,  by  Samuel 
Richardson  (1753). 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD— CONCLUSION     367 

fixes  upon  the  ground !  He  is  solving  some  problem 
of  Euclid,  or  unravelling  one  of  the  choruses  of  the 
Agamemnon?  In  short,  even  at  times  when,  like  the 
stars,  the  Clerk  of  Oxford  is  "without  real  voice  or 
sound,"  this  earthly  luminary,  like  the  heavenly  bodies, 
is  still  preaching  some  great  lesson :  to  admirers  and 
detractors  alike,  and  in  all  ages,  his  very  silence  has 
been  pregnant  with  meaning;  and  the  very  sight  of 
him  a  vision  and  sermon  in  one. 

And,  finally,  it  would  seem  that  this  zeal  to  instruct 
and  elevate  has  been  manifested,  not  only  more  clearly, 
but  also  more  constantly,  at  Oxford,  than  at  other 
Studia :  for  while  elsewhere  the  Clerk  has  occasionally 
been  forgetful  of  his  watch  and  has  slumbered  at  his 
post,  here  there  has  never  been  wanting  the  intellectual 
Athlete,  alert  and  eager  to  snatch  the  torch  of  learning 
from  his  predecessor,  to  run  his  course  with  joy,  and  to 
hand  on  the  courier  flame  to  the  next  in  the  race.  It 
cannot  be  denied,  indeed,  that  Oxford  too  has  passed 
through  what  have  been  condemned  as  dark  ages  in 
the  history  of  her  Schools ;  but,  on  close  examination, 
it  appears,  that,  if  her  reputation  for  learning  suffered 
a  partial  eclipse  at  such  times,  the  natural  force  and 
energy  of  her  sons  knew  no  abatement ;  and,  strangely 
enough,  it  is  for  those  very  periods  of  gloom  that 
Fiction  has  reserved  the  brightest  examples  of  her 
perceptive  enthusiasm.  Thus  the  hero  of  the  first 
Oxford  novel  came  up  to  the  University  about  the 
year  1460;  that  is,  before  the  close  of  what  historians 
have  called  "the  century  of  intellectual  torpor  which 
followed  the  death  of  Wycliffe."  The  name  of  John 
Scogin  of  Oriel  does  not  indeed  appear  among  those 
of  the  great  Oxford  Reformers.  Though,  as  an  Under- 
graduate, he  may  have  paced  New  College  Cloisters  in 
colloquy  with  Grocyn,  and,  as  a  Master  of  Arts,  have 
rambled  in  Magdalen  Grove  with  the  youthful  Colet, 
and  dined  with  Linacre  and  the  Fellows  of  All  Souls' 
at  a  table  where  the  Founder's  injunction  of  plain 


368     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

living  and  high  thinking  was  not  yet  wholly  forgotten, 
he  took  nevertheless  no  prominent  part  in  the  religious 
and  intellectual  struggles  of  his  day.  Yet  the  story  of 
his  life,  as  told  in  the  "  First  and  Best  Part  of  his  Jests," 
shews  that  the  prevailing  tone  in  his  character  was  that 
irresistible  craving  to  enlighten  a  dark  world,  which, 
from  first  to  last,  and  through  good  report  and  ill,  has 
been  the  keynote  of  the  Oxford  Manner.  If  latter- 
day  critics,  "  content  with  examining  the  things  which  lie 
before  them,  and  blind  to  the  truths  which  lie  hidden 
beyond,"  have  pronounced  him  a  mere  buffoon,  his 
original  biographer  has  taken  no  such  narrow  "  Goswell 
Street"  view  of  a  complex  character.  To  him,  the 
lightest  act  of  the  celebrated  Wit  conveys  some  grave 
moral  lesson,  and  the  wildest  extravagances  are  vehicles 
of  sound  arguments  ;  while  his  keen  eye  detects  a  thinly- 
veiled  didacticism  behind  each  happy  shift,  each  merry 
device,  in  his  hero's  adventurous  career.  Thus,  from 
one  tale  "  a  man  may  learn,  that,  when  he  asks  advice, 
he  should  be  clear  in  his  words  and  not  speak  in 
parables;  for  mishearing  causeth  misunderstanding"; 
from  another,  that  "divers  times  one  may  do  a  thing 
in  sport,  and  at  the  last  it  do  turn  into  good  earnest." 
Here  is  laid  down  the  useful  warning,  "  In  matters  of 
love,  let  a  man  make  no  body  of  his  counsel,  lest  he 
be  deceived " ;  there,  the  equally  sound  advice,  "  No 
one,  if  he  love  himself  and  his  profit,  should  lend  his 
horse  or  his  weapon  or  his  wife  to  another,  for  by  it 
never  cometh  gain."  "  Believe  not  every  word  that 
another  doth  speak;  for  some  do  lie,  some  do  jest, 
some  do  mock,  and  some  do  scorn  " ;  "  it  is  an  unhappy 
house  where  a  woman  is  the  master";  "let  no  man 
think  that  there  was  never  so  great  a  flood  but  that 
there  may  be  as  low  an  ebb " ; — thus,  line  upon  line 
and  precept  upon  precept,  is  built  up  a  popular  system 
of  moral  philosophy.  And  the  teacher  plants  his  educa- 
cational  platform,  with  a  like  confidence,  in  University 
lecture-rooms,  peasants'  cottages,  and  the  palaces  of 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD— CONCLUSION      369 

kings.  No  sooner  had  he  come  to  Court,  than  he  built 
a  great  fire  before  the  gate,  and  set  thereon  a  sow  of 
exceeding  fatness,  and  bought  twenty  pounds  of  butter 
and  poured  them  over  the  sow's  buttocks.  Then  said 
the  courtiers  to  him,  "  Why  dost  thou  grease  and  baste 
the  sow  that  is  already  over-fat  ? " :  and  he  answered 
them,  "  I  do  but  as  lords  and  kings  do,  and  as  everyone 
doth  ;  for  he  that  hath  enough,  shall  have  more  given 
him  ;  and  he  that  hath  nothing,  shall  go  without."  And 
when  he  would  build  him  an  house,  he  asked  the  king 
for  five  hundred  oaks.  "  Will  not  one  hundred  suffice  ?  " 
inquired  the  Monarch.  "  Yea,"  replied  the  Sage ;  "  but 
if  I  had  asked  one  hundred  at  the  first,  I  had  received 
but  twenty.  Therefore  it  is  good  to  ask  more  than 
enough  of  great  men,  for  then  one  shall  have  somewhat." 
Danger  could  not  check,  nor  could  death  chill,  the  genial 
flow  of  these  sententious  remarks.  "  Remove  him ! " 
said  the  king,  on  an  occasion  when  the  Oxonian's 
freedom  of  speech  and  behaviour  had  given  great 
offence:  "and,  as  soon  as  he  has  made  selection  of  a 
tree,  hang  him  thereon  " ;  and  forthwith  Scogin  was  led 
away  to  Windsor  Forest.  There  he  wandered  up  and 
down  all  day,  as  though  deliberating  upon  his  choice 
of  a  gibbet.  His  escort  grew  weary,  and  besought  him 
to  come  to  a  decision ;  but  he  reproved  them,  saying, 
"  Make  no  haste,  for  it  would  grieve  the  best  of  you  to 
be  hanged."  Faint  with  hunger  and  thirst,  they  saw 
their  prisoner  refresh  himself  at  intervals  from  a  private 
store  of  provisions,  "a  bottle  of  wine  and  sucket, 
marmalade,  and  green-ginger,"  while  he  murmured  to 
himself,  "  God  knows  the  pangs  of  death  are  dry."  At 
nightfall  he  dismissed  his  guard,  saying,  "  You  seem  to 
be  a  very  honest  sort  of  men.  Go  then  to  your  king, 
and  have  me  commended  to  him  ;  and  tell  him  I  will 
never  choose  a  tree  to  be  hanged  on.  For  that  man  is 
a  madman,  who  may  save  his  own  life,  and  yet  will 
:ill  himself."1  And  when  at  last  he  lay  dying  of  an 

1  With  regard  to  this  tale,  the  student  of  the  Dietetical  History  of  the 
24 


370     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

incurable  complaint,  he  turned  to  those  who  stood 
round  his  bed,  and  remarked,  "  I  should  be  resigned  to 
death,  if  only  I  might  live  long  enough  to  eat  Christmas 
pie ;  for  Christmas  pie  is  good  meat " ;  in  these  simple 
words  teaching  the  world,  as  his  appreciative  biographer, 
perhaps  not  unnecessarily,  explains,  that  "  a  man  is  loth 
to  die,  although  there  be  no  remedy ;  and  that  he  who 
can  rejoice  in  mirth  without  sin,  that  same  is  happy." 
Such  was  John  Scogin  of  Oriel.  While  the  form  of 
instruction  he  adopted  was  often  grotesque  and  un- 
expected, beneath  it  lay  a  gravity  more  sober  than 
seriousness  itself;  and  when  he  laid  aside  the  guise  of 
the  conventional  teacher,  he  did  so  that  he  might  speak 

University  should  note,  in  connection  with  the  rise  of  "Oxford  Marmalade  " 
to  the  prominent  position  which  it  now  holds  in  all  civilized  communities, 
that  here  Scogin  of  Oriel,  at  a  date  some  time  near  the  close  of  the  fifteenth 
century,  refreshes  himself  with  that  confection.  The  earliest  uses  of  the 
word  "marmalade"  are  those  made  of  it  by  Oxonians.  This  delicacy 
took  a  place  of  honour  at  the  elaborate  banquet  given  by  William  Warham 
(New  College,  1475-88),  when  he  was  enthroned  Archbishop  of  Canterbury 
in  1509  ;  the  supper  of  leche  Florentine,  tart  melior,  joly  ipocrass,  tench 
florished,  lamprey,"  etc.,  provided  on  that  occasion  for  the  Archbishop's 
high  steward,  Edward  Stafford,  Duke  of  Buckingham,  a  Cantab,  concluding 
with  the  service  of  "marmalade,  succade,  and  comfits"  (Antiquities  of 
Canterbury,  William  Somner  and  Nicholas  Battely,  Appendix  to  Sup- 
plement, p.  26).  Again,  the  Register  of  Magdalen  College,  i.  71  (W.  D. 
Macray),  shews  that,  already  in  1517,  it  was  the  custom  at  that  College  to 
temper  the  austerity  of  the  mediaeval  biscuit,  or  "wafron,"  with  this  ex- 
cellent substitute  for  butter.  William  Tyndale  (Magdalen  Hall,  1510) 
mentions  "marmalad"  in  conjunction  with  "succad,  green-gynger,  and 
confiettes "  in  one  of  his  sermons  ( Works,  p.  229) ;  Sir  Thomas  Elyot 
(St.  Mary  Hall,  1514)  praises  the  sweetmeat  in  his  Castel  of  Helthe 
(1541) ;  and  light  refreshments  offered  to  the  king's  messengers  at  Exeter 
College  in  1549  included  "marmaladye  and  succade"  (Registrum  Coll., 
Exon,  C.  W.  Boase,  p.  38).  Finally,  when  John  Lyly  of  Magdalen 
College  published  Euphues  in  1580,  marmalade  would  seem  to  have 
already  gained  the  extraordinary  popularity  which  it  has  maintained  ever 
since.  "  Euphues,"  he  writes,  "  would  die  if  he  did  not  talk  of  love  once 
in  a  day ;  and  therefore  you  must  give  him  leave  after  every  meal  to  close 
his  stomach  with  love,  as  with  marmalade."  It  is  pleasant  to  conjecture 
that  Colet  may  have  introduced  the  foreign  delicacy  to  his  University,  and 
that  its  rapid  rise  in  academical  esteem  may  have  followed  some  reference 
made  by  Linacre  to  its  medicinal  value,  when  those  two  pioneers  of  the 
New  Learning  returned  from  Italy  to  Oxford  in  or  about  the  year  1491. 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD— CONCLUSION     371 

to  his  disciples  with  the  greater  clearness  and  pathos. 
Oxford  fulfils  herself  in  many  ways;  and  if  Scogin's 
method  was  one  all  his  own,  his  goal  was  none  the 
less  the  common  goal  of  all  genuine  Oxford  Clerks: 
— to  be,  in  Gest  and  Diet  alike,  a  Leader  of  the  People 
by  his  counsel. 

Such  good  men  and  true,  neither  the  pell-mell  of 
war,  nor  the  hurly-burly  of  revolution,  has  been  able 
to  divert  from  their  aim.  During  the  Great  Rebellion, 
for  example,  when  the  clerical  Band  was  brought  into 
close  contact  with  the  military  Cuff  and  the  Ruff  of 
the  Courtier,  the  genuine  Clerk  preserved  his  essential 
characteristics  unimpaired.  Though  he  put  on  armour 
and  served  in  the  ranks,  he  retained,  as  it  were, 
square-cap  under  helmet,  and  academical  toga  beneath 
back-  and  breast-piece.  His  immortal  Manner  still 
distinguished  him  from  the  every-day  warrior;  and 
his  actual  fighting  was,  as  Chaucer  would  have  put  it, 
"  after  the  scole  of  Oxenford  "  :— 

"  Treasure  of  Armes  and  Artes,  in  whom  were  set 
The  Sword  and  Bookes,  the  Camp  and  College  met, 

His  Valour  was  not  of  the  furious  straine ; 
The  Hand  that  struck,  did  first  consult  the  Braine : — 
Hence  grew  Commerce  between  Advice  and  Might; 
The   Scholler  did  direct,  the  Soldier  fight." 

MARTIN  LLUELLYN,  Student  of  Ch.  Ch., 

Men- Miracles ',  1646 

Nor  did  the  Genius  Loci  depart,  when,  after  the 
triumph  of  the  Rebels,  the  University  was  in  danger 
of  being  reformed  out  of  existence  by  the  Puritans, 
and  it  seemed  to  her  loyal  sons  that  "  Oxford  could 
no  longer  be  found  in  Oxford  City."  Too  quick 
despairers,  these  latter  may  have  been  reassured, 
though  disgusted,  by  the  following  caricature  of  an 
"  Academick  " :— 


372     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

"Think  not  to  daunt  us  with  a  daring  Eye: — 
The  maze  of  Logick,  or  Maturity 
Of  your  taught  Science  and  Intangled  Rules, 
The  Scum  and  Dregs  of  Academick  Pools, 
Boast  not  of  these : — nor  strive  with  censure  nice 
T'  esteem  your  dear-bought  Wisdome  by  the  price. 
Come     now,     my     Spark,     thou     o'     th'     OXONIAN 

RACE, 

And  let  a  Word  of  Reason  interlace 
With  thy  Ambition.     Grammar  is  thy  sphere, 
And  thou  canst  travel  in  no  path  but  there : 
Thou  of  Philosophy  no  more  hast  known, 
Than  what  Tradition  and  the  Books  have  shown ; 
Thou  keep'st  the  track,  and  only  goest  by  course, 
And  I  must  tell  you  that  each  carrier's  horse 
Performs  thy  task,  and  has  as  much  to  be 
Admired  for,  or  admired  at,  as  thee. 
What   say'st    thou    now?       Says    not    th'    Impartial 

Test 

That  Art's  but  feeble,  Nature  is  the  Best. 
Suppose  your  fancy  leads  you  into  Court, 
Perhaps  you're  able  to  speak  Latin  for't, 
And  now  and  then  spew  out  a  word  of  Greek, 
But  for  Invention  you  are  far  to  seek  ; 
You  to  the  Book  must  go,  if  you  would  ken 
The  Customs  and  Moralities  of  Men : — 


Yes,  You  it  is,  'gainst  whom  my  Muse  doth  roar, 
That  have  been  taught  each  Science  and  no  more; 
Yet  of  a  little  make  as  great  a  Show, 
As    IF    YOUR    KNOWLEDGE    HAD    NO    MORE    TO 
KNOW." 

Poems  by  HUGH  CROMPTON,  the  Son  of  Bacchus 
and  the  godson  of  Apollo ',  being  a  Far  die 
of  Fancies,  or  a  Medley  of  Mustek  stewec 
in  four  Ounces  of  the  Oyl  of  Epigrams^ 
London,  1657 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD— CONCLUSION     373 

Nor    has   Fiction    failed   to   supply   the   eighteenth- 
century    University,    which    History    notices    only   to 
condemn  as  "  the  embodiment  of  sloth  and  prejudice," 
with  many  a  reincarnation  of  her   traditional  energy. 
"In   my  youth,"  writes  Steele  of  Merton    College,  " it 
was  a  humour  in  the   University,  when  a  fellow  pre- 
tended  to   be   more   eloquent    than    ordinary,   or   had 
set  himself  to  triumph  over  us  with  an  argument,  or 
to  inform  us  about  some  matter  whether  we  would  or 
no,  I  say  it  was  a  humour  in  such  cases  to  shut  one 
eye,   or   for   each   man    in   the   company  to    offer  the 
orator  a  pinch  of  snuff" ;   but  it  is  clear  that   these 
extraordinary   precautions  were    insufficient    to    check 
such     "voluntary     rhetoricians"     as     "Jack     Lizard," 
"Tom  Welbank,"  and  those  apostles  of  sweetness  and 
light  whose  tragi-comical   adventures   are  recorded  in 
the  Rambler  and  the  Idler.     "  Gelasimus,  Verecundulus, 
and  Gelaleddin,"  Samuel  Johnson  of  Pembroke  College 
in   Oxford  tells  us,  "returned  home,  confirmed  in  the 
doctrine  inculcated  at  the  University,  that  nothing  was 
worthy  of  serious  care  but  the  means  of  gaining  and 
imparting   knowledge;    and   they   entered    the   world, 
prepared    to    show   wisdom    by    their    discourse    and 
moderation   by   their   silence,   to    instruct   the   modest 
with  easy  gentleness,  and  repress  the  ostentatious  by 
seasonable   superciliousness";    in   short,  and   to   quote 
once   more   Chaucer's    line    on   the   original    Clerk   of 
Oxford,  "gladly  would  they  learn  and  gladly  teach." 
It  is  true  that   the   author  of  the    Vanity  of  Human 
Wishes  then   goes   on    to    tell   how   his   three    young 
heroes  were  quickly  brought  to  confusion.     Gelasimus, 
the  mathematician,  found  to  his  dismay  that  "  algebraic 
axioms  had  little  weight  with  ladies,  and  that  approxi- 
mations to  the   quadrature   of  the   circle   but   slightly 
recommended   him    to    elegant    acquaintance";   while 
the  eloquent  demonstrations  of  the  Newtonian  system 
of  philosophy  which  were  made   by  Verecundulus  at 
the    dinner-table,    "not    only    failed    to    add    to    the 


374     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

satisfaction  of  the  company,  but  even  provoked  several 
hints  of  the  awkwardness  of  young  scholars."     So  too, 
when  Gelaleddin  proceeded  "to  practise  all  the  arts  of 
narration    and    disquisition    in    his    family   circle,   his 
kinsmen   heard   his   arguments  without  reflection  and 
his    pleasantries    without    a    smile.     Contrary    to    his 
expectations,  the  learned  did  not  visit  him  for  consulta- 
tion;  and  when  he   endeavoured  to   attract  notice  in 
public    places    by   the    copiousness    of    his    talk,    the 
sprightly  were  silenced   and  went  away  to  censure  in 
another  place  his   arrogance   and    pedantry,  while  the 
dull  listened  patiently  for  a  while,  and  then  wondered 
why   a    man   should    take    pains    to    obtain   so   much 
knowledge  which  would  never  do  him  any  good,"  etc. 
But  though  these  young  enthusiasts  failed,  it  is  clear 
that  their  failure  cannot  be  attributed  to  any  "  sloth  or 
prejudice."     On  the  contrary,  it  was  their  very  spirit 
that    doomed    them ; — the    blind    impetuosity,   or,    as 
Johnson   calls    it,    "the   precipitation  of  inexperience," 
with   which   they   threw   themselves    into    the   conflict 
between  the  ideals  of  Oxford  and  those  of  the  degraded 
England  of  the  second  George.     But  probably  in  no 
case  has   Fiction   joined    a   clearer  issue  with   History 
than  in  that  of  "  Mr.  Walden."     In  the  very  year  when 
Gibbon  found  "all  practice  of  teaching  to  have  been 
given  up  at  Oxford ;  and  that  instead  of  discoursing 
upon  such  amusing  and    instructive  topics  as  literary 
questions,  the  Fellows  of  Magdalen  talked  of  nothing 
but  College  business,  Tory  politics,  personal  anecdotes, 
and     private    scandal,"    in     that    very    year,    Samuel 
Richardson  produced  this  sketch  of  "the  man  of  the 
College."1     There    can    be    little  doubt   which   picture 
is  the  more  true  to  life,  that  of  the  great  novelist,  or 
that    of    the    future    historian.     A   youth    of    sixteen, 
Gibbon,  after  residing  but  a  few  weeks  at  Magdalen, 
thought  himself  capable  of  measuring  the  abilities 
Tutors   and    Professors,  and  able  to  take  a  complete 
1  Sir  Charles  Grandison,  by  Samuel  Richardson,  1753. 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD— CONCLUSION     375 

survey  of  the  discipline  of  a  great  University  which 
consisted  of  five-and-twenty  separate  societies.  His 
argument  limps  with  a  compound  fracture  of  that 
most  elementary  rule  of  logic — "  Syllogizari  non  est  ex 
particulars"  And  while  his  picture,  if  true  at  all,  is 
true  only  of  certain  individuals,  and  relates  only  to  a 
portion  of  time,  to  a  point  in  the  surface  of  the  world 
of  Oxford,  in  Richardson's  work,  all  times,  all  places, 
are  embraced.  The  great  painter  of  nature  never 
swerves  from  the  truth ;  for  the  "  Clerk  of  Oxenford  " 
who  has  been,  is,  and  ever  will  be  the  same,  is  the 
model  he  has  copied.  In  Mr.  Walden's  conversation 
at  Lady  Betty  Williams'  party,  the  didacticism  of  a 
Jack  Lizard  is  combined  with  the  serene  complacency 
of  a  Tom  Welbank  in  the  all-sufficiency  of  Oxford 
wisdom.  Thus,  "  after  dinner,  the  man  of  the  College, 
not  choosing  to  be  eclipsed  by  the  man  of  the  Town, 
put  forth  the  scholar.  'Pray,  Sir  Hargreave,'  said  he 
to  the  frivolous  baronet,  *  May  I  ask  you — You  had  a 
thought  just  now,  speaking  of  love  and  beauty,  which 
I  know  you  must  have  found  in  Tibullus,'  (and  then 
he  repeated  the  line  in  an  '  heroic '  accent)  : — '  which 
University  had  the  honour  of  finishing  your  studies, 
Sir  Hargrave?  I  presume  you  were  brought  up  at 
one  of  them.' 

" '  Not  I,'  said  the  baronet :  '  a  man,  surely,  may 
read  Tibullus  and  Virgil  too,  without  being  indebted 
to  either  University  for  his  learning.' 

" '  No  man,  Sir  Hargrave,'  replied  Mr.  Walden,  '  in 
my  humble  opinion }  (and  with  a  decisive  air  he  spoke 
the  word  'humble'),  'can  be  well  grounded  in  any 
branch  of  learning,  who  has  not  been  at  one  of  our 
famous  Universities.' 

Then,  a  little  later,  he  remarks  to  Miss  Harriet 
Byron :  '"I  asked  you,  Madam,  whether  you  knew 
anything  of  the  learned  languages.  It  has  been 
whispered  to  me  that  you  have  had  great  advantages 
from  a  grandfather,  of  whose  learning  and  politeness 


376     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

we  have  heard  much.  He  was  a  scholar.  He  was  of 
Christ-Church  in  our  University,  if  I  am  not  mistaken. 
To  my  question  you  answered  that  you  knew  not 
particularly  which  were  the  learned  ones :  and  you 
were  pleased  to  throw  out  hints  in  relation  to  a  lesser 
and  greater  University:  by  all  of  which  you  mean 
something/ 

"  *  Pray,  Mr.  Walden,'  began  Miss  Byron — 
" '  And  pray,  Miss  Byron,'  answered  he, — 1 1  am  afraid 
of  all  smatterers  in  learning.     Those  who  know  a  little 
— and  ladies  cannot  know  to  the  bottom — they  have 
not  had  the  happiness  of  a  University  education,'  etc. 

Strangely  enough,  he  then  proceeded  to  compel  this 
London  dinner-party  to  discuss  one  of  those  "  literary 
questions,"  which,  according  to  Gibbon,  were  so  lament- 
ably neglected  at  Oxford.  " '  A  colloquy  upon  the 
topic  of  the  learned  languages,'  said  he,  in  reproof  of 
the  frivolous  chatter  of  Sir  Hargrave  Pollexfen,  'may 
tend  as  much  to  edification,  as  most  of  the  subjects 
with  which  we  have  been  hitherto  entertained.' "  Nor, 
when  the  lofty  argument  was  concluded,  did  the  man 
of  the  College  suffer  the  conversation  to  sink  to  its 
former  low  level.  When  the  company  spoke  of  love, 
he  quoted  Tibullus  in  an  heroic  accent ;  when  of  plays, 
"he  forced  in,  with  a  preference  to  Shakespeare,  his 
Sophocles,  his  Euripides,  his  Terence;  of  the  merits 
of  whose  performances,  indeed,  no  one  present  but 
himself  could  judge,  except  by  translations.  Nor 
would  he  be  excluded  from  the  subject  of  the  reigning 
fashions,  and  decency  and  propriety  of  dress;  but 
suggested  the  adoption  of  his  Spartan  jacket  descending 
only  to  the  knees  of  the  women,  in  place  of  hoops ; 
and  the  wearing  of  the  Roman  toga  for  the  men.  At 
this  point,  however,  Miss  Barnevelt  broke  in  upon  the 
scholar ;  but  by  way  of  approbation  of  what  he  said ; 
and  went  on  with  subjects  of  heroism,  without  per- 
mitting him  to  rally  and  proceed,  as  he  seemed 
inclined  to  do." 


CLERKS  OF  OXFORD— CONCLUSION      377 

"  After  praising  what  he  had  said  of  the  Spartan  and 
Roman  dresses,  she  fell  to  enumerating  her  heroes 
both  ancient  and  modern.  Achilles,  the  savage 
Achilles,  charmed  her.  Hector,  however,  was  a  good 
clever  man.  Alexander  the  Great  was  her  dear 
creature,  and  Julius  Caesar  was  a  very  pretty  fellow," 
etc. 

Many  another  case  might  be  quoted  from  the 
records  of  Fiction  to  prove,  that,  even  at  times  when 
the  University's  message  to  the  world  has  been  but  a 
narrow  one,  her  messengers  have  been  none  the  less 
as  alert,  confident,  and  insistent  as  ever.  And  when 
the  year  1851  is  reached,  the  date  which  has  been  set 
as  a  limit  to  this  story,  and  unstinted  abuse  is  once 
more  being  poured  upon  Oxford  and  all  her  works, 
the  Clerk  is  found  to  be  displaying  the  same  strength 
and  steadfastness  of  faith  in  himself  and  his  University, 
as  have  rendered  him  a  Man  of  Mark  from  the  begin- 
ning. "  He  is  not  as  other  men  are,"  writes  Mr. 
J.  R.  Greene  of  him,  as  he  appeared  at  the  time;  "he 
has  a  deep  quiet  contempt  for  other  men.  Oxford  is 
his  home,  and  beyond  Oxford  lie  only  waste  regions 
of shallowness  and  inaccuracy":  "he  directs  his  mind, 
before  it  has  been  sufficiently  disciplined  by  less  lofty 
and  dangerous  studies,  to  the  investigation  of  the 
most  exalted  and  sacred  subjects,"  declares  another 
critic,  echoing,  though  in  politer  language,  the  censure 
of  Archbishop  Arundel,  quoted  above ;  "  he  is  as  one 
who  endeavours  to  build  a  house,  either  with  no  scaffold- 
ing at  all,  or  at  least  with  one  of  the  slightest 
description."1  And  his  immortal  "manner"  still 
strikes  all  beholders ;  nay,  he  is  even  himself  at  times 
appalled  by  the  sense  of  his  personal  distinctness : — 
"  Perhaps/'  said  the  Stranger,  in  Newman's  Loss  and 
Gain  (1848),  "I  can  read  you,  Sir,  better  than  you 

1  The  opinion  of  an  eminent  "critic,  educated  at  Rugby,  and  destined 
to  be  a  professor  at  Oxford,"  delivered  in  1843 — quoted  in  Christopher 
Wordsworth's  Scholae  Academicae. 


378     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

can  me.  You  are  an  Oxford  Man  by  your  appearance." 
Charles  assented :  "  How  came  you,"  he  asked,  "  to 
suppose  I  was  of  Oxford  ? "  "  Not  entirely  by  your 
looks  and  manner,"  replied  the  Stranger,  "  for  I  saw 
you  jump  from  the  omnibus  at  Steventon ;  but  with 
that  assistance  it  was  impossible  to  mistake."  "  I 
have  heard  others  say  the  same,"  said  Charles;  "yet 
I  can't  myself  make  out  how  an  Oxford  man  should 
be  known  from  another.  It  is  a  fearful  thing,"  he 
added  with  a  sigh,  "that  we,  as  it  were,  exhale  our- 
selves every  breath  we  draw." 

Renewing  his  youth  in  fresh  activities  from  age  to 
age,  the  Clerk  embodies  in  visible  form  the  unbroken 
continuity  of  the  intellectual  life  of  Oxford.  "  In  him 
the  University  possesses  the  last  bond  which  links  her 
generations  together,  the  last  memorial  of  a  tradition 
of  discipline.  He  has  formed,  and  still  forms,  the  back- 
ground of  all  the  variety  and  movement  of  academical 
life."  For  Oxford  is  in  truth  a  place  of  brief-lived 
generations.  But  four  short  years,  and  those  who  are 
now  but  new-come  within  her  walls,  will  have  com- 
pleted their  sojourn.  Another  busy  tribe  of  flesh  and 
blood  will  be  knocking  at  the  gate;  and  these 
momentary  men,  their  sayings  and  doings,  their 
manners  and  fashions,  will  pass  away,  even  as  the 
memory  of  a  guest  who  tarried  but  a  day.  The  Clerk 
alone  abides ;  his  Gests  and  Diets  alter  not : — Oxoniae 
hodie  est  una  multitudo;  eras  erit  alia:  Ille  vero  non 
mutatur;  semper  idem  est;  SOLUS  MOBILITATE 

STABILIS. 


INDEX 


Academia,  or  the  Humours  of  Ox- 
ford, by  Alicia  D'Anvers,  quoted 
as  "An  Oxford  Guide,  1691," 
228-41 

Academiae  Oxon.  Pietas  erga  Jaco- 

bum  Regem  (1603)  quoted,  87-90 

Acrostic  lines,  on  the  visit  of  the 

Earl  of  Leicester  to  Oxford,  76  ; 

on  the  visit  of  Queen  Elizabeth  to 

Oxford,  77  ;  on  Miss  Betty  Tracy 

being  elected  Lady  Patroness  of 

the  High  Borlace  Club,  263  note 

Act,    the   University,    described   in 

verse,    226  ;    humorous    ' '  quaes- 

tiones"   and    "theses"    at,    244 

note  ;  recitations  at,  by  * '  young 

unfledged     Lords     and      callow 

Nobles,"  252  note 

Aldermen,    Oxford,    see    "  Oxford 

Aldermen  " 

Aldrich,  Henry,  his  catch  "Oh  the 
bonny    Christ   Church    Bells!", 
with  renderings  of  the  same  in 
Greek  and  Latin,  132 
Allibond,   John,    his    "  Dulcissimis 
Capitibus    invitatio,"   etc.,    147; 
his  Rustica  Acad.    Oxon.   nuper 
reformatae  Descriptio,  195 
All  Souls'   College,  legend  of  the 

Mallard  of,  explained,  61 
Amherst,  Nicholas,  on  Oxford  Dons, 
120;  his  lines  on  the  leaden 
statues  of  the  Muses  set  up  on 
the  Clarendon  Buildings,  276  ;  on 
William  Delaune,  President  of  St. 
John  Baptist  College,  in  "The 
Bottle-screw,"  281  note  ;  on  Ber- 
nard Gardiner,  Warden  of  All 
Souls',  in  the  Oculus  Britanniae, 
283  note;  on  Oxford  "Toasts" 
in  Strephon's  Revenge,  292 
Anagrams,  on  the  death  of  Queen 
Elizabeth,  86 ;  on  the  accession 
of  James  I,  88 


"  Angelus  ad  Virginem,"  the  Hymn 
of  Chaucer's  Oxford  Clerk,  in 
Latin  and  English,  25 

"  Anima  Elisabethae  pinnata,  de  se 
et  republica  et  ecclesia  bene  gestis," 
being  lines  in  the  shape  of  wings 
written  on  Queen  Elizabeth's 
death,  87 

Anne,  Edward,  his  Latin  Verses 
against  the  Mass,  for  which  he 
was  flogged  in  Corpus  Christi  Col- 
lege hall,  receiving  a  lash  for 
every  line,  74 

Antiquarians,  Oxford,  Carmen 
Quadresimale  on  the  disputes  of, 
289 

Apollinis  et  Musarum  Eidyllia  in 
Reg.  Elisabethae  adventum  (1592) 
quoted,  85 

Arundel,  Thomas,  Archbishop  of 
Canterbury,  his  description  of  the 
Clerk  of  Oxford,  364 

Aubry,  M.,  his  Latin  poem,  Oxonii 
Dux  Poeticus,  quoted  on  the 
stone  heads  in  front  of  the 
Sheldonian  Theatre  yard,  235 

Awdelay,  John,  lines  on  abuse  of 
Church  patronage  in  fifteenth 
century,  45 

Babbler,  The,  story  from,  of  Tom 
Welbank,  the  young  Oxford 
Daniel  who  was  thrown  to  the 
London  Lions,  269 

Bacon,  Roger,  his  Brazen-head  a 
failure  when  compared  with  that 
of  Grosseteste,  8  note ;  description 
from  Robert  Greene's  play, 
"The  Honorable  Historic  of 
frier  Bacon,"  of  his  defeat  of  the 
German  scholar  Vandermast, 
27-32 

Baker,  Thomas,  his  play,  An  Act  at 
Oxford,  254  note 


379 


38o     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 


Barclay,  Alexander,  descriptions 
quoted  from  his  Ship  of  Fools  of 
the  Scholar-fool  of  the  day,  47, 
and  of  the  "rude  man  of  the 
country,"  53 

Bastard,  Thomas,  epigrams  quoted 
from  his  Chrestohros  on  the  burn- 
ing of  Cranmer,  74,  and  on  the 
Scholar  on  horseback,  117  note 

Bathurst,  Ralph,  President  of 
Trinity  College,  on  Oxford 
Tradesmen,  260  note 

Bedmaker,  Carmen  Qtiadresimale 
on  a,  287 

Bees  of  Corpus  Christi  College, 
settle  beneath  the  leads  under  the 
study  of  Vives  ;  on  the  murder  of 
King  Charles  they  decline  and 
die,  250 

Beesly,  John,  his  lines  on  the  panics 
and  hardships  of  the  Oxford 
Garrison  during  the  Rebellion, 
quoted  from  Musarum  Ox  on. 
Epibateria,  170 

Benlowes,  Edward,  lines  quoted 
from  his  Oxonii  Encomium  on 
the  Bodleian  Library,  126  note, 
and  on  Oxford,  242 

"Black  Assize,  The,"  at  Oxford, 
poem  by  a  Student  of  Cambridge 
on,  79-84 

"Black  Gowns  and  Red  Coats,"  by 
George  Cox,  lines  quoted  from, 
attacking  the  educational  system 
of  Oxford,  335,  and  advocating 
the  admission  of  Dissenters  to  the 
University,  339 

Blucher,  Prince,  Latin  lines  on  his 
being  created  D.C.L.  in  1814, 
322 

Bodenham,  John,  lines  on  Oxford 
quoted  from  his  Belvidere  or  the 
Garden  of  the  M^lses,  122 

Bodleian  Library,  the,  Cowley's 
Pindaric  Ode  on,  124-27 ;  Ed- 
ward Benlowes'  lines  on,  126 
note  ;  King  James'  remark  on  the 
chained  books  in,  126  note ; 
description  of,  in  Alicia  D'Anvers' 
Academia,  232-34 

Bold,  Henry,  his  Latin  rendering  of 
"Oh  the  bonny  Christ  Church 
Bells  ! "  from  Latine  Songs  with 
their  English,  132 ;  and  his 
"Song  at  the  Surrender  of  Ox- 
ford "  from  Poems  lyrique,  maca- 
ronique,  heroique^  189 


Brathwaite,  Richard,  quotations 
from  his  Comment  upon  two 
Tales  of  our  Ancient  Poet,  Sir 
Jeffray  Chaucer,  1 6-2 1  ;  verses 
on  Oxford  from  his  Barnabae 
Itinerarium,  123 

Brazen-heads,  Oxford  in  Middle 
Ages  great  centre  for  fabrication 
of,  8  note 

British  Magazine  on  the  initiation 
or  ' '  salting "  of  Freshmen  at 
Cambridge  in  1567,  229  note 

Browne,  Sir  William,  his  "  Cam- 
bridge Reply"  to  the  "Oxford 
Epigram "  by  Joseph  Trapp 
(I7I5)>  3°3  >  a  Latin  rendering 
of  the  Reply,  303  note 

Bruno,  Giordano,  quoted  on  Ox- 
ford Dons,  100-2 ;  his  dis- 
putation with  two  of  them  at 
Fulke  Greville's  house,  101  ;  his 
letter  to  the  University  of  Oxford, 
his  lectures  there,  and  the  treat- 
ment he  met  with,  102  note 

"  Buckland,  Professor,  Specimen  of  a 
Geological  Lecture  by,"  a  poem 
by  Philip  Shuttleworth,  Warden 
of  New  College,  332-35 

Bulteel,  Henry,  his  poem,  "The 
Oxford  Argo,"  on  the  Oxford 
Movement,  351-56 

Burton,  Robert,  his  Anatomy  of 
Melancholy  quoted  on  the  social 
and  religious  convulsions  of  his 
day,  93  ;  and  on  the  ridicule  of 
Scholars  by  Gallants,  117  note ; 
his  comedy  ' '  Philosophaster " 
quoted  on  the  "Young  Gentle- 
man at  a  University,"  107,  on 
the  Scholar-Mountebank  of  the 
day,  no,  and  on  Oxford  Towns- 
men, 259 

Bury,  Richard  of,  his  sketch  of  an 
Oxford  Clerk  with  his  books 
quoted,  9  ;  his  Philobiblon  quoted, 
7,  8,  9,  10,  14 

"Butler,  An  old  College," character- 
sketch  by  John  Earle,  99 

Calfhill,  James,  his  Encomiastica 
Carmina  de  Catharina  P.  Mar- 
ty ris  uxore  quoted  on  the  burial 
of  Catherine  Martyr  in  a  coffin  with 
the  Relics  of  St.  Frideswyde,  76 

Cambridge,  Student  of,  his  poem 
on  the  "Black  Assize"  at  Ox- 
ford, 79-84 


INDEX 


Cambridge,  University  of,  in  four- 
teenth century  more  famous  for 
eels  than  for  education,  13  ; 
mustarding,  salting,  and  grubbing 
Freshmen  at,  229  note ;  politics 
of,  described  in  Warton's  "Tri- 
umph of  Isis,"  307  ;  effect  of  its 
system  of  education  on  the  mind 
compared  with  that  of  Oxford, 

363 

Carfax  Church,  Carmen  Qiiad- 
resimale  on  the  clock  of,  237  note 

Carmina  Quadresimalia,  on  the 
topiary  works  in  the  Physic  Gar- 
den, 231  note  ;  on  Carfax  Church 
clock,  237  note  ;  on  the  River 
and  Godstow  Nunnery,  274 ;  on 
Shotover,  275  ;  on  the  Fellow  of 
a  College,  285  ;  on  the  Lounger, 
Bedmaker,  and  Tennis  -  Player, 
286-87  5  °n  the  Freshman  and  the 
Antiquarian,  288 

Carol  sung  before  Charles  I  in 
Christ  Church  on  Christmas  Day, 
1645,  183 

Caroline,  Queen,  Verses  on  the 
expected  arrival  of,  in  England 
(1761),  from  the  Oxford  Sausage, 
3i8 

Carrier,  the  University,  character- 
sketch  of,  by  John  Earle,  99 

Caxton,  William,  story  of  the  "  two 
prestes  of  Oxenford"  in  the 
Epilogue  to  his  ALsop,  50 ; 
story  of  successful  business-men 
and  their  books  from  his  Mirror 
of  the  World,  53 

Charles  I,  "  Epulae  Oxonienses," 
a  poem  on  the  entertainment  of, 
by  Archbishop  Laud  at  Oxford, 
150 ;  greeted  as  a  defender  of 
learning  by  R.  West,  Student  of 
Christ  Church,  155  ;  receives 
John  Taylor,  the  Water-poet,  in 
Christ  Church  garden,  166  ;  carol 
sung  before,  in  Christ  Church, 
183  ;  chronogram  on  his  flight 
from  Oxford  in  disguise  (1646), 
185  ;  lines  upon  his  picture  in  St. 
John  Baptist  College  Library, 
206 

Chaucer,  Geoffrey,  sketches  of  Ox- 
ford Clerks  by,  2,  3,  4 ;  comments 
on,  1-25 

Christ  Church,  foundation  of,  as 
described  in  Grisilde  the  Seconde, 
a  poem  by  William  Forrest, 


Chaplain  to  Mary  I,  64-67  ;  lines 
from  Rede  me  and  be  not  ivrothe 
on  buildings  of,  66  note ;  "  The 
Bonny  Christ  Church  Bells  "  with 
Greek  and  Latin  renderings, 
132-33  ;  poems  on  "  Tom  "  being 
cast,  133-38  ;  poem  on  the  Win- 
dows of  the  Cathedral  (1642), 
157  ;  carol  sung  before  Charles  I 
in,  183  ;  a  visit  to,  described  in 
the  poem,  Academia,  or  the 
Humours  of  Oxford,  238 ;  Car- 
men Quadresimale  on  ' '  Mer- 
cury," 277 

"Christmas  Prince,"  the,  a  director 
of  Christmas  revels  at  various  Ox- 
ford Colleges,  248  note 

Chronograms,  on  death  of  Queen 
Elizabeth,  86 ;  on  accession  of 
James  I,  88 ;  on  outbreak  of 
Rebellion,  157  ;  on  flight  of 
Charles  I  from  Oxford,  185  ;  on 
the  surrender  of  Oxford,  1 86 

Clarendon,  Lord,  his  Dialogue  on 
Education,  quoted  on  the  erection 
at  Oxford  of  Schools,  and  endow- 
ment of  Professorships,  for  Danc- 
ing, Riding,  and  Fencing,  263 

Clarendon  Buildings,  Carmen  Quad- 
resimale and  lines  by  Nicholas 
Amherst  on  the  leaden  statues  of 
the  Muses  upon  the,  276 

Classical  Monopoly,  Relaxation  of 
the,  at  Oxford,  poem  on  the,  332 

Clubs,  various  kinds  of,  at  Oxford 
about  the  year  1700,  "Witty," 
"Nonsense,"  "Punning,"  etc., 
261 

Coffee-houses  at  Oxford  and  liquors 
served  in,  about  the  year  1700, 
described,  264 

Cogan,  Thomas,  his  Haven  of 
Health  quoted  on  the  "Black 
Assize  "  at  Oxford,  78 

Colet,  John,  pioneer  of  Humanism 
at  Oxford,  46 ;  possible  con- 
nection with  "Oxford  Marma- 
lade," 370  note 

Collection  of  Whig  Songs  on  Ox- 
ford Jacobites  (1716),  301-7 

Colledge,  Stephen,  the  "Protestant 
Joiner,"  lines  on  his  "Protestant 
Flail,"  etc.,  216  note 

Colleges,  foundation  of,  illustrated 
by  Petrucci's  Italian  poem  on 
New  College,  and  Heylin's  verses 
on  Magdalen  College  in  his 


382      THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 


Memorial  of  Waynflete,  37-44 ; 
effect  of  College-building  on  sys- 
tem of  residence  at  Oxford  and 
on  the  Clerk  of  Oxford,  60-63  ; 
migration  of,  in  cases  of  pestilence 
in  Oxford,  to  neighbouring  vil- 
lages, 55  note 

Compleat  Mendicant,  The  (1699), 
on  "seasoning  Freshmen  at  a 
stone  on  Headington  Hill,"  230 
note 

Cooper,  Anthony,  his  Stratologia, 
or  the  History  of  the  Civil  War 
in  Verse  (1662)  quoted,  176,  186 

Copland,  Robert,  his  Hye  Way  to 
the  Spyttell  House  quoted  on 
Scholar-beggars,  54  note 

Corbet,  Richard,  his  Time's  Whistle 
quoted  on  bribery  and  corruption 
at  Oxford  (1614),  95  ;  poems  by, 
on  the  casting  of  "Tom"  of 
Christ  Church,  133-38 ;  his 
"  Faeryes'  Farewell  "  quoted,  250 
note 

Corpus  Christi  College,  story  of  the 
Bees  of,  250 

Countesse  of  Lincolne's  Nurserie, 
The,  a  treatise  on  the  nurture  of 
infants,  publication  of,  by  the  Ox- 
ford University  Press  (1622), 
follows  closely  upon  the  admission 
of  the  wives  of  Heads  of  Houses 
within  the  precincts  of  Colleges, 

253 

Cowley,  Abraham,  his  Pindaric  Ode 
on  the  Bodleian  Library,  124-27 

Cox,  George,  his  "Black  Gowns 
and  Red  Coats,  or  Oxford  in 
1834,"  quoted  on  fanatical  attacks 
then  made  upon  the  University, 
and  on  the  claims  of  Dissenters 
to  admission  therein,  335-42 

Cox,  Richard,  Dean  of  Christ 
Church,  iniquities  of,  described  in 
the  poem  of  William  Forrest, 
Chaplain  to  Queen  Mary  I,  71-73 

Cranmer,  Thomas,  lines  by  Thomas 
Bastard  on  martyrdom  of,  74 

"Creeple  Souldiers  marching  in 
Oxford,"  poem  on  the  (1645), 
181 

Crompton,  Hugh,  his  lines  on  the 
Clerk  of  Oxford,  372 

Dancing  "  after  the  scole  of  Oxen- 
ford,"  described  by  Chaucer,  6 
note ;  views  of  St.  Richard  of 


Wych  upon,  in  his  undergraduate 
days,  6  note ;  proposal  of  Lord 
Clarendon  to  establish  at  Oxford 
Schools  and  Professorships  of,  263 

D'Anvers,  Alicia,  her  poem  Aca- 
demia  quoted  as  "An  Oxford 
Guide,  1691,"  228-41 

Davies,  John,  of  Hereford,  his 
Microcosmos  quoted  on  Oxford 
enthusiasm  at  James  I's  accession, 
90,  and  in  praise  of  Oxford,  122  ; 
his  Scourge  of  Folly  on  Oxford 
and  Cambridge  Schools,  91 

Devil's  Almanac,  prophecy  with 
regard  to  Heads  of  Houses  in 
1745  from,  120 

Dons,  Oxford,  development  of,  100; 
Polydore  Vergil  on,  100  ;  William 
Harrison  on,  100 ;  Giordano 
Bruno  on,  100-2;  Sir  Thomas 
Overbury  on,  103-5  >  Nicholas 
Amherst  on,  120;  Mark  Pattison 
on,  121  ;  completion  of  evolution 
of  modern,  254 ;  Carmen  Quad- 
resimale  on,  285 ;  evening  song 
of,  285  ;  morning  vow  of,  286 

Dress,  academical,  in  1691,  241 ; 
etiquette  with  regard  to,  241 
note ;  verse  from  Mottoes  for 
Crackers  on  (1850),  361 

Dudley,  Robert,  Earl  of  Leicester, 
acrostic  lines  on  his  visit  to  Ox- 
ford, 76 

Dun,  Oxford,  character-sketch  of, 
by  John  Earle,  99  ;  lines  on,  from 
John  Philips'  Splendid  Shilling, 
289-92 

Duport,  James,  lines  from  his 
Musae  subsecivae  on  the  Shel- 
donian  Theatre  and  the  Printing 
Office  beneath  it,  228  note 

Duppa,  Brian,  his  "  Prayer  for  the 
Preservation  of  the  University 
and  City"  (1644),  174 

Earle,  John,  character-sketches  from 
his   Microcosmographie  (1628)  of 
an  Oxford  "  Dun  "  and  an  Oxford 
"Carrier,"  99  ;  of  an  old  "  Col- 
lege   Butler,"    100 ;    a   "Young 
Gentleman    at    an     University,' 
1 06  ;  a  "  Plodding  Student  "  and 
a  "Bold   Forward  Man,"   no 
a  "  Pretender  to  Learning,"  in 
a    "Down-right   Scholar,"   116 
his  poem  "  Hortus  Mertonensis,' 
127-31 


INDEX 


383 


Echo,  the  Magdalen  College,  effect 
on,  of  New  College  quadrangle 
being  raised  a  storey,  250 

Edmund,  St.,  the  Confessor,  as  an 
undergraduate  weds  the  image  of 
Our  Lady  with  a  ring,  5 ;  interest- 
ing miracle  in  All  Saints'  Church- 
yard by,  9 

Edward,  the  Black  Prince,  educated 
at  Queen's  College  ;  Crecy  won 
in  the  playing  fields  of  Oxford,  5 
note 

Edward  vi,  Royal  Commission  of, 
at  Oxford,  71-73 

Elizabeth,  Queen,  Oxford  Verses  on 
her  visits  of  1566  and  1592,  77, 
85  ;  on  her  death,  86-87  ;  story  of 
the  gallant  Mayor  of  Oxford  and, 
245  ;  story  of  the  broad  repartee 
of  a  poor  Scholar  to,  247  ;  her 
sound  views  on  the  admission 
within  the  precincts  of  the  wives 
of  Heads  of  Colleges,  253 

Elyot,  Sir  Thomas,  praises  "  Oxford 
Marmalade"  in  his  Castel of  Helthe 
(1541),  370  note. 

Encomiastica  Carmina  de  Catha- 
rina,  P.  Marty ris  uxore  (1561) 
quoted,  76 

English  Scholars  at  Paris  (1180), 
lines  on,  from  Nigel's  Speculum 
Stultorum,  and  English  rendering 
of  the  same  by  Thomas  Wright, 
n  note. 

"  Epulae  Oxonienses,"  Edmund 
Gayton's  poem  describing  enter- 
tainment at  Oxford  of  Charles  I 
by  Archbishop  Laud,  150-53 

Etiquette,  Oxford,  as  to  academical 
dress,  241  note  ;  growth  of  a  Code 
of  Manners  in  eighteenth  century, 
255  ;  as  to  speaking  to  another 
before  he  has  been  introduced  to 
one,  255  note  ;  ias  to  cutting  a 
former  acquaintance,  256  note 

Eucharistica  Oxon.  in  Caroli  regis 
e  Scotia  Reditum  (1641)  quoted, 

155 

Europa,  visit  to,  and  naming  of, 
Oxford  by,  14  note 

Examen  Poeticum  Duplex  (1698) 
on  topiary  works  in  the  Oxford 
Physic  Garden,  231  note 

Examination,  introduction  in  1800 
of  new  system  of,  and  conse- 
quences thereof;  poems  on, 
328-32 


Exeter  College,  initiation  of  Fresh- 
man in  1637  at,  229  note; 
"Oxford  Marmalade"  in  1549 
at,  370  note 

Fairfax,  General,  besieges  Oxford  ; 
his  hat  blown  off  by  a  cannon- 
ball,  176 ;  his  threats  against 
Oxford,  179  ;  his  magnanimity  at 
surrender  of  the  City,  and  his  pro- 
tection of  the  Bodleian  Library, 
1 88 

Fairies,  desertion  of  Oxford  by,  on 
approach  of  the  Puritan,  250 

Farquhar,  George,  his  play  Sir 
Harry  Wildair  quoted  on  the 
Oxonian  in  Town  (1701),  267 

Fletcher,  John,  his  Elder  Brother 
quoted  on  the  "  meere  Scholar," 
116  note 

Forrest,  William,  Chaplain  to  Mary 
I,  his  poem  Grisilde  the  Seconds 
quoted  on  the  erection  of  Christ 
Church,  64-67 ;  on  the  Great 
Divorce,  67-71  ;  on  Edward  vi's 
Royal  Commission  of  1549,  71-73 

Freshman,  student  -  initiation  or 
"  salting  "  of,  229  note 

Frideswyde,  St.,  her  visit  to,  and 
naming  of  Oxford,  15  note. 
James  Calfhill's  lines  on  the  burial 
of  her  Relics  in  a  coffin  with  the 
body  of  Catharine  Martyr,  76 

Gascoigne,  Thomas,  his  tale  of 
abuse  of  Church  patronage  in  the 
fifteenth  century,  50. 

Gayton,  Edmund,  his  poem  "Epulae 
Oxonienses,"  150-53  ;  stories  of 
Oxford  life  from  his  Pleasant  Notes 
upon  Don  Quixote,  247-49 

Godstow  Nunnery,  Carmen  Quad- 
resimale  on,  274 

Grammar  School,  lines  on  the 
Burning  of  a,  at  Oxford, 

143-44 

Green,  John  Richard,  his  sketch  of 
the  Clerk  of  Oxford,  377 

Greene,  Robert,  scenes  from  his 
"Honorable  Historic  of  frier 
Bacon"  describing  the  defeat  by 
Bacon  of  the  German  scholar 
Vandermast,  27-32 

Grobiana's  Nuptials  (1636),  a  play 
by  Charles  May  of  St.  John 
Baptist  College,  quoted  on  a  Club 
of  Oxford  Pedants,  114 


384     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 

Grosseteste,  Robert,  original  in- 
ventor of  philosophizing  Heads  of 
Brass  ;  his  masterpiece  endowed 
with  the  genuine  "  Oxford 
Manner,"  8  note ;  his  maxim  on 
the  necessaries  of  life,  "  soninus, 
cibus,  et  jocus,"  243 


Hampden  Controversy,  skit  on  the, 

343-51 
Haughton,    William,  sketch  of  the 

"poor    scholar"    Laureo   in   his 

play,      Patient     Grissil     (1613), 

98 
Heads  of   Houses,    lines   on,  from 

Lusus   IVestmonasterienses,   278  ; 

a   Meeting   of,    described   in  the 

skit     "The     Norwegian    Owl," 

279-85 

Heany,  James,  his  Oxford,  the  Seat 
of  the  Muses  (1738)  quoted  on 
New  College  Garden,  238  note 

Heath,  Robert,  his  ' '  Song  in  the 
Siege  of  Oxford,"  184 

Henrietta  Maria,  Queen,  poems 
from  Musarum  Oxon.  Epibateria 
on  her  arrival  in  Oxford  (1643), 
169-72 

Henry  ill,  visit  of,  to  Oxford,  de- 
scribed in  Robert  Greene's  play 
"  Honorable  Historic  of  frier 
Bacon,"  27-32 

Henry  v,  an  alumnus  of  Queen's 
College,  4 ;  lines  by  Tickell  on 
the  rebuilding  his  lodgings  there, 
5  note 

Henry  vin,  the  Divorce  of,  and 
Oxford  University,  William  For- 
rest's poem  on,  68-71 

Hertford  College,  Admonition  by 
Principal  of,  that  Members  must 
leave  Oxford  during  the  Long 
Vacation,  and  burlesque  of,  258 
note 

Heylin,  Peter,  verses  on  the  founda- 
tion of  Magdalen  College  from 
his  "  Memorial  of  Bishop  Wayn- 
flete,"  39-44 

Hoccleve,  his  De  Regimine  Prin- 
cipum  quoted  on  abuse  of  Church 
patronage  in  the  fifteenth  century, 
50  note 

Hole,  Samuel  R.,  Song  on  Oxford 
Examinations  from  his  Hints  to 
Freshmen,  331 

Holland,  Hugh,  his  Cypress  Gar- 
land(  1625)  quoted  on  James  I,  109 


Holyday,  Barten,  his  Marriages  of 
the  Arts  quoted  on  the  fantastic 
carriage  of  Scholars  (1617),  113  ; 
a  Scholar's  Love-song  by,  145 

How,  the  inspired  Cobbler,  and  his 
Sermon  on  the  Sufficiency  of  the 
Spirit  without  Humane  Learning, 
epigrams  on,  155  note 

Howell,  James,  poem  by,  describing 
the  designs  of  the  Little  Parlia- 
ment (1651)  against  Oxford,  202 

Hymn  of  Chaucer's  Oxford  Clerk, 
ic  Angelus  ad  Virginem,"  with  an 
English  rendering,  25 

Insignia  Civicas ;  the  Regiment  of 
grutching  Anti- Royalists  (1643) 
quoted  on  the  inspired  Cobbler 
How,  155  note 

Inscription  in  "high  style"  upon  a 
watchmaker's  signboard  at  Oxford 
(1756),  1 19  note 

"Isis,  an  Elegy,"  by  William 
Mason,  quoted  on  Oxford  Jaco- 
bites, 306 

"Jack,"  Scogin's  scholar-servant, 
* '  how  he  made  his  master  pay  a 
penny  for  the  herring  bones,"  55 

Jacobitism  at  Oxford,  poems  on  the 
prevalence  of  (1715-1760),  301-9  ; 
decline  of,  poems  evidencing, 
315-26 

James  I,  chronogram,  anagram,  and 
poem  describing  the  proclamation 
of,  at  Oxford,  88-90 ;  puns  of, 
on  the  Oxford  and  Cambridge 
Orators'  names,  245 

Jane,  Dr.,  Epigram  "  In  Janum 
bifrontem  "  reproving  his  treach- 
ery towards  James  n,  221 

Jankin,  "joly,"  one  of  Chaucer's 
Oxford  Clerks,  and  fifth  husband 
of  the  Wife  of  Bath,  18 ;  his 
resourcefulness  in  dealing  with 
the  problems  of  married  life, 

1 8-2 1 

Jesus  College,  lines  on  the  founda- 
tion of,  97  note 

John  Baptist,  St. ,  College,  lines  on 
the  presentation  by  a  lady  of  the 
Ten  Commandments  cut  out  in 
Paper-work  to,  141  ;  "  Epulae 
Oxonienses,"  a  poem  on  the  enter- 
tainment of  Charles  I  by  Arch- 
bishop Laud  at,  1 50 ;  lines 
describing  the  removal  of  Laud's 


INDEX 


385 


body  from  Allhallows,  Barking, 
to,  205  ;  poem  on  the  portrait  of 
King  Charles  I  in  the  College  Lib- 
rary, 206;  "Christmas  Prince" 
at,  248  note 

Johnson,  Samuel,  his  Vanity  of 
Human  Wishes  quoted,  300 ; 
stories  of,  in  connection  with 
Oxford  Orthodoxy,  309 ;  his 
sketches  of  the  Clerk  of  Oxford, 

373 

Jowett,  Benjamin,  his  conjecture 
"that  the  people  of  the  Middle 
Ages  were  very  like  ourselves, 
only  dirtier,"  examined,  1 1 

Kent,  Duchess  of,  Robert  Lowe's 
macaronic  lines  on  her  visit  to 
Oxford  (1832),  323-26 

Kettell,  Ralph,  classifies  "idle 
young  boys"  at  Oxford  as 
"  Tarrarags  "  and  "  Rascal -Jacks, 
Blind-Cinques,  Scobber-lotchers, " 

'05 

King,  Dr.  William,  leader  of  the 
Oxford  Jacobites,  his  Speech  in 
the  Theatre  (1749)  quoted,  309 
note 

"Lady,  that  presented  the  Ten 
Commandments  cut  out  in  Paper- 
work to  St.  John  Baptist  College, 
To  the,"  verses,  141 

Laud,  William,  Archbishop  of 
Canterbury,  poem,  "  Epulae 
Oxonienses,"  describing  his  enter- 
tainment of  Charles  I  at  Oxford, 
1 50 ;  lines  on  the  removal  of  his 
body  from  Barking  to  St.  John 
Baptist  College,  205  ;  reply  of  a 
drunken  Fellow  to,  when  Proctor, 
245  ;  his  co-Proctor  styled  "  Proc- 
tor cum  parva  Laude,"  245. 

Library,  Duke  Humphrey's,  descrip- 
tion of  foundation  of,  in  lines 
contemporary  with  the  event,  35 

Linacre,  William,  Oxford  pioneer 
of  Humanism,  46  ;  possible  con- 
nection of,  with  "Oxford  Mar- 
malade," 370  note 

Lluellyn,  Martin,  poems  quoted 
from  his  Men- Miracles  (1646)  on 
the  Oxonian  during  the  Great 
Rebellion,  154  ;  on  the  troubles 
of  the  time,  164  ;  and  on  a  night 
sally  made  by  the  Oxford  garrison 
(1645),  177;  a  carol  sung  before 


the  King  at  Christ  Church  (1645), 
183 

Lovelace,  Lord,  verses  on  his  com- 
ing to  Oxford  (1688),  217-20 

Love-songs  of  Scholars  (1600-1636), 

145-47 

Lowe,  Robert,  his  "  Poema  canino- 
anglico-latinum  "  on  the  visit  of 
the  Duchess  of  Kent  and  Princess 
Victoria  to  Oxford  (1832),  323 

Lusus  alteri  Westmonasterienses , 
lines  from,  on  ' '  Mercury "  in 
Christ  Church,  277  ;  on  the  crea- 
tion of  Prince  Blucher  a  D.C.L., 
322 

Lusus  Westmonasterienscs,  lines 
from,  on  the  Head  of  a  College, 
278 

Lyly,  John,  quotations  from  his 
Euphues  on  disorders  at  Oxford 
(I579)»  9J-93  ;  on  the  popularity 
of  "  Oxford  Marmalade,"  370 
note 

Macaronic  Poems  ;  John  Allibond's 
Rustica  Acad.  Oxon.  Descriptio 
(1648),  195 ;  Robert  Lowe's 
' '  Poema  canino-anglico-latinum" 
(1832),  323;  lines  on  new-made 
Bachelors  of  Arts  from  the  New 
Art,  teaching  how  to  be  plucked 
(1835),  33°  5  "  Viae  per  Angliam 
ferro  stratae"  (1841),  356 

Magdalen  College,  descriptive  poem 
by  Peter  Heylin  on,  39-44  ; 
"Christmas  Prince"  at,  248 
note ;  the  Echo  in  the  water- 
walks  of,  and  New  College 
quadrangle,  250  ;  "  Oxford  Mar- 
malade "  and,  369  note 

"Marmalade,  Oxford,"  history  of, 
and  connection  with  the  Oxford 
pioneers  of  the  Renascence  (1490- 
1580),  369  note 

Martyr,  Catharine,  wife  of  the 
Reformer;  James  Calfhill's  lines 
quoted  on  the  burial  of  her  body 
in  a  coffin  with  the  Relics  of  St. 
Frideswyde,  76 

Mason,  William,  his  "  Isis,  an 
Elegy>"  quoted  on  Oxford  Jaco- 
bites, 306 

May,  Charles,  the  probable  author 
of  Grobiana's  Nuptials,  115  note 

Mempric,  founds  City  of  Oxford  ;  is 
devoured  of  wolves  at  Wolver- 
cote  ;  see  "  Preface  " 


386     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 


Merton  College,  lines  on  a  glass 
window  at,  45 ;  John  Earle's 
"  Hortus  Mertonensis,"  127-31  ; 
initiation  of  Freshmen  at  (1647), 
230  note;  "Christmas  Prince" 
at,  248  note 

Methodists,  persecution  of,  at  Ox- 
ford, 309-12 ;  Charles  Wesley's 
Hymns  of  Intercession  quoted, 
310;  verses  from  the  Morning 
Chronicle  (1768)  on,  311 

Middleton,  Thomas,  sketch  of  the 
poor  Scholar,  "  Pierce  Penny- 
less,"  in  his  Black  Book,  97 

Miller,  James,  his  play  The 
Humours  of  Oxford  (1730),  254 
note 

Milton,  John,  lines  of,  on  the  state 
of  Oxford  after  its  surrender 
(1646),  191 

' '  Monmouth,  Duke  of,  Oxford 
Alderman's  Speech  to"  (1680), 

210 

Mottoes  for  Crackers,  forming  to- 
gether a  complete  Freshman's 
Manual  (1850),  quoted,  361 

Movement,  the  Oxford,  see  "  Ox- 
ford Movement " 

Musarum  Oxon.  Epibateria,  quoted 
on  Oxford  University  during  the 
Rebellion,  1 54 ;  and  on  arrival 
of  the  Queen  at  Oxford  (1643), 
169-72 

New  Art  teaching  how  to  be  Plucked 
(1835)  quoted,  on  .  Oxford  Eti- 
quette, 256  note ;  on  new-made 
Bachelors  of  Arts,  330 

New  College,  descriptive  poem  by 
Ludovico  Petrucci  on,  37-39 ; 
topiary  works  in  Garden  described, 
238  note;  "Christmas  Prince" 
at,  248  note  ;  effect  of  raising  the 
quadrangle  a  storey  upon  the 
Magdalen  College  Echo,  250 

Newman,  John  Henry,  his  Clerk  of 
Oxford,  "Charles,"  in  Loss  and 
Gain  (1848),  378 

Nicholas,  "hende,"  one  of 
Chaucer's  Oxford  Clerks,  sketch 
of,  3 ;  his  resourcefulness  in 
matters  of  "derne"  or  secret 
love,  16-18;  his  hymn  "Angelus 
ad  Virginem"  with  an  English 
rendering,  25 

Nigellus,  lines  from  his  Speculum 
Stultorum  on  English  Scholars  at 


Paris  (1180),  with  an  English 
rendering  by  Thomas  Wright,  1 1 
note 

Nixon,  Anthony,  his  Straunge  Foot- 
post  (1613)  quoted  on  the  fantastic 
carriage  of  the  poor  Scholar,  113 

"Norwegian  Owl,  The"  (1725), 
a  squib  on  Heads  of  Houses, 
279-85 

Overbury,  Sir  Thomas,  his  sketches 
of  a  "  Fellow  of  an  House,"  103  ; 
an  "Inns  of  Court  man,"  105 
note;  a  "Pedant"  and  a 
"Dunce,"  109;  a  "  Meere 
Scholler,"  112 

Owen,  John,  his  epigrams  quoted, 
on  Oxford  education,  91  ;  on  the 
Bodleian  Library,  124 ;  on  his 
"peppering"  at  Winchester  and 
"salting"  at  New  College,  229 
note 

Oxford,  Zeus  and  Europa  visit  and 
name,  14 ;  St.  Frideswyde  visits 
and  names,  14 

Oxford  Act,  The,  see  "Act" 

Oxford  Act,  The  (1693)  quoted,  252 
note 

' '  Oxford  Alderman's  Speech  to  the 
Duke  of  Monmouth,  The  "  ( 1 680), 

2IO 

Oxford  Aldermen,  tales  of,  54,  118, 

246 
"Oxford     Argo,    The,"    poem   on 

the   Oxford   Movement,    quoted, 

351 
Oxford    Dancing,    see     "  Dancing 

after  the  scole  of  Oxenford  " 
Oxford  Etiquette,  see  "Etiquette" 
Oxford  Fare,  poems   on,  by  John 

Allibond  and   Edmund   Gayton, 

147-53 
Oxford  Guide,  an   (1691),  being  a 

selection    from    D'Anvers'    Aca- 

demia,  228-41 
"Oxford     Health,     The"     (1681) 

quoted,  215-17 
"  Oxford  in  Mourning  for  the  loss 

of  her  Parliament  "(168 1 ),  212-14 
Oxford  Jests,  by  W.  H.  (1669),  112, 

244 
"Oxford  Marmalade,"  rise  of,  and 

connection   of,  with   the   Oxford 

pioneers  of  the  Renascence,  369 

note 
Oxford  Movement,  the,  poems  etc, 

on,  342-56 


INDEX 


387 


Oxford  Orthodoxy,  in  eighteenth 
century,  309 ;  decline  of,  in 
nineteenth  century,  338  - 
42 

Oxford  Portraits  herein,  the  chief: 
"The  Clerk  of  Oxenford," 
"Hende  Nicholas,"  "  Joly 
Jankin"  (Chaucer),  2,  3,  16-25; 
"  A  headstrong  Youth  with  his 
Books"  (Richard  of  Bury),  9; 
"Two  Prestes,  both  Maysters  of 
Arts,  one  pert  and  quyck,  the 
other  a  good  symple  preest" 
(Caxton),  50;  "John  Scogin,  of 
Oriel"  (Anon.),  51,  55,  368-71  ', 
"  Scholar  -  beggars  "  (Copland), 
54  note ;  group  including  a 
"Poor  Scholar,"  a  "  Mere  Fellow 
of  an  House,"  a  "Young  Gentle- 
man of  the  University,"  a 
"Rascal-Jack,"  a  "Tarrarag," 
a  "Pedant,"  a  "Dunce,"  a 
"Plodding  Student,"  a  "Bold 
Forward  Man,"  a  "Pretender  to 
Learning,"  a  "Mere  Scholar," 
a  "  Down-right  Scholar"  (Over- 
bury,  Earle,  Burton,  Giordano 
Bruno,  and  other  artists),  96-112  ; 
a  "Slicer"  or  "Man  of  Fire" 
(Steele);  a  "Smart"  and  a 
"Prig"  (Amherst),  255;  "Val- 
entine Frippery,"  "Jack  Flutter," 
and  "  Robin  Tattle  "  (Amherst), 
"Dapper-wit"  (Anon.),  262; 
"Banter"  (Farquhar),  "Book- 
wit,"  "Bob  Latine"  (Steele), 
267;  "Jack  Lizard"  (Steele), 
267,  269;  "Tom  Welbank" 
(Anon.),  269;  "Heads  of 
Houses  "  (Anon. ),  278  -  85  ; 
"The  Fellow  of  a  College," 
"The  Lounger,"  "The  Bed- 
maker,"  "The  Antiquarian" 
(Carmina  Quadresimalia),  285- 
89;  "An  Oxford  Dun"  (John 
Philips),  289;  "An  Oxford 
Toast"  (Amherst),  292;  "Mr. 
Walden"  (Samuel  Richardson), 
366,  374;"  "Gelasimus,  Vere- 
cundulus,  and  Gelaleddin " 
(Samuel  Johnson),  373  ; 
"Charles"  (John  Henry  New- 
man), 378 

"Oxford  Ramble,  The,"  an 
eighteenth-century  song,  quoted, 
233  note,  238  note,  239  note,  and 
241  note 


"  Oxford  Riddle,  The"  (1643), 
quoted,  172 

Oxford,  The  Clerk  of,  Chaucer's 
sketch  of,  2,  12,  21-25  ;  ashewer 
of  hard  sentences  and  dissolver  of 
doubts,  24,  33  ;  his  characteristics 
unchanged  through  the  changes 
of  some  six  centuries,  13;  cari- 
catures of,  during  the  decline  of 
the  Oxford  Schools  in  the  fifteenth 
century,  56-63 ;  character-sketches 
of,  by  Overbury  and  Earle,  after 
the  social  revolution  of  the  seven- 
teenth century  at  the  Universities 
had  commenced,  112-18;  por- 
traits of,  after  the  Rebellion, 
Puritan  Usurpation,  Restoration 
and  Revolution,  and  after  the 
completion  of  the  social  revolution, 
263-72 ;  suggestions  why  the 
"Oxford  Manner"  has  always 
been  so  remarkable  in  the  eyes  of 
Masters  of  Fiction,  363-78 

Oxford  "Toasts,"  see  "Toasts" 

Oxford  Townsmen,  sketch  of,  from 
Saltonstall's  Ptcttirae  Logttentes, 
99;  The  Student  or  Oxford 
Miscellany  (1756)  on,  119  ;  riddle 
about,  1 19 ;  Robert  Burton  on 
(1606),  259;  Ralph  Bathurst  on, 
260  note 

Oxford  University,  "Lux 

Anglorum,"  I  ;  flourishing  state 
of,  at  close  of  fourteenth  century, 
mixed  society  and  many-coloured 
life  at,  4-1 1  ;  pre-eminence  of, 
13-16,  27-33  5  an  oracle  to  which 
all  intellectual  questions  might  be 
referred;  "maxima  Anglorum 
gloria,"  33  ;  poems  on  foundation 
of  libraries  and  colleges  at,  35-44; 
her  decline  in  fifteenth  century, 
her  learning  despised,  her  scholars 
diminished  in  number,  "Rachel 
weeping  for  her  children,"  45~54  ; 
poems  on  her  trials  during  the 
troublesome  reigns  of  Henry  vin, 
Edward  VI,  Mary,  and  Elizabeth, 
64-90 ;  her  recovery  under 
James  I  and  Charles  I,  eviction 
of  poor  scholars  by  sons  of  the 
wealthy,  and  commencement  of 
a  social  revolution,  91-96  ;  the 
learned  age  in  her  history,  109; 
poems  describing  the  "halcyon 
days  "  (1600-1636),  122-53;  her 
state  during  the  Rebellion,  154- 


388     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 


190,  and  the  Restoration  and 
Revolution,  205-41  ;  her  condi- 
tion at  the  close  of  the  seventeenth 
century,  242-58 ;  academical 
society  already  in  a  state  in  which 
it  was  to  remain  practically  un- 
changed for  1 50  years,  259  ;  poems 
describing  her  virtuous  repose 
(1716-1760),  and  Whig  songs 
against  Oxford  Jacobites,  274- 
312 ;  poems  describing  the  passage 
of  the  Middle  Ages  at,  313-60; 
the  effect  of  her  system  of  educa- 
tion compared  with  that  of  the 
system  administered  in  another 
place,  363-65 

Oxford  University  Press,  proud 
boast  by,  on  its  revival  (1585), 
influence  of  wives  of  Heads  of 
Houses  on,  and  publication  by, 
of  The  Countesse  of  Lincolnes 
Nurserie  (1622),  253 

Oxon.  Acad.  Funebre  Officium  in 
memoriani  Elisabelhae  quoted,  86 

Oxonium  Poema  by  F.  V.  quoted 
as  "The  Oxford  Clerk  at  work 
and  play  in  1667,"  221-24 

Palladius'  De  Re  Rustica,  Metrical 
Translation  of,  Prooemium  to, 
quoted  on  the  foundation  of  a 
library  at  Oxford  by  Duke  Hum- 
phrey, 35 

Pattison,  Mark,  quoted  on  Fiction 
dealing  with  University  life,  12 1 

Paulet,  Lady  Elizabeth,  lines  on 
her  gift  of  needlework  to  the 
University  (1636),  139 

Peacham,  Henry,  his  Complcat 
Gentleman  quoted,  106  note 

Pembroke,  Earl  of,  expels  loyal 
members  of  the  University  (1648), 
lines  on  his  ignorance  etc.  quoted 
from  contemporary  squibs,  193-95 

"  Pembrooke's  Passe  from  Oxford  to 
his  Grave"  (1648),  193-95 

Penton,  Stephen,  his  Guardian's 
Instrtiction  (1688)  quoted  on 
Gentlemen-Commoners,  254 ;  on 
the  growth  of  vacations,  257  note 

Petrucci,  Ludovico,  descriptive 
Italian  poem  on  New  College 
(1613),  37-39 

Philips,  John,  lines  quoted  from 
his  Splendid  Shilling  on  Oxford 
Duns  (1703),  289-92 

Philobiblon,  see  "Bury,  Richard  of" 


Physic  Garden,  poems  on  the 
topiary  works  in,  229 

' '  Poema  canino-anglico-latinum  " 
by  Robert  Lowe  (1832),  323-26 

Pope,  Alexander,  lines  on  Clerk  of 
Oxford,  1 20  note 

Prayer  for  the  Preservation  of  the 
University  and  City  (1644),  174 

Prologue,  The,  and  the  Tale  of 
Beryn,  fifteenth-century  continua- 
tion of  the  Canterbury  Tales, 
quoted  on  the  Clerk  of  Oxford, 
II,  23,  25 

Puritan,  The  (1607),  the  poor 
Scholar,  "George  Pye  board,  "in,  97 

Puritan  Usurpation  at  Oxford  (1646- 
1660),  poems  on  the,  191-204 

Quarles,  Francis,  verse  from  his 
Shepheard's  Oracles  (1646)  on 
the  Puritans'  hatred  of  Universi- 
ties, 191 

Queen's  College,  Edward  the  Black 
Prince  and  Henry  v  alumni  of, 
5 ;  poems  on,  by  Tickell  and 
Warton,  5  note  ;  its  famous  Horn 
"speaks  pure  Athenian,"  123; 
description  of  Horn,  228 

Railways,  effect  on  Oxford  of  exten- 
sion of,  356  ;  "  Viae  per  Angliam 
ferro  stratae"  (1841),  a  macaronic 
poem,  356-59 

Rebellion,  the  Great,  poems  etc. 
on  Oxford  during,  154-90 

Restoration,  the,  poems  on  Oxford 
at  the  time  of,  205-217 

Rettirnfrom  Parnassus,  The  (1602), 
sketch  of  a  "  Pretender  to  Learn- 
ing" from,  112  note 

Revolution  (1688),  poems  on  the, 
217-21 

"Revolutionary  Manifesto,  A," 
issued  during  Commemoration 
(1849),  359 

Richard,  St.,  of  Wych,  as  an  Under- 
graduate resigns  an  estate  and  a 
maiden  to  his  brother,  that  he 
may  devote  himself  to  logic,  5, 
6 ;  extreme  views  on  subject  of 
dancing  taken  by,  6  note 

Richardson,  Samuel,  his  sketch  of 
the  Clerk  of  Oxford,  "Mr. 
Walden,"  in  Sir  Charles  Grandi- 
son,  366,  374 

Riddles  ;  a  Scholar's,  "Why  is  Ox- 
ford Town  like  a  Roman  Fleet  ? " 


INDEX 


389 


and    the    answer    thereto,     119; 
"  The  Oxford  Riddle"  (1643),  *72 

"Salting"  or  initiation  of  Fresh- 
men, 229  note 

Saltonstall,  Wye,  character-sketch 
of  an  Oxford  Townsman  from  his 
Picturae  Loquentes  (1631),  99 

Scogin,  John,  tales  of,  51,  55, 
367-71;  in  Gest  and  Diet  a 
genuine  Clerk  of  Oxford,  371 

Sheldonian  Theatre,  lines  on  erec- 
tion of  (1669),  224-27;  James 
Duport's  lines  in  his  Musae 
subsecivae  on  the  Theatre  and 
Printing-house  beneath,  228  note  ; 
Robert  Whitehall's  lines  on  the 
roof  of,  237  note 

Ship  of  Fools  y  I  see  "Alexander 
Barclay" 

Shotover,  George  Wither's  lines  and 
a  Carmen  Qiiadresimale  on,  275 

Shuttleworth,  Philip,  Warden  of 
New  College,  his  ' '  Specimen  of 
a  Geological  Lecture  by  Professor 
Buckland,"  332 

Southey,  Robert,  his  poem  "The 
College  Cat,"  326-28 

Steele,  Richard,  advises  Clerk  of 
Oxford  to  "acquire  a  little  neces- 
sary foppery,"  264;  "Jack 
Lizard"  and  his  sword,  267; 
"Bookwit"  and  "Bob  Latine" 
in  London,  267  ;  "Jack  Lizard's }> 
table-talk,  269;  method  adopted 
in  his  Oxford  days  to  check 
"voluntary  rhetoricians,"  373 

Stubbes,  Philip,  his  Abuses  in 
Ailgna  (1583)  quoted  on  bribery 
at  Oxford,  95 

Student-initiation  at  Oxford,  history 
of,  229  note 

Stunsfield  or  Stonesfield,  Carmen 
Qiiadresimale  on  discovery  of  a 
Roman  pavement  at,  288 

Tadlow,  Dr.,  heaviest  weight  in  Ox- 
ford (1713),  epigrams  on,  283  note 

Taylor,  John,  the  Water-poet,  verses 
by,  on  his  arrival  in  Oxford 
(1643),  166  ;  squib  on  failure  of 
Lord  Essex  to  advance  on  Oxford 
(1643),  167  ;  quotations  from  his 
Oxford  Besieged  (1645),  175,  180 
note 

Tennis-players,  Carmen  Quadresi- 
male  on,  287 


Tickell,  Thomas,  lines  on  Queen's 

College,   5  ;  on  topiary  works  in 

the  Physic  Garden,  232  note  ;  on 

Clerks  of  Oxford,  242 
Time's    Whistle  by   R.   C.    (1614) 

quoted  on  bribery  at  the  Univer- 

sities, 95 
"  Toasts,"  Oxford,  poems  addressed 

to,  in  eighteenth  century,  262  note; 

Nicholas     Amherst's     Sirephoris 

Revenge  quoted  on,  292-95 
"  Tom  Tel-troth's  Message  "  by  Jo. 

La.,  poem  on  bribery  at  the  Uni- 

versities (1600),  quoted,  96  note 
Trapp,   Joseph,  the  "Oxford  Epi- 

gram" (1715)  by,  303 
Trinity        College,        "  Christmas 

Prince  "  at,  248  note 
Tryvytlam,    his   De    Laude    Univ. 

Oxoniae  quoted,  33 
Tuft-hunting    at   Oxford,    develop- 

ment of,  260  ;  rules  for  conduct 

of  the  sport  of,  260  note 
"  Tumulus  Elisae,"  86 
Tyndale,  William,  his  sermons  and 

"Oxford  Marmalade,"  370  note 

Vacations,     development      of,     in 

modern  sense,  256-58 
Vandermast,  German  scholar,  defeat 

of,  by  Roger  Bacon,  as  described 

in   Robert  Greene's  play   "The 

Honorable     Historic      of     frier 

Bacon,"  27-32 
Vergil,  Polydore,  on  Oxford  Dons, 

100 
Vernon,     Francis,      his     Oxonium 

Poema    (1667)    quoted     on     the 

Clerk  of  Oxford,  221-24 
"Verses    on    the    coming    of    the 

Whig,  Lord  Lovelace,  to  Oxford  " 

(1688),  217 
Viae    per  Angliam    ferro   stratae," 

macaronic  poem  on  the  extension 

of  the  railway  to  Oxford  (1841), 


Victoria,  Princess,  Robert  Lowe's 
macaronic  poem  on  her  visit  to 
Oxford,  1832,  323-26 

Vives,  Ludovicus,  and  the  Bees  of 
Corpus  Christi  College,  250 

Warburton,  Rowland,  his  song 
"Tantivy  Trot  "quoted,  357  note 

Ward,  Edward,  his  English  render- 
ing of  Allibond's  Rustica  Acad. 
Oxon.  Descriptio,  195-202 


390     THE  CLERK  OF  OXFORD  IN  FICTION 


Warham,  William,  Archbishop  of 
Canterbury,  and  "Oxford  Mar- 
malade" (1509),  370  note 

Warton,  Thomas,  lines  on  the 
Black  Prince  at  Oxford,  5  note  ; 
his  Companion  to  the  Guide 
quoted  on  Oxford  cofifee-houses, 
264  ;  his  poem  7^he  Progress  of 
Discontent  (1746),  296-300;  his 
Triumph  of  I  sis  (1750)  quoted 
on  Oxford  Jacobites,  307 ;  his 
skit  on  Pietas  Oxoniensis  (1760), 
315-18 

Wells,  Jeremiah,  lines  from  his 
Poems  on  divers  occasions  (1667) 
on  King  Charles  I's  portrait  at 
St.  John  Baptist  College,  206- 
10 ;  on  the  Clerk  of  Oxford's 
preparation  for  a  visit  to  London, 
266 

Wesley,  Charles,  his  "Hymn  of 
Intercession  for  the  University," 
310 

Whig  songs  against  Oxford  Jaco- 
bites, 301-7 

White,  Matthew,  organist  at  Christ 
Church  (1611),  his  catch  "  Great 
Tom  is  cast,"  138 

Whitehall,  Robert,  lines  from  his 


Urania  (1669)  upon  the  ceiling 
of  the  Sheldonian  Theatre,  237 
note 

Wild,  Robert,  lines  from  his  Iter 
Borcale  upon  the  nefarious  designs 
of  the  Rump  and  the  Army 
against  Oxford,  203 

Winchester  College,  John  Owen's 
epigram  on  his  "peppering"  as  a 
new  boy  at,  circa  1578,  229  note 

Wither,  George,  love-song  by,  145  ; 
lines  on  Shotover  Hill,  275 

Wives  of  Heads  of  Colleges,  their 
admission  within  the  precincts, 
and  the  result  thereof,  253 

Worcester  College,  "Smilers," 
"Saints,"  and  "Sinners"  of,  10,  u 

Wright,  Abraham,  a  poem  "To 
the  Founder  of  Great  Tom,"  137, 
and  chronograms  in  Latin  and 
English  on  the  outbreak  of  the 
Great  Rebellion,  157,  quoted  from 
his  Parnassus  Biceps  (1656) 

Ye  Round  Table,*.  Hard  Case  quoted 
from,  on  Oxford  Etiquette,  256 
note 

Zeus,  visit  to  Oxford  of,  14  note 


Printed  by  MORRISON  &  GIBB  LIMITED,  Edinburgh 


A  CATALOGUE  OF    BOOKS 

PUBLISHED  BY  METHUEN 

AND  COMPANY:  LONDON 

36  ESSEX  STREET 

W.C. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

General  Literature,    .        .        .  2-22 

Ancient  Cities,        ...  22 

Antiquary's  Books,        .        .  22 

Arden  Shakespeare        .        .  23 

Beginner's  Books,  ...  23 

Business  Books,      ...  23 

Byzantine  Texts,    ...  24 

Churchman's  Bible,       .        .  24 

Churchman's  Library,  .        .  24 

Classical  Translations,          .  24 

Classics  of  Art,        ...  24 

Commercial  Series,        .        .  25 

Connoisseur's  Library,          .  25 
Illustrated  Pocket  Library  of 

Plain  and  Coloured  Books,  25 

Junior  Examination  Series,  26 

Junior  School-Books,     .        .  27 

Leaders  of  Religion,      .        .  27 

Library  of  Devotion,      .        .  27 

Little  Books  on  Art,      .        .  28 


Little  Galleries,       ...  28 

Little  Guides,  ....  28 

Little  Library,         ...  29 

Little  Quarto  Shakespeare,  30 

Miniature  Library,         .        .  30 

Oxford  Biographies,       .        .  30 

School  Examination  Series,  31 

School  Histories,  ...  31 

Simplified  French  Texts,     .  31 

Standard  Library,  ...  31 

Textbooks  of  Science,   .        .  32 

Textbooks  of  Technology,    .  32 

Handbooks  of  Theology,       .  32 

Westminster  Commentaries,  32 


Fiction, 33-39 

Books  for  Boys  and  Girls,  39 

Novels  of  Alexandra  Dumas,         39 
Methuen's  Sixpenny  Books,        39 


M  AY    i  909 


A  CATALOGUE  OF 

MESSRS.    METHUEN'S 


PU  BLI  C  ATI  ONS 


In  this  Catalogue  the  order  is  according  to  authors.  An  asterisk  denotes 
that  the  book  is  in  the  press. 

Colonial  Editions  are  published  of  all  Messrs.  METHUEN'S  Novels  issued 
at  a  price  above  25.  6d.,  and  similar  editions  are  published  of  some  works  of 
General  Literature.  These  are  marked  in  the  Catalogue.  Colonial  editions 
are  only  for  circulation  in  the  British  Colonies  and  India. 

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Messrs.  METHUEN'S  books  are  kept  in  stock  by  all  good  booksellers.  If 
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receipt  of  the  published  price  plus  postage  for  net  books,  and  of  the  published 
price  for  ordinary  books. 

I.P.L.  represents  Illustrated  Pocket  Library. 

PART  I. — GENERAL  LITERATURE 


Abraham  (George  D.)    THE  COMPLETE 
MOUNTAINEER.   With  75  Illustrations. 
Second  Edition.     Demylvo.     155.  net. 
A  Colonial  Edition  is  also  published. 

Acatos(M.  J.).     See  Junior  School  Books. 

Adams  (Frank).  JACK  SPRAT.  With  24 
Coloured  Pictures.  Super  Royal  idtno.  2s. 

Adeney  (W.  F.),  M.A.     See  Bennett  (W.  H.) 

Ady  (Cecilia  M.).  A  HISTORY  OF 
MILAN  UNDER  THE  SFORZA.  With 
20  Illustratious  and  a  Map.  Demy  8vo. 
ios.  6d.  net. 

/Eschylus.     See  Classical  Translations. 

x£sop.     See  I.P.L. 

Ainsworth  (W.  Harrison).  See  I.P.L. 

Aldis  (Janet).  THE  QUEEN  OF 
LETTER  WRITERS,  MARQUISE  DE 
SEVIGNE,  DAME  DE  BOURBILLY,  1626-96. 
With  18  Illustrations.  Second  Edition. 
Demy  %vo.  i2s.  6d.  net. 

A  Colonial  Edition  is  also  published. 

Alexander  (William),  D.D.,  Archbishop 
of  Armagh.  THOUGHTS  AND 
COUNSELS  OF  MANY  YEARS. 
Demy  i6mo.  zs.  6d. 

Alken   (Henry).     See  I.P.L. 

Allen  (Charles  C.).  See  Textbooks  of 
Technology. 

Allen  (L.  Jessie).     See  Little  Books  on  Art. 

Allen  (J.  Romilly),  F.S.A.  See  Antiquary's 
Books. 

Almack  (E.),  F.S.A.  See  Little  Books  on 
Art. 

Amherst  (Lady).  A  SKETCH  OF 
EGYPTIAN  HISTORY  FROM  THE 
EARLIEST  TIMES  TO  THE  PRE- 
SENT DAY.  With  many  Illustrations 
and  Maps.  A  New  and  Cheape'r  Issue 
Demy  8z>0.  js.  6d.  net. 


Anderson  (F.  M.).  THE  STORY  OF  THE 
BRITISH  EMPIRE  FOR  CHILDREN. 
With  42  Illustrations.  Cr.  8?>o.  2s. 

Anderson  (J.  Q.),  B.A.,  NOUVELLE 
GRAMMAIRE  FRANCAISE,  A  L'USAGK 
DES  ficoLES  ANGLAISES*  Crown  Sz>0.  zs. 

EXERCICES  DE  GRAMMAIRE  FRAN- 
CAISE. Cr.  8vo.  is.  6d. 

Andrewes     (Bishop).       PRECES     PRI- 
VATAE.       Translated    and     edited,    with 
Notes,  by   F.   E.    BRIGHTMAN.    M.A.,    of 
Pusey  House,  Oxford.     Cr.  8v0.     6s. 
See  also  Library  of  Devotion. 

•Anglo-Australian.'  AFTER-GLOW  ME- 
MORIES. Cr.  8vo.  6s. 

Anon.  HEALTH,  WEALTH,  AND  WIS- 
DOM. Crown  8z>0.  is.  net. 

Aristotle.  THE  ETHICS  OF.  Edited, 
with  an  Introduction  and  Notes  by  JOHN 
BURNET,  M.A.,  Cheaperissue.  DemySvo. 
\os.  6d.  net. 

Asman  (H.  N.),  M.A.,  B.D.  See  Junior 
School  Books. 

Atkins  (H.  Q.).     See  Oxford  Biographies. 

Atkinson  (C.  M.).  JEREMY  BENTHAM. 
Demy  8vo.  $s.  net. 

*Atkinson  (C.  T.),  M.A.,  Fellow  of  Exeter 
College,  Oxford,  sometime  Demy  of  Mag- 
dalen College.  A  HISTORY  OF  GER- 
MANY, from  1713  to  1815.  With  many 
Maps.  Demy  8vo.  15$.  net. 

Atkinson  (T.  D.).  ENGLISH  ARCHI 
TECTURE.  With  196  Illustrations 
Second  Edition.  Fcap.  8z>0.  3$.  6d.  net. 

A  GLOSSARY  OF  TERMS  USED  IN 
ENGLISH  ARCHITECTURE.  With 
265  Illustrations.  Second  Edition.  Fcap. 
8v0.  3.1.  6d.  net. 


GENERAL  LITERATURE 


AudenfT.),  M.A.,  F.S.A.  See  Ancient  Cities. 

Aurelius  (Marcus).  WORDS  OF  THE 
ANCIENT  WISE.  Thoughts  from  Epic- 
tetus  and  Marcus  Aurelius.  Edited  by 
W.  H.  D.  ROUSE,  M.A.,  Litt.  D.  Fcap. 
8vo.  3J.  6d.  net. 

See  also  Standard  Library. 

Austen  (Jane).  See  Standard  Library, 
Little  Library  and  Mitton  (G.  E.). 

Aves  (Ernest).  CO-OPERATIVE  IN- 
DUSTRY. Crown  8vo.  5*.  net. 

Bacon  (Francis).  See  Standard  Library 
and  Little  Library. 

Baden-Powell  (R.  S.  S.)  THE  MATA- 
BELE  CAMPAIGN,  1896.  With  nearly 
100  Illustrations,  fourth.  Edition.  Large 
Cr.  8va.  6s. 

Bagot  (Richard).  THE  LAKES  OF 
NORTHERN  ITALY.  With  37  Illustra- 
tions and  a  Map.  Fcap.  8v0.  55.  net. 

Bailey  (J.  C.),  M.  A.     See  Cowper  (W.). 

Baker  (W.  G.),  M.A.  See  Junior  Examina- 
tion Series. 

Baker  (Julian  L.),  F.I.C.,  F.C.S.  See 
Books  on  Business. 

Balfour  (Graham).  THE  LIFE  OF 
ROBERT  LOUIS  STEVENSON.  With 
a  Portrait.  Fourth  Edition  in  one  Volume. 
Cr.  8vo.  Buckram^  6s. 

A  Colonial  Edition  is  also  published. 

Ballard  (A.),  B.A.,  LL.D.  See  Antiquary's 
Books. 

Bally  (S.  E.).     See  Commercial  Series. 

Banks  (Elizabeth  L.).  THE  AUTO- 
BIOGRAPHY OF  A  'NEWSPAPER 
GIRL.'  Second  Edition.  Cr.  8vo.  6s. 

Barham  (R.  H.).     See  Little  Library. 

Baring    (The    Hon.    Maurice).      WITH 
THE   RUSSIANS    IN    MANCHURIA. 
Third  Edition.     DemyRvo.     js.6d.net. 
A  Colonial  Edition  is  also  published. 

A   YEAR    IN    RUSSIA.     Second  Edition. 
Demy  8v0.     los.  6d.  net. 
A  Colonial  Edition  is  also  published. 

Baring-Gould  (S.).  THE  LIFE  OF 
NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  With  nearly 
200  Illustrations,  including  a  Photogravure 
Frontispiece.  Second  Edition.  Wide 
RoyalZvo.  los.  6d.  net. 

A  Colonial  Edition  is  also  published. 

THE  TRAGEDY  OF  THE  CAESARS: 
A  STUDY  OF  THE  CHARACTERS  OF  THE 
C«SARS  OP  THE  JULIAN  AND  CLAUDIAN 
HOUSES.  With  numerous  Illustrations  from 
Busts,  Gems,  Cameos,  etc.  Sixth  Edition. 
Royal  8v0.  los.  6d.  net. 

A  BOOK  OF  FAIRY  TALES.  With 
numerous  Illustrations  by  A.  J.  GASKIN. 
Third  Edition.  Cr.  8vo.  Bitckram.  6s., 
also  Demy  8v0.  6d. 

OLD  ENGLISH  FAIRY  TALES.  With 
numerous  Illustrations  by  F.  D.  BEDFORD. 
Third  Edition.  Cr.  8vo.  Buckram.  6s. 

THE  VICAR  OF  MORWENSTOW.  Re- 
vised Edition.  With  a  Portrait.  Third 
Edition.  Cr.  8vo.  3*.  6d. 

OLD  COUNTRY  LIFE.  With  69  Illustra- 
tions. Fifth  Edition.  Large  CrownZvo.  6*. 


A    GARLAND    OF    COUNTRY 

English  Folk  Songs  with  their  Traditional 
Melodies.  Collected  and  arranged  by  S. 
BARING-GOULD  and  H.  F.  SHEPPARD. 
Demy  4(0.  6s. 

SONGS  OF  THE  WEST:  Folk  Songs  of 
Devon  and  Cornwall.  Collected  from  the 
Mouths  of  the  People.  By  S.  BARING-GOULD, 
M.A.,and  H.  FLEETWOOD  SHEPPARD,  M.A. 
New  and  Revised  Edition,  under  the  musical 
editorship  of  CECIL  J.  SHARP.  Large  Im- 
perial8v0.  5-r.  net. 

A  BOOK  OF  NURSERY  SONGS  AND 
RHYMES.  Edited  by  S.  BARING-GOULD. 
Illustrated.  Second  and  Cheaper  Edition. 
Large  Cr.  8v0.  2S.  6d.  net. 

STRANGE  SURVIVALS  :  SOME  CHAPTERS 
IN  THE  HISTORY  OF  MAN.  Illustrated. 
Third  Edition.  Cr.  8vo.  2S.  6d.  net. 

YORKSHIRE  ODDITIES  :  INCIDENTS 
AND  STRANGE  EVENTS.  Fifth  Edition. 
Cr.  8v0.  2S.  6d.  net. 

THE  BARING-GOULD  SELECTION 
READER.  Arranged  by  G.  H.  ROSE. 
Illustrated.  Crown  8v0.  is.  6d. 

THE  BARING-GOULD  CONTINUOUS 
READER.  Arranged  by  G.  H.  ROSE. 
Illustrated.  Crown  8v0.  is.  6d. 

A  BOOK  OF  CORNWALL.  With  33 
Illustrations.  Second  Edition.  Cr.  8z>0.  6s. 

A  BOOK  OF  DARTMOOR.  With  60 
Illustrations.  Second  Edition.  Cr.  &vo. 
6s. 

A  BOOK  OF  DEVON.  With  35  Illus- 
trations.  Third  Edition.  Cr.  8z>0.  6s. 

A  BOOK  OF  NORTH  WALES.  With  49 
Illustrations.  Cr.  8vo.  6s. 

A  BOOK  OF  SOUTH  WALES.  With  57 
Illustrations.  Cr.  8v0.  6s. 

A  BOOK  OF  BRITTANY.  With  69  Illus 
trations.  Cr.  %vo.  6s. 

A  BOOK  OF  THE  RHINE  :    From  Cleve 
to   Mainz.     With  8  Illustrations  in  Colour 
by  TREVOR  HADDEN,  and  48  other  Illus- 
trations.    Second  Edition.      Cr.  8vo.      6s. 
A  Colonial  Edition  is  also  published. 

A  BOOK  OF  THE  RIVIERA.  With  40 
Illustrations.  Cr.  8vo.  6s. 

A  Colonial  Edition  is  also  published. 

A  BOOK   OF   THE  PYRENEES.      With 
25  Illustrations.     Cr.  8v0.    6s. 
A  Colonial  Edition  is  also  published. 
See  also  Little  Guides. 

Barker  (Aldred  F.).  See  Textbooks  of 
Technology. 

Barker  (E.),  M.A.  (Late)  Fellow  of  Merton 
College,  Oxford.  THE  POLITICAL 
THOUGHT  OF  PLATO  AND  ARIS- 
TOTLE. Demy  %vo.  los.  6d.  net. 

Barnes  (W.  E.),  D.D.  See  Churchman's 
Bible. 

Barnett  (Mrs.  P.  A.).     See  Little  Library. 

Baron  (R.  R.  N.)t  M.A.    FRENCHPROSE 
COMPOSITION.  Third  Edition.  Cr  8vo. 
zs.  6d.    Key,  35.  net. 
See  also  Junior  School  Books. 

Barren  (H.  M.),  M.A.,  Wadham  College, 
Oxford.  TEXTS  FOR  SERMONS.  With 


MESSRS.  METHUEN'S  CATALOGUE 


a    Preface    by    Canon    SCOTT    HOLLAND. 
Cr.  8v0.     3$.  6d. 

Bartholomew  (J.  G.),  F.R.S.E.  See  C.  G. 
Robertson.  , 

Bastable  (C.  P.),  LL.D.  THE  COM- 
MERCE OF  NATIONS.  Fourth  Ed. 
Cr.  8v0.  2s.  6d. 

Bastian  (H.  Charlton),  M.A..M.D.,  F.R.S. 
THE  EVOLUTION  OF  LIFE.  With 
Diagrams  and  many  Photomicrographs. 
Demy  Zvo.  js.  6d.  net. 

Batson  (Mrs.  Stephen).  A  CONCISE 
HANDBOOK  OF  GARDEN  FLOWERS. 
Fcap.  8v0.  $s.  6d. 

THE  SUMMER  GARDEN  OF 
PLEASURE.  With  36  Illustrations  in 
Colour  by  OSMUND  PITTMAN.  Wide  Demy 
8vo.  i$s.  net. 

Batten  (Loring  W.),  Ph.D.,  S.T.D.  THE 
HEBREW  PROPHET.  Cr.Zvo.  y.Gd.net. 

Bayley  (R.  Child).  THE  COMPLETE 
PHOTOGRAPHER.  With  over  100 
Illustrations.  Third  Edition.  With  Note 
on  Direct  Colour  Process.  Demy  8v0. 
i  os.  6d.  net. 

A  Colonial  Edition  is  also  published. 

Beard  (W.  S.).  EASY  EXERCISES  IN 
ALGEBRA  FOR  BEGINNERS.  Cr.  8vo. 
is.  6d.  With  Answers,  is.  gd. 

See  also  Junior  Examination  Series  and 
Beginner's  Books. 

Beckford  (Peter).  THOUGHTS  ON 
HUNTING.  Edited  by  J.  OTHO  PAGET, 
and  Illustrated  by  G.  H.  JALLAND.  Second 
Edition.  Demy  8v0.  6s. 

Beckford  (William).     See  Little  Library. 

Beeching  (H.  C.),  M.A.,  Canon  of  West- 
minster. See  Library  of  Devotion. 

Beerbohm  (Max).  A  BOOK  OF  CARI- 
CATURES. Imperial  \to.  -ZT.S.  net. 

Begbie(  Harold).  MASTER  WORKERS. 
Illustrated.  Detny&vo.  "js.6d.net. 

Behmen  (Jacob).  DIALOGUES  ON  THE 
SUPERSENSUAL  LIFE.  Edited  by 
BERNARD  HOLLAND.  Fcap.  8v0.  ^s.  6d. 

Bell  (Mrs.  Arthur  G.).  THE  SKIRTS 
OF  THE  GREAT  CITY.  With  16  Illus- 
trations in  Colour  by  ARTHUR  G.  BELL, 
17  other  Illustrations,  and  a  Map.  Second 
Edition.  Cr.  8vo.  6s. 

Belloc  (Hilaire),  M.P.  PARIS.  With 
7  Maps  and  a  Frontispiece  in  Photogravure. 
Second  Edition,  Revised.  Cr.  8z>0.  6s. 

HILLS  AND  THE  SEA.  Second  Edition. 
Crown  8v0.  6.v. 

ON  NOTHING  AND  KINDRED  SUB- 
JECTS. Fcap.  8vo.  5s. 

A  Colonial  Edition  is  also  published. 

Bellot(H.  H.L.),  M.A.    See  Jones(L.  A.  A.). 

Bennett  (W.  H.),  M.A.  A  PRIMER  OF 
THE  BIBLE.  With  a  concise  Bibliogra- 
phy. Fifth  Edition.  Cr.  8v0.  zs.  6d. 

Bennett  (W.  H.)  and  Adeney  (W.  F.).  A 
BIBLICAL  INTRODUCTION.  Fifth 
Edition.  Cr.  8v0.  js.  6d. 

Benson  (Archbishop)  GOD'S  BOARD 
Communion  Addresses.  Second  Edition. 
Fcap.  8v0.  $s.  6d.  net. 


Benson  (A.  C.),  M.A.  See  Oxford  Bio- 
graphies. 

Benson  (R.  M.).  THE  WAY  OF  HOLI- 
NESS :  a  Devotional  Commentary  on  the 
ngth  Psalm.  Cr.  8v0.  55. 

Bernard  (E.  R.),  M.A.,  Canon  of  Salisbury. 
THE  ENGLISH  SUNDAY:  ITS  ORIGINS 
AND  ITS  CLAIMS.  Fcap.  8v0.  is.  6d. 

Bertouch  (Baroness  de).  THE  LIFE 
OF  FATHER  IGNATIUS.  Illustrated. 
Demy  &z>0.  los.  6d.  net. 

Beruete  (A.  de).    See  Classics  of  Art. 

Betham- Edwards  (Miss).     HOME  LIFE 
IN     FRANCE.       With    20    Illustrations. 
Fifth  Edition.     Crown  8v0.     6s. 
A  Colonial  Edition  is  also  published. 

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Bidez  (J.).     See  Byzantine  Texts. 

Biggs(C.  R.  D.),  D.  D.  See  Churchman's  Bible. 

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Binns  (H.  B.).      THE  LIFE  OF  WALT 
WHITMAN.     Illustrated.     Demy  8vo. 
los.  6d.  net. 
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Binyon  (Laurence).  THE  DEATH  OF 
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Birnstingl  (Ethel).   See  Little  Books  on  Art. 

Blackmantle  (Bernard).    See  I. P.  L. 

Blair  (Robert).    See  I.  P.  L. 

Blake  (William).  THE  LETTERS  OF 
WILLIAM  BLAKE,  TOGETHER  WITH  A 
LIFE  BY  FREDERICK  TATHAM.  Edited 
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Little  Library. 

Bloom    (J.    Harvey),    M.A.       SHAKE- 
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Blouet  (Henri).     See  Beginner's  Books. 

Boardman  (T.  H.),  M.A.    See  French  (W.) 

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Botting (C.  G.),  B.A.     EASY  GREEK 

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Boston  (E.  S.),  M.A.  GEOMETRY  ON 
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Bowden(E.  M.).  THE  IMITATION  OF 
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Boyle  (W.).  CHRISTMAS  AT  THE  ZOO. 
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Bradley  (A.  G.).  ROUND  ABOUT  WILT- 
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THE  ROMANCE  OF  NORTHUMBER- 
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Bradley  (John  W.).  See  Little  Books  on  Art. 

Braid  (James),  Open  Champion,  IQOI,  1905 
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Brodrick  (Mary)  and  Morton  (A.  Ander- 
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Bulley  (Miss).    See  Dilke  (Lady). 

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Burn  (A.  E.),  D.D.,  Rector  of  Handsworth 
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top.  6s. 

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MESSRS.  METHUEN'S  CATALOGUE 


Burnside  (W.  F.),  M.A.  OLD  TESTA- 
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Burton  (Alfred).     See  I.  P.  L. 

Bussell  (F.  W.),  D.D.  CHRISTIAN 
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Canning: (George).      See  Little  Library. 

Capey  (E.  F.  H.).     See  Oxford  Biographies. 

Careless  (John).     See  I.P.L. 

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Carlyle  (R.  M.  and  A.  J.),  M.A.  See 
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Carmichael  (Philip).  ALL  ABOUT 
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Carpenter  (Margaret  Boy  d).  THE  CHILD 
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Celano (Thomas  of).  THE  LIVES  OF  ST. 
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Chapman  (S.  J.).     See  Books  on  Business. 

Chatterton  (Thomas).  See  Standard 
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Collingwood  (W.  G.),  M.A.     THE  LIFE 

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GENERAL  LITERATURE 


Cowley  (Abraham).     See  Little  Library. 

Cowper  (William).  THE  POEMS. 
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J.  C.  BAILEY,  M.A.  Illustrated,  including 
two  unpublished  designs  by  WILLIAM 
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Cox(J.  Charles).  See  Ancient  Cities,  Anti- 
quary's Books,  and  Little  Guides. 

Cox  (Harold),  B.A.,  M.P.  LAND 
NATIONALIZATION  AND  LAND 
TAXATION.  Second  Edition  revised. 
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Crabbe  (George).     See  Little  Library. 

Craik(Mrs.).    See  Little  Library. 

Crane  (C.  P.),  D.S.O.     See  Little  Guides. 

Crane  (Walter),  R.W.S.  AN  ARTIST'S 
REMINISCENCES.  With  123  Illustra- 
tions by  the  Author  and  others  from  Photo- 
graphs. Second  Edition.  Demy^vo.  i8s. 
net. 

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INDIA    IMPRESSIONS.      With   84   Illus- 
trations   from    Sketches    by    the    Author. 
Second  Edition.     Demy  8vo.     7$.  6d.  net. 
A  Colonial  Edition  is  also  published. 

Crashaw  (Richard).     See  Little  Library. 

Crawford  (F.  Q.).     See  Danson  (Mary  C.). 

Crofts (T.  R.  N.),  M.  A.,  Modern  Language 
Master  at  Merchant  Taylors'  School.  See 
Simplified  French  Texts. 

Cross  (J.  A.),  M.A.  THE  FAITH  OF 
THE  BIBLE.  Fcap.  8vo.  25.  6d.  net. 

Cruikshank(Q.).  THE  LOVING  BAL- 
LAD OF  LORD  BATEMAN.  With  n 
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Crump  (B.).     See  Wagner  (R.). 

Cunliffe  (Sir  F.  H.  E.),  Fellow  of  All  Souls' 
College,  Oxford.  THE  HISTORY  OF 
THE  BOER  WAR.  With  many  Illus- 
trations, Plans,  and  Portraits.  /«  2  vols. 
Quarto.  Vol.  I.  15*. 

Cunynghame  (H.  H.),  C.B.  See  Connois- 
seur's Library. 

Cutts(E.  L.)t  D.D.    See  Leaders  of  Religion. 

Daniell  (Q.  W.),  M.A.  See  Leaders  of 
Religion. 

Dante  (Alighieri).  LA  COMMEDIA  DI 
DANTE.  The  Italian  Text  edited  by 
PAGET  TOYNBEE,  M.A.,  D.Litt.  Cr.8vo.  6s. 

THE  DIVINE  COMEDY.  Translated 
by  H.  F.  GARY.  Edited  with  a  Life  of 
Dante  and  Introductory  Notes  by  PAGET 
TOYNBEE,  M. A.,  D.Litt.  DemyZvo.  6d. 

THEPURGATORIOOFDANTE. 
Translated  into  Spenserian  Prose  by  C. 
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See  also  Little  Library,  Toynbee  (Paget), 
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Darley  (George).     See  Little  Library. 

D'Arcy  (R.  F.),  M.A.  A  NEW  TRIGON- 
OMETRY FOR  BEGINNERS.  With 
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Davenport  (Cyril).  See  Connoisseur's 
Library  and  Little  Books  on  Art. 

Davenport  (James).  THE  WASH- 
BOURNE  FAMILY.  With  15  Illustra- 
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Davey  (Richard).  THE  PAGEANT  OF 
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Volumes.  Demy  8vo.  15$.  net. 

Davis  (H.  W.  C.),  M.A.,  Fellow  and  Tutor 
of  Balliol  College.  ENGLAND  UNDER 
THE  NORMANS  AND  ANGEVINS  : 
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Demy  8vo.  ios.  6d.  net. 

Dawson  (Nelson).  See  Connoisseur's  Library. 

Dawson  (Mrs.  Nelson).  See  Little  Books  on 
Art. 

Deane  (A.  C.).     See  Little  Library. 

Deans  (Storry  R.).  THE  TRIALS  OF 
FIVE  QUEENS:  KATHARINE  OF 
ARAGON,  ANNE  BOLEYN,  MARY  QUEEN 
OF  SCOTS,  MARIE  ANTOINETTE  and  CARO- 
LINE OF  BRUNSWICK.  With  12  Illustrations. 
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CHRIST.  With  8  Illustrations  in  Colour 
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8vo.  6s. 

Delbos  (Leon).    THE  METRIC  SYSTEM. 

Demosthenes.  AGAINST  CONON  AND 
CALLICLES.  Edited  by  F.  DARWIN 
SWIFT,  M.A.  Second  Edition.  Fcap. 
8vo.  zs. 

Dickens  (Charles).  See  Little  Library, 
I.P.L.,  and  Chesterton  (G.  K.). 

Dickinson   (Emily).      POEMS.     Cr.    8vo. 

Dickinson  (G.  L.),  M.A.,  Fellow  of  King's 

College,      Cambridge.        THE      GREEK 

VIEW   OF  LIFE.      Sixth  Edition.     Cr. 

8vo.     zs.  6d. 
Dilke  (Lady),  Bulley  (Miss),  and  Whitley 

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2s.  6d. 
Dillon  (Edward),  M.A.     See  Connoisseur's 

Library  and  Little  Books  on  Art. 
Ditchfield  (P.   H.),    M.A.,   F.S.A.      THE 

STORY  OF  OUR  ENGLISH  TOWNS. 

With     an      Introduction      by     AUGUSTUS 

JESSOPP,  D.D.  Second  Edition.  Cr.8vo.  6s. 
OLD    ENGLISH    CUSTOMS:    Extant    at 

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THE     PARISH    CLERK.      With  31 

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A  2 


10 


MESSRS.  METHUEN'S  CATALOGUE 


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Hamilton  (F.  J.),  D.D.    See  Byzantine  Texts. 

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GENERAL  LITERATURE 


ii 


THE  PROBLEM  OF  THE  UNEM- 
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Jackson  (F.  Hamilton).  See  Little  Guides. 
Jacob  (F.),  M.A.  See  Junior  Examination 

Series. 


12 


MESSRS.  METHUEN'S  CATALOGUE 


James  (W.  H.  N.).     See  Brooks  (E.  E.). 

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Bellot  (Hugh  H.  L.),  M.A.,  D.C.L. 
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Jonson  (Ben).     See  Standard  Library. 

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Keats  (John).  THE  POEMS.  Edited 
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Kennedy  (James  Houghton),  D.D.,  Assist- 
ant Lecturer  in  Divinity  in  the  University  of 
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Longfellow  (H.  W.).     See  Little  Library. 

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DAY  :  Or,  The  Englishman's  Handbook  to 
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'Saki'  (H.Munro).  REGINALD.  Second 
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Salmon  (A.  L.).     See  Little  Guides. 

Sathas(C.).     See  Byzantine  Texts. 

Schmitt  (John).     See  Byzantine  Texts. 

Schofield  (A.  T.),  M.D.,  Hon.  Phys.  Freiden- 
ham  Hospital.  FUNCTIONAL  NERVE 
DISEASES.  Demy8v0.  js.6d.net. 

Scudamore  (Cyril).    See  Little  Guides. 

Selincourt  (E.  de. )    See  Keats  (John). 

Sells  (V.  P.),  M.A.  THE  MECHANICS 
OF  DAILY  LIFE.  Illustrated.  Cr.  8ve 
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Selous  (Edmund).      TOMMY    SMITH'S 
ANIMALS.      Illustrated  by  G.  W.   ORD. 
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School  Edition,  is.  6d 

TOMMY  SMITH'S   OTHER  ANIMALS. 
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Senter  (George),  B.Sc.  (Lond.),  Ph.D. 
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Shakespeare  (William). 

THE  FOUR  FOLIOS,  1623  ;  1632 ;  1664  ; 
1685.  Each  £4,  45.  net,  or  a  complete  set, 
.612,  i2s.  net. 

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THE  POEMS  OF  WILLIAM  SHAKE- 
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ram, gilt  top,  ios.  6d. 

See    also  Arden   Shakespeare,    Standard 
Library  and  Little  Quarto  Shakespeare. 


i8 


MESSRS.  METHUEN'S  CATALOGUE 


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Shedlock  (J.  S.)  THE  PIANOFORTE 
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Shelley  (Percy  B.).     See  Standard  Library. 

Sheppard  (H.  P.),  M.A.  See  Baring- 
Gould  (S.). 

Sherwell  (Arthur),  M.A.  LIFE  IN  WEST 
LONDON.  Third  Edition.  Cr.  too. 
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Shipley  (Mary  E.).  AN  ENGLISH 
CHURCH  HISTORY  FOR  CHILD- 
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Part  I.  Cr.  too.  zs.  €>d.  net. 

Sichel  (Walter).     See  Oxford  Biographies. 

Sidgwick  (Mrs.   Alfred).     HOME    LIFE 
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Sime  (John).     See  Little  Books  on  Art. 

Simonson  (Q.  A.).  FRANCESCO 
GUARD  I.  With  41  Plates.  Imperial 
t,to.  £2,  zs.  net. 

Sketchley  (R.  E.  D.).     See  Little  Books  on 

Skipton  (H.  P.   K.).     See  Little  Books  on 

Art. 
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Second  Edition.     Cr.  too.     $s.  net. 
Small  (Evan),  M.A.    THE  EARTH.     An 

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Cr.  too.     zs.  6d. 
Smallwood  (M.  G.)«     See  Little  Books  on 

Art. 

Smedley(F.  E.).     See  I. P. L. 
Smith    (Adam).      THE    WEALTH     OF 

NATIONS.     Edited  with  an  Introduction 

and  numerous  Notes  by  EDWIN  CANNAN, 

M.A.     Two  volumes.    Demy  too.    zis.net. 
Smith    (H.    Clifford).      See    Connoisseur's 

Library. 
Smith  (Horace  and  James).      See  Little 

Library. 
Smith    (H.    Bompas),    M.A.      ANEW 

JUNIOR  ARITHMETIC.      Crown  too. 

Without  Answers,  zs.   With  Answers,  zs.  6d. 
Smith  (R.  Mudie).      THOUGHTS  FOR 

THE    DAY.      Edited    by.      Fcap.    too. 

Smith  (Nowell  C.).     See  Wordsworth  (W). 
Smith  (John  Thomas).    A  BOOK  FOR 

A    RAINY  DAY  :  Or,  Recollections  of  the 

Events  of  the  Years  1766-1833.     Edited  by 

WILFRED    WRITTEN.      Illustrated.     Wide 

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Snell  (F.  J.).     A  BOOK  OF   EXMOOR. 

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Snowden(C.  E.).  A  HANDY  DIGEST  OF 

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Books 


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Drake,  Cavendish).     Second  Edition.     Cr. 

too.     6s. 
Vol.   ii.    (Richard    Hawkins,    Grenville, 

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Spence  (C.  H.),  M.A.     See  School  Examina- 
tion Series. 
Spicer  (A.  Dykes),  M.A.     THE    PAPER 

TRADE.     A    Descriptive    and    Historical 

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Devotion. 
'Stancliffe.'    GOLF  DO'S  AND  DONT'S. 

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Stead  (D.  W.).     See  Gallaher  (D.). 
Stedman(A.  M.  M.),  M.A. 
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too.     is. 

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EASY    SELECTIONS     FROM     CAESAR. 

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vised.    \?>mo.     is. 


GENERAL  LITERATURE 


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EASY  GREEK  PASSAGES  FOR  UNSEEN 
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GREEK  TESTAMENT  SELECTIONS. 
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WORLD  OF  SCIENCE.  With  147 
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Stephenson  (C.),  of  the  Technical  College, 
Bradford,  and  Suddards  (F.)  of  the 
Yorkshire  College,  Leeds.  A  TEXTBOOK 
DEALING  WITH  ORNAMENTAL 
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66  full-page  Plates  and  numerous  Diagrams 
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Stephenson    (J.),     M.A.     THE    CHIEF 

TRUTHS   OF   THE   CHRISTIAN 

FAITH.     Cr.  8vo.     3*.  6d. 
Sterne  (Laurence).     See  Little  Library. 
Steuart     (Katharine).       BY     ALLAN 

WATER.  Second  Edition.   Cr.Zvo.  6s. 
RICHARD      KENNOWAY     AND     HIS 

FRIENDS.      A    Sequel    to     'By    Allan 

Water. '    Demy  %vo.    7S.  6d.  net. 
Stevenson  (R.  L.)     THE  LETTERS  OF 

ROBERT    LOUIS    STEVENSON    TO 

HIS    FAMILY    AND     FRIENDS. 

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THE  LIFE  OF  R.  L.  STEVENSON.     See 

Balfour(G.). 
Stevenson  (M.   I.).     FROM    SARANAC 

TO  THE  MARQUESAS.     Being  Letters 

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Stoddart  (Anna  M.).  See  Oxford  Bio- 
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Storr  (Vernon  F.),  M.A.,  Canon  of  Win- 
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Straker  (F.).     See  Books  on  Business. 

Streane  (A.  W.),  D.D.  See  Churchman's 
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Streatfeild  (R.  A.).  MODERN  MUSIC 
AND  MUSICIANS.  With  24  Illustra- 
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Stroud  (Henry),  D.Sc.,  M.A.  ELEMEN- 
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Suddards  (F.).    See  Stephenson  (C.). 

Surtees  (R.  S.).    See  I.P.L. 

Sutherland  (William).  OLD  AGE  PEN- 
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Symes  (J.  E.),  M.A.  THE  FRENCH 
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2S.   6d. 

Sympson  (E.   Mansel),  M.A.,  M.D.     See 

Ancient  Cities. 
Tabor  (Margaret  E.).    THE  SAINTS  IN 

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3*.  6d.  net. 
Tacitus.     AGRICOLA.    Edited  by  R.  F. 

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8V0.       2S. 

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TalIack(W.).   HOWARD  LETTERS  AND 

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Tatham  (Frederick).     See  Blake  (William). 
Tauler  (J.).     See  Library  of  Devotion. 
Taylor  (A.  E.).      THE   ELEMENTS  OF 

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Taylor  (F.G.),  M.A.    See  Commercial  Series. 
Taylor  (I.  A.).     See  Oxford  Biographies. 
Taylor  (John  W.).    THE   COMING  OF 

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Demy  8vo.     js.  6d.  net. 


20 


MESSRS.  METHUEN'S  CATALOGUE 


Taylor  (T.  M.),  M.A.,  Fellow  of  Gonville 
and  Caius  College,  Cambridge.  A  CON- 
STITUTIONAL AND  POLITICAL 
HISTORY  OF  ROME.  To  the  Reign  of 
Domitian.  Cr.  &vo.  -js.  6d. 

Teasdale-Buckell  (G.  T.)-     THE   COM- 
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Tennyson  (Alfred,  Lord).  EARLY 
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M.A.  Cr.Bvff.  6s.- 

IN    MEMORIAM,    MAUD,    AND    THE 
PRINCESS.      Edited   by   J.    CHURTON 
COLLINS,  M.A.     Cr.  %vo.     6s. 
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Terry  (C.  S.).     See  Oxford  Biographies. 

Thackeray  (W.  M.).     See  Little  Library. 

Theobald  (F.  V.),  M.A.  INSECT  LIFE. 
Illustrated.  Second  Edition  Revised.  Cr. 
Zvo.  2S.  6d. 

Thibaudeau  (A.  C.).  BONAPARTE  AND 
THE  CONSULATE.  Translated  and 
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12  Illustrations.  Demy  8vo.  IQS.  6d.  net. 

Thompson  (A.  H.).     See  Little  Guides. 

Thompson  (A.  P.).  SeTe  Textbooks  of 
Technology. 

Tileston(MaryW.).  DAILY  STRENGTH 
FOR  DAILY  NEEDS.  Fifteenth  Edi- 
tion. Mediumi^mo.  zs.6d.net.  Also  an 
edition  in  superior  binding,  6s. 

Tompkins  (H.  W.),  F.R.H.S.  See  Little 
Books  on  Art  and  Little  Guides. 

Toynbee  (Paget),  M.A.,  D.Litt.    IN  THE 
FOOTPRINTS   OF   DANTE.     A   Trea- 
sury of  Verse  and  Prose  from  the  works  of 
Dante.     Small  Cr.  8v0.     ^s.  6d.  net. 
See  also  Oxford  Biographies  and  Dante. 

Trench  (Herbert).  DEIRDRE  WEDDED 
AND  OTHER  POEMS.  Second  and 
Revised  Edition.  Large  Post  8vo.  6s. 

NEW  POEMS.  Second  Edition.  Large 
Post  8vo.  6s. 

Trevelyan(G.  M.),  Fellow  of  Trinity  College, 
Cambridge.  ENGLAND  UNDER  THE 
STUARTS.  With  Maps  and  Plans.  Third 
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Troutbeck  (G.  E.).     See  Little  Guides. 

Tyler  (E.  A.),  B.A.,  F.C.S.  See  Junior 
School  Books. 

Tyrrell-Gill  (Frances).  See  Little  Books 
on  Art. 

Vardon  (Harry).     THE  COMPLETE 
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Vaughan  (Henry).    See  Little  Library. 

Vaughan (Herbert M.),  B.A.(Oxon.).  THE 
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Vernon  (Hon.  W.  Warren),  M.A.  READ- 
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GATE,  R.B.A.,  and  a  Map.  Cr.  &vo.  6s. 

Voegelin  (A.),  M.A.  See  Junior  Examina- 
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Waddell(Col.  L.  A.),  LL.D.,  C.B.  LHASA 
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Wade  (G.  W.),  D.D.  OLD  TESTAMENT 
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Wade(G.  W.),  D.D.,  and  Wade  (J.  H.), 
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Wagner  (Richard).  RICHARD  WAG- 
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Wallace-Hadrill  (F.),  Second  Master  at 
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Walton  (F.  W.).     See  School  Histories. 

Walton  (Izaak)  and  Cotton  (Charles). 
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Walton  (Izaak).     See  Little  Library. 

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Webber  (F.  C.).  See  Textbooks  of  Techno- 
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Weir  (Archibald),  M.A.  AN  INTRO- 
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Wells  (Sidney  H.)  See  Textbooks  of  Science. 


GENERAL  LITERATURE 


21 


Wells  (J. ),  M.  A. ,  Fellow  and  Tutor  of  Wadham 
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A  SHORT  HISTORY  OF  ROME.       Ninth. 
Edition.     With  3  Maps.     Cr.  too.      3$.  6d. 
See  also  Little  Guides. 

Wesley  (John).     See  Library  of  Devotion. 

Wheldon(F.  W.).  A  LITTLE  BROTHER 
TO  THE  BIRDS.  The  life-story  of  St. 
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trations, 7  of  which  are  by  A.  H.  BUCK- 
LAND.  Large  Cr.  too.  6s. 

Whibley  (C.).    See  Henley  (W.  E.). 

Whibley  (L.),  M.A.,  Fellow  of  Pembroke 
College,  Cambridge.  GREEK  OLIGAR- 
CHIES :  THEIR  ORGANISATION 
AND  CHARACTER.  Cr.  too.  6s. 

Whitaker(G.  HA  M.A.  See  Churchman's 
Bible. 

White  (Gilbert).     See  Standard  Library. 

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Wide  Royal  8vo.     2$s.  net. 


MEZZOTINTS.     By  Cyril  Davenport.    With  40 

Plates  in  Photogravure. 
PORCELAIN.      By  Edward  Dillon.     With    19 

Plates  in  Colour,  20  in  Collotype,  and  5  in 

Photogravure. 
MINIATURES.      By  Dudley  Heath.      With  9 

Plates  in  Colour,  15  in  Collotype,  and  15  in 

Photogravure. 
IVORIES.     By  A.  Maskell.     With  80  Plates  in 

Collotype  and  Photogravure. 
ENGLISH    FURNITURE.      By  F.  S.  Robinson. 

With  160  Plates  in  Collotype  and  one  in 

Photogravure.     Second  Edition. 
ENGLISH    COLOURED    BOOKS.      By    Martin 

Hardie.      With  28   Illustrations  in  Colour 

and  Collotype. 


EUROPEAN  ENAMELS.  By  Henry  H.  Cunyng- 
hame,  C.B.  With  54  Plates  in  Collotype 
and  Half-tone  and  4  Plates  in  Colour. 

GOLDSMITHS'  AND  SILVERSMITHS'  WORK.  By 
Nelson  Dawson.  With  many  Plates  in 
Collotype  and  a  Frontispiece  in  Photo- 
gravure. Second  Edition. 

GLASS.  By  Edward  Dillon.  _With  37  Illus- 
trations in  Collotype  and  12  in  Colour. 

SEALS.  By  Walter  de  Gray  Birch.  With  52 
Illustrations  in  Collotype  and  a  Frontispiece 
in  Photogravure. 

JEWELLERY.  By  H.  Clifford  Smith.  With  50 
Illustrations  in  Collotype,  and  4  in  Colour. 
Second  Edition. 


The  Illustrated  Pocket  Library  of  Plain  and  Coloured  Books 

Fcap  8vo.     3-r.  6d.  net  each  volume. 
COLOURED    BOOKS 

OLD  COLOURED  BOOKS.    By  George  Paston. 

With  16  Coloured  Plates.  Fcap.  %vo.  zs.  net. 
THE  LIFE  AND  DEATH  OF  JOHN  MYTTON,  ESQ. 

By  Nimrod.     With  18  Coloured  Plates  by 

Henry  Alken  and  T.  J.  Rawlins.    Fourth 


Edition. 
THE  LIFE  OF  A  SPORTSMAN.      By  Nimrod. 

With  35  Coloured  Plates  by  Henry  Alken. 
HANDLEY  CROSS.    By  R.  S.  Surtees.    _With 

17  Coloured  Plates  and  100  Woodcuts  in  the 

Text  by  John  Leech.    Second  Edition. 
MR.   SPONGE'S  SPORTING  TOUR.     By  R.  S. 

Surtees.     With  13  Coloured  Plates  and  90 

Woodcuts  in  the  Text  by  John  Leech. 
JORROCKS*  JAUNTS  AND  JOLLITIES.    By  R.  S. 

Surtees.    With  15  Coloured  Plates  by  H. 

Alken.    Second  Edition. 
ASK  MAMMA.     By  R.  S.  Surtees.     With  13 

Coloured  Plates  and   70  Woodcuts  in  the 

Text  by  John  Leech. 


THE  ANALYSIS  OK  THE  HUNTING  FIELD.     By 

R.  S.  Surtees.     With  7  Coloured  Plates  by 

Henry  Alken,  and  43  Illustrations  on  Wood. 
THE  TOUR  OF  DR.  SYNTAX  IN  SEARCH  OF 

THE  PICTURESQUE.     By  William  Combe. 

With  30  Coloured  Plates  by  T.  Rowlandson. 
THE  TOUR  OF  DOCTOR  SYNTAX  IN  SEARCH 

OF    CONSOLATION.      By  William    Combe. 

With  24  Coloured  Plates  by  T.  Rowlandson. 
THE  THIRD  TOUR  OF  DOCTOR  SYNTAX  IN 

SEARCH  OF  A  WIFE.    By  William  Combe. 

With  24  Coloured  Plates  by  T.  Rowlandson. 
THE  HISTORY  OF  JOHNNY  QUAE  GENUS  :  the 

Little  Foundling  of  the  late  Dr.  Syntax. 

By  the  Author  of '  The  Three  Tours. '  With 

24  Coloured  Plates  by  Rowlandson. 
THE  ENGLISH  DANCE  OF  DEATH,  from  the 

Designs  of  T.  Rowlandson,  with  Metrical 

Illustrations    by    the  Author   of    'Doctor 

Syntax."     Tiuo  Volumes. 
This  book  contains  76  Coloured  Plates. 

[Continued. 


26 


MESSRS.  METHUEN'S  CATALOGUE 


ILLUSTRATED  POCKET  LIBRARY  OF  PLAIN  AND  COLOURED  BOOKS — continued. 


THE  DANCE  OF  LIFE  :  A  Poem.  By  the  Author 
of  '  Doctor  Syntax.'  Illustrated  with  26 
Coloured  Engravings  by  T.  Rowlandson. 

LIFE  IN  LONDON  :  or,  the  Day  and  Night 
Scenes  of  Jerry  Hawthorn,  Esq.,  and  his 
Elegant  Friend,  Corinthian  Tom.  By 
Pierce  Egan.  With  36  Coloured  Plates  by 
I.  R.  and  G.  Cruikshank.  With  numerous 
Designs  on  Wood. 

REAL  LIFE  IN  LONDON  :  or,  the  Rambles 
and  Adventures  of  Bob  Tallyho,  Esq.,  and 
his  Cousin,  The  Hon.  Tom  Dashall.  By  an 
Amateur  (Pierce  Egan).  With  31  Coloured 
Plates  by  Alken  and  Rowlandson,  etc. 
Two  Volumes. 

THE  LIFE  OF  AN  ACTOR.  By  Pierce  Egan. 
With  27  Coloured  Plates  by  Theodore  Lane, 
and  several  Designs  on  Wood. 

THE  VICAR  OF  WAKEFIELD.  By  Oliver  Gold- 
smith. With  24  Coloured  Plates  by  T.  Row- 
landson. 

THE  MILITARY  ADVENTURES  OF  JOHNNY 
NEWCOME.  By  an  Officer.  With  15  Coloured 
Plates  by  T.  Rowlandson. 

THE  NATIONAL  SPORTS  OF  GREAT  BRITAIN. 
With  Descriptions  and  50  Coloured  Plates 
by  Henry  Alken. 

THE  ADVENTURES  OF  A  POST  CAPTAIN.  By 
A  Naval  Officer.  With  24  Coloured  Plates 
by  Mr.  Williams. 


GAMONIA  :  or  the  Art  of  Preserving  Game  ; 
and  an  Improved  Method  of  making  Planta- 
tions and  Covers,  explained  and  illustrated 
by  Lawrence  Rawstorne,  Esq.  With  15 
Coloured  Plates  by  T.  Rawlins. 

AN  ACADEMY  FOR  GROWN  HORSEMEN  :  Con- 
taining the  completest  Instructions  for 
Walking,  Trotting,  Cantering,  Galloping, 
Stumbling,  and  Tumbling.  Illustrated  with 
27  Coloured  Plates,  and  adorned  with  a 
Portrait  of  the  Author.  By  Geoffrey 
Gambado,  Esq. 

REAL  LIFE  IN  IRELAND,  or,  the  Day  and 
Night  Scenes  of  Brian  Boru,  Esq.,  and  his 
Elegant  Friend,  Sir  Shawn  O'Dogherty. 
By  a  Real  Paddy,  With  19  Coloured  Plates 
by  Heath,  Marks,  etc. 

THE  ADVENTURES  OF  JOHNNY  NEWCOME  IN 
THE  NAVY.  By  Alfred  Burton.  With  16 
Coloured  Plates  by  T.  Rowlandson. 

THE  OLD  ENGLISH  SQUIRE:  A  Poem.  By 
John  Careless,  Esq.  With  20  Coloured 
Plates  after  the  style  of  T.  Rowlandson. 

THE  ENGLISH  SPY.  By  Bernard  Black- 
mantle.  An  original  Work,  Characteristic, 
Satirical,  Humorous,  comprising  scenes  and 
sketches  in  every  Rank  of  Society,  being 
Portraits  of  the  Illustrious,  Eminent,  Eccen- 
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THE  GRAVE  :  A  Poem.  By  Robert  Blair. 
Illustrated  by  12  Etchings  executed  by  Louis 
Schiavonetti  from  the  original  Inventions  of 
William  Blake.  With  an  Engraved  Title  Page 
and  a  Portrait  of  Blake  by  T.  Phillips,  R.A. 
The  illustrations  are  reproduced  in  photo- 
gravure. 

ILLUSTRATIONS  OF  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB.  In- 
vented and  engraved  by  William  Blake. 

These  famous  Illustrations — 21  in  number 
— are  reproduced  in  photogravure. 

WINDSOR  CASTLE.  ByW.  Harrison  Ainsworth. 
With  22  Plates  and  87  Woodcuts  in  the  Text 
by  George  Cruikshank. 


THE  TOWER  OF  LONDON.  By  W.  Harrison 
Ainsworth.  With  40  Plates  and  58  Woodcuts 
in  the  Text  by  George  Cruikshank. 

FRANK  FAIRLEGH.  By  F.  E.  Smedley.  With 
30  Plates  by  George  Cruikshank. 

HANDY  ANDY.  By  Samuel  Lover.  With  24 
Illustrations  by  the  Author. 

THE  COMPLEAT  ANGLER.  By  Izaak  Walton 
and  Charles  Cotton.  With  14  Plates  and  77 
Woodcuts  in  the  Text. 

THE  PICKWICK  PAPERS.  By  Charles  Dickens. 
With  the  43  Illustrations  by  Seymour  and 
Phiz,  the  two  Buss  Plates,  and  the  32  Con- 
temporary Onwhyn  Plates. 


Junior  Examination  Series 

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W.  Williamson,  B.A- 
JUNIOR  ARITHMETIC  EXAMINATION  PAPERS. 

By  W.  S.  Beard.       Fifth  Edition. 
JUNIOR  ALGEBRA  EXAMINATION  PAPERS.    By 

S.  W   Finn,  M.A. 


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TION PAPERS.  By  W.  S.  Beard.  KEY, 
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GENERAL  LITERATURE 


27 


Methuen's  Junior  School-Books 


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A  CLASS-BOOK  OF  DICTATION  PASSAGES.  By 
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THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  MATTHEW. 
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THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDINGTO  ST.  MARK.  Edited 
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A  JUNIOR  ENGLISH  GRAMMAR.  By  W.William- 
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fourth  Edition.  Cr.  8z>0.  2s. 

A  JUNIOR  CHEMISTRY.  By  E.  A.  Tyler,  B.A. , 
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THE  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES.  Edited  by 
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ELEMENTARY  EXPERIMENTAL  SCIENCE.  PHY- 
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M.A. 

CARDINAL  MANNING.  By  A.  W.  Hutton,  M.A. 
CHARLES  SIMEON.     By  H.  C.  G.  Moule,  D.D. 
JOHNK.NOX.  ByF.  MacCunn.  Second  Edition. 
JOHN  HOWE.     By  R.  F.  Horton,  D.D. 
THOMAS  KEN.     By  F.  A.  Clarke,  M.A. 
GEORGE  Fox,  THE  QUAKER.    ByT.  Hodgkin, 

D.C.L.     Third  Edition. 
JOHN  KEBLE.     By  Walter  Lock,  D.D. 


2s.  net. 

THOMAS  CHALMERS.     By  Mrs.  Oliphant. 
LANCELOT    ANDREWES.      By  R.   L.   Ottley, 

D.D.     Second  Edition. 
AUGUSTINE    OF    CANTERBURY.      By    E.    L. 

Cutts,  D.D. 
WILLIAM  LAUD.     By  W.  H.  Hutton,  M.A. 

Third  Edition. 

JOHN  DONNE.  By  Augustus  Jessopp,  D.D. 
THOMAS  CRANMER.  By  A.  J.  Mason,  D.D. 
BISHOP  LATIMER.  By  R.  M.  Carlyle  and  A. 

J.  Carlyle,  M.A. 
BISHOP  BUTLER.     By  W.  A.  Spooner,  M.A. 


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With  Introductions  and  (where  necessary)  Notes. 
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by  C.  Bigg,  D.D.    Sixth  Edition. 
THE   IMITATION   OF  CHRIST  :  called  also  the 

Ecclesiastical  Music.     Edited  by  C.   Bigg, 

D.D.     Fifth  Edition. 
THE   CHRISTIAN   YEAR.      Edited  by  Walter 

Lock,  D.  D.     Fourth  Edition. 
LYRA    INNOCENTIUM.        Edited    by    Walter 

Lock,  D.D.    Second  Edition. 
THE  TEMPLE.     Edited  by  E.  C.  S.  Gibson, 

D.  D.     Second  Edition. 
A   BOOK  OF  DEVOTIONS.     Edited  by  J.   W. 

Stanbridge.  B.D.     Second  Edition. 
A  SERIOUS  CALL  TO  A  DEVOUT  AND  HOLY 

LIFE.  Edited  by  C.  Bigg,  D.D.  Fourth  Ed. 
A  GUIDE  TO  ETERNITY.    Edited  by  J.  W. 

Stanbridge,  B.D. 


THE  INNER  WAY.     By  J.  Tauler.     Edited  by 

A.  W.  Hutton,  M.A. 
ON  THE  LOVE  OF  GOD.      By  St.   Francis  de 

Sales.     Edited  by  W.  J.  Knox-Little,  M.A. 
THE  PSALMS  OF  DAVID.    Edited  by  B.  W. 

Randolph,  D.D. 
LYRA  APOSTOLICA.      By  Cardinal    Newman 

and  others.  Edited  by  Canon  Scott  Holland, 

M.A.,  and  Canon  H.  C.  Beeching,  M.A. 
THE  SONG  OF  SONGS.   Edited  by  B.  Blaxland, 

M.A. 
THE  THOUGHTS  OF  PASCAL.      Edited  by  C. 

S.  Jerram,  M.A. 
A    MANUAL    OF    CONSOLATION    FROM    THE 

SAINTS  AND   FATHERS.    Edited  by  J.  H. 

Burn,  B.D. 

[Continued 


28 


MESSRS.  METHUEN'S  CATALOGUE 


THE  LIBRARY  OF  DEVOTION— continued. 
THE  DEVOTIONS  OF  ST.  ANSELM.   Edited  by 

C.  C.  J.  Webb,  M.A. 

GRACE  ABOUNDING  TO  THE  CHIEF   OF   SIN- 
NERS.    By  John  Banyan.     Edited  by  S.  C. 

Freer,  M.A. 
BISHOP  WILSON'S  SACRA  PRIVATA.      Edited 

by  A.  E.  Burn,  B.D. 
LYRA    SACRA  :    A    Book    of  Sacred    Verse. 

Edited  by  Canon  H.   C.   Beeching,  M.A. 

Second  Edition,  revised. 
A  DAY  BOOK  FROM  THE  SAINTS  AND  FATHERS. 

Edited  by  J.  H.  Burn,  B.D. 
A  LITTLE  BOOK  OF  HEAVFNLY  WISDOM.     A 

Selection  from  the  English  Mystics.  Edited 

byE.  C.  Gregory. 
LIGHT,  LIFE,  and  LOVE.   A  Selection  from  the 

German  Mystics.  Edited  by  W.  R.  Inge,  M.A. 
AN  INTRODUCTION  TO   THE  DEVOUT  LIFE. 

By  St.  Francis  de  Sales.     Translated  and 

Edited  by  T.  Barns,  M.A, 
THE    LITTLE    FLOWERS  OF    THE  GLORIOUS 

MESSER     ST.     FRANCIS     AND     OF      HIS 

FRIARS.     Done  into  English  by  W.  Hey- 

wood.     With  an   Introduction  by  A.   G. 

Ferrers  Howell. 


MANCHESTER  AL  MONDO  :  a  Contemplation 
of  Death  and  Immortality.  By  Henry 
Montagu,  Earl  of  Manchester.  With  an 
Introduction  by  Elizabeth  Waterhouse, 
Editor  of  'A  Little  Book  of  Life  and 
Death.' 

THB  SPIRITUAL  GUIDE,  which  Disentangles 
the  Soul  and  brings  it  by  the  Inward  Way 
to  the  Fruition  of  Perfect  Contemplation, 
and  the  Rich  Treasure  of  Internal  Peace. 
Written  by  Dr.  Michael  deMolinos,  Priest. 
Translated  from  the  Italian  copy,  printed  at 
Venice,  1685.  Edited  with  an  Introduction 
by  Kathleen  Lyttelton.  And  a  Note  by 
Canon  Scott  Holland. 

DEVOTIONS  FOR  EVERY  DAY  OF  THE  WEEK 
AND  THE  GREAT  FESTIVALS.  By  John 
Wesley.  Edited,  with  an  Introduction  by 
Canon  C.  Bodington. 

PRECES  PRIVAT/E.  By  Lancelot  Andrewes, 
Bishop  of  Winchester.  Selections  from  the 
Translation  by  Canon  F.  E.  Brightman. 
Edited,  with  an  Introduction,  by  A.  E. 
Burn,  D.D. 


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GREEK  ART.  H.  B.  Walters.  Fourth  Edition. 

BOOKPLATES.    E.Almack. 

REYNOLDS.     J.  Sime.    Second  Edition. 

ROMNEY.     George  Paston. 

WATTS.     R.  E.  D.  Sketchley. 

LEIGHTON.    Alice  Corkran. 

VELASQUEZ.      Wilfrid  Wilberforce  and  A.  R. 

Gilbert. 

GREUZE  AND  BOUCHER.    Eliza  F.  Pollard. 
VANDYCK.     M.  G.  Smallwood. 
TURNER.     Frances  Tyrrell-Gill. 
DURER.    Jessie  Allen. 
HOLBEIN.    Mrs.  G.  Fortescue. 
BURNE- JONES.     Fortunde  de  Lisle.       Third 

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HOPPNER.     H.  P.  K.  Skipton. 

REMBRANDT.     Mrs.  E.  A.  Sharp. 

COROT.     Alice  Pollard  and  Ethel  Birnstingl. 

RAPHAEL.    A.  R.  Dryhurst. 

MILLET.     Netta  Peacock. 

ILLUMINATED  MSS.    J.  W.  Bradley. 

CHRIST  IN  ART.    Mrs.  Henry  Jenner. 

JEWELLERY.    Cyril  Davenport. 

CLAUDE.    E.  Dillon. 

THB  ARTS  OF  JAPAN.    E.Dillon.  Second  Ed. 

ENAMELS.    Mrs.  Nelson  Dawson. 

MINIATURES.    C.  Davenport. 

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A  LITTLE  GALLERY  OF  ENGLISH  POETS. 


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GENERAL  LITERATURE 


29 


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CAMBRIDGE    AND    ITS    COLLEGES.      By   A. 

Hamilton  Thompson.     Second  Edition. 
OXFORD  AND  ITS  COLLEGES.     By  J.  Wells, 

M.A.     Eighth  Edition. 

ST.  PAUL'S  CATHEDRAL.     By  George  Clinch. 
WESTMINSTER  ABBEY.     ByG-  E.  Troutbeck. 

Second  Edition. 

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Goudge,  M.A.    Second  Ed.   DemyBuo.    6s. 
THE  EPISTLE  OF  ST.  JAMES.     Edited  with  In- 
troduction and  Notes  by  R.  J.   Knowling, 

D.D.     Demy  8vo.     6s. 
THE  BOOK  OF  EZEKIEL.     Edited  H.  A.  Red- 

path,  M.A.,  D.Litt.    Demy  8vo.     ios.  6d. 
A    COMMENTARY    ON    EXODUS.      By  A.   H. 

M'Neile,  B.D.      With  a  Map  and  3  Plans. 

Demy  &vo.     ios.  6d. 


FICTION 


33 


PART   II. — FICTION 


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THE  BLUNDER  OF  AN  INNOCENT. 
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I  KNOW  A  MAIDEN.  Third  Edition. 
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34 


MESSRS.  METHUEN'S  CATALOGUE 


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THE    MYSTERY    OF    A    BUNGALOW. 

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Duncan. 

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CuthelUEdith  E.).  ONLY  A  GUARD- 
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Fraser  (Mrs.  Hugh).  THE  SLAKING 
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FICTION 


35 


IN  THE  SHADOW  OF  THE  LORD. 
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MESSRS.  METHUEN'S  CATALOGUE 


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39 


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Dante    (Alighieri).        THE     DIVINE 

COMEDY  (Cary). 
Doyle  (A.  Conan).     ROUND  THE   RED 

LAMP. 
Duncan  (Sara  Jeannette).      A  VOYAGE 

OF  CONSOLATION. 
THOSE  DELIGHTFUL  AMERICANS. 
Eliot  (George).      THE   MILL  ON  THE 

FLOSS. 
Findlater    (Jane    H.).       THE     GREEN 

GRAVES  OF  BALGOWRIE. 
Gallon  (Tom).     RICKERBY'S  FOLLY. 
Gaskell(Mrs.).    CRANFORD. 
MARY  BARTON. 
NORTH  AND  SOUTH. 
Gerard     (Dorothea).        HOLY     MATRI- 
MONY. 

THE  CONQUEST  OF  LONDON. 
MADE  OF  MONEY. 

Gissing(G).  THE  TOWN  TRAVELLER. 
THE  CROWN  OF  LIFE. 
Glanville    (Ernest).       THE      INCA'S 

TREASURE. 
THE  KLOOF  BRIDE. 
Qleig  (Charles).     BUNTER'S  CRUISE. 
Grimm     (The     Brothers).         GRIMM'S 

FAIRY  TALES. 

Hope  (Anthony).     A  MAN  OF  MARK. 
A  CHANGE  OF  AIR. 
THE  CHRONICLES    OF  COUNT 

ANTONIO. 
PHROSO. 

THE  DOLLY  DIALOGUES. 
Hornung  (E.  W.).      DEAD  MEN  TELL 

NO  TALES. 
Ingraham  (J.  H.).      THE  THRONE  OF 

DAVID. 
LeOueux(W.).     THE  HUNCHBACK  OF 

WESTMINSTER. 
Levett-Yeats  (S.  K.).    THE  TRAITOR'S 

WAY. 
Linton  (E.  Lynn).      THE    TRUE    HIS- 

TORY  OF  JOSHUA  DAVIDSON. 
Lyall(Edna).     DERRICK  VAUGHAN. 
Malet (Lucas).     THE  CARISSIMA. 
A  COUNSEL  OF  PERFECTION. 
Mann  (Mrs.).     MRS.  PETER  HOWARD. 
A  LOST  ESTATE. 
THE  CEDAR  STAR. 
ONE  ANOTHER'S  BURDENS. 
Marchmont  (A.   W.).      MISER    HOAD- 

LEY'S  SECRET. 
A  MOMENT'S  ERROR. 
Marryat  (Captain).    PETER  SIMPLE. 
JACOB  FAITHFUL. 


Marsh  (Richard).  A  METAMORPHOSIS. 

THE  TWICKENHAM  PEERAGE. 

THE  GODDESS. 

THE  JOSS. 

Mason  (A.  E.  W.).     CLEMENTINA. 

Mathers  (Helen).     HONEY. 

GRIFF  OF  GRIFFITHSCOURT 

SAM'S  SWEETHEART. 

Meade  (Mrs.  L.  T.).     DRIFT. 

Mitford  (Bertram).    THE  SIGN  OF  THE 

SPIDER. 

Montresor  (P.  P.).     THE  ALIEN. 
Morrison    (Arthur).      THE     HOLE     IN 

THE  WALL. 

Nesbit  (E.)    THE    RED    HOUSE. 
Norris(W.  E.).     HIS  GRACE. 
I  GILES  INGILBY. 

THE  CREDIT  OF  THE  COUNTY. 
I  LORD  LEONARD  THE  LUCKLESS. 
I  MATTHEW  AUSTIN. 
CLARISSA  FURIOSA. 
Oliphant  (Mrs.).    THE  LADY'S  WALK. 
SIR  ROBERTS  FORTUNE. 
THE  PRODIGALS. 
THE  TWO  MARYS. 

Oppenheim  (E.  P.).     MASTER  OF  MEN. 
Parker  (Gilbert).    THE  POMP  OF  THE 

LAVILETTES. 

WHEN  VALMOND  CAME  TO  PONTIAC. 
THE  TRAIL  OF  THE  SWORD. 
Pemberton  (Max).     THE    FOOTSTEPS 

OF  A  THRONE. 
I  CROWN  THEE  KING. 
Phillpotts  (Eden).     THE  HUMAN  BOY, 
CHILDREN  OF  THE  MIST. 
THE  POACHER'S  WIFE. 
THE  RIVER. 

A.     T.     Quiller    Couch).      THE 
ITE  WOLF. 
Ridge  (W.  Pett).  A  SON  OF  THE  STATE. 
LOST  PROPERTY. 
GEORGE  and  THE  GENERAL. 
Russell  (W.  Clark).    ABANDONED. 
A  MARRIAGE  AT  SEA. 
MY  DANISH  SWEETHEART. 
HIS  ISLAND  PRINCESS. 
Sergeant  (Adeline).    THE  MASTER  OF 

BERCHWOOD. 
BARBARA'S  MONEY. 
THE  YELLOW  DIAMOND. 
THE  LOVE  THAT  OVERCAME. 
Stirtees   (R.    S.).      HANDLEY   CROSS. 
MR.     SPONGE'S     SPORTING     TOUR. 
ASK  MAMMA. 

Walford  (Mrs.  L.  B.).     MR.  SMITH. 
COUSINS. 

THE  BABY'S  GRANDMOTHER. 
Wallace  (General  Lew).     BEN-HUR. 
THE  FAIR  GOD. 

Watson  (H.  B.  Marriott).    THE  ADVEN- 
TURERS. 

Weekes  (A.  B.).     PRISONERS  OF  WAR. 
Wells  (H.  G.).    THE  SEA  LADY. 
White    (Percy).       A     PASSIONATE 

PILGRIM. 


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