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question I wish you would point out some part of his Anapasts, and I will have it printed and sent immediately. I do not expect to be in London till November, when I will bring any books you want. I have a design of going into Norfolk early in October, and will then send you some game. But if you should be in want of some partridges before, I beg you will have no scruple in sending me a direction, and I will take care they shall obey it. I will deliver your message to Maltby. Pray let me hear about the Aristophanes as soon as possible, and believe me

Yours most truly

M. DAVY.

The following estimate appeared in an obituary notice in the Times, said to have been written by Mr Barnes, the Editor; "Perhaps no man in the University had acquired a larger degree of the respect and goodwill of his contemporaries of all classes of opinions; and most deservedly, for he was, throughout a long life, distinguished for the courageous integrity of his principles, for the manly candour of his understanding, for the suavity of his manners, and the benevolence of his actions. He was, besides, highly accomplished, both as a professor of medical science and as a general and classical scholar. He felt the greatest interest in the college over which he presided; and many persons now eminent may, and we believe do, unhesitatingly ascribe their success in life to his judicious advice and friendly services when they were mere students."

He died in college, May 1839, and is buried in the college chapel. There is a brass to his memory, designed by Mr W. Shoubridge with an inscription by Mr H. Drury, both members of the college. Amongst Mr J. J. Smith's MSS. in the college library are a number of memorial verses in Greek, Latin, and English, contributed on this occasion. They are by Messrs H. Drury, J. Pearson, C. G. Prowett, F. Vipan, W. H. Drosier, and J. R. Crowfoot. The practice was an ancient one in Cambridge, and is referred to by Mr W. A. Wright in his edition of Julius Cæsar in the Clarendon Press Series.

We have three portraits of him, two in the college Lodge, and one at Heacham. He was a considerable benefactor to the college, principally by his estate at Heacham, which was left in trust for the master for the time being. His very extensive collection of books was sold in Cambridge, after his death, for £1130: there is a sale catalogue, with the prices realized, in our library.

Chronicle.

1807. 'Received of the master of Downing College, £680. 18. 10.' This was for a portion of the ground on which Downing stands. It belonged to the original Mortimer's estate of Newnham, given to our college by Lady Scroope in 1498.

1815. That the Buildings in the Tree Court be plastered with Roman cement.' By this order the old brick surface of the Perse and Legge buildings was reduced to the state in which we see it in the illustration in Vol. II. The accounts for 1817 show a charge of £400 for this.

1815. Easter term in this year was "given to the undergraduates"; i.e. they were allowed to keep the term without residence. This was owing to a serious outbreak of fever. 1818. One hundred pounds was subscribed "towards the building of churches." 1822. A scheme for rebuilding the first, or Tree Court, was already entertained, Mr Wilkins, the architect, being instructed to prepare a plan, for which £250 was paid.

The plans are preserved in the Treasury. The Perse and Legge buildings were to be rebuilt, and a new block to replace the houses at the S.E. corner; but a gap was left between the two, preserving the Gate of Humility. The faces of the chapel and of the Caius court were to be altered. The style is like that of the master's Lodge at King's.

1837. The present blue undergraduate gown was adopted by college order. Before this the gown was black, and very short. A contemporary squib upon the change is recorded in Whibley's Cap and Gown, p. 140.

1838. Gas was introduced, instead of oil; but only at the door of the porter's lodge.

BENEDICT CHAPMAN.

Benedict Chapman, thirtieth master (1839-52), son of Charles Chapman, of Norwich, was born in that city. He was educated at Norwich Grammar School, under Dr Parr; and admitted pensioner at our college, May 10, 1787. He was elected scholar Mich 1787: graduated B.A., as 6th wrangler, 1792: M.A. 1795; and D.D. 1840. He was elected junior fellow, July 30, 1792; and senior, Jan. 10, 1798, retaining his fellowship till Lady Day, 1820. He was ordained deacon by the Bishop of Ely, June 1794; and priest the year following. He held in turn the principal college offices, including the bursarship; and in 1818 was presented to the college living of Ashdon, Essex, which he retained until his death.

After twenty years' absence he returned to Cambridge as master of the college, being elected June 11, 1839. As may be readily conceived, such an election,-he was already in his seventieth year, —was not the result of those motives only which are commonly supposed to sway men in the choice of a master. Indeed it is no secret that in the minds of several of the electors his merits lay, not so much in his personal character, as in the fact that by choosing him there was a prospect of another election within a few years; when Dr Paget, who was at that time below the statutable age, would almost certainly be chosen. As it happens, the details of the voting have been preserved; and as this is almost the only case in which the secrets of the chapel, on such occasions, have been divulged, they may be given here. They are recorded in a letter from Dr Paget to Mr Romilly, the University registrary, preserved at the Pitt Press.

"Ten scrutinies there were, all in the same morning, before we could agree. You will be amused by the voting of the poor old doctor'. You would have been ten times more amused had you seen him taking the votes and adding them up and calculating them, before he gave his own. He stood at the altar with a pencil in one hand, and what I believe was an old betting book in the other, looking more knowing than I ever knew him before or since. I thought I could read in his eyes the notion that, if we could not well agree, we 'should take the old doctor after all.’ I never was present at a more complete comedy."

1 John Thomas Woodhouse (Vol. 11. 134), a physician, with some local practice. As Dr Paget remarks, he was "of eccentric habits, and had a special taste for cock-fighting," and doubtless for other branches of sport. His private character was not supposed to be exactly what is expected in a fellow or master of a college.

Dr Paget gives the actual votes at each scrutiny. It appears that Chapman was supported from the first by four fellows. Mr Cory' obtained his own vote and that of Mr Guest. Mr Thurtell and Rev. E. H. Alderson also found some support. The "old doctor" did not vote the same way twice running, but alternated between himself, Cory, and Alderson, according to the votes already given. Being at that time the senior fellow, he enjoyed the advantage of voting last.

The circumstances of Chapman's election precluded the possibility of his exercising any important influence on the studies, or the social tone of the college. In fact the days were long past when the master, unless he happened to be of exceptional force of character, could exercise any influence on the studies of the place. Called back to college in his seventieth year, with the object, as was shrewdly suspected, of simply making the post secure for someone else, the only wonder is that he should have taken so much interest as he did in the history of the college. Like Davy, he remained a personal friend of his old master Dr Parr, three of his letters to whom are printed in J. Johnstone's Works of Parr, Vol. VIII.

Tradition uniformly describes him as a courteous and kindly old gentleman, and as uniformly stops there; and the main characteristic stamped on the memory of those who knew him is the dignified appearance he presented on horseback, and the blameless cut and tint of his top-boots. He lived much at his country rectory, and always rode the fourteen miles which lay between Ashdon and Cambridge. He was in all respects, political and academical, a strong conservative. He was never married.

Two events occurred towards the close of his life which seem to have greatly perturbed him. The first of these was the action of Mr Tozer, a recently-elected senior fellow, who actually appealed to the Chancellor to exercise his authority in reforming certain points in the procedure of the college. It may be thought that this was no very serious offence, but the old master took it terribly in earnest. He wrote at once to the Chancellor, Prince Albert, pointing out that he was not visitor of the college, except in one special case. Mr Tozer was then summoned before a special college meeting, solemnly reproved, and reminded that he had incurred the penalty of expulsion, and was only forgiven on his offering a humble apology. Technically the master was in the right; but, considering in how many respects ordinary life in college departed from both the spirit and the letter of the ancient statutes, it seems almost grotesque to attach so much importance to a mistaken and unauthorized appeal to authority. How important the master thought this incident is shown by his recording it in full in the Annals, thus breaking the silence of two centuries; for this is the only entry in that volume since the time of the Commonwealth. This incident took place in 1849.

1 Isaac Preston Cory (Vol. II. 182), a barrister, and already distinguished as a learned and able writer on Ancient History. He was at the time the only fellow with a marked literary reputation. Guest, who, it will be observed, voted for him, had then only just published his English Rhythms. The Alderson referred to was a brother of the Baron of the Exchequer; and had resigned his fellowship.

2 The Chancellor could be appealed to in the case of serious charges against the master, but not otherwise; and the appeal had even then to be made by a majority of the senior fellows (see pp. 71, 111).

The other incident was a much more far-reaching one. The discussion which had for some time been carried on in Parliament and the Press, as to the failure of the Universities to keep up with the demands of the time, culminated in 1850 in the appointment of a Royal Commission "to enquire into the state, discipline, revenue, and studies of the University and Colleges." The old master probably regarded the whole enquiry as little short of sacrilegious. He did not indeed, like some of his colleagues, entirely decline to give any information to the Commissioners, but his reply shows how keenly he resented their desire to disclose the secrets of college rule and revenue. After declaring that he has been informed that the Commission "is not constitutional or legal," and that he "feels great reluctance to answer any of the questions that have been sent" to him, he decides that "as her Majesty has been advised to issue the Commission, as a loyal subject of her Majesty I return the following answers to the questions, out of an unfeigned respect to the Crown, under a strong and earnest protest against the exercise of such a power." On certain subjects, as for instance the practice of private tuition, the evils of excessive credit, and the principles on which scholarships were awarded, he gives his opinions fully; but he entirely declines to answer the Commissioners as to the corporate income of the college, or the value of fellowships and scholarships. The Commissioners' Report was issued shortly before his death.

He died at Ashdon, Oct. 23, 1852, and was buried in the college chapel. There is a brass to his memory in the ante-chapel, and a monument at Ashdon. His portrait is in the Lodge. He was generous during his life-time, as he gave £1,000 to the Building Fund in 1840. He also left a sum of money to increase the endowment of the Norrisian professorship.

During Dr Chapman's time the accumulations for the future New Buildings were steadily carried on, he himself being one of the most liberal contributors to the Fund. The changes, however, actually made during this period were insignificant. Gas was introduced into the college in 1843, but only to light the courts, for it was not yet thought safe to employ it on the staircases'. In 1850 the front, or Treecourt, was made more open by the removal of a wall to the south. As has been already said (p. 49), the Gates of Humility and Virtue were originally joined by an alley, the avenue of trees standing inside this. Part of the wall to the right had been long since taken down, thus opening out the court in front of the Legge and Perse Buildings; but the wall to the left was still standing. Behind this wall, on the site of the present garden, were two gardens divided by the partition wall of Dr Caius. The one next Caius' buildings was his "presidents' garden." The other was the garden of " Barraclough's Building," as the nearest house of the block then standing at our south-east corner was called. These houses had been acquired in 1782, with a view to future occupation. The increased number of students now made it desirable to employ Barraclough's building as students' chambers. Seven sets of rooms were thus obtained, and added to the college accommodation in 1850.

1 In 1848 gas was introduced into some of the buildings: "The Gas Company for Chandeliers and Fittings for the Chapel and Ante-chapel, £163. 17. 4. To the same for Hall, Kitchen, and Butteries, £128. 3.3" (Bursar's Book). It was first introduced on the staircases in 1855 (Gesta, June 26).

The president then resigned the use of his garden, and the walls on this side were taken down, thus opening out the court on the south side.

As regards the general social character of the college, it had not at this time acquired the evangelical reputation which it enjoyed some years later. Its distinction was rather on the river, as the following verses (v. Whibley's Cap and Gown, p. 140) indicate.

Know ye the college where men never shine

In aught but in quaffing the juice of the vine:
Where clouds of tobacco send forth a perfume,

That is plainly perceived pouring forth from each room?
The sounds that ye hear there are not like the lute,
For the voice of the "rowing-man" seldom is mute.
But the ale that they sell there,-I own it will vie
With any that's made, or sold, under the sky.
And the hue of their copus is brightest in dye.
'Tis the college of Caius.

The principal event of domestic interest during this period was the celebration of the 500th Anniversary of the foundation of the College; the first occasion, apparently, on which our Centenaries or Jubilees were recognized. An account of the proceedings, extracted from the Cambridge Chronicle, is given in the Caian (Vol. VIII. 1). The gathering was held, in the old Hall, Jan. 28, 1848. The Chapel service was at 4; the dinner at 5. The exact number of guests is not known. Dr Paget presided, the master being absent from ill-health. The ViceChancellor, and the other chief officials of the University, were duly invited, as also the Bishop of Norwich, the Members for the University, the President of the College of Physicians, and many ex-fellows and former members of the college. There was naturally no space for the undergraduates, but all of those in residence were provided with a feast somewhere else in the college. The customary toasts were proposed, and suitable speeches delivered. Odes were also contributed, in accordance with a custom once common on similar occasions; one in English by Mr C. D. Marston, and one in Latin by Mr J. Hamblin Smith.

EDWIN GUEST.

Edwin Guest, thirty-first master (1852-1880), stands out prominently amongst the heads of the college during the last two centuries, for his scholarship and his historical and antiquarian learning. In fact we should have to go back to Dr Brady to find any one who could be put into the same category with him.

'He was the only son-or rather the only one who survived infancy-of Benjamin Guest, and was born in 1800. The family had long been settled at Row Heath, King's Norton, Worcestershire, where Dr Guest inherited a small estate. They appear in the Heralds' Visitation of 1636. Dr Guest's father entered into business at Birmingham, in order to retrieve the failing fortunes of the family,

1 Taken, as regards the biographical details, with slight modifications and some omissions, from the introductory notice in Origines Celticæ, 1883, contributed by Mrs Guest.

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