two or three, if so many in most uplandish townes [villages dispersed in wastes] of the realme, the religious houses, and manour places of their lords, alwaies excepted, and peradventure some great personages; but eche one made his fire against a rere dosse [raised back] in the hall, where he dined and dressed his meat."*

XIV. THE JEWS NUMEROUS IN OXFORD.

About the year 1075, the Jews, in great numbers began to settle in Oxford, and chiefly in the parishes of St. Martin, St. Edward, and St. Aldate; the two last of which were afterwards called the Great and Little Jewries. In one of them they erected a synagogue or school, and expounded the opinions of the Rabbins to the Academians. Several of their houses were inhabited by Clerks, who read and taught in them, and which were afterwards known by the names

* Harrison's Description of England, Preface to Holinshed B. 11. c. 12. edit. 1586.

of Halls, as Lombard Hall, Mossey or Moyses Hall, Jacob's Hall, &c.*

In Henry the third's reign, "Oxford flourished," says Fuller, "with a multitude of students, the king conferring large favours upon them, and this amongst the rest, that no Jews living at Oxford should receive of scholars above two-pence a week interest for the loan of twenty shillings, that is eight shillings and eight-pence for the interest of a pound in the year. Hereby we may guesse how miserably poor people in other places were oppressed by the Jews, where no restraint did limite their usury; so that the interest amounted to the half of the principal."

In another place, however, speaking of the misdemeanours charged on the Jews, he allows that "in such cases weak proofs are of proof against rich offenders. We may well believe," says he, " if their persons were guilty of some of their faults, their estates were guilty of the rest."+

Wood's Annals.

+ Fuller's Ch. Hist.

In consequence of the enormities and crimes said to have been committed by them, they were banished from England in the reign of Edward I. "This circumstance," says Wood "was highly favourable to the circulation of their learning in England. The suddenness of their dismission obliged them for present subsistence, and other reasons, to sell their moveable goods of all kinds, among which were large quantities of Rabbinical books. The monks in various parts availed themselves of the distribution of these treasures. At Oxford, great multitudes of them fell into the hands of Roger Bacon, or were bought by his brethren, the Franciscan friars, of that University."

They had a burial place without the East gate, on which St. John's Hospital (on the site of which Magdalen College now stands) being afterwards built, they buried in a piece of ground now occupied by the l'hysic garden; of which sufficient testimonies not only appeared when the foundation of the wall of that garden was dug, but also when

the bulwark was raised between the North wall thereof, and the East bridge in the year 1642; at which times the bones of men, women, and children were dug up.*

XV. A THREE-FOLD DIVISION OF CLERKS.

In the twelfth century, the study of the Civil Law came into great repute to the discouragement and detriment of the other sciences. At that time there is said to have been a three-fold division of Clerks. In the first division were the Superseminati, that is, such who neglecting the necessary foundation of literature, built various sciences and faculties without any bottom, and so remained superficial. In the second were the Pannosi, that is, those who obtained learning particulatim et quasi per particulos, appearing only in singulars, and having ^n absolute perfection in nothing. In the

* Wood.-Near this spot more bones were taken up this present year, 1806, in making the new drain or com

- non sewer.

third and last were the Massati, that is, those who built a stable and unshaken edifice upon the solid foundation of literature, as well of the divine as human law, and other faculties. But these last were very few and rare in this age.*

XVI. STORY OF FRIAR BACON AND THE CAMBRIDGE SCHOLARS.

"There goes a ridiculous story, which, because I find it among the ludicra of an eminent person, remembered by him from other papers about 70 years ago, I shall therefore now insert. Once upon a time several scholars of Cambridge came to dispute with the scholars of Oxford, with fair promises to themselves of returning conquerors, the which Fryar Bacon hearing, feigned himself a thatcher, and when he was upon a house at Oxford Towns' end, he, upon the approach of the Cantabrigians, came down to meet, and drawing near to

* Wood's Annals.