"fet forth, is your Diligence and Care to deserve "well of all Mankind. This eminent Virtue we never "can fufficiently Reverence; efpecially when, after having obtained fo many great Honours, fuch as "fcarce any of your Predeceffors ever had, you ftill "continue your Administration fo follicitoufly, you "fo conftantly ftudy the Intereft of the Common"wealth, that you never can ceafe to be advantage66 cus to her in all Times: So that the Honours al"ready acquired, the Allurements of the greatest "Riches, nor, laftly, the Ambition of any worldly "Eafe, can unbend your ftrenuous Mind, or ever feem to be able to flacken your Zeal, from executing, "with the utmoft Diligence and Happiness, what"ever tended or related to the Benefit of the Publick: "And, being elate neither with Honours, Riches, or any other fading Pomp, but always employed in forwarding and difcharging the moft arduous Af"fairs, you have fought unperishable Glory from "God alone, which is the chiefeft Wisdom. 66 fhould feem less valid and infufficient, that the Chancellor of England may render them ftronger for their Benefit, without any Profecution therefrom of the King, his Heirs, or Succeffors. That these Letters, and all other Charters granted to the Univerfity, in general Terms, be of the fame Force and Virtue, as if more especially and particularly fpecified. That thefe Letters be read and explained in the best and most favourable Manner for them. That they may have and enjoy all these Privileges, &c. and all others heretofore granted to them for ever. That they have and enjoy fall Cognizance of all Caufes, Matters, Complaints, and Pleas whatsoever, Pleas of Free Tenements only exVol. IV. The obtaining of the Charter, we have been fpeaking of, was not the laft Favour the Cardinal fhewed to the Place where he was Educated; for, in the Year 1528, there was a confiderable Law-fuit, as well as other Difputes, between the Univerfity and City, which were at last compromised thro' Wolfey's Interpofition: So that, before his Difgrace and Death,* the Stu *As we here propofe to close what we think proper to mention concerning the Cardinal's Care of the Rights and Privileges of the Universities, we shall add the following Extracts. Soon after the Cardinal's Difgrace and Death the aforefaid noble Charter was totally neglected, and lay dormant in the Exchequer; and fuch was the King's Anger against his Minif ter, that he feemed, by feveral Acts, defirous of deftroying the very Remembrance of his late Favourite's conftant Application for the Encouragement of Learning; for, upon the King's reftoring, in the Year 1543, to that learned Body their Charters, which he had got into his Hands, he exprefly required a Recognizance of one thousand Pounds from the Commiffary, not to affume or claim any Privileges granted to them by that which was called WOLSEY'S CHARTER: And hereon Dr. Ayliffe obferves, That the King intended to re⚫voke all Charters and Bulls granted by Popes, being anxious to extirpate the papal Power; but then he ratified all the Rights and Privileges from thence accruing by Virtue of his own Royal Authority, and called them the Antient Rights of the Univerfity? 6 From this Period the Face of Learning in Oxford was greatly eclipfed for a Time, occafioned as well through the frequent Sickness that had vifited it, as the Fall of Cardinal Wolfey, who, as Dr. Ayliffe candidly owns, fpared no Coft or Pains to advance good Letters to the Summit of Perfection. But in the Year 1566 Q. Elizabeth did the Univerfity the Honour of a Vifit, who was highly delighted with her Reception and Entertainment; nor was her Majefly backward in affuring that zealous Society, how much fhe had their Intereft at Heart, which the would be always ready to promote and encourage; in Teftimony whereof, foon after her Return to London, the glorious Charter, which Wolfey had procured, and her Sire had forbid the Ufe of, was tranfmitted to Oxford, and ordered to be duly obferved. This Royal Vifit was afcribed to the Earl of Leicester, their Chancellor, who took great Pains to reform the many Abufes that had crept into the Univerfity. The Queen, to fhew she had an equal Value for both Univerfities, was pleafed to grant a Charter to Cambridge, containing the fame Privileges that Oxford enjoyed, by that above-mentioned; and, in the 13th Year of her Reign, an A&t Students were again peaceably pursuing their Studies, agreeable to the Intentions of their feveral glorious Founders; and the Citizens, who had caused Difturbances in the Univerfity and City, were quietly returned to, and following their different Trades and Callings; which had fo happy a Confequence, that, before the Expiration of the Year 1530, the Face of Affairs, both ters Patent, granted by any of the Progenitors or Predeceffors of the Queen to either University, as if they were fet down verbatim in the faid A&t. And fince at different Times there has, if we may fo term it, arofe a glorious Emulation in our Princes, in regard to the supporting and encouraging the two Univerfities, which hath caufed them to be in the flourishing Condition we now fee them; and it is our hearty Defire, That they may fo continues in Honour to our Nation, to the End of Time. Act of Parliament paffed, in relation to the feveral Corporations in the two Univerfities, and the Confirmation of the Charters, Liberties, and Privileges granted to either of them, whereby it was enacted, That the Chancellor ⚫of the Univerfity of Oxford, and his Succeffors for ever, and the Mafters and Scholars of the • fame for the Time being, fhould be incorporated by the Name of the Chancellor, Mafters, and Scholars of the faid Univerfity, and by none other Name or Names fhall be called and named for evermore; and ⚫ that they shall have a Common Seal to ferve their neceffary Caufes, concerning the faid Chancellor, Mafter, and Scholars, and their Succeffors. And the fame Privileges were likewife granted to the Univerfity of Cambridge; both Universities being thereby feverally impow-fity College is the oldest, Pemered to implead and be implead- broke the youngest, Christ Church ed, fue and be fued, for all the greateft, Lincoln the leaft, Manner of Caufes, &c. And the Magdalen the neatest, Wadham A&t particularly confirmed the a- the most uniform, New the bove Letters Patent granted by ftrongeft, and Jefus the pooreft. Henry the VIIIth, thro' Wolfey's New College is for the Southern. Procurement, to the Chancellor, Exeter for the Western, Queen's &c. of Oxford, and likewife thofe for the Northern, Brazen-Nofe for granted by Queen Elizabeth to North-western Men; St. John's the University of Cambridge, on for Londoners, Jefus for Welchthe fame Foot with that of Ox- men; and at the other Colle-. ford, as well as all other Let- ges Students from all Countries N 2 The Buildings of Oxford in general, are faid to exceed moft in Christendom, and the Colleges are allowed to be the greateit with refpect to the Largeness of their Endowments, and fuch is their Fame, that the following Epithets have been bestowed on them, Univer refide both with regard to Learning and Industry, began to bear a very favourable Afpect. On Shrove-tuesday there was folemn Jufts at Greenwich, between the King and others on the one Part, and the Marquis of Exeter on the other; at which, by the Mifchance of a Spear's fhivering, Sir Francis Brian loft one of his Eyes. Church Zeal. On the 11th of February, four Merchants Dr. Barnes of the Steel-yard did Penance at Paul's Cross, for eating Meat on a Friday; the and others do Penance. famous Dr. Barnes was condemned in the Spiritual Court to do Penance, for certain Herefies alledged against him, by bearing a Faggot at Paul's Crofs, which he accordingly did in the Prefence of Cardinal and II Bifhops; and the Bishop of Rochester upon this Occafion preached a Sermon, which was chiefly levelled against Luther, and the Doctrines he had lately advanced. Affairs relating to the City of London. 1526. This Summer there had like to have been a great Difturbance in the City of London on the following Misconduct : An Act paffed in the 4th Year of this King, That no Stranger fhould bring in Wine or Wood in any Alien's Ship; on which the English went to Tholoufe, and brought much Wood to London; but, notwithstanding the late Act, through the Means of fome Gentlemen about the King, divers Strangers refide indifferently; Merton is renowned for Schoolmen, Corpus Chrifti for Linguifts, Chrift Church for Poets, All-Souls for Orators, New for Civilians, Brazen Nofe for Difputants, Queen's for Metaphyficians, Exeter for a long Series of Regius Profeffors, Magdalen formerly, and St.John's latterly for eminent Prelates. The Library equals any in Europe; and very much exceeds moft ob in Great-Britain, standing as a Diana among the Nymphs. It is faid of Cambridge, that the Building is the chief Credit of that County, and that she may be called a Town in a University, as Oxford is a University in a Town: But, as the Colleges in Cambridge are more separated from the Town than at Oxford, they have better Conveniencies for Walks and Gardens. obtanied Licences to bring in Chefnut Wood upon foreign Bottoms: So that not only London, but the Country too was full of their Wood, whereby the Chefnut Wood became of little or no Value. Upon this Sir John Alleyn, the Lord Mayor, fent for the Chief of the foreign Merchants, and represented to them, "That they had gained confiderably by "the City, and therefore willed them not to fell "their Wood in the Country, but to the Londoners, "who would pay them inftantly; for that, by their "Proceedings, they greatly hurt the London Mer"chants."The Strangers, fays Grafton, proudly anfwered, "They would feck every Place for their "Advantage, and in a mocking Manner departed "from the Mayor." The Lord Mayor upon this called a Common Council in Auguft, and there Complaints were brought against the foreign Merchants; on which an A&t of Common Council paffed, whereby it was enacted, "That no Citizen fhould buy or "fell in any Place, nor exchange or meddle with "certain Strangers, called Anthony Bonvice, Laurence "Bonvice, Anthony Vivald, Anthony Caveler, Francis "de Bard, Thomas Calmecant, and feveral others there"in named, upon Pain of lofing the Freedom and "Liberty of the City of London." And this had fo good an Effect," That the Strangers were fo bridled, they came to a reasonable Conclufion. 66 This Year was likewife remarkable in London, according to our Hiftorian, for that, on MichaelmasEve, Thomas Hind, who was elected Sheriff, was called to take upon him the Office; but he made Default. * Upon This might be the Practice then, but it is now altered, for, upon their Election on Midfummer-day, they are obliged foon af ter to give Bond to ferve the Office, or fhew Caufe why they refuse it, that the Citizens, in cafe the Caufe is allowed, may have Time before Michaelmas to elect others in their stead. |
