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to excite those of other Houses to look into their Foundations, and not to sit down under common Mistakes and vulgar Opinions.'

The history of St John's, now first printed, is MS. Harl. 1039, the 12th of the 23 volumes of Baker MSS. now deposited in the British Museum. I have corrected by the original the transcript given to St. John's by Dr. Newcome (see below, pp. 555, 556, 1050, 1051), which the college liberally allowed me to use as copy for the printer. A comparison of hands proves that the 'Italian' transcriber was the Neapolitan convert Antonio Ferrari, who was seen at St. John's by Uffenbach in 1713, and who shewed his gratitude to the college for its hospitality by bequeathing to it in 1744 the unique collection of early tracts relating to the French and Italian reformations, some of which came from Bullinger's library (MSS. class O). It is to be regretted that so capable an editor as Zach. Grey could not obtain leave to publish the history (below p. 1051 1. 20 seq., where we are told that in 1782 the design was not yet abandoned).

Geo. Dyer's Privileges of the univ. of Cambridge. Lond. 1824, 8vo. II. 73: I have somewhere hinted (and I spoke from authority) that a fellow of St. John's was preparing to print Mr. Baker's History...The gentleman [Thos. Smart Hughes] who undertook this office afterwards went abroad, and...being now very usefully and assiduously engaged as tutor in another college, Trinity hall, he has of course relinquished the design.'

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The compilers of the Index to the Baker MSS. Cambr. 1847, 8vo. pref. vii, say that the publication of this highly interesting volume was advertised more than twelve years since.'

The reader is indebted to the liberality of the syndics of the Pitt press for the fulfilment of so long deferred

hopes; indeed the book might have appeared six years ago, but for the additions which have been made to the original text.

In order to supply a test of the accuracy of at least a portion of Baker's statements, I have given a calendar of some of the principal documents in the treasury. The lists of fellows after 1545 and all other catalogues and notices respecting scholarships and college offices have been taken directly from the registers.

No apology is needed for printing Wm. Cole's notes and continuation. My own supplements, which take up more than half of the volume, are drawn with few exceptions from biographical collections formed during the last 15 years. The two names to which I have devoted special research, those of bishops Marsh and Samuel Butler, seemed to justify the exceptional space allotted to them for the one rescued the richest professorship in the university from the suspicious company of 'valuable sinecures' (see below p. 1030 n.) and introduced critical theology into England; the other was one of those reformers of our public schools, whose merits have been unjustly obscured by the name of Arnold.

I have not printed the commemoration book, dated 1683, which Baker 'transcribed with all its faults,' partly because the greater part of its contents is given in a more authentic form in the calendar, partly because I have not seen the original.

The publication of this volume, following hard upon Mr. Searle's elaborate history of Queens', and soon to be followed by Prof. Willis's architectural history of the university, may, it is hoped, direct the attention of other colleges to their hidden treasures; e. g. it is a reproach to Caius that the founder's Annals, to Sidney that Dr. Ward's diary, to Trinity that its early statutes, still lurk in manu

script oblivion. Those who cannot give their labour in return for the benefactions which they enjoy, may perhaps compound by supplying the Cambridge Antiquarian Society with means to do the work for them. The singular activity of the Early English Text Society proves that Cambridge has many sons who do not shrink from unpaid toil.

I have to thank the Rev. Henry Russell of St. John's college for one quotation, and the Rev. H. R. Luard, registrary of the university, for three. Mr. Norris Deck has added greatly to the value of the book by the careful indexes and tables of contents; Mr. Bielefeld, of the university library, by transcribing into my interleaved Graduati notices from the Cambridge Chronicle.

With a view to future labours in this field I venture to invite the cooperation of members of the college and of all others who are possessed of information relating to any names which have been inscribed on our boards. It is possible that the missing register of admissions [from 28 June 1755 to 8 July 1767] may still be recovered from the family of some former master or bursar.

Relatives may render cheap and solid service to letters by depositing complete sets of the works, particularly of the pamphlets, of a deceased author, in the library of his Alma Mater.

ST. JOHN'S COLLEGE,

19 July 1869.

JOHN E. B. MAYOR.

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The earliest masters of Peterhouse

Bishop Montacute gives statutes to St Peter's college
And confirms the foundation of King's hall

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Is admitted to the privileges of the university

Doubts as to the brethren being men of learning
The original endowments very small
Comparison between it and Barnwell and Anglesey
William Tomlyn admitted master

He dilapidates the goods of the house

Only three brethren left

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ib.

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