the heads of houses to take their regular turns for preaching at St. Mary's, which were held to be null and void, as being in direct violation of the unalterable statutes. In the same year, a grace is passed, which charges the masters of arts without violating their oaths of creation, by neglecting the regular course of philosophical disputations. In the year 1602, a detailed statement was sent to Dr. Whitgift, archbishop of Canterbury, of "Disorders tending to the decaye of learning, and other dissolute behaviour'," which is full of charges of gross violations of the statutes. The injunctions which were addressed to the university by James I., Charles I., and Charles II., were 1 Amongst other complaints for- heretofore thought to be very intolerwarded to him, are the following :— able." "It is required by the statutes, that the lecturers of the several schools (the Barnaby lecturers and others) should read four times a week in term: some of them read not four times in the year, as it is said." "It is required by the statute, that the deans of the several colleges should send the scholars of their several houses to the lectures of the common schools, and should appoint monitors to note such as are absent: this is not done." "It is required by the statute, that the scholars should have and wear gownes, cappes, and hoods, according to their degrees, and to this statute every graduate is sworn: but this statute is generally neglected, and the scholars go now in silks and velvets, liker to courtiers than to scholars." "It is required by statute, that scholars should use only the Latin tongue in schools, colleges, and public assemblies, which is now altogether neglected." "It is required by statute, that every scholar, graduate, and others, should have their names in the buttery book and common, and lye within the college it is reported that divers lye in inns and other houses in the town, and there take their commons; a thing : "The cause of these and many other disorders, is the negligence of the heads and officers, in whom the execution of the laws doth wholly consist, and the way to remedy the same is to force them to look better to their government, or to remove them." It does not appear that any steps were taken by the archbishop to reform these abuses. He was now drawing towards the close of his life and labours, when the harsher features of his character had been softened by time and experience, and when he was no longer disposed to adopt the stern and decided measures for enforcing the law and the queen's commands, which had formerly characterized his academical and ecclesiastical administration. 2 In the year 1616. Stat. Acad. p. founded upon similar complaints of the relaxation of discipline, and of the neglect of the ancient statutes, which were made to them. The spirit of resistance to the discipline and government of the church, which prevailed so generally at the beginning of the reign of Elizabeth, and which her vigilant and severe administration had with difficulty kept under, assumed a much more violent and less controllable form in the reigns of her less wise, or less fortunate, successors: and, as might have been expected, the same feelings and principles were communicated, by a natural sympathy, to a considerable party in the university, and tended to produce the neglect of the observation of the academical and college statutes, which were so closely interwoven with the doctrines and constitution of the church. It was with a view to correct the irregularities which had arisen from these and other causes, that Archbishop Laud proposed and obtained from the king authority to visit the universities archiepiscopally; but his purposes were frustrated by the troubles which followed, and which ended in the common destruction of the church and the monarchy'. 1 This was in 1636 and 1637. A curious, and probably somewhat exaggerated, statement of " common disorders of the university, and of special disorders in the church (St. Mary's) and chapels,” had been forwarded to him, either by Dr. Cosins of Peterhouse, or by his chaplain Dr. Sterne, of Jesus. It is endorsed by Laud, "to be considered in my visitation. Sept. 23, 1636." The following are extracts from it : students here is generally neglected, unless it be in King's College only, where they retain the ancient manner, both for colour and fashion, with the use of square caps from their first entrance. At Trinitie, and other wiles at Caius, they keep your order for the wide-sleeve gowns, and for your caps too, when they list to put any on. And others, all that are under-graduates, wear the new-fashioned gowns of any colour whatever, blew or green, or red or mixt, without any uniformity but in hanging sleeves. And the other garments are light and gay. Some with boots and spurs, others with stockings of diverse colours reversed one upon another, and round rustic caps they wear (if they wear any at all), that they may be the sooner despised, though the fashion was here of old time, Pileus quadratus, as ap"The clerical habit appointed for pears by retaining that custom still in "Fellows of colleges (when of the degree of M.A.) and fellow commoners, take themselves generally to have a privilege to miss prayers, as well as the public table of the hall. From hence it comes to pass, that so many of that ranke are to be founde at those times, either in taverns and towne-houses, or at some other pleasant imployments, where they please." The views which were entertained of the rights of corporations, in the reigns of Elizabeth and of her successors of the King's College, in Trinitie, and Caius, whose governors were heretofore more observant of old usages than it seems others were. But in all places, among graduates and priests also, as well as the younger students, we have fair roses upon the shoe, long frizled hair upon the head, broad spred bands upon the shoulders, and large merchant's ruffs about the neck, with fair and feminine cuffs at the wrist. Nay, although camisiæ circa collum rugate be expressly forbidden by the statutes of the university, yet we use them without controul. Some of the heads and all, to the laudable example of others." “At the public meetings in the schools, even at disputations and lectures in divinity, there is no place or order kept by the auditors All come, and run, and heape together in a confusion, most of them without any habit, enjoined by statute, and at the regenthouse at congregations there is little better order kept." "Upon Fridays and all fasting-days, the victualling-houses prepare fleshmeat good store, for all scholars and others; upon these days they have the greatest gain, for which they pay a mulct to the proctors, and have their freedom; upon all such fasting-nights, in scholler's chambers, there are generally the best suppers of the whole week, and for the most part flesh-meat all. We know not what fasting is. This we know, that then the custom is for the pupils to goe to their tutors, for supper-money, to spend in the town, and that the tutors do commonly allow them twice as much for a fasting-night as the college commons do any night of the week beside." "Before our sermons (at St. Mary's) the form of bidding prayers appointed by the injunctions and canons, is not only neglected, but by most men also mostly opposed and misliked. Instead thereof, we have such private fancies and several prayers of every man's own making (and sometime sudden conceiving too) vented amongst us, that besides the absurdity of the language directed to God himself, our young scholars are thereby taught to prefer the private spirit before the publick, and their own invented and unapproved prayers before all the Liturgy of the Church. A while one of them praying for the Queen (Henrietta Maria), added very abruptly, ́ And why do the people imagine a vain thing; Lord thou knowest there is but one Religion, one Baptism, one Lord. How can there then be two faiths?' After praying for Hilkiah the high priest, and Shaphan the treasurer, and Azakiah the king's squire, &c., presently he added, ' And whosoever, Lord, shall mistrust Providence, yet let not the great men, upon whose arms kings do lean, contemn Elisha's sermons ;' which being questioned by some of us, was defended by other some, for a most Godly, religious, and learned prayer. To such liberty are we come, for want of being confined to a strict form.” "The other town churches (whereunto schollers do also frequently repair) are so much out of order, that little is learned there but irreverence and disobedience to sacred performances." "In Trinity College they have been long noted to be negligent of the chapel, and of the prayers in it; the best come but seldom, and by their example the rest make small account of service. In some tutor's chambers (who have three or four score pupils), House of Stuart, tended not a little to produce, and to perpetuate, this feeling of indifference to statutable obligations: considering the private prayers are longer and louder by far at night than they are at chapel in the evening. Some fellows are there, who scarce see the inside of the chapel thrice in a year, nor public hall, nor St. Mary's Church, and (they say) impugn all. A quire is there founded for Sundays and holydays, but the quiremen are so negligent and unskilful, that, unless it be an anthem, they often sing the hymns no otherwise than in the common psalmerie tune. And to mend the matter, they have divers dry choristers (as they call them), such as never could and never meane to sing a note, and yet enjoy, and are put in to take the benefit of those places professedly. They have a large chapel, and yet the boyes rows of pews are placed just in the middle of the chapel, before and behind the Communion-table, which some there are about to reform. They lean, or sit, or kneele at prayers, every one in a several posture as he pleases. At the name of Jesus few will bow, and when the creed is repeated, many of the boyes, by some men's directions, turn towards the west door. Their surplices and song-books, and other furniture for divine service, is very mean. The cloth that lies upon the table not worth 14d. He that executes, steps over the exhortation and begins, 'Wherefore I pray and beseech you,' &c. They use no Litany for the most part, but in Lent only, and in Lent only upon Sundays, and when they say it, it is at the Communiontable. They repeat not the Creed after the Gospel, and instead of the Magnificat and the Nunc Dimittis, they will at pleasure (sometimes when the quiremen are present) sing the 23rd or some other riming Psalm." "A common report there goes (and not without probability), that here both fellow's, and scholar's, and officer's places are sold. They have lately taken advice, and are about mending their chapel, if it holds." "In King's College, some of the quiremen cannot sing, and are diverse of them very negligent. The choristers are more than half of them mutes, and when they list they come to service with surplices, and when they list not they come without. They commonly post over the service, and perform it with little reverence. Their choristers make no preparation, and their song-books are very rude and tattered. This for their Quire service." "At the college morning prayers, to which the fellows and schollers only come, (for evening prayer they have none for them,) there is but one Lesson read, and if it be a Sermon or a common-place day, (which in terme time is observed twice a week,) they have no Lesson read at all. They talk here of buying places too, but certainly their provost is a very free and uncorrupt man that way." "In Caius College, any one that is not in holy orders may execute and read or singe the service." (Many other examples of irregularity and irreverence are there mentioned, particularly in the administration of the sacrament.) "In Emanuel College, their chapel is not consecrate. At surplice prayers they sing nothing but riming psalms of their own appointment, instead of the hymns between the lessons. And lessons they read not, after the order appointed in the calendar, but after another continued course of their own. their existence and privileges as little more than the mere creatures of the pleasure of the crown, they did not scruple to interfere or dispense with the laws by which they were governed, and nowhere more frequently and injuriously than in the universities. Though the elections to masterships, fellowships, and other offices, All service is there done and performed (psalms and hymns and all, if they read any,) by the minister alone. The students are not brought up and accustomed to answer any verse at all. Before prayers begin, the boyes come in and sit down, and put on, and talk aloud of what they list. Their seats are placed round about and above the Communion-table. When they preach or common place, they omit all service after the first or second lesson at the farthest. Many of the scholars live and lodge in the town-houses, and from thence they come through the street with surplices upon them to chapel, and in night time have opportunities to go abroad, and be where they please. The cause hereof is, for that they admit many more than the college can hold. On Sundays there is no Litany." Emanuel College had been founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay, as a nursery for the Puritan party, and was the chief refuge of the favourers of their principles during the first half of the seventeenth century: the number of students, who in consequence resorted to it, was greater than in any other college in the university. It is á singular circumstance, that out of twelve masters of colleges who were removed by the parliamentary commissioners for refusing the Solemn League and Covenant, seven of their number were replaced by members of Emanuel College. The same college has, in later times, been as much distinguished for its zealous support of the principles of the Church, as it was formerly notorious for its neglect of or opposition to them. The various unstatutable practices and irregularities in the administration of the university and in the public services of religion, which the preceding extracts recount, would seem fully to justify a most searching visitation with a view to their correction and amendment. A serious question arose, however, with respect to the possession of the right of visitation. The archbishop claimed it as the inherent right of his see to visit every portion of his province, and appealed to the visitations of the university which had been held by his predecessors, Archbishop Arundel in 1401, and Cardinal Pole in 1557. The university replied, that these visitations were held by virtue of the legatine character which they possessed, and which the latter of them expressly pleaded; that the popes in ancient times had distinctly freed the university from all diocesan and external ecclesiastical jurisdiction, conferring upon the chancellor an independent ecclesiastical jurisdiction of his own; and lastly, that the crown, as comprehending all the visitatorial powers which the popes had exercised, in addition to those which were inherent in the supreme head of the state, was the proper and the only visitor of the university. The archbishop does not appear to have been convinced by these reasonings; and the controversy was terminated by the Royal Letters of Charles I., empowering him to visit the university. F |