APPENDIX.

APPENDIX.

(A), pp. 66 & 559.

Lydgate's Verses on the Foundation of the University of Cambridge. (From the copy in Stokys' book f. 80 seq. in the registry, Cambridge.) Johannes Lidgatus.

1 By trew recorde of the Doctor Bede,

That some tyme wrotte so mikle with his hande,
And specially remembringe as I reede

In his cronicles made of England

Amounge other thynges as ye shall vnderstand,
Whom for myne aucthour I dare alleage,

Seith the translacion and buylding of Cambridge.

2 With hym accordinge Alfride the Croniclere,
Seriouslye who lyst his bookes to see,
Made in the tyme when he was Thresurere
Of Beverley an old famouse cytie,
Affirme and seyne the vniuersitie
Of Cambridge & studye fyrst began
By their wrytinge as I reporte can.

3 He rehersing first for commendacion,
By their writinge how that old cytie
Was stronglie whalled with towers manye one,
Builte and finished with great libertie
Notable and famous of great aucthoritie,
As their aucthors accordinge sayne the same,
Of Cantabro takyng first his name.

4 Like as I finde reporte I can none other.
This Canteber tyme of his lyvynge
To Pertholyne he was germayne brother
Duke in tho daies in Ireland a great Kynge,
Chieffe & principall cause of that building.
The wall about and towers as they stoode
Was set and builte vpon a large floode,

5 Named Cantebro a large brode ryver,
And after Cante called Cantebro,

This famous Citie, this write the Cronicler,
Was called Cambridge; rehersing eke also
In their booke their aucthors bothe twoe
Towching the date, as I rehearse can,
Fro thilke tyme that the world began

6 Fower thowsand complete by accomptes clere
And three hundreth by computacion
Joyned therto eight and fortie yeare,
When Cantebro gave the fundacion
Of thys cytie and this famous towne
And of this noble vniuersitie

Sett on this ryver which is called Cante.

7 And fro the great transmigracion

Of kynges reconed in the byble of old
Fro Iherusalem to babylon

Twoe hundreth wynter and thirtie yeares told.
Thus to writte myne aucthour maketh me bold,
When Cantebro, as it well knoweth,

At Atheynes scholed in his yought,

8 Alle his wyttes greatlye did applie

To have acquayntaunce by great affection
With folke experte in philosophie.

From Atheines he brought with hym downe
Philosophers most sovereigne of renowne
Vnto Cambridge, playnlye this is the case,
Anaxamander and Anaxagoras

9 With many other myne Aucthours dothe fare,
To Cambridge fast can hym spede

With philosophers, & let for no cost spare
In the Schooles to studdie & to reede;

Of whoes teachinge great profit that gan spreade

And great increase rose of his doctrine;

Thus of Cambridge the name gan first shyne

10 As chieffe schoole & vniuersitie

Vnto this tyme fro the daye it began

By cleare reporte in manye a far countre

Vnto the reigne of Cassibellan,

A woorthie prince and a full knyghtlie man,

As sayne cronicles, who with his might[ie] hand

Let Julius Cesar to arryve in this lande.

11 Five hundreth yere full thirtie yere & twentie

Fro babilons transmigracion

That Cassibelan reigned in britayne,

Which by his notable royall discrecion
To increase that studdie of great affection,
I meane of Cambridge the vniuersitie,
Franchized with manye a libertie.

12 By the meane of his royall favor
From countreis about manye one
Divers Schollers by diligent labour
Made their resorte of great affection

To that stooddie great plentie there cam downe,

To gather fruites of wysdome and science
And sondrie flowers of sugred eloquence.

13 And as it is put eke in memorie,

Howe Julius Cesar entring this region
On Cassybellan after his victorye

Tooke with him clarkes of famouse renowne
Fro Cambridg and ledd theim to rome towne,
Thus by processe remembred here to forne
Cambridg was founded longe or Chryst was borne,

14 Five hundreth yere thirtie and eke nyne.

In this matter ye gett no more of me,
Reherse I wyll no more [as] at this tyme.
Theis remembraunces have great aucthoritie

To be preferred of longe antiquitie;

For which by recorde all clarkes seyne the same,

Of heresie Cambridge bare never blame.

(B), p. 136.

Nearly all that is known about the university of Stamford, its fabled foundation as Bladud's university in A. c. 863, its probable first foundation under the patronage of Henry de Hanna, the second Provincial general of the Carmelites in England, and its final dispersion in 1335 (according to Wood 1334), is to be found in the Academia Tertia Anglicana, or Antiquarian Annals of Stanford, compiled by the laborious antiquary, Francis Peck, himself a native of Stamford. Whether the foundations there can be held to have constituted a university as Peck (Lib. VIII. p. 44) claims, may perhaps be questioned: Wood hesitates to decide; and the language of the letter of Edward III commanding the return of the Oxford students, 'we not being minded that schools or studies should in any sort be any where held within