REGISTER
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD
VQL II, PART I.
VOL. II, PART I.
©xfortt
PRINTED BY HORACE HART, PRINTER TO THE UNIVERSITY
REGISTER
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD
VOL. II.
PABT I INTRODUCTIONS
EDITED BY
ANDREW CLARK, M.A.
FELLOW OF LINCOLN COLLEGE, AND VICAR OF S. MICHAEL'S, OXFORD
PRINTED FOR THE OXFORD HISTORICAL SOCIETY AT THE CLARENDON PRESS
1887 [ All rights reserved ]
J[
PREFACE.
THIS volume is the second of a series which aims at making accessible the valuable lists of names, dates, and facts preserved in the Archives of the University of Oxford.
The first volume (quoted in this volume as Register} I) was pub- lished by Mr. C. W. Boase in 1884, and gave the entries relating to degrees from 1449 to 1463 and from 1505 to 1571, found in the Registers of Congregation and Convocation.
The second volume, now issued, has had to be divided into three parts, owing to the amount of material available for it.
In its third part this second volume continues the first by giving from the succeeding registers the entries of the B.A. and other degrees from 1571 to 1625, and also the entries of other degrees for a few years later, when they attach themselves to the B.A. degrees of those years. The year 1625 has been fixed on as the limit for the degrees in this volume, because it coincides for the degrees as nearly as may be with the year 1622 which, as is explained below, forms the natural limit for the matriculations. Here also are placed the indexes to the three parts.
In its second part this second volume begins the publication of the Matriculation and Subscription records which become available from about 1570. The Matriculations begin (generally speaking) about 1572 in an imperfect way, and become more complete about 1581. The Sub- scriptions begin in November, 1581. The year 1622 (10 May) is almost necessarily taken as the limit of the present volume, because at that date the Matriculation records change from the old to a fuller form.
In the first part of this volume will be found other lists of names, etc., during this period, 1570-1622, which seem naturally to accompany or supplement the Matriculation and Degree records.
The work represented by the present volume and its predecessor is a task which has been begun by many hands, and after partial progress laid aside. So long ago as the middle of the seventeenth century A Wood had transcribed with his own hand all the degrees from the earliest time to his own day, and had made large excerpts from the Matriculation Registers. Besides the Wood MSS., the Bodleian and
VI PREFACE.
College Libraries contain numerous other MS. collections of the same kind. And similar collections are known to exist in private hands.
One cause of the failure t*> bring work of this kind to completion has undoubtedly been the absence of sufficient support, such as is now given by the Oxford Historical Society. But another, and a more fatal cause, has been ambition o'erleaping itself. Scholars have traced out their work on a scale too large for execution, in that they aimed at giving fulness to these bare records by adding biographical and literary notes to the names. I resolved, therefore, in undertaking the present task to impose on myself intentional ignorance of many things. I have given no references to earlier documents 1, to biographies, to county histories, to histories of schools and colleges, or to lists of ecclesiastical and other dignitaries; but have confined myself rigidly to the documents whose information I undertook to set forth.
With regard to these documents and the form into which their infor- mation is cast, some explanations may reasonably be asked.
The documents embodied in whole or in part in the following pages are contained in the Archives of the University, and fall into four distinct classes.
I. The Subscription Books.
When a person entered the University (after 1581) he was required to ' subscribe ' to the Thirty-Nine Articles ; that is, to signify his assent to the doctrine therein contained by attaching his signature to them. This was done in a MS. bound up with a copy of the Thirty-Nine Articles. Two of these books have been used in the present volume (1581-1622).
A. b. 1. The first is known as ' Univ. Oxon. Arch. A. b. i.' This is the earliest of the Subscription Books, and the whole of it has been used for this volume.
It is a small quarto copy of the Thirty-Nine Articles, printed at London by Christopher Barker in 1579. Bound up with it are the MS. leaves on which the signatures are entered, on both sides of the leaf, and frequently in double columns.
The MS. part begins : — 'The names of such as have subscribed to this
1 E.g. In writing of 'poor scholars' (Part II. p. i foil.) I have omitted references to earlier notices, as Anstey, Munim. Acad., p. 684 ; and in speaking of undergraduates in orders (.Part I. p. 25) I have taken no notice of similar facts occurring in pre- Reformation times.
PREFACE. Vll
book of Articles since the i7th day of Nov. 1581, anno regni reginae Elizabethae 24°, Dr. James then Vice-Chancellor.'
The first entry is ' Magd. H.; William Newton' (17 Nov. 1581); the last is 'Francis Pope ' (New C., 7 July, 1615).
The entries in this book give the name of the student (generally in his own handwriting) ; sometimes the date is expressly given, at almost all times it can be inferred since the men wrote their names in it as they presented themselves on successive days for Matriculation ; in a few cases, the college is also stated, or the quality of the student's father. Dr. Bliss, Keeper of the Archives (1826-1857), has generally supplied the college of a signatory where it is not given, from the entries in the Matriculation Register.
At the end there is this note, ' 1 2 Dec. 1712; I received this book of Mr. T(homas) Hinton, A.M., of C.C.C., for the University Archives. B(ernard) Gardiner, Cust(os) Arch(ivorum).' Note, therefore, that this volume which was completed in the summer of 1615, seems to have remained in private ownership till the winter of 1712.
A. c. 2. The second is known as ' Univ. Oxon. Arch. A. c. 2.' This second Subscription Book is the direct continuation of the first. About one third of it has been used for the present volume.
It is a small quarto copy of the Articles, of the same size and appear- ance as that used in the first Subscription Book, printed at London by Robert Barker in 1612. Bound up with this are about 170 leaves of MS., of which about 150 are written on, mostly on both sides of the leaf, but generally in single columns.
The MS. part begins: — 'The names of such as have subscribed to this book of Articles since the i2th of October 1615, anno regni regis Jacobi 13°; Dr. Goodwine, Dean of Ch. Ch., being then Vice-Chan- cellor.'
The first entry is ' 13 Oct. 1615, Charles Manwood;' the last is 'A.D. 1639 (i.e. i6f£), 3 March, Samuel Eares, plebei filius.'
The entries in this book are of the same character as those described in the first Subscription Book. Dr. Bliss in a very few cases has added the college as before.
The history of this book is written at the end in the following notes : —
' Univ. Coll. Oxon. Apr. 10, 1705. R(eceive)d this of the Reverend Dr. Hutton, Rector of Ayno in Northamptonshire for the University, having bought it at an auction. Ar(thur) Charlett.'
'Aug. 10, 1705. Received this book of ye Reverend Dr. Charlett as
Vlll PREFACE.
above ; and then I put it into ye Archives. B. Gardiner, C. A.' (i. e. Gustos Archivorum).
This volume, therefore, like the first Subscription Book had remained in private ownership for nearly a century.
It is to be remembered that these books were treated as the property of the bedell by whom they were kept, and sold or otherwise disposed of by his executors and representatives.
A modern parallel to this may be given. A number of old MS. books belonging to Lincoln College, formerly in the custody of the Rector (it is believed the old 'order books' of the college), were sold by the executors of a Rector as waste-paper, either by the executors of Dr. Tatham (died 1834), or more probably by the executors of Dr. Radford (died 1851). They -were heard of in 1854, when a London bookseller tried to extort money from the college by threatening to submit them to the University Commission, then sitting. He was told that he might do so. Later on, when some members of the college wished to purchase the volumes, the bookseller's address had been mislaid, and all future search for them has been fruitless.
These instances raise a vague possibility that some few University or College Registers may yet come to light in private ownership.
II. The Matriculation Registers.
When a person entered the University he was required to state certain facts about himself, to be recorded in the University Registers. Two of these Registers have been used in the present volume.
P. The first Matriculation Register is known as ' Univ. Oxon. Arch. P.,' and the whole of it has been used in the present volume.
It is a great folio volume of a little over 380 leaves, divided into 'heads' for the different colleges in the order given in Part II. p. 9. The writing is on both sides of the leaf; but between the separate heads there generally come several blank leaves. It begins with the Matricu- lation Statutes given later on ; then comes the list for Ch. Ch. given in Part II. p. ii, followed by the Ch. Ch. matriculations, and so on with the other colleges. The latest date contained in it is found in the head for University College in the matriculation of William Smyth on 7 July, 1615. It just succeeds, therefore, in touching the foundation of Wadham College, whose earliest matriculations are found in it on fol. 767.
It is not uniformly written. A strong distinction has to be made between the lists given in Part II. p. 10 foil., and the matriculations given in Part II. p. 50 foil. The lists have been written out by professed
PREFACE. IX
scribes, and the general character of them all is a clear and formal style of writing, leaving plenty of space between the names. Three hands, at least, can be distinguished in these lists — (i) the scribe who wrote out the 1565 lists, given in Part II. pp. 10-29; (2) tne scribe who wrote the Hart H. lists, given in Part II. pp. 29, 35 (the same hand has written the earlier Hart H. matriculations in Part II. pp. 48, 49); (3) the scribe who wrote the 1572 lists, given in Part II. pp. 30-43. The matriculations, on the other hand, are written in many hands, which fall into three types. The earlier ones are current handwritings, not those of professed scribes ; some are very good, some moderate ; their general character is order and neatness. Then come some very careless and bad hands, untidy, irregular, blotted, and marked by omissions of dates, and the crowding of one entry into another. About 1600 the handwritings become good and regular, and the entries are properly spaced, and kept in order.
These differences of handwriting have to be strictly attended to in consult- ing the first Matriculation Register, since they serve to distinguish entries of different dates in the numerous cases where the dates have been omitted.
The entries in this first Matriculation Register (generally speaking) are of this type : — they give the student's name, his college (by entering his name under a given head), the date (sometimes) of the entry, the county of birth, the father's quality, the age.
This Register is extremely defective in the years 1612-1614.
PP. The second Matriculation Register is known as 'Univ. Oxon. Arch. PP.' It is a direct continuation of P., the first entries being of date 13 Oct. 1615, the last being of date 1647. Only a small part of it there- fore has been used in the present volume.
It is a smaller folio volume than P., both in the size of the leaves and also in their number, containing only about 370 leaves. It is admirably written in one hand, and that a very good one.
It is divided into ' heads ' in the same way as P., and has similar blanks between the heads.
It may be noted in it that the head for ' Broadgates Hall ' merges into ' Pembroke College ' at a point just beyond the matriculations given in the present volume ; and that in addition to the head for ' Privileged Persons ' (on fol. 335) it introduces a new head for ' Servientes' (on fol. 345) into which are collected entries of servants, which in P. are scattered up and down through the heads for the colleges.
At the beginning of the book are the matriculations and signatures of certain ' nobiles,' among them that of Prince Charles (see Part II. p. 353), whose acts as king will demand much notice in the next volume.
X PREFACE.
Up to 10 May, 1622, the entries in this second register are of the same character as those in P. At that point, they become fuller, and record also the name of the student's father, the parish in which the student was born, whether he was the eldest, second, etc., son. That point, therefore, forms a natural break in the sequence of the matriculations, and the present volume accordingly stops with the entries for 10 May,, 1622.
The history of this volume, PP., is stated in notes now pasted on to its binding, and is quite parallel to that of the Subscription Books (see pp. vii, viii).
' Registrum hoc sive matriculam Universitatis Oxon, quod penes Matthaeum Crosse superiorem in Jure bedellum dum in vivis ageret re- manserat, postquam fato cessit a Johanne Crosse filio ejus et haerede repetitum recepi 4 Feb. A. D. 1655 (i.e. 165^), Gerard Langbaine, Gustos Archivorum.'
' This book came into the hands of Mr. Samuel Clarke, Superior bedell of Law, an. 1659; an(^ after his death (an. 1669) into the hands of Dr. John Fell, his executor, who delivered it to me in Dec. an. 1671, A. Wood.'
That is, the volume was treated as the private property of the bedell who kept it, but was rescued in 1656 for the Archives by Dr. Langbaine. Three years later it was again in private ownership, having been probably taken out of the Archives in order to obtain the correct form of making the matriculation entries, which had been very imperfectly kept in the years 1648-1658. In 1671 it was again rescued for the Archives by Anthony A Wood.
III. The Registers of Convocation and Congregation.
These contain, in addition to other proceedings of the University, all the records connected with degrees. Twelve of them have been wholly or partially used for this volume. In this volume only the degree records are given (in Part III), with the dispensations and a few decrees affecting matriculation and graduation (in Part I) ; but the other entries have been collected with a view to a separate issue under the general title ' Acta Universitatis Oxon.'
These volumes fall into three types : — (a) in the earlier volumes there is no principle or method of arrangement, and proceedings of Congrega- tion and Convocation follow each other pell-mell. This confusion has been worse confounded by some accident in the binding which has intro- duced pages of one into the pages of another.
PREFACE. XI
Under this type come the volumes known as : —
' Univ. Oxon. Arch.'
I. 8. Register of Convocation and Congregation, 1535-1563. See Reg. I. p. vi.
KK. 9. Register of Convocation and Congregation from 12 Apr. 1564 to 28 Apr. 1582 ; a folio volume of over 350 leaves closely packed with writing.
L. 10. Register of Convocation and Congregation from 1582 to 1594 ; a folio of about 300 leaves.
(£) in the second class of volumes an attempt has been made to sepa- rate Convocation from Congregation ; and the entries about Convocation read from one end of the book, and those of Congregation from the other.
Under this type comes the volume known as : —
M. 11. a. b. Register of Convocation and Congregation from Easter Term 1595 to 1606; a folio volume of over 350 leaves. This volume M. 1 1 . has two halves, (a) the Register of Convocation written from the recto side ; (to) the Register of Congregation written from the verso side.
(c) in the later volumes proceedings in Congregation are entered in distinct volumes from proceedings in Convocation.
K. 22. Register of Convocation from 13 Dec. 1606 to 27 July, 1615; a small folio of about 200 leaves closely written on both sides.
K reversed. 12. Register of Congregation, 1606 to 1611; a folio volume of over 360 leaves.
N. 23. Register of Convocation, 1615-1628.
S. a. 13. Register of Congregation from 1611 to 1622; a folio volume of 445 leaves.
B. 24. Register of Convocation from 1628 to 1640.
O. 14. Register of Congregation from 1622 to 1629; a folio of over 280 leaves, a few of them blank.
P. 15. Register of Congregation, 1630-1634 ; a folio of over 340 leaves, but many of them blank.
Q. 16. Register of Congregation, 1634-1647 ; a folio of over 240 leaves, many of them blank.
Entries about degrees are generally found in the Registers of Congre- gation, but some entries are found in the Registers of Convocation.
Along with this progressive attempt at arrangement seen in the out- ward form of these volumes, an inward attempt at the same object has to be noted. In the earlier volumes the supplications for all degrees are given anyhow ; in the later volumes they are grouped into heads ; ' gratiae baccalaureorum in artibus,' ' gratiae magistrorurn,' and so on. In the
Xii PREFACE.
earlier volumes the lists of presentations to each degree are kept separate ; those of presentations to B.A. in one year being kept apart from those of presentations to M.A., and so on ; and the list of persons determining is kept apart from the list of persons incepting in arts and in the faculties. This arrangement is kept up and improved on in the later volumes. In the earlier volumes dispensations are mixed up with graces ; in the later volumes they are kept apart.
IV. The Registers of the Chancellor's (or Vice-Chancellor's) Court. * Acta Curiae Cancellarii.'
There is a separate series of documents concerned with the proceedings in the Court of the Chancellor, better known perhaps as the Vice-Chan- cellor's Court. I made a calendar of these for part of this period, but found that they afforded material for a separate volume, which I hope the Historical Society will some day take up. These Registers ' curiae Cancellarii ' contain however some lists which find their natural place in the present volume, and are therefore given in it, mainly in Part I.
The Vice-Chancellor, acting as chief administrator of the University, sometimes called whole classes of students before him ; and hence we have a list like that given in Part II. pp. 6—9. Or again, he directed lists of students to be drawn up, and hence we have lists like those given in Reg. I. pp. xxii-xxv. Or again, he admitted principals of the halls to their office, and hence we have lists of the ' scholares ' taking part in the election, such as those given in Reg. I. p. 300, and in the present Part I. p. 282 foil.
GG. The volume of this set chiefly used has been the giant folio known as ' Univ. Oxon. Arch. GG.' The first part of it is occupied with the proceedings of the court from Nov. 1545 to Sept. 1556. The rest of the volume has been used as a sort of universal ledger for the recording of all sorts of lists connected with the Vice-Chancellor's jurisdiction from about 1560 to 1660. From this volume chiefly come the lists given in the second half of this present Part I. pp. 295-344.
The Registers of the Vice-Chancellor's Court belonging to this period are known as : —
Registrum (or Acta) Curiae Cancellarii—
GG. 1545-1556. C. 1578-1582. HH- i557-i56o. D. 1580-1584. A. 1561-1566. E. 1584-1585. 1566-1578. F. 1585-1587- Bb. 1578-1580. G. 1587-1588.
PREFACE. Xlll
H. 1588-1589. Kk. i593-r594-
I. 1589-1590. I*». 1594.
K. 1590-1591. oOo. 1594-1596.
L. iSQJ-JSPS- H*1. 1633-1636.
Very little use has been made of any of these volumes (except GG.) in the present volume 2. They are written in a hand 3 which forbids a rapid examination, and they did not seem to contain such lists of names for the present volume as would have justified a thorough search. There are, besides these volumes, loose sheets placed in the Archives by Dr. Woodward, Registrar of the Vice-Chancellor's Court, belonging to the years 1577, 1596-1603, 1611-1615, 1618-1621, 1623-1628, 1636-1640, 1645-1658. In addition there are several volumes of Wills and Inven- tories, and of depositions in cases heard in the Court. These volumes have not been searched.
D. 28. To the same class belongs the volume known as D. 28. It is an account of the Vice-Chancellor's proceedings in the admissions of certain Principals of Halls, preceded by the Statutes of the Halls ; and has furnished lists, given in the present Part I. pp. 289 foil.
I have also, through the kindness of the authorities of different colleges, and of individual college antiquarians, had access to lists and documents connected with the colleges. But these form such a very large supple- ment to the University Records as to deserve issue as an independent volume. I have, however, used them to determine the college of persons graduating between 1570 and 1580, when the University Records do not supply that information.
From this statement of the MS. sources for this volume, the character of the contents of these MSS. is at once apparent.
They consist, so far as their matter belongs to this volume, of dis- connected sets of lists giving the names of the successive persons who passed certain fixed points in the University course. Thus, there is a list of persons who subscribed to the Thirty-Nine Articles at the beginning of their course, given in the Subscription Books. There is a (somewhat imperfect) list of persons who matriculated, given in the Matriculation
1 The letters of this series are taken from an old catalogue. I use the letter with the asterisk to indicate a differently shaped capital from H and I above. In the re- binding, in most cases, the distinguishing letter seems to have been destroyed, and the volumes are now cited by the general title ' Acta Cur. Cane.' and their date.
2 See, however, pp. 286, 287.
3 In a notary's hand for private memoranda, invented (as the palaeographers say) to prevent the documents being read by the uninitiated ; and, if so, eminently successful in its intention.
Xiv PREPACK.
Registers. There are confused lists of persons who were allowed' exerrip' tions from particular requirements of the Statutes (' supplicated for dis- pensations ' is the technical term) and of persons who asked leave of the University to proceed to degrees (' supplicated for degrees ' is the technical term). There are separate lists of persons admitted to the B.A. degree, and to the M.A. degree ; and of B.A.'s who determined, and of M. A.'s who incepted ; and so on with the other degrees. And a multitude of entries of this kind.
In what form or order ought these scattered entries to be grouped to- gether ?
This question must be answered, first, in the main outline on general grounds ; and, secondly, in details by special considerations based on the character of the documents.
One possible order which was suggested to me was the Alphabetical. This would have given great orderliness and uniformity, and have been easy to carry out. The name being once taken, all the entries connected with it could be attached to it in order of time. It did not, however, re- quire much reflection to reject this plan. It was at once apparent that this simplicity of structure would involve the sacrifice of nearly everything which was historically valuable in these records. Do we wish to know about the general history of the University or of a College at a given date ? Then we require to have displayed before us the stream of human life which flowed into it, and after a short time flowed back again into the nation ; we have to mark what drops of the stream were wasted in the interval, sucked up by the evil influences of Oxford climate or Oxford life ; we have to note what other drops were held back from the nation which sent them here, clinging for a long time or permanently to Oxford itself; we have to estimate somehow how far the stream was enriched in its passage, how far the individuals composing it gained in learning and in character during their stay with us. And no framework on which to tabulate these observations is given unless we arrange our matriculation records in as strict a chronological order as we can. Or again, do we wish to know about the University course of an individual ? It is very little to learn about him at what date he matriculated or at what date he took his degree. We learn more about him when we can see at a glance the type and mould of the men he was brought in contact with during his years in Oxford, the counties they came from, the social stratum in which they had their origin, their average age, and the like.
Further, arranged alphabetically, these entries would bristle with facts ; arranged chronologically, they are not without their poetry also. When we see year after year, Yorkshire and Somerset, Wiltshire and Northum-
PREFACE. XV
berland, Cornwall and Kent, meeting on the same page in the same year and month, we get some grip of the great service the Colleges had been rendering the nation in helping to make England one in mind and man- ners, as one in name and in government. County was at one time severed from county, and the men of one county knew little and cared little about other counties ; and so the history of the University opens with savage conflicts between North and South in the streets of Oxford. But in the close contact of college life men from all parts were brought together and made to know each other. Or, again, when we run the eye down page after page and see the considerable proportion of Undergraduates supplied by Wales, we come to appreciate better how much England has been enriched by the constant inflow of Celtic energy and enthusiasm from across the Welsh border.
The alphabetical arrangement therefore would give a simplicity of treatment not otherwise attainable. But by separating kindred entries from each other, it would lose everything which is to be learnt from their sequence and connection.
It would also involve a great sacrifice of material. Entries like those in Part I. pp. 283 foil., giving lists of students voting in elections of Principals of the Halls, and those in Part II. pp. 10 foil., giving lists of members of the colleges at a given date, are valuable from many points of view for University history, but how could they be brought into an alphabetical arrangement ? It would be both foolish and cumbrous to write out in the case of each individual that on a given day he voted in the election of a Principal for his Hall, or at a given date was a member of his College.
These reasons seemed decisive against the adoption of any other principle of arrangement than the chronological.
This settled, a further point claimed consideration. How far was it possible or desirable to hang together all these facts on one uniform chronological framework ?
The most natural course seemed to be to take the chronological order at matriculation, and attach to each man's matriculation the records of his degrees. Theoretically that seemed possible, and this volume, as at first written, proceeded on that principle. But I found out as I went along that the number of persons who took degrees, but whose name did not appear in the matriculation lists, was in some years no small part of the whole number of degrees. I then compared some college Admission Books with the Matriculation Register and found that they established great gaps in the matriculations ; e. g. one of the weightiest names of Oxford writers, Richard Hooker, the author of the Ecclesiastical Polity, is found
Xvi PREFACE.
in the Admission Book of Corpus Christi College, but not in the Uni- versity Matriculation Registers.
Further, it became apparent that the Matriculation Register was not only defective but in the earlier years misleading, bringing together into one entry matriculations which must have been some years apart.
The long and orderly sequence of the admissions to the B.A. degree thus appeared to supply a chronological sequence of names which it would be a great pity to sacrifice, especially as no unity or simplicity could be gained by the attempt to fuse together degrees and matriculations.
For these reasons I abandoned the attempt to do so, and re-wrote this volume, presenting the records in two sets ; in the first set, matricu- lations and subscriptions ; in the second, degrees arranged on the sequence of presentations to the B.A. degree.
Besides these, there are given separately in Part I. several lists which either altogether failed to come within this scheme (as the lists of privileged persons and of citizens), or which, when brought together into one place, threw a light on some points of University life which would have been lost had they been scattered about among other entries (such as, e.g. the lists of incorporations from other Universities, the dispensations, the graces refused, the degrees in music, and the like).
The principles which I have followed in arranging the degrees I have explained in the note at the beginning of the degree part (Part III) of this volume, and in the note at the close of the degrees for i58|-.
I have here to explain the principles on which I have arranged the earlier records and the records at matriculation and subscription, as they appear in Part II. pp. 10 foil., and pp. 48 foil.
First of all, I set apart the lists of members of the colleges which come at the beginning of the ' head ' for each college in the first Matriculation Register. They are not matriculations, and the habit of speaking of them as matriculations has only led to misconceptions and errors. In what sense is the entry of ' Thomas Day ' (see Part II. p. 1 1) in the Ch. Ch. list of 1 56^ a ' matriculation ' when he took his B.C.L. more than forty years .before (see Reg. I. 119) ? And there are few names in the list of which ' matriculation ' can be used with any better warrant. These have therefore been removed into a division by themselves (Part II. pp. 9-46).
In the second place came the matriculations from 1567 to Nov., 1581, in which period there was no other authority than the first Matric. Reg. P. In that register there is an artificial division of these entries into heads for the colleges, which had a great deal to be said for it. There were, how- ever, strong reasons for not adopting this order in the entries from 1 7
PREFACE. XV11
. Nov. 1581 onwards, and so for the sake of uniformity I abandoned it in these years also. I have put the entries at each college on a given day under that date, arranging the names in alphabetical order within each college entry, and placing the colleges alphabetically under the date. The notes attached to this part of the work will show the grave defects of the register during these years, both in the absence of dates and in the confusion of dates. I have already indicated that it also omits numerous names of men who must have matriculated at this period.
In the third place came the period from 17 Nov., 1581 to 10 May, 1622, which opened up a more complex question. Here there were two independent authorities, the first Matriculation Register as before and its successor, and now also the Subscription Books.
In many respects the lists which the two authorities furnished were identical, because men entered their names in the Subscription Book on the same day in which they were entered in the Matriculation Register. But the order the one authority follows is entirely unlike the order of the other. In the Matriculation Registers the names are disposed according to the colleges into something over twenty sections as described above : in the Subscription Book the names follow each other irrespective of their colleges as a man got his turn to write.
It would have therefore been absurd to have attached the matriculations to the subscriptions, since we would have had under one and the same date sequences like Ball., Exet., S. Mary H., Ball., Ch. Ch., Exet., Ch. Ch., Ch. Ch., Exet., Exet., Ball., according as now a Ch. Ch. man and now a Ball, man of those subscribing took hold of the pen. On the other hand, there was a germ of truth in the order of the Subscription Book, because the chronological order is seriously violated in the Matricu- lation Register where the entries of one day are scattered over perhaps two to twenty separate heads.
A combination of the two imperfect orders into a uniform and metho- dical order, was therefore necessary, and this I am satisfied I have been able in most cases to obtain. Taking each day's matriculation as indi- cated by the Subscription Book as the unit, I have then arranged the colleges and halls occurring in it in alphabetical order, and have brought under each college or hall the names belonging to it in alphabetical order, exactly as in the preceding period. The result has been a great gain in clearness and in accessibility, without sacrifice of the chronological order, and without sacrifice of the college system ; for it is easy to run the eye down the column and get the next matriculations of a given college. The result has been also, for reasons presently to be stated, a most important gain in accuracy.
VOL. II, PART I. b
XVlil PREFACE.
To explain this, I shall state the procedure at matriculation as it obviously occurred, taking by way of example a simple hypothetical case. On a given day, say about twenty men presented themselves for matriculation, say six from Ch. Ch., four from Bras., five from Ball., two from Jes., three from Trin. On that day they wrote their names in the Subscription Book, and all twenty names appear in one page of the Subscription Book. The bedell had then to enter their names in the Matriculation Register. Taking the slip of paper on which he had noted their college, their county, their father's quality, and their age, he turned up the head for Ch. Ch., and entered the names of the Ch. Ch. men in their proper place, giving the date of the entry. He then turned over the pages to the head for Bras., and made the entry for the Bras. men. He then turned to the head for Trin., but there he omitted to note the date, as it was very easy to do in turning thus from one place to another. He then turned to the Ball, head and there wrote down, not only the Ball, entries, but also the two Jes. Coll. ones. Noticing his error, he scored them out, and then turned to the head for Jesus and entered them there, neglecting, however, to transfer one of the erased names.
It is easy to see from this sketch of what was done on each occasion, the great possibilities of mistake which the system was liable to, especially as the difference of handwriting shows that the Matriculation Register1 was not kept by one officer, who would soon have formed a method of making the entries, but by several people, to each of whom the process must have been painfully new. And all these difficulties were aggravated by the fact that the keepers of the register were often the yeomen bedells, with very imperfect education.
(i) Entries are frequently omitted. Every here and there a name occurs in the Subscription Book which is not found in the Matriculation Book. These (unless otherwise noted) are indicated in Part I. pp. 402 foil, and in Part II. pp 129 foil, by the mark t. In some of these cases it would have been possible to have given the college from the degree entries ; but I have refrained, since in many cases the college of the degree was different from the college of matriculation, and the index will give an opportunity of attaching the college to these names. For the most glaring instances of these omissions, see in Part II. pp. 329 foil., the years 1613, 1614, 1615.
(li) Entries are made under wrong heads. It is a well ascertained fact that men freely changed from college to college during this period.
1 These strictures, -of course, apply to P., the first Matriculation Register, which supplies the bulk of the present volume. The second Matriculation Register PP. is much better.
PREFACE. XIX
But some of the discrepancies between the college of matriculation and the college of the degree, are probably to be accounted for by an error in the Matriculation Register. This is especially the case in the case of ' Magd. C.' and ' Magd. H.,' where we sometimes find a candidate who subscribes from ' Magd. C.' entered on the same day as matriculating at ' Magd. H.' In most cases, however, it is impossible to check errors of this sort in the Matric. Reg. by using the Subscription Book, because the Subscription Book seldom gives the student's college.
Here may be noted the peculiar features of the erased entries. As above noted, the bedell, having made an entry under a wrong head, sometimes observed his error and transferred the entry to its proper head. I have never omitted to note carefully these erasures ; and I find that in some cases there are distinct discrepancies between the entry as it stands in the place to which it was removed, and in the place in which it was erased; e.g. in one place the age is given as 16, in the other as 18. I have noted both ages in these cases, as there is no means of determin- ing which is the more correct entry. In other cases, the later entry has been made very imperfectly, and requires to be completed by the erased entry (see Part II. pp. 211, 290). In some cases, after the erasure of an entry, the writer has omitted to insert it in its proper place. In one or two places the entry is allowed to stand under both heads (see Part II. p. 121, note 2).
The same remarks apply to entries under wrong heads and to erasures in the books which record the degrees (see p. 365).
(iii) Entries are given without dates. These have been a fruitful source of error, because persons consulting the Register of Matriculations from time to time cannot avoid creating misleading alliances between undated entries and the date of the last dated entry which precedes them. The error involved in this procedure is generally slight, of some weeks or months; but there are some cases in, which an error of two or three years may arise.
This can best be explained by a definite instance which I have pur- posely selected as a typical but not extreme case, and as one where a date given by me has been called in question.
The Trinity College Matriculation list on P. fol. 284, gives the follow- ing names (see Part II. pp. 200, 203) : ' 15 Feb., 1593, Thomas Roberts James Allin
Walter Jones Richard Hutchinson
William Jones Daniel Tuer
George Calverte 8 Nov., 1594, Robert Lovet.'
A person hastily consulting the Matriculation Register is very likely to
b 2
XX PREFACE.
conclude that ' George Calverte ' (afterwards Lord Baltimore) matriculated on 15 Feb., iSpf. In so doing he has stated more than the register warrants him in saying. The entries of the two 'Jones ' are in a different hand from that which has written ' 15 Feb., 1593, Thomas Roberts,' and the entries of Calverte and the three names which follow are in yet another hand. A strict statement of the evidence furnished by the Register P. would therefore be that Calverte matriculated on some date between 15 Feb., 159! and 8 Nov., 1594.
The use of the Subscription Book decides the point. In the Subscrip- tion Book no less than 107 names occur between the name of Thomas Roberts and that of George Calverte. In this book Calverte's name is found in this company: —
' John Parker Richard Hutchinson
Henry Cornwall Daniel Tuer
Philip Fleminge David Price
George Calverte Griffith Floyd.'
If now we go through the Matriculation Register and take the dates there given (unmistakeably in the same handwriting as that of the names), we find that Parker matriculated on 28 June, Tleminge on 5 July, and Price and Floyd on 12 July, 1594 (three successive Fridays in term, ac- cording to the usual practice by which men matriculated on Friday). Calverte's matriculation is thus brought within narrow limits ; it must belong either to Friday, 5 July or to Friday, 12 July. The point is de- cided by the difference of the ink in the Subscription Book entries, which show that the latter date is to be preferred. The matriculation of Cal- verte and the others is therefore put at 12 July, 1594.
The above extracts are also of use as illustrating another point. The two 'Jones' are written in a slightly different hand from the name ' Roberts.' But they are not found at all in the Subscription Book, and so there is no means for determining their place. What is to be done with them ? Where the difference as here is clearly very slight, I have generally as the least error classed them with the date nearest to them ; but where there is reason to suspect any wide difference, I have made a note to that effect.
I have dwelt on this point at considerable length, because neglect of it and exclusive use of the Matriculation Register has led to a great many errors of date. It cannot be too strenuously maintained that where dates are taken from the Matriculation Register without confirmation from the Subscription Book, the differences of handwriting in the Register require to be most carefully noted.
There is another error of observation which has created great
PREFACE. XXI
confusion in extracts hastih taken from the Matriculation Register. The year given there is of course the old year from 25 Alar, to 24 March, but seeing, say the year 1583 a little way above an entry dated 4 Apr., a person extracting a Matriculation entry is very likely to give it as 4 Apr. 1583, not noticing that the scribe has neglected to enter the change of year to 1584. I mention this chiefly because I have found in published works quite a considerable number of dates manifestly a year wrong from this cause.
A further source of error in these hasty extracts has been that the writer of the Register has gone on writing ' Oct.' when the month had changed to ' Nov.,' just as at the date at which I am writing this preface (Jan. 1887), I am perpetually liable from force of last year's habit to date my letters Jan. 1886. Many errors of this kind, in cases where they are unmistakeable, have been silently corrected both in the matri- culations and in the degree lists. In other cases where I have been unable to correct them with certainty, I have indicated their presence by a note.
Some erroneous quotations have got into circulation from a trick of the writer of certain entries in the year 1578. In some cases he has not given the year, but has written ' anno praedicto ' ; but in many cases the year before is 1577. The entry is self-exposed in some cases, e.g. in the Magd. Coll. Matriculations the long list of 20 Dec. 1577 (given in Part II. p. 76) is followed by a list of ' 8 Dec. anno praedicto,' which, of course, belongs to 1578 (see Part II. p. 84). The handwriting is a very distinct one, and the correction has been easily made in all cases where it was required.
(iv) Entries are given under wrong dates. The use of the Subscription Book makes clear a number of errors of what I may call ' displacement.' The person who was making the entries in the Matriculation Register has obviously made an entry in a vacant line at the foot or top of a wrong page, or in the middle of a page already occupied with writing. Some of these he has erased, and subsequently entered in their proper place. Others he has left standing. Here also the error is plain from the hand- writing, but I find in published extracts from the Matriculation Registers, that this indication of handwriting has been uniformly neglected, and that no care has been taken to verify the date by collation with the Sub- scription Book. Some slight errors of this kind are found also in PP.
These considerations will serve to show the grounds of my confidence, that by consistent use of the Subscription Book I have been able to secure greater exactness and accuracy for the dates of the matriculation than would otherwise have been possible.
XX11 PREFACE.
For the period therefore between 17 Nov. 1581 and to May, 1622, the dates given in Part II. pp. 100 foil., are drawn from a rigid com- parison of A. b. i (the first Subscription Book) with P. (the first Matri- culation Register).
In one or two places it will be observed that the date given is dis- tinguished as only conjectural (see Part II. p. 48). In several entries of the year 1594 no day or month is given either in the Subscription Book or in the Matriculation Register. In this year, however, the difference of ink between one day's entries in the Subscription Book and another day's entries is frequently well marked ; and led by the few dates actually given, and the knowledge that the day of matriculation was regularly Friday, I have been able roughly to divide the entries into something like the usual form.
A further point is concerned with the spelling of the names. In the Subscription Book the names are generally written by the men them- selves, and this spelling therefore has been followed in the matriculations given in Part II. pp. 100 foil. The spelling in the Matriculation Book is often different. Sometimes the difference is slight, e. g. ' Whyte ' for ' White,' and the like ; sometimes it is considerable, e. g. ' Wild- goose' for 'Viguers' (see Part II. p. 227); sometimes the Christian name is wrongly given (see Part II. pp. 253, 260). It was a moot point whether it was worth while to record the variations of spelling of the Matriculation Register. In the surnames I have generally done so even with slight variations both in the matriculations and in the degrees, because even these slight variations seem to throw some light on the history of English vowel-sounds, and on questions of orthography. In the case of Christian names I have discarded all variations, and taken the ordinary spelling of to-day. These names occurred sometimes in English, sometimes in Latin, and in both languages often in con- tractions, and with constant changes of form, which it would have been an endless and a useless task to retain.
I may now sum up what I have said about the Subscription Book A. b. i in relation to the Matriculation Register P.
(I) It has certain great advantages over the Matriculation Register, (a) It contains many names omitted in the Register.
(£) It contains an authoritative spelling which is sometimes required to correct the Register.
(c) The chronological list which it supplies by the men signing it in a row as they matriculated is of the last importance in checking, correct- ing, and completing the defective notes of time in the Register.
(II) It is in some points inferior to the Matriculation Register. I
PREFACE. XXU1
pass over the extreme scantiness of its information, but I may note these two points : —
(a) Some names found in the Matriculation Register are omitted in the Subscription Book.
(t>) Some names are ' displaced ' in it ; that is, the bedell has opened the book at random, and the student has written his name in a vacant space among entries belonging to a much earlier date. Instances of extreme displacement of this kind have been indicated in the notes.
(III) No separate record of subscriptions has been made, since the first and third columns of the lists in Part II. pp. 100 foil, serve as an index to the subscriptions as well as to the matriculations.
(IV) The Subscription Books have an interest and value which lie outside the province of this volume. The names, as has been said above, are generally written by the men themselves, and the Subscription Books therefore form a long series of autographs of members of the University at the beginning of their Oxford course.
The following exceptions may be noted : —
(a) as pointed out above, some names of persons matriculating will not be found in the Subscription list ;
(<5) in some cases several names seem to be written by the same hand, as if either one of the students being presented, or the dean pre- senting them, had written down the names of several persons ;
(c) in a good many cases the person subscribing has not written his name, but ' made his mark.' These entries, of course, are generally those of servants, but there are some of undergraduates (see Part II. pp. 266, 274, 277, 283). I have noted all instances of these 'marks.' It does not of course follow that where a servant's name is written without a mark the man must of necessity have written it himself. It may have been written for him by his presenter, or the bedell who neglected to ask him to ' make his mark.'
With these exceptions, if the autograph of a person occurring in these matriculation lists after 1581 is desired, it may be found in the Sub- scription Book of the time.
Another point to be noticed is, the occasional omissions in the register, indicated by the mark . . . ; sometimes a Christian name, sometimes a surname, sometimes the county or father's quality or age is left out.
There are several things which explain this. In some cases it is clear that the writer of the entries had either omitted to get the information, or had failed to decipher it in his notes, because he has carefully left a space for the missing fact. In other cases it is probable that the omission comes from the crowded way in which the entries are made,
XXIV PREFACE.
without spaces between the words, without punctuation, without sufficient intervals between the lines. These omissions are sometimes productive of error, e. g. in the following instance : — In the Exeter matriculations for (1581 ?) we find an rntry ' William Devon pleb. fil. 20.' It is gene- rally extracted as though ' Devon ' were the surname, as e. g. in Boase, p. 1 86. It is far more probable that 'Devon' is the county, and that the surname has dropped out (see Part II. p. 99, note i).
Something has also to be said about the value of the entries actually found in the Matriculation Register, as distinct from any criticism of its omissions.
Indications have already been given that these entries are not free from suspicion of error. In the case of erased entries (see p. xix) we have sometimes a perplexing contradiction between the two entries, both as regards a student's age and as regards the quality of his father, or the county of his birth. There are also abundant indications that the writers of the entries were very liable to make mistakes.
There is frequent reason for suspecting the accuracy of a date undoubtedly given both in the Subscription Book and in the Matriculation Register. The date ought to represent the time at which a student first entered the University ; that it frequently does not do so is certain. Take, e. g. the case of Henry Ramsden who took his B.A. degree on 17 Dec. 1614, and yet appears as subscribing at matriculation on 30 Apr. 1613. The matriculation is clearly of that date, and there is no record of his receiving either a dispensation to shorten his residence, or leave to count terms kept at Cambridge. And there are many other instances of the same sort.
Several causes were at work to produce such discrepancies.
(1) In some cases the matriculation was neglected, till the candidate discovered that he would have to matriculate before he took his degree. This is particularly the case about 1581, when the fresh pressure put on students to subscribe brought into the matriculation many who had evaded it for several terms. And for one cause or another the same thing occasionally happened in later years.
(2) A student under sixteen was matriculated, but not required to subscribe. In some cases the matriculation was probably deferred till he was of age to subscribe.
For all these errors there is of course no remedy, and although there was a clear discrepancy between the date of the degree and the date of
PREFACE. XXV
the matriculation, I have had to content myself with giving simply the dates as they stand in the register.
There are still stronger reasons for suspecting the entries about the father's quality, because here a motive was given, I may not say for false- hood, but for slackness.
At matriculation there was a graduated scale of fees according to the father's quality, a ' pleb. fil.' being charged less than a ' gen. fil.,' and a 'gen. fil.' less than an ' arm. fil.,' and an ' arm. fil.' less than a 'mil. fil.' There was therefore an inducement for a student who found that he was being put down as ' pleb. fil.' or ' gen. fil.' not to be too anxious to correct the error.
At the time of taking the degree, however, there was a new influence at work. The eldest son of an esquire, and the son of a knight were, it is true, charged higher fees for the graces for their degree, but they were allowed to supplicate for it on a year's less residence than other students.
It is not surprising therefore that quite- a number of men who in the matriculations appear as ' gen. fil.,' in the degree supplicats appear as ' arm. fil. natu maximus,' or ' eq. fil.' A definite instance of this kind is that of George Calverte, who in his matriculation appears as ' pleb. fil.,' but supplicated for his degree as ' gen. fil. n. m.'
This may appear sharp practice, but we have to remember that the age was not one remarkable for truth. Regard for truth seems to be confinedrto only a small portion of the life either of an individual or a nation ; and just as we have to be lenient in our judgments on the fictions of children and old men, so we have to be on our guard against the fictions of a young civilisation or a decaying civilisation. Elizabethan diplomacy, as is well known, proceeded by paths which courted darkness rather than light ; and there are frequent indications that the University had to deal with like economy of the truth, and that the example set by the queen was not without imitators among her subjects. There is, for example, the very striking decree of 1575 (see p. 28) about falsehoods in the supplications for degrees. And there is another decree which applied the same caution to the very point I am here touching on, by ordering that no one was to be allowed to supplicate for his degree as ' arm. fil. n, m.' unless he had matriculated as such.
The general conclusion on this point is that these entries in the Matriculation Registers have no absolute authority, and where they are in conflict with other sources of information the evidence on both sides requires to be carefully weighed before a judgment is pronounced. The
XXVI PREFACE.
entries in the Matriculation Registers are open to many possibilities of error, and here and there to some suspicion of fraud.
As regards the lists of citizens and tradesmen given in this volume, they are brought together here in order that due attention may be given to that very large and important side of the life of the University in which the University acted as a local authority with extensive powers over trade and the administration of justice, and very frequently was in conflict with another corporation (that, viz. of the City) which exercised similar powers within the same area.
Lists of persons allowed to read in the Bodleian, of members of other Universities matriculating at Oxford, and of privileged persons and servants have also been placed in this Part I, partly because they fall in with its miscellaneous character, partly with a view to reducing the bulk of Part II.
I have reserved a pleasant duty for the end of this preface ; viz. to express my thanks to the many members of the University who have helped me by giving me access to college documents and to their own notes, and by solving difficulties for me. My thanks, in the course of this volume, are specially due to the authorities of the Bodleian Library for ready facilities in consulting and transcribing the documents I have been at work upon ; to the Rev. T. Vere Bayne, M.A., Keeper of the Archives, for continuing to me the constant access to the MSS. under his charge, and the personal help which I had enjoyed under his predecessor ; to F. Madan, M.A., and the Rev. C. W. Boase, M.A., for advice and information at all points of my volume ; and to Washburne West, B.D., Fellow of Lincoln College, for much information about University life and procedure in former times, and for many lessons in accuracy.
A table of the contractions and symbols employed in this volume has been placed in Part II. p. ix.
ANDREW CLARK.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
Preface v
(1) MSS. employed vi
(2) Form in which the records are put xiv
(3) Value of the matriculation records xxiv
(4) Explanation of contractions and symbols .... See Part II. p. ix
Degree-System of tlie "University, 1560-1620 i
Entrance to the "University 3
(1) Admission to a College or Hall 3
(2) Choice of a Tutor 4
(3) Subscription at admission to the University 5
(4) Matriculation 6
(5) Choice of a Faculty 7
Curriculum in the Faculty of Arts 7
Degrees in Grammar 8
Requirements for B.A. . . . . 8
(1) Attendance at lectures 9
Dispensations .......... n
(2) Attendance at disputations 13
Dispensations 13
(3) Residence 13
Dispensations 14
(4) Exercises ........... 21
(a) ' in parvisis ' . . . . . . . . . . 21
(b) ' in quadragesima '......... 24
Dispensations 24
Ceremonies in taking B.A. 27
(1) Supplication ........... 27
Dispensations ..........31
Opposition to a grace ........ 36
(2) Circuitus ' 42
Dispensations .......... 43
(3) Deposition 47
(4) Subscription ........... 47
(5) Admission (presentation) 48
Dispensations 49
XXV111 TABLE OF CONTENTS.
PACE
Determination of B.A.'s 50
(1) Egg-Saturday ........... 51
Dispensations . 54
(2) Ash- Wednesday 57
Dispensations 57
(3) Lent Disputations 58
Dispensations 59
Compounders (' Cumulati ') 63
Requirements for M.A 66
(1) Attendance at lectures 66
Dispensations ......... 66
(2) Attendance at disputations 67
Dispensations 67
(3) Residence 67
Dispensations 68
Accumulation of B.A. and M.A 73
(4) Exercises 73
(a) Austins 74
Dispensations 75
(b) Quodlibets 75
Dispensations 76
(c) Cursory lectures 76
Dispensations 78
Ceremonies in taking M.A. 80
(1) Supplication 80
(2) Circuitus 80
(3) Deposition 81
(4) Subscription 47
(5) Licence (presentation) 81
Inception of M.A.'s 82
(1) Vesperies 82
(2) Comitia 83
Dispensations 85
Admission to Congregation 88
Regency in Arts 90
(1) Attendance at Congregation ........ 92
(2) Ordinary lectures .......... 95
(3) Supervision of disputations . . . . . . . . 101
(4) Judicial and magisterial functions . . . . . . 101
The other Faculties in the University 107
Faculty of Canon Law . . . . . . . . . .111
Faculty of Civil Law 113
(1) Degree of B.C.L. 113
(2) Degree of D.C.L 115
(3) Inception in Civil Law . 120
TABLE OF CONTENTS. XXIX
PAGE
Faculty of Medicine 123
(1) Licence to practise Medicine 123
(2) Licence to practise Surgery . . . . . . . .124
(3) Degree of B.M 125
(4) Degree of D.M 126
(5) Inception in Medicine . . . . . . . . .128
Faculty of Theology 130
(1) Licence to preach 130
(2) Degree of B.D 132
(3) 'Conciones ad cleram' by B.D.'s 136
(4) Degree of D.D 139
(5) Inception in Theology 143
Faculty of Music 145
Miscellaneous points connected with the degree system . . .149
(1) Letters of recommendation from influential persons . . . 149
(2) Application of Anglican tests 151
(3) Epidemics as interfering with residence and exercises . . . 157
(4) Conditions imposed on candidates for de'grees . . . . 161
The Matriculation Statutes 162
(1) of 1565 163
(2) of 1581 167
Exercises in the Vesperies and the Comitia 169
(1) in the Faculty of Arts 170
(2) in the Faculty of Civil Law 179
(3) in the Faculty of Medicine 189
(4) in the Faculty of Theology . . . . . . . .194
(5) in the Faculty of Music 146
Fees for Degrees 217
Fees of Officials 223
(1) of the Registrar 223
(2) of the Esquire Bedell of Divinity 224
(3) of the Esquire Bedell of Arts 225
The Art Studies — Old and New — of the University . . . .225 List of graces for Degrees which were refused 227
Eoyal Visits to the "University 228
(1) Queen Elizabeth in 1566 234
(2) Queen Elizabeth in 1592 228
(3) King James I in 1605 236
Sir Thomas Gresham's Lectures 232
tonorary Degrees (Degrees by Creation) . . . . .233
XXX TABLE OF CONTEXTS.
PAGE
University Officers and servants 238
(1) the Chancellor 239
(2) the Chancellor's Commissary or Vice-Chancellor .... 242
(3) the High Steward 241
(4) the Deputy Steward 242
(5) the Proctors 243
(6) the Pro-proctors 248
(7) the Registrar of the University 248
(8) the Registrar of the Vice-Chancellor's Court 250
(9) the Public Orator 25°
(10) the Counsel of the University 251
(n) the Attorney of the University 25r
(12) the Clerks of the Market 25*
(13) the Servants of the Clerks of the Market 255
(14) the Bedells — Esquire and Yeomen 256
(15) the Stationer of the University 26i
(16) the Clerk of the University 2^2
(17) the Bellman of the University . . . . . • .262
(18) the Coroners of the University 262
Admissions to use the Bodleian Library 262
Notices of ' scholares ' and ' personae privilegiatae ' in the Registers of
the Vice-Chancellor's Court 282
Halations of the University -with the City 294
(1) Oath of fidelity to the University taken by the citizens . . 295
(2) Oath of fidelity to the University taken by the Sheriff and Under-
Sheriff of Oxford 3*3
Trades1 connected with or controlled by the University . . . 315
(1) Carriers 3*5
(2) Carpenters 32°
(3) Booksellers and bookbinders and stationers 320
(4) Parchment-sellers 322
(5) Innkeepers and Vintners .322
Assiseofwine 324
(6) Taverakeepers 324
(7) Brewers of ale and beer 327
Brewer's clerks and workmen 330
Courses for the brewers 330
Assise of ale and beer 333
(8) Bakers :— brown-bakers, white-bakers 335
Assise of brown bread 340
Assise of white bread 340
1 In addition to the trades noticed in the following list, there are indications that other trades and trade-guilds, as e.g. cooks, butchers, shoemakers, and tailors, as also apothecaries and surgeons, were to some extent under the jurisdiction of the University. These have not been noticed here because no lists of the tradesmen are preserved. The various statements about their relations to the University have been collected for the ' Ada.'
TABLE OF CONTENTS. XXXI
PACE
(9) Leather-sellers 340
(10) Persons bound (under the authority of the University) as appren- tices to trades 342
Incorporations 345
(1) from Cambridge .......... 347
(2) from Scottish Universities . . . . . . . .372
(3) from Dublin 374
(4) from foreign Universities ........ 374
Persons admitted to the privileges of the University . . . .381
Indexes 407
(1) of citizens and other tradesmen •...••• 408
(2) of privileged persons 425
(3) of incorporations, visitors, and strangers .•.•.. 433
(4) of the principal references to Colleges and Halls .... 454
(5) of the principal words, matters, and places mentioned . . • 455
REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON.
VOL. II, PART I.
INTRODUCTION.
THE DEGREE SYSTEM OF THE UNIVERSITY
(1560-1620),
AS PRESENTED IN THE DISPENSATIONS.
THE University of Oxford has retained to the present day a course which in its main outward points is identical with that of the period (1570-1620) which is recorded in this volume.
The student now, as then, resides for some years in Oxford, undergoes some sort of preparation, and passes certain tests ; and then he proceeds to the degree of Bachelor of Arts. An interval of time then follows, and he becomes Master of Arts. After B.A. or M.A. he may, if he choose, proceed to further degrees in Law, Medicine, or Theology.
Not only the outward form of the University course, but the names also of many of its stages are retained without change ; e. g. at the beginning of the course the first examination is ' Responsions,' and at the close of the course candidates are still admitted to ' incept ' in Arts, Law, Medicine, and Divinity.
It may therefore seem unnecessary to attempt to give a detailed account of the University course in the reigns of Elizabeth and James I, when those familiar with modern Oxford will find at every stage of it the forms and names which are still in use.
The resemblance, however, is in many respects more apparent than real, and exercises which still bear the old names are altogether changed in their nature and intention. Some account of the several stages of the University course is therefore necessary for a correct understanding of these entries which record them.
There are other reasons also which seem to require such an account. Thus : — those now engaged in the actual details of University work in Oxford are often puzzled by the many strange and meaningless ceremonies which beset the student's course from matriculation to the last degree he takes. The following notes will serve to show that these are all survivals, now meaningless, but once of considerable importance in our University system.
Further, the Universities of England have developed a system peculiar to themselves, presenting on the one hand features of English growth and found only in English Universities, and retaining on the other hand features once common to all Universities, but which have dropped out of many
VOL. II, PART I. B
2 REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON.
University systems. To the student of the Universities of Scotland, for example, most of the entries in this volume must be unintelligible, since the greater part of the ceremonies and exercises here taken note of have died out of the Scottish system, if indeed they were ever found in it. Similarly to the student of the newer Universities which have begun to spring up in the present century, the old degree system must be meaningless, since in their own University life they have no old forms to suggest its outlines to them. For these reasons, some such account of the University system from about 1570 to 1620 as I have here given may be demanded from the compiler of these records.
There has still to be mentioned another and a weightier reason.
The University system was then very cumbrous and unwieldy, more so than it is now, though perhaps less so than it threatens shortly to become. But it then possessed an elasticity which has now been lost in the practice of granting ' dispensations.' When it was inconvenient for a student to fulfil the exact conditions of residence or exercises imposed by the Statutes, the governing body of the University (then a commonwealth not, as now, an oligarchy) would grant an exemption from the strict letter of the Statutes. Such exemptions were called ' dispensations.' These ' dis- pensations,' accordingly, represent a very important element in the University life of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and are in fact its most characteristic feature. They are, however, so multitudinous that a separate record of the date and nature of each of them would make a volume larger, I suppose, than the present, for few men passed through the University without benefit from dispensations. They are also many of them so slight, that a separate record of hundreds of them would convey no more informa- tion than a single typical instance of that particular kind. While it is enough therefore to give typical examples of these dispensations, it is necessary to do so, because, without an accurate knowledge of their general character, our conceptions of the University and its studies must be misleading and inaccurate.
An outline of the University course of the period enables us readily to do this, by giving opportunities (at each stage of it) of noting the more usual or striking forms of dispensations which were in use, and the occasions on which they were asked and granted.
Before attempting this outline of the University course of the period, I have to make one proviso. This introduction does not profess to give an exhaustive account either of the studies or of the degree-system of the period. I have frankly to say that I have not yet amassed the materials for even an approximately exhaustive account.
Between the old Statutes published by Mr. Anstey and the Laudian Code there is a long period, in which it is not at all easy to state exactly what was the practice in force in the University from time to time.
The University was undergoing great changes under pressure both from within and from without. The old system of teaching by the graduates of each year had been discredited, and its place was being taken on the one hand by the professorial system, on the other hand by the college tutorial system ; and both of these new methods of teaching were beginning to show those defects which we still complain of, and were being patched Term after Term in the way we are now doing with our teaching arrangements. The Privy Council also, actuated sometimes by a desire to extinguish Romanism, sometimes by a wish to enforce the sumptuary laws of the age, from time to
REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON. 3
time interfered with the natural development of the Universities, and caused new rules and new arrangements to be drawn up. And, coincident with these tendencies, the old University studies, logic, rhetoric, philosophy, theology, and the rest, were silently changing their scope and character, and the system which embraced them was changing insensibly with their changes.
From these and other causes the University system was unsettled, and Statutes were continually replacing Statutes in much the same way and with the same inconveniences as they do now. No attempt (so far as I know) has been made to classify and arrange the Statutes in force during the century before the Laudian Code. I do not even know whether they exist in MS. form ' except in the imperfect records of decrees of Convocation and Congregation in which some of them will be given in the present volume and others in the ' Acta.'
The following account of the degree-system makes, therefore, no claim to exhaustiveness, but I hope it will be found in the main correct. It is founded at every point purely on MS. sources ; viz. (i.) on the Decrees of Convocation and Congregation ; (ii.) on the dispensations granted by Convo- cation and Congregation.
Let us take a student coming to the University (in any year between 1590 and 1620) and follow him through the several stages of the Curriculum.
I. ENTRANCE AT A COLLEGE OR HALL.
(1) Admission.
On his arrival in Oxford the student took up his abode within the walls of the college or hall which he had chosen to enter.
On the day of his admission his name was entered in the Buttery-book (Liber Promptuarii) of the house by the Head of the house, probably in the same manner and form as is still used in some colleges.
The Buttery-book is the ordinary day-book of the charges incurred by a student in bread, beer, butter, and the like. It contains a list of names beginning with the Head of the house and descending in order of seniority through the members on the foundation, and then through the other mem- bers of the house. Opposite these names the day's charges are entered.
When a new name has to be added to the membership of the house, it is the duty of the Head to enter it in the Buttery-book with the day and date of the entry. Thereafter, the name takes its proper place in the general list.
Probably then, as now, this was done without the person's knowledge, as I suppose not one in ten of the members of the colleges where this is done knows that this process has to be gone through at his admission. . These college buttery-books would therefore have been most valuable records of members of the University and the date of their arrival in the
1 There is a volume (which I have not yet examined) in the Archives which, it is said, contains statutes 'from Edward VI. to 1599'; ^ut I Qave found no trace of a statute book containing the changes subsequently introduced.
B 2
4 REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON.
University, had they been preserved. In most cases the earlier volumes have been destroyed ; the Lincoln College Buttery-books, e. g. do not begin till 1670. Besides, where they do exist, they have never been really searched, partly for want of such an index of names as the present volume and its suc- cessors will supply. (In many cases only the surnames are given, and no one who has not actually made the attempt to arrange a series of such entries can estimate the difficulties arising from this brevity.)
In some colleges there were also 'admission-books' for the separate regis- tration of students' or at least of fellows' and scholars' admissions. I have examined many of these college admission-books and registers, and I hope to obtain leave to catalogue them, if not also to edit their earlier portions in a subsequent volume of this register. They form an indispensable supplement to the University registers.
It has further to be noted that many students resident in the precincts of the University carefully avoided entering a college or hall (because that in- volved profession of assent to the Royal Supremacy and the Thirty-nine Articles), so that their names nowhere appear.
From these several causes I am convinced that no complete list of mem- bers of the University can be constructed till about 1670.
Once entered at a hall or college, the student was not allowed to change without leave. A glance, however, at the degree lists will show that leave was freely given and that men often changed from one college or hall to another. For example — John Raynolds (elected President of Corpus in 1598) states in his Will (GG. 291 b.), that he had either abode as a student or had some part of his education in Queen's, Merton, New College, University, and Oriel.
(2) Choice of a Tutor.
On his admission to college, the student chose (or was assigned to) a ' tutor ' (not necessarily of his own college, at this time), who was to conduct his studies and be responsible for his conduct while he was ' in statu pupillari.'
It was no doubt the system during this period that the tutor should take the pupil through the whole course for his degree, beginning with grammar and ending with the two philosophies, natural and moral.
That was the oldest University system of all, but it had ceased to exist in Oxford in its purity even by the time of Elizabeth.
The best historic l instance of it is found in the Universities of Scotland, where the ' Professors ' now teaching in specific subjects to the whole num- ber of students in their subject are the representatives of 'Regents,' each of whom lectured in all the subjects of the curriculum to a definite number of students specially assigned to him.
At Oxford this system had partially broken down. The University lecturers (taking them for what they were worth) were deputed to lecture in specific
1 A similar system, I believe, still survives or lately survived in school-work in Scotland. At the Edinburgh Academy a master takes (or at least did till recently) a form of boys entering the school in a given year, and travels with it in succeeding years through the work of the successive forms till the form leaves the school.
REGISTRUM UNTVERSITATIS OXON. 5
subjects ; and the colleges were beginning to have lecturers in Greek, in Grammar, in Logic. But the tutor, using these as subsidiaries, carried his pupil through every subject in the course.
It is easy to see the faults of this system, in the loss which a student would receive along the whole line who had been assigned to an incompetent or idle tutor. But, on the other hand, in the case of capable tutors it secured a unity and proportion in the curriculum which on any other system is un- attainable.
The old system still nominally survives in the University. The student when he enters a college is consigned to the charge of a tutor, who remains responsible for him till the end of his course ; but the teaching is no longer undertaken by the tutor, who may or may not lecture in the subject the student is to study. Many men, indeed, complete their course without re- ceiving any instruction, formal or informal, from their nominal tutor.
It may be noted that in some years in the Matriculation Registers of the University the name of the student's tutor is given. See e.g. the Matriculations at Trinity College in 1572 and 1574 (in Part ii. pp. 55, 56) and at Lincoln College in 1575 (?) (in Part ii. p. 66).
II. ENTRANCE TO THE UNIVERSITY.
In the course of each week one of the Bedells of the University came round to the colleges and halls, inspected the buttery-books, and made a note of the names which had been entered since his last visit. These newly-arrived students were then instructed to appear before the Vice- Chancellor (at his lodgings in Vacation, in S. Mary's during Term) for formal admission to the University. This visit to the Vice-Chancellor took place almost invariably on a Friday l, and generally on the second Friday after the student's arrival in Oxford.
The student ought statutably to be presented to the Vice-Chancellor by the Head of his college or hall, but this duty, like his other duties, a Head generally left to be discharged by a deputy.
Two ceremonies were then and there gone through — (i) Subscription, (2) Matriculation.
(1) Subscription2.
The student declared by the usual oath on the Gospels that he assented to the Thirty-nine Articles, the Book of Common Prayer, and the Royal Supremacy.
In testimony of this assent the student wrote his name in the MS. pages bound up with a copy of the Thirty-nine Articles. The successive books in which this was done are fortunately preserved in the University
1 I have examined the given dates of matriculation for several years, and found that in the vast majority of cases they fall on a Friday.
2 This ceremony was not enforced till the year 1581 ; matriculation had then been nominally in existence for fifteen, and really for about nine years.
6 REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON.
Archives, and are known as the ' Subscription-Books at Matriculation/ or briefly the ' Subscription-Books.' So far as they concern the present volume these books have been noticed in the preface.
The practice of subscription to the Thirty-nine Articles at matriculation is now abolished under the action of the Universities' Tests Act. It has not disappeared, however, without leaving a trace of its existence. At matricula- tion the candidate (besides writing his name in Latin, his college, father's quality, and age in the matriculation register), still writes his name in English and his college, in a book which now professes to be a register of the matriculation fees but seems to be the lineal descendant of the subscription books.
(2) Matriculation.
The Vice- Chancellor then formally admitted the student to the Univer- sity, and gave him a certificate of his admission.
A record of matriculation was kept. One of the bedells asked the candidate to tell him his age, the quality or condition of his father, and the county of his birth ; and these with the student's name and surname, and (generally) the date of the admission were entered under the ' head ' set apart for his college in the ' Matriculation Register.'
The reason of these requirements is obvious in every particular.
The age was asked, because, if under sixteen, the student was not required to take the oath of Supremacy, the Statutes directing that the oath should be deferred till he attained that age.
The father's quality was asked (i), because the fees both at matriculation and subsequently varied according to the rank and station of the father ; (ii) in case of eldest sons of esquires and sons of peers, the student might claim exemption from part of the statutable residence for B.A.
The county was asked because in the colleges many scholarships, fellow- ships, and other places were limited to persons born in certain specified counties. And although it is said that some colleges were very disloyal to their statutes in this respect (salving their conscience by the statement that * though they did this county an injustice on this occasion to favour another county, they would give it a turn belonging to the unduly-favoured county on another occasion '—which seldom came), other colleges adhered very faith- fully to their statutes and the intention of their founders. Of my own college, Lincoln College, for example, I can say that, after the modification arising from the incorporation of the Darby Fellowships (founded in 1536) with the original fellowships, scarcely one violation of the county qualification is found in the recorded elections from first to last.
In the summer Term of 1622 a change in the character of the matriculation entries took place ; and the register contains, in addition to the above in- formation, the name of the student's father, and the parish in which the student was born, and which son of the family he was, eldest, second, etc. It will belong to another volume to describe how these entries were affected by the troubles of the great civil war.
This ceremony of matriculation still survives, and with it the records con- nected with it. Singular to relate, the University now carries on a double series of matriculation entries, one practically identical with the pre-l622
REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON. 7
matriculation records, and the other corresponding very closely to the post- 1622 records.
At matriculation a student writes in the matriculation book (in quite the old form) his name in such Latin as he can muster ; his college ; his father's quality, arm.1 fil., gen. fil., cler. fil. ; whether he is eldest2, second, etc., son ; and his age.
Besides this he hands in to the Registrar, through the Dean who presents him, a paper stating his age, his father's name and profession, and the place of his birth. It seems strange that the University should not have modified the form by asking the date of birth, but it still remains satisfied with the vague form, ' age last birthday.'
III. CHOICE OF A FACULTY.
So soon as a student had entered the University, he was required to decide which ' faculty ' or branch of study he would pursue. The decision was not one of great difficulty.
In some few cases the student was required by his college statutes to become a student of law from the first. For example, at All Souls the fellowships were divided into (i) fellowships in Arts, whose holders were called ' Artistae,' and required to study in the faculty of Arts, (2) fellow- ships in Law, whose holders were called ' Legistae,' and were required to study in the faculty of Law from the first. Students under statutes of this kind began their course at once as ' students of Civil Law,' ' scholares3 facultatis juris.'
In all other cases the student became 'scholaris facultatis artium,' which was the sole faculty of most students (who never went on to other faculties); the only portal to the faculties of MedicLe and Theology *; and the usual portal to the faculty of Law.
COURSE IN ARTS.
The course in Arts involved study, residence, and exercises for the degree of Bachelor of Arts ; and further study, residence, and exercises
1 These distinctions have, of course, ceased to have much meaning. In some colleges everybody signs himself as 'arm. fil.'; in others as 'gen. fil.'; sons of clergy- men of the Church of England excepted, who sign as ' cler. fil.'
2 This is a departure from the old form in the direction of the new.
3 This word ' scholaris ' is one of great ambiguity : (i) it means sometimes a member of the University as opposed to a citizen of Oxford ; ' scholaris ' opposed to ' oppi- danus.'
(ii) it means sometimes a member of the foundation of a college as opposed to sojourners ; and so is equal to ' fellows ' and ' scholars,' as opposed to ' commoners.'
(iii) it means sometimes (its modem use) a ' scholar' of a college as distinct from a ' fellow ' ; ' scholaris ' opposed to ' socins.'
(iv) it means an undergraduate as opposed to a graduate ; ' scholaris ' as opposed to ' baccalaureus ' and ' magister ' or ' doctor.' It is in this last sense, of course, in which it is used here.
* 15 Dec. 1574, John Kendall, B.C.L., who had studied for four years in dialectic and philosophy before taking that degree, suppl. for M.A. ' Causa est quod cum publice concionetur putat sibi viam magis compendiosam fore ad gradum in theologia suscipiendum per artium facultatem. Concess.'
8 REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON.
for the degree of Master of Arts. These, therefore, have next to be con- sidered in detail.
DEGREES IN GRAMMAR.
Before doing so, a word may be said about an inferior degree in Arts, which just before this period dropped out of the University system.
At a later point of this introduction, attention will be drawn to the exercise by the University of power to issue licences to practise in the faculties of Theology and Medicine (licences to preach, to practise surgery, to practise physic — throughout England). These licences were distinct from degrees in these faculties, and conferred no Academical standing, and they might (at one time) be obtained without residence. At the same time they no doubt conferred in popular estimation some sort of status.
A similar practice prevailed in the Faculty of Arts, where a licence was issued to teach the inferior part (grammar) of that faculty. Take, for example, this 'supplicat' (see Reg. I. 237): — June 15^8, ' supplicat Johannes Bedoe, scholaris facultatis grammatices, quatenus per maximam aetatis suae partem grammaticae studuerit ac pueros publice per quattuor annos in hac Univer- sitate instituerit ut haec ei sufficiant ad instituendum pueros in eadem facul- tate. Concessa est haec gratia simpliciter.'
The person to whom this grace was granted seems to have been called Bachelor of Grammar1 (B. Gram.). The last record of its being granted is in the case of Thomas Ashebroke (Reg. I. 269) in 1568 ; but the degree is mentioned in the lists of degree fees as late as 1602. The notice in Reg. I. 269 and that in Reg. I. 214 (Edward Pendylton) and others shew that resi- dence was not required for it2.
The study or preparation for the degree of Bachelor of Arts consisted of two parts (on the one hand collegiate training, and on the other hand University training) in both of which it proceeded along double lines. There was, on the one hand, attendance at lectures (college and University) ; on the other hand, attendance at disputations (college and University). The former of these was supposed to give the scholar matter for the exercises he had to perform, the latter was supposed to teach him the form in which he would be required to put his matter.
A corresponding division still exists in our studies, adapted to the written examinations, which are the tests now in vogue. There are on the one hand lectures to supply material ; on the other hand, there is the frequent writing of questions and essays and the unending grind of examinations to teach the form and method of doing examinations in 'the Schools3.'
1 I have found no trace of a ' Master ' of grammar.
2 A suggestion may here be made. The rapid growth of common-school education has called into existence a large and increasing body of professional teachers, who have no connection and can have no connection with the University so long as the University and college expenses remain as at present. It is hardly desirable that the University, the nominal head of the teaching faculty, should have no connection with the great mass of members of that faculty. This old degree of B. Gram, raises the question whether it might not be possible to bring into connection with the University by some similar means teachers actually teaching in the national schools and capable of giving instruction in the higher branches of school education. ,
3 The local phrase for the examination-rooms of the University.
REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON. 9
As regards the rivalry between the collegiate and University training, which had even thus early assumed a definite shape, this much may be said. When the history of this period conies to be written, it will be recorded how the University training was rapidly superseded by the more efficient college training. The college lecturers beat the University lecturers on their own ground ; and college disputations were more searching and severe than the University disputations. With the college training, however, we are not here concerned, and may devote ourselves exclusively to the University pre- paration for the first degree in Arts.
This involved, as has been said, two elements; first, attendance at lectures ; second, attendance at disputations.
ATTENDANCE AT LECTURES.
From the date of his enrolment in the faculty to the date of his Master's degree in that faculty, the ' scholaris facultatis artium ' had to attend ' lectures.'
These lectures were certain prescribed courses * of the ' ordinariae lectiones ' delivered in their year by the ' regent-masters,' which fall here- after to be considered.
Attendance at these lectures was a very formal process. The ' scholares' (and the same rule applied to ' bachelors ') were required to wait on the lecturer at his college and escort him to the schools under a fine of zd. Absence from the lecture was visited by a further fine of zd*. And failure to take notes3 (at least in the Laudian Code) was punished by a further fine of zd.
This system of compulsory attendance at lectures could be productive of only two results ; inefficiency in the lecturers, and suffering to the audience.
These natural results of the system are admirably described from his Oxford experience by Adam Smith ('Wealth of Nations,' Bk. V. ch. i) : — ' The discipline of colleges and Universities is in general contrived, not for the benefit of the students, but for the interest or (more properly speaking) for the ease of the masters. Its object is, in all cases, to maintain the authority of the master, and whether he neglects or performs his duty, to oblige the students in all cases to behave to him as if he performed it with the greatest diligence and ability.'
1 In the first year 'Grammar' on Tuesd. and Frid. at 8 a.m., and Rhetoric and Logic on Mond. and Thursd. at 8 a.m.; after the first year, Metaphysics, on Mond. and Thursd. at 8 a.m., and so on.
9 This traditional sconce remained to a late period in college, if not in University, practice. Hawkins relates a remark (about 1729) by Dr. Johnson to his tutor : — ' Sir, you have sconced me two-pence for non-attendance at a lecture not worth a penny.'
3 This also lingered on in college custom, and is still enforced in some ' pass ' lectures, though no longer with a fine. One relic of it was the custom of ' the last Provost of Oriel ' in making undergraduates take notes of University Sermons. See Quarterly Review, Oct. 1883.
10 REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON.
There was therefore a strong tendency to ' cut ' the lectures ; and probably they were very slackly attended, in spite of efforts to keep them up. One of these efforts took place in Michaelmas Term, 1599, and Hilary Term, ^g§. In those Terms several 'scholares' were sum- moned before the University and asked to explain their absence from lectures. Their defence was in effect that the statutes gave them the alternative of attending the lectures or paying a fine, and that they had much rather pay the fine (see above). The authorities told them that they had undertaken in their oath (I suppose at matriculation) to attend lectures, and, failing to do so, had incurred the penalty of perjury.
2 Dec. 1599, William Benion, Robert Griffith, George Lawley, Edward Whitbey (of Bras.) ; and Walkaden Wood (of Queen's) ; ' scholares facultatis artium ' supplicated for indulgence ' pro absentia a scholis suis' ; their plea was that they thought ' audiendi neglectum obligare ad poenam tantum, non ad perjurium.'
On 3 Dec. the same in the case of Thomas Harrison and John Keeling (S. Mary H.) ; and Richard Gardner (New C.).
On 7 Dec. the same in the case of William Kingesley, John Rumney, and Thomas Winter (of Magd. H.).
On 10 Dec the same in the case of John Parker (S. Edm. H.) ; and David Lloyd (Jes.). On 12 Dec. the same in the case of George Haughton (S. Mary H.) and Benjamin Barnard (S. Jo.).
On 19 Jan. <H$$, the same in the case of Matthew Wilson and William Stubbs (S. Alb. H.) ; on 28 Jan. the same in the case of Christopher Halton (Oriel) ; on 30 Jan. the same in the case of Timothy Elkes and Richard Todkill (Corp.), and on 31 Jan. the same in the case of John Meredith (S. Mary H.).
A later revival of the same question is found 29 Nov. 1607, when Griffin Moris, schol. fac. Art., pleaded that he had not thought absence from the schools involved perjury, but only the liability to the fine, which he was ready to pay.
Some of the ' scholares ' who were summoned in 1 599 had an unanswerable excuse : — 2 Dec. 1599, John Arthur and John Osborne (both of S. Edm. H.) were summoned because they had not attended the lectures of the Praelector in the Music School. They said the Praelector had not lectured, as he had been dispensed from that duty. Convocation was equal to the occasion, and dismissed them with a command to attend their proper schools ' et proprios praelectores diligenter audiant.'
The University of Oxford has given up this bad business of compulsory attendance at lectures, and the colleges to a great extent have followed in the same line, and given great freedom to their students. The result has been that general improvement in college lectures and lecturing, which is not the least remarkable of the developments in the last thirty years of Oxford history. The compulsion is still retained in the Universities of Scotland, and is indeed the darkest blot in their system. Many of the bitterest memories of a Scottish student are of the unprofitable hours wasted in attendance at worthless lectures, for which a fee had been charged, and which give a bitter sting to the reflection of the moralist — 'perditumnon redit tempus.' The
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sole trace of it which remains in Oxford is really non-academical, many Bishops still requiring certificates of attendance at the lectures of two Divinity professors as a first step towards Ordination.
This lecture-system came down from ages when books were scarce and in- accessible ; and there is still a tendency to keep it up in its old form, as though printing had not been invented. The last University Commission, for example, devoted large sums to endow lectures, but made no provision for extending the Bodleian, or rendering its collections accessible under more favourable conditions.
Dispensations from Lectures.
A ' dispensation ' is a permission by the governing body of the Univer- sity (either Convocation or Congregation) to depart in some specified point from the strict conditions laid down by the statutes.
Dispensations are either individual or general. An ' individual dis- pensation ' is one asked for by a single person in his own name and by himself. A ' general dispensation ' is one asked on behalf of a group of men, e. g. on behalf of ' the scholars in Arts who are to take B. A. this term,' and the like. ~". ,
29 Jan. I56f, Convocation defined a 'dispensation' as 'when in a grace something is not fulfilled which is required by statute ' ; and laid down the rules for its being asked as follows : If a grace requiring a dispensation is to be asked in Theology, Law, or Medicine, the person who asks it (or some one for him) accompanied by a bedell is to ask the Head of his college (or his deputy) and two other Heads (or their deputies) and the praelector of the Faculty to come to the Congregation when the grace is proposed. For dispensations in Arts the Head of the petitioner's college and two other Heads must be present, but the public praelectors in Arts need not be individually summoned, because they are required by statute to be present in Con- gregations (i.e. as being ' regents.' See. post).
These dispensations had to be obtained in Congregation (or in Con- vocation) in the way which is hereafter described as observed in asking for degrees. They had to be entered in the register of the house in which they were obtained, for which a fee was paid to the Registrar1. It was no doubt the practice, and it is sometimes expressly stated that every one availing himself of a ' general ' dispensation shall pay the fee for it, as though it had been asked for him individually.
E.g. 21 May 1593, permission was given to the B.A.'swho were proceeding to M.A. to lecture at other than the stated hours. Each person availing himself of this dispensation to pay the fee for the dispensation to the Registrar.
26 Apr. 1602, the B.A.'s proceeding to M.A. were allowed to dispute in Austins on other than the stated days. Each person availing himself of this permission was to pay to the Registrar the fee for this dispensation as though it had been asked particulariter.
1 See infra, in the section on fees.
12 REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON.
Dispensations for non-attendance at lectures were granted for various reasons, of which some specimens are given below.
(1) College business.
Undergraduates frequently rilled places in the service of the college ; for example, the office of ' promus ' or butler. The lectures were at 8 a.m., an hour1 at which the 'promus' was probably busy serving out the bread and beer 2 for breakfast, or making his reckonings of them.
9 May 1603, William Debanck, Mert, was excused from attending lec- tures because ' in collegio suo officio promi inserviens ' ;
19 June 1604, Robert Edmunds, because 'promus' of All So. ; 3 Dec. 1605, John Andrews, because 'promus' of Trin. ;
6 Nov. 1616, David Davies, because 'promus' of All So. Similarly, 19 Apr., 1607, Richard Harrison of Queen's was excused because he had ' privatum officium ' at same hour as the lectures.
(2) Business.
About 1612 a frequent excuse is 'business,' of what nature is not specified.
14 Jan. i6if, William Hill (Ball.), James Huggins, William Combe were dispensed ' pro minus diligenti auditione lectionum publicarum,' being pre- vented by business.
(3) Absence of the lecturer.
20 Apr. 1604, John Hall, All So., was dispensed for absence from the ' Metaphysics ' lecture — ' Causa est quod scholam illam adiens prelectorem non invenit ' — an experience not unparalleled in the Oxford of to-day 3.
(4) Uncertainty about time and place. An experience also found in modern Oxford.
9 May 1614, Thomas Crane, Ball., was dispensed because cum vix constet de loco aut tempore, sine magno temporis dispendio interesse non potuit.
(5) Absence from Oxford.
26 Jan. 1615, William Wilson, Oriel, because he was teaching boys in the country.
(6) Illness.
6 Nov. 1611, Peter Waintworth, arm. fil.n. m., Magd. H., had a dispensa- tion on the ground of illness.
(7) Fear of the plague.
18 Jan. i6£$, Henry Ludlow, Bras., 'propter magnum pestis periculum in quod super alios incidisset diu abesse a publicis scholis necesse habuit.'
1 Still the common college breakfast-hour — in name, at least.
2 Some people now-a-days forget that beer was the ordinary accompaniment of every English meal for some centuries.
3 Once in my own undergraduate experience I was sent to a lecture, nominally three times a week, where the lecturer came something less than twice a week. And, since my degree, I have gone to the advertised hour and place of a Professor's lectures, and found the audience but no Professor.
REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON. 13
Dispensations allowing alteration in the lectures which had to be attended.
14 Jan. 155^, Thomas Hawckyns (Reg. I. 227), schol. fac. Art., was dis- pensed to attend any ' ordinaria lectio ' he liked. (See infra, in the account of the Music lecture.)
ATTENDANCE AT DISPUTATIONS.
The second part of the preparation for the degree consisted in attend- ance at disputations.
All ' scholares ' from their first coming to the University were required to ' frequent the Schools,' that is, be present at the ' disputationes in parviso.' Attendance at these disputations became very slack, and in 1607 decrees were passed to reinforce it. (See/w/.)
Dispensations were granted on various grounds : —
14 Feb. i6o|, Henry Mason, Corp., was dispensed for absence from the Schools, ' quod corpore malo fuerit.'
A relic of this custom survived till 1856 ; candidates being required to pro- duce a certificate that they had sat in the Schools and looked on at Respon- sions for one whole day \ before they were allowed to enter for that examination. See the process described at the end of Chapter XI of ' Verdant Green.'
RESIDENCE.
The next requisite for the degree was residence 'infra praecinctum Universitatis ' (which was now made to mean within the walls of a college or hall) for a prescribed number of Terms.
During Mary's reign it is not altogether clear what was the time required by the University for degrees ; but, so far as can be gathered from the degree records, it generally was three years from admission to the University for B.A., and four years from admission to B.A. for M.A.
But by the ' new statutes ' of the beginning of Elizabeth's reign \ it was fixed at four years (i. e. sixteen Terms) from matriculation for B.A., and three years (i. e. twelve Terms) from B.A. for M.A. ; and so it remained throughout the rest of the period.
There was one standing exemption from this requirement. Sons of peers (including lords spiritual) and (subsequently 3) the sons of ' equites aurati,' and
1 Nominally ; the examiners, however, generally let men off after attendance of an hour or so.
3 They were made, it appears, shortly after 1 560. Their object was to settle the procedure of the University, which had been disturbed by the revolutions in religion under Edward VI, Mary, and Elizabeth. I have been unable to find them in any form, as they seem not to occur in the registers of Convocation, and I am not aware that they have ever been printed. The nearest notice which I have to fix their date by is the following decree : — ' 9 Nov. 1565, Convocation decided that all who had obtained graces previous to the editing of the new statutes were to enjoy these graces in the form in which they were granted, — notwithstanding the new statutes.' They cannot therefore be much prior to that date.
3 The decree to this effect is of date 26 Jan. 159?; — (the statutes required four years' residence for B.A., but allowed sons of peers to proceed to B.A. on three years' resi- dence. The sons of many ' viri optime de republica et literis meriti ' asked the same exemption. Convocation decreed that after three years' residence and performance of
14 REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON.
the eldest sons of esquires (' armigeri '), were allowed to claim their B.A. on three years' (i. e. twelve terms) residence *, and this they generally did.
As regards this exemption, a nice point was sometimes raised — whether one who was not ' armigeri filius natu maximus,' but (perhaps by the death of his elder brother) had become ' armigeri haeres,' was entitled to this privilege. This point was debated on 6 Feb., 159^, in the case of John Ewens, 'arm. haeres,' of Gloc. H., and conceded by a majority of votes. On 5 July 1599, a committee was appointed to decide the general question whether not only a ' filius armigeri natu maximus,' but also any ' armigeri haeres ' should enjoy the statutable dispensation of four Terms.
Dispensations shortening the prescribed period of residence were often granted for one or two terms 2, but there are notices of some for longer periods.
In 1544 William Walker (Reg. I. 209), who had read for two years only, was allowed to proceed to B.A., on condition that within two years he responded ' in communibus disputationibus baccalaureorum ' (i. e. in Austins and quodlibets, for which see below).
In 154^, Michael Moses (Reg. I. 210), who had read for only two years, was allowed to proceed to B.A. on condition that he ' determined next Lent, and responded or opposed in the ordinary disputations of Bachelors before he sought M.A.'
In July 1561, Francis Bunnei, Nicholas Gibbard, and John Jhonson (see Reg. I. 245, where 'Jhonson' is misprinted ' Houson,' and Reg. I. 248), who had kept only one year were allowed to proceed to B.A., ' modo semel respon- deant et semel opponant in parvisiis ante susceptum gradum.'
(They do not seem to have used this dispensation, for two years later on they again supplicated for B.A.).
On 10 Apr. 1562, William Turnbull, James Mildridge, Michael Lapworth, and Thomas Marshall (Reg. I. 247, 248), were allowed to proceed to B.A. on two years' residence, provided they undertook not to supplicate for M.A. till four years more had elapsed.
On 1 8 Feb. 157^, George More was allowed to proceed to B.A. on two years' residence, ' quod, generosus et patris haeres unicus, vereatur ne, ante- quam spatium compleverit constitutum avocatus, gradum commode suscipere non possit.' (This George More suppl. B.A. 18 Feb., adm. 20 Feb., 157^, det. 157^; two years later he suppl. M.A. 16 Jan. 157!, an<^ was lie. on 21 Jan., being then of Corp.).
The power to grant these dispensations for time was at first exercised by Congregation (the smaller assembly of ' regents '). But this body, consisting of the younger masters who were not out of touch with undergraduates, was more lenient to them than was altogether approved ; and so Convocation (the larger assembly of ' regents ' and ' non-regents '), the supreme governing body of the University, deprived congregation of this power, and ordered that
the exercises the sons of 'equites aurati' and the eldest sons of 'armigeri' might proceed to B.A.)
1 The present statutes allow everyone to proceed to B.A. on twelve terms' residence.
2 The sons of peers and eldest sons of knights might share in these dispensations, and so take their degree on eleven or even fewer terms' residence.
REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON. 15
these dispensations for time should not be granted except in convocation • e.g. on 15 Feb. 156! (and again on 5 Mar. I57f), Convocation forbade Con- gregation to grant any dispensation shortening the statutable time for any degree.
In some ways this prohibition was not convenient. ' Scholares ' and ' Bachelors ' were always supplicating for dispensations for time, on the prin- ciple probably of 'nothing ask, nothing get'; and so Convocation was called together more frequently than it cared for to consider these applications, the trouble of course being the same whether the requests were conceded or refused.
So we find Convocation seeking to save itself this trouble, by re-entrusting Congregation for a week or two with the power of granting dispensations for a specified number of Terms (one or two). This power was generally given just before Lent, when men were hastening to take B.A., or just before the end of the summer Term, when men were hastening to take M.A. E. g. on 23 June 1567, this power was granted till the Comitia (14 July) ; on 23 Feb. 157!, it was granted till 6 March (Ash-Wednesday) ; and again for a similar period on 27 Jan. 157! ; and again on 16 Jan., 15!$.
As a general rule, however, dispensations for time were granted only by Convocation.
Similar restrictions were sometimes imposed on the power of Congregation to grant dispensations for exercises. E.g. in 1566, and again in 1567, Con- vocation confined to itself the power of granting dispensations, and directed that no grace should be asked in Congregation unless the candidate had fully performed all the exercises.
10 May 1567, it was ordered that no grace be asked in future in Congre- gation, except the person for whom it was asked had completely fulfilled the form prescribed by the statutes.
This strict rule was not however observed. There are some few notices of permission being given for short times to Congregation to grant these dispensations.
E.g. 15 Oct. 1585, Convocation gave Congregation powers to grant dis- pensations for the time of the disputations which should be held at the beginning of Term, provided such disputations should be completed before the end of Term.
Afterwards Congregation seems at times to have granted these dispensa- tions without any express permission of this kind ; but as a general rule dispensations for exercises had to be asked in Convocation.
These dispensations for time and for exercises were at times rather a scandal, and were quoted at court by those nobles who wished to divide the property of the University and colleges as they had divided the property of the Church under Edward VI. (See the Chancellor's letters in the 'Acta.')
Dispensations for time have to be divided into two classes :
(i) Dispensations allowing the student to take his degree on a period
of residence less than four years from matriculation.
(ii) Dispensations allowing the student to take his degree within four
years from matriculation although he has been absent from Oxford during
one or more Terms in that period.
1 6 REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON.
(i) Dispensations to take B.A. before the completion of four years from matriculation are not uncommon, and are granted for very various reasons.
(i) One of the most common, and certainly one of the most honour- able to the University, is to lessen the expense of a University course by diminishing the period of residence. When a poor scholar had per- formed all the exercises for the degree, the University was not exacting as regards the completion of the full number of terms.
17 Jan. 157!, Thomas Mortimer was dispensed two Terms, because he could not stay longer, ' propter rerum necessariarum defectum.'
18 June 1574, Richard Wilkins was dispensed a year, being too poor to stay ; and because if he have B.A. ' facilius in aliquod docendi munus admitti et majorem apud populum aestimationem consequi possit.'
12 Dec. 1577, Griffin Vaughan, on the plea of poverty, had a dispensa- tion for three Terms ; and Christopher Nuttur for two years.
3 Jan. I58f, a general dispensation of two Terms was granted to ' scholares,' ' ob rerum caritatem qua eorum plerique hoc anno premuntur.'
13 May 1587, Edmund Roberts, Ch. Ch., was dispensed six Terms, being too poor to stay.
8 Feb. i6oj, Andrew Maurice, Oriel, was dispensed two Terms. In con- sequence of the death of the friend who had maintained him at the University, he was unable to stay any longer, ' certusque sit de obtinendo aliquo honestiore in republica loco si hoc fuerit insignitus gradu hac proxima quadragesima.'
Under this head may be brought also dispensations granted to lessen college expenses in taking the degree.
23 Jan. 156^, Charles Hales (Reg. I. 260) was dispensed, because 'ad sumptus aulares minuendos simul cum socio jam praesentando admitti cupit.'
(2) Another class of dispensations are those granted to enable the student to have advantages (a) personal, (b) collegiate, (c) ecclesiastical, (d) scholastic. These reasons are sometimes very succinctly stated as ' emolumenti causa,' but sometimes expressed more in detail.
(a) Dispensations granted to secure some personal advantage to the student.
25 Nov. 1572, Henry Ashworth was dispensed three Terms, because 'earn vitae ac victus rationem ambiat,' which he cannot get without B.A.
23 Feb. 157^, Basil Beseley was dispensed six Terms, because on taking B.A. he was to get an ' annua pensio.'
29 Jan. 157!, Thomas Hitchcock was dispensed two years, because on taking B.A. he would get ,£40.
23 Feb. I57§, Robert Bowyer was dispensed two Terms, because his friends had promised him a larger allowance when he took B.A.
(Robert Bowyer suppl. B.A. 23 Feb., I57§. There seems to be no record of his admission.)
27 Apr. 1583, Thomas Langley was dispensed two Terms, because on taking his degree he was to have a ' subsidium ' from his friends.
(b) Collegiate, to retain or obtain college emoluments.
7 June 1575, Giles Tomson and others were dispensed one year, that they
REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON. 17
might be capable of fellowships in Univ. Coll. (In several colleges under- graduates were incapable of a fellowship.)
12 Dec. 1577, William Fleshwar was dispensed three Terms, because being Fellow of Bras., it will be to his great advantage to take his degree.
10 June 1578, Richard Kilbie and Francis Jones, Line., were dispensed, lest juniors should have fellowships over them in college.
Similarly, 12 May 1579, Robert Abbot, Ball., was dispensed five Terms, that he might take his B.A. at the same time with others of his college ; and so also, 2 Nov. 1581, Francis Harrington, Corp., was dispensed three Terms.
20 Jan. 158^, Christopher Tappam and William Bust were dispensed three Terms, because without B.A. they could not be of their number ' qui regalibus stipendiis nutriantur ' (at Ch. Ch.).
20 Jan. 158^, Thomas Dent was dispensed one year; he had been elected Fellow, but could not be admitted till he took his B.A.
15 Jan. 158^, Robert Smith, Oriel, was dispensed two Terms, ' ad uberiorem Collegii Oriel exhibitionem exequendum.'
15 Jan. 158^, Richard Brainche, Robert Floide, Lionell Gheaste, George Riall, John Millwarde (of Ch. Ch.), were dispensed two Terms ' ne a regiis stipendiis amoveantur.'
2 Apr. 1582, William Vaughan, who had been thirteen Terms at Cambr., was dispensed three Terms, ' quia capax societatis speratae (in Ball.) sine gradu Baccalaureatus recepto esse nequeat.'
28 Nov. 1582, Robert Lewen, Line., was dispensed three Terms, that he might be capable of standing for a fellowship.
23 Jan. I59§, Richard Astley, Line., was dispensed two Terms, that he might not lose his hope of promotion, ' in altera Universitate.'
22 Apr. 1608, Edward Vaughan (Corp.) was dispensed one Term, because ' ulteriorem terminum sine maximo promotionis suae dispendio expectare non possit.'
6 Oct. 1613, Mark Pickering and Thomas Paxton (Ch. Ch.) were dispensed one Term, lest they should lose their seniority.
7 Oct. 1614, Laurence Bodley ('nepos e fratre Thomae Bodley '), Exet., was dispensed four Terms. He is to be promoted to a fellowship in Exeter College, and unless he be B.A. before his admission, the college statutes re- quire him to wait three years before proceeding to B.A.
(c) Ecclesiastical.
Dispensations granted that the student may be able to take Holy Orders sooner or more conveniently.
5 Mar. 157!, 'William ' Dain was dispensed six Terms for this reason. ('Giles' Dain (the same person) suppl. B.A. 5 Mar. I57f. There is no record of his admission.)
25 Nov. 1575, Richard Wignall was dispensed two years for this reason. 9 Feb. 1 5|$, Anthony Saunders was dispensed some Terms for this reason.
Dispensations granted to make the students capable of holding a promised benefice.
Dispensations of this kind were granted 4 July, 1581, to Marmaduke Blaxton for one year, and to Robert Cheyney for two Terms.
VOL. II, PART I. C
1 8 REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON.
Dispensations granted because the student is in Holy Orders and is going down to take duty.
7 Mar. 157$, Thomas Warburton was dispensed a year, being 'Presbyter.' 27 Jan. I57f, Robert Dickson was dispensed nine Terms, because 'sacris
initiatus et theologiae addictus.'
13 Feb. 157!, John Barwell was dispensed three Terms, because in Orders and going down.
(d) Scholastic ; dispensations granted to enable the student to get or keep a schoolmaster's place.
21 July 1573, George Lause was dispensed one year, because on taking his degree he was to get a schoolmaster's place.
12 Dec. 1577, Christopher Minshull was dispensed one year, because he had been appointed master of a school and had to go down to his duties.
27 June 1580, William Luff was dispensed two Terms, 'ut ad continua- tionem sui studii victum quaeritet docendo.'
21 Jan. i6o|, Hammond Bautrey, Magd. C., was dispensed one Term, to save him the long and expensive journey and absence from his school. He had been appointed ' informator scholae de Waynflet,' in Lincolnshire.
(3) Death of relations.
14 Mar. i57f, Thomas Bentham was dispensed six Terms, because his father's death rendered it necessary for him to take his degree as soon as possible.
(4) Going down or going abroad.
3 Apr. 1579, John Benet was dispensed one year, 'alias Christianas Aca- demias invisurus.'
9 Feb. 15!$, Matthew Webb was dispensed one year, because he was going down, and was uncertain whether he would be able to come back.
This reason was urged very frequently (about 1610) by sons of knights and peers in reduction of their twelve Terms' residence.
6 April 1608, Richard Cowill (eq. fil.), Trin., and John Gaward (eq. fil. n. m.) Ch. Ch., were dispensed one Term ; in each case ' quod cum brevi ab Academia discessurus sit, amici ejus ipsum gradu baccalaurei in artibus honestandum esse valde cupiant.'
13 Feb. i6of, Henry, Lord Clifford (eldest son of Earl of Cumberland), Ch. Ch., was allowed his B.A. on nine Terms' residence.
24 Jan. i6£§, Roger Wilbrome (arm. fil. n. m.), Bras., was dispensed one Term, because going over sea.
24 Jan. i6J$, Roger Manwood (son of a K.B.), Line., was dispensed two Terms, because going on foreign travel.
8 Dec. 1610, Thomas Nevell, eldest son of Henry Nevell, Knight, heir of Lord Abergeveny, was dispensed four Terms, and a Term's absence, because going away.
21 Jan. 161^, a general dispensation of one Term was granted to 'generosi.'
27 May 161 r, William Croft (eq. fil. n. m.) was dispensed one Term.
28 June 1611, John Bodurda (arm. fil. n. m.) was dispensed one Term, because ' in partes transmarinas profecturus.'
24 Jan. 161^, Richard Spenser and Edward Spenser (of Corp., Baronis filii) were dispensed two Terms.
REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON. 19
5 Feb. l6lf, Henry Carey (eq. fil. n. m.), and Thomas Carey (eq. fil. secundus), Exet., were dispensed ; in each case ' brevi cum sit discessurus ab Academia gradum baccalaureatus tanquam benedictionem Almae Matris Academiae secum cupiat transportare.'
(5) Going off to legal studies.
26 June 1592, Thomas Williams, Broadg. H., was dispensed one Term, because going off to study municipal law.
27 Jan. i6of, Thomas Springett, Oriel, was dispensed one Term, because going off to study common law.
(6) Academical; to provide a sufficient number of determining bachelors to enable the ' scholares ' who were of standing to be able to get through their disputations in Lent, when a ' scholaris ' had to re- spond to a ' determining bachelor.'
Because of the small number of determining bachelors a general dispensa- tion was granted of two Terms, 4 Feb. 158$ ; of one Term, 23 Jan. 159$ ; of one Term, 29 Jan. I59f ; of one Term, 3 Feb. 159^ ; of two Terms, 24 Jan. and so on.
(7) Dispensations were granted enabling undergraduates to shorten their residence at Oxford by counting Terms kept at other Universities as though they had kept them at Oxford. These dispensations were most frequently granted to Cambridge men. Lists of these are given in a division of this volume.
These dispensations were at first granted by Congregation, but latterly Convocation restricted the right of granting them to itself.
19 Feb. 158^, Congregation was forbidden to grant any candidate for any degree a dispensation to count Terms kept in any other University. Such dispensations were in future to be granted by Convocation alone.
(ii) Dispensations were granted to excuse absence from the University of one or more Terms to students who were four years from matriculation, but had interrupted their residence.
(i) The first ground for such dispensations is poverty.
6 August 1577, Martin Reade had been absent some Terms at Camb., and some Terms in the country, because his friends had been unable to keep him in the University. He was dispensed this absence.
10 June 1594, John Raw, Exet., was dispensed one Term which he had spent ' in amicis visitandis ; causa est quia aliter si rus non iisset ea quae ad victum necessaria sunt parare non potuisset.'
21 May 1600, Richard Colles, Exet., was excused seven Terms' absence, caused by poverty.
28 Jan. i6of, Thomas Chinligh, was excused six Terms' absence, caused by poverty.
9 Dec. 1614, Benjamin Beere, Bras., was excused five Terms. He had gone down from poverty, and then unexpectedly had been enabled to return.
c a
20 REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON.
(2) Scholastic: teaching in a school, or as a tutor; generally accom- panied by a plea of poverty. This particular plea for a dispensation for absence of Terms is advanced with especial frequency.
26 June 1590, a dispensation of two Terms was granted to Laurence Bos- well, Trin., ' if not contrary to the statutes ' [similar dispensations were granted both before and after without this proviso]. From poverty, he had gone down to teach boys.
12 June 1603, John Owens, Jes. Coll., had a dispensation of three Terms ; 23 June 1604, Robert Richardson, Ch. Ch., had a dispensation of eight Terms ; they had gone down through poverty, and taught boys.
11 Apr. 1608, Richard Chandler, Hart H., was dispensed four Terms, spent as ' scholae Cicestrensis informator.'
26 Jan. i6if, Thomas Colly, S. Mary H., was dispensed three Terms, spent in teaching.
12 June 1613, Samuel Cottesford, Magd. C., was dispensed seven Terms, having been absent partly from illness, and partly from teaching boys.
17 Feb. i6if , John Knapman, Exet., was dispensed six Terms, which he had spent in teaching boys in Exeter city.
(3) Ecclesiastical: dispensations granted to students who were in Holy Orders.
1 8 June 1594, David Plott, S. Jo., was dispensed six Terms, which he had spent in the country, preaching.
5 Feb. 159^, John Spicer, S. Mary H., was dispensed six Terms, spent 'in pastorali cura.'
14 Jan. i6i£, Edward Johnes, Hart H., was dispensed three Terms, spent ' in animarum cura.'
(4) Dispensations granted owing to death of relatives.
23 Feb. 159*, John Tovey, Ball., dispensed nine Terms, having been called away by his father's death.
14 Nov. 1617, John Adderton, Gloc. H., dispensed five Terms ; his father's death had involved him in business which kept him in the country.
(5) Business.
25 Jan. i6of, Nicholas Guy, Hart H., was dispensed eight Terms, during which he was engaged ' in musaeo in negotiis turn legendi turn scribendi,' by the Dean of Worcester. (James Montague, Dean, 1604-1608.)
5 Dec. 1616, Edward Clarke, Exet., was dispensed eight Terms ; he had been called away by his friends to execute certain business.
(6) Dispensations granted because of illness. These are extremely common.
22 Feb. 159^, Robert Moore, Bras., dispensed for an absence of three Terms, caused by illness.
9 Dec. 1595, Richard Bridges, S. Alb. H., four Terms.
22 May 1596, Richard Symons, Exet., two Terms, ' rure morbo laborans.'
16 Oct. 1596, Thomas Johnson, Oriel, three Terms ' febre laborans.'
5 July 1602, George Knight, Ball., five Terms.
REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON. 21
24 Jan. l6i£, William Powell, Hart H., one Term ; he had gone down for a half year to the country ' sperans per mutationem aeris salutem se melius consecuturum.'
4 July 1612, Richard Roberts, All So., five Terms.
16 July 1612, Arthur Dudley, Bras., seven Terms' absence, partly owing to illness, partly to business.
9 Feb. i6if, Anthony Hawkes (Haukes), five Terms' absence ; he had been ill beyond sea.
(7) Plague in Oxford is a frequent reason for dispensations.
E.g. 24 Oct. 1606, John Batty, Univ., was dispensed one Term, because ' peste hie grassante sine salutis suae discrimine interesse non potuerit ' ;
and so, 24 Oct. 1606, Robert Pennington, Bras., three Terms; and 1 8 Nov. 1606, Thomas Jones and William Lloyd, Hart H., two Terms ; and 29 Jan. i6of, Andrew Harding, Hart H., four Terms.
14 Nov. 1606, Alexander Tutt (mil. fil. n. m.), Magd. C., was dispensed for absence during Hilary Term, ' peste hie grassante.'
So also, 23 Oct. 1611, John Roades (Roodes), and John Dicus, were dis- pensed two Terms, ' peste in collegio suo grassante.'
And 29 Jan. i6i£, Richard Haulker, S. MaryH., was dispensed one Term, ' ratione pestis in aula sua grassantis.'
(8) Accidents.
30 May 1608, William Arney, Jes., was dispensed one Term ; ' propter aquarum inundationem in occidentalibus hujus regni partibus quibus termino nativitatis penultimo elapso commorabatur, sine salutis discrimine interesse non potuerit.'
3 Feb. i6of, Henry Arney, Jes., was dispensed three Terms, partly because of plague in Oxford, ' partim aquarum inundatione in occidentali hujus regni parte quam tune temporis incolebat impeditus.'
EXERCISES FOR THE B.A. DEGREE.
The preparations for the degree of B.A. (embracing attendance at lectures, presence at disputations, residence) have now been described ; the tests for the degree (taking part in the disputations) have next to be considered.
I. DISPUTATIONS 'IN PARVISIS.'
The first set of disputations came in, or after, the ninth Term, when the student was expected ' respondere in parvisis ' (parviso, parvisiis), a disputation in grammatical and logical subjects.
The ' quaestiones * ' or subjects of disputation were three in number, and had to be handed in to a Master of the Schools a week previous to the day of disputation. They had further to be affixed to the doors of the schools with the names and college of the disputants at 8 A.M. on the morning of the day of disputation, and to remain there throughout the day.
1 I have not found any of these recorded.
22 REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON.
The disputants were (i) ' scholares ' who had already gone through the disputations, but who were doing it ' pro termino ' (see below) ; (2) ' scholares' who were doing it as an exercise for the degree (called responding ' pro forma).'
Three disputed at one time, one as a ' respondent ' two as ' opponents.' A student doing it { pro forma ' was required (a) ' semel opponere,' (b) ' semel ab hora prima ad horam tertiam respondere.'
The presidents and supervisors were Regent Masters, called in their exercise of this office ' Magistri Scholarum 1.' They soon became fixed deputies, four in number, selected by the proctors from the regents to serve for a year.
These disputations took place on every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in Term. The disputants assembled at S. Mary's, and from thence were conducted by the yeoman bedell of Arts to the schools of Arts, where the dis- putations were held s.
At the end of each day's disputations those who "had been disputing ' pro formS. ' were created ' sophistae generales ' (or briefly ' generales '), a sort of quasi-degree ' in logicalibus et grammaticalibus.'
The conferring of this was a matter of some ceremony. The dis- putants were assembled in one of the schools of Arts before the Regent Masters who had been ' moderating/ i.e. presiding over the disputations. One of these ' Moderators ' made a speech ' in praise of Aristotle and true logic,' and gave each person who had that day completed his dis- putation ' pro forma ' a copy of the Logic of Aristotle, and put round his neck ' simplex caputium,' a plain hood of black stuff.
These disputations still survive in the form of the first examination 3 for the degree of B.A.
This examination, presided over by the ' Masters of the Schools,' is still (officially) called ' Responsions,' and the testamur issued to the successful candidate states that he ' quaestionibus Magistrorum Scholarum in parviso pro forma respondit.'
The hood has disappeared, but only about thirty years ago. There must be many members of the University who remember that when they went in for viva voce in all examinations subsequent to responsions they had a little black hood placed round their neck. I do not know whether any specimens of these hoods have been preserved in the anthropological collections of the University, as relics of the ' habitus competens ' for the first stage of Univer- sity distinctions.
The names of those who pass this examination are now recorded in a register ; but these records seem to go no further back than 1638.
1 The name 'Masters of the Schools' is now confined to the examiners in 'Re- sponsions,' the lineal descendant of these disputations. At this period the term was used of the presiding Masters in all University disputations.
a The statute to this effect is of date i Oct. 1584. Each ' scholaris ' who is disputing ' pro forma in parvis (sic) disputationibus ' is to pay two shillings, to be equally divided among the yeomen bedells. In return the bedells, bearing their maces (columnae), are to walk before the disputants to the schools.
3 Which may now be taken in the first Term of residence, or even before matricu- lation.
REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON. 23
' Scholares ' who had completed this exercise ' pro forma/ were required to go through it once a Term till they took their B.A., in order to provide disputants for the ' scholares ' who were doing it ' pro forma.' These subsequent disputations were said to be responsions ' pro termino.' At first, no doubt, the responsibility was a real one, but latterly, owing to the increase in numbers, ' scholares ' who had been created ' sophistae generales ' cannot have been often called upon to respond ' pro termino.'
The disputations consequently became much neglected, and after a long series of complaints, an effort was made to reinforce them in 1607, by the following decrees.
4 March i6o£, the Vice-Chancellor reported to Convocation that the Uni- versity was evil spoken of; (i) on account of the insufficiency of some of those admitted to the B.A. degree ; (2) ' ob gloriosum illud et laudabile in parvisis certamen quo antiquitus inclaruit nostra Academia, quod penitus intercidit.3
A committee was appointed (of men ' propter eruditionem spectabiles ') to devise a scheme by which (i) only fit persons should be promoted to B.A. ; (2) ' scholasticum hoc exercitium collapsum restitueretur.'
' Novissima decreta,' published 1607, were the work of the committee.
The disputations 'in parvisiis'are negligently held by scholars and bachelors to the bad name of the University, and the loss of the students themselves.
1. Every ' schol. fac. Art.' before he is presented to his B.A., shall take oath that he has been once at the least ' prior opponens in parvisiis ' before he was 'generalis creatus.'
2. That he has been six Terms in the study of dialectic after his arrival in Oxford before he was 'generalis creatus.'
3. That he has been ' generalis creatus ' in each of the four Terms before he seeks B.A.
4. That in each of these four Terms he shall be required to have ' op- posed ' once in the public schools, and to have been sedulously present at the disputations ' in parvisiis.'
5. On the day of his presentation for B.A. he shall be required to certify that he has done all this.
{The years 1608 onwards are full of dispensations from these 'novissima decreta.' The causes alleged are (i) ignorance of the existence or nature of these new statutes ; (2) absence from Oxford on business or through illness (the two most frequent excuses) on one or more of the four Terms.)
Further provisions of these decrees are, that the proctors shall each week nominate from three to six regent-masters to be present personally, or by sufficient deputies, with the Masters of the Schools or their deputies, at the disputations ' in parvisiis ' from beginning to end, in the ' ornamenta et robae ' suitable to their degree. The statutes of the University by which all {regent} masters are required to be present at these disputations are still to remain in force. (K. reversed, fol. 363 b.)
24 REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON.
II. DISPUTATIONS DURING LENT.
The second set of exercises for the degree consisted in being twice l respondent to the 'determining bachelors' during Lent, in the subjects in which they were disputing for the completion of their B.A. degree. This was called ' respondere sub Baccalaureo in quadragesima.'
' Scholares ' were allowed to present themselves for this exercise after four Terms ' in dialectica ' ; one ' scholaris ' responded to one bachelor at a time ; and the statutable length of each disputation was an hour and a half.
DISPENSATIONS FOR MODIFYING THE EXERCISES.
The disputations ' in parviso ' were so frequently recurring and so accessible that there are few instances of students being excused from that exercise ' pro forma.' It is quite otherwise with these disputations in Lent. It was often inconvenient or impossible for a student to take part in them at the time he naturally would have presented himself. The disputations occurred only once a year, in Lent; and many students were prevented by the sickness so generally prevalent at that time2 from taking part in these disputations. And further, there were only a limited number of persons under whom to perform the exercise, and it might very well happen that a ' scholaris ' was unable to find a determining bachelor to whom to respond, especially if few members of his own college had been taking part as ' determinants.'
Examples of these and other pleas for dispensations follow.
(1) Dispensations were granted 'propter scholarium numerum et baccalaureorum paucitatem ' ; a plea which is extremely common both in particular and general dispensations.
E.g. 16 May 1566, Thomas Smith (Reg. I. 262) was dispensed on this plea. Oct. 1573, Hugh Dowrishewas dispensed on this plea. 16 Jan. I57f, a general dispensation for this cause was granted. 25 June 1611, Adam Waters, Mert., was dispensed (because there were very few determining bachelors from his college last Lent).
(2) Dispensations were granted on account of unhealthiness of the season, resulting in the illness of the candidate or his friends. This also was an extremely common plea for a dispensation.
30 Oct. 1595, Henry Philips, Bras., was dispensed because ill last Lent ; and similarly, —
19 Jan. 159!, William Dunch, Ball.; 21 May 1596, Evan Lewis, S. Edm. H. ; 8 Feb. i6o|, John Robson, S. Edm. H. (ill with fever); 12 Oct. 1611, John Roades, Bras, ('gravi morbo').
1 This might be done twice in the same Lent, or separately in two Lents. 8 Hilary Term is still the unhealthy term of the Oxford year.
REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON. 2$
20 Dec. 1578, Arthur Lawrence, because of his father's illness in the country last Lent ; 20 Jan. 158^, Robert1 Drewe because of his parent's death ; 8 Feb. i6oj, Thomas Phillips, Hart. H., because of his father's death last Lent.
(3) Dispensations were granted because of epidemics in Oxford.
Frequently recurring formulae are, ' ratione pestis disputationes in scholis intermissae fuerint,' ' peste tune fervente,' ' peste tune grassante,' and the like. The public disputations of the determining bachelors were sometimes not held owing to epidemics ; e.g. in the Lent of 160^, and again in the Lent of i6of, owing to the plague, the bachelors did not determine ' in publicis scholis,' so that ' scholares ' could not respond ' sub baccalaureo.'
General dispensations were often issued on this ground. Some of these are noticed infra, under a separate head.
(4) Undergraduates were often in Holy Orders2 and could not be present in Lent. They were sometimes excused these disputations on this ground.
E. g. 9 Dec. 1573, John More was dispensed because he had a cure of souls. 10 Dec. 1601, John Haukins, for the same reason.
(5) Sometimes students sought dispensations on the ground that they were suddenly called upon to leave the University.
E.g. 18 Apr. 1608, John Upton (arm. fil. n. m.), Line., 'brevi ab Academia discessurus.'
Or again, because they had not intended to take the degree and there- fore neglected to respond, but now proposed taking the degree.
E.g. 21 Oct. 1609, Roger Manwood (eq. aur. fil.), Line. 27 Oct. 1609, John Carleton, Ch. Ch.
1 Probably a mistake for ' Thomas.'
3 In what has gone before mention has been made from time to time of under- graduates in orders. Clerical non-residence would seem to have been excused on the ground of study at the University. It was certainly excused on the ground of study at the University in the Faculty of Theology. E.g. 7 June 1575, Hugh Lane obtained dispensation for a year and leave to take his B.A.: — 'Causa est quia sacris ordinibus initiatus et a suis (quorum curam habet) hinc avocatus, diutius commode (nisi se sacris literis dedat) manere baud possit.' At a later period the University taxed those people who escaped residence on their cures by residence at the University. E.g. 3 Jan. I58f, Convocation decreed that every minister having a pastoral cure who did not reside on it personally should pay the bedell of his faculty before he was admitted to a degree £5 for the use of the University. All through the earlier years of this period there are numerous dispensations and graces whose general tendency is to show that young beneficed clergy formed a considerable element in the University at this time. A conjecture may be made as to the reason of this. The great majority of benefices throughout England had been voided by the expulsion of the Romanist clergy. There were no Protestant clergy of any standing to take their place ; and patrons would seem to have put in (from necessity or choice) young, half-educated ' men in orders.' These could not hope for a licence to preach, nor for promotion, without a University course and, if possible, a degree. They left their benefice, therefore, for the greater part of the year, employing its revenues to maintain themselves at the University, and their parishes were left without competent instructors to shift for themselves. England therefore was in a condition well-fitted for the development of the Brownist and similar sects, which in the next generation seem to spring up at once in full growth.
26 REG1STRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON.
Both pleas are of frequent occurrence. (6) Other pleas for dispensations are : —
23 Feb. 157!, Robert Harding was prevented 'vulnere in tibia accepto.' 14 July 1609, Henry Rogers (S. Edm. H.) was detained last Lent in the diocese of York by important business.
A student who from any of the above causes had failed to respond, ought by statute to have waited till another Lent and then have performed the exercise. This would have involved the loss of a year, and besides there was no certainty that in the ensuing Lent he would be able to perform the exercise. E. g. the ' scholares ' who were to respond in the Lent of i6o| were prevented from doing so because the bachelors did not determine in the public schools ; in the next Lent, i6of, they were again prevented, because the number of ' scholares ' wishing to do the exercise was much in excess of the determining bachelors.
Dispensations, as noted above, were therefore granted. They were of various kinds.
(1) Sometimes the student was allowed to omit the Lenten disputa- tions altogether; e.g. Tristram Towse on 12 Oct. 1580.
(2) More frequently a second or a second and third appearance in the constantly recurring disputations ' in parvisis ' was substituted.
(a) When the candidate had responded only once 'sub baccalaureo in quadragesima ' he was allowed to substitute in place of the second time another appearance ' in parvisis.'
E.g. 6 Feb. 158^, Peter Allibond had this leave.
5 Dec. 1608, John Adamson, Queen's, was allowed to substitute 'generalis creari ' a second time for his second responding ' sub baccalaureo,' because ' in proprio collegio perpauci fuerunt baccalaurei determinantes in ultima quadragesima et facultatem respondendi sub baccalaureo nisi pro una vice idque difficulter obtinere potuit.'
29 Jan. i6of, Andrew Harding, Hart. H. ; owing to plague last Lent there were no public disputations, and he could not avail himself of the permission to do the exercise in private as there were no determining bachelors in his hall.
5 Apr. 1611, Robert Finch, Corp. ; owing to the small number of deter- mining bachelors in his college he could only get one chance of responding ' sub baccalaureo.'
Both general and particular dispensations to this effect were often granted.
(b) When the student had not responded at all in Lent, he was often allowed ' ter generalis creari ' in place of the statutable 'semel generalis creari et bis sub baccalaureo respondere.'
E.g. in Lent i6of there were no public disputations, and during the next two years many ' scholares ' were dispensed ' ter generalis creari.'
28 June 1611, William Dauntesey (eq. aur. fil.), S. Alb. H., and Robert Eyre (eq. aur. fil.), were dispensed ' ter generalis creari.'
REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON. 2^
DISPENSATIONS FOR OMITTING OR POSTPONING THE EXERCISES.
In the case of Bachelors, and particularly of Doctors, in Law, Medicine, and Theology, students were often dispensed to take the degree on promise of subsequently performing the exercises, or even to take the degree and omit the exercises altogether.
These dispensations, however, as might be expected, are almost unexampled in the case of real degrees like B.A. (and M.A.). They are however not unknown.
E.g. in 1558 Matthew Browne, Thomas Garbrande, and Jarvis Smith (Reg. I. 237), of Magd. C, were allowed to take B. A. on condition of afterwards being created ' generalis ' and ' determining ' ; they were also dispensed more than a year's residence. The plea was to enable them to be elected Fellows of Magd. C. 'at this next feast of S. Mary Magdalene.'
18 June 1 575, Giles Bottler was allowed to take B. A., omitting the exercises, on the plea that ' the sooner he got on to the study of theology, the more his friends would do for him.'
(Giles Bottler suppl. B. A. 18 June 1575 ; but there seems no record of his admission to the degree.)
FORMALITIES IN TAKING THE B.A. DEGREE.
When the 'scholaris facultatis artium' had attended lectures and disputations, kept his Terms, and gone through his disputations or been dispensed from them1, he had completed his ' forma,' i. e. the statutable requisites for the degree, and was ready to become ' Bachelor of Arts.'
The process of taking the degree was a very cumbrous one, involving these stages, (i) the ' supplicat/ (2) the 'circuitus,' (3) the 'depositio,' (4) the ' praesentatio,' and, after that, (5) the ' determinatio.'
SUPPLICATING FOR A DEGREE.
The first step in taking the degree is known as the ' supplicat.' The student had to ask (' supplicare ') the leave ('gratia') of the University to take the degree.
The University granted and conferred degrees in 'Congregation.' This house was composed of ' Regents,' that is, of Masters of Arts of the first and second years from their inception, and of Doctors in Law, Medicine, and Theology of the same standing. Masters of Arts of the first year were required to attend the meetings of this house and were called ' necessario
1 The words ' nisi quatenus cam eo dispensatum fuerit ' are still retained in the grace for the B.A. degree, though not once in a thousand times have they any meaning. At this time, however, these dispensations were a usual and characteristic feature of the University system.
28 REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON.
regentes.' Masters of Arts of the second year by dispensation were freed from the obligation, but might attend, and so were called 'regentes ad placitum.' Doctors were generally excused from attendance, probably because when they had taken their M.A. they had discharged this duty/.
The ' Regents ' had control of the Schools and presided over the lectures and disputations which were held there ; and it was right therefore that candidates for degrees should prove to 'Congregation ' that they had satisfied the requirements for degrees.
The process of obtaining leave from Congregation to proceed to a degree was by no means a simple one.
(a) The student who wished his degree, having previously obtained leave (gratia) from his college, prepared a paper — known as his ' sup- plicat,' setting forth that he had completed (or been dispensed from) his exercises and residence, and asking leave to 'read' (i.e. lecture in) a book of Aristotle's Logic (the phrase for asking B.A.).
It ran something after this form: 'Supplicat venerabili congregation! magistrorum regentium A.B., scholaris facultatis artium [e1 Coll. . . .] qua- tenus studium quattuor annorum in Dialecticaposuerit, Baccalaureo in quad- ragesima respondent, generalis creatus fuerit [or cum creatione generalis], et ea omnia exercitia compleverit quae per nova statuta2 requiruntur ut haec ei sufficiant ut admittatur ad lectionem alicujus libri logices.'
False statements were often made in these supplicats by error or by in- tention ; and at an early date it was expressly decreed that no ' supplicat ' should be presented unless oath had been taken that the statements in it were true.
4 July 1575, Convocation decreed that no one propose a grace in Con- vocation or Congregation unless he has sworn that it is true. The reason for the decree is added : — Congregation is almost daily (and Convocation sometimes) fooled by graces being asked which contain false statements.
(Z>) The paper was then given to a regent-master3 to submit to Con- gregation. This regent-master had to be of the same college or hall as the candidate.
At first this had not been the case, and any regent-master seems to have been capable of presenting any grace. But when the Privy Council pro- ceeded to extirpate Romanists it insisted on this condition also.
1 In the earlier ' supplicats ' the college was not given. It was insisted on under injunctions from the Privy Council, and was part of the scheme for rooting out Romanists from the University. The first mention of the college in the B.A. supplicat seems to be 12 Oct. 1580, in the graces of Robert Coney, All So., and John Moore, Univ., and of Thomas Knowles, Corp., and John Wilkinson, Queen's. The first mention of the college in the M.A. supplicate is in the grace of Philip Waterhouse, Univ., 26 Jan. 158^.
4 These were the Statutes of about 1560, see p. 13. They continued to be quoted, under this formula for many decades after their publication, in the same way as men got into the fashion of speaking of the ' New College ' of William of Wykeham.
3 It was contrary to custom for a Doctor to ask graces for degrees, e.g. in i6o£, John Aglionbie, D.D. of S. Edm. H. was allowed to substitute some one to ask the graces of his hall, because he, as a Doctor, might not do so.
REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON. 29
(c) The regent-master and the candidate then went to S. Mary's. The candidate stood in the church ; the regent-master entered the Con- gregation-house.
When his turn came, the regent-master stood in the middle of the floor, and read out the ' supplicat,' stating also whether it was the first, etc., time of asking it. He remained standing there while the proctors went round and took the votes. The votes were secret, being whispered (' concede,' ' nego ') into the proctor's ear.
If no opposition was offered l, the proctor returned to the dais and pro- nounced the prayer of the supplicat granted (' Haec gratia concessa est ') ; and the regent-master then resumed his seat.
This process had to be gone through separately for each candidate.
(d) The candidate had to be present in S. Mary's when his grace was asked, during the whole time of congregation 2, in his academical dress, but bareheaded.
The object was that members of Congregation might see him, and decide whether there were any grounds why they should oppose his grace. Degrees were refused on grounds of morals, religion, and manners (e. g. insolence to an M.A. might entail repulsion from the 'degree). It must also be remembered that the testimony of a candidate's having fulfilled the con- ditions for the degree was in most points oral and not written ; and that it was absolutely necessary that there should be some personal scrutiny of the candidates.
(e) This process had to be gone through in four successive congre- gations ; if a congregation was omitted, the ' petitio gratiae ' would statutably have to begin again 'de novo.' On all four occasions the same regent-master had to ask the grace; and the candidate had to be present.
The object was, no doubt, to give the regent-masters time to make enquiries about the candidates ; and, if necessary, state objections to their proceeding to the degree.
(/) If no opposition had been offered on any of the four occasions of asking, the proctor pronounced the grace finally granted ; and the can- didate might then make his preparations to be presented to the degree.
(£•) An entry of the granting of the grace had then to be made in the register of Congregation.
It consisted of entering the date 3, writing out the ' supplicat ' (as it stands above, p. 28), and appending to it a note of its having been granted in one or other of the following ways, ' concessa est haec gratia simpliciter,' or more usually ' concessa est haec gratia modo determinet proxima quadragesima *.'
1 The case where opposition was offered, will be discussed later on.
a This was called ' submitting himself to the oppositions ' of the regent-masters.
3 Frequently neglected in the earlier years of Elizabeth. This accounts for so many ' suppl.' entries bearing the same date.
4 The meaning of this will be elucidated afterwards.
3O REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON.
This entry had to be made within three days, and a fee for it paid to the Registrar.
It is this entry which is given J after the prefix ' suppl.' (i. e. supplicat) as the first entry about the degree. It indicates that on the date given the candidate had obtained leave to proceed to the degree, having completed or been dispensed from the statutable requirements for it.
This process of the ' supplicat ' still survives in the taking of the degree, though in a very mangled form.
When the candidates for degrees are assembled in Congegation-house for presentation to their degrees, the proctor reads out 2 the ' supplicat,' no longer for each candidate separately, but for all who are taking that degree that morning. This ' supplicat ' is not prepared by the candidate himself, nor taken charge of by the Dean of his college, but is a mere form, the same for everybody.
The proctors then walk down the House, and return, and pronounce * Hae gratiae concessae sunt : et sic pronunciamus concessas.' But they do not now collect votes, for years have elapsed since any opposition was offered to a grace. A few years ago it was agreed by some members of Congregation to oppose the grace of an unpopular candidate, but when the time for doing so came, it is supposed that they lost courage for they did not ' pluck ' the proctor's sleeve.
The candidates are personally present, because they are there for their presentation. The old reason for their being present at the ' supplicat ' is now changed to the exhibition (in the case of B.A.) to the Registrar of the written certificates that they have passed their schools.
EXEMPTION OF MEMBERS OF NEW COLLEGE.
Members on the foundation of New College were, by an agreement with their founder, exempted from University exercises for degrees, and also from the necessity of supplicating for degrees.
Accordingly, as will be seen by looking down the degree lists, there is no entry of a ' supplicat ' in the case of members of New College when on its foundation.
This immunity did not extend to chaplains and others, and hence we find that they ' supplicate ' for degrees. To make note of the fact, in the supplica- tion such a candidate generally styles himself ' Capellanus Collegii Novi.' And the Registrar in recording the ' supplicat ' has often added a note.
E.g. 19 Feb. 158!, Henry Pattenden's suppl. for B.A. has a note added ' capellanus fuit ; aliter gratia ejus petenda non fuerat in domo congrega-
1 In the first twelve years of the degrees, where all the entries are given. I have omitted it in later years because the grace had then become merely formal.
2 Often very inaudibly, as no attention is paid to the names ; and sometimes very imperfectly, for the Deans often hear such barbarisms as ' e Collegio Exonensi, Vigor- nensi, Lincolnensi.'
REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON. 3!
tionis sive convocationis ; ita tester Mauritius Merricke 1, Univ. Oxon. Registrarius.'
2 May 1589. The 'suppl.' of Thomas Gregory for M.A. has this note added ' Cum haec gratia petita fuit Ds. Thomas non fuit dicti Collegii socius, nam antecedente electione resignabat.'
13 July 1602. To the ' suppl.' for Bac.Mus. of Thomas Weelkes is added this note (in M. a. n. fol. 128) ' Intelligendum est quod nee dictus Thomas Weelks nee quisquam alius est ex fundatione sociorum in Collegio Novi si gratiam proponat aut in congregatione aut in convocatione.'
As a set off to this privilege, members on the foundation of New College paid, in addition to the usual fees, a special fee of two shillings and eight pence to the University 'pro munificentia domus,' on the occasion of presentation to any degree.
New College voluntarily renounced this privilege by a vote passed on 12 Nov. 1834.
A special case which arose under this exemption of New C. may here be noticed. 16 Nov. 1576, Convocation discussed the case of a Scholaris of New C. named Harrise. The facts were these : — (<z) he would suffer loss unless he took his B.A. in a few days ; (b) he had not performed all the statu table exercises for B.A., and so could not proceed B.A. without a dispen- sation from these exercises : (c) the College statutes admitted of no dispen- sations. Convocation directed that these statutes were not to affect him prejudicially.
DISPENSATIONS CONNECTED WITH SUPPLICATING.
In a process so complicated as the obtaining of a grace, it is obvious that many occasions would arise in which it was inconvenient for a student to follow the prescribed course in every point. A great field therefore was opened up for dispensations, and accordingly we find an enormous number of dispensations2 at this period of the University course. They fall, however, under a few and simple heads.
(i) Dispensations to have the 'supplicat' submitted to Congregation by a Master not of the student's own house.
Where there was no 'necessary regent' in a student's college or hall it sometimes happened that the student could not get his grace proposed at all in the statutable way, since masters not required by statute to do so, shirked being present at the four successive Congregations.
The student had then to obtain a dispensation that his grace might be proposed by a Master of another house. This was especially common in the ise of the halls ; e. g. we find members of Hart H. asking this permission
1586, 158$, isffl, 1592, 1597, 1598, I59f, 1600, 1605, etc.
Members of Jesus College asked this permission 3 July 1592; of Univ.,
It is to be observed that he did this in his private capacity, and not as Registrar, lerricke was a member of New C. and therefore interested in safeguarding the ' con- suetudines et privilegia ' of his college.
The process of asking the grace was much the same in the case of all degrees, and therefore under the following heads some examples have been taken from degrees other than B.A. In these cases the degree asked for has been stated.
32 REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON.
14 Nov. 1590; of Mert., 18 May 1593; of All So., 13 Dec. 1591, and 25 Oct. 1596 (in the grace of Ralph Steare).
Sometimes a specified individual was appointed to take the duty for a particular house.
E.g. 24 May 1595, William Hendley, M.A., was appointed to propose graces for S. Edm. H. ; 20 Jan. 1597, John Williams, M.A., of All So., to propose graces for S. Edm. H. ; 20 June 1598, a master of another house was appointed to propose graces in place of the regent-master of Broadg. Hall, who was ' oculorum infirmitate laborans.' 21 Mar. I59f, Mr. Colle of Ball, was appointed to propose the grace of Thomas Clayton of Gloc. H., because Clayton had passed most of his time in Ball.; 30 June 1599, a master of New C. was appointed to propose the graces of Hart. H., because John Evelegh, the principal of Hart. H., was engaged in 're medica' and had no master in his hall to do it ; 1604, Brian Twyne of Corp., was appointed to propose the graces of S. Mary H. ; 25 Oct. 1610, Dr. Budden, Princ. of New Inn H., was allowed to have the graces of his hall proposed by a master of another house, there being no master in his own hall.
Other similar dispensations in the case of individuals are : —
29 Nov. 1606, Richard Perckes and Henry Batho of Jes., had leave to have their graces proposed by a master of another house, the Dean of Jesus College being ill and unable to attend.
4 Nov. 1607, Francis Clipsam had leave to have his grace proposed by a master of another house, because on that day ' in commemoratione fundatoris ad istam horam [10 A.M.] omnes ejus domi [Magd. C.] magistri intersint.'
(2) Dispensations from the rule that the same master had to ask the grace on all four occasions.
Dispensations were sometimes granted that a grace begun to be asked by one master might be continued by another; e.g. 7 Nov. 1611, Daniel Hunt, Trin., and Richard Holmes, had their graces asked three times by a master of another house, their own Dean being ill. It was now permitted that their Dean should ask it on the fourth occasion.
(3) Dispensations from the rule that the candidate had to be personally present in S. Mary's Church during the time of Congregation.
Dispensations were granted that a student might have his grace proposed in his absence, on some or all of the occasions on which it was asked.
E.g. this dispensation was granted: — 12 May 1589, to John Randall, Line., asking M.A., because he was ill in the country; 2 May 1592, to Richard Burgess, Oriel, asking M.A., because he was starting for London ; I July 1592, to Robert Goddard, Bras., asking M.A., because he was going down on urgent business; 9 Mar. I59§, to William Billingsley, Bras., because he was teaching boys in the country; 16 Apr. 1594, to William Laude, S. Jo., because ' patris morte avocatus praesens esse commode non potest' ; 159/f, to Edward Abbott, Ball., because he was teaching boys in the country; 3 May 1595, to Robert Tomlins, New C., because he was teaching boys in the country, and could not be present in the University for four successive Congregations, 'sine magno suo et eorum incommode'; 3 July 1598, to Jonas Radcliffe, Univ., seeking M.A., because 'gravi morbo detentus' ; 28 June 1609 to John Griffith, (arm. fil. n. m.) Jes., because he had gone down through illness.
REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON- 33
14 June 1599, Peter Lorymer, Oriel, was allowed to be absent on the third time his grace was asked.
17 July 1613, Roger Wilkins, Line., was allowed to be absent on the fourth time of his grace being asked. He was ill in the country.
10 May 1617, William Knowles (eq. aur. fil.) was allowed to be absent on the third time on which his grace was asked. He was suddenly called away by business.
Dispensations of this kind were sometimes granted ' ex post facto ; ' that a grace which had been asked in the student's absence might count as if he had been present.
E.g. 4 Feb. i6of, Richard Jollyffe (Mert.), was absent when his grace was asked the second time, ' subita correptus valetudine.' He was allowed to count it as though he had been present.
A similar grace was granted 28 Jan. i6if, to Matthew Griffith, (Gloc. H.), who was absent when his grace was asked, because ' ob distantiam loci 1 et contraries ventos campanae sonitum audire non potuit.' (This bell still rings from 9.30 to 10 A.M. to assemble Congregation. }
(4) Dispensations from the rule that the grace had to be asked in four Congregations, and these Congregations had to be successive, (a) It was often inconvenient to wait over four Congregations.
4 Apr. 1582, John Fixer and Ralph Kettell, Trin., were dispensed that one asking of their grace in Congregation might suffice. They were very anxious to have their degree at once.
A not unusual way of avoiding the four Congregations was to have the grace proposed in Convocation, where one asking was enough. This came to be frequent in the case of the higher degrees.
5 June 1590, William Clarkson, Broadg. H., suppl. M.D. in Convocation; he was called away and could not wait four Congregations.
(William Clarkson suppl. M.B. 26 Feb. 158! ; there seems no entry of his being admitted : suppl. M.D. 5 June, lie. 17 June 1590, inc. 1590.}
5 Apr. 1592, Robert Wright, Trin., suppl. B.D. in Convocation. He was required to take it almost immediately by his College Statutes, and he was shortly setting out ' ad obsequium principis in Galliam.'
13 July 1592, Thomas Rawlins, S. Jo., asked his grace for M.A. in Convo- cation. He was going abroad and did not want to wait.
30 May 1608, 'supplicat venerabili huic domo convocationis Gulielmus Laud, S.T.B., e Coll. S. Jo. Bapt. quatenus bis cursorie legerit et una tantum lectio superest quam praefinito suo tempore, Deo volente, legere proposuerit ut bona vestra cum dispensatione liceat ei gratiam suam in hac venerabili domo proponere non obstantibus statutis de gratiis in domo congregationis proponendis et de exercitiis praestandis. Causa est quia quam maxime necessariis negotiis hinc subito avocatus quatuor continuas congregationes expectare non possit.'
' Conceditur simpliciter,' and he then suppl. D.D. in Convocation.
. 27 June 1608, John Davies, ' theologiae studens, divini verbi minister,' of
1 This dispensation seems to contain a premonition of the joke about ' Botany Bay,' applied to Wore. Coll. on account of its gardens and distance from Oxford.
VOL. II, PART I. D
34 REGISTRUAl UNIVERSITATIS OXON.
Line. Coll., suppl. B.D. in Convocation. He was called away by his pastoral charge and could not stay for four Congregations.
12 June 1610, Richard Parker, S. Mary H., suppl. M.A. in Convocation, being called away by his pastoral charge.
8 Dec. 1610, Thomas Nevell ^tpra, p. 18) suppl. B.A. in Convocation, because he was going away.
21 Jan. l6if, William Rogers, S. Mary H., suppl. B.A. in Convocation. His father, a minister and preacher, had been taken suddenly ill and had sent for him.
28 June 1611, Francis Mansell (arm. fil.), Jes., suppl. his degree in Convo- cation, because ' brevi in exteras nationes profecturus.'
24 Jan. 161 £, Richard Spenser and Edward Spenser of Corp. (supra, p. 18) suppl. B.A. in Convocation.
12 Mar. i6i§, Toby Venner, S. Alb. H., suppl. M.D. in Convocation. He could not wait for four Congregations, ' quae rariores esse solent hoc tempore quadragesimali.'
(/3) Where a grace had begun to be asked, but had been omitted for one reason or another to be asked in the next Congregation, statutably the whole process ought to have begun ' de novo.' But that was not in- sisted on in practice, and very many dispensations are granted under these circumstances. The following represent the principal reasons for these dispensations : —
(i.) Unavoidable absence owing to business.
7 July 1613, Henry Galpin, New C., was allowed to ask his grace for M.A. for the second time though two Congregations had intervened since the first time. He had been called away from the University.
25 Feb. i6i§, Daniel Baker, Magd. C., was allowed to ask his grace for M.A. the fourth time, though Congregations had intervened since the third time of asking. He had been called away by business.
(ii.) Absence through illness.
17 July 1613, Roger Wilkins, Line., was allowed to propose his grace for M.A. the fourth time though some Congregations had intervened. He was ill in the country.
7 June 1615, James Bradshew was allowed to ask his grace though several Congregations had intervened since the last time it was asked. He was 'febri hectica graviter laborans.'
7 June 1615, Thomas Houlford, Bras., was allowed to ask his grace for B.A. in the same way.
(iii.) Failure to get back to Oxford in time.
2 July 1599, William Floyd, S. Edm. H., was allowed to continue asking his grace for B.A. as though a Congregation had not intervened. He did not get back in time for it from the country.
(iv.) Congregation closed before the grace was asked.
27 Apr. 1602, several graces ought that day to have been asked in Congre- gation, but there was ' praepostera festinatio ad exequias celebrandas,' and it was ordered that they should be asked the next day as though no Congrega- tion had intervened.
18 June 1613, Samuel Cottesford of Magd. C. was allowed to propose his grace for B.A., and Edward Andrewes of Bras, his grace for M.A. though
REGISTRUM UNIVKRS1TATIS OXON. 35
one Congregation had intervened The Vice-Chancellor had closed the pre- ceding Congregation so abruptly, that they had not time to propose their grace on that day.
25 Nov. 1613, Henry Cooke, Mert., was allowed to propose his grace for M.A., and Zorobabel Maultus, Mert., his grace for B.A., as though a Congre- gation had not intervened. That Congregation was over before their pro- poser could come to it.
17 Dec. 1613, Thomas Leigh, Bras., and George Caler, S. Edm. H., were allowed to propose their graces for M.A., the fourth time; and George Harding, Line., his grace for B.A. the fourth time, as though they had been asked the third time in the preceding Congregation. That Congregation was so short that these graces could not be proposed.
(v.) Absence of the Master who was to propose it.
26 Apr. 1612, Lewis Johns was allowed to continue the asking of his grace, which had been discontinued because of the absence of the master of his house who was to propose it.
17 Aug. 1621, Hugh Dicus, B.D., Bras., was allowed to propose his grace for licence to preach the fourth time, though a Congregation had intervened since the third time. The master who was to ask it had been absent.
(vi.) Interruption by the University to make enquiry about the candidate.
15 July 1598, William Fisher, Oriel, was allowed to propose his grace for the fourth time as though it had not been discontinued. After the third asking, it had been suspended till he satisfied the proctors about some things concerning his grace.
19 Mar. 160^, John Hawkins, S. Edm. H., in the same way. The Vice- Chancellor had discontinued his grace that enquiry might be made into his sufficiency ' in literis.'
13 June 1610, William Pricket, chaplain of New C., and Jonas Morgan, Hart. H., were allowed to go on with the fourth asking of their grace for M.A. though one Congregation had intervened. They had now satisfactorily answered the questions which they had been called upon to answer.
4 Feb. i6i§, John Wyat (Wiat), of New Inn H., was allowed to propose his grace for B.A. the fourth time that day. It had been proposed the fourth time the day before but neither granted nor refused, but postponed 'ut melius examinaretur turn de doctrina turn de moribus.'
7 July 1613, Thomas Wood had had his grace stopped by the Vice- Chancellor at the third asking till some points were settled. He had now given satisfaction on these points, and was allowed to go on asking his grace as though Congregations had not intervened.
22 Nov. 1613, Robert Johnson, Magd. C., was allowed to ask his grace for B.D. ? for the fourth time though several Congregations had elapsed. It had been suspended by the Vice-Chancellor and proctors till he had satisfied them on some points objected to him.
12 Dec. 1616, the grace of Edward Mosely, N. I. H., for B.A. had been sus- pended by the Junior Proctor till he satisfied him on some points. He had done so, and was now allowed to continue the asking of it as thoough there had been no interruption.
28 Feb. 162^, John Pelling, of New C., was allowed to ask his grace for the fourth time for B.A., although it had been discontinued 'ut, accusatus, ab examinatoribus petentium gradus ante proximam congregationem exam- inaretur.'
27 May 1622, Robert Penrice, Ball., was to ask his grace for M.A. for the
D 2
36 REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON.
fourth time, although it had been discontinued ' ut ab examinatoribus peten- tium gradus ulterius examinaretur.'
2 July 1622, Thomas Birchmore, was to ask his grace for M.A. the fourth time, although it had been discontinued ' propter ulteriores examinationes.'
(vii.) Irregularity in the form of asking it.
22 June 1603, Hugh Butcher, M.A. of Cambr., had been supplicating to incorporate. His grace had been three times proposed as ' Henry Butcher ; ' he was allowed to ask it the fourth time, as though on those occasions it had been rightly asked \
(viii.) Interruption by the College.
26 Apr. 1610, Bryan Twyne, Christopher Greene, George Baylie, Thomas Jackson, Henry Mason — were allowed to propose their grace for the fourth time, although Congregations had intervened. It had been interrupted that their senior in their fellowship might take his degree before them.
(5) The grace had to be registered within three days. Unless this were done, statutably it lapsed and had to be asked over again; but •dispensations were granted for this ; and students were allowed to count the grace as though it had been duly registered.
19 June 1563, Edward Audleser, M.A. (Reg. I. 217) had had grace cad lectionem alicujus libri sententiarum ' (i.e. for B.D.), but it had not been written in the book. He was allowed it on the testimony of those who were present when it was granted.
15 Apr. 1592, Edward Hutchins, Bras., had had grace for B.D., but it had been omitted from the register. He was dispensed.
4 July 1592, Francis Green, S. Alb. H., had had his grace for B.A. granted, but it had not been entered in the register. He was allowed to have it registered then.
17 Feb. I59§, Richard Browne, Magd. C., had had grace for B.A., but it was not registered.
10 May 1594, John Sherwood, Broadg. H., had had grace for M.A., but * graviter morbo affectus publicam ejus inscriptionem intra triduum neglectam habuisset.'
11 Dec. 1594, Samuel Powell, Jes., had been unable to get his grace for B.A. registered, having failed to find the Registrar within the prescribed three days.
28 Jan. i6l§, Fitz-William Coningsby, (eq. aur. fil.), Line., had had his grace for B.A. four Congregations ago, but it had not been duly registered within three Congregations as required by the recent statutes, the necessity of this registration not being known to the master who asked the grace.
OPPOSITION TO A GRACE.
In the above account of the process of obtaining leave to proceed to a degree, no notice has been taken of the occasions on which opposition might be offered and the grace refused.
1 Many people must have been less scrupulous as to the exactness of their grace. If the ' supplicat ' records are correct, graces must often have been obtained in which the Christian names were incorrectly stated.
REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON. 37
These occasions are, however, of very great importance, for the ' supplicat,' which is now a meaningless form, was then an important step in obtaining the degree and long continued to be so (see Doble's Hearne, vol. ii. passim).
Congregation or a part of it might call in question the student's fitness for the degree, order a further examination, and thereafter grant the grace or refuse it.
Such opposition might be offered on many grounds, both academical and non-academical. For example, Congregation refused degrees to students whom it suspected: —
(i) of not having done the exercises ; (ii) of not having kept Terms ; (iii) of unfitness intellectually ;
(iv) of unfitness morally, or because of riotous conduct ; (v) of heterodoxy either in politics, philosophy, or religion ; (vi) of insolence to a master of arts in the schools. Examples of such charges have now to be given1.
(iv) 13 Oct. 1588, John Wale, S. Mary H., had his grace for B.A. refused under these circumstances : — When his grace was proposed the third time, ' quaedam criminationes ' were brought against him, ' et juramento quorun- dam fide dignorum sufficienter comprobatae.' Congregation then decided that he was ' moribus inidoneus ad gradum in Universitate suscipiendum.'
The following is much the most fully stated of the objections I have met with : —
28 May 1582. The grace of Robert Smith of Magd. C. was asked, and re- fused, the following charges being sworn against him : —
(1) when as a lewd cumpany had assembled them selves together in the1 commen haule of the same colledge at eleven of the clocke in the night at what time they sat in judgment uppon sum masters and diverse the fellows and honest men of the colledge layinge most shamfull crimes unto theare charge as these, carnall copulacion and such like, he was one of the chefest of them ;
(2) he permitted the same lewd assemblye to gather themselves together in his chamber at divers times wheare they sat in judgment as is aforesaide and allso they used the same araynments in the quadrangle at sundrye times ;
(3) he shamfully abused a master of art unto his face callinge him ' arrant knave ' and threateninge yt eare longe he wolde be quitt with him.
(4) at what time Mr Jesope answerid in the devinitye schoole he was theare in the open assemblye of doctors and masters then present wth his hatt one his bed ;
(5) he hath cum by masters of art and taken the wale of them wth out any moving of his hatt.
On 30 June 1582, D8. Smith appealed against this decision of Congregation finding him guilty ' de quibusdam criminibus ; ' and Convocation appointed a
1 Here, as before, examples will be taken from other degrees as well as from B.A. , for this was a common form in the case of all degrees.
38 REGISTROI VXIVERSITATIS OXON.
committee to determine whether the appeal was permissible. On 3 July the committee decided that he had no power to appeal.
It is probably in connection with a later supplication by this same Smith that we have the following amusing dispensation.
Feb. 1584, the grace of one Smith had been refused in Congregation through his being supposed to be another person of that name. Convocation allowed him to propose it again in Congregation. (The statutes said that a grace refused might not be proposed again for a year.)
In this connection we have to note that candidates for degrees were some- times required to present certificates of good conduct.
E.g. a testimony of the good behaviour of Daniel Baker, B.A., Magd. C, supplicating for M.A., sets forth his 'progress in learning, civility, in be- haviour and other passages;' is dated Banbury, 18 Feb. i6ii ; and signed by John Dod, Robert Cleaver, Robert Harris, William Wheatly, Henry Scudder, and Thomas Liddiott.
Similarly, objections had been made to Robert Johnson, M.A., Magd. Coll., supplicating for B.D.
He produced this letter from Edward More, dated Odiham, 16 Nov. 1613.
Mr. Johnson has been careful in his study and diligent in his preaching, which has been appreciated by ' his auditory of the best understanding.'
On account of the smallness of the living, he accepted a lectureship at Great Allhallowes, London, for a year, and put in a curate here, ' who in his absence joining with a faction of troublesome spirits (that profess preciseness of life but practice for the most part malice and dissension) went about to supplant him and to leave no course unattempted that might give them hope of getting his living from him.' In this they failed.
They had an old quarrel with him, because he had at his first coming to oppose 'another troublesome minister of their profession who made some pretence ' to the Vicarage. On this occasion they ' preferred articles to the High Commissioners against him.' I am one of these Commissioners, and I have never heard that ' he was ever censured or convented for any matter contained in those articles.'
(v) 26 Feb. I57f, the grace of John Cuningsbie was to be refused for a year unless he made a full apology and submission in Congregation — ' quia de religiose senserit et a calumnia non abstinuerit sed inconsiderate et irreve- renter se gesserit erga istius congregationis quosdam viros.'
30 June 1596, Thomas Crumpton, Mert, suppl. for D.C.L., but his grace was objected to on the ground of ' unsound religion.' He made this statement : — 'myself by then (i.e. before he left Oxford) not being so well settled as I ought to have been, (I) cannot nor will not deny but that I did give som cause of suspition.' Now however he accepted the religion and doctrine established in England by the queen.
12 June 1610, the submission of John Mason was read in Convocation : — ' Cum in exercitiis meis publice praestitis non solum a Reformatae Ecclesiae doctrina aberraverim sed etiam in Pontificiorum errores incautus imprudens- que inciderim, protestor coram Deo et huic venerabili Convocatione me ab omni haeresi Papistica abhorrere humillimeque me submittere judicio Ecclesiae Anglicanae, Domini Vicecancellarii Doctorum Procuratorum et Magistrorum hujus florentissimae Academiae, veniam insuper petens ab iis quos in hac parte laesos esse intellexero et paratus semper ad satisfac- tionem vel publice vel privatim quandocunque visum fuerit iis penes quos authoritas est. Humilis vester orator et supplicans, lohannes Mason.'
REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON. 39
John Mason, Corp., then suppl. that his grace for B.D., which had been published four times in Congregation but refused, might be asked in Convo- cation to spare him the inconvenience of waiting for four Congregations. This was granted ; and his grace for B.D. was then asked and granted.
Other examples will be given under the section about tests.
(vi) 4 May 1574, John Barebone, B.A., had his grace to incept subject to these conditions (KK. 170, a).
(1) that he incept in next comitia, having meanwhile responded 'in Augustinensibus ' and in three questions of Aristotle, defending Aristotle's opinion ' contra aliorum omnium philosophorum opiniones ; ' he was to give previous notice of his questions.
(2) That in his ' praefatio vel suppositio ' he acknowledge ' sese inter disse- rendum nimis acri contentione aliquos magistrorum regentium offendisse.'
See also 26 Feb. 157! above, p. 38 ; and 28 May 1582, p. 37
It may be well to indicate the usual procedure in cases of this kind.
The form of asking the grace has already been described (p. 28).
If opposition was offered, the proctor (on the three first occasions) when he returned to the dais maintained an ominous silence. No reason need be alleged for the opposition on the first two days, but on the third day the grounds of opposition had to be stated. On the fourth day the grace was again submitted to the house.
It is not clear what amount of opposition was required to have a grace re- jected1. At first it would almost seem as though one adverse vote was enough, but latterly it seems to have been decided by the vote of the majority.
Several courses were open to Congregation in case of opposition to a grace.
(a) It might postpone the asking of a grace or liberty to use it till the student had satisfied the objections brought against him.
Above (p. 35) are several out of the numerous notices of this.
May 1553, Robert Paley had had his grace for M.A. granted subject to his clearing himself of certain charges brought against him. He had done so before the Vice-Chancellor and proctors and the grace was now pronounced ' absolute concessa.'
(<5) It might postpone the further asking of the grace, or liberty to use it, till the student had performed the exercises, the performance of which had been doubted.
16 June 1575, John Owens was granted his grace for B.A. 'modo disputet in disputationibus quae per visum appellantur.'
{John Owens suppl. B.A. 16 June 1575 ; but there is no record of his ever being adm.)
1 The statutes were not precise on the point, and were from time to time amended : e.g. 12 Oct. 1583, a statute was proposed in Convocation 'de gratiis in congregatione negandis vel concedendis,' but Convocation found that its terms were ambiguous (a strangely modern experience), and remitted it to a committee. On 1 3 Oct. the statute as amended was accepted. I have not seen either this statute or the older one it replaced.
4O REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXOX.
(<:) By an adverse vote on the fourth asking, it might refuse the grace : the Proctor then pronounced ' haec gratia negata est,' and it could not be asked again for a year. A notice of the refusal of the grace was entered in the register, generally in the form ' petita est haec gratia 4° sed negata.'
A list of 'gratiae negatae' will be found at the end of this introduction. It is probably far from complete, as the rejected candidate would of course pay no fee for registration.
It does not follow that when the grace was asked again it would be granted.
E.g. 21 Mar. 15^, John Hayte, N.I.H., suppl. B.C.L., 'sed gratia negata est.' He suppl. again 2 Dec. 1592 (being then of Gloc. H.), but the grace was again refused.
(d ) It might refuse the grace, and forbid it ever to be asked again : — ' Haec gratia negatum est in perpetuum.'
E.g. May 1586, Robert Milward, Bras., suppl. M.A., 'sed gratia negata est in perpetuum.'
{This sentence must have been forgotten or revoked, because Robert Milward suppl. M.A. 18 Feb. ; lie. 22 Feb. 158!; inc. 1588.)
Students sometimes escaped from opposition to their graces by a technical flaw in the mode in which opposition had been offered.
29 Jan. . . . *. ' Petita est quarto gratia Johannis Bernarde ; post cujus petitionem a commissario et procuratoribus congregationi significatum est causam sine probatione allegatam esse.' The statutes were consulted and it was decided that, under the circumstances, the opposition was not in due form ; and the grace was granted.
At other times Congregation would seem to have taken a more resolute course and recalled a grace about which some scruple was felt.
19 Feb. I58f, Thomas Lloyd had asked his grace for M.A. four times and obtained it. It had been recalled because of an informality in his Austin disputations. He had done these again, and now had his grace granted again.
Sometimes a grace which had been refused (and, therefore, by statute could not be asked again for a year), was by a special dispensation allowed to be asked again.
See above Feb. 158!, p. 38.
The following notices touch on some points in connection with the above subject, and incidentally show how unsettled the procedure of the University was.
10 May 1566, if a grace was refused (that is, if opposition was offered by a regent-master), the ground of the objection was ordered to be submitted to the Vice-Chancellor and proctors before the next ensuing Congregation.
1 I have mislaid the year.
REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON. 4!,
10 May 1567, the same order was made with these additional words, ' if the shortness of time prevented the whole matter being deferred to other Congregations.'
7 June 1576, James Stevens suppl. for B.A. the fourth time. Contrary to the usual practice of Congregation (in which the objection was made at one of the three first askings), the grace was objected to on the fourth asking. It> was ordered that if no valid ground of objection be shown to the Vice-Chan- cellor and Proctors before the first day of next Term, this grace be considered granted. 20 June, the Proctor pronounced the grace to be granted. His grace had been asked 23 Feb. i57f, and then granted on condition that ' causa in eum allata probari non possit ante proximam quadragesimam aptu- lusque et idoneus reperiatur moribus et scientia.'
24 Nov. 1579, Congregation discussed the question whether a charge brought before the close of the fourth Congregation against a person asking a grace for a degree, was sufficient to delay the granting of the grace. Con- gregation concluded that each cause should be decided on its merits, the time for accusation and proof not being exceeded.
17 Dec. 1579, several charges were brought against Mr. Colmer ; and they were held by Congregation to be established, and he was judged ' inido- neus ad gradum suscipiendum.' 16 Jan. 15!$, Clement Colmer appealed to Convocation from this judgment ; and Convocation appointed a committee to decide (l) whether Congregation could be appealed from and (2) whether the reasons for the appeal were sufficient. 18 Jan. 15^$, Congregation appointed Mr. Upton and Mr. Knight to defend its decision. On 20 Jan. 15!$ the committee met in S. Mary's, and Daniel Dunn, B.C.L., and William Merrick, B.C.L., were appointed to defend Colmer. Dunn produced Colmer's appeal in writing : Knight claimed for Congregation that the appeal was inadmissible. 17 Dec. 1579, the committee adjourned till 4 Feb. to look into the statutes (KK. 294 a.). 4 Feb., Colmer, on the ground that the com- mittee had refused or unduly delayed to give a decision in his case, appealed to the Queen. (R. Cullen, Registrar.)
10 July 1591, the Vice-Chancellor sentenced Francis Mason, M.A., and John Vicars, M.A., to be deprived of all privileges of the University for one year, ' eo quod verba quaedam de Mro. Thoma Aubrey ejusque gratia tune petita, indignationes quasdam (uti Vicecancellario visum est) sibimetipsis et scandala quaedam Universitati paritura aperte protulissent.'
Francis Mason on 17 July appealed against this to Congregation. Thomas Glasier, deputy of Dr. James the Vice-Chancellor, refused to admit the appeal, but the deputy-proctors admitted it (Gerard Williamson, deputy of the Senior Proctor, and Maurice Mericke, deputy of the Junior Proctor).
26 Nov. 1591, before Dr. James (Vice-Chancellor), Dr. Cole, Dr. Bonde, Dr. Hovenden, Dr. Culpeper, Dr. Birde.
Wilkenson, M.A., of Mert. Coll. had on that day prevented the deputy of the Chancellor (Dr. Birde) from proceeding to the admission of certain can- didates in the faculty of Arts. The Vice-Chancellor sent him to jail, there to. stay on pain of banishment from the University till the Vice- Chancellor released him. Wilkenson appealed to Congregation ; the Vice-Chancellor, refused to admit the appeal because the statutes allowed no appeal ' in causa perturbationis pacis.'
2 Dec. 1591, Congregation met, and Dr. William James, the Vice- Chancellor, announced that the business before it was to grant degrees. John Lloyde, the Junior Proctor, contended that no business could be proceeded
42 REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON.
with owing to the death of Sir Christopher Hatton the Chancellor (he died 20 Nov. 1591), and left the Congregation. The Vice-Chancellor and the Senior proctor, Richard Branch, being unwilling that the candidates for degrees should be put off, appointed John Tewer, M.A., to act as proctor in place of Lloyde, and proceeded to admit the candidates to their B.A. degrees.
24 Jan. 159*. The Vice-Chancellor asked whether he had the power to prevent the presentation of a candidate to a degree for which he had obtained the grace, no public objection being made as to his character or learning, on the ground of any private statute or private ' interpellation
ClRCUITUS ET VlSITATIO.
When the student had obtained his ' grace ' for his degree in answer to his ' supplicat,' he had received authority to proceed to that degree, and the next steps he took were those involved in his actual promotion to it.
As a necessary preliminary to his actual admission to the degree, he had to go through the ceremony called 'circuitus,' 'visitatio,' or 'circuitus et visitatio.' This ceremony consisted in asking the Vice-Chancellor and proctors to summon a Congregation in which the student might be ad- mitted to his degree. In the case of M.A. and other degrees there were, in addition to this common element, special features which will be noticed hereafter.
On the afternoon before the Congregation in which the student was to be admitted to his degree, the student (preceded by one or both of the bedells of his faculty and accompanied by the person1 who was to present him in Congregation), attired in his academical dress but bare- headed, went round the Schools, and also called on (i) the Vice-Chan- cellor, (2) the Senior Proctor, (3) the Junior Proctor; and this had to be concluded before sunset.
We have in this ceremony a survival from a past state of things. In the early University all testimony was oral, and every precaution had to be taken to prevent unfit candidates slipping through. This last opportunity was therefore given that the regent-masters might note who were taking degrees, and come to Congregation and object, if they thought fit, at the eleventh hour. It is to be noticed, in this connection, that in the case of the M.A., which conferred the right of teaching and was therefore more jealously guarded than the inferior degree, the circuitus was more elaborate and courted greater publicity than the circuitus for B.A.
By Elizabeth's time, however, the circuitus had become a mere form, and
1 In the case of degrees in Arts this was a regent-master of the student's own house : in the case of degrees in the faculties, the Regius Professor or a Doctor of the particular faculty.
REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXOX. 43
the least useful of all the forms ; and therefore dispensations * from it are extremely frequent.
A relic of the circuitus still survives. A candidate for his degree is re- quired the evening before his degree-day to enter his name in a book at the Vice-Chancellor's. In some colleges it is the practice to do this by the can- didate himself; in others by the Dean of the college; in others by a college servant.
DISPENSATIONS FOR ' CIRCUITUS.'
(i) Dispensations granted because of the absence of persons necessary for the ceremony.
(a) The Vice-Chancellor.
23 Feb. 159!, Thomas Polexfen and John Tolson of Oriel were dispensed because the Vice-chancellor was not at home when they called.
(d) The bedells.
17 Dec. 1566, James Calfhill (Reg, I. 216) and Herbert Westfayling (Reg. I. 217) (taking D.D.), were dispensed, 'quia non ante hodiernam diem con- venerint cum bedellis.'
1 6 Nov. 1568, Meredith Hanmer and John Chambers (Reg. I. 272, taking B.A.), were dispensed because the bedells of their faculty being kept till the conclusion of the theological disputations could not 'circuire' with them, ' instante nocte.'
24 Apr. 1592, Marmaduke Lodington (taking B.A.) was dispensed, because he could not get any of the bedells to go with him as they were engaged in other business.
8 May 1593, William Jollyff (taking B.A.) was dispensed, because the bedells were engaged and he could not get one ' praeire.'
21 Feb. i6of, John Urrick, Corp., was dispensed 'propter defectum bedelli.'
8 Feb. i6if, George Tonge, Mert., taking B.A., was dispensed, 'quod bedelli cum multis aliis circumeuntes bedellum qui secum coiret habere non potuit.'
(c) The presenter.
21 May 1560, Robert Fenne (Reg. I. 242) taking B.C.L., was dispensed ' pro circuitu,' because his presenter was kept away by necessary business.
12 Feb. 156*, John Harbert (Reg. I. 236), taking B.C.L., was dispensed, because, being uncertain whether his presenter would be back in time for that Congregation, he had not gone round.
12 June 1570, John Witheus, B.D., taking D.D. (Reg. I. 235, 265), was dispensed, ' quia publicus praelector theologiae domi non erat hesterna nocte quando circuiret.' <
10 Nov. 1581, John Chardon (Reg. I. 261), taking B.D., was dispensed, because the business of Convocation prevented the Theology professor from going round with him.
17 Nov. 1585, John Courtland, Hart H., taking B.A., was dispensed, because ' propter absentiam magistri commode circuire non potuit.'
1 In giving examples of these, instances from other degrees are taken as well as from B.A., because the chief part of the ceremony was identical in all. The degree which the candidate was taking is stated in such cases. The dispensations 'pro circuitu' are as a rule to individuals, but general dispensations are also found, e. g. on 5 July 1594, and on i Mar. 159$.
44 REGISTRUM UXIVERSITATIS OXON.
20 July 1598, William Bradshaw, Univ., taking B.D., was dispensed,1 because the Divinity professor was kept away.
13 Nov. 1599, William Taylor, S. Jo., taking D.D., was dispensed, because the Moderator (i.e. the Divinity professor) had gone to London1.
5 May 1610, John Simpson, Line., taking B.D., was dispensed, because
* propter reverendi Moderatoris infirmitatem circuire non potuerit.'
(d) The candidate.
Students who had gone down from Oxford after the granting of their grace, sometimes were detained on their journey back and did not arrive in time to
* circuire ' on the afternoon before the presentation day. This is a very frequent plea for dispensations from circuitus. A few examples will there- fore suffice.
24 July 1574, Thomas Banks, taking M.A., was dispensed, because he returned too late from the country.
5 July 1577, Gavin Heirde, taking B.A., was dispensed, because 'tarn sero rediit.'
[Gavin Heirde suppl. B.A. 14 May, adm. 5 July 1577.]
11 Feb. I59f, Francis Yong, Trin., taking M.A., because 'tarn sero rediit.'
2 July 1622, William Churchman, S. Alb. H., taking M.A., because ' sero ad academiam hesterna nocte reversus ' he could not ' circuire.'
(ii) Candidates prevented from going round by (a) lameness or (b} illness.
(a) June 1562, Richard Verney (Reg. I. 248), taking B.A., was dispensed, because ' pedum laborans dolore non sine magno cruciatu circuitum conficere potuerit.'
6 May 1605, Adam Baylie, Oriel, because 'valde claudus existens.'
16 May 1606, William Brinkyr, All So., 'propter laesionem tibiae."
12 Dec. 1606, John Bonnett, S. Alb. H., because, ' recrudescente gravi cruris vulnere, non potuit sine maxima molestia nee minoris salutis suae discrimine subire visitandi improbitatem.' He was taking M.A.
21 Oct. 1612, Thomas Haines, Line., taking M.A., because 'claudus incedit et sine gravissimo dolore circuire non potest.'
3 Dec. 1618, John Wook, Ball., taking M.A., because 'gravi pedum laborans infirmitate.'
(b) 9 Mar. I59§, Richard Symons, Exet., was dispensed, because he was fevered.
4 July 1593, Silvanus Penson, because just recovering from sickness.
17 June 1594, John Sherwood, Broadg. H., taking M.A., because ' gravi morbo laborans tantum deambulandi laborem sustinere non possit.'
14 May 1596, Richard Price, S. Edm. H., because ' infirma valetudine laborans nudato capite in tarn madido coelo sine suae salutis periculo cir- cuire non possit.'
25 Feb. i6of, Francis Steward, because, being ' valetudinarius,' he was prevented ' per frigoris inclementiam.'
4 May 1609, Richard Berry, Line., taking M.A., was dispensed, to be pre- sented on any day in that Term ' absque visitatione,' partly because he was weak from a recent sickness, ' partim ischiade etiam nunc laborans.'
1 This absence of the Divinity Professor in London about this time and about 1610 Is a frequent cause for dispensations. He has a modem counterpart in the Professor in another faculty, whose absence in London continually causes great inconvenience to candidates for degrees in that faculty.
REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON. 45
• 25 Jan. i6if, William Godfrey and John Cave, both of Line, and taking M.A., because ' infirmitate corporis laborantes.'
4 July 1622, Richard Snigge, . . . , because 'morbo paralytico laborans.'
To the same class of dispensations belong : —
28 June 1608, Nicholas Simpson, prebendary of Canterbury, taking D.D., was dispensed from circuitus, because ' longa confectus senectute.'
25 June 1660, Henry Cotton, Bras., the blind son of the Bishop of Sarum, ' propter visus defectum.'
(iii) Bad weather.
12 Oct. 1573, the Doctors and Masters who were that day to be admitted were dispensed from circuitus, 'propter quandam infirmitatem et injuriam coeli.'
13 July 1574, Jeffrey Williams and Richard Salte (both taking B.A.) were dispensed ' propter injuriam coeli.'
3 July 1599, dispensations were granted 'propter pluvias hesternas et tem- poris injuriam.'
26 Jan. ^ftH}, 'propter acerrimam frigoris vim et nivium descendentium copiam.'
26 June 1622, William Hattly, Trin., taking M.A., 'quod coelum sit pluvio- sam nee sine magna molestia hoc officium praestare possit.'
(iv) Sunset coming before the ceremony was performed.
7 Dec. 1599, John Ireland was dispensed, because he could not complete his circuitus before sunset.
3 Dec. 1607, Robert Jones, Oriel, taking B.A., was dispensed, because ' propter diei brevitatem ante solis occasum commode circuire non potuit.'
The reason why the circuitus terminated before sunset is obvious ; the process was gone through that the candidates might be known. An amusing instance of the necessity of this rule will be given in a later volume. Charles I sent down a long list of persons who were ordered to be admitted to degrees and a great number of students were going round till darkness set in. A number of other students were too charitable to suppose that their exclusion from the royal favour was due to any other cause than an oversight, and they therefore, assisted by the darkness, put on their academicals and went round with the rest. The University had to decree next morning that not all who had gone the circuitus should be admitted to the degree, but those only 'who had been named in the king's letter.
(v) Business is a very common plea for dispensations. A few examples of this will suffice.
27 Jan. I57f, Thomas Crompton, taking B.A., was dispensed to be pre- sented next day without going round, on the plea that he had so many things to do that day.
A very apt instance of it is i July 1594, when Bartholomew Warner, taking M.D., was dispensed, because when the time came for his going round he was called away to visit a patient.
(vi) Another extremely common type of excuses is that the candidate •had not known that the Congregation has to take place that day or had
46 REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON.
not intended to be presented in that Congregation, and therefore in either case had omitted the circuitus on the preceding afternoon.
E.g. 21 June 1590, Edward Gee, Bras., taking M.A., was dispensed, be- cause he did not know beforehand that that Congregation was to be held that day. And so in numerous other instances.
3 Feb. 158^, 8 July 1595, etc., dispensations were granted because the candidates were unexpectedly called away to the country, and wished to be admitted to their degree before they went down.
(vii) Dispensations from circuitus were sometimes granted that a can- didate might be presented on the same day on which his grace was asked for and obtained.
3 Nov. 1608, William Orten, Ch. Ch., taking B.A., had this dispensation, because he was master of a school in Warwickshire, and could not stay longer away.
And so again, 22 May 1612, Thomas Sammon, Bras., taking M.A., because he was hastening to his pastoral charge.
(viii) Some miscellaneous instances.
21 May 1560, Robert Leeche (Reg. I. 228), taking B.C.L., was dispensed, because ' publicam gerit personam ' (he was proctor) ' atque ideo publice notus esse praesumitur.' (This gives a hint as to the purpose of the ceremony.)
4 July 1593, Johannes Parentius, a foreigner, taking M.A. by special license, was dispensed because being a foreigner, and never having taken B.A., he did not know whether he ought to call on the masters (part of the circuitus for M.A.), nor in what dress to go.
5 July 1594, a general dispensation 'pro circuitu ' was given to several B.A.'s who desired to incept in the next comitia (on 8 July 1579), because they could not wait for another Congregation.
10 July 1595, Francis Pilkington, taking Mus. Bac., was dispensed 'pro circuitu.'
10 Oct. 1612, the first day of Michaelmas Term, Michael Thompson, S. Edm. H., taking M.A., was dispensed because circuitus can be done only in Term, and so he could not ' circuire ' the day before.
18 Mar. 162^, Thomas Sainthill, Corp., taking M.A., was dispensed 'propter solemnitatem diei (17 Mar. 162 \, was 2nd Sunday in Lent) 'et alia privata negotia, illud officium commode praestare non potuit.'
(ix) Dispensations were sometimes granted that circuitus done on a wrong day might count as though done rightly.
16 Dec. 1608, William Knight, Ball., taking B.A. ; he went round on Wedn. last (14 Dec.), but the regent-master, who was to present him on the next day (Thursd.), was called away, and he was not presented. He was allowed to count that ' circuire ' as if done at the proper time for the degrees on Friday 16 Dec.
30 May 1611, David Price, Broadg. H., was allowed to count his ' visitatio et circuitus,' done on Mond. 27 May, as though it had been done on 29 May.
July 1619, Erasmus Marbury was allowed to count his 'visitatio et circuitus'
REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON. 47
done two days ago as though done the day before. He was prevented from being presented the day after his circuitus.
During part, if not the whole of this period, a circuitus had to be gone through by students seeking certain dispensations. But I have no details on this point except those given on p. n.
DEPOSITION.
The next ceremony was the ' depositio,' which by this time had become a mere form, but in earlier times had been a ceremony of value. The ' depositio ' in the case of the other degrees will be noticed in due course ; that in the case of the B.A. may be taken here.
On the day on which a candidate was to be admitted to the degree of B.A., nine bachelors of Arts who had already determined, had to come before the time of Congregation to S. Mary's Church. There, in the ' Apodyteriurn ' or outer room of the Congregation-house (for they were not allowed to enter the house itself), they had to ' depone ' for the candidate. The nine ' deponents ' knelt before the Proctor and, after taking an oath that they would declare their real sentiments, whispered to him whether, in their opinion, the candidate was or was not ' aptus et idoneus moribus et scientia.' Three forms were allowed them ; ' scio/ ' nescio,' ' credo ' ; and they were bound to keep their sentence secret under penalty of a fine. If a major part of the nine said ' nescio,' the candidate was rejected from his degree for a whole year.
I have no instances of this in the case of B.A. ; but
27 June 1576, Thomas Lister and John Netherwoode, candidates for M.A., were repelled from their M.A. degree, ' quia defuit numerus eorum qui jurarent de ipsorum aptitudine.'
(Thomas Lister (Lyster, Lytster), was adm. B.A. 27 Jan. 157^; det. I57f ; suppl. M.A. 26 June 1576. John Netherwodde, suppl. B.A. Oct. 1573; no record of his adm., det. I57f ; suppl. M.A. 26 June 1576, on 27 June 1576 was repelled as above; suppl. M.A. again a year later June 1577, no record of his lie., inc. 1577.)
SUBSCRIPTION.
The candidates for B.A. were then marched from their respective colleges to the Apodyteriurn, where they signed the XXXIX Articles, and took the oath of assent to the Royal Supremacy1.
A relic of this stage still survives ; subscription to the Articles is abolished ; but candidates for degrees still sign the books in the Apodyteriurn on the morning of their degree.
1 After the statutes of 9 Feb. 15 ft.
48 REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON.
. The books of these subscriptions at degrees begin in 1670 ; the first being ' Univ. Oxon. Arch. A.s.' giving the subscriptions from 1670 to 1695.
PRESENTATION OR ADMISSION.
Each candidate was then brought in separately to Congregation-house and presented by the regent-master of his college or hall (who held his right hand) to the Vice- Chancellor and proctors. The Vice-Chancellor -then admitted him to the degree of B.A., with the formula1 :
'Domine (and the candidate's name) ego admitto te ad lectionem cujuslibet libri Logices Aristotelis et insuper earum artium quas et qua- tenus per statuta audivisse teneris; insuper auctoritate mea" et totius Universitatis do tibi potestatem intrandi scholas, legendi, et disputandi et reliqua omnia faciendi quae ad gradum Baccalaurei in artibus spectant/
This ceremony was called indifferently ' creatio,' ' admissio,' ' licentiatio,' as well as by the general name ' praesentatio ' (which latter strictly applied only to the introduction of the candidate by the regent-master), and a man was said to be ' creatus Baccalaureus Artium,' ' admissus,' or ' licentiatus.' In practice, however, there is apparent a tendency to differentiate the terms ; and ' creatio ' and ' creatus ' are used most frequently of the completion of the degrees of Master and Doctor at inception or of admission to degrees by a special act of the University; 'admissio' and 'admissus' are used most frequently of the B.A. degree, and the Bachelors of Law, Medicine, and Theo- logy, and 'licentiatio' and 'licentiatus' of the M.A. degree and the Doctors' degrees. This tendency has been followed out systematically in these pages, as also in the earlier volume by Mr. Boase ; and ' admission ' is the term used for presentation to degrees of Bachelor in all faculties, ' licence ' being used of the degrees of Master and Doctor.
When this ceremony was over an entry of the persons so admitted was made in the register of Congregation, in a list for the year under the heading : —
'Admissi ad lectionem alicujus libri logices ' (or, sometimes, ' alicujus libri facultatis artium ').
It is this entry which appears as the second entry [with the prefix 'adm.'] in the notices of B.A degrees. It indicates that on the day there stated, the student had conferred upon him the degree of B.A.2 (subject, however, to a -condition shortly to be discussed.)
For this registration a fee was charged.
This ' presentation ' ceremony is still the chief, being now the only, function in the conferring of the B.A. and other degrees, though even it is shorn of much of its former amplitude.
1 Taken from the statutes of 1634, ^ut probably the old formula.
2 After 158!, when the suppl. is dropped out, I have omitted also the heading ' adm.' The dates subsequently given after the letters B.A. are in all cases those of ' admission.'
REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON. 49
(5) Candidates for the B.A. are no longer kept outside the Congregation- house, in the Apodyterium, till the moment of their presentation, but are accommodated with benches in the Congregation-house itself.
(ii) Candidates are no longer presented one by one, but the Dean of the college presents at once all the candidates for B.A. from his college.
(iii) Candidates are no longer held by the right hand when presented, ex- cept by a few of the older Deans.
(iv) Candidates are no longer admitted by the Vice-Chancellor singly, but in great groups of twenty or thirty.
(v) The formula of admission is greatly reduced.
It is to be observed that even at this stage the degree might be stopped : — e.g. on 26 Mar. 1601, John Alford, Exet, suppl. for B.A., and had the grace granted ; but when he was being presented on 1 1 April it was objected to him that he was not sufficient for the degree. Three M.A.'s were ap- pointed to examine him ; and they reported ' hominem adhuc non habilem et idoneum esse.'
And so also in the case of other degrees : — e. g. Thomas Barker, of New C. (Reg. I. 283), was being presented on I Feb. 157!, but he was ' repulsus' till Dr. Colepeper, Warden of New C., returned (probably to give evidence about him). He was at last presented and liqenced M.A. on 21 Feb. I57f.
The fact of his rejection is the more plain, because John Bodie of New C. (no record of his adm. to B.A., but he det. 157^) was also presented M.A., on I Feb. I57f, was licenced on that day, and inc. 1576.
DISPENSATIONS CONNECTED WITH PRESENTATION.
(i) The presentation had to take place in Term, but Term was sometimes prolonged to let it be done later; e. g. in the beginning of July 1553 'ob comitia et favorem Magdalenensium qui insigniendi sunt baccalaureorum titulo,' Term was prorogued to 28 July.
(ii) The presentation had to be by a master of the candidate's own house.
Just as in the case of the asking of the grace, however, dispensations were frequently granted for another master to present.
E. g. 7 Dec. 1613, the Dean of Merton being away from home, a master of another house was to present Zorobabel Maultus.
30 Jan. l6lf, John Claridge and Henry Bagley (both of Mert., and taking B.A.) were allowed to be presented by the master of another house ; the Dean of Merton having been taken ill suddenly.
6 May 1622, Francis Steedman, was allowed to be presented by a master of another house. By college statute no master of his house might present him without the principal's leave, and the principal was not at home to give the leave.
A relic of this form of dispensation still survives. A candidate for a degree can statutably be presented only by a Master of Arts of his own college. If a master of another college is to present, a dispensation must be ob- tained; only the dispensation is granted not by Congregation, but by the Vice-Chancellor.
In some cases, just as with the graces, a definite person was nominated to present for a society.
E.g. 20 Mar. 159^, John Williams, M.A., was allowed to be 'prae- sentator'for S. Edm. H. ; 27 Oct. 1592, John Charlet, M.A., Oriel, to be presenter for S. Mary H.
VOL. II, PART I. E
5° REGISTRUM UNIVERSITATIS OXON.
DETERMINATION.
So soon as the candidate had been admitted to the degree he was by courtesy styled ' Bachelor of Arts,' and his name appeared in the Uni- versity and College books with the prefix for that degree (in Latin ' Dominus/ contracted ' Ds.' ; in English ' Sir/ contracted ' Sr.').
The B.A. degree was not however completed until the candidate had gone through the disputations known as ' determination,' which took place throughout the whole season of Lent.
As a rule the University insisted on this being done in the Lent im- mediately following the presentation or admission. And this fact was noticed both at the time of granting the grace, and at the time of admission.
The grace (as above stated, p. 29) generally had the condition attached to it : ' concessa est haec gratia modo determinet proxima quadragesima.' And at the time of admission, the new bachelors went through a ceremony which renewed the condition. At the conclusion of their admission, they were taken to the Arts Schools and their presenter propounded to them three ' quaestiones M. Thereupon they had each to state 'Respondebit Aristoteles pro me, proxima quadragesima.'
In some few cases the University allowed the candidate freedom to determine in whatever Lent he pleased, provided he did so before proceeding to M.A. The grace was then said to be 'concessa sim- pliciter.' (See p. 29).
In some cases the University bound over the ' admissi ' to determine next Lent under a money penalty. E.g. 31 Oct. 1576, William Wintle and Richard Smith were each to forfeit IQS. unless they determined next Lent.
Men were constantly trying to shirk determination, and the University was constantly devising new schemes to compel them to it.
28 May 1597, it was pointed out that great numbers of