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should happen to incept in the faculty of arts, he will continue his ordinary lectures until another fellow of the same house shall happen to incept in the same faculty. It is ordained also, that, upon his admission he shall swear that within three months from the time of his admission he will possess a surplice for the performance of divine service. Also, that he will bestow upon the community of the said house, within the same prescribed time, a mazer cup (ciphum murreum) and a silver spoon, of such quality as may best beseem him, according to the judgment of the majority of the fellows of the house. Also that he will be present in person on the Sundays in which a funeral service is performed in the church for the founder of the house, unless he have some legitimate cause for absenting himself. That, if he should be found to fail in the performance of the above, or any one of the above, and should not amend himself after being twice admonished by the master, or his deputy, and the majority of the fellows, or should neglect to satisfy the prescriptions of the articles or should not attend to their observance, he will be bound to pay to the community of the said house, within a month after the second admonition, twenty shillings of money by way of penalty. Also, that he will not reveal the secrets of the house, under the same penalty. We protest at the same time, that by these ordinances, we do not intend in any wise to derogate from the rights and dignity of the lord bishop of Ely or of his church of Ely.

(2) Of the compilation of the statutes.

Simon, by divine permission bishop of Ely, to our well beloved sons the master and scholars of our House of St. Peter of Cambridge, greeting, with the blessing and grace of Jesus Christ.

The duties of our pastoral office require, piety urges, and natural reason demands, that the pious intentions and

canonical ordinances of our predecessors, which provided for the salvation of souls, and for various purposes of public utility, and supplied the needs of poor scholars desirous of making proficiency in the study of letters, not having been followed up in the path so happily begun, be carried into effect to their due end and right purpose, to the praise and honour of Christ's name.

Since, therefore, Hugh de Balsham, of venerable memory, our predecessor, formerly bishop of Ely, inspired by sentiments of piety, and enlightened as we believe with the grace of the Holy Spirit, being desirous of the salvation of his soul, while still a dweller in this vale of tears, and of providing advantageously, as far as lay in his power, for the security of a suitable maintenance for poor scholars desirous of instruction in the knowledge of letters, did, with the consent of Edward by the grace of God at that time king of England, and of his well beloved children the prior and chapter of our cathedral church of Ely, and with the agreement of all things required by law to this effect, build anew a house or college for purposes of public utility in our University of Cambridge, which house or college he desired to be called St. Peter's House or the Hall of the scholars of the bishop of Ely at Cambridge, and he endowed it with means and ordained it in some respects as he was then able, but not (as we find) as far as he proposed and desired, if the lot of humanity had not prevented his intentions: and in this house or college he willed that there should be a master and as many scholars as could be reasonably and suitably maintained by the revenues of the house. And since, moreover, the means of the said house having been taken into consideration and duly weighed, it has been discovered that these means have as yet scarcely sufficed and still scarcely suffice for the maintenance (and that a mean one) of at most fifteen persons, and as it was the will of our predecessor, and is also our own, that one of these persons

shall be the perpetual master of the aforesaid house, that the other fourteen persons shall be perpetual scholars studiously engaged in the pursuit of literature, and that the arrangements of the house, and of the master and scholars, shall be regulated, as far as may conveniently be done, by the rules by which the masters and scholars of Merton Hall at Oxford are discreetly governed. We, therefore, Simon above-mentioned, bishop of Ely, abiding in the pious footsteps of our aforesaid predecessor, and raising our eyes with due consideration to what has been already ordained, and acting with the intimate conviction that the more our above-mentioned University is adorned by the residence of eminent masters, erudite regents, bachelors and scholars employed upon the vigilant study of the different branches of learning, (as with flourishing plants) the more evident progress it would make in magistral and scholastic arts, the more highly it would shine forth in fruitful branches; since, also our house of scholars of St. Peter is built in the said University, and, as we firmly believe, is destined to produce fitting and discreet men-do, from our own certain knowledge, approve the abovementioned college as lawful and correct, and approved by law, (all things required by law towards its foundation being observed), and, at the petition of the said master and scholars, who place themselves and the said house, in the form hereunto annexed, in our hands, we do proceed, as is stated below, to enact laws for their government, having first invoked the grace of the Holy Ghost.

(3.) of the nomination and presidency of the master of the house.

Since, when the helm of discipline is held in contempt it follows that religion is easily wrecked, we enact, ordain, and declare, that there shall be a governor of this our said hall or house and of its scholars, who shall be named the master or warden of this our house at Cambridge for ever, and who shall be a discreet and prudent man, fittingly

learned, well advised both in spiritual and temporal matters, and remarkable for the morality of his life; and on the occurrence of a vacancy hereafter in the office of the master, for the time being, either by resignation or death, or for any other lawful reason, that the senior scholar of the house shall select and appoint two or three of the more advanced in rank and more discreet of the scholars of the said house, who shall ask of the said senior fellow and of each of the scholars of the said house one by one in virtue of their oath taken to that effect (the votes of these same two or three seniors, upon the same point, having first been taken by the two senior scholars after them) whether they know any discreet persons, well versed, in their judgment, in both spiritual and temporal matters, in the said house, who are fitting for the office of master, or if they know of no one in the said house (in orders), if they know any elsewhere, and, when these same two or three shall have completed their investigation, that they all three, or at least two of them, if one of them be nominated, or if perchance two of them be nominated, then the senior scholar not nominated, with the third appointed, shall, taking into full consideration the honorable conduct, probity, and industry of each, and setting aside entirely every carnal affection, influence, and favour, nominate and present, by letters sealed in testimony with the common seal of the house (to which letters we desire that full faith be attached) and without any other form or solemnity, to the lord bishop of Ely, for the time being, the patron of the house, if the see be occupied, or if vacant, to the keeper of the spiritual affairs of the bishopric of Ely, the two who may appear to them the most fitting for the office of master, and the most necessary to the house, from among the persons belonging to the house who may have been nominated by the said scholars, or, if no sufficient persons be found in it, then from elsewhere; and that the bishop of Ely, if the see be occupied, or if vacant, the

aforesaid keeper of the spiritual affairs of the bishopric, shall appoint as master the one of the two thus nominated and presented whom they may consider the most advantageous to the said house and scholars, without any delay, in order that no detriment accrue thereby to the house and scholars, and that this same master, thus appointed, shall take the rule and authority over the said house, and scholars dwelling in the said house, the stewards bailiffs, and all other officers of the house under whatever name they may pass, whether appointed to the administration and direction of the exterior or interior affairs of the house-and that all as well scholars as other officers of the said house, within or without, shall obey and observe the said master as superior of the house in all lawful and canonical matters-and that, in order that they may do this the more willingly and zealously, the lord bishop of Ely, for the time being, or whoever may appoint the master, (as abovementioned) shall, by letters patent sealed with his seal, enjoin the aforesaid scholars, stewards, bailiffs, and other officers of the said house, that they shall obey and observe the said master in all lawful and canonical matters as directed above.

(4.) of the nomination and admission, and of the qualifications of

those to be admitted scholars in the aforesaid house.

Since the qualities of the masters and scholars, regents and students in our aforesaid University, are more likely to be known with truth by those who continually abide in it, we enact, determine, and ordain that, upon the vacancy of the post of any scholar in the aforesaid house in any lawful way, the aforesaid master and scholars, in virtue of the oath they have taken, shall nominate to the vacant post another person, honorable, chaste, peaceable, humble, and modest, as far as human frailty can so be, and needy, and the most able bachelor in logic (after his determination) whom they may know of or may be able to

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