and gave it to Merton College, Oxford; whofe property it has ever fince been, and is fometimes called Merton Hall.

The first college that received endowment was Peter-house ; it was built in 1257, by Hugh de Balfham, bishop of Ely, who did not endow it till 1284; in imitation of whom, Richard Badew, afflifted by Elizabeth Clare, countefs of Ulfter, 1340, founded Clare Hall; and other endowments fucceeded.

The scholars were at first kept in private houses, hired every ten years, for the fole ufe of the univerfity, affifted by benefactions.

The university, as compofed of a chancellor, the masters, or heads, and fellows of the college, and the ftudents, is incorporated as a fociety, for the study of all the liberal arts and fciences. Each college or hall is a body of itself, not only bound by internal regulations, but also controlled by the paramount law of the university: each furnishes members for the government of the whole.

OFFICERS. The Officers are as follow.

CHANCELLOR. The Chancellor is ufually a nobleman, and may be changed every three years; or continued longer by the tacit confent of the univerfity.

HIGH STEWARD. The High Steward is chofen by the senate, and holds his office by patent from the university.

VICE CHANCELLOR. The Vice Chancellor's is an annual office. He is chofen regularly by the body of the univerfity, on the 4th of November, out of two perfons nominated by the heads of houses.

PROCTORS. The Proctors, who are alfo annually chofen, on the 10th of October, must be mafters of arts. They attend to the difcipline and behaviour of the under graduates and bachelors, read the graces, and take the votes in the Whitehoodhouse.

TAXORS. The Taxors, chofen in like manner as the Proctors, are with them clerks of the market, and have cognizance of weights and measures. Their office was originally made to counterbalance the exorbitance of the town's-people; who, before the foundation of the univerfity had regular endowments, imposed on the scholars, to whom they let their houfes for refidence.

MODERATORS. The two Moderators fuperintend the exercises in philofophy, and the examinations previous to the degree of bachelor of arts. This they do as affiftants to the proctors.

SCRUTATORS. The Scrutators are appointed to read the grace and take the votes of the Blackhood-houfe, to which they always belong.

COMMISSARY,

COMMISSARY. The Commiffary is an affiftant or affeffor to the vice-chancellor in his court.

PUBLIC ORATOR. The Public Orator is the mouth of the univerfity on public occafions; writes their letters, and presents noblemen with their degrees, with a fpeech.

CAPUT. The Caput confifts of the vice-chancellor, a doctor of divinity, a doctor of laws, a doctor of phyfic, a regent and non-regent mafter of arts, is chofen annually, on the 12th of October; and is to determine what graces are proper to be brought before the body of the university.

OTHER OFFICERS. The univerfity has alfo two Librarians, a Regiftrar, three Efquire Beadles, and inferior officers, befides profeffors in Divinity, Law, Phyfic, Cafuiftry, Hebrew, Greek, Arabic, Mathematics, Philofophy, Aftronomy, Anatomy, Chemistry, Botany, Modern Hiftory, Foffils, and Mufic.

PENSIONERS. Befides the Fellows and Scholars of the different colleges, there are two other orders of students, called Penfioners. The greater penfioners are the young nobility and gentry of fortune, who are called fellow commoners, from their dining with the fellows; the leffer penfioners are dieted with the scholars; but both live at their own expence.

SIZARS. There is alfo a large number of scholars of inferior fortune, called Sizars; thefe, though not regular members of the foundations, are capable of receiving exhibitions, which affift them very much in paffing through an expenfive education.

COLLEGES. The univerfity buildings confift of twelve colleges and four halls, which laft poffefs the fame privileges as the former. Each of these contains apartments for the students and fellows, a master's lodge, a chapel, a library; a hall, and a combination room.

PETER HOUSE COLLEGE. St. Peter's, or as it is more ufually' called, Peter-house, is by fome contended to be the most ancient in either univerfity; but its claim to this diftinction is refifted by University, Baliol and Merton Colleges, Oxford. Peterhoufe claims for its founder Hugh de Balfham, fub-prior of Ely, who, in 1257, the 42d Henry III. purchafed two halls or hostels near St. Peter's church, which, though formerly of confiderable note, were then fallen to decay. In 1258, he was elected to the fee of Ely; but the confent of the king not having been previously obtained, it was fome time before the poffeffion of the bifhoprick was confirmed to him; which, having received, he at once fhared his fortune with his college, removing there the fecular brethren of St. John's in the Jewry, and endowing it with a foundation, for the maintenance of a master, fourteen fellows, two bible clerks, and eight scholars.

He

He appointed his fucceffors in the bishoprick, to be patrons and vifitors of the college, with the appointment of master, and bequeathed, by his will, 300 marks, viz. 200 to build a hall, and 100 for a court. The charter of incorporation is dated 13th Edward I. anno 1285. The bishop died in 1286, having fat in the fee of Ely twenty-eight years. The other principal benefactors were Simon de Montacute, bishop of Ely, who was the author of a new body of statutes, and gave the masters and scholars the privilege of nominating their own members, which, till then, was vested in the bishops of Ely; referving to himself and fucceffors the power of confirming the nomination. He alfo bestowed the patronage of the rectory of Kenton, and a small manor in Hadenham, called Chewel. Simon Langham, bishop of Ely, and afterwards archbishop of Canterbury; John Warkeworth, mafter; John Whitgift, archbishop of Canterbury; Fordham, bishop of Ely; Walpole, bishop of Norwich; Cofins, bishop of Durham; Lady Mary Ramfey; Sir William Browne, M.D.; Edward Lord North, and Dr. Perne, were alfo important benefactors.

The name of this College is derived from St. Peter's church, which adjoined to it; but the chancel falling down in 1350, it was rebuilt in 1352, and dedicated to St. Mary the Lefs. The building confifts of two courts separated by a cloister and gallery. The largest has been entirely new cafed with stone in an elegant manner. The leffer court is divided by the chapel; and on the north fide is a lofty elegant building faced with ftone, from the upper part of which there is an extenfive profpect, taking in Gogmagog hills, &c. This building contains fix grand apart

ments.

The Chapel is a fine building, having in the gallery at the west end an organ, given by Sir Horatio Mann; at the east, ftands a very handsome altar-piece of Norway oak, over which is a window of fine painted glafs, containing the hiftory of our Saviour's crucifixion between the two thieves, the figures almoft as large as life. This chapel was built by contribution in 1632, but Matthew Wren, bishop of Ely, and then mafter of the college, was at the chief expence of it.

There is a grove fouth of the college, and a large Garden beyond it, with very fine fruit, and a cold bath.

There are in this college a mafter, twenty-two fellows, and forty-three scholarships. The mastership is in the gift of the bishop of Ely, who is Vifitor. The fellows return two perfons, of one of whom he makes his election.

CLARE HALL. This College dates its first foundation from a purchase, made by Richard Badew, or Badow, of Great Badow,

near Chelmsford, in Effex, Chancellor of the Univerfity in 1236, 20th Edward III. upon which he erected a fmall college, and placed therein a principal and fome fcholars. This establishment had continued fixteen years, when the whole building was deftroyed by fire. Dr. Badow being unable himfelf to defray the charges of rebuilding, applied to Lady Elizabeth, third filter and co-heiress of Gilbert, Earl of Clare, and wife of John de Burgh, Lord of Connaught, in Ireland, and mother of William de Burgh, laft earl of Ulfter; by whofe munificent bounty alone the college was not only entirely reftored, but endowed, in 1347, with lands fufficient to maintain a master, ten fellows, and ten fcholars; and from that time, it has taken the name of Clare Hall. It has alfo received benefactions from Dr. Barnabas Hey, Thomas Cecil, ear! of Exeter, and his lady, Sir George Ruggle, Sir Robert Heath, Archbishop Tillotfon, Samuel Blyth, who gave to the value of 60001, in money and books; Dr. Leeds, Henchman, bishop of London, Gunning, bishop of Ely; Sir John Hewet, and fome others.

The fituation of this college is, in many refpects, to be preferred to any other in the University, being on the eastern banks of the river, over which it has an elegant stone bridge, leading to a fine vifta, beyond which is a beautiful lawn, furrounded by lofty elms and corn fields A more pleafing profpect cannot be conceived in a level country, which occafions this delightful fpot to be much reforted to in fummer. Buildings, gardens, groves, the river, and cultivated lands to a great extent, all combine to afford richness and variety to the fecne.

The Buildings are extremely noble; the front towards the fields being ornamented with pilafters of the Tufcan and Ionic order, and the whole executed with Ketton ftone, which gives a very fine effect. It confifts of one grand court, or quadrangle, through which is feen the inimitable vifta, leading to the fields.

The Chapel has been rebuilt from an elegant plan of Sir James Burroughs. The altar-piece, which is a beautiful alcove, is adorned with a fine picture of the Salutation, by 1 Cipriani.

The Hall is a very fine room, and the Combination-room, the completeft of the kind in the University.

The Library is alfo efteemed the handfomeft of the fize in the University, being neatly fhelved with Norway oak; and the master's lodge is most agreeably fituated.

Clare Hall maintains 17 fellows, and between thirty and forty scholars.

PEMBROKE HALL. This Hall was founded by Mary, countefs of Pembroke, in 1343, and endowed in purfuance of a chartër

from

from Edward III. for a mafter and fix fellows. Among the benefactors who have enlarged this establishment, Henry VI. is the most confiderable; who augmented it with the rich living of Soham in this county, and with fome other rectories. In his charter it is termed, "the most noble, renowned, precious college, which, among all others in the University, was ever wonderfully refplendent." This monarch's beneficence occafioned this college to be called his adopted daughter; as King's College was naturally his fon. The other benefactors were Laurence Booth, archbishop of York, and Lord Chancellor of England, Dr. Shorton, Sir Philip Booth, Grindall, archbishop of Canterbury, Andrews, and Langton, bifhops of Winchester, and Wren, bishop of Ely, who built the chapel, and endowed it with the manor of Hardwicke, in Cambridgeshire, to keep it in repair. This College confifts of two courts. The Hall, which divides them, is a handsome room, at the end of which is the combination room. There is fomething altogether very venerable and pleafing in the appearance of this college, which made Queen Elizabeth, when the paffed through Cambridge, falute it with thefe words" O domus antiqua et religiofa."

The Chapel was built from a defign of the celebrated Sir Christopher Wren, by his brother Matthew Wren, bishop of Ely, and is one of the most elegant and beft proportioned in the University, being about fifty four feet long, twenty-four broad, and upwards of thirty high.

The Library takes up almost all the north fide of the first court, is a handfome room, and well furnished with useful books. The Rev. Dr. Long, late master of this college, Dr. Lowndes's profeffor of aftronomy, constructed a fphere (the largest of his time), which he gave to the college, and erected a building in the back court to contain it, at his own expence, and left the intereft of 2001. ftock to keep the inftrument and place in repair, It is eighteen feet in diameter.

The Garden is large, and well laid out, full of fruit, and has a good bowling green. The north wall, which is very long, and reflects the warm rays of the fouth fun, makes the walk which runs parallel to it, one of the best in winter; but it is private.

The fellowships are 17, the scholarships nearly 70.

CORPUS CHRISTI, or BENE'T's COLLEGE. This college differs in its origin from all others, in either of the Universities; thofe having been founded by the benevolence of one or two perfons, while this was established by the union of two guilds, or religious focieties, in the town of Cambridge, called Corpus Chrifti and The Bleed Virgin Mary; which, in order to obtain a licence from Edward III. to convert their houses into a college, claimed and obtained the protection and munificent liberality of the celebrated