BISHOP MOUNTAGUE AND JOHN CHAMBERS. 73 Tythes," which performance James the First was much pleased │with, and encouraged him to proceed in his examination of early Church history. This work appeared in 1621, and in the following year he published his "Analecta Ecclesiasticarum Exercitationum." In 1624, finding that some of the Society of Jesuits were making converts in his parish of Stamford, he gave them a challenge to answer certain queries, to which they replied by a short pamphlet, entitled "A New Gag for the Old Gospel." To this Dr. Mountague rejoined another, "An Answer to the late Gagger of the Protestants." In the management of this controversy, however, he gave considerable offence to the Calvinistic party, who accused him before the House of Commons as a favourer of Arminianism; but the encouragement which he received from the King induced him to publish a vindication of the work, under the title of " Appello Cæsarem." This aggravated his offence in the eyes of his antagonists, and he was brought in 1625 before the first Parliament of Charles the First, in spite of whose personal countenance the book was voted seditious, the author reprimanded by the Speaker at the bar, and ordered to find security for his appearance in 20007., being committed in the meanwhile to the custody of the Serjeant-atarms. Archbishop Laud now interfered in his favour, and with such success, that in the following year, although on a revision of the case Parliament still pronounced the work "calculated to discourage the well-affected in religion from the true Church;" yet the proceedings against its author were discontinued, and in 1628 Charles advanced him to the Episcopal Bench, as Bishop of Chichester. Over this diocese he presided ten years, at the expiration of which period he was translated to Norwich, but survived this last elevation only a short time, dying in 1641. Besides the writings already enumerated, he assisted in bringing out Sir H. Savile's edition of St. Chrysostom's works, which appeared in 1613, and was the author of a "Commentary on the Epistles of Photius," folio, Gr. et Lat.; "Originum Ecclesiasticarum," folio; "The Acts and Monuments of the Church before Christ," folio; and "Theanthropicon, seu de Vita Jesu Christi." Bishop Mountague was a prelate of great acuteness as well as learning, and even his opponents, Selden among the number, do justice to his scholarship and Biblical learning. (Biog. Brit.) JOHN CHAMBERS, who was made a Fellow of Eton in 1582, deserves to be mentioned as one of the benefactors of the College. He founded two Postmasterships in Merton College, Oxford, for superannuated Eton scholars: one in the gift of the Provost of King's, the other of the Provost of Eton, value 657. per annum, besides rooms, and a portion of commons. The buildings of the College were continued during the early part of this century. Dr. Lupton, who was Provost from 1503 to 1535, built the Chantry Chapel in which he lies buried, and on the door of which is carved the Rebus of his name, the syllable LUP, with the figure of a Tun below it. He also built the Great Tower and Gateway leading to the Cloisters. Eton came into imminent peril near the close of the reign of Henry the Eighth. The last Parliament of that monarch subjected to his disposal all the Colleges, Chantries, and Hospitals, in the kingdom, and all their manors, lands, and hereditaments; and the King was empowered to send his Commissioners to seize them to his use. Henry's officers came to Eton, and took an inventory of all the College property; and, had he lived a few months longer, there is good cause to fear that Eton would have ceased to flourish. The survey which was then made of the College property is preserved, and may be seen in the MS. History in the British Museum. The information contained in it is curious and minute, and I have set it out at length in a note.' There is written at 5 SURVEY OF EATON COLLEGE, Co' BUCKS. In the above year (1545), a Survey was made of the state of this College, wch was return'd thus: De Collegio Etonensi, Com. Bucks, 37.o H. VIII. The College of Eton, founded by K. Hen. VI. The said College is a Parish Church. The said College is of the yearly value of £ s. d. 1066 16 9 Whereof, paid for Collectors fees & Rents, Resolutes and such other as doth appear in the Ministers Accounts Paid to the Provost for his Stipend To 7 Fellows at 5£ the peice To 5 Chaplains at 4£ the peice To one of the Chaplains having more To the Schoolmaster To the Usher To the Clerks call'd Conducts, yre of one is an Organ Player the foot of it a melancholy quotation from Virgil; as if the Etonian who transcribed this list of the possessions of his College thought that they were about soon to be torn away. But the Paid to the Keeper of ye Obitts, & for K. Hen: ye 5th, & And so remaineth . 14 0 0 855 3 4 For ye which sum (of £855 3s. 4d.) yre is yearly born the Dyetts of the Provost, Vice-Provost, Fellows, Chaplains, 70 Schollars, 13 poor Children, & 10 Choristers, & 5 of the Provosts Servants, & other Servants of the House; And also for Liveries, Wages and Reparations, and other charges as well ordinary as extraordinary. The Ornam's or goods appertaining to ye sd. College is worth, as by ye Inventory yre of more plainly may appear Plate Gilt & enamell'd poize Plate Gilt not enamell'd Parcel Gilt. And white Plate £8. d. 373 0 0 Remaining in the hands of the Reverend Father in God, Robert Aldridge Bishop of Carlill, & Provost of the College there. The Provost and Fellows with other Stipendaries of ye said College had by ye old Foundations for their Stipends as Follows (that is to say) The Provost . Tenn Fellows, every of ym 10£ Tenn Chaplains every of ym 5£ The Schoolmaster The Usher And Conducts, wreof one is an Organ Player, and his Stipend p. An. To 3 other at 4£ the peice To the Clerke of the revertie The Parish Clerk. And 4 other Clerks at 40s. ye peice In all 20000 death of Henry the Eighth saved Eton; and by the act passed in the first Parliament of Edward the Sixth, which confirmed to the new King most of the spoils which his predecessor had not appropriated, Eton, Winchester, the Oxford and Cambridge Colleges, and several others were specially exempted and preserved. There is a full and minute account of the state of Eton about the year 1560, which shows the general system of the School, the discipline kept up among the boys on the foundation, and the books read in the various forms at that period. This curious document is preserved in a manuscript in Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and is transcribed in the MS. history of Eton in the British Museum. Of the which sum ye said College doth pay for like stipends, To the Vice Provst and others And for keeping 5 Obits In all Because that much of their lands was taken fr ym, and given to Wyndesor Coll: by K. E. IV. Summ of the whole valour of ye Possessions belonging to Whereof, In Rents Resolute and other Ordinary allowances before The whole Valor of all ye goods and Ornaments belonging The whole Weight of Chalices and other Plate belonging Memorandum. Anno 37°. H. VIII. Reg: Bradshaw ye King's Attorney, wth Rob. Drury, Geo Wright & Hugh Fuller, Esqrs. came to Eton College, took an Inventory of the Plate, &c. The Plate came to 02. 2295 The Ornaments valued at . Upon ye Parchmt: Inventory there is written in an Old hand; £ 8. d. 312 13 4 Fuit Ilium & ingens Gloria Teucrorum: ferus Omnia Jupiter Argos Transtulit: incensa Danai dominantur in Urbe. It commences with a Calendarium, in which the holidays and customs observed in the several months are enumerated. I have given it in the original Latin in a note, and the curious in Etonian 6 CONSUETUDINARIUM VETUS SCHOLÆ ETONENSIS. Mense Januario. Primum ludendum est utroque vespere ante cœnam et post, in festis omnibus majoribus duplicibus. Et schola et cubiculum verruntur a prandio. In die Circumcisionis luditur et ante et post coenam pro strenuis; pueri autem pro consuetudine, ipso Calendarum Januar. die, veluti ominis boni gratia carmina componunt, eaque vel præposito, vel præceptori et magistris, vel inter se ultro citroque communiter mittunt. Epiphaniæ festum majus duplex luditur et ante et post. Postridie ejus diei rursus strenue vel invitis animis incumbitur in pristina studia literarum. 13 die, exequiæ Gul. Wanflete etiam celebrantur: dantur singulis 2d. Circiter festum Conversionis Divi Pauli, ad horam nonam quodam die pro arbitrio moderatoris, ex consueto modo, quo eunt collectum Avellanas mense Septembri, itur a pueris ad montem. Mons puerili religione Etonensium sacer locus est, hunc ob pulchritudinem agri, amœnitatem graminis, umbraculorum temperationem, et Apollini et Musis venerabilem sedem faciunt, carminibus celebrant, Tempe vocant, Heliconi præferunt. Hic novitii seu recentes, qui annum nondum viriliter et nervose in acie Etonensi ad verbera steterunt, sale primo condiuntur, tum versiculis qui habeant salem ac leporem, quoad fieri potest, egregie depinguntur. Deinde in recentes epigrammata faciunt, omni suavitate sermonis et facetiis alter alterum superare contendentes. Quicquid in buccam venit libere licet effutire, modo Latine fiat, modo habeat urbanitatem, modo careat obscoena verborum scurrilitate, postremo et lacrymis salsis humectant ora genasque, et tum demum veteranorum ritibus initiantur. Sequuntur orationes, et parvi triumphi, et serio lætantur, cum ob præteritos labores tum ob cooptationem in tam lepidorum commilitonum societatem. His peractis, ad horam primam domum revertuntur, et post cœnam ludunt ad octavam usque. Februario mense. In Festo Purificationis Marianæ luditur. Majus duplex. Februarii 7° die exequiæ domini Bost, Etonensis quondam præsidis, celebrantur. Postridie, iis precibus finitis quæ divinitus ad expiandas animas institutæ sunt, luditur et ante cœnam et post. Carnisprivium. In die Lunæ Carnisprivii, ad horam nonam luditur, et conduntur carmina, sive in laudem sive in vituperium Bacchi patris, et quia clientes Bacchi poetæ dicuntur, in cujus tutela omnes constituti sunt, omnium metrorum omni genere Dionysium canunt. Carmina condita a pueris 7mi et 6ti et aliquot 5ti ordinis, affiguntur valvis interioribus collegii. Die Martis Carnisprivii luditur ad horam octavam in totum diem; venit coquus, affigit laganum cornici, juxta illud, Pullis corvorum invocantibus eum, ad ostium scholæ. 27° die Rogerio Luptono annuatim parentant. Erogatur singulis denarius. A prandio luditur ad octavam usque. Mense Martio. Festum Annunciationis Mariæ minus duplex. Non luditur nisi pro arbitrio præceptoris. Aprili mense. In die Mercurii hebdomadæ sanctæ, circiter horam nonam cessatur a publicis studiis, et scribitur. |