"within this realm, from the time of the notification "hereof in the same college, have, or be permitted to "have, within the precincts of any such college, his "wife or other woman, to abide and dwell in the same, 66 or to frequent or haunt within the same college, upon "pain, that whosoever shall do contrary shall forfeit all "ecclesiastical promotions in any cathedrall or colle"giate church or college within this realm."

This royal letter now sounds like barbarism. Heads of houses not only marry, but introduce, without scruple, their wives, and have their households, in college : nor is there danger that any university-regulations, or some act of the Legislature, should revive this musty letter, or make new statutes, to interrupt their domestic economies.

In the sixth year of her reign, her Majesty did the University of Cambridge the honour of a visit, an exhibition never witnessed by them before or since; a virgin Queen, appearing before this learned body, addressing them in the language of a scholar, but with the tone of a sovereign. PRINCIPUM DICTA LEGUM AUCTORITATEM APUD SUBDITOS RETINENT. The words of Princes have the authority of laws with their subjectsa. Dixi: I have said.

Merry Fuller says, all were pleased with this visit. Sure I am, and subsequent events, and his own words, prove it, they could not be all pleased: and no English university, I trust, would now be pleased to be dictated

* The very words quoted by Sir John Fortescue, to shew the superiority of the common law of England over the civil. De Laud. Ang. c. ix.

to in the very language of the civil law, by an English queen, however learned. The Catholics were not pleased; the Puritans could not be pleased; and many of the University, who wore the smile of approbation, were surely not inwardly pleased.

The spirit of theological controversy was very busy in this reign; first, on points of church discipline, between Dr. Cartwright, Lady Margaret's professor, and Dr. Whitgift, Master of Trinity College, and Vicechancellor, afterwards Archbishop of Canterbury: next, on some hair-breadth distinctions upon the love of God, and justifying faith, between Dr. Baro, Margaret professor, and Mr. Chatterton, Master of Emmanuel College. 3dly. By a Concio ad Clerum, involving some niceties on the points delivered at St. Mary's Church, by Mr. Barret, Fellow of Gonville and Caius College. The first was settled by the deprivation and expulsion of Dr. Cartwright; the second by Dr. Baro's being ousted of his place; and the last by a pusillanimous and ignominious recantation of Mr. Barret. To say nothing of the dispute on church discipline, it is most evident, from the others, that the favourite doctrine in the University at this time was Calvinism.

VOL. I.

[98]

CHAP. VI.

JAMES I. HIS REGIE LITERE, AND INJUNCTIONS--GRACES OF THE SENATE.

JAMES VI. of Scotland succeeded to the English crown in 1602; and in his way from the north to the metropolis, stopped at Hinchinbrook in Huntingdonshire. The masters of colleges as delegates from the university of Cambridge, waited on him in their robes, to express their allegiance, and to receive a confirmation of their privileges. This was an interview most delectable to James. He was himself educated at a Scotch university, St. Andrew's; and was never more in his element, than when surrounded with learned men. He was a scholar, though pedantic; a theologian, though he never forgot, that he was a king. He was addressed in a Latin loyal oration by the university orator, Mr. Robert Naunton, whom he could not fail particularly to notice, and whom afterwards, with the title of Sir Robert Naunton, he made his principal secretary of state. He also distinguished with his attention Dr. Montague, Master of Sidney College, who was afterwards raised to be Bishop of Winchester, and appointed to translate James's English works into Latin.

As the king, notwithstanding his Presbyterian education, professed now great zeal for the episcopalian reformation, he took powerful measures to suppress both

8 Lloyd's Statesman and Favourite of England, p. 569.

popery and puritanism in the university. An act of parliament was made, that this university should have the presentation to all church benefices, schools, hospitals, and donatives, the patrons of which were popish recusants. Thus, Cambridge university had the patronage of the greater part of preferments (in the northern counties of England) which had belonged to recusants; the southern fell to Oxford: and by other measures, to be presently noticed, James suppressed both the papists and puritans. It appears, also, by his bringing Mr. Sympson, fellow of Trinity College, to a public recantation before himself, of a sermon preached at St. Mary's, that he was a great splitter of hairs in doctrinal matters, and, for a long while, a professed Calvinist.b

This reign was a remarkable epoch in our university annals. James felt a pride in giving countenance to university-men, and in the settling of their disputes. But no prince had a more watchful eye on his prerogative, nor kept a closer account of debtor and creditor, in matters of state politics. So far as the University favoured his prerogative, he favoured their privileges. He sided with them in some instances against the townsmen. He first empowered the University to send two members to the House of Commons, though he prevented the town from being made a city: in all matters, civil and religious, he was for carrying his supremacy very high, as he shewed before some university-men, at the famous Hampton Court Conference.

b What may be called a moderate Calvinist, as appears from the Hampton Court Conference, in 1603.

tions to theological opinions, which were for a long time proposed to every youth as the term of admission into college, though now not required, at Cambridge, of undergraduates; but which are still enjoined on every one previously to his taking a degree in the University.

a

The king's orders on this subject, are dated Dec. 3, 1616. They were given under his own hand, and delivered in his own person to the vice-chancellor, and some of the masters, at Newmarket. They must, therefore, I suppose, be considered among their privileges, particularly when we take into the account the Bishop of Winchester's letter, which was afterwards sent to the vice-chancellor.

"I have sent you his majesty's hand to his own directions; I think you have no precedent, that ever a king, first with his own mouth, then with his own hand, gave such directions; and therefore you shall do very well, to keep the writing curiously, and their directions religiously; and to give his majesty a good account of 'em carefully; which I pray God you may: and so with my love to yourself and the rest of the heads, I commit you to God. From the Court, the 12th Dec. 1616.

Your loving Friend,

JAMES WINTOW."

The articles, which James required to be subscribed, he called his three darling articles, which embraced an approbation of the doctrines, and of all the discipline of the church as by law established. The pretence for these subscriptions was laid in the disputes of the pa

a Literæ Regiæ, Ad. Cant. 1616.