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recorded in history: the poet himself awakens from his dreams, his love of quiet, and heavenly contemplations: Cowley and Gray have their charms, but they must attend on other occasions. O! Tu severi Religio loci, would not be a suitable motto even for a Universityhistory.

It was intended, agreeably to these views, after giving a general outline of the history of our University, to have selected, from the mass of materials, in different periods, some of the more striking incidents and public disputes, not as perceived merely in theological and political speculations, in which form they belong more immediately to our history of literature, but as exhibited in the examples of active spirits, disputing, enforcing old laws, or labouring after innovations: in short, of different classes of polemics, controversialists, oppugners, reformists, and of the University at large, as divided occasionally in the persons of its members into parties, by the clashing of opinion, and the mutual opposition of each other's measures.

But I must speak of these things in a very summary way, borrowing, for the most part, the words of the Monthly Magazine, where I have treated of them a little more at large, under the article, Dissentients, a general word, chosen for convenience, and, indeed, I think, not unsuitable to the place.

Leaving uncertain histories to take their own course, suffice it to say, that Britain was, at an early period, united to Rome; consequently, the academical controversies, carried on through a long period, would be on the points of the Romish faith, variegated, at

• In the CANTABRIGIANA

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length, by the metaphysical disputes of the favourers of the renowned SCHOOLMEN, Doctors Subtilis, Profundus, Angelicus, irrefragabilis, mirabilis, approbatus, resolutus, singularis. For Scotus, Albertus Magnus, Thomas Aquinas, and others, each distinguished by his peculiar mode of reasoning or feeling, had his appropriate favourers. These polemical digladiators divided all literary institutions, each being reckoned heretic by some one or other.

Next succeeded the Lollards, the followers of Wickliffe, in Edward III.'s reign. Wickliffe, indeed, was of Oxford, but his doctrines soon reached Cambridge, and excited controversy in the University and neighbouring villages; for we find commissioners visiting every college in 1410a, searching out these "heretical pravities;" and about forty years after, several Lollards of Chesterton were obliged to abjure. One of the opinions of the latter will appear very singular, "That priests were incarnate devils."

During the reigns of Henry VIII. Edward VI. Mary, and Elizabeth, the term Dissentient may be variously applied. Sometimes he dissents from Henry, and some of his favourite doctrines; at other times, he is a PROTESTANT, dissenting from Catholics; at others, a CATHOLIC, dissenting from Protestants. Whichever way he moves, he is a comet, causing commotion. For the King or Queen, for the time being, influences college matters, as well as the concerns of church and state: Masters and Fellows, as we have seen, and therefore say the less now, were either promoted or displaced, according to the religion of the supreme magistrate: and we see at one time the Chancellor himself, as being a Papist, (I speak of Bishop Gardiner) confined in the Tower.

a And 11 Hen. IV. H. MS.

b An account of these latter, together with their opinions, was copied by an industrious inquirer into these matters, from the MS. Register of Gray, Bishop of Ely, dated 1457..

During the civil commotions in this country, in the time of the civil wars, EPISCOPALIANS were dissentient against the Parliament. All soon became confusion. Dr. Beale, Master of St. John's, Dr. Martin, Master of Queen's, and Dr. Sterne, Master of Jesus, were imprisoned four years in the Tower. Dr. Richard Holsworth, also, the Vice-chancellor, before the end of his year, was imprisoned, first in Ely House, and afterwards in the Tower: and Dr. Cosins, Master of Peter House, Dr. Paske, Master of Clare Hall, Dr. Laney, Master of Pembroke, together with other Masters, almost all the Fellows, and many students, were removed from their respective colleges a.

The Act of Uniformity, passed in Charles the Second's reign, caused the clergy to fall into their ranks: there, however, still continued some rebellious spirits, called PURITANS, who made warfare on the established church. They objected to it on account of the habits of the clergy, the surplice, tippet, and corner cap, together with the ring in marriage, the canons and ecclesiastical courts in general; all became the objects of their religious, abhorrence. The different orders of the clergy, and the whole system of church-government, established in the preceding reigns, were, in like manner, offensive to them. They objected to the discipline of the church, not to its doctrines; accordingly, disapproving the terms of conformity, they were set aside from their benefices. About 2000 clergymen, in different parts of England, were obliged to relinquish their livings in the church, and many were ejected from the University of Cambridge. Among these, were Dr. Tuckney, Master of St. John's College, Dr. Dell, Master of Caius, Dr. Sadler, Master of Magdalen, Mr. Holdcroft, Fellow of Clare Hall, the father of the Dissenters in Cambridgeshire, and Mr. Ray, the Naturalist, the Fellow of Trinity: the latter rather resigned, than was ejected from, his fellowship, in 1662, not choosing to comply with the Act of Uniformity a.

a Mr. Walker's Sufferings of the Clergy of the Church of England, p. 141, 2d part, and Querela Cantabrigiensis.

Having thus spoken of bodies of dissentients, we might pass on to individuals. We have already mentioned three in Queen Elizabeth's reign, who maintained controversies, which at the time much divided the University: Dr. Cartwright, on Church Discipline; Dr. Baro, Margaret-Professor, on Justifying Faith; Mr. Barrett (Fellow of Gonville and Caius Colleges) in his Concio ad Clerum, on certain theological distinctions upon "the Five Points." The result, towards the first, was, as before observed, expulsion from the University; to the second, the abandonment of his professorship; to the last, public recantation.

We might next proceed to speak of the case of Nonjurors; but, as generally speaking, those who did not choose to take the oaths, at the Revo: lution, were quiet, as was the case of Mr. Thomas Baker, our Socius Ejectus, we shall, for the sake of brevity, pass on to Mr. Thomas Woolston.

a Mr. Calamy's Abridg. of Baxter's Life and Times, with an Account of Ejected or Silenced Ministers, after the Restoration in 1660. Vol. II. p. 77, and Vol. III. p. 120,

This gentleman, then, was Fellow of Sidney-Sussex College, who published an “ Old Apology for the Truth of the Christian Religion," in 1705; but what created most stir was, his "Discourse on the Miracles of our Saviour;" in which he aims to shew that they were spiritual, and never literally performed. He is generally classed with Mr. Hobbes and Mr. Collins, among the UNBELIEVING DISSENTIENTS, though he treated his opponents as unbelievers, maintaining, that they had chosen to consider him as insane, because they could not answer his arguments. His book being in different parts, he addressed to the Archbishop of Canterbury, and different bishops, whom, as well as the Queen (for he also addresses her at the end with some poignancy) he treats in a most ironical, sarcastic style of language. Being prosecuted, and convicted in the court of King's Bench, he was sentenced to one year's imprisonment. His writings-for he had previously published several treatises-had, as we must suppose, much agitated the University; and he had been obliged to resign his fellowship, not indeed through expulsion, but for positively refusing to reside the accustomed time allotted for residence, by the College statutes. One of his treatises, which indeed he had delivered in the form of a sermon in college, he addresses, with some corrections, in a very serious manner, to Dr. Fisher, the Master, and to the Fellows of this college a.

• The Exact Fitness of the Time, in which Christ was manifested in the Flesh, demonstrated by Reason, against the Objections of the Old Gentiles, and of Modern Unbelievers. 1722.

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