doctors, only masters, (magistri.)

And again, bacheler,

qui est promu au baccalaureat en quelque faculte: and, again, on apelloit aussi bachelier un jeuni gentilhome, qui servoit sous la baniere d'un autre: Dictionaire de l'Academie: and so, Kelham, in his Norman French Dictionary, bachelier, bachiler, a batchelor, a young esquire, or knight.

Thus, too, the learned civilian, Dr. Cowel, " Bas chevaliers," low or inferior knights, by tenure of a bare military fee, as distinguished from baronets and bannerets, who were the chief or superior knights: hence we call our bare, simple knights, inferior to baronets, &c. knights bachelors, i. e. bas chevaliers, which, in all likelihood, gave name to the academical degrees of bachelors; as a quality lower than that of masters and doctors.

It has been already shewn, that the literature of our schools was fashioned according to that of the Normans, and introduced by them, after the Conquest; and it was natural, whenever our bachelerie was formed, that it should be derived from that source, particularly when we recollect how the Norman French was affected in almost every thing. The word bachelor is not of Saxon, but of Norman French origin, as appears, both in the sense, and from the way of spelling the word: thus Chaucer, who introduced so much French into our language;

where it means, un chevelier bacheler, a knight bachelor, corresponding, both in sense and sound, to the word in the Romance Poets, as quoted by Dufresne; (Glossar. Med. et Inf. Latinit.) in reference to which, un bacheler is a young, a poor, or a low knight.

I therefore think Dufresne is more happy in a latter conclusion, than in his former. From different writers he gives this definition, "Bachalarii qui in eo gradu sunt ut ad doctoratum, aspirare possint, quemadmodum baccalarii militares adolescentes, qui ad banneretorum gradum perinde aspirant: Glossarium. ut supra.

An A. B. then, I take to be an incipient in the arts, one in the way to an A. M. a B. D. an incipient in the way to a D. D. and accordingly, in an antient statute of the university of Paris, it runs, "Cursor (baccalarius) in theologia inter primum cursum & sententias, tenebitur respondere in theologia, ad minus semel de disputatione tentativa sub magistro. "In the same sense," says Dr. Cowel, (INTERPRETER,) "the bachelors of the companies of London, be such of each company as are springing towards the estate of those who are employed in council, but as yet are inferior."-But see the same under the word BOUCHE OF COURT, where is an indenture in the Norman French, which gives a most minute account of the bas chevalier.

The first time I meet with the mention of a doctor's degree, in Hare's Titles, is in 1391, the fourteenth year of Rich. II.'s reign, and of artium baccalaurus, in 1410, the eleventh year of Henry IV. on an occasion

• Literæ patentes ne apostatæ fratres ordinis prædicatorum, &c. admittantur ad honorem doctoralem in theologia in aliqua duarum academi, Hare's Titles to Collections.

arum.

already referred to. With respect to the latter, I do not affirm that it was not created before that period. It certainly was, as appears by the literæ regiæ of Hen. V. 1413. But masters only were the order for a considerable time downward, from the reign of Henry III. as I perceive by all the titles to Hare's Collections-the chancellor himself, who was a residing member of the university, being called only magister, and as I infer from many ancient instruments, where, besides the custos, mention is only made of magistri and scholares, never of bacculauri, nor even socii.

Yet doctor we certainly meet with often enough. Thus in the calendar of the Salisbury Portiforium, Augustine is called, episcopus et doctor, and at the bottom of the page,

Post Augustinum doctorem, Job lege justum.

Yet Oswald, who wrote this Service Book, and died Bishop of Salisbury, A. 1099, (Godwin. de Præsul. Angl. p. 337.) was no graduated D. D. himself. In an Athenæ Cantabrigienses, written by a Mr. Drake Morris, and inserted in Mr. Cole's MSS. (vol. 55.) the author says, Necton, a Carmelite, was the first of his order, who was made a Doctor in Divinity. The writer, however, never once produces his authorities for any thing: but I suppose he follows only Dr. Fuller, or Leland, the latter of whom he quotes,

Laudibus Humphredum Necton super astra feremus,
Cui data Grantanæ laurea prima scholæ.

Twine, the Oxford antiquary, interpreting this passage of

** Literæ regiæ, de modo observandi statutum antiquum 176, de habi. tibus baceulaureorum.

Leland's, makes Necton, not merely the first of his order, "but absolutely the first that ever took the degree of doctorship, at Cambridge:" at which Fuller, from his zeal for our Alma Mater, turns very indignant, and quotes Petrus Blesensis, as saying, that, even in his time, many masters and doctors went forth from Cambridge, and made glad the Church and all England: where, yet, I suspect, Fuller is misled by the vagueness of the word doctor, where it may stand for teacher, as in the Salisbury Breviary: and, even allowing Fuller's sense, that Necton was the first Carmelite only, that took this doctorate, it may only mean graduating in general, doctor being synonymous with master, and the Carmelites having, hitherto, not graduated at all. I do not remember, that even the founders and first benefactors of our colleges, are ever styled doctors in ancient instruments; but merely Hugh de Balsham, John de Bottlesham, Walter de Merton, &c. and the first time, the honor doctoralis in theologia, occurs in the titles of Hare's Collections, is towards the latter end of Rich. II.'s reign. So, that till I am better informed, I am not prepared to say, the Oxford antiquary is wrong.

Of civil law, Dufresne says, Baccalariatus vero, vel doctoratus, in academiis Anglicis gradus non obtinent, ut observat Jo. Fortescue de Laudibus, Ll. Ang. cap. 50. But Dufresne greatly errs. Sir John Fortescue says directly the reverse. He says, indeed, that in the inns of court men did not take bachelors and doctors degree, SICUT IN UTROQUE JURE in universitatibus est dare consuetum, but only that of serjeant, qui gradus servientis ad legem appellatur. Dufresne grossly mistakes the whole drift of that chapter. The civil and canon law were the prevailing study in both our universities, in the time of Fortescue, (Henry VI. reign,) and the doctor utriusq.

legis was a very common degree. I have read, in a MS. copied from the archives of Trinity Hall, that Dr. Bateman, bishop of Norwich, founder of that college for students in civil law, in 1350, took his doctor's degree when he was thirty; and I am greatly mistaken, if it was not utriusq. legis, Dr. Bateman being described, in that MS. as, utriusq. legis peritiorum flos præcipuus. Bateman was educated at Cambridge, and Bishop Godwin calls him, legum doctor. De Prasul. Ang. But it is certain this degree was very commonly given after the foundation of Trinity Hall, whenever it commenced.

I have already shown, from Archbishop Parker's History, that we had graduates in grammar, (magistri grammaticæ,) distinct from the arts, viz. from 1500 to 1540; there it seems to have stopt; for I find not one after, and only two for several years before. I suspect they began, when the twenty-four scholars for grammar were, according to the Petition of Byngham, to be subjected to Clare Hall, (see vol. ii. under Clare Hall,) for the purpose of being instructed in grammar. It is there expressly said, in an ancient instrument, they went to graduate in grammar, for the purpose of being placed in different parts of England, to instruct in it, great ignorance of grammar prevailing all over England, and "Lyflode not being ordeyned and endued for it in the university, as for all other liberal sciences."

We have seen the origin of the last letters, in A. B. and A. M.; the A for arts, is retained from the old schoolsin which the septem Artes liberales et ingenuæ are so well known as I apprehend we do L. L. D. from the two, laws, civil and canon, Utriusq. legis doctor, though, now, there is no degree taken in canon law, nor is there assigned to it any professorship. The S. T. P. Sancta Theolog. Professor, is of the same import as D. D.