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 Præsul. Ang. But it is certain this degree was very commonly given after the foundation of Trinity Hall, whenever it commenced.

of

I have already shown, from Archbishop Parker's History, that we had graduates in grammar, (magistri grammatica,) 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 being instructed in grammar. It is there expressly said, in an ancient instrument, they went to graduate in gramfor 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."

mar,

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. Sanctæ Theolog. Professor, is of the same import as D. D.

VOL. I.

A person may commence A. B. after three

years standing, A. M. about four years after: seven years after the A. M. degree, the B. D. may be taken, and five years after that he may be made S. T. P. or D.D. He may be a L. B. after six years standing, in physic after five, though these latter degrees are seldom now taken, (and never, in some universities,) by gentlemen commencing and immediately proceeding doctors, without the usual preparatory gradus, or, via ad honores, of the bachelor. The same of Mus. D. doctor of music.

The printer having informed me, that he has two or three pages left which require filling, I take up my pen to satisfy his demands; which I mention, because I had previously informed the reader, that I did not purpose to enter into the minutiae of university customs, for want of But a space still remaining, I shall now proceed,

room.

till the printer orders me to stop.

Each of the above degrees, then, hath its peculiar habit. It would be as difficult to ascertain the origin of peculiar habits in literature, as marks of distinction and honour, as to state the origin of all marks in heraldry: but we find them as well among the Greeks and Romans as among the Jews, the Magi of the East, and our own Druidical order. As to our particular habits, they seem to have. the same origin as the institutions themselves, viz. from religious houses. The monastic orders were not only distinguished by the names of their peculiar saints, their rules, and services, but by their habits: it is natural to suppose, that as our scholars came from those houses, and retained some of their customs, they would derive from the same source something of their dress. Thus, for example, the undergraduate has a gown resembling that of the monastics, the Colobium sine manicis :

a Vid. Dufresne. Gloss. in loco.