foundress, and Sir Robert Hitcham', a benefactor, are by Marchi--though only copies.

What is deemed the greatest curiosity about this college, is Dr. Long's machine, or tin-plate sphere, exhibiting all the circles, and, the appearance of the heavens, erected for the meridian of Cambridge. It is eighteen feet in diameter, so that thirty persons might sit in it, and on the turning of a winch may see the actual appearance, the relative situation, and successive motions of the heavenly bodies. This is said to be the largest ever constructed, but I have somewhere read there is a much larger in Russia, either at Moscow, or St. Petersburgh.

With respect to the library, mention has already been made of two or three of the earliest contributors to it: and towards the library of a college, which, from the number of bishops educated there, has been called Collegium Episcopale, there cannot, we may be sure, have been wanting a succession of liberal and valuable benefactions.

It is many years since I was in this library: and going there at the time, without any object of immediate inquiry, I was not particular or minute in my attentions: so I shall only say, in general, that its MSS. are numerous. The gentleman who accompanied me to it, a fellow, and one well acquainted with its contents, shewed me, I recollect,

a I omitted to notice, in the proper place, that Sir Robert Hitcham, sometime student of Pembroke Hall, afterwards of Gray's Inn, was attorney to Queen Anne of Denmark, and knighted by James I. He was Lord of the manor of Framlingham and Saxted, in Suffolk, and by his will bearing date August 8, 1636, bequeathed them to the master and fellows of Pembroke Hall, who are, therefore, in the History of Framlingham, called the Lords of Framlingham. See the History of Framlingham, page 203.

four which were deemed valuable; the Organon of Aristotle, a Concord of the four Gospels, the Geometry of Euclid, and a Treatise on Music.

With respect to Bishop Wren's MS. account of the masters and fellows of Pembroke Hall, that will always be useful as a book of reference,-it being derived from the archives, by throwing light on College History a, and to it I have had occasion to refer several times, in the course of this Work. Mr. Gray, I understand, left in MS. a large volume, or volumes, supposed to be a sort of common-place book, or book of extracts. At the time I was perusing Bishop Wren's account, it had been delivered into the hands of a literary gentleman, in order to ascertain, whether it contained any thing which it might be proper to make public. This is all I know of it. But the common-place book of so select and judicious a scholar as Mr. Gray, will always be deemed a valuable deposit in a public library.

a The Account of the Masters and Fellows of Pembroke Hall, was originally begun by Bishop Wren, when he was president, and was continued afterwards: the principal part of it, as augmented by Mr. Hawes, is transferred into a History of Framlingham, published by a Mr. Loden.

CORPUS CHRISTI, OR BENET COLLEGE

IT having been a leading aim in this History to give accounts of the founders of the several colleges, the princi ple will be followed here. Hitherto we have spoken of individuals; now we speak of a society, or societies. For the foundation of Corpus Christi, or Bene't College, was laid by two societies, or guilds, one called the Gilda Cor poris Christi, the other Beatæ Mariæ Virginis a.

The instrument, or King's licence, of the foundation, bears date Nov.7, 1351, 26 Edward III. Guilds were fraternities uniting, sometimes for particular, and sometimes for mixed purposes, and were of very remote origin. The fraternity of Knights Templars was, in some sort, a guild, united for the purpose of visiting the holy sepulchre at Jerusalem, though they were of the religious order.

There were societies, also, which embraced various objects in one view, commercial, religious, philanthropic, I had nearly said masonic. In commercial transactions they were exempt from particular tolls, when from home, and had some privileges in the towns where they were formed: as religious houses they were able to hold estates and lands, in mortmain, as well as patronage, and appropriations of church livings; more particularly, it was their

a The guild of the body of Christ, and of the Virgin Mary,

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