whom appears Dorothy Countess of Exeter, consort of the Earl, already mentioned as a benefactor: to these should be added, Mrs. Edith Green, Mrs. Joan Herne, and Mrs. Joan Fountain.

King Richard III. it has been observed, seems to have claimed a relationship to the college, through his descent from the Earl of Clare. Whatever may have been his character, the society, it is said, derived from him considerable advantages. Mr. Cole and some other Clare Hall gentlemen seem to question his title to the honour of being their patron, ashamed of the name of one so infamous in history:

I who am curtailed of this fair proportion,
Deform'd, unfinished, sent before my time

Into this breathing world, scarce half made up,
And that so lamely and unfashionably,

That dogs bark at me as I'go along.

Shakspeare's Rich. III.

But authorities seem to countenance the belief that he was and his relationship to the family of the foundress is a presumption that he was: for bad men are not insensible to the pride of ancestry; and the author of the "Fable of the Bees," may instruct us not to scrutinize too nicely into the characters, or motives, of patrons and benefactors to public institutions a.

■ “ Thẹ man that supplies with his private fortune what the whole must otherwise have provided for, obliges every member of the society; and therefore all the world are ready to pay him their acknowledgment, and think themselves in duty bound to pronounce all such actions virtuous, without examining, or so much as looking into the motives from which they were formed,"

Mandeville: Essay on Charity Schools.

1

Archbishop Tillotson, who was a scholar, and afterwards fellow, of this society, is generally introduced, also, as a benefactor: and two portraits are preserved of him in Clare Hall; a small one in the master's lodge, and a half-length in the Combination Room: but Mr. Cole is for diminishing the merit of his benefactions, maintaining, that the principal benefit rendered the college by Tillotson, was recovering back to it by his influence, what had been removed from it by the Oliverians. If so, it must have been when he was fellow, or a little while aftera.

But least I should seem, to my readers, to have forgotten the rule which I laid down, in regard to benefactors, I now proceed to other matters.

Much surprised I am, that our printed histories should not have noticed a circumstance clearly stated in the most ancient writings now belonging to this college.

a M. A. and fellow, in 1651. Clare Hall Register.

b "On the back is wrote, by Mr. Betham, Bursar of Clare Hall," says Mr. Cole, "who lent me the original deed, October 3, 1768, from out of the archives of the college:"

p.

"Petition of William Bingham to Henry VI. to grant his house, called God's House, built for scholars in grammar, to the master and fellows of Clare Hall, to endow it with lands to the amount of £50." The petition and licence, the former in English, the latter in Latin, may be seen in Mr. Cole's MS. vol. ii. 3. The petition begins thus: "Unto the Kyng our Sovereign Lord: Besecheth the most mekely your poore preest, and continuall bedesman, William Byngham, person of St. John Zacharie, of London-Wherefore please it unto your most soveregn highness and plenteous grace, to consider how that to all liberal sciences, used in the said university, certain Lyflode is ordeyned and endued, saving only for grammar, the which is rote and grounde of all the said other sciences, and thereupon graciously to grunte licence to your forseid besecher, that he may give without fyn or fee (the same) his mansion, ycalled Goddeshous, the which he hath made and edifyed, and the seid other lands, tenements, rentes and services, and advowsons to the seid value, after the forme of a cedule to this bille annexed, to yntent,

In the reign of Henry VI. William Byngham, parson of St. John Zacharie, of London, having long perceived there was a great scarcity of school masters of grammar in England, petitioned his Majesty, that he might be permitted to give without fine, or fee, his mansion of God'shouse, which he had built at Cambridge, together with its lands, tenements, and rents, to the value of 501. a year, for the free support of poor scholars in grammar, to be subject to the master and fellows of Clare Hall. And conformably to Byngham's petition, Henry granted a licence for a college to be founded for twenty-four scholars, and a chaplain to govern and instruct them, and all to be subject to the master and fellows of Clare Hall: why this circumstance is not put to the account of the history of this college, I do not comprehend.

The college restored by the foundress, was again de-
stroyed by fire, at least in part, that is to say, the master's
lodge, the treasury, " and among other papers," says Mr.
Cole, "the archives." How is it then, this gentleman, who
was scholar of the college, was not aware, such acknow-
ledgement destroys the name, at least, of his original deed®,
lent him, as he writes it, from the archives. If what he says
respecting the destruction of the archives is correct, his
original grant could have been only a copy, or inspeximus,
though derived, as it appears to have been, from original-
documents. However, the college was new-built, and the
first stone laid May 19, 1638.

that the seid maist' and scholars mowe fynd perpetually in the forseid
mansion, ycalled Goddeshous, xxiv scolers for to comense in gramer, and
a preest to governe them, for reformation of the seid defaute, for the
love of God, and in the wey of charitee, in your toune of Cambrigge,
for the herbigage of yonge scholars of gramer," &c. To commence in
grammar means taking a degree in it,

a See page 40, note.

L

The old chapel was built in 1535. Previously to this period, the society performed their devotions in St. Edward's, the adjacent church. It is remarkable of the old chapel, that it was never consecrated: this was, I suppose, the reason that no one was ever buried there: and the only mural monument erected in it was a cenotaph, sacred to the memory of their great benefactor, Dr. Blythe, whose remains lie in the above church. The tradition, that one person was buried there, is supposed to be a mistake.

The

Strangers are naturally struck with the new building; the court forms a handsome spacious square; all the structure being of free-stone, which preserves its original freshness; and, whether seen from the public walks, or surveyed in the open court, displays a brightness, a neatness, a uniformity, with something of elegance. situation of the western side is beyond that of any other college enviable; its aspect over the river, meadows, promenade, and public walks, and to the adjacent country, is delightful; and its vista, already noticed, opening through two rows of fine limes, on terraced banks, and beheld from the eastern gate, through the whole length of the college, cannot be too much admired.

But, after all, the charm of this building is much assisted by its agreeable and happy situation. For, archi-. tecturally considered, the indiscriminate admiration of Mr. Cole and Mr. Ashby, is misplaced. It is not in a magnificence of style proportioned to the amplitude of its space, and the beauty of its situation: the western front is overcrowded with pilasters, fifty in number; and

• Called Clare Hall Piece.

the squarish windows, corresponding in number to the pilasters, with the pert patch of ornament over them, is very ugly indeed the edifice has in general too much of little ornament for the chaste classical style; the simplicity and harmonious appearance of the Grecian orders being almost lost amidst the capriciousness of the French taste of that period a.

The hall of this college possesses much of elegance; the Combination Room is one of the best proportioned rooms in the University, and the Master's Lodge very spacious ; The containing great part of the north and east sides. Masters and Fellows gardens are on opposite sides of a neat bridge; and though not large, are very cheerful, having terrace-walks towards the river and meadows, from which they are separated by a quickset hedge. The Master's is distinguished by a magnificent green-house, which, as appertaining to a college, is quite unique.

"The library," says Mr. Cole, "is the most elegant of any in the University, being a large well-proportioned room, à-la-moderne, with the books ranged all around, and not in classes, as in most of the rest of the libraries in other colleges. It is exceedingly well filled with a

* This false French taste was commented on, and exposed, by Mons. Frearte, a writer of great observation, and the most classical taste, in a work dedicated, in 1650, to Monseigneur de Noyers, that minister of France, who so much forwarded the improvements in its public buildings: it is accompanied with the most perfect designs after the ancient orders, both Grecian and Roman, the theatre of Marcellus, the baths of Dioclesian, and the pillar of Trajan, &c.; and illustrated by the designs of the more modern artists. This excellent work was translated into English by the well-known Mr. Evelyn, accompanied with a Dedication to Charles II. It is entitled "The whole Body of Ancient and Modern Architecture,”