hand, they grew up together a new tree with a new name, and with more of amicable society. Miraturq. novas frondes, et non sua poma. Virg. Hugo de Balsham, it is said, founded also an hospital at Cambridge; at least it should seem, that he was a patron to the Friars de Pænitentia, &c. long before they were received into the college, for he procured for them another rule beside what they already had, the rule of St. Augustine. Our bishop, beside his services to religious houses, and his founding of this College, benefited, as it was supposed, at that time, the University at large, which, as Bishop of Ely, he could then do, by granting privileges and exemptions. He also settled the dispute between the Chancellor of the University and Archdeacon of Ely. He died at Dodington, in the Isle of Ely, June, 1286, two years, according to the statement of Bishop Godwin, after the foundation of the College, and was buried near the high altar in Ely church, Engelthorp, the bishop of Rochester, performing over him the funeral rites: there is a portrait of Hugo de Balsham in the hall of the College. We may suppose, then, the Bishop's predominant aim, in the founding of this College, might be for the promotion of polite literature in his diocese, and the preserving a 3 Edw. I. A. D. 1275-1276. Hare's MS. `Index. Scriptum Domini Hugonis Eliensis Episcopi, &c. Aliud Scriptum Ejusdem Hugonis, &c. b Bentham's History &c. of the Conventual and Cathedral Church of Ely, p. 150, 1st edit. of students from the expenses incurred at hostels: a great improvement, as it was thought, on the ancient plan. For the advancement of his views, we have seen him bring two ancient hostels, and uniting them together with the seculars of St. John's in one college a. a Both 'lay in Trumpington Street, which then was a considerable distance from the town gate, near what was called then St. Peter's Church, though since (from about 1352) changed to Little St. Mary's". On the site. of these hostels he formed his new establishment, for one Master, fourteen Students, two Students in Divinity, and eight poor Scholars. Having thus enlarged somewhat on our founder,. I have the less room to particularize on all the benefactors; and as their several names are distinctly repeated on com→ memoration days, and duly recorded in some Histories of Cambridge, there is no danger of their being buried in oblivion, though not noticed in the present History. Positive benefits, whether conferred on individuals or societies, when derived from the benevolent feelings or private funds of benefactors, are entitled to respectful mention. But are we not too fond of flourishing with great names? and do we not often bestow that virtue to a Thomas Baker observes," Caius has fallen into a mistake, who discovers an hostel of secular brethren of St. John, whereto he allots a share in the site of this; whereas it could be no distinct hostel from these two belonging to the regulars, who in our old deeds and instruments are frequently called Fratres, and Clerici Seculares, and who seem to have been so in their original foundation, and might have continued so, had not Innocent IV. given them what he indeed says they had before, the more honourable style and title of Canons, according to the order of St. Austin." MS. Hist. of Canons Regular of St. John's. b St. Peter's fell down, and St. Mary's de Gratia was built on the same site. benefactions, to which they have no proper claims? I cannot forbear copying the following short list of benefactors from Carter, with a few alterations and additions. "John de Hotham, Simon Montague, or Montacute, Thomas de L'Isle, (Thomas de Insula, in Registro suo) Simon Langham, and John Fordham, bishops of Ely; the first of whom gave the College the rectory, lands, &c. in Triplow, in this county, with lands called Chewell, in Haddenham, in the same county: and having made void the statutes of the founder, A. D. 1338, he gave them others more beneficial. The fourth of the foregoing bishops gave them the rectory of CherryHinton in the same county." "Sir Rob. de Thorpe, Chanc. of England, gave 40 marks: William de Whittlesey, Archbishop of Canterbury, Master, left his library to the College: Ralph Walpole, Bishop of Ely, gave them two tenements in Cambridge: John de Bottlesham, Bishop of Rochester, Master, gave 201. and all his law-books to the library, and gave 201. to each of the other colleges, and the same to the University." What other benefits the four first of these benefactors conferred, matters not: I know of none; but the reader will observe that their benefactions recorded above were church property; and they are introduced in due form by those who have written the lives of our monkish prelates, Bishop Godwin and Mr. Wharton, and others: and T. Baker, who is apt to overflow with gratitude at every thing like a benefaction, gives a minute account of the above-mentioned Bishop Fordham, as a considerable benefactor, by appropriating to the College the church of Cherry-Hinton, March 20, 1395, though, by Baker's own account, he only confirmed Langham's Grant. On the death of a former incumbent, Barnet, Langham's successor in Elya, nulled the grant, and a new incumbent was invested with that living; but on the scholars setting forth their impoverished state, &c. he, Fordham, &c. taking compassion on their case, did effectually invest them with this church. In the case of Bottlesham, Bishop of Rochester, there is a little more reason for his pomp of words: "This is that John de Bottlesham, who, in the Missa pro Benefactoribus, stands thus recorded:-Item pro animâ mag. Joh. de Bottlesham Epise. Roff. qui dedit communi cista Universitatis 201. dedit insuper cuilibet collegio 201. & præter hæc contulit collegio sancti Petri omnes libros suos juris canonici & civilis, et multa alia bona fecit, & fieri procuravit."Baker's MSS. Brit. Mus. We see at how cheap a rate monasteries and other religious and literary institutions were formed into rich endowments. Had I been some father Olivarez (I allude to a burlesque Irish sermon), in monkish times, I would never have prayed" any man's soul out of purgatory," for charities that cost him nothing of his own. Other benefactors succeeded; and particularly several who were Masters: among whom were Drs. Holbroke, Perne, Cosins, Hale, and Beaumont. These endowed the College with fellowships, and considerable sums for scholarships, together with the rectory of Glayston, in Such-like Rutlandshire, and Knapton, in Norfolk. benefactions are correctly known to those who are most interested in them; and it is difficult so to treat of these a Blomefield (Collect. Cantab. p. 1, 2) gives a very innaccurate account of these matters, as will appear by comparing it with the bishop's succession in Godwin. de Præsul. Ang. p. 265, 266. matters so as to make them interesting to others: so I need not dwell further on the subject. Formerly the portraits of the above benefactors, together with some of the Masters, as low down as 1578, with appropriate mottos, were hung round the Combination-room, in company with those of Edward I. and Balsham, the founder. They are now removed to the Library. That under Edward's and Balsham's were neat and appropriate enough. Edward, as having given the Deed of License in 1283, had Omnia cum curat princeps, non ultima cura est, Si pius est, artes sustinuisse bonas. That under Balsham's Utere Divitiis, si te Fortuna bearit, Hac iter ad cœlum est, sic tibi dives eris. Dr. John Perne's, who died Dean of Ely, A. 1589, and who, as we have already seen, built the Library, was-- Bibliotheca, Libri, reditus, pulcherrima Donă, They may be all seen in Blomefield, though they are removed now from the paintings, and the paintings themselves also are removed from the combination-room into the library and wisely enough; for--to say nothing of the vilest errors of the press, in Blomefield, both the Greek and some of the Latin mottos had false quantities; even that as late as 1530 had— Proximus ille Deo, qui paret rectè monenti. a * Collectanea, p. 158. edit, of 1751. |