to this college during the long and happy reign of queen Elizabeth, often united the fellows when they were broken by their own divisions, kept them within tolerable bounds when by their 5 indiscreet zeal they were running into confusion, and by preserving good order and discipline among them rescued them from being a nest of zealous Puritans, which without him they must probably have been. To say nothing of his private bene10 factions, which I have accounted for, the many letters and papers I have seen express abundantly his affection to the house, which he usually styled his beloved college, and that when they had done enough to forfeit his esteem. In one word, he 15 was another bishop Fisher to this society, and when I have said this, I have said everything that can be expected from the bounty or indulgence of a patron. And yet notwithstanding his great and signal services, little of this kind can 20 be gathered from our own stores. Some few letters of compliment have been preserved, whilst things of greater moment have been neglected, and must have utterly perished, had not the originals been preserved by Mr Hicks his lord25 ship's secretary, now in the custody of my worthy friend Mr Strype, and are of much more value in the affairs of that reign than any thing that is to be met with at Cambridge'. The best helps might have been had from the 30 Paper Office, to which I had access by the interest 1 Mem., this and the following Leaf [containing the title] were found cut when the Harleian Manu scripts were first opened at the Museum. C. Morton, Jan. 4, 1761. of the late worthy bishop of Ely. But I met with such entertainment from Monsieur De La Faye, as I was soon weary of a fruitless attendance there. And yet I gratified his clerk pretty liberally, who seemed willing to serve me, had he 5 not been limited by his haughty master. From that moment I threw aside my papers, being unwilling to trouble the world with an imperfect work. ST JOHN'S HOUSE OR HOSPITAL BEING A PRIORY OF CANONS REGULAR. ST John's college having been founded upon St John's hospital or house, before I enter upon the college, it will not be improper to say somewhat of the house; which though a dry employment, yet as it was not unpleasant 5 to me to trace out the beginnings and progress of this ancient foundation, so I hope, it will not be disagreeable to any member of the society to see its foundations laid open, which are yet buried in some obscurity and darkness. One thing is well known, that it was a house of canons regular, and Nigellus second bishop of Ely is generally received as its original founder; if so, its foundations were laid in gratitude and loyalty (the seeds whereof being sown deep, have not since been easily rooted out). 15 For this Nigellus having been promoted by Henry the First towards the conclusion of his reign, did afterwards adhere firmly to the true interest of his daughter and grandson, the empress Maud and Henry the Second, against the usurpation of king Stephen; and having owed 20 his advancement to that learned prince (who, if we believe Rudburn', was not only a student at Cambridge, but took a degree of master of arts there), he might possibly have regard to his learned patron in fixing his foundation here at Cambridge. 1 Hist. major. p. 273. When that was done, is not so well agreed on, nor are its original endowments so easily discovered. Most that have treated on this subject seem to place its foundation about the latter end of king Henry the First, or under the reign of king Stephen; but Nigellus could have little time 5 under the first reign1, and less opportunity under the latter, having been a confessor under Stephen, once banished in his person, confiscated in estate twice or thrice, and himself reduced to that extreme degree of necessity and want, that he was forced not only to part with all that was his own, 10 but to pawn the relics of his church to the Jews at Cambridge, to redeem his peace. The next was a more auspicious reign to our bishop, but even then too he was under continual difficulties: for as before he had been pursued and ruined by the king, 15 so in this reign he was embroiled with the pope, who (though his own countryman, for Adrian the Fourth then reigned) suspended him for some pretended injuries offered to his monks, nor could he be assoiled but at the instance of the king and bishops after restitution made and right 20 done to the monks at Ely for these pretended injuries3. There was one other bar to our bishop's charity, that he had a son who was a constant drain to him, and cost him immense sums in advancing him, till at last (at a vast expense) he brought him to succeed his father, our bishop, 25 in the treasury of England. All this considered, there will be little time or room left for charity and to speak the truth, though I will not deny our bishop the honour of a founder against so full a consent, yet I am of opinion that he had no great 30 share in this foundation; and that rather by granting licence, and perhaps some privileges and immunities, as bishop of the diocese, than by any great charities of his own. For in an ancient inquisition taken upon oath at 35 Cambridge, now lodged in the Tower of London, it is 1 Hist. Elien. p. 620. 2 Ibid. p. 625. 3 Ibid. p. 627. Jo. Sarisbur. ep. 14. 30. 4 Inquisit. an. 3tio. Edv. m. in Tur. Lond. apud Hare Collect. Vol. I. fol. 30, &c. set forth (and this upon oath) that the master and brethren of the hospital of St John the evangelist at Cambridge held a certain plat of ground in fee of the king, whereon the said hospital with the chapel was founded; which said 5 plat of ground a certain burgess of Cambridge, named Henry Frost', gave to the village of Cambridge, to build a hospital for the use of the poor and infirm; that the presentation of the master there used and of right ought to belong to the said burgesses, who held the said village 10 in fee of the king: notwithstanding, the presentation of the said master had been unjustly alienated from the said burgesses by Hugh Norwold, formerly bishop of Ely, and his successors, who had made masters of the hospital at their will and discretion, in exheredation of the king and 15 to the grievous damage of the burgesses of Cambridge. That this had been often complained of to king Henry, father of the present king, and his counsel, as likewise to the justices itinerant and the inquisitors at Cambridge of the present king, viz. king Edward now reigning, and 20 yet they had met with no redress. And further, that it was to be remembered that the presentation to the said mastership had been alienated from the burgesses within the space of thirty years; which falls in the reign of Henry the Third, and the foundation may be supposed to 25 have been under Henry the Second. So that if we will believe an ancient judicial testimony, and this upon oath (which ought to be of much more weight than any modern flying evidence that is opposed), Henry Frost and the burgesses of Cambridge have the best title to this foun30 dation. One other complaint was then made by the burgesses of Cambridge against the encroachments of the bishops of Ely, which, because it gives light to a very remarkable period and shews another vast growth from a small be35 ginning, I will here take notice of. The burgesses of 1 It seems, the Frosts were an ancient as well as charitable family in Cambridge, for not long after this, at or before the time of Hugh prior, contemporary with Eustachius, bi shop of Ely, one Robert Frost gave |