an end put to it till the year 1630, but I have laid it together, as being the most remarkable transaction under this prefecture, and as a useful caution to posterity not to venture upon irregular things by presuming too much 5 upon impunity. It probably had this good effect that the alarm of it put the governors upon making a dividend of the fines amongst the fellows, a course and method that had not been practised till about this time, when they were alarmed with danger.

ΤΟ

To return back from this unfortunate business; the master, as he had been fortunate in his election, so he was no less successful upon his first entering upon his preferment; the same year that he was chose, in March following, the prince of Wales and the prince elector 15 palatine with a numerous train of nobility etc. came to Cambridge'. A public act was kept before them, wherein Mr Williams (formerly the master's pupil) being concerned, he came down upon that great occasion, and being an active man and already in the eye of the court, part 20 of the stream of its favours were turned upon his college.

3

A very particular account of their entertainment is yet extant upon the books, furnished out with great magnificence in the master's gallery, the trumpets sounding upon the tower, and verses being composed and presented 25 upon the occasion; and it was then that the king's and queen's pictures were sent down that have since hung in the gallery. The earl of Southampton (who had formerly been a worthy member of the society) assisted at the solemnity, and the master being unacquainted with 30 such ceremonies, Mr Williams bore the greater share, wherein he found his account. The master was rewarded with the degree of doctor of divinity' conferred upon him at that act without the uneasiness of performing exercise, which we may suppose to have been no unacceptable 35 favour, being without trouble and at the college expense.

Two years after his majesty honoured the university with his presence, March 1614-5, and was so well satisfied with his entertainment that he came again the May 2 Life of Bp. Williams. [i. 24 seq.] • Regr. acad.

1 Regr. acad.

* Amounting in all to £131. 68. 2d.

following. He too was entertained by the college', for
which £500 is placed to account, besides their propor-
tion to the public charge. At his departure degrees were
vilely prostituted to mean persons, such as apothecaries and
barbers, and that in so scandalous a manner that some 5
of them were afterwards degraded by a grace of the house2;
though, to soften the matter, it was pretended that some
of these degrees were surreptitiously obtained. Dr Harsnet
master of Pembroke and bishop of Chichester was then
vice-chancellor, who received all the marks of his majesty's 10
bounty and favour; that any great notice was taken of
Dr Gwyn, I have not read: but he made his court so
well to the vice-chancellor that he was employed by him
in his absence, wherein he acquitted himself to that ad-
vantage, that he was chosen vice-chancellor the year after. 15
That year is not very memorable in our annals; that
he made a true and legal computus I am well assured,
a business he was sufficiently qualified for, having been
bursar of the college four years successively; he paid the
moneys that were due upon account, and so was dis- 20
charged.

3

An affair indeed of great weight and consequence was started under his' vice-chancellorship, which, though it was dashed in the following year, yet was the subject of discourse and made a noise long after. The town of Cam- 25 bridge having an ambition to be dignified with the title. and privileges of a city, preferred a petition to his majesty to that purpose 1616. This being no where preserved, I shall give the contents of it as a curiosity worth remark. It sets forth: That whereas they were a very ancient cor- 30 poration and held the town in fee farm of his majesty with divers franchises, liberties and jurisdictions granted by his majesty and divers of his noble progenitors, and whereas in ancient time Cambridge was one of the twenty-eight principal cities in England, and lately had been exceedingly 35 graced by his highness' access thereunto; that it might please his majesty, for more dignifying the university and

1 Computus fin.

2 Regr. acad.

3 Comp. acad. an. 1616: Quam

summam solvit in manus procancel-
larii et sic quietus est.

Octob. 1616, ex archivis.

་

the corporation or town, that the university and town of Cambridge might be ranked and settled in equal degree with the university of Oxford and the city of Oxford, and that the town might be incorporated to be a city, by the 5 name of the mayor, aldermen and citizens of the city of Cambridge, with such officers, privileges, jurisdictions, etc. as the chancellor of England then high steward of the town and the lord treasurer of England then chancellor of the university and the attorney-general should think meet; 10 saving to the university of Cambridge all their liberties, jurisdictions, pre-eminences and immunities whatsoever; and the petitioners should be bound to pray.

This was first offered to the chancellor of Cambridge', and by him to the university for their approbation or dis15 sent, and though it might not deserve success, yet did not merit such a slurring answer as was sent by his majesty in his letter to the university, whereby the poor townsmen were made a song and scorn, and wanting moneys more than honour, the jest upon them was next commencement: O cives, cives, quærenda pecunia primum est, Moenia post nummos.

20

But this mortification was given them under the next vicechancellor, Dr Hills.

As to Dr Gwyn, he does not appear much afterwards 25 in public business; only when the duke of Buckingham appeared for chancellor, having received intimation from court from bishop Neile3 (formerly a member of the society), he shewed himself very zealous for the duke's interest, for which he received his grace's particular thanks', and might 30 reasonably have had some further expectations, had that great minister lived long enough to reward his friends.

35

But these expectations, if any such were, sunk with the duke, and whether he had not taken equal care to oblige his successor I do not know; but the earl of Holland was not his friend, as we have seen already. The good old bishop of Ely was now likewise dead, and another man

1 See the Earl of Suffolk the chancellor's letter, dat. Oct. 12 an. 1616, inter archiva.

2 Dat. 4to cal. Mar. an. 1616; in

libro procurat.

3 [See Neile's letter in 'Notes and Queries', 2nd Ser. viii. 287.]

4 Lit. inter archiva.

of greater activity and of a warmer temper sat in his place: from him the master received a threatening letter1, admonishing him of the disorders and irregularities that had been too long connived at; and though he had no reason to apprehend any danger from a visitor whilst he was in per- 5 fect good understanding with his seniors, yet that letter being backed from court, there was no defence to be made against two such powers if they should fall upon him at the same time. Whether that letter (or there might be more of the same kind, that I have not seen) made any im- 10 pression upon his mind or broke his heart I must not pretend to determine, but he died the year after, not much lamented, unless by those that were involved in the same guilt: he was buried in the chapel June 20th an. 1633. That I suppose must be understood of the solemnity, for, 15 his will is dated June 3, and proved June 8th the same

year.

His character may be taken from what has been said; as to his preferments they were not many: he was archdeacon of Huntington*, a preferment that was in the 20 patronage of his pupil bishop Williams as bishop of Lincoln. He had the offer of the archdeaconry of Shrewsbury soon after his accession to the mastership from Dr Neile bishop of Coventry and Lichfield; I never meet with him. under that title, possibly he might refuse it upon the same 25 reason that Dr Carey master of Christ's had before resigned it, that it was hardly worth the keeping and that the official went away with most of the profits. He must have been rector of Luffenham; for Mr Abr. Johnson, in a letter' concerning his father archdeacon Johnson's founda- 30

1 Dat. Jun. 20, 1632, inter archiva coll.

2 Regr. eccl. Omn. Sanct. 3 Regr. testam.

4 He was likewise prebendary of Buckden in the church of Lincoln, to which he was presented by the king, installed April 26, 1623, and had the honour to succeed Dr William Laud. He was instituted to the rectory of Honington, dioc. Norv. 10 April, 1600.

5 Bp. Neile's letter, dat. Nov. 29, 1613, inter archiva.

6 Liter. ibid.

7 Dat. Oct. 3, 1630. South Luffenham is or was in the gift of the Burghley family, to which he was presented about the year 1611. He was chaplain and kinsman to R. Vaughan bishop of London, who died before he had preferred him, and was tutor to that bishop's son in college. Ex archivis. That bi

tion, dated from South Luffenham, styles himself his loving parishioner, and by his will he leaves £5 to the poor of Luftenham in the county of Rutland.

It might have been expected that a man, that left no 5 monuments of his learning, should have left greater monuments of his charity, but therein he has equalled his predecessor, having done nothing of that kind either in moneys or books'. He has indeed by will left the college a piece of plate valued at £30. (given him by the earl of North10 umberland a late member of the house) afterwards sent to the king, and bestowed another piece of plate valued at £6. 13s. 4d., which Mr Holland" gave unto the college. He left legacies to his two nephews William and Henry Bodurda, both of them fellows of the house, and rings and 15 legacies amongst the seniors. But he constituted his ser

vant Gr. Gwin his sole executor, who went off with all. that was undisposed of, and has not left a monument to his

master.

He has besides left a vast heap of letters to the treasury, 20 larger than all those of his predecessors, which have been of some use to me in writing his history, but if these were intended for the treasury, whatever memorials they may be to the college, they are not over advantageous to his own memory. He might perhaps think that bishop Williams 25 had done enough, whose benefactions to the house fell within his time: that prelate's bounty ought never to be forgot; the library will be his lasting monument, and the livings he bestowed were a considerable benefaction; his fellowships and scholarships might be equally well intended, 30 but being settled upon deficient funds, they could not (as they were for some time) be always maintained at the college charge, and therefore his fellowships are very justly sunk, for whoever know anything of the estate allotted to

shop gave him the vicarage of East Ham, Essex.

1 Except a Welsh bible, which coming in after his death, I suppose was given by his executor.

2 This clause of the will I do not well understand; but Mr W. Holland left the college £5. 138. 4d.

3

Probably Dr Gwyn added 208. in a piece of plate and made it their common gift.

3 Ravely Parv. com. Hunt., with about £7 per annum addition. How the estate of Ravely sunk so low may be worth inquiry; for sir Miles Sandys, of whom it was purchased,