his proctors or attorneys, to enter and take seisin and possession of the house, and being seized, to deliver full, plenary and peaceable possession thereof to the foundress'

executors.

By virtue of this grant on the 20th day of January the 5 same year (as it is entered in the college register1) full and peaceable possession of the house, etc. was delivered by Richard Henrison, the bishop's commissary, no man contradicting, to Henry Hornby S.T.P. one of the executors, in the name and stead of the rest, in the presence of William 10 Woderove S.T.P. master of Clare hall and deputy vicechancellor, William Burgoign S.T.P., John Fotehede S.T.B. master of Michaelhouse, Oliver Scalis public notary, and many other students of the university and burgesses of the

town.

15

And so the old house, after much solicitation and much delay, after a long and tedious process at Rome, at court and at Ely, under an imperious pope, a forbidding prince, and a mercenary prelate, with great application, industry and pains, and with equal expense, was at last dissolved 20 and utterly extinguished on the 20th day of January an. 1510, and falls a lasting monument to all future ages and to all charitable and religious foundations, not to neglect the rules or abuse the institutions of their founders, lest they fall under the same fate.

25

Though all this was transacted and carried on in the name of the executors, yet it ought never to be forgot that the bishop of Rochester, bishop Fisher, was the sole or principal agent. The men of quality amongst the executors, as they had little concern for foundations of learning, so I scarce meet with any footsteps of their agency herein. Bishop Fox, who had a great interest in the last reign, begun to decline in this, and besides he begun now to have designs of his own, and to turn his thoughts towards Oxford and his foundation there. The two other executors of the clergy, 35 Dr Hornby and Mr Hugh Ashton, as they had a true zeal for the design, so they wanted power, and though they were very useful instruments, yet what they did was chiefly in subordination to bishop Fisher. Almost the whole weight

1 Inter archiva.

of this affair leaned upon this good bishop, whose interest was yet good, deservedly esteemed at Rome, valued by the king and reverenced by all good men.

He was never guilty of assuming more to himself than 5 was justly his due, and yet he has left such an account1 of his agency herein upon the college registers, as whoever reads must needs be convinced that as this design was first projected and undertaken by his advice, so the execution of it was wholly owing to his activity and endeavours; 10 and therefore, though I have not always named him, yet in whatever I have said or shall say hereafter I desire he may be always understood.

The house being thus dissolved, the next thing the executors were to think of was to set about their new 15 foundation, which having the king's licence, the pope's bulls and the consent of the bishop of Ely, they were empowered to do by a full authority. Somewhat they were now sure of, and we have a college now in view, but as yet a very poor one; for the revenues of the old house were 20 small, according to an authentic account amounting only to £80. 1s. 10d. per annum, or according to another more accurate account to £80. 1s. 10d. ob. And it is pretty plain from the king's licence of mortmain, he did not intend the foundation should be over large, it being there25 by limited to £50 per annum, besides the revenues of the old house.

It is true the foundress had done her part, having left the issues, profits and revenues of her estate and lands, to the value of £400 per annum and upward, to that purpose 30 and for the uses of her will; but sure the king, when he granted such a mortmain, did not intend the executors should enjoy them long. However, being unwilling to understand his meaning, or being willing to push things as far as they would go, or presaging already the future 35 growth of the college, though from unhopeful beginnings, they went on with good assurance, and having cleared the debts of the old house according to the direction of the foundress in her will, as well as the rubbish of the old buildings, which in great part were very ruinous, they pro

1 Regr. coll. Liber rub.

2 Codicil to her will.

ceeded to the foundation both of the fabric and body politic of the college.

The charter' of the foundation was given April the 9th an. 15f1, in the name and by the authority of all the executors, viz. Richard bishop of Winchester, John bishop 5 of Rochester, Charles Somerset lord Herbert, Thomas Lovell, Henry Marney and John St John knights, and Henry Hornby and Hugh Ashton clerks; whereby (the desolate state of the old house first premised) is set forth the grant or consent of the king, the pope and the bishop 10 and convent of Ely, together with the intention of the foundress for dissolving the house and annexing it to the college to be erected. By virtue of which grants they being lawfully seized and possessed of the lands etc. of the house, did convert the said house with the possessions thereof into 15 a college, and did thereby erect, ordain and establish a perpetual college unius magistri, sociorum et scholarium ad numerum quinquaginta secularium personarum vel circa, in scientiis liberalibus et sacra theologia studentium et oraturorum: and ordain that the college so erected should 20 be styled and called St John's college for ever, should be a body corporate, should have a common seal, might plead and be impleaded, and purchase or receive lands etc. by the same name. And they appoint and constitute Robert Shorton first master, and James Spooner, John West and Thomas Barker, nominated by the bishop of Ely and taken and elected by them, to be fellows and scholars of the said college and that they [the executors] or the surviver of them might ordain and constitute other scholars to the number abovesaid, or if that number were not completed during their lives, the master and fellows or major part of them might fill up that number; and they give and ordain statutes for the government of the college, some part whereof is there recited. The charter is dated April the 9th 1511, and the seals of all the executors are affixed to the 35 charter on pendent labels.

In all this charter, and it is a very long one, there is no mention made of the large revenues left by the foundress for the uses of her will; but the king's licence of mortmain

1 Inter archiva collegii,

25

30

is there recited, whereby the college is limited to £50 per annum, besides the lands and revenues of the house. The executors might be censured for having settled a foundation of fifty fellows and scholars without any sure prospect of 5 maintenance for half that number: but they were certainly wise, as well as true to the trust and confidence that was reposed in them, in doing their part by pursuing the foundress' intention, the rest was to be left to providence and the bounty of the king. Had they gone lower, they 10 might have pleased the king better, but he never would have been prevailed with to have advanced the number by augmenting the foundation: but having placed it upon its true bottom and at its just height, he was bound in honour to make good his grandmother's foundation, either out of 15 her revenues which he begun to look upon as his own, or by compensating that loss or failure some other way.

The fabric of the college was undertaken about the same time, which was made equal to the design and capacious enough to receive the number intended, and was another 20 trial upon the king or invitation to him to make it good. The first payment towards it was made at Christmas in the second year of Henry the Eighth, (though it could not well be begun till the spring following, which falls in with the date of the foundation), and the last payment 25 towards it was made in the seventh year of the same king.

The chapel I suppose was first undertaken, both with regard to the sacred use and religion of the thing, and because the rest of the building was to adjoin upon it. That 30 was leaded, the stalls finished and the vestry built in the fifth year of that reign. For that it was the old chapel is surely a great mistake', nor can there be any reason for it that I know of, unless some old marbles and brazen monuments which seem to be older than the present chapel. 35 But wherever the old chapel was situated, these stones

1 Upon further enquiry, only the antechapel with the chambers above it seem to have been new built; the rest old; and yet the lead, stalls, glass, vestry, etc. were all certainly new. That old chapel now converted

into chambers, at the north-east corner of the present chapel, was St John Baptist's, whereof mention is made both in Bishop Alcock's register and Caius. I have not room to shew my reasons.

would be removed upon the building of the new one. And whoever considers the state of the old house will hardly imagine that such a chapel was intended for a master and four or five brethren, for they were usually no more. The expense and charge of the whole building shews that the 5 chapel is to be taken into account, for it amounted in all (some deductions made for other uses) to betwixt four and five thousand pounds (a round sum in that age). For so much was paid by the executors towards the building to Robert Shorton' master of the college, and so much was 10 paid by him to Oliver Scalis2 clerk of the works at several payments, as appears by their several accounts.

This Robert Shorton was a man of business as well as learning, and indeed a very extraordinary person and afterwards deservedly advanced to wealthy preferments. For 15 his mastership here was not considerable, only £20 per annum3, which he earned very dearly. It was under his care and conduct that the building rose and the college revenues were advanced and improved, and it is very strange that a man who built the college should be so 20 much forgot, or placed after another master who was no way concerned in its affairs till the buildings were finished.

Indeed the structure of the house and management of its revenues was his only province; and we are not to 25 imagine, as some have dreamt, that there was any settled society or school of learning under this period, whilst the building was going up and whilst the noise of axes and hammers banished more peaceable studies. During this period there were only four or five fellows maintained by 30 the college (and no scholars) Spooner, Edmund, West and Greynwode, for Barker went off the second year; and these as they were lodged abroad and had pensions allowed them for their chambers, so they kept up no exercise or discipline in the college, nor were further obliged than to attend 35

1 Computus Roberti Shorton.

* Computus Oliveri Scalis.

* Comput. coll.

4 Computus Rob. Shorton mri. coll.

5 Barker had the chantry at St Sepulchre's church, and West said mass in the old chapel for some months, whilst it stood, an. 2do H. 8vi