tended it only as a Seminary for the Monks of the Priory or Cathedral Church of St. Swithin at Winchefter, and obtained a Charter for that end; but altered his mind by the perfuafion of Hugh Oldham, Bishop of Exeter, who engaged to be a Benefactor to the House, on condition that he would convert it into a College for the ufe of fecular Students, after the manner of other Colleges in the Univerfity. Whereupon Bishop Fox caufed the first charter to be cancelled, and obtained another, whereby he was permitted to found a College for the ftudy of Divinity, Philofophy, and other liberal Arts.

The ftatutes for the government of this Society ordain, that the Fellows fhould be elected out of the Scholars, who are to be chofen from the counties or diocefes following, viz. two Surrey, three Hampfhire, one Durham, two Bath and Wells, two Exeter, two county of Lincoln, two Gloucefterfhire, one Wiltshire, or (in defect of a Candidate) the diocese of Sarum, one county of Bedford, two county of Kent, one county of Oxford, one Lancashire.

Among the Benefactors was Hugh Oldham, Chaplain to Margaret Countess of Richmond, and afterwards Bishop of Exeter, who gave several estates for the endowment of it.

William Froft, Steward to the Founder; John Claymond, the first Prefident of this College; and Robert Morwent, fecond Prefident, gave to the College feveral portions of lands,

The prefent members of this Society are, a Prefi dent, twenty Fellows, two Chaplains, twenty Scholars, four Exhibitioners, and fix Gentlemen Com

moners.

Vifitor. The Bishop of Winchefter.

MERTON

M

MERTON COLLEGE.

ERTON College is fituated eaft of CorpusChrifti, from which it is feparated by a small grove of elms, and confifts of three courts. The largeft, or inner court, is 110 feet long, and 100 broad, and was erected in 1610, from whofe apartments on the fouth there is a pleafant profpect over the Meadows. The Terrace in the Gardens, formed on the City Wall, is no less well fituated for a profpect. The Gardens, by their pleasing variety, are generally much reforted to in fummer.

The Chapel, at the weft end of the first court, is likewife the Parish Church of St. John Baptift de Merton. It is one of the largest and beft proportioned Gothic ftructures in the Univerfity, 100 feet in length and 30 in breadth, and has a very capacious Tower and Ante-chapel. But large as it is at present, it has been thought from its whole appearance, and from the form and manner of the arches clofed up in the wall of the weft end, on each hand of the great window, to have been built with a view to a farther addition of a nave and fide-aifles, the prefent building being no more than the choir and cross-aifle. Such a defign was more easy to be imagined than executed, and, after all, most likely reached no farther than the carrying on the building, as far as it went, in the cathedral manner.

In the Chapel are the monuments of Sir Thomas Bodley, Sir Henry Saville, Bishop Earle, and fome others. In the Ante-chapel, by the north door, is that of Mr. Anthony, Wood, the famous Antiquary. And near the entrance into the Chapel is a very neat, though small one, for the late Warden, Dr. Wyntle.

In the Hall, to which we afcend by a flight of fteps, is a well-imagined Picture, by the late Dr. Wall, reprefenting the Expulfion of idle Monks to make room for the liberal education of youth, defigned by the Founder,

The Library is in the fmall old quadrangle, fouth of the Chapel, and is well furnifhed with ancient and modern books, and fome manufcripts.

This Society, confifting of a Warden and about the fame number of Scholars or Fellows as at prefent, was firft placed at Maldon in Surrey (but with a provifion for the abode and refidence of the chief part of them here in Oxford) anno 1264, the 48th year of King Henry the Third, by Walter de Merton, fometime Lord Chancellor of England. The inftrument of endowment, with the ftatutes under the broad feal, the Founder's, the Bishop of the Diocefe's, and that of his Chapter, are at this time in the College Treafury, and deemed to be the first charter of the kind in Europe. The ftatutes were finally established under the broad feal and his own, anno 1274, the fecond of the reign of King Edward the Firft.

Such was the criginal of this ancient Society, by thefe charters, above five hundred years fince, incorporated, and endowed with almost all the lands they at this time poffefs, and provided with the fame ftatutes by which, without any alteration or addition, they are now governed.

Thefe, by the recourfe had to them, were of much ufe to the after-foundations, both here and in Cambridge. And with so much prudence was this College founded, that King Edward the Firft recommended it to Hugh de Balfam, Bishop of Ely, as a model for his intended munificence in Cambridge, according to which Peter-House, the first College, was after

wards

wards erected in that Univerfity. And farther, it is faid of the Founder of Merton College, that though in reality he was the Founder of only one, by example he was the Founder of all other colleges.

The Poft-mafters in this houfe are of a diftinct and different foundation, which took place about an hundred years after the other. The number, and their revenues, have been fince increafed by feveral benefactors.

Befides the Poft-mafters, there are now four other Scholars of the foundation of Mr. Henry Jackson, late of this College, which commenced in 1753.

In the election of a Warden, the Fellows choose three perfons whom they prefent to their Vifitor, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who appoints one of

them.

The prefent members are, a Warden, twenty-four Fellows, fourteen Poft-masters, Mr. Jackfon's four Scholars, two Chaplains, and two Clerks: the whole number of Students of all forts being about 120..

Vifitor. The Archbishop of Canterbury.

THE

CHRIST CHURCH.

HIS Church and College merits the particular obfervation of strangers. It consists of four courts or squares, viz.-1. The great Quadrangle ; 2. Peckwater Square; 3. Canterbury Court; 4. The Chaplain's Court, and fome other Buildings..

The stately weft front of the great Quadrangle is a magnificent Gothic building, 382 feet in length, terminated at each end with two correfponding Turrets. The great Gate is in the middle of this front, and over it a beautiful Tower enriched with Gothic ornaments, defigned by Sir Chriftopher Wren,

D 4

erected:

erected by Dr. Fell, and perfectly correfponding to the tafte of the rest of the buildings. In this Tower hangs the great Bell called Tom, on the found of which the Scholars of the University are to retire to their refpective colleges. The greatnefs of the proportions in the front, and the magnificence of the whole, raise the admiration of every fpectator, and help him to form an idea of the great mind of Cardinal WOLSEY. In this Quadrangle are the Statues of Queen Anne, Cardinal Wolfey and Bifhop Fell; that of the Cardinal, in the fouth-east corner, is justly admired as an excellent piece of workmanship.

The great Quadrangle is 264 by 261 feet in the clear. The Hall takes up more than half the fouth fide; we afcend to it by a fpacious and ftately ftaircafe of ftone, covered by a beautiful roof, and fupported by a small fingle pillar of fine proportion. This building is confiderably elevated, and the whole finished with a baluftrade of ftone. The fouth, eaft, and part of the weft fides, with the magnificent Kitchen to the fouth of the Hall, were erected by the Cardinal. The eaft and north fides of this Quadrangle are taken up with the Dean's and four of the Canons Lodgings.

In the year 1638, the north fide of the grand Quadrangle was begun. On the Restoration, this part of the building was refumed, by the direction and encouragement of Dr. Fell, then Dean of the Col-lege; and finished anno 1665, when the fpacious Terrace-walk was made, with the Bafon, Fountain, and Statue of Mercury in the centre.

The Hall is by far the most magnificent Room of the kind in Oxford, and perhaps one of the largest in the kingdom. The roof is framed of timber, curioufly wrought, and fo contrived as to produce a very grand and noble effect. There are near 300 com

partments