the year 1613, proceeded to arrange for the nomination and election of the burgesses to represent the University in parliament, by a daring interpretation of the following 40th chapter of the University Statutes :

"The nomination and election of the lecturers, the bedells, stationers, gaugers, wine-sellers, and the other servants or officers of the University whatsoever, concerning whom provision is not elsewhere made by us, shall follow the method and form prescribed for the election of the ViceChancellor; and they shall take place within fourteen days after a vacancy, unless it be otherwise provided by our statutes, or by the foundation. Those nominations and elections which shall have taken place otherwise shall be absolutely null and void."

By referring to the interpretations of Statutes, given by Mr. Dyer, in the "Privileges of the University of Cambridge," it will be seen, that the Heads of Colleges interpreted the preceding statute, respecting servants or officers, after mature deliberation, so as to include the nomination and election of burgesses to represent the University in parliament, and determined that all nominations and elections of burgesses should be conducted according to the form of the election of the ViceChancellor, within fourteen days after the writ had been sent to the Vice-Chancellor.

To enter fully into the exclusive spirit of this interpretation, it is necessary to state, that the nomination of the candidates for the office of Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge rests altogether with the majority of the Heads of Colleges; so that the Heads of Colleges, in fact, determined that they should themselves possess the nomination of the candidates, for the representation of the interests of the University and the Colleges, in Parliament.

In the 34th chapter of the University Statutes of the 12th Queen Elizabeth, it is ordained, that the office of the ViceChancellor shall be vacant on the 3rd of November in each year; and that a meeting of the Heads of Colleges shall be held on the same day, when the nomination of the Vice-Chancellor, for the ensuing year, shall be conducted in the following

manner :

"The senior in rank first, (among the Heads of Colleges,) and then the other Heads of Colleges, in their order, shall respectively nominate one person for the office of Vice-Chancellor; and from the number of persons so nominated, the Heads of Colleges shall select two by their marks; one of whom, and no other, shall be elected into the office of Vice-Chancellor. But if, in selecting these two, or one of them, as aforesaid, it cannot be ascertained, in three scrutinies, which has the

majority of the heads in his favour, (not taking account of the whole number, but of the majority,) then that one of those persons who have an equal number of votes, in the choice of whom the Regius Professor of Divinity shall have concurred, shall be named; and of these two persons thus selected, the senior of the Heads of Colleges in rank shall, on the same day, give notice to the senior proctor to publish to the regents and non-regents before the election."

It was further ordered in the 34th statute, that the election of the Vice-Chancellor should not take place until twenty-four hours had elapsed after the vacancy of the office; and that the choice of the members of the Senate should be limited to the election of one of those two persons whom the Heads of Houses had already nominated. The election of the Vice-Chancellor, from the candidates thus nominated, was to be decided by the majority of the votes of the members of the Senate, who were divided, according to the ancient custom, into the two houses of the senior members, and the Junior Masters of Arts, termed Non-Regents, and Regents.

At the present day, the system of nomination, by the Heads of Houses, still prevails in the election of the Vice-Chancellor, but not in the election of the burgesses, to represent the University of Cambridge in parliament; and the nomination and election of the members of parliament are now conducted by members of the Senate, independent of the ancient interpretation of the Heads of Houses.

The restriction, which is however still continued on the electors, consists in the obligation, that they must previously take the degree of Master of Arts, or some superior degree, when they are required to sign the following articles of the 36th canon of the Church of England; and they cannot vote in the election of the members of parliament for the University until they have signed these articles :

"1. That the king's majesty, under God, is the only supreme governor of this realm, and all other his highness's dominions and countries, as well in spiritual or ecclesiastical things or causes as temporal; and that no foreign prince, person, prelate, state, or potentate, hath, or ought to have, any jurisdiction, power, superiority, pre-eminence, or authority, ecclesiastical or spiritual, within his majesty's said realms, domi. nions, and countries.

"2. That the book of common prayer, and of ordering of bishops, priests, and deacons, containeth in it nothing contrary to the word of God, and that it may lawfully be used; and that he himself will use the form in the said book prescribed, in public prayer and administration of the sacraments, and no other.

"3. That he alloweth the book of articles of religion, agreed upon

by the archbishops and bishops of both provinces, and the whole clergy in the convocation, holden at London in the year 1562; and that he acknowledgeth all and every the articles therein contained, being in number thirty-nine, besides the ratification, to be agreeable to the word of God.

“We, whose names are underwritten, do willingly and ex animo subscribe to the three articles before mentioned, and to all things in them contained."

King James the First sent his Royal directions, in the year 1616, to the Vice-Chancellor, and Heads of Houses of the University of Cambridge, to enforce the subscription of these three articles on all who take any degree in the Schools of the University, about three years after the interpretation of the Heads of Houses was arranged for the nomination and election of the members of parliament for the University.

In the year 1772, a slight modification of the words of the subscription required on graduation was granted, by the Senate of the University of Cambridge, in favour of those persons who were going to take the degree of Bachelor of Arts; for this degree, the subscription required was limited to the following declaration:

“I, A. B., do declare that I am bona fide a member of the Church of England, as by law established.”

In 1779, a similar modification was allowed for persons about to take the degrees of bachelor of civil law, bachelor of medicine, bachelor of music, and doctor of music.

In the year 1833, Professor Pryme tried the experiment of proposing two alterations, for the consideration of a congregation of the Senate of the University of Cambridge.

"At a congregation held on the 4th of December, 1833, in Cambridge, two graces were brought forward by Professor Pryme: one to appoint a Syndicate or Committee, to consider the propriety of discontinuing the subscription to the three articles of the 36th canon at the time of taking the degree of M.A., &c., or to substitute some other subscription in its stead; the other, to consider the propriety of discontinuing the subscription, that the individual is bond fide a member of the Church of England at the time of taking the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and to inquire whether some other form of subscription might not be substituted in its stead. Both these graces were rejected by the Caput."*

It should here be observed, that any member of the Senate of the University of Cambridge has a right to present any proposition or Grace to the consideration of the Senate; but, pre

* Quarterly Journal of Education, vol. vii. p. 181. C. Knight, London.

viously to its being voted upon in the Senate, it is to be read and approved by the Council or Caput ; and each member of the Caput possesses an absolute negative voice* on every grace or proposition.

This despotic Caput is usually nominated by the Vice-Chancellor of the University: and as all the candidates for the office of Vice-Chancellor are nominated by the majority of the Heads of Houses, every member of the Caput probably expresses sentiments in accordance with the opinions of the majority of the Heads of Houses.

The following account of the election of the Caput is given in the introduction to the Cambridge University Calendar for

1838:

"The Caput consists of the Vice-Chancellor, a Doctor in each of the faculties, Divinity, Civil Law, and Physic, and two Masters of Arts, who are the representatives of the Regent and Non-Regent houses. The Vice-Chancellor is a member of the Caput, by virtue of his office. The election of the other members of this Council is effected in the following manner :-The Vice-Chancellor and the two Proctors severally nominate five persons, properly qualified for the trust; and out of the fifteen, the Heads of Colleges, Doctors, and Scrutators, choose five. In general, the Vice-Chancellor's list is honoured with the appointment."

But the exclusion of dissenters from the privileges of graduation in the University of Cambridge has been not merely supported by the majority of the Heads of Houses, or by the Caput; it is highly probable that a large majority of the members of the Senate of the University consider that maintenance of their own exclusiveness far more important than the advancement of the interests of science.

In the year 1832, Mr. Lubbock, a gentleman distinguished for his scientific attainments, was requested to come forward as a candidate for the representation of the University of Cambridge in Parliament, and was supported by the liberal interest in the Senate.

Mr. Lubbock retired from his position, as a candidate, without proceeding to the poll; and, on his retirement, he addressed the following letter to the members of the Senate of the University of Cambridge:—

Having ascertained, as well as a short and hurried canvass would permit, the degree of support on which I might fairly calculate at the approaching election, I feel that I should not be justified in exposing the members of the Senate to the inconvenience of proceeding to the poll.

*Cambridge University Calendar for the year 1838, p. 3.

"The zeal shown by my friends in the cause which I was called forward to advocate, renders it particularly incumbent on me to release them from their exertions when success appears improbable. The very short time which has elapsed since I commenced my canvass has not enabled me sooner to arrive at this conclusion. When I found that the contest was taken up by my opponents on political grounds, without reference to any other consideration, I felt that I had not pretensions which could enable me to sustain effectually the cause of my friends.

Although unsuccessful, I retire from the present contest with the most grateful recollections of the support I have received. I experience the utmost gratification in having been invited to offer myself upon a principle, the importance of which, to the interests of the University, will be generally recognized at no distant period, and which must ultimately prevail.

"I have the honour to be,

"Gentlemen,

"Your most obedient humble servant, "J. W. LUBBOCK."

At a more recent period, in the year 1834, the attention of the legislature was directed to the exclusive degrees of the University of Cambridge, by a petition, signed by sixty-two resident members of the Senate of the University of Cambridge, suggesting "the expediency of abrogating, by legislative enactment, every religious test, exacted from members of the University, before they proceed to degrees, whether of Bachelor, Master, or Doctor in Arts, Law, or Physic."

This petition was presented to the House of Lords by Earl Grey, and to the House of Commons by Mr. Spring Rice, M.P. for the town of Cambridge. It was soon followed by a protest from another part of the resident members of the Senate, and a counter-petition, which were signed by two hundred and fifty-eight members of the Senate, many of whom were residents, and others were not resident, in the University. These petitions and the protest have been recently published by Dr. Lamb.

In the protest, the opponents to the petition, for the proposed removal of religious tests, declare, that they "are convinced that, in the event of the prayer of that petition being granted, it would be impossible to maintain in the several colleges any uniform system of sound religious instruction, or of wholesome discipline, or to prevent the introduction and diffusion of principles tending to the subversion of the church established in these realms."

The petition, which was subjoined to this protest, and which was intended to counteract the effect of the liberal petition, concludes with the following address:—