This College confifts of a Prefident, 12 Fellows, and 12 Scholars. Thefe, with the other Members, Gentlemen Commoners, Commoners,&c. amount to above 60. Vifitor. The Bishop of Winchester.

BALLIOL

BAL

COLLEGE.

ALLIOL College is fituated to the Weft of Trinity, and confifts chiefly of one Court, which we enter by a Gothic Gate. The Buildings about this Court are ancient, except the East End, which is finished in the Manner in which the reft of that Quadrangle may be built.

The Chapel ftands at the North-eaft Angle of the great Court. The great Eaft Window, which is well executed, represents the Paffion, Refurrection, and Afcenfion of Chrift. The Hall is at the West End of the fame Court. In the Mafter's Lodgings are fome good Rooms, particularly a fpacious Hall, having a well preferved ancient Window to the Eaft. Their Library is well furnished with a very large Collection. of useful Books, and many ancient Manuscripts.

Over the Gate of the College are the Arms of the Balliol Family

And on the Outfide, over against the Mafter's Lodg ings, was a Stone placed in Memory of thofe learned and pious Prelates, Archbishop Cranmer, Bishop Ridley, and Bishop Latimer, who were burnt at that Place for their Adherence to the Reformation; which has not been visible since the City has been paved in its prefent Form.

Befides this Court, there is an Area to the Northweft, confifting of feveral detached Lodgings for the Students; and an elegant new Building, rather refembling a modern Dwelling-house, with a beautiful Front to the Street, erected at the Expense of Mr. Fisher,

late

late Fellow of this Society, in which are several handfome Apartments. This Infcription is on the North Side, by Defire of the Founder: VERBUM NON AMPLIUS FISHER.

Sir John Balliol, of Bernard Castle in Yorkshire, Father of John Balliol, King of Scotland, first designed the Foundation of this College for the Education of Scholars, to whom he gave yearly Exhibitions; but dying before he purchased Land, he recommended the Design to his Widow Devorguilla, Daughter of Alexander III. King of Scotland, who first fettled the fe Exhibitions; and in 1284 purchased a Tenement for her Scholars of Balliol, and conveyed it to the Masters and Scholars of this House for ever for their Habitation, having obtained a Royal Charter for that Purpofe. She afterwards added feveral new Buildings to it, and fettled Lands for the Maintenance of the Scholars, dedicating her Foundation to the Honour of the Holy Trinity, the Bleffed Virgin and St. Katherine the Martyr; which Benefactions were afterwards ratified by her Son John Balliol, King of Scotland, and Oliver Bifhop of Lincoln, in whofe Diocese Oxford then was. The Value of the Lands and Revenues, belonging to this College, did not exceed 271. 95. 4d. per Ann. at that Time; but their Eftates were foon after greatly enlarged by the Benefactions of others, particularly Sir Philip Somerville. Dr. John Warner, Bishop of Rochester, founded four Scotifh Exhibitions, endowing them with a Revenue, which has fince been augmented by John Snell, Efq.

The Members of this Society are at present a Mafter, twelve Fellows, fourteen Scholars, and eighteen Exhibitioners; the whole Number of Students amounting to about 60.

The Mafters and Fellows elect their Visitor, who at prefent is the Archbishop of York. C.5

ST. JOHN'S

ST. JOHN'S

COLLEGE

́S fituated North of Balliol and Trinity Colleges, having a Terras, with a Row of lofty

Elms before it.

The Buildings of this College chiefly confift of two farge Quadrangles. We enter the first by a handfome old Gateway with a Tower over it. It is formed by the Hall and Chapel on the North, the President's Lodgings on the East, and the Chambers of the Fellows, Scholars, and other Students, on the South anl Weft Sides. The Hall is elegant, being well proportioned, and handfomely wainscotted, with a beautiful arched Roof, a Screen of Portland Stone, and a grand variegated Marble Chimney-piece, containing a Picture of St. John the Baptift, by Titian. It is likewife adorned with many other Pictures; viz. at the upper End, by a whole length Portrait of the Founder; on his Right-hand Archbishop Laud, and on his Left Archbishop Juxon. On the North and South Sides of the Room are thofe of Bishop Mew, Bifhop Buckridge, Sir William Paddy, and other eminent Men who have been Members of, and Benefactors to, this Society.

The Chapel, which is adjoining to the Hall, is in all refpects neat and commodious. It is divided from the Ante-Chapel by a new elegant Screen, over which has been erected a very complete new Organ. It has now an Elegance which refults from feveral high finifhed, yet fimple Ornaments. In particular the Stand on which the Bible is placed is adorned with Masterly Carving. The Altar is of the Corinthian Order, and very properly adapted. Over the Communion Table is a fine Piece of Tapestry, reprefenting our Saviour with the two Difciples at Emmaus, copied from a Painting of Titian. The Dog farling at the Cat under the Table, cannot be overlooked. Nor will the curious obferver be at much Lofs, by the ftriking Likeneffes in

the

the four Figures, in discovering they are the then Pope, Kings of France and Spain, and Titian, in the Characters of our Saviour, his Difciples, and Servant. On the North Side of the Choir, in a Marble Urn, inclosed in a Silver Veffel, is the Heart of Dr. Richard Rawlin fon. In this Chapel Cathedral Service is performed twice a Day, at Eleven and Five.

Through a Paffage on the East Side of the first Quadrangle we enter the fecond; on the Eaft and Weft Sides whereof are handsome Piazzas in the Grecian Tafte, each Column confifting of one fingle bluish Stone, dug from a Part of the College Estate near Fifield in Berkshire. In the Center of each Piazza is a magnificent Gateway, confifting principally of two Orders. 1. The Doric, which forms the Gateway itself, agreeable to that of the Piazzas. 2. The Ionic, which fupports a femicircular Pediment. Between four of thefe Columns, viz. two on each Side, in a Niche, is a Brass Statue; that on the Eaft of King Charles I. and that on the West of his Queen, caft by Fanelli of Florence. That neither of the Greek orders might be wanting, the 3d, viz. the Corinthian, is very artfully introduced in the Conftruction of the Niche. The whole is richly embellished, and is the Defign of that celebrated Architect Inigo Jones.

The Library includes the upper Story of the South and East Sides. The South Side is well ftored with printed Books in all Faculties, regularly difpofed. The Eaft with a moft valuable Collection of Manuscripts: in which the Book cafes adhering to the Sides, form a. fpacious Gallery. Here are fome valuable Curiofities, viz. the Picture of King Charles I. which has the whole Book of Pfalms written in the Lines of the Face and on the Hairs of the Head: A very beautiful and fingular Picture of St. John,ftain'd in a Composition, which has the Appearance of Polished Marble: Some curious Miffals. A Chinese Dictionary; and on the Eaft Win

C 6

dow

dow in elegant painted Glass are the Arms of the Founder, the Company of Merchant Taylors, and feveral other Benefactors to the College.

The Gardens are very extenfive, and laid out with all those Graces which arise from a fucceffion of Beauties fo difpofed as to ftrike us gradually and unexpectedly. The Celebrated Mr. Browne, by removing a few embarraffing, overgrown Chefnutrees, has fo changed the Afpect of this Garden, that few can at prefent vie with it.

This College was founded by Sir Thomas White, Alderman and Merchant-Taylor of London; who afterwards, Anno 1557, endowed it with feveral confiderable Manors, and at his Death bequeathed the Sum of 3000l. to purchase Lands to increase the Revenues of it. He originally defigned Merchant-Taylors School in London as the only Seminary for this College; but being of a more Public Spirit than to confine himself to any one Place, he allowed two Fellowships to the City of Coventry, two to Bristol, two alfo to the Town of Reading, and one to Tunbridge.

The moft confiderable Benefactors fince have been Sir William Paddy, who founded and endowed the Choir, and built that Side of the New Quadrangle, of which the Library is a Part; Archbishop Laud, who at the Expense of above 5000l. (exclusive of 400l. for the Statues of the King and Queen) added the other three Sides; Archbishop Juxon, who gave 7000l. to this College; Dr. Gibbons, who bequeathed the perpetual Advowfon of the Living of Baynton in Yorkfhire, and 1000l. to buy Books; Dr. Holmes, the late worthy Prefident, with his Lady, who gave 15000l. to augment the Salaries of the Officers, and other Uses; and Dr. Rawlinfon, who bequeathed the Reversion of an Eftate in Fee-farm Rents.

The Prefent Members are a Prefident, fifty Fellows, two Chaplains, an Organist, five Singing-men, fix

Choristers,