REFORM YOUR UNIVERSITY SYSTEM. 415 



trary to his Majesty's declaration, and contrary to all conscience and reason, could 

 dispense with his conscience in usurping an arbitrary power, to the open preju- 

 dice of many of his Majesty's subjects, in their children, to stop fifty Commencers 

 from commencing, because at twenty-four hours' warning they could not find in 

 their consciences to subscribe to the lawfulness of the Common Prayer, and the 

 book of consecration, and to the thirty-nine articles. Yet all these must the ques- 

 tionists subscribe, and be forced to do it by the arbitrary power of the Vice-Chan- 

 cellor, expressly contrary to his Majesty's declaration. What authority he hath 

 since procured for the future, and by what acts we know not; but we are sure 

 when he did this he had no such." f 



This was in the 1 3th of Charles the Second, and 44 years after the 

 ordinance of King James. In the 13th and 14th of Charles the Second, 

 the Act of Uniformity passed. This act directs that all masters, fellows, 

 scholars, chaplains, and tutors shall subscribe, or in default shall lose the 

 benefit of their masterships, fellowships, &c. Nothing is said as to the 

 students at the Universities ; much less is any direction given that they 

 shall subscribe at the time of taking degrees. 



In December, 1771, a petition was presented to the Vice- Chancellor 

 from the Undergraduates, who were about to proceed to their degrees in 

 the month of January following, praying to he relieved from subscrip- 

 tion to the thirty-nine articles on taking the degree of bachelor of arts. 



On February 6th, 1772, Sir W. Meredith presented a petition to the 

 House of Commons, signed by 250 persons, principally clergy of the es- 

 tablished church, praying to be relieved from subscription to the thirty- 

 nine articles, which petition, after a spirited debate, was rejected.* On 

 February 28, of the same year, the Senate of Cambridge appointed a 

 Syndicate or Committee to consider the propriety of abolishing subscrip- 

 tion :f and on the 23d of June, the following grace passed the senate, 

 abolishing subscription, on taking the degree of bachelor of arts, and sub- 

 stituting a declaration. 



" Placeat vobis ut ii qui gradum baccalaureatus in artibus ambierint pro usitata 

 subscriptione tribus articulis in Canone tricesimo sexto comprehensis in hanc for- 

 mam apud registrarium vestrum in posterum subscribant/' 



" I, A. B., do declare that I am bond, fide a member of the Church of England, 

 as by law established." J 



On the 23rd of February, 1773, a debate took place in the House of 

 Commons, on the motion of Sir W. Meredith, " that the house do re- 

 solve itself into a committee of the whole house, to consider of the sub- 

 scription to the thirty-nine articles of the Church of England, or any 

 other test now required of persons in either of the two Universities." 

 This motion was rejected. 



On the 26th of March, 1779, a grace passed the Cambridge senate 

 abolishing subscription on taking the degrees of bachelor of laws, bache- 

 lor of medicine, and bachelor and doctor of music. This grace substi- 

 tutes a declaration instead of subscription, and is as follows : 



" Placeat vobis ut ii qui gradum baccalaureatus, vel in Jure civili vel in medi- 

 cina, et gradum baccalaureatus vel doctoratus in musica ambierint pro usitata 



* Kennet's Register, p. 374. 



t See Parliamentary Debates, vol. 17, p. 245. 



j Statutes of the University of Cambridge, p. 435. 



Ib. p. 436. 



5[ Parliamentary Debates, vol. 17, p, 742. 



