132 



again what he said then, that they had given him the happiest 

 week he had ever spent, while in selecting him as President for 

 the Congress they had allowed him to occupy the position he 

 honoured most. There were others who had done far harder 

 work in connection with the Congress than he had, and he would 

 therefore ask Dr. Dixey, Dr. Malcolm Burr, and Mr. Eltring- 

 HAM to respond to the toast. 



Dr. Dixey said, on behalf of the Warden and Fellows of 

 Wadham College, that they felt themselves highly honoured 

 and extremely proud at having been allowed the privilege of 

 entertaining that great Congress on that occasion. If there 

 were any shortcomings that might be detected that evening, 

 he would only ask them to be good enough to excuse them in 

 view of the somewhat hasty arrangements that had to be made 

 to hold the dinner there (applause). Might he just say one 

 word more before leaving to a much more eloquent gentleman 

 than himself the due acknowledgment of this toast ? He 

 thought it might be of interest to those present to note that 

 on the walls hung the portraits of four of those who took the 

 most prominent part in the foundation of the illustrious Royal 

 Society — John Wilkins, Christopher Wren, Thomas Sprat, 

 and Seth Ward, in regard to the last of whom it was said he 

 was " never destitute of friends of the fair sex, never without 

 proffers of wives" (laughter). Then when they came to the 

 Warden's private garden, in which they had spent, he hoped, 

 many happy hours, it might be of interest to them to know 

 that the tent for their accommodation was pitched just below 

 the earthwork which was thrown up as part of the City defences 

 during the Civil War. Just to the east of the tent they would 

 notice a kind of terrace walk, which was really a rampart, 

 or earthwork ; and those of them who were interested might 

 observe the ramp at each end exactly as it was left by Charles's 

 soldiers. At the very spot where they had been enjoying social 

 conversation, Charles's soldiers took refreshment while ex- 

 pecting the advance of the Parliamentary troops under Fairfax, 

 who lay at Marston close by. As they all knew, the expected 

 siege of the City never came on, for by the express desire 

 of the King the City of Oxford was evacuated by his own 

 soldiers, though it had a good prospect of holding out a 



