WINCHESTER. 



to Lyme Regis, lived her last days and died on July *8th, 

 1817. 



To -day they were concerned chiefly with the works of William de 

 Wykeham the cathedral and the school. Passing through the 

 original gates of Wykeham's foundation of 1393, they made a thorough 

 tour of the extensive premises, Mr. Nisbett being joined by the Porter 

 (Mr. Bishop), who showed that he possesses quite a fund of accurate 

 information. They had, he said, about 450 boys at the school, of 

 whom 70 are foundation scholars, and 'he showed the chamber court 

 where they lived. Almost every turn the eyes of the party were met 

 by the famous motto, " Manners Makyth Man." They were conducted 

 to the ancient beer cellar, its vaulted roof supported by a central 

 column and strongly resembling a rather small chapterhouse ; and 

 then to the dining hall for the foundation scholars, who still eat off the 

 " wooden trenchers square " as their predecessors have done for over 

 500 years. The trencher has no rim, and when hot meats with gravy 

 are served the scholars have to dam the gravy in with their potato ! 

 For the pudding the trencher is turned over and the other side used, 

 about which there is a sweet simplicity approximatng to genius. It 

 was mentioned that when earthenware plates were introduced the 

 indignant Wykehamists rose in protest and with proper spirit broke 

 the plates, and refused to eat off anything but the wooden trencher of 

 venerable tradition. " The Seventy " are waited upon by 16 choristers, 

 and then, after the choristers have eaten, the food that remains is put 

 into a huge chest and distributed among the poor of the city. The 

 beautiful Gobelin tapestry, depicting quaintly and not too luminously 

 the story of Churlish Nabal and David, looks as fresh as if wrought 

 yesterday. The original schoolroom was next visited, with its 

 windows fitted with strong iron grilles and wooden shutters, and with 

 the so-called " Toys," the origin of which word, in this connection, is 

 obscure. At Winchester one never hears the phrase " at lessons," it is 

 always "up to books." A scholarship is worth about 100 a year, 

 and the names of the five senior scholars are inscribed by privilege upon 

 the walls. The name " Raymond Asquith " catching the eye, the 

 cicerone mentioned that all four sons of the Prime Minister had been 

 at Winchester School. The noble chapel is of the founder's handiwork. 

 Mr. PENTIN called attention to the fact that the fine vaulted roof with 

 its fan tracery is not of stone, but of wooden blocks. Mr. PRIDEAUX 

 made diligent enquiry for the "28 brasses, from the early 14th Century 

 to the early 17th, some of them half-effigies," which were recorded to 

 have been in the chapel, and regretted to hear that some had dis- 

 appeared and been replaced by modern replicas, at the same time as 

 the Grinling Gibbons carvings were removed. There are 18 original 



