CAMBRIDGE. 



Cambridge tion of these buildings, we may premise, that, pre- 

 *- v^-"-* vious to the erection of colleges, the students lodg- 

 ed in hotels or inns kept by the inhabitants, and 

 defrayed out of their own pocket all charges for 

 maintenance and education ; and it was on account 

 of the exorbitant demands to which they were ex- 

 posed from the landlords of these inns, and to relieve 

 them from such exactions, that colleges were found- 

 ed for their accommodation and support. The most 

 ancient of them is, 



St /Y.'.r'.v ('nth-ire, or Pelcr-house, which stands 

 on the west side of Trumpington street, and consists 

 of two courts, separated from each other by a clois- 

 ter and gallery. This college was originally formed 

 of two hotels, which Hugh de Balsham, sub-prior 

 of Ely, in 1257> purchased and appropriated to the 

 use of the students, and afterwards endowed for the 

 support of a master, fourteen fellows, and eight 

 scholars. Since that time, however, its revenues have 

 been considerably augmented by numerous benefac- 

 tions, and its fellowships and scholarships proportion- 

 ally increased. It is reported, that when Lady Mary 

 Ramsey offered a very large property to this col- 

 lege, upon condition that its name should be chan- 

 ged into " Peter and Mary's," Dr Soame, the master, 

 replied, with rather sarcastic humour, " Peter has been 

 too long a bachelor, to think of a female comrade in his 

 old age;" " a dear-bought jest," says Fuller, "for 

 so good a benefactress ; for Lady Ramsey, disgust- 

 ed at his refusal, turned the stream of her benevolence 

 into a different channel." The chapel of this college 

 is a handsome structure, with embrasures and pinna- 

 cles ; and over the altar-piece is a beautiful window 

 of painted glass, representing the Crucifixion. In 

 some parts it is very richly coloured, and the figures, 

 which are copied from the famous picture of Ru- 

 bens on the same subject at Antwerp, are nearly as 

 large as life. 



Clare Hall, when founded by Dr Richard Badew, 

 the chancellor, in 1326, was called University Hall ; 

 but having bee destroyed by fire about sixteen years 

 after, it was rebuilt under its present name by Eli- 

 zabeth de Burgh, third daughter and heiress to the 

 last Earl of Clare, who endowed it with lands for 

 the maintenance of a master, ten fellows, and as ma- 

 ny scholars. In 1638, however, the whole college 

 was renewed by subscription, and is now one of the 

 neatest and most uniform buildings in Cambridge. 

 It is delightfully situated on the eastern bank of the 

 Cam, and consists of one spacious court, which is 



entered on the cast and west tides by two lofty arch- 

 ed passages. Each of its fronts are elegant ; but 

 that which looks towards the river is magnific 

 being built of Kettoii stone, and ornamented with 

 two ranges of pilasters, of the Tuscan and Ionic 

 orders. The middle tier of windows is adorned with 

 pediments, and the other two with architraves ; and 

 the whole is finished with a circular pediment, deco- 

 rated with urns, an entablature, aad handsome ba- 

 lustrade. The chapel, which was erected in 1703, from 

 a classical design by Sir James Burroughs, and which 

 cost above L.7000, is allowed to surpass, in chaste- 

 ness and elegance of decoration, every building of 

 the kind in the university. Over the altar is a beau* 

 tifnl alcove, in which is a fine painting of the Salu- 

 tation, by Cipriani. 



Pembroke Hall, which stands nearly opposite to 

 Peter-House, on the east side of Trumpington street, 

 was founded in 134r3, by Mary, Countess of Pem- 

 broke. Her husband having been killed at a tilting- 

 match on her wedding-day, this lady resolved to re- 

 nounce the world, and to devote her immense pos- 

 sessions to acts of benevolence. Having according- 

 ly obtained a charter of incorporation from Edward 

 III., she endowed this college for a master and six 

 fellows ; but its establishment was greatly increased 

 by succeeding benefactors, and particularly by Hen- 

 ry VI. who bestowed upon it the rich living of So- 

 ham and other rectories. This building contains two 

 courts, which are separated by the hall, but they 

 are both ancient, and make but a mean appearance. 

 In a small detached brick building, which stands in 

 the inner court, is contained a curious astronomical 

 hollow sphere, presented to the college by Dr Ro- 

 ger Long, and invented and partly constructed by 

 himself. It is about eighteen feet in diameter ; it 

 can conveniently accommodate above thirty persons 

 sitting within it, and the whole can be turned 

 round by a small winch, with the greatest faci- 

 lity, though its weight is above one thousand 

 pounds. This machine, however, though the Doc- 

 tor left the interest of L.200 bank annuities to keep 

 the instrument and place in good repair, is now 

 much damaged, and is fast falling into decay. * 



Corpus Christi t or Bene't College, was originally 

 called "Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary," 

 from the name of two religious societies, at whose 

 joint expcnce it was at first established, and received 

 the name of St Benedict or Bene't, merely from its 

 vicinity to the church dedicated to that saint. It 



* The following description of this ingenious piece of workmanship is contained in the second volume of Long'* Trea- 

 tise on Astronomy : " This sphere is} eighteen feet in diameter, wherein thirty persons may sit conveniently. The en- 

 trance into it is over the south pole by six steps. The frame of the sphere consists of number of iron meridians, not 

 complete semicircles, the northern ends of which are screwed to a large round plate of brass, with a hole in the centre of it. 

 Through this hole, from a beam in the ceiling, comes the north pole, a round iron rod, about three inches long, and sup- 

 ports the upper part of the sphere to its proper elevation to the latitude of Cambridge ; the lower part of the sphere, so much 

 of it as is invisible in England, is cut off; and the lower or southern ends of the meridians, or truncated semicircles, ter- 

 minate on, and are screwed down to, a strong circle of oak, of about thirteen feet diameter, which, when the sphere is put 

 into motion, runs upon large rollers of lignum vita-, in the manner that the top* of some wind-mills are made to turn round. 

 Upon the iron meridians is fixed a zodiac of tin, painted blue, whereon the ecliptic and heliocentric orbits of the planets are 

 drawn, and the constellations and stars traced. The Great and Little Bear and Draco, re alirady painted in their places 

 round the north pole; the rest of the constellations are proposed to follow. The whole is turned round with a small winch, 

 with as li'.'le labour as it takes to wind up a jack, though the weight of the iron, tin, and wooden circle, is above 1000 pounds. 

 When it is made use of, a planetarium will be placed in the middle thereof. The whole, with the floor, is well supported 

 fy u fiame of large timber." 



