36 GILBERT WHITE OF SELBOENE 1744 



Friday after Easter : " Candidates to appear not 

 later than the Wednesday before, candidates to be 

 examined on the Thursday, and the election to be 

 completed before 6 o'clock p.m. on the Friday." 



Thomas Hearn, the Oxford antiquary, in his diary 

 of May 27th, 1709, writes : — 



" This day was an election of fellows at Oriel Coll. There 

 were three vacancies and nine candidates for them, there 

 were two of Oriel Coll. who stood, and one of them came 

 in as being pupil to one of those chiefly concerned in the 

 election. The second was of Merton and the third of 

 "P^adham Coll. Mr. Johnson an ingenious* good-natured 

 modest Gent, of Ch. Ch. stood and performed better, at 

 least as well as any ; but interest swayed (notwithstanding 

 what was given out both before the election and since) 

 as I have been informed by one of the College, an observer 

 of the transaction but perfectly unprejudiced (as having 

 nothing to do in the election one way or other) and one 

 of the electors has himself declared that he was engaged 

 some-time before the time of trial by a gentleman in the 

 country. So that both in this as well as other colleges 

 things are managed by interest, not by merit." 



Evidently interest was not altogether absent, but 

 the above extract at least shows that there was a 

 trial, i.e. an examination, and it should be noted 

 that at this time Oriel fellowships were open to 

 candidates from other colleges, which was then a 

 quite exceptional practice. 



Dr. Shadwell, writing the account of Oriel in 



* i.e. well-born. 



