414 LETTER TO 



confusion of every hope conceived by the cold- 

 blooded, corporate cruelty, which had urged 

 him to the deed. 



I cannot forbear making one observation 

 more upon this atrocious attempt of the college. 

 Though a licentiate is obliged to give his faith, 

 that he will observe their statutes, he is never 

 furnished with any opportunity of learning what 

 they are. The last printed edition of them is 

 dated in 1765, and is now so scarce, that many, 

 I believe I may justly say most, of the licen- 

 tiates have never seen a copy of it. The code 

 too, since 1765, has undergone very consider- 

 able alterations, none of which, as far as I 

 know, have ever been communicated to the 

 licentiates. In 1796, Dr. Stanger swore before 

 the Court of King's Bench, that to the best of 

 his knowledge and belief, no person could be 

 admitted into the order of candidates, who did 

 not enjoy, by birth, all the privileges of a 

 British subject ; and yet it was afterwards de- 

 clared by the counsel of the college, that the 

 statute requiring this condition had been re- 

 pealed upwards of twenty years. Dr. Stanger 

 swore also, that he had shortly before applied 

 to the president and register of the college, for 

 some information respecting their laws, but that 

 both those officers had refused to give it to 

 him. Caligula, among other acts of tyranny, 



