SCHOOLS 



quoted as such by all writers on Winchester School, 1 and many other 

 school histories. It has now been shown 2 beyond reasonable doubt to be, 

 in its present state at all events, pretty well a century later. The internal 

 evidence which fixes the date consists mainly of two passages. The 

 first of these is the description of the ' Remedy Ring,' the ring given 

 by the headmaster to the prefect of hall as a sign of the grant of a 

 remedy or holiday, that the signet ring of gold may be sent to the boys, 

 which carries leave to go and return to Hills or Meads. A note adds, 

 Annuli inscriptio : POTENtiam GERo feroque (I give and take away 

 power). The syllables printed in capitals give the name of Potenger, 

 who was headmaster from the beginning of the Civil War, 1642 to 

 1654. There was indeed a second master of the same name from 

 1536 to 1538, but the granting of remedies has never rested with 

 the second master. It is an inevitable inference from the rebus in the 

 posy of the ring that the poem was written when Potenger was head- 

 master, or at least not earlier than his time. 



The second passage which assisted Mr. Cotton to fix the date was 

 one on the books read in school, which include 



Atque Robinsoni si sis orator, in horto 

 Rhetorices varies fas est decerpere flora. 



Robinson's Rhetoric is, it seems, a book, or part of a book, published at 

 Oxford in 1616 by Hugh Robinson, who was headmaster from 1613 

 to 1626. The poem therefore cannot be earlier than that date; so, 

 whoever may be the author, he cannot be Christopher Johnson. It 

 may be further pointed out that the poet says that Conduit, the covered 

 washing place 3 in Chamber Court, had just had a new post and pillars. 

 The accounts for 1651 contain entries which show the erection of five 

 new and gorgeously worked columns, which with their capitals and their 

 founder's arms above were painted and gilded at a cost of ^4 15^. Lastly, 

 the poet describes as a conspicuous object on the north wall of school a 

 map of the world, and there is an item in the Bursar's Book for 16567 

 of i ijs. 6d. paid to the informator for a mappa mundi for school. All 

 that we know of the author is that he was, or pretended to be, a boy in 

 the school. 



The actual date of the poem makes however little difference to 

 the school life described in it. It is almost as applicable to 1550 

 and to 1750 as it was to 1650, which we may put as its approximate 

 date. It is a most succinct and lifelike picture of the school of the 

 day. The poet first states the number of the community, with the 

 interesting information that the fellows as well as the two masters were 

 called masters, another indication that they did assist in the tuition. The 

 prefect system was in full force. 'The eighteen seniors are rightly called 



1 Not excepting myself (History, xx. 26678). 



3 By Mr. J. S. Cotton (college, 1861), formerly fellow of Queen's College, Oxford, nd for many 

 years editor of the Academy, in the Wykehamist for July, 1 899. 



3 Only a tap and stone trough with the marks where the roof-gable leaned against the kitchen wall 

 now remain to mark the spot. 



331 



