A HISTORY OF HAMPSHIRE 



breaking-up sing their celebrated song called Dulce Domum.' But it is 

 represented as ' the choral song . . . the strain of joy and liberty,' in a 

 poem by Tom Warton the younger in the Wiccamical Chaplet written 

 between 1768 and 1771. A note informs us that the 'choral song' 

 means ' a Latin song, sung with instrumental accompaniment, on the day 

 before the commencement of their Whitsuntide vacation by the Scholars 

 of Winchester College.' Milner's History of Winchester (1798) says that 

 it can be traced to the distance of about a century. The tune is commonly 

 credited to John Reading, organist of Lincoln Cathedral, temp. William III. 

 The words are not sufficiently in jingle to be medieval, and the expression 

 ' Daulias advena ' for the swallow is too elaborately classical for the pre- 

 Reformation period. Probably both words and tune date from Reading's 

 time, 1 68 1 to 1 69 1 ; but this has been doubted, because it was said that he 

 had no connection with Winchester. 1 He was, in fact, organist of Win- 

 chester Cathedral, and in 1682 became organist of the college, receiving 

 45 a year* instead of the 5 a year which his predecessors had received. 



Domum Tree was a great elm tree, half of which still exists, by the 

 river just beyond Blackbridge, at the last house, Clark's, on the way to 

 'hills.' For many years, since 1835 at least, Domum has not been 

 sung round Domum Tree but in Meads. After what used to be called 

 election, but is now called Domum dinner, at which the whole of 

 college and commoner prefects who are ' medalists " or ' in Lord's' 4 and 

 a number of bidden guests attend, the company descends to meads, and, 

 with the whole school and a mixed multitude of unbidden guests, 

 solemnly sing Domum to the accompaniment of a military band. It is 

 sung again and again after intervals, during which the band discourses 

 sweet music. At ten o'clock the evening ends with a last Domum, sung 

 in Chamber Court with more than religious fervour. Under a clear sky 

 and in the balmy airs that come from the near sea, and breathe across the 

 scented water-meadows, ' Domum ' is a moving ceremony. 



Of Winchester College since 1865, under the rule of George 

 Ridding, now Bishop of Southwell, and W. A. Fearon, who retired at 

 Easter, 1901, it will be sufficient for the purposes of this history to say 

 that it has been one of continuous progress, and that never has the name 

 and fame of the school stood higher. Dr. Ridding (college, 1840-6), a 

 ' Craven ' scholar, fellow of Exeter, Latin essayist at Oxford, became 

 second master, as his father had been before him, in 1863, and head- 

 master in January, 1866. He retired to a bishopric in 1884. He 

 enlarged the borders of the school physically with the splendid accretion 

 to the ancient Meads along the banks of the Itchen, with its spreading 

 views of St. Catherine's Hill and the green downs. He enlarged its 

 borders equally in men and manners by abolishing ' Commoners ' as a 



1 Wykebamlca, p. 410. 



Specially noted as being ' per consensum,' showing that it was a new allowance and not statutory 

 (Bursars' Book, 1683-4). 



i.e. winners of one of the gold and silver medals given by the queen or king. 



4 i.e. in the cricket Eleven which used to play Eton and Harrow at Lords, but now plays Eton 

 alone at Eton or Winchester. The introduction of the Eleven is an innovation since 1870. 



364 



