PENNILESS BENCH. 195 



' him but salted drinke, or salt put in college beere, 

 ( with tucks to boot. Afterwards when they were 

 ' to be admitted into the fraternity, the senior cook 



* was to administer to them an oath over an old shoe, 



* part of which runs thus : Item, tu jurabis, quod 

 ' penniless bench non frequentabis, &c. After 

 ' which spoken with gravity, the freshman kist the 



* shoe, put on his gowne and band, and took his 

 ' place among the seniors/ Penniless bench, was 

 a seat joining to St. Martin's Church apud Qva- 

 drivium, where butter-women and hucksters used 

 to sit. I was not able to ascertain whether this, 

 or any similar custom still exists in any of the col- 

 leges at Oxford. 



I hope I shall be excused for having introduced 

 these extracts from Anthony & Wood, but as I 

 amused myself with reading his life while I was 

 staying at my inn at Oxford, I made a few notes 

 from it, some of which I have now given. It is 

 impossible to peruse his amusing account of him- 

 self, without being struck with the great alteration 

 which has taken place since his time in the habits 

 and customs of the university, and it is to be re- 

 gretted that we are not furnished with more diaries 

 of its earlier days. 



I have but little more to add of my sojourn at 

 Oxford. I passed two or three evenings pleasantly 

 at different colleges, visited the public buildings 

 and churches, and lounged along the High Street ; 



