CELEBRATED TREES. 185 



About five liundred years after the time of Alfred, 

 William of Waiufleet, Dr. Stukely tells us, ex- 

 pressly ordered his college to be founded near 

 the great Oalc,^' and an Oak could not well be 

 less than five hundred years of age to merit that 

 title, together with the honour of fixing the site of 

 a college. When the magnificence of Cardinal 

 Wolsey erected that handsome tower, which is so 

 ornamental to the whole building, this tree might 

 probably be in the meridian of its glory, or rather, 

 perhaps, it had attained a green old ago. But it 

 must have been manifestly in its decline at that 

 memorable era, when the tyranny of James gave 

 the fellows of Magdalen so noble an opportunity 

 of withstanding bigotry and superstition. It was 

 much injured in Charles II.'s time, when the 

 present walks were laid out. Its roots were 

 disturbed, and, fi'om that period, it decHned fast, 

 and became reduced by degrees to little more than 

 a mere trunk. The oldest members of the uni- 

 versity can scarce recollect it in better plight. 

 But the faithful records of history f have handed 



* Itiner. Curios. 



t Sec Dr. Plot's Hist, of Oxf. cli. vi. sect. 45. 



