OXFORD. 
that he read thofe le€tures on divinity which laid the bafis of 
the religious liberty we now enjoy. He loofened the fhackles 
of papal thraldom which Henry VIII. afterwards burft 
afunder, though from motives of a very oppofite nature to 
thofe which animated the father of the reformers 
fhould receive or reje&t the bull, as a new and unheard-of 
meafure. (See WicLifre.) But though the fpirit of tlie 
univerfity was thus favourable to liberty of opinion, learning 
was by .no means in a flourifhing condition at thisera. The 
number of ftudents had greatly diminifhed ; and many of the 
halls and {chools were let for purpofes entirely different from 
their original deftination. Some new foundations, how- 
ever, took place during this reign ; but the ages which fuc- 
ceeded were dull and fordid ina lamentable degree. The 
reigns of Henries IV. V. and VI. are only memorable for the 
violence of the religious diffentions which prevailed, and had 
nearly produced a diffolution of the univerfity. 
indeed, profeffled much love towards Oxford; but his af- 
fe&tion produced no folid benefit. The finances of the uni- 
verfity were low in his time, even to penur Learning fell 
completely to decay, particularly that connefted with the 
Latin language; anda general fyftem of bribery and cor- 
ruption degraded the church. Benefices were difpofed of 
for interefted confiderations to perfons not in holy orders, 
while men of talent, and of long refidence in the univerfity, 
were fuffered to remain unnoticed in the feclufion of their 
refpective colleges. ‘Thus circumftanced, the acceffion of 
the houfe of York was viewed by many of the collegiates as 
a matter of indifference, and by fome was even hailed with 
joy, from a hope that their fituation might be bettered under 
the new dynafty. Nor were they deceived in their expeéta- 
tions, for no fooner was Edward IV. feated on the throne, 
contempt, by a great bocy of the fcholars, who formed 
themfelves into an affociation under the name of Trojans, 
So ftrong, indeed, were the exifting prejudices againft this 
noble and harmonious language, that when Erafmus repaired 
hither for the purpofe of teaching Greek, feveral leading 
men in the univerfity read leGtures againit him in the {choois, 
and endeavoured to attach ridicule both to the man, and to 
for his fall, proved himfelf one of the moft munificent patrons 
language was 
again received into eftimation, and a tafte for elegant litera- 
ture was introduced, and thishappily fupplanted the quibbling 
fophiftry which had hitherto occupied the chief attention of 
the learned. Wolfey alfo founded the college, now called 
Chrift-church. About the fame time the colleges of Brazen- 
nofe and Corpus Chrifti were alfo founded, the former by 
Wm. Smyth, bifhop of Lincoln, and fir Robert Sutton, 
and the latter by Richard Fox, bifhop of Winchefter. 
Two events of a political nature happened in this reign, 
which may not improperly claim fome notice in an hiftorical 
fketch of the univerfity. The firft was the divorce of queen 
Catharine of Arfagon, on the legality of which the king 
thought proper to confult the Oxonians ; and with fome 
difficulty fucceeded in obtaining an anfwer favourable to his 
wifhes. ‘The fecond related to his intention of declaring him- 
felf «* Head of the Church,” on which fubje& he likewife 
took the fenfe of this univerfity, and was confirmed in his pur- 
pofe by their almoft unanimous vote. It was foon perceived, 
however, that his obje& in this meafure was not freedom from 
oreign domination, but the f{poliation of the church, and, 
therefore, their acquiefcence in his views was naturally at an 
The univerfity now prefented a moft difmal {petacle. 
The plague, together with the calamities of the church, con- 
curred in driving the ftudents from their habitations, and fo 
few in number were thofe who reforted hither at this era, 
that in the year 1546, only ten inceptors in arts, and three in 
drvinity and law, are recorded. 
The acceflion of Edward VI. brought with it evils of no 
lefs magnitude than thofe which marked the footfteps of his 
father. The firft a& of this young prince’s counfellors, (for to 
them muft belong the merit or demerit of almoft every a& of 
De a Naa a 1 ee i t tha winke } eee 
of the univerfity, as it directed, « that no gownfmen fhould 
concern themfelves at the eleGion of any prefident, fellow, 
or fcholar, or do any thing to oppofe the vifitation now 
ordered by the king.’? Accordingly, when the threatened 
vifitation took place, the royal commiffioners executed what- 
ever meafures they deemed proper. They entirely changed 
the form of the univerfity government, and framed a new code 
of ftatutes, called Edward’s ftatutes, which remained in force 
until archbifhop Laud introduced a better model. 
configned tocontempt ; the divinity {chool was feldom opened ; 
for which reafon the ftipend of queen Margaret’s lecture 
was converted to the ufe of repairing the {chools; there 
sa2 wae 
