UNIVERSITY, 
that each university is desirous to profit by 
the oblivion involving their origin, in claim-- 
ing the priority : tlius the members of the 
two universities of Paris and Boulogne assert 
that they were the first established ; nor are 
those of Oxford and Cambridge less desirous 
of maintaining their real, or supposed, rights 
on this head. 
As this is not the proper place to enter 
into an historical account of these vast semi- 
naries of learning, we shall refer our readers, 
tor further information in this particular, to 
works written expressly on the subject. 
We shall now proceed to explain the va- 
rious component parts of an university, and 
to accomplish this correctly and minutely, 
we have had recourse to the Cambridge 
University calendar, compiled by Mr. Ra- 
worth, who says, “ The university of Cam- 
bridge is a society of students in all and 
every of the liberal arts and sciences, incor- 
porated (13 Elizabeth) by the name of the 
chancellor, masters, and scholars. The 
frame #f this little commonwealth standeth 
upoh the union'of sixteen colleges, or so- 
cieties, devoted to tlie study of learning and 
knowledge, and for the better service of the 
church and state.” Every college is in it- 
self a corporate body, and governed by its 
own statutes, which must, however, concur 
with the general laws of the university, 
formed by Elizabeth on previous privileges, 
and confirmed by Parliament, consequently 
they are the basis of all modern regulations. 
Each of the colleges send deputies, both for 
the executive and legislative branches of the 
government, and the place of their meeting 
is termed the senate house. 
Masters of arts, doctors in divinity, civil 
law, and physic, who have their names in- 
scribed on the college boards, and are resi- 
dent at Cambridge, possess votes in the 
above assembly ; and of those there were, 
in the year 1802, about 940. The senate 
consists of two classes, which are called re- 
gents or non-regents, with a view to some 
particular offices assigned by the statutes of 
the university to the junior division. Mas- 
ters of arts of less than five years standing, 
and doctors under two, form the regent, or 
upper house : and it has besides the term of 
white-hood house, from the circumstance of 
the members having their hoods lined with 
silk of the above colour : the remainder 
constitute the non regent, or black-hood 
house: doctors of more than two years 
standing, and the public orator of the uni- 
versity, are entitled to vole in either of those 
houses at pleasure ; exclusive of which there 
is a Caput, or council, composed of the vice 
chancellor, a doctor of each faculty, and two 
masters of arts, who are representatives of 
the houses already mentioned. The vice 
chancellor being a member of the Caput by 
virtue of his office, his election to the former 
only takes place annually, on the fourth of 
November,when the Senate choose him from 
the masters of the sixteen colleges; but 
that of the Caput occurs after the same in- 
terval on the 12th of October, in the follow- 
ing manner; the vice chancellor and the 
two proctors severally nominate five per- 
sons, and from the fifteen thus proposed the 
heads of colleges and doctors select five, ge- 
nerally preferring the vice chancellor’s list. 
The officer just mentioned calls the meet- 
ings of the senate by a printed notice,wbich 
specifies the cause, and must be suspended 
in the halls of the .several colleges three days 
previously to tlie time appointed. A con- 
gregation of the members thus summoned 
may proceed to business, and a congrega- 
tion consists of any number above twenty- 
six, including the proper officers of the Se- 
nate, who are compelled to attend on oath 
personally, or by their legal deputies. Ex- 
clusive of these casual meetings, there are 
statutable congregations, for conferring de- 
grees, electing officers, &c. &c which are 
held without notice. “ Every member has 
a right,” says Mr. Raworth, “ to present 
any proposition, or grace, to the considera- 
tion of the Senate; but previously to its 
being voted by the tw’o houses, it is to be 
read and approved by the Council, or Caput ; 
each member of which has a negative voice. 
This custom has seldom been observed, 
unless something manifestly absurd, or obvi- 
ously derogatory to the credit ot the uni- 
versity, is proposed; insomuch, that nothing 
has been more common than for a person to 
give a placet in the Capnt, and a non-placet 
to the same in the body, upon the idea that 
the Caput should be considered in the light 
of a committee to prepare the graces iU 
point of form for the subsequent vot- 
ing; as without some such regulation it 
might be difficult to take the sense of the 
Senate upon thereat merits of the question.” 
When a grace has passed the Caput, one of 
two scrutators read it in the non-regent 
house, and in the other it is read by the se- 
nior proctor, after which the vice chancellor 
dissolves the congregation; the ceremony 
of reading is repeated in a second congre- 
gation, and if a non-placet does not occur, 
it becomes a statute; on the contiary, if a 
non placet is put in by a member of either 
