146 
O X F 
mained in force until archbiftiop Laud introduced a bet¬ 
ter model. They moreover defpoiled the libraries, and 
deftroyed many rare manu(cripts on fubjefts of fcience, 
merely becaufe they had been written by votaries of the 
old fchool. This treatment fo inflamed the few remain¬ 
ing fcholars, that the greater part of them quitted Ox¬ 
ford, and retired to foreign feminaries to profecute their 
ft u dies. 
When queen Mary afcended the throne, the ancient 
forms and government were again eftablifhed, and the 
late regulations completely abrogated. The popiih party, 
now in their turn predominant, was not behind its anta- 
gonifts in the work of cruelty and deftruftion. The in¬ 
genious arts were configned to contempt; the divinity- 
i'chool was feldom opened; there was scarcely one fermon 
preached in the city in a month; public leisures were ne- 
glefted, either through infufficiency or idlenefs. The 
Greek tongue again fell into almoft total difufe; and, in 
general, learning, in every branch, was funk to the loweft 
ebb. For fix years there were only three inceptors in di¬ 
vinity, eleven in civil law, and fix in phyfic. 
The death of Mary without iflue, gave Elizabeth pof- 
feffion of tiie regal fceptre at a molt critical junfture for 
the united interefts of religion, as well as of learning. 
This wife and politic princefs reverfed all that her After 
had effefted in the conftitution of the univerfity. But, 
unlike her predeceflors, (lie condufted the change with 
gentlenefs and moderation. Objectionable individuals 
were Amply deprived of their places, or induced to reftgn ; 
and nogreater punifhment than a few days’ imprifonment 
was inflifted, even upon the obftinate oppofers of the 
•queen's meafures. Thefe, how'ever, w'ere fome time be¬ 
fore they produced the deftred effeCt of reftoring the uni- 
verAty to any tolerable degree of profperity. The fliock 
occaAoned by the verfatile ftate of the court-religion 
during the three previous reigns, and the confequent un¬ 
certainty of eccleAaftical proviAon, was not to be quickly 
overcome. In the year 1560, not one perfon performed 
theological exercifes in the fchools, and only one in civil 
Jaw, and three in phyAc, No divine, legift, or phyfician, 
flood that year for a degree. In 1563 there were only 
three univerftty-preachers in Oxford, and two of thefe 
fhortly afterwards retired. Hence the pulpit was fre¬ 
quently fupplied by laymen. Mr. Taverner, fheriff of 
■Oxfordfhire, mounted the pulpit, with his fword by his 
Ade, and his golden chain of office round his neck, and 
preached a fermon to the academics. This fufnciently 
evinces that the condition of eccleAaftical literature mult 
have been low indeed, or the Oxonians never could have 
liftened to fuch flagrant abfurdity as the following: “ Ar¬ 
riving at the Mount of St. Mary’s,” fays this preacher at 
the commencement of his fermon, “ in the /tony /age 
[the pulpit was of ftone] where I now/Zand, I have brought 
you fome fine Zufcuits iaked in the oven of charity, care¬ 
fully conferved for the chickens of the church, the ,/par- 
rows of the/pirit, and the/weet /’wallows of /alvation.” 
And afterwards he goes on in this (train : “ Here I find 
that all houfes are ale-houfes, matrimony is made a matter- 
of-money, and men place their paradife in a pair-of-dice. 
Was it fo in the days of Noah ? Ah ! No !” 
In the 13th year of queen Elizabeth the two univerfi- 
ties'were incorporated by aft of parliament; and two 
-years fubfequent, the obligation of fubferibing the Arti¬ 
cles of the Church of England began to be rigidly en¬ 
forced on all who entered into the miniftry. This occa¬ 
sioned fome difturbance, as there were many perfons in 
the univerfity who favoured the puritanical doftrines, and 
peremptorily refufed their aflent to the propofed articles. 
However, the univerfity rapidly rofe in confequence, and 
could boaft among its members numerous individuals 
eminent for their proficiency in alnioft every branch of 
the liberal arts or fciences. Queen Elizabeth twice vi- 
ftted the univerfity; and on one of thefe occafions deli¬ 
vered a Latin fpeech extempore, with fo much eafe and 
correftnefs as excited the furprife of all who heard her. 
O E D. 
In this reign fir Thomas JBodley founded the Bodleian 
library, which has proved an highly ufeful and valuable 
addition to the univerfity. 
The reign of James I. is remarkable in the annals of the 
univerfity, for the privilege it then acquired of fending 
two reprefentatives to the national council. In this era, 
the difputes between the Papifts, Epifcopalians, and Pu¬ 
ritans, were carried to a great height; and proved highly 
injurious to the interefts of folid learning, by inducing 
too eager a third for controverfial inquiry. On this ac¬ 
count, fir Henry Savile informs us, “ that geometry was 
almoft totally unknown and abandoned;” and hence we 
may fairly prefume that many of the other fciences were 
in a fimilar ftate of decay and negleft. 
Charles I. in the early part of his reign, conferred fome 
important benefits on the univerfity. At the interceflion 
of the chancellor, the celebrated archbifliop Laud, he 
granted to it a new charter, in which its ancient liberties 
and privileges were explained and confirmed ; and new 
ones were added. This charter was fealed with the great 
leal of England ; and, to diftinguifti it from other grants, 
it was denominated the Caroline Charter. In 1636, the 
ftatutes of the univerfity, after being correfted and en¬ 
larged, and approved of by the heads of the colleges, re¬ 
ceived the royal fanftion; and in 1638 the ftatute order¬ 
ing the examination of all candidates for degrees, was 
firft put in execution. During the rebellion which broke 
out fhortly after, the univerfity maintained an inviolable 
allegiance to the unfortunate monarch; but its firmnefs 
was of little avail in checking the religious fanaticifm 
which at this period poffelfed the minds of the predomi¬ 
nant party. The dean and chapter’s lands were fold ; the 
epifcopalian divines were ejefted ; the libraries were pil¬ 
laged; and fome of the more zealous votaries even pro¬ 
ceeded fo far as to deftroy the ornaments and decorations 
of the feveral colleges, without regard to the circumftance 
whether they bore relation to matters of religion, or not. 
Claflical learning now experienced a total ftagnation. 
The candidates for holy orders were no longer required 
to be men of fcience and polite erudition: it was enough 
if they “ abounded in grace,” and were “ endowed with 
the fpirit of preaching.” Still, amidft this melancholy 
feene of religious bigotry, a few men of real talent inha¬ 
bited the more fhady recedes of the univerfity, and kept 
alive the dying embers of genuine knowledge. Thefe 
individuals met together at dated periods, to communi¬ 
cate to each other their refpeftive difeoveries in phyfics 
and geometry; and thus laid the foundation of the Royal 
Sodiety, the moft honourable and fcientific inftitution of 
which our country can boaft. 
Cromwell, who was elefted chancellor of Oxford in 
1650, gave feveral proofs of his predileftion for learning ; 
but the temper of the times is fuppofed to have checked 
his efforts for its revival and encouragement. On the 
reftoration, however, this fentiment being in a great 
meafure removed, the univerfity was again replaced on 
its former bafis. The lands of the dean and chapter were 
reftored, and moft of the perfons who had buffered ex- 
puliion on account of their principles, were reinftated 
in their refpeftive collegiate ftations. Learning once 
more began to flourifli; and fome of thole who were the 
proudeft boafts of fcience and of literature matured their 
fludies, or laid the foundation of their future eminence, 
here, in the reign of the fecond Charles. 
But this pleafing afpeft: of affairs did not continue long : 
violent party-contentions difturbed the peace of the uni¬ 
verfity during the whole reign of James II. who exhibited 
a fignal proof of his determination to fubvert the civil 
and religious liberties of the country, in his conduct to¬ 
wards Magdalen-college. It happened that, fhortly after 
he had afcended the throne, the prefident of that eftab- 
lifhment died; and the king tranfmitted an order for the 
eleftion of a perfon named Farmer, as lucceifor in that 
office. The fellows, however, knowing that Farmer was 
a man of contemptible charafter, petitioned his majefty 
either 
