O X F 
the exception of the refidence of the principal, and lodg¬ 
ings for feven ftudents, which are detached. The large 
quadrangle contains the hall and chambers for the fo- 
ciety; and has fuffered little alteration fince it was origi¬ 
nally built, except the addition of a continued attic. The 
fmail court is occupied by the library and chapel, and 
was erefted in the Seventeentli century, from plans, as 
fome aflert, by fir Chriftopher Wren, while a very young 
man at college. The architecture is of the mixed kind ; 
arched windows and battlements are liefe oppofed by 
Grecian pilafters and capitals. 
12. Corpus christi College was founded and en¬ 
dowed by Richard Fox, bilhop of Winchefter. This 
prelate had defigned and partly executed a collegiate ef- 
tablifhment for monks and fecular fcholars, to be fubor- 
dinate to the priory of St. Swithin in Winchefter 5 but 
was induced to alter his plan, by the advice of Hugh 
Oldham, bithop of Exeter, and to found a college for the 
ftudy of divinity, philofophy, and literature. He accord¬ 
ingly obtained a charter to that eft'eCl, dated March 1516; 
and Ihortly after drew up a body of ftatutes, declaring the 
fociety to coniift of a prefident, twenty fellows, twenty 
fcholars, two clerks, and two chorifters. He likewife 
appointed two lectures for Greek and Latin, a meafure 
which foon raifed the reputation of the college to the 
higheft pitch, as the founder conferred thofe offices on 
men of eftablilhed fame and acknowledged erudition. 
The benefactors of this college are not fo numerous as 
thofe of fome other colleges ; but the donations were in 
general liberal, and the ample provifion of the founder 
rendered additional contributions the lefs requifite. Bi¬ 
lhop Oldham above mentioned gave 6000 marks, befides 
fome eftates in land, and Dr. Turner 6000I. The mem¬ 
bers of the college are the fame as thofe prefcribed by the 
charter, with the addition only of four exhibitioners and 
fix ger.tlemen-commoners. The bilhop of Winchefter is 
vifitor. 
Of the buildings of this college, the fpacious qua¬ 
drangle alone, with the chapel, hall, and library, was 
built by bilhop Fox. This court is entered by a gate¬ 
way under a lofty fquare tower in the centre of the prin¬ 
cipal front. On the eaft fide is the hall, and on the fouth 
the library, which laft is decorated with a ftatue of the 
founder in his pontifical robes. Thd rooms to the eaft 
of the quadrangle were firft ereCted in 1667, and re-built 
in 1737, for the refidence of the fix gentlemen-commoners. 
The fine building which looks into Chrift-church walks 
owed its conftruCtion to Dr. Turner, and is appropriated 
for the reception of ftudents. The library is enriched 
with an invaluable fet of Aldine claflics, and with nume¬ 
rous curious MSS. and rare works, inaftate of excellent 
prefervation. 
13. Christ-church College is indebted for its ori¬ 
gin to the munificence of cardinal Wolfey, who has been 
jullly ftyled the Maecenas of his age. This prelate began 
the great work in queftion in the year 1524, upon a fcale 
far l'urpaffing the defign of any former or fucceeding 
founder. By the original charter, which he procured 
from king Henry VIII. his projected eftablifhment was 
made to confift of one hundred and fixty perfons, who 
were to apply themfelves to the ftudy of the fciences at 
large, as well as to polite literature. For the fupport of 
this fociety he fettled upon it a clear annual revenue of 
2000I. and commenced the prefent ftru&ure for the ac¬ 
commodation of its members, under the defignation of 
“ Cardinal College.” Before he had completed his plans, 
however, he was hurled from the pinnacle of power, and 
plunged into irretrievable difgrace; but, before his death, 
lie warmly recommended his college to the foftering re¬ 
gard of his monarch. Accordingly Henry, after the firft 
effufions of his refentment had fubdued, yielded to the 
entreaties of the fociety in 1532, and became its patron. 
But, in order to preclude Wolfey from all nominal par¬ 
ticipation in the merit of the undertaking, he granted 
the college a new charter of foundation, dire&ed that its 
Vol. XVIII. No. 1231. 
O R D. 153 
members lliould confift of a dean and twelve canons, and 
that it fhould be called “ King Henry the Eighth’s Col¬ 
lege in Oxford.” This arrangement, however, only con¬ 
tinued for twelve or thirteen years, at the end of which 
period the fociety yielded up their charter and pofteifions 
to the king, who converted the college into a cathedral- 
church, by tr^nflating the epifcopal fee hither from Ofe- 
ney. The inftitution now became an appendage to the 
cathedral, and received the name of “ The Cathedral 
Church of Chrift in Oxford, of King Henry the Eighth’s 
Foundation.” A 1 the fame time the fociety was declared 
to confift of a bifhop, with his archdeacon, a dean, and 
eight canons, who had all the college-eftates made over 
to them on condition of their maintaining three profefl'ors 
of divinity, Hebrew, and Greek, one hundred ftudents 
in theology, arts, or philofophy, eight chaplains, and a 
numerous choir. The king himfelf is vifitor of this 
college. 
The benefaftors to Chrift-church are few, and all of 
them appeared at a period long fubfequent to its founda¬ 
tion. Among the principal of them were the celebrated 
Dr. Bulby of Weftminfter, who bequeathed a fum of mo¬ 
ney for a catechetical leflure; bilhop Fell, who contrri- 
buted ten exhibitions of iol. per annum each; and Dr. 
Lee, phyfician to George II. who left 20,0001. for the 
purpofe of ereCting an anatomical theatre. 
The buildings of this magnificent college occupy the 
area of the ancient priory of St. Fridefwide, and have un¬ 
dergone as many revolutions as the fociety itfelf. They 
are chiefly arranged round four courts, two of which are 
very fpacious. The great weft quadrangle is particularly 
interefting, as being the work of Wolfey; and indicates 
that, if he had furvived to complete the delign he ap¬ 
pears to have formed, his college would have exceeded in 
magnificence every other in Europe. This quadrangle is 
entered by the gateway of the principal front, which ex¬ 
tends 382 feet, and is adorned in the centre by a ftately 
tower begun by Wolfey, but only completed in 1681, by 
fir Chriftopher Wren. All the buildings here are beauti¬ 
fully proportioned, and are faced with a fine terrace, as 
well as furmounted by a handfome ftone balluftrade. The 
hall and kitchen are on the fouth, and on the eaft and weft 
fides are fplendid ranges of lodgings for the dean and ca¬ 
nons. The hall occupies more than one-half of an entire 
range, and was begun and finilhed under the direction of 
the founder. This room is 115 feet in length, forty in 
breadth, and fifty in height. The roof is of oak, carved 
in an elaborate ftyle. The window's are interfered Go¬ 
thic, and one in a recefs on the fouthern fide is among the 
fineft fpecimens of that mode of architectural difpofal. 
The fide-walls are of pannelled wainfcot, and difplay an 
exteniive collection of portraits, among which is an ori¬ 
ginal half-length of Wolfey, a whole length of Henry 
VIII. another of queen Elizabeth, and a third of Dr. 
Bulby, with a pupil in attendance. 
The fecond great quadrangle of this college, termed 
Peckwater-court, was ereCted at the commencement of 
the laft century, .and contains the library on its fouthern. 
fide. This edifice is 141 feet long in front, and is adorned 
with maflive pillars in the Corinthian ftyle. Each of the 
other fides is appropriated as lodgings for ftudents. 
Their elevation is three ftories, the lower of which is ruf- 
tic, and fupports a range of architecture of the Ionic or¬ 
der, finilhed by an entablature and balluftrade of ftone. 
In the library, which is rich in MSS. prints, and coins, 
is likewife a very noble collection of paintings, be¬ 
queathed to the college by brigadier-general Guife in 
1765. Moll of thefe paintings are by the old mailers, and 
muft have been collected at a very great expenfe. The 
two fmaller courts are denominated Canterbury-fquare 
and Chaplain’s-court. Of thefe the firft only deierves to 
be noticed, being now the principal entrance into the 
college. It Hands on the fite of Canterbury-hall, which 
was founded in the fourteenth century by archbilhop 
Illip, as a place for the ftudy of the canon and civil law. 
R r The 
