1801. ] 
Latin, as is alfo the difputation, and ina 
form generally of this kind : 
Reéte ftatuit Newtonus in nona fectione 
libri primi. 
Aberratio ftellarum fixarum a Bradleio ob- 
fervata ab eodem recte explicatur. 
Status futurus non patet ex lumine nature. 
In Englith: 
The ninth fection of Newton’s firft book is 
true. 
The aberration of the fixed ftars difcover- 
ed by Bradley is accounted for by him on juft 
principles. 
A future flate is not difcoverable by the 
light of nature. 
On the appointed day in the afternoon, 
the aét, or the perfon who propofed thefe 
gueftions, takes his place in a box oppofite 
that of the moderater’s, and, having firft 
read his queftions, reads a thefis or eflay 
in Latin, generally.in defence of his lait 
quettion. When this is concluded, and 
it feldom Jafts more than a quarter ofan 
hour, the moderator calls up the firft op- 
ponent, or the firft of the young men to 
whom he had féent the queftions, into the 
box juft under him.» The opponent 
reads the queftions, and chen the firft fyl- 
logifm of. his fir argument againft the 
firit queftion. Here the coniidt begins, 
the aé& denies, the opponent ‘is. prepared, 
he either reads -his fecond fyllogi{m, or 
thews the impropriety of the denial. The 
young men are left entirely to themfelves, 
nec Deus interfit nifi dignus vindice modus. 
Each fyllogifm may: ibe battled, or the 
great battle may commence on the termi~ 
nation of the latt fyllogifm, when the mo-: 
derator either allows ‘thé aét the merit of: 
having sanfwered ithe argument, or an- 
fiers it himfelf, or Jeaves it unanfwered, 
and orders the opponent to go'to the next 
argument. In this mannereight arguments 
axe produced, three againft the firft quef- 
‘tion, three again{t the fecond, andi. two 
againt the -tiird ; but fometimes this 
order is varied.) When. the difpute on 
tlie laf argument: is terminated, the mo- 
derator difmifies the opponent with a com- 
pliment according to his prowefs, and calls: 
uputhe fecond. opponent, who in the fame: 
manher produces | five. sarguments,.otwo 
againit the firtt queltiony two againft thei 
fecond, and one-againit the third; and.on 
hisidifmiffal, the third opponent is ‘called 
up, who produces only three arguments, 
one againft each queftions The difputa-, 
tion, which lafts ufually about an hour and 
a half, being concluded, the) moderator» 
difmiffes act andopponent with appropri-° 
ate compliments. > fs ef 
{ aad 
iy A 
' 
>t 
riw 
Studies of Cambridge. 
117 
The diftinguifhed men of the year ap- 
pear eight times in this manner in the 
{chools, twice as acts, and fix times as 
opponents, that is, twice in each charac- 
ter of opponent. One att, and three op- 
ponencies are kept before the fummer, 
and one act and three opponencies in 
the term following the fummer vaca- 
tion. The & modax, the lazier part, have 
lefs to do, fome of them not appear- 
ing more than once or twice, and of them 
occafionally on fome a Defcendas is inflit= 
ed, or an order to quit the box for ftupi- 
dity, which, from the goodnefs of Provi- 
dence to fuch beings, is heard by them 
with a due degree of calmnefs and refig- 
nation. ole 
The queftions produced admit of great 
variety. The firft queftion is in general 
taken from the Principia of Newton, the 
fecond queftion from fome other writer on 
mathematics and naturalphilofophy ; the | 
third queftion is called the moral queftion, - 
and in this queftion, Locke, Hume, But- 
ler, Clarke, Hartley, Paley, &c.:\&c. are 
alternately attacked, or defended. As an 
inftance of the moral queftion, we have 
givea one which was propofed by a-dif 
tincuifhed young man feveral years ago; 
and now a celebrated writer, as wellas an 
eminent dignitary of the church. The 
head of his collese heard of it, and ad- 
drefled him in terms not very gentle on 
his negative queftion.: The Soph had not’ 
refolution to maintain his rights, he gave’ 
up the offending’ particle, and fubfcribed: 
to his new.creed, as:heafterwards did to the 
articles of the'chureh; becaufe hecould not 
afford, as he humourovily uled to\fay, to 
keep a confcience, he acceded to them as 
articles of peace. Ww Oa 
- From thefe difputations, the merits of 
the higher men are’ pretty’ well known, 
and the moderator’s books determine their! 
future places. with ay tolerable degree ‘of 
precifion. Thefe books alfo are admira-' 
bly-kept, for there are two moderators for! 
the two. firft terme, and two other mode-" 
rators for the laft: term, ‘fo that’ the? 
merit of each man is ‘determined by the! 
marks affigned to his*name by four’ per- 
fons refpectable for their talents’ and im 
partiality. » According to:thefe books the 
youngimen, generally above'a hundred, 
arevarransed in clafles, ithe’ fir coniitting’ 
of four or tive men, the*écond of feven or’ 
ejght men, 2nd fo each clafs increafing’ in” 
number as-it is lower onthe {cale of merit. 
We, have now brought’ them to: the’ door 
nearly of, the fenate-houfe, but a little ce~’ 
remony remains’ to be performed before’ 
they 
