A Register of the Members of St. Mary Magdalen College,
Oxford. Vol. II., Fellows, 1522-1575. By William Dunn Macray. (H. Frowde.)—Mr. Macray's volume consists of two parts, (1) Extracts, illustrative of the history of the College, and, it may be said, of the manners of the time generally, from account-books, registers, he. ; and (2) a catalogue of the persons admitted to fellowships. These admissions number about two hundred and fifty, a con- siderable amount for the period, little more than fifty years, covered by the Register. But the time was troubled, and not a few, volun- tarily or involuntarily, had their tenures shortened. The entries in the accounts are often highly interesting. In 1540 a Map of the World is bought for 4d., " Stades " for 32s., Erasmus's " Paraphrase of the New Testament" for 9s. None of these are now in the Library. There are frequent migrations to Brackley on account of the plague in the city. In 1533 £61 Ps. 2d. is spent on the orna- mentation of the high altar. In 1552 nine Fellows were expelled by Bishop Gardiner (visitor of the College as Bishop of Winchester), but had a solatium of £1 Gs. 8d. apiece. The entertainment of the Bishop's Commissioners cost more than .415, and the cook had a special fee of 201 pro diligentia coquendo et assando cibaria. In 1554-55 there is again large expenditure in chapel furniture ; among other things £5 is paid "pro sculpture tabernaculoruin D. Magdalenae et Johannis Baptistae." After this we get in- dications of a change. Money is spent on putting up seats "pro =ore domini Praesidentis in sacello." In 1573 the Fellows have allowances for suppers on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Satur- days in Lent, and Gs. 8d. is paid " pro epulis sociorum in die Cineritio vulgariter dicto." There were college quarrels as usual, and some of the matters in dispute were controversial, though others were indifferent, as when one Fellow is charged with raffling for a horse at Shotover, and riding it about with a plume of feathers on its head, and another with eating stolen hens at a cobbler's house at an unlawful hour. The latter acknowledges the eating and the hour, but did not know that the hens were stolen till they were eaten. Many biographical details of interest are found in the Register of Fellows. Per- haps the best-known name among them is that of John Foxe, the martyrologist. He was elected from B.N.C. to a Lincoln- shire fellowship in 1538, was Lecturer in Logic 1540-41, and resigned 1545. He sent a copy of his book to his College, nominally as a gift, but he had the handsome present of .26 13s. 4d. made in consideration, and the same again for the edition of 1570.
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