COLLEGE HISTORIES.
New College. By Hastings Rashdall, MA., and Robert S. Bait, MA. (Robinson and Co. 5s. net.)—The most striking part of the history of New College is the story of its foundation. The Personality of the Prince-Bishop—an applicable term, though not technically correct—is impressive ; his scheme was magnificent : no single man, not being Royal, ever did so much for education,— perhaps we should rather say, ever planned to do so much. Unfortu- llatelY. the results did not come up to his hopes, and this failure was due in part to the defect of the time, for things were on the downward grade, in part to a want of insight in the man. As a matter of fact, New College continued to be more or less unequal to the splendour of its beginnings. Considering its wealth and the magnitude of its general equipment, the foundation did very little for religion and sound learning. When the University was ?lithe period of eclipse which reached its totality in the eighteenth century, New College was in a more absolute darkness than any other house, except, perhaps, All Soule. And it did harm to its sister-foundation, Winchester School. The preference to founder's kin with the postponement of superannuation of scholars to the age of thirty (!) must have been most harmful. Strange stories have been told of these very "old boys," who hung on to the school in hope of this provision for life. The irony of the situation was that the founder's kin claim was really a lsogus one. Messrs. Rashdall and Bait express their opinion in no measured language. There were, they tell us, bona-fide claims for a century after the founder's death; then for a century the claims ceased; then. Richard Fiennes, afterwards Lord Say and Sele. set up a bogus pedigree, which Lord Keeper Hatton supported against the decision of the Visitor ; on the strength of this "the family of Fiennes have battened upon the College from that day till the abolition of the founder's kin privileges by the Commission of 1855." The whole business both at New and elsewhere was highly discreditable. At St. John's (Oxford), for instance, wealthy families were not ashamed to appropriate endowments on the strength of a collateral kinship, which was quite outside the founder's intention. The story of New College is told by her two alumni in a quite admirable way. If the subject is, in one sense, unfertile, still it lends itself well enough to an interesting narrative. And there is happily, though the past is not exactly inviting, a present that is all that can be desired, and a very promising future. Naturally reform was obstinately opposed; but the opposition collapsed, and a new constitution in which respect for old associations was happily blended with a zeal for improvement was estab- lished. It has worked well. New College may fairly rank, academically, next after Balliol. Of course, some experiments have failed; the choral scholars, e.g., who were discontinued because, as some wit put it, they were nee cantare pares nec responders parati (not able either to sing in time or to pass Little-go). Bat, on the whole, there is not to be found in Oxford history a change so complete from corruption to efficiency.
Glanville and Caius. By John Venn, Sc.D. (Same publishers. 5s. net.)—This foundation is in curious contrast to that of which we have written above. Edmund de Gonville was a humble parish priest. The livings which be held he held successively, not in plurality; he had no means, that we know of, of acquiring wealth. As far as can be seen, his personal influence prevailed upon his relatives to devote the family property to pious uses. After founding a College of seculars at Rushworth, and a hospital at Lynn, he turned his thoughts to Cambridge. He did not, indeed, do much beyond providing a site and some buildings. A successor, Bateman by name, got together a more sub- stantial endowment. But the College had a long period of weakness. When John Caius came to the rescue it was not far off extinction. Dr. Callus (Keys) was a remarkable man, not personally amiable—indeed, as a Master he was absolutely hated by his society—but simple-minded and devoted to duty. If the first meaning of pietas is "duty," then John Cains was the very ideal of a pious founder. His College has had ups and downs, but it has never sunk so low as have far more splendid and wealthy foundations. And it can boast of a list of worthies which is long and varied. It has not fallen behind in the ordinary subjects of Cambridge education, and it has added to these the specialities of Law and Medicine. Here is a list for a single decade : George Green, the great surgeon; in Law, Baggallay, Pearson, and Brett; Bishop Harvey Goodwin ; W. Elwin, H. Drury, T. Solly ; with these may be mentioned Lord Langdale, Sir G. Paget, and Edward Jacob, the object of Whewell's famous bon-mot, "Thou art rightly named Jacob, for these two times haul thou supplanted me,"—i.e., for the Senior Wranglership and the first Smith's Prize. Jacob, it should be said, had carefully concealed his habits of study.
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