In cases of equality in the senate-house examination, the acts were still taken into account in settling the tripos order: and in 1786, when the second, third, and fourth wranglers came out equal in the examination, a memorandum was published that the second place was given to that candidate who _dialectis magis est versatus_, and the third place to that one who _in scholis sophistarum melius disputavit_. At this time there were various intervals in the examination by the moderators, and the examinations by the extraneous examiners took place in these intervals. Those candidates who at any time were not being examined occupied themselves with amusements, provided they were not too boisterous and obvious: probably dice and cards played a large part in them. Gunning in an amusing account of his examination in 1788 talks of playing with a teetotum[51] on the Wednesday (when specified works by Locke and Paley formed the subjects of examination), and says this game "was carried on with great spirit ... by considerable numbers during the whole of the examination." About this period, 1790, the custom of printing the problem papers was introduced, but until 1828 the other papers continued to be dictated. Since then all the papers have been printed. I insert here the following letter[52] from William Gooch, of Caius, in which he described his examination in the senate-house in 1791. It must be remembered that it is the letter of an undergraduate addressed to his father and mother, and was not intended either for preservation or publication: a fact which certainly does not detract from its value. _Monday_ ¼ aft. 12. We have been examin'd this Morning in pure Mathematics & I've hitherto kept just about even with Peacock which is much more than I expected. We are going at 1 o'clock to be examin'd till 3 in Philosophy. From 1 till 7 I did more than Peacock; But who did most at Moderator's Rooms this Evening from 7 till 9, I don't know yet;--but I did above three times as much as the Sen^r Wrangler last year, yet I'm afraid not so much as Peacock. Between One & three o'Clock I wrote up 9 sheets of Scribbling Paper so you may suppose I was pretty fully employ'd. _Tuesday Night._ I've been shamefully us'd by Lax to-day;--Tho' his anxiety for Peacock must (of course) be very great, I never suspected that his Partially (_sic_) w^d get the better of his Justice. I had entertain'd too high an opinion of him to suppose it.--he gave Peacock a long private Examination & then came to me (I hop'd) on the same subject, but 'twas only to _Bully_ me as much as he could,--whatever I said (tho' right) he tried to convert into Nonsense by seeming to misunderstand me. However I don't entirely dispair of being first, tho' you see Lax seems determin'd that I shall not.--I had no Idea (before I went into the Senate-House) of being able to contend at all with Peacock. _Wednesday evening._