The reconstitution in 1907 of the tripos, and the destruction of many of its distinctive features must profoundly modify the future history of mathematics at Cambridge, but forecasts on such a theme would be useless. The curious origin of the term tripos has been repeatedly told, and an account of it may fitly close this chapter. Formerly there were three principal occasions on which questionists were admitted to the title or degree of bachelor. The first of these was at the comitia priora, held on Ash-Wednesday, for the best men in the year. The next was at the comitia posteriora, which was held a few weeks later, and at which any student who had distinguished himself in the quadragesimal exercises subsequent to Ash-Wednesday had his seniority reserved to him. Lastly, there was the comitia minora, for students who had in no special way distinguished themselves. In the fifteenth century an important part in the ceremony on each of these occasions was taken by a certain "ould bachilour," who sat upon a three-legged stool or tripos before the proctors and tested the abilities of the would-be graduates by arguing some question with the "eldest son," who was selected from them as their representative. To assist the latter in what might be an unequal contest his "father," that is, the officer of his college who was to present him for his degree, was allowed to come to his assistance. The discussion took place in Great St Mary's Church, and marked the admission of the student to a position with new responsibilities, while the season of Lent was chosen with a view to bring this into prominence. The puritan party objected to the semi-ecclesiastical character of the proceedings, and in the course of the sixteenth century set themselves to bring the ceremony into disrepute. The part played by the questionist now became purely formal, though a serious debate still sometimes took place between the father of the senior questionist and a regent master who represented the University: this, however, came to be prefaced by a speech by the bachelor, who was now called Mr Tripos, just as we speak of a judge as the bench, or of a rower as an oar. Ultimately public opinion permitted Mr Tripos to say pretty much what he pleased, so long as it was not dull and was scandalous. The speeches he delivered or the verses he recited were generally printed and preserved by the registrary, and were known as the tripos verses: originally they referred to the subjects of the disputations then propounded. The earliest copies now extant are those for 1575.