“my creanser (creditor) Master Thomas (Stevenson) heartily recommendeth him to you, and he prayeth you to send him some money for my commons, for he saith ye be twenty shillings in his debt, for a month was to pay for when he had money last; also I beseech you to send me a hose cloth, one for the holy days of some colour, and another for working days (how coarse soever it be, it maketh no matter), and a stomacher and two shirts, and a pair of slippers: and if it like you that I may come with Alweder by water”--would they take a pair-oar and pull down? (the figs and raisins came up by a barge;)--“and sport me with you at London a day or two this term-time, then ye may let all this be till the time that I come, and then I will tell you when I shall be ready to come from Eton by the grace of God, who have you in his keeping.” _Paston Letters_, modernised, vol. 2, p. 129. This is the first letter; the second one about the figs, raisins, and love-making (dated 23 Feb. 1478-9) is given at vol. ii. p. 122-3. Tusser, who was seized as a Singing boy for the King’s Chapel, lets us know that he got well birched at Eton. “From Paul’s I went · to Eton sent To learn straightways · the Latin phrase When fifty-three · stripes given to me At once I had: For fault but small · or none at all It come to pass · thus beat I was. See, Udall,[78] see · the mercy of thee To me poor lad!” I was rather surprised to find no mention of any Eton men in the first vol. of Wood’s _Athenæ Oxonienses_ (ed. Bliss) except two, who had first taken degrees at Cambridge, Robert Aldrich and William Alley, the latter admitted at Cambridge 1528 (Wood, p. 375, col. 2). Plenty of London men are named in Wood, vol. 1. No doubt in early times the Eton men went to their own foundation, King’s (or other Colleges at) Cambridge, while the Winchester men went to their foundation, New College, or elsewhere at Oxford. In the first volume of Bliss’s edition of Wood, the following Winchester men are noticed: p. 30, col. 2, William Grocyn, educated in grammaticals in Wykeham’s school near Winchester. p. 78, col. 2, William Horman, made fellow of New Coll. in 1477. Author of the _Vulgaria Puerorum_, &c. (See also Andrew Borde, p. xxxiv, above, note.) p. 379, col. 2, John Boxall, Fellow of New Coll. 1542. 402, col. 2, Thomas Hardyng „ „ „ 1536. 450, col. 2, Henry Cole „ „ „ 1523. 469, col. 1, Nicholas Saunders „ „ „ 1548. 678, col. 2, Richard Haydock „ „ „ 1590. [Headnote: POST-REFORMATION GRAMMAR SCHOOLS.] That the post-Reformation Grammar Schools did not at first educate as many boys as the old monastic schools is well known. Strype says,