Life in the Medieval UniversityRait, Robert S. (Robert Sangster)
History
Life in the Medieval University
Rait, Robert S. (Robert Sangster)
College students -- Europe -- History; Education, Medieval; Universities and colleges -- Europe -- History
priests, who served the Chapel at New College, said masses for the
Founder and his benefactors, but every Fellow was to attend mass every
day and to say prayers in his own room, morning and evening, including
"Rege, quaesumus, Domine, Willielmum Pontificem Fundatorem nostrum"
or, after his death, "Deus qui inter Apostolicos sacredotes famulum
tuum Fundatorem nostrum pontificali dignitate"; and every day, both
after High Mass in Chapel, and after dinner and supper in Hall, the
psalm "De profundis" was said. Penalties were prescribed for
negligence, and as time went on, a whipping was inflicted for absence
from Chapel, _e.g._ at Christ's College, and at Balliol, for which new
statutes were drawn up in 1507.
Residence in College was continuous throughout the year, even during
the University vacation, which lasted from early in July to the
beginning of October. Leave of absence might be granted at any time in
the year, on reasonable grounds, but was to be given generally in
vacations. General rules were laid down for behaviour in keeping with
the clerical profession during absence, and students on leave were (p. 072)
forbidden to frequent taverns or otherwise transgress the rules which
were binding upon them in the University. Occasionally we find some
relaxation in these strict regulations, as when the Founder of Corpus
Christi at Oxford allows "moderate hunting or hawking" when one of his
scholars is on holiday away from Oxford. The same indulgent Founder,
after the usual prohibition of games in College, allows a game of ball
in the garden for the sake of healthy exercise. ("Non prohibemus tamen
lusum pilae ad murum, tabulata, aut tegulas, in horto, causa solum
modo exercendi corporis et sanitatis.") Associations with home life
were maintained by vacation visits, but the influx of "people" to the
University was, of course, unknown. The ancient statutes of Peterhouse
permit a woman (even if she be not a relation) to talk with a Fellow
in the Hall, preferably in the presence of another Fellow, or at
least, a servant; but the legislator had grave fears of the results of
such "confabulationes," and the precedent he set was not followed. A
Fellow or scholar is frequently permitted by College statutes to
entertain his father, brother, nephew, or a friend, obtaining first
the consent of the Head of the College, and paying privately for the
entertainment, but no such guest might sleep in College, and the
permission is carefully restricted to the male sex. Women were, as (p. 073)
a rule, not allowed within a College gate; if it was impossible to
find a man to wash clothes, a laundress might be employed, but she
must be old and of unprepossessing appearance. A scholar or Fellow of
a college had not, however, committed himself irrevocably to a
celibate life, for marriage is included among the "causas rationabiles
et honestas" which vacated a fellowship. It was possible, though
probably infrequent, for a Fellow who had not proceeded to Holy Orders
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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