Nuts to crack; or Quips, quirks, anecdote and facete of Oxford and Cambridge ScholarsGooch, Richard
History
Nuts to crack; or Quips, quirks, anecdote and facete of Oxford and Cambridge Scholars
Gooch, Richard
University of Cambridge -- Anecdotes; University of Oxford -- Anecdotes
Mr. Carty of University College, and Mr. Meadowcourt of Merton
College, Oxford (says this writer,) were suspended from proceeding to
their next degree, in 1716, the first for a period of one, the second
for a period of two years, the latter further, not to be permitted "to
supplicate for his grace, until he confesses his manifold crimes, and
asks pardon _upon his knees, For breaking out to that degree of
impudence_ (when the Proctor admonished him to go home from the tavern
at an unseasonable hour,) as to command all the company, with a loud
voice, _to drink King_ GEORGE'S _health_." And, strange enough,
persisting in his refusal to ask pardon, as required, he only
ultimately obtained his degree by pleading the _act of grace_ of the
said King George, enacted in favour of those who had been guilty of
treason, &c. These were, it appears, both Fellows of colleges, and
with several others, who were likewise put in the _Black-book_, were
members of a society in Oxford, called
"THE CONSTITUTION CLUB,"
At a meeting of which it was that the king was _toasted_.
AMONGST THE CAMBRIDGE CLUBS
Was one formed, in 1757, by the _Wranglers_ of that year, including
the late Professor Waring; the celebrated reformer Dr. Jebb the
munificent founder of the Cambridge Hebrew Scholarships; Mr. Tyrwhitt;
and other learned men. It was called _The Hyson Club_, the
entertainments being only tea and conversation. Paley, who joined it
after he became tutor of Christ College, is thus made to speak of it
by a writer in the New Monthly Magazine for 1825:--"We had a club at
Cambridge, of political reformers; it was called the Hyson Club, as we
met at tea time; and various schemes were discussed among us. Jebb's
plan was, that the people should meet and declare their will; and if
the House of Commons should pay due attention to the will of the
people, why, well and good; if not, the people were to convey their
will into effect. We had no idea that we were talking treason. I was
always an advocate for _braibery and corrooption_: they raised an
outcry against me, and affected to think I was not in earnest. 'Why,'
said I, 'who is so mad as to wish to be governed by force? or who is
such a fool as to expect to be governed by virtue? There remains,
then, nothing but _braibery and corrooption_.'" No particular subjects
were proposed for discussion at their meetings, but accident or the
taste of individuals naturally led to topics, such as literary and
scientific characters might freely discuss. At a meeting where the
debate was on the justice or expediency of making some alteration in
the ecclesiastical constitution of the country, for the relief of
tender consciences, Dr. Gordon, of Emmanuel College, late Precentor of
Lincoln, vehemently opposed the arguments of Dr. Jebb, then tutor of
Peter House, who supported the affirmative, by exclaiming, "You mean,
Sir, to impose upon us a new church government." "You are mistaken,"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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