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
Then Mr. afterwards Lord Lyttleton, to whom the epithet of
"_Reprobus_," they say, might have been applied with more justice than
it was to the famous Saxon Bishop, St. Wulstan, by the monks of his
day. Humour was his lordship's natural element, and whilst resident at
Christ Church, Oxford, he dressed himself in a bright scarlet hunting
coat, top-boots and spurs, buckskin breeches, &c., and putting his
gown over all, presented himself to the head of his college, who was a
strict disciplinarian. "Good God! Mr. Lyttleton," exclaimed the Dean,
"this is not a dress fit to be seen in a college." "I beg your
pardon," said the wag, "I thought myself in perfect costume! Will you
be pleased to tell me how I should dress, Mr. Dean?" The dean was at
this time Vice-Chancellor, and happened to be in his robes of office.
"You should dress like me, Sir," said the Doctor, referring to his
black coat, tights, knee-buckles, and silk stockings. Mr. Lyttleton
thanked him and left, but to the Doctor's astonishment, he the next
day presented himself at the Deanery, drest in Vice-Chancellor's
robes, &c., an exact fac-simile of the dean himself, and when rebuked
coolly observed, that he had followed the dean's directions to the
letter.
IT IS RELATED OF THE SAME OXFORD WAG,
That having a party to supper with him, and being anxious to play the
Dean some harmless trick, as his delight was to annoy him, he seized a
potato off the dish, stuck it on a fork, and bolted off with it to the
deanery, followed by some of his boon companions. This was at one,
two, or three in the morning, when all the rest of the college, and of
course the Dean, were locked in the embrace of Somnus. Mr. Lyttleton,
however, resolving to have his joke, began thundering away at the
Dean's knocker, till roused at last, he put his head out at the
window, and in a rage demanded the wants of the applicant. "Do you
think, Mr. Dean," said Mr. L., holding up to his view the _forked_
potato with the coolest effrontery imaginable; "Do you think, Mr.
Dean, that this is a potato fit to put upon a gentleman's table?" Dr.
Westphalinge, Canon of Christ Church, afterwards Bishop of Hereford,
and one of the Commissioners sent to Oxford to abolish _Popish
practices_, by Elizabeth, says Bishop Godwyn,
WAS A PERSON OF SUCH CONSUMMATE GRAVITY,
"That during a familiar acquaintance with him for many years, he never
once saw him laugh,"--"_Nunquam in risum viderim solutum_." As an
antidote to such eternal gravity, I can scarcely do better than append
the following Aristophanic morsel, attributed to Porson, and cry
"Hold, enough!" Chorus of Printers' Imps--"Enough!"
INVENTORY OF GOODS FOR SALE.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account