Nuts to crack; or Quips, quirks, anecdote and facete of Oxford and Cambridge Scholars — John Shaqi
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
A learned Cambridge mathematician, now holding a distinguished post at
the Naval College, Portsmouth, after discussing one day, with a party
of Johnians, the propriety of the _Dies Festæ_, _solar_, _siderial_,
&c., drily observed, putting a bumper to his lips, "I think we should
have _jovial days_ as well." Every College in both Universities has
the next best thing to it,--
THEIR FEAST DAYS,
"_In piam memoriam_" of their several founders, most of whom being
persons of _taste_, left certain annual sums wherewith to "pay the
piper." Besides _minor_ feast-days, every Society, both at Oxford and
Cambridge, hold its yearly commemoration. There is always prayers and
a sermon on this day, and the Lesson is taken from Eccl. xliv. "Let
us now praise famous men," &c. Mr. Pointer says, that at Magdalen
College, Oxford, it is "a custom on all commemoration days to have the
bells rung in a confused manner, and without any order, it being the
primitive way of ringing." The same writer states that there is
A MUSICAL MAY-DAY COMMEMORATION,
Annually celebrated by this Society, which consists of a concert of
music on the top of the Tower, in honour of its founder, Henry VII. It
was originally a mass, but since the Reformation, it has been "a merry
concert of both vocal and instrumental music, consisting of several
merry ketches, and lasts almost two hours (beginning as early as four
o'clock in the morning,) and is concluded with ringing the bells."
The performers have a breakfast for their pains. They have likewise
singing early on Christmas morning. The custom is similar to one
observed at Manheim, in Germany, and throughout the palatinate.
Whoever was the author of the following admirable production, he was
certainly not [Greek: nous]-less, and it will "hardly be read with
_dry lips_, or _mouths_ that do not water," says the author of the
_Gradus ad Cant_.
ODE ON A COLLEGE FEAST DAY.
I.
Hark! heard ye not yon footsteps dread,
That shook the hall with thund'ring tread?
With eager haste
The Fellows pass'd,
Each, intent on direful work,
High lifts his mighty blade, and points his deadly fork.
II.
But, hark! the portals sound, and pacing forth,
With steps, alas! too slow,
The College GYPTS, of high illustrious worth,
With all the dishes, in long order go.
In the midst a form divine,
Appears the fam'd sir-loin;
And soon, with plums and glory crown'd
Almighty pudding sheds its sweets around.
Heard ye the din of dinner bray?
Knife to fork, and fork to knife,
Unnumber'd heroes, in the glorious strife,
Through fish, flesh, pies, and puddings, cut their destin'd way.
III.
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.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account