Oxford (England) -- Description and travel; University of Oxford
Philippa, Queen of Edward III., was joined with her chaplain in the
foundation of Queen’s College “for the cultivation of Theology, to the
glory of God, the advance of the Church, and the salvation of souls.” A
little subtlety on the part of the founder and sentiment on the part of
the queens, enabled the college to exchange compliments with Anne of
Bohemia, Henrietta Maria, Charlotte and Adelaide. The founder was a
Cumberland man, and his college attracted a neighbour or a man who spoke
with his accent or had the same traditions to become one of the fellows,
equal in number with Christ and His apostles. Before and after the
beginning of colleges, men from the same district made a small “new
Scotland” or “new France” in Oxford streets. Thus the scholars of St.
George’s and Oriel were for some time largely Welsh; at Balliol and
University College there were many northerners. At all times these
divisions were emphasised by conflicts with tongue and arrow and sword.
Scholars overlooked their Aristotle at bloody arguments in Grove Street
and Cornmarket, between North and South, Irish and Welsh and Scotch, in
combinations that varied unaccountably or according to the politics of
the day. You might know a scholar, as an ancient tinker remarked the
other day, remembering the boxing booths of his youth, by the way he
fought. The election of a chancellor, or a church wake, and an exchange
of lusty oaths between men of two parties were the occasion. In later
years Realists and Nominalists,--Orthodox and Wycliffites,--now and then
reduced their disagreement to simple terms. Nor were the citizens with
difficulty persuaded to take or make a side in the disputes, whether
they encountered the scholars at inns, or as they stood on
market-days,--the sellers of hay and faggots and hogs, stretching in
their regular places from the East gate, in front of St. Mary’s and All
Saints’, to Carfax and the
[Illustration: GROVE STREET
This narrow street runs from the High Street opposite St. Mary’s
Church alongside St. Mary’s Hall and Oriel College, emerging near
to Merton, part of the tower of which College appears.
It contains some picturesque half-timbered buildings, some of which
are shown in the picture.
]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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