Oxford (England) -- History; University of Oxford -- History
The Bohemian extravagance of the life of the "University Wits" in London
will help us to understand why it was that Henry Savile, Warden of
Merton (1586), the austere and accomplished scholar, could not abide
wits. He preferred the plodding scholar, and used to say that if he
wanted wits he would look for them in Newgate. Neither Wits nor their
plays, which were often scurrilous enough, were acceptable to the
Puritans, and within a few years both city and University began to
restrict the performances of plays.
Queen Elizabeth bade farewell to Oxford on 6th September, and on that
day the walls of S. Mary's, All Souls' and University were hung with
innumerable copies of verses bemoaning her departure. By Magdalen
College she took leave of the civic authorities; the University
officials attended her to Shotover, and there, at the conclusion of a
speech from the Provost of Oriel, "she gave him her hand to kiss, with
many thanks to the whole University, speaking then these words, as 'tis
reported, with her face towards Oxford. 'Farewell the worthy University
of Oxford; Farewell my good subjects there; Farewell my dear scholars
and pray God prosper your studies. Farewell. Farewell.'" No wonder she
won universal homage by "her sweet, affable and noble carriage."
The name of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, lover of Elizabeth, is
inseparably connected with Oxford, not only by his chancellorship, but
also by the fact that it is here that his ill-fated wife, Amy Robsart,
is buried. She was found dead at the foot of the stairs in Cumnor Place.
After the inquest her body was brought to Gloucester Hall, and lay there
till it was buried with full heraldic ceremonial on 22nd September 1560
in the choir of S. Mary's Church. The funeral sermon was preached by one
of Dudley's chaplains, who had just been transferred from the mastership
of Balliol to the rectorship of Lincoln. He, fumbling for a phrase to
express her violent death, "tripped once or twice by recommending to his
auditors the virtues of that Lady, so pitifully _murdered_." But there
is no evidence that Amy Robsart was murdered, with or without the
connivance of Leicester. The story which Sir Walter Scott has used in
"Kenilworth" is the baseless invention of political enemies. What
happened to the unfortunate lady was either accident or suicide.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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