George Lily, son of the grammarian and schoolmaster, and canon of St. Paul's, refers doubtless to these benefactions when, in his _Chronicle_, he speaks of the encouragement of learning by the princes and nobility of England, and goes on to say that their good example was followed by Dr. John Colet, ... "who about this time (1510) erected a public school in London of an elegant structure, and endowed it with a large estate, for teaching gratis the sons of his fellow-citizens for ever." The foundation was for one hundred and seventy-three scholars--a number selected in remembrance of the miracle of the fishes. III. Colet drew up, or had drawn up, for the regulation of his new school the subjoined Rules and Orders, to be read to the parents before their children were admitted, and to be accepted by them:-- "If youre chylde can rede and wryte Latyn and Englyshe suffycyently, so that he be able to rede and wryte his own lessons, then he shal be admitted into the schole for a scholar. "If youre chylde, after reasonable reason proved, be founde here unapte and unable to lernynge, than ye warned therof shal take hym awaye, that he occupye not oure rowme in vayne. "If he be apt to lerne, ye shal be contente that he continue here tyl he have competent literature. "If he absente vi dayes, and in that mean seeson ye shew not cause reasonable, (resonable cause is only sekenes) than his rowme to be voyde, without he be admitted agayne, and pay iiijd. "Also after cause shewed, if he contenewe to absente tyl the weke of admyssion in the next quarter, and then ye shew not the contenuance of the sekenes, then his rowme to be voyde, and he none of the schole tyl he be admytted agayne, and paye iiijd. for wryting his name. "Also if he fall thryse into absence, he shal be admytted no more. "Your chylde shal, on Chyldermas daye, wayte vpon the boy byshop at Powles, and offer there. "Also ye shal fynde him waxe in winter. "Also ye shal fynde him convenyent bokes to his lernynge. "If the offerer be content with these articles, than let his childe be admytted."