tiful and pure lily reposing on the bosom of the limpid waters; the equal dash of the oars, and the lightning speed with which our πολυκωπες οχημα, (or the oary car, as it was construed the other day,) shot on its way. Let it be sufficient to notice, that we found good cider at Sandford, and then forwards to Nuneham Park. We came to anchor after a voyage of near an hour. The baggage and sutlers were safely arrived, and our party dispersed itself over the neighbouring woods and lawns. Some threw themselves, with a book, at the root of some ancestral elm; and others had brought their fishing-rods. I was fortunate enough in attaching myself to a most intelligent companion; who took me by the arm, and requested me to stroll with him about the grounds. We visited the various spots which commanded views of the country, but did not reach the mansion. I was suddenly roused from a fit of meditation in which I was indulging, no matter about what, by a quotation, which I could not help observing was pronounced by my companion with peculiar feeling and emphasis : "Sweet smiling village, loveliest of the lawn, Thy sports are fled, and all thy charms withdrawn; Mr. Willis noticed my surprise. "I suspect," said he, "you are not aware of the classical neighbourhood you are in. The Deserted Village' was situated in this park; and, as the Poem describes the story, one of the predecessors of the present Lord Harcourt caused the cottages to be taken down, and the busy haunts of life and joy to be removed, as a nuisance, and make way for a solitude. Only one hut was suffered to remain during the few declining years of its tenant; who was no doubt - The widow'd solitary thing That feebly bent beside the plashy spring; The wretched matron forc'd, in age, for bread, I am told that there are some individuals who can point out to you the site of the modest mansion of the village Preacher, and other objects mentioned by Goldsmith in that delicious composition. But I find by my watch it is high time for us to return to the Cottage. The scouts have by this time spread our repast, and the men will not stand on ceremony." The event answered our expectation. The party had already fallen-to; so, without waiting for an exchange of apologies, we took our seats and did justice to the cold collation. The evening was passed in the true convivial spirit; and it was not till some time after the great ; luminary of day had sunk behind the Cumnor hills, and the shades of night were gathering about us, that we recollected there were four good miles against stream to row home again. Our boats were manned in the twinkling of an eye, and we bade fair to work off the exuberance of our animal spirits by our increased exertions at the oar. We got home without any serious accident only the hinder crew had taken us at a disadvantage and bumped us; by which our helm was completely shattered, and a couple of their oars were broken in an attempt to pass us between narrow banks. The baggage-boat was not so fortunate. They were in the pound; and, by some mismanagement, the prow hitched in to the breast-work of bricks; the consequence was, the vessel filled and went to the bottom with the whole cargo. There was no danger, however; the locksman let down the sluices, and the poor sufferers were extricated from the watery element after a good ducking and a little fright;—that was all. The crockery, knives and forks, and other articles, were not taken up till the next morning; and it cannot but be remarked, that ever since that fatal evening there has been a sad deficiency in our tea-services at home. Saturday.-Wet morning. Eight o'clock.-Found myself rather stiff;-my back bone aching, and hands very sore. Thought I would lay by for the day and dine comfortably in my rooms. Therefore desired my scout to go with my compliments to the Tutor, and say I was ager. [Observe-this is our term for staying out.] 66 Five minutes past Eight.-Turned and went to sleep again. During breakfast read the Treatise which Carmarthen had lent me. Took it into my head that I wished to consult a passage in "Erasmus." Went to ask Sterling how to gain admittance to the Library for an hour's study, not dreaming of any difficulty. My dear fellow," said Mr. S. "you would introduce a new era in our College Annals. To my certain knowledge nobody ever goes up stairs except the Under Butler, at break of day to open the windows, and at fall of night to shut them; now and then, perhaps, Mr. Jackson takes a party of ladies to show them "a curious old place," as he calls it, or otherwise I assure you I do not hear a footfall above me for months together. One might fancy that the room was haunted by the Ghost of Dun Scotus; and it would require but a trifling stretch of the imagination to picture to yourself the old codger, with his lantern jaws, seated in a corner of this gothic apartment, scribbling away, as fast as his wasted fingers would allow him, at his translation of the Bible. How he must have quickened his pace when he got to "Timothy." Peace to his manes; I should have thought that the term of his wanderings had been long since over, were I not visited every night by him, to my no small annoyance, just above my pillow, up and down the wainscot, over head, and under the bed. I have made of late serious efforts to lay this troubled spirit, by means of a famous rat-trap; no less than a dozen victims in less than a week-but to no purpose: this Pythagorean slips into another skin, and the old work comes over again. To be serious, Le Blanc, you may send for the Under Butler, if you please, and visit the Library as a stranger; but if you make any application to the College, you will be told that it is not customary to allow the Junior Members of the Establishment to make use of the Library. There's monopoly for you! The Collection appears to be most valuable, but nobody knows what there is upon the shelves, and the worms have the chief profit." "Oh! very well," I replied, "the College need not expect any more Dun Scotuses or Wickliffes, since this is the system; and we Under-graduates are furnished with a good excuse on our part. Let's have a game at battledoor and shuttlecock." One o'clock.-Went to return a call of M'Lennox's ;-the oak shut;-stuck my card in the keyhole, as is the etiquette, and went on to E- College. Found Williams holding gymnastic games ;-boxing, single-stick, and the foils. Took a turn at fencing;-got poked under the armpit, and made a hole in my best blue coat. On my return home found a levee in my room. They assured me there was nothing like a lark in the PortMeadow to cure ægritude, and insisted on my taking horse with them, or I should catch the putrid fever. Two.-Equipped myself. Mounted ourselves at the stables near Oriel, and set off in a party of six, headed by a hot Irishman. You know I don't stick as close on horseback as the Centaurs used, and therefore when my mare had run away with me across the meadow, she found little difficulty in discharging her burthen into a ditch, which unfortunately crossed our way. No other harm than a slight bruise ;-dimmed the Day and Martin of my top boots, and splashed my white leathers a little. My comrades exerted themselves in recovering my steed, who was independently scouring the country; and a proposition was then made for setting off to Woodstock. Five o' Clock.-Ordered dinner to be got ready at the inn, and took a gentle ride in Blenheim Park.-Mem. To go some other day to Stonesfield in that neighbourhood, and examine the Roman tessellated pavement which has lately been discovered there. Six till Eight.-Made a capital dinner from an excellent bill of fare; tried the wine there; broke the bell ropes; kissed the maids, and gallopped home with two or three others by a decent hour. The rest of the party were not in College till after mid night; they went to the dramatic performances in the barn, and were all but put in the watch-box for creating a disturbance. Twelve.-Sound asleep. Startled by a noise at my oak, which was not fastened. A party of Bacchanals rushed in; upset my chairs and tables, and then piled them against my bedroom door; knocked off the head of my Farnese Hercules, and got off with impunity. There was no time to make my poker red hot for defensive operations. Sunday Morning, Eight till Nine.-Divine Service in Chapel. -Breakfasted at Carmarthen's room. Sterling made up the trio. Discussed the characters of the great pillars of our Church. By the way, talking of pillars, thought Carmarthen happy in comparing Jeremy Taylor to the Doric, and Horsley to the Ionic Order. Begin to suspect him of the Hutchinsonian mania. Mem. To read "the Divine Legation," but not to be converted by its arguments. Half-past Ten.-Adjourned to St. Mary's Church for the Bampton Lecture. Took our seats in the gallery just as the organ struck up the voluntary at the entrance of the Vice-Chancellor. While the Doctors were robing had time to make my observations. The M. A.'s were congregating beneath us. Sterling pointed out those who were most known to fame-Examining Masters, College Tutors, Ex-Proctors, &c. "Observe that stout man," said he, "who has just taken his place at the end of a form: his spare locks are combed straight down over his forehead with rustic carefulness, and the tout ensemble of his face is something like the features of the plump little cherubim which we often see carved in old cloisters." "Oh! I see the individual you mean; he has just put on his spectacles ;—who is he? Somebody who has been fattening upon a good fellowship this thirty years?" "Hush!" interrupted Mr. S. "you have before you the great Scholiast, the Scaliger of his day, of whom our University is so justly proud. There he is, Sir, and he has well deserved "Digito monstrari, et dicier 'Hic est."" Let Cambridge boast her Monck and Blomfield, we have our E-y." "But where is Mr. G―, to whom classic literature is also so highly indebted, and who has established our reputation on so firm a footing abroad, that even German envy is turned into admiration?" My companion could not distinguish him among the assembly, but began apostrophizing:-" Such an eye," said he, "so expressive and penetrating! I often meet him in my walks, and imagine to myself that that glance is an index of the searching genius which displays itself in his works. How must the clouds and darkness which absurdity and ignorance have raised, fly before it. But look again, Le Blanc," continued Mr. S. "there is our best Aristotelian making his way along the benches. He has got his glass up, and is reconnoitring our ranks and see that short figure who has just appeared at the corner of the pews, with rather of a brow of Egypt about him;-he has obtained the highest name in the Mathematics. Poor fellow, he is killing himself by inches. What think you of two College Lectures in the morning-from Ten till Five in the Schoolsanother Lecture in the evening, and then hard reading till past midnight? Now mark that ponderous figure who has taken his seat by the last-mentioned individual. They look like Ajax and Teucer together. I must take you some day to the Schools, on purpose to hear him operate on a chorus of schylus. He is a most beautiful scholar, I assure you." Here Sterling fell off into a meditative humour, and Carmarthen called my attention to the side pews, which were full of dashing females. "One would think," said my satirical neighbour, "those girls made very little difference between the promenade, ball-room, and St. Mary's, in the use which they put them to. At any rate, they will all come under the genus of market-places for their charms. We cannot be simple enough to suppose that they are here to be edified by our Lectures, which you may easily perceive, by their inattention, they are not ambitious of understanding. Do pray notice those two sisters in the Mary Stuart bonnets, with the flashing wreaths of carnations. There is one of them taking an oblique survey of the rank and file of M.A.'s, with a cast of countenance that puts me in mind of the old song 'Nobody coming to marry me, Sterling was roused from his reverie by this breach of decorum, and called Mr. C. to order. And at the moment the organ struck up a louder key, and the awful Sanhedrim of the Vice-Chancellor, supported by his D.D.'s, and the Proctors, were presently in their places. When we came to the address which bade the congregation return thanks, in their prayers, for our Founders and Benefactors, and more especially, upon the present occasion, for John Bampton, M.A. Canon of Salisbury, the pious and munificent Founder of the Lectures, I could not help recalling to mind that fastidious paper in "The Spectator," which decries this formulary as ridiculous and absurd. In me the circumstance only excited reverence and admiration. I reflected on those really good and great men who have such a claim upon our gratitude for the liberal and enlightened views with which they have provided for the education of posterity. I shall not venture any remarks upon the discourse which followed. If wish to see a candid and clear digest of the arguments by which our doctrine of Election is modified and supported, I would refer you at once you |