CHAPTER V

ETON COLLEGE (continued)

ETONIAN "NUTS "-AMUSEMENTS IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY-MAY AND HAWTHORN BOUGHS-A WARDEN, SIMULTANEOUSLY PEdant, "POOH-BAH," AND A BEAUTIFUL MAN!"-BENEFACTIONS, SCHOLARSHIPS AND FLOURISHING REVENUES-SIR HENRY WOTTON AND THE YOUNG NOBILITY-HOW THE KING'S EAR WAS BEGUILED" POOR AND NEEDY" PATRICIANS' Scramble-A BEAUTIFUL COMMONWEALTH EPISODE-THE RESTORATION-BenefiCES AND A CLIQUE-WHIPPED FOR NOT SMOKING A NAPOLEONIC SCHOOLMASTER-CURIOUS AdverTISEMENT AND QUEERER ELEction—A Bear and a Bore-Courtier AND OBSCURANT-VESTED ABUSES AND TARDY, PARTIAL REForm— LONG CHAMBER, THE BYWord of Eton-OTHER DIVERSIONS-SHELLEY -GEORGE III.'S PATRONAGE-" MontEM"-ETON'S GOVERNANCEA FORMER "GLORY". 'SIC TRANSIT GLORIA MUNDI!"—" PRODEEGIOUS!"

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Of the diversions of Eton life in the sixteenth century we may observe that, in nominal accordance with the softhearted spirit of the distich :

"be punished for St. Peter's crime

And on Shrove Tuesday perish in thy prime," cock-fighting and throwing sticks at the hapless bird enlivened the tedium of the dull round of school duties of Eton boys. One contemporary Continental gentleman, quoted in Brand's Popular Antiquities, speaking of this innocent pastime, said that, "after eating their pancakes, the English immediately go mad and kill their cocks!" Thus the custom of torturing live birds would appear to have been pretty general throughout this country in the sixteenth century-in fact, it was in vogue during the reign of the splendid bucks and idiotic dandies and Corinthians of the Regency.

The college cook carried off [in the sixteenth century] a crow from its nest, and fastening it to a pancake, hung it up on the school door, while the boys exulted in the shrill cries of the deserted fledglings."

G.E.S.

81

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On May Day the boys, rising at 4 a.m., made a pilgrimage into the countryside to gather boughs of sweet-smelling may and hawthorn to engarland the windows of their dormitory, and after the 6th of that month they were allowed a midday siesta, being aroused for bever (the contemporary equivalent of our 5 o'clock tea) at 3 p.m. Autumn and September saw them nutting in the woods of Berkshire, and January, on a hillside where, in summertime," the beauty of the country, the pleasantness of the greensward, the coolness of the shade, the singing of the birds," had caused them "to dedicate the retreat to Apollo and the Muses" as another vale of Tempe, witnessed a ceremony wherein the "freshmen" of the school underwent an ordeal somewhat comparable to that which used to be much favoured in nautical circles, at the crossing of the line.”

In order to enliven these inevitably dull accounts of society rapine, we might note that Sir Henry Savile, who had held the wardenship of Merton, Oxford, since 1584, and continued as a sort of modified sixteenth century "Pooh-bah" to hold it, along with another fat benefice, was elected in 1596 to the provostry of Eton, for which he offered Sir Robert Cecil 300 angels, probably £1,800 now. Tutor of Queen Bess in Greek and mathematics, he was an extraordinary handsome and beautiful man-no lady had a finer complexion," we are prettily told by Aubrey; and, in his distinguished capacity of a scholar of European reputation, he converted a former hayloft into a library for the fellows of Eton. There he set up a printing press, from which he issued a wellknown edition of one of the fathers (Chrysostom). He was one of the type of pedagogues generally known as "stern disciplinarians," and his bon mot: "Give me plodding students. If I would look for wits, I would go to Newgate-there be wits," would hardly excite the gaiety of nations. However, let it be said to his credit that he refused, at the hands of James I., high offices and

emoluments in order to devote himself, as a classicist, to Latin literature.

Savile was a pedantic compound of jealousy, vanity, and snobbery. He assumed a patronising air towards men of genius who had not "his gentle birth” and pompous mien. "It is his custom to kick all men who are considered learned, and to treat them as asses on two legs," says Casaubon. And, writes another, he "got a greate victorie of his Fellowes," [at Merton College, Oxford] and raunsommed and punished divers of them, and amongst the rest expelled Mr. Colmer, who of griefe or curst hart, died within five dayes after." *

Baldwin Collins, vice-provost at this period, was a man, says the Eton Register, "of such charity that it passeth belief giving the poor the cloaths from off his back, and his hat from off his head." "I have enough—enough,” said he, when pressed often to accept additional benefices. 'He did freely prefer many poor but good scholars."

John Chamber, another fellow, bequeathed to the college two "Postmasterships" at Merton College for boys who had been elected to King's College. These scholarships were worth £65 yearly, with rooms and commons, and are now in the gift of the respective provosts. And another, Adam Robyns, left £100 for the purchase of a silver ewer and magnificent dish, still on the college sideboard.

The Eton revenues were in a flourishing condition, and it was at this period (1617) that one may date the inception of the superb practice of dividing the annual surplus among the fellows and provost. Under this head the Eton audit book shows that £400 were thus distributed, in 1617, among the members of the college. But "a Spanish gent. voluntarily exiling himself for the Gospell, as he said," got only 10s. by way of charity. There is a hint of scepticism, we may note, in the as he said!"

Eton had acquired repute among the English arisChamberlain's Letters, Camden Society, p. 27.

tocracy, and in consequence, at the election, there were over 100 "poor and needy" (save the mark !) candidates for scholarships, and parents badgering the provost on all sides.

Bishop Barlow, the visitor of the college, had to complain energetically in 1610 about a pluralist Eton schoolmaster, Dr. Langley, and subsequently compelled the provost to dismiss Langley, and " send him to his charge." Barlow averred, with truth, that the practically universal pluralism of that age was the " ulcer of the Church."

Later, James's all-powerful favourite, the Duke of Buckingham, gave the famous Sir Henry Wotton, by way of paying him conveniently arrears due in his ambassadorial capacity, the provostry. Wotton, who is remembered by his famous witticism," an ambassador is a honest man sent to lie broad for the good of his country," was a layman and statutorily ineligible for the office and sinecure, but was given the place for the reason already stated. Now we begin to become vividly aware of the after-effect of the reforming sixteenth century, from the standpoint of democratic educational facilities!

Under Wotton the school was very much thronged with the young nobility, and the scholars were the nominees of the Court, sometimes via the Secretary of State, at other times by the King himself. For example, on July 25th, 1624, James I. writes personally to the provost recommending "Robert Newman as scholar of Eton, an exception having been taken to the nomination as not being under his own hand," the former one having been made by "Secretary Conway, on 8 July, 1623." Newman as patrician, "poor and needy scholar," was duly elected, and went, also as usurping the really indigent, on to King's College, Cambridge, 1628.

"

Then from his sycophants, courtiers, and fawners, the King's ear is beguiled by the wiles of his "pastry-man and his "shoe-maker," and in 1624 the sons of these, the King's domestic servants, were admitted as free scholars

at Eton. Again, in 1628, the son of Sir Robert Hatton, the accomplished courtier and dancer, was admitted on pressure. Wotton himself wrote to John Dineby, ambassador at the Hague, about the latter's sons; and in 1629 a place was actually begged for the son of an exiled baron of Austria (!), when the son of Sir George Knyvett, or Kevett, headed the list. Be it noted that all these wealthy patrician scions and cadets were enjoying free education and maintenance at Eton, as nominally "poor and needy scholars."

The election of 1629 Wotton describes as "the most troublesome that has ever been since that nurse* first gave milk, over charged with King's letters, four recommendatory and one mandatory, besides messengers and intercessions from divers great personages . . enough to make us think ourselves shortly electors of the Empire." And next year he writes to a "noble nephew" that "his list of names cannot be served," and recommends dividing them between Eton and Westminster, where the election was three weeks earlier, adding that " that school mouldeth good scholars and of certainer preferment to either of the universities (for some go to Oxford and some to Cambridge) than this out of which the issue is always hard, and the entrance not always easy." In 1638 the provost tells of four Privy Councillors, three of them of the highest," already promised, and says " the world is nimble in the anticipation of voices." At this time, too, there sprang up the custom of inscribing the names of noblemen at the head of their class division, whether or no deserved.

During the Civil War period the Parliamentary "Committee for Plundered Ministers and Schoolmasters ordered, to use the legal formula given, ex abundanti cautela, that "none of the revenues assigned for the scholars and almsmen be stopped or payment thereof be intercepted or diverted." Now a beautiful episode stands

✦ Į.e., Eton and her endowments.