of the younger members, destroying all wholesome respect for character and authority *.

This account is drawn from Bp Monk's Life of Dr Bentley: and though Bentley's proceedings were not always in accordance with the statutes and usages of the College, it cannot be denied that he raised its reputation by his administration. Besides the pre-eminent character he maintained as a critic, he encouraged the study of the Newtonian Philosophy, and his "Remarks on Freethinking" form one of the most able defences of the outworks of Christianity against infidelity. The bishop concludes his remarks on Dr Bentley's character in the following words:-" It appears to me that his passions were not always under the control, nor his actions under the guidance, of Christian principles; that in consequence, pride and ambition, the faults to which his nature was most exposed, were suffered to riot without restraint; and that hence proceeded the display of arrogance, selfishness, obstinacy, and oppression, by which it must be confessed that his career was disfigured. That nature, however, had not denied to him certain amiable qualities of the heart, and that he possessed in à considerable degree many of the social and endearing virtues, is proved beyond a doubt, by the warm and steady affection with which he was regarded by his family and his intimate friends."

• "His first step on entering into the office was of a very inauspicious description. A dividend from the surplus money had been fixed, in December 1699, to be paid, agreeably to the custom of the College, to the master and fellows, for the year ending at Michaelmas. The master's share, amounting to £170, was clearly due to Dr Montague, whose resignation took place in November; but by some accident it had not yet been disbursed to him. Bentley, immediately upon his admission, claimed the sum, as being profits accruing during the vacancy, and therefore payable to the new master; and by dint of terrifying the bursar, or treasurer, who declined paying it, with a threat to bring him before the archbishop of Canterbury, he actually obtained the money. In making this claim he was misled by a reference to the case of parochial preferment, where the successor is always entitled to the arrears during vacancy. But in the present instance, the sums from whence the dividend was made, had all fallen in Dr Montague's time. Besides, a case precisely similar had occurred in Trinity College little more than twenty years before, when Dr North gave up the dividend to the executors of his predecessor, Dr Barrow; and a college order was made, to regulate and decide such questions for the future. Bentley at the same time demanded and enforced payment of other dues, amounting to £110. which had become due at St Thomas's day preceding. For this claim he had stronger

When Dr Caius published his History, the College is ported to have maintained 62 fellows, 71 scholars, 138 p

grounds; though to say the least, it was injudicious to assert it against the opin and feelings of the Society: but to the dividend he had not the shadow of a rij and his predecessor declared his intention of commencing a suit against the Coll if it was withheld from him. Bentley throughout life was too obstinate in m taining a point to which he had once committed himself: thus the matter remai in controversy about two years, when a compromise was effected. The dean Durham [Dr Montague] allowed the £170 to remain in Bentley's hands, as a gif the College, to be expended in purchasing furniture for the master's lodge: and thanks of the society were given to him for this benefaction, and entered in register by the master's [Dr Bentley's] hand. Through this handsome conduc the dean the dispute was amicably settled; however, an impression was produ not favourable to the new master; and unfortunately his subsequent conduct } no tendency to remove the prejudice thus excited against him."-Bp Monk's Lif Dr Bentley, pp. 114, 115.

The master continued to take such liberties in the administration of Trin College, as proved that he considered himself absolute and irresponsible. Oft a glaring instance occurs in the expulsion of two fellows, in a summary way, with the forms of the statute. To the expulsion of one of them, some of the seniors pressed their positive objection; observing that if a fellow were deprived of his fr hold on the grounds alleged, "he would have an action against the College." T apprehension Dr Bentley the master treated with contempt, saying, that "his fath [prebendary of Westminster] was just dead in poor circumstances, and all family were beggars." pp. 168, 169.

On another occasion by his own arbitrary authority he expelled a sub-sizar. Bentley's entry is as follows:

"Dec. 21, 1701. Ordered by the master, that Hanson the sub-sizar be expelled th College, for his foul and scandalous, and repeated offence. R. BENTLEY, Mag. Coll. The example which he followed was an order, Jan. 23, 1664-65:

"Ordered by the master, that Young the scholar be expelled the College for hi foule and scandalous offence. Jo. PEARSON."

"

But the entry which immediately follows, made at the same time, is this:"AGREED THEN ALSO, that Edward Botany be appointed the third cook. J. P. As the words "agreed then also," shew that the former order was made at a meeting of the seniors, it appears in the highest degree probable that Pearson intended to write, ordered by the master and seniors, but omitted the last two words by accident.-Note, p. 126.

"For the first five or six years of his mastership, in all elections to scholarships and fellowships he had regarded only the merit of the candidates; and, in conse quence, a series of able and deserving young men had been admitted into the society. But at the election of 1706, he is stated to have made the first deviation from the rule of merit. The vice-master, Dr Wolfran Stubbe, a much respected personage, who had formerly filled the Hebrew professorship, was generally supporter of the master's measures: among the candidates was his nephew and heir, Edmund Stubbe, a young man who is represented as a profligate, and in every way unworthy of the station. Bentley, to gratify the old gentleman, proposed and elected him a supernumerary fellow, to succeed upon a 'presumed vacancy.' In this act there was a twofold malversation. The candidates for fellowships being superannuated when of the standing of Masters of Arts, there had formerly been a custom of pre-election to future vacancies. This practice, though not expressly forbidden

sioners, and 110 sizars and sub-sizars. And when Fuller wrote in 1655, he states that at his day there were then maintained, a master, 60 fellows, 67 scholars, 4 conducts, 3 public professors, 13 poor scholars, 20 almsmen (besides lately a master of the choristers, 6 clerks, and 10 choristers), other students, with the officers, and servants of the foundation, in all 440.

by the statutes, was contrary to their general spirit, as discouraging the emulation of students by pre-occupying what ought to be their rewards. It had, accordingly, been strictly prohibited by a royal letter of king James I. Dr Bentley at the same time that he condemned pre-elections, termed this act only a presumption; thereby taking a distinction between the two cases, which made no practical difference. Having once ventured upon this step, he had frequent recourse to the same method; and in the following year, two more fellows were elected by 'presumption.' The choice of an unworthy person, whom he afterwards termed 'the worst character that ever entered a college,' was never insisted upon by his accusers, out of tenderness towards the uncle, Dr Stubbe; but it became known in the world; and we are told by Whiston that, in his opinion, the present was Bentley's first breach of integrity; and having made this deviation from the path of justice, he never afterwards returned to it." pp. 167, 168.

1708. "Dr Bentley chose a layman as one of the four conducts, whose duty it is to read prayers daily in the College chapel; telling him that he would dispense with his taking orders, and allow him to hold his appointment till seven years after his Master of Arts degree." p. 171.

1708. He put out of commons one of the fellows who was approaching the rank of a senior, because he was in the habit of condemning the proceedings of the master: and inflicted the same punishment on some other fellows upon different pretences. For the legal punishment of a fellow, the consent of the seniority was required: besides this sort of penalty, though used as a mode of admonishing refractory students for neglect of College duties, appears never before to have been inflicted upon those of senior standing: when exercised on persons in holy orders, and officers of the establishment, it became an unseemly and intolerable indignity. To all complaints of this proceeding, he replied, that 'it was but lusus jocusque,' and that he was not warm yet.' pp. 171, 172.

"He soon discovered that 'the Combination room,' where the society are in the habit of assembling after dinner, was the place in which he and his proceedings were loudly and continually canvassed; and he bethought him of a desperate expedient, to silence at once the voice of opposition, by taking away the scene on which it was enacted. He accordingly attempted to deprive the fellows of their combination room, and to convert it into chambers; alleging that the statutes had made no mention of such a place of meeting (although every other college in England possessed one), and urging that it was a source of mischief and dissension. The unanimous resistance of the society made him abandon this scheme, but the attempt was long remembered with indignation and resentment." pp. 171, 172.

These are a few specimens of the Master's doings, and it may be remarked, that notwithstanding the efforts of the seniors of the College and most of the fellows, Dr Bentley managed to baffle and defeat all attempts to remove so objectionable a personage as himself from the mastership of the College, which he held till the day of his death.

1560. Thomas Allen, clerk, rector of Stevenage, left lar to the College, the rents of which were to be appropriated various uses. The annual payment of twenty marks has be assigned for the maintenance of two scholars, and £2 year towards the support of the poor students of the College.

1581. Lady Frances Jermyn, sister of Sir Robert Jermy Knt. of Rushbrooke, Suffolk, by her will gave to the mai tenance of two Scholars, one of them at Trinity College, much as should be thought sufficient by her executors. £ Robert Jermyn and the other executors judged £5 to be suf cient for each scholar, and Sir Robert Jermyn granted a year rent of £5 out of the manor of Bidswell in Suffolk to Trini College for one scholar. A payment of £7. 10s. is made present out of the manor of Bidswell for the scholar at Trini College, the gift of which is vested in the master. In the ye 1678, the allowance was augmented by a legacy of £100 b queathed by Mr Thomas Docwra.

1610. George Palyn, citizen and girdler of London, left a exhibition of £16 a year.

1615. Rev. Thomas Hopes, rector of North Runcton i Norfolk, sometime scholar of the College, by will bequeathe certain tithes and a piece of land at North Runcton, for certai charitable purposes, one of which was, that £3. 6s. 8d. shoul be paid yearly for ever towards the maintenance of a poo scholar for five years at Trinity College, who had been edu cated at the grammar-school of King's Lynn. The nomi nation of the exhibitioner rests with the master and vice-master of Trinity College, and the mayor of Lynn, or two of them.

1615. Mrs Elizabeth Elwes, widow of Jeffery Elwes, Esq. alderman of London, left by her will an annual exhibition of £6 for a Scholar, to be given at the discretion of the master.

1618. Lady Anne Bromley gave a benefaction for founding five new Scholarships.

1621? William Chamberlayne, D.D., fellow of the College, canon of Windsor, left £100 for an exhibition of £4 a year. 1622. Roger Jeston by will devised all his messuages, lands, tenements, &c. situate in or near Grubb Street, in the parish of St. Giles without Cripplegate, London, to the master and war

dens of the Company of Haberdashers, chargeable for ever with the payment of £6. 13s. 4d. yearly, to each of three poor scholars studying divinity in Trinity College, Cambridge, such as the master and the eight seniors of the college should appoint, whereof Mr Jeston would, that the children of any of the Company of Haberdashers, or any native of Staffordshire, having need, should be first preferred to these exhibitions.

1623. Lady Weld, widow of Sir Humfry Weld, left a benefaction of £32 per annum for exhibitions.

1630. Mr Thomas Whyte, citizen of London, gave £8 per annum to two Scholars, one to be at Trinity College, Cambridge, and the other to be at Christ Church, Oxford.

1640. Ambrose Aykerode, LL.D. fellow of the College, left, among other things to the College, £13 to the poor scholars, £10 to other poor students, £10 to poor under-servants of the College, and £10 to other poor people, servants of the College, at the discretion of the master and seniors.

1640. Mr John Hylord, alderman of London, left £500 to the College for exhibitions.

1652. Edward Wilson, Esq. of Nether Levens, charged upon the tythes of Leck, parcel of the rectory of Tunstall in Westmoreland, two pensions of £6. 138. 4d. each, for the maintenance of two poor scholars; one at Queen's College, Oxford, and the other at Trinity College, Cambridge. It was required that the said scholars should be poor men's sons, whose fathers should not be able to allow them competent maintenance, and that they should be taught at Heversham School, and from thence sent to the University; and that they should be nominated by Edward Wilson and his heirs male, or in their default, by the feoffees of the school. The yearly payments to the scholars are to be given for four years after their going from the school, and no longer, unless there should be wanting other young scholars, in which case the payments may continue two years longer, unless another should be qualified sooner: but none to be capable of receiving the same longer than they were admitted to the degree of Master of Arts; and in case none should be qualified, Mr Wilson directed that the said pensions should be employed yearly for the maintenance of poor