(fays Dr. Lowth) I prefume, is, that a man's real worth is to be estimated, not from the outward and accidental advantages of birth, rank, and fortune, but from the endowments of his mind and his moral qualifications." It is generally agreed that his parents' circumftances would not afford their fon a liberal education. However he was put by fome generous patron to fchool at Winchester, where he made fome progrefs in grammatical knowledge; but in other refpects his education was very defective. He acted as fecretary to Nicholas Uvedale, Governor of Winchefter Caftle, who afterwards recommended him to Edyngdon, Bifhop of Winchefter, through whom he became known to king Edward III. In the year 1356, he was made furveyor of the king's works at the Caftle and in the park of Windfor. Great part of the Caftle was pulled down by his advice, and rebuilt in a much more magnificent manner, under his fole direction. He was likewife architect of Queenborough Castle, and, by his talents and good behaviour, foon acquired a confiderable fhare of his fovereign's confidence and favour. He received holy orders in the year 1351, and was foon gratified with a number of ecclefiaftical benefices. He attended the king at Calais, in the year 1360. In June 1363, he was Warden and Jufticiary of the king's forests on this fide the Trent. In the fucceeding years, he was made keeper of the Privy Seal; and in two years after fecretary to the king; at which period he was confidered as chief of the privy council. Befides the profits arifing to him from thefe places, he enjoyed church benefices to the amount of 8421. per annum, before he was promoted to the bishoprick of Winchefter. William de Edyngdon, bishop of that fee, dying in the year 1366, Wykeham was unanimously elected as his fucceffor, by the prior and convent, approved approved by the pope, and confecrated next year at St. Paul's, in London, by the arch

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bishop of Canterbury. In the course of the fame year, he was conftituted chancellor of England. In 1371, he refigned the great feal, in confequence of a complaint by the parliament, that ecclefiaftics were vefted with the higheft dignities of the state. During the refpite which Wykeham enjoyed from ftate affairs, he employed his whole attention in reforming the ecclefiaftical abufes which had crept into his diocefe; and in repairing all the epifcopal buildings, on which he expended no less than 20,000 marks. In the reformation of abuses, he met with fome obftructions from the mafter of the hofpital at St. Crofs. This hospital, at Sporkeford, near Winchefter, was founded by Henry de Blois, bishop of Winchester, and brother to king Stephen, about the year 1136, for the health of his own foul and the fouls of his predeceffors, and of the kings of England. The founder's inftitution requires, that thirteen poor men fo decayed and past their ftrength, that without charitable affiftance they cannot maintain themselves, fhall abide continually in the hofpital, who fhall be provided, with proper cloathing, and beds fuitable to their infirmities; and shall have an allowance daily of good wheat bread, good beer, three messes, each for dinner, and one for fupper. If any of thefe fhall happen to recover his health and ftrength, he shall be refpectfully difcharged, and another taken in his place. That befides thefe thirteen poor, an hundred other poor, of modest behaviour, and the most indigent that can be found, fhall be received daily at dinner time; and have each a loaf of coarfer bread, one mefs, and a proper allowance of beer, with leave to carry away with them whatever remains after dinner. The founder alfo ordered other cha rities to be distributed to the poor in general, as the revenues of the hofpital fhould be able to bear, the whole of which was to be applied to fuch uses.

The endowment of the hofpital confifted

confifted chiefly of the impropriation of nineteen confiderable rectories, for the most part belonging to the diocefe of Winchester, and of the bishop's patronage; the greateft part of which were afterwards converted into annual pentions. I do not find when or by what means this alteration was made; but it seems to have taken place not long after the firft foundation of the hofpital. The revenues of the Hofpital appear, by an old record of inquifition, produced in Wykeham's time by the prior of Winchefter, from the archives of the monaftry, without date, to have amounted to about 250l. per annum; they are faid by Wykeham, in his letters to the pope, to be about 300l. per annum, and are proved by the teftimony of one who had been long steward of the hofpital, and many others, to have been, at that time, above 400l. per annum. The whole revenues of the hospital were free from all taxes, both to the king and pope, as being wholly appropriated to the poor, except 71. 4s. 6d. (called elsewhere 81.) per annum, which was the valuation of the prior's er master's portion.

The particular allowances to the poor, with their valuation, according to the above-mentioned record of inquifition, were as follows: each of the thirteen fecular brethren had daily one loaf of good wheat bread, of five marks weight, (or 31. 40z.) one gallon and half of good fmall beer, a fufficient quantity of pottage, three meffes at dinner, namely, one mefs called mortrell, made of milk and waftelbread; one mess of flesh or fish; and one pittance as the day should require; and one mefs at fupper, the whole valued at 17d. q. a week; in Wykeham's time at 3d. a day. On fix holidays in the year they had white bread and ale in the fame quantities; and one of their meffes was roast meat or fish of a better fort, and on the eves of thofe holidays, and that of the founder's obit, they had an extraordinary allowance of four gallons of ale among them. The

hundred poor were fed in a place called Hundred Mennefhall; each of them had a loaf of coarfer bread, of five marks weight, three quarts of fmall beer, a fufficient quantity of pottage, or a mefs of pulie, one her ring or two pilchards, or two eggs or one farthing's worth of cheefe, value three-pence q. a week: of which hundred poor were always thirteen of the poorer scholars of the great grammar fchool of Winchefter fent by the fchoolmaster. On the anniversary of the founder's obit, Augult 9, being the eve of St. Laurence, three hundred poor were received at the hofpital; to each of the firft hundred were given one loaf, and one mefs of the fame fort with those of the brethren's ordinary allowance, and three quarts of beer; to the fecond hundred was given the ufual hundredman's allow. ance; and to each of the third hun. dred half a loaf of the brethren's bread. On fix holidays in the year the hundred men had each a loaf of the better fort of bread, and a double mefs. There were befides, maintained in the hofpital, a fteward, with his two fervants and two horses, a porter, twelve fervants, two teams of fix horfes each, and three carters.

The founder had conftituted the. master and brethren of the hofpital of St. John of Jerufalem, guardians and adminiftrators of his hofpital of St. Crofs, faving to the bishop of Winchefter his canonical jurifdiction. A difpute arifing between Richard Toclive, bishop of Winchester, immediate fucceffor to Henry de Blois, and the mafter and brethren of St. John of Jerufalem, concerning the adminiftration of the hofpital, king Henry the fecond interpofed; and by his mediation an agreement was made between them: the master and brethren ceded to the bishop of Winchefter, and his fucceffors, the admis niftration of the hofpital, the bifhop giving then the impropriation of the churches of Morden and Hanniton for the payment of 53 marks per annum, and procuring them a difcharge from

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the penfion of ten marks, two wax candles, and ten pounds of wax, paid to the monks of St. Swithin, for the houfe of St. Crofs: and the bishop moreover, out of regard to God, and for the health of the king's foul and his own, (because the revenues of the hofpital were fufficient for the maintenance of many more poor, and ought not to be converted to other ufes, as Wykeham reprefents to the pope) orders that, befides the number inftituted by the founder, one hundred additional poor fhall also be fed every day in the fame manner at the hofpital. This agreement is dated April 10, 1385, and was made at Dover in the prefence of the king, and attefted by him. This new inftitution of feeding one hundred additional poor was not of long continuance: it had ceafed long before Wykeham's time; and inftead of it, by what authority we cannot fay, was introduced the establishment of four priefts, thirteen fecular clerks, and feven chorifters, who were maintained in the hofpital for the performance of divine fervice in the church. The four priefts dined at the mafter's table, and had each a ftipend of 31. 6s. 8d. per annum; the thirteen clerks had each daily a loaf of wheat bread, weight 61 fhillings and eight-pence, (i. e. 3lb. 1cz.) three quarts of beer,

and one mefs of flesh or fish of the brethren was allotted to two of them; the feven choritters had each one loaf of the common family bread, and the fragments of the mafter's table and common hall, fo as to have a fufficient provifion; and were taught at fchool in the hospital."

After the death of the Black prince, John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancafter, who had been forming intrigues for the fucceffion, and affociated with lord Latimer, and Alice Perrers, the old king's mistress, refumed all his influence at court, from, whence he and his affociates had been banished by a parliamentary remon Arance, and now he refolved to make his enemies feet his refentment: as

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Wykeham had fill adhered to the prince of Wales, and the true interest of his country, he was of courfe confidered as an enemy by the duke of Lancaster, who fuborned certain perfons to bring articles of accufation against the good prelate. He was charged with having embezzled the public revenue, and with divers acts of fraud, extortion, and mifconduct during the time in which he had a fhrare in the administration of affairs. Of all the articles, his accufers could only prove the last, which was an irregular proceeding as chancellor, in the cafe of one John Gray, relating to a fine of 801. Upon this, judgment was given, that his temporalities fhould be feized into the king's hands. Thefe were accordingly feized, and the bifhop was forbidden to come within twenty miles of the court. Next year, the commons petitioned the king, that, in confideration of the year of his jubilee, being the fif teenth of his reign, a general pardon. might be granted to his fubjects of all crimes committed before the beginning of the faid year. His majef complied with their request; but Sir William Wykeham was expressly excepted from the benefit of this amnefty. The convocation however, deeply impreffed with a fenfe of the injuries which had been done to the bishop of Winchefter, refufed to grant any fubfidy, until that prelate's grievances fhould be redreffed, and petitioned the king in his behalf; in confequence of this remonstrance, the bishop was permitted to come to Southwark, and take his place again in the convocation; but his temporalities, instead of being restored, were granted to Richard prince of Wales. Neverthelefs, in June. fol. lowing, Wykenam recovered them, in confideration of his having undertaken to equip, at his own expence, three fhips of war, with fifty men at arms, and fifty archers each, for one quarter of a year, at fuch wages as were ufually paid by the king; but

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the king was to pay the mariners : and in cafe fuch voyage fhould not take place, the bifhop was to pay his majesty the fum, to which the wages of the faid 300 men, by reafonable computation, fhould amount.

At the acceffion of Richard II. the bishop's pardon paffed the privy feal, in the most extenfive terms; and, by another inftrument, he was indulged with a full remiffion of all the burdens which were impofed upon him, when his temporalities were reftored. This pardon and remiffion were folemnly confirmed in parliament, at the request, and on the petition, of the commons. In a word, the bishop had no other enemies than the duke of Lancaster, and his adherents; but was confidered by the nation in general, as a staunch friend to the interefts of his country: for, as often as the commons, in fubfequent parliaments, complained of Richard's administration, and petitioned for commiffioners to rectify the diforders of his reign, the bishop of Winchefter was always mentioned in the lift, and appointed accordingly. He was no fooner delivered of the perfecution raised by his enemies, than he began to execute the noble plan he had laid for his two colleges at Winchester and Oxford.-His defign was to provide for the perpetual maintenance and inftruction of two hundred scholars, to be conducted through a perfect courfe of education; from the first elements of letters through the whole circle of the fciences. "The work (fays Dr. Lowth) which demanded his attention at this time, was to erect his college at Oxford; the fociety of which he had already compleated and eftablished, and that fome years before he began to raise the building. For he proceeded here in the fame method which he took at Winchester; as he began there with forming a private grammar fchool, furnished with proper masters, and maintained and fupported in it the full number of scholars, which he afterwards

established in his college; fo at Oxford, in the first place, he formed his fociety, appointed them a governor, allowed them a liberal maintenance, provided them with lodgings, and gave them rules and directions for their behaviour; not only that his beneficence, might not feem to lie fruitless and ineffectual, while it was only employed in making his pur chafes of lands, and raising his building, which would take up a con fiderable time; but that he might bestow his earliest attention, and his greatest care in forming and perfecting the principal part of his defign; and that the life and foul, as it were, might be ready to inform and ani mate the body of his college as soon as it could be finished; and fo the whole fyftem be at once compleated in every part of it. This preparatory establishment, it is thought, took place about the fame time with that of Winchefter, that is, in the year 1373; which agrees with the account that fome authors gave, that it was feven years before the foundation of the buildings was laid: but they are mistaken, in fuppofing that there were only fifty fcholars maintained by him in this manner; for it appears by the rolls of account of New College, that in the year 1376, the fociety confifted of a warden and feventy fellows, called Pauperes Scholares Venerabilis Domini Domini Wilhelmi de Wykeham Wynton Epifcopi; and that it had been established probably for the fame number, at leaft as early as September 1375. Richard Toneworth, fellow of Merton college, was appointed by him governor of this fociety, with the title of warden, and a falary of zol. per annum. The fellows were lodged in Blakehall, Herthall, Shulehall, Meydenhall, and Hamerhall: the expence of their lodging amounted to iol. 13s. 4d. per annum. They were allowed each of them is. 6d. per week for their commons: and they had proper fervants to attend them who had fuitable ftipends.

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"In the year 1379, the bishop compleated his feveral purchases of land for the fite of his college, and immediately took his meafures for erecting his building. In the firft place, he obtained the king's patent, granting him licence to found his college; it is dated June 30, 1379- He procured likewife the pope's bull to the fame effect. He published his charter of foundation November 26 following; by which he intitled his college, Sainte Marie College Wyncheftre in Oxenford. It was then vulgarly called the New College, which became in time a fort of proper name for it, and, in common ufe, continues to be so to this day. At the fame time, upon the refignation of Toneworth, he conftituted his kinfman, Nicholas Wykeham, warden, with a falary of 40l. per annum. On the 5th of March following, at eight o'clock in the morning, the foundation ftone was laid: the building was finished in fix years, and the fociety made their public entrance into it with much folemnity and devotion, finging litanies, and marching in proceffion, with the crofs borne before them, at nine o'clock in the morning on the 14th of April, 1386. The fociety confifts of a warden and feventy poor fcholars, clerks, ftadents in theology, canon and civil law, and philofophy: twenty are appointedto the ftudy of laws, ten of them to that of the canon, and ten to that of the civil law; the remaining fifty are to apply them felves to philofophy, (or arts) and theology; two of them, however, are permitted to apply themselves to the ftudy of medicine; and two likewife to that of aftronomy: all of whom are obliged to be in prieft's orders within a certain time, except in cafe of lawful impediment. Befides thefe, there are ten priefts, three clerks, aed fixteen boys or chorifters, to minifter in the fervice of the chapel.

"The body of ftatutes which VOL. II. No. 16.

Wykeham gave to his college, was a work upon which he bestowed much time and conftant attention. It was the refult of great meditation and ftudy, affifted, confirmed, and brought to maturity by long obfervation and experience. He began it with the first establishment of his fociety; and he was continually improving and perfecting it almoft as long as he lived.. And accordingly it has been always confidered as the moft judicious and the moft complete performance in its kind, and as the best model which the founders of colleges in fucceeding times had to follow; and which, indeed, moft of them have copied, or closely imitated.

"While the bishop was engaged in building his college at Oxford, he eftablished in proper form his fociety at Winchester. His charter of foundation bears date October 20, 1382, by which he nominates Thomas de Cranle warden, admits the scholars, and gives his college the fame name of Sainte Marie College of Wincheftre. The next year, after he had finished his building at Oxford, he began that at Winchester, for which he had obtained both the pope's and the king's licence long before. A natural affection and prejudice for the very place which he had frequented in his early days, feems to have had its weight in the determining the fituation of it: the fehool which Wykeham went to when a boy, was where his college now ftands. The firft ftone was laid on March 26, 1387, at nine o'clock in the morning it took up fix years likewife in building: and the warden and fociety made their folemn entrance into it, chanting in proceffion, at nine o'clock in the morning, on March 28, 1393. The school had now fubfifted near twenty years, having been opened at Michaelmas 1373. It was compleatly eftablished from the firt to its full number of feventy fcholars, and to all other intents and purpofes; and K k continued