have looked for; and among
the authorities themselves, also, the world went forward in a very
natural manner. There was comfortable living in the colleges: so
comfortable, that many of the country clergy preferred Oxford and
Cambridge to the monotony of their parishes, and took advantage of a
clause in a late act of parliament, which recognised a residence at
either of the universities as an excuse for absence from tedious duties.
"Divers and many persons," it was found, "beneficed with cure of souls,
and being not apt to study by reason of their age or otherwise, ne never
intending before the making of the said act to travel in study, but
rather minding their own ease and pleasure, colourably to defraud the
same good statute, did daily and commonly resort to the said
universities, where, under pretence of study, they continued and abode,
living dissolutely; nothing profiting themselves in learning, but
consumed the time in idleness and pastimes and insolent pleasures,
giving occasion and evil example thereby to the young men and students
within the universities, and occupying such rooms and commodities as
were instituted for the maintenance and relief of poor scholars."[496]
These persons were not driven away by the heads of houses as the
Christian Brothers had been; they were welcomed rather as pleasant
companions. In comfortable conservatism they had no tendencies to
heresy, but only to a reasonable indulgence of their five bodily senses.
Doubtless, therefore, the visitors found Oxford a pleasant place, and
cruelly they marred the enjoyments of it. Like a sudden storm of rain,
they dropt down into its quiet precincts. Heedless of rights of fellows
and founders' bequests, of sleepy dignities and established indolences,
they re-established long dormant lectures in the colleges. In a few
little days (for so long only they remained) they poured new life into
education. They founded fresh professorships--professorships of Polite
Latin, professorships of Philosophy, Divinity, Canon Law, Natural
Sciences--above all of the dreaded Greek; confiscating funds to support
them. For the old threadbare text-books, some real teaching was swiftly
substituted. The idle residents were noted down, soon to be sent home by
parliament to their benefices, under pain of being compelled, like all
other students, to attend lectures, and, in their proper persons, "keep
sophisms, problems, disputations, and all other exercises of
learning."[497]