s a
prominent member of the band of philosophers who met in Wilkins'
Lodgings; and after the Restoration held the Professorship of Astronomy
in Gresham College, and was a Fellow of the Royal Society. Pope's
account of him is well worth reading: of his travels in France; of his
encounter with the redoubtable Thomas Hobbes, whose quadrature of the
circle he proved false: that hard-headed philosopher's logic or
"computation" must have failed him on this occasion, for finding, as he
thought, errors in Rooke's criticism, he concluded that his own solution
must be true. With Ward and Wallis Hobbes had still more fierce
encounters on the same question.

Gilbert Ironside, admitted in 1650, became Warden, Vice-Chancellor of
the University, and, as his father had been, Bishop of Bristol, and
finally of Hereford. He was the "rudest man in the University," and that
without respect of persons, for he remonstrated, in a tone not far
removed from rudeness, with James II. when he visited Oxford in 1687 to
enforce his mandate on Magdalen College.

William Lloyd, who entered Wadham in 1655, was a learned Divine, with
his learning at command, of whom Burnet says that "he had the most
learning in ready cash of any one he knew." He devoted himself to the
interpretation of prophecy. His labours were rewarded by the title of
Pseudopropheta Canus, bestowed on him when he was old and white-haired,
by the _terrae filius_ of 1703. He had himself in his younger days shown
some tendency to irreverent joking, by inventing an Eastern Patriarch, a
native of London, a man of venerable appearance and dressed to suit the
character, who deceived some eminent members of the University, and gave
them his blessing; an incident of which Lloyd used to make his "bragge"
long afterwards. He became Bishop of St Asaph, and was one of the Seven
Bishops committed to the Tower. William III. rewarded him with the
Bishoprics of Lichfield and Coventry, and finally of Worcester.

Samuel Parker matriculated in 1657, and became Bishop of Oxford in 1686.
In the following year he was intruded by James II. into the President's
place at Magdalen College, but held his office for only five months. He
died in his Lodgings, and was buried in the ante-chapel, but honoured by
no memorial to mark the place of his interment. His must have been a
dismal reign.

Beside these names of bishops and philosophers occur names of interest
of various kinds: historic names--Russell, Lovelace