f ancient Oxford,
the great site of classic lore, met our view. In our haste to enter the
city before dark, we jumped a hedge fence, and stone wall, making a short
cross-cut over the lordly domain of the Earl of Norfolk, and just as we
were again emerging into the great road, a gamekeeper was seen approaching
with a huge mastiff, who rushed upon us like a lion.

We were near a rough wall, and it appeared to both of us that unless we
stood for immediate fight the dog would tear us to pieces.

The gamekeeper urged the dog in his barking, mad career, but just as he
made a grand leap at William's throat, his blackthorn cudgel came down with
a whirl and broke the forelegs of the mastiff, sending him to earth with a
growl and roar that could be heard over the castle walls that loomed up in
the evening gray. The gamekeeper aimed a blunderbuss at the Bard, but ere
he could fire the deadly weapon, I jumped on the petty tyrant whelp, and
cudgeled his face into a macerated beefsteak.

We then leaped the garden wall and rushed into the city crowd where the
curtains of night screened us from dogs and licentious lords.

We found our way to the Crown Tavern, kept by Richard Devanant and his
buxom black-eyed wife.

The old Boniface was jolly, but was in his physical and spiritual dotage,
yet "Nell," his second wife, was the life of the place, being immensely
popular with the Oxford students, who circled about the "Crown" in midnight
hours, with hilarious independence, that defied the raids of beadles,
watchmen and armed constabulary.

Those were gay and roystering days and nights when the greatest yeoman,
tradesman, student, or lord, was the one who "drank his comrade under the
table" and went away at sunrise like a lark, fluttering with dew from his
downy wing, and soaring into the sky of beauty and action.

It was Saturday night when we pulled up at the old tavern, and there seemed
to be a great crowd of town people celebrating some local event.

We soon found that the senior class of Oxonian students had conquered the
senior class of Cambridge at a great game of inter-college football and the
cheers and yells of Oxford bloods permeated the atmosphere until midnight.

A round table spread in the tavern hall was loaded with food and liquors,
while songs and speeches were given with a vim, all boasting of the prowess
and patriotism of Oxford.

A number of strolling players and boxers were introduced during the
evening.

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