display. Accordingly, about the year 1250, the following edict
was fulminated with a view to checking the exuberance of the "national"
spirit in sacred buildings:

"By the authority of the Lord the Chancellor and the Masters Regent,
with the unanimous consent of the Non-Regent, it is decreed and resolved
that no festival of any nation soever be celebrated henceforth in any
church soever with the accustomed solemnity and calling together of
Masters and Scholars or other acquaintances, save in so far as any may
desire to celebrate the festival of any saint of his own diocese with
devotion in his own parish, where he lives, but not calling the Masters
and Scholars of a second parish or his own, as also is not done at the
festivals of St. Katherine, St. Nicholas, and the like. This also,
decreed by the authority of the same Chancellor, we enjoin to be
observed, on pain of the greater excommunication, that none lead dances
with masks or any noise in churches or streets, or go anywhere wreathed
or crowned with a crown composed of the leaves of trees, or flowers, or
what not: on pain of excommunication, which we inflict from now, and of
long imprisonment do we forbid it."

In 1252 a great disturbance arose between the Northern and Irish
scholars, and it was resolved that twelve persons should be chosen on
either side to draw up conditions of peace. These were that thirty or
forty of each party should bind themselves not to disturb the peace of
the University themselves nor comfort others in doing so, and they were
to give secret information to the Chancellor if they should hear of any
other person transgressing. If anyone was injured, he was to appear
before the Chancellor; and if the Chancellor was suspected of
partiality, there were to be associated with him two assessors from
either side.

In 1313 a statute was issued that no one was to stir up any nation on
account of some personal injury by conspiracies, leagues, or meetings in
public or private with the name or title of nation; and that when the
Chancellor or his Commissary inquired concerning a breach of the peace,
none was to appear with other than the witnesses needful to him; nor was
any Master or other to thrust himself in, coming with a party or sitting
beside the Chancellor or his Commissary, save such as the Chancellor
should hold it right to summon forth, if at any time it seemed to him
fit. Seeing that the names of delinquents could be better learned
through