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ACADEMIANA. No. X.

LEYDEN AND OXFORD CONTRASTED.

Letter from James Howell to Dr. Prichard at Jesus Col lege, Oxford.

SIR,

I

Tis the royal prerogative of love, not to be confined to that small local compass which circumscribes the body, but to make his sallies and progresses abroad, to find out, and enjoy his desired object, under what region soever : nor is it the vast gulph of Neptune, or any distance of place, or difference of clime, can bar him of this privilege: I never found the experiment hereof, so sensibly, nor felt the comfort of it so much, as since I shook hands with England. For though you be in Oxford, and I at Leyden, albeit you be upon an island, and I now upon the Continent (though the lowest part of Europe) yet those swift postillions my thoughts find you out daily, and bring you unto me: I behold you often in my chamber, and in my bed; you eat, you drink, you sit down, and walk with me, and my fantasie enyoys you often in my sleep, where all my senses are locked up, and my soul wanders up and down the world, sometimes through pleasant fields and gardens, sometimes through odd uncouth places, over over mountains and broken confused buildings. As my love to you doth thus exercise his power, so I desire yours to me may not be idle, but roused up sometimes to find me out, and summon me to attend you in Jesus College.

I am now here in Leyden, the only academy besides Franeker of all the united provinces: here are nations of all sorts, but the Germans swarm more than any. To com→ pare their University to yours, were to cast New-Inn in counterscale with Christ Church College, or the AlmsHouses on Tower-Hill to Sutton's Hospital*. Here are no Colleges at all, God wot, but one for the Dutch, nor scarce the face of an University, only there are generał

Now the Charter-House,

schools

schools where the sciences are read by several professors, but all the students are oppidanes: a small fine and less learning, will suffice to make a graduate; nor are those formalities of habits and other decencies here as with you, much less those exhibitions and supports for scholars, with other encouragements: insomuch that the Oxonians and Cantabrigians-Bona si sua norint, were they sensible of their own felicity, are the happiest academicians on earth. Yet Apollo hath a strong influence here, and as Cicero said of them of Athens, Athenis pingue cælum, temira ingenia, "The Atheniaus had a thick air and thin wits," so I may say of these Lugdunensians, " They have a gross air, but thin subtile wits!" Some of them, witness also Heinsius, Grotius, Arminius, and Baudius; of the two last I was told a tale, that Arminius meeting Baudius one day disguised with drink (wherewith he would be often) he told him "Tu Baudi dedecoras nostram academiam." "Et tu Armini nostram religionem. Thou Baudius disgracest our University; and thou Arminius our religion. The Heaven here hath always some cloud in his countenance; and from this grossness and spissitude of air proceeds the slow nature of the inhabitants, yet this slowness is recompensed with another benefit; it makes them patient and constant, as in all other actions, so in their studies and speculations, though they use, crassos transire dies, lucemque palustrem.

I pray impart my love liberally amongst my friends at Oxford, and when you can make truce with your more serious meditations, bestow a thought, drawn into a few lines, upon

Leyden, May 30th, 1619.

Your,

J. H.

CALVINISM AT OXFORD.

IN Cromwell's usurpation Dr. John Owen was made Dean of Christ Church and Vice-Chancellor. Every one knows to what a height he carried the Predestinarian doctrine: and he and his colleagues did what all the Evangelical preachers do now, contemptuously treat those of moderate and rational, sentiments as 66 mere moral men without the power of godliness." Dr. Walter Pope, who was proctor at that time, gives this curious picture of the party which, differs not a whit from their successors, who now so arro❤ Vol. X. Churchm. Mag. for June 1806 3 L gantly

gantly assume to themselves the titles of "Gospel Ministers" and True Churchmen.

"I have heard," says he, "one of the chiefest of them out of St. Mary's pulpit deliver himself in this manner; "There's more hope of a whore-monger, a common drunkard, a profane swearer, than of these moral men; they justify themselves. Do not we (say they) do our exercises constantly? do we ever miss college-prayers? are we out of the town after Tom has tolled, and the college-gates shut? do we injure any body? do we not pay our battles and debts? are we drunkards, swearers, or whore-masters? who can say, black is our eye? My beloved, such are in a desparate condition, Jesus Christ can take no hold upon such persons."

"In a word," continues the doctor," this party were rigidly censorious against the moral men, and fondly and ridiculously tender towards those of their own communion: if a woman happened to be got with-child by a moral man, 'twas in him a reigning sin; but if it was by a church member [i. e. au Independent or godly person] 'twas a failing, whereunto the best Saints were subject, not excepting the man after God's own heart." Life of Bp. Ward, p. 44.

SIR WILLIAM JONES.

THIS glory of England and illustrious ornament of the University of Oxford, in his voyage to the East Indies, touched at the island of Hinguan or Johanna, on the African coast, where the Arabic language and manners prevail. Of this island he has given a very entertaining account, and particularly of a conversation with Alvi, the Governor's brother, which we here extract for the amusement of our readers.

"Alvi shewed me his manuscripts, which chiefly related to the ceremonies and ordinances of his own religion; and one of them, which I had formerly seen in Europe, was a collection of sublime and eloquent hymns in praise of Mohammed, with explanatory notes in the margin. I requested him to read one of them after the manner of the Arabs, and he chaunted it in a strain by no means unpleasing; but I am persuaded that he understood it very imperfectly. The room, which was open to the street, was presently crowded with visitors, most of whom were Mufti, or expounders of the law; and Alvi, desirous, perhaps, to display his zeal before them the expense of good breeding. directed my

attention

attention to a passage in the Commentary on the Koran, which I found levelled at the Christians. The commentator having related with some additions (but, on the whole not inaccurately) the circumstances of the Temptation, puts this speech into the mouth of the Tempter: "Though I am unable to delude thee, yet I will mislead by thy means, more human creatures than thou wilt set right." "Nor was this menace vain," says the Mohammedan writer, "for the inhabitants of a region many thousand leagues in extent, are still so deluded by the devil, that they impiously called Isa [Jesus] the son of God. Heaven preserve us," he adds, "from blaspheming Christians, as well as blaspheming Jews!" Although a religious dispute with these obstinate zealots would have been unseasonable and fruitless, yet they deserved, I thought, a slight reprehension, as the attack seemed to be concerted among them. "The commentator," said I, 66 was much to blame for passing so indiscriminate and hasty a censure: the title which gave your legislator, and gives you, such offence, was often applied in Judæa by a bold figure, agreeable to the Hebrew idiom, though unusual in Arabia, of angels to holy men, and even to all mankind, who are commanded to call God their Father; and in this large sense the apostle to the Romans calls the elect the children of God; and the Messiah the first born among many brethren; but the words only begotten, are applied transcendantly and incomparably to him alone ;* and, as for me who believe the Scriptures, which you also profess to believe, though you assert without proof that we altered them, I cannot refuse him an appellation, though far surpassing our reason by which he is distinguished in the Gospel and the believers in Mohammed, who expressly name him the Messiah, and pronounce him to have been born of a virgin, which alone might fully justify the phrase condemned by this author, are themselves condemnable for cavilling at words, where they cannot object to the substance of our faith consistently with their own.'

The Muselmans had nothing to say in reply; and the conversation was changed.

BISHOP BERKELEY.

THIS excellent prelate, was of Trinity College, Dublin, but retained through life an uncommon attachment to the

*Rom. viii, 29. See 1 John iii. 1. 2 Barrow, 231, 232, 251.

3 L2

University

University of Oxford, and was buried in the cathedral of Christ Church there. He appears to have been peculiarly blessed in his children. The following interesting anecdote is related of one of them, who was called to the regions of bliss in the years of infancy and innocence. The child once asked his father what was the meaning of the words Cherubim and Seraphim, which occur in the Holy Scripture, and in the Church Liturgy. The answer returned, was, that Cherubim is a Hebrew word signifying knowlege; that Seraphim is another word in the same language, meaning flame; from whence it is inferred, that Cherubim are orders of celestial beings excelling in knowlege: and the Seraphim celestial likewise, excelling in divine affection. The child replied, "I hope, that when die, I shall be one of the Seraphim, for I had rather love God, than know all things."

GRATEFUL MEMORIALS.

Dr. Fuller, in his account of Peter-House, Cambridge, says, "I cannot but commend the peculiar practice of this college, in preserving the pictures of all the principal benefactors in their parlour. For though the bounty of the judicious is grounded on more solid motives than to be flattered by the fancy that their effigy shall be kept, yet such an ingenious memorial may be an encouragement to a patron's liberality. Besides, under such pictures a distich is commonly inscribed, one of which is as follows:

Hæredem voluit Sladus conscribere Petrum,
Clauderet extremum ne sine prole diem.

Slade Peter chose, and for his heir assign'd him,
Least he should die, and leave no child behind him.

EMMANUEL COLLEGE.

While we are on the subject of portraits, it may not be unacceptable to our readers to notice those which are in Emmanuel College in the same university, especially as they are memorials of men who have for the most part been "famous in their generation."

1. Sir Walter Mildmay, the founder. When he was about building this college, his mistress queen Elizabeth said to him," So, Sir Walter, I hear you have erected a Puritan college." "No, Madam," said he, "far be it from me to countenance any thing contrary to the established laws. But

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