The chief Curiofities in this College, befides those already mentioned, are, I. a molt magnifcent Piece of Plate, the Gift of the late Sir Watkin Williams Wynne, Bart. for the Ufe of the Fellows Common Room. And 2. the Statutes of the College written upon Vellum, in the moft exquifite Manner, by the Reverend Mr. Parry of Shipfton upon Stour, formerly Fellow of this College.

The Vifitor is the Earl of Pembroke.

EXETER COLLEGE.

HIS College is fituated within the Turl Gate, the Front whereof is 220 Feet long, in the Center of which is a magnificent Gate and Tower over it. The Compofition of each Front (viz. that towards the Street and that towards the Quadrangle) is a Ruftic Basement which forms the Gateway; a Plinth whereupon are placed four Pilafters of the Ionic Order, fupporting a femicircular Pediment, in the Area of which are the Founder's Arms on a genteel Shield adorned with Feftoons; finifhing with a Balustrade above all: This, with the beautiful arched Roof of the Gateway, is juftly esteemed an elegant Piece of Workmanship. The Building within chiefly confifts of a large Quadrangle, formed by the Hall, the Chapel, the Rector's Lodgings, and the Chambers of the Fellows and Scholars, and is regular and uniform.

The Gardens are neatly difpos'd, and, tho' within the Town, have an airy and pleasant Opening to the Eaft.

The Library is well furnished with Books in the feveral Arts and Sciences; and a very valuable Collection of the Clafficks given by Edward Richards, Efq;

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Sir John Acland built the Hall in 1618, and Dr. Hakewill, firft Fellow and afterwards Rector, founded the Chapel in the Year 1624.

The Bachelors of Arts and Pupils of this College perform their Determinations, &c. in the House before they enter upon them in the public Schools.

Walter Stapledon, Bishop of Exeter, Lord Treafurer of England, and Secretary of State to King Edward II. 1316, obtained a Charter for founding a College where Hertford College now ftands; but wanting Room for the Buildings he defigned, hẹ removed his Scholars to the prefent House, and gave it the Name of Stapledon-Hall, after his own Name. He founded a Society confifting of Thirteen, i. e. a Rector and twelve Fellows; one of whom, the Chaplain, to be appointed by the Dean and Chapter of Exeter; eight to be elected out of the Archdeaconries of Exeter, Totnefs and Barnftaple in Devonshire, and four out of the Archdeaconry of Cornwall.

Among the fubfequent Benefactors was Edmund Stafford, Bishop of Exeter, who obtained leave to alter the Name of this Houfe; and fettled two Fellowships for the Diocese of Sarum. Sir William Petre in Queen Elizabeth's Time obtained a new Charter and Statutes, founded eight Fellowships for fuch Counties wherever he then had, or his Heirs at any Time after fhould have Eftates; which by this Time comprehends most of the Counties in England. King Charles I. added one Fellowship for the Islands of ferfey and Guernsey. And by Mrs. Shiers's Benefaction, as completed and fettled by Dr. Hugh Shortridge, two other Fellowships were added, confin'd to the Countries of Hertford and Surry; befides confiderable Augmentations to the Revenues of the College and Society.

The prefent Members are á Rector, 25 Fellows, one Scholar, who is Bible Clerk, two Exhibitioners: The whole Number of Members about an hundred.

The Visitor the Bishop of Exeter.

TRINITY COLLEGE.

WITHOUT, the City, oppofite the Turf:

ftands Trinity College, the Front whereof is formed by the South Side of the Chapel, and the Tower; under which we enter the firit Court. This Court is fmall; the South Side is taken up by the Chapel; the Eaft by the Prefident's Lodgings and the College Library; the Weft Side by the Hall and Common Room; and the North by the Chambers of the Fellows, &c.

The second Court is much larger than the firft, elegantly built of hewn Stone, and fafh'd after the modern Way, confifting of three Sides to the North, Weft and South; but on the East Side it lies open to the Garden, from which it is feparated by an Iron Gate and Palisade. This Court may be esteemed one of the Beauties of Oxford, not only on account of its Buildings, but as it opens into one of the moft delightful and fpacious Gardens in Town. It fhould be remembered that this Court was one of the firft Specimens of modern Architecture in the University, and was planned by Sir Chriftopher Wren.

The Chapel here is exquifitely finished; its Screen and Altar-Piece are of Cedar curioufly work'd, and the latter is embellished with Carvings of that eminent Artist Mr. Guibbons; the Floor is laid with black and white Marble; the Cieling adorned with admirable Stucco of a very high Relief, in the Middle of which is an Afcenfion finely painted; and that which appears to be the Frame round this Picture is a curious Deceptio Vifus, or Deception of the Sight; for it does not really project, but is on a Level with the rest of the Cieling. In a Word, this Chapel is a Pattern of Elegance joined with Simplicity.

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The Hall is a handfome Gothick Room, adorned with the Pictures of their Founder and Benefactors.

The Library was the first Public One in the Univerfity while it was called Durham College. In it is a curious Manufcript, well preferved, of Euclid, fuppofed to be 600 Years old, which was tranflated from the Arabick into Latin before the Original Greek was found.

The Gardens of this College are large and well laid out, containing about four Acres of Ground. The larger Divifion, which we enter from the grand Court, confifts of fine Gravel-Walks and GrassPlots, adorned with Evergreens, with which the Walls likewise are entirely covered. At the lower End of the Center Walk is a beautiful Iron Gate, fupported by two very elegant Piers. This Gate affords thofe who pafs to and from the Parks an agreeable Profpect of the Garden and College. It is remarkable that when the Workmen were fawing the Stones, in order to build the Piers, in the Heart of a large Block was found a Toad alive, which had undoubtedly been there a confiderable Time. But this is a Point to be difcufs'd by Naturalifts; to whom we leave it. The leffer Divifion on the South has been lately laid open to the rest, planted with flowering Shrubs, and the whole much improved.

As to the Foundation of this Houfe, it appears that Durham College, a Seminary in Oxford for the Education of the Monks of the Cathedral of Durham, was dissolved (with other religious Houses) in the Reign of Henry VIII. Not many Years afterwards, viz. in the Reign of Queen Mary, Sir Tho. Pope, Kt. of Titthenhanger in Hertfordshire, obtained a Charter, dated March 8, 1554. to found a College, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, on the Scite of this diffolv'd Monastery; which he endow'd with a fuitable Revenue for the Maintenance of a Prefident, and twelve Fellows, which are deftined to the Studies of Philofophy and Divinity; as also,

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for the Maintenance of eight Scholars to be educated in the Studies of Logic, Rhetoric, and the more polite Arts, which are ordered to be chofen (after due Trial) out of those Manors which were in the Poffeffion of the Founder at the Time of his erecting this College; but if none appeared from the aforefaid Manors on the Day of Election, viz. Trinity Monday, the Prefident and Fellows are directed to supply the Vacancies from any other Part of England. It is ordered likewife that no more than two Natives of the fame County fhould be Fellows of this College at the fame Time; Oxfordfhire excepted, of which there may be Five. The Founder afterwards granted other Lands for the Maintenance and Education of four other Scholars on the Footing of the former Eight; that the Number of the Scholars might correfpond (as himfelf expreffes it in his Statutes) to that of the Fellows.

The principal Benafactor to this College was Dr. Bathurft, formerly Prefident, who expended 1900/. in building their beautiful Chapel, and erected the North and Weft Sides of their new Court.

The present Members of this Society are a Prefident, twelve Fellows and twelve Scholars abovementioned. Here are likewife about three Exhibitions; the most confiderable of which is that given by Mr. Tylney of Hants. The whole Number of Students of all Sorts is about Eighty.

The Visitor is the Bishop of Winchefter.

BALLIOL COLLEGE.

BALLIOL College is fituated without the North Gate, a little to the Westward of Tri-ˆ nity, and confifts chiefly of one Court, which we enter by a handsome Gate with a Tower over it.

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