An ancient cup of silver gilt is preserved by this society, which was
given to them by the noble foundress of their college, Lady Mary de
St. Paul, daughter of Guy de Castillon, Earl of St. Paul, in France,
and widow of Audomar de Valentia, Earl of Pembroke, who is said to
have been killed in a tournament, held in France, in 1323, in honour
of their wedding day,--an accident, says Fuller, by which she was "a
maid, a wife, and a widow, in one day." Lysons in his second volume,
has given an engraved delineation of this venerable goblet; the foot
of which, says Cole, in the forty-second volume of his MSS. "stands on
a large circle, whose upper rim is neatly ornamented with small
_fleurs de lis_, in open work, and looks very like an ancient
coronet." On a large rim, about the middle of the cup, is a very
ancient embossed inscription; which, says the same authority, in 1773,
"not a soul in the College could read, and the tradition of it was
forgotten;" but he supposes it to run:--
_Sayn Denis' yt es me dere for his lof drenk and mak gud cher._
The other inscription is short, and has an M. and V. above the circle;
"which," adds Cole, "I take to mean, _God help at need Mary de
Valentia_." At the bottom of the inside of the cup is an embossed
letter M. This he does not comprehend; but says it may possibly stand
for _Mementote_. "Dining in Pembroke College Hall, New Year's Day,
1773," he adds, "the grace cup of silver gilt, the founder's gift to
her college, was produced at the close of dinner, when, being full of
sweet wine, the old custom is here, as in most other colleges, for the
Master, at the head of the long table, to rise, and, standing on his
feet, to drink, _In piam memoriam_ (_Fundatricis_,) to his neighbour
on his right hand, and, who is also to be standing. When the Master
has drunk, he delivers the cup to him he drank to, and sits down; and
the other, having the cup, drinks to his opposite neighbour, who
stands up while the other is drinking; and thus alternately till it
has gone quite through the company, two always standing at a time. It
is of no large capacity, and is often replenished."