THE FIRST CENTURY
1511-1612
The Hospital being closed, the way was cleared for the new College. The
Charter, signed by the Executors of the Lady Margaret, is dated 9th
April 1511; in this Robert Shorton is named as Master. He held office
until on 29th July 1516 the College was opened, when Alan Percy, of the
Northumberland House, succeeded. He again was succeeded in 1518 by
Nicholas Metcalfe, a member of the Metcalfe family of Nappa Hall, in
Wensleydale. Metcalfe had been Archdeacon of Rochester, and was no doubt
well known to Fisher as Bishop of that Diocese.
The building of the College commenced under Shorton, but was not
finished until about 1520.
It must be remembered that the College was founded before the
Reformation, and that these three Masters were priests of the Church of
Rome.
[Illustration: THE OLD BRIDGE]
Metcalfe was more of an administrator than a student, and his energies
were chiefly devoted to the material side of the College interests.
Fresh endowments were obtained in place of those which had been lost.
King Henry VIII. was persuaded to hand over to the College the estates
of three decayed religious houses--the Maison Dieu at Ospringe, the
Nunnery of Lillechurch in Higham, both in Kent, and the Nunnery of
Broomhall in Berkshire. As these houses, as well as the Hospital, had
allowed their affairs to fall into disorder, it is probable that the
identification of their lands, and the reduction of these to effective
possession, was a matter of some difficulty. Metcalfe was much absent
from College; the accounts of his private expenditure on these journeys
have survived, and letters to him from the College during his absences
show that his skill and wisdom were much relied on.
Fisher also gave largely to the College, and through his example and
influence others were induced to endow fellowships and scholarships. He
gave three successive codes of statutes for the government of the
College in 1516, 1524, and 1530. These present no novel features, being
for the most part based on existing statutes of Colleges at Oxford or
Cambridge. They are long, and, as the fashion then was, lay down many
rules with regard to minor matters. A few of the leading provisions may
be given. One scholar was to be Chapel clerk, to assist the sacrist at
Mass; another was to ring the great bell at 4 A.M., as was done before
the College was founded, and again at 8 P.M., when the gates were
closed; another was to be clock-keeper. These three scholars were to be
exempt from all other domestic duties, except that of reading the Bible
in time of plague. Seven scholars were told off to serve as waiters in
Hall, to bring in and remove the food and dishes; an eighth was to read
the Bible in Hall while the Society were at dinner. When in honour of
God, or the Saints, a fire was made up in Hall, the Fellows, scholars,
and servants might stay to amuse themselves with singing and repeating
poetry and tales. The Master, Fellows, and scholars were to wear
clerical dress; red, white, green, or parti-coloured boots were
forbidden.
One-fourth part of the Fellows were always to be engaged in preaching to
the people in English; Bachelors of Divinity, preaching at Paul's Cross,
were to be allowed ten days of absence for each sermon. No arms were to
be borne, though archery was allowed as a recreation. No Fellow or
scholar was allowed to keep hounds, ferrets, hawks, or singing-birds in
College. The weekly allowance for commons was 1s. for the Master and
each Fellow, 7d. for each scholar. The President or Bursar was to
receive a stipend of 40s. a year, a Dean 26s. 8d. No one under the
standing of a Doctor of Divinity was to have a separate room; Fellows
and scholars were to sleep singly, or not more than two in a bed. Each
room was to have two beds--the higher for the Fellow, the lower or
truckle-bed for the scholar; the truckle-bed being tucked under the
other during the day.
The College made an excellent start, and was soon full of earnest and
successful students. It is sufficient to mention the names of Sir John
Cheke, the famous Greek scholar; of Roger Ascham, the tutor of Queen
Elizabeth; and, in another sphere, William Cecil, first Lord Burghley,
to give an idea of the influence the College was spreading through her
sons.
In all this Metcalfe had his share. He is the "Good Master of a College"
in Fuller's _Holy State_, where we read: "Grant that Metcalfe with
Themistocles could not fiddle, yet he could make a little city a great
one." And Ascham in _The Scholemaster_ writes of him: "His goodnes stood
not still in one or two, but flowed aboundantlie over all that Colledge,
and brake out also to norishe good wittes in every part of that
universitie; whereby at his departing thence, he left soch a companie of
fellowes and scholers in S. Johnes Colledge as can scarce be found now
in som whole universitie: which either for divinitie on the one side or
other, or for civill service to their Prince and contrie, have bene, and
are yet to this day, notable ornaments to this whole Realme. Yea S.
Johnes did then so florish, as Trinitie College, that princely house
now, at the first erection was but _Colonia deducta_ out of S. Johnes,
not onelie for their Master, fellowes and scholers, but also, which is
more, for their whole both order of learning, and discipline of maners;
and yet to this day it never tooke Master but such as was bred up before
in S. Johnes; doing the dewtie of a good _colonia_ to her _metropolis_,
as the auncient cities in Greice, and some yet in Italie at this time
are accustomed to do."
But troubles were in store both for Fisher and Metcalfe. The
Reformation, the divorce of Henry VIII. from Queen Catherine, the Act of
Succession, and the sovereign's views on the royal supremacy, were the
stumbling-blocks. Fisher went to the Tower, and on 22nd June 1535, to
the scaffold; Metcalfe was compelled to resign in 1537.
Fisher had by deed of gift presented his library to the College, but
retained its use for his lifetime--the greatest loan of books on record,
as has been said. This magnificent collection was now lost, a loss more
lamentable than that of the foundress' estates. Endowments might be
replaced, but "the notablest library of bookes in all England" was gone
for ever. It is to the credit of the Fellows of the College that, no
doubt at some risk to themselves, they stood by Fisher. They visited him
in his prison, and in a nobly worded letter stated that as they owed
everything to his bounty, so they offered themselves and all they were
masters of to his service.
In 1545 King Henry VIII. gave new statutes to the College, adapted to
the reformed religion; but all mention of Fisher and his endowments is
cut out; the College even had to pay 3d. for removing his armorial
bearings from the Chapel.
During the reign of King Edward VI. the outspoken and eloquent Thomas
Leaver was Master; on the accession of Queen Mary he, with many of the
Fellows, had to fly to Switzerland. In Ascham's words: "mo perfite
scholers were dispersed from thence in one moneth, than many years can
reare up againe."
The reign of Queen Mary did not extend over much more than five years,
but while it lasted a resolute and unflinching effort was made to
re-establish the Roman Catholic faith.
The accession of Queen Elizabeth resulted in an equally rapid and
fundamental revolution of opinion on the most vital points which can
interest mankind. A few selected extracts from the College Account Books
for this period bring before us, with almost dramatic effect, the
changes which occurred. (Queen Mary succeeded in 1553, Queen Elizabeth
on 17th November 1558.)
"1555, To the joyner for setting up the rood, 2_d._; A new graell
printed in parchment 40_s._;--1556, In Spanish money given to the
goldsmyth by Mr Willan to make a pixe to the highe Aultar, 24_s._
11_d._; A redde purple velvet cope, with the border of imagrie, having
the assumption of our Ladie behinde and three little angels about her
and the greater being full of floure de luces, 46_s._ 8_d._;--1557, To
William Allom for two antiphoners, one masse book and hymnal and
processioners, L6 13_s._ 4_d._"
"1558, To John Waller and his man for a dayes working pulling down the
hye Altar and carrying it away 20_d._; For pulling down the aulter in Mr
Ashton's Chapel 6_d._; 1563, Received for certain old Albes and other
popishe Trashe, sold out of the Revystry the last yere, 26_s._ 10_d._;
Paid to Mr Baxter for ten Geneva psalters and six service psalters,
bought at Christmas last, 22_s._"
This last entry gives us the key to the troubles at St. John's; the
Marian exiles had returned with strong Calvinistic leanings. The unrest
was, of course, not confined to St. John's, but was general throughout
the University. But for the greater part of the reign of Elizabeth there
was a strong leaning toward Puritanism in the College. There was a rapid
succession of Masters, most of whom were thrust on the College by Court
influence; and about this time the Fellows of St. John's acquired the
reputation of being "cunning practitioners" in the art of getting rid of
unpopular Masters.
Queen Elizabeth visited Cambridge in August 1564, and was received with
all honour. She rode into the Hall of St. John's on her palfrey and
listened to a speech from Mr. Humphrey Bohun, one of the Fellows, in
which for the last time the restitution of the Lady Margaret's estates
was hinted at, without result.
Richard Longworth, a man of Presbyterian sympathies, was at this time
Master. In 1565 he, with the Fellows and scholars, appeared in Chapel
without the surplice. Lord Burghley, as Chancellor of the University,
wrote a sharply worded letter to Longworth, expressing his grief that
such a thing should happen in "my dear College of St. John's"; adding,
"truly no mishap in all my service did ever plunge me more grievously."
Fortunately affairs were in strong and capable hands. With the authority
and in the name of Queen Elizabeth, Whitgift, at this time Master of
Trinity, afterwards Archbishop of Canterbury, and Cecil provided new
statutes for the University in 1570, and for St. John's in 1580. By
these much more power was put in the hands of the Master, and government
rendered easier to a resolute man.
Matters improved, if not at once, at least gradually, and the Anglican
rule became firmly established. But during the mastership of William
Whitaker (1586-1595) we still hear of troubles with "Papists." Whitaker
was a learned scholar and an acute theologian, but he does not seem to
have been a ruler of men or a judge of character. He got involved in an
unfortunate dispute with Everard Digby, one of the Fellows, a man of
considerable literary reputation, but of a turbulent disposition.
Whitaker, who clearly wanted to get rid of Digby, seized upon the
pretext that his bill for a month's commons, amounting to 8s. 7-1/4d., was
left unpaid, and deprived Digby of his fellowship. An appeal was lodged
with Whitgift and Cecil, who ordered Whitaker to reinstate Digby.
Whitaker replied that Digby was a Papist, was wont to blow a horn in the
Courts and to holloa after it, and that he had threatened to put the
President in the stocks! He seems to have succeeded in getting rid of
Digby for good.
On the death of Whitaker in 1595, Richard Clayton became Master. If not
a brilliant scholar, he commanded respect, and the tenor of many letters
which have come down from that time shows that the Fellows in residence
were on good terms with each other, and with those of the Society who
had gone out into the world. The College was prosperous, and the
building of the Second Court was the visible sign of returned
efficiency. Clayton lived on into the reign of King James I., dying 2nd
May 1612; besides being Master of St. John's, he was also Dean of
Peterborough and a Prebendary of Lincoln.
During this period the College enjoyed a considerable reputation as a
training ground for medical men. Thomas Linacre, physician to Henry
VIII., founded in 1534 a medical lectureship in the College, endowing it
with some property in London. The stipend of the lecturer was to be L12
a year, no mean sum in these days--being, in fact, the same as the
statutable stipend of the Master. In the Elizabethan statutes special
and detailed provisions are made for the continuance of the lectureship.
These lay down that the lecturer must be versed in the works of
Aristotle, and that he should lecture on the works of Galen, which
Linacre had translated. The effect of the foundation was to attract a
number of medical students to the College, many of whom seem to have
obtained fellowships, for we find the Fellows petitioning Queen
Elizabeth, while her code of statutes was under consideration, that
Divines should be preferred to Physicians in the election of Senior
Fellows; otherwise, they submitted, an undue proportion of Physicians
would get on the seniority and rule the College. Further, they asked
that the medical Fellows, as some return for their privileges, should
attend on poor students free of charge. That the College school of
medicine was a noted one is confirmed by the fact that three successive
Presidents of the Royal College of Physicians were Fellows of St.
John's: Richard Smith (1585-1589), William Baronsdale (1589-1600), and
William Gilbert (1600-1601). Smith and Gilbert were physicians to Queen
Elizabeth; Baronsdale and Gilbert had been Senior Bursars of the
College. Of these Gilbert is the most celebrated; his treatise, _De
Magnete_, is a scientific classic. Galileo spoke of Gilbert as "great to
a degree which might be envied." Francis Bacon mentions the book with
applause, and Hallam describes Gilbert as "at once the father of
experimental philosophy in this island, and by a singular felicity and
acuteness of genius, the founder of theories which have been revived
after the lapse of ages, and are almost universally received into the
creed of science." Gilbert, who always signs his name Gilberd or Gylberd
in the College books, was Senior Bursar of the College in 1569, and
President in the succeeding year.
Amongst others who have held the Linacre lectureship, and attained to
scientific distinction, was Henry Briggs, who was appointed lecturer in
1592. He afterwards became Gresham Professor of Geometry and Savilian
Professor at Oxford. He took up Napier's discovery of logarithms; the
idea of tables of logarithms having 10 for their base, and the
calculation of the first table of the kind, is due to him.