Only One Of These Colleges Is In The Modern Style.
The houses of
the city are in general ordinary, in some parts quite miserable; in
some streets they are
Only one story high, and have shingled roofs.
To me Oxford seemed to have but a dull and gloomy look; and I cannot
but wonder how it ever came to be considered as so fine a city, and
next to London.
I remained on the hill, on which there was a flight of steps that
led to a subterraneous walk, till sunset, and saw several students
walking here, who wore their black gowns over their coloured
clothes, and flat square hats, just like those I had seen worn by
the Eton scholars. This is the general dress of all those who
belong to the universities, with the exception of a very trifling
difference, by which persons of high birth and rank are
distinguished.
It is probably on account of these gowns that the members of the
university are called Gownsmen, to distinguish them from the
citizens, who are called Townsmen; and when you want to mention all
the inhabitants of Oxford together, you say, "the whole town,
Gownsmen and Townsmen."
This dress, I must own, pleases me far beyond the boots, cockades,
and other frippery, of many of our students. Nor am I less
delighted with the better behaviour and conduct which, in general,
does so much credit to the students of Oxford.
The next morning Mr. Maud, according to his promise, showed me some
of the things most worthy of notice in Oxford. And first he took me
to his own room in his own college, which was on the ground floor,
very low and dark, and resembled a cell, at least as much as a place
of study. The name of this college is Corpus Christi. He next
conducted me to All Souls' College, a very elegant building, in
which the chapel is particularly beautiful. Mr. Maud also showed
me, over the altar here, a fine painting of Mengs, at the sight of
which he showed far more sensibility than I thought him possessed
of. He said that notwithstanding he saw that painting almost daily,
he never saw it without being much affected.
The painting represented Mary Magdalene when she first suddenly sees
Jesus standing before her, and falls at His feet. And in her
countenance pain, joy, grief, in short almost all the strongest of
our passions, are expressed in so masterly a manner, that no man of
true taste was ever tired of contemplating it; the longer it is
looked at the more it is admired. He now also showed me the library
of this college, which is provided with a gallery round the top, and
the whole is most admirably regulated and arranged. Among other
things, I here saw a description of Oxford, with plates to
illustrate it: and I cannot help observing what, though trite, is
true, that all these places look much better, and are far more
beautiful on paper, than they appeared to me to be as I looked at
them where they actually stand.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 68 of 104
Words from 34986 to 35507
of 53881
