JEWS MEDIÆVAL AND MODERN.

59

students, the king conferring large favours upon them, and this among the rest that no Jews living at Oxford should receive of scholars above twopence a week interest for the loan of twenty shillings, that is eight shillings and eightpence for the interest of a pound in the year.' In 1244 a riotous mob of students attacked the Jews' houses. In 1268, during a solemn Holy Thursday procession in honour of St. Frideswyde, a Hebrew zealot tore the Cross from the proctor's hands and trampled it under foot. The Jews were condemned to make for the University a heavy silver crucifix, to be carried in procession, and to erect a marble cross on the spot-as it seems nearly opposite Pembroke College-where the profanity had been committed. It was finally placed in an open plot by Merton chapel. Neither the Church however nor the Town had power over them; they were Crown chattels without civic rights. Edward I finally banished the Jews. Wood says, 'The suddenness of their dismission obliged them for present subsistence to sell their moveable goods of all kinds, among which were large quantities of Rabbinical books. The monks in various parts availed themselves of the distribution of these treasures. At Oxford great multitudes of them fell into the hands of Roger Bacon, or were bought by his brethren, the Franciscan friars, of that University.' So also Green. Professor Neubauer, however, thinks the Jews had little in the way of books or science to impart1. The principal Jewries were along Blue Boar Lane. Professor Thorold Rogers however considered that, Oxford having wide privileges of asylum, a dwindling Jewish settlement continued to exist even after the Expulsion till 1840 or thereabouts. 'Finally the remaining relics were scattered, when a calamitous fire occurred in their quarter, then called Pennyfarthing Street, a name since altered by a stupid and ignorant local board to Pembroke Street". A number of Hebrew documents were in a house in St. Ebbe's Street destroyed by fire on Feb. 27, 1844. The Jews returned under Cromwell, and in 1650 one Jacob opened a coffee-house in Oxford.

1 Notes on the Jews in Oxford' in Collectanea, II. pp. 287, 8.

2 Athenaeum, Sept. 3, 1887, p. 311.

CHAPTER VI.

RELIGIOUS HOUSES ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE COLLEGE.

Of the splendid conventual houses in the south and west quarters of Oxford, only St. Frideswyde's, the church of the Austin canons, now stands. But the students of Broadgates looked down from the City wall on the gardens and buildings of two great monasteries. One of these was the Dominican house of the Black or Preaching Friars, who in 1221 had settled in the Great Jewry, for neighbourhood to the Schools and with a view to Jewish conversions. It is said the Mad Parliament met within their walls. But, in 1259, they moved to a site just south of the present Pembroke College, 'an obscure place without the walls and farre from the company of disciples, schollers, and auditors'.' At the end of Brewers Street is the Black Drummer public-house, and lower down, mixed up with Commercial Road and Gas Street, are Friars Street and Blackfriars Road. Preachers' Bridge, over Trill Mill stream, is obliterated; but beyond are Friars' Wharf and Preachers' Pool. This quarter is reached from St. Aldate's Street by Speedwell Street, which at one time was called Preachers' Entry and led to Blackfriars' Gate. All this is Dominican ground. The convent and church, dedicated to St. Nicholas, stood on an islet in the midst, given to the Friars Preachers by Henry III. There were schools in which lectures on philosophy and theology were given, and the public acts or dissertations on theses of divinity took place in the church or chapter-house. One of the priors, Simon de Bovil, was Chancellor of the University. Among the teachers were such as Robert Fisacre, Robert Kilwarby, Cardinal and Archbishop of Canterbury, Walter Joyce, Primate of All Ireland, and his brother, Cardinal Thomas Joyce. The Black Friars obtained respect 'with the Grandies of the Universitie,' 'by reason of their learned parts in philosophy and divinity,' and with the citizens and clergy 'because of their simple and saint-like carriage.' Their library was 'large and full of books,' and among them were many famous canonists.

'Being very skilful in the Canon Law they did erecte a large Schoole wherin they openly read and discussed many points of the Canon Law before the University, and was commonly called "Schola Juris Canonici" Canon Law Schoole, or only Canon Schoole3.'

2 See Goldie, A Bygone Oxford, p. 14.

1 City, ii. 330.

3 City, ii. 327.

FRIARS BLACK AND GREY.

61

This was in their first quarters; but beside the Trill Mill stream also, 'having procured power from the University,' they erected a school, 'where the disputations called the Vespers as also the Bachelours' Determinations were in severall ages amongst themselves performed'. Because of their reputation as canonists they received powers from Boniface VIII to 'review and correct' all writings treating of the Canon Law, before publication2. In the great Church of the Black Friars, a stone's throw from Pembroke, was interred the famous Piers or Peter de Gaveston after his beheadal.

'At the first arrivall of his body here [in Oxford] the comonalty of Oxon togeather with these Fryers meet it at the town's end, and accompanied it to this place with great solemnity; and had severall masses for the health of his soule performed by them ".'

After three years, however, the favourite's body was removed, and 'by the king himselfe and many of the bishops and clergy (the nobles then absenting themselves) attended from thence to Kinges Langley in Hertfordshire, where with all ceremonies pompe and signes of honour was reburied in the church of the Preaching Fryers there'

In 1224, three years after their arrival in Oxford, the Dominicans welcomed there a band of Franciscan or Grey Friars. The new-comers rented a house from Robert le Mercer at the west extremity of what is now Pembroke College, that is between St. Ebbe's and Littlegate, but presently moved just outside the wall 'about a stone's cast from their first hired house,' to 'the place where Muliner's [i.e. Richard le Miller's] house stood.' Here they were joined by many graduates and persons of good birth belonging to the University. Starting from very humble beginnings, the monastery grew and gathered gifts. To them as to the Black Friars King Henry gave, in 1245, an eyot of five acres 3, across the Trill Mill stream, where they made a pleasaunce. The king, wearied with State cares, came often from his palace at Beaumont to find repose among the Grey Brothers. In this retired spot, a little south and west of St. Ebbe's, sprang up a school of learning famous through Europe; for the Friars, in order to screen their novices from the temptations and turbulence of the public schools, brought in teachers from without; and among these or among the students were such as Grostête or Grouthead (the Doctor Mirabilis), Adam Marsh or de Marisco (the Doctor Illustris), Roger Bacon, Duns Scotus, Nicholas de Lyra, William Occham, Peter Philardo (the Doctor Refulgens, afterwards Pope Alexander V), Friar Bungay, John Peckham, afterwards Lord Primate, together with others of 'the greatest clerks in Christendome.' It was Grostête who turned the Grey Friars from speculative to legal studies.

'Though he never smelt of an academy or scarse tasted of humane learning, yet he constrained these his brethren to the studying and reading of the decretalls ",'

City, ii. 330.

4 Ibid. ii. 322.

2 Ibid. ii. 336.

3 Ibid. ii. 339.

• Ibid. ii. 362.

5 'Now belonging to Sir William Moorton, Kt., Judge of the King's Bench.' Ibid. ii. 361.

62

GOWN OR COWL.

'laying aside their sophisms,'-about the being of GOD and the like. The Friary possessed two notable libraries, erected, it is said, by Grostête and enriched by a number of Hebrew Bibles bought by Adam Marsh at the time of the Expulsion. In later times the Oxford Franciscans forgot their learning, neglected their library, 'once the choicest of any of this nation,' and allowed their books to be 'tore in peices or else condemned to eternall silence ',' giving some excuse to those under Henry VIII, who called them a gang of lazy and fat-headed friars. Antony à Wood cries,

'I professe, so often as I think of the great dammage posterity doth suffer by the destruction of these "recondita ” I am readie to burst out with greif 2.'

In the Conventual Church, 316 feet in length and 180 feet wide, with twelve side chapels richly wrought, many noble persons were laid to rest shrouded in the coarse frock of the Grey Friars; in particular Beatrice de Falkeston queen of Richard 'King of the Romaines and Almaine,' brother of Henry III. She, dying

on the vigills of St. Luke the Evangelist anno 1275,' was laid before the high altar, where afterwards was placed the heart of her husband 3, 'sub sumptuosa et mirandi operis pyramide.' 'Great comfort people did take if upon their death bed they were assured their bodyes would be buried here *.'

Here also was buried, in 1292, the greatest light of medieval thought, Brother Roger Bacon. Wood thinks that his study was here and not at Folly Bridge.

'It hath bin delivered to me from eminent persons of this University and to them formerly by others of the same, both well seen in astronomy and antiquityes, that Roger Bacon, a Franciscan fryer of Oxon, knowne to be a great astronomer, did sometimes use in the night season to ascend this place invironed with waters and there to take the altitude and distance of starrs, and make use of it for his owne convenience in that respect, it being very necessary, situated for its vicinity to his covent, by conveying himself through a backway over Trillmill into Grandpont ".'

He adds, however, in a note, 'But I believe all this was at Little Gate.' His tomb-stone, à Wood had heard, was dug up at the end of the sixteenth century. There was left at Little Gate in the historian's time 'a little old decrepit building,' of which the lower windows touched the ground, 'which, while wee were freshmen, tradition told us 'twas Roger Bacon's and Thomas Bongei's study. One of the three gates of the Convent was just opposite Beef Lane.

Always the scholars of Broadgates and the neighbouring halls upon the City wall looked out on these stately houses of religious learning, and heard the bell ringing to prayers, or watched the Brothers walking in their peaceful garth or among their fields and orchards, and the sound of prayer and praise was at certain hours carried to their ears. No wonder if some among them felt a longing to put on the black or gray cowl. The Franciscans had the name of enticing them from their studies. In their

1

1 City, ii. 383.

Ibid. ii. 4c9.

2 Ibid. ii. 380.

5 Ibid. i. 425.

3 Ibid. ii. 384.

6 Ibid. ii. 411.

PARADISE AND TRILL MILL.

63

cloister 'was trained up yong lads to be fitted for their covent. And in this they did soe transgress in cogging away yong novices from their severall halls in the University'' that a statute was made to prevent it, and 'it was agreed they should not take any to their profession under the age of eighteen.' But this was annulled in 1366, six years later. In 1352, Fitzralph, Archbishop of Armagh, in his Defence of Curates or Apology against the Friars, preached before the Pope at Avignon, gave instances of young boys being got away from their studies.

From the windows of Pembroke College one gazes down upon a wilderness of dingy brick boxes, mixed with public houses and gas works, where once, in grove and arbour and cloister, scholastic theses of realism and nominalism were debated by the sons of St. Dominick and St. Francis beneath the towers of their majestic fanes 2. From below, in lieu of 'solemn psalm and silver litany,' arise the shrieks of the corybantic religionists, who issuing from their adjacent barrack go nightly about the wall of our Jericho.

A few yards from St. Ebbe's Church the unlovely street brings you to a squalid square, till lately surrounding a few shrubs and vegetables. Its name shows it to be the once nightingale-haunted paradise of the Grey Friars, given them by the Lady Agnes, 'uxor Guydonis'; and here stood anciently the churches of St. Bennett and St. Budoc, guarding the West Gate of the city. Paradise was divided formerly by a rivulet, which also encompassed it in part:

'A large plott of ground partly inclosed with the said rivelet and wheron was soe pleasant a grove of trees divided into severall walks ambits and recesses, as also a garden (and orchard adjoyning) 3.'

Wood, speaking of his own time, says, 'the place now is far from pleasure'; but in 1744 Salmon, in his Present State of the Universities, describes a pleasant Garden which goes by the name of Paradise, in which are Camomile and grass walks planted with evergreens and all manner of Fruit Trees and Flowers.' Thirty years later it supplied the Pembroke tables with cucumbers.

The city pound at Paradice' was taken down in 1781. Hereby flowed and flows (though now for the most part underground)

'the little streame called Trill from the trull or mill theron, which commeth from the Weyr streame under the quondam habitation of the Grey Fryers; then under Preachers' Bridge; and soe on the south side of the houses in Lumbard Lane, where, parting into two, one part runneth under Trill-Myll-bow and soe on the east side of Grandpont, and the other on the west side by the place where somtimes the Preaching Fryerys stood. Which stream is very advantagious (especially formerly when kept deep and cleer) for [brewers, dyers, tanners, and laundresses]; and better would it be if greater care were taken against the rubbish often cast into it, and the houses of easement over it, which renders the water very unwholsome and unfit to be used by brewers as now it is1.'

1 City, ii. 397.

Savonarola taught his scholars under a rose-tree in the convent garden of St. Mark's, in 1490. + Ibid. i. 398.

3 City, ii. 410.