Varia ad Schultensios pertinentia, praesertim ad Henricum Albertum, vol 8 BPL 245: VIIIb: Bijlagen tot het Dagboek van Hendrik Albert Schultens nopens zijn verblijf in Engeland

me the justice, & the honour, to believ[e] me to be, with great sincerity, & with the truest esteem, Dear S^r. Your most Obedient humble Serv^t. R. Oxford.

Duke Street Westm^r. Apr. 10. 1773.

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Dear S^r.

I highly approve of the Warden of Wadham’s proposal; not only for the reason w^ch. he gives, which is a very good one, but also, be: :cause a Degree in that form is the most honourable, which y^e. University can confer; if I may be allowed to say so, who have re: :ceived that honour myself. It will likewise intirely set aside a possible difficulty, w^ch. I mentioned to You, from an Objection to You as a Gentleman Commoner not of Legitimate standing for an Honorary Degree. I write to the Vice Chancellor by this Post, & to the Warden of

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New College. When I hear that the business has passed the Heads of Houses, I will write to two of three ^Friends to lend their assistance in Convocation to support Your cause; rather because it will do me a pleasure & an honour to be engaged in it, than that I apprehend there will be any difficulty. I have the honour to with perfect esteem, Dear S^r. Your most Obedient humble Serv^t. R. Oxford.

Duke Street Westm^r. Apr. 15. 1773.

[041r]

Quebec Street Febr. 27^th 1773.

Dear Sir!

I am indeed surprised at my own promptitude. Yesterday xxx I delivered my letter to captain Rood, and now I take the very first opportunity to be as good as my word, and to write the other letter, which I promised you, and which, I am certain, you don’t expect. For in a case, where I never can trust myself, I have no reason to suppose that I should be believed by an other who has had so many experiences of my being too careless and negligent in keeping up a regular correspondence – By the hurry I was in yesterday, I don’t exactly know, what I have written about our manner of living in the colleges, and what I have left still untouched. It is however no great matter, and if you are perhaps not very fond of knowing all these niceties, you have reason to be glad of my inattention. For to save you the trouble of reading one thing twice, I leave it all alone, and take a walk with you from the college to the church St’ Mary’s, being the University church, where two sermons are preached every Sunday and one every Holy day, before the University by the heads of the colleges and the doctors divinity upon ⁱⁿ their turn. This is a very xxx ^fine and solemn sight. For the Vice Chancellor, Proctors, Heads of the colleges and Doctors having first met in a room next to the church, they come all together in a grave procession with 9 beadles before them in theyr seats, of which that of the Vice Chancellor is distinguished from the others by way ^{a sort} of a throne. As in each college prayers are read early in the morning this part of the service is always omitted, and the preacher begins directly his sermon directly, which, as it is supposed to be before a learned congregation, is generally what we call more than a common one and almost with a great shew of erudition. So I remember to have heard once our famous Dr Kennicott, whose sermon was just an exegetical lecture intermixt with several criticisms upon different places of the Hebr. Bibel. An other who does not know much of the Hebrew takes that opportunity to make ostentation of his Greek knowledge, others give very abstract and philosophical discourses and so every body endeavours to bring people in opinion of their being exceedingly clever men. Some times however there are but very indifferent sermons, chiefly when a head of a college does not chuse to preach and sends in his place what they call a hackney preacher being generally one or other fellow, who is very glad to receive his 3 guineas, which

t M^r= Warden is obliged to pay when he does not fulfill his turn. As soon as the sermon is over, the masters bacchelors and undergraduates being all in different seats, wait till the procession of the Dii majorum gentium is gone away. Then follow the ladies follow and after those the whole congregation pêle mêle. Upon some holy days as Christmas, Eastern &c all the Doctors appear in their habits. This is the name [Greek word] for their scarlet gowns with black velvet sleaefs. All other days they wear black gowns tho’ of a very different kind from the other members of the university. But I will not insist upon these bagatelles. which you know besides that very well, and I could not tell you any news by mentioning that every person whosoever from the highest to the lowest according his rank and degree is distinguished by his dress at first sight. –- I suppose you long to know whether in such an university, where the laws for directing the studies and conduct of the students are so exceedingly strict, there be a great number of learned and clever young people. I hardly know what to say to it. There are most certainly many students being very remarkable for their real knowledge either in languages or sciences, or in both. But if you consider the university consisting of more than 2000 members, then I must allow the number is but very small and in proportion not greater than in Holland. But, which I was much surprised at, was not to find more than 6 or 7 persons knowing any thing of the Arabick, tho’ there is perhaps the best opportunity ^{in Europe} for promoting this study by the considerable number of MS.S. being in the Bodlejan library. But all those things depend upon custom and mode, which is at present intirely about the kennicottian scheme of collating Hebrew MSS and correcting our present text. You know, his proposals for publishing the work are printed of. and I if he sends me them before this ship goes away I shall inclose them to be distributed at Groningen. I wrote to him last week but have till yet not received an answer. As I have had the honour of being several times at his house, I am very much convinced in M^r= Schroeders judgement of his being ^xxx rather a laborious and diligent man than a man of profoud profound learning and taste. But with regard to the conversation he ist ^is undoubtedly an exceedingly goodnatured man and the most chearful companion I ever saw in my life.

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