Page:A new and general biographical dictionary; containing an historical and critical account of the lives and writings of the most eminent persons in every nation v1.djvu/116

 ALFRED. very numerous court, and took particular pleafure in feeing his nobility about him, yet he found out a method of doing this without prejudice to the public. He formed three different houfeholds, each under a feparatelord chamberlain : and thefe waited in their turns, a month every quarter ; fo that during the year, each of the king's fervants was four months at court, and eight at home. In private life, ./Elfred was the moft amiable man in his dominions ; of fo equal a temper, that after he had once taken the crown, he never fuffered any fadnefs or unbecoming gaiety to enter his mind ; but appeared always of a calm, yet cheer- ful difpofition, familiar to his friends, juft, even to his ene- mies, kind and tender to all. He was a remarkable ceconomifl of his time; and Aflerius has given us an account of the method he took for dividing and keeping an account of it. He caufed fix wax-candies to be made, each of twelve inches long, and of as many ounces weight: on the candles the in- ches were regularly marked ; and having found that one of them burnt juft four hours, he committed them to the care of the keepers of his chapel, who from time to time gave him notice how the hours went : but as in windy weather the candles were wafted by the impreffion of the air on the flame ; to remedy this Men. '"convenience, he invented lanthorns, there being then no .Reg. glafs in his dominions. When Alfred came to the crown, p. 45, learning was at a very low ebb in his kingdom [N] ; but by his the Great Hall was taught divinity only, built at once, but by degrees, as the and on this foundation there were twenty- king's finances would allow. ^Elfred is fix fcholars ; in the Leffer Hall they nniverfally acknowledged the founder of taught logic, mufic, arithmetic, geo- Univerfity College at Oxford, and there metry, and aflronomy, and on thisfoun- is ftill a very ancient pifture of this dation there were alfo twenty-fix fcho- prince in the matter's apartments ; there lars: in the Little Hall there vas no- is alfo a very old buft of him in the re - thing taught but grammar j however feclory in Brazen-nole College. In- there were twenty-fix fcholars alfo enter- guiph.Hift. p. 27. Annal. Wint. A. D. tained here. The firfc divinity- profef- 886. fors were St. Neotus and St. Grim- [NJ This appears from his letter to bald. At the requefi of the former, it bifhup Wulfsig, prefixed to his tranfla- is faid, /Elfred creeled thefe fchools; tion of Sr. Gregory's Paftoral. Jn this and the latter he fent for from abroad, to letter he tells the bifliop, ' that both prefide in them. The firft reader in the clergy and laity of the Englifli logic, mufic, and arithmetic, w^s John, " were formerly bred to letters, and a monk of St David's ; the reader in " made great improvements in the va- geometry and aftronomy was another " luable parts of learning ; that, by the monk of the fame name, * ho was com- " advantage of fuch a learned educauon, panion to St. Grimbaid ; AfFer the " the precepts of relig on and loyally monk read in grammar and rhetoric. " were well cbferved, the (rate flourish - As to the time in which thefe fchools ed, and the government was famous were founded, it is net eafily determin- " for its conduct in foreign countries, cd j very probably they were not all And with regard to the clergy, they were