Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 8.djvu/486

 384 OX THE LATE, OR DEBASED, torical facts of which are taken chiefly from Dr. Ingram's Memorials of Oxford, and from Anthony a Wood. The first building of this period which claims attention is the Bodleian Library, and in order to understand the his- tory of this it will be necessary to go a Httle further back. It seems that various donations of books had been made by different individuals in the 13th and 14th centm-ies, but that no proper depository had been provided for them, and that they remained either locked up in chests or chained to desks in the Old Congregation-house, and in the various chapels of St. Mary's Church, until a room or " solar" having been built for them by Bishop Cobham in 1320, over the old congregation-house, they were after various disputes removed there in 1409. It seems too that the University had at tliis time fallen into great irregularity, and suffered great incon- venience from the want of public authorised schools ; the various professors using for that purpose apartments in pri- vate houses in various parts of the city. This led to the erection of a building for that purpose in 1439, and about the same time the University resolved to erect a separate School for Divinity, on a large scale in a central situation near the other schools. Liberal contributions having been made by various persons, and especially by Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, son of Henry IV., they were enabled about the year 1480, not only to complete the Divinity School as it now stands, but to build the room over it for a hbrarj'-, and from the circumstance of the Duke being the principal donor both in his life-time and at his death, and of his bequeatliing a number of valuable manuscripts, he is styled the founder, and the Library" was called by his name. Into this hbrary the books from St. Mary's were removed. ^ The Divinity School yet remains in much the same state as when built, except that a doorway was made by Sir Christopher Wren, under one of the windows of the north side for the convenience of processions to the Theatre, and that at the east end the door- way has been altered externally. On examination it wiU be found that the outer mouldings have been cut down even with the wall, and from the marks on the wall it seems probable that there was a groined porch ' The workmen employed were the here under a royal mandate, but were same as were employed at Eton and restored again in consequence of a peti- Windsor under the direction of William tion from the University, of Waynfleet, and were called away from