Page:English Historical Review Volume 35.djvu/579

 1920 TO THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD 571 which they estimated at about 500 marks/ was written on 5 November 1470, eighteen days after the earl's execution, and if Neville was able to announce his success in securing the books (save those in Ireland) within a fortnight, he must have been very expeditious. The absence in his letter of any reference to the • university's appeal rather points to a later date. The post for which the archbishop gave Robert Canon so strong a recommendation was probably that of bedel, if John Cane (or Caine) is the same person as the John Came (or Caam) who was appointed to that office in 1433,^ and occurs as late as 1457.^ The identification seems to be made practically certain by a letter from Edward IV to the university commanding it not to proceed to the election of a bedel until the coming of the archbishop of York, their chancellor.* Nothing is known of Canon. It is a little disappointing to find from notes prefixed (in a different hand) to the two letters in the John Rylands volume that Archbishop Neville was not responsible for their latinity. The first was written by the archdeacon of Richmond,^ who was John Shirwood, afterwards bishop of Durham, and the second by an unidentified fellow of Balliol College, named Bulkie.^ But though they do not raise the previous estimate of Neville's learning, they supply interesting confirmation of his attachment to the university and his literary tastes. James Tait, I MS. CC.C.C. 423, ff. 65-5v. He litere misse sunt ad vniuersitatem Oxonie a comite Wygornie. Amplissimo viro domino cancellario Oxonie necnon vniuersitati colendis- ' ibid. no. 259 (ii. 389). No. 260 is an appeal to Walter Lyhert, bishop of Norwich, to aid them in building, inter alia, a new library, as they have no place suitable to house Tiptoft's books. - Munimenta Academica Oxon. (Rolls Series) ii. 321. ^ Ibid. pp. 667-8. ' To owre trusty and wellebelouyd the Comissarie proctors regens and non regentis off owre vniuersite off Oxforde. ' Trusty and wellebelouyd we grete yow welle and where we vnderstond that a grette diuision is lately arresin among yow for thelection off a bedille and therupon incon- uenientes (?) be dowtyd to falle withoute the more hasty remedye be prouidid. We therfore strytly charge and commande yow to se that the mater off the sayd election abyde in suspense in any wise vnto the comyng thyder off the most reuerend fader in godde and owre ryght entierly belouyd cosyn tharchbysshop off Yorke yowre chawncelor whych by goddis mercy shalle not fayle to be with yow for that cause by the feste off Saint Hillary nexte commyng to ordayne and set dlie redresse in the same and that ye putte yow in vttermost devovre and se that owre peace be surely kept in the mean tyme as ye wol ansuere vnto vs at yowre peryl. Yevyn vnder owre signet at owre Palois off Westminster the xv day off decembyr.' (MS. 423, C.C.C. Cambridge, f o. 37. ) ' ' Epistola transmissa per prenobilem [virum] archiepiscopum Eboraceneem Georgium Nevil, ex compositione tamen magistri mei archidiaconi Richmondi grauis- simo,' etc. (as in heading). " ' Ex compositione Magistri Bulkie quondam socii coUegii de Balliolo.'
 * The letter runs as follows :