Page:Lives of British Physicians.djvu/44

 28 BRITISH PHYSICIANS. of All Souls' College, Oxford, to vindicate the lionoiir of the seminary to which he belonged, in a publication, wherein he asserted, that it was founded by some Greek philosophers, companions of Brutus, and restored by Alfred about the year 870. This was too great a triumph to be borne by the Cantabrigians ; and accordingly, our phy- sician, at the instigation of Archbishop Parker, stepped forth, and in a learned dissertation, to which he affixed the signature Londinensis, as- serted the antiquity of his own University, and called in question that of Oxford. AVith all the forms of antiquarian certainty and precision, he established its foundation by one Cantaber, 394 years before Christ, and in the year of the world four thousand three hundred and odd. Thus, after defeating the Oxford claim, derived from the companions of Brutus, yet allowing them an origin as far back as from Alfred, he gains a priority of time for Cambridge of 1267 years ! To such trifling and uninteresting objects did he apply his accuracy and diligent research ! His other critical performance was, on the ge- nuine pronunciation of the Greek and Latin lan- guages. It is somewhat extraordinary that, so soon after the revival of letters, we should differ in our pronunciation of the learned languages from those who were our masters in them. This difference, we know, is at present very great. With regard to the Latin, we stand single in our manner of pronouncing the vowels, in opposition to every other nation in Europe. Caius, by his long residence abroad, and connexion with foreign literati, was led to prefer their method. As to the