Page:Terræ-filius- or, the Secret History of the University of Oxford.djvu/52

 to part with old foundations, however weak, rotten, and obnoxious to the enemy.

But I have not mention'd the mot aburd thing in matriculation yet. The tatute ays, if the peron to be matriculated is ixteen years of age, he mut ubcribe the thirty-nine articles, and take the oaths of allegiance and supremacy, as alo an oath of fidelity to the university: but, if the peron is not ixteen years of age, and above twelve, then he is to ubcribe the thirty-nine articles.

What a pack of conjurers were our forefathers! to diqualify a peron to make a plain imple promie to obey his King, until he is ixteen years of age, which a child of ix is able to do; and at the ame time uppoe him capable, at twelve years of age, to ubcribe thirty-nine articles of religion, which a man of threecore, with all his experience, learning, and application, finds o hard to undertand!--- I wonder they did not command us to teach our children logick and mathematicks, before they have learn'd to read.

It is hardly worth mentioning, amongt all thee aburdities, that by this tatute many perons avoid taking the oaths of allegiance and upremacy at all; for being, or pretending to be, under ixteen when they are matriculated, they are excued from it at that time; and I never heard that any body was ever call'd upon afterwards to take them, unles they take a degree; but how many are there who tay many years at, without taking any degree?

From uch an initiation it is no wonder that we have uch proficients, a Race of profligate unprincipled men: inincerity and immorality are the firt rudiments of their education; they are train'd up and tutor'd in the arts of deceiving, and of being deceived; they are oblig'd to wear to tatutes which they never aw, and to ubcribe doctrines which they cannot undertand, in order to ear their young