Page:The History of CRGS.djvu/22

 intended to set up a rival schoolmaster in the town "to foment distractions and contentions which must needes breed great distraction in the Towne," and prayed protection for Dugard. This was of no avail, however, and he resigned in January, 1643.

One institution of Dugard's that survives today is the Liber Scholae Colcestriensis, a leather—bound volume of some 400 pages, still in excellent condition, with more than half its pages unused. His object was to make a comprehensive school record, which would have been almost unique and extraordinarily valuable if succeeding masters had been equally enthusiastic. The Liber Scholae Colcestriensis contains, at least for Dugard's period of office, the name, age and place of birth of each scholar, together with his father's name and rank; and interspersed with these lists are various details of school life and management. Thus we learn of "The Orders, Course and Customes of the Schoole in matters of chardge wherewith the parents of the Schollers must be acquainted," such as :— " Item for Teaching 0 10 0 a quarter.

Item for sweeping of the Schoole lid at the end of the quarter.

Item every Scholler shall p'sently after Michaelmas bring xijd apiece for their fireing in winter ; and i li. of candle to burn in the Schoole.

Item every Scholler shall uppon every Thursday in the afternoone bring one farthing for wch hee shall dispute with his ffellow in Grammaticall questions. And, if it fortune so   that neither party win of his ffellow, then both farthings shall go to the Common box, and thence be given to ye   Schollers according to their deserts for exercises or otherwise at ye Master's discretion."

When one considers that the disputations would be conducted in Latin, one appreciates the quality of the education offered by this little school in a provincial town, where the scholars must have been for the most part sons of merchants or country clergy; and with that realisation comes perhaps a clearer understanding of the whole educational system of the time which, drawing its strength from medieval tradition and Renaissance learning, only perished when a new, industrial, age brought new demands. For this system, designed as a prelude to the Universities, depended not on the few great Public Schools, but upon the ubiquitous free schools of the boroughs and country towns, and not least among the evils of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries was a lowering of the status of these schools to a point that necessitated a reorganisation so drastic that it is even now[1947] [sic] not fully completed.

With the approach of the Civil War (1642—8) we find the School in martial mood. An account dated March 6th, 1641, in the Liber reads : "A drumm was bought for ye use of ye Schoole wch cost i li. vjs 0d by ye contributions of those Schollers whose names   Rh