Merton died in 1277. Hugh de Balsham, Bishop of
Ely, who survived him nine years, appears to have been moved with a
desire to do for Cambridge what Merton had done for Oxford. Balsham
is spoken of as the founder of St. Peter's College, and in one sense
he was so. The bishops of Ely were the patrons of Cambridge. Bishop
Balsham asked himself what could be done, and set himself to deal
with the problems which presented themselves for solution in the
condition of his own University. He was not a great man, that seems
clear enough: his schemes were crude; he bungled. The truth seems to
me to be that the feeling at Cambridge was one of suspicion, and
there are indications that the bishops of Ely in an awkward fashion
were opposed to anything like _secular education_. We hear of
money being left to support _priests_ studying theology, and of
an experiment for introducing scholars as residents in the Hospital
of St. John. The canons were to take in the young scholars as
_boarders_ into their house, and look after their conduct and
morals. The plan did not answer. It was an attempt to put new wine
into old bottles. There came an explosion. Cambridge in the
thirteenth century had not the _men_ that Oxford had, so Oxford
kept the lead. Perhaps there was some soreness. Did ecclesiastics
shake their heads as they saw the walls of Balliol College rise, and
learnt that there was just a little too much importance given to mere
scholarship, and no prominence given to theology in those early
statutes of 1282? Did they, without knowing why, anticipate with
anxiety the awakening of a spirit of free thought and free inquiry
among those scholars of the Merton, Rule? Did the orthodox party
resort to prophecy, which is seldom very complimentary or cheerful in
its utterances?
This is certain, that while Balliol College was building there was a
stir among the Benedictines, and an effort made to assert themselves
and take their place among the learned.
Pages:
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266