*OXFORD, (Oxfordshire) 47 cm. 55 mm. from London, at the conflux of the Charwell and Isis, a little above the influx of the Isis
into Tame, stands in a sweet air, a plentiful country, and a fine plain. In the time of the ancient Britons, a colony of
students came hither from Creeklade in Wilts; but it suffered the common ruin of Ts. in the time of the Saxons, and was
only famous for a mon. built here by St. Frideswide; to which, in the R. of Ethelred, several Danes under sentence of
death fled for refuge, and were burnt together with the house by the enraged Saxons, but the penitent K. rebuilt it; and
in the 9th century, K. Alfred restored the muses hither, and built three colleges for grammar-learning, philosophy, and
divinity; the studies of which were much interrupted, in the space of a few years, first by the destruction of this city
by the Danes in the R. of K. Ethelred, and then by the banishment of the scholars by K. Harold. However it appears to have
been a place of study, at the time of the Norman invasion. Will. the Conq. suspecting the Oxonians fidelity, built a
castle on the W. side of the city, of which there still remains a square high tower, and a lofty mount, and is supposed
also to have surrounded the city with new walls. In that castle the Empress Maud was besieged by K. Steph. who took it,
after she had escaped by night. In the R. of K. John, the magistrates of the T. having, without trial, hanged up three
innocent priests, or scholars, for a murder committed by another, the rest retired in great numbers to Reading, Salisbury,
Maidstone, Cambridge, &c. by which the T. was so impoverished, that it sent deputies to the pope's legate at Westminster,
who begged pardon on their knees for their fault, and submitted to publick penance. Upon this the scholars, after five
years absence, returned hither, and obtained new privileges; but in the R. of K. Henry III. when it first had the name of
an University, and that the students here were thirty thousand, they vere excommunicated by the pope, for some rudeness to
his legate. In the R. of Edw. III. the scholars divided into the factions of northern and southern men, and an open
rupture ensued; upon which the former retired to Stamford, and began to set up schools there; but in a few years all feuds
subsiding, they returned hither, and statutes were enacted, to prohibit professors of learning at Stamford, to the
prejudice of Oxford. Four cells of friars were also erected about this time in the suburbs, wherein flourished many
considerable scholars. In fine, this U. is so ancient, that as Paris-U. was called the first, this was termed the second
sc. of the Ch. and it is now one of the most noble Us. in Europe, for its plentiful endowments and convenient mansions and
regulations, for the education and accomplishment of the students. It has 20 colleges, endowed with fellowships,
scholarships, &c. and most of them enriched with libraries and other donations, and adorned with fine chapels, gardens,
groves, cloisters, quadrangles, piazzas, statues, fountains, &c. And here are 5 halls, where most of the gentlemen live
upon their own expences. Those maintained by the revenues of the colleges are about 1000, and the students, who live at
their own charge, about 2000. Here are 4 terms in the year, for publick exercises. The magistrates of the U. are, 1. The
chancellor, usually a nobleman, chosen by the students for life. 2. A high-steward, named by the chancellor, and approved
by the U. who is also for life, and to affirm the chancellor, &c. 3. A vice-chancellor, one always in orders, and the head
of a college, who exercises the chancellor's power, keeps the officers and students to their duty, and chuses 4 pro-vice-
chancellors out of the heads of colleges, to officiate in his absence. 4. Two proctors, who are masters of arts, chosen
yearly out of the several colleges in turn, to keep the peace, punish disorders, oversee weights and measures, order
scholastick exercises and the admission to degrees. 5. A publick orator, who writes letters by order of convocation, and
harangues princes and other great men, who visit the U. 6. A keeper of its archives. 7. A register, who records all
transactions of the convocation, &c. 8. Three esquire-beadles with gilt silver maces, and 3 yeomen-beadles with plain
ones, who attend the vice-chancellor in publick, execute his orders for apprehending delinquents, publish the courts of
convocation, and conduct the preachers to Ch. and the lecturers to school. 9. A verger, who on solemn occasions walks with
the beadles before the vice-chancellor, and carries a silver rod. As for the city, which is said to have been built above
1000 years before our Saviour's birth, it had the same laws and customs granted it by ancient charters, as London, and
liberty of being toll-free all over England. Its chief trade is sending malt by the barges to London. The corp. consists
of a mayor, high-steward, recorder, 4 ald. 8 assistants, 2 bailiffs, a T.-clerk, 2 chamberlains, all that have served the
office of bailiff and chamberlain, and 24 C. C, The mayor, for the time being, officiates at a coronation in the buttery,
and has for his fee a large gilt bowl and cover. It was made a Bp's. see by K. Hen. VIII. and has 13 elegant p.-Chs.
besides the cathedral, which has a dean, 8 canons, 3 chaplains, 8 singing-men, 8 choristers, a teacher of musick for them,
and an organist. Tho great bell, called Tom, which was formerly in its steeple, hangs now in a stately tower in the front
of Christchurch-college gate. It weighs near 17000 lb. it being above 7 foot in diameter, and near 6 foot high. It is
tolled every night 101 strokes, the number of students in the college, to give notice for shutting up all the gates of the
colleges and halls. These make about 2-thirds of the city, which is subject to the chancellor, or vice-chancellor of the
U. in all affairs of moment, even relating to the T. And the latter yearly administers an oath to the mayor, &c. and the
sheriffs of the Co. to maintain the privileges of the U. Also on the 10th of Feb. the mayor and 62 of the chief citizens
solemnly pay each 1 d. at St. Mary's-Ch. in lieu of a great fine laid upon them in the R. of Edw. III. when 62 of the
students were murdered by the citizens. This city, which has often been the seat of our Ks. and Pts. in one of which, held
here, by reason of the plague at London in 1665, the votes were first printed, gave title of E. to the Veres for 500
years; and having lain dormant, after the death of Aubrey de Vere, the 20th E. without issue-male, was conferred by Q.
Anne on a descendant of that family, Rob. Harley (who was her Ld. high-treasurer) with the additional title of E.
Mortimer. The publick buildings here of most note, besides the colleges, are, 1. The schools, wherein exercises are
performed for the several degrees, the publick lectures read, &c. It was chiefly raised at the expence of Sir Tho. Bodley,
whose statue is erected in it, and who furnished a library here, which Mr. Camden calls the U's. publick arsenal of
wisdom, and is famous throughout Europe, for its prodigious number of books. 2. The theatre, more magnificent than any
thing of the kind in the world, built by Sheldon, Abp. of Canterbury, and directed by Sir Chris. Wren, at the expence of
15,000 l. 3. The musaeum, a neat building, the lower part a chymical elaboratory, and the upper a repository of rarities
and Roman antiquities, chiefly collected by Elias Ashmole, and his father-in-law, Sir Will. Dugdale. 4. The Clarendon
printing-house, the top of which is adorned with the 9 muses, Homer, Virgil, and Thucydides. It is a firm strong building,
115 foot in length, besides the spacious porticos in the N. and S. fronts, supported by detached columns of the Doric
order. Here are printed bibles, common prayer-books, &c, there being particular rooms for a letter-founder, with rolling-
presses for printing the Oxford almanacks. It was first founded in 1711, and built partly with the money accruing to the
U. from the profits of the copy of Ld. Clarendon's history. S. The physick-garden of above 5 acres, walled round, with
fine gates, one of which cost 600 l. The Mts. here are W. and S. Fairs May 3, Aug. 24, and Oct. 28. The city and the U.
send each two members to Pt. In that called Port-Meadow, near this city, are frequent horse-races. In this city there are
5 or 6 ch. scs. in which are taught, clothed, &c. near 300 children. One for 54 boys was founded by the U. another for 30
boys and girls by the city. Without the T. there are many ruins of the fortifications, erected in the late civil wars,
when it had a garrison for K. Cha. I. but was taken by the Pt. forces.