n a handsome rotunda surmounted by a dome on an
octagonal base. The structure, which is one hundred feet in diameter,
rises to a height of one hundred and forty feet, and from the top there
is a fine view of the city. To the northward, at a short distance, are
the Schools, a quadrangular building, now chiefly occupied by the famous
Bodleian Library. From Radcliffe Square the entrance is through a
vaulted passage, the central gate-tower being a remarkable example of
the combination of the five orders of architecture piled one above the
other. In this building, on the lower floor, the public examinations of
the candidates for degrees are held, while above is the library which
Sir Thomas Bodley founded in the sixteenth century, and which contains
three hundred thousand volumes, including many ancient and highly-prized
works in print and manuscript.

[Illustration: DINING-HALL, EXETER COLLEGE.]

[Illustration: TRINITY COLLEGE CHAPEL.]

Lincoln College was founded by Richard Flemyng, Bishop of Lincoln, in
1427. Here John Wesley was a member, and the pulpit from which he
preached is still kept as a precious relic. Opposite to Lincoln is Jesus
College, founded by Queen Elizabeth in 1571, though others assisted; it
was intended to be exclusively for Welshmen, but this has since been
changed. The chapel has a double chancel. Alongside of Lincoln is Exeter
College, founded by Walter Stapleton of Exeter in 1314: this is one of
the largest colleges, the greater part of the buildings being modern;
they are among the finest in Oxford. The hall, restored in the present
century, has a high-pitched timber roof, while the chapel, which is one
of the most remarkable edifices in Oxford, has a thin, small spire that
is conspicuous from a great distance. The Ashmolean Museum adjoins
Exeter College, and next to this is the Sheldonian Theatre, built in
1669 by Archbishop Sheldon of Canterbury, where the annual commemoration
is held and the honorary degrees are conferred. Not far away is Wadham
College, founded in 1613 by Nicholas Wadham and Dorothy his wife. It
has excellent buildings and a most beautiful garden. There is a new
Museum of Natural History in the park near by, and also Keble College,
founded in 1868 as a memorial of Rev. John Keble, the author of the
_Christian Year_. Its buildings are of variegated brick, the chapel
being the loftiest, most costly, and finest of its style in Oxford. The
building is a perfect glare of coloring.