by the Founder as a reserve-fund for law
expenses, for re-erecting or repairing buildings destroyed by fire,
etc., or for other extraordinary charges. This gold had been laid up and
counted in Queen Elizabeth's time, and had remained untouched since
then; consequently, although some of the old members of the College were
aware of its existence, to the new-comers it seemed a welcome and
unexpected discovery, especially as the College was at the time heavily
in debt. They immediately proceeded to divide it among all the members
on the foundation proportionately, not excluding the choristers (who
were at that time undergraduates), the Puritan President, Wilkinson,
being alone opposed to such an illegal proceeding, and being with
difficulty prevailed upon to accept L100 as his share, which, however,
upon his death-bed he charged his executors to repay. The Spur-royals
were exchanged at the rate of 18s. 6d. to 20s. each, and each fellow had
thirty-three of them. But when the fact of this embezzlement of
corporate funds became known, the College was called to account by
Parliament, and, although they attempted to defend themselves, they
individually deemed it wise to refund the greater, or a considerable,
part of what had been abstracted. Fuller, whose _Church History_ was
published in the year following Selden's death, after telling this
scandalous story, proceeds thus (Book IX. p. 234):--"Sure I am, a great
antiquarie lately deceased (rich as well in his state as learning) at
the hearing thereof quitted all his intention of benefaction to Oxford
or any place else." ... And Wood (_Hist. and Antiq._, by Gutch, ii. 942)
says that he had been told that this misappropriation was one reason of
Selden's distaste at Oxford.'

Besides the books sent to the Bodleian Library, those relating to law
were given to Lincoln's Inn, and some medical works were bequeathed by
Selden to the College of Physicians. 'Eight chests full of registers of
abbeys, and other manuscripts relating to the history of England,' were
unfortunately destroyed in a fire at the Temple; and many volumes also
were lost during the interval between Selden's death and their arrival
at Oxford.

THOMAS HOWARD, EARL OF NORFOLK, 1586-1646

One of the most zealous and successful collectors of the early part of
the seventeenth century was Thomas Howard, only son of Philip, Earl of
Arundel, and grandson of Thomas, Duke of Norfolk, who was beheaded in
1572. He was