The fourteenth century saw the foundation of a number of these. Exeter College (13141. Oriel (1324). Queen's (1340), and New College (13791. show the importance of the movement in this century. The exhaustion of England and its de moralized condition, growing out of the Hundred Years' War and the Wars of the Roses, is re vealed in the fact that only three colleges were founded in the fifteenth century—Lincoln (1427), All Souls (14:37), and Magdalen (1458), in which last the system of teaching within college walls, begun by William of Wykeham at New College, was carried much further. The next century is much more prolific. Its foundations include Brasenose (1509), Corpus Christi (1516), Christ Church (planned by Wolsey as Cardinal College, but dating in its present form from Henry VIII remodeling in 1546, and ing the older Canterbury College), Trinity (1555), Saint John's (1555), and Jesus (1571). There are only two in the seventeenth century Wadham (1612) and Pembroke (1624) ; then almost a century passes before the transformation of Gloucester Hall into Worcester College in 1714. Keble College (1870), and Hertford in its present condition (1874. though after a checkered career, lasting from 1282), date from the nine teenth. These. with the two remaining halls. Saint Mary and Saint Edmund, both doomed to extinction, like New Inn Hall, which has been ab sorbed into Baltic)), a large body of non-collegiate students, and three small private halls, include all the resident members of the university. The foundation of the colleges had a profound in fluence on the history and polity of thc univer sity, and their existence here and at Cambridge marks the difference between these and other universities.
To return to the general history: The new learning of the Renaissance was at first warmly received at Oxford, and all the earliest Greek stu dents in England were Oxford men. The more conservative members of the university, known as 'Trojans' from the opposition to the Grecians, resisted it for a time as likely to lead to heresy. The violent changes of the Reformation affected the prosperity of Oxford unfavorably. Elizabeth, however, did much to restore it. and Archbishop Laud, who was the ruling spirit there in the first half of the seventeenth century, still more. Dur ing the Civil 1Var Oxford was more a court and a fortress than a home of study. The King re sided at Christ Church. the Queen at Corpus Christi, and Parliament was held in the Divinity Schools. The university loyally contributed all its plate to the cause, and remained for long afterwards strongly reactionary in its polities. Yet the attempt of James II. to force a Roman Catholic head upon Magdalen was vigorously re sisted, and was one of the causes which contrib uted to his overthrow. The eighteenth century was a period of stagnation; its only striking event was the rise of the Methodists from Ox ford to influence the spiritual life of the nation. as the Tractarians (see OxFonu MovEmExT) did half a century later. The history of the nine teenth century has been one of change. Two royal commissions have examined the whole subject of the university system: and legislation in 1850, 1876, and 1882 especially has resulted in freeing both university and colleges from the restrictions of the mediaeval statutes, in restoring the univer sity professoriate, in opening the fellowships to merit, and in relaxing the religious tests.
The constitution of the university may he most easily explained by drawing an analogy with that of the United States. It is strictly a federation, in which the eolleges, with their own complete internal organization and laws, answer to the several States, while the university, with its separate officials and legislative bodies, repre sents the national Government. its nominal head is the chancellor, who, however, 'reigns but does not govern.' lle is usually some great nobleman or (aver of State; thus the Marquis of Salisbury has held the office for many years. The actual administrative functions are discharged by the viee-ehancellor, who is always the head of a college, elected for a period of four years in ro tation. He is a dignified oIIicial, preceded in his public appearances by maee-bea rers or beadles, and still invested with many far-reaching powers; in his court all eases are tried which affect mem bers of the university. The disciplinary functions of the university are in the hands of the proctors —two masters of arts elected annually by the colleges in turn. Their powers are also extensive, a survival of (lays, and extend in some particulars even over those who are not members of the university, but whom they may. for cause, forbid to reside in the town. Their surveillance, while of course it is always directed to the pre vention or punishment of serious breaches of morality or order, is exercised in such minor de tails us the infraction of the rule which forbids an undergraduate to appear in the streets after dinner without cap and gown.
Legislative proposals arc first brought up in the Hebdomadal Council, a body mainly of prac tical educators, composed of the vice-chancellor. the retiring vice-chancellor, the proctors, and eighteen members elected by Congregation, of whom six must be heads of colleges. six profes sors, and six members of Convocation of five years' standing. This body, which, as its name implies, meets weekly, initiates legislation by framing statutes and presenting them to Congre gation. The latter consists, besides certain ex officio members, of all masters and doctors who reside in Oxford one hundred and forty days in each year—some four or five hundred in all. Statutes approved by Congregation are presented to Convocation, which may adopt or reject but cannot amend them. This larger body is com posed of all masters and doctors who have kept their names on the hooks of their colleges, no mat ter where residing. The number amounts to some six or seven thousand; but no large proportion of these attend except on the occasion of some burn ing question of theological or academie import, when stirring scenes sometimes take place. Con vocation, most of whose routine business is in trusted to certain committees called delegacies, also elects the two members of Parliament whom the university has returned since the reign of James 1.