William Alabaster, born at Hadleigh in Suffolk, was a Fellow of Trinity College. His University career is remarkable for his having kept a Greek Act with Francis Dillingham, B.D. of St. John's College. Having been appointed chaplain to Robert Earl of Essex, he attended him in his voyage to Calais on a projected expedition to assist Henry IV. against the League, in the year 1591. While in France, he was induced to change his church and to become a Roman Catholick; he soon, however, became dissatisfied with his new persuasion and returned to his former opinions. In the preface to his work entitled “Ecce sponsus venit,” he relates that, certain doctrines of his having become obnoxious to the Court of Rome, he was enticed to that city and imprisoned there by authority of the inquisition; on his liberation, he was confined to the city-walls, but escaping at the peril of his life he returned to England, and soon after became Prebendary of St. Paul's and Rector of Hatfield, in Hertfordshire. He died about A. D. 1640.

He was a great Hebrew scholar and skilled in Cabalistic learning, which he displayed in various discussions on the mystical meaning that he supposed to be involved in the words of Scripture; especially in his clerum at Cambridge on commencing Doctor of Divinity, when he took for his text the first words of the first book of Chronicles “Adam, Sheth, Enosh;” the mystical meaning of these he supposed to be, “Man is put or placed for trouble.”

The classical descriptive ‘rus in urbe’ has a powerful charm for the imagination: it implies the attraction of rarity, the force of contrast, and promises all that is delicious in the centre of all that is odious.

There are several spots in our town which merit this praise; but no where perhaps is it more literally applicable than in the instance submitted to view; and a partial admirer might be disposed to adopt the sentiment of a Jersey householder, who, enamoured of his garden, has set up over the entrance this motto,

The scene presented to view is that of a ‘terra incognita’ to all but a few: the reader therefore is informed that he is to suppose himself in the Fellows' Garden of Caius College.

Now, as far as the cause relating to the attractions of this College has been pleaded before the public, only the evidence against us has been given. It is Carter's testimony that “This College being surrounded with lanes on three sides and the street, in the Founder's time called ‘vicus major’, on the east, cannot be thought to contain much garden ground: yet besides the garden belonging to the Master, the Fellows have a small one, or rather orchard; and the court next the street (for it has three) is handsomely planted with lime-trees.”

The armorial ensigns of the Lady Elizabeth de Clare, Foundress of the Society called after her name are,—or, three chevronels gules. The chevron, of which the chevronel is the diminutive, is a very common charge in heraldry; common as it is however, heraldic writers seem much divided in their opinions as to what was the exact object which the chevron was originally intended to represent. As the explanation which we shall propose of the origin of this charge will be in a great measure new, we feel pleasure in offering it to the notice of our heraldic readers through the medium of this work.

The root of the word chevron, in old writings spelt cheveron, we conceive to be aronde, which is an ancient term in architecture, used still in France for the principal timbers which support the tiles in the roofs of houses. This word aronde is itself probably derived from the Latin Hirundo, since the timbers, when erected and united on the building, resemble the forked tail of that bird. As some of the older heraldic writers have considered the chevron to represent the roof of a house, up to this point we may be said to be in agreement with them. The arondes or principals, however, which terminated the roof and formed the gable ends at each extremity, are composed of stronger and heavier beams than the intermediate timbers; they are also usually found decorated with finials at their point of junction and ornamented on their face with carved weather-boards.

Thomas Cranmer was born at Aiselacton, Aslacton or Alacton, in Notts. July 2, 1489. The family traced its descent from the Conquest. When he was very young his father died, and his mother sent him to Cambridge at the age of 14. After taking the first degree, he became Fellow of Jesus College about 1520. About a year afterwards he married one whom his enemies have called “Black Joan, or Brown Joan, living at the Dolphin”; his friends say she was a “gentleman's daughter”: probably the true condition of the lady lay between these two descriptions. Fuller in mentioning the circumstance says, “this gave occasion to that impudent lie of the ignorant Papists, that he was an ostler”, but he adds, taking advantage of the term in his usual happy manner, “indeed he with his learned labours rubbed the galled backs, and curryed the lazy hides of many an idle and ignorant friar.” In the MS. Chronology in Jesus College is this notice: “A Papistis dictus per ludibrium stabalarius, quòd ænopolæ neptem uxorem duxerat. Qui quæso vocarent Christum natum in stabulo.” Being compelled “valedicere Collegio”, says the old MS.,–“being outed of his fellowship” says Fuller, he obtained the place of Divinity reader in Buckingham Hostel, as Magdalene was then called. ‘Brown Joan’ however died at the end of the year.