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Wednesday, April 13, 1910,
y he origin of an Ancient Dispute
at Oxford.
stale FISH AND BAD BEER.
Th« University Authorities Objected to
and Then Came the Battle of
These, Day and Open War
st , Scholastica's
fare Massacre and Pillage.
,
Tbe modern town and gown row.
supposing that town and gown rows
not altogether ceased, is a row
have particular, inspired
about llelv nothing in
by the joy of battle and the lust
strife. The juniors fight, and the
for the combatants. In
seniors separate
the old davs there was really some
tbing to fight about, and the seniors
as pugnacious as the juniors and
were pugnaciously in the affrays.
loined as in the first instance
The dispute arose
out of disagreements between overlap¬
ping jurisdictions. The origin was in
the divergent views entertained by the
municipal and university authorities ou
matters of sanitation and hygiene, and
it will not be denied that the uuiver-
6 ity authorities were in the right.
They objected to the sale of stinking
fish and the brewing of beer from wa¬
ter contaminated with sewage. The
townsmen thought such objections fas¬
tidious and were very angry when the
university appealed to the king to in¬
terfere; hence constant bickerings and
a frequent exchange of abusive lan¬
guage; hence ultimately opeu war and
that battle of St. Scholastica's day.
which takes rank in history as the
earliest of the recorded town and gown
rows.
The trouble began in a tavern on
Feb. 10. 1354. Some scholars who were
drinking there found fault with the
wine, and the vintner said that it was
quite good enough wine for them. The
scholars threw the wine at the vint¬
ner’s head, and the viutuer summoned
his friends and neighbors to the res¬
cue. They rang the bell of the Church
of St. Martin at Carfax, and the pop¬
ulace, summoned by this tocsin, shot
at the scholars with bows and arrows.
The chancellor of the university ap¬
peared upon the scene, ingeminating
peace where there was no peace, and
he also was shot at. Then the bell of
the university Church of St. Mary was
started ringing, and the melee became
genera! and lasted until the setting of
the sun. No one was killed. The
gownsmen got the best of it, and the
chancellor was under the impression
that the riot was over. He issued a
proclamation bidding .the scholars go
to their lectures as usual on the fol¬
lowing day.
They went as he bade them, but not
with the impunity which he expected.
The townsmen had vowed and planned
vengeance and were lying In wait
for them. Re-enforcements—2,000 peas¬
ants carrying an ominious black flag
swarmed into the city from Cowley,
Headington and Hinksey. The Carfax
tocsin flPlUed out a second time, just
after the midday dinner hour, and the
tocsin of St. Mary’s responded as be¬
fore. The townsmen not only assailed
the scholars in the streets, but, when
they fled before superior forces, pur¬
sued them into their lodgings, inns
and halls, killing all that they could
and stealing or destroying all the prop¬
erty that they could lay their hands
ou.
Peacemakers were badly needed, and,
the chancellor having called for peace
in vain, the monks tried what they
could do. There sallied forth a vali¬
ant baud of friars, carrying their cru¬
cifix and seeking to compose the strife
by chanting litanies. Without avail,
hey themselves became the objects
of the popular fury; a scholar was
struck down while actually clinging
h> the crucifix. Other scholars
followed were
into the churches and massa¬
cred at the foot of the altar. Dead
bodies were flung on to dunghills; the
wounded were haled to prison, and
eveu torture was not spared. “The
crowns of some chaplains,” says the
chronicler— “viz, all the skin, so far as
he tonsure went—these diabolical
“Ps flayed off in scorn of their
clergy,”
At last the university could resist
o more. The gownsmen began to flee
to o tbe country, ail of them the
holar3 save
of Merton, who alone had
Wa S behind which ,he y could
« thdrawin t0 their
while *hM the town S college,
e Representatives triumphed outside, the
a of learning in a
I i f r Ur e c,t y which the bishop had
,' * er an inter dict. the scholars
of \t ' 0 r °i D " a,ted * the
an ' aDd or day of venge
. re dress of grievances.
C a,ne 1 be klng sent down
' a spe
cial p 0 ?^^ 1011 l investigate.
mavor ° The
of ,°xford and his bailiffs were
sent i ° 1SOn tbe sheriff
from 1 m bce ’ removed
Was ’ and Presently the town
>tow ,, ur ?« humiliated PrWUeges by the be
gownsmen upo “ tho
tim t n - the gownsmen and not
U T en were henceforth to de
cldo u. h ?l her fish 8tunk
d<*ide Zj ed i * hat - and lf they
*t did stink they were to
10 tbe hospitals for the eon
sumnti, of the sick.
adludo They were also
tht: pe cnniary compensation for
. done and
was i > their supremacy
° ' arioua other ways established
n a j lr
Sucb the first town and
row in * b,ch gown
havp Mert on may be said to
Merton ,'i. ed tbe university. But for
been he unlversi ty would then have
i !' >ed out and *ts
have i clerks would
the the enrtv| earth.~ n scat Pal | tered MaU over the face of
Qazette
that'wM 1 !* b 1 he ' ls has as much in want of
kw “°t aa of that which be
- Syn*.
A ROUHMIU LEGEND
•die Tragedy From Which Sprang
Manolli’s Well.
A WEIRD TALE OF OLDEN DAYS
Neither Fate Nor Flood Nor Hurricane
Could Keep the Faithful Anniker
From *he Man She Loved and From
Her Horrible Doom.
Tradition is not history, but it serves
to fill in the gaps left by the chroni¬
clers of olden time and throws a light
—sometimes a lurid one—upon the
manners and customs of bygone ages.
A dark deed cruel enough to be re¬
membered even in a cruel fige is re¬
peated from father to son, each gener¬
ation adding its touch of superstitious
marvel to the story till it grows into
the fairy tale of today, mythical, yet
not without a kernel *of truth.
Among the picturesque peasantry
of Roumania lingers many a weird
tale of olden days. One such legend is
related concerning an ancient monas¬
tery, the remains of which are still to
be seen on a wooded hillside. Beneath
the weird walls lie nine great lumps
of granite, and among these rocks
rises a spring of clear water, called by
the peasants “ManolU’s well” and be¬
lieved by them to have a strange and
wonderful origin.
Once upon a time, we are told, a
Roumanian noble named Negen was a
captive in the hands of Selim, the sul¬
tan of Turkey. During his exile Ne¬
gen employed his time in studying
architecture, and, possessing consider¬
able talent, he undertook to superin¬
tend the building of a celebrated
mosque. Charmed by the beauty of
the building, the sultan granted Prince
Negen his liberty and permission to
carry back to his uative land certain
costly materials similar to those used
in beautifying the mosque.
Accompanied by nine skilled masons.
Negen returned to Roumania, resolved
to immortalize his name by building
there a religious house such as had
never before been seen.
The site chosen, the builders set to
work under his orders, but their labor
was in vain, for every night evil spir¬
its pulled down what had been erect¬
ed during the day.
One night Manolli, the chief of the
builders, had a strange dream. A
mysterious voice warned him that the
building they had undertaken would
never be reared unless they built into
the walls the living form of the first
woman who appeared at break of day.
On awaking from sleep Manolli
told his comrades of this vision, and
together they made a solemn vow to
sacrifice thus the first woman, maid or
matron, who appeared the next morn¬
ing.
With the first streak of dawn Ma¬
nolli mounted the scaffolding and scan¬
ned the surrounding hills with pallid,
anxious face. Alas, who ls It he sees
In the distance? Hls own fair young
wife, bringing food and wine for her
lord.
Then Manolli threw himself upon
his knees and besought heaven to
send a flood to prevent her from com¬
ing, and at once the rain poured down,
and the river rose so that a waste of
water covered the valley. But the
young wife waded through the water,
and Manolli, In despair, beheld her
still approaching.
Again he prayed, and a fierce hurri¬
cane swept over the mountains, level¬
ing trees and hurling rocks in the
way. Yet on she came. Anniker had
a brave spirit, and neither flood nor
tempest would keep her from tbe man
she loved.
Joyfully the masons received her,
but Manolli’s face was pale and strick¬
en with anguish.
They led the young wife to a niche
in the newly built wall and told her to
stand there for a joke, while they pre¬
tended to build her In. At first she
laughed merrily and entered into the
jest, but her smiles vanished as quick¬
ly the wall rose from aukle to knee
and from knee to waist. Poor Anni
ker's entreaties and cries did not move
the hearts of the stern builders, and
soon her voice was heard no more.
The prophetic vision proved true.
The building suffered no more from
Invisible foes and when complete sat¬
isfied the pride of Negen’s heart. Ma¬
nolli alone took no pleasure in the edi¬
fice which had cost him so dear.
It was finished, and the masons
pared to return to their own country.
Negen. however, determined that they
should never return. The design
which they had worked out so admi¬
rably was the creature of his brain, tho
darling of his heart; it should never bo
reproduced. So he invited them all to
the roof for the last time. Then,
treacherously removing the ladders, he
left them there to die.
The masons devised various means
for reaching the earth, but they were
ail killed in the attempt to escape and
were changed by fairies into the great
blocks of stone which remain to this
day in proof of the tragic event.
Manolii alone made no effort to save
himself and joined in none of the con¬
trivances prepared by hls comrades
He heard only Annlkc-r’s voice calling
to him—“Manolli. ManoRI!” Follow¬
ing the mystic voice, he sprang from
the parapet, falling lifeless upon the
earth, and the tears welling up from
hls broken heart became a fountain,
ever clear, cool and fresh, and to this
day it Is know as Manolli’s well.—Lon¬
don Family Herald.
Every base occupation makes one
■harp In its practice and dull In every
other.—Sir Philip Sidney.
OLD ENGLISH HUMOR
The The Brand Brand of of Laugh laimh Extractors Evfrantors
Used Two Centuries Ago.
IN “JOE MILLER’S JEST BOOK”
-
A Selection of Specimen Jokes From
the Venerable Volume That Mark
Twain Was Moved to Call the Alpha
and Omega of Dejected Humor.
The “Joe Miller Jest Book”—it is
famous. Mark Twain mentions it as
the alpha and omega of dejected hu¬
mor. It is unrivaled, incomparable,
apart. Further, it is English—very
English.
Possibly the latter phenomenon is re¬
sponsible for the difficulty a searcher
had in finding an unrevised copy. Aft¬
er an afternoon of search a second¬
hand but scarcely worn copy finally
was discovered in a little bookstore.
The bookseller eyed the buyer curious¬
ly, but with some awe, and seemed
very glad to get rid of it for 25 cents.
Twenty-five cents! How instantly
reminiscent of one of the Joe Miller
jokes—beg pardon, jests;
THE EIGHT SUBJECT.
The government, having threatened to
proceed rigorously against those who re¬
fused to pay assessed taxes, offered to
them a remission of one-fourth. “This at
least,” said one sufferer, “may be called
giving them some quarter.’’
You can get that off in your very
next after dinner speech. You can put
a little accent ou oue-fourtb and quar
ter and get quite as loud a laugh.
Second specimen (it must be remem¬
bered that the jest book was compiled
in the early part of the eighteenth
century, when there were literarians;
therefore the jests that aren’t blamed
on lords are mostly charged to writ¬
ers);
A DIFFERENCE.
Jerrold one day met a Scotch gentleman
whose name was Eeitch, who explained
that he was not the popular cartoonist
John Leech. “I’m aware of that,” said
Jerrold. “You’re the Scotchman with the
i-t-c-h in your name.”
There! Just think of the triumph with
which Mr. Jerrold later related that quip
to his friends.
Specimen:
THE CONNOISSEUR.
A person to whom the curiosities, build¬
ings, etc., in Oxford were shown one very
hot day was asked by his companion if
he would see the remainder of the univer¬
sity. “My dear sir,” replied the connois¬
seur, “I am stone blind already.”
Whether the friend expired in
spasms of mirth or subsequently was
hanged for mayhem the jest book
doesn’t say.
The wit of the Irish is called in too.
Specimen:
A SPRIG OF SHILLALAH.
A fellow on the quay, thinking to quiz
a poor Irishman, asked him, “How do the
potatoes eat now, Pat?” The Irish lad,
who happened to have a shillalah in his
hand, answered cleverly: “Oh, they eat
very well, my jewel! Would you like to
taste the stalk?” And, knocking the in¬
quirer down, he coolly walked off.
Probably it was a good thing he
knocked him down first.
Turning to the middle of the book—
there are 400 pages—Joe breaks into
verse:
ON THE LATIN GERUNDS.
When Dido mourned, Aeneas would not
come.
She wept In silence and was Di-Do-Dumb.
Classic?
Here’s—
A BAD END
It was told of Jekyll that one of his
friends, a brewer, had been drowned in
his own vat. “Ah,” he exclaimed, “float¬
ing In his own watery bier!”
Right off the bat that.
There’s little Johnny also. He drops
In during jest:
THE SEASON-INGS.
"Come here, Johnny, and tell me what
the four seasons are.”
Young Prodigy—Pepper, salt, mustard
and vinegar.
Here’s a little shot at politics and
the peer system:
EPIGRAM.
(On Alderman Woods being afraid to
pledge himself to even the principles he
has always professed.)
Sure in the house he'll do but little good
Who lets ”1 dare not” wait upon “1,
Wood” (I would).
Oh, listen! Talk about your origi¬
nality:
A SHORT JOURNEY.
“Zounds, fellow!” exclaimed a choleric
Old gentleman to a very phlegmatic, mat¬
ter of fact person, “1 shall go out of my
wits!”
“Well, you won’t have far to go,” said
the phlegmatic man.
Yes, and here’s a small ebullitiou
from a dramatist:
OLD FRIENDS.
Coleman, the dramatist, was asked if
he knew Theodore Hook. “Yes,” replied
the wit. “Hook and eye are old associ¬
ates. ”
Hook was not present at the time.
The courts also come through with
a few gems:
NEW RELATIONSHIP.
A stranger to law courts, hearing a
Judge call a sergeant “brother,” expressed
hls surprise. “Oh," said one of the by¬
standers, “they are brothers—brothers in
law.”
And speaking of repartee:
A SHUFFLING ANSWER.
Two Oxonians dining together, one of
them noticed a grease spot on the neck¬
cloth of his companion and said, ”1 see
you are a Grecian.”
“Pooh!” said the other. “That ls far¬
fetched."
"No, indeed,” said the wit: “I made it
on the spot.”
Right back at him, you observe.
Of course there are some better ones,
but there are also some that are worse.
Taken as a whole, they don’t add any
laurels to the English reputation for
humor nor detract any from the opin¬
ion of Mark Twain.—Kansas City
Times.
Emperors and cobblers are alike, and
the same reason that makes us wran¬
gle with a neighbor causes a war bo
twtxt nrlncM.—Montaigne.
THE COVINGTON NEW SI.
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Furniture and Undertaking.
PAGE THREE.
