THis Bill for the reliefe of the Kings Ar­my having bin drawn by a Committee, Cambridge was placed before Oxford, whereupon it was committed to be dis­puted and debated in a Grand Committee. And when it came to that clause where Cambridge was placed before Oxford, many of the House that had bin Oxford men cryed to have Oxford placed first, for which Cambridge cryed that the Bill should stand as it was. And thereupon the Oxford men called to have it put to the question, And divers Cambridge men called upon Sir Symon Dewes, be­ing then present at the Committee, which drew him to speake as followeth;

I humbly desire to perswade if it may be the declining of the present question and the further dispute of the businesse we have had a long debate about the placing the said Cambridge before Ox­ford, in the said Bill I account no honour to Cam­bridge, [Page]that it got the precedence by voices at the former Committee, nor will it be any glory to Ox­ford to gaine it by voices here, where we all know the multitude of Borrough Towns of the Western parts of England, which doe send so many wor­thy Members hither, as if we measure things by number, and not by weight, Cambridge is sure to loose it, J would propound a more noble way and meanes for the present controversie now in que­stion, In which if the University of Oxford, which J doe highly respect and honour shall obtain the prize, it will be farre more glory to it, then to carry it by multitude of Voices, Let us therefore dispute it by reason, and not make an Idoll of ei­ther place, And if J shall be so convinced, I shall readily change my Vote, wishing we may find the same Ingenuity in the Oxford men as with Cam­bridge men.

There are two principall Respects, in which these famous Universities may clayme precedence each of other.

• 1. In respect of their being as they were places of note in the Elder Ages.
• 2. As they were ancient Nurseries.

If J doe not therefore prove that Cambridge was a renowned City at least 200 yeares before there [Page]was a House of Oxford standing, And whilest brute Beasts fed, or Corne sowen in that place where the same City is now seated, and that Cam­bridge was a Nursery of Learning before Oxford was knowne to have a Grammer Schoole in it, J will yeeld up the Bucklers.

If I should loose time to reckon up the vaine Allegations produced for the Antiquity of Ox­ford by Twine, and of Cambridge by Cain, J should but repeat the failing of the Ancient, for J account the most of that they have published in Print to be no better, But I find by authority without ex­ception, that in the ancient Catalogue of the Brit­taines, Cambridge is the 9th. in number, where Lon­d [...]n it selfe is but the 11th. And who would have thought that Oxford would have contended for precedency with Cambridge, which London gave it 100. yeares since. This I find in Albania's brittish story, who dyed about the yeare 520. being the ancientest Domestique Monument, we have in the Saxon Annomia's Story written in Latine, tou­ching the Brittaines and Saxons, Page 39. Who saith of himselfe, that he lived in the dayes of Penda King of the Persians, in the 12. yeare of his Raign. And that he knew him well, which fals out to be neer upon the yeare, 620. And now I [Page]find the same Catalogue of the said Brittish Cities, with some little variation to be set downe in Ne­hemias Latine story of Brittaine, Page 38. And he wrote the same as he sayes of himselfe 883. They all call it Cair-grant, the word Cair is the old cel­tique tongue, signifying City.

These three Stories are exquisite and rare Mo­numents remaining yet onely in ancient Mani­scripts amongst us, not knowne to many but the authority of them is irrefragable and without ex­ception.

This cair-grant is not onely expounded by Al­fred of Beverley to signifie Cambridge, but also by William de Ramsey, Abbot of Croyland, in his Ma­niscript Story of the life of Guchlacus, ignorantly in those Elder dayes reputed a Saint, the said Wil­liam goes further, and saies it was called a Gran­ta Flumine, this place still remained a City of Fa [...]re and repute a long time under the Raigne of the English Saxons, and is called in many of the old Manuscript Saxon Annalis antiquus, And notwith­standing the great devastations it suffered with o­ther places by reason of the Danish incursions, yet in the first volume of the Booke of Doomesday, for now I come to City Records, it appeares to have been a place of considerable moment, having in it [Page] decem custodias, and a Castle of great strength and extent, and so I have done with Cambridge as a Re­nowned place.

And now J come to speake of it, as it hath bin a Nursery of learning, nor will I begin higher with it then the time of the learned Saxon Monarch King Alfred, because J suppose that no man will question or gainesay, but that there are suffi­cient testimonies of certaine persons that did to­gether in Cambridge study the Arts, and Sciences, much about his time, and it grew to be so fa­mous for Learning about the time of William the first, the Normaine, that he sent his younger Son Henry thither to be there instructed, who him­selfe being afterwards King of England, by the name of Henry the first, who was also sirnamed Beuclarke in respect of his great and in-vulgar knowledge, if I should undertake to alleadge and vouch the Records, and other Monuments of good Authority which assert and Prove the en­crease and flourishing estate in the succeeding ages, I should spend more time then our weigh­ty occasions at this time will permit.

It shall therefore suffice to have added, that the most ancient and first endowed Colledge of Eng­land was Valence called in Cambridge, which long [Page]after the foundation thereof as appeares by one of our Parliament Roles remaining upon record in the Tower of London, received the name of Pembrooke-hall, it is in Rot. Parl: Anno 38.Hen. 6. Numb. 31. It appearing therefore so evidently by all that I have said, that Cambridge is in all re­spects the elder Sister, which I speake not to de­rogate from Oxford.

My humble advice therefore is that wee lay a­side the present question, aswell to avoid division amongst our selves, as to entombe all furthur e­mulation betweene the two Sisters, and that wee suffer the present Bill to passe as it is now pen­ned, and the rather because I thinke Oxford had the precedence in the last Bill of this nature, that passed this House.