There are several good Colledges I saw most of ym. Waddom hall is but little; in Trinity Colledge is a fine neate Chapple, new made, finely painted. Christ Church is ye largest Colledge. The Courts large, ye buildings large and lofty; in one of the Courts is a tower new built for to hang the Mighty Tom, that bell is of a Large size, so great a Weight they were forced to have engines from London to raise it up to the tower. There is a fine ring of bells in ye Colledge St Magdalines, its just by the river, there is to Maudline Hall (which is a very large and good Cloyster) a very fine gravell walk, two or 3 may walke abreast, and Rows of trees on either side, and this is round a water wch Makes it very pleasant.
St Johns Colledge had fine gardens and walkes but I did but just look into it, so I did into kings, and queens Colledges, and severall of the rest I looked into, they are much alike in building but none so large as Christ Church Colledge. I was in New Colledge wch is very neate, but not large, the buildings good, Ye Chapple very fine; Ye Garden was new makeing, there is a large bason of water In the Middle there is little walkes and mazes and round mounts for the schollars to divert themselves.
In Corpus Christus Colledge wch is but small there I was entertained at supper and eate of their very good bread and beare which is remarkably the best anywhere Oxford Bread is.
The Physick garden afforded great diversion and pleasure, the variety of flowers and plants would have entertained one a week. The few remarkable things I tooke notice off was ye Aloes plant wch is like a great flag in shape, leaves and Coullour, and grows in the fform of an open Hartichoake and towards the bottom of each Leafe its very broad and thicke, In wch there are hollows or receptacles for ye Aloes.
There is also ye sensible plant, take but a Leafe between finger and thumb and squeeze it and it immediately Curles up together as if pained and after some tyme opens abroad again, it looks in Coullour like a filbert Leafe but much narrower and long. There is also the humble plant that grows on a long slender Stalke and do but strike it, it falls flatt on ye ground stalke and all, and after some tyme revives againe and Stands up, but these are nice plants and are kept mostly under Glass’s, ye aire being too rough for them. There is ye wormwood sage Called Mountaigne sage, its to all appearance like Comon sage only of yellower green, a narrow long Leafe full of ribbs; In yor Mouth the flavour is strong of Wormwood to the taste. The library is as large as 2 or 3 roomes but old and a little disreguarded except one part wch is parted from the rest, wansecoated and fitted up neate and painted which was done by King james ye Second wn he designed Maudling Colledg for his priests A Seminary. Here I met wth some of my relations who accompanyed me about to see some of the Colledges I had not seen before, St John’s Colledge which is large and has a ffine Garden at one Entrance of it with Large Iron-gates Carved and Gilt; its built round two Courts: the Library is two walks, one out of the other the inner one has severall Anatomy’s in Cases and some other Curiosity of Shells, stone, bristol Diamonds, skins of ffish and beasts. Here they have the Great Curiosity Much spoken off King Charles the ffirsts Picture; Ye whole Lines of fface band and garment to the Shoulders and armes and garter is all written hand and Containes the whole Comon prayer, itts very small the Character, but where a straight Line is you May read a word or two; there is another of Gustaus Adolphus whose portraiture is represented to the Eye in writeing alsoe and Contains his whole Life and prowess; there is alsoe the Lord’s prayer and ten Commandments in the Compass of a Crown piece; there are also Severall books all of writing on vellum Leaves, and one book written in ye Chinease Caractor on the jndian barks off trees; there is alsoe a Book of the Genealogies of the Kings since the Conquest to King Charles the Second, with the Severall Coates all Gilded very fresh till the two or three Last wch is pretended to be difficient from the art being Lost of Laying Gold so ffine on anything to polish it, but thats a great Mistake for that art is still in use in England, but the Excuse served the Negligence or jgnorance of the workman; there was alsoe One book wth severall Cutts in it off ye Conception of Christ till his Ascention. There was alsoe a ffine prayer book or Mass book of Q. Marias, this was in the new part of the Library which was neately wanscoated and adorned. There is a ffine grove of trees and walks all walled round.
Queens Colledge Library is all new and a stately building Emulating that of Christ Church in Cambridge, it is not so large and stands on one range of Pillars of stone, the other ffront being all with Statues in Stone, in Nitches and Carved adornements and on the tops ffigures and statues. The Staircase is pretty broad but not so ffinely wanscoated or Carved as that at Cambridge, the roomes is Lofty, but not so large, Well Wanscoated and there is good Carvings; its Mostly full of Books in the severall divisions and great Globes, its boarded Under foot, there is no ballcoany because the prospect is but to a dead wall, its very handsom.
Trinity Colledge Chapple which was not ffinish’d the Last tyme I was at Oxford but now it is a Beautifull Magnifficent Structure. Its Lofty and Curiously painted—the Rooffe and Sides ye history of Christ’s ascention a very ffine Carving of thin white wood just Like that at Windsor it being the same hand. The whole Chappel is Wanscoated with Walnut tree and the fine sweet wood ye same yt ye Lord Oxfford brought over when high admiral of England, and has wanscoated his hall and staircase with. It is sweet like Cedar and of a Reddish Coullr, but ye graine much ffiner and well vein’d.
New Colledge which belongs to the ffiennes’s, William of Wickam the founder, so I look’d on myself as some way a little Interested in that, here I was very handsomly Entertained by Mr Cross wch was one of my nephew Say and Seale’s Tutors when at Oxfford. These ffellowshipp in New Colledge are about 100 say and a very pretty appartinent of Dineing Roome, bed Chamber, a studdy and a room for a Servant, tho’ ye Serviteurs of the Colledge gives attendance; and here they may Live very Neatly and well if Sober and have all their Curiosityes they take much delight in, greens of all sorts, Myrtle, oringe and Lemons and Lorrestine growing in potts of Earth and so moved about from place to place and into the aire sometymes. There are severall New Lodgings added and beautifyed here, the Gardens also wth gravell and Grass walkes, some shady and a great mount in the Middle wch is ascended by Degrees in a round of Green paths deffended by greens cutt Low, and on ye top is a summer house. Beyond these Gardens is a bowling-green and round it a Close shady walke, walled round and a Cutt hedge to the bowling-green.
There are in Oxford 18 Colledges and Six halls viz. New Colledge, Christ Church, Martin Colledge, Corpus Christy Colledge, Magdalen Colledge, University Coll, Pembroke Colledge, Linghorn Colledge, which is overlook’t by the Devil, Brasen-nose Colledge, Wadham Colledge, Queens Colledge, Belial Colledge, Orrel Colledge, Trinity Colledge, Exetter Colledge, All-souls Colledge, Jesus Colledge, St Johns Colledge,—halls 7 viz Alben hall, Maudlin hall, Newin hall, Hart Hall, Glocester hall, St Mary hall, and Edmond hall. There is a very odd Custom In Queen Coll. for every new-years-day, there is a Certain Sum Laid out In Needles and thread wch was Left by ye founder and every Gentleman of that Colledge has one given him wth these words: Take this and be thrifty.
In New Colledge Garden in ye plott there is ye Colledg Armes Cutt in box and ye 24 Letters round it.