At which Oxford college does a trumpeter summon you to dinner? What does the appearance of a rose bowl signify? How would you use a grace cup as distinct from a sconce cup? The custom of dining in formal hall at Oxford and Cambridge dates back to the earliest days of college life. Before each dinner, according to ancient statutes, grace must be spoken in Latin, and although the text and nature of the grace for each college may have changed over the years, it is a tradition which remains current to this day. Following a historical introduction, the full Latin texts of the graces of the colleges of Oxford and Cambridge are given in this book, accompanied by a facing English translation. Special graces reserved for feast days are also included, along with an explanation of some of the traditions which accompany dining in college halls. From an exploration of the twelfth-century monastic origins of the texts to the creation of two-word graces in the nineteenth century and new texts for the modern age, this meticulous collection reveals how the tradition of the Latin grace has survived and evolved over the centuries and offers a rare glimpse inside the private halls of Oxbridge.

For the first six centuries from the institution's foundation, Latin was the language spoken and written at the University of Oxford. It's no surprise, then, to find that the inscriptions carved into the monuments, colleges and municipal buildings of the city are for the most part also in Latin. It is also a language which lends itself to compression, so an inscription in Latin uses fewer characters than English, for example, saving space and money. But what do they all mean? For this book Reginald Adams has assembled, translated and explained a wide selection of Oxford's Latin inscriptions (and a few Greek ones). These can be found in many accessible places in both city and university, dating from the medieval period to the present day. Their purposes range from tributes and memorials to decorations and witty commentaries on the edifice that they adorn. The figures commemorated include Queen Anne, Roger Bacon, Cardinal Wolsey, Cecil Rhodes, T. E. Lawrence and a kind landlady who provided 'enormous breakfasts', as well as other eminent scholars and generous benefactors. These evocative mementos of the past bring insight to the informed observer of their surroundings and also vividly illustrate the history of Oxford.