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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.
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