upon small pledges given in, borrow books . . . that were
never restored. Polydore Virgil . . . borrowed many after
such a way; but at length being denied, did upon petition
made to the king obtain his license for the taking out of
any MS. for his use (in order, I suppose, for the collecting
materials for his English History or Chronicle of England),
which being imitated by others, the library thereby suffered
very great loss." Matters became still worse. Owing to
the threatened suppression of the religious houses, the
number of students at Oxford decreased enormously. In
1535, 108 men graduated, in the next year only 44 did
so; until the end of Henry VIII's reign the average number
graduating was 57, and in Edward's reign the average was
33.[2] Naturally, therefore, some laxity crept into the
administration of the University and the colleges. Active
enemies of our literary treasures were not behindhand,
In 1535 Dr. Layton, visitor of monasteries, descended
upon Oxford. "We have sett Dunce [Duns Scotus] in
Bocardo, and have utterly banisshede hym Oxforde for
ever, with all his blinde glosses, and is nowe made a comon
servant to evere man, faste nailede up upon posses in all
comon howses of easment: id quod oculis meis vidi.
And the seconde tyme we came to New Colege, affter we
trade declarede your injunctions, we fownde all the gret
quadrant court full of the leiffes of Dunce, the wynde
blowyng them into evere corner. And ther we fownde
one Mr. Grenefelde, a gentilman of Bukynghamshire,
getheryng up part of the saide bowke leiffes (as he saide)
therwith to make hym sewelles or blawnsherres to kepe the
dere within the woode, therby to have the better cry with