Hall was entirely rebuilt a few years back, by Wyatt, in his very best manner: its windows are ancient, and embellished with the arms of benefactors.-The celebrated reformer, Wickliffe, was once master of Balliol College: and it may be considered somewhat in the light of a coincidence, that Cranmer was martyred on the paved way directly opposite its chief

entrance.

BRAZEN-NOSE COLLEGE is said to take its singular name from a large brazen face, with a nose of disproportionate size, that was formerly affixed to the door of a very ancient hall of the institution: over the principal gateway is still placed a brazen human face, with a nose of extravagant dimensions. This college was founded about the year 1509, by William Smyth, Bishop of Lincoln. The original buildings have, fortunately, not undergone any material alterations, except such as were evidently conducive to improvement, though architectural keeping has been carelessly violated in some subordinate particulars. The front is an extensive range, of a sedate, massive, and commanding character; the lofty tower over the chief entrance is in a style of highlyembellished but pure Gothic. The buildings are principally comprised in a large quadrangle, consisting of a Hall, and ranges of apartments

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for the students; and a smaller court to the south, chiefly occupied by the Library and ·Chapel, both of which were built in the seventeenth century, and present an unpleasing confusion of the Gothic and Grecian architectural styles. The same remark applies to the interior of the chapel, though otherwise very elegant; but the highly ornamented interior of the library was arranged, in better taste, by Wyatt.

CORPUS CHRISTI COLLEGE owes its foundation to Richard Fox, Bishop of Winchester, in the reign of Henry VIII. The design of the founder was limited to one spacious quadrangle, with its attendant chapel, hall, and library; but various buildings have been since added for the accommodation of the increasing number of students. The front is solid and handsome, battlemented at top, and with a lofty square tower in the centre, ornamented with three canopied niches. There is much simple beauty in the entire appearance of the quadrangle. A large building for the reception of students, adjoining Christ-Church Walks, in a noble and chastely classic style, was erected at the beginning of the eighteenth century by. Dr. Turner, who was president of the college from 1688 to 1714. The Library, formed and endowed by Bishop Fox, and containing

two ancient portraits of its founder, is commodious, but plain. The Chapel has an altar-piece by Rubens, its subject the Adoration, certainly one of the finest productions of that master: it was presented by Sir Richard Worsley, and once formed a part of the collection of the Prince of Condé at Chantilly.

CHRIST CHURCH. This magnificent foundation of Cardinal Wolsey, numbers in its buildings the cathedral church of Oxford, two spacious quadrangles, and two smaller courts. The princely revenues with which it was intended to be endowed by Wolsey, were secured to the foundation on his disgrace by Henry VIII.; and by the same monarch Oxford was constituted a Bishop's see, and the college made an appendage to its cathedral.

The great west front of Christ-Church is dignified alike by amplitude and grandeur. A stately tower, rising over the gateway in the centre, appears at once massive and beautiful: it was begun by the munificent Cardinal, but completed by Sir Christopher Wren. In this tower is suspended the far-famed bell, called Great Tom, whose weight is seventeen thousand pounds: it originally belonged to Oseney Abbey, contiguous to Oxford, on the ruins of which Henry erected his see: it was re-cast in 1680. The whole length of this west front is

three hundred and eighty-two feet; terminating in double turrets, with a bay-window between, at either end.

Of the grand western quadrangle, which is entered through the gate-way, the Hall, and Kitchen, (the latter the noblest building of its kind in Europe,) with the east, south, and a part of the west sides, were built during the life of Wolsey: the rest, which consists of splendid ranges of apartments for the dean and canons, was completed by Dr. John Fell, Bishop of Oxford, in 1665. The dimensions of this magnificent court, are two hundred and sixty-four feet by two hundred and sixty-one: the finely-proportioned buildings unite simplicity with Gothic grandeur. A balustrade of stone adorns the top of the entire series; while a fine terrace faces the whole line, and a basin, with a statue of Mercury, (not quite worthy of its situation perhaps,) decorates the centre.

Few rooms are more impressively august than Christ-Church Hall, entirely eretced under the direction of Wolsey, whose statue, placed there by Trelawney, Bishop of Winchester, in 1719, appropriately surmounts the entrance. This grand refectory is one hundred and fifteen feet long, by forty wide, and its height fifty feet. The ceiling is of Irish oak, beautifully carved, with such occasional

insertions of gilding as give a lustrous relief, while they do not detract from the sober majesty that marks the general effect. The windows are of intersected Gothic, and include a remarkably fine specimen of their style in a recess on the south side. The portraits on the walls of pannelled wainscot are particularly interesting; especially an original half-length of Wolsey, and a fine whole-length of Henry the Eighth.

The architecture of the second great quadrangle of the college, called Peckwater Court, is classical and august, being grandly constructed in the Grecian style, with every noble accompaniment of the Corinthian and Ionic orders. Though it assimilates not in the least with the previous quadrangle, the taste would be fastidious indeed that would object to it on that ground, since the style of each is so pure in its peculiar character. Three of the sides of this quadrangle contain superb ranges of lodgings for the students, built in 1705 under the inspection of Dean Aldrich; the fourth consists entirely of the Library and annexed apartments, begun in 1716 from a design by Dr. Clarke. The expence of these buildings was defrayed by the dean and canons, in conjunction with many of the students, and several