When Lord Steyne was benevolently disposed, he did nothing by halves,

and his kindness towards the Crawley family did the greatest honour to

his benevolent discrimination. His lordship extended his good-will to

little Rawdon: he pointed out to the boy's parents the necessity of

sending him to a public school, that he was of an age now when

emulation, the first principles of the Latin language, pugilistic

exercises, and the society of his fellow-boys would be of the greatest

benefit to the boy. His father objected that he was not rich enough to

send the child to a good public school; his mother that Briggs was a

capital mistress for him, and had brought him on (as indeed was the

fact) famously in English, the Latin rudiments, and in general

learning: but all these objections disappeared before the generous

perseverance of the Marquis of Steyne. His lordship was one of the

governors of that famous old collegiate institution called the

Whitefriars. It had been a Cistercian Convent in old days, when the

Smithfield, which is contiguous to it, was a tournament ground.

Obstinate heretics used to be brought thither convenient for burning

hard by. Henry VIII, the Defender of the Faith, seized upon the

monastery and its possessions and hanged and tortured some of the monks

who could not accommodate themselves to the pace of his reform.

Finally, a great merchant bought the house and land adjoining, in

which, and with the help of other wealthy endowments of land and money,

he established a famous foundation hospital for old men and children.

An extern school grew round the old almost monastic foundation, which

subsists still with its middle-age costume and usages--and all

Cistercians pray that it may long flourish.

Of this famous house, some of the greatest noblemen, prelates, and

dignitaries in England are governors: and as the boys are very

comfortably lodged, fed, and educated, and subsequently inducted to

good scholarships at the University and livings in the Church, many

little gentlemen are devoted to the ecclesiastical profession from

their tenderest years, and there is considerable emulation to procure

nominations for the foundation. It was originally intended for the

sons of poor and deserving clerics and laics, but many of the noble

governors of the Institution, with an enlarged and rather capricious

benevolence, selected all sorts of objects for their bounty. To get an

education for nothing, and a future livelihood and profession assured,

was so excellent a scheme that some of the richest people did not

disdain it; and not only great men's relations, but great men

themselves, sent their sons to profit by the chance--Right Rev.

prelates sent their own kinsmen or the sons of their clergy, while, on

the other hand, some great noblemen did not disdain to patronize the

children of their confidential servants--so that a lad entering this

establishment had every variety of youthful society wherewith to mingle.




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