william t. costello, sj - The School of Literature, Communication, and ...

THE FRAMEWORK OF SCHOLASTICISM 1?
cidation of the 'question under dispute. These speeches and the
speeches of "Fathers" (patrons of the defendant, who customarily
gave preliminary treatments of the question) abound in manu-
script in the Cambridge University Library and in various college
libraries. 37 Typical of these moderator's speeches is one found in
a student's notebook preserved in St. 38
John's College. The occa-
sion (September 24, i 1629) special, a philosophical disputation
held in honor of the Earls of Holland, Warwick, and Montgomery,
who were present. The moderator (one Master L.fove]) be-
gins his address with flowery references to his distinguished audience
(the Earl of Holland is Chancellor at the time), and at last
comes to the point by announcing to "their highnesses" that the
respondent will defend the following three positions: the production
of the rational soul involves a new creation, the origin of wellwater
is the sea, and an hereditary monarchy is better than an
elective one. Master Love's formal and uninspired speech becomes
fatuous when, with respect to wells, he remarks that no question
can be deeper or more liquid. After this bit of joviality, he observes
that he seems to be going on too long, for "he who would
rightly rule others (say the Stoics) must first rule himself, and I
who must moderate others today, must first of all keep myself in
hand." 39 It may be noted here that the moderator in these formal
disputations was always a don, though in the schools during Lent
the moderator needed to be only an academic grade above the
disputants: ". . . any Bachelor or Commencer may moderate
whilst 2 Sophisters dispute. And any Bachelor may moderate
while any Commencer disputeth." 40
At any rate, after the moderator has had his say, "... hee de-
syreth the Father to beginn . . ." 41 The Father, or academic patron,
makes a short speech on his pupil's behalf, then ". . . calleth
up the Answerer [his pupil], who after his prayer readeth his
position." During this very brief statement on the side of the
question he will defend, "the Bedles do deliver his verses to the
Vicechanc. Noblemen, all brs [bachelors] & to Oxford men
et." 42
These verses, whose intent is to give a literary introduction to
the question, are usually good, solid, workmanlike Latin hexameters
or elegiac distichs. Printed on broadside, most often in
pairs corresponding to the two questions normally defended,
the verses provide an excellent record of the problems disputed,
even if Vergilian diction and references to Ovid considerably obscure
exactness of thought. Readers familiar with Milton's Latin