your sons[1] to be educated in the college of Dublin which hopes to be always in your grace's favour: and by your influence, while you govern here, as well as the credit you will always deserve at court, will ever desire to be protected in their rights.
Your grace will please to know, that a fellowship in this university differs much, in some very important circumstances, from most of those in either of the universities in England.
My lord George will tell your grace, that a fellowship here is obtained with great difficulty, by the number of candidates, the strict examination in many branches of learning, and the regularity of life and manners. It is also disposed of with much solemnity: the examiners take an oath at the altar, to give their vote according to their consciences.
The university is patron of some church preferments, which are offered to the several fellows downward to the lowest in holy orders.
I beg your grace to consider, that there being very little trade here, there is no encouragement for gentlemen to breed their sons to merchandise: that not many great employments, in church or law, fall to the share of persons born here: that the last resource of younger sons is to the church; where, if well befriended, they may chance to rise to some reasonable spiritual maintenance: although we do not want instances of some clergymen, well born and of good reputation, who have been and still are curates, for thirty years; which has been a great dis-
- ↑ Lord George, his grace's third son. His lordship was under the tuition of Dr. Whetcombe and Mr. Molloy, the one a senior, the other a junior, fellow of Trinity College, Dublin.
couragement
