This good king,The kings colledge in Cambridge. being of himselfe alwaies natu|rallie inclined to doo good, and fearing least he might séeme vnthankefull to almightie God for his great benefits bestowed vpon him, since the time he first tooke vpon him the regiment of his realme, determi|ned about the six and twentith yeare of his reigne, for his primer notable worke (as by the words of his will I find expressed) to erect and found two famous colledges in the honor and worship of his holy name, and for the increase of vertue, the dilatation of cun|ning, and establishment of christian faith, whereof the one in Cambridge, to be called his colledge roiall of our ladie and saint Nicholas: and the other at Ga|ton beside Windsore, to be called his colledge of our blessed ladie.

And for the performance of this his deuout pur|pose, he infeoffed certeine bishops, with other noble and worshipfull personages, by his letters patents, with lands and possessions, parcell of his inheritance of the duchie of Lancaster, to the cleare value of well néere foure & thirtie hundred pounds by yéere. Which letters patents he after confirmed by his act of par|lement, declaring also by his will vnto his said feoffées, his intent and meaning, how the same shuld be imploied vpon the edifications of his said two colledges. Whereof (in my iudgement) the deuise is so excellent, and the buildings so princelie and apt for that purpose, as I cannot omit to set foorth vnto you the verie plot of the whole colledge in Cambridge, EEBO page image 692 euen as I find mentioned almost verbatim in his will, supposing that if the rest of the house had procée|ded according to the chappell alreadie finished (as his full intent and meaning was) the like colledge could scant haue béene found againe in anie christian land. The words of the will are thus.

As touching the dimensions of the church of my said colledge of our ladie and S. Nicholas of Cam|bridge,The chappell. I haue deuised and appointed, that the same church shall conteine in length 288 foot of assise, with|out anie Iles, and all of the widenesse of fortie foot. And the length of the same church from the west end vnto the altars at the quiere doore,The bodie of the church. The quiere. shall conteine an hundred and twentie foot. And from the prouosts stall, vnto the gréece called Gradus chori ninetie foot; for thir|tie six stalles on either side of the same quiere, answe|ring to threescore and ten fellowes, and ten priests conducts, which must be De prima forma. And from the said stalles vnto the east end of the said church, three|score & two foot of assise. Also a reredosse bearing the roodloft,The roodloft. departing the quiere and the bodie of the church, conteining in length fortie foot, and in breadth fourtéene foot. The walles of the same church to be in height ninetie foot imbattelled,The height of the chappell. vawted, and chare|rooffed, sufficientlie butteraced, and euerie butterace fined with finials. And in the east end of the same church,The east window. shall be a window of nine daies, and betwixt euerie butterace a window of fiue daies.