[Tom Brown’s Schooldays by Thomas Hughes]@TWC D-Link book
Tom Brown’s Schooldays

CHAPTER III--ARTHUR MAKES A FRIEND
16/19

We'll be no end quiet.
Besides, no prepostor comes here now.

We haven't been visited once this half." So the table was cleared, the cloth restored, and the three fell to work with Gradus and dictionary upon the morning's vulgus.
They were three very fair examples of the way in which such tasks were done at Rugby, in the consulship of Plancus.

And doubtless the method is little changed, for there is nothing new under the sun, especially at schools.
Now be it known unto all you boys who are at schools which do not rejoice in the time-honoured institution of the vulgus (commonly supposed to have been established by William of Wykeham at Winchester, and imported to Rugby by Arnold more for the sake of the lines which were learnt by heart with it than for its own intrinsic value, as I've always understood), that it is a short exercise in Greek or Latin verse, on a given subject, the minimum number of lines being fixed for each form.
The master of the form gave out at fourth lesson on the previous day the subject for next morning's vulgus, and at first lesson each boy had to bring his vulgus ready to be looked over; and with the vulgus, a certain number of lines from one of the Latin or Greek poets then being construed in the form had to be got by heart.

The master at first lesson called up each boy in the form in order, and put him on in the lines.
If he couldn't say them, or seem to say them, by reading them off the master's or some other boy's book who stood near, he was sent back, and went below all the boys who did so say or seem to say them; but in either case his vulgus was looked over by the master, who gave and entered in his book, to the credit or discredit of the boy, so many marks as the composition merited.

At Rugby vulgus and lines were the first lesson every other day in the week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays; and as there were thirty-eight weeks in the school year, it is obvious to the meanest capacity that the master of each form had to set one hundred and fourteen subjects every year, two hundred and twenty-eight every two years, and so on.


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