TRADITIONS
Next our guide took us to the site of Brasenose
College—mostly pulled down in the seventeenth
century by the corporation—but the outer wall and
an arched stone gateway still remain. On the gate
here was a quaint and ancient knocker, judged by
antiquaries to be of the fourteenth century; this
was formed of a lion's head in beaten brass holding
a ring in his mouth; we understood that it had left
the town, a fact to be regretted. It is singular that
there should have been a college here of the curious
name of Brasenose, as well as the one at Oxford.
There is indeed a tradition that the veritable nose
that surmounts the gateway at Oxford came from
the Stamford college, and was brought by the
students when compelled to return to their former
university town. Another tradition professes to
give the origin of the peculiar name, stating it to
be derived from brasen-hus, or hws, a brew-house,
it being said that one was attached to the college—but
the derivation, though just possible, is more
ingenious than convincing.
Next we were taken to see the crumbling gateway of the ancient Carmelite Friary; this had three niches for statues above, but is more interesting to antiquaries than to the lovers of the picturesque; it now forms the approach to the Infirmary. Then we visited the three chief churches, noting in St. Martin's the magnificent altar-tomb—gorgeous with colour and gilt, but rather dusty when we were there—of Queen Elizabeth's Lord Treasurer, whereon he is represented in recumbent effigy clad in elaborately adorned armour. Men dressed their
