No . 134 The Trusty Servant through every line : Wykeham thought through every possible detail , and the degree of control he sought to exercise is frankly pretty terrifying to the modern reader , even to a Second Master . Particularly a Second Master . But the second thing I noted is that changes were already being made after only a few years . These statutes were and remain dynamic , responsive , and not static . The third quality I noted was surprising : a certain human vulnerability which I did not expect to find – or at least a recognition that even a man of Wykeham ’ s power had at some point to relinquish control and instead trust in human nature in order to continue what he had started . Rubric 46 reads
“….. nowhere have we found rules , ordinances and statutes being observed by those who profess to do so , now , as formerly , in accordance with the founder ’ s intention . So we are in many ways shocked and disturbed seeing the firm compact of rules , ordinances and statutes of different kinds shattered by excessive waywardness .”
Excessive waywardness . This does not bode well : Wykeham saw the principles on which institutions are founded disregarded by the very people who should be safeguarding them . Who would found a school or an Oxford college in this climate ? But he then writes :
“……. in spite of our long doubts on these matters however , and calling with all devotion on divine help while carrying them out , we fix the inward eyes of our mind unwaveringly on the assistance of poor scholar clerks living in schools … giving compassionate support to the relief and assistance of such people , we have finally determined , and are prepared , to expend wealth and effort to this end , so far as we are able .”
As a worldly man , Wykeham could have been under no illusions that his foundation would not be subject to the vagaries of time . But he may have felt that he had little choice . The alternative was to leave his vast wealth to his relatives :
“ observing in our heart of heart that it was better for us to bestow our temporal goods on the poor with our own hands than to assign the same or in any way establish them for the benefit of the improvident ”
Wykeham ’ s qualities speak here with remarkable immediacy . There is a whiff of the parable of the Prodigal Son in his reference to “ improvident ” relatives . Harsh . There is the pragmatic tenacity of the successful man of the world . There is the frank acknowledgment of human frailty – this is a man with no illusions about human nature . But there is also that moving leap of faith in the future , a faith no less touching by being modified by a degree of realism and pragmatism . We might paraphrase Wykeham : “ I have yet to encounter any foundation which has not become corrupt , but I ’ m going to start a school anyway because at least that way I can be sure my wealth won ’ t be squandered by my undeserving relatives .” Hardly idealistic , perhaps , but refreshingly candid .
The responsibility for carrying out the Founder ’ s wishes is vast . We don ’ t want to be one of Wykeham ’ s “ improvident ”. Jane Austen ’ s poem warns of incurring his displeasure alongside the wrath of St Swithun . A few of the statutes , a very few , we could not countenance endorsing now , particularly the privileges afforded to Wykeham ’ s blood relations . The Charity Commission might have something to say if we persisted with medieval nepotism in 2022 . But in the 21 st century , as between 1382 and 1400 , the original spirit of the statutes has not only remained intact , but has been constantly renewed . I would argue that the maintenance of Wykeham ’ s intentions has largely been dependent on the school ’ s creative response to changes in the world outside . The King James Bible , the expansion of the school in the Victorian era , the development of the curriculum ( a never-ending project , as the Director of Studies will testify ), the ambitious growth of our bursaries and , most recently , the development on online learning – the latter one of several unexpected benefits of the pandemic . Then there is the decision to expand our VI Book entrants through the admission of day pupils , including girls . As the Headmaster is fond of reminding us , the school is antique but not antiquated . These initiatives are the marks of a courageous and imaginative implementation of the Founder ’ s wishes . And we will experience innumerable manifestations of that spirit today , from the magnificent singing of Chapel Choir to the cycling in aid of Ukraine in the PE Centre .
Reflecting on my own debt to Wykeham from the time I was a Quirister back in 1970 , it seems to me that those 52 years – 21 of which I have been fortunate enough to spend either as Quirister , Master of Music or Second Master – have gone in a flash . The 700 th anniversary of the founding of the school is still 60 years off , and not many of us here present will be around to see it . But I think we can be confident that 2082 will see a school different again from what we know today . It won ’ t be antiquated if it remains true to the spirit of its founder . And it will most certainly be a testament to that imaginative leap of faith taken in 1382 by a man to whom we remain deeply indebted .
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