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Statutes of King’s College in the City of New York, 2 March 1763

Statutes of King’s College in the City of New York

[adopted 2 March 1763]

Tit 1 Admission

1 Each person, to be admitted, shall be able to give a rational account of the Latin & Greek Grammers, to render Sallust, Caesar’s Commentaries, or some part of Cicero’s Works, into English, the Gospels, at Least, from the Greek into Latin, & to translate correctly both English into Latin, & Latin into English. He shall be examined by the President, and, if admitted, shall subscribe to the Statutes of the College (having first carefully copied them) thereto Promissing all due Obedience, which Subscription shall be contersigned by the President.

2 Each person, admitted as above, shall have an Habitation in College, assign’d him by the President, in which he shall be obliged to Lodge (unless by Special Leave obtain’d from the Governors or President) except at the Stated Vacations; under the penalty of five Shillings for the first Night of his absence, eight Shillings for the Second, twelve for the Third (or adequate Exercise) & expulsion for a Continuance of his Offence, or such other punishment as the Governors shall think necessary.

3 Each person also, admitted as above, shall procure within fourteen day’s of his Entrance, a proper Academical Habit, in which he shall always appear (unless he have Leave of the President or Tutors) under the penalty of 2 Shillings for the first Offence (and so inproportion) or adequate Exercise.

4 No Student shall be admitted ad eundem from another College, without bringing proper Credentials of his Good Behaviour, and also satisfying the President & such of the Governors of the College as shall be appointed to regulate the Commencement, of his being properly qualified for such admission.

5 The Parent or Guardian of each Student at his Admission, shall give a Bond to the Corporation of the College, to pay all the dues to which the said Student shall thereby become Subject; as also to make good all Damages that the said Student shall willfully have been the Occasion of to his, or any other Apartments of the College.

Tit 2d. Attendance

1 Each Student shall attend Morning & evening Prayers in the College, and also Publick worship on the Lords Day, morning & evening at such places as his respective parents or Guardians shall appoint (unless in Case of Leave or Sickness) under the penalty of four pence for each Omission, or proportionate Exercise either for absence or Tardiness, of which an Account shall be taken by some of the Students & delivered weekly to the President, & at such other Times as he, or any of the Tutors, shall think proper to demand it. NB The prayers to be read by the President or Tutors, according to the form Perscrib’d.

2 The Students shall dine regularly in the Publick Hall: and such as are absent, without Leave shall be subject to the same penalty as those that are absent Prayers.

3 The Students shall regularly and punctually attend upon their respective Tutors in the College, & at the Times, appointed and shall then & there perform such exercises, as have been order’d, & incase of neglects or absence, they shall be punished as the President & Tutors respectively shall think proper, either by pecuniary Mulct,1 not exceeding four pence for each offence, or by additional exercises, Proportioned to the Nature & frequency of it, And the President shall have Power to appoint what Books the Students are to read, what exercises they are regularly to perform, and the times of their Attendance.

4 If any of the Students shall be absent from their Chambers after nine o Clock at Night in Winter at ten in Summer (or at other times when the College Business requires their Attendance) they shall subject themselves to any fine not exceeding one Shilling for each time of their Delinquency or exercise adequate to the Offence.

5 Times of absence from Study shall be three Quarters of an Hour for Break fast an Hour & half for Dinner, & from evening Prayer till Bedtime (vide 4) and the Stated Vacations shall be one Month after Commencement, one Fortnight at Michaelmas, one Fortnight at Christmas & two days at Whitsentide. NB Easter Week, viz from Good Friday till the Friday following being so near the time of Commencement, is to be considered only as a Vacation from Publick Exercise but not from Attendance at College, as at other Times.

Tit 3d Behaivour &ca.

1 If any one of the Students wilfully & personally affront the President or Tutors, he shall be fined in any Sum not exceeding ten Shillings for the first Offence, or have proportionate Exercise set him and if he continues in his Fault, he shall subject himself to expulsion, or in Case of proper submission if the Nature of the Offence should require it, he shall be Oblig’d to compose, and repeat in the publick Hall, a Modest Recantation of his Fault, in order to deter his Fellow Students from the Like practices.

2d None ^of the^ Students shall molest (by making unseasonable Noises, having Company at unseasonable hours or otherwise) either the President, Tutors, or their Fellow Students: Nor shall they entertain any Company in, or be themselves absent from their Chamber’s, during studying Hours (except upon special Occasions, to be judg’d by the President or either of the Tutors) under the penalty of one Shilling for the first Offence, two for the Second, & so in proportion as the Nature & Continuance of the Fault shall require.

3 If any of the Students shall play at Cards Dice or any other Kind of Gaming within the apartments of the College, they shall be fined not exceeding five Shillings for the first Offence, ten for the Second, & so in proportion, or have adequate exercise set them and if they Persist, they shall subject themselves to expulsion.

4 If any of the Students shall be known to converse or have any Connections with persons of bad fame or such as are unsuitable Companions for them they shall be privately admonished for the first Offence, Publickly for the Second, and, if they persist, they shall subject themselves to Expulsion.

5 All Excesses, Indecencies, and Misdemeanours of an Inferior Nature (i.e. such as do not deserve expulsion) shall be punished by the President or Tutors, as they shall see Occasion, either by Pecuniary Mulct, not exceeding one Shilling for the first Offence and so inproportion, or by adequate Exercise, & in respect of Deportment and propriety of Behaviour the President & Tutors shall from time to time, prescribe such rules as they find necessary or think convenient.

6 The Students shall be examined publickly or privately, at such times, & in such manner, as the President shall appoint: & a Visitation shall be held Quarterly by the Governors of the College, viz The Monday before Christmas, The Monday before Easter, the Second Monday in July, & the Second Monday in October.

7 The President & Tutors, or any of them, shall have power of visiting the Chambers of the Students, at whatever Hour they please, & of dismissing what ever Company they think proper, & in Case Admission is refused, the Doors shall be forced open and the Student or Students fined in any Sum not exceeding ten Shillings for the first Offence (or adequate Exercise) and if the Fault is repeated He or they shall be subject to Expulsion.

8 The President & Tutors respectively shall have power in all Cases to augment the Exercises to which the Delinquents have subjected themselves if such Exercises are not properly finished, or not given in by the Time appointed; and also to confine such Delinquents to their respective Chambers (except at Times of Publick Attendance) under what restrictions are thought proper, till they shall have compleated their Punishments or made proper Satisfaction.

9 No Student shall absent himself from College (except in Case of Sickness) without Leave obtain’d of the President or one of the Tutors, under the penalty of Such fine or Exercise as the Nature & Continuance of the Fault shall require, and the President only shall have power to give Leave of absence from more than one Day, unless he himself is absent, in which Case his Power shall devolve to the next in Authority.

10 The Junior Students shall pay such respect to the Seniors, and all of them to the President, Professors, Fellows & Tutors, as the President &c shall direct, & such penaltys as they shall think proper to Perscribe.

11 The Person who punishes shall have power also (if the Accounts are not passed) of remitting the Punishments.

12 If any dispute should arise concerning the due Proportion of Punishments, an Appeal shall lie (in this as well as in all other Cases) to the President & Tutors, & finally to the Governors of the College, agreeable to the Charter.

13 Obstinacy & Perseverance, in all Cases, may be punished by Expulsion.

14 During the Summer Season Morning Prayers shall begin between the Hours of five & Seven, & in Winter between the Hours of Six & Eight, as the President shall appoint; in the Evening ^also^ at what Hours he thinks proper.

15 The Steward’s Accounts as also that of the fines, shall be passed Monthly, by the President & Quarterly by the Governors of the College, And the fines aforesaid shall be expended in Books which shall be disposed of in the honorary & Publick manner, at the Quarterly meetings of the Governors, as Rewards to such of the Students as excell in the Course of their Studies, and the propriety of their Conduct, according as the President, Fellows, Professors & Tutors, or the major Part of them, shall direct.

Tit 4th. Graduation

The Examination of Candidates for the Degree of B.A. shall be held publickly in the College Hall, about six Weeks before Commencement, President, Fellows, Professors & Tutors, & such of the Governors as shall please to attend, & Such of the said Candidates as appear to be duly qualified (having fullfilled the Conditions Prescribed) shall, at the Commencement; be admitted to the aforesaid degree, and in three years more, if they have persued their Studies, & have otherwise behaved themselves soberly and decently, they shall be farther admitted (upon proper Application) to the Degree of M.A. To Neither of which Degrees aforesaid shall any Candidate be admitted without performing the Above Conditions, except in Cases of extraordinary Capacity and by a Particular Act of the Governors and President, Honoris Causa.

NB The regular Time for taking the Degree of B.A. is four Years from the Students Entrance & the fee for each Degree forty Shillings including the Presidents & Clerk’s fees.

Lastly. It is to be understood that the Greatest Punishments of expulsion, Suspension, Degradation & Publick Confession, be inflicted by the Governors of the College pursuant to the Charter, & that the Lesser Punishments herein mention’d be inflicted by the President, Fellows, Professors & Tutors, or any of them, according to the True Intent & meaning of these Laws.

Finis

Jno. Jay

Myles Cooper Pres.

AD, in the hand of JJ, signed by JJ and Myles Cooper, NNC (EJ: 12960).

1Mulct: a fine or punishment.

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