| OCR Text |
Show UNIVERSITY WITHOUT A FIRE Primitive Conditions of Life That Prevailed Pre-vailed in Early England. In 1200, chimneys were scarcely known in England, one only was allowed al-lowed in a religious house, one in a manor, one in the great hall of the castle, or lord's house; but in other houses they had nothing but what was called Rere Desse, where their food was dressed, where they dined, and the smoke found its way out as it could. In King Henry VIII's time the university uni-versity at Oxford had no fire allowed, for it is mentioned that after the students stu-dents had supped, which took place at 8 o'clock, they went again to their studies till 9, and then in the winter, win-ter, they having no fire, they were obliged to take a good run for half an hour to get heat in their feet before they went to bed. Hollinshed. contemporary with Elizabeth, Eliz-abeth, describes the rudeness of the preceding generation in the arts of life. "There were," says he, "very few chimneys even in capital towns, the fire was laid to the wall, and the smoke issued out at the roof, or door, or window. The houses were wattled and plastered over with clay, and all the furniture and utensils were of wood. The people slept on straw pallets pal-lets with a log of wood for a pillow." |
