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for searching only. CHRONOLOGY OF WILLIAM BADGER'S DICTATES 715
term. This would be a period of three weeks. These three weeks and the nine of the Post Michaelmas term make twelve, leaving two weeks for the repetitions and other interruptions. But we have seen that the boys had no dictates during Christmas week. This would leave, then, one week for the repetitions at Michaelmas.
It thus appears that the boys came back from election vacation on Mon-day of Michaelmas week each year, had usually three weeks of dictates, one of repetitions, and then about nine weeks of dictates in the Post Michaelmas term to Christmas. For 1563, the time of return should have been September 27, but Badger did not begin his notebook till the beginning of the Post Michaelmas term, when after repetitions he and his form should have been promoted to become the fourth. But the plague had doubtless disturbed routines, and we have seen that the Post-Michaelmas routine began apparently on Monday, October 18, probably a week earlier than customary, the dictates being for ten weeks instead of the usual nine. The year following, in 1564, the boys probably came back on September 25, had three weeks of dictates, and one of repetitions, taking them to October 23 as the beginning of the Post-Michaelmas term, which contained nine weeks of dictates. In 1565, the boys came back on September 24, probably had three weeks of dictates, and one of repetitions, taking them to October 22 as the beginning of the Post-Michaelmas term, which contained probably nine weeks of dictates. In iS66, the boys probably began dictates on September 23, probably had three weeks of dictates, and one of repetitions, taking them to October 21 as the beginning of the Post-Michaelmas term, which contained nine weeks of dictates. As we have seen, the beginning of the Post-Michaelmas term was evidently determined with relation to October 28, dictates beginning apparently the Monday before. In 1S44, we know that the pre-ceding quarter extended beyond September 3o. The end of the election holidays had also been on or shortly before Wednesday, September 24.U
Many of these questions of chronology could be settled by reference to the Winchester accounts. Using these, some future editor of Badger's notebook will be able to correct our calendar and to allocate these dictates to their exact weeks, probably even to their exact days. But at least we have a sufficiently accurate account for our present purposes.
It should now be noticed that the boys normally had nine weeks of dictates each quarter. This is clear enough in the Post-Michaelmas and Post-Christmas quarters, but is somewhat obscured by the holidays in the other quarters. But in the Midsummer Quarter the boys did six weeks of work before election, and three after vacation, taking them each time some weeks past Michaelmas. Similarly, the weeks of the remaining quarter are typically nine. Thus there were probably thirty-six weeks of routine work, one or a piece of elections, one of repetitions, three of holidays without vacation, and vacations of not more than three, five, and three weeks each." Within the thirty-six weeks of dictates in x563-64 there were ten holidays, one on the average every fourth week, besides the interspersed remedies.
11 Kirby, A'inchcrkr CoVeae, p. 259nĂ
11 For what is known on earlier practice, see Kirby, X;vcheoer Caage, pp. 138 n 2, 229.
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