223 Orders Made by Me Thomas Hollis

    Orders made by me Thomas Hollis of London Marchant

    February the 14, 1720/21

    Concerning the disposition of several sums of moneys by me sent over to New England and alreddy paid or ordred to be paid to Mr. John White Tresurer to Harvard College in Cambridg in New England, subject to such alterations as may be made by me in my life time under my hand or by my last Will.

    1. I order that such sums of moneys as are alreddy paid to Mr. John White Tresurer of Harvard College or that shal be paid to him by my order in my life time, or by my Executrix according to my last Will be placed out at Interest or laid out on good Securitys; and the produce thereof to be applied in manner I doe here direct.

    2. I order and appoint a professor of Divinity to read Lectures in the Hall of the College unto the Students, the said Professor to be nominated and apointed from time to time by the President and Fellowes of Harvard College and that the Tresurer pay to him Forty pounds per annum for this Servise and that when choise is made of a fitting person, he be recomended to me for my approbation, if I be yet living. I order and appoint Five pounds a yeare to the Tresurer for time being for his pains in receiving and paying my bounty and making up an annual account, at every annual audit day for the said College and the Ballance to be carried forward to a new account.

    3. I order and appoint the whole of the remaining annual increase to be disposed of as followes Ten pounds a yeare for one Exhibition to assist one Pious young man, in the Judgment of Charity, Religiosly inclined, in his Studyes for the Ministry of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, One who is poor in this world, and can not comfortably goe forwards without such charitable helps for three or four Years, and he behaving himself well, to be yearly paid to him by the Tresurer, and that so many students be nominated and Exhibitions be granted and paid as the annual income will beare by even equal sums of Ten pounds a yeare for every one and this ordinance to be for ever.

    While I live I reserve the nomination of the Students to my self, intreating the Governors of the College to present names of persons and their qualifications to me for aprobation. Upon my decease I doe appoint the President and Fellowes of Harvard College of Cambridg in New England and their successors for Ever to have the nomination of the Students that shal receive the said Exhibitions of Ten pounds a yeare a peice for the time aforesaid—and that as any one Dies—or is turned out—or goes of in his course, another be placed in his roome, and that none be refused on account of his beleife and practice of Adult Baptism, if he be sober and Religiosly inclined. And I recomend in a spetial manner to avoide nominating any Dunces or Rakes as not fitt to partake of this bounty.

    I order a Register to be kept of such as are taken in upon this foundation, their Names, ages, times of entrance, for how long time, and when they goe off. I order a faire account be kept of Receipts and payments of this my devoted Trust, and annually ballanct. The whole design hereof being for the Glory of God and the good of pretious Souls, may the Blessed Lord accept it, and succeed it. Amen so prays.

    Thomas Hollis

    Hollis-Leverett ms, Houghton Library. Printed in Quincy, History, i. 530–531 (App. XLII); another copy of the Orders is in Hollis Letters and Papers, p. 13. To set up the Professorship, the College authorities submitted to Hollis a plan (known as the New England Scheme). Hollis had this reviewed by seven London Divines and returned it, with some changes, on August 19. The Orders were also repeated on August 19 and, to avoid duplication, the few changes between February and August are noted here. Paragraph 2: the Professor is to read lectures “according to a scheme annexed hereunto”; and he is to be appointed “for Five Years”. His pay is increased from forty pounds to eighty, and the Treasurer’s stipend from five pounds to ten. Paragraph 3: in the August version Hollis provided for a continuation of aid to students studying for the second degree. And he directed that persons believing in adult baptism should “have all due incoragement equally with the Pedobaptists”.