Acta

Approval of Graces submitted to the Regent House on 18 June 2025

All the Graces submitted to the Regent House on 18 June 2025 (Reporter, 6789, 2024–25, p. 665) were approved at 4 p.m. on Friday, 27 June 2025.

Congregation of the Regent House on 25 June 2025: Honorary Degrees

A Congregation of the Regent House was held at 2.45 p.m. Before the Congregation, processions formed and walked through Senate‑House Yard before entering the House by the East Door. Music was performed by the Cambridge University Brass Ensemble and by the choirs of Clare College and of Gonville and Caius College. The programme of music was arranged by the University Organist, Ms Sarah MacDonald, of Selwyn College, and the choirs were directed by Ms MacDonald and by Mr Tim Brown, Acting Director of Music of Clare College.

The following titular degrees were conferred by the Vice-Chancellor:

In the absence of the Orator, his speeches were delivered by a deputy, Dr Charles Weiss of Clare College, who presented the Honorands to the Vice-Chancellor:

HOSPITI huic nostrae quae agmen ducit, Magistri, tum cum genere uitae degendae delecto ad ius ciuile se applicabat, nescioquis crassa plane Minerua uir ‘natura’ inquit ‘ad causas dicendas non est apta mulier.’ gerrae! actutum paeniteat eos qui huiusmodi ineptias profitentur! at illa indomito animo breui tempore tanta in foro gloria florebat quantam in studiis apud nos persequendis collegerat, et in ea mehercle iuris prouincia ad negotiatorum collegia administranda pertintenti in qua usque eo omnes fere honores adipisci solebant uiri. cuius rei si argumentum poscitur, tanta erat eo tempore auctoritate ut plerumque in usu esset si quid inter negoti gubernatores de lege disputaretur, non in iudicio litigare sed hanc mulierem de controuersia dirimenda consulere. neque id mirum igitur, quod cum iurisconsulti praetextam iudicis galero permutasset, prima erat mulier cancellarii curiae adscripta, postea tertia inter summos iustitiarios adscita—id quod maturius futurum fuisse traditur nisi timidi quidam dubitassent quin uxorem in eadem subsellia ac maritum admitterent.

per totum uitae cursum, in scribendo, in re iudicanda, in iudiciorum ratione ad aequiorem descriptionem redigenda, certo praecepto permota ideo enixa est ut iudicium ita exerceatur quo melius populo seruiatur. idcirco mandauit ut collocatorum praesidia, ut negoti rectorum officia, ut tota denique collegiorum lex funditus recenseretur. idcirco legatos creandos censuit qui solute et libere iudices nominarent neu feminae neue alii a magistratu exclusi deterrerentur quin nomina profiterentur. neque umquam officiis retinetur quominus ad Camum regressa eas quae hodie in studiis uersantur sapientissime colat. quas et exemplo uitae et sententia insigni subscripta hortatur: PATIENTIA VINCES.

dignissima domina, domina Procancellaria, et tota academia, praesento uobis egregiam hanc mulierem admodum honorabilem, excellentissimi ordinis Imperi Britannici dominam commendatricem, Magistram in Artibus, Magistram in Iure, Collegi Girtonensis honoris causa sociam adscitam, inter summos huius Regni iustitiarios quondam adscriptam, iis quibus leges recensendae permittuntur olim praepositam, iurisconsultam et iudicem,

MARY, Dominam ARDEN de HESWALL,

ut honoris causa habeat titulum gradus Doctoris in Iure.

‘BEING a barrister’ — this is what our first honorand was told at the very beginning of her legal career by some evidently learned man — ‘is no job for a woman.’ What errant nonsense! That such drivel should ever find voice! But she was undaunted and soon enjoyed the same distinction among her colleagues that she had acquired in her studies — and in corporate law, no less, a field traditionally dominated by men. If proof is needed, such was her authority that it was the general practice, if a dispute arose between two companies, not to take the matter to court, but to consult her as to what should be done and to follow her opinion. Nor is it any wonder then, that when she exchanged the barrister’s silk for the judge’s wig, she was the first woman appointed to the Chancery Division, and later the third to the Supreme Court. That would have happened sooner, they say, had there not been some reticence in certain quarters about allowing a woman to sit on the same bench as her husband.

Throughout her career, in writing, in delivering judgements, in reforming the system of the law, she has been guided by a sure principle, that justice should be exercised in such a way as to better serve the people. It was for this reason that she instituted a review of the remedies available to shareholders and the obligations which fall upon company directors, and indeed of the whole of company law. It was for this reason that she supported the creation of the independent Judicial Appointments Commission, so that women and others under-represented among the judiciary should no longer be discouraged from putting themselves forward. Her duties have never prevented her from returning to Cambridge to advise the current generation of women studying to become lawyers. She inspires them with the example of her life and with the motto subscribed beneath her coat of arms: ‘With patience you will succeed.’

Distinguished Vice-Chancellor, members of the University, I present to you

The Rt. Hon. MARY, Lady ARDEN OF HESWALL, d.b.e., m.a., ll.m.,

Honorary Fellow of Girton College,
sometime Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and
former Chair of the Law Commission,
lawyer and judge,

that she may receive the title of the degree of Doctor of Law, honoris causa.

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ΑΡΙΣΤΟΝ μὲν ὕδωρ, ὁ δὲ χρυσὸς αἰθόμενον πῦρ
ἅτε διαπρέπει νυκτὶ μεγάνορος ἔξοχα πλούτου·

qui uersus Cancellariam ad Procancellariam adducenti mihi occurrunt, quia

idem scriptor alio quodam loco haec dixit quae non inepta uidentur:

νόμος ὁ πάντων βασιλεύς
θνατῶν τε καὶ ἀθανάτων3

est enim haec mulier non tantum ad remum prompta uerum etiam iuris prudentia erudita, nec minus ingeni acumen studiis quam certando corporis exercitationem deuouit. postero enim anno quam Olympia uicit, doctoris togam induit. nec deposita tandem palmula academia palaestram miscere desinit: quae enim summam apud Glasguenses sedem occupat, eadem iam alios ad honores lusorios petendos hortatur. si quis igitur ad cursum exercetur, siue quo fiat disputatur ut sint quibus in carcerem coniectis omnis spes libertatis sit adempta, siue gladius regi est tradendus, hanc mulierem censeo esse consulendam.

dignissima domina, domina Procancellaria, et tota academia, praesento uobis egregiam hanc mulierem, excellentissimi ordinis Imperi Britannici dominam commendatricem, laureas Olympiacas petentium societatis Britannicae praesidem, consili lusoriis exercitationibus fouendis quondam praesidem, Vniuersitatis Glasguensis cancellariam, athletam laureis Olympiacis coronatam, nuper inter proceres adscriptam,

KATHERINE GRAINGER,

ut honoris causa habeat titulum gradus Doctoris in Iure.

WATER is best, and gold, like a blazing fire in the night,
stands out supreme of all lordly wealth.
But if to sing of contests,
Dear heart, is your wish,
Look no further than the sun
For any star warmer which shines by day through the lonely sky,
Nor let us proclaim any contest greater than Olympia.

As I present a Chancellor to a Vice-Chancellor, these lines of Pindar come to mind, for

She delights in ploughing Olympic waters,
And speeding towards the finishing line
On swift oars, and the noble laurel crown.
Three times she rushes forth with tireless arms, full of hope:
First where you flee the harsh winter, Cynthius,
And show your face to another sky;
Next by the shining temple of Pallas
Where the hill of Cecrops rises tall;
Nor do I forget the city where a bird’s nest
Stands proudly over a well-fixed river.
Three times her hopes are dashed, her speed bested;
Three times she is overtaken and the prize is lost.
But the fourth time, flying on two sets of oars,
She speeds across the course where you, Brutus,
An unhappy exile from your homeland, had raised your walls:
She speeds across the course, and no boat comes close.
With well-deserved wreaths of golden laurel
The judges crown her prosperous head!

The same Pindar somewhere talks of ‘Law, the king of all mortals and immortals’, and this line, too, seems apt, for our honorand is as skilled in the science of the Law as she is ready with the oar. Indeed, she was no less dedicated to her legal studies than she was to training for the competition, and the year after she was crowned with Olympic gold, she donned her Doctor’s scarlet. She may have retired from competitive rowing, but she continues to mix the Academy and sport, for at the same time as she occupies the highest position in the University of Glasgow, she encourages others to pursue sporting honours. So, if you are training for the race; or if you want to know about the genesis of the whole-life order; or if you need a sword to be presented to a King, it is our honorand that you need to talk to.

Distinguished Vice-Chancellor, members of the University, I present to you

KATHERINE GRAINGER, d.b.e.,

Chair of the British Olympic Association and former Chair of U.K. Sport,
Chancellor of the University of Glasgow,
Olympic Gold Medallist,
athlete and sports ambassador, recently to be appointed a Life Peer,

that she may receive the title of the degree of Doctor of Law, honoris causa.

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SQVALIDAE uates propera Camenae
laeta quo pallam tibi turba nostra

serica sutam cerasi coloris

donet habere.

non modis certo, numerose, tecum —

numquis est qui te queat aemulari? —

praebeo uilis tamen hosce uersus

supplice mente.

uerba cum nectis citius iocosa

cumque secretis canis in latebris

oppidi cruda celebris loquela

carmina saeua,

siue magna ui quatiuntur artus

rostra dum spisso pede lata pulsas

Daedali cinctus tunica latentis

pectora dura,

impios semper dominos lacessis

(Musa, quod dicam, tremebunda noris!)

impigro uocem repetente coetu:

‘surgite, amici!’.

quod iuuentutem cupidam Mineruae

flumen ad nostrum placidum assequendae

sportulis nigram placet adiuuare

nomine opacis,

en, uelut uerres iaculo cietur,

‘pallidum uexat’ queritur ‘popellum!’

pallidus censor sua qui tuetur

commoda iniqua.

huc ades uindex animose plebis

aspere damnis ubicumque pressae,

accipe has lauros uirides, poeta

munera digna.

dignissima domina, domina Procancellaria, et tota academia, praesento uobis egregium hunc uirum, rhapsodum numerosissimum, philanthropiae cultorem et rerum nouarum auctorem,

MICHAEL OMARI OWUO filium, uel potius STORMZY,

ut honoris causa habeat titulum gradus Doctoris in Iure.

HAIL prophet of a Grimy Muse!
Hurry where our joyous throng waits

To clothe you in a gown lined with lightest cherry,

Our gang sign.

I would not dare compete with you in rhythm —

Who could claim to be your equal? —

These meagre Latin verses I offer

With humble heart.

When with playful speed you weave

The language of the street,

The voice of your dear London,

In underground beats,

Or if with waving arms you stride

The great stage of Glastonbury

Wearing the plaintiff breastplate

Of a hidden artist,

You hold our would-be masters to account

(You know, O Muse, what I durst not say!)

And the eager crowd returns the cry,

‘Rise up!’.

Because with #Merky help you dare

Support Black youth who dream to come

To Minerva’s temple by the banks

Of the quiet Cam,

Lo! foaming like a goaded boar,

The pallid guardian of his stolen privilege

Raves and shouts that he is wronged,

And calls you racist.

Come hither, tireless champion

Of a people long and ill oppressed,

Accept these gifts, gratefully given,

To a better poet.

Distinguished Vice-Chancellor, members of the University, I present to you

MICHAEL OMARI OWUO Jr, better known as STORMZY,

musician, philanthropist and change-maker,

that he may receive the title of the degree of Doctor of Law, honoris causa.

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MVSCVLA est quaedam, Magistri, Graece μελανογαστρία et δρόσον φιλοῦσα nuncupata, coquorum et uinariorum hostis quippe quae fructu oleribusque permaturis adducta culinam aut apothecam inuadat et furtiuo alimento progeniem nutriat innumerabilem. tanta enim est fecunditate, et tam exiguum spatium temporis inter partum et bestiolam adultam intercedit ut una ingressa progenitrice pestis quasi Mositica oriatur! attamen tot filiarum saeculis celerrime praeterlabentibus accidit ut haec musca aliis hominibus inimica ab iis qui de uitae principiis et crescentis fetus conformatione percontantur maximi habita geneticae disciplinae regina iudicetur. accedit quod particularum genetiuarum catenae simpliciores quae quattuor modo corporibus geminatis continentur quouis pacto facilius idcirco demutantur ut lingua ab ipsa Natura quaternis litteris scripta tandem intellegatur.

nunc fatendum est hanc musculam nullos habere pulmones quibus maiorum animalium genera soleant respirare, sed ut omnibus fere insectis spiritum per cuticulae aliquammulta perparuula foramina sua sponte ingressum illic quo uariis membris sit usui alueolis quibusdam uel canaliculis diffundi. quae quidem striae, quae αἱ τραχεῖαι ἀρτηρίαι dicuntur, quomodo ex uno cellularum corio in fistulas subtiliores iterum iterumque diuisas per totum corpus producerentur, id nemo prius cognoscere poterat quam haec mulier signa quibus ductae cellulae mouerentur, multiplicarentur, in perfectam bestiolae imaginem conformarentur, per moleculas ἀκάρδιον ἄπνευμον κόχλιον dictas transmissa ad rationem reduxit. talibus rebus intellegendis, quae non modo ad entomorum naturam uerum etiam ad hominum salutem adhibent (αἱ γὰρ συντάξεις τῶν ὀργάνων ὁμόλογοι) adhibuit haec mulier τὴν φροντίδα τὴν λεπτήν.

dignissima domina, domina Procancellaria, et tota academia, praesento uobis egregiam hanc mulierem, Regiae Societati hospitem adscriptam, Scientiarum Medicinalium Academiae honoris causa sociam adscitam, Collegio Darwiniano honoris causa sociam adscriptam, rerum geneticarum apud Colonienses professorem adscitam, Indagantium Europaeorum Concili praesidem, Officinae Europaeae ad biologiam molecularem indagandam institutae quondam praepositam, fetuum conformationis et morborum partae immunitatis indagatricem,

MARIA LEPTIN,

ut honoris causa habeat titulum gradus Doctoris in Scientiis Medicinalibus

THERE is a certain tiny fly, called in Greek ‘black-stomached’ and ‘dew-loving’, the bane of cooks and winemakers, because attracted by over-ripe fruit and vegetables it invades the kitchen or the cellar to raise its countless progeny on stolen victuals. Such is its fecundity, and so little time passes between birth and adulthood, that from a single mother arises a plague of almost Biblical proportions. Thanks to this rapid reproductive cycle, for which it is so hated by others, drosophila is highly valued by those who investigate the principles of life and embryonic development. Indeed, it is hailed as the queen of genetic science, since its relatively simple genome, contained in just four pairs of chromosomes, is more easily manipulated by the researcher who can thus decode the language written by Nature herself in an alphabet of four letters.

Now this fly has no lungs such as higher animals use to breathe, but in common with all insects the air enters the body through countless tiny holes in the exoskeleton and is carried by diffusion to the organs which need it through a system of channels and tubules called tracheae. The mechanism by which a single sheet of cells develops into a network of ever more finely branching vessels stretching throughout the whole body was a mystery until it was revealed by our honorand. She discovered the signals guided by which the cells migrate and proliferate and so form themselves into the anatomy of the adult — signals transmitted by molecules with strange names such as ‘heartless’, ‘breathless’ and ‘corkscrew’. These processes, known to us thanks to her subtle enquiry, are not just of interest to those concerned with the development of flies, but because they have homologues also in larger organisms, are of great importance in human health and medicine.

Distinguished Vice-Chancellor, members of the University, I present to you

MARIA LEPTIN, for.mem.r.s., f.med.sci.,

Professor in the Institute of Genetics, University of Cologne,
President of the European Research Council and
formerly Director of the European Molecular Biology Organisation,
developmental biologist and immunologist,

that she may receive the title of the degree of Doctor of Medical Science, honoris causa.

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NVPER ad me in somniis, Magistri, aduenit uir sapientissimus laureis nobilissimis coronatus qui ‘si quando inter negotiatores,’ inquit, ‘aliqua res contrahitur, ut si quis opificem conducit, aut cum alter merces exponit, alter uult emere, seu inter eum qui aliquid debet et eum cui debetur, quibus credis condicionibus negotium conficiatur?’

cui ego ‘iis plane,’ respondeo, ‘a fortiore uiro impositis.’

at ille ‘hoc si opinaris,’ inquit, ‘ualde erras. nam etiamsi hic auctoramenti uerba dictat, utrum fore ut condiciones imponat iudicas quas ille numquam sit accepturus, an e quibus quam maximum fiat lucrum?’

cui ego ‘ambo,’ inquam, ‘lucrum quam maximum volent esse. et si re confecta pecunia iacet otiosa, melius poterat negotium contrahi. quae cum ita sint cauendum est, ut opinor, ut uterque certis clausulis et sententiis praescriptis ideo teneatur ne ullum sit dubium, utcumque res acciderit, quo pacto alter alterum debeat tractare.’

et ille ‘sed nonnumquam fit,’ inquit, ‘ut qui omnes euentus praeuidere non possint, huiusmodi clausulas nequeant sibi praebere, sed constituendum sit potius cui sit potestas sententiae ferendae si inter se non conuenerint. ut si qui rerum inuentor pecuniam ab aliis accipit ut nescioquid ad uenditum producatur, quoniam de futuro lucro contrahi non potest, certa ratione statuendum est quantum et quotiens iis debeatur qui pecuniam collocauerant. quod si receperint, bene est. quod si non mature redditum sit, in horum prouinciam cedantur omnes quae ab utrisque opes in commune negotium collocatae sunt.’

et ego admiratione plenus, Magistri, prius experrectus sum quam consentirem.

dignissima domina, domina Procancellaria, et tota academia, praesento uobis egregium hunc uirum, equitem auratum palmis Nobelianis coronatum, Magistrum in Artibus, Academiae Britannicae Sodalem, Collegi Churchilliani necnon Collegi Regalis honoris causa socium adscitum, scholae nostrae rerum oeconomicarum quondam lectorem adscriptum, professorem Geyserianum apud Haruardianos adscitum, oeconomiae doctrinae peritissimum,

OLIVER HART,

ut honoris causa habeat titulum gradus Doctoris in Scientiis.

RECENTLY I dreamt that I fell into conversation with a wise man crowned with noble laurel, who said to me, ‘When some business is contracted between two sides, as between an employer and an employee, or between a buyer and a seller, or between a creditor and a debtor, on what terms do you think the deal is done?’

‘On those, obviously,’ I replied, ‘which the stronger party imposes on the weaker.’

‘People often think that,’ said he, ‘but they are wrong. For do you suppose that one side will impose conditions which the other will never accept? Or will they choose terms which will generate the greatest value?’

‘Both sides will want the value to be as great as possible,’ said I, ‘and I suppose that if, when the deal is done, there is money left on the table, then a better contract could have been written. So each party should take care that they are both bound by precise terms and conditions, in order that they know exactly how they should treat one another in whatever circumstance should arise.’

‘But it is usually the case,’ said he, ‘that since they cannot foresee all eventualities, they are unable to write such terms. Instead, they need to determine who has the right to decide what should happen in the event of disagreement between them. As, for example, when an entrepreneur borrows money from investors to bring some new product to market, since it is impossible to write a contract about future profit, they should agree how much should be paid back and how often. If this payment is received on schedule, all is well and good; but if it is not, then the assets of the joint enterprise will revert to the ownership of the investors.’

I was full of admiration, but I awoke before I could express my agreement.

Distinguished Vice-Chancellor, members of the University, I present to you

OLIVER HART, kt, m.a., f.b.a.,

Honorary Fellow of Churchill College and of King’s College,
sometime University Lecturer in the Faculty of Economics and Politics, now Economics,
Lewis P. and Linda L. Geyser University Professor, Harvard University,
Nobel Laureate, economist,

that he may receive the title of the degree of Doctor of Science, honoris causa.

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ΚΑΙ νῦν τί γράψω, τόνδ’ ἐπαινέσαι θέλων; pari modo quaerebat Maurorum imperatoris uxor fidelis, cuius personam hospes hic noster a nonnullis primam induisse traditur. sed perperam: te enim, Amazonidum ferocissima dux, stolam quam suerat auia chryselephantinam gerens in scaenam induxit puerulus in ludo uersatus. postea magister litterarum, quamquam histrionum moribus non nihil diffidebat, numquid illecebrae ei in theatro esset rogauit. adnuit Melpomene. non respuit Thalia. arrident etiam aliae sorores. nam quamuis talium rerum spem sibi praecisam esse simularit, hic uir perfecte et plane eruditus multarumque rerum cognitione imbutus de sonis contrapositis et inter se subtiliter respondentibus eadem facilitate qua de scriptoris ornatissimi Auonensis fabulis foliis mandatis potest disserere.

sed cum uel cothurnatus uel excalceatus in scaenam prodit, siue regis gibberi imperio equum permutare conatur, siue tuam, Maleuole, Catonis seuerius instar, tristiorem personam tuetur, seu etiam tuam, Graecorum trifurcifer et scabrum scelerum caput, linguam improbam assumit, tum uero raptae coronae clamores magnos excitat. uoce tantum transmissa Georgium, breuiculum et suppinguem uirum et cultu modestum, sed delatorum callidum magistrum ad nostram aetatem renouauit. quis regem Britannorum ad siparium inepte exsultantem non cachinnauit? aut quis iam equitem illum fortem non miratur qui draconem sanguinolentum a domus parietinis pellere conatur? attamen neque oratori sufficit anima qua huius uiri uita satis laudetur, neque audientibus patientia qua omnia auscultentur. nunc igitur prius tacebo quam quis de me ita queratur ut olim Hippolyta:

ὡς παῖς τις αὐλοῖς οὗτος ἤμπλακεν λόγοις·
φθόγγον γὰρ ἐξέπεμψε, πλημμελῆ δέ πως.

dignissima domina, domina Procancellaria, et tota academia, praesento uobis egregium hunc uirum, equitem auratum, excellentissimi ordinis Imperi Britannici commendatorem, Magistrum in Artibus, Collegio Gonuilli et Cai honoris causa socium adscriptum, histrionem,

SIMON RUSSELL BEALE,

ut honoris causa habeat titulum gradus Doctoris in Litteris.

WHAT should I write of this man, if I would praise him? Othello’s faithful wife posed a similar question, and it is she who many people think our next honorand first played on the stage. They are wrong, however — it was as the fierce Amazon queen Hippolyta that he first appeared, wearing a dress of gold and ivory made by his grandmother, while still at primary school. Later on, his English teacher, although he harboured a certain suspicion of actors, asked if he had ever considered a career in the theatre. Melpomene smiled. Thalia did not demur. All their sisters nodded their approval. For despite his protestations that he is an academic manqué, this most erudite of men can discourse as readily upon harmony and counterpoint as upon the history of the First Folio of Shakespeare.

But when in tragic buskins or comic slippers he takes to the stage, whether as Richard III, as stern Malvolio, or as the foul-mouthed Greek rascal, that scurvy, railing knave — then he commands the applause of the eager auditorium. On radio he has reinvented for our times the spymaster George Smiley. Who did not laugh at his King Arthur, cavorting on the comic stage? Who does not marvel when, as Ser Simon, Sir Simon defends the battered walls of Harrenhal from the Blood Wyrm Caraxes? There is neither breath sufficient to the Orator to do justice to his whole career, nor would the audience have the patience to listen. Let me then stop, before someone complains of me as once did Hippolyta, ‘Indeed he hath played on his prologue like a child on a recorder — a sound, but not in government.’1

Distinguished Vice-Chancellor, members of the University, I present to you

SIMON RUSSELL BEALE, kt, c.b.e., m.a.,

Honorary Fellow of Gonville and Caius College,
actor,

that he may receive the title of the degree of Doctor of Letters, honoris causa.

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TAM reuerentia quam gaudio motus, Magistri, doctissimam atque eloquentissimam hanc mulierem ad uos adduco cuius nomen illustrissimum cum auditur quis non recordatur quot per annos tam acriter pugnatum sit ut omnes homines non inopia non colore non genere obstante remoto metu eadem libertatis et iuris condicione fruantur? quo pacto in hac contentione ea non uersetur quae e pueritia uicinos spectat ob cutis colorem ui et igni domibus exturbatos? eadem quod popularium partes sequatur aliisque hominibus rerum nouarum studiosis familiariter utatur de lectura deicitur, et iudice imperante restituta iterum quia modus dicendi rectoribus displiceat dimittitur. (dignissimos credo eos esse qui linguam liberam tantummodo laudant dum quod dicitur sua intersit!) eadem rei capitalis accusata, inter infestissimas rei publicae pestes adscripta, in uincula coniecta, tandem apud iudices omnes absoluitur.

re ipsa igitur et usu docta pro iis qui uoce et praesidio carent omnibus in terris sedule et constanter et diuina quadam ui iustitiam defendit, seruituti obsistit, pro libertate propugnat. per totam uitam palmis academicis populique laudibus distinctam longum libertatis iter, quamquam sit asperum, tamen et pulchrum esse et hominum animos exhilarare posse monstrat.

iam cum ciuiles uirtutes et ipsa fundamenta liberalis ciuitatis a uiris locupletioribus labefactari uideamus, cum undique nonnullus dictaturae luteus odor exhaletur, quis est qui hominem uel libertatis amantissimum reprehendat si ad summam desperationem adductus esse uideatur? haec tamen mulier indomita, ut alius quondam gentis seruitute oppressae propugnator, arma non tradenda monet esse cum male pugnatum sit, sed omnibus incommodis, quippe quae quamlibet sint numerosa certis tamen finibus sint circumscripta, infinita quadam spe et fide obuiam eundum. et eam quae in academia uersata litteras colat, eodem tempore etiam rebus nouis et melioribus studere posse docet. neque enim accipienda quae mutare nequeamus, sed mutanda quae non accipiamus.

dignissima domina, domina Procancellaria, et tota academia, praesento uobis egregiam hanc mulierem, Vniuersitatis Californiensis Sanctae Crucis professorem emeritam illustrissimam, Academiae Artium Scientiarumque Americanae adscriptam, palmis Leninianis pacis inter gentes confirmandae coronatam, litterarum humaniorum necnon philosophiae peritissimam scriptorem, popularium causarum fautricem et propugnatricem,

ANGELA DAVIS,

ut honoris causa habeat titulum gradus Doctoris in Litteris.

IT IS WITH joy and reverence that your Orator presents to you this woman of erudition and eloquence, whose very name is synonymous with the long and bitter struggle for all people to enjoy without fear equality of rights and freedoms, regardless of class, of colour and of gender. How could she not be involved in that struggle, who as a girl saw her neighbours driven from their homes with fire and violence? She was dismissed from her lectureship on the grounds that she associated with Communists and other revolutionaries. When the judges ordered her to be reinstated, they fired her again because they disagreed with the way she spoke. How worthy they are, who defend freedom of speech only as long as they agree with what is said! They accused her of a capital crime; they named her among America’s Ten Most Wanted; they threw her into prison; but she was unanimously acquitted by a jury of her peers.

Taught, then, by her own experience, on behalf of those the world over who lack their own voice and defence, she resolutely defends justice, she tirelessly opposes slavery, with almost divine strength she fights on behalf of liberty. Throughout her life, marked with academic honours and popular acclaim, she has shown us that the long road to freedom, although it is undoubtedly difficult, can also be beautiful and an inspiration to others.

In this present age, when we see civic virtues and the very foundations of civil society faltering under the attacks of billionaires, when the foul stench of fascism rises again across the globe, who could blame even the staunchest lover of liberty for feeling despondent? But this woman is undaunted. As once did another champion of the oppressed, she reminds us that we cannot lay down our arms when the fight becomes difficult, that we must not capitulate to finite disappointments, but meet them with infinite hope. She shows us that it is possible to be an academic, an activist, a scholar and a revolutionary. With her, then, let us resolve no longer to accept what we cannot change, but to change what we cannot accept.

Distinguished Vice-Chancellor, members of the University, I present to you

ANGELA DAVIS,

Distinguished Professor Emerita, University of California Santa Cruz,
Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences,
Lenin Peace Laureate,
scholar in the humanities, philosopher, author and activist,

that she may receive the title of the degree of Doctor of Letters, honoris causa.

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—TITYRE cur peragrans solus decliuia montis

siluestris hilari Musas meditaris auena?

—    O Meliboee, caret calamus mihi peruagus aure,

hac tamen accipiet dulcem rex nocte Camenam.

carmen illud pastorale notissimum, ad usum collegi sui scriptum, et adiuuante Collegi Regalis musicorum rectore signis et cerae mandatum, hospitem hunc nostrum, dum apud nos studia persequitur, ad Gloriam concipiendam immisit. sed forsitan initium huius uiae ab eo magistro ludi melius sit petendum, qui puerum adhortatus est ut carmina componeret. uel potius a puero ipso orationem incipere debeo cui clauicymbali plectra trudenti parentes clamore defessi praeceptorem conduxerunt. sed undecumque ingressum quaerimus, Magistri, exitum bene nouistis: summa iam gloria floret non modo in his insulis sed uix ulla est regio terrarum quo nomen eius non peruenerit, aut quae cantantium uocibus laetissimis ab eo doctis non resonet. puer ille agrestis in stabulo coram rege cecinit; huius uiri carmina inter matrimonia principum audiuntur.

quae faciliora et medio populo aperta composuit sunt qui, asperioris Musae tristes cultores, leuiora despiciant. quibus ille respondet quamquam a neotericis istis modis non abhorreat, sui tamen ingeni talia non esse componere. magistri enim illius quem supra memoraui praeceptis paret, qui illam colere Camenam iussit quae in corde insideret. et hic uir tam nostrae aetatis carmina ludicra intuens quam maiorum memoriae grauiores magistros, ‘canticorum scriptor,’ inquit, ‘semper mihi uisus sum. qua re turbam dimittere uelim cantillantem.’ neque ullum est dubium, Magistri, quin nouissimum nobis compositum carmen festiuum canentes hodie simus decessuri.

dignissima domina, domina Procancellaria, et tota academia, praesento uobis egregium hunc uirum, equitem auratum, excellenstissimi ordinis Imperi Britannici commendatorem, Magistrum in Artibus, Baccalaureum in Musica, Musicorum Ecclesiasticorum Collegi honoris causa sodalem adscitum, Collegio de Clare honoris causa socium adscriptum, musicorum modorum scriptorem et mesochorum,

JOHN RUTTER,

ut honoris causa habeat titulum gradus Doctoris in Musica.

—TELL ME, shepherd boy piping tunes so merrily

On the way to Bethlehem,

Who will hear your tunes on these hills so lonely?

—    None may hear my pipes on these hills so lonely;

But a king will hear me play sweet lullabies

When I get to Bethlehem.

The Shepherd’s Pipe Carol, written for his own College choir, and recorded and published with the help of the Director of Music of King’s College, launched the career of our final honorand while he was still a student here in Cambridge. Or it may be that we should begin with the schoolmaster who encouraged him to write his own songs. Then again, perhaps I should start my speech with the boy himself, banging away at the keys of his piano until his weary parents found him a teacher. Wherever the journey began, the destination is well-known: his fame extends not just to these islands but the whole world, and there is nowhere that does not resound with voices raised to sing his carols. The boy in the song played for a king in a stable; this man’s music is played at royal weddings.

Because he writes music accessible to ordinary people, there are some, severe adherents of a difficult Muse, who dismiss it as popular. To them our honorand replies that while he does not dislike the cutting-edge styles, his gift is not for writing that kind of thing. For he obeys the precept of his schoolmaster, to write the music that is in his heart. Looking as much to the composers of Broadway as the masters of the classical era, ‘I regard myself as a songwriter first,’ he says, ‘and you expect a songwriter to send you away humming a tune.’ Nor is there any doubt that today we will depart the Senate-House humming the festive sarabande which he has composed especially for this Congregation.

Distinguished Vice-Chancellor, members of the University, I present to you

JOHN RUTTER, kt, c.b.e., m.a., mus.b., hon. f.g.c.m.,

Honorary Fellow of Clare College,
composer and conductor,

that he may receive the title of the degree of Doctor of Music, honoris causa.

E. M. C. RAMPTON, Registrary

END OF THE OFFICIAL PART OF THE ‘REPORTER’