Newton's mathematical career dates from 1665; his reputation, abilities, and influence attracted general attention to the subject. He created a school of mathematics and mathematical physics, among the earliest members of which I note the names of Laughton, Samuel Clarke, Craig, Flamsteed, Whiston, Saunderson, Jurin, Taylor, Cotes, and Robert Smith. Since then Cambridge has been regarded as, in a special sense, the home of English mathematicians, and from 1706 onwards we have fairly complete accounts of the course of reading and work of mathematical students.
Until less than a century ago the form of the method of qualifying for a degree remained substantially unaltered, but the subject-matter of the discussions varied from time to time with the prevalent studies of the place.
After the renaissance some of the statutable exercises were "huddled," that is, were reduced to a mere form. To huddle an act, the proctor generally asked some question such as _Quid est nomen?_ to which the answer usually expected was _Nescio_. In these exercises considerable license was allowed, particularly if there were any play on the words involved. For example, J. Brass, of Trinity, was accosted with the question, _Quid est aes?_ to which he answered, _Nescio nisi finis examinationis_. It should be added that retorts such as these were only allowed in the pretence exercises, and a candidate who in the actual examination was asked to give a definition of happiness and replied, "An exemption from Payne"--that being the name of his questioner--was plucked for want of discrimination in time and place. In earlier years even the farce of huddling seems to have been unnecessary, for it was said in 1675 that it was not uncommon for the proctors to take "cautions for the performance of the statutable exercises, and accept the forfeit of the money so deposited in lieu of their performance."
In medieval times acts had been usually kept on some scholastic question or on a proposition taken from the _Sentences_. About the end of the fifteenth century religious questions, such as the interpretation of biblical texts, began to be introduced. Some fifty or sixty years later the favourite subjects were drawn either from dogmatic theology or from philosophy. In the seventeenth century the questions were usually philosophical, but in the eighteenth century, under the influence of the Newtonian school, a large proportion of them were mathematical.