Eton and Windsor; but Dick volunteered his knowledge to me as we lay
in Datchet lock about the first. Quoth he:

"Up yonder are some beautiful old buildings, which were built for a
great college or teaching-place by one of the mediaeval kings--Edward
the Sixth, I think" (I smiled to myself at his rather natural
blunder). "He meant poor people's sons to be taught there what
knowledge was going in his days; but it was a matter of course that
in the times of which you seem to know so much they spoilt whatever
good there was in the founder's intentions. My old kinsman says that
they treated them in a very simple way, and instead of teaching poor
men's sons to know something, they taught rich men's sons to know
nothing. It seems from what he says that it was a place for the
'aristocracy' (if you know what that word means; I have been told its
meaning) to get rid of the company of their male children for a great
part of the year. I daresay old Hammond would give you plenty of
information in detail about it."

"What is it used for now?" said I.

"Well," said he, "the buildings were a good deal spoilt by the last
few generations of aristocrats, who seem to have had a great hatred
against beautiful old buildings, and indeed all records of past
history; but it is still a delightful place. Of course, we cannot
use it quite as the founder intended, since our ideas about teaching
young people are so changed from the ideas of his time; so it is used
now as a dwelling for people engaged in learning; and folk from round
about come and get taught things that they want to learn; and there
is a great library there of the best books. So that I don't think
that the old dead king would be much hurt if he were to come to life