Chapter XVI: Part IV: =The Library.= (3)

[Footnote 262: "How ordinary a fault this was (of
'negligently or willfully altering copies') amongst the
transcribers of former times, may appear by Chaucer; who (I
am confident) tooke as greate care as any man to be served
with the best and heedfullest scribes, and yet we finde him
complayning against Adam, his scrivener, for the very same:

So ofte a daye I mote thy worke renew,
If to correct and eke to rubbe and scrape,
And all is thorow thy neglegence and rape."

Ashmole _Theatrum Chemicum_; p. 439.]

The mention of Edward the Third, as a patron of learned men, must necessarily lead a book-antiquary to the notice of his eminent chancellor, RICHARD DE BURY; of whom, as you may recollect, some slight mention was made the day before yesterday.[263] It is hardly possible to conceive a more active and enthusiastic lover of books than was this extraordinary character; the passion never deserting him even while he sat upon the bench.[264] It was probably De Bury's intention to make his royal master eclipse his contemporary CHARLES THE VTH, of France--the most renowned foreign bibliomaniac of his age![265] In truth, my dear friends, what can be more delightful to a lover of his country's intellectual reputation than to find such a character as De Bury, in such an age of war and bloodshed, uniting the calm and mild character of a legislator, with the sagacity of a philosopher, and the elegant-mindedness of a scholar! Foreigners have been profuse in their commendations of him, and with the greatest justice; while our Thomas Warton, of ever-to-be-respected memory, has shewn us how pleasingly he could descend from the graver tone of a historical antiquary, by indulging himself in a chit-chat style of book-anecdote respecting this illustrious character.[266]

[Footnote 263: See p. 29, ante.]

[Footnote 264: "--patescebat nobis aditus facilis, regalis
favoris intuitu, ad librorum latebras libere perscrutandas.
Amoris quippe nostri fama volatilis jam ubique percrebuit,
tamtumque librorum, et maxime veterum, ferebamur cupiditate
languescere; posse vero quemlibet, nostrum _per quaternos_
facilius, quam _per pecuniam_, adipisci favorem."
_Philobiblion; sive de Amore Librorum_ (vide p. 29, ante),
p. 29: edit. 1599, 4to. But let the reader indulge me with
another extract or two, containing evidence [Transcriber's
Note: 'of' missing in original] the most unquestionable of
the severest symptoms of the BIBLIOMANIA that ever assailed
a Lord Chancellor or a Bishop!--Magliabechi must have read
the ensuing passage with rapture: "Quamobrem cum prædicti
principis recolendæ memoriæ bonitate suffulti, possemus
obesse et prodesse, officere et proficere vehementer tam
maioribus quam pusillis; affluxerunt, loco xeniorum et
munerum, locoque, donorum et iocalium, temulenti quaterni,
ac decripiti codices; nostris tamen tam affectibus, quam
aspectibus, pretiosi. Tunc nobilissimorum monasteriorum
aperiebantur armaria, referebantur scrinia, et cistulæ
solvebantur, et per longa secula in sepulchris soporata
volumina, expergiscunt attonita, quæque in locis tenebrosis
latuerant, novæ lucis radiis perfunduntur." "Delicatissimi
quondam libri, corrupti et abhominabiles iam effecti, murium
fætibus cooperti, et vermium morsibus terebrati, iacebant
exanimes--et qui olim purpura vestiebantur et bysso, nunc in
cinere et cilicio recubantes, oblivioni traditi videbantur,
domicilia tinearum. Inter hæc nihilominus, captatis
temporibus, magis voluptuose consedimus, quam fecisset
Medicus delicatus inter aromatum apothecas, ubi amoris
nostri objectum reperimus et fomentum; sic sacra vasa
scientiæ, ad nostræ dispensationis provenerunt arbitrium:
quædam data, quædam vendita, ac nonnulla protempore
commodata. Nimirum cum nos plerique de hujusmodi donariis
cernerent contentatos, ea sponte nostris usibus studuerent
tribuere, quibus ipsi libentius caruerunt: quorum tamen
negotia sic expedire curavimus gratiosi, ut et eisdem
emolumentum accresceret, nullum tamen iustitia detrimentum
sentiret." "Porro si scyphos aureos et argenteos, si equos
egregios, si nummorum summas non modicas amassemus tunc
temporis, dives nobis ærarium instaurasse possemus: sed
revera LIBROS NON LIBRAS maluimus, codicesque plusquam
florenos, ac panfletos exiguos incrassatis prætulimus
palfridis," _Philobiblion_; p. 29, 30, &c. Dr. James's
preface to this book, which will be noticed in its proper
place, in another work, is the veriest piece of old
maidenish particularity that ever was exhibited! However,
the editor's enthusiastic admiration of De Bury obtains his
forgiveness in the bosom of every honest bibliomaniac!]

[Footnote 265: CHARLES THE FIFTH, of France, may be called
the founder of the Royal Library there. The history of his
first efforts to erect a national library is thus, in part,
related by the compilers of _Cat. de la Bibliothéque
Royale_, pt. i., p. ij.-iij.: "This wise king took advantage
of the peace which then obtained, in order to cultivate
letters more successfully than had hitherto been done. He
was learned for his age; and never did a prince love reading
and book-collecting better than did he! He was not only
constantly making transcripts himself, but the noblemen,
courtiers, and officers that surrounded him voluntarily
tendered their services in the like cause; while, on the
other hand, a number of learned men, seduced by his liberal
rewards, spared nothing to add to his literary treasures.
Charles now determined to give his subjects every possible
advantage from this accumulation of books; and, with this
view, he lodged them in one of the _Towers of the Louvre_;
which tower was hence called _La Tour de la Librarie_. The
books occupied three stories: in the first, were desposited
269 volumes; in the second 260; and in the third, 381
volumes. In order to preserve them with the utmost care (say
Sauval and Felibien), the king caused all the windows of the
library to be fortified with iron bars; between which was
painted glass, secured by brass-wires. And that the books
might be accessible at all hours, there were suspended, from
the ceiling, thirty chandeliers and a silver lamp, which
burnt all night long. The walls were wainscotted with Irish
wood; and the ceiling was covered with cypress wood: the
whole being curiously sculptured in bas-relief." Whoever has
not this catalogue at hand (vide p. 93, ante) to make
himself master of still further curious particulars relating
to this library, may examine the first and second volume of
_L'Academie des Inscriptions_, &c.--from which the preceding
account is taken. The reader may also look into Warton
(Diss. 11, vol. i., sign. f. 2); who adds, on the authority
of Boivin's _Mem. Lit._, tom. ii., p. 747, that the Duke of
Bedford, regent of France, "in the year 1425 (when the
English became masters of Paris) sent his whole library,
then consisting of only 853 volumes, and valued at 2223
livres, into England," &c. I have little doubt but that
Richard De Bury had a glimpse of this infantine royal
collection, from the following passage--which occurs
immediately after an account of his ambassadorial
excursion--"O beate Deus Deorum in Syon, quantus impetus
fluminis voluptatis lætificavit cor nostrum, quoties
Paradisum mundi _Parisios_ visitare vacavimus ibi moraturi?
Ubi nobis semper dies pauci, præ amoris magnitudine,
videbantur. Ibi Bibliothecæ jucundæ super sellas aromatum
redolentes; ibi virens viridarium universorum voluminum,"
&c. _Philobiblion_; p. 31, edit. 1559.]

[Footnote 266: After having intruded, I fear, by the
preceding note respecting _French Bibliomania_, there is
only room left to say of our DE BURY--that he was the friend
and correspondent of Petrarch--and that Mons. Sade, in his
_Memoirs of Petrarch_, tells us that "the former did in
England, what the latter all his life was doing in France,
Italy, and Germany, towards the discovery of the best
ancient writers, and making copies of them under his own
superintendence." De Bury bequeathed a valuable library of
MSS. to Durham, now Trinity College, Oxford. The books of
this library were first packed up in chests; but upon the
completion of the room to receive them, "they were put into
pews or studies, and chained to them." Wood's _History of
the University of Oxford_, vol. ii., p. 911. Gutch's edit.
De Bury's _Philobiblion_, from which so much has been
extracted, is said by Morhof to "savor somewhat of the
rudeness of the age, but is rather elegantly written; and
many things are well expressed in it relating to
bibliothecism." _Polyhist. Literar._, vol. i., 187. The real
author is supposed to have been Robert Holcott, a Dominican
friar. I am, however, loth to suppress a part of what Warton
has so pleasantly written (as above alluded to by Lysander)
respecting such a favourite as DE BURY. "Richard de Bury,
otherwise called Richard Aungervylle, is said to have alone
possessed more books than all the bishops of England
together. Beside the fixed libraries which he had formed in
his several palaces, the floor of his common apartment was
so covered with books that those who entered could not with
due reverence approach his presence. He kept binders,
illuminators, and writers, in his palaces. Petrarch says
that he had once a conversation with him, concerning the
island called by the ancients Thule; calling him 'virum
ardentis ingenii.' While chancellor and treasurer, instead
of the usual presents and new-year's gifts appendant to his
office, he chose to receive those perquisites in books. By
the favour of Edward III. he gained access to the libraries
of most of the capital monasteries; where he shook off the
dust from volumes, preserved in chests and presses, which
had not been opened for many ages." _Philobiblion_, cap. 29,
30.--Warton also quotes, in English, a part of what had been
already presented to the reader in its original Latin form.
_Hist. Engl. Poetry_, vol. i., Diss. II., note g., sign. h.
4. Prettily painted as is this picture, by Warton, the
colouring might have been somewhat heightened, and the
effect rendered still more striking, in consequence, if the
authority and the words of Godwyn had been a little attended
to. In this latter's _Catalogue of the Bishops of England_,
p. 524-5, edit. 1601, we find that De Bury was the son of
one SIR RICHARD ANGARUILL, knight: "that he saith of
himselfe 'exstatico quodam librorum amore potenter se
abreptum'--that he was mightily carried away, and even
beside himself, with immoderate love of bookes and desire of
reading. He had alwaies in his house many chaplaines, all
great schollers. His manner was, at dinner and supper-time,
to haue some good booke read unto him, whereof he would
discourse with his chaplaines a great part of the day
following, if busines interrupted not his course. He was
very bountiful unto the poore. Weekely he bestowed for their
reliefe, 8 quarters of wheat made into bread, beside the
offall and fragments of his tables. Riding betweene
Newcastle and Durham he would give 8_l._ in almes; from
Durham to Stocton, 5_l._: from Durham to Aukland, 5 marks;
from Durham to Middleham, 5_l._" &c. This latter is the
"pars melior" of every human being; and bibliomaniacs seem
to have possessed it as largely as any other tribe of
mortals. I have examined Richardson's magnificent reprint of
Godwyn's book, in the Latin tongue, London, 1743, folio; p.
747; and find nothing worth adding to the original text.]

LOREN. The task we have imposed upon you, my good Lysander, would be severe indeed if you were to notice, with minute exactness, all the book-anecdotes of the middle ages. You have properly introduced the name and authority of Warton; but if you suffered yourself to be beguiled by his enchanting style, into all the bibliographical gossiping of this period, you would have no mercy upon your lungs, and there would be no end to the disquisition.

LYSAND. Forgive me, if I have transgressed the boundaries of good sense or good breeding: it was not my intention to make a "_Concio ad Aulam_"--as worthy old Bishop Saunderson was fond of making--but simply to state facts, or indulge in book chit-chat, as my memory served me.

LIS. Nay, Lorenzo, do not disturb the stream of Lysander's eloquence. I could listen 'till "Jocund day stood tip-toe on the mountain."

PHIL. You are a little unconscionable, Lisardo: but I apprehend Lorenzo meant only to guard Lysander against that minuteness of narration which takes us into every library and every study of the period at which we are arrived. If I recollect aright, Warton was obliged to restrain himself in the same cause.[267]

[Footnote 267: The part alluded to, in Warton, is at the
commencement of his second Dissertation "On the Introduction
of Learning into Great Britain." After rambling with the
utmost felicity, among the libraries, and especially the
monastic ones, of the earlier and middle ages--he thus
checks himself by saying, that "in pursuit of these
anecdotes, he is imperceptibly seduced into later periods,
or rather is deviating from his subject."]

LOREN. It belongs to me, Lysander, to solicit your forgiveness. If you are not tired with the discussion of such a various and extensive subject (and more particularly from the energetic manner in which it is conducted on your part), rely upon it that your auditors cannot possibly feel _ennui_. Every thing before us partakes of your enthusiasm: the wine becomes mellower, and sparkles with a ruddier glow; the flavour of the fruit is improved; and the scintillations of your conversational eloquence are scattered amidst my books, my busts, and my pictures. Proceed, I entreat you; but first, accept my libation offered up at the shrine of an offended deity.

LYSAND. You do me, and the _Bibliomania_, too much honour. If my blushes do not overpower me, I will proceed: but first, receive the attestation of the deity that he is no longer affronted with you. I drink to your health and long life!--and proceed:

If, among the numerous and gorgeous books which now surround us, it should be my good fortune to put my hand upon one, however small or imperfect, which could give us some account of the _History of British Libraries_, it would save me a great deal of trouble, by causing me to maintain at least a chronological consistency in my discourse. But, since this cannot be--since, with all our love of books and of learning, we have this pleasing desideratum yet to be supplied--I must go on, in my usual desultory manner, in rambling among libraries, and discoursing about books and book-collectors. As we enter upon the reign of HENRY IV., we cannot avoid the mention of that distinguished library hunter, and book describer, JOHN BOSTON of Bury;[268] who may justly be considered the Leland of his day. Gale, if I recollect rightly, unaccountably describes his bibliomaniacal career as having taken place in the reign of Henry VII.; but Bale and Pits, from whom Tanner has borrowed his account, unequivocally affix the date of 1410 to Boston's death; which is three years before the death of Henry. It is allowed, by the warmest partizans of the reformation, that the dissolution of the monastic libraries has unfortunately rendered the labours of Boston of scarcely any present utility.

[Footnote 268: It is said of BOSTON that he visited almost
every public library, and described the titles of every book
therein, with punctilious accuracy. Pits (593) calls him
"vir pius, litteratus, et bonarum litterarum fautor ac
promotor singularis." Bale (p. 549, edit. 1559) has even the
candour to say, "mirâ sedulitate et diligentia omnes omnium
regni monasteriorum bibliothecas invisit: librorum collegit
titulos, et authorum eorum nomina: quæ omnia alphabetico
disposuit ordine, et quasi unam omnium bibliothecam fecit."
What Lysander observes above is very true: "non enim
dissimulanda (says Gale) monasteriorum subversio, quæ brevi
spatio subsecuta est--libros omnes dispersit et BOSTONI
providam diligentiam, maxima ex parte, inutilem reddidit."
_Rer. Anglicar. Scrip. Vet._, vol. iii., præf. p. 1. That
indefatigable antiquary, Thomas Hearne, acknowledges that,
in spite of all his researches in the Bodleian library, he
was scarcely able to discover any thing of Boston's which
related to Benedictus Abbas--and still less of his own
compositions. _Bened. Abbat._ vol. i., præf. p. xvii. It is
a little surprising that Leland should have omitted to
notice him. But the reader should consult Tanner's _Bibl.
Britan._, p. xvii., 114.]

There is a curious anecdote of this period in Rymer's Foedera,[269] about taking off the duty upon _six barrels of books_, sent by a Roman Cardinal to the prior of the Conventual church of St. Trinity, Norwich. These barrels, which lay at the custom-house, were imported duty free; and I suspect that Henry's third son, the celebrated John Duke of Bedford, who was then a lad, and just beginning to feed his bibliomaniacal appetite, had some hand in interceding with his father for the redemption of the duty.

[Footnote 269: Vol. viii., p. 501. It is a Clause Roll of
the 9th of Henry IV. A.D. 1407: "De certis Libris, absque
Custumenda solvenda, liberandis;" and affords too amusing a
specimen of custom-house latinity to be withheld from the
reader. "Mandamus vobis, quod certos libros _in sex Barellis
contentos_, Priori qt Conventui Ecclesiæ Sanctæ Trinitatis
Norwici, per quendam Adam nuper Cardinalem legatos, et in
portum civitatis nostræ predictæ (Londinensis) ab urbe
Romanâ jam adductos, præfato, Priori, absque Custuma seu
subsidio inde ad opus nostrum capiendis, liberetis
indilate," &c.]

LIS. This DUKE OF BEDFORD was the most notorious bibliomaniac as well as warrior of his age; and, when abroad, was indefatigable in stirring up the emulation of Flemish and French artists, to execute for him the most splendid books of devotion. I have heard great things of what goes by the name of _The Bedford Missal_![270]

[Footnote 270: This missal, executed under the eye and for
the immediate use of the famous John, Duke of Bedford
(regent of France), and Jane (the daughter of the Duke of
Burgundy) his wife, was, at the beginning of the 18th
century, in the magnificent library of Harley, Earl of
Oxford. It afterwards came into the collection of his
daughter, the well-known Duchess of Portland; at whose sale,
in 1786, it was purchased by Mr. Edwards for 215 guineas;
and 500 guineas have been, a few years ago, offered for this
identical volume. It is yet the property of this last
mentioned gentleman. Among the pictures in it, there is an
interesting one of the whole length portraits of the Duke
and Duchess;--the head of the former of which has been
enlarged and engraved by Vertue for his portraits to
illustrate the History of England. The missal frequently
displays the arms of these noble personages; and also
affords a pleasing testimony of the affectionate gallantry
of the pair; the motto of the former being "A VOUS ENTIER:"
that of the latter, "J'EN SUIS CONTENTE." There is a former
attestation in the volume, of its having been given by the
Duke to his nephew, Henry VI. as "a most suitable present."
But the reader shall consult (if he can procure it) Mr.
Gough's curious little octavo volume written expressly upon
the subject.]

LYSAND. And not greater than what merits to be said of it. I have seen this splendid bijou in the charming collection of our friend ----. It is a small thick folio, highly illuminated; and displaying, as well in the paintings as in the calligraphy, the graphic powers of that age, which had not yet witnessed even the dry pencil of Perugino. More gorgeous, more beautifully elaborate, and more correctly graceful, missals may be in existence; but a more curious, interesting, and perfect specimen, of its kind, is no where to be seen: the portraits of the Duke and of his royal brother Henry V. being the best paintings known of the age. 'Tis, in truth, a lovely treasure in the book way; and it should sleep every night upon an eider-down pillow encircled with emeralds!

LIS. Hear him--hear him! Lysander must be a collateral descendant of this noble bibliomaniac, whose blood, now circulating in his veins, thus moves him to "discourse most eloquently."

LYSAND. Banter as you please; only "don't disturb the stream of my eloquence."

The period of this distinguished nobleman was that in which book-collecting began to assume a fixed and important character in this country. Oxford saw a glimmering of civilization dawning in her obscured atmosphere. A short but dark night had succeeded the patriotic efforts of De Bury; whose curious volumes, bequeathed to Trinity College, had laid in a melancholy and deserted condition 'till they were kept company by those of COBHAM, Bishop of Worcester, REDE, Bishop of Chichester, and HUMPHREY the good Duke of Gloucester.[271] Now began the fashion (and may it never fall to decay!) of making presents to public libraries:--but, during the short and splendid career of HENRY V., learning yielded to arms: the reputation of a scholar to that of a soldier. I am not aware of any thing at this period, connected with the subject of our discourse, that deserves particular mention; although we ought never to name this illustrious monarch, or to think of his matchless prowess in arms, without calling to mind how he adorned the rough character of a soldier by the manners of a prince, the feelings of a Christian, and, I had almost said, the devotion of a saint.

[Footnote 271: We will first notice COBHAM, Bishop of
Worcester: who "having had a great desire to show some love
to his mother the university of Oxford, began, about the
year 1320, to build, or at least to make some reparations
for _a Library_, over the old congregation house in the
north church-yard of St. Mary's; but he dying soon after,
before any considerable matter was done therein, left
certain moneys for the carrying on of the work, and all his
books, with others that had been lately procured, to be,
with those belonging to the university (as yet kept in
chests) reposed therein." Some controversy afterwards
arising between the University and Oriel College, to which
latter Cobham belonged, the books lay in dreary and
neglected state till 1367; when a room having been built for
their reception, it was settled that they "should be reposed
and chained in the said room or solar; that the scholars of
the University should have free ingress and regress, at
certain times, to make proficiency in them; that certain of
the said books, of greater price, should be sold, till the
sum of _l._ 40 was obtained for them (unless other remedy
could be found) with which should be bought an yearly rent
of _l._ 3, for the maintenance of a chaplain, that should
pray for the soul of the said bishop, and other benefactors
of the University both living and dead, and have the custody
or oversight of the said books, and of those in the ancient
chest of books, and chest of rolls." Wood's _Hist. of the
University of Oxford_, vol. ii., pt. ii., 911. Gutch's edit.
WILLIAM REDE, or READ, bishop of Chichester, "sometimes
Fellow (of Merton College) gave a chest with _l._ 100 in
gold in it, to be borrowed by the Fellows for their relief;
bond being first given in by them to repay it at their
departure from the college; or, in case they should die, to
be paid by their executors: A.D. 1376. He also built, about
the same time, _a Library_ in the college; being the first
that the society enjoyed, and gave books thereunto." Wood's
_History of the Colleges and Halls_, p. 15, Gutch's edit. In
Mr. Nicholl's _Appendix to the History of Leicester_, p.
105, note 20, I find some account of this distinguished
literary character, taken from Tanner's _Bibl. Britan._, p.
618. He is described, in both authorities, as being a very
learned Fellow of Merton College, where he built and
furnished _a noble library_; on the wall of which was
painted his portrait, with this inscription: "GULIELMUS
REDÆUS, EPISCOPUS CICESTRENSIS, MAGISTER IN THEOLOGIA,
PROFUNDUS ASTRONOMUS, QUONDAM SOCIUS ISTIUS COLLEGII, QUI
HANC LIBRARIAM FIERI FECIT." Many of Read's mathematical
instruments, as well as his portrait, were preserved in the
library when Harrison wrote his description of England,
prefix'd to Holinshed's Chronicles; some of the former of
which came into the possession of the historian. For thus
writes Harrison: "William Read, sometime fellow of Merteine
college in Oxford, doctor of divinitie, and the most
profound astronomer that liued in his time, as appeareth by
his collection, which some time I did possesse; his image is
yet in the librarie there; and manie instruments of
astronomie reserued in that house," &c. _Chronicles_ (1587),
edit. 1807, vol. i., p. 237. In the year 1808, when I
visited the ancient and interesting brick-floored library of
Merton College, for the purpose of examining early printed
books, I looked around in vain for the traces, however
faded, of Read's portrait: nor could I discover a single
vestige of the BIBLIOTHECA READIANA! The memory of this once
celebrated bishop lives therefore only in what books have
recorded of him; and this brief and _verbal picture_ of Read
is here drawn--as was the more finished resemblance of
Chaucer by the pencil, which Occleve has left behind--

=That thei that have of him lost thoute and mynde
By this peinture may ageine him fynde.=

HUMPHREY, Duke of GLOUCESTER, "commonly called _the good_,
was youngest brother to Henry V. and the first founder of
the university library in Oxford, which was pillaged of the
greater part of its books in the reign of Edward the Sixth."
Park's edit. of the _Royal and Noble Authors_; vol. i., 198.
"As for the books which he gave (says Wood) they were very
many, more by far than authors report; for whereas 'tis said
he gave 129, you shall find anon that they were more than
treble the number." The Duke's first gift, in 1439, of one
hundred and twenty-nine treatises, was worth, according to
Wood, a thousand pounds. All his book presents, "amounting
to above 600 (mostly treating of divinity, physic, history,
and humanity) which were from several parts of the world
obtained, were transmitted to the university, and for the
present laid up in chests in Cobham's library. The catalogue
also of them which were then sent, and the indentures for
the receipt of the said books, were laid up in the chest
called _Cista Librorum et Rotulorum_." _History_ (or Annals)
_of the University of Oxford_; vol. ii., pt. ii., 914.
Gutch's edit. Consult also the recent and very amusing
_History of the same University_, by Mr. A. Chalmers, vol.
ii., p. 459. Leland has not forgotten this distinguished
bibliomaniac; for he thus lauds him in roman verse:

Tam clari meminit viri togata
Rectè Gallia; tum chorus suavis
Cygnorum Isidis ad vadum incolentûm
Cui magnum numerum dedit BONORUM
LIBRORUM, statuitque sanctiori
Divinus studio scholæ theatrum;
Nostro quale quidem videtur esse
Magnum tempore, forsan et futuro

_Cygn. Cant._ Vide Lelandi Itinerarium
Curâ Hearne; edit. 1770, vol. ix., p. 17.]

The reign of his successor, HENRY VI., was the reign of trouble and desolation. It is not to be wondered that learning drooped, and religion "waxed faint," 'midst the din of arms and the effusion of human blood. Yet towards the close of this reign some attempt was made to befriend the book cause; for the provost and fellows of Eton and Cambridge petitioned the king to assist them in increasing the number of books in their libraries;[272] but the result of this petition has never, I believe, been known.

[Footnote 272: In the manuscript history of Eton College, in
the British Museum (_MSS. Donat._ 4840, p. 154.), the
Provost and Fellows of Eton and Cambridge are stated, in the
25th of Henry the Sixth, to have petitioned the king that,
as these new colleges were not sufficiently seised of books
for divine service, and for their libraries, he would be
pleased to order one of his chaplains, Richard Chestre, "to
take to him such men as shall be seen to him expedient in
order to get knowledge where such bookes may be found,
paying a reasonable price for the same, and that the sayd
men might have the first choice of such bookes, ornaments,
&c., before any man, and in especiall of all manner of
bookes, ornaments, and other necessaries as now _late were
perteynyng to the Duke of Gloucester_, and that the king
would particular(ly) cause to be employed herein John Pye
his stacioner of London." For this anecdote I am indebted to
Sir H. Ellis. See also the interesting note in Warton's
_Hist. Engl. Poet._, diss. ii., sign. f. 2.]

I had nearly passed through the reign of Henry the Sixth without noticing the very meritorious labours of a sort of precursor of Dean Colet; I mean, SIR WALTER SHERINGTON. He was a most assiduous bibliomaniac;[273] and, in the true spirit of ancient monachism, conceived that no cathedral could be perfect without a library. Accordingly, he not only brought together an extraordinary number of curious books, but framed laws or regulations concerning the treatment of the books, and the hours of perusing them; which, if I can trust to my memory, are rather curious, and worth your examination. They are in Hearne's edition of the Antiquities of Glastonbury, composed in our own language.

[Footnote 273: "Over the east quadrant of this (great)
cloyster (on the north side of this church) was a fayre
librarie, builded at the costes and charges of (Sir) WALTAR
SHERINGTON, chancellor of the duchie of Lancaster, in the
raigne of Henrie the 6. which hath beene well furnished with
faire written books IN VELLEM: but few of them now do
remaine there." _Antiquities of Glastonbury_; Hearne's edit.
1722; p. 308.

_Regulations concerning Sherington's Library._

"Quodque dicta libraria, hostiis ipsius per præfatos
capellanos custodes ejusdem, et eorum successores, aut
alterum ipsorum, apertis singulis diebus profestis annuatim
á festo Nativ. beat. Mar. Virg. usque festum Annunciacionis
ejusdem, ob ortu solis, donec hora nona post altam missam de
servicio diei in dicta ecclesiâ cathedrali finiatur: et
iterum ab hora prima post meridiem usque ad finem
completorii in eadem ecclesia cathedrali, vel saltem usque
ad occasum solis per eosdem, seu eorum alterum, sic continue
diligenter custodiatur. Et eciam singulis diebus profestis
annuatim, ab eodem festo Annunciacionis beatæ Mariæ Virginis
usque ad prædictum festum nativitatis ejusdem, ab hora diei
sexta, donec hora nona post altam missam in dicta ecclesia
cathedrali, et iterum ab hora prima post meridiem quosque
completorium in eadem ecclesia cathedrali finiatur, per
præfatos capellanos, seu eorum alterum et successores suos
custodes dictæ librariæ debitè et diligenter aperta,
custodiatur, nisi causa racionabilis hoc fieri impediat. Ita
quod nullum dampnum eidem librariæ aut in libris, aut in
hostiis, seruris vel fenestris vitreis ejusdem, ex
negligencia dictorum capellanorum aut successorum suorum
custodum dictæ librariæ evenire contingat. Et si quid
dampnum hujusmodi in præmissis, seu aliquo præmissorum, per
negligenciam ipsorum capellanorum, seu eorum alterius, aut
successorum suorum quoque modo imposterum evenerit, id vel
ipsa dampnum aut dampna recompensare, emendare et
satisfacere, tociens quociens contigerit, de salariis seu
stipendiis suis propriis, auctoritate et judicio dictorum
Decani et Capituli, debeant et teneantur, ut est justum.
Ceteris vero diebus, noctibus et temporibus hostia prædicta,
cum eorum seruris et clavibus, omnino sint clausa et secure
serata." _Id._: p. 193.]

We now enter upon the reign of an active and enterprising monarch; who, though he may be supposed to have cut his way to the throne by his sword, does not appear to have persecuted the cause of learning; but rather to have looked with a gracious eye upon its operations by means of the press. In the reign of EDWARD IV., our venerable and worthy Caxton fixed the first press that ever was set to work in this country, in the abbey of Westminster. Yes, Lorenzo; now commenced more decidedly, the æra of BIBLIOMANIA! Now the rich, and comparatively poor, began to build them small _Book Rooms_ or _Libraries_. At first, both the architecture and furniture were sufficiently rude, if I remember well the generality of wood cuts of ancient book-boudoirs:--a few simple implements only being deemed necessary; and a three-legged stool, "in fashion square or round," as Cowper[274] says, was thought luxury sufficient for the hard student to sit upon. Now commenced a general love and patronage of books: now (to borrow John Fox's language) "tongues became known, knowledge grew, judgment increased, BOOKS WERE DISPERSED, the scripture was read, stories were opened, times compared, truth discerned, falsehood detected, and with finger pointed (at)--and all, THROUGH THE BENEFIT OF PRINTING."[275]

[Footnote 274: The entire passage is worth extraction: as it
well describes many an old stool which has served for many a
studious philosopher:

"Joint stools were then created: on three legs
Upborne they stood. Three legs upholding firm
A massy slab, in fashion square or round.
On such a stool immortal Alfred sat,
And sway'd the sceptre of his infant realms.
And such in ancient halls and mansions drear
May still be seen; but perforated sore,
And drilled in holes, the solid oak is found,
By worms voracious eating through and through."

_Task_: b. i., v. 19, &c.

It had escaped the amiable and sagacious author of these
verses that such tripodical seats were frequently introduced
into OLD BOOK-ROOMS; as the subjoined print--which gives us
also a curious picture of one of the libraries alluded to by
Lysander--may serve to shew:

]

[Footnote 275: _Book of Martyrs_, vol. i., p. 927; edit.
1641.]

LIS. Now you have arrived at this period, pray concentrate your anecdotes into a reasonable compass. As you have inveigled us into the printing-office of Caxton, I am fearful, from your strong attachment to him, that we shall not get over the threshhold of it, into the open air again, until midnight.

PHIL. Order, order, Lisardo! This is downright rudeness. I appeal to the chair!--

LORENZ. Lisardo is unquestionably reprehensible. His eagerness makes him sometimes lose sight of good breeding.

LYSAND. I was going to mention some _Vellum_ and _Presentation_ copies--but I shall hurry forward.

LIS. Nay, if you love me, omit nothing about "vellum and presentation copies." Speak at large upon these glorious subjects.

LYSAND. Poor Lisardo!--we must build an iron cage to contain such a book-madman as he promises to become!

PHIL. Proceed, dear Lysander, and no longer heed these interruptions.

LYSAND. Nay, I was only about to observe that, as Caxton is known to have printed _upon vellum_,[276] it is most probable that one of his presentation copies of the romances of _Jason and Godfrey of Boulogne_ (executed under the patronage of Edward IV.), might have been printed in the same manner. Be this as it may, it seems reasonable to conclude that Edward the Fourth was not only fond of books, as objects of beauty or curiosity, but that he had some affection for literature and literary characters; for how could the firm friend and generous patron of TIPTOFT, EARL of WORCESTER--with whom this monarch had spent many a studious, as well as jovial, hour--be insensible to the charms of intellectual refinement! Pause we here for one moment--and let us pour the juice of the blackest grape upon the votive tablet, consecrated to the memory of this illustrious nobleman! and, as Caxton has become so fashionable[277] among us, I will read to you, from yonder beautiful copy of his English edition of "_Tully upon Friendship_," a part of our printer's affecting eulogy upon the translator:--"O good blessed Lord God, what great loss was it of that noble, virtuous, and well-disposed lord! When I remember and advertise his life, his science, and his virtue, me thinketh God not displeased over a great loss of such a man, considering his estate and cunning," &c. "At his death every man that was there, might learn to die and take his (own) death patiently; wherein I hope and doubt not, but that God received his soul into his everlasting bliss. For as I am informed he right advisedly ordained all his things, as well for his last will of worldly goods, as for his soul's health; and patiently, and holily, without grudging, in charity, to fore that he departed out of this world: which is gladsome and joyous to hear."--What say you to this specimen of Caxtonian eloquence?

[Footnote 276: Consult the recent edition of the
_Typographical Antiquities_ of our own country: vol. i., p.
56, 137, 268.]

[Footnote 277: As a proof of the ardour with which the books
printed by him are now sought after, the reader shall judge
for himself--when he is informed that an imperfect copy of
the _Golden Legend_, one of Caxton's commonest productions,
produced at a book sale, a few months ago, the sum of
_twenty-seven_ guineas!]

LIS. It has a considerable merit; but my attention has been a good deal diverted, during your appropriate recital of it, to the beautiful condition of the copy. Thrice happy Lorenzo! what sum will convey this volume to my own library!

LOREN. No offer, in the shape of money, shall take it hence. I am an enthusiast in the cause of Tiptoft; and am always upon the watch to discover any volume, printed by Caxton, which contains the composition of the hapless Earl of Worcester! Dr. Henry has spoken so handsomely of him, and Mr. Park, in his excellent edition of Walpole's Royal and Noble Authors,[278] has made his literary character so interesting that, considering the dearth of early good English authors,[279] I know of no other name that merits greater respect and admiration.

[Footnote 278: Vol i., p. 200, &c. _History of Great
Britain_, by Dr. Henry, vol. x., p. 143, &c.]

[Footnote 279: "In the library of Glastonbury abbey, in
1248, there were but four books in Engleish, &c. We have not
a single historian, in Engleish prose, before the reign of
Richard the Second; when John Treviza translateëd the
Polychronicon of Randal Higden. Boston of Bury, who seems to
have consulted all the monasterys in Engleland, does not
mention one author who had written in Engleish; and Bale, at
a lateër period, has, comparatively, but an insignificant
number: nor was Leland so fortunate as to find above two or
three Engleish books, in the monastick and other librarys,
which he rummage'd, and explore'd, under the king's
commission." Ritson's Dissertation on Romance and
Minstrelsy: prefixed to his _Ancient Engleish Metrical
Romanceës_, vol. i., p. lxxxi.]

LYSAND. True; and this nobleman's attention to the acquisition of fine and useful books, when he was abroad, for the benefit of his own country,[280] gives him a distinguished place in the list of BIBLIOMANIACS. I dare say Lisardo would give some few hundred guineas for his bust, executed by Flaxman, standing upon a pedestal composed of the original editions of his works, bound in grave-coloured morocco by his favourite Faulkener?[281]

[Footnote 280: Dr. Henry's _History of Great Britain_;
_ibid._: from which a copious note has been given in the new
edition of our _Typographical Antiquities_; vol. i., p. 127,
&c.]

[Footnote 281: Henry Faulkener, no. 4, George Court, near
the Adelphi, in the Strand. An honest, industrious, and
excellent book-binder: who, in his mode of re-binding
ancient books is not only scrupulously particular in the
preservation of that important part of a volume, the margin;
but, in his ornaments of tooling, is at once tasteful and
exact. Notwithstanding these hard times, and rather a
slender bodily frame, and yet more slender purse--with five
children, and the prospect of five more--honest Mr.
Faulkener is in his three-pair-of-stairs confined workshop
by five in the morning winter and summer, and oftentimes
labours 'till twelve at night. Severer toil, with more
uniform good humour and civility in the midst of all his
embarrassments, were never perhaps witnessed in a brother of
the ancient and respectable craft of _Book-binding_!]

LIS. I entreat you not to inflame my imagination by such tantalizing pictures! You know this must ever be a fiction: the most successful bibliomaniac never attained to such human happiness.

PHIL. Leave Lisardo to his miseries, and proceed.

LYSAND. I have supposed Edward to have spent some jovial hours with this unfortunate nobleman. It is thought that our monarch and he partook of the superb feast which was given by the famous NEVELL, archbishop of York, at the inthronization of the latter; and I am curious to know of what the library of such a munificent ecclesiastical character was composed! But perhaps this feast itself[282] is one of Lisardo's fictions.

[Footnote 282: Lysander is perfectly correct about the feast
which was given at the archbishop's inthronization; as the
particulars of it--"out of an old paper roll in the archives
of the Bodleian library," are given by Hearne in the sixth
volume of _Leland's Collectanea_, p. 1-14: and a most
extraordinary and amusing bill of fare it is. The last
twenty dinners given by the Lord Mayors at Guildhall, upon
the first day of their mayoralties, were only
_sandwiches_--compared with such a repast! What does the
reader think of 2000 chickens, 4000 pigeons, 4000 coneys,
500 "and mo," stags, bucks, and roes, with 4000 "pasties of
venison colde?"--and these barely an 18th part of the kind
of meats served up! At the high table our amiable EARL of
WORCESTER was seated, with the Archbishop, three Bishops,
the Duke of Suffolk, and the Earl of Oxford. The fictitious
archiepiscopal feast was the one intended to be given by
NEVELL to Edward IV.; when the latter "appointed a day to
come to hunt in More in Hertfordshire, and make merry with
him." Nevell made magnificent preparations for the royal
visit; but instead of receiving the monarch as a guest, he
was saluted by some of his officers, who "arrested him for
treason," and imprisoned him at Calais and Guisnes. The
cause of this sudden, and apparently monstrous, conduct, on
the part of Edward, has not been told by Stow (_Chronicles_,
p. 426; edit. 1615), nor by Godwyn, (_Catalogue of the
Bishops of England_, p. 481, edit. 1601): both of whom
relate the fact with singular naiveté. I have a strong
suspicion that Nevell was so far a bibliomaniac as to have
had a curious collection of _astrological books_; for "there
was greate correspondency betweene this Archbishop and the
Hermetique philosophers of his time; and this is partly
confirmed to me from Ripley's dedication of his '_Medulla_'
to him, ann. 1746; as also the presentation of Norton's
'_Ordinall_,'" &c. Thus writes Ashmole, in his _Theatrum
Chemicum_, p. 455.]

Enough has probably been said of Edward. We will stop, therefore, but a minute, to notice the completion of the HUMPHREY LIBRARY, and the bibliomaniacal spirit of master RICHARD COURTNEY,[283] during the same reign; and give but another minute to the mention of the statute of RICHARD III. in protection of English printers,[284] when we reach the AUGUSTAN BOOK-AGE, in the reign of HENRY VII.

[Footnote 283: Speaking of the public library of Oxford, at
this period, Hearne tells us, from a letter sent by him to
Thomas Baker, that there was "a chaplein of the Universitie
chosen, after the maner of a Bedell, and to him was the
custodie of the librarye committed, his stipend--cvi_s_. and
viii_d_. his apparell found him _de secta generosorum_. No
man might come in to studdie but graduats and thoes of 8
years contynuance in the Universitie, except noblemen. All
that come in must firste sweare to use the bookes well, and
not to deface theim, and everye one after at his proceedings
must take the licke othe. Howers apoynted when they shuld
come in to studdie, viz. betwene ix and xi aforenoone, and
one and four afternoone, the keper geving attendaunce: yet a
prerogative was graunted the chancelour MR. RICHARD COURTNEY
to come in when he pleased, during his own lieffe, so it was
in the day-tyme: and the cause seemeth, that he was CHEIFFE
CAWSER AND SETTER ON OF THE LIBRARYE." _Curious Discourses
by Eminent Antiquaries_; vol. ii., p. 410., edit. 1775.]

[Footnote 284: See page 114, ante. When Lysander talks,
above, of the reign of Henry the Seventh being the "AUGUSTAN
AGE for BOOKS," he must be supposed to allude to the
facility and beauty of publishing them by means of THE
PRESS: for at this period, abroad, the typographical
productions of Verard, Eustace, Vostre, Bonfons, Pigouchet,
Regnier, and many others ("quæ nunc perscribere longum est")
were imitated, and sometimes equalled by W. de Worde,
Pynson, and Notary, at home. In regard to _intellectual_
fame, if my authority be good, "in the reign of Henry VII.
Greek was a stranger in both universities; and so little
even of Latin had Cambridge, of its own growth, that it had
not types sufficient to furnish out the common letters and
epistles of the University. They usually employed an
Italian, one Caius Auberinus, to compose them, whose
ordinarry [Transcriber's Note: ordinary] fee was twentypence
a letter." (MSS. in Benet College Library, lib. P. p. 194,)
_Ridley's Life of Ridley_, p. 22. "Greek began to be taught
in both universities: quietly at Cambridge, but ('Horresco
referens!') with some tumult at Oxford!" _ibid._]

PHIL. Before we proceed to discuss the bibliomaniacal ravages of this age, we had better retire, with Lorenzo's leave, to the DRAWING-ROOM; to partake of a beverage less potent than that which is now before us.

LORENZ. Just as you please. But I should apprehend that Lysander could hold out 'till he reached the Reformation;--and, besides, I am not sure whether our retreat be quite ready for us.

LIS. Pray let us not take leave of all these beauteous books, and busts, and pictures, just at present. If Lysander's lungs will bear him out another twenty minutes, we shall, by that time, have reached the Reformation; and then "our retreat," as Lorenzo calls it, may be quite ready for our reception.

LYSAND. Settle it between yourselves. But I think I could hold out for another twenty minutes--since you will make me your only book-orator.

LORENZ. Let it be so, then. I will order the lamps to be lit; so that Lisardo may see his favourite Wouvermans and Berghems, in company with my romances, (which latter are confined in my satin-wood book-case) to every possible degree of perfection!

LYSAND. Provided you indulge me also with a sight of these delightful objects, you shall have what you desire:--and thus I proceed:

Of the great passion of HENRY THE VIITH for fine books, even before he ascended the throne of England,[285] there is certainly no doubt. And while he was king, we may judge, even from the splendid fragments of his library, which are collected in the British Museum, of the nicety of his taste, and of the soundness of his judgment. That he should love extravagant books of devotion,[286] as well as histories and chronicles, must be considered the fault of the age, rather than of the individual. I will not, however, take upon me to say that the slumbers of this monarch were disturbed in consequence of the extraordinary and frightful passages, which, accompanied with bizarre cuts,[287] were now introduced into almost every work, both of ascetic divinity and also of plain practical morality. His predecessor, Richard, had in all probability been alarmed by the images which the reading of these books had created; and I guess that it was from such frightful objects, rather than from the ghosts of his murdered brethren, that he was compelled to pass a sleepless night before the memorable battle of Bosworth Field. If one of those artists who used to design the horrible pictures which are engraved in many old didactic volumes of this period had ventured to take a peep into Richard's tent, I question whether he would not have seen, lying upon an oaken table, an early edition of some of those fearful works of which he had himself aided in the embellishment, and of which Heinecken has given us such curious fac-similes:[288]--and this, in my humble apprehension, is quite sufficient to account for all the terrible workings in Richard, which Shakespeare has so vividly described.

[Footnote 285: Mr. Heber has a fine copy of one of the
volumes of a black-letter edition of Froissart, printed by
Eustace, upon the exterior of the binding of which are
HENRY'S arms, with his name--HENRICVS DVX RICHMVNDIÆ. The
very view of such a book, while it gives comfort to a
low-spirited bibliomaniac, adds energy to the perseverance
of a young collector! the latter of whom fondly, but vainly,
thinks he may one day be blessed with a similar treasure!]

[Footnote 286: The possession of such a volume as "_The
Revelations of the monk of Euesham_" (vide vol. ii., of the
new edition of _Brit. Typog. Antiquities_), is evidence
sufficient of Henry's attachment to extravagant books of
devotion.]

[Footnote 287: It is certainly one of the comforts of modern
education, that girls and boys have nothing to do, even in
the remotest villages, with the perusal of such books as
were put into the juvenile hands of those who lived towards
the conclusion of the 15th century. One is at a loss to
conceive how the youth of that period could have ventured at
night out of doors, or slept alone in a darkened room,
without being frightened out of their wits! Nor could
maturer life be uninfluenced by reading such volumes as are
alluded to in the text: and as to the bed of death--_that_
must have sometimes shaken the stoutest faith, and disturbed
the calmest piety. For what can be more terrible, and at the
same time more audacious, than human beings arrogating to
themselves the powers of the deity, and denouncing, in
equivocal cases, a certainty and severity of future
punishment, equally revolting to scripture and common sense?
To drive the timid into desperation, and to cut away the
anchor of hope from the rational believer, seem, among other
things, to have been the objects of these "ascetic" authors;
while the pictures, which were suffered to adorn their
printed works, confirmed the wish that, where the reader
might not comprehend the text, he could understand its
illustration by means of a print. I will give two extracts,
and one of these "bizarre cuts," in support of the preceding
remarks. At page 168, ante, the reader will find a slight
mention of the subject: he is here presented with a more
copious illustration of it. "In likewise there is none that
may declare the piteous and horrible cries and howlings the
which that is made in hell, as well of devils as of other
damned. And if that a man demand what they say in crying;
the answer: All the damned curseth the Creator. Also they
curse together as their father and their mother, and the
hour that they were begotten, and that they were born, and
that they were put unto nourishing, and those that them
should correct and teach, and also those the which have been
the occasion of their sins, as the bawd, cursed be the bawd,
and also of other occasions in diverse sins. The second
cause of the cry of them damned is for the consideration
that they have of the time of mercy, the which is past, in
the which they may do penance and purchase paradise. The
third cause is of their cry for by cause of the horrible
pains of that they endure. As we may consider that if an
hundred persons had every of them one foot and one hand in
the fire, or in the water seething without power to die,
what _bruit_ and what cry they should make; but that should
be less than nothing in comparison of devils and of other
damned, for they ben more than an hundred thousand
thousands, the which all together unto them doeth
_noysaunce_, and all in one thunder crying and braying
horribly."--_Thordynary of Crysten Men_, 1506, 4to., k k.
ii., rect. Again: from a French work written "for the
amusement of all worthy ladies and gentlemen:"

De la flamme tousiours esprise
De feu denfer qui point ne brise
De busches nest point actise
Ne de soufflemens embrase
Le feu denfer, mais est de Dieu
Cree pour estre en celuy lieu
Des le premier commencement
Sans jamais pendre finement
Illec nya point de clarte
Mais de tenebres obscurte
De peine infinie durte
De miseres eternite
Pleur et estraignement de dens
Chascun membre aura la dedans
Tourmmens selon ce qua forfait
La peine respondra au fait,
&c. &c. &c.

_Le passe tempe de tout home, et de toute femme_;
sign. q. ii., rev.

Printed by Verard in 8vo., without date: (from a copy,
printed upon vellum, in the possession of John Lewis
Goldsmyd, Esq.)--The next extract is from a book which was
written to amuse and instruct the common people: being
called by Warton a "universal magazine of every article of
salutary and useful knowledge." _Hist. Engl. Poetry_: vol.
ii., 195.

In hell is great mourning
Great trouble of crying
Of thunder noises roaring
with plenty of wild fire
Beating with great strokes like guns
with a great frost in water runs
And after a bitter wind comes
which goeth through the souls with ire
There is both thirst and hunger
fiends with hooks putteth their flesh asunder
They fight and curse and each on other wonder
with the fight of the devils dreadable
There is shame and confusion
Rumour of conscience for evil living
They curse themself with great crying
In smoak and stink they be evermore lying
with other pains innumerable.

_Kalendar of Shepherds. Sign G. vij. rev.
Pynson's edit., fol._

Specimens of some of the tremendous cuts which are crowded
into this thin folio will be seen in the second volume of
the new edition of the _Typographical Antiquities_. However,
that the reader's curiosity may not here be disappointed, he
is presented with a similar specimen, on a smaller scale, of
one of the infernal tortures above described. It is taken
from a book whose title conveys something less terrific; and
describes a punishment which is said to be revealed by the
Almighty to St. Bridget against those who have "ornamenta
indecentia in capitibus et pedibus, et reliquis membris, ad
provocandum luxuriam et irritandum deum, in strictis
vestibus, ostensione mamillarum, unctionibus," &c.
_Revelaciones sancte Birgitte; edit. Koeberger, 1521, fol.,
sign. q., 7, rev._]

[Footnote 288: See many of the cuts in that scarce and
highly coveted volume, entitled, "_Idée Generale d'une
Collection complètte d'Estampes_." Leips. 1771, 8vo.]