The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1872-03-08
Books In the Middlo A.,.-

lOOkS In TIC middle ApeS.
The orders which relate to booAs Ia che
Chose Rolls " of this period are in.sr..,-
ing. not only "a illustrating the literary
tastS OF the nge, bot principally because
they generally contain some circumstance
which shows the scarcity and value OF the
article. Ii was not until o period subse-
quent to the invention OF printing, that
the coet and rarity Of boo&e ceased to Oh
struct the advancement OF learning and
the diffusion Of knowledge We may quote
tho statement, Of Henry, in his Hietory Of
Great Britain" that. iu the middle ages.
. None bat great kings, prinoes. and pre-
latee, universities and monasteries. oooid
have librarics: and tho libraries Of the
greatest kings were not equal TO those OF
many private gentlemen or country ciergy-
men in the present age. The Royal Library
OF France. which had been collected by
Charles ". vi, and VII. and kept with
great care In ono Of the towers of the
Louvre, consisted Of obout nine hundred
volumes. and was purchased by the Duke
OF Bedford, A. D. 1895, for 1900 livres.
From catalogue Of that library still ex-
tant. it appears 70 have been chiefly com
posed of legends. histories. romancss, and
books on astrology. geomancy and chiro-
NANCY, which wers tho fsvorite studies Of
those times. The kings OF England were
not wen provided with books Henry ".
who had taste for reading. borrowed sew
eral books, which were claimed by their
owners after his death. The Countess OF
Wostmorcland presented petition to the
PIivy Council. A D. 1924. representing that
the late king had borrowed o book from
her, containing the Chronicles Of Jerusa-
lem and the Expedition Of Godfrey OF
Boulogno; and praying that on order
might be given. under the privy seal, for
tho restoration OF the said book. This order
was granted with great fc-Tnality. About
tho same time. John. the prior OF Christ
Church. Canterbury. presented q similar
petition 10 tho Privy Council setting forth.
that the king had borrowed from his prio-
ry n volume containing tho works of St
Gregory; that he had never returned it i;
but that, in his testament, he had directed
1t to bo restored notwithstanding this.
tho prior OF Shine, who had the book, re-
fusel 70 give il up. Tho Council after
mature deliberation, commanded a precept,
undor tho privy seal. to be sent TO the prior
of Shine. requiring him to deliver mp the
book. or TO appear before the Council to
give tho reasons Of his refusal. These facts
sufficiently prove that Il must have been
very difficult. or rather i'm possible. for the
generality Of scholars to procure compe-
tent number of books" The extreme cost.
Gness os the article rendered II no less diff.
fcult TO borrow books than 10 buy them.
TO illustrate this, the same writer, in an
other part OF his work. quotes from Co.
mines the fact. that Louis XI. was Obliged
10 deposit considerable quantity of plate,
and TO get one OF his nobility to Join with
him in bond under a high penalty to re.
turn il. before he could procure the loan of
one voline. which may now DO purchased
for = few shilinFs.
In II Close Roll. dred Goth of March.
19OS. King John writes 10 the Abbot of
Reading t. acknowledge that he had re
cc, cd, nv the hands Of the sacrist Of Read
ing. six volumes of books, containing the
whole of tho Old Testament. The receipt
is also acknowledged of Z" Master Hugh
dc Victories Treatise on tho Sacrament :;
the 4" Sentences of Peter the Lombard -
the "Epist,cs of 81. Augustine on the City
OF God and on the Third Part of the
Pslltcr;;" "V aleriAn de Moribus = "0rigen's
Treatment on tho Old Testament" :" and
"Caudidus Arianus to Marus." The fol
lowing month, the king wrote to the same
abbot to acknowledge the receipt of hi;
copy of Pliny. which the abbot had in hii
custody.
In l249 King Henry III. orders Edward
the ron of Otho of Westminster, 70 caus,
TO be purchased certain church-sorvics
books. and to give them to tho constable
Of Windsor Castle. that hc might deliver
them by his own hand 10 tho officiating
ehsplins in the new chapel at Windsor. I,
be u'od bythcm aud shcy were 'hcn to b