The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-12-29

the Aobess LtobA, and many other fe Ale re
hRions devoted to learning, one OF whom
"Diemudis, q nun Of Wessobrun, in BavRri .
transcribed with her own hands forty -thre e.
volumes, smoug which we fud enumerated
the four goseels. FIVE missa's and copy of tn
Csnonicsl epistles." Thomas a Ksmpis was
skiifui penmau and 10 said to have spent hf
teen years in making copy Of the Bible.
These examples of patient toll are spo
ken OF with reverential admiration by the
old chroniclers yet they differed from ths
labors of many others only in extent
Indeed, the zeal and assiduity of the
monks is best evidenced by the gigantic
fragment of their literary industry still
remaining after the lapse of more thar
four hundred years since their busy peps
were superseded by the invention of the
art of printing. Besides many private col
iections of Importance, every public libra
~ IN Europe, perhaps, poesesees specimens
of the handiwork of the media val ecribes,
aud "twenty -four of the most noted OF
these libraries contain together about
$50 600 MSS" As almost every monas-
terry possessed q scriptorium, or at least
pursuits, and as every monastery possess
ed Library, additional evidence is afford
ed of the vast etore of books produced in
the media val era by consideration of the
rumber OF these establishments. Accord
ing to the Galiia Christiana aud Tanners
NotHa l0naStica through war, FIRE and
heresy, thirteen hundred and thirteen of
the medieval u mones'eries were destroyed
or suppressed 10 Eoglapd and France
Though we have not at hand details as to
those countries, it is fair to presume that
similar canses wrought, to greater or less
extent. like results in Spain, Italy, Ger
many and Ireland. When we add to the
foregoing the Losses brought about by nat
ural causes in the lapse of time, aud con-
slider the vast number of media val MSS.
still in existence, we need go no further
in adducing evidence as to the imme sity
of the store of books produced by the
monks of the middle ages.
HOW THE "REFoRMERs" TREATED THE
WORK OF THE MONKS.
1t has often been charged by Protestant
writer's that Catholics destroy heretical
books, but it appears that the work of de
stroying ell books, even those on mathe-
natics. astronomy, etc, was part of the
plan of the so-called Reformation. OF the
COM missoners who made the visitation
20 Oxford in 1549 SO, Anthony Wood Gays:
"The peincipsl ornaments, and at the same |
lime supports of the university-thst is, the !
ibrares filed With inpumerable works, both |
Istive and f1reIgn-,sey either permitted or
directed to be despoiled Hence 3 great null
itude of MSS. having no mark of superstition
bout them (uuless it were to be fo1nd in the
ed lines on their titles). were adj udged to the
amts or TO L1e VlIeet purposes. "orkS OF
cholastic -eoogy were sold off among those
xercising the lowest description of arts, and
hose which contained circles or diagrams il
'as thought good to mutilats or burn, as con-
aiming certain proof of the magical nature of
heir contents" (Hist. Unic. Oron)
Bale, the Anglican Bishop of Ossory,
relsud. though bitter foe to tie Church,
uotes Leland as saying:
"If there had been in every shire of Eugland
ut one solemn library for the preservation Of
earning in our posterity, it bad been some
hat But to destroy all without considera.
on is. aud it will be forever unto England,
most horrible iufamy among the grave Sc
hem which purch hAssd these superstitions
lapsions reserved the books in their libraries,
ome to sco1r their csndlesticks and some to
u b their boots aud some they sent over sea
D the bookb nd =rs, rot in sm all nc bers, but
{ times whole ships full, to the wondering of
oregn nations Yea, the universities of this
calm are not all clear in this detachable fact. ,
know merchautman who shall at this time
q nameless, that bought the cauteuts of two
oble libraries for forty shillDgs price; q
hame it is to be epoken. This stuff hath he
eese ten years, and yet he hath store for as
lany years to come. OaE postsrity may we'll I
urse this wicked fact Of our age, this nnrea. 4
enable spoil of England's most rooe an
lqlities."
A writer in the Letters of Eminent Per
ons from the BOd{eian says:
Whole librariea were destroyed cr made
7aste paper of, consumed for the vilest
ses. Tie splendid Abbey Of Malmsbury,
7hich possessed some of the finest MSS. in
he kingdom, was ransaoked, and it's treasures
ither burnt sold to serve the commonest
urposes of life. An antquary who travelled
b rough that town many years after the dis
olution relates that he saw broken windows
atched up with remnants of the most vAlua-
lie N manuscripts vellum, aud that the
'skers had not then consumed the stores they
lad accumulated, in heating their ovens"
LIBRARIES.
a library seems to have formed part of
very monastery. Says Geoffrey, sub
rior of st. Barbara, in Normandy, in the
welfth century "a monastery without q
library is like q castle without an armory
or our library is our armory, wheace we
,ring forth the sentences of the divine
aw, like sharp arrows to attack the enc
ny :" and Ohm of Salisbury echoes tho
ame thought: ga cloister without books
. like a citadel without arms" In the
of the foundation of a monas-
ery nv Ct EIipiuR. BiahoD of NOyon. in |