braries and private
studies.--_Wood's Hist. Oxon._, vol. i. b. 1. p. 108. And "least
their impiety and foolishness in this act should be further wanting,
they brought it to pass that certain rude young men should carry
this great spoil of books about the city on biers, which being so
done, to set them down in the common market place, and then burn
them, to the sorrow of many, as well as of the Protestants as of the
other party. This was by them styled 'the funeral of Scotus the
Scotists.' So that at this time and all this king's reign was seldom
seen anything in the universities but books of poetry, grammar, idle
songs, and frivolous stuff."--_Ibid., Wood is referring to the reign
of Edward VI._

[12] Wood's Hist. Oxon, b. i. p. 81.

[13] "Gutch has printed in his 'Collectiana' an order from the
Queen's commissioners to destroy all capes, vestments, albes,
missals, books, crosses, and such other idolatrous and superstitious
monuments whatsoever.'--vol. ii. p. 280."

[14] Fuller's Church History, b. vi. p. 335.

[15] Wood's Oxon, vol. i. b. i. p. 107

CHAPTER II.

_Duties of the monkish librarian.--Rules of the library.--Lending
books.--Books allowed the monks for private reading.--Ridiculous
signs for books.--How the libraries were supported.--A monkish
blessing on books, etc._

In this chapter I shall proceed to inquire into the duties of the monkish
amanuensis, and show by what laws and regulations the monastic libraries
were governed. The monotonous habits of a cloistered bibliophile will,
perhaps, appear dry and fastidious, but still it is curious and
interesting to observe how carefully the monks regarded their vellum
tomes, how indefatigably they worked to increase their stores, and how
eagerly they sought for books. But besides being regarded as a literary
curiosity, the subject derives importance by the light it throws on the
state of learning in those dark and "bookless" days, and the
illustrations gleaned in this way fully compensate for the tediousness of
the research.

As a bibliophile it is somewhat pleasing to trace a deep book passion
growing up in the barrenness of the cloister, and to find in some cowled
monk a bibliomaniac as warm and enthusiastic in his way as the renowned
"Atticus," or the noble Roxburghe, of more recent times. It is true we
can draw no comparison between the result of their re