e ray of
unwonted light. These long lifeless books, once most dainty, but now
become corrupt and loathsome, covered with litters of mice and pierced
with the gnawings of the worms, and who were once clothed in purple and
fine linen, now lying in sackcloth and ashes, given up to oblivion,
seemed to have become habitations of the moth. Natheless among these,
seizing the opportunity, we would sit down with more delight than a
fastidious physician among his stores of gums and spices, and there we
found the object and the stimulus of our affections. Thus the sacred
vessels of learning came into our control and stewardship; some by
gift, others by purchase, and some lent to us for a season.

No wonder that when people saw that we were contented with gifts of
this kind, they were anxious of their own accord to minister to our
needs with those things that they were more willing to dispense with
than the things they secured by ministering to our service. And in
good will we strove so to forward their affairs that gain accrued to
them, while justice suffered no disparagement. Indeed, if we had loved
gold and silver goblets, high-bred horses, or no small sums of money,
we might in those days have furnished forth a rich treasury. But in
truth we wanted manuscripts not moneyscripts; we loved codices more
than florins, and preferred slender pamphlets to pampered palfreys.

Besides all this, we were frequently made ambassador of this most
illustrious Prince of everlasting memory, and were sent on the most
various affairs of state, now to the Holy See, now to the Court of
France, and again to various powers of the world, on tedious embassies
and in times of danger, always carrying with us, however, that love of
books which many waters could not quench. For this like a delicious
draught sweetened the bitterness of our journeyings and after the
perplexing intricacies and troublesome difficulties of causes, and the
all but inextricable labyrinths of public affairs afforded us a little
breathing space to enjoy a balmier atmosphere.

O Holy God of gods in Sion, what a mighty stream of pleasure made glad
our hearts whenever we had leisure to visit Paris, the Paradise of the
world, and to linger there; where the days seemed ever few for the
greatness of our love! There are delightful libraries, more aromatic
than stores of spicery; there are luxuriant parks of all manner of
volumes; there are Academic meads shaken by the tramp of sch