had not yet come for making
libraries well stored with such priceless treasures as Leland, the
antiquary, saw at Glastonbury, just before that magnificent foundation
was given as a prey to the spoilers. A library, in any such sense as we
now understand the term, was not only no essential part of a monastery
in those days, but it may almost be said to have been a rarity.

In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries we rarely meet with any
indications of a literary taste among the laity; the books they
purchased were more for ornament than use. But in the fifteenth century
we find books mentioned in a manner which would seem to indicate that
the laity were enabled to use them with pleasure. In 1395, Alice, Lady
West, left to Joan, her son's wife, 'all her books of Latin, English,
and French;' and from the memoranda of Sir John Howard, we learn that
that worthy knight could read at his leisure 'an Englyshe boke, callyd
_Dives et Pauper_,' for which, and 'a Frenshe boke,' in 1464, he paid
thirteen shillings and fourpence. The library of this member of the
Howard family was sufficiently extensive to enable him to select
therefrom, on the occasion of his going to Scotland, thirteen volumes
for his solace and amusement on the voyage.[28] In the Paston _Letters_
will be found a catalogue of the library of one of the members of this
fifteenth century family. In the monasteries books were, of course, used
and treasured long before they became part of the household goods of
rich laymen. The catalogue of the House of the White Canons, at
Titchfield, in Hampshire, dated 1400, shows that the books were kept in
a small room on shelves, and set against the walls. A closet of this
kind was evidently not a working place, but simply a place of storage.
By the beginning of the fifteenth century, the larger monasteries had
accumulated many hundred volumes, and it began to be customary to
provide for the collections separate quarters, rooms constructed for the
purpose. The presses in the cloisters were still utilised for books in
daily reference.[29] Duke Humphrey was a great book collector and patron
of letters, and presented to the University of Oxford many of the
illuminated treasures which he had collected. The magnificent collection
of Charles V. of France, also a great bibliomaniac, was brought by the
Duke of Bedford into England. This library contained 853 volumes of
great splendour, and the introduction of these books into England
stimu