LIBRARY OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
028
A926p
1888
The person charging this material is re-
sponsible for its return to the library from
which it was withdrawn on or betore the
Latest Date stamped below.
Theft mutilation, and underlining of books
are reasons for disciplinary action and may
result in dismissal from the University.
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS UBRARYj^TJJRBANA^C^^
oer
-^
%
,»^-
k i
«CV2 8t
!J7Z.
JAN 1 0 I^
7 \9'?8
'JAN 0 3 m
JAN 0 3 1995
DEC0 2 2C03
T.if^i_n-inQf;
\ \ h
The Philobiblon of Richard
De Bury
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
f
Seal of Richard de Bury
The Philobiblon of
Richard de Bury
Bishop of Durham Treasurer and
Chancellor of Edward III
Edited and Translated by Ernest C.
Thomas Barrister-at-law late Scholar
of Trinity College Oxford and Li-
brarian of the Oxford Union
London
Kegan Paul, Trench and Co.
1888
CHISWICK PRESS :— C. WHITTINGHAM AND CO.
TOOKS COURTj CHANCERY LANE.
■2»
]
Librorum Dilectoribus
ac praecipue
Sam : Timmins
Ricardi Nostri
Amantlsslmo
I I 13561
Contents
Preface ....
Introduction :
Biographical
Bibliographical .
Philobiblon Ricardi de Bury
The Philobiblon translated
Index ....
Page
Vll
XI
xlix
I
153
253
Preface
Although more than five centuries have passed aivay
since Richard De Bury wrote the last words of the
Philobiblon in his ^ Manor at Auckland on the 2/\th
of January^ 1345/ l^^i^ ^^ only the second occasion on
which the original text of his little treatise has been
printed in his native coujitry. The editio?is printed
abroad were based upon inferior 7na??u scripts ^ and
even the edition published by Tho7?ias James, Bodlefs
first librarian, left much to be done with 7?iore pains
and the aid of better manuscripts. The French editor
Cocheris, in 1856, though he made 2ise of three
new manuscripts, printed a?i eveti less correct text than
those of the ea7iiest editiofis, yet, owing to the scarcity
of the earlier copies, this edition is the only one that
ca7i be said to be generally accessible. The text now
printed after a careful examination of twenty-eight
manuscripts a?id of the various printed editions may
claim to give for the first time a representation of the
Philobiblon as it left its winter's hands.
The plan of the present edition has been sufficiently
explained in the Intro duct io7i {seep. Ixxvii), a?id it only
re77iains for the Editor i7i this place to express his
ack7iowledg77ients to those fro?n whom he has received
viii PREFACE
the most liberal and valuable assistance in his under-
taki7ig.
He is indebted to the President and Fellows of
Corpus Christi College, Oxford; to the President and
Fellows of Magdalen College, Oxford; to the Master
and Fellows of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge ;
and to the Trustees of Bishop Cosines Library, Dur-
ham ; for the liberality with which th^^y have en-
trusted to him their MSS. of the Philobiblon. He
also tenders his thanks to the Curators of the Bodleian
Library, Oxford ; the Warden and Fellows of All
Souls' College, Oxford ; and the Master and Fellows
of Trinity College, Camb?'idge ; who havelzindly sent
their MSS. to the British Museum, or to Grafs Inn
Library for his use.
He has further to acknowledge the if iter national
comity ivith which the Governments of France and
Bavaria have sent to this country, the former three
MSS. frotn the Bibliotheque Nationale, and the
latter, two MSS.fvm the Konigliche Hofund-Staats-
biblioihek at Munich. He has to acknowledge a
siniilar kindness from the University of Basel. He
must express his acknowledgfnents to Mr. E. M.
Thompson, Keeper of the Ma7iuscripts at the British
Museum, and to Mr. IV. P. Douthwaite, Librarian
of Grafs l7in, for their kindness i?i accepting the
charge of the MSS. so sent.
The Editor is i7idebted to the Rector and Fellows
of Lincoln College, Oxford ; the President a?id
Fellows of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge ; the
PREFACE ix
Master atid Fellows of Ball iol College ; the President
and Fellows of St. John's College^ Oxford^ for the
facilities they have kifidly afforded him for i?ispecting
tJmr MSS.
He has also to tha?ik the Fight Hon. Earl Spen-
cer, K.G.f who was good enough to send his copy of
the editio princeps to London for his use, and Mr.
W. A. Tyssen Amherst, M. P., for a similar courtesy.
To Mr. Chancellor Christie he is indebted for the
loan of his copy of the Oxford edition, and for several
valued communications. He is especially indebted to
Mr. Sam : Timmins for the loan of his MS. and of
several of the early editio7is of the book. The greatly
regretted death of Air. Henry Bradshaw has removed
one who took much interest in the p?'ese?it work
and e?ttrusted to the Editor a MS. of the Philo-
biblon which was in his custody. Fro??i the same
cause, the Editor is unable to tender his thanks to
M. Alvifi, the Conservateur of the Bibliotheque
Royale at Brussels, who ki/uily u?idertook to collate
the three MSS. in that library, and to Mr. J. E.
Bailey, of Manchester, who was specially ifitei'ested
ifi the work and career of De Bury, and lent the
Editor his copy of 07ie of the early editions.
Finally, the Editor has to express his acknowledg-
ments for special courtesies or obliging com?nunicatio7is,
to His Enmience Cardinal New7nan ; the Lord
Bishop of Chester ; the Lord Charles Bruce, M.F.;
the Preside7it of Trinity College, Oxford ; the De-
puty Keeper of the Records; [P.] Felix Rozdnski ;
PREFACE
M. Leopold Delisle ; Dr. Attgiist Reichensperger ;
Dr. G. Laubman7ty of Munich ; Dr. Auerman?t,
of Erfurt ; Dr. L. Sieber, of Basel ; Dr. F. Letts-
c/iuh, of Bamberg ; Signor Castellani^ of Venice ;
Dr. Moritz Steinschneider, of Berliji ; Dr. Leopold
Seligmann ; M. Henri Omont ; Mr. Geo. Bullen^
Mr. E. M. Thompson^ and Dr. R. Gametic of
the British Museum; Mr. E. B. Nicholson, Mr.
F. Madan, and the Rev. W. D. Macray, of the
Bodleian Library ; the Rev. J. T. Fowler, of Dur-
ham ; Mr. W. Bliss, of Rome ; the Rev. S. S.
Leivis ; Mr. IL, D. Blakiston ; Mr. T. G. Law ;
Mr. Evelyn Abbott ; Mr. J. Bass Mullinger ;
Mr. H. R. Tedder; Mr. C. W. Sutton; Mr. C. W.
ILolgate; Mr. J. LI. LLessels; Mr. J. A. C. Vin-
cent, and Mr. Bernard Quaritch.
Since the Bibliographical l7itroduction was in
type, Prof essor Henry Morley has reprinted the trans-
lation of Lnglis. Of this the Editor need say no
more than that to have reprinted this version without
an attempt to co7'rect its ?iujnerous mistakes, or to
make use of the 7naterials for its i77iprove77ient, which
have co77ie to light sittce it was published, was to do
less than justice to L7iglis, who did i/ifend to revise
his tra7islation, and to do the cruellest possible in-
justice to the 77ie77iory of Richard De Biuy.
Sherringham, Norfolk,
October, 1888.
Introduction
Biographical
€r I. Though the account given of himself by
Richard De Bury in the Fhilobiblon is far from
satisfying our curiosity, it must be reckoned a
fortunate circumstance that he has told us so much
as he has of his career and of his pursuits. Apart
from the autobiographical particulars which he has
there set down, we should have had but scanty
materials from which to present his portrait. The
chief authority for his life is William de Chambre/
one of the Durham historians, whose sketch, how-
ever, is so slight that, although he tells us of the
Bishop's great affection for books, and his wonder-
ful collection of them, he says nothing of his
project of founding a library at Oxford, and makes
no mention of the Philobiblon.
C 2. Richard De Bury was born on the 24th of
January, 1287, in a little hamlet near Bury St.
Edmund's, in Suffolk, which was famed for its
^ Chambre's life, first printed in Wharton's Anglia Sacra,
is more accurately printed in the Surtees Society edition of the
Scriptores Tres. Little is known of Chambre, who appears,
however, to have been an officer of the Convent of Durham.
xii INTR OD UC TION
monastery.^ His father was Sir Richard Aunger-
vile, a knight, whose ancestor had come over with
the Conqueror, and settled in Leicestershire, where
the family held the manor of Willoughby.^ The
charge of his education was undertaken by a rector-
uncle, John de Willoughby, who in the fashion of
the times had assumed the name of his birth-place.
From the grammar-school he was sent to Oxford,
where he is said to have distinguished himself in
philosophy and theology. It is sometimes said
that he then became a Benedictine monk in the
Convent at Durham ; but if this is so, it is curious
that none of the Durham authorities refer to the
circumstance, and it seems more likely that the
story rests upon a blunder in the chronicle of
Adam de Murimuth.^ His university distinction
appears to have attracted the attention of the
Court, and he was called from his studies to
become governor of Prince Edward of Windsor,
afterwards Edward IH., who was born in 131 2.
Dibdin gives De Bury credit for having com-
^ The Dictionary of National Biography^ following the
EncyclopiBdia Britannica and the Biographia Bj-itannica^
says 1 28 1, but this date rests upon an entirely mistaken
reading of the final note in the Cottonian copy.
^ Burton, Description of Leicestershire, p. 288, says that
in the church of Willoughby, " is this only coat of arms of
Angervile : Gules, a cinquefoil ermine, a border sable,
bisante." Cp. Harl. MS., 1404, f. 91 (Papworth, p. 869).
^ Ed. Hog., p. 73 : Chambre says nothing of it, and the
first reference to it seems to be in Pits. Ziegelbauer, Hist.
Lit. Ord. S. Benedict, iv, 636, evidently relies upon Pits.
BIOGRAPHICAL xiii
municated to his royal pupil some share of his
own affection for books/
C 3. In the year 1322 he was appointed Cham-
berlain of Chester,- having apparently already
held the office of clerk to the justices of Chester,
though the identity of the Ricardus de Sancto
Edmundo of the Chester records with our Richard
de Bury had been obscured until Mr. J. E. Bailey
recently called attention to it.^ He was next
appointed the King's principal receiver in Gas-
cony, ■* which was then an English province. In
this position he became mixed up with the wretched
intrigues and disturbances which ended in the
deposition of Edward II. When Prince Edward
and his mother Isabella were at Paris, in 1325,
Richard furnished them with a large sum of money
which he had received in his office. The King's
lieutenant in Gascony pursued Richard with four-
and-twenty lancers to Paris, where, in fear of his
life, Richard had to hide himself for seven days in
the Campanile of the Friars Minor.
' Dibdin, Bibliomania, pp. 118-119.
^ Cp. Coke, 4th Inst. 211 : " The Chambedain of Chester
hath, and time out of mind hath had, the jurisdiction of a
Chancellor."
^ See Papers of the Manchester Literary Club, 18S0, pp.
283-2S8 ; Acade?ny, 20 Mar. 1880, p. 214. In the Wells
register he is called " Ricardus de Bury, alias de S.
Edmundo." Wharton, Angl. Sacra, i. 589.
* This is Chambre's phrase ; but his office was perhaps
more correctly Const alnila7-ins Btirdegaliae. Rot. claus.
15 Edw. III., p. 3, m. 18 : Reg. Pal. Dunelm. iv. 24S.
XIV INTRODUCTION
C 4. The accession to the throne, on the 14th of
January, 1327, of the prince, to whom he had had
such opportunities of endearing himself, was a
decisive event for the fortunes of De Bury. He
was appointed, in quick succession, Cofferer to the
King, then Treasurer of the Wardrobe,^ and after-
wards Clerk of the Privy Seal. The King, more-
over, repeatedly wrote to the Pope, with his own
hand, recommending his "beloved clerk and secre-
tary" for ecclesiastical promotion.^
In 1330,^ and again in 1333,* De Bury was sent
as ambassador to the Papal Court, which was then
in ' Babylonian captivity' at Avignon/ It was an
age of splendour and display, and Richard fully
maintained the dignity of his office and of his
master. Whenever he visited the Pope, or any of
the Cardinals, he was accompanied by twenty
clerks uniformly attired, and by thirty-six esquires,
all wearing his livery. It is of more interest to
' His inventory of the Crown jewels on resigning their
charge is printed in the Archccologia, vol. x. p. 241 foil.
■^ See the King's letter of 26 Dec. 1330, in Rymer, ii.
2. 804, describing Richard as " virum in consiliis providum,
conversationis et vitae munditia decorum, litterarum scientia
praeditum et in agendis quibuslibet circumspectum. "
^ See the King's letter on his return, dated 25 Oct. 1331 :
Rymer, ii. 2. 827.
■^ The co7npotus of his expenses is at the Record Office : it
extends from 20 Feb. to 20 Nov. 1333.
^ Even Thomas Watts, in his account of De Bury in the
English Cydopizdia, and Lord Campbell, in his Lives of the
Chancellors, 4th ed., i. 192, make De Buiy visit Italy.
BIOGRAPHICAL rv
note that during his stay at Avignon, he made the
acquaintance of Petrarch, who has left upon record
a brief account of his intercourse with him, the
extent of which has been somewhat exaggerated.
So far from a Hterary correspondence having been
estabhshed between them, Petrarch complains that
he could get no answer to his letters : " quamvis
saepe litteris interpellatus exspectationi meae non
aliter quam obstinato silentio satisfecit." ^ He so
commended himself to the Pope, John XXII., that
he was made his principal chaplain ; and, besides
other privileges, received a rochet in place of a
bull for the next vacant bishopric in England.
His ecclesiastical preferments" were already so
numerous and valuable, that he was master of an
income of five thousand marks. The most con-
siderable of them was the Deanery of Wells, to
which he was appointed in 1333 — "a goodly
preferment in those daies, better I think than the
Bishoprick is now," as Bishop Godwin says.^ Nor
had he long to wait for the promised bishopric.
^ Ep. Fam. iii. i. De Sade, i. 165-9, points out that
their friendship must have been fonned during De Bury's
first visit, as Petrarch was absent from Avignon in 1333.
^ See the long list of them in Tanner, Bibl. Brit. , 1 748,
p. 57; which, however, may be supplemented from Browne
Willis, Cathedrals, ii. 437. Dr. Hook, Archbishops, iv.
82, gives a highly imaginative account of De Bury as a pre-
bendar}' of Chichester, but there is no evidence that he held
a stall there.
^ Bishops of England, 1601, p. 524.
xvi INTRODUCTION
C 5. On the 25th of September in the same year,
the See of Durham became vacant by the death of
Bishop Louis de Beaumont/ The vacancy led to
an unfortunate conflict of interests, in which,
however, the King appears to have been more to
blame than De Bury. On the 7th of October
Edward issued his license to the Prior and Con-
vent of Durham to elect a new Bishop, and the
choice of the electors fell upon their learned sub-
prior, Robert de Graystanes. Having received
letters proclamatory from the Archbishop of York,
Graystanes proceeded to the King at Ludgers-
hall, to ask for the temporalities. Meantime the
King had written to the Prior and Convent and
also to the Pope, to secure the appointment of
Richard De Bury ; and his answer to Graystanes
on his arrival was, that he did not wish to offend
the Pope, who had already provided De Bury to
the See, and could not, therefore, consent to his
election. Graystanes returned to York, and after
taking advice, was consecrated by the Archbishop
of York, and duly installed at Durham, after which
he made another ineffectual attempt to see
the King. It was impossible for Graystanes and
^ Beaumont was the Bishop who could not pronounce a
Latin word at his consecration, and preferred to take it
as read : " Seyt pur dite ! Par Seynt Lowys, 11 ne fu
pas curteis que ceste parole ici escrite ! ' He was a relative
of the Queen, who is said to have begged the appointment
for him on her bare knees : Scriptores Tres, pp. 98 and
118.
BIOGRAPHICAL xvii
the Convent to Avithstand the King further, and
Graystanes returned to his cloister — sine episcopatu
episcopus.^ He has left upon record a temperate
statement of his case, in which he refrains from
throwing any of the blame upon De Bury."
^ 6. Richard was on his return from Avignon
while these things were happening, and the tempo-
ralities were only restored to him on the 7th of
December.^ On the 1 9th of the same month, the Sun-
day before Christmas Day,* he was consecrated by
the Archbishop of Canterbury, in the Abbey of the
Black Friars of Chertsey, the Bishop of Lincoln pay-
ing all the expenses at the King's direction. Richard
was installed by proxy on the loth of January
following, but was not enthroned in person until
the 5 th of June,® amid great festivities, attended by
the King and Queen, the Queen-mother, the King
of Scots, two archbishops, five bishops, seven earls
^ Adam de Murimuth, Chronica sui Temporis, ed. Hog,
p. 74.
^ See his Chronicle in the Historice Diinelmensis Scriptores
Tres, p. 120 ff. Abp. Melton's letters to the Prior and Con-
vent and to the Pope add some curious details : Raine's
Historical Letters from Northern Registers, p. 36S.
3 Pat. 7 Edw. Ill,, p. 2. m. 6 ; Reg. Pal. Dunelm. iv. 179.
^ Hardy makes a curious slip in translating "Dominica
ante Natnle" as "the Sunday preceding his birthday";
which has misled Mr. J. E. Bailey, Papers of the Manchester
Literary Club, 18S5, p. 402.
'" The Diet, of Nat. Biography, following the blunder
of the B. B., puts these festivities at Chertsey at the time of
the consecration, 19 Dec. 1333.
xviii INTRODUCTION
with their countesses, and all the magnates north
of the Trent, together v/ith numbers of knights and
esquires, and still more abbots, priors, and religious
persons, and an innumerable multitude of common
folk. The Bishop was present at Newcastle, on
the 19th of June, when Edward of Balliol did
homage to the King.^
The Bishop had already on the 3rd of February
in the same year been appointed Lord Treasurer,
and on the 28th of September following he ex-
changed the Golden Keys for the Great Seal^ A
few days before his appointment as Lord Chan-
cellor he was made a commissioner, with the
Bishops of Coventry and Norwich, to visit Oxford
to inquire into the grave disturbances which had
led to a secession of a large number of the students
to Stamford.^ In 1332 Bury had visited the sister
university of Cambridge as one of the commissioners
to inquire into the state of the King's scholars there ;
and it was perhaps upon this occasion that he be-
came a member of the Gild of S. Mary ^ — one of the
two gilds which founded Corpus Christi College.
* Chronicle of Lanercost, p. 277.
^ Le Neve, Foss, and Hard}' all state the date ot his
treasurership quite correctly ; yet the Dictionaiy of National
Biography, again relying upon the B. B., says, " In 1334 he
was made high chancellor of England and treasurer in 1336."
Lord Campbell also seems to have been misled by the B. B. —
See Fat. 7 Edvv. III. p. 2, m. 20 ; 8 Edw. III. p. i, m. 40.
^ Rymer, ii. 2, p. 892 ; Maxv/ell Lyte, Hist. U. Oxford,
P- 134-
'^ Ixlasters-Lrjnb, Corpus ChiisLi College, p. 16.
BIOGRAPHICAL xix
C 7- I^e Bury did net long occupy the Marble
Chair of the Chancellor, whether because its duties
were not very congenial to one who has spoken so
disparagingly of the law, or perhaps more probably
because his services were even more urgently
required elsewhere. At all events on the 6th of
June, 1335, at York he restored the Great Seal to
the King, who transferred it to John Stratford,
the Archbishop of Canterbury.^ The attention
of the King and nation was at this time chiefly
concentrated upon foreign politics and the claim
put forward by Edward to the French Crov/n.
The keenest and coolest intellects of the age
were required for the tasks of diplomacy, and the
choice of the sovereign again fell upon De Bury.
The next few years of the Bishop's life were mainly
devoted to this service, in the course of which he
thrice visited Paris and spent some time in Flanders,
Hainault, and Germany.
|[ 8. Before proceeding abroad, however, the
Bishop was called upon to put his Palatinate into a
condition to resist a threatened attack from the
Scottish border. The King spent great part of the
year 1335-6 in the north, and appears to have been
at Auckland from the 12th to the 21st of December
1335,^ where he was no doubt the guest of the man
whom he delighted to honour.^ A truce having
' R)'mer, ii. 2, p. 909.
* Surtees, Hist, of Durham, i. p. xxxli.
' See Rymer, ii. 2 pp. 927fF.
XX JNTR OD UC TION
been made with the Scotch, Richard De Bury was
appointed a special ambassador with the Bishop of
Winchester and two others to the King of France
with full povv^ers to treat as to a proposed crusade,
and as to all questions in dispute between Edward
and Philip, and also to treat for peace with David
Bruce. Their appointment was on the 6th of July,
1336,^ and they returned on the 29th of September,^
the result of the mission being unfavourable.^ In
October the King appears to have been again at
Auckland.* During the year 1337 Richard De
Bury v/as three times put at the head of com-
missioners nominated to lay the King's intentions
before assembhes of magnates at York and New-
castle, as to an invasion of Scotland.^
^ 9. All the energies of the King were engaged
in pushing forward preparations for the struggle
with the French King. But in deference to the
Pope he consented to make another attempt to
agree with his adversary; and on the 21st June,
1338, full powers were given to John Stratford,
Archbishop of Canterbury, Richard De Bury and
^ R5^mer, i. 2, pp. 941, 942.
^ The order for payment of De Biiry's salary of 5 marks
per diem and of his expenses is dated 4 Nov. ; Ryraer, ii. 2,
p. 950. His covipotus is at the Record Office.
"^ Rymer, ii. 2, p. 944.
^ See docvmicnts in Rymer, ii. 2, pp. 947-9 ; cp. Gibson,
Miscellanies, 1863, p. 78.
^ Rymer, ii. 2, pp. 963 (24 March), 979 (28 Jun.), icoo
(6 Oct.).
BIOGRAPHICAL xxi
Others, to treat of all causes of difference.^ On the
1 6th of July the King himself sailed for Antwerp,
where he landed on the 22nd, and on~the same
day revoked the powers conferred upon his ambas-
sadors,^ and they were not renewed until the 15th
November.^ Edward was busily engaged in pro-
curing allies and engaging assistance in the Low
Countries and Germany. De Bury accompanied
his master on his magnificent progress up the
Rhine in August and September to that stately
meeting between Edward and the Emperor Lewis
at Coblentz, which must have rivalled in the
splendour of its pageantry the more famous meet-
ing on the Field of the Cloth of Gold."* Edward and
Lewis sat on thrones surrounded by more than
17,000 barons and knights, and Edward was ap-
pointed Vicar-General of the Empire. The task
of negotiating with Edward's allies proceeded
slowly, and we find Richard named as one of the
hostages for the observance of a treaty made with
the Duke of Brabant on 22nd June, 1339.^ Edward
was so pressed for money that he was obliged to
pledge his crowns. In September a commission
was issued to the Prince, the Archbishop of Canter-
bury, and De Bury, to lay the King's pecuniary
^ Rymer, ii. 2, p. 1043.
"^ Ibid. p. 1051.
^ Ibid. p. 1065.
* See Pauli, Pictures of Old England, pp. 146 ff., for an
account of this progress from the Wardrobe accounts.
' Rymer, ii. 2, p. 1083.
xxii INTRODUCTION
difficulties before his people/ and Richard seems
to have returned to Endand on the lothof October
in that year,^ and by December was again in his
bishopric. His dread and dislike to the war which
had now begun is clearly visible in his letter to the
Prior of Durham, ordering thanksgiving for the
naval victory of Sluys in 1340.^ Though he was
appointed with others to treat of peace with Philip
on the Toth of April, 1341/ there seems to be no
record of his expenses ; and, as a fresh commission
was issued for the same purpose to other ambas-
sadors en the 24th of July,^ it is probable that
De Bury did not proceed upon the embassy : at all
events we find him attending parliament at Easter,
and appointed with others to consider the charges
of treason preferred by the King against the Arch-
bishop of Canterbury and other ministers of the
Crown.^
C[ 10. This appears, accordingly, to have been De
Bury's last visit to the Continent. Henceforward,
save for his attendances in Parliament, he seems to
have spent his time in the care of his diocese and
in communion with his books, a communion less un-
interrupted, doubtless, than the peace-loving Bishop
^ Rymer, ii. 2, p. 1091.
^ His coinpohis is at the Record Office and extends from
II July, 1338, to 10 Oct. 1339, or 457 days.
^ Depositions, etc. (Surtees Soc), p. 10.
^ Rymer, ii. 2, p. II 56.
■' Ibid. p. 1 168.
^ Rot. Pari. ii. 129.
BIOGRAPHICAL xxiii
would have wished, by the more military duties
imposed upon him in the protection of the Pala-
tinate.
On 28th April, 1340^ he was appointed a com-
missioner with others to treat with the Scotch for
peace/ and a truce was concluded in September.
But in the following July, De Bury and others were
directed to take measures for the defence of the
realm against the Scotch,^ and in September a comi-
mission of array was directed to De Bury.^ In
December Edward was again at Newcastle to
invade Scotland, and granted an indemnity to
De Bur}", who had furnished forty men-at-arms at
his own personal expense.* The expedition effected
little, and in April, 1342, De Bury was again
appointed to treat for peace or a truce with
Bruce." In the following years v\'e find De Bury
enjoining the Prior of Durham not to absent him-
self from the Convent, in anticipation of an inroad
of the Scotch.®
Meantime Edward was devoting all his efforts to
the preparations for the great conflict with France,
which was to exhaust the energies of both peoples
during the next hundred years. In 1344 the peers
called upon the King to cross the sea and appeal to
the judgment of God by battle, and the representa-
^ Rymer, ii. 2, p. 1122. ^ Ibid. p. 1171.
=» Ibid. p. 1 175. ^ Ibid. p. 11S3.
' Ibid. p. 1 191.
^ Scriptores Tres, App. p. cxxix (20 Aug.).
xxiv INTR OD UCTION
tives of the clergy eagerly voted him three years'
supplies.^
De Bury therefore saw and heard quite enough
of the temper and circumstance of war to sharpen
the pen with which — probably about this very time —
he was describing the injuries inflicted upon htera-
ture, in the Qiterimonia Librorum contra Bella. He
does not present to us, however, that curious
combination of the soldier and the bishop which
was familiar to the age of chivalry; and we are
not called upon to picture him, like his predecessor
Anthony Bee, leading a host of " 140 knights, 500
horsemen and 1000 foot " to war under the sacred
banner of S. Cuthbert. On the contrary, Chambre
tells us not only that the Palatinate enjoyed reason-
able tranquiUity during his pontificate,^ but that his
maintenance as Lord Palatine of the rights of the
liberty of Durham despite his frequent absences
caused the lot of his subjects to contrast favourably
with the burdens and exactions imposed upon the
rest of the country.
^11. How soon De Bury felt the attack of the
disease from which he died we do not know, but
Chambre tells us that he died longa infiiDiitate de-
codus^ and it appears that he was not in parliament
^ Rot. Pari. ii. 147 foil.
2 The story of the sack of Durham and massacre of its
inhabitants, told by Froissart (c. 71) as having happened in
1341, is accepted by Cocheris (Introd. p. xiv), but has been
rejected by historians.
BIOGRAPHICAL xxv
in 1344. To this period we are to assign the
writing of the Philohiblon^ which was completed,
according to the concluding note, on the Bishop's
fifty-eighth birthday, the 24th of January, 1345.
The latest documents in his Register are dated
the 5th of April of the same year at Durham Castle,
and on the 14th of April, at his manor ot
Auckland, in the words of the memorandum entered
on the rolls of his Chancery : Do??ii?tus Ricardus
de Bury inigravit ad Dominuni} He was buried on
the 2 1 St of April, honourably indeed, but in the
judgment of his warm admirer Chambre, not with
all the honour he deserved — quodammodo honori-
fice 71011 iaincn cum honore satis congruo — before the
altar of St. Mary Magdalene in the western angle
of his Cathedral. The place of his sepulture was
marked by " a faire marble stone, whereon his
owne ymage was most curiously and artificially
ingraven in brass, with the pictures of the twelve
Apostles of either side of him, and other fine
imagery work about it, much adorninge the marble
stone."- Chambre records that after his death one
' According to Gervase of Tilbury, this elegantissimum
dictamii schema is derived from S. Athanasius ; Otia Imper.,
ii. 16.
^ Surtees, Hist. Durh. i. p. xxxiv, says " It does not
appear that any monument was erected to the memoiy of
Bury ; " but the account of his tomb in the text is taken from
a *' Description of all the ancient monuments, etc. in the church
of Durham," written in 1593 and printed by the Surtees Soc,
p. 2. The tomb appears to have been destroyed during the
Civil Wars.
xxvi INTR OD UC TION
of his chests which was supposed to contain treasure
was found full of linen, shirts, and hair breeches :
so that his abundant charities and his expenditure
upon books had left him but little. His benefactions
to the Cathedral during his lifetime had been con-
siderable. The horses which bore his body to the
grave and his ecclesiastical vestments, were the
admitted perquisites of the sacrist, who, however,
had some difficulty in obtaining them. Other rich
vestments which De Bury intended for the Cathe-
dral, he had been obliged to pledge to Lord Neville,
who ultimately presented them to the Church.
In accordance with ancient usage, his four seals of
silver were broken up and dedicated to S. Cuthbert ;
a silver-gilt cup was made of them with the inscrip-
tion :
*' Hie ciphus insignis fit presulis ex tetra signis
Ri : Dunelmensis quarti, natu Byriensis.'^ "
^12. De Bury's passion for the collection of
books v/as not selfish, and he intended to bestow them
so as to promote the advancement of learning and
the interests of the students of his old University.
It has been assumed that this intention was duly
^ His seals have been engraved in Surtees' Hist, of Durham,
vol. i., pi. iv. and an extremely beautiful example is figured in
the Archcpologia, vol. xxvii. pp. 401-2. Yet another is in the
Arch(2ological Jotirnal, vol. xxii. p. 389. See also B. M.
Cat. of Seals, i. 402.
^ Signis is obviously the right reading for sigillis in
Chambre : compare the appendix to the Surtees Soc. edition
of the Scnptoj'es Tres, p. ccclxxxviii.
BIOGRAPHICAL xxvii
carried out and it may appear unreasonable to
doubt the truth of the tradition to this effect. But
apart from the fact that there is little early or
positive evidence that the library was really
established, there are one or two circumstances
which confirm rather than allay our doubts. We
have seen that De Bury actually died in debt, and
we know that his executors sold at least some
portion of his books. It has already been noticed
that de Chambre says nothing of a library at Oxford;
and the language of Leland is quite consistent
with the idea of a scheme that vv'as never carried
into effect. If now we look into the xixth chapter
of the Fhilobiblon, we find that in the best MSS.,
instead of naming the Hall to which his books are
to be presented, the Bishop leaves a capital letter
N in the text — which was the common fashion of
indicating a place left for the insertion of a proper
name. In the xviiith chapter he speaks of his
long nourished design of founding a Hall, but so
as clearly to imply that this intention had yet to be
fulfilled — and it must be remembered that De
Bury died less than four months after finishing the
Philobiblon. That the Bishop had more than an
intention to found a college we know, because he
had in fact entered into an agreement with King
Edward for himself and his successors under the
following circumstances. The Crown and the
Bishop each claimed the right of presentation to the
Church of Symondburn and an action was pending
XX viii INTR OD UCTlOy
in the King's Bench to decide the matter when the
battle of Halidon Hill was fought. On the eve
of the conflict Edward vowed that if victorious he
would found a house for thirteen monks of S.
Benedict. He won the battle and was bound to
carry out his vow, and accordingly agreed with De
Bury to resign the advowson in question on con-
dition that the Bishop or his successors should
found a Hall for a Prior and twelve Monks of
Durham at Oxford, on the site of the house estab-
lished by Prior Hoton in 1290.^ The formal brief
issued by the King, and dated at Walton on the
25th of June, 1338, is one of the earliest documents
appearing in De Bury's Register.^ It is quite
evident that the Bishop in the xviiith chapter of
his book refers to this intended foundation, which
was only carried into effect by his successor
Bishop Hatfield,^ who founded Durham College,
where Trinity College now stands. Unfortunately
De Bury's will has not been preserved, so that we
are deprived of any light which it might have
afforded us upon this question.
The traditional account of the library is that the
Bishop's books were sent in his life-time or after
^ Maxwell Lyte, Hist. U. Ox. 105.
^ Reg. Pal. Dunelm. iii. 210. The first four years of the
Register in De Bury's time ai-e missing. Dibdin has en-
graved in the BihL Decameron, vol. iii, 229, what he assumes
to be De Bury's autograph signature from the first folio of
his register, but this is very doubtful.
^ De Chambre in Scriptores Tres, p. 1 38.
BIOGRAPHICAL xxix
his death to the house of the Durham Benedictines
at Oxford, and there remained until the dissolution
of the College by Henry VII I., when they were
dispersed, some going into Duke Humphrey's
(the University) Library, others to Balliol College,
and the remainder passing into the hands of Dr.
George Owen, who purchased the site of the
dissolved college. That a library belonging to the
college was then dispersed is probable enough, but
it is far from clear that it contained any of De
Bury's books.^
It has been assumed by Cocheris, who has been
followed by more recent writers,^ that the regula-
tions laid down by De Bury for the management of
his intended library were taken directly from the
regulations made for the library of the Sorbonne in
132 1. The cardinal points of the Sorbonne rules
are, according to Cocheris, the system of pledges,
and the election of keepers by the sodi. It is true
that we find these two points in De Bury's regula-
tions, but it is not necessary to suppose that he
borrowed them from the Sorbonne. The practice
of taking a pledge for the loan of a book had long
been exceedingly common ; ^ and the appointment
^ Gutch's Wood, ii. 911 ; cp. Some Account of Durham
College, Oxford, Durh. 1840.
2 Le Clerc, Etat des lettres au xi\^ siec'e, i. 345 ; Bass
Mullinger, Univ. Cam. i. 204 ; Maxwell Lyte, Hist. Univ.
Ox. 158 ; Egger, Hist, du livre, 272.
^ See Botfield's Preface to the Darham Cataloguer-, p. xxxvi
fT. ; Merryweathcr, Bibliomania in the ]!.Iidale Age.-, 10, 27.
XXX INTR OD UCTION
of keepers by the scholares was but a natural exten-
sion to the case of books of the general system of
government in the Colleges of Oxford and Cam-
bridge.^ The regulations of the Sorbonne, which
are only partly quoted by Cocheris, have since been
printed by M. Alfred Franklin,^ and the rules pre-
scribed by De Bury will be found to be more minute
and complete than those of the Sorbonne. Among
other important variations, De Bury does not direct
that any of his books are to be chained, which is a
main feature of the system of the Sorbonne.
The "special catalogue" of his collection, which
De Bury tells us he had prepared, has unfortunately
not survived. No doubt from his own book and from
the books cited in the works of his friends and house-
mates, who may reasonably be supposed to have
drawn largely from the Bishop's collections, it
would be possible to restore a hypothetical but not
improbable Bibliotheca Ricardi de Bury. The diffi-
culty would be with that contemporary literature,
which they would think below the dignity of quota-
tion, but which we know the Bishop collected. How
considerable the contemporary literature was in
point of quantity, we may learn from Le Clerc, who
has registered no less than ten thousand productions
for the fourteenth century.^
€[13. Chambre's account of De Bury exhibits him
Maxwell Lyte, Hist. Univ. Ox., pp. 77, 79, 83.
La Sorbonne, 2 ed. 1S75, P- 45-
Etat des lettres au xiv^ siecle, i. 5-^2.
BIOGRAPHICAL xxxi
as an excellent bishop, and an amiable and warm-
hearted man. He was discreet in the government
of his household, hospitable to strangers, and zealous
in dispensing charity. Every week he distributed
to the poor eight quarters of wheat, besides the
fragments that were left, and any who were too late
for this distribudon received a halfpenny. On his
journeys from place to place in his diocese, he
would bestow in alms between Newcastle and
Durham, twelve marks; between Durham and
Stockton, eight marks ; between Durham and Auck-
land, five marks, and between Durham and Middle-
ham, a hundred shillings — all which sums must of
course be multiplied many times to represent the
difference in the value of money then and now.
He was quick of temper, but easily appeased, and
he delighted to have about him, besides his chaplains
and friends, the sons of the gentlefolk in his diocese,
so that he was much beloved by his people, and he
always showed great regard for the monks of his
Cathedral church. Chambre tells a couple of
anecdotes v/hich illustrate the Bishop's character.
He was at Paris when the news reached him of the
death of his predecessor, Beaumont, and one of his
clerks, William de T3^kaH, rector of Stanhope, urged
him to write to the Cardinals and other friends at
the Curia, urging his claim to the Bishopric, but he
answered that he v/ould not ask for that Bishopric or
any other. Again, when the news was brought to
him of the death of Graystanes, his unlucky rival on
xxxii INTRODUCTION
that occasion, as he was sitting in company at York,
he was so much affected that he could not bear the
presence of the messenger. And when his com-
panions asked why he grieved so greatly, he
answered : '' If you had known his worth as I do,
I believe that you would grieve as much as I ; for
he was fitter for the Papacy than I or any of my
fellows for the smallest dignity in Holy Church."
|[ 14. Chambre's account of his book-loving
propensities adds something to the Bishop's own
account of them in his book. Iste summe delecta-
batur in imdtiiudine librorum ; he had more books,
as was commonly reported, than all the other
English bishops put together. He had a separate
library in each of his residences, and wherever he
was residing so many books lay about his bed-
chamber, that it was hardly possible to stand or
move without treading upon them. All the time
he could spare from business was devoted either to
religious offices or to his books. Every day while
at table he would have a book read to him, unless
some special guest were present, and afterwards
would engage in discussion on the subject of the
reading. The haughty Anthony Bee delighted in
the appendages of royalty — to be addressed by
nobles kneeling, and to be waited on in his
presence-chamber and at his table by knights
bare-headed and standing;^ but De Bury loved
to surround himself with learned men. Among
' Surtees, Hist. Durh. i. p. xxxv.
BIOGRAPHICAL xxxiii
these were such men as Thomas Bradwardine,
afterwards Archbishop of Canterbury, and author
of the De Causa Dei\ Richard Fitzralph, after-
wards Archbishop of Armagh, and famous for his
hostility to the mendicant orders,^ Walter Burley,
the *' Plain and Perspicuous Doctor," who dedi-
cated to him a translation of the Politics of Aris-
totle made at his suggestion,' John Mauduit the
astronomer, Robert Holkot, author of many books,
Richard de Kilvington, Richard Benworth, after-
wards Bishop of London, and Walter Seagrave,
who became Dean of Chichester.
The Philobiblo7i may be supposed to represent
the fruit of the Bishop's intellectual converse with
these and other learned men, as well as of his own
reading and experience. It is unnecessary to
present any summary or analysis of a treatise
which is so short, and which every reader will
prefer to peruse for himself. De Bury tells us
that he designed it to justify his all-absorbing
devotion to books in the eyes of those v>'ho had
condemned it as excessive, by indicating their
supreme value, and the disinterestedness of his
own love for them, as shown by his ultimate
purpose in their collection. But he felt that it
was not enough to provide the books, unless he
^ Lorimer suggests that De Bury shared the liberal views
of Bradwardine and Fitzralph : Lechler's Life of Wiclif,
i. Ii8. A too fanciful writer in the Boston Bevieiv, 1863, iii.
94, regards him as the Erasmus of Wiclif 's movement.
^ Brit. Mus. MS. Burney, 304.
C
xxxiv INTRODUCTION
could kindle in the hearts of those for whom they
were intended the love that burned so warmly
in his own. And so he gives his treatise a
name which expresses the central theme of his
discourse ^ — the love of books.^
€[ 15. Widely varying judgments have been
passed upon the intellectual position of De Bury.
It was long the fashion to speak of him with Sir
Henry Savile as the learnedest man of his age.
More recent critics have regarded him as not
a scholar himself, but a patron and encourager
of scholarship.^ The truth lies perhaps midway
between these different verdicts. There is no
reason to suppose that he was a sustained or
original thinker like Occam or Bradwardine; nor
did he share the literary productiveness of Burley
or Holkot. He has left us nothing of his own
but what may be described in his own phrase as
a '' panfletus exiguus." But we must bear in mind
^ Cp. Pro!, s. 12, and c. xviii.
^ Even Fabricius uses the unauthorised form Fhilobiblion,
which is of course quite impossible, while to (pikoftijiXov is
at least defensible. It is, perhaps, just possible that it
was suggested to him by the article in Suidas (whose book is
said to have been translated by Grosteste) on Philo Biblios the
grammarian, who wrote a treatise Ilfpt KTrjGsojg Kai eK\oyrjg
(3t[3\iiov. The adjective ^jX6/3(/3Xoc, of course, occurs in
Strabo, xiii. p. 608, who says of Apellikon, the purchaser
of Aristotle's library, that he was 0iX«/3(/3Xoy jxaXXov /)
(pikcdocpog,
^ E.g. Mr. Bass Mullinger, Univ. Camb., i. 201 ; Dr.
Creighton in the Diet. Nat. Biog., s.n.
BIOGRAPHICAL xxxv
that De Bury was essentially a man of affairs, and
that his official preoccupations left him compara-
tively scanty interv^als of time to devote to literature.
The judgment of Petrarch may be sufficient to
satisfy us as to the extent of his knowledge and the
width of his literary interests.
We must not indeed look in De Bury for culti-
vated taste or historical criticism. The age in
which he lived was, in the phrase of Savile, " aetas
minime omnium critica,"^ and he shares its defects.
Not to speak of his faith in books and sciences
''before the Flood," he cites, in common with
Holkot and Bradwardine, Hermes Trismegistus
and the Pseudo-Dionysius, quotes the De Fo??io
as Aristotle's and seems to have no suspicion
that the miserable verses of the De Vehila are
not Ovid's own. His knowledge of Greek was
probably slender enough, but is unduly depreciated
by Hallam.^ He was anxious to see the study of
Greek, Hebrew, and Arabic more zealously prose-
cuted, and prepared grammars of the two former
languages, as well as glossaries of grammatical
terms and "exotic" words. On the other hand,
I find nothing in De Bury to justify the viev/ of
* In Pref. to the De Causa Dei. So Leibniz says of the
thirteenth century, "quod ego ciun proximo omnium ssecu-
lorum pest Christum natum ineptissinnan esse comperi." —
Introd. to the SS. Rerum Brunsv. Ixiii. When James, in
his letter to Lord Lumley, called it " illud aureum saecu-
lum," he was thinking of it, no doubt, as an age oi faith.
^ Lit. of Europe, i. 94.
xxxvi INTRODUCTION
one of his recent critics, that he was " penetrated
with the principles of humanism,"^ and I fear that
he would have felt little sympathy with Petrarch's
enthusiasm for the "new learning," or at least
with his continual invectives against the aims and
methods of scholasticism. This is evident enough
from his complaint that the dialecticians of Paris
produced no new authors. It was in his days
that the University of Oxford was the scene of
the last effort of scholasticism, before the revival
of classical culture which was to revolutionize the
studies of Europe. Again, he does not rise above
the view that the liberal arts and the writings of the
poets are to be studied only in order to assist the
understanding of the Scriptures and of the Fathers.
He is not free from a certain ecclesiastical narrow-
ness, which leads him to forbid even the handling
of books by the laity ; and there is nothing in his
book to show that he felt any interest in the
vernacular literatures which were springing up in
France, in Italy, and in his own country.
The style of De Bury is exactly what the fore-
going considerations would lead us to expect.
There is no attempt, as in the case of Petrarch,
to return to a classical standard, which he had not
learned to appreciate. His models are not the
purest writers of the purest age of Latinity, but the
late grammarians and the Fathers of the Church.
His style is stiff with a heavy embroidery of scrip-
^ Dr. Creighton in tlie Diet. Nat. Biog.
BIOGRAPHICAL xxxvii
tural quotation and allusion ; like that of many
among the mediceval writers, it is " made of the
Scriptures."^ Though he affects to write "in the
lightest style of the moderns," he has none of
the ease and fluency of such writers as John of
Salisbury, and his rhetoric, genuine as no doubt it
is, is too often clumsy and overlaboured. Although
his book can scarcely claim to rank as a masterpiece
of literature, the text now printed will show that
his style is much more correct than has been
hitherto supposed.
The special interest to us of Richard De Bury
is that he is, if not the prototype, at least the
most conspicuous example of a class of men who
have been more numerous in modern than in
ancient or mediceval times. No man has ever
carried to a higher pitch of enthusiasm the passion
for collecting books. On this point, at least, De
Bury and Petrarch were truly kindred spirits, and
their community of feeling finds expression in a
striking similarity of language. The letter in which
Petrarch seeks the co-operation of his brother
Gerard presents close resemblance to a well-known
passage in the Pliilobiblon. Petrarch writes^ :
" Aurum, argentum, gemmae, purpurea vestis,
marmorea domus, cultus ager, pictae tabulae, pha-
- "The writings of the dark ages are, if I may use the
expression, vicule of the ScripHires. " — Maitland, Dark Ages,
470.
- Ep. Fam., iii. 18.
xxxviii INTRODUCTION
leratus sonipes, caeteraque id genus, mutam habent
et superficiariam voluptatem : libri medullitus de-
lectant."
One mifrht think that the writer had had before
o
him the very words of De Bury in his eighth
chapter.^
Again, Petrarch bids his brother employ trusty
and learned men to search for books for him :
"Etruriam perquirant, reHgiosorum armaria evol-
vant caeterorumque studiosorum hominum. . . .
Scias me easdem preces amicis aUis in Britanniam,
GalHasque et Hispanias destinasse."
The words seem but an echo of De Bury's
account, in the same chapter, of his own pro-
cedure.
There is one other point of similarity between
Petrarch and De Bury : that each of them intended
to bestow his books for public uses. In each case,
moreover, this pious intention appears to have been
frustrated by the carelessness of their successors.
f[ i6. De Bury has told us in his book a good
deal of his principles and practice as a collector.
He collected everything, and he spared no cost ; a
book in his opinion could never be too dear — unless
one might reasonably hope for an opportunity
of purchasing at a cheaper rate. Besides main-
taining a staff of copyists and illuminators in his
own household, he was on excellent terms with
"the trade" — limited as it then was — not onlv
' S. 123.
BIOGRAPHICAL xxxix
in England, but in France and Germany. He
pressed into his service the members of the re-
ligious orders, who supplied him with books from
the monastic libraries, and used in his behalf the
opportunities of picking up rare volumes, which their
wandering life abundantly afforded. He made use
of his various offices in Church and State to gain
access to every quarter whence he might expect some
accession to his treasures. The gifts which were
then the recognized perquisites of such exalted
officers came to him in the shape of books. Let
us hope that he speaks no more than the truth when
he declares that meantime "justice suffered no
detriment." One or two anecdotes have survived
which throw a curious hght on this aspect of the
matter. It is recorded in the history of the Abbots
of the great monastery of S. Alban's, that one of its
abbots, a man himself distinguished for his literary
and scientific zeal, presented to De Bury, then
Clerk of the Privy Seal, four volumes, viz., Terence,
Virgil, Quintilian, and Hieronymus against Rufinus,
in the hope of securing his favourable influence in
fonvarding the interests of that house. Besides this,
the abbot sold him thirty-two other books for fifty
pounds of silver. The pious chronicler expresses
his horror at this transaction, and records that after
he had become Bishop, De Bury, conscience-smitten,
restored several of the books, and that others were
bought from the Bishop's executors by the next
abbot, Michael de Mentmore, at a price below
xl INTRODUCTION
their real value/ Richard faithfully carried out his
compact ; for it is recorded that by his aid the
abbot obtained the right, which ordinarily apper-
tained only to bishops, to imprison excommuni-
cated persons as a matter of course, and not by a
special vvrit.^
It appears that later Richard's interference in the
business of the convent brought him into trouble.
It happened that the abbot suffered from leprosy,
and there was a cabal within the convent to have
him removed. Representations were made to the
Papal Court, and Richard appears to have put the
Privy Seal to the letter sent to the Pope. The
matter was brought before Parliament, and De
Bury was censured for this use of the seal without
authority. The only excuse he could offer v/as
that pressure had been put upon him by men who
were too powerful to be withstood.^
There is now preserved in the British Museum a
large folio MS. of the works of John of Salisbury,
which was one of the books bought back from the
Bishop's executors. It bears upon it a note to the
effect that it was written by Simon (who was Abbot
of S. Alban's, 1167 — 1183), and another note,
v/hich runs as follows : " Plunc librum venditum
Domino Ricardo de Biry Episcopo Dunelmensi
emit Michael Abbas Sancti Albani ab executoribus
' Chronica Mon. S. Albani, ii. 200.
- lb. p. 283.
3 Tb. p. 288.
BIOGRAPHICAL xli
predict! episcopi anno Domini millesimo ccc"
XLv'" circa purificationem Beate Virginis."^
^17. There seems no sufficient reason to sup-
pose that De Bury wrote any other book than the
Fhilobiblon. Boston and Leland mention only this
book, but Bale ^ and Pits add a volume of Epistolce
Familiares with another of Orationes ad Principes.
This list has been repeated by subsequent writers,
and even figures to this day in the Encyclopcedia
Britannica.^ Bale was not a very exact biblio-
grapher, and there seems to have been some con-
fusion, the source of which it is perhaps not diffi-
cult to indicate. Bale gives as the initial words of
the PJiilobiblon : "Thesaurus desiderabilis " and of
the Eptstohe : " Ricardiis miseratione divina."
Now the former words are the beginning of the first
chapter of the PJiilobiblon omitting the prologue,
and the latter words are at the beginning of this
prologue or introductor}^ letter to the reader, so
that Bale has merely made the one work into two.
This suggestion derives support from the fact that
in at least one MS. the prologue is omitted and
the PJiilobiblon begins with the TJiesaiirus desidera-
bills of Chapter I.* This is perhaps a more probable
explanation than to suppose, as Dr. Creighton
^ Roy. 13 D. iv. 3.
2 Bale, indeed, says : " et alia scripsit ;" which is adopted
by Godwin, Cat. of Bishops, 1601, p. 524 : "he writ many
things not yet perished."
^ S.v. Aunger\'ile.
^ The Magdalen MS. ; cp. p. Ixviii. post.
xlii INTRODUCTION
suggests, that Bale had heard of the letter-book of
Richard De Bury, which has recently been described
for the Historical MSS. Commission,^ and more
fully by Sir Thomas Hardy." This is not a work
of literary interest, but a collection of precedents,
no doubt collected by the Bishop for the use of the
clerks in his chancery. It is described on the first
page as Liber Epistolaris quondajti domini Ricardi de
Bury, Episcopi Dufielm. ; and from another inscrip-
tion, " Liber Monachorum Sancti Edmundi Regis
et Martiris," appears to have for some time belonged
to the Monastery of Bury S. Edmund's. Sir Thomas
Hardy suggests that it was probably bought by the
monastery out of consideration for its original
owner. It is now in the possession of Lord Harlech.
Very few of the documents transcribed into it throw
any light upon the career of De Bury. It is per-
haps just possible that this book may be the founda-
tion of fact for the supposed volume of Orationes
ad Pri7icipes, of which Bale speaks.
I need only mention that in James's Bodleian
Catalogue of 1620,^ and the Catalogues of 1738*
and 1843 ^ The Conie7nplacyon of Smners, printed by
De Worde in 1499, is attributed to De Bury, an
error due to a confusion between Richard De Bury
and Richard Fox, one of his successors in the See of
^ Fourth Report, 85 ; Fifth Report, 379.
2 In the pref. to the 4th vol. of the Reg. Pal. Dunebn.^
pp. xxv-cxxvii. ^ App. p. 10.
^ Vol. i. p. 109. ^ Vol. i. p. 377.
BIOGRAPHICAL xliii
Durham, at whose request this treatise appears to
have been written at the end of the fifteenth
century.^
^ i8. Some reference must be made to the
attempts to deprive De Bury of the authorship of
the Philobiblon in favour of Robert Holkot. This
claim, which has the support of Tanner, Hearne,
and Warton,^ appears to have been first formally
put forward by Altamura and Echard, the biblio-
graphers of the Order of the Friars Preachers, who
rely upon the authority of Laurentius Pignon and
Lusitanus. These authorities are of course a cen-
tury later than the time of De Bury and Holkot ;
and if this were all, there would be no difficulty in
disposing of the claim. But in seven of the
extant MSS. oi \\\q Philobiblon the book is ascribed
to Holkot,^ as well as in a MS. once in the
possession of Fabricius,^ and perhaps in another
which was formerly in the Royal Library at
Erfurt.^ The Paris MS. has simply "Philobiblon
olchoti anglici," and it does not contain the con-
cluding note of which I have elsewhere spoken.
^ See Herbert's Ames, i. 135-6. The book is "very
scarce," and there is no copy in the British Museum. The
Bodleian has t'djo copies, in one of which is a note by Douce.
^ Tanner in Holcot, p. 407 ; Reliq. Eodl. p. xi.; Camden,
Annal., p. cxxix ; Leland, Collect, vi. 299; Hist. Engl.
Poetr}', i. 215.
3 B. M. Harl. 492 ; Roy. 8 F. 14 ; Paris, 3352 ; C.
C. C, Oxen. ; Bodl. Add. C. 108; Venice; and Escurial.
* Bibl. M. et I. Lat. i., 308. '" Post, p. Ixxvi.
xliv INTRODUCTION
In the other MSS., in which I have found the
work attributed to Holkot, the concluding note is
found, but they begin with some such words as
" Incipit prologus philobiblon Ricardi Dunelmens.
Epi que hbrum compilauit RoBus Holcote de ordine
predicatorum sub nomine dicti episcopi."^ In
the great majority of MSS. then, inckiding the
earhest, this preliminary note is not found, and in
nearly all the MSS. where it does occur, it is ac-
companied by a final note, which is, to say the
least, hardly consistent with it.
As evidence, therefore, that Robert Holkot wrote
the Philobiblon it is not very satisfactory. In
order to gain such light as can be thrown upon the
matter from internal evidence, I have read through
most of Holkot's own writings, and I have no hesi-
tation in saying that so far as the evidence of style
goes, there appears little reason to assign the
Philobiblon to Holkot. Lord Campbell has already
pointed out that the essentially autobiographical
character of the book is all in favour of De Bury's
authorship. Holkot, who was one of De Bury's
chaplains, may indeed have acted as the Bishop's
amanuensis in the preparation of the book. A
traditional and perhaps exaggerated account of this
may have reached the ears of some scribe or pos-
sessor of a MS. of the Philobiblon^ and he may
have set down the note in question. But it would
* The Harl. MwS. reads coviposiiit for coinpilavit ; and the
final note is sometimes modified : see account of MSS., post.
BIOGRAPHICAL xlv
be unfair to deprive De Bury of the credit of
having planned and written his own book on such
shadowy evidence as can be adduced in favour of
Holkot's claim/
It is the more satisfactory to think that we are
not called upon to deprive De Bury of the author-
ship of the PJiilobiblon^ as, now that his books have
been dispersed, and his tomb despoiled, it is the
sole abiding memorial of one who loved books so
much in an age and country that loved them so
little. One who has sung his praises, in his own
words, " even to raving," has truly said of Richard
De Bury, that " his fame will never die."^ So, too,
the PhilobibloJi will ever continue to kindle the
love of those silent teachers who " instruct us with-
out rods and stripes, without taunts or anger, with-
out gifts or money ; who are not asleep when we
approach them, and do not deny us when we ques-
tion them ; who do not chide us if we err, or laugh
at us if we are ignorant.
» 3
^ Father Denifle, himself a member of the Order of
Preachers, supports Holkot's claim in his recent work, Die
Universitiiten im Mittelalter, i. p. 727 note.
'^ Dibdin, Reminiscences, i. 86 note.
^ S. 26: "words which," it has been said, '* Cicero
might have owned :" J. P. Andrews, Hist, of Great Britain,
i. 428.
xlvi INTRODUCTION
Postscript,
Since this Introduction was in type, Mr. E.
Maunde Thompson has called my attention to a
remarkable account of De Bury in a passage of
Adam Murimuth, which has never yet been printed
and has been overlooked by all the Bishop's bio-
graphers. If it is to be accepted, it not only con-
firms the doubt I have suggested as to the estabHsh-
ment of the contemplated Oxford library, but
supports the view that De Bury did not himself
WTite the Philobiblon., and may indeed seriously
modify our estimate of his character. The passage,
as found in MS. Harl. 3836, f. 49"", is as follows : —
" Hoc anno, xiiij. die Maii,^ anno Domini
M° cccxLV^*', regni vero dicti regis E. tertii a con-
questu decimo nono, obiit Ricardus de Bury,
episcopus Dunolraensis, qui ipsum episcopatum et
omnia sua beneficia prius habita per preces mag-
natum et ambitionis vitium adquisivit, et ideo toto
tempore suo inopia laboravit et prodigus exstitit in
expensis, unde dies suos in gravissima paupertate
finivit. Imminente" vero termino vite sue, sui
familiares omnia bona sua mobilia rapuerunt, adeo
quod moriens unde corpus suum cooperire poterat
non habebat, nisi subtunicam ^ unius garcionis in
^ No doubt a slip for Aprilis. ^ Eminente MS.
^ Altered from supcrtimicam.
BIOGRAPHICAL xhii
camera remanentis. Et, licet idem episcopus fuisset
mediocriter literatus, volens tamen magnus clericus
reputari, recollegit sibi librorum numerum infini-
tum, tarn de dono quam ex accommodatoa diversis
monasteriis et ex empto, adeo quod quinque
magne carecte non sufficiebant pro ipsius vectura
librorum."
Adam Murimuth's position as a canon of S.
Pauls's and a distinguished lawyer, who was several
times employed in diplomatic negociations, no
doubt gave him ample opportunities of collecting
trustworthy information as to the leading men of
his time. It is true that he and De Bury were
engaged in similar lines of public employment, and
his view of the Bishop's character may have been
coloured by jealousy, and by a sarcastic temper.
But it is not so easy to dispose of his allegations of
fact, and his account of De Bury's poverty agrees
only too well with several significant indications in
Chambre's life, and in the Durham records : sub
jzidice lis est.
Bibliographical
I. — Printed Editions.
We may infer from the corruption of the many existing
MSS. that the Philobiblon was frequently copied, and
from their distribution that it soon found its way into
the libraries not only of our own country, but of France,
Germany, the Low Countries, Italy, and Spain. In
1358 long extracts from it are found embodied in a
University statute at Oxford,^ yet, as has been already
stated, the Bishop's biographer Chambre makes no
mention of his book ; and the earliest references to it
that I have found are in Boston (f 1410) in this country,
and in Trithemius (f I5i6),the famous Abbot of Spon-
heim, on the Continent. It has been suggested that
Thomas a Kempis made use of the Philobiblo7i in
his Doctrinale luvenmn, but I have shown elsewhere
that the suggestion is unfounded.^
The book appears to have found a wider audience
abroad than at home, and it was three times printed
on the Continent— at Cologne in 1473, a-t Spires in 1483,
and at Paris in 1500— and then had to wait for another
century before it found an English printer. The
edition of Thomas James, Bodley's first librarian,
appeared in 1598-9. It v/as then again printed in Ger-
^ This is in the Cliancellor's and Proctors' book, and is
printed by Anstey, Munim. Acad., i. 207-8, who has not
noticed the quotation. It may be a quotation in De Bury.
^ Library Chronicle, 1885, vol. ii. 47.
d
1 INTRODUCTION
many by Melchior Goldast, apparently without any
knowledge of the Enghsh edition, in 1610, and reprinted
in 1614 and 1674. It was also included in 1703 by
J. A. Schmidt in his supplement to the collection of
treatises on libraries published by J. J. Mader. There
is then no edition to record until the present century,
when an anonymous English translation was pub-
lished in 1832. In 1856 Cocheris issued the Latin text
with a French translation at Paris; and in 1861
Cocheris' text and Inglis's translation were reprinted
in the United States.
The bibliography of the Phllobiblon long remained
uncertain and obscure, and indeed is hardly yet well
understood. Trithemius says of the book in his De
Script 07'ibiis Ecclesiasticis (begun in 1487 and printed
1494) " iam impressus est," but there is nothing to show
whether he was acquainted with the Cologne or Spires
edition, or with both. Leland, Bale, and Pits do not
mention a printed text. The Paris printer must have
known that the book was in print, for he prefixes to his
edition the account of De Bury from Trithemius, but
carefully omits the statement that the book had been
already printed. When James came to print it, he
described his own impression as " editio iam secunda,"
and Goldast intimates on his title-page that his issue
of the book was a first impression. When the in-
cunabulists set to work to register the early produc-
tions of the press, they ignored one or other of the
Cologne and Spires impressions, or, worse still, con-
founded them together. Thus Maittaire,^ Panzer,^ and
Denis ^ mention only the Spires edition, and Hain ^ is
the first to record the two impressions, assigning both
^ Ann. Typ., i. 449. '^ Ann. Tj^p., iii. 22.
^ Ann. Typ., 177. * Rep. bibliogr., i. 579.
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL li
however to 1483. Other bibhographers were no less at
fault : Fabricius ^ and Clement ' know nothing of the
Cologne impression ; Peignot ' dates both editions
1473. Our own Dibdin believed that the supposed
Cologne edition was a myth ;■* and it was with surprise
as well as delight that he found it ' fall to his good for-
tune' in the Bibliotheca Spoiceriana^ "to describe the
present rare and inestimable impression," meaning this
very edition of Cologne.
There has been a good deal of confusion as to the
Paris edition of 1500 and a supposed reimpression of
James's edition at London in 1600. I will show
presently that there was in the former case only a
single impression, and that in the latter case there was
no impression in 1600, but that James's book was first
printed in 1598 and reissued the following year.
Again, none of the bibliographers has given a full list
of the several impressions of Goldast's text, and a
complete account of them here appears for the first
time. Finally, it has been asserted by the Dictionary
of National Biography that the edition now in the
reader's hands was published "in 1885."
I propose now to describe the various editions in
their chronological order : —
1473 The EDITIO PRINCEPS of the Philo-
Cologne biblon was printed at Cologne in a small
quarto volume of 48 leaves, without pagination, sig-
natures, or catchwords. Its printer is said to have
^ Bibl. M. et I. Lat., i. 307.
^ Bibliotheque cur., v. 431-9. ^ Rep. bibl. univ., 378.
* Bibliomania, 181 1, p. 38.
' Vol. iii. 237-8. This was in 1814 ; yet in 1842 he
reprints the old account in the new edition of the Bibliomania,
p. 29. Home, Introd. to Bibl., ii. 517, copies Dibdin.
lii INTRODUCTION
been G. Gops de Euskyrchen.^ It contains no indica-
tion of authorship outside the text, but begins :
Incipit prologus in librum de amore librorum qui
dicitur philobiblon
It ends :
Explicit philobiblon sci. liber
de amore librorum Colonie impres
sus anno domini Mcccc.lxxiij. etc.
On ff. [5 v.] and [6 v.] there are indications in at least
one copy of a rearrangement of the type during the
process of printing. The text was no doubt printed
from a single MS. without any attempt at editing. It
presents a very close resemblance to the Cologne MS.
described further on.^ There are two copies of this
impression in the British Museum, and I have had the
opportunity of consulting the copies in the possession of
Earl Spencer, Mr. W.Amherst T. Amherst, M.P., and
Mr. Sam: Timmins. Dibdin's account of the Althorp
copy is not very accurate, as I found no trace of the
" copious ms. memoranda " to which he refers. Ac-
cording to Cocheris there are two copies in the Biblio-
theque Nationale. Mr. Quaritch gave ^45 for the copy
in the WodhuU sale in 1886.
1483 Ten years afterwards the Philobiblon
Spires ^as printed by the brothers John and
Conrad Hiist in a small quarto volume of 39 leaves,
with 31 lines to the page, without pagination, catch-
words, or signatures. The 7'ecto of the first leaf is
blank. On the verso is a letter from the anonymous
editor, who simply describes himself as "minimus
^ B. M. Cat. ; Ennen, Kat. d. Inkunabeln in d. Stadtb.
zu Koln, p. 132. Peignot wrongly made Veldener the
printer : Rep. bibl. univ., p. 378.
^ 'Steposf, p. Ixxi.
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL liii
sacerdotum," ^ to the brothers Hiist, who are addressed
as " studiosissimi impressores." The letter is dated
" idibus lanuarij anno xpi etc. Ixxxiii ", and the writer
speaks of the difficulty he had found in performing the
editorial task imposed upon him, owing to the defective
state of the copy he used. On the second leaf the title
is given as follows :
Phylobyblon difertifTimi viri Richardi
dilmelmeh epi. de qrimonijs librol/. ornib^
lra2/. amatorib^ putil' ,plog^ Incipit.
It ends with the words, after coitspectimi Ame7t :
Valete 7 sciaz lfa2^ colite.
The book, which was no doubt printed from a single
manuscript, presents a somewhat better text than that
of Cologne, though both are very defective. Dibdin's
suggestion that it would " be probably considered to
be a mere reprint of the Cologne impression" is with-
out foundation.- The Spires editor allowed himself
the liberty of altering the opening words of the pro-
logue to " Universis litterarum cultoribus " and of
omitting the following clause. Other traces of editor-
ship may also be noticed in the book.
This edition seems to be even rarer than the editio
princeps.^ Cocheris could find no copy in Paris. It
is in the British Museum ; and I have had the use of
the copy belonging to Mr. Sam : Timmins. A copy
^ Weislinger, Armament. Cathol., 1749, p. 274, assumed
that the letter is ffom De Bury himself, in sending " pre-
tiosissimum hocce opusculum " to Spires to be printed ; which
misled Schelhorn, Anleitung, i. 5.
^ Bibl. Spenc, iii. 238.
^ Baur, Primit. typ. Spin, p. 28 ; Hocker, Hallsbronn.
Antiquitatenschatz, p. 156; Maichelius remarked in 1721 :
" Liber hodie rarissimus est, nee facile comparet in biblio-
thecis seorsim editus : " Introd., p. 132.
li V INTR OD UC TION
was sold at the Williams sale for ^6 los. ; and at the
Fuller-Russell sale in 1886 I bid in vain for a copy
against Mr. Quaritch, who secured it for ;^ 12 15^.
1500 Thirteen years afterwards the book
Paris was printed at Paris in a small quarto of
24 unnumbered leaves (sig. a [i]-iiii, b i-iiii, c i-iv) with
the following title-page :
Philobiblion Tractatus pulcher | rimus de amore
librorum [Then follows the printer's mark and
name JEHAN PETIT] Venundatur in leone
argenteo | vici sancti lacobi.
On the recto of the last leaf :
Explicitum est philobiblion scilicet liber de amore
librorum quem impressit apud parrhifios hoc anno
secundum eosdem millesimo quingentesimo ad
calendas martias Caspar philippus pro loanne
parvo Bibliopola parrhifiensi.
On the verso of the first leaf is an account of De
Bury taken from Trithemius, from which however his
reference to the printing of the book is significantly
omitted. This is followed by a letter dated i March
from the scholar-printer lodocus Badius Ascensius to
Laurentius Burellus, confessor of the King and Bishop
of Sisteron, who appears to have sent the book to him
to print. He expressly says that Jean Petit had joined
him in the undertaking " hoc munus nobiscum sus-
cepit." This I think explains and disposes of the
statement of the bibliographers,^ which has been
repeated down to Cocheris, that there were two
editions of 1 500, one by Petit and the other by Badius
Ascensius.^ Cocheris himself does not say that he has
^ It dates apparently from Panzer, ii. 336.
^ The story told by Chevillier and repeated in Burton's
Book Hunter (fi-om Peignot's Diet, de Bibliologie, i. 38),
BIBL 10 GRA PHICA L Iv
seen either edition, and he gives the title inaccurately.
There can be no doubt that the Paris edition is simply
a reimpression of that of Cologne. The spelling
Philobiblon was however altered by Ascensius to Philo-
biblioHy and he extended the title by adding a part of
the phrase employed by Trithemius : " scripsit de
amore librorum et institutione dictae Bibliothecae
pidcherrijimm tractatuin ,"
1598 & 9 It was not until the very end of the
Oxford next century that the first English edition
of this English book appeared, with the following
title-page :
Philobiblon [ Richardi | Dvnelmensis | sive | De
amore librorvm, et Institvtione bibliothecae |
tractatus pulcherrimus. | Ex collatione cum
varijs manuscriptis edi- | tio jam secunda ; | cui |
accessit appendix de manuscriptis Oxoniensibus. |
Omnia haec | Opere »& Studio T. I. Novi coll.
in alma Academia ] Oxoniensi Socij. | [B. P. N.^] |
Non quaero quod mihi vtile est sed quod
multis.^ I Oxoniae, | Excudebat losephus Barne-
sius 1598. I
The book is in quarto and consists of 62 pages, with
four unnumbered pages of prehminary matter and 8
unnumbered pages of appendix. So far as I know,
the copy in the Bodleian Library is the only copy
extant bearing the date 1598, and Fabricius, Oudinus,
that the Philobihlion was the first book printed by Badius
Ascensius after settling in Paris, will not bear inspection.
* The meaning of these letters, which appear only on the
1 599 title-page, is perhaps Bibliothecae Praefectus Novae or
Nostrae ; but there is rather reason to believe that they v,'ere
intended to mean Bono Publico Naitts.
^ From I Cor. x. 33.
Ivi INTRODUCTION
and Tanner the only bibliographers who mention this
date. The other extant copies bear the date 1599 and
appear to be a mere reissue with a fresh title-page. To
this reissue the editor prefixes a Latin Epistola Dedi-
catoria of four pages addressed to Thomas Bodley, in
which he compares him with De Bury for his devotion
to literature and his benefaction to the University. He
explains how he had found his author " in membranis
inter blattas et tineas semivivum, semiesum, pallentem
expirantemque," and how far he was from being satis-
fied with his efforts to restore his author. He begs the
reader to condone the " barbarisms and solecisms " in
the Bishop's style and his slight lapses in matters of
faith and religion, both the faults of his age.^ He
concludes by congratulating Bodley on the success of
his plans for restoring the University library. The
letter is dated " Ex Mus^o meo in Collegio Novo,
Julii 6. 1599 ", and is signed " Thomas Jam.es".
James was evidently under the impression that the
book had been only once printed. It is not improbable
that he had before him the Paris edition. His title-
page at all events reproduces the title of that edition
as borrowed from Trithemius ; though he uses the
phrase in a fuller form and may of course have taken
it from Trithemius only. He reprints Bale's account
of De Bury, together with a MS. note of T[homas]
A[llen's] in his copy of Bale,^ taken from Chambre's
life of the Bishop, then still in manuscript.
'^ Dibdin speaks of this preface as "the veriest piece of old
maidenish particularity that ever was exhibited ! However,
the editor's enthusiastic admiration of De Bury obtains his
forgiveness in the bosom of every honest bibliomaniac."
— Bibliomania, p. 185 note.
^ This annotated Bale is now in the Bodleian. Hearne
printed from it the note in question in Leland's Itin., ix. 131.
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL Ivii
Fabricius ^ says that the text of James was again
printed at London in the following year in the Ecloga
Oxo?iio-Cajitabrigie7isis ; but this statement appears
to rest upon a misunderstanding. The Ecloga is an
account of the MSS. at Oxford and Cambridge, and
was to have been published, as James tells us, with the
Philobiblon. As it was not finished and the printer
grew impatient, James decided not to wait for it, but
instead gave the appendix which is affixed to the
Philobiblojt, and which is merely an index of authors
represented in the Oxford MSS. But the Philobiblon
was ?iot reprinted with the Ecloga issued in 1600, as
Fabricius must have supposed.^
The Ecloga enables us to say what MSS. James had
at his disposal for the purposes of his edition. The MSS.
enumerated in the Ecloga^ are : At Oxford four, viz.,
at All Souls', Lincoln, Magdalen, and Balliol ; at Cam-
bridge, at Benet's (now C. C. C), and one in Lord
Lumley's library. The five college MSS. are still where
they were ; Lord Lumley's should have passed into the
Royal Library, and may be one of the MSS. now in the
British Museum. There can be little doubt that James
relied largely upon the Magdalen and Lincoln MSS."
James's text has been condemned by Dibdin as
containing " nothing more than the Cologne impres-
sion, being sometimes, indeed, less particular," ^ and
Inghs, who "doubts his having looked into several
MSS., but has no doubt of his having preferred his
own words to those of the author." ^ This is not
' Bibl. Med. et Inf. Latin., i. 307.
2 The Ecloga appears in Prof. Arber's Stationers' Register ^
iii. 164 (25 June, 1600), but I find no entry of the Philo-
biblon.
3 At p. 81. * See Library Chronicle, 1885, ii. 132.
^ Bibl. Spenceriana, iii. 238. ^ Notes, p. 131.
1 vili INTR OD UCTION
deserved ; though Hearne's language is no doubt ex-
aggerated when he says of hhn " in Hbello perpurgando
multum sudavit," '^ there seems no reason to doubt that
he honestly looked into several MSS. At the same
time he left a good deal to be done for the text of his
author. One of the copies of James's edition in the
British Museum is a presentation copy to Lord Lumley,
and contains an interesting autograph letter to Lumley
written in James's exquisitely neat hand.^
1610 From this time until the present cen-
Frankfurt ^^^^ ^^ Philobiblo7i was not again printed
1674 by itself, but only in collectaneous works.
Leipzig In 1610 was published in a small octavo
volume :
Philologicarum epistolarum centuria Vna diversorum
a renatis literis Doctissimorum virorum ... in-
super Richardi de BVRI Episcopi Dunelmensis
Philobiblion & Bessarionis Patriarchae Constan-
tinopolitani & Cardinahs Nicaeni Epistola ad
Senatum Venetum. Omnia nunc primum edita
ex Bibliotheca Melchioris Haiminsfeldii Goldasti
. . . Francofurti Impensis Egenolphi Emmelii,anno
1610.
The Philobiblon occupies pp. 400-500 of the book,
p. 400 being a fresh title-page bearing the words " ex
Bibliotheca et recensione Melchioris Haiminsfeldii
Goldasti." From these words and from the " omnia
haec prhnum edita " the natural inference would be
that Goldast thought he was printing the Philobiblon
for the first time, or at least that he was printing it
from a MS. But the text with a few trifling variations
' Leland, Collect, ed. alt., vi. 299.
^ Printed in Miscellanies of the Philobiblon Society, vol. i.
art. I. It is curiously overlooked in Delepierre's Analyse.
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL lir
is obviously that of the Paris impression of 1500, and
indeed Goldast actually silently reprints from that
edition the account of De Bury by Trithemius, and
even the letter of Badius Ascensius already described.
The edition of 1614 seems to be merely a reissue with
a fresh title-page, and the reprint of 1674 at Leipzig
by Conringius presents no variation to call for remark.
1703 The edition printed by J. A. Schmidt
Helmsiadt jn (he " Nova accessio " published by him
in 1703 to the well-known collection of treatises " Ue
Bibliothecis atque Archivis virorum clarissimorum
libelli et commentationes" (sec. ed., Helmstadii, 1702,
4°), does not call for than more brief notice, as it is
merely a reprint of the edition of Goldast with a few
slight alterations. The Philobiblion (as it is called)
occupies pp. 1-66.
J832 In 1832 there appeared an anonymous
London English translation of the Philobiblon^
(Transl.) ^^ London : Printed for Thomas Rodd,
2 Great Newport Street, Leicester Square'' (8vo, pp.
viii. 151). Lord Campbell, in the first volume of
the Lives of the Cha?tcelIors, published in 1845,
cites it anonymously.^ But it is known to have
been translated by Mr. John Bellingham Inglis,'- a
student and collector of early printed books. The
' Fourth ed., i. 192. Campbell speaks of " that very
learned and worthy bookseller, my friend Thomas Rodd."
Some account of Rodd, who died in 1849, will be found in
Nichols' Illustrations, \aii. 681-4.
^ Knight, William Caxton, 1844, p. vii ; Merryweather,
Bibliomania in the Middle Ages, 1S49, p. 76. AUibone,
Diet. Brit, and Amer. Authors, s.v. Richard de Bur)', says
Inglis "gave it to Rodd ; " but I am indebted to Mr. R. F.
Ix INTR OB UC TION
translation is a work of more spirit than accuracy, and
Inglis has too slavishly followed the edition of 1473)
under the mistaken idea that it was most likely to
represent the genuine text of the author. In conse-
quence he unduly disparages the authority of James's
text. He has added "a few collations," which are
however confined to printed editions, and thirty-seven
pages of notes, devoted largely to what Dibdin de-
scribes as " unprovoked and unjustifiable abuse of the
English Church and her Ministers." ^ Probably only a
small edition was printed, as the work has become
scarce, and Cocheris was unable to secure a copy.^
1856 The first edition of the book professing
Paris to furnish an adequate critical apparatus
and explanatory notes was issued in 1856 by M. Hip-
polyte Cocheris, then engaged in the Bibliotheque
Mazarifie, of which he afterwards became Conserva-
tetir. The book formed part of a series called " Le
Tresor des pieces rares ou in^dites," and bears the
following title :
Philobiblion excellent traite sur I'amour des livres
par Richard de Bury, Eveque de Durham, Grand-
Chancelier d'Angleterre, traduit pour la premiere
fois en frangais, precedd d'une introduction et suivi
du texte latin revu sur les anciennes Editions et
les manuscrits de la Bibliotheque imperiale : par
Hippolyte Cocheris. . . . Paris : Aubry, 1856.
Butler for the following note on a copy of the book : * * Pub-
lished at the expense of the Rev. W. J. Jollifife and given by
him to William Routh."
^ Reminiscences, i. 86, note. An interesting memoir of
Mr. Inglis was written by his friend J. P. Berjeau for his
periodical The Bookzvorm, 1870, vol. v. 178-182.
^ Introd., p. xxvi.
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL Ixi
8vo, pp. xlvii. 287. [500 copies printed, of which
22 were on special papers and 2 on vellum.]
The book was dedicated to the late Prince Consort.
I have elsewhere expressed an unfavourable judg-
ment of this edition/ and a longer acquaintance with
it has only confirmed that judgment. Though the text
professes on the title-page to be " revu," Cocheris has
in fact left the text untouched and has only given the
various readings of the three Paris manuscripts at the
foot of the page. This he justifies on the curious
ground that it was impossible to distinguish between
the faults of the author and those of the copyists,
though that is most assuredly the first business of an
editor.^ Unfortunately his report of the readings of
the manuscripts he has collated is quite untrustworthy
and in many instances even wildly wrong. But this is
not all : while professing to follow the text of the editio
princeps, what he has really done is to send to the
printer the text of 1703, with all the misprints, errors
of punctuation, and defects of all kinds which it had
accumulated in passing through the process of repro-
duction in 1500, 1610, and 1703. The result is that his
text is in many points less genuine and even less
correct than that of 1473. At the same time, Cocheris
cannot fairly be denied the praise of industry, and he
has brought together a great deal of matter for the
illustration of his author, though he has done little or
nothing to clear up the more formidable difficulties of
the text.^
^ Library Chronicle., i. 151 > ii- 130-
' " Comme il m'etait impossible de distinguer celles que je
devais respecter de celles que je devais enlever, j'ai prefere
Cjnserver a. I'ouvrage son cachet barbare !" (Prcf. p. ii. )
^ There is a highly laudatory article on Cocheris in Le
Bibliophile fran^ais, 1873, "V"* 303'9> ^"^ which he is declared
Ixii INTR OD UCTION
1861 In 1 86 1 one Samuel Hand published
Albany jq ^^ United States a volume, which
Allibone, "as an American, is glad to register ;" but
which, as a flagrant piece of book-making, is not very-
creditable either to its editor or to America. Mr.
Hand reprinted the text of Cocheris and the translation
of Inglis,^ reproducing all the errors and inaccuracies of
both. He translated also the introduction and notes
of Cocheris, but his own few notes are worthless. It
is an octavo of pp. x. 252, of which 230 copies were
printed, 30 on large paper. I am glad to know that
Prof Andrew F. West, of Princeton, contemplates an
edition more worthy of the book and of America.
The relation of the editions which have been now
enumerated may be thus exhibited :
1473 1483 1599
1500
I
i6io\
1614^
(1674)
1
1703
I
1856
1
1 861
It must be considered a surprising circumstance that
a book which has been so often printed abroad and so
to have acquitted himself "a son honneur et a sa gloire de
cette tache reconnue generalement comme tres difficile et que,
le premier, il avait ose entreprendre." Scheler, a more com-
petent critic, was evidently disappointed : Bull, du Bibliophile
beige, 1857, xiii. 142.
^ Berjeau, and no doubt Inglis, resented this proceeding
and announced a new edition here : Notes and Queries^
4Ser, ii. 378 (17 Oct. 1868).
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL Ixiii
frequently quoted at home should have remained so
long without an English editor; and in particular that
neither the Surtees Society ^ nor the Philobiblon
Society* should have secured an adequate edition.
But in fact the idea of re-editing the book has been
several times entertained. In 1816 Surtees announced
in his History of Durham ' that " Messrs. Taylor and
David Constable are at present employed in collating
MSS. for a new edition." The announcement was re-
peated in the Quarterly Review'' in 1829 and in the
Bibliographical and Retrospective Miscellany^ in 1830.
In the first issue of Lowndes' Bibliographer's Manual
in 1834, the compiler, though he does not mention the
translation published two years before, announces that
"a new edition of this curious tract is preparing for
publication, with an English translation, notes and
various readings, by Edw. R. Poole, B.A."^ But time
passed on and neither of these promised editions saw
the light ; so that in 1845 Mr. Corser could still speak
of the Philobiblon as " a book of which, curious
and interesting as it is, we have yet, to our national
shame be it said, no edition which a reader can take
' Established in 1834 for the publication of inedited manu-
scripts illustrating the condition of those parts of England
and Scotland which constituted the ancient kingdom of
Northumberland.
* Established in 1853, perhaps in consequence of Lord
Campbell's suggestion in 1S45 • " -^ ^^i rather surprised that
a ' De Bury Club ' has not yet been established by the Philo-
biblists, as he was undoubtedly the founder of the order in
England." — Chancellors, 4th ed., i. 200.
' Vol. i. p. chx. ■* Vol. xxxix. 372.
' At p. 158. The editor of the yl/zVa'/A/w^ was E. R. Poole.
° Vol. i. p. 309. Cp. Allibone, Diet. Brit, and Amer.
Authors, s.v. Poole.
Ixiv INTRODUCTION
up with pleasure." ' In 1850, Mr. W. S. Gibson, M.A.,
of Lincoln's Inn, read a "very elaborate " memoir of
De Bury at the Oxford meeting of the Arch^ological
Institute ; ^ and in the Gefitlevian^s Magazine for that
year it was announced that " Mr. Gibson's memoir of
this Bishop is to be prefixed to a new translation of his
Philobibloji which Mr. Gibson announces for publi-
cation." ^ This work, however, had not appeared
when the British Archaeological Association met at
Durham in 1865, where Mr. Gibson read a paper on a
"Seal of Richard de Bury."'' But, despite the re-
nev/ed promise, neither memoir nor translation has
ever appeared,^ and it has remained for the present
editor at least to remove from our country the reproach
of so long leaving the task of preserving De Bury's
literary legacy exclusively in foreign hands.
* Introd. to the Iter Lancastrense, Chetham Sec, vol. vii.
p. vi., in his account of Thomas James.
'^ Archaeological Journ., vii. 310; G. M., 1850, ii. 184.
3 G. M., ii. 346. J cp. N. 6^ Q., i Ser., ii. 203 (' W. S.
G.').
^ Archseological Journ., xxii. 389-396. For De Bury's
seals, see ante, p. xxvi, note.
^ A prospectus and syllabus of the proposed work is
appended to Mr. Gibson's Miscellanies, issued in 1863. The
Philobiblon Society printed Mr. Gibson's "Book-Hunting
under Edward III., a popular Lecture founded on the life of
Richard de Bury, Bishop of Durham, the first English Philo-
biblist," with an Introductory Note by Lord Houghton :
Miscellanies, 1865-6, vol. ix. art. 3, pp. 78. The entry in
Hole's Brief Biogr. Diet., s.v. Angarville, " Life by S.
Gibson," refers no doubt to the unpublished work. M. Syl-
vain Van de Weyer had promised a " Notice sur Richard de
Bury" for the Philobiblon Society's Miscellanies. The
promise was not redeemed : see his Choix d'Opuscules, i.
art. 2. p. 9.
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL kv
//. — Manuscripts.
It has been already pointed out that the three
earliest editions of the Philobibloii appear to have
been produced from a single MS. in each case, and
that James recorded the existence of six MSS. in this
country. This was in 1600; and even at the end of
the next century the number enumerated in the Cata-
logi libroi-um mamiso'iptoriivi AnglicB et Hibernicz
was only nine. In 1843, E. G. Vogel contributed to
the Se7-apeum^ a German bibliographical journal, a
ver>' careful article on Richard de Bury, in which he
registered nineteen MSS. This article appears to
have dropped out of sight, and was evidently unknown
to Cocheris, whose list embraces only sixteen MSS.,
including that of Fabricius, and omits therefore four
MSS. recorded by Vogel.
The inquiries made in preparing the present work
have enabled me to raise the number of MSS. known
to exist to the number of thirty-five, all of which have
been examined for the purposes of this edition.^ It is
only possible here to find space for a brief account of
them, which it will be most convenient to arrange in
geographical order. Unless the contrary is stated,
the MSS. are all upon parchment or vellum.
London : Th^ British Museum is in possession
Brit. AIus. of no less than seven MSS. of the Philo-
^'^' biblon, of which four belong undoubtedly
to the fifteenth century. The remaining three belong
^ Bd. iv. 129-141, 154-160 : cp. 191-2.
^ The number has been increased from twenty-eight, since
I gave an account of them in the Library Chronicle, 18S5,
vol. ii. 129 foil.
Ixvi WTR OD UC TION
in the judgment of the Keeper of the MSS. to the end
of the fourteenth century.
Roy. 8 F. xiv (f. 70) is a folio MS. written probably
between 1380- 1400 and has at the beginning the follow-
ing note :
" Incipit prologus in philobiblon ricardi dunelmensis
episcopi que libru composuit Robertus holcote de
ordine predicatoi|. sub noTe dci episcopi ; " and at the
end the usual note as to the date on which the treatise
was finished.
Roy. 15 C. xvi (59^) is a large folio MS. written in
double columns about 1400. It begins : Incipit philo-
biblon ; and has the concluding note.
Harl. 492 (f. 55) is a small 8vo. MS., written about
1425, and begins with the preliminary note in red in
the same form as that in Roy. 8 F. xiv, except that it
has philtl)iblo?i. It has a.lso the final note, but with the
blunder of libro for 1 (=50) 2Ci\^ feciliter iox feliciter
and adding at the end the word Qiiod.
Harl. 3,224 (f. 67) is also a small 8vo. MS., written
about 1400, with no note at the beginning, and at the
end the abbreviated note :
" Explicit philobiblon dni Ricardi Almgeruile cogno-
minati de Bury quondam Episcopi Dunelmeh."
Cott. App. iv (f. 103) is a folio MS. written about
1425, having no note at the beginning and at the end
simply : — " Explicit philibiblion etc."
Arundel 335 (f. 58) is a small quarto MS. of the
fifteenth century, formerly belonging to the " Soc.
Reg. Lond., ex dcno Henr. Howard, Norfolciensis."
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL 1
xvii
It begins " Philobiblon Rico de Bury Dunetm. epo
authore," these words being in a later hand ; it has
no note at the end.
Add. j\IS. 24,361 (f. 4^) is a quarto MS. also of the
fifteenth century, purchased at the Hunter sale in
1 861. It ends ! '' Explicit philibiblon diii Rici de
Aungerv^le cognoiati de Bury quondam epT dunelm.
Copletus Anno Doi 1344'° etatis nre 58 Ponf. nrl
xi''
Oxford There are altogether nine MSS. at Ox-
(9) ford, of which two are in the Bodleian
Library and the remaining seven in the libraries of
various colleges.
The most important of them is MS. Digby 147
(f. 9), a quarto MS. written in Mr. Macray's opinion
about 1375. It has no note at the beginning, but has
the usual note at the end. This MS. also bears a note
showing that it v/as formerly "Liber ecclesie sancte
Marie de Mertone"; it afterwards belonged to Tho.
Allen, from whom it passed to his pupil Sir Kenelm
Digby.
The Bodleian Add. MS. C. 108 (f. 20^) is a quarto
paper MS. in double columns, written in a German
hand in the second half of the fifteenth century. It
begins : " Incipit Philobliblon id est tractatus de amore
librorum venerabilis viri dhi Richardi de b'uri EpI
Dunelmensis editus p venerabilem mgfm Robcrtum
Holkot anglicum ordinis predicatorum," but has no
note at the end. It was acquired by the Bodleian
in 1868.
This MS. is follov%^ed by a glossary of some interest,
as it consists chiefly of the uncommon and exotic
Ixviii INTRODUCTION
v/ords found in the Philobiblon ; of the 244 words
comprised in it, no less than 212 are used in this
book. If I had seen it earher in my work, it might
have been of service in suggesting clues to the explana-
tion of some of the difiiculties of the book ; but as it
was, I had puzzled them out for myself before I saw
the glossary. It only once or tv/ice cites any authority,
and the explanations are seldom adequate and very
often incorrect. It includes asub, aux, and ellefuga ;
inserts genzahar, but without explanation ; and makes
no mention of Crato, Logostilios, comprehensor, invi-
sus, hereos, lilia, canonium, viola, hierophilosophus, and
many other words which urgently call for explanation.
At Balliol College, there are two paper MSS. in
folio written in the fifteenth century : clxvi (A), and
cclxiii, the latter written in double columns, and with
the usual note at the end.
At Lincoln College, No. Ixxxi (f. 79) is a foho MS. of
the early fifteenth century in double columns, with illu-
minated initials. It has no preliminary note and
ends : " Explicit tractatus qui vocatur Philobiblon."
There can be no doubt that it was one of the MSS.
chiefly used by James.
At Magdalen College, No. vi (f. 164) is a small quarto
MS. of the early fifteenth century. It has no title and
begins with Chapter I., omitting the Prologue. At the
end is a note : " Explicit philibiblon diii Ricardi de
Aungervile cognoTati de Bury quondam Epi dimelm
copletus anno do' 1344'° etatis nre 58. pontf nfi
undeclo." This also was one of the MSS. upon
which James mainly relied.
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL Ixix
At All Souls' College, No. xxxi (f. 236) is a large
quarto MS. of the fifteenth century, ^Yritte^ in double
columns. It begins : " Incipit prologus in philobiblon
Ricardi dunolmensis episcopi.'' At the end is the
usual note with some variations : " Explicit tractatus
qui dicitur Philobiblon id est amor hbrorum editus
a Dho Ricardi de Buri quondam Dunoliii epo com-
pletus est autem in manerio nostro de Ackeland in
festo conversionis sancti Pauli A°. diii m' ccc°° xUijj".
etatis nostre lviii° pont vero nri Anno xi''. finiente ad
laudem dei fehciter et Amen."
At Corpus Christi College, No. ccxxii (f. 57) is a
small quarto MS. of the fifteenth century. It begins :
" Incipit prologus in Philobiblon Rici Dunelmenfsis epi
que librum compilauit Ro^us holcote de ordine pre-
dicatou sub nomine dicti Episcopi " ; and ends with
the usual note.
In Mr. Coxe's catalogue of the Corpus MSS., he ob-
ser\^es under no. clxvii (p. 68) that this MS., which
contained the Philobiblo7i^ has long been missing.
It is, I think, apparent on comparing the entries in
Bernard under nos. 167 and 222 that two volumes
have been bound together, and that nothing is really
" missing ; " and the entry in Coxe's catalogue should
be corrected accordingly.
At S. John's College, No. clxxii (f. 2) is an early
fifteenth century quarto MS. with an illuminated
initial. After the title Philobiblon follow the words
in red : " Hie aurum tibi non valet vbi nitet Philo-
biblon." At the end is the usual note. The MS.
bears a note to the effect that it was presented to the
college in 1634. By an oversight, though duly cata-
logued by Mr. Coxe, it is not included in his index.
Ixx INTR on UCTION
Cambridge There are three MSS. at Cambridge, in
(3) the hbraries of as many colleges.
At Trinity College, is a MS. (R. 9, 17, f. 48) in small
quarto of the early fifteenth century. A preliminary
note or title has unfortunately been cropped by some
careless binder. At the end it has the usual note.
At Corpus Christi, College, among Archbishop
Parker's books is a quarto MS., on f. 127 of which
is the Philobiblon, written in the fifteenth century.
There is no preliminary note, and the concluding note
is very inaccurately given. It is catalogued by
Nasmith, Catal. librorum MS.orum, 1777, at p. 416.
At Sidney Sussex College, is a MS. partly on parch-
ment and partly on paper, poorly written in the
fifteenth century ; which was presented to the college
by William Pratt, Vicar of Bossel, Yorkshire. It has
the concluding note.
Durham In Bishop Cosin's Library at Durham
(i) is a fifteenth century octavo MS., which
found its way into the Bishop's collection through the
Rev. George Davenport, its first Keeper, who pre-
sented seventy MSS. to the library. An account of
Davenport is in Surtees' Hist, of Durh., i. 153, 170.
The MS. is catalogued in Rud's catalogue, at p. 177
of Botfield's Durham Catalogues. Though very neatly
written, the MS. presents numerous omissions of single
words. It is without preliminary note and ends :
" Explicit philobiblon Dhi RicI Almgeruile cognolati
de Buri quod epi Dunelmen]?.
It may be noted that the Philobiblon is not found in
any of the earlier catalogues of Durham books printed
by the Surtees Society.
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL Ixxi
In private Two MSS. have been lent me out of
hands private custody. The first of them is a
very small quarto Flemish IMS. of the not veiy early
fifteenth century. It has no preliminary note, and
ends : " Explicit phylybyblon Richardi de Bury epi
de amore librorum et scientiarum : Deo gratias." It
contains several interpolations, including one of about
a dozen lines.
The other is an octavo fifteenth century German
MS. in a stamped leather binding, on which the
figures of the " Three Kings," besides the half-erased
entry at the beginning " Liber domus sancte Barbare
. . .", clearly point to Cologne. This would at once
suggest an association with the editio princeps,
and a close examination of its text shows that it is
ver>' nearly identical with that of the first edition.
It is, however, hardly safe to say that we have here
what is so rarely met with — the actual MS. original of
a fifteenth century book. But there can be no doubt
of the very close relationship. It begins : " Incipit
prologus in librii de amore libroru qui philobiblon
dicitur," in red ; but has no concluding note. It be-
longed to David Laing and 1 have called it L.
Paris An account was given by Cocheris of
(3) the three MSS. in the Bibliotheque
Nationale, used by him for the purposes of his edition,
which requires to be supplemented in some important
particulars.
The MS. formerly numbered 797, now 15,168, forms
part of the Fonds de St. Victor, and is a small quarto
containing several treatises, of which the Philobiblon
is the first. It has a note at the foot of fol. i"" : " Iste
liber est sancti Victoris parisiensis — quicunque eum,
etc. ; " at the foot of fol. V : " Ihs . m . S ." [A shield
Ixxii INTRODUCTION
with the arms of Navarre] " Victor . S Aug^tin^ " in
red letters ; and again at the foot of fol. 4'' this note :
" Iste hber est sancti Victoris parisiensis. quicunque
eum furatus fuerit vel celaverit vel titulum istum dele-
verit anathema sit amen . O." At the end of the Philo-
biblon is a note : " Hunc hbrum acquisiuit monasterio
sancti victoris prope parisius frater Johannes lamasse
dum esset prior eiusdem ecclesie." Lamasse was
Prior from 1448 to 1458.^ This MS., which is in a
poor handwriting, begins : " Incipit prologus Philo-
biblon."
The MS. numbered 3,352 c. is a well written folio
MS., which formerly belonged to Colbert, whose arms
are on its red morocco covers. Cocheris by an almost
incredible oversight has not noted that it bears at the
top of fol. I'' the words in red letters : " Philobiblon
olchoti anglici." It begins nevertheless : " Incipit
prologus in philobiblon Ricardi dunelnensis episcopi,"
and ends : " Explicit Philobiblon."
Both these MSS., which I have called respectively
A and B, present a fairly good text. M. Leopold Delisle
is of opinion that they may have been written between
1375 and 1400, but Mr. E. M. Thompson thinks that
they are not earlier than the beginning of the fifteenth
century.
The third Paris MS. is a folio MS. on paper
numbered 2,454 of the Ancien Fonds latin. It was
written pretty late in the fifteenth centuiy and
presents a very inferior text.
The concluding note as to the date and authorship of
the book is not found in any of the Paris MSS.
' Gallia Christiana, vii. 686.
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL Ixxiii
Bmssels Iri the Bibliothcque Royale de Belgique
(3) are three copies, of which the late Con-
sen-ateur en chef, M. Alvin, sent me the following
account: "Notre Bibliothtciue possede trois manu-
scrits du PJiilobiblion de Richard de Bury : le No.
738, transcription du xv*^ siecle, provenant du prieure
du Val St. Martin h Louvain ; le No. 3,725, date de
1492 et ne se composant que du primum manuale
relatif aux livres sacres ; le No. 11,465 du xv<^ siecle,
provenant de labbaye des Prdmontrds de Pare.
Ces trois transcriptions sont trop recentes pour avoir
quelque valeur paleographique et ne semblent pas
contenir des variantes ^ signaler."
Catalogued in Catal. des MSS. de la bibhotheque
royale des dues de Bourgogne, Brux., 1842, torn,
i. p. 15.
Munich In the Royal Library at Munich are
(2) two paper MSS. numbered 4,705 and
5,829, written in the first half of the fifteenth century.
No. 5,829 is actually dated by the scribe 1426, and the
other was written somewhat later and was indeed not
improbably transcribed from the former. Both MSS.
begin in the same way : " Incipit tractatus greco
vocabulo philobiblon (No. 4,705 has phylobiblon)
amabiliter nuncupatus de amore valore et conserua-
cione librorum."
Bamberg In the Royal Libraiy of Bamberg is a
(i) quarto paper MS. entitled : " Tractatus
de amore librorum grece dictus philobiblon. Phylo-
bylon magnifici disertissimique viri Richardi dilmeli-
nensis episcopi de querimonijs librorum." A letter is
prefixed to it from "Johannes Abbas in Ebrach" to
Friedrich Creussner, the Nuremberg printer. From
Ixxi V INTR OD UC TION
this letter, which is dated 17 September, 1484, it
appears that the Abbot, who was from 1456 to 1474
professor of theology at Vienna, had read the book
when a student there. He complains bitterly of the
corrupted text of the Spires edition, which had
appeared the year before, and he had accordingly
carefully corrected it, and now sends his work to
Creussner to print. So far as we know, Creussner
did not print it. The Abbot's letter was published
by Jaeck in the Sei'apeuin in 1843, Bd. iv. 191-2.
Basel In the University Library at Basel is a
(i) quarto paper MS. of the fifteenth century
beginning : " Incipit prologus in librum de amore
librorum qui dicitur philobiblon " (in red). It is
without the concluding note, and belongs to the
inferior group of MSS. It is catalogued in Haenel,
Catal. Libror. MSS., Lips. 1830, p. 527.
Venice In 1 650 Tomasini recorded the existence
(i) of a MS. in the library of S. Giovanni and
S. Paolo at Venice, belonging to the Dominicans,
adding : " quern miror hie Gesnerum non observasse." ^
It was more fully catalogued in 1778 by Berardelli, the
librarian,^ who as a good Dominican maintains that it
was written by Holkot. Since the collection has
passed into the Biblioteca Nazionale di S. Marco, it
has been catalogued by Valentinelli,^ who assigned
it to the fourteenth century. The present librarian,
Signor Castellani, has been good enough to send me
^ Bibliothecae Venetae manuscriptae . . . Utini, p. 27.
^ Nuova Raccolta d'opusculi . . . xxxii. 19.
^ Bibliotheca manuscripta ad S. Marci Venetiarutn ; Venet.
1868, vol. i. p. 257.
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL Ixxv
some account of the MS., which enables me to correct
tliat of Valentinelli. He has also sent a tracing of the
handwriting, which appears to be of the fifteenth century.
The title appearing in the MS. must, I think, have
been added after the edition of Paris : " Philobiblon
seu de amore librorum ac de institutione bibliothe-
carum." The MS. ends: " Explicit philobiblon magistri
Robert! Holkot^ ordinis Praedicatorum."
Rome In May, 18S5, M. Delisle, on returning
(i) from Italy, was good enough to write to
me : — •' Le hazard m'a recemment fait passer sous les
yeux le MS. 259 au fonds Ottoboni au Vatican. C'est
un volume copie au xiv"^ siecle, dont la premiere partie
est le Philobiblon de Teveque de Durham." Mr. W. Bliss
has kindly sent me an account of this MS., which he
assigns to the " end of the fourteenth century, or
later." From a note upon it, it appears to have be-
longed to "Daniel Aurelius, 1564." It does not give
the note at the end, and has no reference to Holkot.
Escurial There is a MS. at the Escurial (Real
(i) Biblioteca de San Lorenzo), which was
catalogued by the late G. Lowe in the Bibliotheca
patruni latiiioriini Hispaniensis, ed. by W. von H artel,
Wien, 1887, p. %(i (cp. p. 537), who attributes the
volume of which it forms part to the fourteenth
century. According to Denifle, Die Universitiiten
im Mitlelalter, 1885, i. 797 71., the book is attributed
in this MS. to Holcot, but of this Lowe says nothing.
Father Felix Rozanski, late librarian at the Escurial,
has, however, kindly sent me the following account of
the MS. :
^ Not Kolkot, as Valentinelli has printed it.
Ixxvi INTR on UC TION
"Cod. sec. XV., 11. J. 25. Inter alia fol. 157 incipit :
" Incipit libellus dictus Philobiblon editus a fratre . . .
\ito7nen auctorzs aviilsiwi\ predicator[e] sacre pagine
preclarissimo professore ad petitionem domini Ricardi
dimelinensis [sic) episcopi in cuius persona ipse
magister Robertus loquitur in libello presenti. — In-
cipit prologus in philobiblon Ricardi Dimelinensis
episcopi . . ."
" Continet hoc opusculum xix. capitula finitque fol.
186 : faciei conspectum. Amen. Explicit philobiblon
Ricardi."
Missing It may be of interest to record such
manuscripts traces as I have met with of the existence
of other MSS., which may perhaps some day be found.
There was a MS. in the Bibliotheca Amploniana at
Erfurt, as appears by the catalogue published by
Dr. Schum in 1887, p. 382. In a paper MS. (Q. 123),
described as of the end of the fourteenth century, the
twenty-fifth v/ork was the Philobiblon. This MS. was
sent to London for my use, but I found on examination
that the portion containing the Philobiblon had been re-
moved, as in fact appears from Dr. Schum's catalogue.
I cannot identify the MS. mentioned by Fabricius in
the Bibliotheca Af. et Inf. Latinitatis^ as being in his
possession with any extant MS. Cocheris^ suggests
that it may be the Cottonian copy, but in the first
place this does not correspond to the description of
Fabricius, and in the next place the MS. was in the
Cottonian Library in 1696 ^ and can never have been in
the possession of Fabricius.
^ Lib. ii. p. 308.
^ Introd., p. xxi.
^ Smith, Catalogue, p. 158.
BIBLIO GRAPHIC A L Ixxvii
J. F. Reimmann, the German bibliographer, had a
MS, in his possession, which he described in his Bib-
liotheca Histor.-Lit., ed. sec, 1743, p. 147. He
declares it to contain a text very much superior to
any of the printed editions. He mentions also that
it was followed by a " carmen leoninum de re biblio-
thecaria," which was not to be found in any of the
published texts. I do not know to what this refers ;
it is certain, however, that the poem never formed any
part of the Philobibloii}
The most interesting, perhaps, of the missing MSS.
is that which Dr. Thomas Kay (or Caius) tells us he
saw and read at Durham College, Oxford, towards the
end of Henry VIII. 's reign, and which he supposed to
be the copy given to the college by the Bishop him-
self— " eundem ipsum indubie, quern ipsemet biblio-
thecae illi vivus contulerat : " see Hearne's ed. of the
Assertio Antiquitatis Oxon. Academiae, ii. 433.
His opponent in the controversy as to the respective
priority of the two universities, Dr. John Caius, boasts
of the possession of a MS. of the Philobiblo7i^ which
he says was accompanied by a copy of the foundation-
deed of Durham College : loc, cit, i. 242.
Present A very few words must suffice to explain
edition the use I have made of the MSS. in
forming the text of the present edition. Of the whole
number of MSS. here enumerated I have personally
examined or collated twenty-eight. I have not indeed
in the critical notes attempted to give a collation of
all these MSS. Nor even of the four MSS. of which
^ At the end of his notes, Inglis printed three elegiac
couplets, which Lord Campbell quotes as De Bury's, but
this is of course a mistake.
Ixxviii INTR OD UC TION
I have recorded all the important variants, does the
printed collation profess to be absolutely complete.
In an edition intended primarily for the general
reader, it seemed unnecessary to burden the notes
with a mass of various readings due to the errors of
copyists or to unsettled orthography. A complete
collation of the best MSS. and the important varia-
tions of all the MSS. must be reserved for a more
elaborate critical edition, if there should appear to be
a demand for it. That will also furnish a more suitable
occasion for a discussion of the relationship of the
various MSS.
The MSS. which appeared to be for my present
purpose the most important were the two Paris MSS.
which I have called A and B ; Digby 147, which I have
denoted D, and Royal 8 F. xiv, which I have called E.
I have felt myself bound in consequence of the
unfavourable judgment I had formed of the critical
v/ork of Cocheris to give the variants of the two
former MSS., because he has affected to give them,
and I have also given the various readings of D and E
in all important places. In a few places of special diffi-
culty or interest I have occasionally given the readings
of other MSS. The readings of the Cologne MS. I have
given pretty frequently, in order to exhibit its close re-
lationship to the text of the editio princeps ; and for
a similar reason I have given the readings of the
Magdalen MS., to indicate the extent to which James
seems to have used it in forming his text.
Occasionally I have given the readings of the early
printed texts, when they differ from what may be almost
called the texttis receptus. Where I have recorded
this current text, as it is found in the successive
editions down to Cocheris (comp. the pedigree on
p. Ix.), it may be assumed that except in the matter
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL Ixxix
of orthography and accidental errors of the press it
reproduces the readings of the editio princeps.
I have thought it right to reduce the orthography of
the MSS. to a classical standard. While I accept the
general soundness of the view that mediaeval writers
should be reproduced in their ov/n orthography, I
justify my deviation from this rule on two grounds :
first, that the PJiilobiblon is a work of literature and
not of philology, and secondly, that I feared to repel
many readers who feel no interest in mediaeval
Latinists generally, but will be led to take up the
present work from the interest of its subject and its
claim upon all to whom
** Books are a passion and delight."
The explanatory and illustrative notes are mainly
directed to the establishment of the text. The
Bishop's style is made of scriptural and liturgical
quotation and allusion ; and a reference to the
Vulgate frequently determines the probable reading
in a doubtful passage, as well as explains its mean-
ing. I have been more sparing in references to
previous or contemporary writers, a kind of illustra-
tion Vv'hich it would be easy to multiply. I have tried
to leave nothing really difficult unexplained, without
burdening the reader with irrelevant or superfluous
annotation, and can only hope, in the words of
S. Augustine : qtiibus pa7'um vel qtiibus 7iimium^7iobis
ig7wsca7it.
Philobiblon
Ricardi de Bury
Inclpiunt Capitula
1. Quod thesaurus saplentlae potissime
sit in librls.
2. Oualis amor libris ratlonablllter de-
beatur.
3. Qualiter in libris emendis sit pretium
aestimandum.
4. Ouerimonia librorum contra clericos
iam promotos.
5. Querimonia librorum contra religiosos
possessionatos.
6. Ouerimonia librorum contra religiosos
mendicantes.
7. Ouerimonia librorum contra bella.
8. De multiplici opportunitate quam
habuimus librorum copiam con-
quirendi.
I potissimum Ja. I| 5 iam /. ^ || 8 conquerendi D
conqureiidi E |j
Ixxxiv INCIPIUNT CAPITULA.
9. Quod licet opera veterum amplius
amaremus, non tamen damnavi-
mus studia modernorum.
0. De successiva perfectione librorum.
1. Quare llbros liberallum litterarum
praetulimus libris iuris.
2. Quare libros grammaticales tanta
diligentia curavimus renovare.
3. Quare non omnino negleximus fabu-
las poetarum.
4. Qui deberent esse librorum potis-
simi dilectores.
5. Quot commoda confert amor libro-
rum.
6. Ouam meritorium sit libros novos
scribere et veteres renovare.
7. De debita honestate circa librorum
custodiam adhibenda.
8. Quod tantam librorum collegimus
copiam ad communem profectum
scholarium et non solum ad pro-
priam voluptatem.
9 damnajuus B Ja. 1| 12 curamus B retiovare om. E i|
13 neglexeriimts J a. poetamm renovare £" || 14 debent
A B potissime ^2i. || 18 vohintatetn /^ Ja. l|
INCIPIUNT CAPITULA. Ixxxv
19. De modo communicandi studentlbus
omnes libros nostros.
20. Exhortatio scholarium ad rependen-
dum pro nobis suffragia debitae
pietatis.
19 ojnnibics A B om. Ja. || 20 repetendum D pietati
D pietatis etc. B ||
Abbreviations
A = Paris MS. 15168 : see Introd. p. Ixxi.
B = Paris MS. 3352 : see Introd. p. Ixxii.
D = Bodleian MS. Digby 147 : see Introd.
p. Ixvii.
E = Brit. Mus. MS. Roy. 8 F. xiv. : see In-
trod. p. Ixvi.
L = Cologne MS. : see Introd. p. Ixxi.
M = Magdalen Coll. MS. ; see Introd. p. Ixviii.
1 = Editio princeps, Cologne, 1473 * ^^^ I^'
trod. p. li.
2 = Edition of Spires, 1483 : see Introd. p. Hi.
3 z=: Edition of Paris, 1500: see Introd. p. liv.
Ja. = Edition of James, Oxford, 1598-9: see
Introd. p. liv.
Gold. = Edition of Goldast, 1610 (161 4, 1674):
see Introd. p. Iviii.
Schm. = Edition of Schmidt, 1703: see Introd.
p. lix.
Coch. = Edition of Cocheris, 1856 : see Introd.
p. Ix.
edd. = The editions representing the current
text, including all except those of Spires
and James : cp. table in Introd. p. Ixii.
vulgo = the current text and inferior MSS.
Inclpit Prologus.
Vnlversis Christi fidelibus, ad quos tenor prae-
sentis scripturae pervenerit, Ricardus de Bury,
miseratione divina Dunelmensis episcopus, salutem
in Domino sempiternam, piamque ipsius praesentare
memoriam iugiter coram Deo in vita pariter et post 5
fata.
Quid retribuam Domino pro omnibus quae retri-
buit mihi ? devotissimus investigat psalmista, rex
invictus et eximius prophetarum : in qua quaes-
tione gratissima semetipsum redditorem volun- 10
tarium, debitorem multifarium et sanctiorem optan-
tem consiliarium recognoscit, concordans cum
Aristotele, philosophorum principe, qui omnem de
See Introduction || l litterarum ctdtoribus Ricardus 2 i| 3
Dunolmensis A Dumiel?7iefisis ^ || 4 represattare Ja. || 8 dato-
tissimis A devotissime vulgo |1 9 inunctiis D Ja. iiiuictissimits
E \\ll saniorem L l\\ i^ ad oi}i7icm Ja. 1|
Universis C. f.] The common form of introduction or
salutatio in formal documents. The Spires editor altered the
words C. f. to litterarum cultoribus.
Dunelmensis] The MSS. vary between Dunt^lm. and
Dun^lm. The latter form appears to have been that com-
monly used at Durham : cp. the Boldon Buke (Surtees
Society), pass.; and Sir T. D. Hardy's edition of Bishop
Kellawe's Register (Rolls Series), vol. i. p. ci.
Quid retribuam] Ps. cxvi. 12.
6
?
2 PHILOBIBLON
agibilibus quaestionem consilium probat esse : 3° et
6° Ethicorum.
3 Sane si propheta tarn mirabilis, secretomm praes-
cius divinorum, praeconsulere volebat tam sollicite
quomodo grate posset gratis data refundere, quid nos 5
rudes regratiatores et avidissimi receptores, onusti
divinis beneficiis infinitis^ poterimus digne velle?
Proculdubio deliberatione sollerti et circumspectione
multiplici, invitato primitus spiritu septiformi, qua-
tenus in nostra meditatione ignis illuminans exar- 10
descat, viam non impedibilem providere debemus
attentius, quo largitor omnium de collatis muneribus
suis sponte veneretur reciproce, proximus relevetur
ab onere et reatus contractus per peccantes cotidie
eleemosynarum remediis redimatur. 15
4 Huius igitur devotionis monitione praeventi ab eo
3 m.futurtis p. Ja. Ii 5 g^ciiis grata Ja. 1| 7 dignius edd. || 8
circumspicione D^w non om. Coch. redibilem Ja. || 13 reue-
letur D 2\\i4 ab . . . redimatur om. D ||
consilium] The Trpoaipeffig of Aristotle. The reference to
Aristotle, as Inglis has remarked, is not very happy.
septiformi] This word, which is first used by S. Augustine
{e.g. De Serm. Dom. i, 4), refers to the seven gifts of the
Spirit (Is. xi. 23). Cp. John of Salisbury, De Septem Septenis,
s. 5, and the septem spiritus Dei in Rev. i. 4.
exardescat] Ps. xxxviii. 4, in meditatione mea exardescet
ignis : cp. Ps. xlix. 3 ; Eccli. ix. 9.
impedibilem] Not in the dictionaries, but used by Bradwar-
dine, De Causa Dei, i. i ; it was no doubt suggested by the
viam sine impedi77iento of Wisd. xix. 7, and the use of impe^
dire in such passages as Rom. xv, 22, Gal. v. 7, i Thess. ii. 18.
eleemosynarum remediis redimatur] Cp. Dan. iv. 24.
PRO LOG us
qui solus bonam hominis et praevenit voluntatem
et perficit, sine quo nee sufiicientia suppetit cogi-
tandi solummodo, cuius quicquid boni fecerimus
non ambigimus esse munus, diligenter tam penes
DOS quam cum aliis inquirendo discussimus quid
inter diversorum generum pietatis officia primo 5
gradu placeret Altissimo, prodessetque potius
5 Ecclesiae militanti. Et ecce mox nostrae considera-
tionis aspectibus grex occurrit scholarium elegorum
quin potius electorum, in quibus Deus artifex et
ancilla natura morum optimorum et scientiarum 10
celebrium plantaverunt radices, sed ita rei fami-
liaris oppressit penuria, quod obstante fortuna con-
traria semina tam fecunda virtutum in culto iuven-
tutis agro, roris debiti non rigata favore, arescere
6 corapelluntur. Quo fit ut lateat in obscuris condita 15
virtus clara, ut verbis alludamus Boetii, et ardentes
3 solo modo A \\4. qui ^ |! 5 dhdnorian D i! 7 cogitationis
Ja. II II ita COS edd. || 13 ta?fi orru Ja. \\ in inculto A E\
bonam voluntatem] Phil. i. 15 : perficit ; ib. ii. 13.
elegorum] This word is used in classical Latin only ol
verses : cp. note on Elifuga in ch. xiii. s. 182.
in culto] A quotation from the anonymous author of the De
varietate cannifitim, who says, " Tria sunt seminum genera
quae in culto iuventutis agro absque comitantibus zizaniis
rarissime convalescunt." Cp. Holkot, in Sap. 151 b., 247 b.
The date assigned to this work in Warton, H. E. P., iii.
125, requires correction.
lateat] A quotation from Boetius, De Consol. Phil. i. m. 5,
" Latet obscuris condita virtus Clara tenebris, justusque tulit
Crimen iniqui."
4 PHILOBIBLON
lucernae non ponantur sub modio, sed prae defectu
olei penitus exstinguantur. Sic ager in vere floriger
ante messem exaruit, sic frumenta in lollium et vites
degenerant in labmscas, ac sic in oleastros olivae
silvescunt. Marcesciintomninotenellaetrabeculaeet 5
qui in fortes columnas Ecclesiae poterant excrevisse,
subtilis ingenii capacitate dotati, studiorum gym-
7 nasia derelinquunt. Sola inedia novercante, repel-
luntur a philosophiae nectareo poculo violenter,
quam primo gustaverint, ipso gustu ferventius 10
sitibundi : liberalibus artibus habiles et scripturis
tantum dispositi contemplandis, orbati necessario-
rum subsidiis, quasi quadam apostasiae specie ad
artes mechanicas, propter victus solius suffragia ad
Ecclesiae dispendium et totius cleri vilipendium 15
8 revertuntur. Sic mater Ecclesia pariendo filios
I nunc C pomintur codd. ponantur Ja. pro Ja. !| 2 exstin-
gtiuntur codA, exstinguantur ^2l. || \o gustaverunt q^l^. gustave-
rant Ja. frequentkis D ||
non ponantur] Cocheris absurdly says that the reading
nunc "est la seule admissible." The reference is of course
to Matt. V. 15.
labmscas] Cp. Is. v. 2, '* exspectavit ut faceret uvas et fecit
labruscas. "
oleastros] Cp. Rom. xi. 24.
nectareo poculo] Cp. the De disciplina Scholarium, c. ii. :
* Multos autem artes mendicare prospeximus, nullis eis pocula
philosophiae administrantibus' ; c. v. : ' Nullum vero vehe-
menter obtusorum vidimus unquam philosophico nectare
vehementer inebriari.' For the De disciplina^ see note on
ch. xiii. s. 182.
PRO LOG us
abortiri compellitur, quinimmo ab utero foetus infor-
mis monstruose dirumpitur, et pro paucis mini-
misque quibus contentatur natura, alumnos amittit
egregios, postea promovendos in pugiles fidei et
athletas. Heu quam repente tela succiditur, dum 5
texentis manus orditur ! Heu quod sol eclipsatur
in aurora clarissima et planeta progrediens regiratur
retrograde ac naturam et speciem verae stellae
9 praetendens subito decidit et fit assub ! Quid
poterit pius homo intueri miserius? Quid miseri- 10
cordiae viscera penetrabit acutius ? Quid cor con-
gelatum ut incus in calentes guttas resolvet facilius ?
Amplius arguentes a sensu contrario, quantum pro-
I aboi-tire L l \\ 2 mensh'uose I menstncoso 2 jnonstrose Ja.
7 atira Ja. \\ 9 decidejis Jit Ja. a sub I 2 1| 12 mmtis I in-
tzis E 2 calesctntes D\\1 arguentes om. D H
pro paucis] Cp. Boet., De Cons. Ph. ii. pr. 5 : "Paucis
enim minimisque natura contenta est."
athletas] Athleta Dei is a common phrase for a Christian ;
as for instance in John of Salisbuiy's life of Becket. It is no
doubt based on S. Paul's references to the arena, 2 Tim. iv.
7, I Cor. ix. 26, etc. Cp. TertulL, Ad martyres, 3.
succiditur] Cp. Job, iii. 6, "a texente tela succiditur," and
Is. xxxviii. 12.
assub] This word, which has been found unintelligible by
the editors, is derived from the translations of Aristotle made
from the Arabic, in which it means a falling star. Cp. Roger
Bacon, Op. Maj., iii. i, ** impressiones inflammatae in acre
ex vaporibus ignitis in similitudinem stellaram, quae vocantur
Arabice Assub;" and Vincent of Beauvais, Spec. Nat. ii. 84 ;
iv. 72 (" De Asub, id est stella cadente ") ; see also Jourdain,
Traductions d'Aristote, pp. 367, 414. I have even found the
word used in poetry : see Anoiiyjui chronicon rhythmicum
6 PHILOBIBLON
fuit toti reipublicae Christianae, non quidem Sardana-
pali deliciis, neque Croesi divitiis enervare studentes,
sed melius mediocritate scholastica suffragari pau-
10 peribus, ex eventu praeterito recordemur. Quot
oculis vidimus, quot ex scripturis collegimus, nulla 5
suorum natalium claritate fulgentes, nullius haere-
ditatis successione gaudentes, sed tantum proborum
virorum pietate suffultos, apostolicas cathedras me-
ruisse ! subiectis fidelibus praefuisse probissime !
superborum et sublimium colla jugo ecclesiastico 10
subiecisse et procurasse propensius Ecclesiae liber-
tatem !
11 Quamobrem perlustratis humanis egestatibus
usquequaque caritativae considerationis intuitu, huic
tandem calamitoso generi hominum, in quibus 15
tamen tanta redolet spes profectus Ecclesiae, prae-
elegit peculiariter nostrae compassionis affectio pium
ferre praesidium et eisdem non solum de necessariis
victui, verum multo magis de libris utilissimis
studio providere. Ad hunc efFectum acceptissimum 20
2 enarrare B entinierare D enutrire Z I || lo et humiliutn
edd. II 15 tandem om. E tafn cah'gitioso Qdd.. \\ 16 ecclesiae om.
A II 20 affectum A Ja.H
Austriacunt, printed in Pertz, Scriptt. xxv. p. 364. The word
occurs in the Pro7?iptorium Parvuloi'^an and the Catholicon
Anglicum, as the rendering of * sterre-slyme, ' the star-jelly
supposed to be deposited by falling stars : see Way's note,
P. P., p. 474.
superborum et sublimium] This, which.is the reading of the
better MSS., may also be supported by John of Salisbury,
Pol. iv. 6, ad Jin. But cp. i Pet. v. 5.
PROLOG us
coram Deo nostra iam ab olim vigilavit intentio
indefessa. Hie amor ecstaticus tam potenter nos
rapuit ut, terrenis aliis abdicatis ab animo, acquiren-
dorum librorum solummodo flagraremus affectu.
12 Vt igitur nostri finis intentio tam posteris pateat 5
quam modernis, et ora loquentium perversa quan-
tum ad nos pertinet obstruamus perpetuo, tractatum
parvulinum edidimus stilo quidem levissimo moder-
norum — est enim ridiculosum rhetoricis quando le-
vis materia grandi describitur stilo ; qui tractatus lo
amorem quem ad libros habuimus ab excessu purga-
bit, devotionis intentae propositum propalabit et cir-
cumstantias facti nostri, per viginti divisus capitula,
1 3 luce clarius enarrabit. Quia vero de amore librorum
principaliter disserit, placuit nobis more veterum 15
Latinorum ipsum Graeco vocabulo Philobiblon
amabiliter nuncupare.
Explicit Prologus. Inciplunt Capitula.
2 excitiis Z> II 4 jiagremus i effedu Z> ]| 8 parvtihim D Ja. i|
9 ridiculum edd. 1| 10 scribitur edd. || 13 divisi edd. || 16 ipso
E a greco B philobiblon ^ H 17 amicabiliter edd. ||
luce clarius] Cp. ch. vi. 85, xv. 196. The phrase may
have been derived from Augustine, De Civ. Dei, v. 13.
more Latinorum] Cp. what is said of Vergil in Macrobius,
Saturn. V. xiii, "Omnia carmina sua Graece maluit inscri-
bere, Bucolica, Georgica, Aeneis,"
Philobiblon] This is De Bury's word, though some of the
editors have altered it to Philobiblion without sufficient
authority. The phrase " de amore librorum" probably re-
presents nearly enough what he intended it to mean.
8 PHILOBIBLON
Capltulum I.
Quod thesaurus saplentiae potissime
sit In llbris.
14 Thesaurus desiderabilis sapientiae et scientlae,
quern omnes homines per instinctum naturae desi-
derant, cunctas mundi transcendit divitias infinite :
cuius respectu lapides pretiosi vilescunt; cuius
comparatione argentum lutescit et aurum obryzum 5
exigua fit arena; cuius splendore tenebrescunt
visui sol et luna ; cuius dulcore mirabili amarescunt
15 gustui mel et manna. O valor sapientiae non mar-
cescens ex tempore, virtus virens assidue, omne
2 n. scire d. Ja. || 6ftnt E\\^ omne . . . habente om. Ja. ||
Thesauras desiderabilis] Cp. Prov. xxi. 20.
omnes . . . desiderant] From Aristotle, Metaphysics, i. i :
TiavTiq dv9p(i)7roi tov dSh'ai op'tyovTai (pvtxti.
transcendit divitias] Cp. Wisdom, vii. 8, 9 : " divitias nihil
esse duxi in comparatione illius ; nee comparavi illi lapidem
pretiosum, quoniam omne aurum in comparatione illius arena
est exigua, et tanquam lutum aestimabitur argentum in con-
spectu illius."
tenebrescunt visui sol et luna] Cp. Wisdom, vii. 29: "Est
enim haec speciosior sole et super omnem dispositionem
stellarum."
amarescunt] Cp. Wisdom, viii. 16: "non enim habet
amaritudinem conversatio illius."
non marcescens] Cp. Wisdom, vi. 13: "quae nunquam
marcescit sapientia."
CAPITULUM I.
virus evacuans abhabente ! O munus caeleste libera-
litatis divinae, descendens a Patre luminum, ut men-
tern rationalem provehas usque in caelum ! Tu es
intellectus caelestis alimonia, quam qui edunt adhuc
esurient, quam qui bibunt adhuc sitient, et langu- 5
entis animae harmonia laetificans, quam qui audit
16 nuUatenus confundetur. Tu es morum modera-
trix et regula, secundum quam operans non pecca-
bit. Per te reges regnant et legum conditores
iusta decernunt. Per te deposita ruditate nativa, 10
elimatis ingeniis atque Unguis, vitiorum sentibus
coeffossis radicitus, apices consequuntur honoris,
fiuntque patres patriae et comites principum, qui
sine te conflassent lanceas in ligones et vomeres,
vel cum filio prodigo pascerent forte sues. 15
1 7 Quo lates potissime, praeelecte thesaure ! et ubi
te reperient animae sitibundae?
In libris proculdubio posuisti tabernaculum tuum,
ubi te fundavit Altisbimus, lumen luminum, liber
3 in om. A B E ad edd. || 5 esurhint A languenthim
animas edd. || 11 signis A dentibtis D \\ 12 confossis B 1|
13 comitum D || 16 pi'eeffecie A \\ 18 t. desiderabilc t. edd. 1|
Patre luminum] From James, i. 17.
adhuc esurient] From Eccl. xxiv. 29 : cp. John, vi. 35.
languentis animae] Cp. Wisdom, xvii. 8.
nullatenus confundetur] Cp. Ps. xxxvi. 20 ; Phil. i. 20.
Per te reges] Prov. viii. 15.
in ligones] Cp. Joel, iii. 10. Cocheris thinks the copyists
have blundered and absurdly proposes to read ligones et
vo?neres in lanceas. The point is that those who might have
become rustics are soldiers of the Church.
10 PHILOBIBLON
vitae. Ibi te omnis qui petit accipit, et qui quae-
rit invenit, et pulsantibus improbe citius aperitur.
,In his cherubin alas suas extendunt ut intellectus
studentis ascendat, et a polo usque ad polum
prospiciat, a solis ortu et occasu, ab aquilone et 5
18 mari. In his incomprehensibilis ipse Deus altissi-
mus apprehensibiliter continetur et colitur ; in his
patet natura caelestium, terrestrium et infernorum ;
in his cernuntur iura quibus omnis regitur politia,
hierarchiae caelestis distinguuntur officia et daemo- 10
num tyrannides describuntur, quos nee ideae Pla-
tonis exsuperant nee Cratonis cathedra continebat.
3 et studeiitium ascendunt — prospichmt edd. |1 5 comprehen-
sibilis A E edd. || II giiasja.. H 12 Caionis A £ ]a.. in mg.
Crathonis B ||
qui petit] The source is of course Matt. vii. 7, not, as
Cocheris suggests, Prov. viii. 17.
cherubin] Cp. Exod. xxv. 20; I Kings, vi. 27.
a solis ortu, etc.] Schmidt unnecessarily alters "a mari"
to "ad meridiem." The quotation is from Ps. cvi. 3.
incomprehensibilis] Cp. Jer. xxxii. 19.
caelestium terrestrium et infernorum] From Phil. ii. 10.
Cratonis] The name occurs also in c. xiii. s. 182, where it
is clearly the true reading. Here the sense would rather re-
quire Catonis, as more worthy to be coupled with Plato : cp.
S. Augustine, De Civ. Dei, ii. 7 ; " quid docuerit Plato vel
censuerit Cato." The Crato of the Golden Legend, ed.
Graesse, p. 56, and Vincent of Beauvais, Spec. hist. xi. 39,
or the fictitious Crato of the Pseudo-Boetius (s. 182 noie) seems
too obscure for this distinction. But the phrase Cratonis
cathedra is perhaps conclusive ; and very possibly De Bury
thought they were the same person. Crato is mentioned in
several liturgical hymns : cp. York Missal, ii. 212 j Daniel,
Thesaur. Hymnol. i. 93.
CAPITULUM I. II
19 In libris mortuos quasi vivos invenio ; in libris
futura praevideo ; in libris res bellicae disponuntur ;
de libris prodeunt iura pads. Omnia corrumpuntur
et intabescunt in tempore ; Saturnus quos generat
devorarenoncessat: omnem mundi gloriam operiret 5
oblivio, nisi Deus mortalibus librorum remedia pro-
20 vidisset. Alexander, orbis domitor, lulius et urbis et
orbis invasor, qui et Marte et arte primus in unitate
personae assumpsit imperium, fidelis Fabricius et
Cato rigidus hodie caruissent memoria, si librorum 10
suffragia defuissent. Turres ad terram sunt dirutae ;
civitates eversae ; putredine perierunt fornices tri-
umphales ; nee quicquam reperiet vel Papa vel Rex
quo perennitatis privilegium conferatur commodius
21 quam per libros. Reddit auctori vicissitudinem 15
liber factus, ut quamdiu liber supererit auctor
manens athanatos nequeat interire, teste Ptolemaeo
in prologo Almagesti : non fuit, inquit, mortuus qui
scientiam. vivificavit.
4 tahescunt A B E \\ 6 obUvioni ^9 || 8 in arce et arte edd.
deiectae ]di. \\ 12 fornices om. edd. || 13 reperij'et D 2 reperit
Ja. II 14 perhenniter edd. || 15 auctori om. edd. actori 2 |i 16
actor edd. 1|
omnia corrumpuntur] Cp. Arist. Phys. iv. 12 : Karar^Kti
6 xfjovoQ Kai yi)pdaKSi iravQ^ vTrb rov ■)(p6vov. The quotation
occurs also in Holkot, Super Sap., f. 317.
Fabricius et Cato] Cp. Boet. De Cons. Phil., ii. m. 7 :
Ubi nunc f delis ossa Fabricii iacent ? Quid Brutus aut
rigidtis Cato ?
Ahnagesti] The Astronomy, or MtyaX?/ ^vvratiq, was pro
bably so called to distinguish it from the MaOrjuariKi) Swrra^iCj
or Mathematics of Ptolemy. It was preserved and communi-
le PHILOBIBLON
2 2 Quis igitur infinite thesauro librorum, de quo
scriba doctus profert nova et vetera, per quodcun-
que alterius speciei pretium limitabit ? Veritas
vincens super omnia, quae regem, vinum et mulierem
supergreditur, quam amicis praehonorare officium 5
obtinet sanctitatis, quae est et via sine devio et vita
sine termino, cui sacer Boetius attribuit triplex
esse, in mente, voce et scripto, in libris videtur
manere utilius et fructificare fecundius ad profectum.
23 Nam virtus vocis perit cum sonitu ; Veritas mente 10
latens est sapientia absconsa et thesaurus invisus ;
Veritas vero quae lucet in libris omni se discipli-
nabili sensui manifestare desiderat. Visui dum
legitur, auditui dum auditur, amplius et tactui se
commendat quodammodo, dum transcribi se sus- 15
24 tinet, colligari, corrigi et servari. Veritas mentis
clausa, licet sit possessio nobilis animi, quia tamen
2 et quodcunqzte D i| 5 stiperare dicitur Ja. [| 9 effectum
D II 10 Veritas vocis edd. |1 1 1 abscondita Ja. || 12 discipli-
nali edd. \\ 14 tactu A || 16 collocari 2 || 17 animi tamen cum
caret edd. ||
cated to Europe by the Arabs, and the name Almagest is
formed of the Arabic article and the Greek /teyicrrj;.
nova et vetera] From Matt. xiii. 52.
Veritas vincens] Cp. 3 Esdras, iii. and iv.
amicis praehonorare] This seems to refer to Aristotle,
Eth. i. 6. I : afKpolv yap ovtoiv (piXoiv ocriov irporijiav ti)v
aXt]9siuv.
Boetius] On the De Interpret., Migne, Ixiv. p. 297.
virtus vocis] Cp. I Cor. xiv. 11 ; though we should, per-
haps, rather have expected Veritas.
sapientia absconsa et thesaurus invisus] Cp. Eccl. xx. 32.
CAPITULUM I. 13
caret socio, non constat esse iociinda, de qua nee
visus iudicat nee auditus. Veritas vero vocis
soli patet auditui, visum latens, qui plures nobis
differentias rerum monstrat, affixaque subtilissimo
25 motui incipit et desinit quasi simul. Sed Veritas 5
scripta libri, non successiva sed permanens, palam
se praebet aspectui et per sphaerulas pervias ocu-
lorum, vestibula sensus communis et imaginationis
atria transiens, thalamum intellectus ingreditur, in
cubili memoriae se recondens, ubi aeternam men- 10
tis congenerat veritatem.
26 Postremo pensandum, quanta doctrinae com-
moditas sit in libris, quam facilis, quam arcana.
Quam tuto libris humanae ignorantiae pauperta-
tem sine verecundia denudamus ! Hi sunt magistri 15
qui nos instruunt sine virgis et ferula, sine verbis
et cholera, sine pannis et pecunia. Si accedis,
\jocundam vulgo || 4 osiendit edd. afflixaxjiie A\\^ siiuiliter
Ja. II 7 spirituales vias ociilorutn edd. speculia pervia 2 ll 8 ac
sensiis edd. !l 10 cubile vulgo || 11 cognoverat 2|| 15 0 libH
hi E Hi libri ]2>.. i| 16 et ferula sine verbis om. Ja. ||
sensus communis] See Roger Bacon's account of Scientia
perspeciiva, Op. Maj., pars, v, for the part played in percep-
tion by " imaginatio et sensus communis" (p. 192). John
de Garlandia says in his Dictionarius : " In cerebro sub
craneo tres sunt cellulae. Prima est ymaginaria, secunda
rationalis, tertia memorialis," ed. vScheler, p. 22.
pannis] There may be some reference to the distribution of
robes, which was expected in mediaeval times from an in-
cepting master at the Universities : cp. Maxwell Lyte, Hist.
Univ. Oxford, 215 ; Anstey, Mun. Acad.,/aw/w.
14 PHILOBIBLON
non dormiunt ; si inquirens interrogas, non abs-
condunt ; non remurmurant, si oberres ; cachin-
27 nos nesciunt, si ignores. O libri soli liberales et
liberi, qui omni petenti tribuitis et omnes manu-
mittitis vobis sedulo servientes, quot rerum millibus 5
typice viris doctis recommendamini in scriptura
nobis divinitus inspirata ! Vos enim estis profun-
dissimae sophiae fodinae, ad quas sapiens filium
suum mittit ut inde thesauros effodiat : Proverbio-
rum 2° ; vos putei aquarum viventium, quos pater 10
Abraham primo fodit, Isaac eruderavit, quosque
28 nituntur obstruere Palestini : Genesis 26°. Vos estis
revera spicae gratissimae, plenae granis, solis apos-
tolicis manibus confricandae, ut egrediatur cibus
suavissimus famelicis animabus : Matt. 12^^. Vos 15
estis urnae aureae, in qiiibus manna reconditur,
atque petrae mellifluae, immo potius favi mellis,
ubera uberrima lactis vitae, promptuaria semper
plena ; vos lignum et quadripartitus fluvius para-
I se abscondtmt edd. || 4 omnipotenti i || 7 modo edd. H 10
quinto edd. || 15 sanissimics A B gratisswms edd. fidelibus
codd. dett. |1 16 in om. A B E\\ i"] favi om. D\\ 19 atque q.
edd. II
divinitus inspirata] Cp. 2 Tim. iii. 16.
urnae aureae] Cp. Heb. ix : 4, " urnaaurea habens manna."
petrae mellifluae] Cp. Deut. xxxii. 13 ; Ps. Ixxx. 17.
promptuaria plena] Cp. Ps, cxliii. 13.
lignum vitae] Cp. Gen. ii. 9 ; Rev. xxii. 2.
quadripartitus fluvius] Cp. Gen. ii. lo. Cocheris notes in
this an allusion to the Quadrivium and quotes Godefroi de
Saint- Victor :
** Hujus quoque fluminis partes sunt bis binae,
Quas vulgus quadrivium nominat Latine."
CAPITULUM II. 15
disi, quo mens humana pascitur et aridus in-
29 tellectus imbuitur et rigatur ; vos area Noae et
scala lacob, canalesque quibus foetus intuentium
colorantur; vos lapides testimonii et lagenae ser-
vantes lampadas Gedeonis, pera David, de qua lim- 5
pidissimi lapides extrahuntur ut Goliath prosterna-
tur. Vos estis aurea vasa templi, arma militiae
clericorum, quibus tela nequissimi hostis destniun-
tur, olivae fecundae, vineae Engadi, ficus sterilescere
nescientes, lucernae ardentes, semper in manibus 10
praetendendae, — et optima quaeque scripturae
libris adaptare poterimus, si loqui libeat figurate.
Capitulum 2.
Quails amor libris rationabiliter debeatur.
30 Si quidlibet iuxta gradum valoris gradum merea-
tur amoris, valorem vero librorum ineffabilem
persuadet praecedens capitulum ; palam liquet 15
lectori quid sit inde probabiliter concludendum.
3 canaksveja.. || 5 lampades A B £ ]z.\\S hosiis om. ABE
Ja. II 10 semper in m. p. om. edd. ||
canalesque] Cp. Gen. xxx. 38.
lapides testimonii] Cp. Joshua, iv. 7.
lagenae servantes lampadas] Cp. Judges, vii. 16.
limpidissimi lapides] From I Kings, xvii. 40.
anna militiae] Cp. 2 Cor. x. 4, and s. 129 note.
tela nequissimi] Cp. Eph. vi. 16.
lucernae ardentes] Cp. Luke, xii. 35.
1 6 PHILOBIBLON
Non enim demonstrationibus in morali materia
nitimur, recordantes quoniam disciplinati hominis
est certitudinem quaerere, sicut rei naturam per-
spexerit tolerare, archiphilosopho attestante,i°Ethi-
corum. Quoniam nee TuUius requirit Euclidem, 5
nee Euclidi Tullius facit fidem ; hoc revera sive
logice sive rhetorice suadere conamur, quod quae*
cunque divitiae vel deliciae cedere debent libris in
anima spiritali, ubi spiritus, qui est caritas, ordinat
31 caritatem. Primo quidem quia in libris sapientia 10
continetur potissime, plus quam omnes mortales
naturaliter comprehendunt ; sapientia vero divitias
parvipendit, sicut capitulum antecedens allegat.
Praeterea Aristoteles, De problematibus, particula
3% problemate 10°, istam determinat quaestionem 15
propter quid antiqui, qui pro gymnasticis et corpo-
ralibus agoniis praemia statuerunt potioribus, nullum
unquam praemium sapientiae decreverun^. Hanc
quaestionem responsione tertia ita solvit : in
gymnasticis exercitiis praemium est melius et eli- 20
2 utimur B E intimur Z> || 3 prospexerit ^ || 4 archipres-
bitero D testante B\(i hec Z> || 9 spirituali \\x\go || 18 Hac
respoitsione tertia A Hanc rnone tertia D E\2.q melius et om.
D\\
disciplinati] The Treiraidev^Evov of Aristotle: Eth. i. 3, 4.
ordinat caritatem] Cp. Cant. ii. 4, " ordinavit in me
caritatem. "
spiritali] The early ecclesiastical writers appear to have
used spiriiualis and spiritalis indifferently. The Catholicon
Anglicum (p. 355) makes a distinction : "spiritualis pertinet
ad bonum vel ad malum, spiritalis pertinet ad bonum tantum."
Aristoteles] Probl., ed. Bekker, iii, 10, p. 956.
CAPITULUM 11. 17
gibilius illo, pro quo datur ; sapientia autem nihil
melius esse potest ; quamobrem sapientiae nullum
potuit praemium assignari. Ergo nee divitiae nee
32 deliciae sapientiam antecellunt. Rursus amicitiam
divitiis praeponendam solus negabit insipiens, cum 5
sapientissimus hoc testetur; amicitiae vero veri-
tatem hierophilosophus praehonorat et verus Zoro-
babel omnibus anteponit. Subsunt igitur divitiae
veritati. Veritatem vero potissime et tuentur et
continent sacri libri, immo sunt Veritas ipsa scripta; 10
quoniam pro nunc librorum asseres librorum non
asserimus esse partes. Quamobrem divitiae sub-
sunt libris, praesertim cum pretiosissimum genus
divitiarum omnium sint amici, sicut secundo
de Consolatione testatur Boetius, quibus tamen 15
librorum Veritas est per Aristotelem praeferenda.
5 esse preponendam Ja, || 7 ieraphus A B D reraphus E
arciphilosophns I hierophilosophus Ja. || lO scriptura Z> [J 14
sicut et de D^ 1$ attestatur B ||
sapientissimus] No doubt Solomon : cp. Eccli. vi. 15,
" Amico fideli nulla est comparatio, et non est digna
ponderatio auri contra bonitatem fidei illius." Whether
Solomon is also meant by the " hierophilosophus " is not
quite so clear. The sentiment that truth is to be honoured
before friendship is more like Aristotle's oaiov Trporificiv ti)v
aXrjOtiav (Eth. i. 6, 5). The word "hierophilosophus" I
have not found elsewhere.
Zorobabel] The reference is of course to the story told in
3 Esdras, iii. 10-12, iv, 13 ; and also in Josephus, xi. 3.
amici] De Cons. Phil., ii. pr. 8 : " Desine nunc et amissas
opes quaerere ; quod pretiosissimum divitiarum genus est,
amicos invenisti."
1 8 PHILOBIBLON
33 Araplius cum divitiae ad solius corporis subsidia
primo et principaliter pertinere noscantur, virtus
vero librorum sit perfectio rationis, quae bonum
humanum proprie nominatur, apparet quod libri
sunt homini ratione utenti divitiis cariores. Prae- 5
terea illud quo fides defenderetur commodius, dila-
taretur diffasius, praedicaretur lucidius, diligibilius
34 debet esse fideli. Hoc autem est Veritas libris in-
scripta, quod evidentius figuravit Salvator, quando
contra tentatorem praeliaturus viriliter scuto se cir- lo
cumdedit veritatis, non cuiuslibet immo scripturae,
scriptum esse praemittens quod vivae vocis oraculo
erat prolaturus : Matth. 4°.
35 Rursus autem felicitatem nemo dubitat divitiis
praeponendam. Consistit autem felicitas in opera- 15
tione nobilissimae et divinioris potentiae quam habe-
mus, dum videlicet intellectus vacat totaliter veritatis
sapientiae contemplandae, quae est delectabilissima
omnium operationum secundum virtutem, sicut
princeps philosophorum determinat 10°. Ethi- 20
corum, propter quod et philosophia videtur habere
admirabiles delectationes puritate et firmitate, ut
36 scribitur consequenter. Contemplatio autem veri-
tatis nunquam est perfectior quam per libros, dum
2 Veritas A edd. H 11 script e A B E\*j est ^H 13 proba-
turiis i? II 16 nobilioris Z^ H 17 veritati edd. [| 19 vcritatem Ja. I|
secundum virtutem] James writes " veritatem," but it is of
course the fcar' a.pET>)v of Aristotle.
puritate et firmitate] Ar. Eth. x. 7, 3 : ^okh yovv r) <pi\o-
ao(p[a OavfiaaTag ijdoi'ug Ix^iv Ka£api6TT]Tt Kui Ti-J (3ej3aio}.
CAPITULUM J I. 19
actualis imaginatio continuata per librum actum
intellectus super visas veritates non sustinet inter-
rumpi. Quamobrem libri videntur esse felicitatis
speculativae immediatissima instrumenta,unde Aris-
toteles, sol philosophicae veritatis, ubi de eligendis 5
distribuit methodos, docet quod philosophari est
simpliciter eligibilius quam ditari, quamvis in casu
ex circumstantia, puta necessariis indigenti, ditari
quam philosophari sit potius eligendum : 3°.
Topicorum. 10
37 Adhuc cum libri sint nobis commodissimi mads-
O
tri, ut praecedens assumit capitulum, eisdem non
immerito tam honorem quam amorem tribuere
convenit magistralem. Tandem cum omnes homi-
nes natura scire desiderent ac per libros scientiam 15
veterum praeoptandam divitiis omnibus adipisci
possimus, quis homo secundum naturam vivens
38 librorum non habeat appetitum? Quamvis vero
porcos margaritas spernere sciamus, nihil in hoc
prudentis laedetur opinio, quominus oblatas com- 2c
paret margaritas. Pretiosior est igitur cunctis opibus
sapientiae libraria, et omnia quae desiderantur huic
5 physicae edd. || 8 circumstajttiis A edd. || 1 1 sint om. B ||
16 omnibus om.B \\ 20 leditiir D Ja. 1| 21 enini B jj
philosophari] Ar., Top. iii. 2, 22 : To -^ovv ^CKorso'^HV
ftiXTiov Tou xp^l^aTiL,ta9ai, aW ovx aipiriL'Tepov ti^j iicu~i tCju
dvayicaitjv.
scire desiderent] See ch. i. s. 19, note.
margaritas] Cp. Matt. vii. 6,
pretiosior cunctis opibus] Cp. Prov. viii, ii.
20 PHILOBIBLON
non valent comparari : Proverbiorum 3^ Quis-
quis igitur se fatetur veritatis, felicitatis, sapientiae
vel scientiae, seu etiam fidei zelatorem, librorum
necesse est se faciat amatorem.
I
Capitulum 3.
Quallter In llbrls emendis sit pretlum
aestimandum.
39 Corollarium nobis gratum de praedictis elicimus, 5
paucis tamen (ut credimus) acceptandum : nullam
videlicet debere caristiam hominem impedire ab
emptione librorum, cum sibi suppetat quod petitur
pro eisdem, nisi ut obsistatur malitiae venditoris,
vel tempus emendi opportunius expectetur. Quo- '°
niam, si sola sapientia pretium facit libris, quae est
infinitus thesaurus hominibus, et si valor librorum
est ineffabilis, ut praemissa supponunt, qualiter pro-
babitur carum esse commercium, ubi bonum emitur
infinitum ? Quapropter libros libenter emendos et »5
invite vendendos sol hominum Salomon noshortatur,
4 est ut se Ja. fateatur edd. || 5 corelarium D corrolariuvi
jg" II 9 suppetatur obsistatur A \
infinitus thesaurus] From Wisdom, vii. 14 ; Eccl"«. xx. 32.
Sol hominum Salomon] This phrase occurs in Walter
Map, De Nugis Curialium, iv. 3 ; the reference is perhaps to
Eccli. xxvii. 12.
CAPITULUM 111. 21
Prov. 23°: veritatem, inquit, erne et noli vendere
sapientiam.
40 Sed quod rhetorice suademus vel logice, adstrua-
mus historiis rei gestae. Archiphilosophus Aris-
toteles, quern Averroes datum putat quasi regulam 5
in natura, paucos libros Speusippi post ipsius deces-
sum pro septuaginta duobus millibus sestertiis sta-
tim emit. Plato, prior tempore sed doctrinis pos-
terior, Philolai Pythagorici librum emit pro decern
millibus denariorum, de quo dicitur Timaei dialo- 10
gum excerpsisse, sicut refert A. Gellius, Noctium
41 Atticarum libro tertio, capitulo ly*'. Haec autem
narrat A. Gellius, ut perpendat insipiens quam
nihilipendant sapientes pecuniam comparatione
librorum. Et e contrario, ut omni superbiae stulti- 15
tiam cognoscamus annexam, libet hie Tarquinii
Superbi stultitiam recensere in parvipensione libro-
rum, quam refert idem A. Gellius, Noctium Atti-
42 carum libro primo, cap, 19'^. Vetula quaedam om-
nino incognita ad Tarquinium Superbum, regem 20
\i A. Gellius om. A A. Gellius . . . tiarrat om. B \ 12 17"
om. B c° i^" codd. |1 IS ^ contrane D \\ l^ inpcnsione E
impensione Ja. |1
regulam in natura] On the De Anima, iii. ed. 1550, f. 169.
The passage is quoted by Albertus Magnus, 0pp. iii. 135 and
Aegidius Colonna, Quodlibeta, iii. qu. 13, and is referred to
by Roger Bacon, Op. Maj., p. 27 : see Renan, Averroes,
I P- 55 f.
prior tempore] Cp. Aristot. Met. i. 3 of Empedokles and
Anaxagoras : ry fikv yXiKKf rrportpog Cjv tovtqv TOig d'ipyoig
n vaTSpog.
22 PHILOBIBLON
Romanum septimiim, dicitur accessisse, venales
offerens novem libros, in quibus (ut asseruit) divina
coRtinebantur oracula, sed immensam pro eisdem
poposcit pecuniam, in lantum ut rex earn diceret
delirare. Ilia commota tres libros in ignem proiecit 5
et pro residuis summam quam prius exegit. Rege
negante, rursus tres alios in ignem proiecit et adhuc
pro tribus residuis primam summam poposcit.
Tandem stupefactus supra modum, Tarquinius sum-
mam pro tribus gaudet exsolvere, pro qua novem 10
poterat redemisse. Vetula statim disparuit, quae
43 nee prius, nee postea visa fuit. Hi sunt libri
Sibyllini, quos quasi quoddam divinum oraculum
per aliquem de quindecim viris consulebant Ro-
man!, et quindecimviratus creditur officium ori- 15
ginem habuisse. Quid aliud haec Sibylla prophe-
tissa tam vafro facto superbum regem edocuit, nisi
quod vasa sapientiae, sacri libri, omnem humanam
aestimationem excedunt, et sicut de regno cae-
lorum dicit Gregorius : Tantum valent, quantum ^o
habes*.
6 exigit E 11 iipoUierat B\ 15 ongincyn om. edd. origihes D
II 17 vario B edd. |1 19 sic E || 20 valent A B ||
Tantum valet] Gregory, XL. Homiliarum in Evangelia,
lib. i. Horn. 5: "Aestimationem quippe pretii non habet,
sed tamen regnum Dei tantum valet, quantum habes." The
phrase may remind us of Cordelia's answer to King Lear in
Gervase of Tilbury, Otia Imper., ii. 17 : " Quantum habes,
tantum valet et tantum te diligo."
CAPITULUM ir. 23
Capltulum 4.
Ouerimonia llbrorum contra clericos iam
promotes.
44 Progenies viperamm parentes proprios perimens
atque semen nequam ingratissimi cuculi, qui, cum
vires acceperit, virium largitricem nutriculam suam
necat, sunt clerici degeneres erga libros. Redite
praevaricatores ad cor et quid per libros recipitis 5
fideliter computetis et invenietis libros totius nobi-
lis status vestri quodammodo creatores, sine quibus
proculdubio defecissent caeteri promotores.
45 Ad nos nempe rudes penitus et inertes reptastis,
ut parvuli loquebamini, ut parvuli sapiebatis, ut 10
parvuli eiulantes implorastis participes fieri lactis
nostri. Nos vero protinus lacrimis vestris tacti
3 acceperint — necant A mdricein D \ if circa ^ || 6 corn-
put ate J a. II 8 promotores. Ex persona libroruin vulgo i|
Progenies viperarum] Cp. Matt. xii. 34.
nutricem suam necat] Cp. Pliny, H. N. x. II, who says
that the young cuckoo robs the other young birds of their
food, and growing fat engrosses the affection of his nurse, in se
nutricem cojivertit, until after she has seen him devour her own
young, at last when he is able to fly he makes her his prey.
Redite praevaricatores ad cor] From Is. xlvi. 8.
ut parvuh] Cp. I Cor. xiii. ii.
participes lactis] Cp. Heb. v. 13.
24
PHILOBIBLON'
mamillam grammaticae porreximus exsugendam,
quam dentibus atque lingua contrectastis assidue,
donee dempta nativa barbaric nostris Unguis
46 ineiperetis magnalia Dei fari. Post haec philoso-
phiae vestibus valde bonis, rhetorica et dialectica, 5
quas apud nos habuimus et habemus, vos indui-
mus, cum essetis nudi, quasi tabula depingenda.
Omnes enim philosophiae domestici sunt vestiti
duplicibus, ut tegatur tarn nuditas quam ruditas
47 intellectus. Post haec, ut alati more seraphico 10
super cherubin scanderetis, quadrivialium pennas
vobis quatuor adiungentes, transmisimus ad ami-
cum, ad cuius ostium, dum tamen improbe pul-
3 nahira B D direpta nota edd. 1| 5 vestra Ja. vestris sec.
manu A Ja. || 10 seraphin -£ 11 1 1 scandentes transmisimus edd.H
magnalia Dei] Cp. Eccl. xviii. 5 ; Acts ii. il.
vestibus valde bonis] From Gen. xxvii. 15. For the
*'vestes philosophiae" cp. Boetius, De Cons. Phil. i. pr. I ;
Holkotin Sap. 153 b. foil., explains these to be the seven
liberal arts.
tabula depingenda] The phrase reminds us of the familiar
" tabula rasa," which, according to Prantl, G. der Logik, iii.
261, is first found in Aegidius Colonna, and goes back of
course to Aristotle, De Anima, iii. 4.
domestici sunt vestiti duplicibus] From Prov. xxxi. 21.
more seraphico] Cp. Is. vi. 2 ; 2 Sam. 22. ii ; Ps. xvii. II.
quadrivialium] The Trivium included Grammar, Dialectic
and Rhetoric— the introductoiy arts ; the Quadrivium, the
four sciences— " quatuor pennas"— of Music, Arithmetic,
Geometry, and Astronomy.
ad amicum] Cp. Luke xi. 4, '* Amice, commoda mihi tres
panes."
improbe pulsaretis] ib. 8 : "Si ille perseveraverit pulsans
. . . propter improbitatem tamen ejus surget."
CAPITULUM IV. 25
saretis, tres panes commodarentur intelligentiae
Trinitatis, in qua consistit finalis felicitas cuiuslibet
viatoris. Quod si vos haec munera non habere
dixeritis, confidenter asserimus, quod vel ea per
incuriam perdidistis coUata, vel in principio desides 5
48 respuistis oblata. Si huiusmodi videantur ingratis
pusilla, adicimus his maiora. Vos estis genus elec-
tum, regale sacerdotium, gens sancta, vos populus
peculiaris in sortem Domini computati, vos sacer-
dotes et ministri Dei, immo vos antonomatice ipsa
3 nos A II 8 gens sancta et populus acquisitionis vos Ja. ||
10 do mini D ipsiiis D ||
viatoris] " Viator " was a common mediceval term for a
Christian, especially frequent in Wiclif. It dates back to
5. Augustine : cp. Sermones, clxix. 18 ( I Cor. viii. 2).
genus electum] Cp. i Pet. ii. 9 : " Vos autem genus elec-
tum, regale sacerdotium, gens sancta, populus acquisitionis,"
etc.
populus peculiaris] Cp. Deut. vii. 6 ; Exod. xix. 6.
sortem Domini] With reference to the derivation of clericus.
Cp. S. Jerome, Ad Nepotianum, Ep. 3 : *' Igitur clericus,
qui Chri^ti servit Ecclesiae, interpretetur primo vocabulum
suum, et nominis definitione prolata nitatur esse quod dicitur.
Si enim Kkripog Graece sors Latine appellatur, propterea vo-
cantur clerici, vel quia de sorte sunt Domini, vel quia ipse
Dominus sors, id est, pars clericorum est;" Gerv. Tilb.,
Otia Imperialia, prolog. : " Rex ille summus simul et sacer-
dos Christus secundum ordinem Melchisedech suo sacerdo-
tium consecravit imperio, sortem suam in clero constituens,
cuius merito clerici velut in sortem Domini vocati nuncu-
pantur."
antonomatice] Formed from dvTOvofiaaia (cp. Quintil. viii.
6. 29), though often written antonomatice, and supposed to be
connected with avrovofi'JJg. Whether the latter form is any-
26 PHILOBIBLON
Ecclesia Dei dicimini, quasi laici non sint ecclesi-
astici nuncupandi. Vos, laicis postpositis, psalmos
et hymnos concinitis in cancellis et altari deser-
vientes, cum altario participantes, verum con- |
ficitis corpus Christi, in quo Deus ipse vos non 5 j
solum laicis, immo paulo magis angelis honoravit. |
49 Cui enim aliquando angelorum dixit : Tu es sacer- |
dos in aeternum secundum ordinem Melchisedech? j
Vos crucifixi patrimonium dispensatis pauperibus, {
ubi iam quaeritur inter dispensatores ut fidelis quis lo ;
inveniatur. Vos estis pastores gregis dominici
tarn exemplo vitae quam verbo doctrinae, qui
vobis tenentur rependere lac et lanam.
50 Qui sunt istorum omnium largitores, O clerici,
nonne libri ? Reminisci libeat, supplicamus, quot 15
per nos clericis sint concessa egregia privilegia '
libertatum. Per nos siquidem vasa sapientiae et
I ipsi etiam dii 2 || 2 postponitis A Z> \\ ^ nos ^ || 1 1 diversi
edd. II 12 vitae om. edd. i| 13 nobis A tenet ur Z? || 16 sunt
ABE sint scripsi cum J a. egregia om. Z? || 17 sacerdotum A ||
thing but a clerical error is, perhaps, doubtful ; but Mr.
Lumby's article, in his glossary to Higden, is certainly wrong.
Cp. Adam Murimuth of Edward III. " dictus antonomatice
gloriosus," though Hog (p. 225) alters the text to " autono-
matice. "
altari deservientes] From i Cor. ix. 13 : qui altari deser-
viunt cum altari participant ; cp. Heb. xiii. lO.
corpus Christi] Cp. S. Jerome, Ad Heliodoriivi^ Ep. I ;
* Apostolico gradui succedentes, Christi corpus sacro ore con-
ficiunt.'
paulo magis angelis] From Heb. ii. 7, with a difference.
Tu es sacerdos] From Ps. cix. 4.
ubi iam quaeritur] Cp. I Cor. iv. 2 : " Hie iam quaeritur
inter dispensatores ut fidelis quis inveniatur."
CAPITULUM IV. 27
intellectus imbuti cathedras scanditis magistrales,
vocati ab hominibus Rabbi. Per nos, in oculis
laicorum mirabiles velut magna mundi luminaria,
I dignitates ecclesiae secundum sortes varias possi-
'51 detis. Per nos, cum adhuc careatis genarum lanu- 5
gine, in aetate tenera constituti tonsuram portatis
in vertice, prohibente statim ecclesiastica sententia
formidanda : Nolite tangere Christos meos et in
prophetis meis nolite malignari ; et qui eos teti-
gerit temere violenter anatheraatis vulnere ictu 10
proprio protinus feriatur.
2 Tandem aetate succumbente malitiae, figurae
Pythagoricae bivium attingentes ramum laevum
eligitis et retrorsum abeuntes sortem Domini prae-
assumptam dimittitis, socii facti furum; sicque 15
semper proficientes in peius, latrociniis, homicidiis
et multigenis impudicitiis maculati, tam fama quam
conscientia tabefacta sceleribus,compellente iustitia,
in manicis et compedibus coarctati, servamini morte
I itidnti Ja. II 3 himma Z? 1| 5 carebatis edd. I, 7 statuin E ||
vocati ab hominibus Rabbi] From Matt, xxiii. 7.
luminaria] Cp. Phil. ii. 15 : '* Lucetis sicut luminaria in
mundo;" and Gen. i. 16.
nolite tangere] From Ps. civ. 15.
figurae Pythag.] The letter Y as emblematic of the broad
and nanow paths of vice and virtue. Cp. Gervas. Tilb., Otia
Imper., i. 20 : " Y litteram Pythagoras invenit, ad exemplum
humanae vitae, cuius prior virgula primam significat aeta-
tem incertam : bivium, quod su^Derest, ab adolescentia incipit,
cuius dextera pars ardua, sed ad beatam vitam tendit ; sinistra
facilior a luce ad interitum ducens."
retrorsum abeuntes] Cf. Jer. xv. 6 ; socii furum j Is. i. 23.
28 PHILOBIBLON
53 turpissima puniendi. Tunc elongatur amicus et
proximus, nee est qui doleat vicem vestram.
Petrus iurat se hominem non novisse : vulgus
clamat iusticiario : Crucifige, crucifige eum ! quoni-
am si hunc dimittis, Caesaris amicus non eris. 5
lam periit omnis fuga, nam ante tribunal oportet
assisti, nee locus suppetit appellandi sed solum
54 suspendium exspectatur. Dum sic tristitia com-
plevit cor miseri et solae Camenae lacerae fletibus
ora rigant, fit balatus angustiis undique memor 10
nostri et ut evitet mortis propinquae periculum
antiquatae tonsurae, quam dedimus, parvum prae-
fert signaculum, supplicans ut vocemur in medium
et eollati muneris testes simus. Tunc misericordia
statim moti oecurrimus filio prodigo et a portis 15
55 mortis servum eripimus fugitivum. Legendus liber
7 appetit D |1 9 lachrymae Ja. H 10 valatus A B vallatiis D E\\
morte turpissima] From Wisd. ii. 20.
elongatur amicus] From Ps. Ixxxvii. 19 : * elongasti a me
amicum : ' cp. elongati^ s. 88. It would seem difficult to
doubt the meaning of the word, but Mr. Lumby, in his
glossary to Higden's Polychronicon, explains elongati to
mean ' encouraged by persuasive language, cheered. '
Petrus iurat] Cp. Matt. xxii. 72 : *' non novi hominem."
Crucifige] Cp. John xix. 6, 12.
periit omnis fuga] Cp. Ps. cxli. 5 : periit a me fuga.
ante tribunal] Cp. 2 Cor. v. 10.
Camenae] FromBoetius, De Cons. Phil., i. metr. I : *'Ecce
mihi lacerae dictant scribenda Camenae Et veris elegi fletibus
ora rigant."
a portis mortis] Cp. Ps. cvi. 18.
legendus liber] The claim to the privilegium dencale^ or
CAPITULUM IV. 29
porrigitur non ignotus et ad modicam balbutientis
prae timore lecturam iudicis potestas dissolvitur,
accusator subtrahitur, mors fugatur. O carminis
empirici mira virtus ! O dirae cladis antidotum
salutare ! O lectio pretiosa psalterii, quod meretur 5
56 hoc ipso liber vitae deinceps appellari ! Sustineant
laici saeculare iudicium, ut vel insuti cuUeis
enatent ad Neptunum, vel in terra plantati Plutoni
fructificent, aut Vulcano per incendia holocaustum
se offerant medullatum, vel certe suspensi victima 10
sint lunoni ; dum noster alumnus ad lectionem
unicam libri vitae pontificis commendatur custodiae
et rigor in favorem convertitur, ac dum forum
transfertur a laico, a librorum alumno clerico mors
differtur. '5
7 Caeterum iam de clericis, qui sunt vasa virtutis,
loquamur. Quis de vobis pulpitum seu scabellum
praedicaturus ascendit nobis penitus inconsultis?
Quis scholas lecturus vel disputaturus ingreditur,
qui nostris conatibus non fulcitur? Primum 20
4 imperiti E !1 5 qtiae \ailgo || 7 inscti B in fidis Z> i| 9 holO'
camta—medullata edd. H 18 ascendet Ja. 1| 20 cofnatibus edd. 1|
benefit of clergy, was established by the reading of a verse
from the Bible by the prisoner. From Piers Plowman, xv.
127, it seems already to have been usual to set one particular
verse.
insuti] The classical phrase is insuere aliqueni in cttieum
(Cic. Rose. Am. 25). All these punishments were used in
medieval times : cp. Archaeologia, xxxviii. 54.
holocaustum] Cp. Ps. Ixv. 15: " Holocausta medullata
offeram tibi."
30 PHILOBIBLON
oportet volumen cum Ezechiele comedere, quo
venter memoriae dulcescat intrinsecus et sic more
pantherae refectae redoleat extrinsecus concep-
torum aromatum odor suavis, ad cuius anhelitum
coanhelent accedere omnes bestiae et iumenta. 5
58 Sic nostra natura in nostris familiaribus operante
latenter, auditores accurrunt benevoli, sicut adamas
trahit ferrum nequaquam invite. O virtus infinita
librorum iacent Parisius vel Athenis simulque
resonant in Britannia et in Roma ! Quiescentes 10
quippe moventur, dum ipsis loca sua tenentibus,
auditorum intellectibus circumquaque feruntur.
59 Nos denique sacerdotes, pontifices, cardinales
et papam, ut cuncta in hierarchia ecclesiastica
collocentur in ordine, litterarum scientia stabilimus. 1 5
A libris namque sumit originem quicquid boni
provenit statui clericali. Sed haec hactenus :
3 refertae vulgo || ^fanus A samis B E \\ <, homines A B
II 7 occurrant Z) || 9 librorum quinimmo multitudo jacet edd.
jacet E similiterque Ja. || 14 in om. A ||
cum Ezechiele] Cp. Ezech. iii. 1-3.
pantherae] Cp. Pliny, H. N. viii. 23, who says that the
smell of the panther attracts all quadrupeds : ' ' quadrupedes
cunctas." I have corrected the text accordingly.
virtus] For virtus in the sense of a host, cp. the Vulgate,
e.g. I Mace. i. 4 ; Judith iii. 7.
Parisius] The mediaeval Latin name of Paris, which was
treated as indeclinable; cp. Barthius, Advers. 21 ii.
dum ipsis] This sentence looks like a grammatical slip, and
the only bad one in the book, unless "cernitur" vii. 103,
is another.
CAPITULUM IV.
31
piget enim reminisci quae dedimus populo cleri-
corum degeneri, quia magis videntur perdita quam
collata, quaecumque munera tribuuntur ingratis.
60 Deinceps insistemus parumper recitandis iniuriis
quas rependunt, vilipensionibus et iacturis, de quibus 5
nee singula generum recitare sufficimus, immo vix
proxima genera singulorum. Inprimis de domi-
ciliis clericorum nobis iure haereditario debitis vi
et armis expellimur, qui quondam in interiori cubi-
culo cellulas habebamus quietis, sed proh dolor ! 10
his nefandis temporibus penitus exsulantes im-
61 properium patimur extra portas. Occupant etenim
loca nostra nunc canes, nunc aves, nunc bestia
bipedalis, cuius cohabitatio cum clericis vetabatur
antiquitus, a qua semper super aspidem et basil- 15
iscum alumnos nostros docuimus esse fugiendum ;
4 delude D \\ 5 rependere A \\ 6 genera edd. |1 7 singularum
edd. 11 9 cojnpellirmir Z) || lO qinetas edd. |1 11 teviporibtts om.
A II 14 bipedalis scilicet imdicr edd. vltabatur a c. edd. 1| 16
esse om. A B ]d.. fugere ]3.. \\
ii-nproperium extra portas] Cp. Heb. xiii. 13.
nunc aves] Probably hawks, the monks of medieval times
being greatly addicted to hunting and hawking. Cp.
Chaucer's Monk, and see John of Salisbury's Policrat. i. 4.
bestia bipedalis] This sufficiently contemptuous reference
to the fair sex was accentuated by some scribe, who added the
words scilicet mulla-, which the editors have printed in the
text. We must remember that the Bishop is referring to the
focaHae, whose association with the clergy was forbidden by
a long series of ecclesiastical prohibitions ne clerlci in sacrls
ordinibus constltiiti focarlas habeant : cp. Ilallam, Middle
Ages, ii. 1 76 foil.
super aspidem et basiliscum] From Ps. xc. 13.
32
PHILOBIBLON
quamobrem ista nostris semper studiis aemula,
nuUo die placanda, finaliter nos conspectos in
aimulo iam defunctae araneae sola tela protectos, in
rugam fronte coUecta, virulentis sermonibus detra-
hit et subsannat, ac nos in tota domus suppel- 5
lectili supervacaneos hospitari demonstrat et ad
unumquodque oeconomiae servitium conqueritur
otiosos, mox in capitegia pretiosa, sindonem et
sericum et coccum bis tinctum, vestes et varias
furraturas, linum et lanam, nos consulit commu- 10
tandos: et quidem merito, si videret intrinseca
cordis nostri, si nostris privatis interfuisset consiliis,
si Theophrasti vel Valerii perlegisset volumen, vel
saltern 25 capitulum Ecclesiastici auribus intel-
lectus audisset.
I istius E istis Ja H 3 defundo armae Ja. are7ie E\\6 super-
vacuos L I semper vaciios Coch. et oeconomiae D \ 8 capitogia
E II g fulraturas B \\it, volumen . . . audisset om. D jl
sindonem] Sindon^ sendal or cendal, appears to have been
used for a rich thin fabric, whether of silk or linen : cp.
Catholicon Angl., p. 329 n.
coccum bis tinctum] Cp. Vulgate, e.g. Ex. xxvi. i.
furraturas] Perhaps the word here means furs, but see
Ducange under the various forms of the word : in this passage
I notice the forms farraturas, folraturas, ferraturas and
fodcraturas. Originally it does not seem to have meant any
particular stuff, but stuffing or lining of any sort.
Theophrasti] This does not refer to the Characters^ as
Cocheris supposes, but to a book against marriage attributed
to him by S. Jerome, who quotes it at some length, Adv.
Jovinian, i. 28 : "fertur aureolus Theophrasti liber denuptiis,
in quo quaerit an vir sapiens ducat uxorem." John of Salis-
bury, Policrat. viii. II, quotes the passage.
Valerii] This refers not to Valerius Maximus, as Cocheris
CAPITULUM IV. 33
62 Quapropter conquerimur de hos])itiis nobis in-
iuste ablatis, de vestibus, non qiiidem non dalis
sed de datis antiquitus, violentis manibus laceratis.
Adhaesit pavimento anima nostra, conglutinatus
est in terra venter noster, et gloria nostra in 5
pulverem est deducta. Morbis variis laboramus,
dorsa dolentes et latera, et iacemiis membratim
paralysi dissoluti, nee est qui recogitet, nee est
63 ullus qui malagma procuret. Candor nativus
et luce perspicuus iam in fuscum et croceum est 10
conversus, ut nemo medicus dubitet ictericia
3 laceratis in tantiim quod edd. '] 6 redacta est edd. |1 15 be-
7iigne malagma edd. |! \oa luce A \\ 11 medicus qui nos reperiat
edd. II
says, but to the Valerius ad Rufimim de tixoj'e non dzccenda,
which was one of the most popular of medieval books, and
seems even to have been printed as S. Jerome's. It is claimed
by Walter Map as his own, and incorporated in the De Nugis
Curialium, iv. 3, where he explains that he wrote it to a
love-sick friend : " me, qui Walterus sum, Valerium vocans,
ipsum, qui Johannes est et rufus, Rufinum. " It must not be
confounded with the poem Golias de conjuge non ducenda,
which was, perhaps, also written by Map : see Wright's
edition of his Poems, p. 77. There is some confusion in
Wright's references to the Valerius^ and also in the notices
in Warton, ed. Hazlitt, i. 250, ii. 353. Cp. Chaucer in the
Wife of Bath's prologue.
adhaesit pavimento anima nostra] From Ps.cxviii. 25.
conglutinatus est in terra venter noster] Ps. xliii. 25.
gloria nostra in pulverem est deducta] Ps. vii. 6.
nee est qui recogitet] From Jer. xii. II.
luce perspicuum] Cp. Durh. Ritual, p. 64: "luce con-
spicuum. "
ictericia] The jaundice, said to be so called from the belief
D
34 PHILOBIBLON
nos infectos. Arthriticam patiuntur nontiulli de
nobis, sicut extremitates retortae insinuant evi-
denter. Fumus et pulvis, quibus infestamur
assidue, radiorum visualium aciem hebetarunt et
iam lippientibus oculis ophthalmiam superducunt. 5
64 Ventres nostri duris torsionibus viscerum, quae
vermes edaces non cessant corrodere, consumun-
tur et utriusque Lazari sustinemus putredinem,
nee invenitur quisquam, qui cedri resina nos
liniat vel qui quatriduano iam putrido damans 10
dicat, Lazare veni foras ! Nullo circumligantur
medicamine vulnera nostra saeva, quae nobis in-
noxiis inferuntur atrociter, nee est ullus qui super
I archeticam A artheticam B D E\\2, Funms aut fifnus ac
pulvis L edd. || 8 lazari 2 et viritisque B lateris edd. || lO qtia-
triduario A \\ 12 ligamine edd. || 13 inseruntur edd. ||
that it was cured by the sight of the icterus, a bird mentioned
by Pliny, H. N. xxx. ii, 29 : cp. xx. 9, 34. In classical
Latin only the adjective ictericus is found.
utriusque Lazari] Most of the printed texts read utriusque
lateris, which Cocheris translates, 'nous portons la corruption
dans nos fiancs,' and Inglis, * we suffer corruption inside and
out.' But the true reading is undoubtedly Lazari, referring
to the Lazarus ulceribus plenus of Luke (xvi. 20) and the
Lazartis viortuus of John (xi. 14), the one suffering the cor-
ruption of disease, the other that of death.
quatriduano] Cp. John xi. 39 : * jam faetet, quatriduanus
est enim.'
cedri resina] Holkot, Super Sap. 1. cxci, quotes Isidorus,
Etym. xvii. 8 : " de cedro, quod resinam quandam habet
quae cedria dicitur, quae in servandis libris adeo est utilis ut
perliniti ex ea nee tineas patiantur nee tempore senescant."
Lazare veni foras !] From John xi. 43.
CAPITULUM IV. 35
nostra ulcera cataplasmet ; sed pannosi et algidi in
angulos tenebrosos abicimur, in lacrimis cum
sancto lob in sterquilinio collocamur, vel, quod
nefas videtur effatu, in abyssis abscondimur
65 cloacarum. Pulvinar subtrahitur evangelicis sup- 5
ponendum lateribus, quibus primo deberent de
sortibus clericorum provenire subsidia et sic ad
nos suo famulatui deputandos pro semper com-
munis victus necessarius derivari.
66 Rursus de alio genere calamitatis conquerimur, 10
quae personis nostris crebrius irrogatur iniuste.
Nam in servos vendimur et ancillas et obsides in
tabernis absque redemptore iacemus. Macellariis
crudelibus subdimur, ubi mactari tarn pecora
quam iumenta sine piis lacrimis non videmus et 15
ubi millesies morimur ipso metu, qui cadere posset
in constantem. ludaeis committimur, Sarracenis,
haereticis et paganis, quorum super omnia toxi-
cum formidamus, per quos nonnullos de nostris
parentibus per venenum pestiferum constat esse 20
I vulnera edd. 1| 2 laternis L vel cum edd. |1 4 affatu B
mihi effari tdd. \\ 12 nos D \\ 12 venjindanmr edd. || 13 re-
detnptwne edd. in cellariis vulgo || 1 7 co?islantem virum A
viru7n om. B D E ]^. in virtim posset vulgo |]
lob in sterquilinio] Cp. Job ii. 8.
in servos vendimur et ancillas] From Deut. xxviii. 68.
in constantem] Referring to the legal maxim which, de-
rived no doubt through Azo from the Digest, is in Bracton,
ii. 5. 14 : " Debemus accipere metum non . . . vani vel
meticulosi hominis sed talem qui cadere possit in virum con-
stanteiJi." In the Digest, iv. 2, it is cited from Gaius.
36 PHILOBIBLON
67 corruptos. Sane nos, qui architectonici reputari
debemus in scientiis et subiectis nobis omnibus
mechanicis imperamus, subalternatomm regimini
vice versa committimur, tanquam si monarcha
summe nobilis rusticanis calcaneis substernatur. 5
Sartor et sutor et scissor quicunque ac cuiuslibet
artifex operis inclusos nos custodit in carcere pro
superfluis et lascivis deliciis clericorum.
dZ lam volumus prosequi novum genus iniuriae, quo
tam in nostris personis laedimur quam in fama, qua 10
nihil carius possidemus. Generositati nostrae omni
die detrahitur, dum per pravos compilatores, trans-
latores et transformatores nova nobis auctorum no-
mina imponuntur et, antiqua nobilitate mutata,
regeneratione multiplici renascentes degeneramus 15
omnino. Sicque vilium vitricorum nobis nolenti-
bus affiguntur vocabula et verorum patrum nomina
69 filiis subducuntur. Versus Vergilii, adhuc ipso
vivente quidam pseudoversificus usurpavit, et Mar-
tial is Coci libellos Fidentinus quidam sibi menda- 20
citer arrogavit, quem idem Martialis redarguit
merito sub his verbis :
3 i}nperavivius1z..snhaltern(yruv2 D edd || 6 salt or "^2^. \\ 7 car-
eens D II 10 quia A II 16 vidricorzim D vidritiortivi Ja. aitc-
to nun in mg. || 19 qiddem A B \\ 21 arrogavit merito D Ij
Martialis Cocus] Cocus or Coquus appears to have been
long regarded as a cognomen of Martial, and in the middle
ages he was constantly referred to as Martialis Cocus, or
merely as Cocus, e.g. by John of Salisbury, Policrat. vii. 12
et al. The origin of the mistake was probably a misreading
of Martialis totus : but see Smith's Diet. Biogr., s, v.
CAPITULUM TV.
Quern recitas, meus est, O Fidentine ! libellus ;
Sed male quum recitas, incipit esse tuus.
Quid ergo mirum, si defunctis nostris auctoribus
suas per nos fimbrias simiae clericorum magnificant,
cum eisdem superstitibus nos recenter editos rapere
yo moliantur. Ah, quoties nos antiquos fingitis nuper
natos, et qui patres sumus filios nominare conamini, 5
quique vos ad esse clericale creavimus studiorum
vestrorum fabricas appellatis ! Revera de Adienis
exstitimus oriundi, qui fingimur nunc de Roma,
semper namque Carmentis latruncula fuit Cadmi,
et qui nuper nascebamur in Anglia eras Parisius 10
renascemur, et inde delati Bononiam Italicam
sortiemur originem, nulla consanguinitate suffultam.
71 Heu, quam falsis scriptoribus nos exarandos com-
mittitis ; quam corrupte nos legitis et medicando
necatis, quos pro zelo corrigere credebatis ! Inter- '5
8 extitnus D II lo contra A 14 meditando E edd. Ja || \^ pio
A E debebatis edd. ||
Quern recitas] Mart., i. 39; cp. i. 30. The epigram is
quoted by Holkot, Super Sap., 1. ccxii., in a passage not
unlike the present.
Carmentis latruncula fuit Cadmi] See viii. 128 note.
Bononiam] Bologna was one of the great universities of
the middle ages.
falsis scriptoribus] We may comp. Petrarch's complaint of
copyists, De Remed. Utr. Fortunae, i. 43 : " Ut ad plenum
auctorum constet integritas, quis scriptorum inscitiae in-
ertiaeque medebitur, corrumpenti omnia miscentique? ....
An si redeat Cicero aut Livius multique alii veterum illus-
trium, ante omnes Plinius secundus, sua scripta relegentes
38 PHILOBIBLON
pretes barbaros sustinemus multotiens et qui lingu-
arum idiomata nesciunt nos de lingua ad linguam
transferre praesumunt ; sicque proprietate sermonis
ablata fit sententia contra sensum auctoris turpiter
mutilata. Bene gratiosa fuisset librorum conditio, 5
si turris Babel nuUatenus obfuisset praesumptio, si
totius humani generis unica descendisset sermonis
species propagata.
7 2 Ultimam nostrae prolixae querelae, sed pro materia
quam habemus brevissimae, clausulam subiungemus. 10
In nobis etenim commutatur naturalis usus in eum
usum qui est contra naturam, dum passim pictoribus
subdimur litterarum ignaris et aurifabris, proh dolor !
commendamur nos, qui sumus lumen fidelium ani-
marum, ut fiamus, ac si non essemus sapientiae 15
sacra vasa, repositoria bractearum. Devolvimur in-
debite in laicorum dominium, quod est nobis
amarius omni morte, quoniam hi vendiderunt
populum nostrum sine pretio et inimici nostri
iudices nostri sunt. 20
73 Liquet omnibus ex praedictis quam infinita pos-
semus in clericos invectiva conicere, si non hones-
5 mactdata edd. || 9 Jiostrae om. A\\ii etiivi D \ 22 cojit-
miscere A convertere i conimitiere 2 convitiari edd. |1
intelligent et non passim haesitantes nunc aliena credent
esse, nunc barbara ?"
usum qui est contra naturam] From Rom. i. 25, 26.
amarius omni morte] Cp. Eccl. vii. 27.
vendiderunt populum nostruin sine pretio] Ps. xliii. 13.
inimici nostri iudices] From Deut. xxxii. 31.
miles emeritus] This seems to be a hexameter, but I can-
not find it elsewhere.
CAPITULUM V. 39
tati propriae parceremus. Nam miles emeritus
clipeum veneratur et arma gratusque Corydon
aratro tabescenti, bigae, trahae, tribulae ac ligoni,
etiam omnis artifex manualis hyperduliam propriam
suis exhibet instrumentis. Solus ingratus clericus 5
parvipendit et negligit ea, per quae sui honoris
auspicia semper sumit.
Capltulum 5.
Ouerlmonia librorum contra rell^^Iosos
possessionatos.
74 Rello;lonum veneranda devotio in librorum cultu
solet esse sollicita et in eorum eloquiis sicut in
omnibus divitiis delectari. Scribebant namque non- 10
nuUi manibus propriis inter horas canonicas ; inter-
3 tepescenti edd. Il 4 hypoduliaf/i edd. !| 6 ea om. per om.
B !l Tit. ia/n possessionatos B \ % et libronini ^ 1| 1 1 inter-
vallis captatis A B E ]2.. edd. i|
hyperduliam] HypodnUain would certainly seem to be a
more suitable term, but the MSS. are unanimous, and James
also reads hyperdoidiavi.
possessionatos] ' Possessioners,' as it is sometimes trans-
lated, as opposed to the fratres memiicantes ; cp. Anstey,
Mun. Acad., pp. 400, 480.
Religionum] The word occurs in this sense, i.e. a religious
order, in Innocent III. 's prohibition of the founding of new
religious orders in 1215 : *'ne quis de caetero novam re-
ligionem inveniat."
horas canonicas] The horae canonicae are due to S. Bene-
40 PHILOBIBLON
valla captata et tempora pro quiete corporis com-
modata fabricandis codicibus concesserunt. De
quorum laboribus hodie in plerisque splendent
monasteriis ilia sacra gazophylacia, cherubicis libris
plena, ad dandam scientiam salutis studentibus 5
75 atque lumen delectabile semitis laicorum. O labor
manualis, felicior omni cura georgica ! O devota
soUicitudo, ubi nee meretur Martha corripi nee
Maria ! O domus iocunda, in qua Racheli formosae
Lya fecunda non invidet, sed contemplatio actione i^
gaudia sua miscet. Felix providentia pro futuro
7 O devota . . . Maria om. ^ || 8 corrwnpi edd. || lo actione
om. A cum activa B E Ja. edd. || 1 1 sua om. Ja. ||
diet, who divided the twenty-four hours into eight periods of
three hours, marked by as many acts of devotion.
cherubicis libris] The epithet may perhaps refer to the
brilHant miniation of monastic books : so the Sompnour in
Chaucer "hadde a fire-red cherubinnes face." (Prol. v. 626.)
lumen delectabile] Cp. Eccl. xi. 7,
cura georgica] Cp. Peter the Venerable : " Pro aratro con-
vertatur manus ad pennam, pro exarandis agris divinis litteris
paginae exarentui", seratur in cartula verbi Dei seminarium :"
Bibl. Clun. 647.
devota sollicitudo] The copying of books is regarded as a
union of the active and contemplative life, of which Martha
and Mary, and Rachel and Leah were treated as types. The
distinction is sometimes said to be based on James i. 27,
but is more likely to have been derived from Aristotle. See
Thomas Aquinas, Summa II. ii., qu. 179 ff.
Martha corripi] Coch. reads corriifupi ^ndi translates "O
sollicitude devotieuse par laquelle Marthe et Marie sent k
peine dignes d'etre seduites !" Inglis : " O devout solicitude
from which neither Martha nor Mary would have earned the
wages of corruption ! "
CAPITULUM V. 41
infinitis posteris valitura, cui nulla virgultonim
plantatio, nulla seminum satio comparatur, nulla
bucolica curiositas quorumlibet armentorum, nulla
76 castrorum constructio munitorum ! Quamobrem
immortalis debet esse patrum illorum memoria, 5
quos solius sapientiae delectabat thesaurus, qui
contra futuras caligines luminosas lucernas artificio-
sissime providerunt et contra famem audiendi
verbum Dei panes non subcinericeos necpe hor-
deaceos nee muscidos, sed panes azymos de puris- 10
sima simila sacrae sophiae confectos accuratissime
paraverunt, quibus esurientes animae feliciter ciba-
77 rentur. Hi fuerunt probissimi pugiles Christianae
militiae, qui nostram infirmitatem armis fortissimis
munierunt. Hi fuerunt suis temporibus vulpium 15
venatores cautissimi, qui iam nobis sua retia re-
liquerunt, ut parvulas caperemus vulpeculas, quae
non cessant florentes vineas demoliri. Vere, patres
egregii, benedictione perpetua recolendi, felices
10 neque ^ il 16 veneratores 3 Ja. Gold. Schm. Coch. ||
virgultorum plantatio] Cp. Alcuin in the lines Admusaewn:
*' Fodere quam vites melius est scribere libros :" Migne, ci.
745-
subcinericeos] From Ezech. iv. 1 2 : " Et quasi subcmericmm
hordeaceum comedes illud ;" cp. Judges, vii. 13.
venatores] Coch. leaves "veneratores" in the text, and
though he remarks " il faut certainement venatores,''^ he has
not observed that it is found not only in a// his MSS., but
in the ed. princeps, which he professes to follow.
vulpeculas] From Cant. ii. 15 : *' capite nobis vulpes par-
vulas quae demoliuntur vineas."
42 PHILOBIBLON
merito fuissetis, si vobis similem sobolem genuisse,
si prolem non degenerem nee aequivocam reliquisse
ad sequentis temporis subsidium licuisset.
78 Sed, quod dolentes referimus, iam Thersites igna-
vus arma contrectat Achillis et dextrariorum pha- 5
lerae praeelectae pigritantibus asinis substernuntur,
aquilarum nidis caecutientes noctuae dominantur
et in accipitris pertica residet vecors miluus. Liber
Bacchus respicitur et in ventrem traicitur nocte
dieque ; Liber codex despicitur et a manu reicitur 10
79 longelateque. Tanquam si cuiusdam aequivocationis
multiplicitate fallatur simplex monachica plebs
moderna, dum Liber pater praeponitur libro patrum,
calicibus epotandis non codicibus emendandis in-
2 non om. edd. || 7 dominantur . . . nocfe om. B D \\ 12
pies D proles Ja. || 13 Liber potacionum D ||
dextrariorum] Dextrarius, Fr. destrier, was a warhorse ;
palafridus, a riding-horse, runcinus, a packhorse : v. Du-
cange.
Liber Bacchus respicitur] This appears to be the first verse
of a piece of rhyming doggerel. The repetition of the verbal
play in " Liber pater — Liber patrum" might suggest that the
lines were scribbled in the margin by a copyist or reader and
then found their way into the text. The middle ages were
very fond of these word-plays : cp. post, s. 123 ; and the
complaint of Giraldus Cambrensis, of his too philoprogenitive
clergy : " Non libris intendunt sed liberis, non foliis sed
filiis, non librorum lectioni sed liberorum dilectioni ; " ed.
Brewer, ii. 329.
monachica plebs] So Bacon, Op. Maj., p. 114, speaks of j
** plebs studentium."
CAPITULUM V. 43
dulget hodie studium monachorum ; quibus lasci-
viam musicam Timothei pudicis moribus aemulam
non verentur adiungere, sicque cantus ludentis non
planctus lugentis officium efficitur monachale.
So Greges et vellera, fruges et horrea, porri et olera 5
potus et patera, lectiones sunt hodie et studia
monachorum, exceptis quibusdam paucis electis,
in quibus patrum praecedentium non imago sed
vestigium remanet aHquale. Rursus nulla nobis
materia ministratur omnino, qua de nostro cultu 10
vel studio commendentur hodie canonici regu-
lares, qui licet a geminata regula nomen portent
eximium, Augustini tamen regulae notabilem neg-
lexere versiculum, quo sub his verbis suis clericis
commendamur: Codices certa hora singulis diebus 15
81 petantur; extra horam qui petierit, non accipiat.
I lascivam E edd. || 3 cansaius E ||
lasciviam] The form lascivins was probably that used by
the writer ; it is found several times in Holkot, Super Sap.,
e.g. ff. 93c, 151b. The reference to the voluptuous music
of Timotheus may be taken, as Coch. suggests, from Boetius,
De Musica, lib. i. c. 10.
planctus lugentis] Cp. S. Jerome, contra Vigilantium, 15 :
'* Monachus non doctoris %Qd plangentis habet officium."
canonici regulares] Opposed to canonici saeculares. The
former observed not only the 'canones' or rules imposed
upon all the clergy, but also the 'regulae' of St. Augustine
(' geminata regula') : see Ducange in v.
codices] See S. Augustine's 109th letter, to his sister :
" Codices certa hora singulis diebus petantur ; extra horam
quae petiverint, non accipiant."
44 PHILOBIBLON
Hunc devotum studii canonem vix observat ali-
quis post ecclesiastica cantica repetita, sed sapere
quae sunt saeculi et relictum aratrum intueri
summa pmdentia reputatur. Tollunt pharetram
et arcum, apprehendunt arma et scutum, eleemo- 5
synarum tributum canibus tribuunt non egenis,
inserviunt aleis et taxillis et his quae nos saecu-
laribus inhibere solemus, ut non miremur, si nos
non dignentur respicere, quos sic suis cernerent
moribus contraire. 10
82 Patres igitur reverendi, patrum vestrorum digne-
mini reminisci et librorum propensius indulgete
studio, sine quibus quaelibet vacillabit religio, sine
quibus ut testa virtus devotionis arescet, sine qui-
bus nullum lumen poteritis mundo praebere. 15
I canonem . . . post om. ^^ 1| 9 cermint A sec. manu suis
om. A B \^ 13 sine . . . religio om. A vacillat B ||
sapere quae sunt saeculi] Cp. Phil. iii. 19 ; Gratian, De-
cret. i. 88 : " Episcopus aut sacerdos aut diaconus nequa-
quam saeculi curas assumat."
relictum aratrum] Inglis refers to Eccli. xxxviii. 25: "Qua
sapientia replebitur, qui tenet aratrum," etc., but it is perhaps
better to take aratrtmi as typical of the secular pursuits, which
have been abandoned, but not forgotten.
aleis et taxillis] Cp. ch. xviii. s. 235, and John of Salisbury,
Policrat. i, 5. The clergy were forbidden these games at the
Council of Worcester in 1240: " Ne ludant ad aleas vel
taxillos ;" Wilkins, Concilia, i. 673.
vacillabit] Cp. Job, iv. 4 ; Is. xxix. 9.
ut testa] Inglis tr. "as a watering-pot," but the reference is
clearly to Ps. xxi. 16 : " aruit tanquam testa virtus mea,"
lumen . . praebere] Cp. Wisdom, xvii. 5.
^
CAPITULUM VI. 45
Capltulum 6.
Querlmonia librorum contra rellgiosos
mendicantes.
S3 Pauperes spiritu sed in fide ditissimi,mundi perip-
sema et sal terrae, saeculi contemptores et hominum
piscatores, quam beati estis, si penuriam patieiites
pro Christo animas vestras scitis in patientia possi-
dere. Non enim vos ultrix iniquitatis inopia, nee 5
parentum ad versa fortuna, nee uUa violenta neces-
sitas sic oppressit inedia, sed devota voluntas et
electio Christiformis, qua vitam illam optimam aesti-
mastis, quam Deus omnipotens factus homo tam
84 verbo quam exemplo optimam praedicavit. Sane 10
vos estis semper parientis ecclesiae novus fetus, pro
patribus et prophetis noviter substituti divinitus, ut
2 sol E '\6 ncc ulla violenta nee parent lun adiursa fortuna
nee ulla vwlenta necessitas D ulla ova. B || 7 voluptas B \\
8 aestimastis . . . optimam om. D I \\ semper post parentes
turoi foetus edd. !|
Pauperes spiritu] From Matt. v. 3 : " pauperes spiritu ;'" and
James, ii. 5 : " divites in fide."
mundi peripsema] From I Cor. iv. 13.
sal terrae] Cp. Matt. v. 13.
hominum piscatores] From Matt. iv. 19.
patientia] Luke, xxi. 19 : "in patientia vestra possidebitis
animas vestras."
46 PHILOBIBLON
in omnem terram exeat sonus vester, et nostris
instituti salutaribus doctrinis coram gentibus et
regibus promulgetis inexpugnabilem fidem Christi.
S5 Porro fidem patrum potissime libris esse inclusam
secundum capitulum supra satis asseruit, quo con- 5
Stat luce clarius quod librorum deberetis esse
zelotypi prae caeteris Christianis. Seminare iube-
mini super omnes aquas, quoniam non est per-
sonarum acceptor Altissimus nee vult mortem pec-
catorum Piissimus, qui occidi voluit pro eisdem, 10
sed contritos corde mederi desiderat atque lapsos
86 erigi et perversos corrigi spiritu lenitatis. Ad
quem effectum saluberrimum alma mater Ecclesia
vos plantavit gratuito, plantatosque rigavit favori-
bus, et rigatos privilegiis suffulcivit, ut cum pasto- 15
ribus et curatis coadiutores essetis ad procuran-
dum salutem fidelium animarum. Unde et
Praedicatorum ordinem propter sacrae scripturae
6dcbetis]^. edd. || \'}^ gratuite B grattiitos edd. || id procu-
randam edd, || i^j fidelnun om. Ja. ||
exeat sonus] Cp. Ps. xviii. 5; Rom. x. 18.
zelotypi] The word occurs Eccli. xxvi. 9.
omnes aquas] From Is. xxxii. 20 : " Beati qui seminatis super
omnes aquas."
personarum acceptor] Cp. Acts, x. 34.
nee vult] Cp. Ezech. xxxiii. 11 : "Nolo mortem impii."
spiritu lenitatis] From Gal. vi. I.
gratuito] Cp. Dan. xi. 39 ; Mai. i, 10.
plantatosque rigavit] Cp. I Cor. iii 6.
salutem animarum] Cp. I. Pet. i. 9.
Praedicatorum] The order of Fratres Praedicantes was
CAPITULUM VI. 47
studium et proximorum salutem principaliter insti-
tutum constitutiones pronunciant eorundem, ut
non solum ex regula reverend! praesulis Augustini,
quae codices singulis diebus iubet esse petendos,
verum mox cum earundem constitutionum pro- 5
logum legerint ex ipsius libri capite ad amorem
librorum se noverint obligatos.
Sed proh dolor ! tarn hos quam alios istorum
sectantes effigiem a paterna cultura librorum et
studio subtrahit triplex cura superflua, ventris vide- 10
licet, vestium et domorum. Sunt enim, neglecta
Salvatoris prondentia, quern psalmista circa pau-
perem et mendicum promittit esse sollicitum, circa
labentis corporis indigentias occupati, ut sint epulae
3 regula presulis heat is si mi Augustini B 1|
founded by S. Dominic, who obtained the Papal sanction from
Honorius III. in 1216, on condition of adopting the Rule of
S. Augustine. He prescribed other ordinances in his Con-
stitutiones, where in the Prologue, c. 5, we find the words here
reff rred to : " Ordo noster specialiter ob praedicationem et ani-
marum salutem ab initio noscitur institutus fuisse, et studium
nostrum ad hoc debet principaliter intendere ut proximorum
animabus possimus utiles esse." Holstenius, Codex Regu-
lamm, iv. 10.
codices] Cp. s. 80, note.
cura superflua] Cp. Eccli. ii. 26. '* Divers Acts of Parlia-
ment have been made against the excess of Apparell in the
reign of E. 3," says Lord Coke : and he goes on, " Three
costly things there are that do much impoverish the subjects
of England, viz. Costly apparell, costly diet, and costly
building :" 3 Inst. 199.
paupercm et mendicum] From Ps. xxxix. iS.
48 PHILOBIBLON
splendidae, vestesque contra regulam delicatae, nec-
non aedificiorum fabricae et castrorum propugna-
cula tali proceritatCj quae paupertati non convenit,
88 exaltatae. Propter haec tria nos libri, qui semper
eos proveximus ad profectum, et inter potentes et 5
nobiles sedes honoris concessimus, elongati a cordis
affectibus quasi inter supervacanea reputamur, ex-
cepto quod quibusdam quaternis parvi valoris insis-
tunt, de quibus Hiberas naenias et apocrypha delira-
menta producunt, non ad refocillativum animarum 10
eduHum, sed ad pruritum potius aurium auditorum.
89 Sacra scriptura non exponitur, sed omnino seponi-
tur; quasi trita per vicos et omnibus divulgata
supponitur, cuius tamen fimbrias vix paucissimi
tetigerunt ; cuius etiam tanta est litterarum pro- 15
funditas, ut ab humano intellectu, quantumcunque
invigilet, summo otio et maximo studio nequeat
I necnon et E Ja. || 2 ?// -^ ^ Ja. || 7 siipo'na creanea A
stiperna catiea B stipemacanes D siipervaaia Ja. || 9 Hiberas
om. edd. venias D Ja. || 10 refocillationein Ja. || 12 deponitm'
D Ja. II 16 Jutmano intellectu om. A ^ i*] invigilet om. D
vigilet B II
Hiberas naenias] The phrase, which has puzzled the editors,
comes from S. Jerome's preface to the Pentateuch : " Quod
multi ignorantes, apocryphoinim deliramenta sectantur et
Hiberas naenias libris authenticis praeferunt ?" It isafavourite
phrase with Jerome, and is usually explained to refer to the
errors of certain heretics in Spain.
refocillativum] Cp. Judith, vii. 7: "ad refocil'andum
potius quam ad potandum," and Jer. i. il : "ad refocil-
landam animam."
fimbrias] Cp. Matt. xiv. 36.
CAPITULUM VI. 49
comprehendi, sicut sanctus asserit Augustinus. De
hac mille moralis disciplinae sententias enucleare
poterit qui indulget assidue, si tamen ostium
aperire dignetur Illc, (jui condidit spiritum pietatis,
quae et recentissima novitate poUebunt et sapidis- 5
sima suavitate auditorum intelligentias refovcbunt.
90 Quamobrem paupertatis evangelicae professores
primarii, post utcunque salutatas scicntias saecu-
lares, toto mentis iugenio recollecto, huius se
scripturae laboribus devoverunt, nocte dieque in 10
lege Domini meditantcs. Quicquid vero poterant
a famescente ventre furari, vel corpori semitecto
surripere, illud lucrum praecipuum arbitrantes, vel
^au-
2 inortalis E H 3 turn Ja. || 5 sapientissima Coch. || ^ p,
pertatis om. E \\ 8 utrumqtic edd. || 10 devcnerwit edd. ||
asserit Augustinus] The reference is not, as Coch. says, to
the Conf. xii. 14, but rather to Epp. cxxxvii. i, 3 : "Tania
est enim Christianarum profunditas litterarum, ut in eis
quotidie proficerem, si eas solas ab ineunte pueritia usque ad
dccrepitam senectutem maximo otio, summo studio, meliore
ingenio conarer addiscere. "
salutatas scientias] Cp. the Constitution of the Praedica-
tores, ii. 14 : " In libris gentilium philosophorum non studeat,
et si ad horam suscipiat saeculares scientias, non addiscat,
nee artes quas liberales vocant . . . sed tantum libros
theologicos tarn iuvenes quam alii legant. Ipsi vero in
studio taliter sint intenti, ut de die, de nocte, in domo, in
itinere legant aliquid vel aliquid meditentur." So Abelard
declared of secular learning : " non debemus in eis consenes-
cere sed potius a liminibus salutare :'' cited in Denifle, Univ.
des Mittelalters, p. 99.
nocte dieque] Cp. Ps. i. 2 : and previous note.
£
50 PHILOBIBLON
emendis vel edendis codicibus adscripserunt. Quo-
rum contemporanei saeculares, tarn officium intu-
entes quam studium, libros eis, quos in diversis
mundi partibus sumptuose collegerant, ad totius
aedificationem ecclesiae contulerunt. 5
91 Sane diebus istis, cum sitis tota diligentia circa
quaestus intenti, praesumptione probabili credi
potest, si per anthropospatos sermo fiat, Deum
circa vos minorem sollicitudinem gerere, quos de
sua promissione perpendit diffidere, in humanis 10
providentiis spem habentes. Corvum non conside-
ratis nee lilia, quos pascit et vestit Altissimus ;
Danielem et Habacuc cocti pulmenti discophorum
non pensatis, nee Eliam recolitis nunc in torrente
per corvos, nunc in deserto per angelum, nunc in 15
Sarepta per viduam, largitate divina, quae dat
escam omni carni tempore opportuno, a famis
92 inedia liberatum. Climate miserabili, ut timetur,
descenditis, dum divinae pietatis diffidentia pru-
8 antropospatos codii\. cb'^pwrroTra^etav Ja. Dezja.. || 15 an^'e-
htm in ^ 11 19 cum edd. 1|
anthropospatos] The word occurs in this form in Petrus
Gomestor, Hist. Schol., in Gen. c. xxxi., who explains it :
"scilicet humana propassio, quando attribuitur Deo quod
hominis est."
spem habentes] Gp. 2 Gor. iii. 12 ; x. 15.
corvum] Gp. Luke, xii. 24, 27.
cocti pulmenti] Gp. Dan. xiv. 32. The word discophorus
comes from S. Jerome's preface to Daniel.
Eliam] I Kings, xvii. 4, 9.
dat escam] From Ps. cxxxv. 25 and cxlv. 15.
CAPITULUM VI. 51
dentiae propriae producit innisum, innisus veio
prudentiae propriae sollicitudinem generat terreno-
rum, nimiaque terrenorum sollicitudo librorum
adimit tarn amorem quam studium, et sic cedit
paupertas hodie per abusum in verbi Dei dispen- 5
dium, quam propter ipsius solum adminiculum
elegistis.
93 Vncinis pomorum, ut populus fabulatur, puerulos
ad religionem attrahitis, quos professos doctrinis
non instruitis vi et metu, sicut exigit aetas ilia, sed 10
mendicativis discursibus sustinetis intendere atque
tempus quo possent addiscere, in captandis favori-
bus amicorum consumere sinitis, in offensam paren-
tum, puerorum periculum et ordinis detrimentum.
94 Sicque nimirum contingit quod qui parvuli discere 15
minime cogebantur inviti, grandiores efFecti docere
I innisum innisus A E in visum inuisus B in visum In-
nisus D invistif?i invisus Ja. propriae .... propriae om.
edd. II 4 studiorum edd. || 5 usum A \\ 6 ipsius om. D
II viedicativis A D mendicaturis ^z.. |1 12 in ^uo Ja.. \\
innisum] This word seems not to occur elsewhere, and the
editors have left the passage in great confusion : even James,
though he observes in the margin " legendum arbitror
innisum," leaves the text unaltered, which he would hardly
have done, if he had seen that the reference is to Prov. iii.
5: " Habe fiduciam in Domino ex toto corde tuo et ne
innitaris prudentiae tuae." For dij/ideniia cp. Ephes. ii. 2.
uncinis pomorum] From Amos, viii. i. The phrase is
translated in the A.V. "a basket of summer fruit," in the
Douay V. "a hook to draw down fruit."
sustinetis] Cp. 2 Cor. xi 20.
52 PHILOBIBLON
praesumunt, indigni penitus et indocti, et parvus
error in principio maximus fit in fine. Succrescit
namque in grege vestro promiscuo laicorum qiiae-
dam multitudo plurimum onerosa, qui tamen se ad
praedicationis officium tanto improbius ingerunt, 5
quanto minus ea quae loquuntur intelligunt, in con-
temptum sermonis divini et in perniciem animarum.
95 Sane contra legem in bove aratis et asino, cum
indoctis et doctis culturam agri dominici com-
mittitis pari passu. Scriptum est : Boves arabant et lo
asinae pascebantur iuxta eos ; quoniam discretorum
interest praedicare, simplicium vero per auditum
sacri eloquii sub silentio se cibare. Quot lapides
mittitis in acervum Mercurii his diebus ! quot
2 Est sic namque edd. H 4 plurimis edd. i|
praesumunt] Cp. Jerome's letter to Paulinus, Epp, 50.
parvus error] From Aristot. , De Caelo, i. 5 : to i.vap\ij [xiKpbv
kv ry TeXevry yivETanrafxixfyeOeg. Cp. Bacon, Op. M., p. 40.
in bove] Cp. Deut. xxii. 10 : " Non arabis in bove simul et
asino."
Boves arabant] From Job, i. 14.
acervum Mercurii] From Prov. xxii. 8. The meaning of
this phrase is very uncertain, but we may perhaps assume
that De Bury had in his mind the explanation which we firKi
in Holkot, Super Sap., f. 133 b: " Mercurius est deus
mercatorum. Acervus computi vel ratiocinii vocatur acervus
Mercurii. Computatur autem quandoque cum lapidibus.
Sicut igitur ibi ponitur unus lapilkis pro decem libris, ita
ponitur in ecclesia quandoque unus idiota vel insipiens loco
praelati et loco Dei." It would mean, therefore, that they
are merely worthless counters.
CAPITULUM VI. 53
euniichis Svipientiae nuptias procuratis ! quot caecos
speculatores super Ecclesiae muros circumire prae-
cipitis !
96 O piscatorcs incites ! solis retibus alienis utentes,
qui rupta vix imperite reficitis, nova vero nulla- 5
tenus connodatis, aliorum labores intratis, alioruni
studia recitatis, aliorum sapientiam superficialiter
repetitam theatrali strepitu labiatis. Quemadmo-
duni psittacus idiota auditas voces effigiat, sic tales
recitatores fiunt omnium sed nullius auctores, asinam 10
Balaam imitantes, quae licet esset intrinsecus insen-
sata, lingua taraen diserta facta est, tam domini
97 quam prophetae magistra. Resipiscite pauperes
Christi et nos libros inspicite studiose, sine quibus
in praeparatione evangelii pacis nunquam poteritis 15
debite calceari. Paulus apostolus, praedicator veri-
tatis et doctor eximius gentium, ista sibi per
Timotheum pro omni supellectile tria iussit afferri,
paenulam, libros et membranas, 2^ ad Tim. ul°., viris
evangelicis formam praebens, ut habitum deferant 20
5 quae 2 resuitis A Ja. !| 6 connoditatis B commodatis
edd. ;i 13 respicite A B D ]a. pauperes , . . inspicite om. B ||
15 praeparationem A B £ ]a.. \\ 20 ecclesiasticis D Ja. et B ||
caecos speculatores] Cp. Is. Ivi. 10,
aliorum studia] Cp. Holkot in Sap., f. 328 b.
tam domini] The meaning seems plain enough ; yet Coch.
prints ' Dumini. '
resipiscite] Cp. 2 Tim. ii. 26 : * * resipiscant a diaboli laqueis. "
in praeparatione] Cp. Eph. vi. 15: " calceati pedes in
praeparatione evangelii pacis."
54 PHILOBIBLON
ordinatiim, libros habeant ad studendi subsidium et
membranas, quas apostolus maxime ponderat, ad
98 scribendum : maxime, inquit, membranas. Revera
mancus est clericus et ad multorum iacturam
turpiter mutilatus, qui artis scribendi totaliter est 5
ignarus. Aerem vocibus verberat et praesentes
tantum aedificat, absentibus et posteris nihil parat.
Atramentarium scriptoris gestabat in renibus vir qui
frontes gementium Tau signabat, Ezechiel. 9°; in-
sinuans figurate quod, siquis scribendi peritiacareat, 10
praedicandi paenitentiam officium non praesumat.
99 Tandem in praesentis calce capituli supplicant
vobis libri : luvenes vestros aptos ingenio studiis
applicate, necessaria ministrantes, quos non solum -
modo bonitatem verum etiam disciplinam et scien- 15
tiam doceatis, verberibus terreatis, attrahatis blan-
ditiis, molliatis munusculis et poenosis rigoribus
urgeatis, ut et Socratici moribus et doctrinis Peri-
100 patetici simul fiant. Heri quasi hora xi* vos dis-
cretus paterfamilias introduxit in vineam ; ante sero so
penitus pigeat otiari. Utinam cum prudenti villico
mendicandi tam improbe verecundiam haberetis !
Tunc enim proculdubio libris et studio propensius
vacaretis.
4 ille clericus D^2l. || 13 apto Z^ || 15 veritatem edd. || 22 m-
probo D II 23 enim om. D nobis libris E edd. ||
aerem vocibus verberat] From I Cor. ix. 26.
paterfamilias] Cp. Matt. xx. I, 6.
prudenti villico] Cp. Luke, xvi. 3, 8.
CAPITULUM VI T. 55
Capltulum 7.
Querimonia librorum contra bella.
loi Pacis auctor ct amator Altissime ! dissipa gentes
bella volentes, quae super omnes pestilentias libris
nocent. Bella namque carentia rationis iudicio
furiosos efficiunt impetus in adversa et dum rationis
moderamine non utuntur, sine differentia discreti- 5
1 02 onis progressa, vasa destruunt rationis. Tunc pru-
dens Apollo Pythoni subicitur et tunc Phronesis
pia mater in phrenesis redigitur potestatem. Tunc
pennatus Pegasus stabulo Cor}'donis includitur et
facundus Mercurius suffocatur. Tunc Pallas pru- ^0
dens erroris mucrone conciditur et iocundae
Pierides truculenta furoris tyrannide supprimuntur.
2 quia Ja. \\ 7 Phiioni edd. || 9 pennatus om. A stacublo
coiTidcns ^ II 1 1 tunditur edd. ||
dissipa gentes] Ps. Ixvii. 31 : "Dissipa gentes quae bella
volunt."
Pythoni] In reference to the classical myth of Apollo and
the Python: we may note also the use of Python in tht
Vulgate ; thus the witch of Endor is described as "mulier
pythonem habens," i Sam. xxviii. 7 ; cp. Lev. xx. 27, Deut.
xviii. II, Acts, xvi. 16.
Phronesis] Phronesis is personified in Martianus Capella,
De Nuptiis Philoiogiae et Mercurii (ii. 27), which was a
familiar book of instruction in the middle ages, as the mother
of Philology.
56 PHILOBIBLON
103 O crudele spectaculum ! ubi Phoebum philoso-
phorum, archisophum Aristotelem, cui in orbis
dominum Deus ipse commisit dominium, scelerosis
manibus vinculatum, ferramentis infamibus com-
peditum lanistarum humeris a sacratis aedibus 5
asportari, et qui in mundi magistratum magis-
terium atque super imperatorem imperium meruit
obtinere, iniustissimo belli iure videres subici vili
104 scuiTae. O potestas iniquissima tenebrarum ! quae
Platonis non vereturpessumdare deitatem probatam, 10
qui solus conspectui Creatoris prius quam bellantis
chaos placaret litigium, et ante quam hylen ente-
2 archisophum E om. edd. cid in omnibus edd. cui omni
dominii Schm. Coch. || 5 Socratis D E edd. || 6 cerniiur
aspoi'tari edd. viagistratu edd. || 8 initistissime B || lO divini-
tatcm edd. app7'obata77i Z> || ii aspectui edd. || 12 endelechia
codd. hylcn entelechiam Coch. ||
orbis dominum] Alexander, whose tutor and adviser he
was. Roger Bacon professes to show, " quomodo per vias
sapientiae potuit Aristoteles mundum tradere Alexandro : "
Op. Maj., p. 361.
sacratis] Coch. prints Socratis and reports this to be the
reading of the Paris MSS. and of James : but they all have
sacratis. There seems to be a reference to some legendaiy
story, which I have not been able to find ; and Socratis may
be right. But it is perhaps safer to assume that De Bury
was thinking of the phrase sacratis aedibus in 2 Mace. vi. 4.
potestas tenebrarum] Cp. Luke, xxii. 53 ; Coloss. i. 13.
deitatem probatam] Cp. the De disciplina Scholarium^ c.
iv : "Platonis probata divinitas."
hylen entelechia] Cp. Arist. Met. xi. 8, 13: to t'i1\v iivai
oi'K ex^i vXrjv to irpSjTOV ' tvriXfx^'" 7"P- This is the famous
word which so puzzled Hermolaus Barbarus that he is said to
CAPITULUM VII. 57
lechia induisset, species ideales obicere digniis fuit,
ut mundum archetypum demonstraret auctori, quo
de superno exemplo mundus sensibilis duceretur.
O lacrimosus intuitus I quo moralis Socrates, cuius
actus virtus et sermo doctrina, cfui dc naturae 5
principiis politiae produxit iustitiam, vitiosi vispi-
105 lionis addictus cernitur servituti. P3'thagoram
planginius, harmoniae parentem, bellorum incentri-
cibus furiis Hagellatum atrociter vice cantus gemitus
edere columbinos. Miseremur Zenonis, principis 10
Stoicorum, qui ne consilium proderet linguam
5 sermo est doctrina E \\ 7 vidctur edd. Ii 8 bclloriim om. edd.
libcUomm B cum cantricilnts furiis edd. || 1 1 perdcret Ja. ||
have summoned the devil to his assistance, who thereupon
" voce praetenui et paene subsibilante . . . responsilavit."
vispilionis] The account of this word in Ducange is not
very satisfactory. It occurs in the forms vespilio, vispilio,
vispilhis and vispiliator {inspiliatory which Ducange also
gives, is doubtless a mis-reading). It is no doubt connected
with the classical vespilio, a pauper's undertaker. The word
is common in Matthew Paris, and appears to have passed
from the sense of "fossarius mortuos sepeliens," as it is
glossed in L, into that of a robber.
incentricibus furiis] Cocheris and Inglis translate "flagelle
par les furies irritees," *' scourged by furious female singers,"
as though Pythagoras had shared the fate of Orpheus. The
mistake is due to the corruption of the text ; the reference is
to the death of Pythagoras in consequence of political distur-
bances at Crotona.
gemitus columbinos] Cp. Is. Ix. S ; Nahum ii. 7.
Zenonis] De Bury has confounded Zeno the Stoic, who died
of old age, with Zeno of Elea, of whom the story mentioned
58 PHILOBIBLON
morsu secuit et exspuit in tyrannum intrepide,
Heu, iam rursus a Diomedonte tritus in mortario
pistillatur !
1 06 Certe non sufficimus singulos libros luctu lamen-
tari condigno, qui in diversis mundi partibus bel- 5
lorum discrimine perierunt. Horribilem tamen
stragem, quae per auxiliares milites secundo bello
Alexandrino contigit in Aegypto, stilo flebili
memoramus, ubi septinginta millia voluminum
ignibus conflagrarunt, quae sub regibus Ptolemaeis 10
per multa curricula temporum sunt collecta, sicut
recitat Aulus Gellius, Noctium Atticarum lib. 6"*,
107 cap. 16°. Quanta proles Atlantica tunc occubuisse
2 nam D || adiomedonta A 2 a diomedonta B E a dyometita
L Adiomerita edd. Adiomeritatritus Schm. Anaxarchus Ja. ||
tortario A || 8 Aegypto om. A || 9 decern millia edd. septuaginta
codd. mil. il 12 retract at A £ \\
in the text is told. But the confusion is not peculiar to
De Bury: cp. Haureau, Philosophic Scol., ii. 56.
a Diomedonte] The reading Adionierita has caused the
editors much trouble, and James boldly changes it to Anaxar-
chus, of whom a similar story is told {e.g. Cic. Tusc. ii. 22).
De Bury, however, is clearly referring to the story of Zeno's
death told by Hermippus (quoted in Diog. L. ix. 27), who
says that he was brayed in a mortar by the tyrant Diomedon,
of whom no mention is found elsewhere. The MSS. point
plainly enough to the true reading, which I have restored.
secundo bello] Aulus Gellius (vi. 17) says "bello priore
Alexandrino," and speaks of the number of volumes as
** millia ferme septinginta," and I have corrected it.
proles Atlantica] Cp. S. August., De Civ. Dei, xviii. 8 :
**Atlans magnus fuisse astrologus dicitur, unde occasionem
CAPITULUM VII. 59
putabitur, orbium motus omnes, coniunctiones pla-
netarum, galaxiae naturam et generationes pro-
gnosticas cometarum ac quaecunque in caelo fiunt
vel aethere, comprehendens ! Quis tarn infaustum
holocaustum, ubi loco criioris incaiistum offertur, 5
non exhorreat ? ubi prunae candentes pergameni
crepitantis sanguine vernabantur, ubi tot innocen-
tium millia, in ciuorum ore non est inventum men-
dacium, flamma vorax consumpsit, ubi tot scrinia
veritatis aeternae ignis parcere nesciens in faetentem 10
loS cinerem commutavit. Minoris facinoris aestimatur
tarn Jeptae quam Agamemnonis victima, ubi pia
filia virgo patris gladio iugulatur. Quot labores
Celebris Herculis tunc periisse putabimus, qui ob
astronomiae peritiam collo irreflexo caelum descri- 15
bitur sustulisse, cum iam secundo flammis Her-
cules sit iniectus.
I ptitahatiir Ja. '! 2 iiahira Ja. prognosticae Ja. || 4 compre-
hcndimtur Ja. comprehtudmtes edd. || 6 primiim 2 prime
3 pruin<u edd. caJentes I i| i^ pidamiis edd. 1| 15 rejiexo D
JUxo edd. II
fabula invenit, ut eum caelum portare confingerit," a passage
cited by Bacon, Op. Maj., p. 24.
generationes] Cp. Gen ii. 4 : " generationes caeli et terrae."
mendacium] From Rev. xiv. 5.
filia virgo] Filia looks like a gloss transferred to the text,
but cp. Is. xlvii. I.
collo irreflexo] The reading ineflexo is supported by
Boetius, De Cons. Phil., iv. metr. 7 : *' Uhimus caelum labore
irreflexo Sustulit collo," which again is derived from Seneca,
Here. Fur., 71 : " Nee flexit humerosmolis immensus labor."
secundo flammis] The first time being, of course, when
6o PHILOBIBLON
109 Arcana caelorum, quae lonithus non ab homine
neque per hominem didicit sed divinitus inspiratus
accepit; quaeque Zoroastes germanus eiusdem, im-
mundorum servitor spirituum, Bactrianis disseruit ;
quae etiam sanctus Enoch Paradisi praefectus prius 5
quam transferretur de saeculo prophetavit ; immo
quae primus Adam filios docuit, sicut raptus in ec-
stasi in libro aeternitatis praeviderat, flammis illis
1 10 nefandis probabiliter aestimantur destructa. Aegyp-
tiorum religio, quam liber Logostilios sic commendat 10
I ioni et thus ab A lonathas Ja. lonancJms edd. |i 3 quern
Rosoastes A qiiem Zoroastres Ja. || 4 Bachianis B D Brach-
?nannis Ja. || 6 deferretur edd. || 10 Logostilius Ja. Logos-
talios sic L i Logos taliosiae edd. ||
Hercules, poisoned by the shirt of Nessns, ascended a pile
of wood, and ordered it to be set on fire.
lonithus] According to Methodius, a fourth son of Noah,
who was supposed to have invented astronomy : cp. Fabri-
cius. Codex pseudepigraphus Vet. Test., i. 271.
non ab homine] From Gal. i. 12.
Zoroastes] Cp. Gervas. Tilb., Otia Imper., i. 20: "Zoro-
aster alio nomine Cham filius Noae vocabatur."
immundorum servitor spirituum] Cp. Matt. x. i.
sanctus Enoch] Cp. Eccli. xh'v. 16 : " Enoch . . . trans-
latus est in Paradisum ut det gentibus poenitentiam."
raptus in ecstasi] Cp. 2 Cor. xii. 4.
liber Logostilios] Inglis supposed this to refer to the lost
Logistorictis of Varro. Cocheris has made hopeless confusion
throughout the passage and confesses his inability to under-
stand this phrase, which he proposes to explain as Logos Tales
(sic) "c'est a dire le traite de Thales." But the reference is
clearly to the lost treatise of the quasi-mythical Hermes Tris-
megistus, extant only in the Latin translation of Apuleius,
CAriTULUM VI I. 6 1
egregie, politia vetenim Athenarum, quae novem
minibus annorum Athenas Graeciac praeccsserunt ;
carmina Chaldacorum ; considerationes Arabum et
Indorum ; caerimoniae ludaeorum; architectura
Babyloniorum ; Noe georgica ; Moysis praestigia ; 5
losuae planimetria ; Samsonis aenigmata ; Salo-
monis problemata, a cedro Libani usque ad hys-
sopum planissime disputata ; Aesculapii antidota ;
Cadmi grammatica ; Parnasi poemata ; Apollinis
oracula; Argonautica lasonis ; strategematon Pala- 10
\ polios edd. qtu cum edd. il 4 Medoruni cerimonie Indorum
^ il 5 praesapgia L presagia edd. || 10 strategemata edd. Ja. ||
which was entitled Aoyo^ riXaor, or as S. Augustine renders
it, Verbiim Pcrfcctutn: Adv. qiimqiie hcurcses, c. viii. The
title was written as one word in medieval times, e.g. Jo. Sarisb.
De Septem Stptenis, c. vii.
sic commendat] In the Asclepiiis, the translation of the
Aoyoc TtXttog by Apuleius, Ilermes says of Egypt, c. 24,
*' Terra nostra mundi totius est templum," and again speaks
of it as "sedes religionum ; " ed. Hildebrand, pp. 307, 308.
veterum Athenarum] See the Timaetis and Crito of Plato
for the account of the Egyptiaii Athens supposed to be given
to Solon by a priest of Sais.
Noe georgica] James remarks, *' Ilic Episcopus non tene-
tur, nisi sano modo intelligantur verba eius. " The remark may
be extended to the whole passage, though in the last century
several learned Germans wrote treatises on science and learn-
ing before the flood. It would be easy to accumulate refe-
rences to these mythical writers from medieval literature, if it
were worth while to do so. Cp. Fabricius, Codex Pscudcpi-
graphus Vet. Testamenti, I7U-33-
Salomonis problemata] Cp. 3 Kings, iv. 33.
62 PHILOBIBLON
medis ; et alia infinita scientiarum secreta huius
incendii tempestate creduntur sublata.
111 Numquid Aristotelem de circuli quadratura
syllogismus apodicticon latuisset, si libros veterum
methodos naturae totius habentium permisissent 5
nefanda praelia superesse? Nee enim de mundi
aeternitate problema neutrum fecisset, nee de in-
tellectuum humanorum pluralitate eorundemque
perpetuitate, ut verisimiliter creditur, dubitasset
uUatenus, si perfectae scientiae veterum invisorum 10
112 bellorum pressuris obnoxiae non fuissent. Per
bella namque ad patrias peregrinas distrahimur,
obtruncamur, vulneramur et enormiter mutilamur^
sub terra suffodimur, in mari submergimur, flammis
exurimur et omni necis genere trucidamur. Quan- 15
turn sanguinis nostri fudit Scipio bellicosus, cum
eversioni Carthaginis, Romani imperii impugna-
113 tricis et aemulae, anxius incumbebat ! Quot millia
4 apodiciicus Ja. || 5 promisissent D || 8 eorwnque edd. ||
II ohnixe ^ || 16 effudit edd. || i8 quot transmisit
om. D II
syllogismus apodicticon] This is the reading of the MSS.,
which I have retained ; for the apodeictic syllogism cp.
Ueberweg, Hist, of Phil., E. T. i, 155.
Aristotelem] Cp. Bacon, Op. Maj., p. 7 : *' Ad haec repre-
henditur de mundi aeternitate, quam nimis inexpressam reli-
quit, nee mirum, cum ipsemet dicit se non omnia scivisse.
Nam quadraturam circuli se ignorasse confitetur, quod his
diebus scitur veraciter."
problema neutrum] Neutral, apparently, in the sense of
doubtful, rather than * open ' in the Catholic sense. Cp.
Lange, Hist, of Materialism, i. 228 of my translation.
CAPITULUM VIl. Ct^
millium praelium decennale Troianum ab hac luce
transmisit ! Quot per Antonium,Tullio iam occiso,
externaruni provinciarum latcbras adicrunt ! Quot
de nobis per Thcodoricum, cxulante 13oetio, in
diversa mundi climata, sicut oves pastore percusso, 5
sunt disi)ersi ! Quot Seneca succumbente Neronis
malitiae, cum et volens ct nolens portas mortis
adiret, ab eo divisi retrocessimus lacrimantes et
in quibus partibus hosi)itari posscmus penitus
ignorantes ! ,0
1 14 Felix fuit ilia librorum translatio, quam in Persas
de Athenis Xerxes fecisse describitur, quos rursus
de Persis in Athenas Seleucus reduxit. O post-
liminium gratiosum ! O mira laetitia ! quam
tunc cerneres in Athenis, cum proli suae genitrix 15
obviaret tripudians matricemque thalamum senes-
centi iam soboli denuo demonstraret. Reassignatis
hospitiis veteribus inquilinis, mox tabulata ce-
7 vialitia D nohtis et volens &^^. |1 13 0 gauJittm graciosurn
edd. postliminium saliitare et gratiosum Jx || i6 matrisque
edd. demonstrasset D J/ Ja. resignatis il/Ja. ||
sicut oves] Cp. Ezech. xxxiv. 5 ; Zach. xiii. 7.
portas mortis] From Ps. cvi. 18.
librorum translatio] This is awkwardly expressed, as though
the felicity of the * translation ' was in the carrying away, and
not in the return. The story is taken from A. Gellius, N.A.,
vi. 17, I.
postliminium] A technical term of Roman law, which Co-
cheris appears to have found so unintelligible, that he could
not even read it in his MSS., but prints it as post li/ninuni.
The MSS. are quite clear.
64 PHILOBIBLON
drina cum lignis et trabibus levigatis aptissime
complanantur ; auro et ebore epigrammata de-
signantur camerulis singulis, quibus ipsa volumina
reverenter illata suavissime collocantur sic, ut nul-
lum alterius ingressum impediat vel propinquitate 5
nimia fratrem laedat.
115 Caeterum infinita sunt dispendia quae per
seditiones bellorum librorum generi sunt illata.
Et quoniam infinita nullatenus pertransire con-
tingit, hie statuemus finaliter querimoniae nostrae 10
Gades, et ad preces a quibus incepimus regiramus
habenas, rogantes suppliciter ut rector Olympi ac
mundi totius dispensator altissimus firmet pacem
et bella removeat ac tempora faciat sua protec-
tione tranquilla. 15
3 singulis om. edd. li 7 ceterum qiiidem edd. || 8 librorum
om. E II quippe sunt I sunt om. Coch. jl 9 qiconiam qtcidem
edd. contigit A\\li gaiides B a om. edd. ||
tabulata cedrina] From I Kings, vi. 15.
lignis levigatis] From Gen. vi. 14.
propinquitate nimia] In the statutes of S. Victor, it is directed
that the books in the library should be arranged " ne vel ni-
mia compressio ipsis libris noceat : " Martene, De ant. eccl.
ritt., iii. 733.
Gades] This word, originally from the Punic word gadir, a
boundary, is familiar in classical Latin as the name of a
Phoenician colony on the site of the modern Cadiz, By a re-
version to its original sense, it was used in mediosval Latin for
a fence or boundary, of which see numerous instances in Du-
cange. Cp. Geoffrey Vinesauf, in the Epilogue to his Poetria
Nova : " lam mare transcurri, Gades in littore fixi."
rector Olympi] From Ovid, Met. ix. 498.
CAPITULUM VI I I. 65
Capitulum S.
De multlplici opportunltate qiiam hal^ui-
mus librorum copiain conquirendi.
116 Cum omni ncgotio tempus sit et opportunitas, ut
testatur sapiens Ecclesiastes, 8°, iam progrcdimur
enarrare multiplices opportunitates, quibus in adc^ui-
sitione librorum, nostris propositis divinitate pro-
pitia, iuvabamur. 5
J J ^ Quamvis enim ab adolescentia nostra semper
socialem communionem cum viris litteratis et libro-
rum dilectoribus delectaremur habere, succeden-
tibus tamen prosperis, regiae maiestatis consecuti
notitiam et in ipsius acceptati familia, facultatem 10
accepimus ampliorem ubilibet visitandi pro libito et
venandi quasi saltus quosdam delicatissimos, turn
privatas, tum communes, tum regularium, turn sae-
iiScularium librarias. Sane dum invictissimi prin-
cipis ac semper magnifice triumphantis regis Angliae 15
Eduardi Tertii post conquestum, cuius tempora
I sit ut B \\ Uhitu E edd. H 14 priiicipis . . . inum-
phantts om. J a. li 16 Edoiiardi A EJwarJi E ]o.. \\
succedentibus tamen prosperis] From Gen. xl. 23.
magnifice triumphantis] Cp. Durham Ritual, p, 122, et a!.:
*' Deus . . . rex ac semper magnificus triumpliator."
F
66 PHILOBIBLON
serenare dignetur Altissimus diutine et tranquille,
primo quidem suam concernentibus curiam, deinde
vero rempublicam regni siii, cancellarii videlicet ac
thesaurarii, fungeremur officiis, patescebat nobis
aditus facilis, regalis favoris intuitu, ad librorum 5
119 latebras libere perscmtandas. Amoris quippe nostri
fama volatilis iam ubique percrebuit, tantumque
librorum et maxima veterum ferebamur cupiditate
languescere, posse vero quemlibet nostrum per
quaternos facilius quam per pecuniam adipisci ^o
favorem. Quamobrem cum supra dicti principis
recolendae memoriae bonitate suffulti possemus
obesse et prodesse, officere et proficere vehe-
menter tam maioribus quam pusillis, affluxerunt
loco xeniorum et munerum locoque donorum et 15
iocalium caenulenti quaterni ac decrepiti codices,
nostris tam aspectibus quam aifectibus pretiosi.
120 Tunc nobilissimorum monasteriorum aperiebantur
armaria, reserabantur scrinia et cistulae solveban-
I seruare A B consej'vare edd. H 3 regni om. D H Z ferebattir
Z) II 9 quilibct D \\ 12 bo7iitati Z> |1 15 encenioruin B exennio-
rum D exeniorum A exhtiioi-iim E\},\6 temulenti]zi.\\ 11 nostris
tamen tatfi £ \\ i<) referebantur Coch. ||
tam maioribus] Cp. Ps. cxiii. 13: "pusillis cum majori-
bus."
xeniorum] The Greek ^evia: cp. Eccli. xx. 31 ; "Sceniaet
dona." The word is exceedingly common in medieval Lalin
and is written in various forms.
armaria] Armarium was a monastic term for a library,
and the librari.in was called armarijis. Cp. the well-known
CAPITULUM VI I r. 67
tur, et per longa saecula in scpulcris soporata
volumina expergiscunt attonita, cjuaeque in locis
tenebrosis latuerant novae liicis radiis pcrfunduntur.
Delicatissimi quondam libri, corrupti et abomina-
biles iam effecti, murium (juidem foctibus cooperti et 5
vermium morsibus terebrati, iacebant exanimes ; et
quiolim purpura vestiebanturet bysso, nunc in cinere
et cilicio recubantes oblivioni traditi videbantur do-
121 micilia tinearum. Inter haec nihilominus, captatis
temporibus, magis volui)tuose consedimus cjuam fe- 10
cisset medicus delicatus inter aromatum apothecas,
ubi amoris nostri obiectum reperimus et fomcntum.
Sic sacra vasa scientiae ad nostrae dispensationis pro-
venerunt arbitrium, quaedam data, quaedam vendita
I 2 2 ac nonnulla pro tempore commodata. Nimirum cum 1 5
nos plerique de huiusmodi donariis cernerent con-
2 expergiscunt ur A Ja. Coch. attouuita edd. lucis ^ || 3
siatueraut -^ || 5 qiiidevi om. E || lO concedimtis E edd. i|
13 peti'c'ticntnt BE edd. !! 15 accomodata edd. |i
saying of Geoffrey, the Sub-prior of St. Barbara in Normandy
in the I2lh century: "Claustrum sine armario, castrum
sine armamentario. "
corrupti et aboniinabiles] From Ps. xiii. I (cp. lii. 2).
murium quidem foetibus] Coch. translates this '* couverts
de la liente des souris " and Inglis agrees with him ! Walten-
bach suggests quidam or qttippc^ instead of quidem^ but no
change seems to be required : Schriftwesen im Mittelalter,
329.
purpura et bysso] Cp. Ex, xxxv. 6 ; Luke, xvi. 20.
cinere et ciHcio] Cp. Matt. xi. 21.
obUvioni traditi] Cp. Ps. xxx. 13.
aromatum apothec.xi;] Cp. Is. xxxix. 2.
68 PHILOBIBLON
tentatos, ea sponte nostris usibus studuemnt tribuere,
quibiis ipsi libentius caruerunt, quam ea quae nos-
tris assistentes servitiis abstulerunt. Quorum tamen
negotia sic expedire curavimus gratiose, ut et eisdem
emolumentum accresceret, nullum tamen detrimen- 5
123 tum iustitia sentiret. Porro, si scyphos aureos et
argenteos, si equos egregios, si nummorum summas
non modicas amassemus, tunc temporis dives nobis
aerarium instaurasse possemus. Sed revera libros
non libras maluimus, codicesque plus dileximus 10
quam florenos, ac panfietos exiguos incrassatis
I contentos E [] 2 quae om. A B D E quam . . . abstulerunt
om. Ja. II 4 et om. B edd. || ii panjlettos D phaleratis edd. ||
amassemus] Inglis translates, "if we would have
amassed ; " but the word is from amare, not amassarc.
libros non libras] Cp. Alanus, De Arte praedicatoria, c. 36 :
*' Potius dediti gulae quam glossae, potius colligunt libras
quam legunt libros, libentius intuentur Martham quam Mar-
cum, malunt legere in salmone quam in Salomone. "
florenos] The first gold florins were issued at Florence in
1252. In 1343, Edward III. issued a gold florin to be cur-
rent at bs. It is an extremely scarce coin, only two speci-
mens being known, which were found together in the Tyne ;
it was replaced by a noble of the value of 6s. Sd. in 1344:
see Kenyon, Gold Coins of England, pp. 14, 15. The
Continental florins were extensively used in international
intercourse.
panfletos] This appears to be the earliest instance yet
noticed of this word, which is apparently the origin of our
'pamphlet.' It is not in Ducange : but see Mr. Skeat's
account of the word in his Dictionary.
incrassatis] Cp. Deut. xxxii. 15.
CAPITULUM VI IT. 69
124 praetulimus palefridis. Ad haec eiusdem i)rincipis
illustrissimi sempiternae memoriae legationibus cre-
bris functi, et ob multiplicia regni negotia nunc ad
sedem Romanam, nunc ad curiam P>anciae, nunc
ad mundi diversa dominia, taediosis ambassiatibus 5
ac periculosis temporibus mittebamur, circumferentes
tamen ubique illam, quam aquae plurimae nequi-
125 verunt exstinguere, caritatem librorum. Haec
omnium peregrinationum absinthia quasi quaedam
pigmentaria potio dulcoravit. Haec post peri)lexas 10
intricationes et scrupulosos causarum anfractus ac
vix egressibiles rei publicae labyrinthos ad respi-
randum parumper temperiem aurae lenis aperuit.
126 O beate Deus Deorum in Sion, quantus fluminis
impetus voluptatis laetificavit cor nostrum, quotiens 15
paradisum mundi Parisius visitare vacavimus mora-
turi, ubi nobis semper dies pauci prae amoris mag-
5 sediciosis E i, 7 turn uhique Ja. !| 9 ovinia peregr'niarum
iiatiomim Ja, || 13 levis ]si. |i 16 ilfi moraturi ]di. [\
circumferentes] Cp. 2 Cor. iv. 10.
exstinguere caritatem] Cp. Cant. viii. 7.
pigmentaria potio] Pignientiim or piment was a mixture of
wine, honey, and spices, much affected in medieval times :
see Ducange. The word dulcoravit is said to be peculiar to
S. Jerome : cp. Prov. xxvii. 9.
aurae lenis] John of Salisbury says in one of his letters
on returning to France : "Ex quo partes attigi cismarinas,
visus sum mihi sensisse lenioris aurae temperiem :" Ep. 134.
Deus Deorum in Sion] This phrase occurs twice in Petrarch,
De Otio Religios., sig. c. iii., verso.
fluminis impetus] From Ps. xlv. 5.
70 FHILOBIBLON
nitudine videbantur ! Ibi bibliothecae iocundae
super cellas aromatum redolentes, ibi virens viri-
darium universorum voluminum, ibi prata acade-
mica terrae motu trementia, Athenarum diverticula,
Peripateticorum itinera, Parnasi promontoria et 5
127 porticus Stoicorum. Ibi cernitur tarn artis quam
scientiae mensurator Aristoteles, cuius est totum
quod est optimum in doctrinis, in region e dum-
taxat transmutabili sublunari ; ibi Ptolemaeus epi-
cyclos et eccentricos auges atque geuzahar plane- '^^
tarum figuris et numeris emetitur ; ibi Paulus arcana
4 diver siciila A \\ g S2thli7nari A B i 2 \\ 10 aoges 3 Gold.
Schni. Genzachar edd. Ja. || ii einitur emetatur D 1|
cellas aromatum] From Is. xxxix. 2.
diverticula] This word seems to be an attempt to render
the Xf (T^at, of which we hear so much in Greek literature.
sublunari] I have noticed this word, which has not yet
found its way into Ducange, in Jo. Sarisb., Policrat. ii. 19 ;
Gerv. Tilb., Otia Imp., i. i. Cp. Bacon, Op. M., p. 84:
" Dicit enim Avicenna inix. Metaphysicae quod ea quae sunt
sub circulo lunae sunt fere nihil in comparatione eorum, quae
sunt supra."
auges] Cp. Neckam, De N. R., p. 311 : " Non eris philo-
sophiae laribus educatus nisi scias quid horoscopus, quid
decanus, quid augis solis." Bacon, Op. M., p. 62, yxs>t% aux
as the nominative; cp. pp. 89, 90, 109, 138, 144. The word
was long used in English : see the new English Dictionary
s, V. Auge.
geuzahar] This word has been treated by the editors and
translators as a proper name, though in that case the order of
the words would be obviously wrong. It is a Perso-Arabic
astronomical term meaning dragon, and refers to the re-
CAPITULUM VIII. 71
revelat ; ibi Dionysius convicinus hierarchias coor-
128 dinat et distinguit ; ibi tiuiajuid Cadmus gram-
mate recolligit Phoeniceo, totum virgo Carmenta
charactere repracsentat Latino ; ibi revera, apertis
thes:iuris et sacculorum corrigiis resolutis, pecuniam 5
laeto corde dispersimus, atque libros imi)rctiabiles
129 Into redemimus et arena. Nequaquam malum est,
malum est, insonuit omnis emptor ; sed ecce (luam
bonum et quam iocundum arma clericalis militiae
I comituinns om. Coch. corinthios codd, dett. I| 2 gram-
mate A E pr. manu gramniaticiis B grammatice Z? Ja. H
3 recollegit A Ja. grammaiice recoUegit et phcnices edd. U
6 libros om, Ja. i| 7 redimiviiis Ja. nequaquam ?nahf>u est edd.
lation between the equator and tlie ecliptic, their points of
intersection, or nodes, being respectively called the head and
tail of the dragon. The word was written genzahar or
geuzahar, with the common confusion of n and u in medieval
MSS. See Dr. Moritz Steinschneider in the Zeitsch. d. d.
morgenl. Ges., xviii. 195 ; xxv. 418.
Dionysius] To Dionysius the Areopagite (Acts xvii. 34)
were attributed a number of treatises, now believed to be the
much later productions of some Christian Neo-Platonist, which
had a high reputation in the middle ages.
virgo Carmenta] Cadmus the Phoenician is supposed to
have introduced the alphabet into Greece, whence it was
carried into Italy by Evandcr, the Arcadian- His mother
Carmenta accompanied him, and she is said to have turned
the Greek into Roman characters.
apertis thesauris] From Matt. ii. ii.
malum est, malum est] From Prov. xx. 14.
quam bonum] From Ps. cxxxi. I.
arma clericalis militiae] See s. 29 nvte. The phrase is used
of the books of the Greek fathers by the Dominican Hum-
bert in 1274 : Mart and Durand, ^Vmpl. Coll. vii. 194.
72 PHILOBJBLON
congregare in unum, ut suppetat nobis, unde
130 haereticorum bella conterere, si insurgant ! Amplius
opportunitatem maximam nos captasse cognoscimus
per hoc, quod ab aetate tenera magistrorum et
scholarium ac diversarum artium professorum quos 5
ingenii perspicacitas ac doctrinae celebritas clariores
effecerant, relegato quolibet partiali favore, exquisi-
tissima sollicitudine nostrae semper coniunximus
comitivae, quorum consolativis colloquiis confortati,
nunc argumentorum ostensivis investigationibus, 10
nunc physicorum processuum ac catholicorum doc-
torum tractatuum recitationibus, nunc moralitatum
5 professores A B D E Ja. |i 7 qtwinodolibet Ja. |i 8 nostra
se»iper co7iuiiixi7nus commercia]^.. || w phtconmi codtd. philo-
sophicoru7n Ja. ||
professorum] Coch. saw that this was required, and I have
made the correction with several MSS.
ostensivis] A word not recorded in the dictionaries.
physicorum processuum] If we read philosophicorufn with
James, the phrase would merely repeat " argumentorum in-
vestigationibus ; " physicorum is probably right and refers to
treatises on science. Roger Bacon, Op. Maj., p. 116, men-
tions catholici doctores in a similar connexion : ' ' postquam
in ecclesia fuit evacuata falsitas magicae mathematicae, venit
in usum catholicorum doctorum consideratio mathematicae
verae." By 77iathematica he means, of course, astronomy and
astrology.
moralitatum] This perhaps refers to the moralizations
not merely of sacred and secular histories and naratives, but
even of science and philosophical subjects, which were so
common in medieval times ; see Hazlitt's Warton, i. 297, sqq.
That a knowledge of these allegorical meanings was con-
sidered necessary for theologians, we may gather from
CAPiTULUM riir. 73
excitativis collationibus, velut alternatis et multipli-
131 catis ingenii ferculis, dulcius fovebamur. 'I'ales in
nostro tirocinio commilitones elegimus, tales in tha-
lamo collaterales habuimus, tales in itinera comites,
tales in hospitio commensales, et tales penitus in 5
omni fortuna sodales. Verum quia nulla felicitas
diu durare permittitur, privabamur nonnunquam
luminum aliquorum ])raesentia corj)orali, cum eis-
dem promotiones ecclesiasticae ac dignitates debi-
tae, prospiciente de caelo iustitia, provenerunt. 10
Quo fiebat, ut incumbentes sicut oportuit curae
propriae se a nostris cogerentur obsequiis absentare.
132 Rursus compendiosissimam semitam subiunge-
mus, per quam ad manus nostras pervenit librorum
tarn veterum quam novorum plurima multitude. Re- 1 5
ligiosonim siquidem mendicantium paupertatem sus-
ceptam proChristonunquam indignanteshorruimus,
verum ipsos ubiqueterrarum in nostrae compassionis
ulnas admisimus mansuetas, affabilitate familiaris-
sima in personae nostrae devotionem alleximus, 20
allectosque beneficiorum liberalitate munifica fovi-
mus propter Deum ; quorum sic eramus omnium
benefactores communes, ut nihilominus videremur
16 viendicantitim om. edd. || 21 alUctasqtie E \\ 23 bene-
factor communis E ||
Bacon, Op. Maj., pp. 104, 112, where he says that they should
know all about arithmetic and music : propter sensus mysticos
infinites pr cuter lite rales.
prospiciente de caelo] Cp. Ps. xiii. 2.
74 PHILOBIBLON
quadam paternitatis proprietate singulos adoptasse.
^ZZ Istis in statu quolibet facti sumus refugium, istis
nunquam clausimus gratiae nostrae sinum ; quam-
obrem istos votorum nostrorum peculiarissimos zela-
tores meruimus habere, et tarn opere quam opera 5
promotores. Qui circueuntes mare et aridam ac
orbis ambitum perlustrantes, universitates quoque
diversarumque provinciarum generalia studia per-
scrutantes, nostris desideriis militare studebant cer-
134 tissima spe mercedis. Quis inter tot argutissimos 10
venatores lepusculus delitesceret ? Quis pisciculus
istorum nunc hamos, nunc retia, nunc sagenas
evaderet? A corpore sacrae legis divinae usque
ad quaternum sophismatum hesternorum, nihil istos
praeterire potuit scrutatores. Si in fonte fidei 15
Christianae, curia sacrosancta Romana, sermo de-
votus insonuit, vel si pro novis causis quaestio
ventilabatur extranea, si Parisiensis soliditas, quae
6 circuentes ^ 1|8 dhtersariim Z> || 1 1 deliteret -£" || 13 do?ninice
D S. Legis Dominicae Ja. || 14 esternorian B externortim edd.||
facti sumus refugium] Cp. Ps. ix. 10.
mare et aridam] Cp. Ps. Ixv. 6.
generalia studia] Studitim generale was a medieval term for
a University, and is said by Mr. Maxwell Lyte to be of
English origin : Hist. Univ. Oxford, p. 5. But Denifle
shows that it was first used of Vercelli ; Univ. des M. p. 2 if.
nunc retia, nunc sagenas] Cp. Ezech. xii. 13.
extranea] The word which originally meant, of course,
outside or foreign, passed into the sense of strange or novel :
see Ducange.
Parisiensis soliditas] Cp. c. ix, s. 157.
CAPITULUM Vni. 75
plus antiquitati discendae quam veritati subtilitcr
producendae iam studet, si Anglicana pcrspicacitas,
quae anticiuis perfusa luminaribus novos semper
radios emitlit veritatis, (juicquam ad augmentuni
scientiae vel declarationcm fidei proniulgabat, hoc 5
statim nostris recens infundebatur auditibus nullo
denigratum seminiverbio nulloque nugace corrup-
tum, sed de praelo purissimi torcularis in nostrae
memoriae dolia defaecandum transibat.
135 Cum vero nos ad civitates et loca contingeret 10
declinare, ubi praefati pauperes conventus habe-
bant, eorum armaria ac quaecunque librorum re-
positoria visitare non piguit ; immo ibi in altissima
I quam om. Z> li 4 qia'cquid^z.. Coch. 1, 6 aiinbus edd. |1 7 de
virgiatum B dcuirginatiini E semiverbo edd. seniimvcrbo Ja.
semiverbio Gold, seuii verbio Coch. nugacitate edd. || 9 doliion
J a. dcfercndtim A defacandiim B 1|
auditibus] Cp. Ps. 1. 10.
seminiverbio] Even James appears not to have seen that
this is simply the Vulgate rendering of (rntpfivXoyoi: in the
Acts, xvii. 1 8. Coch. and Inglis make a great mess of the
translation.
eorum armaria] One of the chief complaints made against
the mendicant orders by Abp. Fitzralph, at Avignon in 1357,
was that they monopolized books : " omnes emuntur a Fratri-
bus, ita ut in singulis conventibus sit una grandis ac nobilis
libraria ; " see the Dt-fcnsoriiim Curatotnm, printed in
Brown's Fasciculus, iii. 474.
altissima paupertate] From 2 Cor. viii. 2. Cp. the Rule
of S. Francis, c. 6: "Haec est ilia celsitudo aUissima
paupertatis quae vos carissimos fratres meos haeredes et
reges rcgni caelorum instituit." (Ilolstenius, Codex Kegg. iii.
32).
76 PHILOBIBLON
paupertate altissimas divitias sapientiae thesauriza-
tas invenimus, et non solum in eorum sarcinulis et
sportellis micas de mensa dominorum cadentes
repperimus pro catellis, verum panes propositionis
absque fermento panemque angelorum omne 5
delectamentum in se habentem, immo horrea Joseph
plena frumentis totamque Aegypti supellectilem
atque dona ditissima, quae regina Saba detulit
Salomoni.
136 Hi sicut formicae continue congregantes in 10
messem et apes argumentosae fabricantes iugiter
cellas mellis. Hi successores Bezeleel ad excogitan-
dum quicquid fabrefieri poterit in argento et auro ac
gemmis, quibus templum Ecclesiae decoretur. Hi
prudentes polymitarii, qui superhumerale et rationale 15
pontificis sed et vestes varias efficiunt sacerdotum.
Hi cortinas, saga pellesque arietum rubricatas resar-
I sapientiae om. edd. I| 8 datissima D altissima Ja. Sibilla
D E \\ 10 sutit edd. quotidie Ja. in messe edd. || 13 affrabe fieri
Ja. II 14 decoraretur E ||
micas de mensa] Cp. Matt. xv. 27.
omne delectamentum] Cp. Wisd. xvi. 20.
congregantes in messe] Cp. Prov. vi. 8 ; xxx. 25.
apes argumentosae] Cp. the office of S. Caecilia :
" Caecilia, famula tua, Domine ! quasi apis tibi argumentosa
deservit." Argumentosae thus became a standing epithet of
apes : see passages cited in Ducange.
quicquid fabrefieri] Cp. Ex. xxxi. 4.
polymitarii] Cp. Ex. xxxv. 35.
superhumerale et rationale] Cp. Ex. xxviii. 4.
cortinas, saga] Cp. Ex. xxvi. i, 7.
pellesque arietum r.] Cp. Ex. xxvi. 14.
CAPITULUM VIII. 77
ciunt, quibus Ecclesiae militantis tabernaculum con-
tegatur. Hi agricolae seminantes, boves triturantes,
tubae buccinantes, pleiades emicantcs ct stellae
manentes in ordine suo, (juae Sisaram exinignare
37 non cessant. Et ut Veritas honoretur, salvo prae- 5
iudicio cuiuscunque, licet hi nuper hora undecima
vineam sint ingressi dominicani, sicut amantissimi
nobis libri cap°. 6". supra anxius allegabant, ])lus
tamen in hac hora brevissima sacratorum librorum
adiecerunt propagini quam omnes residui vinitorcs ; 10
Pauli sectantes vestigia, qui vocatione novissimus
praedicatione primus, multo latius aliis evangelium
38 Christi sparsit. De istis ad statum pontificalem
assumpti nonnullos habuimus de duobus ordinibus,
Praedicatorum videlicet et IMinorum, nostris assis- 15
tentes lateribus nostraeque familiae commensales,
viros utique tarn moribus insignitos quam litteris,
qui diversorum voluminum correctionibus, exposi-
2 Hi sunt edd. om. A B D E Ja. |1 4 qui Z> 1| 5 iiuiicio
edd. II 9 hac om. A ;i 10 pagini D pa^iuae ]^. 14 assumptis
Coch. .17 moribus quam scientia quam litteris B 1|
boves triturantes] Cp. i Cor. ix. 9.
stellae manentes] Cp. Judges v. 20.
undecima hora] Cp. Matt. xx.
hora brevissima] Cp. I Jo. ii. 18. For Roger Bacon's
opinion of their biblical labours, see Op. Maj., p. 37.
Minorum] For the Pra^dicatores see note on c. vi. s. S6.
The Fratres Minores were founded by S. Francis in 12 10
and were a mendicant order : cp. his Regula, c. 6 : "Nullus
vocetur prior, sed gcneraliter omnes vocentur Fratres Mi-
nores." (llolstenius, Codex Regularum, iii. 24).
78 PHILOBIBLON
tionibus, tabulationibus ac compilationibus inde-
^39 fessis studiis incumbebant. Sanequamvis omnium
religiosorum communicatione multipliciplurimorum
operum copiam tarn novorum quam veterum asse-
cuti fuerimus, Praedicatores tamenextollimus merito 5
special! praeconio in hac parte, quod eos prae cunc-
tis religiosis suorum sine invidia gratissime commu-
nicativos invenimus, ac divina quadam liberalitate
perfusos sapientiae luminosae probavimus non
avaros sed idoneos possessores. lo
140 Praeter has omnes opportunitates praetactas,
stationariorum ac librariorum notitiam, non solum
infra natalis soli provinciam, sed per regnum
Franciae, Teutoniae et Italiae dispersorum com-
paravimus, faciliter pecunia praevolante, nee eos 15
ullatenus impedivit distantia, neque furor maris
absterruit, nee aes eis pro expensa defecit, quin ad
nos optatos libros transmitterent vel afferrent.
Sciebant profecto quod spes eorum in sinu nostro
reposita defraudari non poterat, sed restabat apud :;o
nos copiosa redemptio cum usuris.
5 merito om. Z) || 7 g7'atissimae coimnwiicationis Ja.,
vulgo II 13 intra edd. || 14 co?npajiif?i7is D \\ l^ eos eis D ||
19 sciebant enint pro certo edd. ||
tabulationibus] The word is not found in the dictionaries,
but it means probably indexes or summaries.
stationariorum] For the stationarii of the middle ages, who
were originally rather lenders than sellers of books, cp.
Wattenbach, Schriftwesen im Mittelalter, 294, 307.
copiosa redemptio] From Ps. cxxix. 7.
cum usuris] Cp. Luke xix. 23.
'CAPITULUM Vlir. 79
141 neniijue nee rcctores scholarum ruraliiim puero-
rumque rudium paedagogos nostra neglexit com-
munio, singulorum ca})tatrix amoris ; sed potiiis
cum vacaret, eorum hortulos et agellos ingressi, flores
superficietenus redolentes collcgimus ac radices 5
eiTodimusobsolctas, studiosis tamen accommodas et
quae possent, digesta barbaric rancida, pectorales
142 arterias eloquentiae munere medicari. Inter
huiusmodi pleraque comperimus renovari dignis-
sima quae, solerter elimata robigine turpi, larva 10
vetustatis deposita, merebantur venustis vultibus
denuo reformari. Quae nos, adhibita necessari-
orum sufticientia, in futurae resurrectionis ex-
emplum resuscitata quodammodo redivivae red-
didimus sospitati. 15
143 Caeterum apud nos in nostris maneriis multitudo
non modica semper erat antiquariorum, scriptorum,
I scholarhim edd. || 6 accomodatas Ja. Coch. |; 8 vieditari
Ta. medicare edd. H 10 rohipne om. edd. || i"^ futuriim B D
Juturus £■ 1; 16 atriis edd. ||
paedagogos] The schoolmasters of the fourteenth century
were much looked down upon ; the degree of master of
j;rammar was the lowest at the universities, requiring only a
three years' course, instead of the seven needed for the study
of the trivium and quadrivium. The degree was conferred
by the delivery of a rod and birch, after which the incepting
master proceeded to flog a boy publicly : see liass Mullinger,
Univ. Cam., 344; Maxwell Lyte, Hist. Univ. Oxf., 235.
sospitati] Cp. Job, v. II.
anticjuariorum] Cp. .Sueton., De Viris illust., ed. Rciffer-
schcid, p. 134 : "Librarii sunt, qui nova et vetera scribunt.
8o PHILOBIBLON
correctorum, colligatorum, illuminatorum et genera-
liter omnium, qui poterant librorum servitiis utiliter
insudare. Postremo omnis utriusque sexus omnis-
que status vel dignitatis conditio, cuius erat cum
libris aliquale commercium, cordis nostri ianuas 5
pulsu poterat aperire facillime et in nostrae gratiae
144 gremio commodosum reperire cubile. Sic omnes
admisimus codices afferentes, ut nunquam praece-
dentium multitudo fastidium posterorum efficeret,
vel hesternum beneficium praecollatum praeiudi- 10
cium pareret hodierno. Quapropter cum omnibus
memoratis personis quasi quibusdam adamantibus
attractivis librorum iugiter uteremur, fiebat ad nos
desideratus accessus vasorum scientiae et volatus
multifarius voluminum optimorum. Et hoc est 15
quod praesenti capitulo sumpsimus enarrare.
3 omnes Ja. Coch. |1 d pnlsi D poterant Ja. Coch. W^ et D \\
^ posteriortun edd. 1|
Antiquarii qui tantummodo Vetera." In practice, however,
the two terms had come to be synonymous, according to
Wattenbach, Schriftwesen im Mittelalter, 244. But see c.
xvi. s. 20"/ post.
adamantibus] Adamas, the Greek aMiiag, which in classi-
cal Latin meant (i) steel, (2) the diamond, was used in
medieval Latin for the loadstone, being erroneously connected
with adamare ; cp. c. iv. s. 58.
CAPITULUM IX. Si
Capltiiluin 9.
Quod licet opera vcterum amplius ama-
remus non tamen damnavinius
studia modernorum.
145 Licet nostris desideriis novitas modernorum nun-
quam fuerit odiosa, qui vacantes studiis ac priorum
patrum sententiis quicquam vel subtiliter vel utiliter
adicientes grata semper affectione coluimus, anti-
quorum tamen examinatos labores securiori avidi- 5
tate cupivimus perscrutari. Sive enim naturaliter
viguerunt perspicaciori mentis ingenio, sive in-
stantiori studio forsitan indulserunt, sive utriusque
sufTulti subsidio profecerunt, hoc unum comperi-
mus evidenter, quod vix sufficiunt successores 10
Tit. dainnamtts B iniddimus studiis ^ || 3 senntis]:^. qiiic-
quid'l'x. li 5 lihros vel labores D Ja. || 6 ajtididitate A B cupi-
nius D Ja. i; 8 sive . . . indidseruiitoxw. Z> Ja. adidscritnt E 1|
() pcrfeceruut]d,. Ij
vix sufficiunt] Roger Bacon takes a view more favouraLle
to the moderns. Thout^h he admits that "sapientissimi et
maxime experti multotiens maximam difllcultatem in libris
reperiunt antiquorum " (Op. Maj. i. 4); he adds "semper
posteriorcs addiderunt ad opera priorum et multa correxe-
runl," and quotes Seneca wiih approval, "quanto iuniores
tanto perspicaciores, quia iuniores posteriores successionc
temporum ingrediuntur labores priorum " (i. 6).
G
82 PHILOBIBLON
priorum comperta discutere, atque ea per doc-
trinae captare compendium, quae antiqui anfractu-
1 46 osis adinventionibus effoderunt. Sicut enim in
corporis probitate praestantiores legimus praeces-
sisse, quam moderna tempora exhibere noscantur, 5
ita luculentioribus sensibus praefulsisse plerosque
veterum opinari nuUatenus est absurdum, cum
utrosque opera quae gesserunt, inattingibiles pos-
teris aeque probent. Unde Phocas in prologo
Grammaticae suae scribit : 10
Omnia cum veterum sint explorala libellis,
Multa loqui breviter sit novitatis opus.
147 Nempe si de fervore discendi ac diligentia studii fiat
sermo, illi philosophiae vitam totam integre devove-
runt ; nostri vero saeculi contemporanei paucos 15
annos fervidae iuventutis, aestuantis vicissim incen-
diis vitiorum, segniter applicant, et cum, sedatis
passionibus, discernendae ambiguae veritatis acu-
men attigerint, mox externis implicati negotiis
2 dispetidiian Ja. |1 7 veterum om. add. nitimur Coch. ex
digitis suis suxit || ^ posteros E |I g praebeni edd. || 16 estuantes
E edd. li 19 externis E \\
inattingibiles] Ducange quotes this word from Gervase of
Tilbury: "caelum Trinitatis, ubi sola Trinitas habitat non
localiter sed incircumscripte et inenarrabili et inattingihili
gloria."
Phocas] One of the favourite grammatical text books of the
middle ages : see Keil, Gramm. Lat., v. 410.
implicati negotiis] Cp. 2 Tim. ii. 4.
CAPITULUM IX. 83
retrocedunt et philosoi)hiae gymnasiis valedicunt.
148 Mustum fiimosum iuvenilis ingcnii philosophicae
difticultati delibant, vinumque maturius defaecatum
oeconomicae sollicitudini largiuntur. Amplius
sicut Ovidius, primo Dc Vetula, mcrito lamentalur : 5
C)nines declinant ad ea, quae lucra ministrant,
Utque sciant discunt pauci, plures ut abundent ;
Sic te prostituunt, O virgo Scientia ! sic te
Venalcm faciunt castis amplexibus aptam,
Xon te propter te quaerentes, sed lucra per te, i'^
Ditarique volunt polius, quam pliilosophari ;
et infra :
sic Philosopliia
Exilimn patitur, et Philopecunia regnat,
quam constat esse violentissimum toxicum dis- 15
cipiinae.
149 Qualiter vero non alium terminum studio pos-
7. fhiL^sophiae edd. i! 8 0 om. E '\ 12 et om. D \\
gj'mnasiis] One of the commonest of medieval words,
though there is a mistaken notion that it came into use with
the Renascence. The medieval spelling was, of course,
gignasium ; and Mr. Lumby, in his glossary to Iligden, in-
nocently observes " gignasia, perhaps an error for gymnasia !"
De Vetula] This poem, in three books of wretched hexa-
meters, was regarded in medieval times as the genuine work
of Ovid. It is cited, for instance, by Bacon, Burley, Brad-
wardine, and Hclkot, though the last-named observes :
"An sit liber Ovidii, Deus novit " (Super Sap., f. 103a).
Warton attributes it on the authority of Leyser to Leo I'ro-
tonotarius (H. E. P. iii. 107 n. : cp., however, il>. 136 n.,
where it is assigned to Pamphilus Maurilianus). Cocheris,
84 PHILOBIBLON
uerunt antiqui quam vitae, declarat Valerius ad
Tiberium, lib. 8, cap. 7, per exempla multorum.
Carneades, inquit, laboriosus ac diutinus sapientiae
miles fait ; siquidem expletis nonaginta annis idem
illi Vivendi ac philosophandi finis fuit. Isocrates 5
94"\ annum agens nobilissimum librum scripsit;
Sophocles prope centesimum annum agens; Simo-
nides 80. anno carmina scripsit. A. Gellius non
aftectavit diutius vivere, quam esset idoneus ad
scribendum, teste seipso in prologo Noctium 10
Atticarum.
150 Fervorem vero studii, quem habebat Euclides
Socraticus, recitare solebat Taurus philosophus, ut
iuvenes ad studium animaret, sicut refert A. Gellius
lib. 6, cap. 10 voluminis memorati. Athenienses 15
namque cum Megarenses odirent, decreverunt quod
si quis de Megarensibus Athenas intraret, capite
5 Isocratas A consocrates B D et Socrates Ja., vulgo ||
7 agetis edypodeaon id est librum de gestis edypodis scripsit
L I 11 Oedipodem, etc. edd.
who has edited Jean Lefevre's French version of the poem,
attributes it to Richard Furnivalle, the author of the Biblio-
nomia, and Chancellor of Amiens in the thirteenth century.
Isocrates] The editors, including James, have printed Et
Socrates, though of course Socrates wrote no books and did
not live to be ninety-four. It does not seem to have occurred
to them even to look at the passage in Valerius Maximus.
This is also quoted by Holkot, Super Sap., f. 93a, where the
same mistake of Socrates for Isocrates is found. Walter Bur-
ley, in his Vitae, tells the story of " Ysocrates," c. 27, and
also of Socrates, c. 30.
CAPITULUM IX. S5
l)lecteretur. Tunc Euclidcs, qui Mcgarcnsis erat
et ante illud decretum Socratcm audierat, mulicbri
ornamcnto contectus dc nocte, ut Socratcm audirct,
ibat dc Mcgaris ad Athenas viginti millia passuum
151 ct redibat. Imjirudcns et nimius fuit fervor Archi- 5
mcdis, qui gcometricac facultatis amator nomen
edissercrc noluit ncc a figura protracta caput erigcre,
quo vitae mortalis fatum poterat prolongasse, sed
indulgens studio plus quam vitae studiosam
figuram vitali sanguine cruentavit. 'o
153 Quam plurima huius nostri propositi sunt ex-
empla, nee ea quidem transcurrere brevitas affec-
tata permittit. Sed, quod dolentes referimus, iter
prorsus diversuminceduntclerici celebres his diebus.
Ambitione siquidem in actate tenera laborantes, ac 15
I Mcgaris ^ i| 3 contcntus D coutenctus MS. Dunelm.
contcntiis est J a. 5 Architnenidis A B Athivienides D ll 6 geo-
metriae Schm. Coch. |1 7 edissere ^ || 15 in om. Z^Ja. i|
ArchimedLs] The story is told by Valerius Maximus, viii.
7, Ext. 7.
Ambitione siquidem] The passage beginning with these
words and ending with the words " vix faucibus humectatis,"
preceded by the passage beginning " Uncinis pomorum "
(c. vi. s. 93) — which words, however, are altered to " pomis et
potu " — to " perniciem animarum," and the passage (s, 96)
'* Quemadmodum psittacus " to " prophetae magistra,"'
appear, though in a very corrupt form, in a curious memo-
randum in the Oxford Chancellor's and Proctors' book, under
the year 1358. The memorandum is directed against the
cerei dociorcs^ that is, persons who secured a degree by
influence, and it is noted that such doctors were always of the
mendicant orders. .See Anstey, Mun. Acad, i. 207, who has
86 PHILOBIBLON
praesumptionis pennas Icarias inexpertis lacertis
fragiliter coaptantes, pileum magistralem immaturi
praeripiunt, fiuntque pueruli facultatum plurium
professores immeriti, quas nequaquam pedetentim
pertranseunt, sed ad instar caprearum saltuatim 5
ascendunt ; cumque parum de grandi torrente
gustaverint, arbitrantur se totum funditus sorbuisse,
153 vix faucibus humectatis ; et quia in primis rudi-
mentis tempore congruo non fundantur, super debile
fuiidamentum opus aedificant ruinosum. lamque 10
l^rovectos pudet addiscere, quae tenellos decuerat
didicisse, et sic profecto coguntur perpetuo lucre
quod ad fasces indebitos praepropere salierunt.
154 Propter haec et his similia, tirones scholastici soli-
ditatem doctrinae, quam veteres habuerunt, tarn 15
I ineptis et inexpertis edd. H 3 proripiunt Ja. || 5 saltuatim
A saltatim edd. || 12 decuerat A E doetterat D 1| 13 salierint
Ja. II 14 aliis D alia Ja. ||
not observed the quotation. It may be, perhaps, that it is a
quotation in De Bury, the sentiments occurring in many
medieval writers : cp. Holkot, Super Sap. 1. ccix, ccxii.
pileum magistralem] See ch. vi. s. 94 ; and cp. Petrarch,
De Vera Sap., i. : *' luvenis . . . cathedram ascendit cuncta
iam ex alto despiciens et nescio quid confusum murmurans.
Tunc maiores certatim ceu divina locutum laudibus ad caelum
tollunt ; tinniunt interim campanae, strepunt tubae, volant
annuli, figuntur oscula, vertici rotundus ac magistralis bonne-
tus apponitur ; his peractis descendit sapiens qui stultus as-
cenderat, mira prorsus transformatio nee Ovidio cognita !"
debile fundamentum] " Debile fundamentum fallit opus "
is a well-known legal maxim : Broom, Legal Maxims, 174.
CAPITULUM IX. S;
paucis lucubratiunculis non attingunt, quantum-
cuncjue fungantur honoribus, censeantur noniinibus,
auctorizentur habitibus, loccntur(|ue solcmniter in
cathedris seniorum. Prisciani rcgulas ct 13onati
statim de cunis crepti et cclcrilcr ablactati per- 5
lingunt ; Categorias, Perihermenias, in cuius scrip-
tura sunimus Aristoteles calamum in corde tinxisse
confingitur, infantili balbutie resonant impuberes et
155 imberbes. Quarum facultatum itinera dispendioso
compendio damnosoque diplomate transmeantes, 10
I quamcutiquc A \\ 5 sic ccJcriter edd. " 6 cathcgoricas E ||
7 in . . . infantili om, A tinxit infantidi edd. infantuli
Ja. II impibcns B inpubcs D \\ 9 quoitim E ||
cathedris senionim] Cp. Ps. cvi. 32.
Perihermenias] ^\iQ De Intcrpretationeoi kx\'-Xo\\t, usually
called in the middle ages by the name here given.
in corde] Cp. Isid. Etymol. ii. 27, Aristoteles, " quando
perihermenias scriptitabat, calamum in mente tingebat."
Suidas applies it to all his writings : 'AfjirrroTiXijc tFic (pvTiioQ
yfjanfiaTtvc t/J', top KaXafioi' UTrojipixujy tig I'ovp. According
to Plutarch, Phocion, p. 743, the phrase was applied by Zeno
to philosophers generally.
dispendioso compendio] Compendia sunt dispendia is a
maxim cited by Lord Coke, 3 Inst. 133.
diplomate] The phrase usiis diplomate came to mean
merely " post-haste," and is so used in R. de Diceto, ed.
Stubbs, i. 351, 433, ii. 21- Originally no doubt it referred
to the written authority enabling the bearer to make use of
the government system of communication under the empire :
see the passages collected in Brissonius, s. v. including Venu-
leius, Dig. xlv. i, 137. Here perliai)s there is a further play
intended upon the university diploma or license to teach.
Ducange cites also passages from John of Salisbury and Tcter
88 PHILOBIBLON
in sacrum Moysen manus iniciunt violentas, ac se
tenebrosis aquis in nubibus aeris facialiter asper-
gentes, ad pontificatus infulam caput parant, nulla
decoratum canitie senectutis. Promovent pluri-
mum istam pestem iuvantque ad istum phantasticum 5
clericatum tarn pernicibus passibus attingendum
papalis provisio seductivis precibus impetrata nec-
non et preces, quae repelli non possunt, cardinalium
et potentum, amicorum cupiditas et parentum,
qui aedificantes Sion in sanguinibus, prius suis 10
2faciliter A feraliter ^^l. || 7 se duct oris Ja. |i
of Blois : he says duploma is the only correct form, but all my
MSS. here read dipl ornate.
In INIoysen] The reference seems to be to the sedition of
Corah, Dathan, and Abiram (Num. xvi.), and the passage may
be a reminiscence of Jo. Sarisb., PoHcrat., vii. 17: " AHus
. . . seditionem concitabit in Moysen :" and 20: " Irruunt
in Moysen . . . nisi ad sacerdotium permittantur accedere."
Cp. Matt, xxiii. 2: " Super cathedram Moysi sederunt scribae
et pharisaei." Petrus Blesensis, Ep. 175, compares a gram-
mar master to Moses : "de tenebrosis et confusis Prisciani
tractatibus educens hicem . . . et quasi de caHgine montis
Sinai alter Moyses legifer a Deo et non ab homine sibi
scriptam grammaticam reportavit."
tenebrosis aquis] From Ps. xvii. 12, *' tenebrosa aqua in
nubibus aeris,"
papalis provisio] One of the abuses of the Church in the
middle ages was the practice of obtaining from the Pope the
promise of a bishopric or some other ecclesiastical dignity
on the next vacancy. The Statute of Provisors was directed
against the practice in 1 350, and was followed shortly after-
v/ards by the first Statute of Praemunire. De Bury was
himself provided to the See of Durham. See the Introduction.
aedificantes Sion in sanguinibus] From Micah iii. 10.
CAPITULUM IX. 89
nepotibus et alumnis ecclcsiasticas dignilatcs anti-
cipant, (juam naturae succcssu vcl doctrinac tem-
perie niaturcscant.
15^ Isto, pro dolor! paroxysmo, quern i)langin-ius,
Parisiense palladium nostris macstis tcmporibus 5
cernimus iam sublatum, ubi tepuit, immo fere
friguit zelus scholae tarn nobilis, cuius olim radii
luceni dabant universis angulis orbis tcrrae.
Quiescit ibidem iam calamus omnis scribae, ncc
librorum generatio propagatur ulterius, nee est qui 10
incipiat novus auctor haberi. Involvunt sententias
sermonibus imperitis, et omnis logicae proprietate
privantur; nisi quod Anglicanas subtilitates, quibus
palam detrahunt, vigiliis furtivis addiscunt.
157 Minerva mirabilis nationes hominum circuire »5
videtur, et a fme usque ad fmem attingit fortiter,
I aiiciipant edd. || 2 sjiccessus doctrine tempore in rasura E ||
4 iste D I 6 i)iniio ubi fere friguit edd. li 15 miraliUs edd. ||
incipiat novus auctor haberi] The phrase is from Cato, Dis-
ticha, i. 1 2 : " Rumores fuge, ne incipias novus auctor haberi " ;
it is quoted by Bonaventura, Speculum Disciplinae, i. 36.
Anglicanas subtilitates] Cp. c. viii. s. 134, for ' Anglicana
perspicacitas ' as opposed to ' Parisiensis soliditas.' Wood
says '* that the most subtle arguing in school divinity did
take its beginning in England and from Englishmen ; and
that also from thence it went to Paris:" Hist. Oxf. i. 159.
The remark comes from Alexander Minutianus, quoted in
Pits, p. 341.
palam detrahunt] Cp. St. Jerome, praef. in ParalijK, " in
publico delrahentes et legentes in angulo."
attingit] From Wisd. viii. i: " attingit ergo a fine usque ad
finem fortiter (sapienlia)."
90 PHILOBIBLON
ut se ipsam communicet universis. Indos, Baby-
ionios, Aegyptios atque Graecos, Arabes et Latinos
earn pertransisse iam cernimus. lam Athenas
deseruit, iam a Roma recessit, iam Parisius prae-
terivit, iam ad Britanniam, insulanim insignissimam 5
quin potius microcosmum, accessit feliciter, ut se
Graecis et barbaris debitricem ostendat. Quo
miraculo perfect©, conicitur a plerisque quod, sicut
Galliae iam sophia tepescit, sic eiusdem militia
penitus evirata languescit. 10
Capitulum 10.
De successlva perfectlone librorum.
15S Saplentlam veterum exquirentes assidue, iuxta
sapientis consilium, Ecclesiastici 39*^ : Sapientiam
inquit, omnium antiquorum exquiret sapiens, non
in illam opinionem dignum duximus declinandum,
ut primos artium fundatores omnem ruditatem eli- 15
masse dicamus, scientes adinventionem cuiusque
7 g^'^gi^ E, II 8 profecto A B D E perfecte Ja. edd. ||
1 5 prinnim D ||
debitricem] Cp. Rom. i. 14: " Graecis ac barbaris, sapien-
tibus et insipientibus debitor sum."
militia languescit] This, it may be noticed, was written not
long after the naval victory of Sluys, and only a year or two
before the Battle of Cressy.
CAPnULUAI X. 91
fideli canonio ponderatam pusillam efficere scientiae
porlionem. Scd per plurimorum investigationcs sol-
licitas, quasi datis symbolis singillatim, scientiarum
ingentia corpora ad immensas, (juas cernimus,
quantitates successivis augmentationibus succrcve- 5
runt. Semper namque discipuli, niagistrorum sen-
tentias iterata fornace liquantes, praeneglectam
scoriam excoxerunt, donee fieret aurum electum
probatum terrae purgatum septuplum et perfecte,
nuUius erronei vel dubii admixtione fucatum. 10
159 Neque enim Aristoteles, quamvis ingenio giganteo
floreret, in quo naturae complacuit experiri quantum
mortalitati rationis posset annectere, quemque paulo
minus minoravit ab angelis Altissimus, ilia mira
volumina, quae totus vix capit orbis, ex digitis suis 15
I fidilis canonio ult. litt. deleta A canonico E canone Ja.
conamine edd. I| 4 quas om. E \\ 6 semperqiu Z> I! 9 probatum
terras om. Ja. i' () perfecte om. edd. !| 12 pgantis ]di. \\ 13 JW-
mortalitcUi Ja. adtnittere A edd. cotnmittcre Ja. i|
canonio] Nearly all the best MSS. read canonio^ although
I find no trace of the word elsewhere.
datis symbolis] Symbolain dare'xs, a classical phrase for con-
tribuiions to a joint entertainment ; for its metaphorical use
we may compare A. Gellius, vi. 13, and (n'^j^aXkoiTox in the
passage quoted below from Aristotle.
electum] Cp. Ps. xi. 7 : " Argentum igne examinatum pro-
batum terrae purgatum septuplum."
paulo minus ab angelis] From Ileb. ii. 7, 9.
vix capit orbis] Cp. a sequence in the York Missal, ii. 80 :
•* Virgo Dei genetrix, quam totus non capit orbis"— and the
well-known hyperbole of S. John in the last ver^e of his
92 PHILOBIBLON
suxit. Quinimmo Hebraeorum, Babyloniorum, Ae-
gyptiorum, Chaldaeorum, Persarum etiam et Me-
dorum, quos omnes diserta Graecia in thesauros
suos transtulerat, sacros libros oculis lynceis pene-
i6o trando perviderat. Quorum recte dicta recipiens, s
aspera complanavit, superflua resecavit, diminuta
supplevit et errata delevit ; ac non solum sincere
docentibus sed etiam oberrantibus regratiandum
censuit, quasi viam praebentibus veritatem facilius
inquirendi, sicut ipsemet 2". Metaphysicae clare 10
docet. Sic multi iurisperiti condidere Pandectam,
I Hebraeo7'tim om. Coch. || 6 rcseciiit edd. || 7 erronea
edd. II 8 et Ja. ||
Gospel : " nee ipsum arbitror mundura capere posse eos qui
scribendi sunt libros."
oculis lynceis] This phrase, which is used by Aristotle {e.g.
De General, et Corrupt., i. 10) and is not uncommon in classi-
cal Latin, originally referred to Lynceus, the Argonaut, who
was famed for the keenness of his vision. But it was then
transferred to the lynx, and gave rise to the fable that it could
see through a wall. Cp. Boet., De Cons. Phil., iii, pr. 8 ;
Bacon, Op. M., f. 223,'/' de lynce, qui videt per mediamparie-
tem ;" Holkot, Super Sap., f. 151c, 247a.
oberrantibus regratiandum] Lib. i. brev., I: Oh \ibvov dk
Xtf-pf-v tx^iv diKaiov TOVTOiQ u/v dv rig Koivu)vi]aai tolq do^aiQj
aXXd Kal Tolg en tTrnroXaLOTspov aTTO(pi]vaiikvoiQ. Koi yap Kai
ol'TOi avixj3aXKovTaL tl' ti)v yape'^iv Ttpoijaicriaav r)ixu>i'.
Pandectam] The term Pandects from the Greek JlavoiKrai
was applied to encyclopedic works, and the term is used by
Justinian in referring to the digest of Roman law made by his
orders from the writings of the Roman jurists. In medieval
times it was also applied to the Bible.
CAPITULUM X. 93
sic medici multi Tegni, sic Avicenna Canonem,
sic Plinius molem illam Historiae Naturalis, sic
Ptolemaeus edidit Almagesti.
i6 1 Qiiemadmodum namque in scriptoribus annalium
considerare non est difficile quod semper posterior 5
praesupponit priorem, sine quo praelapsa tempora
nullatenus enarrare valeret, sic est in scientiarum
auctoribus aestimandum. Nemo namque solus
quamcunque scientiam generavit, cum inter vetus-
tissimos et novellos intermedios reperimus, antiquos 10
quidem si nostris aetatibus comparentur, novos vero
si ad studiorum fundamenta referantur, et istos
162 doctissimos arbitramur. Quid fecisset Vergilius,
Latinorum poeta praecipuus, si Theocritum, Lu-
cretium et Homerum minime spoliasset et in 15
2 violani illaui D Ja. |i 3 Abnagesttim Ja. || 9 qua?nque Ja.
gena-avit tamen infer A £ ]3.. ve f e7-rzmos edd. || \2. studiorum
in rasura B studiosonim D fundamina A E Ja. edd. ii
Tegni] The writings of Galen were known in the middle
ages through the Arabian physicians, and the title of his
lix^i] 'larpiKi), the best-known of his works, was corrupted
into Tegni or Tegne.
Avicenna Canonem] Avicenna or Ibn-Sina, the famous
Arabian philosopher and physician of the eleventh century,
drew largely from the writings of the Greeks.
molem illam] Violatn may, perhaps, be due to a mis-
reading of volumina ilia, a veiy common way of referring to
Pliny's work {e.g. Holkot, Super Sap., f. cxviii.), and the
phrase he himself uses in speaking of Aristotle, H. N. viii.
16 : " quinquaginta ferme volumina ilia praeclara de anima-
libus condidit."
Almagesti] See ch. i. s. 21, note.
94 PHILOBIBLON
eorum vitula non arasset? quid nisi Parthenium
Pindarumque, cuius eloquentiam nullo modo potuit
imitari, aliquatenus lectitasset? Quid Sallustius,
TuUius, Boetius, Macrobius, Lactantius, Martianus,
immo tota cohors generaliter Latinorum, si Athe- 5
narum studia vel Graecorum volumina non vidis-
163 sent? Parum certe in scripturae gazophylacium
Hieronymus, trium linguarum peritus, Ambrosius,
Augustinus, qui tamen Graecas litteras se fatetur
odisse, immo Gregorius, qui prorsus eas se 10
I vincula E errasset Sch. Coch. 1| 10 se om. ^edd. describi-
tur edd. |1
non arasset] From Judges, xiv. 1 8.
Parthenium] A Greek poet, of whom a single line has come
down to us in consequence of its adoption by Virgil into the
Georgics (i. 437). He was Virgil's tutor in Greek. De Bury
probably owed his knowledge of him either to Macrobius (v.
17) or Aulus Gellius (xiii. 26).
Pindarumque] Cp. Quintil., Inst. Orator., x. i. 61 : *' Ho-
ratius eum merito credidit nemini imitabilem,''* referring to
Hor. Carm. iv. 2. Inglis suggests that we should read ** Quid
Horatiics nisi Parthenium Pindarumque," which is ingenious
but not convincing, though we might certainly have expected
to find some mention of Horace.
gazophylacium] Cp. Luke, xxi. i. So Peter Lombard
begins the Liber Sententiariim : "Cupiens aliquid , . . cum
paupercula in gazophylacium Domini mittere."
Hieronymus] Cp. Aug., De Civ. Dei, xviii. 44': "Hierony-
mus homo doctissimus et omnium trium linguarum peritus."
Augustinus] Conf. i. 13, 14. : "Quid autem erat causae
cur Graecas litteras oderam, quibus puerulus induebar, ne
nunc quidem mihi satis exploratum est."
Gregorius] Epp. vii. 32., "quamvis Graecae linguae
nescius ;" xi. 74 : "nam nos nee Graece novimus, nee aliquod
CAPITULUM X. 95
nescisse describit, ad doctrinam ecclesiae contulis-
sent, si nihil eisdem doctior Graecia commodasset ?
Cuius rivulis Roma rigata, sicut prius generavit
philosophos ad Graecorum effigiem, pari forma
postea protulit orthodoxae fidei tractatores. Sudores 5
sunt Graecorum symbola quae cantamus, eorun-
dem declarata consiliis et multorum martyrio con-
iirmata.
164 Cedit tamen ad gloriam Latinorum per accidens
hebetudo nativa, quoniam sicut fuerunt in studiis 10
minus docti, sic in erroribus minus mali. Ariana
nempe malitia fere totam eclipsarat ecclesiam,
Nestoriana nequitia, quae blasphema rabie debac-
chari praesumpsit in virginem, tam nomen quam
definitionem Theotokos abstulisset reginae non 15
pugnando sed disputando, nisi miles invictus Cyril-
I 7tescire Ja. 1| 3 rivuli D \\ 12 ecHpsaret B ecUpserat R
eclipsavit edd. || 15 Theochotos codd. 0£or6/coi^ Ja. || 16 non
pugnando sed disputando om. A insimiles E i|
opus aliquando Graece conscripsimus." The story of the
burning of the Palatine Library by Gregory rests upon the
statement of John of Salisbury, Policrat. ii. 26, and viii. 19,
and is now discredited. Buckle has pointed to the fact that
De Bury does not mention it : Misc. Works, ii. 314.
Theotokos] Nestorius, the Bishop of Constantinople, re-
fused to apply the name GeoroKoc, '* the Mother of God," to
the Virgin Mary, and this heresy led to his deposition and to
the separation of the Eastern and Western churches,
reginae] Cp. Jer. xliv. 17 : " reginae caeli."
Cyrillus] A great part of the life of S. Cyril, the bishop of
Alexandria, was devoted to a vehement and unscrupulous
96 PHILOBIDLON
lus, ad monomachiae congressum paratus, earn
favente consilio Ephesino in spiritu vehementi
165 penitus exsufflasset. Innumerabiles nobis sunt
Graecorum haeresium tarn species quam auctores;
nam sicut fuerunt sacrosanctae fidei priinitivi cul- 5
tores, ita et primi zizaniorum satores produntur
historiis fide dignis. Sicque posterius profecerunt
in peius quod, dum Domini inconsutilem tuni-
cam scindere molirentur, claritatem doctrinae prae-
habitam perdiderunt totaliter ac no vis tenebris 10
excaecati decidunt in abyssum, nisi ille sua
occulta dispenset potentia, cuius sapientiam nu-
merus non metitur.
166 Haec hactenus ; nam hie nobis subducitur iudi-
candi facultas. Unum tamen elicimus ex praedictis, 15
quod damnosa nimis est hodie studio Latinorum
Graeci sermonis inscitia, sine quo scriptorum vete-
rum dogmata sive Christianorum sive gentilium
nequeunt comprehendi. Idemque de Arabico in
plerisque tractatibus astronomicis, ac de Hebraico -o
pro textu sacrae bibliae, verisimiliter est censendum,
5 fueriint om. D Ja. 1| 6 protit dicitur et prodttctintur
edd. I! 8 dumhienttir claritatem A inconsiilnlem B || g proha-
bitam prodiderimt Z> Ja. || ii ceciderunt E\\ I'j inscientia D
Ja. II 19 apprehendi ^z., ||
contest with Nestorius, wliose deposition he finally effected at
the Council of Ephesus in 431.
inconsutilem tunicam] From Jo. xix. 23.
sapientiam numerus] Cp. Ps. cxlvi. 5: " Sapientiae eius
non est numerus."
CAPITULUM X. 97
quibus defectibus proinde Clemens quintus occurrit,
si tamen praelati quae faciliter statuunt, lideliter
1^7 observarent. Quamobrem gramraaticam, tarn He-
braeam quam Graecam, nostris scholaribus pro-
videre curavimus cum quibusdam adiunctis, quorum
adminiculo studiosi lectores in dictarum linguarum
scriptura, lectura necnon etiam intellectu, plurimum
poterunt informari, licet proprietatem idiomatis
solus auditus aurium animae repraesentet.
7 scriptura necnon intellectu D scriptura imnio et intellectu
Ja. etiam om, edd. Ij 9 auris anijno edd. ||
Clemens quintus] At the Council of Vienne in 1312, Ray-
mond Lully obtained from the Council a decree for the estab-
lishment of professorships of Greek, Hebrew, Arabic, and
Chaldee in Rome, Paris, Oxford, Bologna, and Salamanca,
at the expense of the Pope and the prelates : Rohrbacher,
Hist. Univ. de I'Eglise Calh., x. 356. Roger Bacon had
urged Clement IV. to cause Greek, Hebrew, and Arabic
to be taught in the Universities : see preface to the Op.
Majus, ed. 1750, xxxi.
grammaticam] These grammars have unfortunately not
been preserved : it need not be assumed from the phrase
providere curavifnus that De Bury wrote them himself. It
is more likely that he did not. But it is pretty obvious that
Hallam has under- estimated his knowledge of Greek:
Lit. of Europe, i. ^t,. The adjiincia were probably the
glossaries of exotic words and technical terms referred to in
ch. xii. s. 176.
H
98 PHILOBIBLON
Capitulum II.
Quare llbros liberallum lltterarum prae-
tulimus libris iuris.
1 68 Iuris positivi lucrativa peritia dispensandis terrenis
accommoda, quanto huius saeculi filiis famulatur
utilius, tanto minus ad capescenda sacrae scripturae
mysteria et arcana fidei sacramenta filiis lucis con-
fert, utpote quae disponit peculiariter ad amicitiam 5
huius mundi, perquam homo, lacobo attestante, Dei
constituitur inimicus. Haec nimirum Utes hu-
manas, quas infinita producit cupiditas, intricatis
I In lihris iuris codd. dett. positiva lucra A \\ 2 accomodata
D 11 7 Hinc Ja. || 8 tepiditas Ja. ||
lucrativa peritia] Cp. Wiclif, De Septem Donis, c. vi. :
" Monachi dicuntur artibus humanis, iuri civili atque cano-
nico patenter vel private intendere. Cuius causa videtur,
quia ipsa est sciencia lucrativa." With De Bury's opinion
of law w^e may cp. Petrarch's " reason for abandoning the
study" in his letter to Posterity : "quiaearum (sc. legum)usus
nequitia hominum depravatur ; itaque piguit perdiscere, quo
inhoneste uti nollem et honeste vix possem, et si vellem,
puritas inscitiae tribuenda esset" (Ep., ed. Fracassetti, i. 5).
huius saeculi filiis] From Luke, xii. 8 : "filii huius saeculi
prudentiores filiis lucis in generatione sua sunt."
lacobo attestante] James, i v. 4: "quicumque ergo voluerit
amicus esse saeculi huius inimicus Dei constituitur."
CAPITULUM XL 99
legibus, quae ad utrumlibet duci possunt, extendit
crebrius quam exstinguit ; ad quas tamen sedandas
a iurisconsultis et piis principibus noscitur emanasse.
169 Sane cum contrariorum sit eadem disciplina po-
tentiaque rationalis ad opposita valeat, simulque 5
sensus humanus proclivior sit ad malum, huius
facultatis exercitatoribus accidit, ut plerum.que litibus
intendendis indulgeant plus quam pad, et iura non
ad legislatoris intentum referant sed ad suae ma-
chinationis effectum verba retorqueant violenter. ^°
170 Quamobrem, licet mentem nostram librorum
amor *hereos possideret a puero, quorum zelo
I utrnmqiie D did Ja. || 2 sedendas Z) || 3 propriis Ja. ||
5 si77iilisqiie D Ja. |1 6 Jmiiis aute77i D \\ 12 hero7is MS.
Bas L in mg. ei'etis 2 haeres Ja. om. edd. 1| 12 zelus D ||
eadem disciplina] A commonplace in Aristotle : cj^. Eth. v.
I : Svvafiig fiiv yap Kai i,TtiC)Tt]iii] doKei tmv tvavTtwv 1) avn)
tlvai.
amor hereos] Nearly all the MSS. read hereos^ a word of
which no trace is to be found in the dictionaries. The read-
ing of one MS. herous would make sense, but the M-eight of
authority is so overwhelming that it is not safe to adopt it.
The phrase ai7ior heroicus indeed occurs in an ecclesiastical
sequence: York Missal, ii. 217. Haerois, which would
appear in the MSS. as herefis, might be supported by the
common use of haereo in Cicero : cp. ad Att. xiii. 40, 2 : "in
libris haereo." Inglis translates "master love," as though
it were herus ; Cocheris takes absolutely no notice of the
word. The difficulty seems to be in the termination oc, and
I am inclined to suggest that De Bury may have written
hivbc. The passage would then be a nearly verbatim repro-
loo PHILOBIBLON
languere vice voluptatis accepimus, minus tamen
librorum civilium appetitus nostris adhaesit affec-
tibus minusque hiiiusmodi voluminibus adquirendis
concessimus tarn operae quam impensae. Sunt
enim utilia, sicut scorpio in theriaca, quemadmo- 5
dum libro de Porno Aristoteles, sol doctrinae, de
1 7 r logica definivit. Cemebamus etiam inter leges
et scientias quamdam naturae differentiam mani-
festam, dum omnis scientia iocundatur et appetit
quod suorum principiorum praecordia, intro- 10
spectis visceribus, pateant et radices suae pul-
lulationis emineant suaeque scaturiginis emanatio
luceat evidenter; sic enim ex cognato et consono
lumine veritatis conclusionis ad principia ipsum
I languescere D Ja. |I 4 opera qtiam ivipensis Ja. i| 5 scor-
pioni tiriaca A scorpio et tiriaca D Ja. || 7 diffinit D i| 7 in-
ter sc leges D Ja. || 8 differentiam habere D Ja. || 9 oclusionis E |1
duction of a sentence in the letter of the Emperor Julian to
Ecdikios, Ep. 9 : tjitoi /3t/3/\(a»v KTi'icreiog Ik Trai^afjiov dHibg
IvreDjKs TToQoQ. Whether the Bishop can be supposed to
have heard of this passage or not, he doubtless knew the
word SeivuQ ; the word teii'Mmg occurs in Quintilian, Macro-
bius and Martianus Capella.
languere] Cp. i Tim. vi. 4 : ''languens circa quaestiones."
scorpio in theriaca] Aristot., 0pp. Lat., 1496, f. 373 :
" Haec scientia utilis est, ut est utilis scorpio in tyriaca ;
quae licet sit toxicum tamen si datur patienti dolorem minuit
et praestat remedium." The Ve Po7iio, a treatise on the
immortality of the soul, was falsely attributed to Aristotle,
being really translated from the Hebrew by Manfred, son of
the emperor Frederick II. The quotation occurs in Holkot,
Super Sap., f. 154c.
CAPITULUM XL loi
corpus scientiae lucidum fiet totum, non habens
172 aliquam partem tenebrarum. At vero leges, cum
sint pacta et humana statuta ad civiliter conviven-
dum vel iuga principum superiecta cervicibus subdi-
torum recusant reduci ad ipsam synteresim, aequi- 5
tatis originem, eo quod plus habere se timeant de
voluntatis imperio quam de rationis arbitrio. Qua-
propter causas legura discutiendas non esse suadet
173 in pluribus sententia sapientum. Nerape consuetu-
dine sola leges raultae vigorem adquirunt non neces- 10
sitate syllogistica, sicut artes, prout 2°. Politicorum
adstruit Aristoteles, Phoebus scholae, ubi politiam
2 leges om. ^ !1 3 et fortasse secludendum |1 5 syndei'esim
codd. veritatis ac eqidtatis edd. equitatls exiguc Z? H 6 eoquc
Ja. tijnent]2i. \\ ii artes p?-oz'e7iire 2°. ]2i. \\
lucidum fiet] From Luke xi. 34, 36.
convivendum] Cp. Wisd. viii. 9.
synteresim] The correct spelling of this word, though it is
frequently written synderesis (cp. endelechia for entelechia).
IvvrrjpTjniQ was used by the early Christian moralists, and
adopted into scholastic ethics. In the Doctor and Student,
dialog, i. c. 13, it is explained : "a naturall power of ye soule,
set in the highest part thereof mooving and stirring it to good,
and abhorring euil." Sanderson explains it : " Habet enim
se synteresis ad conscientiam proprie dictam, sicut se habet
habitus intellectus ad scientiam. " Jeremy Taylor distinguishes
conscience into synteresis and syneidesis, of which Whewell,
Elem. of Moral,, i. 235, observes: "We may term the
former, conscience as law ; the latter, conscience as witness."
Cp. Stephanus, s.v., and Ueberweg, Hist, of Phil. E. T. i.
440, 474.
adstruit] Cp. s. 40. Here the word is used in the sense of
102 PHILOBIBLON
redarguit Hippodami, quae novamm legum inven-
toribus praemia pollicetur, quia leges veteres abro-
gare et novellas statuere est ipsarum, quae fiunt,
valitudinem infirmare. Quae enim sola consuetu-
dine stabilitatem accipiunt, haec necesse est de- 5
suetudine dirimantur.
174 Ex quibus liquido satis constat quod, sicut leges
nee artes sunt nee scientiae, sic nee libri legum libri
scientiarum vel artium proprie dici possunt. Nee
est haec facultas inter scientias recensenda, quam jc
licet geologiam appropriato vocabulo nominare.
Libri vero liberalium litterarum tarn utiles sunt
scripturae divinae, quod sine ipsorum subsidio
frustra ad ipsius notitiam intellectus aspiret.
3 sunt edd. i| 5 est tit E sec. manu, Ja. tl 6 dimittantur
Ja. II <^ p'oprie om. -£" || il a propriato D ||
affirmare, which is rejected in the lexicons ; see, however,
De Vit's Forcellini.
Hippodami] Pol. ii. 8, 24 : to paSiojg jLtera/SaXXfir Ik tu>v
vTrapxoPTCov j^ojuwv elg tTcpovg vojjlcvq kcuvovc dcrOti'ij iroitiv
icTi T)]v Tov Tojjiov cvi'tt^iv. Holkot also refers to this pas-
sage, Super Sap., f. 310, s^.
geologia] A curious anticipation of this modem word, of
course in a very different and merely metaphorical sense.
CAPITULUM XII. 103
Capitulum 12.
Quare libros grammaticales curavimus
tanta diligentia renovare.
175 Cum librorum lectionibus foveremur assidue, quos
moris erat cotidie legere vel audire, perpendimus
evidenter quantum impediat intellectus officium
vel unius vocabuli semiplena notitia, dum nullius
enuntiationis sententia capitur, cuius pars quanta- s
176 libet ignoratur. Quapropter exoticorum verborum
interpretationes mira sedulitate iussimus annotari
antiquorumque grammaticorum orthographiam, pro-
sodiam, etymologiam ac diasyntheticam incon-
cussa curiositate consideravimus terminosque vetus- 10
tate nimia caligantes descriptionibus congruis
lucidare curavimus, quatenus iter planum nostris
studentibus pararemus.
177 Haec est sane summa totalis quare tot gram-
Tit. cura?)ius B\\ 2 impetidhmis Z> || 5 capiatur D || 7 siihtili-
tate Ja. || 9 diasintasacam A et dyasenteticavi B diasintasim
D E^\Q consideramtis D ||
diasyntheticam] The Greek Ziaavv^z.TiKr]v = syntax. The
word is not in Ducange, but Diefenbach in his Supplementum
has diasenteticiis. The form diaseiiieiica is found in For-
tescue, De Laud. Legum AngHae, c. vii. (ed. Clermont, p.
344)-
1 04 PHIL OBIBL ON
maticorum antiquata volumina emendatis codicibus
renovare studuimus, ut stratas regias sterneremus,
quibus ad artes quascunque nostri futuri scholares
incederent inoffense.
Capitiilum 13.
Qiiare non omnino negleximus fabulas
poetarum.
178 Omnia genera machinarum quibus contra poetas 5
solius nudae veritatis amatores obiciunt duplici
refelluntur umbone, quia vel in obscena materia
gratus cultus sermonis addiscitur vel, ubi ficta sed
honesta tractatur sententia, naturalis vel historialis
Veritas indagatur sub eloquio typicae fictionis. i<^
179 Quamvis nimirum omnes homines natura scire
desiderent, non tamen omnes aequaliter delectantur
7 obscena mgratns Ja. || lo tepise ^ || ii naturaliter D Ja,
stratas regias] In the later Latin the feminine strata was
commonly used — strata regia, the regular term for what we still
call the ' ' king's highway." Via regia occurs in the Vulgate,
Num. xxi. 22. Cp. Jo. Sarisb., Metalog., i. i8 : "Ars
itaque est quasi strata publica qua ire, ambulare . . . omni-
bus ius est."
Cap. 13] With this chap. cp. Jo. Sarisb., Policrat., vii. 10.
scire desiderent] Cp. ch. i. s. 14, note.^
CAPITULUM XIII. 105
f addiscere, quinimmo studii labore gustato et sen-
suum fatigatione percepta plerique nucem abiciunt
inconsulte prius quam testa soluta nucleus attin-
gatur. Innatus est enim homini duplex amor, vide-
licet propriae libertatis in regimine et aliquantae 5
voluptatis in opere ; unde nullus sine causa alieno
se subdit imperio vel opus quodcunque exercet
180 cum taedio sua sponte. Delectatio namque per-
ficit operationem, sicut pulcritudo iuventutem :
sicut Aristoteles verissime dogmatizat 10° Ethi- 10
corum. Idcirco prudentia veterum adinvenit reme-
dium, quo lascivium humanum caperetur ingenium
quodammodo pio dolo, dum sub voluptatis iconio
181 delicata Minerva delitesceret in occulto. Muneribus
parvulos assolemus allicere ut ilia gratis velint ad- 15
discere, quibus eos vel invitos intendimus applicare.
Non enim natura corrupta eo impetu, quo prona se
pellit ad vitia, transmigrat ad virtutes. Hoc
2 iiuiicem M Ja. || 4 honiinum 2^ annorum M hominum
24 annortci)i'^2L. \\ lo verisiviile -£" || II Incirco E\\l2 lascumfii
A B E \\ \\mnnera AI ]a. delitescerent Ja. || 15 pandaUos
A parvos B ^ 17 eo impetitttr edd. i| 18 hoc enim edd. ||
duplex amor] James, who seems to have relied mainly
upon the MS. M, has here been strangely misled by it into
his extraordinary reading, as though the love of liberty and
pleasure were confined to men of twenty-four. The copyist
of M appears to have read 2^, representing duplex^ as
standing for 24. See libt-aiy Chronicle, vol. ii. p. 132 f.
lascivium] See the note on ch. v. s. 79-
delicata] Cp. Is. xlvii. 8.
io6 PHILOBIBLON
in brevi versiculo nobis declarat Horatius, ubi
artem tradit poeticam, ita dicens :
Aut prodesse volunt aut delectare poetae.
Hoc idem in alio versu eiusdem libri patenter in-
sinuat, ita scribens : 5
Omne tulit punctum qui miscuit utile dulci.
182 Quot Euclidis discipulos retroiecit Elefuga, quasi
scopulus eminens et abruptus, qui nullo scalarum
suffragio scandi posset ! Durus, inquiunt, est hie
7 eliftiga D Ehofjiga Ja. EUefuga edd. i| 8 scalarum A Ja.
scolarhim B scolartun D ||
Horatius] A. P., 333 and 343. These two lines quoted just
in the same connexion, were hackneyed even before De Bury.
Euclidis] Cocheris takes this to be Euclid the philosopher,
but as the following note sho\vs, there is no doubt that the
reference is to the geometer.
Elefuga] A barbarous name for what we call the pons
asi)iorwu, which is explained by Roger Bacon, Op. Tert.,
ii. 21 : " Quinta propositio geometriae Euclidis dicitur
Elefuga, id est fuga miserorum." This would point to its
derivation from the Greek 'iktog and fuga, but it may perhaps
be from the Arabic, just as Dulcarnon, a similar term for the
47th prop., was usually but incorrectly explained as SovXia
carnis (cp. Neckam, De N. R., p. 295), but is really Arabic
(see Selden, Opp., iii. 1730). Ducange, s.v. Eletifuga^ cites a
passage from Alanus, Anticlaudianus, iii. 6, but without offer-
ing any explanation of the word : " Iluius tyrones cur artis
Eleufuga terret, Atque prius cogit illos exire, profundum
Quam littus subeant, labiquequam in arte laborent."
Durus est hie sermo] From Jo. vi. 61.
CAPITULUM XI I L 107
sermo ; quis potest eum audire ? Filius incon-
stantiae, qui tandem in asinum transformari vole-
bat, philosophiae studium nullatenus forsitan dimi-
sisset, si eidem contecta voluptatis velamine fami-
liariter occurrisset. Sed mox Cratonis cathedra 5
stupefactus et quaestionibus infinitis, quasi quodam
fulmine subito repercussus, nullum prorsus videbat
refugium nisi fugam.
1S3 Haec in excusationem adduximus poetarum;
iam studentes intentione debita in eisdem osten- 10
dimus inculpandos. Ignorantia quidem solius
2 taiihim Z> II 4 co72tenta D ij
Filius inconstantiae] This passage, and particularly the
name Crato, have been an^ insoluble puzzle to the editors.
But I believe that the source is the De disciplina sckolariufn,
which was long attributed to Boetius. The writer says
(c. \\\.) oi the Jilms inconstantiae: "Cratonis studiis tutius
inhiabat, cuius semicirculi capacitas multis formidabat quaes-
tionibus," so that at length the unhappy listener exclaims :
"Miserum me esse hominem ! utinam humanitatem exuere
possem et asinitatem induere ! " Gervaise tried to show that
the book was written by a certain Boece Epo, a professor at
Douai in the i6th centuiy (see Tvligne, vol. Ixiv. p. 1554).
But the work is quoted not only by De Buiy, but also by
Holkot (Super. Sap., 1. li.), and earlier still by Roger Bacon
(Op. Maj., i. 7); and is recorded in the Biblionomia of
Richard de Furnivalle (f. 18 v.). Thomasius has shown that
it was written by Thomas Cantimpratensis {n. 1201, in.
1263). Thomas Aquinas wrote a commentary upon it. Cp.
c. i. s. 15.
inculpandos] The sense requires non inculpandos, or, per-
haps we should read non ctilpandos. But inculpare is found
in a letter cited in Ralph de Diceto, Imag. Histor., ii. 127.
io8 rniLOBIBLON
iinius vocabuli praegrandis sententiae impedit intel-
lectum, sicut proximo capitulo est assumptum. Cum
igitur dicta sanctorum poetarum figmentis fre-
quenter alludant, evenire necesse est ut nescito poe-
mate introducto tota ipsius auctoris intentio peni- 5
tus obstruatur. Et certe, sicut dicit Cassiodorus
libro suo, De institutione divinarum litterarum, non
sunt parva censenda sine q^jibus magna constare
non possunt. Restat igitur ut ignoratis poesibus
ignoretur Hieronymus, Augustinus, Boetius, Lac- ro
tantius, Sidonius et plerique alii, quorum litaniam
prolixum capitulum non teneret.
184 Venerabilis vero Beda huius dubitationis articu-
lum distinctione declaravit dilucida, sicut recitat
compilator egregius Gratianus, plurium repetitor 15
auctorum, qui sicut fuit avarus in compilationis
materia, sic confusus reperitur in forma. Scribit
tamcn sic distinctione 37, Turbat acumen : saeculares
3 ergo B saepe E || 4 eveiiict codd, evenire scrips! cum Ja.
II 13 ^"'^11
proximo capitulo] See nnfe, ch. xii. s. 175.
Cassiodoras] The passage quoted by De Bury from Cas-
siodorus is in S. Jerome's letter to Laela on the education of
her daughter, Ep. 7 : "Non sunt contemnenda quasi parva,
sine quibus magna constare non possunt."
Gratianus] Gratian collected the decrees and constitutions
of the Popes into a body of canon law.
Turbat acumen^ Before books were paged the usual method
of citing was to give two or three words, as here, to indicate
the reference more exactly.
CAPITULUM XIII. 109
litteras quidam legunt ad voluptatem, poetarum
figmentis et verborum ornatu delectati ; quidam
vero ad eruditionem eas addiscunt, ut errores gen-
tium legendo detestentur et utilia, quae in eis inve-
nerint, ad usum sacrae eruditionis devoti conver- 5
tant : tales laudabiliter saeculares litteras addis-
cunt. Haec Beda.
185 Hac institutione salutifera moniti sileant detra-
hentes studentibus in poetis ad tempus, nee ignor-
antes huiusmodi connescientes desiderent, quia hoc ^o
j|c est simile solatio miserorum. Statuat igitur sibi
quisque piae intentionis affectum et de quacunque
materia, observatis virtutis circumstantiis, faciet stu-
dium Deo gratum ; et si in poeta profecerit, quemad-
modum magnus Maro se fatetur in Ennio, non ^5
araisit.
3 gentilhiin edd. |I 4 crrendo B || 5 imiertmit B E innec-
tant edd. || 10 qtiaestiones Ja. quod D || II igihtr om. AB edd.
sibi om. £ || 12 qualiauiqite Ja. || 13 virtutiwi Ja. fiet D
faciat edd. || 15 Man-o B Varro in mg. Ja. studiiun non 3 |1
solatio miserorum] The well-known proverbial phrase,
which is first found versified in Marlowe's Faust as " Solamen
miseris socios habuisse doloris," may have been derived from
Seneca, De Consol. , 31.
in Ennio] Referring to the story told in Donatus' life of
Vergil, c. xviii : " Cum is aliquando Ennium in manu
haberet, rogareturque quidnam faceret, respondit se aurum
colligere de stercore Ennii."
no PHILOBIBLON
Capitulum 14.
Qui debent esse librorum potissimi
dilectores.
:86 Recolllgentl praedicta palam est et perspicuum
qui deberent esse librorum praecipui dilectores.
Qui namque sapientia magis egent ad sui status
officium utiliter exsequendum, hi potissimum sacris
vasis sapientiae propensiorem proculdubio exhi- s
bere tenentur sollicitum grati cordis affectum. Est
autem sapientis officium bene ordinare et alios
et seipsum : secundum Phoebum philosophorum,
Aristotelem, primo Metaphysicae, qui nee fallit
nee fallitur in humanis. Quapropter principes et 10
praelati, indices et doctores et quicunque rei pub-
licae directores, sicut prae aliis sapientia opus
habent, ita prae aliis vasis sapientiae zelum debent.
I et om. Cocli. [| if potissimi Z> |I 9 prooemio edd. Ja. E ||
12 aliis vasis sapientiae ^z. || 13 debent habere vulgo ||
Aristotelem] Met. i. 2: ov ynp ^tiv eTrirdTr^crOai top (TO(ph>,
aXA' iiTirdTTUV, Koi ov tovtov £rtfj<i) TvdOecrOai, dWd TOvr(^ rbv
rjTTOV (T0<p6v.
nee fallit] Cp. Macrobius, C. in Somn. Scip., i. 6. 64, of
Hippocrates : " qui tarn fallere quam falli nescit." The
phrase occurs again, post, s. 195 : " quae nee fallit nee fallitur
Veritas."
CAPITULUM XIV. Ill
187 Philosophiam nimirum conspexit Boetius in
sinistra quidem sceptrum et in dextra libros ges-
tantem, per quod universis evidenter ostenditur nul-
lum posse rempublicam debite regere sine libris.
Tu, inquit Boetius loquens Philosophiae, banc sen- 5
tentiam Platonis ore sanxisti beatas fore respublicas
si eas vel studiosi sapientiae regerent vel earum
rectores studere sapientiae contigisset. Rursus hoc
nobis insinuat ipse gestus imaginis, quod quanto
dextra sinistram praecellit, tanto contemplativa ^o
dignior est activa, simulque sapientis interesse
raonstratur nunc studio veritatis, nunc dispensationi
temporalium indulgere vicissim.
188 Philippum legimus diis regratiatum devote, quod
Alexandrum concesserant temporibus Aristotelis *5
esse natum, cuius instructionibus educatus regni
paterni moderamine dignus esset. Dum Phaethon
ignarus regiminis fit currus auriga paterni, nunc
I respexit Ja. |1 siqtc.idc77i D Ja. || 8 hoc nomen D || lo contem-
plativa vita edd. !| II sapientissime D Ja. || 13 temporibus
A B \\ 15 Alexandro E \
conspexit Boetius] See the De Cons. Phil., i. pr. 4.
sententiam Platonis] Referring to the well-kno^^^l passage
in the 5th book of the Republic, p. 473 D, cited by Boetius,
loc. cit.
contemplativa dignior] The editors have inserted vita, but
conteniplativa and activa are used, as here, without the sub-
stantive by S. Bonaventura in a letter quoted in Gieseler,
Eccl. Hist., iii. 247, note.
Philippum] The story is told in Jo. Sarisb., Pollcrat., iv. 6 ;
and the letter is given in Burley's Vitae, c. 53.
currus auriga] From the epitaph on Phaethon in Ovid, Met.
112 PHILOBIBLON
vicinitate nimia nunc remota distantia infeliciter
administrat mortalibus aestum Phoebi ac, ne omnes
periclitarentur subiecti propinquo regimine, iuste
meruit fulminari.
189 Referunt tarn Graecomm quam Latinorum his- 5
toriae, quod nobiles inter eos principes non fuerunt,
qui litterarum peritia caruerunt. Sacra lex Mosaica,
praescribens regi regulam, per quam regat, librum
legis divinae sibi praecipit habere descriptum,
Deut. 17°, secundum exemplar a sacerdotibus exhi- 10
bendum, in quo sibi legendum esset omnibus diebus
vitae suae. Sane labilitatem humanae memoriae et
instabilitatem virtuosae voluntatis in homine satis
noverat Deus ipse, qui condidit et qui fingit cotidie
190 corda hominum singillatim. Quamobrem quasi 15
omnium malorum antidotum voluit esse librum,
cuius lectionem et usum tanquam saluberrimum
2 administret E ac om. ^9 || 3 pro iniqiio ^ || 4 siihlimari A
pr. manu, B E \\<) doininice D || 13 virtuosa E ||
ii. 327: " Hie situs est Phaethon, currus auriga paterni, Quem
si non tenuit, magnis tanien excidit ausis."
litterarum peritia] This phrase and the reference to Deutero-
nomy are taken from John of Salisbury, Policrat. iv. 6.
librum legis] Deut. xvii. 18, 19 : " describet sibi Deutero-
nomium legis huius in volumine, accipiens exemplar a sacer-
dotibus Leviticae tribus . . . legetque illud omnibus diebus
vitae suae."
instabilitatem] Cp. Thomas a Kempis, Doctrinale luvenum,
iv. I : " cor hominis est instabile et memoria multum vaga et
labilis."
qui fingit] From Ps. xxxii. 15.
CAPITULUM XV. IT3
spiritus alimentum cotidianum iugiter esse iussit,
quo refocillatus intellectus nee enervis nee dubius
trepidaret ullatenus in agendis. Istud eleganter
loannes Saresberiensis pertractat in suo Poliera-
ticon, libro 4^ Caetemm omne genus hominum, 5
qui tonsura vel signo clericali praefulgent, contra
quos libri 4° 5° et 6" capitulis querebantur, libris
tenentur veneratione perpetua famulari.
Capitulum 15.
Quot commoda confert amor Hbrorum.
191 Humanumtranscenditingenium, quantumcunque
de fonte fuerit Pegaseo potatum, instantis capituli 10
titulum explicare perfecte. Si linguis angelorum et
hominum quis loquatur, si in Mercurium transfor-
meturautTuUium, si dulcescat Titi Livii eloquentia
lactea, si Demosthenis suavitate peroret, aut Moysi
balbutiem allegabit, vel cum leremia se puerum 15
2 duhiis D |i 6 nomine c. E\^ excedit viilgo quodcunqne
^z.. fuerit om. edd. || ii si ova. Ja. 1| 12 transforjnaretur edd. i|
linguis angelorum] From i Cor. xiii. i.
eloquentia lactea] Cp. Quint. Inst. Orator., x. 132: "ilia
Livii lactea ubertas." So S. Jerome describes him as
" lacteo eloquentiae fonte manantem : " 0pp. i. 269.
cum leremia] Jer. i. 6 : "A, a, a, Domine Deus, ecce nes-
cio loqui, quia puer ego sum."
I
\
114 PHILOBIBLON
nescientem fatebitur adhuc loqui, vel imitabitur
resonantem in montibus altis echo. Amorem nam-
que libromm amorem sapientiae constat esse, sicut
192 2". cap**, est probatum. Hie autem amor philoso-
phia Graeco vocabulo nuncupatur, cuius virtutem 5
nulla creata intelligentia comprehendit, quoniam
verecrediturbonorum omnium esse mater: Sap. 7°.
Aestus quippe carnalium vitiorum quasi caelicus
ros extinguit, dum motus intensus virtutum ani-
malium vires naturalium virtutum remittit, otio 10
penitus efi'ugato,quo sublato periere Cupidinis arcus
omnes.
193 Hinc Plato in Phaedone : In hoc, inquit, mani-
festus est philosophus, si absolvit animam a corporis
1 confitebitur edd. |1 4 comperhim Ja. || 5 appellatur B |I
6 crentura Ja. || 7 vere om. edd. || ii artes A onirics om. M
Ja. II 12 fcd?-one codd. ||
montibus altis echo] Cp. Wisd. xvii. 18: " resonans de
altissimis montibus Echo."
esse mater] Wisd. vii. 12 : " laetatus sum in omnibus, quo-
niam antecedebat me ista sapientia, et ignoiabam quoniam
horum omnium mater est. "
vires remittit] Apparently from Avicenna : cp. Holkot,
Super Sap., f. 155c. Animalis = quod animani spectat : see
Ducange.
arcus omnes] From Ovid, Remed. Am., 139 : " Otia si tollas
periere Cupidinis arcus Contemtaequejacent et sine luce faces."
The reading in Ovid was uncertain. See Robinson Ellis, in
Journ., of Phil. xv. 246, who notes that it is cited in Neckam
as 'artes.' I find it quoted in Holkot, Super Sap., f. 174a,
with arms, and f. 208b with artes.
in Phaedone] 64E : o^Xo^ tcnv 6 ^iXocofog dwoXviov on
CAPIl'ULUM XV. 115
communione differentius aliis hominibus. Ama,
inquit Hieronymus, scientiam scripturarum et
carnis vitia non amabis. Demonstravit hoc Xeno-
crates, deiformis in constantia rationis, quem nobile
scortum, Phryne nomine, statuam definivit non 5
hominem, cum nullus eum valeret illecebris evirare,
quemadmodum Valerius li^. 4°., c°. 3°. plene refert.
Hoc ipsum noster Origenes ostendit, qui ne eum ab
omnipotenti femina effeminaricontingeret,utnusque
sexus medium per abnegationem extremorum elegit : 10
animosum quippe remedium, nee naturae tamen
consentaneum nee virtuti, cuius est hominem non
insensibilem facere passionum sed subortas a
fomite rationis enecare mucrone.
194 Rursus mundanas pecunias parvipendunt ex 15
animo, quotquot amor affecit librorum, dicente
Hieronymo contra Vigilantium, epistola 54 : non
I diffet-entiis edd. || 6 nullis edd. || 9 omni petenti E ||
15 mundana et edd. ex animo om. edd. |i 16 officii Ja. Coch. jj
fiaXiara Trjv -^^vxhv airb ttjqtov trw/xaror KoivioviaQ Siacpspovrug
Toiv dXXujv di'OpojTTojv. The passage is quoted by Holkot,
Super Sap., f. 300 d.
Hieronymus] Epp. 125 and again Epp. 130. The saying
is quoted by Jo. Sarisb., Policrat., vii. 10, and Holkot, Super
Sap., f. 155a. It rests of course on Gal. v. 16.
Xenocrates] Coch. makes the thoroughly French remark:
" Richard oublie d'aj outer que son heros etait pris de vin, et
que s'il ne succomba pas a la tentation, ce fut probablement
plus par caducite que par chastete."
dicente Hieronymo] Loc. cit. "Non est eiusdem hominis
et aureos nummos et scripturas probare, et degustare vina et
prophetas vel apostolos intelligere."
ii6 PHILOBIBLON
est eiusdem hominis aureos nummos et scripturas
probare. Unde a quodam metrice sic dictum est :
Nulla libris erit apta manus ferrugine tincta,
Nee nummata queunt corda vacare libris.
Non est eiusdem nummos librosque probare ; 5
Persequitur libros grex, Epicure, tuus.
Nummipetae cum libricolis nequeunt simul esse ;
Ambos, crede mihi, non tenet una domus.
Nulliis igitur potest libris et Mammonae deservire.
195 Vitiorum deformitasin libris maxirae reprobatur, 10
lit inducatur omnimode vitia detestari, qui libros
dilexerit perscutari. Daemon, qui a scientia nomen
habet, per librorum scientiam potissime triumpha-
tur, cuius fraudes multipliciter flexuosae milleque
perniciosi maeandri per libros panduntur legenti- 15
2 dictiun est om. ^5" |j 5 non . . . tuus om. Coch. 1|
7 nummico/ae ]a. || 9 ergo E edd. servire edd. 1| 11 et induca-
tur B ut inde dicatur edd. ||
Nulla libris] The lines are from the Eutheticus, or intro-
ductory verses to the Policraticon of John of Salisbury, 269-
272, 281, 282. This work must be distinguished from the
Entheticus, De dogniate philosophorutn, though they are con-
founded by Hardy in his Descriptive Catalogue, ii. 418. Both
occur in the volume described in the mtroduction as once
belonging to De Bury.
Mammonae] Cp. Matt. vi. 24.
a scientia] Cp. Aug. De Civ. Dei, ix. 20 : "Aalfjiovsg enim
dicuntur, quoniam vocabukim Graecum est, ob scientiam
nominati."
maeandri] Cp. Wiclif, De Septem Donis, ed. Buddensieg,
p. 556 • " I'^ii^^indri mille anticristi."
CAPITULUM XV, 117
bus, ne se transfigurans in angelum lucis dolis
circumveniat innocentes. Divina nobis per
libros reverentia revelatur, virtutes quibus colitur
propalantur expressius, atque merces describitur,
quam quae nee fallit nee fallitur Veritas pollicetur. 5
196 Imago siraillima futurae beatitudinis est sacrarum
contemplatio litterarum, in quibus nunc Creator
nunc creatura conspicitur, ac de torrente perpetuae
iocunditatis hauritur. Fides fundatur potentia
litterarum ; spes librorum solatio confirmatur, ut 10
per patientiam et consolationem scripturarum spem
habeamus. Caritas non inflatur sed aedificatur per
veram notitiam litterarum; immo super libros sacros
constat luce clarius Ecclesiam stabilitam.
197 Delectantlibri. prosperitatefeliciterarridente,con- 15
solantur individue, nubila fortuna terrente : pactis
humanis robur attribuunt, nee feruntur senten-
tiae graves sine libris. Artes et scientiae in libris
consistunt, quarum emolumenta nulla mens suffi-
ceret enarrare. Quanti pendenda est mira librorum ao
5 quaeqtie Ja. || 7 scripfttrarum litei'aruni E || 16 «?/-
bilia B nubula E torrente Ja. 1| 19 qiiorzun edd. |! 20 quanta
Ja. II
se transfigurans] From 2 Cor. xi. 14.
nunc Creator, nunc creatura] Cp. Wisd. xiii. 5 ; Rom. i. 25.
According to Avicenna, the perfection of the rational soul is
to become the mirror of the universe : Renan, Averroes,
P- 95-
iocunditatis hauritur] Cp. Prov. xviii. 22.
caritas non inflatur] From i Cor. xiii. 4.
ii8 PHILOBIBLON
potentia, dum per eos fines tarn orbis quam
temporis cernimus, et ea quae non sunt, sicut ea
quae sunt, quasi in quodam aeternitatis speculo
198 contemplamur. Montes scandimus, abyssorum vo-
ragines perscrutamur, species piscium quos com- 5
munis aer nequaquam similiter continet, intuemur
codicibus ; fiuviorum et fontium diversarum ter-
rarum proprietates distinguimus ; metallorum atque
gemmarum genera et minerae cuiusque materias
de libris effodimus, herbarumque vires, arborum 10
et plantarum addiscimus, prolemque totam pro
libito cernimus Neptuni, Cereris et Plutonis.
199 Quod si nos caelicolas visitare delectat, suppedi-
tantes Taurum, Caucasum et Olympum, lunonis
regna transcendimus, ac septena territoria planeta- 15
rum funiculis et circulis emetimur. Ipsum tandem
firmamentum supremum, signis, gradibus et imagini-
I eos potentes fines D \\2 tei-mhiiwi Ja. || 4 s. et a. edd. 1|
6 aej' . . . continet om. A saluhriter B E edd. || *] f. ct d.
edd. II 9 iminera -£' || 11 planet ariwi Ja. || 12 libitu E edd. ||
14 lovis E in rasurar edd. || 15 et sept em edd. |1
ft
fines tarn orbis] Cp. Job, xxviii. 24.
ea quae non sunt] From Rom. iv. 1 7.
aeternitatis speculo] In the Anti- Clandiamts of Alanus,
Faith gives Phronesis a mirror : " Hie videt ingenitas species,
speculatur ideas Caelestes, hominum formas, primordia rerum,
Causarum causas, rationum semina, leges Parcarum, fati
seriem, mentemque Tonantis."
similiter] It is not easy to say whether similiter or salnbriter
gives the feebler sense. The remark recalls the burlesque lines
of the Anti-Jacobin : " The feather'd race with pinions skim
CAPITULUM XV. 119
bus varietate maxima decoratum, lustramus. Ibi
polum antarcticmii, quern nee oculus vidit nee
auris audivit, inspicimus; luminosum iter galaxiae
et animalibus caelestibus picturatum zodiacum de-
200 lectabili iocunditate miramur. Hinc per libros ad 5
separatas transimus substantias, ut cognatas in-
telligentias intellectus salutet primamque causam
omnium ac motorem immobilem infinitae virtutis
oculo mentis cernat et amore inhaereat sine fine.
Ecce per libros adiuti beatitudinis nostrae merce- 10
dem attingimus, dum adhuc existimus viatores.
2 articum E\(i ut om. D et E et tit edd. || 9 £■/ . . . dum
om. E 11 10 addudi edd. ||
the air ; Not so the mackerel and still less the bear" (Progress
of Man, 34). Holkot, however, has something not unlike it.
Super Sap., f. 327d.
varietate decoratum] Cp. Esther, i. 6,
nee oculus vidit nee auris audivit] From i Cor. ii. 9.
separatas substantias] This probably means the angels ; cp.
S. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, i. 79 : "In quibus-
dam libris de Arabico translatis substantiae separatae, quas
nos angelos dicimus, intelligentiae vocantur ;" or it may
mean the super-sensible essences, v^^hich according to S.
Thomas are the proper study of the angels : ibid, i. 84 :
" Intellectus angelici, qui est totaliter a corpore separa-
tus, obiectum proprium est substantia intelligibilis a corpore
separata, et per huiusmodi intelligibile materialia cognoscit ;
intellectus autem humani, qui est coniunctus corpori, pro-
prium obiectum est quidditas sive natura in materia cor-
porali existens."
mercedem attingimus] Cp. Hugo de S. Victor, Erudit.
didasc, i. 9, speaking of co7ite?fiplatio, *' in qua ... in hac
vita etiam quae sit boni operis merces futura praegustatur. "
120 PHILOBIBLON
201 Quid plura? proculdubio, sicut Seneca docente
didicimus, otium sine litteris mors est et vivi
hominis sepultura, ita revera a sensu contrario
litterarum seu librorum negotium concludimus
hominis esse vitam. 5
202 Rursus per libros tarn arnicis quam hostibus
intimamus, quae nequaquam secure nuntiis com-
mendamus : quoniam libro plerumque ad principum
thalaraos ingressus conceditur, quo repelleretur
penitus vox auctoris, sicut Tertullianus in principio lo
Apologetici sui dicit. Carceribus et vinculis custo-
diti, ademptaque penitus corporis libertate, librorum
legationibus utimur ad amicos, eisque causas nostras
expediendas committimus, atque illuc transmitti-
raus, quo nobis fieret causa mortis accessus. Per 15
libros praeteritorum reminiscimur, de futuris quo-
dammodo prophetamus, praesentia quae labuntur
et fluunt scripturae memoria stabilimus.
203 Felix studiositas et studiosa felicitas praepotentis
I docente octogesima quarta epistola qtice incipit Desii iam
de te esse sollicitus edd. || 2 didiscimus A E addiscimus B
om. edd. dicinius Coch. |i 5 hominis om. edd. vita E || *] prin-
cipizmi E || loprimo Ja. || 1 1 ciistoditionibus titivnir ^ || 14 atqtie
illiic trans mi/ tiffins om. edd. || 19 preponentis D ||
Seneca docente didicimus] See Epp. 82. 3.
Tertullianus] Apol. c. i. : ". . . liceat veritati vel occulta
via tacitarum litterarum ad aures vestras pei"venire" (Romani
imperii antistites).
studiosa felicitas] The phrase reminds us of the curiosa
felicitas of Petronius (c. 118).
CAPITULUM XV. 121
eunuchi, de quo Actuum 8^ narratur, quern amor
propheticae lectionis succenderat tam ardenter, quod
nee ratione itineris a legendo cessaret, reginae Can-
dacis regiam populosam oblivioni tradiderat, gazas
quibus praeerat a cura cordis semoverat, et tam 5
iter quam currum quo ferebatur neglexerat. Solus
amor libri totum sibi vindicaverat domicilium
castitatis, quo disponente mox fidei ianuam meruit
introire. O gratiosus amor librorum, qui Gehen-
nae filium et alumnum Tartari per gratiam baptis- 10
malem filium fecit regni !
204 Cesset iam stilus impotens infiniti negotii con-
summare tenorem, ne videatur aggredi temere, quod
in principio fatebatur impossibile cuiquam esse.
I quoniam Ja. || 4 r. speciosafn A rcgiia popiilosa L pro-
plasam I palathtin edd. oblivioni om. E. Gazasqiie Ja. Coch. ||
7 vemncarat ABE". \o gloriostcs E geturosus Ja. ||
reginae Candacis] Roger Eacon, Op. Maj., p. 146, cites
Pliny to show that the name Candax was a name of dignity
like Caesar : H. N., vi. 35.
gazas] Cp. Acts, viii. 27.
domicilium castitatis] Cp. Walter Map, De Nug. Cur., iv.
3, who calls Solomon " sapientiae singulare domicilium.'
122 PHILOBIBLON
Capltulum 1 6.
Quam sit merltorlum libros novos scrl-
bere et veteres renovare.
205 Sicut necessarium est reipublicae pugnaturis mili-
tibus arma providere Vulcania et congestas victu-
alium copias praeparare, sic Ecclesiae militant!
contra paganorum et haereticorum insultus operae
pretium constat esse sanorum librorum multitudine 5
communiri.
206 Verum quia omne quod servit mortalibus, per
prolapsum temporis mortalitatis dispendium patitur,
necesse est vetustate tabefacta volumina innovatis
successoribus instaurari,ut perpetuitas, quae naturae 10
repugnat individui, concedatur privilegio speciei.
Hinc est, quod signanter dicitur (Ecclesiastes, 12) :
faciendi plures libros nullus est finis, Sicut enim
librorum corpora, ex contrariorum commixtione
compacta, suae compositionis continuum sentiunt 15
I proptignaturis Ja. || 2 Volcana B Vnlcana D militaria
edd. II 5 seniortun -£" Ja. |j 7 omne om. A || 8 lapstnn]^.. \\
arma Vulcania] The phrase occurs in Cic. Tusc. ii. 14, 33 ;
"si tectus Vulcaniis amiis, id est fortitudine, resiste." The
reference hei'e is doubtless to arms forged by the armourer,
and not to fire-arms.
CAPITULUM XVI. 12
J
detrimentum, sic per prudentiam clericorum reperiri
debet remedium, per quod liber sacer, solvens naturae
debitum, haereditarium obtineat substitutum et
simile semen fratri mortuo suscitetur verificeturque
statim illud Ecclesiastici 30 : Mortuus est pater 5
illius et quasi non est mortuus, similem enim sibi
207 reliquit post se. Sunt igitur transcriptiones veterum
quasi quaedam propagationes recentium filiorum, ad
quos paternum devolvatur officium, ne librorum
municipium minuatur. Sane huiusmodi transcrip- 10
tores antiquarii nominantur, quorum studia inter
ea quae complentur labore corporeo plus sibi
placere Cassiodorus confitetur, De institutione
divinarum litterarum, capitulo 30, ita subdens :
Felix, inquit, intentio, laudanda sedulitas, manu 15
hominibus praedicare, linguas digitis aperire, salu-
tem mortalibus tacitam dare, et contra diaboli sur-
reptiones illicitas calamo et atramento pugnare.
4 suscitet Ja. || 7 relinqidt Ja. transcriptores A edd. || 8
propagatores edd. || 9 patrum Ja. || lO sde B huius D \\
12 phis om. edd. plinius i i| 14 scribens Ja. i| 15 scientia edd. ||
17 taciturn A E tacit B tactu M]sl. ||
naturae debitum] The phrase is quite classical, though it
does not seem to be found in Cicero. It occurs in inscrip-
tions : Orelli, nn. 3453, 4482.
semen fratri] Cp. Deut. xxv. 5 ; Matt. xxii. 24.
antiquarii] See c. viii. s. 143, note.
plus sibi placere Cassiodorus] The editor of the ed. pr.
took pitis for a contraction of Plinius, and omitted Cassio-
dorus, which was restored in the Paris edition, omitting
plus.
124 PHILOBIBLON
Haec ille. Porro scriptoris officiumSalvator exercuit,
dum inclinans se deorsum digito scribebat in terra,
loh. 8°,, ut nullus quantumcunque nobilis dedigne-
tur hoc facere, quod sapientiam Dei patris intue-
tur fecisse. 5
208 O scripturae serenitas singularis, ad cuius fabricam
inclinatur artifex orbis terrae, in cuius tremendo
nomine flectitur omne genu ! O venerandum arti-
ficium singulariter prae cunctis praxibus, quae
hominis manu fiunt, cui pectus Dominicum incur- 10
vatur humiliter, cui digitus Dei applicatur vice
calami functus ! Sevisse Dei filium vel arasse,
texuisse vel fodisse non legimus; nee quicquam
aliud de mechanicis divinam decebat sapientiam
humanatam, nisi scribendo litteras exarare, ut 15
discat quilibet generosus aut sciolus, quod homini-
bus digiti tribuuntur divinitus ad scribendi negotium
potius quam ad bellum. Unde librorum sententiam
plurimum approbamus, qua clericum inertem scrip-
turae censuerunt quodammodo fore mancum, 20
cap". 6*^. supra.
209 Scribit iustos in libro viventium Deus ipse;
lapideas quidem tabulas digito Dei scriptas Moyses
accepit. Scribat librum ipse qui iudicat, lob pro-
3 indignetiir A E Ja. |I 9 fr'axibus D practicihus E ||
12 ceteru77i edd. || 14 dicebat E || 23 qziidem om. E |I
omne genu] From Rom. xiv. Ii ; Phil. ii. 10 (cp. Is.
xlv. 24).
scribit iustos] Cp. Exod. xxxii. 32.
lob proclamat] Job, xxxi. 35.
CA PITUL UM XVI. 125
clamat ; digitos scribentis in pariete Mane TJiecel
Phares Nabuchodonosor tremens vidit, Danielis 5°.
Ego, inquit leremias, scribebam in volumine
atramento, leremiae 36". Quod vides, scribe in
libro, Christus loanni praecipit caro suo : Apoc. 5
primo. Sic Isaiae, sic losuae officium scriptoris
iniungitur, ut tarn actus quam peritia futuris in
posterum commendetur. In vestimento et in femore
scriptum habet Rex region et Dominus domtnafitmm
Christus ipse, ut sine scriptura nequeat apparere 10
210 perfectum -Omnipotentis regium ornamentum. De-
functi docere non desinunt, qui sacrae scientiae libros
scribunt. Plus Paulus scribendo sacras epistolas
Ecclesiae profuit fabricandae quam gentibus et
ludaeis evangelizando sermone. Nem.pe per libros 15
cotidie continuat comprehensor, quod olim in terra
positus inchoavit viator; sicqueverificaturdedoctori-
bus libros scribentibus sermo propheticus Danielis
1 2 : qui ad iustitiam erudiunt multos, quasi stellae
in perpetuas aeternitates.
I scrikentes D Ja. || 2 Balthasar edd. |I 5 praecepit edd. ||
7 lit tantae artis peritia edd. ||
inquit leremias] Jer. xxxvi. (not xxx., as James prints), 18.
Coch. translates " dans un livre noir !"
Rex regum] From Rev. xix. 16 : cp. i, Tim. ii. 15.
defuncti docere non desinunt] Cp. Heb. xi. 4.
comprehensor] This word, which I do not find elsewhere,
is no doubt derived from such passages as i Cor. ix. 24 :
" Sic currite ut comprehendatis" and Phil. iii. 12, 13.
viator] See ante, ch. iv. s. 47, note.
126 PHILOBIBLON
2 1 1 Porro polychronitudinem antiquorum, prius
quam Deusoriginalem mundumcataclysmodilueret,
adscribendam miraculo, non naturae catholici de-
crevere doctores, ut Deus ipse tantum eis vitae
concederet, quantum reperiendis et in libris scriben- 5
dis scientiis conveniret : inter quas astronomiae
miranda diversitas, ut experimentaliter visui sub-
deretur, sexcentorum annorum periodum secundum
212 losephum requirebat. Verumtamen non abnuunt,
quin terrae nascentia illius temporis primitivi 10
utilius alimentum praestarent mortalibus quam
moderni, quo dabatur non solum hilarior corporis
I ppolicritudinem A poIic7'otudi7tem B E piilcritudinem
D 2 Ja. sollicitiidinem edd. |] 4 eis om. Ja. || 7 experiniento
Ja. 11 8 videretur y^ || 10 terrcna scientia ^ ll li prestaret E ||
polychronitudinem] The MSS. and the context point to
this barbarous word, which is found in Petrus Comestor,
Hist. Scolastica, Esther, c. vii., where in narrating the story
of the Septuagint translators, he says : "dihiculo egredieban-
tur ad optandum regi bona et polichronitudinem. " A gloss on
the passage explains that "polichronitudo dicitur oratio, quae
fit ab ecclesia pro regibus, pontificibus, principibus terrae et
optat eis bona . . . et temporis longitudinem. " The word
is incorporated in the new Ducange from Diefenbach, but in
the incorrect form poliirotiiiudo, and simply with the tX'
planation/rtV6'j/r(j magnatibiis. Polychronitudinem should
no doubt be restored {ox piilcritudinein in Gervase of Tilbury,
Otia Imper., iii. 106. For the subject matter, cp. S.
August. De Civ. Dei, xv. 9, and 23.
secundum losephum] Cp. Anliq. Jud., i. 3, 9 : u-Kf-o ovk
r)v a(T<pa\ijj(j avToXg Trpoenrtip fi)) ^t/aacnv e^aicocriovg IviavrCvr'
iia TOCovTQv yap 0 fityag iinavrbg TrXtjpovTai.
CAPITULUM XVI. 127
energia sed et diuturnior florens aetas; ad quam
non modicum contulit, quod virtuti vivebant
omnimode, resecato superfluo voluptatis. Igitur
quisquis Dei munere scientia est dotatus iuxta
consilium spiritus sancti, Ecclesiastici 38 : sapien- 5
tiam scribe in tempore vacuitatisj ut et praemium
cum beatis et spatium in praesenti augeatur aetatis.
Caeterum, si ad mundi principes divertamus ser-
monem, imperatores egregios invenimus non solum
artis scribendi peritia floruisse, sed et ipsius operi 10
plurimum indulsisse. lulius Caesar, primus omnium
et tempore et virtute, Commentaries reliquit tam
belli Gallici quam civilis a semetipso conscriptos ;
item de Analogia duos libros, et Anticatones
totidem, et poema quod inscribitur Iter, et opuscula 15
I enchia A enechia B uenethia D enethia E endelechia
vulgo iv{^ia Ja. aiergia scrips! |j 4 ditatiis Coch. 1| 14 idem
Ja. II
energia] It is not easy to make anything of the readings of
the better MSS. ; the reading of the inferior MSS. and the
printed texts is obviously an attempt at correction. James
conjectured e/e^/a ; but energia is perhaps more likely, and
we may compare S. Jerome, Praef. ad Genes. : " Habet
nescio quid latentis energiae viva vox." It may indeed be
in favour of James's suggestion that Galen wrote a treatise
Ilepi Eue^Var, which is mentioned among his works in Walter
Burley's account of Galen in the Vitae (c. 113).
sapientiam scribe] Eccli. xxxviii. 25, where the words are :
*' Sapientia scribae in tempore vacuitatis, etqui minoratur actu
sapientiam percipiet." Scribit ox scribal seems to be required
to complete the sentence.
128 PHILOBIBLON
alia multa fecit. Tarn lulius quam Augustus
cautelas scribendi litteram pro littera adinvenit, ut
214 quae scriberent occultarent. Nam lulius quartam
litteram proposuit loco primae, et sic deinceps
alphabetum expendit ; Augustus vero secunda 5
pro prima, et pro secunda tertia, et ita deinceps
usus fuit. Hie in Mutinensi bello, in maxima mole
rerum, cotidie et legisse et scripsisse traditur ac
etiam declamasse. Tiberius lyricum carmen
215 scripsit, et poemata quaedam Graeca. Claudius 10
similiter, tam Graeci quam Latini sermonis peritus,
varios libros fecit. Sed prae his et aliis Titus in
scribendi peritia floruit, qui cuiuscunque volebat
litteram imitabatur facillime, unde se profitebatur
falsarium maximum, si libuisset, fieri potuisse. Haec 15
omnia Suetonius, De vita duodecim Caesarum,
annotavit.
I injinita Ja. || 4 praeposuit Ja. I| 5 alphahettim exphabe-
ttim E secundafu vulgo |1 6 tertiam vulgo || 14 nmtuavit edd. ||
Suetonius] Cp. Julius Caesar, c. 56 ; Octavianus, c. 84 ;
Tiberius, c. 70; Claudius, c. 41, 42; Titus, c. 3.
CAPITULUM XVI L 129
Capitulum 17.
De debita honestate circa llbrorum
custodiam adhlbenda.
216 Non solum Deo praestamus obsequium novorum
librorum praeparando volumina, sed sacratae
pietatis exercemus officium, si eosdem nunc illaese
tractemus, nunc locis idoneis redditos illibatae
custodiae commendemus; ut gaudeant puritate, 5
dum habentur in manibus, et quiescant secure, dum
in suis cubilibus reconduntur. Nimirum post vestes
et vascula corpori dedicata dominico, sacri libri
merentur a clericis honestius contrectari, quibus
totiens irrogatur iniuria, quotiens eos praesumit 10
attingere manus foeda. Quamobrem exhortari
studentes super negligentiis variis reputamus ex-
pediens, quae vitari faciliter semper possent et
mirabiliter libris nocent.
217 In primis quidem circa claudenda et aperienda 15
volumina sit matura modestia. ut nee praecipiti
festinatione solvantur, nee inspectione finita sine
clausura debita dimittantur. Longe namque diligen-
tius librum quam calceum convenit conservari.
qui exstant B requiescant edd. |] lO presinmmt attinge}\
iitfeda edd. 1| 13 t7Uitari I imilaris\x\gQ ||
6
77iami
K
I30 PHTLOBIBLON
218 Est enim gens scholarium perperam educata com-
muniter et, nisi maiorum regulis refraenetur,
infinitis infantiis insolescit. Aguntur petulantia,
praesumptione tumescunt ; de singulis iudicant
tanquam certi, cum sint in omnibus inexperti. 5
219 Videbis fortassis iuvenem cervicosum, studio
segniter residentem, et dum hiberno tempore hiems
alget, nasus irriguus frigore comprimente distillat,
nee prius se dignatur emunctorio tergere, quam
subiectum librum madefecerit turpi rore ; cui 10
utinam loco codicis corium subderetur sutoris !
Unguem habet fimo fetente refertum, gagati simil-
limum, quo placentis materiae signat locum. Paleas
dispertitur innumeras, quas diversis in locis collocat
evidentur, ut festuca reducat quod memoria non 15
3 infrunitis inscitiis edd. instantiis A \\ 4 tumescunt om. D ||
6 fortasse edd. || 8 opprimente Ja. || 9 emunctorie L j|
1 2 cacati 2 gigatiti vulgo Gagatisijuillimum Ja. || 13 figurant B 1|
infrunitis] The reading of * infninitis ' is tempting, and is
found in most of the printed texts : cp. Eccli. xxxi. 23.
Holkot, Super. Sap., f. 319a, discusses the meaning of the
word, but his etymology is of course absurd.
emunctorio] This word, which is found in the dictionaries
only in the sense of 'snuffers,' is here obviously a pocket-
handkerchief.
gagati] This word has puzzled the editors, but it is a per-
fectly good Plinian word (H. N. , 36, 34) for jet, with which
as a product of Whitby the Bishop was no doubt familiar.
Beda (i. i) mentions it as one of the products of Britain :
*'gignit et lapidem gagatem." In his glossary to Higden's
Polychronicon, Mr. Lumby explains it to mean agate, but the
Latin for agate is achates.
CAPITULUM XVII. 131
] retentat. Hae paleae, quia nee venter libri digerit
nee quisquam eas extrahit, piimo quidem librum a
solita iunetura distendunt, et tandem negligenter
220 oblivioni eommissae putreseunt. Fruetuset easeum
super librum expansum non veretur comedere, 5
atque seyphum hine inde dissolute transferre ; et
quia non habet eleemosynarium praeparatum, in
libris dimittit reliquias fragmentorum. Garrulitate
eontinua sociis oblatrare non desinit, et dum multi-
tudinem rationum adducit a sensu physieo vacua- 10
rum, librum in gremio subexpansum humectat
aspergine salivarum. Quid plura? statim duplicatis
eubitis reeiinatur in eodicem et per breve studium
soporem invitat prolixum, ae reparandis rugis limbos
replieat foliorum, ad libri non modicum detrimen- 15
221 lum. Jam imber abiit et recessit et flores apparuerunt
in terra nostra. Tunc scholaris quem describimus,
librorum neglector potius quam inspector, viola,
primula atque rosa necnon et quadrifolio farciet
librum suum. Tunc manus aquosas et scatentes 20
6 sollicite E \*] eleemosinaru?7i sacculum edd. || 10 philo-
sophico Ja. || 14 repatidis A B \\ 18 viclata Ja. quadrifoliis Ja. ||
20 scatentc E ||
eleemosynarium] The alms-bag, which "in those days
answered the purpose of what we call a pocket : " Maitland,
Dark Ages, p. 425. In this sense the feminine form was
generally used (see Ducange, s. v.), and hence perhaps the
reading sacculum.
reliquias fragmentorum] From Ps. xvi. 14.
imber abiit] From Cant. ii. ii, 12.
132 PHILOBIBLON
sudore volvendis voluminibus applicabit. Tunc
pulverulentis undique chirothecis in candidam mem-
branam impinget et indice veteri pelle vestito vena-
bitur paginam lineatim. Tunc ad pulicis mordentis
aculeum sacer liber abicitur, qui tamen vix clauditur 5
infra mensem, sed sic pulveribus introiectis tumescit
quod claudentis instantiae non obedit.
222 Sunt autem specialiter coercendi a contrecta-
tione librorum iuvenes impudentes, qui cum litte-
rarum figuras effigiare didicerint, mox pulcherrimo- 10
rum voluminum, si copia concedatur, incipiunt
fieri glossatores incongrui et ubi largiorem marginem
circa textum perspexerint, monstruosis apparitant
alphabetisj vel aliud frivolum qualecunque quod
4 lineatam vulgo ailicis M ]a. |[ 5 i7(f7i Ja. j| 10 didicerunt
Ja. II \'^ prospexerint B 7nonstruose appareant alphabeium tdiA,
vionstrosis Ja. || 14 al'iqtnd Ja. ||
chirothecis] Gloves were forbidden by the constitutions of
the Friar Preachers and of the Premonstratensians } see
Denifle and Ehrle's Archiv, i. 205.
lineatim] No doubt the true reading. Wattenbach takes
the common reading lineatam to refer to the practice of going
through the text line by line, and putting in the colours :
Schriftwesen in Mittelalter, p. 207. But the meaning is
surely that the reader runs his finger along the lines in reading.
pulicis] A word which, like scabies and ptistulae in s. 225,
speaks volumes. It is curious to note how at least one MS.
tones the word down to culicis, while another (T) adds the
words " taceo pediculi."
frivolum] Cp. Alcuin's lines Ad musaeum: "Hie inler-
serere caveant sua frivola verbis ; Frivola nee propter erret
et ipsa manus ; " Migne, ci. 745.
CAPITULUM XVII. 133
imaginationi occurrit celerius, incastigatus calamus
protinus exarare praesumit. Ibi Latinista, ibi so-
Iphista, ibi quilibet scriba indoctus aptitudinem pen-
nae probat, quod formosissimis codicibus quo ad
usum et pretium creberrime vidimus obfuisse. 5
223 Sunt iterum fures quidam libros enormiter de-
truncantes, qui pro epistolarum chartulis schedulas
laterales abscindunt, littera sola salva; vel finalia
folia, quae ad libri custodiam dimittuntur, ad varios
abusus assumunt; quod genus sacrilegii sub in- 10
terminatione anathematis prohiberi deberet.
224 Convenit autem prorsus scholarium honestati ut,
quotiens ad studium a refectione reditur, praecedat
omnino lotio lectionem, nee digitus sagimine
I celerius om. edd. H ^Jirmissimis]^. !! 6 qiddem E || 7 cedillas
A EscdidasB Z> || 14 lectioiiem om. D Ja. digitis — delibiitis edd.
sanguine B D Ja. i|
exarare praesumit] Cp. Boccaccio's complaint to Ben-
venuto da Imola, quoted in Symonds' Revival of Learning,
p. 153-
Latinista, ibi sophista] The students of the early colleges at
Oxford were enjoined to use Latin in ordinary conversation,
and might therefore be called latinistat. In the third year
of his residence the student of the liberal arts was allowed to
become a ' sophister,' and to take part in logical disputations.
See Maxw'ell Lyte, Hist. Univ. Oxford, 86, 205.
lotio lectionem] Forks, of course, were not yet invented.
The Bishop may have had in his mind the maxim of the
Schola Salernitana : " Lotio post mensam tibi confert munera
bina ; Mundificat palmas et lumina reddit acuta."
sagimine] Sagimen was fat of any kind, which the monks
of some orders wei-e allowed, but in others forbidden, to eat :
see Ducange in v.
134 PHILOBIBLON
delibutus aut folia prius volvat, aut signacula libri
solvat. Pueruliis lacrimosus capitalium litterarum
non admiretur imagines, ne manu fluida polluat
pergamenum ; tangit enim illico quicquid videt.
Porro laid, qui librum aeque respiciunt resupine 5
transversum sicut serie naturali expansum, omni
225 librorum commiinione penitus sunt indigni. Hoc
etiam clericus disponat, ut olens ab ollis lixa
cinereus librorum lilia non contingat illotus, sed
qui ingreditur sine macula pretiosis codicibus minis- 10
trabit. Conferret autem plurimum tarn libris
quam scholaribus manuum honestarum munditia, si
non essent scabies et pustulae characteres clericales.
226 Librorum defectibus, quoties advertuntur, est
otius occurrendum ; quoniam nihil grandescit citius 15
I singnacula ^ || 5 librum e converso respiciunt Ja. ||
6 sic B omnium Ja. |1 7 penitus ora. Ja. || 9 folia edd. |1
10 quia -£' II 1 1 confert D Ja. ||
signacula libri solvat] From Rev. v. 2. It is here no
doubt used to mean the clasps of a book.
librorum lilia] This is the reading of the better MSS., and
though I do not find any other instance of the word in this
sense, it is perfectly intelligible.
ingreditur sine macula] From Ps. xiv. 2.
scabies et pustulae] These words convey a lively idea of
the habits of the time. So Petrarch in the De Remed. Utri.
Fortunae, ii. 85, has a chapter, • De Scabie. ' It is signifi-
cantly said of Abelard in his life : ^^ phis solito scabie et qui-
busdam corporis infirmitatibus gravabatur."
charactereres clericales] Character clericalis was used for
ton sura : see Ducange.
CAPITULUM XVI I. 135
iquam scissura, et fractura, quae ad tempus negligi-
tur, reparabitur postea cum usura.
227 De librorum armariis mundissime fabricandis,
ubi ab omni laesione salventur securi, Moyses mitis-
simus nos informat, Deuteron. 31°: Tollite, in- 5
quit, librum istum et ponite ilium in latere arcae
foederis Domini Dei vestri. O locus idoneus et
bibliothecae conveniens, quae de lignis sethim
imputribilibus facta fuit auroque per totum in-
terius et exterius circumtecta ! Sed omnem in- 10
honestatis negligentiam circa libros tractandos suo
Salvator exclusit exemplo, sicut legitur Lucae 4°.
228 Cum enim scripturam propheticam de se scriptam
in libro tradito perlegisset, non prius librum
ministro restituit, quam eundem suis sacratissimis 15
manibus plicuisset. Quo facto studentes docentur
clarissime circa librorum custodiam quantum-
cunque minima negligi non debere.
7 nostri Ja. 1| 8 bibliotheca E Unguis E \ 14 tradita?n D Ja. .
libro E II
Moyses mitissimus] From Num. xii. 3.
lignis sethim] Cp. Ex. xxv. 10, li ; iovi/npuiribilis, cp. Is.
xl. 20 ; ciraimtecta is perhaps from Heb. ix. 4.
136 PHILOBIBLON
Capitulum 1 8.
Quod tantam librorum collegimus copiam
ad communem profectum scholarium
et non solum ad propriam voluptatem.
229 Nihil iniquius in humanis perpenditur quam quod
ea quae geruntur iustissime malignorum obloquiis
pervertuntur, et inde quisreportat infamiam criminis,
unde magis meruit spem honoris. Oculo simplici
perpetrantur quam plurima, nee sinistra dextrae se 5
commiscet, nullo fermento massa corrumpitur, neque
ex lino vestis lanaque contexitur. Perversorum
tamen praestigiis opus pium mendaciter transforma-
tur in monstrum. Haec est nimirum peccatricis
naturae reprobanda conditio, quod non solum in 10
factis moraliter dubiis pro peiore parte sententiat,
Tit. voluntatem A Ja. || 2 eloquiis ^ II 3 pervertanhtr D Ja.
reportet D reperiat Ja. || 4 speciem edd. || 6 nullo D || 9 Hec
ctiam nimirum B || lo animae vulgo ||
Nihil iniquius] Cp. Eccli. x. 10.
oculo simplici] Cp. Matt. vi. 22.
sinistra dextrae] Cp. Matt. vi. 3.
massa corrumpitur] From i Cor. v. 6; cp. Gal. v. 9.
lino lanaque] Cp. Deut. xxii. 11.
CAPITULUM XVII I. 137
immo frequenter ilia, quae speciem boni habent, ne-
quitiosa subversione depravat.
230 Quamvis enim amor librorum in clerico ex
obiecti natura praeferat honestatem, miro tamen
modo obnoxios nos effecit iudiciis plurimorum, 5
quorum admirationibus obtrectati, nunc de curiosi-
tate superfiua, nunc de cupiditate in ilia dumtaxat
materia, nunc de vanitatis apparentia, nunc de
voluptatis intemperantia circa litteras notabamur,
quorum revera vituperiis non plus quam canicu- ,0
lorum latratibus movebamur, illius solius testimonio
contentati, ad quem renes et corda pertinet per-
:3i scrutari. Cum enim voluntatis secretae finalis in-
tentio homines lateat unicoque Deo pateat, cordium
inspectori, perniciosae temeritatis merentur redargui, , ^
qui humanis actibus, quorum fontale non vident
principium, epigramma tam faciliter superscribunt
sinistrum. Finis enim se habet in operabilibus,
sicut principia in speculativis vel suppositiones in
5 ejjicit Ja., edd. || 6 curiosa supcrjiiiitate Ja. |I 13 voluptatis
^ II 19 suppone7is E^
curiositate] Cp. i Tim. v. 13.
renes et corda] From Ps. vii. 10.
fontale] The word is used by Roger Bacon, Op. M., p. 12,
in the account of his wonderful boy : "sisano etefficaci consilio
iuxta fontalem plenitudinem quam habet dirigeretur, nullus
seniorum consequeretur eum in sapientialium profluviis rivo-
rum;" et saepitis. The phrase *' virtutis et sapientiae fontale
principium " is used of the University of Paris by the
Cistercians in 1322 : Martene, Anecdot., iv. 1509.
1 38 PHIL OBIBL ON
matbematicis, teste Aristotele, 7° Ethicorum. Qua-
propter, sicut ex principiorum evidentia conclu-
sionis Veritas declaratur, ita plerumque in agibilibus
ex honesti finis intentione bonitas moralis in opera
sigillatur, ubi alias opus ipsum iudicari deberet in- 5
differens quo ad mores.
232 Nos autem ab olim in praecordiis mentis nostrae
propositum gessimus radicatum, quatenus oppor-
tunis temporibus exspectatis divinitus aulam quam-
dam in reverenda universitate Oxoniensi, omnium 10
liberalium artium nutrice praecipua, in perpetuam
eleemosynam fundaremus, necessariisque redditibus
dotaremus ; quam numerosis scholaribus occu-
patam, nostrorum librorum iocalibus ditaremus,
ut ipsi libri et singuli eorundem communes fierent, 15
quantum ad usum et studium, non solum scholaribus
aulae tactae, sed per eos omnibus universitatis
praedictae studentibus in aeternum, secundum
I philosophoriim principe E edd. || 4 insigiUatur opere E H
5 in differentiis Z> 1| 13 ditat'emus Ja. edd. qitam . . . ut om.
A II 14 Iocalibus superditare7)nis i || 17 otnnihus om. E ||
teste Aristotele] vii. 8, 4 : iv Ss ratg Trpa^ecri to Sv eVeJca
dpxV} wcTTTfjO tv Toig [AaOrjfiaTiKolg at viroBkauQ.
artium nutrice] S. Augustine, De Civ. Dei, xviii. 9, calls
Athens "mater aut nutrix liberalium doctrinarum." In
1254 Pope Innocent IV. spoke of the conwitinio of masters
and scholars at Oxford as ** foecunda mater." Denifle shows
that the epithet alma with universitas is not found before the
fourteenth century, and the term Alma mater seems to have
been first applied to Paris in the Statutes of Vienna in 1389 :
Universifaten im Mittelalter, p. 33.
CAPITULUM XVI 11. 139
formam et modum, quern sequens capitulum declara-
233 bit. Quapropter sincerus amor studii zelusque
orthodoxae fidei ad aedificationem ecclesiae con-
firmandae pepeperunt in nobis sollicitudinem hanc
stupendam nummicolis, ut collectos codices unde- 5
cunque venales neglectis sumptibus emeremus, et
qui venumdari non debebant, transcribi honestius
faceiemus.
234 Cum enim delectationes hominum ex disposi-
tione caelestium corporum, cui mixtorum com- 10
plexio frequenter obedit, diversimode distinguan-
tur ; ut hi in architectura, illi in agricultura, hi in
venationibus, illi in navigationibus, hi in bellis,
illi in ludis eligant conversari ; cecidit circa libros
nostrae Mercurialis species voluptatis honestae, 15
quam ex rectae rationis arbitrio, cuius nulla sidera
3 confinnandam Ja. 1| 7 dcbcant Ja. || 1 1 tit frequenter E ||
nummicolis] Cp. c. xv. s. 194.
mixtorum complexio] Cp. Holkot, Super Sap., f. 310b:
*' Dixerunt enim quidam quod homines liunt boniper naturam,
puta ex naturali complexione cum impressione corporum
supercaelestium." See Roger Bacon, Op. Maj., p. 112, sqq.^
for a defence of the ti-ue astrology and the opinions of the
Fathers. At p. 117 he says : " astronomus, cum videt homi-
nes sequisuascomplexiones, quae oriuntura caelestiopevatione,
sicut et tota generatio, non est mirum si se extendat ad con-
siderationem actuum humanonam."
Mercurialis] Cp.Roger Bacon, Op. Maj., p. 121 : **Mercu-
rius est significator scripturae et scriptorum et profunditatis
scientiarum."
nulla sidera] Bacon, op. cii., p 113, sqq., says that the chief
authorities in astrology admit that it cannot be a science of
1 40 PHIL OBIBL ON
dominantur imperio, in honorem ordinavimus maies-
tatis supremae ut, unde mens nostra tranquillitatem
reperit requiei, inde devotissimus cresceret cul-
235 tus Dei. Quamobrem desinant obtrectantes, sicut
caeci de coloribus iudicare; vespertiliones de lumini- 5
bus disceptare non audeant, atque trabes gestantes in
oculis propriis alienas festucas eruere non prae-
sumant. Cessent commentis satiricis sugillare quae
nesciunt et occulta discutere, quae humanis experi-
entiis non patescunt ; qui nos fortassis affectu com- 10
mend assent benevolo, si ferarum venatui, alearum
lusui, dominarum applausui vacassemus.
4 ohircdatores Ja. || 5 vespertiliones om. D || 6 deceptare D 1|
8 satiricoriim Ja. ||
certainties, because this would be inconsistent with free will.
Yet this does not exclude the influence of the stars : " quamvis
enim anima rationahs non cogitur ad actus suos, tamen fortiter
induci potest et excitari, ut gratis vclit ea, ad quae virtus cae-
lestis incHnat."
alienas festucas] Cp. Jylatt. vii. 3, 4.
CAPITULUM XIX. 141
Capitulum 19.
De modo communlcandi studentlbus
omnibus llbros nostros.
236 Difficile semper fuit sic homines limitare legibus
honestatis, quin astutia successorum terminos niter-
etur praecedentium transilire et statutas infringere
regulas insolentia libertatis. Quamobrem de pru-
dentum consilio certum modum praefiximus, per 5
quern ad utilitatem studentium librorum nostrorum
comraunicationem et usum volumus devenire.
3 7 In primis enim libros omnes et singulos, de quibus
catalogum fecimus specialem, concedimus et do-
namus intuitu caritatis comm.unitati scholarium in 10
aula • N • Oxoniensi degentium, in perpetuam elee-
mosynam pro anima nostra et parentum nostrorum
Tit. omnes D \\ 3 prudentum A B \\ ^ donamtis om. D
donavimus edd. comitati edd. || 1 1 'N' codd. mil. nostra Ja.
om. edd. Oxon. D Ja. \
-N-] The best T^ISS. read -N-, which probably stands for
Nomen and signifies that some name was intended to be filled
in. The ed. pr. omits it, but the Spires and Oxford editors
print nostra^ of which Hearne approves: Leland, Collectt.,
iii. 385, vi. 299. On the question raised by the reading of
the text, see the Introduction.
142 PHILOBIBLOM
necnon pro animabus illustrissimi regis Angliae
Edvvardi teriii post conquestum ac devotissimae
dominae rcginae Philippac consortis eiusdem, ut
iidem libri omnibus et singulis universitatis dictae
villae scholaribus et magistris tarn regularibus quam 5
saecularibus commodcntur pro tempore ad pro-
fectum et usum studendi, iuxta modum quem im-
mediate subiungimus, qui est talis.
2 38 Quinque de scholaribus in aula praefata commo-
rantibus assignentur per eiusdem aulae magistrum, 10
quibus omnium librorum custodia deputetur, de
quibus quinque personis tres et nullatenus pauciores
librum vellibros ad inspectionem et usum dumtaxat
studii valeant commodare ; ad copiandum vero vel
transcribendum nullum librum volumus extra saepta 15
domus concedi.
239 Igitur cum scholaris quicunque saecularis vel
religiosus, quos in pracsenti favore ad paria iudi-
2 Ediiardi vulgo ll
qui est talis] Cocheris suggests that the following rules
were borrowed by De Bury from the Regulations issued for
the library of the Sorbonne in 1 321, some years before the
Bishop visited Paris ; but they were quite as probably
derived from Oxford : see Introduction.
de scholaribus] " The term 'scholar' may be regarded as
nearly equivalent to 'fellow' in our early college statutes,
indicating a student entirely supported by the revenues of the
foundation and participating in the general govei'nment : "
Mullinger, Univ. of Cambridge, i. 167. This applies equally
to Oxford : iNIaxwell Lyte, ilist. Univ, Oxford, 77.
ad paria] Cp. Bracton, De L"gibus, ii. 37, 2 : " Foemina
CAPITULUM XIX. 143
camus, librum aliquem commodandiim petiverit,
considerent diligenter custodes an librum talem ha-
buerint duplicatum ; et si sic, commodent ei librum
cautione recepta, quae librum traditum in valore
transcendat iudicio eorundem, fiatque statim tam de 5
cautione quam de libro commodate memorialis
scriptura, continens nominapersonarum quae librum
tradunt et illius qui recipit, cum die et anno
Domini quo continget fieri commodatum.
240 Si vero custodes invenerint, quod ille liber qui 10
petitur duplicatus non fuerit, talem librum nulla-
tenus commodent cuicunque, nisi fuerit de comi-
tiva scholarium dictae aulae, nisi forte ad inspec-
tionem et usum infra saepta domus vel aulae prae-
dictae, sed non ad ulterius deferendum. 15
241 Scholar! vero cuilibet praedictae aulae liber qui-
6 de om. ^ || 9 contirtgit A Ja. |i 1 1 librtun non codd.
dett. 11 13 inspectioneni et A B inspectionem ad D Ja. et usum
scrips! II 15 scolaHum Ja. ||
vero haeres et masculus secundum quosdam ad paria iu-
dicantur. "
cautione recepta] The practice of taking a pledge or bond
on lending MSS. was extremely common throughout medieval
times. Thus the Prior and Convent of Durham made an
order in 1235 : " statutum est . . . ut nullus liber accom-
modetur alicui per Librarium vel per alium, nisi receperit
memoriale aequipollens, nisi fuerit ad instanciam Domini
Episcopi." Durham Catalogues, p. 121 ; cp. p. 122 for the
form of such a bond.
inspectioneni et usum] The inspectioncm et of the MSS.
points to an omission and I have supplied iLsiim : cp. s. 238.
144 PHILOBIBLON
cunque per tres de praedictis custodibus valeat
commodari, nomine tamen suo cum die quo librum
recipit prius annotato. Nee tamen ipse possit librum
sibi traditum alteri commodare, nisi de assensu
trium de custodibus supradictis, et tunc delete 5
nomine primi nomen secundi cum tempore tradi-
tionis scribatur.
242 Ad haec omnia observandum custodes singuli
fidem praestent, quando eis custodia huiusmodi
deputatur. Recipientes autem librum vel libros 10
ibidem iurabunt quod eum vel eos ad alium usum
nisi ad inspectionem et studium nullatenus ap-
plicabunt, quodque ilium et illos extra villam
Oxoniensem cum suburbio nee deferent nee deferri
permittent. 15
243 Singulis autem annis computum reddent prae-
dicti custodes magistro domus et duobus quos
secum duxerit de suis scholaribus assumendos, vel
si eidem non vacaverit, tres deputet inspectores
alios a custodibus, qui librorum catalogum perle- 7-0
gentes videant quod omnes habeant vel in volumi-
nibus propriis vel saltem per cautiones praesentes.
Ad hunc autem computum persolvendum tempus
credimus opportunum a kalendis lulii usque ad
2,pri?nitus E edd. || 8 observanda Ja. I| 9 eis om. -£" || 12 vel
edd. II 13 ipsum vel ipsos Ja. || 14 7ion deferent D Ja. i|
i^ pertiiiltunt £ \\ 17 ducibzis ]o.. || 18 duxil J&. assumendos
om. 2 II 24 oppoiiunms Ja. hinii A E a mense lulii B ||
kal. lulii] Apart from the question of authority, this is
clearly the more probable reading. The feast of the Trans-
CAPITULUM XIX. 145
festura sequens translationis gloriosi martyris sancti
Thomae.
244 Hoc autem omnino adicimus quod quilibet,
cui liber aliquis fuerit commodatus, semel in
anno librum praesentet custodibus et suam si 5
voluerit videat cautionem. Porro si contingat for-
tuito per mortem, furtum, fraudem vel incuriam
librum perdi, ille qui perdidit vel eiusdem procu-
rator seu etiam executor pretium libri solvat et
eiusdem recipiat cautionem. Quod si qualiter- 10
cunque custodibus ipsis lucrum evenerit, in nihil
aliud quam in librorum reparationem et subsidium
convertatur.
dfortuiiii A B E\\S perdliiim esse^^L. || 1 1 eveniat nihil^z. \\
14 Hie in lilt as librorum conditiones circam libroruvi custodiam
praetermitto eo quod mihi pro praesenti videatur inutile talia
recitare M Ja.
lation of S. Thomas was on July 7, and a period of seven
days is much more likely for such an inspection than one
of five weeks.
Hie multas] The concluding words of the chapter in James
are taken from J/, where they were doubtless written by the
copyist, who stopped at deferendu7?t (see 240 ante), omitting
the rest of the chapter, to explain his doing so. Cocheris is
quite wrong in saying that they occur in A.
146 PHILOBIBLON
Capitulum 20.
Exhortatio scholarlum ad rependendum
pro nobis suffragia debltae pietatis.
245 Tempus iam efflagitat terminare tractatum, quern
de amore librorum compegimus, in quo contem-
poraneorum nostrorum admirationibus de eo quod
tantum libros dileximus rationem reddere nisi
sumus. Verum quia vix datur aliquid operari mor- 5
talibus, quod nullius respergatur pulvere vanitatis,
studiosum amorem, quem ita diuturnum ad libros
habuimus iustificare penitus non audemus, quin
fuerit forsan nobis quandoque occasio alicuius negli-
gentiae venialis, quamvis amoris materia sit honesta 10
246 at intentio regulata. Si nam que cum omnia fece-
rimus, servos nos inutiles dicere teneamur ; si lob
sanctissimus sua opera omnia verebatur; si iuxta
Isaiam quasi pannus menstruatae omnes sunt iustitiae
nostrae ; quis se de perfectione cuiuscunque virtutis 15
Tit. repetendum D E die pietati D pietatis etc. B || *] jam
dititurmcm Ja. diicrnum D \\() forsitan D forsan nobis in-
ierdum Ja. || 14 smit om. E ||
pulvere vanitatis] Cp. Mich. i. 10.
servos inutiles] Cp. Luke xvii. 10.
opera verebatur] From Job ix. 28.
pannus menstruatae] From Is. Ixiv. 6.
CAPITULUM XX. 147
\ praesumet iactare, quin ex aliqua circumstantia
valeat reprehendi, quae forsitan a seipso non poterit
deprehendi ? Bonum enim ex integris causis, malum
autem omnifarie : sicut Dionysius^ De divinis nomi-
247 nibus, nos informat. Quamobrem in nostrarum 5
iniquitatum remedium, quibus nos omnium Crea-
torem crebrius offendisse cognoscimus, orationum
suffragia petituri, studentes nostros futuros dignum
duximus exbortari, quatenus sic tam nobis quam aliis
eorundem futuris benefactoribus fiant grati, quod 10
beneficiorum nostrorum providentiam spiritalibus
recompensent retributionibus. Vivamus in eorum
memoiriis funerati, qui in nostris vixerunt benevo-
lentiis nondum nati nostrisque nunc vivunt bene-
ficiis sustentati. ClementiamRedemptorisimplorent 15
instantiis indefessis, quatenus negligentiis nostris
parcat, peccatorum nostrorum reatibus pius index
indulgeat, lapsus nostrae fragilitatis pallio pietatis
operiat et offensas, quas et pudet et paenitet com-
misisse, divina benignitate remittat. Conservet in 20
nobis ad sufficiens spatium paenitendi suarum
muneragratiarum,fideilirmitatem, spei sublimitatem
et ad omnes homines latissimam caritatem. Flectat
superbum arbitrium ad culparum suarum lamentum,
2 semetipso D Ja. || 1 7 pius iudex indulgeat om. ^ || l8 nosiri
fragiliiate?n Ja. || 22 spci suavitatem Ja. ||
Dionysius] Op. cit., iv. 30: 'ZvvtXovri de (pdpai to dyaObv
£K Ttig fxidg Koi tijq oXtjq cuTiaQ, to dt icatcov Ik ttoXXwi' /cat
fiEpiKuiv l\\dipeu}v.
148 PHILOBIBLON
ut deploret transactas elationes vanissimas et re-
tractet indignationes amarissimas ac delectationes
insanissimas detestetar. Vigeat sua virtus in nobis,
cum nostra defecerit, et qui nostrum ingressum sacro
baptismate consecravit gratuito, nostrum pro- 5
gressum ad statum apostolicum sublimavit immerito,
nostrum dignetur egressum sacramentis idoneis
249 communire. Laxetur a nostro spiritu amor carnis,
evanescat penitus metus mortis, desideret dissolvi
et esse cum Christo, et in terris solo corpore con- 10
stituti cogitatione et aviditate in aeterna patria con-
versemur. Pater misericordiarum etDeus totiuscon-
solationis filio prodigo de siliquis revertenti benignus
occurrat, drachmam denuo repertam recipiat et in
I ct deplores D \\ 2 insuavissimas E Ja. || 3 urgent Ja. ||
5 sacrarnento baptismatis D Ja. || 6 iitwierito communire
om. edd. || 10 ut in ^ || 1 1 conserucmur A D E\\
sublimavit] Cp. Ezech, xxxi. 10. The words from im-
merito to commtmire inclusive were accidentally omitted by
the scribe of Z, and added by him in the margin. The
copyist of L took the marginal addition for a gloss or note
and omitted it, and hence it is wanting in the edit. pr.
Cocheris also omits them, though they are absolutely neces-
sary to complete the sense.
desideret dissolvi] From Phil. i. 23.
corpore constituti] Cp. Jerome contra Vigil., c. 6 ; August.,
De Civ. Dei, xxi. 24.
conversemur] Phil. iii. 20: "Nostra autem conversatio in
caclis est."
de siliquis] Cp. Luke xv. 1 6- 1 7.
drachmam repertam] Cp. Luke xv. 8-9.
CAPITULUM XX. 149
thesauros aeternos per angelos sanctos transmittal
Castigetvultu terrifico exitusnostri horaspiritus tene-
brarum, ne latens in limine portae mortis Leviathan,
serpens vetus, insidias improvisas calcaneo nostro
250 paret. Cum vero ad terrendum tribunal fuerimus 5
advocati, ut cuncta quae corpore gessimus attes-
tante conscientia referamus, consideret humanitas
iuncta Deo effusi sui sancti sanguinis pretium
et advertat divinitas humanata carnalis naturae
figmentum, ut ibi transeat fragilitas impunita ubi 10
Clemens pietas cernitur infinita, et ibi respiret spiritus
25 1 miseri ubi exstat proprium iudicis misereri. Amplius
refugium spei nostrae post Deum virginem et
reginam Theotokon benedictam nostri semper stu-
dentes salutationibus satagant frequentare devotis, 15
ut qui per nostra facinorareplicatameruimus iudicem
invenire turbatum, per ipsius suffragia semper grata
mereamur eundem reperire placatum. Deprimat pia
manus brachium aequilibre, qua nostra tam parva
quam pauca merita pensabuntur ne, quod absit, 20
praeponderet gravitas criminum et nos damnandos
252 deiciat in abyssum. Clarissimum meritis confes-
3 portarum Ja. || 5 tremendum in rasura A Ja. || 6 in
corpore Ja. || 14 theochoton A B tJiothccon D theothecon E \\
15 satagimt D |[ 18 reperire om. E || 19 aequae librae vulgo
p7-ava A \\ 21 nos om. E \\
serpens vetus] Cp. Rev. xii. 9.
ad terrendum tribunal] Cp. 2 Cor. v. 10, il.
figmentum] Cp. Ps. cii. 14.
in abyssum] Cp. Luke viii. 31 ; Rev. xx. 3.
I50 PHILOBIBLON
soremCuthbertum, cuius gregem indigni pascendum
suscepimus, omni cultu studeant venerari devote,
rogantes assidue, ut suum licet indignum vicarium
precibus excusare dignetur et quern successorem
admisit in terris, procuret effici consessorem in 5
caelis. Puris denique tarn mentis quam corporis
precibus regent Deum, ut spiritum ad imaginem
Trinitatis creatum post praesentis miseriae incola-
tum ad suum reducat primordiale prototypum ac
eiusdem concedat perpetuum fruibilis faciei con- 10
spectum : Amen.
253 Explicit Philobiblon domini Ricardi de Aunger-
vile,cognominati de Bury, quondam episcopi Dunel-
mensis. Completus est autem tractatus iste in
2 conwmni cultu ^ || 5 amisit B confessorem ABE
Schm. Coch. ||
12 Explicit etc. om. A Explicit Philobiblon B ||
Cuthbertum] Cuthbert, the patron saint of the cathedral at
Durham. He reluctantly left his seclusion to become Bishop
of Lindisfarne in 685, but in less than two years returned to
his hermitage, where he practised great austerity, and was so
constantly engaged in prayer that a long callosity extended
from his knees downwards. After his death his body was
removed from place to place, until it finally rested at
Dunholme, which thus became the seat of the Palatine See.
consessorem] No doubt the true reading : cp. Eph. ii. 6 :
"consedere fecit in caelestibus." The word consessor occurs
several times in Cicero.
Explicit Philobiblon] For the questions arising in con-
nexion with the concluding note, which is not found in any
CAPITULUM XX. 151
manerio nostro de x\ukeland xxiiij" die lanuarii
anno Domini millesimo trecentesimo quadragesimo
quarto, aetatis nostrae quinquagesimo octavo
praecise completo, pontificatus vero nostri anno
undecimo finiente. Ad laudem Dei feliciter et 5
Amen.
of the printed texts, see the Introduction. From the phrase
praecise completo it would appear that the book was finished
on the Bishop's birthday.
feliciter] Cp. S. Jerome, ad Marcellam, Ep. 28 : *'Sole-
mus completis opusculis ad distinctionem rei alterius se-
quentis medium interponere explicit z.^x\. feliciter aut aliquid
eiusmodi."
The Philobiblon
newly translated
L 2
Prologue.
1 To all the faithful of Christ to whom the tenor of
these presents may come, Richard de Bury, by the
divine mercy Bishop of Durham, wisheth everlast-
ing salvation in the Lord and to present continually
a pious memorial of himself before God, alike in
his lifetime and after his death.
2 What shall I render unto the Lord for all his
benefits toward me ? asks the most devout psalmist,
an invincible king and first among the prophets :
in which most grateful question he approves him-
self a willing thank-offerer, a multifarious debtor, and
one who wishes for a holier counsellor than him-
self : agreeing with Aristotle, the chief of philoso-
phers, who shows (in the 3rd and 6th books of his
Ethics) that all action depends upon counsel.
3 And indeed if so wonderful a prophet, having a
foreknowledge of divine secrets, wished so anxiously
to consider how he might gratefully repay the
blessings graciously bestowed, what can we fitly
do, who are but rude thanksgivers and most greedy
receivers, laden with infinite divine benefits ? As-
suredly we ought with anxious deliberation and
abundant consideration, having first invoked the
Sevenfold Spirit, that it may burn in our musings
M
156 THE PHILOBIBLON
as an illuminating fire, fervently to prepare a
way without hinderance, that the bestower of all
things may be cheerfully worshipped in return for
the gifts that he has bestowed, that our neigh-
bour may be reheved of his burden, and that the
guilt contracted by sinners every day may be re-
deemed by the atonement of almsgiving.
4 Forewarned therefore through the admonition of
the psalmist's devotion by Him who alone prevents
and perfects the goodwill of man, without Whom
we have no power even so much as to think, and
Whose gift Ave doubt not it is, if we have done any-
thing good, v/e have diligently inquired and con-
sidered in our own heart as well as with others,
what among the good offices of various works of
piety would most please the Almighty and would
5 be more beneficial to the Church MiHtant. And
lo ! there soon occurred to our contemplation a host
of unhappy, nay rather of elect scholars, in whom
God the Creator and Nature his handmaid planted
the roots of excellent morals and of famous sciences,
but whom the poverty of their circumstances so op-
pressed that before the frown of adverse fortune the
seeds of excellence, so fruitful in the cultivated field
of youth, not being watered by the rain that they
6 require, are forced to wither away. Thus it hap-
pens that " bright virtue lurks buried in obscurity,"
to use the words of Boethius, and burning lights
are not put under a bushel, but for want of oil are
utterly extinguished. Thus the field, so full of
PROLOGUE 157
flower in spring, has withered up before harvest-
time ; thus wheat degenerates to tares, and vines
into the wild vine, and thus olives run into the wild
olive ; the tender stems rot away altogether, and
those who might have grown up into strong pillars
of the Church, being endowed with the capacity of
a subtle intellect, abandon the schools of learning.
7 With poverty only as their stepmother, they are
repelled violently iVom the nectared cup of philo-
sophy, as soon as they have tasted of it and have
become more fiercely thirsty by the very taste.
Though fit for the liberal arts and disposed to study
the sacred writings alone, being deprived of the aid
of their friends, by a kind of apostasy they return to
the mechanical arts solely to gain a livelihood, to
the loss of the Church and the degradation of the
S whole clergy. Thus Mother Church conceiving
sons is compelled to miscarry, nay some misshapen
monster is born untimely from her womb, and for
lack of that little with which nature is contented,
she loses excellent pupils, who might afterwards
become champions and athletes of the faith. Alas,
how suddenly the woof is cut, while the hand of the
weaver is beginning his work ! Alas, how the sun
is ecHpsed in the brightness of the dawn, and the
planet in its course is hurled backwards, and while
it bears the nature and likeness of a star suddenly
9 drops and becomes a meteor ! What more piteous
sight can the pious man behold ? What can more
sharply stir the bowels of his pity ? What can more
IS8 THE PHILOBIBLON
easily melt a heart hard as an anvil into hot tears ?
On the other hand, let us recall from past experience
how much it has profited the whole Christian com-
monwealth, not indeed to enervate students with
the delights of a Sardanapalus or the riches of a
Croesus, but rather to support them in their poverty
with the frugal means that become the scholar.
10 How many have we seen with our eyes, how many
have we read of in books, who distinguished
by no pride of birth, and rejoicing in no rich in-
heritance, but supported only by the piety of the
good, have made their way to apostolic chairs, have
most worthily presided over faithful subjects, have
bent the necks of the proud and lofty to the eccle-
siastical yoke and have extended further the liberties
of the Church ?
11 Accordingly, having taken a survey of human
necessities in every direction, with a V\Q.\y to bestow
our charity upon them, our compassionate inclina-
tions have chosen to bear pious aid to this calamitous
class of men, in whom there is nevertheless such
hope of advantage to the Church, and to provide
for them not only in respect of things necessary to
their support, but much more in respect of the books
so useful to their studies. To this end, most accept-
able in the sight of God, our attention has long been
unweariedly devoted. This ecstatic love has carried
us away so powerfully, that we have resigned all
thoughts of other earthly things, and have given
ourselves up to a passion for acquiring books.
PROLOGUE 159
12 That our intent and purpose, therefore, may be
known to posterity as well as to our contemporaries,
and that we may for ever stop the perverse tongues
of gossipers as far as we are concerned, we have
published a little treatise written in the lightest style
of the moderns ; for it is ridiculous to find a slight
matter treated of in a pompous style. And this
treatise (divided into twenty chapters) will clear the
love we have had for books from the charge of
excess, will expound the purpose of our intense de-
votion, and will narrate more clearly than light all
13 the circumstances of our undertaking. And because
it principally treats of the love of books, we have
chosen after the fashion of the ancient Romans
fondly to name it by a Greek word, Philobiblon.
l6o THE PHILOBIBLON
Chapter i.
That the Treasure of Wisdom is chiefly
contained in Books.
14 The desirable treasure of wisdom and science,
which all men desire by an instinct of nature,
infinitely surpasses all the riches of the world ; in
respect of which precious stones are worthless ;
in comparison with which silver is as clay and
pure gold is as a little sand ; at whose splendour
the sun and moon are dark to look upon ; com-
pared with whose marvellous sweetness honey and
15 manna are bitter to the taste. O value of wisdom
that fadeth not away with time, virtue ever flourish-
ing, that cleanseth its possessor from all venom !
O heavenly gift of the divine bounty, descending
from the Father of lights, that thou mayest exalt the
rational soul to the very heavens ! Thou art the
celestial nourishment of the intellect, which those
who eat shall still hunger and those who drink
shall still thirst, and the gladdening harmony of the
languishing soul, which he that hears shall never
16 be confounded. Thou art the moderator and
rule of morals, which he who follows shall not sin.
By thee kings reign and princes decree justice.
By thee, rid of their native rudeness, their minds
and tongues being polished, the thorns of vice
CHAPTER I. i6i
being torn up by the roots, those men attain high
places of honour and become fathers of their
country and companions of princes, v>'ho without
thee would have melted their spears into pruning-
hooks and ploughshares, or would perhaps be feed-
ing swine with the prodigal.
I y Where dost thou chiefly lie hidden, O most elect
treasure ! and where shall thirsting souls discover
thee?
Certes, thou hast placed thy tabernacle in books,
where the Most High, the Light of lights, the Book
of Life, has established thee. There everyone who
asks receiveth thee, and everyone who seeks finds
thee, and to everyone that knocketh boldly it is
1 8 speedily opened. Therein the cherubim spread
out their wings, that the intellect of the students
may ascend and look from pole to pole, from the
east and west, from the north and from the south.
Therein the mighty and incomprehensible God
himself is apprehensibly contained and worshipped;
therein is revealed the nature of things celestial,
terrestrial, and infernal ; therein are discerned the
laws by which every state is administered, the
offices of the celestial hierarchy are distinguished
and the tyrannies of demons described, such as
neither the ideas of Plato transcend nor the chair
19 of Crato contained. In books I find the dead as
if they were alive; in books I foresee things to come;
in books warlike affairs are set forth ; from books
come forth the laws of peace. All things are
1 62 THE PHILOBIBLON
corrupted and decay in time ; Saturn ceases not
to devour the children that he generates : all the
glory of the world would be buried in oblivion, unless
God had provided mortals with the remedy of
20 books. Alexander, the conqueror of the earth,
Julius the invader of Rome and of the world, who,
the first in war and arts, assumed universal empire
under his single rule, faithful Fabricius and stern
Cato, would now have been unknown to fame, if the
21 aid of books had been wanting. Towers have
been razed to the ground ; cities have been over-
thrown ; triumphal arches have perished from
decay; nor can either pope or king find any
means of more easily conferring the privilege of per-
petuity than by books. The book that he has made
renders its author this service in return, that so
long as the book survives its author remains
immortal and cannot die, as Ptolemy declares in
the Prologue to his Almagest : He is not dead, he
says, who has given life to science.
22 Who therefore will limit by anything of another
kind the price of the infinite treasure of books,
from which the scribe who is instructed bringeth
forth things new and old ? Truth that triumphs
over all things, which overcomes the king, wine,
and women, which it is reckoned holy to honour
before friendship, which is the way without turning
and the life without end, which holy Boethius
considers to be threefold in thought, speech, and
writing, seems to remain more usefully and to
CHAPTER I. 163
23 fructify to greater profit in books. For the mean-
ing of the voice perishes with the sound; truth
latent in the mind is wisdom that is hid and
treasure that is not seen ; but truth which shines
forth in books desires to manifest itself to every
impressionable sense. It commends itself to the
sight when it is read, to the hearing Avhen it is
heard, and moreover in a manner to the touch,
when it suffers itself to be transcribed, bound,
24 corrected, and preserved. The undisclosed truth
of the mind, although it is the possession of the
noble soul, yet because it lacks a companion, is not
certainly known to be delightful, while neither sight
nor hearing takes account of it. Further, the truth
of the voice is patent only to the ear and eludes
the sight, which reveals to us more of the qualities
of things, and linked with the subtlest of motions
25 begins and perishes as it were in a breath. But the
written truth of books, not transient but permanent,
plainly offers itself to be obsen^ed, and by means of
the pervious spherules of the eyes, passing through
the vestibule of perception and the courts of
imagination, enters the chamber of intellect, taking
its place in the couch of memory, where it engenders
the eternal truth of the mind.
26 Finally, we must consider what pleasantness of
teaching there is in books, how easy, how secret !
How safely we lay bare the poverty of human
ignorance to books without feeling any shame !
They are masters who instruct us without rod or
1 64 THE PHILOBIBLON
ferule, without angry words, without clothes or
money. If you come to them they are not asleep ;
if you ask and inquire of them, they do not with-
draw themselves ; they do not chide if you make
mistakes ; they do not laugh at you if you are
27 ignorant. O books who alone are liberal and free,
who give to all who ask of you and enfranchise all
who serve you faithfully ! by how many thousand
types are ye commended to learned men in the
scriptures given us by inspiration of God ! For
ye are the mines of profoundest wisdom, to which
the wise man sends his son that he may dig out
treasures : Prov. 2. Ye are the wells of living
waters, which father Abraham first digged, Isaac
digged again, and which the Philistines strive to fill
28 up: Gen. 26. Ye are indeed the most delightful
ears of corn, full of grain, to be rubbed only by
apostolic hands, that the sweetest food may be
produced for hungry souls : Matt. 12. Ye are
the golden pots in which manna is stored, and
rocks flowing with honey, nay combs of honey,
most plenteous udders of the milk of life, garners
ever full ; ye are the tree of life and the fourfold
river of Paradise, by which the human mind is
nourished and the thirsty intellect is watered and
29 refreshed. Ye are the ark of Noah and the ladder
of Jacob, and the troughs by which the young of
those who look therein are coloured; ye are the
stones of testimony and the pitchers holding the
lamps of Gideon, the scrip of David, from which
CHAPTER 11. i6:
the smoothest stones are taken for the slaying of
Goliath. Ye are the golden vessels of the temple,
the arms of the soldiers of the Church, with which
to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked, fruitful
olives, vines of Engadi, figtrees that are never
barren, burning lamps always to be held in readi-
ness— and all the noblest comparisons of scripture
may be applied to books, if we choose to speak
in figures.
Chapter 2.
The degree of Affection that is properly
due to Books.
30 Since the degree of affection a thing deserves
depends upon the degree of its value, and the
previous chapter shows that the value of books is
unspeakable, it is quite clear to the reader what is
the probable conclusion from this. I say probable,
for in moral science we do not insist upon demon-
stration, remembering that the educated man seeks
such degree of certainty as he perceives the subject-
matter will bear, as Aristotle testifies in the first
book of his Ethics. For TuUy does not appeal to
Euclid, nor does Euclid rely upon Tully. This at
all events we endeavour to prove whether by logic
1 66 THE PHILOBIBLON
or rhetoric, that all riches and all delights what-
soever yield place to books in the spiritual mind,
wherein the Spirit which is charity ordereth charity.
31 Now in the first place, because wisdom is con-
tained in books more than all mortals understand,
and wisdom thinks lightly of riches, as the foregoing
chapter declares. Furthermore, Aristotle in his
Problems determines the question, why the
ancients proposed prizes to the stronger in gym-
nastic and corporeal contests, but never awarded
any prize for wisdom. This question he solves as
follows ; In gymnastic exercises the prize is better
and more desirable than that for which it is be-
stowed ; but it is certain that nothing is better
than wisdom : wherefore no prize could be as-
signed for wisdom. And therefore neither riches
nor delights are more excellent than wisdom.
32 Again, only the fool will deny that friendship is
to be preferred to riches, since the wisest of men
testifies this ; but the chief of philosophers honours
truth before friendship, and the truthful Zorobabel
prefers it to all things. Riches then are less than
truth. Now truth is chiefly maintained and con-
tained in holy books — nay they are written truth
itself, since by books we do not now mean the
materials of which they are made. Wherefore
riches are less than books, especially as the most
precious of all riches are friends, as Boethius testifies
in the second book of his Consolation ; to whom
the truth of books according to Aristotle is to be
CHAPTER 11. 167
33 preferred. Moreover, since we know that riches
first and chiefly appertain to the support of the
body only, while the virtue of books is the perfec-
tion of reason, which is properly speaking the hap-
piness of man, it appears that books to the man
who uses his reason are dearer than riches.
Furthermore, that by which the faith is more
easily defended, more widely spread, more clearly
preached, ought to be more desirable to the faith-
34 ful. But this is the truth written in books, which
our Saviour plainly shovred, when he was about
to contend stoutly against the Tempter, girding him-
self with the shield of truth and indeed of written
truth, declaring " it is written " of what he was about
to utter with his voice.
35 And, again, no one doubts that happiness is
to be preferred to riches. But happiness con-
sists in the operation of the noblest and diviner
of the faculties that we possess — when the whole
mind is occupied in contemplating the truth
of wisdom, which is the most delectable of all
our virtuous activities, as the prince of philoso-
phers declares in the tenth book of the Ethics,
on which account it is that philosophy is held to
have wondrous pleasures in respect of purity and
36 solidity, as he goes on to say. But the contempla-
tion of truth is never more perfect than in books,
where the act of imagination perpetuated by books
does not suffer the operation of the intellect upon
the truths that it has seen to suffer interruption.
1 68 THE PHILOBIBLON
Wherefore books appear to be the most immediate
instruments of speculative delight, and therefore
Aristotle, the sun of philosophic truth, in consider-
ing the principles of choice, teaches that in itself to
philosophize is more desirable than to be rich,
although in certain cases, as where for instance one
is in need of necessaries, it may be more desirable
to be rich than to philosophize.
37 Moreover, since books are the aptest teachers, as
the previous chapter assumes, it is fitting to bestow
on them the honour and the affection that we owe
to our teachers. In fine, since all men naturally
desire to know, and since by means of books we
can attain the knowledge of the ancients, w-hich is to
be desired beyond all riches, what man living ac-
cording to nature would not feel the desire of books?
38 And although we know that swine trample pearls
under foot, the wise man will not therefore be de-
terred from gathering the pearls that lie before him.
A library of wisdom, then, is more precious than all
wealth, and all things that are desirable cannot be
compared to it. Whoever therefore claims to be
zealous of truth, of happiness, of wisdom or know-
ledge, aye even of the faith, must needs become a
lover of books.
CHAPTER III. 169
Chapter 3.
What we are to think of the price In the
buying of books.
39 From what has been said we draw this corollary
welcome to us, but (as we believe) acceptable to
few: namely, that no dearness of price ought to
hinder a man from the buying of books, if he has
the money that is demanded for them, unless it be
to withstand the malice of the seller or to await a
more favourable opportunity of buying. For if it is
wisdom only that makes the price of books, which
is an infinite treasure to mankind, and if the value
of books is unspeakable, as the premises show, how
shall the bargain be shov/n to be dear where an
infinite good is being bought ? Wherefore, that
books are to be gladly bought and unwillingly sold,
Solomon, the sun of men, exhorts us in the Proverbs :
40 Buy the h-^iith, he says, and sell not wisdom. But
what we are trying to show by rhetoric or logic, let
us prove by examples from history. The arch-
philosopher Aristotle, whom Averroes regards as
the law of Nature, bought a few books of Speu-
sippus straightway after his death for seventy-two
thousand sesterces. Plato, before him in time,
170 THE PHILOBIBLON
but after him in learning, bought the book of
Philolaus the Pythagorean, from which he is said
to have taken the Thnceus, for ten thousand denaries,
41 as Aulus Gellius relates in the Nodes Atticc^. Now
Aulus Gellius relates this that the foolish may con-
sider how wise men despise money in comparison
with books. And on the other hand, that we may
know that folly and pride go together, let us here
relate the folly of Tarquin the Proud in despising
42 books, as also related by Aulus Gellius. An old
woman, utterly unknown, is said to have come to
Tarquin the Proud, the seventh king of PvOme,
offering to sell nine books, in which (as she declared)
sacred oracles were contained, but she asked an
immense sum for them, insomuch that the king said
she was mad. In anger she flung three books into
the fire, and still asked the same sum for the rest.
When the king refused it, again she flung three
others into the fire and still asked the same price
for the three that were left. At last, astonied
beyond measure, Tarquin was glad to pay for three
books the same price for which he might have
bought nine. The old woman straightway disap-
43 peared, and was never seen before or after. These
were the Sibylline books, which the Romans con-
sulted as a divine oracle by some one of the Quin-
decemvirs, and this is believed to have been the
origin of the Quindecemvirate. What did this
Sibyl teach the proud king by this bold deed,
except that the vessels of wisdom, holy books, ex-
CHAPTER IV. 171
ceed all human estimation ; and as Gregory says of
the kingdom of Heaven : They are worth all that
thou hast ?
Chapter 4.
The Complaint of Books against the
Clergy already promoted.
44 A generation of vipers destroying their own
parents and base offspring of the ungrateful cuckoo,
who when he has grown strong slays his nurse,
the giver of his strength, are degenerate clerks
with regard to books. Bring it again to mind and
consider faithfully what ye receive through books,
and ye will find that books are as it were the
creators of your distinction, without which other
favourers would have been wanting.
45 In sooth, while still untrained and helpless ye
crept up to us, ye spake as children, ye thought as
children, ye cried as children and begged to be
made partakers of our milk. But we being straight-
way moved by your tears gave you the breast of
grammar to suck, which ye plied continually with
teeth and tongue, until ye lost your native bar-
barousness and learned to speak with our tongues
45 the mighty things of God. And next we clad you
with the goodly garments of philosophy, rhetoric
and dialectic, of which v/e had and have a store,
N
172 THE PHILOBIBLON
while ye were naked as a tablet to be painted on.
For all the household of philosophy are clothed
with garments, that the nakedness and rawness
47 of the intellect may be covered. After this, pro-
viding you with the fourfold wings of the quad-
rivials that ye might be winged like the seraphs
and so mount above the cherubim, we sent you to
a friend at whose door, if only ye importunately
knocked, ye might borrow the three loaves of the
Knowledge of the Trinity, in which consists the
final felicity of every sojourner below. Nay, if ye
deny that ye had these privileges, we boldly declare
that ye either lost them by your carelessness, or
that through your sloth ye spurned them when
48 offered to you. If these things seem but a light
matter to you, we will add yet greater things. Ye
are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy
race, ye are a peculiar people chosen into the lot
of God, ye are priests and ministers of God, nay,
ye are called the very Church of God, as though
the laity were not to be called churchmen. Ye,
being preferred to the laity, sing psalms and hymns
in the chancel, and serving the altar and living by
the altar, make the true body of Christ, wherein
God himself has honoured you not only above the
49 laity, but even a little higher than the angels. For
to whom of his angels has he said at any time :
Thou art a priest for ever after the order of
Melchisedech ? Ye dispense the patrimony of
the crucified one to the poor, wherein it is required
CHAPTER IV. 173
of stewards that a man be found faithful. Ye are
shepherds of the Lord's flock, as well in example
of life as in the word of doctrine, which is bound
to repay you with milk and wool.
50 Who are the givers of all these things, O clerks?
Is it not books? Do ye remember therefore,
we pray, how many and how great liberties and
privileges are bestowed upon the clergy through
us. In truth, taught by us who are the vessels of
^^sdom and intellect, ye ascend the teacher's chair
5 1 and are called of men Rabbi. By us ye become
marvellous in the eyes of the laity, like great lights
in the world, and possess the dignities of the
Church according to your various stations. By
us, while ye still lack the first down upon your
cheeks, ye are established in your early years
and bear the tonsure on your heads, while the
dread sentence of the Church is heard : Touch not
7nijie anoitited a?id do my prophets no harm^ and he
who has rashly touched them let him forthwith
by his own blow be smitten violently with the
2 2 wound of an anathema. At length yielding your
lives to wickedness, reaching the two paths of
Pythagoras, ye choose the left branch, and going
backward ye let got he lot of God which ye had
first assumed, becoming companions of thieves.
And thus ever going from bad to worse, dyed with
theft and murder and manifold impurities, your
fame and conscience stained by sins, at the bidding
of justice ye are confined in manacles and fetters,
174 THE PHILOBIBLON
and are kept to be punished by a most shameful
53 death. Then your friend is put far away, nor is
there any to mourn your lot. Peter swears that he
knows not the man : the people cry to the judge :
C7-udfy, crucify him ! if thou let this man go, thou
art 7iot Ccesar'sfrie7id. Now all refuge has perished,
for ye must stand before the judgment-seat, and
there is no appeal, but only hanging is in store
54 for you. While the wretched man's heart is thus
filled with woe and only the sorrowing Muses
bedew their cheeks with tears, in his strait is heard
on every side the wailing appeal to us, and to avoid
the danger of impending death he shows the slight
sign of the ancient tonsure which we bestowed
upon him, begging that we may be called to his aid
and bear witness to the privilege bestowed upon
him. Then straightway touched with pity we run
to meet the prodigal son and snatch the fugitive
55 slave from the gates of death. The book he has
not forgotten is handed to him to be read, and
while with lips stammering with fear he reads a few
words the power of the judge is loosed, the accuser
is withdrawn, and death is put to flight. O mar-
vellous virtue of an empiric verse ! O saving
antidote of dreadful ruin ! O precious reading of
the psalter, which for this alone deserves to be
q6 called the book of life ! Let the laity undergo
the judgment of the secular arm, that either sewn
up in sacks they may be carried out to Neptune, or
planted in the earth may fructify for Pluto, or may
CHAPTER IV. 175
be offered amid the flames as a fattened holocaust
to Vulcan, or at least may be hung up as a victim
to Juno ; while our nursling at a single reading of
the book of life is handed over to the custody of
the Bishop, and rigour is changed to favour, and
the forum being transferred from the laity, death is
routed by the clerk who is the nursling of books.
57 But now let us speak of the clerks who are
vessels of virtue. Which of you about to preach
ascends the pulpit or the rostrum without in
some way consulting us ? Which of you enters
the schools to teach or to dispute without relying
upon our support ? First of all it behoves you to
eat the book with Ezechiel, that the belly of your
memory may be sweetened within, and thus as with
the panther refreshed, to whose breath all beasts
and cattle long to approach, the sweet savour
of the spices it has eaten may shed a perfume
58 without. Thus our nature secretly working in
our own, listeners hasten up gladly, as the load-
stone draws the iron nothing loth. What an
infinite host of books lie at Paris or Athens,
and at the same time resound in Britain and in
Rome ! In truth, while resting they yet move,
and while retaining their own places they are
carried about every way to the minds of listeners.
59 Finally, by the knowledge of literature, we establish
priests, bishops, cardinals, and the Pope, that all
things in the ecclesiastical hierarchy may be fitly
disposed. For it is from books that everything of
176 THE PHILOBIBLON
good that befalls the clerical condition takes its
origin. But let this suffice : for it pains us to
recall what we have bestowed upon the degenerate
clergy, because whatever gifts are distributed to
the ungrateful seem to be lost rather than be-
stowed.
60 Let us next dwell a little on the recital of the
wrongs with which they requite us, the contempts
and cruelties of which we cannot recite an example
in each kind, nay, scarcely the main classes of the
several wrongs. In the first place, we are expelled
by force and arms from the homes of the clergy,
which are ours by hereditary right, who were used
to have cells of quietness in the inner chamber,
but alas ! in these unhappy times we are altogether
61 exiled, suffering poverty without the gates. For
our places are seized now by dogs, now by hawks,
now by that biped beast whose cohabitation with
the clergy was forbidden of old, from which we
have always taught our nurslings to flee more than
from the asp and cockatrice ; wherefore she, always
jealous of the love of us, and never to be appeased,
at length seeing us in some corner protected only
by the web of some dead spider, with a frown
abuses and reviles us with bitter words, declaring
us alone of all the furniture in the house to be
unnecessary, and complaining that we are useless
for any household purpose, and advises that we
should speedily be converted into rich caps, sendal
and silk and twice-dyed purple, robes and furs,
CHAPTER IV. 177
wool and linen : and, indeed, not without reason,
if she could see our inmost hearts, if she had
listened to our secret counsels, if she had read the
book of Theophrastus or Valerius, or only heard
the twenty - fifth chapter of Ecclesiasticus with
understanding ears.
62 And hence it is that we have to mourn for the
homes of which we have been unjustly robbed ;
and as to our coverings, not that they have not
been given to us, but that the coverings anciently
given to us have been torn by violent hands, inso-
much that our soul is bowed down to the dust,
our belly cleaveth unto the earth. We suffer from
various diseases, enduring pains in our backs and
sides ; we lie with our limbs unstrung by pals)^,
and there is no man who layeth it to heart, and no
63 man who provides a mollifying plaster. Our native
whiteness that was clear with light has turned to
dun and yellow, so that no leech who should see
us would doubt that we are diseased with jaundice.
Some of us are suffering from gout, as our twisted
extremities plainly show. The smoke and dust by
which we are continuously plagued have dulled
the keenness of our visual rays, and are now in-
64 fecting our bleared eyes with ophthalmia. Within
we are devoured by the fierce gripings of our
entrails, which hungry worms cease not to gnaw,
and we undergo the corruption of the two Laza-
ruses, nor is there anyone to anoint us with balm
of cedar, nor to cry to us who have been four days
178 THE PHILOBIBI.ON
dead and already stink, Lazarus come forth !
No healing drug is hound around our cruel
wounds, which are so atrociously inflicted upon
the innocent, and there is none to put a plaster
upon our ulcers ; but ragged and shivering we are
flung away into dark corners, or in tears take our
place with holy Job upon his dunghill, or — too
horrible to relate — are buried in the depths of the
65 common sewers. The cushion is withdrawn that
should support our evangelical sides, which ought
to have the first claim upon the incomes of the
clergy, and the common necessaries of life thus be
for ever provided for us, who are entrusted to their
chanj;c.
66 Again, we complain of another sort of injury which
is too often unjustly inflicted upon our persons. We
are sold for bondmen and bondwomen, and lie as
hostages in taverns with no one to redeem us. We
fall a prey to the cruel shambles, where we see
sheep and cattle slaughtered not without pious
tears, and where we die a thousand times from
such terrors as might frighten even the brave. We
are handed over to Jews, Saracens, heretics and
infidels, whose poison we always dread above every-
thing, and by whom it is well known that some of
our parents have been infected with pestiferous
67 venom. In sooth, we who should be treated as
masters in the sciences, and bear rule over the
mechanics who should be subject to us, are instead
handed over to the government of subordinates, as
CHAPTER IV. 179
though some supremely noble monarch should be
trodden under foot by rustic heels. Any seamster
or cobbler or tailor or artificer of any trade keeps
us shut up in prison for the luxurious and wanton
pleasures of the clergy.
68 Now we would pursue a new kind of injury by
which we suffer alike in person and in fame, the
dearest thing we have. Our purity of race is
diminished every day, while new authors' names
are imposed upon us by worthless compilers, trans-
lators, and transformers, and losing our ancient
nobility, while we are reborn in successive gene-
rations, we become wholly degenerate ; and thus
against our will the name of some wretched step-
father is affixed to us, and the sons are robbed of
69 the names of their true fathers. The verses of
Virgil, while he was yet living, were claimed by an
impostor; and a certain Fidentinus mendaciously
usurped the works of Martial, whom Martial thus
deservedly rebuked :
" The book you read is, Fidentinus ! mine,
Though read so badly, 't well may pass for thine !"
What marvel, then, if when our authors are dead
clerical apes use us to make broad their phylac-
teries, since even while they are alive they try to
70 seize us as soon as we are published? Ah ! how
often ye pretend that we who are ancient are but
lately born, and try to pass us off as sons who are
really fathers, calling us who have made you clerks
the production of your studies. Indeed, we de-
i8o THE PHILOBIBLON
rived our origin from Athens, though we are now
supposed to be from Rome ; for Carmentis was
always the pilferer of Cadmus, and we who were
but lately born in England, will to-morrow be
born again in Paris ; and thence being carried
to Bologna, will obtain an Italian origin, based
7 1 upon no affinity of blood. Alas ! how ye commit
us to treacherous copyists to be written, how cor-
ruptly ye read us and kill us by medication, while
ye supposed ye were correcting us with pious zeal.
Oftentimes we have to endure barbarous inter-
preters, and those who are ignorant of foreign
idioms presume to translate us from one language
into another ; and thus all propriety of speech is
lost and our sense is shamefully mutilated contrary
to the meaning of the author ! Truly noble would
have been the condition of books, if it had not
been for the presumption of the tower of Babel, if
but one kind of speech had been transmitted by
the whole human race.
72 We will add the last clause of our long lament,
though far too short for the materials that we have.
For in us the natural use is changed to that which
is against nature, while we who are the light of
faithful souls everywhere fall a prey to painters
knowing nought of letters, and are entrusted to
goldsmiths to become, as though we were not
sacred vessels of wisdom, repositories of gold-leaf.
We fall undeservedly into the power of laymen,
which is more bitter to us than any death, since
CHAPTER V. i8i
they have sold our people for nought, and our
enemies themselves are our judges.
73 It is clear from what we have said what infinite
invectives we could hurl against the clergy, if we
did not think of our own reputation. For the
soldier whose campaigns are over venerates his
shield and arms, and grateful Corydon shows
regard for his decaying team, harrow, flail and
mattock, and every manual artificer for the in-
struments of his craft ; it is only the ungrateful
cleric who despises and neglects those things which
have ever been the foundation of his honours.
Chapter 5.
The Complaint of Books against the
Possessioners.
74 The venerable devotion of the religious orders is
wont to be solicitous in the care of books and to
delight in their society, as if they were the only
riches. For some used to write them with their
own hands between the hours of prayer, and gave
to the making of books such intervals as they could
secure and the times appointed for the recreation of
the body. By whose labours there are resplendent
to-day in most monasteries these sacred treasuries
1 82 THE PHILOBIBLON
full of cherubic letters, for giving the knowledge of
salvation to the student and a delectable light to
75 the paths of the laity. O manual toil, happier
than any agricultural task ! O devout solicitude,
where neither Martha nor Mary deserves to be
rebuked ! O joyful house, in which the fruitful
Leah does not envy the beauteous Rachel, but
action and contemplation share each other's joys !
O happy charge, destined to benefit endless gene-
rations of posterity, with which no planting of trees,
no sowing of seeds, no pastoral delight in herds,
no building of fortified camps can be compared !
76 Wherefore the memory of those fathers should be
immortal, who delighted only in the treasures of
wisdom, who most laboriously provided shining
lamps against future darkness, and against hunger
of hearing the word of God most carefully prepared
not bread baked in the ashes, nor of barley, nor
musty, but unleavened loaves made of the finest
wheat of divine wisdom, with which hungry souls
77 might be joyfully fed. These men were the
stoutest champions of the Christian army, who
defended our weakness by their most valiant arms ;
they were in their time the most cunning takers
of foxes, who have left us their nets, that we might
catch the young foxes, who cease not to devour the
growing vines. Of a truth, noble fathers, worthy
of perpetual benediction, ye would have been
deservedly happy, if ye had been allowed to
beget offspring like yourselves, and to leave no
CHAPTER V. 183
degenerate or doubtful progeny for the benefit of
future times.
yS But, painful to relate, now slothful Thersites
handles the arms of Achilles and the choice trap-
pings of war-horses are spread upon lazy asses,
winking owls lord it in the eagle's nest, and the
cowardly kite sits upon the perch of the hawk.
Liber Bacchus is ever loved,
And is into their bellies shoved,
By day and by night ;
Liber Codex is neglected,
And with scornful hand rejected.
Far out of their sight.
79 And as if the simple monastic folk of modern
times were deceived by a confusion of names,
while Liber Fater is preferred to Liber Fatrum^
the study of the monks nowadays is in the
emptying of cups and not the emending of books ;
to which they do not hesitate to add the wanton
music of Timotheus, jealous of chastity, and thus
the song of the merrymaker and not the chant of the
80 mourner is become the office of the monks. Flocks
and fleeces, crops and granaries, leeks and pot-
herbs, drink and goblets, are nowadays the
reading and study of the monks, except a few
elect ones, in whom lingers not the image but
some slight vestige of the fathers that preceded
them. And again, no materials at all are furnished
us to commend the canons regular for their care
or study of us, who though they bear their name
184 TB-£ PHTLOBIBLON
of honour from their twofold rule, yet have
neglected the notable clause of Augustine's rule,
in which we are commended to his clergy in these
words : Let hooks be asked for each day at a gtvefi
hour ; he who asks for them after the hour is not to
81 receive the?n. Scarcely anyone observes this devout
rule of study after saying the prayers of the Church,
but to care for the things of this world and to look
at the plough that has been left is reckoned the
highest wisdom. They take up bow and quiver,
embrace arms and shield, devote the tribute of
alms to dogs and not to the poor, become the
slaves of dice and draughts, and of all such things
as we are wont to forbid even to the secular clergy,
so that we need not marvel if they disdain to look
upon us, whom they see so much opposed to their
mode of life.
82 Come then, reverend fathers, deign to recall
your fathers and devote yourselves more faithfully
to the study of holy books, without which all
religion will stagger, without which the virtue of
devotion will dry up like a sherd, and without
which ye can afford no light to the world.
CHAPTER VI. 185
Chapter 6.
The Complaint of Books against the
Mendicants.
^Z Poor in spirit but most rich in faith, offscourings
of the world and salt of the earth, despisers of the
world and fishers of men, how happy are ye, if
suffering penury for Christ ye know how to possess
your souls in patience ! For it is not want the
avenger of iniquity, nor the adverse fortune of
your parents, nor violent necessity that has thus
oppressed you with beggary, but a devout will and
Christ-like election, by which ye have chosen
that life as the best, which God Almighty made
man as well by word as by example declared to be
84 the best. In truth, ye are the latest offspring of
the ever-fruitful Church, of late divinely substituted
for the Fathers and the Prophets, that your sound
may go forth into all the earth, and that instructed
by our healthful doctrines ye may preach before
all kings and nations the invincible faith of Christ.
85 Moreover, that the faith of the Fathers is chiefly
enshrined in books the second chapter has suffi-
ciently shown, from which it is clearer than light
that ye ought to be zealous lovers of books above
all other Christians. Ye are commanded to sow
1 86 THE PHILOBIBLON
upon all waters, because the Most High is no
respecter of persons, nor does the Most Holy de-
sire the death of sinners, who offered himself to
die for them, but desires to heal the contrite in
heart, to raise the fallen, and to correct the perverse
86 in the spirit of lenity. For which most salutary
purpose our kindly Mother Church has planted
you freely, and having planted has watered you
with favours, and having watered you has estab-
lished you with privileges, that ye may be co-
workers with pastors and curates in procuring the
salvation of faithful souls. Wherefore, that the
order of Preachers was principally instituted for
the study of the Holy Scriptures and the salvation
of their neighbours, is declared by their constitutions,
so that not only from the rule of Bishop Augustine,
which directs books to be asked for every day, but
as soon as they have read the prologue of the said
constitutions they may know from the very title of
the same that they are pledged to the love of
books.
87 But alas ! a threefold care of superfluities, viz.,
of the stomach, of dress, and of houses, has seduced
these men and others following their example from
the paternal care of books, and from their study.
For forgetting the providence of the Saviour (who
is declared by the Psalmist to think upon the poor
and needy), they are occupied with the wants of the
perishing body, that their feasts may be splendid
and their garments luxurious, against the rule,
CHAPTER VI. 187
and the fabrics of their buildings, Hke the battle-
ments of castles, carried to a height incompatible
88 with poverty. Because of these three things, we
books, who have ever procured their advancement
and have granted them to sit among the powerful
and noble, are put far from their heart's affection
and are reckoned as superfluities ; except that they
rely upon some treatises of small value, from
which they derive strange heresies and apocryphal
imbecilities, not for the refreshment of souls, but
80 rather for tickling the ears of the listeners. The
holy scripture is not expounded, but is neglected
and treated as though it were commonplace and
known to all, though very few have touched its hem,
and though its depth is such, as Holy Augustine de-
clares, that it cannot be understood by the human
intellect, however long it may toil with the utmost
intensity of study. From this he who devotes
himself to it assiduously, if only He will vouch-
safe to open the door who has established the
spirit of piety, may unfold a thousand lessons of
moral teaching, which will flourish with the
freshest novelty and will cherish the intelligence
of the listeners with the most delightful savours.
no Wherefore the first professors of evangelical poverty,
after some slight homage paid to secular science,
collecting all their force of intellect, devoted them-
selves to labours upon the sacred scripture, medi-
tating day and night on the law of the Lord. And
whatever they could steal from their famishing
o
i88 THE PHILOBIBLON
beily, or intercept from their half-covered body,
they thought it the highest gain to spend in buying
or correcting books. Whose worldly contemporaries
observing their devotion and study, bestowed upon
them for the edification of the whole Church the
books which they had collected at great expense in
the various parts of the world.
91 In truth, in these days as ye are engaged with
all diligence in pursuit of gain, it may be reasonably
believed, if we speak according to human notions,
that God thinks less upon those whom he per-
ceives to distrust his promises, putting their hope
in human providence, not considering the raven,
nor the lilies, whom the Most High feeds and
arrays. Ye do not think upon Daniel and the
bearer of the mess of boiled pottage, nor recollect
Elijah who was delivered from hunger once in the
desert by angels, again in the torrent by ravens,
and again in Sarepta by the widow, through the
divine bounty, which gives to all flesh their meat
92 in due season. Ye descend (as we fear) by a
wretched anticlimax, distrust of the divine goodness
producing reliance upon your own prudence, and
reliance upon your own prudence begetting anxiety
about worldly things, and excessive anxiety about
worldly things taking away the love as well as the
study of books ; and thus poverty in these days is
abused to the injury of the word of God, which ye
have chosen only for profit's sake.
93 With summer fruit, as the people gossip, ye
CHAPTER VL 189
attract boys to religion, whom when they have
taken the vows ye do not instruct by fear and
force, as their age requires, but allow them to devote
themselves to begging expeditions, and suffer them
to spend the time, in which they might be learning,
in procuring the favour of friends, to the annoyance
of their parents, the danger of the boys, and the
detriment of the order. And thus no doubt it
happens that those who were not compelled to
learn as unwilling boys, when they grow up pre-
sume to teach though utterly unworthy and un-
learned, and a small error in the beginning becomes
94 a very great one in the end. For there grows up
among your promiscuous flock of laity a pestilent
multitude of creatures, who nevertheless the more
shamelessly force themselves into the office of
preaching, the less they understand what they are
saying, to the contempt of the Divine word and
95 the injury of souls. In truth against the law ye
plough with an ox and an ass together, in com-
mitting the cultivation of the Lord's field to learned
and unlearned. Side by side, it is written, the
oxen were ploughing and the asses feeding beside
them : since it is the duty of the discreet to preach,
but of the simple to feed themselves in silence by
the hearing of sacred eloquence. How many
stones ye fling upon the heap of Mercury nowa-
days ! How many marriages ye procure for the
eunuchs of wisdom ! How many blind watchmen
ye bid go round about the walls of the Church !
190 THE PHILOBIBLON
96 O idle fishermen, using only the nets of others,
which when torn it is all ye can do to clumsily
repair, but can net no new ones of your own ! ye
enter on the labours of others, ye repeat the
lessons of others, ye mouth with theatric effort
the superficially repeated wisdom of others. As
the silly parrot imitates the words that he has
heard, so such men are mere reciters of all,
but authors of nothing, imitating Balaam's ass,
which, though senseless of itself, yet became elo-
quent of speech and the teacher of its master
97 though a prophet. Recover yourselves, O poor in
Christ, and studiously regard us books, without
which ye can never be properly shod in the pre-
paration of the gospel of peace.
Paul the Apostle, preacher of the truth and
excellent teacher of the nations, for all his gear
bade three things to be brought to him by Timothy,
his cloak, books and parchments, affording an
example to ecclesiastics that they should w^ar
dress in moderation, and should have books for
aid in study, and parchments, which the Apostle
especially esteems, for writing : and especially, he
98 says, the parchments. And truly that clerk is
crippled and maimed to his disablement in many
v/ays, who is entirely ignorant of the art of writing.
He beats the air with words and edifies only those
who are present, but does nothing for the absent
and for posterity. The man bore a writer's ink-
horn upon his loins, who set a mark Tau upon the
CHAPTER VII. 191
foreheads of the men that sigh and cry, Ezechiel 9 ;
teaching in a figure that if any lack skill in writing,
he shall not undertake the task of preaching re-
pentance.
99 Finally, in conclusion of the present chapter,
books implore of you : make your young men who
though ignorant are apt of intellect apply them-
selves to study, furnishing them with necessaries,
that )'e may teach them not only goodness but
discipline and science, may terrify them by blows,
charm them by blandishments, mollify them by
gifts, and urge them on by painful rigour, so that they
may become at once Socratics in morals and Peri-
100 patetics in learning. Yesterday, as it were at the
eleventh hour, the prudent householder introduced
you into his vineyard. Repent of idleness before
it is too late : would that with the cunning steward
ye might be ashamed of begging so shamelessly ;
for then no doubt ye would devote yourselves
more assiduously to us books and to study.
Chapter 7.
The Complaint of Books against Wars.
1 01 Almighty Author and Lover of peace, scatter the
nations that delight in war, which is above all
plagues injurious to books. For wars being without
192 THE PHILOBIBLON
the control of reason make a wild assault on every-
thing they comes across, and lacking the check
of reason they push on without discretion or dis-
102 tinction to destroy the vessels of reason. Then
the wise Apollo becomes the Python's prey, and
Phronesis, the pious mother, becomes subject to
the power of Phrenzy. Then winged Pegasus is
shut up in the stall of Corydon, and eloquent
Mercury is strangled. Then wise Pallas is struck
down by the dagger of error, and the charming
Pierides are smitten by the truculent tyranny of
103 madness. O cruel spectacle ! where you may see
the Phoebus of philosophers, the all-wise Aristotle,
whom God himself made master of the master of
the v/orld, enchained by wicked hands and borne
in shameful irons on the shoulders of gladiators
from his sacred home. There you may see him who
was worthy to be lawgiver to the lawgiver of the
world and to hold empire over its emperor made
the slave of vile buffoons by the most unrighteous
104 laws of war. O most wicked power of darkness,
which does not fear to undo the approved divinity
of Plato, who alone was worthy to submit to the
view of the Creator, before he assuaged the strife
of warring chaos, and before form had put on its
garb of matter, the ideal types, in order to de-
monstrate the archetypal universe to its author, so
that the world of sense might be modelled after
the supernal pattern. O tearful sight ! where the
moral Socrates, whose acts were virtue and whose
CHAPTER VII . 19:
discourse was science, who deduced political jus-
tice from the principles of nature, is seen enslaved
105 to some rascal robber. We bemoan Pythagoras,
the parent of harmony, as, brutally scourged by the
harrying furies of war, he utters not a song but
the wailings of a dove. We mourn, too, for Zeno,
who lest he should betray his secret bit off his
tongue and fearlessly spat it out at the tyrant, and
now, alas ! is brayed and crushed to death in a
mortar by Diomedon.
106 In sooth we cannot mourn with the grief that
they deserve all the various books that have perished
by the fate of war in various parts of the world.
Yet we must tearfully recount the dreadful ruin
which was caused in Egypt by the auxiliaries in the
Alexandrian war, w^hen seven hundred thousand
volumes were consumed by fire. These volumes
had been collected by the royal Ptolemies through
long periods of time, as Aulus Gellius relates.
107 What an Atlantean progeny must be supposed to
have then perished : including the motions of the
spheres, all the conjunctions of the planets, the
nature of the galaxy, and the prognostic genera-
tions of comets, and all that exists in the heavens
or in the ether ! Who would not shudder at such
a hapless holocaust, where ink is offered up instead
of blood, where the glowing ashes of crackHng
parchment were encarnadined with blood, where
the devouring flames consumed so many thousands
of innocents in whose mouth was no guile, where
194 THE rmiOBIBLON
the unsparing fire turned into stinking ashes so
icS many shrines of eternal truth ? A lesser crime than
this is the sacrifice of Jephthah or Agamemnon,
where a pious daughter is slain by a father's sword.
How many labours of the famous Hercules shall we
suppose then perished, who because of his know-
ledge of astronomy is said to have sustained the
heaven on his unyielding neck, when Hercules
was now for the second time cast into the flames.
109 The secrets of the heavens, which Jonithus learnt
not from man or through man but received by
divine inspiration ; what his brother Zoroaster,
the servant of unclean spirits, taught the Bactrians ;
what holy Enoch, the prefect of Paradise, pro-
phesied before he was taken from the world, and
finally, what the first Adam taught his children of
the things to come, which he had seen when caught
up in an ecstasy in the book of eternity, are
believed to have perished in those horrid flames,
no The religion of the Egyptians, which the book
of the Perfect Word so commends ; the excellent
polity of the older Athens, which preceded by
nine thousand years the Athens of Greece ; the
charms of the Chaldceans ; the observations of the
Arabs and Indians ; the ceremonies of the Jews ;
the architecture of the Babylonians ; the agricul-
ture of Noah ; the magic arts of Moses ; the
geometry of Joshua; the enigmas of Samson ; the
problems of Solomon from the cedar of Lebanon
to the hyssop ; the antidotes of Aesculapius ; the
CHAPTER VII. 195
grammar of Cadmus ; the poems of Parnassus; the
oracles of Apollo ; the argonautics of Jason ; the
stratagems of Palamedes, and infinite other secrets
of science are believed to have perished at the
time of this conflagration.
111 Nay, Aristotle would not have missed the
quadrature of the circle, if only baleful conflicts
had spared the books of the ancients, who knew
all the methods of nature. He would not have
left the problem of the eternity of the world an
open question, nor, as is credibly conceived, would
he have had any doubts of the plurality of
human intellects and of their eternity, if the
perfect sciences of the ancients had not been
112 exposed to the calamities of hateful wars. For
by wars we are scattered into foreign lands, are
mutilated, wounded, and shamefully disfigured, are
buried under the earth and overwhelmed in the
sea, are devoured by the flames and destroyed by
every kind of death. How much of our blood was
shed by warlike Scipio, when he was eagerly com-
passing the overthrow of Carthage, the opponent
113 and rival of the Roman empire! How many
thousands of thousands of us did the ten years'
war of Troy dismiss from the light of day ! How
many were driven by Antony, after the murder of
Tully, to seek hiding places in foreign provinces !
How many of us were scattered by Thcodoric,
while Boethius was in exile, into the different
quarters of the world, Uke sheep whose shepherd
196 THE PHILOBIBLON
has been struck down ! How many, when Seneca
fell a victim to the cruelty of Nero, and willing yet
unwilling passed the gates of death, took leave of
him and retired in tears, not even knowing in what
quarter to seek for shelter !
114 Happy was that translation of books which
Xerxes is said to have made to Persia from
Athens, and which Seleucus brought back again
from Persia to Athens. O glad and joyful return !
O wondrous joy, which you might then see in
Athens, when the mother went in triumph to meet
her progeny, and again showed the chambers in
which they had been nursed to her now aging
children ! Their old homes were restored to their
former inmates, and forthwith boards of cedar with
shelves and beams of gopher wood are most
skilfully planed; inscriptions of gold and ivory
are designed for the several compartments, to
which the volumes themselves are reverently
brought and pleasantly arranged, so that no one
hinders the entrance of another or injures its
brother by excessive crowding.
115 But in truth infinite are the losses which have
been inflicted upon the race of books by wars and
tumults. And as it is by no means possible to
enumerate and survey infinity, we will here finally
set up the Gades of our complaint, and turn again
to the prayers with which we began, humbly im-
ploring that the Ruler of Olympus and the Most
High Governor of all the world will establish
CHAPTER VIIL 197
peace and dispel wars and make our days tranquil
under his protection.
Chapter 8.
Of the numerous Opportunities we have
had of collecting a store of Books.
1 16 Since to everything there is a season and an
opportunity, as the wise Ecclesiastes witnesseth,
let us now proceed to relate the manifold oppor-
tunities through which we have been assisted by
the divine goodness in the acquisition of books.
117 Although from our youth upwards we had always
delighted in holding social commune with learned
men and lovers of books, yet when we prospered
in the world and made acquaintance with the
King's majesty and were received into his house-
hold, we obtained ampler facilities for visiting
. everywhere as we would, and of hunting as it were
certain most choice preserves, libraries private as
well as public and of the regular as well as of the
118 secular clergy. And indeed while we filled various
offices to the victorious Prince and splendidly
triumphant King of England, Edward the Third
from the Conquest — whose reign may the Almighty
long and peacefully continue — first those about
his court, but then those concerning the public
198 THE PHILOBIBLON
affairs of his kingdom, namely the offices of
Chancellor and Treasurer, there was afforded to
us, in consideration of the royal favour, easy access
for the purpose of freely searching the retreats of
119 books. In fact, the fame of our love of them had
been soon winged abroad everywhere, and we were
reported to burn with such desire for books,
and especially old ones, that it was more easy for
any man to gain our favour by means of books
than of money. Wherefore, since supported by the
goodness of the aforesaid prince of worthy memory,
we were able to requite a man well or ill, to benefit
or injure mightily great as well as small, there
flowed in, instead of presents and guerdons, and
instead of gifts and jewels, soiled tracts and
battered codices, gladsome alike to our eye
120 and heart. Then the aumbries of the most
famous monasteries were thrown open, cases were
unlocked and caskets were undone, and volumes
that had slumbered through long ages in their
tombs wake up and are astonished, and those that
had lain hidden in dark places are bathed in the
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.
121 Natheless among these, seizing the opportunity,
CHAPTER VIII. 199
we would sit down with more delight than a fasti-
dious j)hysician among his stores of gums and
spices, and there we found the object and the stimu-
lus 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.
122 No wonder that when people saw that we were
contented with gifts of this kind, they were anxious
of their o\\ti 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 v/e
strove so to forward their affairs that gain accrued
to them, while justice suffered no disparagement.
123 Indeed, if we had loved gold an d 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 money-
scripts ; we loved codices more than florins, and
preferred slender pamphlets to pampered palfreys.
124 Besides all this, we v/ere frequently made ambas-
sador 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
125 which many waters could not quench. For this
like a delicious draught sweetened the bitterness of
20O THE PHILOBIBLON
our journey ings 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.
126 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 scholars ; there are lounges of Athens ;
walks of the Peripatetics ; peaks of Parnassus ; and
127 porches of the Stoics. There is seen the surveyor
of all arts and sciences Aristotle, to whom belongs
all that is most excellent in doctrine, so far as re-
lates to this passing sublunary world ; there Ptolemy
measures epicycles and eccentric apogees and the
nodes of the planets by figures and numbers ; there
Paul reveals the mysteries ; there his neighbour
Dionysius arranges and distinguishes the hierarchies;
128 there the virgin Carmentis reproduces in Latin
characters all that Cadmus collected in Phoenician
letters; there indeed opening our treasuries and
unfastening our purse-strings we scattered money
with joyous heart and purchased inestimable books
129 with mud and sand. It is naught, it is naught,
saith every buyer. But in vain ; for behold how
CHAPTER VIIL 201
good and how pleasant it is to gather together the
arms of the clerical warfare, that we may have the
means to crush the attacks of heretics, if they arise.
130 Further, we are aware that we obtained most
excellent opportunities of collecting in the following
way. From our early years we attached to our
society with the most exquisite solicitude and
discarding all partiality all such masters and
scholars and professors in the several faculties
as had become most distinguished by their
subtlety of mind and the fame of their learning.
Deriving consolation from their sympathetic con-
versation, we were delightfully entertained, now by
demonstrative chains of reasoning, now by the
recital of physical processes and the treatises of
the doctors of the Church, now by stimulating
discourses on the allegorical meanings of things, as
131 by a rich and well-varied intellectual feast. Such
men we chose as comrades in our years of learning,
as companions in our chamber, as associates on
our journeys, as guests at our table, and, in short,
as helpmates in all the vicissitudes of life. But as
no happiness is permitted to endure for long, we were
sometimes deprived of the bodily companionship of
some of these shining lights, when justice looking
down from heaven, the ecclesiastical preferments
and dignities that they deserved fell to their portion.
And thus it happened, as was only right, that in
attending to their own cures they were obliged
to absent themselves from attendance upon us.
202 THE PHILOBIBLON
132 We will add yet another very convenient way by
which a great multitude of books old as well as new
came into our hands. For we never regarded with
disdain or disgust the poverty of the mendicant
orders, adopted for the sake of Christ ; but in all
parts of the world took them into the kindly arms
of our compassion, allured them by the most
friendly familiarity into devotion to ourselves, and
having so allured them cherished them with muni-
ficent liberality of beneficence for the sake of God,
becoming benefactors of all of them in general in
such wise that we seemed none the less to have
adopted certain individuals with a special fatherly
133 affection. To these men we were as a refuge in
every case of need, and never refused to them the
shelter of our favour, wherefore we deserved to find
them most special furtherers of our wishes and
promoters thereof in act and deed, who compass-
ing land and sea, traversing the circuit of the
world, and ransacking the universities and high
schools of various provinces, were zealous in
combatting for our desires, in the sure and
134 certain hope of reward. What leveret could
escape amidst so many keen-sighted hunters ?
What little fish could evade in turn their hooks
and nets and snares ? From the body of the
Sacred Law down to the booklet containing the
fallacies of yesterday, nothing could escape these
searchers. Was some devout discourse uttered
at the fountain-head of Christian faith, the holy
CHAPTER VI 11, 203
Roman Curia, or was some strange question
ventilated with novel arguments ; did the solidity
of Paris, which is now more zealous in the study of
antiquity than in the subtle investigation of truth,
did English subtlety, which illumined by the lights
of former times i's always sending forth fresh rays
of truth, produce anything to the advancement of
science or the declaration of the faith, this was
instantly poured still fresh into our ears, ungarbled
by any babbler, unmutilated by any trifler, but
passing straight from the purest of vvune-presses
into the vats of our memory to be clarified.
135 But whenever it happened that we turned aside
to the cities and places where the mendicants v/e
have mentioned had their convents, we did not
disdain to visit their libraries and any other re-
positories of books ; nay, there we found heaped up
amid the utmost poverty the utmost riches of
wisdom. We discovered in their fardels and baskets
not only crumbs falling from the masters' table for
the dogs, but the shevvbread without leaven and
the bread of angels having in it all that is delicious ;
and indeed the garners of Joseph full of corn,
and all the spoil of the Egyptians and the very pre-
cious gifts which Queen Sheba brought to Solomon.
136 These men are as ants ever preparing their meat
in the summer, and ingenious bees continually
fabricating cells of honey. They are successors
of Bezeleel in devising all manner of work-
manship in silver and gold and precious stones
p
204 THE PHILOBIBLON
for decorating the temple of the Church. They
are cunning embroiderers, who fashion the breast-
plate and ephod of the high priest and all the
various vestments of the priests. They fashion
the curtains of linen and hair and coverings of
ram's skins dyed red with which to adorn the
tabernacle of the Church militant. They are
husbandmen that sow, oxen treading out corn,
sounding trumpets, shining Pleiades and stars
remaining in their courses, which cease not to fight
137 against Sisera. And to pay due regard to truth,
without prejudice to the judgment of any, although
they lately at the eleventh hour have entered the
lord's vineyard, as the books that are so fond of
us eagerly declared in our sixth chapter, they have
added more in this brief hour to the stock of
the sacred books than all the other vine-dressers ;
following in the footsteps of Paul, the last to be
called but the first in preaching, who spread the
138 gospel of Christ more widely than all others. Of
these men, when we were raised to the episcopate
we had several of both orders, viz. the Preachers
and Minors, as personal attendants and com-
panions at our board, men distinguished no less
in letters than in morals, who devoted themselves
with unwearied zeal to the correction, exposition,
tabulation and compilation of various volumes.
139 But although we have acquired a very numerous
store of ancient as well as modern works by the
manifold intermediation of the religious, yet we
CHAPTER VIIL 205
must laud the Preachers with special praise, in that
we have found them above all the religious most
freelycommunicativeof their stores without jealousy,
and proved them to be imbued with an almost
divine liberality, not greedy but fitting possessors of
luminous wisdom.
Besides all the opportunities mentioned above,
we secured the acquaintance of stationers and
booksellers, not only within our own country, but of
those spread over the realms of France, Germany,
and Italy, money flying forth in abundance to an-
ticipate their demands ; nor were they hindered by
any distance or by the fury of the seas, or by the
lack of means for their expenses, from sending or
bringing to us the books that we required. For
they well knew that their expectations of our
bounty would not be defrauded, but that ample
repayment with usury was to be found with us.
Nor, finally, did our good-fellowship, which aimed
to captivate the afl'ection of all, overlook the rectors
of schools and the instructors of rude boys. But
rather, when we had an opportunity, we entered
their little plots and gardens and gathered sweet-
smelling flowers from the surface and dug up their
roots, obsolete indeed, but still useful to the student,
which might when their rank barbarism was di-
gested heal the pectoral arteries with the gift of elo-
quence. Amongst the mass of these things we found
some greatly meriting to be restored, which when
skilfully cleansed and freed from the disfiguring
2o6 THE PHILOBIBLON
rust of age, deserved to be renovated into comeli-
ness of aspect. And applying in full measure the
necessary means, as a type of the resurrection to
come, we resuscitated them and restored them
again to new life and health.
143 Moreover, we had always in our different manors
no small multitude of copyists and scribes, of
binders, correctors, illuminators, and generally of
all who could usefully labour in the service of
books. Finally, all of both sexes and of every rank
or position who had any kind of association with
books, could most easily open by their knocking
the door of our heart, and find a fit resting-place in
144 our affection and favour. In so much did we
receive those who brought books, that the multitude
of those who had preceded them did not lessen
the welcome of the after-comers, nor were the
favours we had awarded yesterday prejudicial to
those of to-day. Wherefore, ever using all the
persons we have named as a kind of magnets to
attract books, we had the desired accession of
the vessels of science and a multitudinous flight of
the finest volumes.
And this is what we undertook to narrate in the
present chapter.
CHAPTER IX. 207
Chapter 9.
How although we preferred the Works of
the Ancients we have not condemned
the Studies of the Moderns.
145 Although the novelties of the moderns were
never disagreeable to our desires, who have always
cherished with grateful affection those who devote
themselves to study and who add anything either
ingenious or useful to the opinions of our fore-
fathers, yet we have always desired with more
undoubting avidity to investigate the well-tested
labours of the ancients. For whether they had
by nature a greater vigour of mental sagacity, or
whether they perhaps indulged in closer application
to study, or whether they were assisted in their
progress by both these things, one thing we are
perfectly clear about, that their successors are
barely capable of discussing the discoveries of their
forerunners, and of acquiring those things as pupils
which the ancients dug out by difficult efforts of
146 discovery. For as we read that the men of old
were of a more excellent degree of bodily develop-
ment than modern times are found to produce, it
is by no means absurd to suppose that most of the
ancients were distinguished by brighter faculties,
2o8 THE rniLOBIBLON
seeing that in the labours they accomphshed of
both kinds they are inimitable by posterity. And
so Phocas writes in the prologue to his Grammar ;
Since all things have been said by men of sense,
The only novelty is — to condense.
147 But in truth, if we speak of fervour of learning
and diligence in study, they gave up all their lives
to philosophy ; while nowadays our contemporaries
carelessly spend a few years of hot youth, alternating
with the excesses of vice, and when the passions
have been calmed, and they have attained the
capacity of discerning truth so difficult to discover,
they soon become involved in worldly affairs and
retire, bidding farewell to the schools of philosophy,
148 They offer the fuming must of their youthful
intellect to the difficulties of philosophy, and
bestow the clearer wine upon the money-making
business of Hfe. Further, as Ovid in the first book
of the De Vetula justly complains :
The hearts of all men after gold asph^e ;
Few study to be wise, more to acquire :
Thus, Science ! all thy virgin charms are sold.
Whose chaste embraces should disdain their gold.
Who seek not thee thyself, but pelf through thee.
Longing for riches, not philosophy.
And further on i
Thus Philosophy is seers
Exiled, and Philopecuny is queen.
\
CHAPTER IX. 209
which is known to be the most violent poison of
learning.
149 How the ancients indeed regarded life as the
only limit of study, is shown by Valerius, in his
book addressed to Tiberius, by many examples.
Carneades, he says, was a laborious and lifelong
soldier of wisdom : after he had lived ninety years,
the same day put an end to his life and his philo-
sophizing. Isocrates in his ninety- fourth year
wrote a most noble work. Sophocles did the
same when nearly a hundred years old. Simonides
wrote poems in his eightieth year. Aulus Gellius
did not desire to live longer than he should be able
to write, as he says himself in the prologue to the
Nodes Atticce.
150 The fervour of study which possessed Euclid the
Socratic, Taurus the philosopher used to relate to
incite young men to study, as GeUius tells in the
book we have mentioned. For the Athenians,
hating the people of IMegara, decreed that if any
of the Megarensians entered Athens, he should be
put to death. Then Euclid, who was a Megaren-
sian, and had attended the lectures of Socrates
before this decree, disguising himself in a woman's
dress, used to go from IMegara to Athens by night
to hear Socrates, a distance of twenty miles and
151 back. Imprudent and excessive was the fervour
of Archimedes, a lover of geometry, who would
not declare his name, nor lift his head from the
diagram he had drawn, by which he might have
210 THE PIIILOBIBLON
prolonged his life, but thinking more of study than
of life dyed with his life-blood the figure he was
studying.
152 There are very many such examples of our
proposition, but the brevity we aim at does not
allow us to recall them. But, painful to relate,
the clerks who are famous in these days pursue a
very different course. Afflicted with ambition in
their tender years, and slightly fastening to their
untried arms the Icarian wings of presumption,
they prematurely snatch the master's cap; and mere
boys become unworthy professors of the several
faculties, through which they do not make their
way step by step, but like goats ascend by leaps
and bounds ; and having slightly tasted of the
mighty stream, they think that they have drunk
it dry, though their throats are hardly moistened.
153 And because they are not grounded in the first
rudiments at the fitting time, they build a tottering
edifice on an unstable foundation, and now that
they have grown up, they are ashamed to learn
what they ought to have learned while young, and
thus they are compelled to suffer for ever for too
hastily jumping at dignities they have not deserved.
154 For these and the like reasons the tyros in the
schools do not attain to the solid learning of the
ancients in a few short hours of study, although
they may enjoy distinctions, may be accorded titles,
be authorized by official robes, and solemnly in-
stalled in the chairs of the elders. Just snatched
CHAPTER IX. 211
from the cradle and hastily weaned, they mouth the
rules of Priscian and Donatus ; while still beardless
boys they gabble with childish stammering the
Categories and Peri Hermeneias, in the writing of
which the great Aristotle is said to have dipped
155 his pen in his heart's blood. Passing through
these faculties with baneful haste and a harmful
diploma, they lay violent hands upon Moses, and
sprinkling about their faces dark waters and thick
clouds of the skies, they offer their heads, un-
honoured by the snows of age, for the mitre of
the pontificate. This pest is greatly encouraged,
and they are helped to attain this fantastic clericate
with such nimble steps, by Papal provisions ob-
tained by insidious prayers, and also by the prayers,
which may not be rejected, of cardinals and great
men, by the cupidity of friends and relatives, who
building up Sion in blood, secure ecclesiastical
dignities for their nephews and pupils, before they
are seasoned by the course of nature or ripeness of
learning.
156 Alas! by the same disease which we are de-
ploring, we see that the Palladium of Paris has
been carried off in these sad times of ours, wherein
the zeal of that noble university, whose rays once
shed light into every corner of the world, has
grown lukewarm, nay, is all but frozen. There
the pen of every scribe is now at rest, generations
of books no longer succeed each other, and there is
none who begins to take place as a new author.
212 THE PHILOBIBLON
They wrap up their doctrines in unskilled discourse,
and are losing all propriety of logic, except that
our English subtleties, which they denounce in
public, are the subject of their furtive vigils.
157 Admirable Minerva seems to bend her course to
all the nations of the earth, and reacheth from end
to end mightily, that she may reveal herself to all
mankind. We see that she has already visited the
Indians, the Babylonians, the Egyptians and Greeks,
the Arabs and the Romans, Now she has passed
by Paris, and now has happily come to Britain, the
most noble of islands, nay, rather a microcosm in
itself, that she may show herself a debtor both to
the Greeks and to the Barbarians. At which
wondrous sight it is conceived by most men, that
as philosophy is now lukewarm in France, so her
soldiery are unmanned and languishing.
Chapter 10.
Of the Gradual Perfecting of Books.
28 While assiduously seeking out the wisdom of the
men of old, according to the counsel of the Wise
Man (Eccli. 39) : The wise man, he says, will seek
out the wisdom of all the ancients, we have not
thought fit to be misled into the opinion that the
CHAPTER X. 213
first founders of the arts have purged away all
crudeness, knowing that the discoveries of each of
the faithful, when weighed in a faithful balance,
makes a tiny portion of science, but that by the
anxious investigations of a multitude of scholars,
each as it were contributing his share, the
mighty bodies of the sciences have grown by
successive augmentations to the immense bulk
that we now behold. For the disciples continually
melting down the doctrines of their masters, and
passing them again through the furnace, drove off
the dross that had been previously overlooked,
until there came out refined gold tried in a fur-
nace of earth, purified seven times to perfection,
and stained by no admixture of error or doubt.
159 For not even Aristotle, although a man of
gigantic intellect, in whom it pleased Nature to
try how much of reason she could bestow upon
mortahty, and whom the Most High made only a
little lower than the angels, sucked from his own
fingers those wonderful volumes which the whole
world can hardly contain. But, on the contrary,
with lynx-eyed penetration he had seen through
the sacred books of the Hebrews, the Babylonians,
the Egyptians, the Chaldcxans, the Persians and
the Medes, all of which learned Greece had trans-
i6oferred into her treasuries. Whose true sayings
he received, but smoothed away their crudities,
pruned their superfluities, supplied their deficiencies,
and removed their errors. And he held that we
214 THE PHILOBIBLON
should give thanks not only to those who teach
rightly, but even to those who err, as affording the
way of more easily investigating truth, as he plainly
declares in the second book of his Metaphysics.
Thus many learned lawyers contributed to the
Pandects, many physicians to the Tegni, and it
was by this means that Avicenna edited his Canon,
and Pliny his great work on Natural History, and
Ptolemy the Almagest.
i6i For as in the writers of annals it is not difficult
to see that the later writer always presupposes the
earlier, without whom he could by no means relate
the former times, so too we are to think of the
authors of the sciences. For no man by himself
has brought forth any science, since between the
earhest students and those of the latter time we
find intermediaries, ancient if they be compared
with our own age, but modern if we think of the
foundations of learning, and these men we consider
162 the most learned. What would Vergil, the chief
poet among the Latins, have achieved, if he had
not despoiled Theocritus, Lucretius, and Homer,
and had not ploughed with their heifer ? What,
unless again and again he had read somewhat of
Parthenius and Pindar, whose eloquence he could
by no means imitate ? What could Sallust, TuUy,
Boethius, Macrobius, Lactantius, Martianus, and in
short the whole troop of Latin writers, have done,
if they had not seen the productions of Athens or
163 the volumes of the Greeks? Certes, Httle would
CHAPTER X. 215
Jerome, master of three languages, Ambrosius,
Augustine, though he confesses that he hated
Greek, or even Gregory, who is said to have been
wholly ignorant of it, have contributed to the
doctrine of the Church, if more learned Greece had
not furnished them from its stores. As Rome,
watered by the streams of Greece, had earlier
brought forth philosophers in the image of the
Greeks, in like fashion afterwards it produced
doctors of the orthodox faith. The creeds we
chant are the sweat of Grecian brows, pro-
mulgated by their Councils, and established by
the martyrdom of many.
164 Yet their natural slowness, as it happens, turns
to the glory of the Latins, since as they \vere
less learned in their studies, so they were less per-
verse in their errors. In truth, the Arian heresy
had all but eclipsed the whole Church; the
Nestorian wickedness presumed to rave with
blasphemous rage against the Virgin, for it would
have robbed the Queen of Heaven, not in open
fight but in disputation, of her name and cha-
racter as Mother of God, unless the invincible
champion Cyril, ready to do single battle, with
the help of the Council of Ephesus, had in ve-
165 hemence of spirit utterly extinguished it. Innu-
merable are the forms as well as the authors of
Greek heresies ; for as they were the original cul-
tivators of our holy faith, so too they were the first
sowers of tares, as is shown by veracious history.
2i6 THE PHILOBIBLON
And thus they went on from bad to worse, because
in endeavouring to part the seamless vesture of
the Lord, they totally destroyed primitive sim-
plicity of doctrine, and blinded by the darkness of
novelty would fall into the bottomless pit, unless
He provide for them in his inscrutable prerogative,
whose wisdom is past reckoning.
1 66 Let this suffice; for here we reach the limit of
our power of judgment. One thing, however, we
conclude from the premises, that the ignorance of
the Greek tongue is now a great hindrance to the
study of the Latin writers, since without it the
doctrines of the ancient authors, whether Christian
or Gentile, cannot be understood. And we must
come to a like judgment as to Arabic in numerous
astronomical treatises, and as to Hebrew as regards
the text of the Holy Bible, which deficiencies indeed
Clement V. provides for, if only the bishops would
faithfully observe what they so lightly decree.
167 Wherefore we have taken care to provide a Greek
as well as a Hebrew grammar for our scholars,
with certain other aids, by the help of which
studious readers may greatly inform themselves in
the writing, reading, and understanding of the said
tongues, although only the hearing of them can
teach correctness of idiom.
f.l
CHAPTER XL 217
Chapter ii.
Why we have preferred Books of Liberal
Learning to Books of Law,
168 That lucrative practice of positive law, designed
for the dispensation of earthly things, the more
useful it is found by the children of this world,
so much the less does it aid the children of
light in comprehending the mysteries of holy writ
and the secret sacraments of the faith, seeing that
it disposes us peculiarly to the friendship of the
world, by which man, as S. James testifies, is
made the enemy of God. Law indeed encourages
rather than extinguishes the contentions of man-
kind, which are the result of unbounded greed,
by complicated laws, which can be turned either
way ; though we know that it was created by
jurisconsults and pious princes for the purpose
160 of assuaging these contentions. But in truth, as
the same science deals with contraries, and the
power of reason can be used to opposite ends,
and at the same time the human mind is more
inclined to evil, it happens with the practisers of
this science that they usually devote themselves
to promoting contention rather than peace, and
instead of quoting laws according to the intent of
2i8 THE PHILOBIBLON
the legislator, violently strain the language thereof
to effect their own purposes.
170 Wherefore, although the over-mastering love of
books has possessed our mind from boyhood, and
to rejoice in their delights has been our only
pleasure, yet the appetite for the books of the
civil law took less hold of our affections, and we
have spent but little labour and expense in
acquiring volumes of this kind. For they are
useful only as the scorpion in treacle, as Aristotle,
the sun of science, has said of logic in his book
171 DePomo. We have noticed a certain manifest dif-
ference of nature between law and science, in that
every science is delighted and desires to open its
inward parts and display the very heart of its
principles, and to show forth the roots from which
it buds and flourishes, and that the emanation of
its springs may be seen of all men ; for thus from
the cognate and harmonious light of the truth of
conclusion to principles, the whole body of science
172 will be full of light, having no part dark. But laws,
on the contrary, since they are only human enact-
ments for the regulation of social life, or the yokes
of princes thrown over the necks of their subjects, re-
fuse to be brought to the standard of synteresis, the
origin of equity, because they feel that they possess
more of arbitrary will than rational judgment.
Wherefore the judgment of the wise for the most
part is that the causes of laws are not a fit subject
1 73 of discussion. In truth, many laws acquire force by
CHAPTER XIL 219
mere custom, not by syllogistic necessity, like
the arts : as Aristotle, the Phcebus of the Schools,
urges in the second book of the Politics, where
he confutes the policy of Hippodamus, which
holds out rewards to the inventors of new laws,
because to abrogate old laws and establish new
ones is to vv'eaken the force of those which exist.
For whatever receives its stability from use
alone must necessarily be brought to nought by
disuse.
174 From which it is seen clearly enough, that as
laws are neither arts nor sciences, so books of law
cannot properly be called books of art or science.
Nor is this faculty which we may call by a special
term geologia^ or the earthly science, to be properly
numbered among the sciences. Now the books of
the liberal arts are so useful to the divine writings,
that without their aid the intellect would vainly
aspire to understand them.
Chapter 12.
Why we have caused Books of Grammar
to be so diligently prepared.
175 While we were constantly delighting ourselves with
the reading of books, which it was our custom to read
or have read to us every day, we noticed plainly
Q
220 THE nilLOBIBLON
how much the defective knowledge even of a single
word hinders the understanding, as the meaning
of no sentence can be apprehended, if any part of
176 it be not understood. "Wherefore we ordered the
meanings of foreign words to be noted -with
particular care, and studied the orthography,
prosody, etymology, and syntax in ancient gram-
marians with unrelaxing carefulness, and took
pains to elucidate terms that had grown too obscure
by age with suitable explanations, in order to make
a smooth path for our students.
177 This is the whole reason why we took care to re-
place the antiquated volumes of the grammarians
by improved codices, that we might make royal
roads, by which our scholars in time to come might
attain without stumbling to any science.
Chapter 13.
Why we have not wholly neglected the
Fables of the Poets.
178 All the varieties of attack directed against the
poets by the lovers of naked truth may be repelled
by a two-fold defence : either that even in an
unseemly subject-matter we may learn a charming
fashion of speech, or that where a fictitious but
becoming subject is handled, natural or historical
CHAPTER XII I. 221
truth is pursued under the guise of allegorical
fiction.
179 Although it is true that all men naturally desire
knowledge, yet they do not all take the same
pleasure in learning. On the contrary, when they
have experienced the labour of study and find
their senses wearied, most men inconsiderately fling
away the nut, before they have broken the shell
and reached the kernel. For man is naturally fond
of two things, namely, freedom from control and
some pleasure in his activity ; for which reason no
one without reason submits himself to the control
of others, or willingly engages in any tedious task.
180 For pleasure crowns activity, as beauty is a crown
to youth, as Aristotle truly asserts in the tenth
book of the Ethics. Accordingly the wisdom of the
ancients devised a remedy by which to entice the
wanton minds of men by a kind of pious fraud,
the delicate Minerva secretly lurking beneath the
181 mask of pleasure. We are wont to allure chil-
dren by rewards, that they may cheerfully learn
what we force them to study even though they
are unwilling. For our fallen nature does not
tend to virtue with the same enthusiasm with
which it rushes into vice. Horace has expressed
this for us in a brief verse of the Ars Poetica, where
he says :
All poets sing to profit or delight.
And he has plainly intimated the same thing
222 THE PHILOBIBLON
in another verse of the same book, where he
says :
He hits the mark, who mingles joy with use.
182 How many students of Euclid have been repelled
by the Pons Asinonifn, as by a lofty and preci-
pitous rock, which no help of ladders could enable
them to scale ! This is a hard saying, they exclaim,
and who can receive it. The child of inconstancy, who
ended by wishing to be transformed into an ass,
would perhaps never have given up the study of
philosophy, if she had met him in friendly guise
veiled under the cloak of pleasure ; but anon,
astonished by Crato's chair and struck dumb by
his endless questions, as by a sudden thunderbolt,
he saw no refuge but in flight.
183 So much we have alleged in defence of the
poets ; and now we proceed to show that those who
study them with proper intent are not to be con-
demned in regard to them. For our ignorance of
one single word prevents the understanding of a
whole long sentence, as was assumed in the pre-
vious chapter. As now the sayings of the saints
frequently allude to the inventions of the poets, it
must needs happen that through our not knowing
the poem referred to, the whole meaning of the
author is completely obscured, and assuredly, as
Cassiodorus says in his book Of the Institutes of
Sacred Literature: Those things are not to be
considered trifles without which great things cannot
come to pass. It follows therefore that through
CHAPTER XII I. 22
J
ignorance of poetry we do not understand Jerome,
Augustine, Boethius, Lactantius, Sidonius, and very-
many others, a catalogue of whom would more than
fill a long chapter.
184 The Venerable Bede has very clearly discussed
and determined this doubtful point, as is related
by that great compiler Gratian, the repeater of
numerous authors, who is as confused in form as
he was eager in collecting matter for his compilation.
Now he writes in his 37th section: Some read
secular literature for pleasure, taking delight in the
inventions and elegant language of the poets ; but
others study this literature for the sake of scholar-
ship, that by their reading they may learn to detest
the errors of the Gentiles and may devoutly apply
what they find useful in them to the use of sacred
learning. Such men study secular literature in a
laudable manner. So far Bede.
185 Taking this salutary instruction to heart, let the
detractors of those v»^ho study the poets henceforth
hold their peace, and let not those who are igno-
rant of these things require that others should be
as ignorant as themselves, for this is the consolation
of the wretched. And therefore let every man see
that his own intentions are upright, and he may thus
make of any subject, observing the Hmitations of
virtue, a study acceptable to God. And if he have
found profit in poetry, as the great Virgil relates
that he had done in Ennius, he will not have done
amiss.
224 THE nriLOBIBLON
Chapter 14.
Who ought to be special Lovers of
Books.
186 To him who recollects what has been said before,
it is plain and evident who ought to be the chief
lovers of books. For those who have most need
of wusdom in order to perform usefully the duties
of their position, they are without doubt most
especially bound to show more abundantly to the
sacred vessels of wisdom the anxious affection of a
grateful heart. Now it is the office of the wise
man to order rightly both himself and others, ac-
cording to the Phcebus of philosophers, Aristotle,
who deceives not nor is deceived in human things.
^Vherefore princes and prelates, judges and doctors,
and all other leaders of the commonwealth, as
more than others they have need of wisdom, so
more than others ought they to show zeal for the
vessels of wisdom.
187 Boethius indeed beheld Philosophy bearing a
sceptre in her left hand and books in her right, by
which it is evidently shown to all men that no one
can rightly rule a commonwealth without books.
Thou, says Boethius, speaking to Philosophy, hast
sanctioned this saying by the mouth of Plato, that
CHAPTER XIV. 225
states would be happy, if they were ruled by
students of philosophy, or if their rulers would
study philosophy. And again, we are taught by the
very gesture of the figure that in so far as the right
hand is better than the left, so far the contempla-
tive life is more worthy than the active life ; and at
the same time we are shown that the business of
the wise man is to devote himself by turns ; now to
the study of truth, and now to the dispensation of
temporal things.
188 We read that Philip thanked the Gods devoutly
for having granted that Alexander should be born
in the time of Aristotle, so that educated under his
instruction he might be worthy to rule his father's
empire. While Phaeton unskilled in driving becomes
the charioteer of his father's car, he unhappily
distributes to mankind the heat of Phoebus, now
by excessive nearness, and now by withdrawing it
too far, and so, lest all beneath him should be im-
perilled by the closeness of his driving, justly de-
served to be struck by the thunderbolt.
189 The history of the Greeks as well as Romans
shows that there were no famous princes among
them who were devoid of literature. The sacred
law of Moses in prescribing to the king a rule of
government, enjoins him to have a copy made of
the book of Divine law (Deut. xvii.) according to
the copy shown by the priests, in which he was to
read all the days of his life. Certes, God himself,
who hath made and who fashioneth every day the
226 THE PHILOBIBLON
hearts of everyone of us, knows the feebleness of
human memory and the instability of virtuous in-
190 tentions in mankind. Wherefore he has willed that
books should be as it were an antidote to all evil,
the reading and use of which he has commanded
to be the healthful daily nourishment of the soul,
so that by them the intellect being refreshed and
neither weak nor doubtful should never hesitate in
action. This subject is elegantly handled by John
of Salisbury in his Polkraticon. In conclusion, all
classes of men who are conspicuous by the tonsure
or the sign of clerkship, against whom books lifted
up their voices in the fourth, fifth, and sixth chap-
ters, are bound to serve books with perpetual
veneration.
Chapter 15.
Of the advantages of the love of Books.
191 It transcends the power of human intellect, how-
ever deeply it may have drunk of the Pegasean
fount, to develop fully the title of the present
chapter. Though one should speak with the
tongue of men and angels, though he should be-
come a Mercury or Tully, though he should grow
sweet with the milky eloquence of Livy, yet he will
plead the stammering of Moses, or with Jeremiah
will confess that he is but a boy and cannot speak,
CHAPTER XV. 227
or will imitate Echo rebounding from the moun-
tains. For we know that the love of books is the
same thing as the love of wisdom, as was proved in
192 the second chapter. Now this love is called by
the Greek word philosophy^ the whole virtue of
which no created intelligence can comprehend ; for
she is believed to be the mother of all good things :
Wisdom, 7. She as a heavenly dew extinguishes
the heats of fleshly vices, the intense activity of
the mental forces relaxing the vigour of the animal
forces, and slothfulness being wholly put to flight,
which being gone all the bows of Cupid are un-
strung.
1 93 Hence Plato says in the Phaedo : The philosopher
is manifest in this, that he dissevers the soul from
communion with the body. Love, says Jerome,
the knowledge of the scriptures and thou wilt not
love the vices of the flesh. The godlike Xeno-
crates showed this by the firmness of his reason,
who was declared by the famous hetaera Phryne to
be a statue and not a man, when all her blandish-
ments could not shake his resolve, as Valerius
Maximus relates at length. Our own Origen
showed this also, who chose rather to be unsexed
by the mutilation of himself, than to be made
effeminate by the omnipotence of woman — though
it was a hasty remedy, repugnant alike to nature
and to virtue, whose place it is not to make men
insensible to passion, but to slay with the dagger
of reason the passions that spring from instinct.
228 THE PHILOBIBLON
194 Again, all who are smitten with the love of books
think cheaply of the world and wealth ; as Jerome
says to Vigilantius : The same man cannot love
both gold and books. And thus it has been said
in verse :
No iron-stained hand is fit to handle books,
Nor he whose heart on gold so gladly looks ;
The same men love not books and money both,
And books thy herd, O Epicurus, loathe ;
Misers and bookmen make poor company.
Nor dwell in peace beneath the same roof-tree.
No man, therefore, can serve both books and
Mammon.
195 The hideousness of vice is greatly reprobated in
books, so that he who loves to commune with
books is led to detest all manner of vice. The
demon, who derives his name from knowledge,
is most effectually defeated by the knowledge of
books, and through books his multitudinous deceits
and the endless labyrinths of his guile are laid bare
to those who read, lest he be transformed into an
angel of light and circumvent the innocent by his
wiles. The reverence of God is revealed to us by
books, the virtues by which He is worshipped are
more expressly manifested, and the rewards are
described that are promised by the truth, which
196 deceives not, neither is deceived. The truest
likeness of the beatitude to come is the con-
templation of the sacred writings, in which we
behold in turn the Creator and the creature, and
CHAPTER XV. 229
draw from streams of perpetual gladness. Faith
is established by the power of books ; hope is
strengthened by their solace, insomuch that by
patience and the consolation of scripture we are
in good hope. Charity is not puffed up, but is
edified by the knowledge of true learning, and
indeed it is clearer than light that the Church is
established upon the sacred writings.
197 Books delight us, when prosperity smiles upon
us ; they comfort us inseparably when stormy
fortune frowns on us. They lend validity to
human compacts, and no serious judgments are
propounded without their help. Arts and sciences,
all the advantages of which no mind can enume-
rate, consist in books. How highly must we
estimate the wondrous power of books, since
through them we survey the utmost bounds of
the world and time, and contemplate the things
that are as well as those that are not, ^s it were in
198 the mirror of eternity. In books we climb moun-
tains and scan the deepest gulfs of the abyss ; in
books we behold the finny tribes that may not
exist outside their native waters, distinguish the
properties of streams and springs and of various
lands; from books we dig out gems and metals
and the materials of every kind of mineral,
and learn the virtues of herbs and trees and
plants, and survey at will the whole progeny of
Neptune, Ceres, and Pluto.
199 But if we please to visit the heavenly inhabi-
230 THE PHILOBIBLON
tants, Taurus, Caucasus, and Olympus are at hand,
from which we pass beyond the realms of Juno and
mark out the territories of the seven planets by
lines and circles. And finally we traverse the
loftiest firmament of all, adorned with signs, de-
grees, and figures in the utmost variety. There
we inspect the antarctic pole, which eye hath not
seen, nor ear heard; we admire the luminous
Milky way and the Zodiac, marvellously and
200 delightfully pictured with celestial animals. Thence
by books we pass on to separate substances, that
the intellect may greet kindred intelligences, and
with the mind's eye may discern the First Cause
of all things and the Unmoved Mover of infinite
virtue, and may immerse itself in love without
end. See how with the aid of books we attain
the reward of our beatitude, while we are yet
sojourners below.
201 Why need we say more? Certes, just as we
have learnt on the authority of Seneca, leisure
without letters is death and the sepulture of the
living, so contrariwise we conclude that occupa-
tion with letters or books is the life of man.
202 Again, by means of books we communicate to
friends as well as foes what we cannot safely en-
trust to messengers ; since the book is generally
allowed access to the chambers of princes, from
which the voice of its author would be rigidly
excluded, as Tertullian observes at the beginning
of his Aj?ologeiicus. "When shut up in prison and
CHAPTER XV. 231
in bonds, and utterly deprived of bodily liberty,
we use books as ambassadors to our friends, and
entrust them with the conduct of our cause, and
send them where to go ourselves would incur the
penalty of death. By the aid of books we re-
member things that are past, and even prophesy
as to the future ; and things present, which shift
and flow, we perpetuate by committing them to
writing.
203 The felicitous studiousness and the studious
felicity of the all-powerful eunuch, of whom we are
told in the Acts, who had been so mightily kindled
by the love of the prophetic writings, that he ceased
not from his reading by reason of his journey, had
banished all thought of the populous palace of
Queen Candace, and had forgotten even the
treasures of which he was the keeper, and had
neglected alike his journey and the chariot in
which he rode. Love of his book alone had
wholly engrossed this domicile of chastity, under
whose guidance he soon deserved to enter the gate
of faith. O gracious love of books, which by
the grace of baptism transformed the child of
Gehenna and nursling of Tartarus into a Son of
the Kingdom !
204 Let the feeble pen now cease from the tenor of
an infinite task, lest it seem foolishly to undertake
what in the beginning it confessed to be impossible
to any.
232 THE PHILOBIBLON
Chapter i6.
That it Is meritorious to write new books
and to renew the old.
205 Just as it is necessary for the state to prepare arm
and to provide abundant stores of victuals for the
soldiers who are to fight for it, so it is fitting for
the Church Militant to fortify itself against the
assaults of pagans and heretics with a multitude of
sound writings.
206 But because all the appliances of mortal men
with the lapse of time suffer the decay of mortality,
it is needful to replace the volumes that are worn
out with age by fresh successors, that the perpetuity
of which the individual is by its nature incapable
may be secured to the species ; and hence it is that
the Preacher says : Of making many books there is no
end. For as the bodies of books, seeing that they
are formed of a combination of contrary elements,
undergo a continual dissolution of their structure,
so by the forethought of the clergy a remedy should
be found, by means of which the sacred book paying
the debt of nature may obtain a natural heir and
may raise up like seed to its dead brother, and thus
may be verified that saying of Ecclesiasticus : His
father is dead, and he is as if he were not dead ;
CHAPTER XVL 233
for he hath left one behind him that is Uke himself.
207 And thus the transcription of ancient books is as
it were the begetting of fresh sons, on whom the
office of the father may devolve, lest it suffer detri-
ment. Now such transcribers are called antiqiiarii^
whose occupations Cassiodorus confesses please
him above all the tasks of bodily labour, adding :
"Happy effort," he says, "laudable industry, to
preach to men with the hand, to let loose tongues
\nth the fingers, silently to give salvation to mortals,
and to fight with pen and ink against the illicit wiles
of the Evil One." So far Cassiodorus. Moreover,
our Saviour exercised the office of the scribe
when He stooped down and with his finger wrote
on the ground (John viii.), that no one, however
exalted, may think it unworthy of him to do what
he sees the wisdom of God the Father did.
208 O singular serenity of writing, to practise which
the x\rtificer of the world stoops down, at whose
dread name every knee doth bow ! O venerable
handicraft pre-eminent above all other crafts that
are practised by the hand of man, to which our
Lord humbly inclines his breast, to which the
finger of God is applied, performing the office of a
pen ! We do not read of the Son of God that He
sowed or ploughed, wove or digged \ nor did any
other of the mechanic arts befit the divine wisdom
incarnate except to trace letters in writing, that
every gentleman and sciolist may know that fingers
are given by God to men for the task of writing
234 THE PIIIL0B2BL0N
rather than for war. Wherefore we entirely
approve the judgment of books, wherein they de-
clared in our sixth chapter the clerk who cannot
write to be as it were disabled.
209 God himself inscribes the just in the book of the
living ; Moses received the tables of stone written
with the finger of God. Job desires that he himself
that judgeth would write a book. Belshazzar
trembled when he saw the fingers of a man's hand
writing upon the wall, Mene tekel phaixs. I
wrote, says Jeremiah, with ink in the book. Christ
bids his beloved disciple John, What thou seest write
in a book. So the office of the writer is enjoined
on Isaiah and on Joshua, that the act and skill of
WTiting may be commended to future genera-
tions. Christ himself has written on his vesture
and on his thigh King of Ki?igs and Lord of Lords^
so that without writing the royal ornaments of the
210 Omnipotent cannot be made perfect. Being dead
they cease not to teach, who write books of sacred
learning. Paul did more for building up the fabric
of the Church by writing his holy epistles, than by
preaching by word of mouth to Jews and Gentiles.
He who has attained the prize continues daily by
books, what he long ago began while a sojourner
upon the earth ; and thus is fulfilled in the doctors
writing books the saying of the prophet : They
that turn many to righteousness shall be as the
stars for ever and ever.
211 Moreover, it has been determined by the doctors
CHAPTER XVI. 235
of the Church that the longevity of the ancients,
before God destroyed the original world by the
Deluge, is to be ascribed to a miracle and not to
nature ; as though God granted to them such length
of days as was required for finding out the sciences
and writing them in books ; amongst which the
wonderful variety of astronomy required, accord-
ing to Josephus, a period of six hundred years, to
212 submit it to ocular observation. Nor, indeed, do
they deny that the fruits of the earth in that primi-
tive age afforded a more nutritious aliment to men
than in our modern times, and thus they had not
only a livelier energy of body, but also a more
lengthened period of vigour ; to which it contributed
not a little that they Uved according to virtue and
denied themselves all luxurious delights. Who-
ever therefore is by the good gift of God endowed
with the gift of science, let him, according to the
counsel of the Holy Spirit, write wisdom in his time
of leisure (Eccli. 38), that his reward may be v/ith
the blessed and his days may be lengthened in this
present world.
213 And further, if we turn our discourse to the
princes of the world, we find that famous emperors
not only attained excellent skill in the art of
writing, but indulged greatly in its practice.
Julius Caesar, the first and greatest of them all, has
left us Commentaries on the Gallic and the Civil
Wars written by himself; he wrote also two books
De Aiialogia^ and two books of Anticatones, and a
R
236 THE PHILOBIBLON
214 poem called Iter^ and many other works. Julius
and Augustus devised means of writing one letter
for another, and so concealing what they wrote.
For Julius put the fourth letter for the first, and
so on through the alphabet ; while Augustus used
the second for the first, the third for the second,
and so throughout. He is said in the greatest
difficulties of affairs during the Mutinensian War
to have read and written' and even declaimed
every day. Tiberius wrote a lyric poem and some
215 Greek verses. Claudius likewise was skilled in
both Greek and Latin, and wrote several books.
But Titus w^as skilled above all men in the art
of writing, and easily imitated any hand he chose ;
so that he used to say that if he had wished it
he might have become a most skilful forger. All
these things are noted by Suetonius in his Lives of
the XII Caesars.
Chapter 17.
Of showing due propriety in the custody
of Books.
16 W e are not only rendering service to God in pre-
paring volumes of new books, but also exercising
an office of sacred piety when we treat books
CHAPTER XVII. 237
carefully, and again when we restore them to their
proper places and commend them to inviolable
custody; that they may rejoice in purity while we
have them in our hands, and rest securely when
they are put back in their repositories. And
surely next to the vestments and vessels dedicated
to the Lord's body, holy books deserve to be
rightly-treated by the clergy, to which great injury
is done so often as they are touched by unclean
hands. Wherefore we deem it expedient to warn
our students of various negligences, which might
always be easily avoided and do wonderful harm
to books.
217 And in the first place as to the opening and
closing of books, let there be due moderation, that
they be not unclasped in precipitate haste, nor
when we have finished our inspection be put away
without being duly closed. For it behoves us to
guard a book much more carefully than a boot.
218 But the race of scholars is commonly badly
brought up, and unless they are bridled in by
the rules of their elders they indulge in infinite
puerihties. They behave with petulance, and are
puffed up with presumption, judging of everything
as if they were certain, though they are altogether
inexperienced.
219 You may happen to see some headstrong youth
lazily lounging over his studies, and when the winter's
frost is sharp, his nose running from the nipping
cold drips down, nor does he think of wiping it
238 THE rniLOBIBLON
with his pocket-handkerchief until he has bedewed
the book before him with the ugly moisture.
Would that he had before him no book, but a
cobbler's apron ! His nails are stuffed with fetid
filth as black as jet, with which he marks any
passage that pleases him. He distributes a multitude
of straws, which he inserts to stick out in different
places, so that the halm may remind him of what
his memory cannot retain. These straws, because
the book has no stomach to digest them, and no
one takes them out, first distend the book from its
wonted closing, and at length, being carelessly
220 abandoned to oblivion, go to decay. He does not
fear to eat fruit or cheese over an open book, or
carelessly to carry a cup to and from his mouth \
and because he has no wallet at hand he drops
into books the fragments that are left. Continually
chattering, he is never weary of disputing with his
companions, and while he alleges a crowd of
senseless arguments, he wets the book lying half
open in his lap with sputtering showers. Aye, and
then hastily folding his arms he leans forward on
the book, and by a brief spell of study invites a
prolonged nap; and then, by way of mending
the wrinkles, he folds back the margin of the
22 1 leaves, to the no small injury of the book. Now
the rain is over and gone, and the flowers have
appeared in our land. Then the scholar we
are speaking of, a neglecter rather than an in-
spector of books, will stuff his volume with violets.
CHAPTER XVII. 239
and primroses, with roses and quatrefoil. Then he
will use his wet and perspiring hands to turn over
the volumes ; then he will thump the white vellum
with gloves covered with all kinds of dust, and
with his finger clad in long-used leather will hunt
line by line through the page ; then at the sting of
the biting flea the sacred book is flung aside, and
is hardly shut for another month, until it is so full
of the dust that has found its way within, that it
resists the effort to close it.
222 But the handling of books is specially to be
forbidden to those shameless youths, who as soon
as they have learned to form the shapes of letters,
straightway, if they have the opportunity, become
unhappy commentators, and wherever they find an
extra margin about the text, furnish it with mon-
strous alphabets, or if any other frivolity strikes
their fancy, at once their pen begins to write it.
There the Latinist and sophister and every un-
learned writer tries the fitness of his pen, a practice
that we have frequently seen injuring the usefulness
and value of the most beautiful books.
223 Again, there is a class of thieves shamefully
mutilating books, who cut away the margins from
the sides to use as material for letters, leaving only
the text, or employ the leaves from the ends,
inserted for the protection of the book, for various
uses and abuses — a kind of sacrilege which should
be prohibited by the threat of anathema.
224 Again, it is part of the decency of scholars that
240 THE PHILOBIBLON
whenever they return from meals to their study,
washing should invariably precede reading, and
that no grease-stained finger should unfasten the
clasps, or turn the leaves of a book. Nor let a
crying child admire the pictures in the capital
letters, lest he soil the parchment with wet fingers :
for a child instantly touches whatever he sees.
Moreover, the laity, who look at a book turned
upside down just as if it were open in the right
way, are utterly unworthy of any communion with
225 books. Let the clerk take care also that the
smutty scullion reeking from his stewpots does not
touch the lily leaves of books, all unwashed, but
he who walketh without blemish shall minister to
the precious volumes. And, again, the cleanliness
of decent hands would be of great benefit to books
as well as scholars, if it were not that the itch and
pimples are characteristic of the clergy.
226 Whenever defects are noticed in books they
should be promptly repaired, since nothing
spreads more quickly than a tear and a rent
which is neglected at the time will have to be
repaired afterwards with usury.
227 Moses, the gentlest of men, teaches us to make
bookcases most neatly, wherein they may be pro-
tected from any injury : Take^ he says, this book of
the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the
covetiant of the Lord your God. O fitting place
and appropriate for a library, which was made of
imperishable shittim-wood, and was all covered
CHAPTER XVITL 241
within and without with gold ! But the Saviour
also has warned us by his example against all
unbecoming carelessness in the handling of books,
228 as we read in S. Luke. For when He had read the
scriptural prophecy of himself in the book that
was delivered to him, He did not give it again to
the minister, until He had closed it with his own
most sacred hands. By which students are most
clearly taught that in the care of books the merest
trifles ought not to be neglected.
Chapter i8.
Showeth that we have collected so great
store of books for the common benefit
of scholars and not only for our
own pleasure.
229 Nothing in human affairs is more unjust than that
those things which are most righteously done, should
be perverted by the slanders of malicious men, and
that one should bear the reproach of sin where
he has rather deserved the hope of honour.
Many things are done with singleness of eye,
the right hand knoweth not what the left hand
doth, the lump is uncorrupted by leaven, nor is
the garment woven of wool and linen ; and yet
242 THE PHILOBIBLON
</
by the trickery of perverse men a pious work
is mendaciously transformed into some monstrous
act. Certes, such is the unhappy condition of
sinful nature, that not merely in acts that are
morally doubtful it adopts the worse conclusion ;
but often it depraves by iniquitous subversion
those which have the appearance of rectitude.
230 For although the love of books from the
nature of its object bears the aspect of good-
ness, yet, wonderful to say, it has rendered us
obnoxious to the censures of many, by whose
astonishment we were disparaged and censured,
now for excess of curiosity, now for the exhibition
of vanity, now for intemperance of delight in
literature ; though indeed we were no more dis-
turbed by their vituperation than by the barking
of so many dogs, satisfied with the testimony of
Him to whom it appertaineth to try the hearts
231 and reins. For as the aim and purpose of our
inmost will is inscrutable to men and is seen of
God alone, the searcher of hearts, they deserve
to be rebuked for their pernicious temerity, who
so eagerly set a mark of condemnation upon
human acts, the ultimate springs of which they
cannot see. For the final end in matters of
conduct holds the same position as first principles
in speculative science or axioms in mathematics,
as the chief of philosophers, Aristotle, points out
in the seventh book of the Ethics. And therefore,
just as the truth of our conclusions depends upon
CHAPTER XVI IT. 243
the correctness of our premisses, so in matters of
action the stamp of moral rectitude is given by
the honesty of aim and purpose, in cases where
the act itself would otherwise be held to be
morally indifferent.
232 Now we have long cherished in our heart of
hearts the fixed resolve, when Providence should
grant a favourable opportunity, to found in per-
petual charity a Hall in the reverend university of
Oxford, the chief nursing mother of all liberal
arts, and to endow it with the necessary re-
venues, for the maintenance of a number of
scholars ; and moreover to enrich the Hall with the
treasures of our books, that all and every of them
should be in common as regards their use and
study, not only to the scholars of the said hall,
but by their means to all the students of the
before-named university for ever, in the form
and manner which the following chapter shall
233 declare. Wherefore the sincere love of study and
zeal for the strengthening of the orthodox faith to
the edifying of the Church, have begotten in us
that solicitude so marvellous to the lovers of pelf,
of collecting books wherever they were to be
purchased, regardless of expense, and of having
those that could not be bought fairly transcribed.
234 For as the favourite occupations of men are
variously distinguished according to the disposi-
tion of the heavenly bodies, which frequently
control our natural composition, so that some
244 THE PHILOBIBLON
men choose to devote themselves to architecture,
others to agriculture, others to hunting, others to
navigation, others to war, others to games, we
have under the aspect of Mercury entertained a
blameless pleasure in books, which under the
rule of right reason, over which no stars are
dominant, we have ordered to the glory of the
Supreme Being, that where our minds found
tranquilUty and peace, thence also might spring a
235 most devout service of God. And therefore let
our detractors cease, v/ho are as blind men
judging of colours ; let not bats venture to speak
of light ; and let not those who carry beams in
their own eyes presume to pull the mote out of
their brother's eye. Let them cease to jeer with
satirical taunts at things of which they are igno-
rant, and to discuss hidden things that are not
revealed to the eyes of men ; who perchance
would have praised and commended us, if we
had spent our time in hunting, dice-playing, or
courting the smiles of ladies.
CHAPTER XIX. 245
Chapter 19.
Of the manner of lending all our books
to students.
236 It has ever been difficult so to restrain men by the
laws of rectitude, that the astuteness of successors
might not strive to transgress the bounds of their
predecessors, and to infringe established rules in
insolence of licence. Accordingly, with the advice
of prudent men, we have prescribed the manner in
which we desire that the communication and use
of our books should be permitted for the benefit of
students.
237 Imprimis^ we give and grant all and singular the
books, of which we have made a special catalogue,
in consideration of affection, to the community of
scholars living in Hall at Oxford, as
a perpetual gift, for our soul and the souls of our
parents, and also for the soul of the most illustrious
King Edward the Third from the Conquest, and
of the most pious Queen Philippa, his consort : to
the intent that the same books may be lent from
time to time to all and singular the scholars and
masters of the said place, as well regular as secular,
for the advancement and use of study, in the
manner immediately following, that is to say :
I
246 THE PIIILOBIBLON
238 Five of the scholars sojourning in the Hall afore-
said shall be appointed by the Master thereof, who
shall have the charge of all the books, of which
five persons three and not fewer may lend any
book or books for inspection and study ; but for
copying or transcribing we direct that no book
shall be allowed outside the walls of the house.
239 Therefore, when any scholar secular or religious,
whom for this purpose we regard with equal favour,
shall seek to borrow any book, let the keepers
diligently consider if they have a duplicate of the
said book, and if so, let them lend him the book,
taking such pledge as in their judgment exceeds
the value of the book deHvered, and let a record
be made forthwith of the pledge and of the book
lent, containing the names of the persons delivering
the book and of the person who receives it, to-
gether with the day and year when the loan is
made.
240 But if the keepers find that the book asked for
is not in duplicate, they shall not lend such book
to anyone whomsoever, unless he shall belong to
the community of scholars of the said Hall, unless
perhaps for inspection within the walls of the
aforesaid house or Hall, but not to be carried
beyond it.
241 But to any of the scholars of the said Hall, any
book may be lent by three of the aforesaid keepers,
after first recording, however, his name, with the
day on which he receives the book. Nevertheless,
CHAPTER XIX. 247
the borrower may not lend the book entrusted to
him to another, except with the permission of three
of the aforesaid keepers, and then the name of the
first borrower being erased, the name of the second
with the time of deUvery is to be recorded.
242 Each keeper shall take an oath to observe all
these regulations when they enter upon the charge
of the books. And the recipients of any book or
books shall thereupon swear that they will not use
the book or books for any other purpose but that
of inspection or study, and that they will not take
or permit to be taken it or them beyond the town
and suburbs of Oxford.
243 Moreover, every year the aforesaid keepers shall
render an account to the Master of the House and
two of his scholars whom he shall associate with
himself, or if he shall not be at leisure, he shall
appoint three inspectors, other than the keepers,
who shall peruse the catalogue of books, and see
that they have them all, either in the volumes
themselves or at least as represented by deposits.
And the more fitting season for rendering this
account we believe to be from the First of July
until the festival of the Translation of the Glorious
Martyr S. Thomas next following.
244 We add this further provision, that anyone to
whom a book has been lent, shall once a year
exhibit it to' the keepers, and shall, if he wishes
it, see his pledge. Moreover, if it chances that
a book is lost by death, theft, fraud, or carelessness,
248 THE PIHLOBIBLON
he who has lost it or his representative or executor
shall pay the value of the book and receive back
his deposit. But if in any wise any profit shall
accrue to the keepers, it shall not be applied to
any purpose but the repair and maintenance of
the books.
Chapter 20.
An exhortation to scholars to requite us
by pious prayers.
245 Time now clamours for us to terminate this trea-
tise which we have composed concerning the love
of books ; in which we have endeavoured to give
the astonishment of our contemporaries the reason
why we have loved books so greatly. But because it
is hardly granted to mortals to accomplish aught that
is not rolled in the dust of vanity, we do not venture
entirely to justify the zealous love which we have so
long had for books, or to deny that it may perchance
sometimes have been the occasion of some venial
negligence, albeit the object of our love is honour-
246 able and our intention upright. For if when we
have done everything, we are bound to call our-
selves unprofitable servants ; if the most holy Job
was afraid of all his works ; if according to Isaiah
CHAPTER XX. 249
all our righteousness is as filthy rags, who shall
presume to boast himself of the perfection of any
virtue, or deny that from some circumstance a thing
may deserve to be reprehended, which in itself
perchance was not reprehensible. For good springs
from one selfsame source, but evil arises in many
247 ways, as Dionysius informs us. Wherefore to make
amends for our iniquities, by which we acknowledge
ourselves to have frequently offended the Creator
of all things, in asking the assistance of their prayers,
we have thought fit to exhort our future students
to show their gratitude as well to us as to their
other benefactors in time to come by requiting our
forethought for their benefit by spiritual retribu-
tion. Let us live when dead in their memories,
who have lived in our benevolence before they
were born, and live now sustained by our bene-
248 ficence. Let them implore the mercy of the
Redeemer with unwearied prayer, that the pious
Judge may excuse our negligences, may pardon the
wickedness of our sins, may cover the lapses of our
feebleness with the cloak of piety, and remit by his
divine goodness the offences of which we are
ashamed and penitent. That He may preserve to us
for a due season of repentance the gifts of his good
grace, steadfastness of faiih, loftiness of hope, and
the widest charity to all men. That He may turn
our haughty will to lament its faults, that it may
deplore its past most vain elations, may retract its
most bitter indignations, and detest its most insane
250 THE PHILOBIBLON
delectations. That his virtue may abound in us,
when our own is found wanting, and that He who
freely consecrated our beginning by the sacrament
of baptism, and advanced our progress to the seat of
the Apostles without any desert of ours, may deign
to fortify our outgoing by the fitting sacraments.
249 That we may be delivered from the lust of the
flesh, that the fear of death may utterly vanish
and our spirit may desire to be dissolved and be
with Christ, and existing upon earth in body only,
in thought and longing our conversation may be in
Heaven. That the Father of mercies and the God
of all consolation may graciously come to meet the
prodigal returning from the husks ; that He may
receive the piece of silver that has been lately
found and transmit it by his holy angels into his
eternal treasury. That He may rebuke with his
terrible countenance, at the hour of our departure,
the spirits of darkness, lest Leviathan, that old
serpent, lying hid at the gate of death, should
250 spread unforeseen snares for our feet. But when
we shall be summoned to the awful judgment-seat
to give an account on the testimony of conscience
of all things we have done in the body, the God-
Man may consider the price of the holy blood that
He has shed, and that the Incarnate Deity may note
the frame of our carnal nature, that our weakness
may pass unpunished where infinite loving-kind-
ness is to be found, and that the soul of the
wretched sinner may breathe again where the peculiar
CHAPTER XX. 251
251 office of the Judge is to show mercy. And further
let our students be ahvays diligent in invoking the
refuge of our hope after God, the Virgin Mother
of God and Blessed Queen of Heaven, that we
who for our manifold sins and wickednesses have
deserved the anger of the Judge, by the aid of her
ever-acceptable supplications may merit his for-
giveness ; that her pious hand may depress the
scale of the balance in which our small and few
good deeds shall be v;eighed, lest the heaviness of
our sins preponderate and cast us down to the
252 bottomless pit of perdition. Moreover, let them
ever venerate with due observance the most de-
serving Confessor Cuthbert, the care of whose flock
we have unworthily undertaken, ever devoutly
praying that he may deign to excuse by his prayers
his all-unworthy vicar, and may procure him whom
he hath admitted as his successor upon earth to
be made his assessor in heaven. Finally, let them
pray God with holy prayers as well of body as of
soul, that He will restore the spirit created in the
image of the Trinity, after its sojourn in this miser-
able world, to its primordial prototype, and grant to
it for ever to enjoy the sight of his countenance :
through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
253 The end of the Philobiblon of Master Richard
de Aungervile, surnamed de Bury, late Bishop of
Durham. This treatise was finished in our manor-
house of Auckland on the 24th day of January in
the year of our Lord one thousand three hundred
I
252 THE PHILOBIBLON
and forty-four, the fifty-eighth year of our age
being exactly completed and the eleventh year of
our pontificate drawing to an end ; to the glory of
God. Amen.
I ndex.
Index.
The references are to sections.
Abraham 27
acervus IMercurii 95
Achilles- 78
activa 1S7
Adam 109
adamas 58, 144
adstruit 173
Aesculapii no
aeternitatis speculum 197
Agamemnonis 108
aleis 81
Alexander 20, 188
Almagest! 21, 160
Ambrosius 163
anlhropospatos 91
aiitiquarii 143, 207
antonomatice 48
Antonium 113
apodicticon ill
Apollo 102, no
Archhuedis 151
argumentosae 136
Ariana malitia 164
aridam 133
Aristoteles 40, 103, iir, 127,
154, 159
De Caelo 94
Aristoteles De porno 170
Eth. 2, 30, 35, 180, 231
Met. 14, 160, r86
Polit. 173
Probl. 31
Topic. 36
arm.aria 120, 135
assub 8
athletas fidei 8
attingit 157
auges 127
Augustinus 80, 86, 89, 163,
183
Augustus 214
Aulus Gellius 40, 41. loo,
149, 150
' Aver roes 40
Avicenna 160
Babel 71
Balaam 96
Beda 184
bestia bipedalis 61
Bezeleel 136
Boetius 22, 113
De Con sol. Phil 6, 32,
54, 187
S 2
256
INDEX,
Bononiam 70
Britannia 58, 157
Cadmus no, 128
Camenae 54
Candacis 203
Canonem 160
canonici regulates 80
canonio 158
Carmenta 70, 128
Carneades 149
Carthaginis 112
Cassiodorus 183, 207
Categorias 154
Cato 20
cherubicis 74
chirothecis 221
Claudius 215
Clemens V. 1C6
Cocus 69
compendio 155
comprehensor 210
consessorem 252
consilium 2
contemplativa 187
Corydon 'Ji, 102
Cratonis 18, 182
Croesus 9
Cuthbertum 252
Cyrillus 164
Daniel 91, 210
David 2, 29, 87
De VeHila 148
debitricem 157
Demosthenis 191
dextrariorum 78
diasyntheticam 176
Diomedon 105
Dionysius 128, 246
diplomate 155
discophorum 91
diverticula 126
Donatus 154
dulcoravit 125
Ecclesiastes.ii6, 206
Ecclesiasticus 206, 212
Eduardus III. 118, 237
eleemosynariura 220
Elefuga 182
elegorum 5
Eliam 91
elongatur 53
emunctorio 219
energia 212
Engadi 29
Ennio 185
Enoch 109
entelechia 104
Euclides 30, 182
Socraticus 150
exardescat 3
extranea 134
Ezechiel 98
fabrefieri 136
Fabricius 20
figura Pythagorica 52
filius inconstantiae 182
florenos 123
fontale 231
Franciae 124, 140
furraturas 61
INDEX.
257
Gades 115
gagati 219
Galliae 157
Gedeonis 29
geologia 174
geuzahar 127
Goliath 29
Gratianus 184
Gregorius 43, 163
gymnasia 6, 147
Habacuc 91
Hercules 108
hereos 170
Hiberas naenias 88
Hieronymus 163, 183,
194
hierophilosophus 32
Hippodami 173
holocaustum 56
Homerum 162
horae canonicae 74
Horatius 18 1
hyperduliam 73
lacob 29
lasonis iio
ictericia 63
leptae 108
leremias 191, 209
impedibilem 3
improperium 60
inattingibilis 146
incomprehensibilis iS
inconsutilem 165
inculpandos 183
innisus 92
loannes Saresberiensis 190,
194
lob 64, 246
lonithus 109
loseph 135
losephus 211
losua no
Isaac 27
Isaias 210, 246
Isocrates 149
Italiae 140
lulius Ceasar 20, 213-4
I93j
Lactantius 162, 183
lascivius 79, 180
Latinista 222
Lazarus 64
Liber Bacchus 78
lilia 224
Livii 191
Lo^ostilios no
Lucretium 162
luminaria 50
Lya 75
Macrobius 162
maeandri 195
magnalia Dei 46
Matnmonae 194
]Maria 75
Maro 185
]Martha 75
]\Iartialis 69
]\Iartianus 162
Melchizedech 49
merces 195, 200
Mercurialis 234
2K8
INDEX,
Mercurius 102, 191
Minerva 157, 180
moralitatum 130
Moyses no, 155, 191, 209,
227
N, 237
Nabuchodonosor 209
naenias 88
Neutrum iii
Neronis 113
Nestoriana nequitia 164
Noe 29, 1 10
Origenes 193
ostensivis 130
Ovidius 192
De Vetiila 148
paedagogos 141
Palamedis no
Pallas 102
Pandectam 160
panfietos 123
pannis 26
panthera 57
Parisius 58, 70, 126, 157
Parnasus no, 126
Partheninm 162
Paulus 97, 127, 137, 210
Pegaseo 191
Pegasus 102
Perihermenias 154
Petnis 53
Philippa 237
Philippum 186
Philobiblon 13, 253
Philolaus 40
Phocas 146
Phronesis 102
Phryne 193
Pierides 102
pignientaria potio 125
pileum 152
Pindarum 162
Plato 18, 40, 104, 193
Plinius 160
polychronitudinem 211
polymitarii 136
possessionatos 73
postliminium 114
Praedicatores 86, 138
praehonorare 23, 52
Priscianus 154
provisio 155
Ptolemaeus 21, 127, r6o
Pythagoras 105
Pythoni 102
quadratura circuli Hi
quadrivialium 47
quatriduano 64
Racheli 75
rationale 136
rcfocillativum 88
religionum 74
Saba 135
saga 136
sagimine 224
Sallustius 162
Salomon 39, no, 135
Samsonis no
INDEX.
259
Sardanapalus 9
scholares 238
Scipio 112
Seleucus 114
Seneca 113, 201
sensus communis 25
septiformi 3
sethim 227
Sibylla 43
Sidonius 183
signacula 224
Simonides 149
sindonem 61
Sion 126, 155
Sisaram 136
Socrates 104, 150
sophista 222
Sophocles 149
sortem Domini 48
Speusippus 40
spiritalis 30
stationariorum 140
stratas regias 177
studia generalia 133
subcinericeos 76
sublunari 127
subtilitates 156
Suetonius 213, sqq,
superhumerale 136
syllogismus apodicticon III
synteresim 172
tabula depingenda 46
tabulationibus 138
j Tarquinius Superbus 41
I Taurus 150
! taxillis 81
I Tegni 160
Tertullianus 202
Teutoniae 140
Theocritum 162
Theodoricum 113
Theophrastus 61
Theotokos 164
Tiberius 215
Timoihei, 79.
Timotheum, 97.
Tullius, 30, 113, 162, 191.
uncinis pomorum, 93.
Valerius (Map) 61
Maximus 149, 193
Vergilius 69, 162, 185
De Vdula 148
viator 47, 200, 210
virtus 58
vispilionis 104
Vulcania 205
xeniorum 119
Xenocrates 193
Xerxes 114
zelotypi 85
Zenonis 105
Zoroastes 109
Zorobabel 32
PRINTEI) BY CHARLES WHITTIKGHAM AND CO.
TOOKS COURT, CHANCERY LANE, LONDON, B.C.
^
^