FOOTNOTES:

"Is Carolus qui jam Scribe jussit eum.". . . . . . ."Hæc Dator Æternus cunctorum Christe bonorum,Munera de donis accipe sancta tuis,Quæ Pater Albinus devoto pectore supplexNominus ad laudem obtulit ecce tui."

Other proofs are not wanting of Alcuin's industry as a scribe, or his enthusiasm as anamator librorum. Mark the rapture with which he describes the library of York Cathedral, collected by Egbert:

"Illic invenies veterum vestigia Patrum,Quidquid habet pro se Latio Romanus in orbe,Græcia vel quidquid transmisit Clara Latinis.Hebraicus vel quod populus bibet imbre supernoAfrica lucifluo vel quidquid lumine sparsit.Quod Pater Hieronymus quod sensit Hilarius, atqueAmbrosius Præsul simul Augustinus, et ipseSanctus Athanasius, quod Orosius, edit avitus:Quidquid Gregorius summus docet, et Leo Papa;Basilius quidquid, Fulgentius atque coruscantCassiodorus item, Chrysostomus atque Johannes:Quidquid et Athelmus docuit, quid Beda Magister,Quæ Victorinus scripsêre, Boetius; atqueHistorici veteres, Pompeius, Plinius, ipseAcer Aristoteles, Rhetor quoque Tullius ingens;Quidquoque Sedulius, vel quid canit ipse Invencus,Alcuinus, et Clemens, Prosper, Paulinus, Arator.Quid Fortunatus, vel quid Lactantius edunt;Quæ Maro Virgilius, Statius, Lucanus, et auctorArtis Grammaticæ, vel quid scripsêre magistri;Quid Probus atque Focas, Donatus, Priscian usve,Sevius, Euticius, Pompeius, Commenianus,Invenies alios perplures, lector, ibidemEgregios studiis, arte et sermone magistrosPlurima qui claro scripsêre volumina sensu:Nomina sed quorum præsenti in carmine scribiLongius est visum, quam plectri postulet usus."[277]

Often did Alcuin think of these goodly times with a longing heart, and wish that he could revel among them whilst in France. How deeply would he have regretted, how many tears would he have shed over the sad destruction of that fine library, had he have known it; but his bones had mingled with the dust when the Danes dispersed those rare gems of ancient lore. If the reader should doubt the ardor of Alcuin as a book-lover, let him readthe following letter, addressed to Charlemagne, which none but a bibliomaniac could pen.

"I, your Flaccus, according to your admonitions and good-will, administer to some in the house of St. Martin, the sweets of the Holy Scriptures,Sanctarum mella Scripturarum: others I inebriate with the study of ancient wisdom; and others I fill with the fruits of grammatical lore. Many I seek to instruct in the order of the stars which illuminate the glorious vault of heaven; so that they may be made ornaments to the holy church of God and the court of your imperial majesty; that the goodness of God and your kindness may not be altogether unproductive of good. But in doing this I discover the want of much, especially those exquisite books of scholastic learning, which I possessed in my own country, through the industry of my good and most devout master (Egbert). I therefore intreat your Excellence to permit me to send into Britain some of our youths to procure those books which we so much desire, and thus transplant into France the flowers of Britain, that they may fructify and perfume, not only the garden at York, but also the Paradise of Tours; and that we may say, in the words of the song, 'Let my beloved come into his garden and eat his pleasant fruit;' and to the young, 'Eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink, abundantly, O beloved;' or exhort, in the words of the prophet Isaiah, 'every one that thirsteth to come to the waters, and ye that hath no money, come ye, buy and eat: yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.'

"Your Majesty is not ignorant how earnestlywe are exhorted throughout the Holy Scriptures to search after wisdom; nothing so tends to the attainment of a happy life; nothing more delightful or more powerful in resisting vice; nothing more honorable to an exalted dignity; and, according to philosophy, nothing more needful to a just government of a people. Thus Solomon exclaims, 'Wisdom is better than rubies, and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.' It exalteth the humble with sublime honors. 'By wisdom kings reign and princes decree justice: by me princes rule; and nobles, even all the judges of the earth. Blessed are they that keep my ways, and blessed is the man that heareth me.' Continue, then, my Lord King, to exhort the young in the palaces of your highness to earnest pursuit in acquiring wisdom; that they may be honored in their old age, and ultimately enter into a blessed immortality. I shall truly, according to my ability, continue to sow in those parts the seeds of wisdom among your servants; remembering the command, 'In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand.' In my youth I sowed the seeds of learning in the prosperous seminaries of Britain; and now, in my old age, I am doing so in France without ceasing, praying that the grace of God may bless them in both countries."[278]

Such was the enthusiasm, such the spirit of bibliomania, which actuated the monks of thosebooklessdays; and which was fostered with such zealous care by Alcuin, in the cloisters of St. Martinof Tours. He appropriated one of the apartments of the monastery for the transcription of books, and called it themuseum, in which constantly were employed a numerous body of industrious scribes: he presided over them himself, and continually exhorted them to diligence and care; to guard against the inadvertencies of unskilful copyists, he wrote a small work on orthography. We cannot estimate the merits of this essay, for only a portion of it has been preserved; but in the fragment printed among his works, we can see much that might have been useful to the scribes, and can believe that it must have tended materially to preserve the purity of ancient texts. It consists of a catalogue of words closely resembling each other, and consequently requiring the utmost care in transcribing.[279]

In these pleasing labors Alcuin was assisted by many of the most learned men of the time, and especially by Arno, Archbishop of Salzburgh, in writing to whom Alcuin exclaims, "O that I could suddenly translate myAbacus, and with my own hands quickly embrace your fraternity with that warmth which cannot be compressed in books. Nevertheless, because I cannot conveniently come, I send more frequently my unpolished letters (rusticitatis meæ litteras) to thee, that they may speak for me instead of the words of my mouth." This Arno, to whom he thus affectionately writes, was no despicable scholar; he was a true lover of literature, and proved himself something of anamatorlibrorum, by causing to be transcribed or bought for his use, 150 volumes,[280]but about this period the bookloving mania spread far and wide—the Emperor himself was touched with the enthusiasm; for, besides his choice private collections,[281]he collected together the ponderous writings of the holy fathers, amounting to upwards of 200 volumes, bound in a most sumptuous manner, and commanded them to be deposited in a public temple and arranged in proper order, so that those who could not purchase such treasures might be enabled to feast on the lore of the ancients. Thus did bibliomania flourish in the days of old.

But I must not be tempted to remain longer in France, though the names of many choice old book collectors would entice me to do so. When I left England, to follow the steps of Alcuin, I was speaking of York, which puts me in mind of the monastery of Whitby,[282]in the same shire, on the banks of the river Eske. It was founded by Hilda, the virgin daughter of Hereric, nephew to King Edwin, about the year 680, who was its first abbess. Having put her monastery in regular order, Hilda set an illustrious example of piety and virtue, andparticularly directed all under her care to a constant reading of the holy Scriptures. After a long life of usefulness and zeal she died deeply lamented by the Saxon Church,[283]an event which many powerful miracles commemorated.

In the old times of the Saxons the monastery of Whitby was renowned for its learning; and many of the celebrated ecclesiastics of the day received their instruction within its walls. The most interesting literary anecdote connected with the good lady Hilda's abbacy, is the kind reception she gave to the Saxon poet Cædmon, whose paraphrase of the Book of Genesis has rendered his name immortal. He was wont to make "pious and religious verses, so that whatever was interpreted to him out of Scripture, he soon after put the same into poetical expression of much sweetness and humility in English, which was his native language. By his verses the minds of many were often excited to despise the world and to aspire to heaven. Others after him attempted in the English nation to compose religious poems, but none could ever compare with him,for he did not learn the art of poetry from man but from God."[284]He was indeed, as the venerable Bede says, a poet of nature's own teaching: originally a rustic herdsman, the sublime gift was bestowed upon him by inspiration, or as it is recorded, in a dream. As he slept an unknown being appeared, and commanded him to sing. Cædmon hesitated to make the attempt, but the apparition retorted, "Nevertheless, thou shalt sing—singthe origin of things." Astonished and perplexed, our poet found himself instantaneously in possession of the pleasing art; and, when he awoke, his vision and the words of his song were so impressed upon his memory, that he easily repeated them to his wondering companions.[285]He hastened at day-break to relate these marvels and to display his new found talents to the monks of Whitby, by whom he was joyfully received, and as they unfolded the divine mysteries, "The good man," says Bede, "listened like a clean animal ruminating; and his song and his verse were so winsome to hear, that his teachers wrote them down, and learned from his mouth."[286]

Some contend that an ancient manuscript in the British Museum is the original of this celebrated paraphrase.[287]It is just one of those choice relics which a bibliomaniac loves to handle, but scarcely perhaps bears evidence of antiquity so remote. It is described in the catalogue as, "The substance of the Book of Genesis, with the Acts of Moses and Joshua, with brief notes and annotations, part in Latin and part in Saxon by Bede and others." The notes, if by Bede, would tend to favor the opinion that it is the original manuscript, or, at any rate, coeval with the Saxon bard. The volume,as a specimen of calligraphic art, reflects honor upon the age, and is right worthy of Lady Hilda's monastery. There are 312[288]fine velum pages in this venerable and precious volume, nearly every one of which dazzles with the talent of the skilful illuminator. The initial letters are formed, with singular taste and ingenuity, of birds, beasts, and flowers. To give an idea of the nature of these pictorial embellishments—which display more splendor of coloring than accuracy of design—I may describe the singular illumination adorning the sixth page, which represents the birth of Eve. Adam is asleep, reclining on the grass, which is depicted as so many inverted cones; and, if we may judge from the appearance of our venerable forefather, he could not have enjoyed a very comfortable repose on that memorable occasion, and the grass which grew in the Garden of Paradise must have been of a very stubborn nature when compared with the earth's verdure of the present day; for the weight of Adam alters not the position of the tender herb, which supports his huge body on their extreme summits. As he is lying on the left side Eve is ascending from a circular aperture in his right; nor would the original, if she bore any resemblance to her monkish portraiture, excite the envy or the admiration of the present age, or bear comparison with her fair posterity. Her physiognomy is anything but fascinating, and her figure is a repulsive monstrosity,adornedwith a profusion of luxurious hair of a brilliant blue!

It is foreign to our subject to enter into anyanalysis of the literary beauties of this poem; let it suffice that Cædmon, the old Saxon herdsman, has been compared to our immortal Milton; and their names have been coupled together when speaking of a poet's genius.[289]But on other grounds Cædmon claims a full measure of our praise. Not only was he the "Father of Saxon poetry," but to him also belongs the inestimable honor of being the first who attempted to render into the vulgar tongue the beauties and mysteries of the Holy Scriptures; he unsealed what had hitherto been a sealed book; his paraphrase is the first translation of the holy writ on record. So let it not be forgotten that to this Milton of old our Saxon ancestors were indebted for this invaluable treasure. We are unable to trace distinctly the formation of the monastic library of Whitby. But of the time of Richard, elected abbot in the year 1148, a good monk, and formerly prior of Peterborough, we have a catalogue of their books preserved. I wouldrefer the reader to that curious list,[290]and ask him if it does not manifest by its contents the existence of a more refined taste in the cloisters than he gave the old monks credit for. It is true, the legends of saints abound in it; but then look at the choice tomes of a classic age, whose names grace that humble catalogue, and remember that the studies of the Whitby monks were divided between the miraculous lives of holy men, and the more pleasing pages of the "Pagan Homer," the eloquence of Tully, and the wit of Juvenal, of whose subject they seemed to have been fond; for they read also the satires of Persius. I extract the names of some of the authors contained in this monkish library:

Come, the monks evidently read something besides theirCredo, and transcribed something better than "monastic trash." A little taste for literature and learning we must allow they enjoyed, when they formed their library of such volumes as the above. I candidly admit, that when I commenced these researches I had no expectations offinding a collection of a hundred volumes, embracing so many choice works of old Greece and Rome. It is pleasant, however, to trace these workings of bibliomania in the monasteries; and it is a surprise quite agreeable and delicious in itself to meet with instances like the present.

At a latter period the monastery of Rievall, in Yorkshire, possessed an excellent library of 200 volumes. This we know by a catalogue of them, compiled by one of the monks about the middle of the fourteenth century, and now preserved in the library of Jesus College, Cambridge.[291]A transcript of this manuscript was made by Mr. Halliwell, and published in his "Reliqua Antiqua,"[292]from which it may be seen that the Rievall monastery contained at that time many choice and valuable works. The numerous writings of Sts. Augustine, Bernard, Anselm, Cyprian, Origin, Haimo, Gregory, Ambrose, Isidore, Chrysostom, Bede, Aldhelm, Gregory Nazienzen, Ailred, Josephus, Rabanus Maurus, Peter Lombard, Orosius, Boethius, Justin, Seneca, with histories of the church of Britain, of Jerusalem, of King Henry, and many others equally interesting and costly, prove how industriously they used their pens, and how much they appreciated literature and learning. But in the fourteenth century the inhabitants of the monasteries were very industrious in transcribing books at a period coeval with the compilation of the Rievall catalogue, a monk of Coventry church was plying his pen with unceasing energy; John de Bruges wrote with his own handthirty-two volumes for the library of the benedictine priory of St. Mary.

The reader will see that there is little among them worthy of much observation. The MS. begins, "These are the books which John of Bruges, monk of Coventry, wrote for the Coventry church. Any who shall take them away from the church without the consent of the convent, let him be anathema."[293]

The priory of St. Mary's was founded by Leofricke, the celebrated Earl of Mercia and his good Lady Godiva, in the year 1042. "Hollingshead says that this Earl Leofricke was a man of great honor, wise, and discreet in all his doings. His high wisdome and policie stood the realme in great steed whilst he lived.... He had a noble ladie to his wife named Gudwina, at whose earnest sute he made the citie of Couentrie free of all manner of toll except horsses, and to haue that toll laid downe also, his foresaid wife rode naked through the middest of the towne without other couerture, saue onlie her haire. Moreouer partlie moued by his owne deuotion and partlie by the persuasion of his wife, he builded or beneficiallie augmented and repared manie abbeies and churches as the saide abbie or priorie at Couentrie—the abbeies of Wenlocke, Worcester, Stone, Evesham, and Leot, besides Hereford."

The church of Worcester, which the good Earl had thus "beneficiallie augmented," the Saxon King Offa had endowed with princely munificence before him. In the year 780, during the time of Abbot Tilhere, or Gilhere, Offa gave to the church Croppethorne, Netherton, Elmlege Cuddeshe,Cherton, and other lands, besides a "large Bible with two clasps, made of the purest gold."[294]In the tenth century the library of Exeter Church was sufficiently extensive to require the preserving care of an amanuensis; for according to Dr. Thomas, Bishop Oswald granted in the year 985 three hides of land at Bredicot, one yardland at Ginenofra, and seven acres of meadow at Tiberton, to Godinge a monk, on condition of his fulfilling the duties of a librarian to the see, and transcribing the registers and writings of the church. It is said that the scribe Godinge wrote many choice books for the library.[295]I do not find any remarkable book donation, save now and then a volume or two, in the annals of Worcester Church; nor have I been able to discover any old parchment catalogue to tell of the number or rarity of their books; for although probably most monasteries had one compiled, being enjoined to do so by the regulations of their order, they have long ago been destroyed; for when we know that fine old manuscripts were used by the bookbinders after the Reformation, we can easily imagine how little value would be placed on a mere catalogue of names.

But to return again to Godiva, that illustriouslady gave the monks, after the death of her lord, many landed possessions, and bestowed upon them the blessings of a library.[296]

Thomas Cobham, who was consecrated Bishop of Worcester in the year 1317, was a great "amator librorum," and spent much time and money in collecting books. He was the first who projected the establishment of a public library at Oxford, which he designed to form over the old Congregation House in the churchyard of St. Mary's, but dying soon after in the year 1327, the project was forgotten till about forty years after, when I suppose the example of the great bibliomaniac Richard de Bury drew attention to the matter; for his book treasures were then "deposited there, and the scholars permitted to consult them on certain conditions."[297]

Bishop Carpenter built a library for the use of the monastery of Exeter Church, in the year 1461, over the charnal house; and endowed it with £10 per annum as a salary for an amanuensis.[298]But the books deposited there were grievously destroyed during the civil wars; for on the twenty-fourth of September, 1642, when the army under the Earl ofEssex came to Worcester, they set about "destroying the organ, breaking in pieces divers beautiful windows, wherein the foundation of the church was lively historified with painted glass;" they also "rifled the library, with the records and evidences of the church, tore in pieces the Bibles and service books pertaining to the quire."[299]Sad desecration of ancient literature! But the reader of history will sigh over many such examples.

The registers of Evesham Monastery, near Worcester, speak of several monkish bibliophiles, and the bookish anecdotes relating to them are sufficiently interesting to demand some attention here. Ailward, who was abbot in the year 1014, gave the convent many relics and ornaments, and what was still better a quantity of books.[300]He was afterwards promoted to the see of London, over which he presided many years; but age and infirmity growing upon him, he was anxious again to retire to Evesham, but the monks from some cause or other were unwilling to receive him back; at this he took offence, and seeking in the monastery of Ramsey the quietude denied him there, he demanded back all the books he had given them.[301]His successor Mannius was celebrated for his skill in the fine arts, and was an exquisite worker in metals, besides an ingenious scribe and illuminator.He wrote and illuminated with his own hand, for the use of his monastery, a missal and a large Psalter.[302]

Walter, who was abbot in the year 1077, gave also many books to the library,[303]and among the catalogue of sumptuous treasures with which Reginald, a succeeding abbot, enriched the convent, a great textus or gospels, with a multitude of other books,multa alia libros, are particularly specified.[304]Almost equally liberal were the choice gifts bestowed upon the monks by Adam (electeda. d.1161); but we find but little in our way among them, except a fine copy of the "Old and New Testament with a gloss." No mean gift I ween in those old days; but one which amply compensated for the deficiency of the donation in point of numbers. But all these were greatly surpassed by a monk whom it will be my duty now to introduce; and to an account of whose life and bibliomanical propensities, I shall devote a page or two. Like many who spread a lustre around the little sphere of their own, and did honor, humbly and quietly to the sanctuary of the church in those Gothic days, he is unknown to many; and might, perhaps, have been entirely forgotten, had not time kindly spared a document which testifies to his piety and book-collecting industry. The reader will probably recollect many who, by their shining piety and spotless life, maintained the purity of the Christian faith in a church surrounded by danger and ignorance, and many a bright name, renowned for their virtue ortheir glory of arms, who flourished during the early part of the thirteenth century; but few have heard of a good and humble monk named Thomas of Marleberg. Had circumstances designed him for a higher sphere, had affairs of state, or weighty duties of an ecclesiastical import, been guided by his hand, his name would have been recorded with all the flourish of monkish adulation; but the learning and the prudence of that lowly monk was confined to the little world of Evesham; and when his earthly manes were buried beneath the cloisters within the old convent walls, his name and good deeds were forgotten by the world, save in the hearts of his fraternity.

"But past is all his fame. The very spotWhere many a time he triumph'd, is forgot."

In a manuscript in the Cotton Library there is a document called "The good deeds of Prior Thomas," from which the following facts have been extracted.[305]

From this interesting memorial of his labors, we learn that Thomas had acquired some repute among the monks for his great knowledge of civil and canon law; so that when any difficulty arose respecting the claims or privileges of the monastery, or when any important matter was to be transacted, his advice was sought and received with deference and respect. Thus three years after his admission the bishop of Worcester intimated his intention ofpaying the monastery a visitation; a practice which the bishops of that see had not enforced since the days of abbot Alurie. The abbot and convent however considered themselves free from the jurisdiction of the bishop; and acting on the advice of Thomas of Marleberg, they successfully repulsed him. The affair was quite an event, and seems to have caused much sensation among them at the time; and is mentioned to show with what esteem Thomas was regarded by his monkish brethren. After a long enumeration of "good works" and important benefactions, such as rebuilding the tower and repairing the convent, we are told that "In the second year of Randulp's abbacy, Thomas, then dean, went with him to Rome to a general council, where, by his prudence and advice, a new arrangement in the business of the convent rents was confirmed, and many other useful matters settled." Here I am tempted to refer to thearrangements, for they offer pleasing illustrations of the monk as an "amator librorum." Mark how his thoughts dwelt—even when surrounded by those high dignitaries of the church, and in the midst of that important council—on the library and the scriptorium of his monastery.

"To the Prior belongs the tythes of Beningar the both great and small, to defray the expenses of procuring parchment, and to procure manuscripts for transcription."

And in another clause it is settled that

"To the Office of the Precentor belongs the Manner of Hampton, from which he will receive fiveshillings annually, besides ten and eightpence from the tythes of Stokes and Alcester, with which he is to find all the ink and parchment for the Scribes of the Monastery, colours for illuminating, and all that is necessary for binding the books."[306]

Pleasing traits are these of his bookloving passion; and doubtless under his guidance the convent library grew and flourished amazingly. But let us return to the account of his "good works."

"Returning from Rome after two years he was elected sacrist. He then made a reading-desk behind the choir,[307]which was much wanted in the church, and appointed stated readings to be held near the tomb of Saint Wilsius.... Leaving his office thus rich in good works, he was then elected prior. In this office he buried his predecessor, Prior John, in a new mausoleum; and also John, surnamed Dionysius; of the latter of whom Prior Thomas was accustomed to say, 'that he had never known any man who so perfectly performed every kind of penance as he did for more than thirty years, in fasting and in prayer; in tears and in watchings; in cold and in corporeal inflictions; in coarseness and roughness of clothing, and in denying himself bodily comforts, far more than any other ofthe brethren; all of which he rather dedicated in good purposes and to the support of the poor."

Thus did many an old monk live, practising all this with punctilious care as the essence of a holy life, and resting upon the fallacy that these cruel mortifyings of the flesh would greatly facilitate the acquisition of everlasting ease and joy in a better world; as if God knew not, better than themselves, what chastisements and afflictions were needful for them. We may sigh with pain over such instances of mistaken piety and fanatical zeal in all ages of the church; yet with all their privations, and with all their macerations of the flesh, there was a vast amount of human pride mingled with their humiliation. But He who sees into the hearts of all—looking in his benevolence more at the intention than the outward form, may perhaps sometimes find in it the workings of a true christian piety, and so reward it with his love. Let us trust so in the charity of our faith, and proceed to notice that portion of the old record which is more intimately connected with our subject. We read that

"Thomas had brought with him to the convent, on his entering, many books, of both canon and civil law; as well as the books by which he had regulated the schools of Oxford and Exeter before he became a monk. He likewise had one book of Democritus; and the book of Antiparalenion, a gradual book, according to Constantine; Isidore's Divine Offices, and the Quadrimum of Isidore; Tully's de Amicitia; Tully de Senectute et de Paradoxis; Lucan, Juvenal, and many other authors,et multos alios auctores, with a great number ofsermons, with many writings on theological questions; on the art and rules of grammar and the book of accents. After he was prior he made a great breviary, better than any at that time in the monastery, with Haimo, on the Apocalypse, and a book containing the lives of the patrons of the church of Evesham; with an account of the deeds of all the good and bad monks belonging to the church, in one volume. He also wrote and bound up the same lives and acts in another volume separately. He made also a great Psalter,magnum psalterium, superior to any contained in the monastery, except the glossed ones. He collected and wrote all the necessary materials for four antiphoners, with their musical notes, himself; except what the brothers of the monastery transcribed for him. He also finished many books that William of Lith, of pious memory, commenced—the Marterologium, the Exceptio Missæ, and some excellent commentaries on the Psalter and Communion of the Saints in the old antiphoners. He also bought the four Gospels, with glosses, and Isaiah and Ezekiel, also glossed;[308]the Pistillæ upon Matthew; some Allegories on the Old Testament; the Lamentations of Jeremiah, with a gloss; the Exposition of the Mass, according to Pope Innocent; and the great book of Alexander Necham, which is calledCorrogationes Promethea de partibus veteris testamenti et novæ.... He also caused to be transcribed in large letters the book concerning the offices of the abbey, from the Purification of St.Mary to the Feast of Easter; the prelections respecting Easter; Pentecost, and the blessings at the baptismal fonts. He also caused a volume, containing the same works, to be transcribed, but in a smaller hand; all of which the convent had not before. He made also the tablet for the locutory in the chapel of St. Anne, towards the west. After the altar of St. Mary in the crypts had been despoiled by thieves of its books and ornaments, to the value of ten pounds, he contributed to their restoration."

Thomas was equally liberal in other matters. His whole time and wealth were spent in rebuilding and repairing the monastery and adding to its comforts and splendor. He had a great veneration for antiquity, and was especially anxious to restore those parts which were dilapidated by time; the old inscriptions on the monuments and altars he carefully re-inscribed. It is recorded that he renewed the inscription on the great altar himself, without the aid of a book,sine libro; which was deemed a mark of profound learning in my lord abbot by his monkish surbordinates.

With this I conclude my remarks on Thomas of Marleberg, leaving these extracts to speak for him. It is pleasing to find that virtue so great, and industry so useful met with its just reward; and that the monks of Evesham proved how much they appreciated such talents, by electing him their abbot, in 1229, which, for seven years he held with becoming piety and wisdom.

The annals of the monastery[309]testify that "Inthe year of our Lord one thousand three hundred and ninety-two, and the fifteenth of the reign of King Richard the Second, on the tenth calends of May, died the venerable Prior Nicholas Hereford, of pious memory, who, as prior of the church of Evesham, lived a devout and religious life for forty years." He held that office under three succeeding abbots, and filled it with great honor and industry. He was a dear lover of books, and spent vast sums in collecting together his private library, amounting to more than 100 volumes; some of these he wrote with his own hand, but most of them he boughtemit. A list of these books is given in the Harleian Register, and many of the volumes are described as containing a number of tracts, bound up in one,cum aliis tractatibus in eodem volumine. Some of these display the industry of his pen, and silently tell us of his Christian piety. Among those remarkable for their bulk, it is pleasurable to observe a copy of the Holy Scriptures, which was doubtless a comfort to the venerable prior in the last days of his green old age; and which probably guided him in the even tenor of thatdevout and religious life, for which he was so esteemed by the monks of Evesham. He possessed also some works of Bernard Augustin, and Boethius, whose Consolation of Philosophy few book-collectors of the middle ages were without. To many of the books the prices he gave for them, or at which they were then valued, are affixed: a "Summa Prædicantium" is valued at eight marks, and a "Burley super Politices" at seven marks. We may suspect monk Nicholas of being rather a curious collector in his way, for we find in his library some interesting volumes of popular literature. He probably found much pleasure in perusing his copy of the marvelous tale of "Beufys of Hampton," and the romantic "Mort d'Arthur," both sufficiently interesting to relieve the monotonous vigils of the monastery. But I must not dwell longer on the monastic bibliophiles of Evesham, other libraries and bookworms call for some notice from my pen.

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FOOTNOTES:[245]"Rediens autem, ubi Viennam pervenit, eruptitios sibi quos apud amicos commendaverat, recepit." p. 26.Vit. Abbat. Wear. 12mo. edit. Ware.[246]The youngest son of Oswy, or Oswis, king of Northumbria, who succeeded his father in the year 670, Alfred his elder brother being for a time set aside on the grounds of his illegitimacy; yet Alfred was a far more enlightened and talented prince than Ecgfrid, and much praised in Saxon annals for his love of learning.[247]"Magnâ quidem copiâ voluminum sacrorum; sed non minori sicut et prius sanctorum imaginum numere detatus."Vit. Abb.p. 38.[248]"Bibliothecam, quam de Roma nobillissimam copiosessimanque advenaret ad instructionem ecclesiæ necessariam sollicite servari integram, nec per incuriam fœdari aut passim dissipari præcepit."[249]Bede says that he was "learned in Holy Scriptures." Dr. Henry mentions this anecdote in hisHist. of England, vol. ii. p. 287, 8vo. ed. which has led many secondary compilers into a curious blunder, by mistaking the king here alluded to for Alfred the Great: even Didbin, in his Bibliomania, falls into the same error although he suspected some mistake; he calls himour immortal Alfrid, p. 219, and seems puzzled to account for the anachronism, but does not take the trouble to enquire into the matter; Heylin's little Help to History would have set him right, and shown that while Alfrede king of Northumberland reigned in 680, Alfred king of England lived more than two centuries afterwards, pp. 25 and 29.[250]The reader may perhaps smile at this, but it has long been my custom to carry some 8vo. edition of a monkish writer about me, when time or opportunity allowed me to spend a few hours among the ruins of the olden time. I recall with pleasure the recollection of many such rambles, and especially my last—a visit to Netley Abbey. What a sweet spot for contemplation; surrounded by all that is lovely in nature, it drives our old prejudices away, and touches the heart with piety and awe. Often have I explored its ruins and ascended its crumbling parapets, admiring the taste of those Cistercian monks in choosing so quiet, romantic, and choice a spot, and one so well suited to lead man's thoughts to sacred things above.[251]Bede,Vit. Abb. Wear.p. 46.[252]The fine libraries thus assiduously collected were destroyed by the Danes; that of Jarrow in the year 793, and that of Wearmouth in 867.[253]Emer, Vita. ap. Mab. Act. SS. tom. iii. 199.[254]Bede's Eccles. Hist. b. iii. c. xxv.[255]"Idemque vir Dei quatuor Evangelica et Bibliothecam pluresque libros Novi et Veteris Testamenti cum tabulis tectis auro purissimo et pretiosis gemmis mirabili artificio fabricatis ad honorem Dei." Dugdale's Monast. vol. ii. p. 133.[256]In 665 he was raised to the episcopacy of all Northumbria.[257]He was deprived of his bishopric in the year 678, and the see was divided into those of York and Hexham. But for the particulars of his conduct seeSoame's Anglo. Sax. Church, p. 63, withDr. Lingard's Ang. Sax. Church, vol. i. p. 245; though without accusing either of misrepresentation, I would advise the reader to search (if he has the opportunity), the original authorities for himself, it is a delicate matter for a Roman or an English churchman to handle with impartiality.[258]His Saxon name was Winfrid, or Wynfrith, but he is generally called Boniface, Archbishop of Mentz.[259]The mere act of baptizing constitutes "conversion" in Jesuitical phraseology; and thousands were so converted in a few days by the followers of Ignatius. A similar process was used in working out the miracles of the Saxon missionary. He was rather too conciliating and too anxious for a "converting miracle," to be over particular; but it was all for the good of the church papal, to whom he was a devoted servant; the church papal therefore could not see the fault.[260]Ep. iii. p. 7, Ed. 4to.—Moguntiæ, 1629.[261]Ep. iv. p. 8.[262]Ep. xiii.[263]Ep. vii. p. 11.[264]Ep. xiv. See also Ep. xxviii. p. 40.[265]Ep. viii. p. 12.[266]Ep. lxxxv. p. 119.[267]Ep. ix. p. 13.[268]Ep. xxii. p. 36.[269]Ep. xcix. p. 135.[270]Ep. cxi. p. 153.[271]The accusation is not a groundless one. Foxe, in hisActs and Monuments, warmly upbraids him; and Aikins in hisBiog. Dict., has acted in a similar manner. But the best guides are his letters—they display his faults and his virtues too.[272]This was in the year 731.Goodwinsays he "sate 36 years, and died an. 767." He says, "This man by his owne wisedome, and the authority of his brother, amended greatly the state of his church and see. He procured the archiepiscopall pall to be restored to his churche againe, and erected a famous library at York, which he stored plentifully with an infinite number of excellent bookes." p. 441.[273]De Pontificibus et Sanctis Ecclesiæ Eboracensis.[274]Alcuini Oper., tom. i. vol. 1, p. 57, translated in Sharpe's William of Malmsbury, p. 73.[275]Opera, tom. i. p. 305.[276]In a letter to Gisla, sister to the emperor, he writes "Totius forsitan evangelii Johannis expositionem direxissem vobis, si me non occupasset Domini Regis præceptum in emendatione Veteri Novique Testamenti."—Opera, tom. i. vol. 7, p. 591.[277]Alcuini, ap. Gale, tom. iii. p. 730.[278]Alcuini, Oper. tom. i. p. 52. Ep. xxxviii. It was written about 796.[279]He was also very careful in instructing the scribes to punctuate with accuracy, which he deemed of great importance. See Ep. lxxxv. p. 126.[280]Necrolog. MS. Capituli, Metropolitani Salisburgensis,apudFroben, tom. i. p. lxxxi.[281]Charlemagne founded several libraries;—seeKoeler, Dissert. de Biblio. Caroli Mog.published in 1727. Eginhart mentions his private collection, and it is thus spoken of in the emperor's will; "Similiter et de libris, quorum magna in bibliotheca sua copiam congregavit: statuit ut ab iis qui eos habere uellet, justo pretio redimeretur, pretin in pauperes erogaretur." Echin. Vita Caroli, p. 366, edit. 24mo. 1562. Yet we cannot but regret the dispersion of this imperial library.[282]Formerly calledStreaneshalch.[283]At the age of 66,Bede, b. iv. cxxiii.[284]Bede, b. iv. c. xxiv.[285]John de Trevisa says, "Cædmon of Whitaby was inspired of the Holy Gost, and made wonder poisyes an Englisch, meiz of al the Storyes of Holy Writ."MS. Harleian, 1900, fol. 43, a.[286]Ibid.[287]Cottonian Collection markedClaudius, B. iv. There is another MS. in the Bodleian (JuniusXI.) It was printed by Junius in 1655, in 4to. Sturt has engraved some of the illuminations in hisSaxon Antiquities, and they were also copied and published by J. Greene, F. A. S., in 1754, in fifteen plates.[288]It is unfortunately imperfect at the end, and wants folio 32.[289]Take the following as an instance of the similarity of thought between the two poets. Sharon Turner thus renders a portion of Satan's speech from the Saxon of Cædmon:"Yet why should I sue for his grace?Or bend to him with any obedience?I may be a God as he is.Stand by me strong companions."Hist. Anglo Sax.vol. ii. p. 314.The idea is with Milton:. . . . . . . . To bow to one for graceWith suppliant knee, and deify his power,Who from the terror of this arm so lateDoubted his empire; that were low indeed!That were an ignominy, and shame beneathThis downfall!Paradise Lost, b. i.[290]He will find it in Charlton's History of Whitby, 4to. 1779, p. 113.[291]Marked MS. N. B. 17.[292]Wright and Halliwell's Rel. Antiq. vol. ii. p. 180.[293]It is printed in Hearne's History of Glastonbury, from a MS. in the Bodleian Library, Ed.Oxon, 1722,Appendixx. p. 291.[294]Bibliothecam optimam cum duobus armillis ex auro purissimo fabricatis.—Heming. Chart, p. 95.[295]Thomas's Survey, of Worcester Church, 4to. 1736, p. 46. The Scriptorium of the monastery was situated in the cloisters, and a Bible in Bennet College, Cambridge, was written therein by a scribe named Senatus, as we learn from a note printed in Nasmith's Catalogue, which proves it to have been written during the reign of Henry II. It is a folio MS. on vellum, and a fine specimen of the talent of the expert scribe.—SeeNasmith's Catalogus Libr. MSS., 4to.Camb.1777, p. 31.[296]Since writing the above, which I gave on the authority of Green (Hist. of Worc.vol. i. p. 79), backed with the older one of Thomas (Survey Ch. Worc.p. 70), I have had the opportunity of consulting the reference given by them (Heming, Chart.p. 262), and was somewhat surprised to find the words "Et bibliothecam, in duobus partibus divisam," the foundation of this pleasing anecdote. "Bibliothecam," however, was the Latin for a Bible in the middle ages: so that in fact the Lady Godiva gave them a Bible divided into two parts, or volumes.[297]Chalmer's Hist. of the Colleges of Oxford, p. 458. Wood's Hist. Antiq. of Oxon, lib. ii. p. 48.[298]Green's Hist. Worc. p. 79.[299]Sir W. Dugdale's View of the Troubles in England,Folio, p. 557. We can easily credit the destruction of the organ and painted windows, so obnoxious to Puritan piety; but with regard to theBibles, we may suspect the accuracy of the Royalist writer, col. 182.[300]Symeon Dunelm. Tweyed. Script. x.[301]Habingdon, MSS. Godwin de Præf, p. 231.[302]Tindal's Hist. of Evesham, p. 248.[303]Ibid.p. 250.[304]MS. Harl., No. 3763, p. 180.[305]MS. Cot. Vesp. b. xxiv. It is printed in Latin inNash's Worcestershire, vol. i. p. 419, and translated inTindal's Hist. of Worcs.p. 24, all of which I have used withDugdale's Monast.vol. ii. p. 5.[306]MS. Cottonian Augustus II.No. 11. "Ex his debet invenire præcentor incaustum omnibus scriptoribus monasterii; et Pergamenum ad brevia, et colores ad illuminandum, et necessaria ad legandum libros." SeeDugdale's Monast.vol. ii. p. 24.[307]After the elapse of so many years, the research of the antiquarian has brought this desk to light; an account of it will be found in the Archeologia, vol. xvii. p. 278.[308]"Emit etiam quator evangelia glosata, et Yaiam et Ezechielem glossatos."[309]Harleian MSS., No. 3763.

[245]"Rediens autem, ubi Viennam pervenit, eruptitios sibi quos apud amicos commendaverat, recepit." p. 26.Vit. Abbat. Wear. 12mo. edit. Ware.

[246]The youngest son of Oswy, or Oswis, king of Northumbria, who succeeded his father in the year 670, Alfred his elder brother being for a time set aside on the grounds of his illegitimacy; yet Alfred was a far more enlightened and talented prince than Ecgfrid, and much praised in Saxon annals for his love of learning.

[247]"Magnâ quidem copiâ voluminum sacrorum; sed non minori sicut et prius sanctorum imaginum numere detatus."Vit. Abb.p. 38.

[248]"Bibliothecam, quam de Roma nobillissimam copiosessimanque advenaret ad instructionem ecclesiæ necessariam sollicite servari integram, nec per incuriam fœdari aut passim dissipari præcepit."

[249]Bede says that he was "learned in Holy Scriptures." Dr. Henry mentions this anecdote in hisHist. of England, vol. ii. p. 287, 8vo. ed. which has led many secondary compilers into a curious blunder, by mistaking the king here alluded to for Alfred the Great: even Didbin, in his Bibliomania, falls into the same error although he suspected some mistake; he calls himour immortal Alfrid, p. 219, and seems puzzled to account for the anachronism, but does not take the trouble to enquire into the matter; Heylin's little Help to History would have set him right, and shown that while Alfrede king of Northumberland reigned in 680, Alfred king of England lived more than two centuries afterwards, pp. 25 and 29.

[250]The reader may perhaps smile at this, but it has long been my custom to carry some 8vo. edition of a monkish writer about me, when time or opportunity allowed me to spend a few hours among the ruins of the olden time. I recall with pleasure the recollection of many such rambles, and especially my last—a visit to Netley Abbey. What a sweet spot for contemplation; surrounded by all that is lovely in nature, it drives our old prejudices away, and touches the heart with piety and awe. Often have I explored its ruins and ascended its crumbling parapets, admiring the taste of those Cistercian monks in choosing so quiet, romantic, and choice a spot, and one so well suited to lead man's thoughts to sacred things above.

[251]Bede,Vit. Abb. Wear.p. 46.

[252]The fine libraries thus assiduously collected were destroyed by the Danes; that of Jarrow in the year 793, and that of Wearmouth in 867.

[253]Emer, Vita. ap. Mab. Act. SS. tom. iii. 199.

[254]Bede's Eccles. Hist. b. iii. c. xxv.

[255]"Idemque vir Dei quatuor Evangelica et Bibliothecam pluresque libros Novi et Veteris Testamenti cum tabulis tectis auro purissimo et pretiosis gemmis mirabili artificio fabricatis ad honorem Dei." Dugdale's Monast. vol. ii. p. 133.

[256]In 665 he was raised to the episcopacy of all Northumbria.

[257]He was deprived of his bishopric in the year 678, and the see was divided into those of York and Hexham. But for the particulars of his conduct seeSoame's Anglo. Sax. Church, p. 63, withDr. Lingard's Ang. Sax. Church, vol. i. p. 245; though without accusing either of misrepresentation, I would advise the reader to search (if he has the opportunity), the original authorities for himself, it is a delicate matter for a Roman or an English churchman to handle with impartiality.

[258]His Saxon name was Winfrid, or Wynfrith, but he is generally called Boniface, Archbishop of Mentz.

[259]The mere act of baptizing constitutes "conversion" in Jesuitical phraseology; and thousands were so converted in a few days by the followers of Ignatius. A similar process was used in working out the miracles of the Saxon missionary. He was rather too conciliating and too anxious for a "converting miracle," to be over particular; but it was all for the good of the church papal, to whom he was a devoted servant; the church papal therefore could not see the fault.

[260]Ep. iii. p. 7, Ed. 4to.—Moguntiæ, 1629.

[261]Ep. iv. p. 8.

[262]Ep. xiii.

[263]Ep. vii. p. 11.

[264]Ep. xiv. See also Ep. xxviii. p. 40.

[265]Ep. viii. p. 12.

[266]Ep. lxxxv. p. 119.

[267]Ep. ix. p. 13.

[268]Ep. xxii. p. 36.

[269]Ep. xcix. p. 135.

[270]Ep. cxi. p. 153.

[271]The accusation is not a groundless one. Foxe, in hisActs and Monuments, warmly upbraids him; and Aikins in hisBiog. Dict., has acted in a similar manner. But the best guides are his letters—they display his faults and his virtues too.

[272]This was in the year 731.Goodwinsays he "sate 36 years, and died an. 767." He says, "This man by his owne wisedome, and the authority of his brother, amended greatly the state of his church and see. He procured the archiepiscopall pall to be restored to his churche againe, and erected a famous library at York, which he stored plentifully with an infinite number of excellent bookes." p. 441.

[273]De Pontificibus et Sanctis Ecclesiæ Eboracensis.

[274]Alcuini Oper., tom. i. vol. 1, p. 57, translated in Sharpe's William of Malmsbury, p. 73.

[275]Opera, tom. i. p. 305.

[276]In a letter to Gisla, sister to the emperor, he writes "Totius forsitan evangelii Johannis expositionem direxissem vobis, si me non occupasset Domini Regis præceptum in emendatione Veteri Novique Testamenti."—Opera, tom. i. vol. 7, p. 591.

[277]Alcuini, ap. Gale, tom. iii. p. 730.

[278]Alcuini, Oper. tom. i. p. 52. Ep. xxxviii. It was written about 796.

[279]He was also very careful in instructing the scribes to punctuate with accuracy, which he deemed of great importance. See Ep. lxxxv. p. 126.

[280]Necrolog. MS. Capituli, Metropolitani Salisburgensis,apudFroben, tom. i. p. lxxxi.

[281]Charlemagne founded several libraries;—seeKoeler, Dissert. de Biblio. Caroli Mog.published in 1727. Eginhart mentions his private collection, and it is thus spoken of in the emperor's will; "Similiter et de libris, quorum magna in bibliotheca sua copiam congregavit: statuit ut ab iis qui eos habere uellet, justo pretio redimeretur, pretin in pauperes erogaretur." Echin. Vita Caroli, p. 366, edit. 24mo. 1562. Yet we cannot but regret the dispersion of this imperial library.

[282]Formerly calledStreaneshalch.

[283]At the age of 66,Bede, b. iv. cxxiii.

[284]Bede, b. iv. c. xxiv.

[285]John de Trevisa says, "Cædmon of Whitaby was inspired of the Holy Gost, and made wonder poisyes an Englisch, meiz of al the Storyes of Holy Writ."MS. Harleian, 1900, fol. 43, a.

[286]Ibid.

[287]Cottonian Collection markedClaudius, B. iv. There is another MS. in the Bodleian (JuniusXI.) It was printed by Junius in 1655, in 4to. Sturt has engraved some of the illuminations in hisSaxon Antiquities, and they were also copied and published by J. Greene, F. A. S., in 1754, in fifteen plates.

[288]It is unfortunately imperfect at the end, and wants folio 32.

[289]Take the following as an instance of the similarity of thought between the two poets. Sharon Turner thus renders a portion of Satan's speech from the Saxon of Cædmon:"Yet why should I sue for his grace?Or bend to him with any obedience?I may be a God as he is.Stand by me strong companions."Hist. Anglo Sax.vol. ii. p. 314.The idea is with Milton:. . . . . . . . To bow to one for graceWith suppliant knee, and deify his power,Who from the terror of this arm so lateDoubted his empire; that were low indeed!That were an ignominy, and shame beneathThis downfall!Paradise Lost, b. i.

[289]Take the following as an instance of the similarity of thought between the two poets. Sharon Turner thus renders a portion of Satan's speech from the Saxon of Cædmon:

"Yet why should I sue for his grace?Or bend to him with any obedience?I may be a God as he is.Stand by me strong companions."Hist. Anglo Sax.vol. ii. p. 314.

The idea is with Milton:

. . . . . . . . To bow to one for graceWith suppliant knee, and deify his power,Who from the terror of this arm so lateDoubted his empire; that were low indeed!That were an ignominy, and shame beneathThis downfall!Paradise Lost, b. i.

[290]He will find it in Charlton's History of Whitby, 4to. 1779, p. 113.

[291]Marked MS. N. B. 17.

[292]Wright and Halliwell's Rel. Antiq. vol. ii. p. 180.

[293]It is printed in Hearne's History of Glastonbury, from a MS. in the Bodleian Library, Ed.Oxon, 1722,Appendixx. p. 291.

[294]Bibliothecam optimam cum duobus armillis ex auro purissimo fabricatis.—Heming. Chart, p. 95.

[295]Thomas's Survey, of Worcester Church, 4to. 1736, p. 46. The Scriptorium of the monastery was situated in the cloisters, and a Bible in Bennet College, Cambridge, was written therein by a scribe named Senatus, as we learn from a note printed in Nasmith's Catalogue, which proves it to have been written during the reign of Henry II. It is a folio MS. on vellum, and a fine specimen of the talent of the expert scribe.—SeeNasmith's Catalogus Libr. MSS., 4to.Camb.1777, p. 31.

[296]Since writing the above, which I gave on the authority of Green (Hist. of Worc.vol. i. p. 79), backed with the older one of Thomas (Survey Ch. Worc.p. 70), I have had the opportunity of consulting the reference given by them (Heming, Chart.p. 262), and was somewhat surprised to find the words "Et bibliothecam, in duobus partibus divisam," the foundation of this pleasing anecdote. "Bibliothecam," however, was the Latin for a Bible in the middle ages: so that in fact the Lady Godiva gave them a Bible divided into two parts, or volumes.

[297]Chalmer's Hist. of the Colleges of Oxford, p. 458. Wood's Hist. Antiq. of Oxon, lib. ii. p. 48.

[298]Green's Hist. Worc. p. 79.

[299]Sir W. Dugdale's View of the Troubles in England,Folio, p. 557. We can easily credit the destruction of the organ and painted windows, so obnoxious to Puritan piety; but with regard to theBibles, we may suspect the accuracy of the Royalist writer, col. 182.

[300]Symeon Dunelm. Tweyed. Script. x.

[301]Habingdon, MSS. Godwin de Præf, p. 231.

[302]Tindal's Hist. of Evesham, p. 248.

[303]Ibid.p. 250.

[304]MS. Harl., No. 3763, p. 180.

[305]MS. Cot. Vesp. b. xxiv. It is printed in Latin inNash's Worcestershire, vol. i. p. 419, and translated inTindal's Hist. of Worcs.p. 24, all of which I have used withDugdale's Monast.vol. ii. p. 5.

[306]MS. Cottonian Augustus II.No. 11. "Ex his debet invenire præcentor incaustum omnibus scriptoribus monasterii; et Pergamenum ad brevia, et colores ad illuminandum, et necessaria ad legandum libros." SeeDugdale's Monast.vol. ii. p. 24.

[307]After the elapse of so many years, the research of the antiquarian has brought this desk to light; an account of it will be found in the Archeologia, vol. xvii. p. 278.

[308]"Emit etiam quator evangelia glosata, et Yaiam et Ezechielem glossatos."

[309]Harleian MSS., No. 3763.

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