,,the ,,augustan ,,reprint ,,society    
,,the ,,reformed ,,librarie-,,keeper    
7#afej7   ,,john ,,dury   ,introduction 
by  ,,richard ,h4 ,,popkin  and         
,,thomas ,f4 ,,wright   ,publication    
,number #bbj  ,,william ,,andrews       
,,clark ,,memorial ,,library            
,university of ,california1 ,los        
,angeles  #aihc     ,,general ,,editor  
,,david ,,stuart ,,rodes1 ,university of
 ,california1 ,los ,angeles  ,,editors  
,,charles ,l4 ,,batten1 ,university of  
,california1 ,los ,angeles   ,,george   
,,robert ,,guffey1 ,university of       
,california1 ,los ,angeles              
,,maximillian ,e4 ,,novak1 ,university  
of ,california1 ,los ,angeles   ,,nancy 
,m4 ,,shea1 ,william ,andrews ,clark    
,memorial ,library   ,,thomas ,,wright1 
,william ,andrews ,clark ,memorial      
,library  ,,advisory ,,editors   ,,ralph
 ,,cohen1 ,university of ,virginia      
,,william ,e4 ,,conway1 ,william        
,andrews ,clark ,memorial ,library      
,,vinton ,a4 ,,dearing1 ,university of  

,california1 ,los ,angeles   ,,phillip  
,,harth1 ,university of ,wisconsin1     
,madison   ,,louis ,a4 ,,landa1         
,princeton ,university   ,,earl ,,miner1
 ,princeton ,university   ,,james       
,,sutherland1 ,university ,college1     
,london   ,,norman ,j4,w4 ,,thrower1    
,william ,andrews ,clark ,memorial      
,library   ,,robert ,,vosper1 ,william  
,andrews ,clark ,memorial ,library      
,,john ,m4 ,,wallace1 ,university of    
,chicago  ,,publications ,,manager      
,,nancy ,m4 ,,shea1 ,william ,andrews   
,clark ,memorial ,library               
,,corresponding ,,secretary   ,,beverly 
,j4 ,,onley1 ,william ,andrews ,clark   
,memorial ,library  ,,editorial         
,,assistant   ,,frances ,,miriam ,,reed1
 ,university of ,california1 ,los       
,angeles     ,,introduction   ,this     
work1 with its quaint sentiments and its
 grim picture of what librarians were   
like in the mid-seventeenth century1 is 
more than a curiosity4 ,john ,dury was a
 very important figure in the ,puritan  

,revolution1 offering proposal after    
proposal to prepare ,england for its    
role in the millennium4 ,the ,reformed  
,librarie-,keeper is an integral part of
 that preparation4 ,to appreciate it one
 must look at it in terms of the plans  
of ,dury and his associates1 ,samuel    
,hartlib and ,johann ,amos ,comenius1 to
 reform the intellectual institutions of
 ,england so that the prophecies in the 
books of ,daniel and ,revelation could  
be fulfilled there4  ,john ,dury        
7#aeif-afhj71 the son of a ,scottish    
,puritan1 was raised in ,holland4#a ,he 
studied at the ,university of ,leiden1  
then at the ,french ,reformed seminaries
 at ,sedan and ,leiden1 and later at    
,oxford4 ,he was ordained a ,protestant 
minister and served first at ,cologne   
and then at the ,english church in the  
,west ,prussian city of ,elbing4 ,there 
he came in contact with ,samuel ,hartlib
 78-#affb71 a merchant1 who was to      
devote himself to many religious and    
scientific projects in ,england1 and    

with ,johann ,amos ,comenius            
7#aeib-afgj71 the leader of the         
,moravian ,brethren1 as well as with    
other great educational reformers of the
 ,continent4 ,the three of them shared a
 common vision--that the advancement of 
knowledge1 the purification of the      
,christian churches1 and the impending  
conversion of the ,jews were all        
antecedent steps to the commencement in 
the foreseeable future of the           
millennium1 the thousand-year reign of  
,christ on earth4 ,they saw the         
struggles of the ,thirty ,years' ,war   
and the religious conflict in ,england  
as part of their development of         
providential history4  ,in terms of     
their common vision1 each of them strove
 during the decade #afcj-dj to help the 
world prepare for the great events to   
come4 ,comenius started redoing the     
educational system through his textbooks
 and set forth plans for attaining      
universal knowledge4 ,hartlib moved from
 ,germany to ,england1 where he became a

 central organizing figure in both the  
nascent scientific world and the        
theological world4 ,he was in contact   
with a wide variety of intellectuals and
 brought their ideas together4 7,for    
instance1 he apprised ,dury of the      
millenarian theory of ,joseph ,mede1    
which was to be so influential in the   
,puritan ,revolution1 and he spread     
,comenius's ideas in ,england47 ,dury   
devoted himself principally to trying to
 unite all of the ,protestant churches  
in ,europe and to this end began his    
peregrinations from ,sweden and ,germany
 to ,holland1 ,switzerland1 ,france1 and
 ,england4 ,these travels were to       
continue throughout the rest of his     
life1 as he tried to negotiate an       
agreement on the essentials of          
,christianity in preparation for ,jesus'
 return4  ,in #afdj1 as the ,puritan    
,revolution began1 ,hartlib1 ,comenius1 
and ,dury saw the developments in       
,england as the opportunity to put their
 scientific-religious plans into effect4

 ,they joined together in ,london in    
#afda and1 with strong support1 offered 
proposals to prepare ,england for the   
millennium4 ,they proposed setting up a 
new university in ,london for developing
 universal knowledge4 ,in spite of the  
strong backing they had from leaders of 
the ,state and ,church1 ,parliament was 
unable to fund the project because of   
the turmoil of the time4 ,comenius left 
for the ,continent1 while ,hartlib and  
,dury advanced other projects and       
involved themselves in the ,westminster 
conference to reform the ,church4#b     
,hugh ,trevor-,roper has called         
,hartlib1 ,dury1 and ,comenius the real 
philosophers1 the only philosophers1 of 
the ,english ,revolution4#c ,they       
combined a long list of practical plans 
with an overall vision of how these     
fitted into the needed antecedent events
 to the millennium4 ,they made proposals
 for improving and reforming many       
aspects of human activities and human   
institutions4 ,the advancement of       

knowledge1 the improvement of human     
life1 and the purification of religion1 
which included bringing the ,jews and   
,christians together1 would prepare     
,england for its role when ,god chose to
 transform human history4 ,in a long    
series of pamphlets and tracts1 ,hartlib
 and ,dury turned ,comenius's theory    
into practical applications to the      
situation then prevailing in ,england4#d
  ,dury outlined this program in a      
sermon he gave before ,parliament on #bf
 ,november #afde entitled ,israels ,call
 to ,march ,out of ,babylon unto        
,jerusalem4 ,he pointed out that        
,england1 the new ,israel1 had a special
 role in history1 for the ,nations of   
great ,britain have made a new thing in 
the world2 a thing which hath not been  
done by any ,nation in the world1 since 
the preaching of the ,gospel in it1 a   
thing which since the ,jewish ,nation1  
in the daies of ,nehemiah1 was never    
heard of in any ,nation1 that not only  
the ,rulers1 but the whole multitude of 

the people should enter into a ,covenant
 with their ,god1 444 to walk in the    
waies of his ,word1 to maintain the     
,cause of ,religion1 and to reform      
themselves according to his will 7pp4   
#bc-bd74  ,since ,england was to be     
,god's agent in history1 ,dury          
proclaimed at the end of his sermon that
 ,the ,schooles of the ,prophets1 the   
,universities1 must be setled1 purged   
and reformed with wholsom constitutions1
 for the education of the sonnes of the 
,prophets1 and the government of their  
lives and with the soundnes and purity  
of spirituall learning1 that they may   
speak the true language of ,canaan1 and 
that the gibberidge of ,scholastical    
,divinity may be banished out of their  
society 7p4 #dh74  ,in the same year    
that he delivered this sermon1 ,dury    
married an aunt of ,lady ,catherine     
,ranelagh and was brought in closer     
contact with ,lady ,catherine's brother1
 ,robert ,boyle1 and the young          
scientists of the so-called ,invisible  

,college4 ,dury and ,hartlib pressed for
 reforms that would promote a better1   
more useful education from the lowest   
grades upward4 ,convinced by the passage
 in ,daniel #ab3d that knowledge shall  
increase before the end of history1     
,dury and ,hartlib sought various       
opportunities to bring about this       
increase in knowledge through better    
schools1 better religious training1 and 
better organization of knowledge4 ,such 
organization would necessarily affect   
libraries since they were an            
all-important component of the          
premillennial preparation4  ,between    
#afde and #afej1 ,dury wrote a great    
many tracts on improving the ,church and
 society4 ,these include an as yet      
unpublished one1 dated #af ,august      
#afdf1 giving his views on the post of  
library keeper at ,oxford4 ,the poor    
state of ,oxford's library led ,dury to 
observe that the librarian is to be a   
factor and trader for helpes to         
learning1 a treasurer to keep them and a

 dispenser to apply them to use1 or to  
see them well used1 or at least not     
abused4#e ,during his travels on the    
,continent1 ,dury had visited ,duke     
,augustus of ,brunswick and was         
obviously very impressed by the great   
library the ,duke was assembling at     
,wolfenbuttel4 ,in his important        
,seasonable ,discourse of #afdi on      
reforming religion and learning1 ,dury  
had proposed establishing in ,london the
 first college for ,jewish studies in   
the modern world4 ,in this proposal1 he 
saw as a basic need the procurement of a
 collection of ,oriental books4 ,such a 
library was not just to store materials1
 but to make them available and thereby 
increase knowledge4 ,hartlib1 in a      
pamphlet entitled ,considerations       
tending to the ,happy ,accomplishment of
 ,england's ,reformation in ,church and 
,state1 written in #afdg and published  
in #afdi1 had proposed a central ,office
 of ,addresse1 an information service   
dispensing spiritual and bodily         

information to all who wished it4 ,the  
holder of this office should1 he said1  
correspond with ,chiefe                 
,library-,keepers of all places1 whose  
proper employments should bee to trade  
for the ,advantages of ,learning and    
,learned ,men in ,books and ,,ms,s to   
whom he may apply himselfe to become    
beneficiall1 that such as ,mind ,the    
,end of their employment may reciprocate
 with him in the way of ,communication  
7p4 #di74  ,events surrounding the      
overthrow and execution of ,charles ,i  
led ,dury to become more personally     
involved in library matters4 ,after the 
king fled from ,london1 the royal goods 
were subject to various proposals1      
including selling or burning4 ,these    
schemes of disposal extended to his     
books and manuscripts1 which were stored
 in ,st4 ,james's ,palace4 ,john ,selden
 is credited with preventing the sale of
 the royal library4 ,bulstrode          
,whitelocke was appointed keeper of the 
king's medals and library1 and on #bh   

,october #afej ,dury was appointed his  
deputy4 ,according to ,anthony  ,wood1  
,dury did the drudgery of the place4#f  
,the books and manuscripts were in      
terrible disorder and disarray1 and     
,dury carefully reorganized them4 ,as   
soon as he took over1 ,dury stopped any 
efforts to sell the books and ordered   
that the new chapel1 built originally   
for the wedding of ,king ,charles ,i1 be
 turned into a library4 ,he immediately 
ordered the printing of the ,septuagint 
copy of the ,bible in the royal         
collection4  ,in the same year that he  
became deputy keeper1 ,dury wrote the   
following tract1 one of a dozen he      
composed in #afej on topics ranging from
 the educational to the ecclesiastical4 
,among the latter was his introduction  
to ,thomas ,thorowgood's book contending
 that the ,american ,indians are        
descended from the ,israelites1 a work  
that also served as promotional material
 for ,new ,england colonization4  ,that 
,dury's ,the ,reformed ,librarie-,keeper

 is part of his reform program          
preparatory to the onset of the         
millennium is apparent both from its    
setting and its content4 ,it was        
published in #afej along with two other 
tracts 7not reprinted here7#g and       
,dury's supplement to his ,reformed     
,school1 which itself had appeared a few
 months earlier4 ,the ,reformed ,school 
was a basic presentation of the ideas of
 ,comenius1 ,hartlib1 and ,dury for     
transforming the nature of education in 
such a way that from infancy people     
would be directed in their striving     
toward universal knowledge and spiritual
 betterment4 ,the ,supplement to the    
,reformed ,school deals with the role   
that universities should take in        
preparing for the ,kingdom of ,god1 a   
role making them more actively part of  
the world4  ,having placed educational  
institutions in the scheme of things    
preparatory to the millennium1 ,dury    
then proceeds to place library keeping  
and libraries in this scheme as well4   

,unfortunately1 according to ,dury1     
library keepers had traditionally       
regarded their positions as             
opportunities for profit and gain1 not  
for the service1 which is to bee don by 
them unto the ,common-wealth of ,israel1
 for the advancement of ,pietie and     
,learning 7p4 #ae74 ,library keepers    
ought to becom ,agents for the          
advancement of universal ,learning and  
not just mercenary people 7p4 #ag74     
,their role ought not to be just to     
guard the books but to make them        
available to those seeking universal    
knowledge and understanding of the      
,kingdom of ,god4  ,the library and the 
library keeper can play important roles 
in making knowledge available4 ,as ,dury
 points out1 ,oxford and ,heidelberg    
have failed to do so4 ,dury's work      
enumerates very practical problems that 
need to be solved and integrates them   
into an overall picture of the library  
keeper1 the library1 the school1 and the
 church--all fundamental components of a

 better world1 if properly reformed4    
,reforming involves practical changes   
directed by the spiritual goal of       
preparing for the millennium4 ,and it   
should be noticed that while ,dury had  
time to worry about how much librarians 
should be paid and how books should be  
classified1 and while he was occupied in
 getting the king's books in their      
proper place on the shelf1 he was also  
convinced that the penultimate events   
before the onset of the millennium were 
about to take place4 ,a month after his 
official appointment as deputy library  
keeper1 ,dury wrote the preface1 dated  
#bh ,november #afej1 to ,abraham von    
,franckenberg's ,clavis ,apocalyptica4  
,this work in ,dury's translation of    
#afea states on the title page that it  
offers a key to the prophecies in the   
books of ,daniel and ,revelation and    
that the ,prophetical ,numbers com to an
 end with the year of our ,lord #afee4  
,the work1 which ,dury strongly         
endorses1 lists as events which are     

shortly to com to pass1 collected out of
 the ,,xi and ,,xvi ,chapters of the    
,,revelation1 the destruction of the    
city of ,rome1 the end of the ,turkish  
,empire1 the conversion of the ,jews1   
and the ruin of the whole papacy4       
,thereupon1 the ,devil will be cast out 
and shut up in the bottomless pit1 and  
the ,son of ,god will take possession of
 the ,kingdom and reign for the         
millennium 7pp4 #afd-fe74  ,as is all   
too evident1 ,dury's reform projects did
 not lead to the millennium4 ,he was    
active in ,england until sent abroad in 
#afed as ,cromwell's unofficial agent4  
,again he traveled all over ,protestant 
,europe negotiating to reunite the      
churches4 ,after the ,restoration he was
 unable to return to ,england and lived 
out his life on the ,continent trying to
 bring about ,christian reunion4 ,one of
 his last works1 which has not been     
located1 was a shady ,touchant          
l'intelligence de l',apocalypse par     
l',apocalypse mme of #afgd4 ,his        

daughter married ,henry ,oldenburg1 who 
became a secretary of the ,royal        
,society of ,england and who helped     
bring about some of the scientific      
reforms ,dury had advocated4  ,richard  
,h4 ,popkin ,washington ,university     
99       99       99       99       99  
,john ,dury's place in the intellectual 
and religious life of                   
seventeenth-century ,england and ,europe
 is amply demonstrated in the preceding 
part of the introduction4 ,this section 
focuses on ,the ,reformed               
,librarie-,keeper itself1 which was     
printed in #afej with the subheading    
,two copies of ,letters concerning the  
,place and ,office of a                 
,librarie-,keeper 7p4 #ae74 ,the first  
letter concentrates on practical        
questions of the organization and       
administration of the library1 the      
second relates the librarian's function 
to educational goals and1 above all     
else1 to the mission of the ,christian  
religion4 ,the work's two-part structure

 is a clue to a proper understanding of 
the genesis of ,the ,reformed           
,librarie-,keeper and to its meaning and
 puts in ironic perspective its         
usefulness for later academic           
librarianship4  ,because ,the ,reformed 
,librarie-,keeper appeared in the same  
year that ,dury became deputy librarian 
of the ,king's ,library in ,st4 ,james's
 ,palace1 it has been assumed that he   
probably wrote the pamphlet as a form of
 self-promotion to secure the job4 ,an  
anonymous article in ,the ,library in   
#ahib1 for instance1 speculates that the
 pamphlet may have been composed for the
 special purpose of the ,author's       
advancement and that ,milton and ,samuel
 ,hartlib urged its production to       
forward his claims while the ,council of
 ,state was debating what to do with    
,charles ,i's books4#h ,certainly the   
final sentence of the tract1 with its   
references to the ,hous and the         
,counsels of leading men in this        
,common-wealth 7p4 #ca71 suggests a     

connection with the debate1 but the tone
 of religious zeal that permeates the   
work1 and especially the second letter1 
seems to transcend any specific         
occasion4 ,moreover1 ,hartlib1 ,dury's  
longtime friend and associate in        
millenarian causes and the recipient and
 editor of these letters1 claims that   
they and the other1 disparate works he  
selected for the volume are all fruits  
of som of my ,solicitations and         
,negotiations for the advancement of    
,learning and as such are but           
preparatives towards that perfection    
which wee may exspect by the advancement
 of the ,kingdom of ,christ1 wherein the
 ,communion of ,saints1 by the graces of
 the ,spirit1 will swallow up all these 
poor ,rudiments of knowledg1 which wee  
now grope after by so manie helps 7sig4 
,a#br-v74  ,there is1 in fact1 no way of
 knowing with certainty if ,dury's      
motives were impure1 especially since   
the exact date of the tract cannot be   
determined1 no entry existing for it in 

the ,stationers' ,register4 ,according  
to one of ,dury's biographers1 but with 
no reference to source1 the pamphlet was
 printed by ,william ,dugard shortly    
after the latter's release from prison  
in the early spring of #afej4i ,the     
,calendar of ,state ,papers and the     
records of ,bulstrode ,whitelocke       
indicate that ,dury was not officially  
considered for the library post before  
late summer and not appointed until #bh 
,october4#aj  ,the contents of the      
letters themselves reveal ,dury far     
ahead of his time in his conception of  
the ,complete ,librarian1 but later     
commentators have generally not         
understood that the administrative      
reforms he advocated were inseparable   
from his idea of the sacramental nature 
of the librarian's office--and so have  
tended to dismiss the second letter     
because it merely repeats the ideas of  
the first with less practical suggestion
 and in a more declamatory style4#aa    
,such a comment illustrates how far we  

are from ,dury's 7and the age's7        
purposes and hopes1 and it shows a great
 misunderstanding of the religious and  
moral context within which1 for ,dury1  
all human activity took place4 ,as      
,professor ,popkin has shown1 ,dury     
considered libraries fundamental to the 
preparation for the millennium3 they    
housed the texts indispensable to the   
spread of learning1 which in turn was   
prerequisite to religious unity and     
peace on earth and ultimately to the    
millennium itself2 for with enough of   
the right books1 the ,christian world   
could convert the ,jews1 that final step
 which was to herald the reign of       
,christ on earth4 ,when1 in the second  
letter1 ,dury refers to the stewardship 
of the librarian he is speaking         
literally1 not metaphorically4  ,but if 
libraries were to serve their purpose in
 the grand scheme--that is1 to make     
texts easily available--extensive       
reforms were necessary1 and that is the 
burden of the first letter4 ,dury's     

cardinal principle is that libraries    
should be useful to people3 ,it is true 
that a fair ,librarie1 is 444 an        
ornament and credit to the place where  
it is the 'jewel box' concept2 444 yet  
in effect it is no more then a dead     
,bodie as now it is constituted1 in     
comparison of what it might bee1 if it  
were animated with a publick ,spirit to 
keep and use it1 and ordered as it might
 bee for publick service 7p4 #ag1 my    
emphasis74 ,the public that ,dury refers
 to is an academic faculty and not the  
general public4 ,to insure fullest use  
he goes on to advocate the necessity of 
a printed catalogue with yearly         
manuscript supplements to be issued as a
 cumulative printed supplement every    
three years4 ,he does not reach the     
point of proposing a call-number system 
but stresses the importance of          
shelf-location guides in the catalogue4 
,he believes in aggressive acquisition  
policies and the necessity of good      
faculty-librarian relations1 with the   

former advising the latter of the       
important books in their fields of      
specialization4 ,he urges what might now
 be called interlibrary loan and other  
forms of sharing4 ,to keep the librarian
 on the straight and narrow1 apparently 
a recurrent problem in ,dury's day1 he  
recommends an annual meeting of a       
faculty board of governors where the    
librarian will give his annual report   
and put on an exhibition of the books he
 has acquired4 ,to allay the temptation 
to make a little money on the side by   
trading 7,dury's obsessive term7 in the 
library's books for his personal profit1
 the librarian is to receive            
administrative support for his various  
expenses during the year and1 as a      
scholar working with other scholars     
within his university instead of as a   
mere factotum1 the librarian is to      
receive an adequate salary 7perhaps the 
only one of ,dury's reforms that must   
wait until the millennium74  ,the       
question remains to what extent ,dury's 

duties as the deputy librarian of the   
,king's ,library allowed him to         
implement the reforms he advocated on   
paper4 ,the probable answer is1 not very
 much4 ,the librarian's duties and      
responsibilities described by ,dury are 
those of an academic1 university        
librarian1 interacting with the faculty 
and participating fully in the          
intellectual life of a scholarly        
community4 ,the role of the librarian of
 the ,king's ,library would have been   
that of keeper of a static and isolated 
collection1 and ,dury is particularly   
critical of a merely custodial role3 444
 their emploiment1 he writes of the     
typical librarian of his day1 is of     
little or no use further1 then to look  
to the ,books committed to their        
custodie1 that they may not bee lost2 or
 embezeled by those that use them3 and  
this is all 7p4 #af74  ,the ,king's     
,library was unquestionably magnificent2
 ,charles's father and brother ,henry   
had been particularly zealous in        

building it up1 acquiring such          
collections as that of ,isaac ,casaubon4
 ,and ,charles had been the recipient in
 #afbh of perhaps its greatest single   
treasure1 the ,codex ,alexandrinus1 a   
fifth-century manuscript of the ,bible  
in ,greek1 certainly an item that would 
have interested ,dury4 ,the library had1
 in fact1 great scholarly potential1 but
 its continued existence was apparently 
an embarrassment to the ,commonwealth1  
and the ,puritan government merely      
wanted an overseer4 ,so1 by the         
determination of others1 the post of    
deputy keeper of the ,king's ,library   
was little but a sinecure for ,dury1    
leaving him free to pursue his many     
other interests but powerless to        
implement the reforms he advocated in   
his pamphlet within the only library    
over which he ever had direct control4  
,though he retained the post until the  
,restoration1 he left the library itself
 early in #afed1 never to return4  ,the 
,,dnb notes that ,dury's life was an    

incessant round of journeyings1         
colloquies1 correspondence1 and         
publications4 ,the account might also   
have added that1 sadly1 it was a life of
 many failures and frustrations1 since  
his visionary scheme for the wholeness  
of life was so out of touch with the    
jealousies and rivalries of those he    
encountered4 ,but if the larger vision  
that underlay ,the ,reformed            
,librarie-,keeper is now merely a       
historical curiosity1 the specific      
reforms that ,dury advocated1 as        
seemingly impractical in his own time as
 his other schemes1 proved to be of     
lasting importance4 ,shorn of the       
millenarian vision that gave them their 
point in ,dury's own day1 his ideas have
 become the accepted standards of modern
 librarianship4 ,dury himself would not 
have been heartened by his secular      
acceptance3 444 ,for except ,sciences   
bee reformed in order to this ,scope of 
the ,christian and millenarian vision1  
the increas of knowledg will increas    

nothing but strife1 pride and confusion1
 from whence our sorrows will bee       
multiplied and propagated unto          
posteritie4444 7p4 #ca74  ,thomas ,f4   
,wright ,william ,andrews ,clark        
,memorial ,library     ,,notes ,,to     
,,the ,,introduction   ,footnote #a3    
,for ,dury's biography1 see ,j4 ,minton 
,batten1 ,john ,dury1 ,advocate of      
,christian ,reunion 7,chicago3          
,university of ,chicago ,press1 #aidd74 
,footnote #b3 ,on the relation of ,dury1
 ,hartlib1 and ,comenius1 see ,g4,h4    
,turnbull1 ,hartlib1 ,dury and ,comenius
 7,liverpool3 ,university ,press of     
,liverpool1 #aidg74  ,footnote #c3 ,hugh
 ,trevor-,roper1 ,three ,foreigners3    
,the ,philosophers of the ,puritan      
,revolution1 in his ,religion1 the      
,reformation1 and ,social ,change1 and  
,other ,essays1 #b;d ed4 7,london3      
,macmillan1 #aigb71 #bdj4  ,footnote #d3
 ,on the philosophical and theological  
theories of ,dury1 ,hartlib1 and        
,comenius1 see ,richard ,h4 ,popkin1    

,the ,third ,force in                   
,seventeenth-,century ,philosophy1      
,scepticism1 ,science1 and ,biblical    
,prophecy1 ,nouvelles de la ,rpublique  
des ,lettres 7,spring #aihc71 and       
,charles ,webster1 ,the ,great          
,instauration3 ,science1 ,medicine1 and 
,reform1 #afbf-affj 7,london3           
,duckworth1 #aige74  ,footnote #e3      
,quoted in ,turnbull1 #beg4  ,footnote  
#f3 ,athenae ,oxonienses1 vol4 #b       
7,london1 #afib71 col4 #djj4  ,footnote 
#g3 ,the omitted works are ,an ,idea of 
,mathematicks by ,john ,pell 7pp4       
#cc-df7 and ,the description of one of  
the chiefest ,libraries which is in     
,germanie1 attributed either to ,julius 
,scheurl or ,j4 ,schwartzkopf 7pp4      
#dg-fe1 in ,latin74 ,this seems to be   
the first printing of ,the description1 
which was published separately at       
,wolfenbuttel in #afec4 ,john ,pell's   
essay was written around #afcj-cd and   
was prepared for publication in #afcd by
 ,hartlib1 but was only actually        

published as an addition to ,the        
,reformed ,librarie-,keeper4 ,it was of 
some importance in making mathematics   
better known at the time4  ,footnote #h3
 ,john ,durie's ,reformed               
,librarie-,keeper and ,its ,author's    
,career as a ,librarian1 ,the ,library1 
#ast ser4 #d 7#ahib71 #hb4  ,footnote   
#i3 ,ruth ,shepard ,granniss1           
,biographical ,sketch1 ,the ,reformed   
,librarie-,keeper 7,chicago3 ,a4,c4     
,mc,clurg  ,co41 #aijf71 #ca-cb4        
,footnote #aj3 ,see ,john ,durie's      
,reformed ,librarie-,keeper1 #hc4       
,footnote #aa3 ,richard ,garnett1       
,librarianship in the ,seventeenth      
,century1 in his ,essays in             
,librarianship and ,bibliography 7,new  
,york3 ,f4,p4 ,harper1 #ahii71 #ahg4    
,,bibliographical ,,note   ,the         
,reformed ,librarie ,keeper ,with a     
,supplement to the ,reformed ,school    
7#afej7 is reproduced from the copy in  
the ,folger ,shakespeare ,library       
7,shelf ,mark ,d#bhhb_/;,bd w_/,d#bhhc74

 ,a typical type page 7p4 #g7 measures  
#ajg x #ef mm4 ,not reproduced here are 
two additional parts in the original    
volume3 ,an ,idea of ,mathematicks by   
,john ,pell and ,the description of one 
of the chiefest ,libraries which is in  
,germanie1 attributed either to ,julius 
,scheurl or ,j4 ,schwartzkopf4     ,,the
 ,,reformed ,,librarie-,,keeper  ,with a
 ,supplement to the  ,reformed-,school1 
,as subordinate to ,colleges in         
,universities4   ,,by  ,,john ,,durie4  
,whereunto is added  ,i4 ,an idea of    
,mathematicks4  ,,ii4 ,the description  
of one of the chiefest ,libraries which 
is in ,germanie1 erected and ordered by 
one of the most ,learned ,princes in    
,europe4   ,,london1  ,printed by       
,william ,du-,gard1 and are to bee sold 
by ,rob4 ,littleberrie at the sign of   
the ,unicorn in ,little ,britain4 #afej4
     ,to the ,reader4   ,learned        
,reader6  ,these ,tracts are the fruits 
of som of my ,sollicitations and        
,negotiations for the advancement of    

,learning4 ,and ,i hope they may in time
 becom somwhat effectual to rais thy    
,spirit to the exspectation of greater  
things1 which may bee raised upon such  
grounds as these4 ,all which are but    
preparatives towards that perfection    
which wee may exspect by the advancement
 of the ,kingdom of ,christ1 wherein the
 ,communion of ,saints1 by the graces of
 the ,spirit1 will swallow up all these 
poor ,rudiments of knowledg1 which wee  
now grope after by so manie helps2 and  
till then in those endeavors ,i rest in 
the ,truth4  ,thy faithfull and         
unwearied servant    ,,samuel ,,hartlib4
     ,a ,,supplement ,,to ,,the         
,reformed ,school4   ,loving freind6    
,you have offered to mee that which ,i  
confess ,i did not reflect upon1 when ,i
 wrote the discours you have ,published 
under the name of a ,reformed ,school2  
which is1 that som may think by the waie
 of ,education1 which ,i propose all    
,universities and eminent places of     
,learning might subtilly bee undermined 

and made useless1 becaus therein a waie 
is shew'd how to initiate youths not    
onely to the ,principles of all         
,religious and ,rational knowledg1 and  
in the ,exercises of all ,moral virtues1
 but in the grounds of all ,civil       
emploiments1 so far1 as will make them  
fit for all profitable undertakings in  
humane societies1 whence this will      
follow 7in their apprehensions7 that    
they shall have no advantage by beeing  
sent to anie ,universities1 to attein   
anie further perfection3 becaus the     
,universities will not bee able to add  
anie thing unto them1 which by their own
 ,industrie1 they may not afterward     
attein anie where els1 as well as there4
 ,truly it never came into my thoughts1 
either directly or indirectly to make   
,universities useless2 nor can it bee   
rationally infer'd from anie thing in   
the matter form or end of that discours 
of mine3 but ,i will grant that such as 
can see no farther then what wee now    
ordinarily attein unto2 and withal think

 that there is no ,plus ultra in nature 
atteinable above that which they have   
conceived1 such as ,i saie may frame to 
themselv's this jealousie against that  
discours3 but if they would rais their  
thoughts with mee a little above the    
ordinarie pitch1 and consider what the  
,nature of man is capable off3 and how  
far it may1 by diligent instruction1 by 
,method and ,communication1 bee         
improved3 they might rather bee induced 
to make this inference1 if the natural  
abilities of youths in a ,school 7when  
reformed7 may bee thus far improved3 how
 far more may they bee improved1 when   
they are past the age of ,youth1 and com
 to ,manhood in ,colleges and           
,universities1 if namely ,colleges and  
,universities1 could in the sphere of   
their activities bee proportionally     
,reformed1 as the ,schools may bee in   
their sphere3 for it is rational to     
conclude thus3 if the first step of our 
,reformation will lead us thus far1 how 
far will the second and third lead us8  

and if ,scholastical ,exercises in      
,youths of eighteen or twentie years1   
will advance them to that perfection of 
,learning and ,virtues1 which few of    
double their age or none almost ever    
attein unto1 what will ,collegial and   
,academical ,exercises 7if reformed and 
set upon their proper ,objects7 bring   
them unto8 ,i shall therefore to eas    
you1 or such as may have this scruple   
and jealousie over mee1 declare that my 
purpose is so far from making ,colleges 
and ,universities useless1 that if ,i   
might have my desire in them1 they      
should becom a thousand times more      
useful then now they are1 that is1 as   
far above the ordinarie ,state wherein  
they are set1 as this ,school is above  
the ordinarie waie of ,schooling3 for if
 wee look upon the true and proper ends 
of ,school1 ,college and                
,universitie-studies and ,exercises1 wee
 shall see that as in nature they are in
 a gradual proportion1 distant from1 and
 subordinate unto each other1 so they   

ought to rise one out of another1 and   
bee built upon each other's             
,foundations4  ,the true and proper end 
of ,schooling is to teach and ,exercise 
,children and ,youths in the ,grounds of
 all ,learning and ,virtues1 so far as  
either their capacitie in that age will 
suffer them to com1 or is requisite to  
apprehend the principles of useful      
matters1 by which they may bee made able
 to exercise themselvs in everie good   
,employment afterwards by themselvs1 and
 as the ,proverb is1 sine ,cortice      
natare4 ,the true and proper end of     
,colleges should bee to bring together  
into one ,societie such as are able thus
 to ,exercise themselvs in anie or all  
kind of ,studies1 that by their mutual  
,association1 ,communication1 and       
,assistance in ,reading1 ,meditating and
 conferring about profitable matters1   
they may not onely perfit their own     
,abilities1 but advance the             
superstructures of all ,learning to that
 perfection1 which by such means is     

attainable4 ,and the true and proper    
,end of ,universities1 should bee to    
publish unto the ,world the ,matters1   
which formerly have not been published2 
to discover the ,errors and hurtfulness 
of things mistaken for ,truths2 and to  
supplie the defects and desiderata1     
which may bee servicable to all sorts of
 ,professions4  ,now according to those 
aimes and ends1 ,i suppose it may bee   
inferred1 that none should bee dismissed
 out of the ,schools1 till they are able
 to make use of all sorts of ,books1 and
 direct themselvs profitably in everie  
cours of ,studie or ,action1 whereunto  
their ,genius shall lead them2 and that 
none should bee admitted into anie      
,colleges1 but such as will join with   
others1 to elaborate som profitable     
,tasks1 for the ,advancement and        
facilitating of superstructures in      
things already by som discovered1 but   
not made common unto all2 ,and that none
 should bee made ,publick ,professors in
 ,universities1 but such as have not    

onely a ,publick aim1 but som approved  
,abilities1 to supply som defects and to
 ,elaborate som desiderata of usefull   
knowledg1 or to direct such as are      
studious1 how to order their thoughts in
 all ,matters of search and ,meditation1
 for the discoverie of things not       
hitherto found out by others2 but which 
in probabilitie may bee found out by    
rational searching4  ,thus then ,i      
conceiv1 that in a well-,reformed       
,common wealth1 which is to bee         
subordinate unto the ,kingdom of ,jesus 
,christ1 wherein the ,glorie of ,god1   
the happiness of the nature of man3 and 
the ,glorious libertie of the ,sons of  
,god is to bee revealed2 all the        
subjects thereof should in their ,youth 
bee trained up in som ,schools fit for  
their capacities1 and that over these   
,schools1 som ,overseers should bee     
appointed to look to the cours of their 
,education1 to see that none should bee 
left destitute of som benefit of        
virtuous breeding1 according to the     

several kinds of emploiments1 whereunto 
they may bee found most fit and         
inclinable1 whether it bee to bear som  
civil ,office in the ,common-wealth1 or 
to bee ,mechanically emploied1 or to bee
 bred to teach others humane ,sciences1 
or to bee imploied in ,prophetical      
,exercises4 ,as for this ,school1 which 
at this time ,i have delineated1 it is  
proper to such of the ,nobilitie1       
,gentrie and better sort of ,citizens1  
which are fit to bee made capable to    
bear ,offices in the ,common-wealth3 the
 other ,schools may bee spoken off in   
due time1 so far as they are distinct   
from this1 but that which now ,i have to
 suggest is chiefly this1 that as out of
 the ,schools the chois1 which ought to 
bee made for ,colleges1 ought1 ,cteris  
paribus1 onely to bee of such as are    
most fit to ,advance the ,ends of a     
,collegial ,association2 so out of      
,colleges a chois ought to bee made of  
,professors for the ,universitie onely1 
of such as are fitted to advance the    

,ends of ,publick teaching in           
,universities1 which are not to ,repeat 
and ,compendiate that which others have 
published twentie times already1 over   
and over again1 but to add unto the     
,common stock of humane knowledg1 that  
which others have not observed1 to the  
end that all these degrees of ,studies  
and ,exercises of the minde of man1     
beeing subordinate unto the ,kingdom of 
,jesus ,christ1 the happiness of ,man by
 all ,rational and ,spiritual waies of  
improving humane ,abilities1 may bee    
advanced unto it's perfection in this   
life so far as may bee4  ,but how far   
short wee com now of all these designs1 
,i need not to relate unto you3 the     
,colleges as they are now ,conformed1   
can scarce reach to the half of that    
which the ,schools might bring us unto3 
and the ,professors of the ,universities
 com not up to that1 which the          
,collegial ,associations might          
elaborate1 if they were rightly directed
 to set their ,talents at work2 and if  

the publick ,spirit of ,christian love  
and ingenuitie did possess those1 that  
are possessed of publick places in the  
,colleges of the ,universities4 ,for if 
this ,spirit did rule their ,aims and   
,endevors1 there would bee no           
self-seeking1 no partialitie1 no envie1 
nor anie cross actings for private ends1
 to the prejudice of the ,publick2 but  
the generous love of virtue and of      
profitable ,learning1 would swaie all   
their inclinations to a free            
conjunction2 and make all their         
endeavors subordinate unto the publick  
good of the ,common-wealth of ,isral in 
the ,communion of ,saints4 ,but how far 
this ,principle of acting is now wanting
 amongst us all1 ,i shall not need to   
mention3 you have considered it long    
ago1 and wee have together lamented that
 defect1 and the doleful effects        
thereof3 our endevor must bee to seek   
out the best means of a ,reformation    
therein1 and to make use of them as ,god
 shall give us opportunities4 ,and truly

 somthing of this kinde might bee don1  
without anie great alteration or stir1  
even as matters now are formed in the   
,colleges2 if ,god would bee so gracious
 to us1 as to beget in the mindes of    
those that understand those things1 a   
heartie ,aim and ,resolution to benefit 
the ,christian ,common-wealth of        
,learning1 by their ,collegial          
,relations and ,associations one to     
another4 ,for if men that are ingenuous 
will call to minde the end first1 for   
which ,god doth give them all their     
,talents1 and then also for which men of
 publick ,spirits have erected ,colleges
 and ,universities1 and endowed the same
 with long and competent maintenances2  
that such as are fit for ,studies1 and  
called to bee ,instrumental in the      
propagation of ,truth and ,virtue1 might
 not bee distracted with the care of the
 ,world1 in reference to outward        
matters1 but might have all the         
conveniences which are imaginable to    
improve those ,talents to the utmost1   

either singly1 or conveniently with     
others1 if 7,i saie7 ingenuous          
,christians would minde these ends1 for 
which the benefit of their ,talents from
 ,god and of their accommodations from  
men to improve those ,talents are       
bestowed upon them3 it would not bee    
possible for them2 to be so unthankful  
towards ,god1 and avers from the rule of
 ,christianitie1 and from the love of   
doing good to the generation wherein    
they live2 that they should intend to   
lead a ,collegial life onely for their  
own private eas and conveniencie in     
outward things2 that beeing accommodated
 with all necessarie helps of the       
,bodie1 they may pleas themselvs onely  
in the cours of their ,studies1 with    
that ,reservation and ,retiredness1     
which is proper to a ,monkish life in   
,popish ,cloisters2 wherein the ,spirit 
of ,mutual envie1 of detraction and     
division is more irreconcilably         
entertained1 then in anie other         
,societies of the ,world4 ,for their    

,cloister-constitutions1 obliging them  
onely to the observation of som formal  
works as an opus operatum2 for which    
their maintenance is allowed them2 they 
not knowing anie further design of their
 life1 or any greater happiness in this 
,world1 then to pleas themselvs2 bestow 
all the rest of their time and thoughts1
 as their natural inclinations lead     
them1 which is commonly to nothing els  
but to self-love and ,pride1 which      
became a ,provocation unto others1 to   
discover mutually their corruptions1    
which by reaction make them all full of 
envie1 of hatred1 of evil surmises1 and 
of malicious practices one against      
another3 so that no where ,satan doth   
dwel and rule more effectually1 then in 
those ,religious ,houses1 as they are   
falsly so called4 ,how much of this     
,monkish disposition doth remain as yet 
in the formal ,constitutions of         
,colleges1 or in the ,spirits of those  
that partake of ,collegial              
accommodations1 is not a thing which ,i 

shall take upon me to ,judg2 but ,i     
shall leav it to ,god1 and to his daie  
to discover2 onely ,i would bee glad    
that all such as are true ,israelites1  
and know the end of their calling unto  
,christ1 and are not willing to burie   
their ,talents1 or to make them useless 
unto others1 for whose fakes they have  
received them would laie this matter to 
heart1 that their ,aim in a ,collegial  
life1 should not bee to enjoie an easie 
careless waie of subsistence by and for 
themselvs1 to follow private fancies in 
their ,studies about matters of         
,learning2 but that they should minde   
the stewardship of their gifts and      
places1 and the advantages of their     
,association1 whereby they might bee1   
7if they would make use of it7 able to  
elaborate som tasks1 which otherwise    
cannot bee brought to anie perfection1  
for the building up of the ,citie of    
,god in our generations4 ,there is no   
want of parts and abilities in the      
,spirits of our men1 but the waie to    

order them for publick life1 and to     
bring them together as stones fitly     
compacted to make up a perfect ,palace1 
is that which make's us all useless one 
to another2 wee finde that now and then1
 as it were by chance1 som exquisite    
pieces of ,learning1 which som have been
 hatching all their life time drop out2 
wherein appear's1 besides the usefulness
 of the ,subject1 or the uselesness     
thereof1 som inclination to bee found   
extraordinarie2 but these endevors1     
disjointed from publick ,aims1 advance  
little or nothing1 the ,happiness1 which
 true ,learning rightly ordered in all  
the parts thereof2 and ,subordinate unto
 ,christianitie1 is able to bring unto  
,mankind4 ,such pieces therefore serv   
onely as a witness1 to shew what wast   
there is of profitable time and         
abilities1 for want of loving           
combinations for publick ,designs4 ,it  
is the observation of ,forreigners      
concerning our ,universities1 that they 
finde in them men of as great learning  

as any where els2 but that they lie as  
it were dead and unknown to the whole   
world of other men of ,learning2 becaus 
they delight to live a retired and      
unsociable life3 this humor therefore   
amongst other parts of our ,reformation1
 must by som ,gospel-principles and     
,rational inducements bee ,reformed1 not
 onely in ,colleges but in other        
,associations4 ,the ,lord teach us the  
waie of ,truth and ,righteousness1 that 
wee may profit in all things to advance 
the glorie of his name in the ,kingdom  
of his ,son1 in whom ,i rest  ,your     
friend and servant4  ,j4,d4     ,,the   
,,reformed ,,librarie-,,keeper4  ,,by   
,,john ,,durie4   ,,london1  ,printed by
 ,william ,du-gard1  ,anno ,dom4 #afej4 
,,the ,reformed ,librarie-,keeper3  ,,or
  ,two copies of ,letters concerning the
 ,place and ,office of a                
,librarie-,keeper4   ,the first ,letter4
  ,the ,librarie-,keeper's place and    
,office1 in most ,countries 7as most    
other places and ,offices both in       

,churches and ,universities7 are lookt  
upon1 as ,places of profit and gain1 and
 so accordingly sought after and valued 
in that regard2 and not in regard of the
 service1 which is to bee don by them   
unto the ,common-wealth of ,isral1 for  
the advancement of ,pietie and          
,learning2 for the most part1 men look  
after the maintenance1 and livelihood   
setled upon their ,places1 more then    
upon the end and usefulness of their    
emploiments2 they seek themselvs and not
 the ,publick therein1 and so they      
subordinate all the advantages of their 
places1 to purchase mainly two things   
thereby viz4 an easie subsistence2 and  
som credit in comparison of others2 nor 
is the last much regarded1 if the first 
may bee had2 except it bee in cases of  
strife and debate1 wherein men are      
over-heated3 for then indeed som will   
stand upon the point of ,honor1 to the  
hazard of their temporal profits3 but to
 speak in particular of                 
,librarie-,keepers1 in most             

,universities that ,i know2 nay indeed  
in all1 their places are but            
,mercenarie1 and their emploiment of    
little or no use further1 then to look  
to the ,books committed to their        
custodie1 that they may not bee lost2 or
 embezeled by those that use them3 and  
this is all4  ,i have been informed1    
that in ,oxford 7where the most famous  
,librarie now exstant amongst           
,protestant-,christians is kept17 the   
setled maintenance of the               
,librarie-keeper is not above fiftie or 
sixtie pound per annum2 but that it is  
accidentally1 viis  modis somtimes worth
 an hundred pound3 what the accidents   
are1 and the waies by which they com1 ,i
 have not been curious to search after2 
but ,i have thought1 that if the proper 
emploiments of ,librarie-keepers were   
taken into consideration as they are1 or
 may bee made useful to the advancement 
of ,learning2 and were ordered and      
mainteined proportionally to the ends1  
which ought to bee intended thereby2    

they would bee of exceeding great use to
 all sorts of ,scholars1 and have an    
universal influence upon all the parts  
of ,learning1 to produce and propagate  
the same unto perfection4 ,for if       
,librarie-keepers did understand        
themselvs in the nature of their work1  
and would make themselvs1 as they ought 
to bee1 useful in their places in a     
publick waie2 they ought to becom       
,agents for the advancement of universal
 ,learning3 and to this effect ,i could 
wish1 that their places might not bee   
made1 as everie where they are1         
,mercenarie1 but rather ,honorarie2 and 
that with the competent allowance of two
 hundred pounds a year2 som emploiments 
should bee put upon them further then a 
bare keeping of the ,books4 ,it is true 
that a fair ,librarie1 is not onely an  
ornament and credit to the place where  
it is2 but an useful commoditie by it   
self to the publick2 yet in effect it is
 no more then a dead ,bodie as now it is
 constituted1 in comparison of what it  

might bee1 if it were animated with a   
publick ,spirit to keep and use it1 and 
ordered as it might bee for publick     
service4 ,for if such an allowance were 
setled upon the emploiment as might     
maintain a man of parts and generous    
thoughts1 then a condition might bee    
annexed to the bestowing of the ,place2 
that none should bee called thereunto   
but such as had approved themselvs      
zealous and profitable in som publick   
waies of ,learning to advance the same1 
or that should bee bound to certain     
tasks to bee prosecuted towards that    
end1 whereof a ,list might bee made1 and
 the waie to trie their ,abilities in   
prosecuting the same should bee         
described1 least in after times1        
unprofitable men creep into the place1  
to frustrate the publick of the benefit 
intended by the ,doners towards         
posteritie4 ,the proper charge then of  
the ,honorarie ,librarie-,keeper in a   
,universitie should bee thought upon1   
and the end of that ,imploiment1 in my  

conception1 is to keep the publick stock
 of ,learning1 which is in ,books and   
,manuscripts to increas it1 and to      
propose it to others in the waie which  
may bee most useful unto all2 his work  
then is to bee a ,factor and ,trader for
 helps to ,learning1 and a ,treasurer to
 keep them1 and a dispenser to applie   
them to use1 or to see them well used1  
or at least not abused2 ,and to do all  
this1 ,first a ,catalogue1 of the       
,treasurie committed unto his charge is 
to bee made1 that is all the ,books and 
,manuscripts1 according to the ,titles  
whereunto they belong1 are to bee ranked
 in an order most easie and obvious to  
bee found1 which ,i think is that of    
,sciences and ,languages2 when first all
 the ,books are divided into their      
subjectam materiam whereof they ,treat1 
and then everie kinde of matter         
subdivided into their several           
,languages3 ,and as the ,catalogue      
should bee so made1 that it may alwaies 
bee augmented as the stock doth increas2

 so the place in the ,librarie must bee 
left open for the increas of the number 
of ,books in their proper ,seats1 and in
 the ,printed ,catalogue1 a ,reference  
is to bee made to the place where the   
,books are to bee found in their ,shelvs
 or repositories4 ,when the stock is    
thus known and fitted to bee exposed to 
the view of the ,learned ,world1 ,then  
the waie of ,trading with it1 both at   
home and abroad1 is to bee laid to heart
 both for the increas of the stock1 and 
for the improvement of it to use4 ,for  
the increas of the stock both at home   
and abroad1 correspondencie should bee  
held with those that are eminent in     
everie ,science1 to ,trade with them for
 their profit1 that what they want and  
wee have1 they may receiv upon          
condition1 that what they have and wee  
want1 they should impart in that        
facultie where their eminencie doth lie2
 ,as for such as are at home eminent in 
anie kinde1 becaus they may com by      
,native right to have use of the        

,librarie-,treasure1 they are to bee    
,traded withal in another waie1 viz4    
that the things which are gained from   
abroad1 which as yet are not made       
common1 and put to publick use should   
bee promised and imparted to them for   
the increas of their private stock of   
knowledg1 to the end that what they have
 peculiar1 may also bee given in for a  
requital1 so that the particularities of
 gifts at home and abroad1 are to meet  
as in a ,center in the hand of the      
,librarie-keeper1 and hee is to ,trade  
with the one by the other1 to caus them 
to multiplie the publick stock1 whereof 
hee is a ,treasurer and ,factor4  ,thus 
hee should ,trade with those that are at
 home and abroad out of the             
,universitie1 and with those that are   
within the ,universitie1 hee should have
 acquaintance to know all that are of   
anie parts1 and how their vein of       
,learning doth lie1 to supplie helps    
unto them in their faculties from       
without and from within the ,nation1 to 

put them upon the keeping of            
correspondencie with men of their own   
strain1 for the beating out of matters  
not yet elaborated in ,sciences2 so that
 they may bee as his ,assistants and    
subordinate ,factors in his ,trade and  
in their own for gaining of knowledg3   
,now becaus in all publick ,agencies1 it
 is fit that som inspection should bee  
had over those that are intrusted       
therewith1 therefore in this ,factorie  
and ,trade for the increas of ,learning1
 som tie should bee upon those          
,librarie-keepers to oblige them to     
carefulness4  ,i would then upon this   
account1 have an ,order made that once  
in the year1 the ,librarie-keeper should
 bee bound to give an account of his    
,trading1 and of his ,profit in his     
,trade 7as in all humane ,trades        
,factors ought1 and use to do to their  
principals at least once a year7 and to 
this effect ,i would have it ordered1   
that the chief ,doctors of each facultie
 of the ,universitie1 should meet at a  

,convenient time in a week of the year1 
to receiv the ,accounts of his ,trading1
 that hee may shew them wherein the     
stock of ,learning hath been increased1 
for that year's space2 and then hee is  
to produce the particulars which he hath
 gained from abroad1 and laie them      
before them all1 that everie one in his 
own facultie may declare in the presence
 of others1 that which he thinketh fit  
to bee added to the publick stock1 and  
made common by the ,catalogue of        
,additionals1 which everie year within  
the ,universities is to bee published in
 writing within the ,librarie it self1  
and everie three years 7or sooner as the
 number of ,additionals may bee great1  
or later1 if it bee smal7 to bee put in 
,print and made common to those that are
 abroad4 ,and at this giving up of the  
accounts1 as the ,doctors are to declare
 what they think worthie to bee added to
 the common stock of ,learning1 each in 
their ,facultie2 so ,i would have them  
see what the ,charges and ,pains are    

whereat the ,librarie-,keeper hath been1
 that for his encouragement1 the        
extraordinarie expences in              
correspondencies and transcriptions for 
the publick good1 may bee allowed him   
out of som ,revenues1 which should bee  
set a part to that effect1 and disposed 
of according to their joint-content and 
judgment in that matter4 ,here then hee 
should bee bound to shew them the ,lists
 of his correspondents1 the ,letters    
from them in ,answer to his1 and the    
reckoning of his extraordinarie expence 
should bee allowed him in that which hee
 is indebted1 or hath freely laid out to
 procure ,rarities into the stock of    
,learning4 ,and becaus ,i understand    
that all the ,book-,printers or         
,stationars of the ,common-wealth are   
bound of everie ,book which is ,printed1
 to send a ,copie into the ,universitie 
,librarie2 and it is impossible for one 
man to read all the ,books in all       
,faculties1 to judg of them what worth  
there is in them2 nor hath everie one   

,abilitie to judg of all kinde of       
,sciences what everie ,autor doth       
handle1 and how sufficiently2 therefore 
,i would have at this time of giving    
accounts1 the ,librarie-keeper also     
bound to produce the ,catalogue of all  
the ,books sent unto the ,universitie's 
,librarie by the ,stationars that       
,printed them2 to the end that everie   
one of the ,doctors in their own        
,faculties should declare1 whether or no
 they should bee added1 and where they  
should bee placed in the ,catalogue of  
,additionals2 ,for ,i do not think that 
all ,books and ,treaties which in this  
age are ,printed in all kindes1 should  
bee inserted into the ,catalogue1 and   
added to the stock of the ,librarie1    
discretion must bee used and confusion  
avoided1 and a cours taken to           
distinguish that which is profitable1   
from that which is useless2 and         
according to the verdict of that        
,societie1 the usefulness of ,books for 
the publick is to bee determined2 yet   

becaus there is seldom anie ,books      
wherein there is not somthing useful1   
and ,books freely given are not to bee  
cast away1 but may bee kept1 therefore  
,i would have a peculiar place appointed
 for such ,books as shall bee laid aside
 to keep them in1 and a ,catalogue of   
their ,titles made ,alphabetically in   
reference to the ,autor's name1 with a  
note of distinction to shew the ,science
 to which they are to bee referred4     
,these thoughts com thus suddenly into  
my head1 which in due time may bee more 
fully described1 if need bee1 chiefly   
if1 upon the ground of this account1 som
 competencie should bee found out and   
allowed to maintein such charges as will
 bee requisite1 towards the advancement 
of the ,publick good of ,learning after 
this manner4   ,the second ,letter4     
,sir6  ,in my last ,i gave you som      
incident thoughts1 concerning the       
improvement of an ,honorarie            
,librarie-keeper's place1 to shew the   
true end and use thereof1 and how the   

keepers thereof should bee regulated in 
the ,trade1 which hee is to drive for   
the ,advancement of ,learning1 and      
encouraged by a competent maintenance1  
and supported in extraordinarie expences
 for the same4 ,now ,i wish that som men
 of publick ,spirits and lovers of      
,learning1 might bee made acquainted    
with the ,action1 upon such grounds as  
were then briefly suggested2 who know's 
but that in time somthing might bee     
offered to the ,trustees of the ,nation1
 with better conceptions then these ,i  
have suggested4  ,for1 if it bee        
considered that amongst manie           
,eminencies of this ,nation1 the        
,librarie of ,oxford is one of the most 
considerable for the advancement of     
,learning1 if rightly improved and      
,traded withal for the good of ,scholars
 at home and abroad2 ,if this 7,i saie7 
bee rightly considered and represented  
to the publick ,reformers of this age1  
that by this means this ,nation as in   
other things1 so especially for ,pietie 

and ,learning1 and by the advancement of
 both1 may now bee made more glorious   
then anie other in the world2 ,no doubt 
such as in the ,parlament know the worth
 of ,learning will not bee avers from   
further overtures1 which may bee made   
towards this purpose4 ,what a great stir
 hath been heretofore1 about the        
,eminencie of the ,librarie of          
,heidelberg1 but what use was made of   
it8 ,it was ingrossed into the hands of 
a few1 till it became a ,prey unto the  
,enemies of the ,truth4 ,if the         
,librarie-keeper had been a man1 that   
would have traded with it for the       
increas of true ,learning1 it might have
 been preserved unto this daie in all   
the rarities thereof1 not so much by the
 shuttings up of the multitude of       
,books1 and the rareness thereof for    
antiquitie1 as by the understandings of 
men and their proficiencie to improv and
 dilate knowledg upon the grounds which 
hee might have suggested unto others of 
parts1 and so the ,librarie-rarities    

would not onely have been preserved in  
the spirits of men1 but have fructified 
abundantly therein unto this daie1      
whereas they are now lost1 becaus they  
were but a ,talent digged in the ground2
 ,and as they that had the keeping of   
that ,librarie made it an ,idol1 to bee 
respected and worshipped for a raritie  
by an implicite faith1 without anie     
benefit to those who did esteem of it a 
far off3 so it was just with ,god that  
it should fall into the hands of those  
that in all things follow an ,idolatrous
 waie1 to blinde men with shewes without
 all realitie of substantial virtue1    
which is onely eminent in this1 that it 
becometh profitable unto all1 by        
dilating the light of knowledg1 and the 
love of grace and goodness in the hearts
 of all men1 that are fit to receiv the 
one and the other2 ,and where this ,aim 
is not in those that are intrusted with 
publick places2 there they in the end   
will bee found unprofitable servants2   
for the trust which ,god hath put into  

their hands to profit withal1 they      
discharge not for the account which     
everie one is to give unto him of his   
,stewardship1 is not how careful hee    
hath kept things of use unto himself1 to
 pride himself in the possession of that
 which others have not1 7as the custom  
of men is1 that know not what true      
glorie is7 but how faithfully and       
diligently hee hath distributed the same
 to such as were worthie thereof for    
their good1 that they might bee stirred 
up both to glorifie ,god for his        
goodness2 and to imitate him in the     
,communication of all good things unto  
others for his sake freely4 ,this was   
,christ's ,work on ,earth to receiv us1 
unto the ,glorie of ,god2 this was that 
which hee taught by this practice1 that 
it is more blessed to give1 then to     
receiv4 ,this is that which this envious
 ,world cannot rellish1 and what stop's 
the current of true love in the hearts  
of men8 ,nothing so much as the         
self-seeking of men in the waies of     

,learning1 by which they covetously     
obstruct the fountains of life and      
comfort1 which might overflow and water 
abundantly the barren and thirstie      
,souls of those that perish for want of 
address unto wisdom2 which in all the   
waies of humane and divine ,learning    
might bee mainly advanced1 by the       
industrie of one man in such a place1   
whose ,trade should bee such as ,i      
formerly described1 to deal with the    
spirits of all men of parts1 to set them
 a working one by and towards another1  
upon the subjects which hee should bee  
intrusted withal to keep in the stock of
 ,learning4 ,it is the ,glorie and      
,riches of ,nations and of great        
,cities1 to make themselvs the ,center  
of ,trade for all their ,neighbors2 and 
if they can finde waies of politie1 to  
oblige their ,neighbors to receiv from  
their ,magazines the ,commodities       
whereof they stand in need1 it is everie
 waie a great benefit unto the ,state1  
so it may bee in matters of ,learning1  

and by the ,trade of ,sciences this     
,church may oblige all the ,neighbor    
,churches1 and that ,universitie all    
,forreiners that ,trade in knowledg to  
receiv pretious ,commodities1 whereof   
they stand in need1 from our ,magazines 
and ,storehouses2 if a painful ,steward 
and dispenser thereof1 bee imploied and 
mainteined to use industrie for so      
blessed a work1 from whence much ,glorie
 to ,god in the ,gospel1 and honor will 
redound to the ,nation4 ,for although   
the waies of humane ,learning are almost
 infinite and wonderfully various1 and  
have their peculiar uses in the outward 
life of man1 for which most men affect  
them1 yet in one that is to minde the   
universal good of all1 the whole        
varietie and diversitie of matters      
useful unto this present life1 as they  
com within the sphere of ,learning must 
bee reduced1 and may bee subordinate    
unto the advancement of the ,gospel of  
,christ1 wherein the ,glorie of the     
,nation1 at this and all times should   

bee thought to stand3 ,and truly that is
 the thing which take's most with mee1  
for which ,i would have that ,librarie  
thus improved by a faithful keeper1 that
 when his ,trade is set on foot1 with   
all those that are of eminent parts in  
their several faculties1 wee knowing who
 they are and wherein their eminencies  
do lie1 may have opportunities to       
provoke them to the right use thereof1  
by giving them ,objects from our store2 
and furnishing them with tasks and      
matters to bee elaborated1 which cannot 
bee diverted from the scope of ,god's   
glorie to bee made known unto all men in
 ,jesus ,christ1 for there is nothing of
 knowledg in the minde of man1 which may
 not bee conveniently referred to the   
virtues of ,god in ,christ1 whereby the 
humane nature is to bee exalted to that 
dignitie whereunto hee hath received it1
 that it should by him rule over the    
whole ,creation4 ,and the want of this  
,aim to look upon things in order to    
him1 and to set them a working without  

relation to him1 is that which blast's  
all our endevors1 and make's them       
determin in confusion and disorder2 ,for
 whatsoever is not directed in it's own 
place with som reference unto him must  
bee overthrown2 nor is there anie waie  
left for anie to prosper in that which  
hee undertaketh1 but to learn to know   
him and respect him in it1 for the      
advancement of the ,kingdom over the    
,souls of men1 which by the ,sanctified 
use of all knowledg is chiefly effected4
 ,if then the ,trade of ,learning is to 
bee set a foot in a publick waie1 and   
regulated to deserv the countenance of a
 ,religious ,state1 this ,aim1 and the  
waie of prosecuting of it must bee      
intended and beaten out2 ,for except    
,sciences bee reformed in order to this 
,scope1 the increas of knowledg will    
increas nothing but strife1 pride and   
confusion1 from whence our sorrows will 
bee multiplied and propagated unto      
posteritie2 but if hee1 who is to bee   
intrusted with the managing of this     

,trade1 bee addressed in the waie which 
leadeth unto this ,aim without          
partialitie1 his negotiation will bee a 
blessing unto this age and to           
posteritie4  ,i have no time to inlarge 
upon this ,subject1 or to conceiv a     
formal and regular discours1 but the    
thoughts which thus fall into my minde  
,i impart unto you1 that you may give   
them as hints unto others1 who of       
themselvs will bee able to inlarge them 
either to the ,hous1 or to such as can  
in due time swaie the ,counsels of      
leading men in this ,common-wealth4