,,the ,,love ,,of ,,books  ,,the        
,,philobiblon ,,of ,,richard ,,de ,,bury
   ,,translated ,,into ,,english  ,,by  
,e4 ,c4 ,,thomas    ,,take ,,thou ,a    
,,book ,,into ,,thine ,,hands ,,as      
,,simon ,,the ,,just ,,took ,,the       
,,child ,,jesus ,,into ,,his ,,arms ,,to
 ,,carry ,,him ,,and ,,kiss ,,him4      
,,and ,,when ,,thou ,,hast ,,finished   
,,reading1 ,,close ,,the ,,book ,,and   
,,give ,,thanks ,,for ,,every ,,word    
,,out ,,of ,,the ,,mouth ,,of ,,god2    
,,because ,,in ,,the ,,lord',s ,,field  
,,thou ,,hast ,,found ,a ,,hidden       
,,treasure4  ,,thomas ,a ,,kempis3      
,doctrinale ,juvenum     ,,preface  ,the
 ,author of the ,book4  ,richard de     
,bury 7#abha-acde71 so called from being
 born near ,bury ,st4 ,edmunds1 was the 
son of ,sir ,richard ,aungerville4 ,he  
studied at ,oxford2 and was subsequently
 chosen to be tutor to ,prince ,edward  
of ,windsor1 afterwards ,edward ,,iii4  
,his loyalty to the cause of ,queen     
,isabella and the ,prince involved him  

in danger4  ,on the accession of his    
pupil he was made successively          
,cofferer1 ,treasurer of the ,wardrobe1 
,archdeacon of ,northampton1 ,prebendary
 of ,lincoln1 ,sarum1 and ,lichfield1   
,keeper of the ,privy ,purse1           
,ambassador on two occasions to ,pope   
,john ,,xxii1 who appointed him a       
chaplain of the papal chapel1 ,dean of  
,wells1 and ultimately1 at the end of   
the year #accc1 ,bishop of ,durham2 the 
,king and ,queen1 the ,king of ,scots1  
and all the magnates north of the       
,trent1 together with a multitude of    
nobles and many others1 were present at 
his enthronization4  ,it is noteworthy  
that during his stay at ,avignon1       
probably in #accj1 he made the          
acquaintance of ,petrarch1 who has left 
us a brief account of their intercourse4
  ,in #accb ,richard visited ,cambridge1
 as one of the ,king's commissioners1 to
 inquire into the state of the ,king's  
,scholars there1 and perhaps then became
 a member of the ,gild of ,st4          

,mary--one of the two gilds which       
founded ,corpus ,christi ,college4  ,in 
#accd he became ,high ,chancellor of    
,england1 and ,treasurer in #accf1      
resigning the former office in #acce1 so
 that he might help the ,king in dealing
 with affairs abroad and in ,scotland1  
and took a most distinguished part in   
diplomatic negociations between ,england
 and ,france4  ,in #acci he was again in
 his bishopric4  ,thereafter his name   
occurs often among those appointed to   
treat of peace with ,philip of ,france1 
and with ,bruce of ,scotland4  ,it      
appears that he was not in ,parliament  
in #acdd4  ,wasted by long              
sickness--longa infirmitate decoctus--on
 the #adth of ,april1 #acde1 ,richard de
 ,bury died at ,auckland1 and was buried
 in ,durham ,cathedral4  ,dominus       
,ricardus de ,bury migravit ad ,dominum4
    ,the ,bishop as ,booklover4         
,according to the concluding note1 the  
,philobiblon was completed on the       
bishop's fifty-eighth birthday1 the     

#bdth of ,january1 #acde1 so that even  
though weakened by illness1 ,richard    
must have been actively engaged in his  
literary efforts to the very end of his 
generous and noble life4 ,his           
enthusiastic devoted biographer         
,chambre#a gives a vivid account of the 
bishop's bookloving propensities1       
supplementary to what can be gathered   
from the ,philobiblon itself4  ,iste    
summe delectabatur in multitudine       
librorum2 he had more books1 as was     
commonly reported1 than all the other   
,english bishops put together4  ,he had 
a separate library in each of his       
residences1 and wherever he was         
residing1 so many books lay about his   
bed-chamber1 that it was hardly possible
 to stand or move without treading upon 
them4  ,all the time he could spare from
 business was devoted either to         
religious offices or to his books4      
,every day while at table he would have 
a book read to him1 unless some special 
guest were present1 and afterwards would

 engage in discussion on the subject of 
the reading4  ,the haughty ,anthony ,bec
 delighted in the appendages of         
royalty--to be addressed by nobles      
kneeling1 and to be waited on in his    
presence-chamber and at his table by    
,knights bare-headed and standing2 but  
,de ,bury loved to surround himself with
 learned scholars4  ,among these were   
such men as ,thomas ,bradwardine1       
afterwards ,archbishop of ,canterbury1  
and author of the ,de ,causa ,dei2      
,richard ,fitzralph1 afterwards         
,archbishop of ,armagh1 and famous for  
his hostility to the mendicant orders2  
,walter ,burley1 who dedicated to him a 
translation of the ,politics of         
,aristotle made at his suggestion2 ,john
 ,mauduit1 the astronomer2 ,robert      
,holkot1 author of many books2 ,richard 
de ,kilvington2 ,richard ,benworth1     
afterwards ,bishop of ,london2 and      
,walter ,seagrave1 who became ,dean of  
,chichester4#b    #a ,cp4 ,surtees      
,society's edition of ,scriptores ,tres2

 also ,wharton's ,anglia ,sacra4  #b ,an
 unsuccessful attempt has been made to  
transfer the authorship of the book to  
,robert ,holkot4  ,various theories have
 been advanced against ,richard's       
claims4  ,it is noteworthy that his     
contemporary ,adam ,murimuth disparages 
him as mediocriter literatus1 volens    
tamen magnus clericus reputari1 but such
 disparagement must be taken with the   
utmost caution4 ,the really difficult   
fact to be accounted for is the omission
 on the part of ,chambre to mention the 
book4    ,the ,bishop's ,books4  ,in the
 ,philobiblon1 ,richard de ,bury frankly
 and clearly describes his means and    
method of collecting books4  ,anyhow his
 object was clearly not selfish4  ,the  
treatise contains his rules for the     
library of the new ,college at          
,oxford--,durham ,college 7where        
,trinity ,college now stands7--which he 
practically founded1 though his         
successor1 ,bishop ,hatfield1 carried   
the scheme into effect4  ,it is         

traditionally reported that ,richard's  
books were sent1 in his lifetime or     
after his death1 to the house of the    
,durham ,benedictines at ,oxford1 and   
there remained until the dissolution of 
the ,college by ,henry ,,viii41 when    
they were dispersed1 some going into    
,duke ,humphrey's 7the ,university7     
library1 others to ,balliol ,college1   
and the remainder passing into the hands
 of ,dr4 ,george ,owen1 who purchased   
the site of the dissolved ,college4#c   
#c ,mr4 ,j4 ,w4 ,clark puts the matter  
as follows3--,durham ,college1          
maintained by the ,benedictines of      
,durham1 was supplied with books from   
the mother-house1 lists of which have   
been preserved2 and subsequently a      
library was built there to contain the  
collection bequeathed in #acde by       
,richard de ,bury 7,the ,care of ,books1
 p4  #adb74  ,mr4 ,thomas points out    
that ,de ,bury's executors sold at least
 some portion of his books2 and1        
moreover1 his biographer says nothing of

 a library at ,oxford4 ,possibly the    
scheme was never carried out4  ,in the  
,british ,museum 7,roy4 #ac ,d4 iv4 #c7 
is a large folio ,,ms4 of the works of  
,john of ,salisbury1 which was one of   
the books bought back from the ,bishop's
 executors4  ,unfortunately1 the special
 catalogue of his books prepared by     
,richard has not come down to us2 but   
from his own book and from the books    
cited in the works of his friends and   
housemates1 who may reasonably be       
supposed to have drawn largely from the 
bishop's collection1 it would be        
possible to restore a hypothetical but  
not improbable ,bibliotheca ,ricardi de 
,bury4  ,the difficulty would be with   
that contemporary literature1 which they
 would think below the dignity of       
quotation1 but which we know the ,bishop
 collected4    ,early ,editions of the  
,philobiblon4  ,the book was first      
printed at ,cologne in #adgc1 at ,spires
 in #adhc1 and at ,paris in #aejj4  ,the
 first ,english edition appeared in     

#aeih-i1 edited by ,thomas ,james1      
,bodley's first librarian4  ,other      
editions appeared in ,germany in #afaj1 
#afad1 #afgd and #agjc2 at ,paris in    
#ahef2 at ,albany in #ahfa4  ,the texts 
were1 with the exception of those issued
 in #adhc and #aeii1 based on the #adgc 
edition2 though the ,french edition and 
translation of #ahef1 prepared by ,m4   
,cocheris1 claimed to be a critical     
version1 it left the text untouched1 and
 merely gave the various readings of the
 three ,paris manuscripts at the foot of
 the pages2 these readings are moreover 
badly chosen1 and the faults of the     
version are further to be referred to   
the use of the ill-printed #agjc edition
 as copy4  ,in #ahcb there appeared an  
anonymous ,english translation1 now     
known to have been by ,j4 ,b4 ,inglis2  
it followed the edition of #adgc1 with  
all its errors and inaccuracies4  ,mr4  
,e4 ,c4 ,thomas' ,text4--,the first true
 text of the ,philobiblon1 the result of
 a careful examination of twenty-eight  

,,mss41 and of the various printed      
editions1 appeared in the year #ahhh3   
,the ,philobiblon of ,richard de ,bury1 
,bishop of ,durham1 ,treasurer and      
,chancellor of ,edward ,,iii1 edited and
 translated by ,ernest ,c4  ,thomas1    
,barrister-at-law1 late ,scholar of     
,trinity ,college1 ,oxford1 and         
,librarian of the ,oxford ,union4       
,london3 ,kegan ,paul1 ,trench1  ,co4   
,for fifteen years the enthusiastic     
editor--an ideal ,bibliophile--had      
toiled at his labour of love1 and his   
work was on all sides received with the 
recognition due to his monumental       
achievement4  ,to the great loss of     
,english learning1 he did not long      
survive the conclusion of his labours4  
,the very limited edition of the work   
was soon exhausted1 and it is by the    
most generous permission of his father1 
,mr4 ,john ,thomas1 of ,lower           
,broughton1 ,manchester1 that the       
translation--the only trustworthy       
rendering of ,richard de ,bury's        

precious treatise--is now1 for the first
 time1 made accessible to the larger    
book-loving public1 and fittingly       
inaugurates the present series of       
,english classics4  ,the general ,editor
 desires to express his best thanks to  
,mr4 ,john ,thomas1 as also to ,messrs4 
,kegan ,paul1 for their kindness in     
allowing him to avail himself of the    
materials included in the #ahhh edition 
of the work4  ,he has attempted1 in the 
brief ,preface and ,notes1 to condense  
,mr4 ,thomas' labours in such a way as  
would have been acceptable to the       
lamented scholar1 and though he has made
 bold to explain some few textual       
difficulties1 and to add some few       
references1 he would fain hope that     
these additions have been made with     
modest caution--with the reverence due  
to the unstinted toil of a ,bibliophile 
after ,richard de ,bury's own pattern4  
,yet once again ,richard de ,bury's     
,philobiblon1 edited and translated into
 ,english by ,e4 ,c4 ,thomas1 is        

presented to new generations of         
book-lovers3--,,librorum ,,dilectoribus4
    ,,the ,,philobiblon ,,newly         
,,translated   ,,prologue       ,i      
,that the treasure of wisdom is chiefly 
contained in books      ,,ii  ,the      
degree of affection that is properly due
 to books     ,,iii  ,what we are to    
think of the price in the buying of     
books      ,,iv  ,the complaint of books
 against the clergy already promoted    
,v  ,the complaint of books against the 
possessioners      ,,vi  ,the complaint 
of books against the mendicants         
,,vii  ,the complaint of books against  
wars    ,,viii  ,of the numerous        
opportunities we have had of collecting 
a         store of books      ,,ix      
,how1 although we preferred the works of
 the ancients1 we         have not      
condemned the studies of the moderns    
,x  ,of the gradual perfecting of books 
,,xi  ,why we have preferred books of   
liberal learning to books of law        
,,xii  ,why we have caused books of     

grammar to be so diligently             
prepared    ,,xiii  ,why we have not    
wholly neglected the fables of the poets
     ,,xiv  ,who ought to be special    
lovers of books      ,,xv  ,of the      
advantages of the love of books         
,,xvi  ,that it is meritorious to write 
new books and to renew the old    ,,xvii
  ,of showing due propriety in the      
custody of books   ,,xviii  ,showeth    
that we have collected  so great store  
of books for         the common benefit 
of scholars and not only for our own    
pleasure     ,,xix  ,of the manner of   
lending all our books to students       
,,xx  ,an exhortation to scholars to    
requite us by pious prayers             
,,prologue  ,to all the faithful of     
,christ to whom the tenor of these      
presents may come1 ,richard de ,bury1 by
 the divine mercy ,bishop of ,durham1   
wisheth everlasting salvation in the    
,lord and to present continually a pious
 memorial of himself before ,god1 alike 
in his lifetime and after his death4    

,what shall ,i render unto the ,lord for
 all ,his benefits towards me8 asks the 
most devout ,psalmist1 an invincible    
,king and first among the prophets2 in  
which most grateful question he approves
 himself a willing thank-offerer1 a     
multifarious debtor1 and one who wishes 
for a holier counsellor than himself3   
agreeing with ,aristotle1 the chief of  
philosophers1 who shows 7in the #crd and
 #fth books of his ,ethics7 that all    
action depends upon counsel4  ,and      
indeed if so wonderful a prophet1 having
 a fore-knowledge of divine secrets1    
wished so anxiously to consider how he  
might gratefully repay the blessings    
graciously bestowed1 what can we fitly  
do1 who are but rude thanksgivers and   
most greedy receivers1 laden with       
infinite divine benefits8  ,assuredly we
 ought with anxious deliberation and    
abundant consideration1 having first    
invoked the ,sevenfold ,spirit1 that it 
may burn in our musings as an           
illuminating fire1 fervently to prepare 

a way without hinderance1 that the      
bestower of all things may be cheerfully
 worshipped in return for the gifts that
 ,he has bestowed1 that our neighbour   
may be relieved of his burden1 and that 
the guilt contracted by sinners every   
day may be redeemed by the atonement of 
almsgiving4  ,forewarned therefore      
through the admonition of the           
,psalmist's devotion by ,him who alone  
prevents and perfects the goodwill of   
man1 without ,whom we have no power even
 so much as to think1 and ,whose gift we
 doubt not it is1 if we have done       
anything good1 we have diligently       
inquired and considered in our own heart
 as well as with others1 what among the 
good offices of various works of piety  
would most please the ,almighty1 and    
would be more beneficial to the ,church 
,militant4  ,and lo6 there soon occurred
 to our contemplation a host of unhappy1
 nay1 rather of elect scholars1 in whom 
,god the ,creator and ,nature ,his      
handmaid planted the roots of excellent 

morals and of famous sciences1 but whom 
the poverty of their circumstances so   
oppressed that before the frown of      
adverse fortune the seeds of excellence1
 so fruitful in the cultivated field of 
youth1 not being watered by the rain    
that they require1 are forced to wither 
away4 ,thus it happens that bright      
virtue lurks buried in obscurity1 to use
 the words of ,boethius1 and burning    
lights are not put under a bushel1 but  
for want of oil are utterly             
extinguished4  ,thus the field1 so full 
of flower in ,spring1 has withered up   
before harvest time2 thus wheat         
degenerates to tares1 and vines into the
 wild vines1 and thus olives run into   
the wild olive2 the tender stems rot    
away altogether1 and those who might    
have grown up into strong pillars of the
 ,church1 being endowed with the        
capacity of a subtle intellect1 abandon 
the schools of learning4  ,with poverty 
only as their stepmother1 they are      
repelled violently from the nectared cup

 of philosophy as soon as they have     
tasted of it and have become more       
fiercely thirsty by the very taste4     
,though fit for the liberal arts and    
disposed to study the sacred writings   
alone1 being deprived of the aid of     
their friends1 by a kind of apostasy    
they return to the mechanical arts      
solely to gain a livelihood1 to the loss
 of the ,church and the degradation of  
the whole clergy4  ,thus ,mother ,church
 conceiving sons is compelled to        
miscarry1 nay1 some misshapen monster is
 born untimely from her womb1 and for   
lack of that little with which ,nature  
is contented1 she loses excellent       
pupils1 who might afterwards become     
champions and athletes of the faith4    
,alas1 how suddenly the woof is cut1    
while the hand of the weaver is         
beginning his work6 ,alas1 how the sun  
is eclipsed in the brightness of the    
dawn1 and the planet in its course is   
hurled backwards1 and1 while it bears   
the nature and likeness of a star       

suddenly drops and becomes a meteor6    
,what more piteous sight can the pious  
man behold8 ,what can more sharply stir 
the bowels of his pity8 ,what can more  
easily melt a heart hard as an anvil    
into hot tears8 ,on the other hand1 let 
us recall from past experience how much 
it has profited the whole ,christian    
commonwealth1 not indeed to enervate    
students with the delights of a         
,sardanapalus or the riches of a        
,croesus1 but rather to support them in 
their poverty with the frugal means that
 become the scholar4  ,how many have we 
seen with our eyes1 how many have we    
read of in books1 who1 distinguished by 
no pride of birth1 and rejoicing in no  
rich inheritance1 but supported only by 
the piety of the good1 have made their  
way to apostolic chairs1 have most      
worthily presided over faithful         
subjects1 have bent the necks of the    
proud and lofty to the ecclesiastical   
yoke and have extended further the      
liberties of the ,church6  ,accordingly1

 having taken a survey of human         
necessities in every direction1 with a  
view to bestow our charity upon them1   
our compassionate inclinations have     
chosen to bear pious aid to this        
calamitous class of men1 in whom there  
is nevertheless such hope of advantage  
to the ,church1 and to provide for them1
 not only in respect of things necessary
 to their support1 but much more in     
respect of the books so useful to their 
studies4  ,to this end1 most acceptable 
in the sight of ,god1 our attention has 
long been unweariedly devoted4  ,this   
ecstatic love has carried us away so    
powerfully1 that we have resigned all   
thoughts of other earthly things1 and   
have given ourselves up to a passion for
 acquiring books4  ,that our intent and 
purpose1 therefore1 may be known to     
posterity as well as to our             
contemporaries1 and that we may for ever
 stop the perverse tongues of gossipers 
as far as we are concerned1 we have     
published a little treatise written in  

the lightest style of the moderns2 for  
it is ridiculous to find a slight matter
 treated of in a pompous style4  ,and   
this treatise 7divided into twenty      
chapters7 will clear the love we have   
had for books from the charge of excess1
 will expound the purpose of our intense
 devotion1 and will narrate more clearly
 than light all the circumstances of our
 undertaking4  ,and because it          
principally treats of the love of books1
 we have chosen1 after the fashion of   
the ancient ,romans1 fondly to name it  
by a ,greek word1 ,philobiblon4         
,,chapter ,i  ,,that ,,the ,,treasure   
,,of ,,wisdom ,,is ,,chiefly ,,contained
 ,,in ,,books  ,the desirable treasure  
of wisdom and science1 which all men    
desire by an instinct of nature1        
infinitely surpasses all the riches of  
the world2 in respect of which precious 
stones are worthless2 in comparison with
 which silver is as clay and pure gold  
is as a little sand2 at whose splendour 
the sun and moon are dark to look upon2 

compared with whose marvellous sweetness
 honey and manna are bitter to the      
taste4  ,o value of wisdom that fadeth  
not away with time1 virtue ever         
flourishing1 that cleanseth its         
possessor from all venom6  ,o heavenly  
gift of the divine bounty1 descending   
from the ,father of lights1 that thou   
mayest exalt the rational soul to the   
very heavens6  ,thou art the celestial  
nourishment of the intellect1 which     
those who eat shall still hunger and    
those who drink shall still thirst1 and 
the gladdening harmony of the           
languishing soul which he that hears    
shall never be confounded4  ,thou art   
the moderator and rule of morals1 which 
he who follows shall not sin4  ,by thee 
kings reign and princes decree justice4 
,by thee1 rid of their native rudeness1 
their minds and tongues being polished1 
the thorns of vice being torn up by the 
roots1 those men attain high places of  
honour1 and become fathers of their     
country1 and companions of princes1 who 

without thee would have melted their    
spears into pruning-hooks and           
ploughshares1 or would perhaps be       
feeding swine with the prodigal4  ,where
 dost thou chiefly lie hidden1 ,o most  
elect treasure6 and where shall         
thirsting souls discover thee8  ,certes1
 thou hast placed thy tabernacle in     
books1 where the ,most ,high1 the ,light
 of lights1 the ,book of ,life1 has     
established thee4  ,there everyone who  
asks receiveth thee1 and everyone who   
seeks finds thee1 and to everyone that  
knocketh boldly it is speedily opened4  
,therein the cherubim spread out their  
wings1 that the intellect of the        
students may ascend and look from pole  
to pole1 from the east and west1 from   
the north and from the south4  ,therein 
the mighty and incomprehensible ,god    
,himself is apprehensibly contained and 
worshipped2 therein is revealed the     
nature of things celestial1 terrestrial1
 and infernal2 therein are discerned the
 laws by which every state is           

administered1 the offices of the        
celestial hierarchy are distinguished1  
and the tyrannies of demons described1  
such as neither the ideas of ,plato     
transcend1 nor the chair of ,crato      
contained4  ,in books ,i find the dead  
as if they were alive2 in books ,i      
foresee things to come2 in books warlike
 affairs are set forth2 from books come 
forth the laws of peace4  ,all things   
are corrupted and decay in time2 ,saturn
 ceases not to devour the children that 
he generates2 all the glory of the world
 would be buried in oblivion1 unless    
,god had provided mortals with the      
remedy of books4  ,alexander1 the       
conqueror of the earth1 ,julius1 the    
invader of ,rome and of the world1 who1 
the first in war and arts1 assumed      
universal empire under his single rule1 
faithful ,fabricius and stern ,cato1    
would now have been unknown to fame1 if 
the aid of books had been wanting4      
,towers have been razed to the ground2  
cities have been overthrown2 triumphal  

arches have perished from decay2 nor can
 either pope or king find any means of  
more easily conferring the privilege of 
perpetuity than by books4  ,the book    
that he has made renders its author this
 service in return1 that so long as the 
book survives its author remains        
immortal and cannot die1 as ,ptolemy    
declares in the ,prologue to his        
,almagest3 ,he is not dead1 he says1 who
 has given life to science4  ,who       
therefore will limit by anything of     
another kind the price of the infinite  
treasure of books1 from which the scribe
 who is instructed bringeth forth things
 new and old8  ,truth that triumphs over
 all things1 which overcomes the king1  
wine1 and women1 which it is reckoned   
holy to honour before friendship1 which 
is the way without turning and the life 
without end1 which holy ,boethius       
considers to be threefold in thought1   
speech1 and writing1 seems to remain    
more usefully and to fructify to greater
 profit in books4  ,for the meaning of  

the voice perishes with the sound2 truth
 latent in the mind is wisdom that is   
hid and treasure that is not seen2 but  
truth which shines forth in books       
desires to manifest itself to every     
impressionable sense4  ,it commends     
itself to the sight when it is read1 to 
the hearing when it is heard1 and       
moreover in a manner to the touch1 when 
it suffers itself to be transcribed1    
bound1 corrected1 and preserved4   ,the 
undisclosed truth of the mind1 although 
it is the possession of the noble soul1 
yet because it lacks a companion1 is not
 certainly known to be delightful1 while
 neither sight nor hearing takes account
 of it4  ,further the truth of the voice
 is patent only to the ear and eludes   
the sight1 which reveals to us more of  
the qualities of things1 and linked with
 the subtlest of motions begins and     
perishes as it were in a breath4  ,but  
the written truth of books1 not         
transient but permanent1 plainly offers 
itself to be observed1 and by means of  

the pervious spherules of the eyes1     
passing through the vestibule of        
perception and the courts of            
imagination1 enters the chamber of      
intellect1 taking its place in the couch
 of memory1 where it engenders the      
eternal truth of the mind4  ,finally we 
must consider what pleasantness of      
teaching there is in books1 how easy1   
how secret6 ,how safely we lay bare the 
poverty of human ignorance to books     
without feeling any shame6  ,they are   
masters who instruct us without rod or  
ferule1 without angry words1 without    
clothes or money4  ,if you come to them 
they are not asleep2 if you ask and     
inquire of them they do not withdraw    
themselves2 they do not chide if you    
make mistakes2 they do not laugh at you 
if you are ignorant4  ,o books1 who     
alone are liberal and free1 who give to 
all who ask of you and enfranchise all  
who serve you faithfully6  ,by how many 
thousand types are ye commended to      
learned men in the ,scriptures given us 

by inspiration of ,god6  ,for ye are the
 minds of profoundest wisdom1 to which  
the wise man sends his son that he may  
dig out treasures3 ,prov4 ii4  ,ye are  
the wells of living waters1 which father
 ,abraham first digged1 ,isaac digged   
again1 and which the ,philistines strive
 to fill up3 ,gen4 xxvi4  ,ye are indeed
 the most delightful ears of corn1 full 
of grain1 to be rubbed only by apostolic
 hands1 that the sweetest food may be   
produced for hungry souls3 ,matt4 xii4  
,ye are the golden pots in which manna  
is stored1 and rocks flowing with honey1
 nay1 combs of honey1 most plenteous    
udders of the milk of life1 garners ever
 full2 ye are the tree of life and the  
fourfold river of ,paradise1 by which   
the human mind is nourished1 and the    
thirsty intellect is watered and        
refreshed4  ,ye are the ark of ,noah and
 the ladder of ,jacob1 and the troughs  
by which the young of those who look    
therein are coloured2 ye are the stones 
of testimony and the pitchers holding   

the lamps of ,gideon1 the scrip of      
,david1 from which the smoothest stones 
are taken for the slaying of ,goliath4  
,ye are the golden vessels of the       
temple1 the arms of the soldiers of the 
,church with which to quench all the    
fiery darts of the wicked1 fruitful     
olives1 vines of ,engadi1 fig-trees that
 are never barren1 burning lamps always 
to be held in readiness--and all the    
noblest comparisons of ,scripture may be
 applied to books1 if we choose to speak
 in figures4    ,,chapter ,,ii  ,,the   
,,degree ,,of ,,affection ,,that ,,is   
,,properly ,,due ,,to ,,books  ,since   
the degree of affection a thing deserves
 depends upon the degree of its value1  
and the previous chapter shows that the 
value of books is unspeakable1 it is    
quite clear to the reader what is the   
probable conclusion from this4  ,i say  
probable1 for in moral science we do not
 insist upon demonstration1 remembering 
that the educated man seeks such degree 
of certainty as he perceives the        

subject-matter will bear1 as ,aristotle 
testifies in the first book of his      
,ethics4  ,for ,tully does not appeal to
 ,euclid1 nor does ,euclid rely upon    
,tully4  ,this at all events we         
endeavour to prove1 whether by logic or 
rhetoric1 that all riches and all       
delights whatsoever yield place to books
 in the spiritual mind1 wherein the     
,spirit which is charity ordereth       
charity4 ,now in the first place1       
because wisdom is contained in books    
more than all mortals understand1 and   
wisdom thinks lightly of riches1 as the 
foregoing chapter declares4             
,furthermore1 ,aristotle1 in his        
,problems1 determines the question1 why 
the ancients proposed prizes to the     
stronger in gymnastic and corporeal     
contests1 but never awarded any prize   
for wisdom4  ,this question he solves as
 follows3  ,in gymnastic exercises the  
prize is better and more desirable than 
that for which it is bestowed2 but it is
 certain that nothing is better than    

wisdom3 wherefore no prize could be     
assigned for wisdom4  ,and therefore    
neither riches nor delights are more    
excellent than wisdom4  ,again1 only the
 fool will deny that friendship is to be
 preferred to riches1 since the wisest  
of men testifies this2 but the chief of 
philosophers honours truth before       
friendship1 and the truthful ,zorobabel 
prefers it to all things4  ,riches1     
then1 are less than truth4  ,now truth  
is chiefly maintained and contained in  
holy books--nay1 they are written truth 
itself1 since by books we do not now    
mean the materials of which they are    
made4  ,wherefore riches are less than  
books1 especially as the most precious  
of all riches are friends1 as ,boethius 
testifies in the second book of his     
,consolation2 to whom the truth of books
 according to ,aristotle is to be       
preferred4  ,moreover1 since we know    
that riches first and chiefly appertain 
to the support of the body only1 while  
the virtue of books is the perfection of

 reason1 which is properly speaking the 
happiness of man1 it appears that books 
to the man who uses his reason are      
dearer than riches4  ,furthermore1 that 
by which the faith is more easily       
defended1 more widely spread1 more      
clearly preached1 ought to be more      
desirable to the faithful4  ,but this is
 the truth written in books1 which our  
,saviour plainly showed1 when he was    
about to contend stoutly against the    
,tempter1 girding himself with the      
shield of truth and indeed of written   
truth1 declaring it is written of what  
he was about to utter with his voice4   
,and1 again1 no one doubts that         
happiness is to be preferred to riches4 
,but happiness consists in the operation
 of the noblest and diviner of the      
faculties that we possess--when the     
whole mind is occupied in contemplating 
the truth of wisdom1 which is the most  
delectable of all our virtuous          
activities1 as the prince of            
philosophers declares in the tenth book 

of the ,ethics1 on which account it is  
that philosophy is held to have wondrous
 pleasures in respect of purity and     
solidity1 as he goes on to say4  ,but   
the contemplation of truth is never more
 perfect than in books1 where the act of
 imagination perpetuated by books does  
not suffer the operation of the         
intellect upon the truths that it has   
seen to suffer interruption4  ,wherefore
 books appear to be the most immediate  
instruments of speculative delight1 and 
therefore ,aristotle1 the sun of        
philosophic truth1 in considering the   
principles of choice1 teaches that in   
itself to philosophize is more desirable
 than to be rich1 although in certain   
cases1 as where for instance one is in  
need of necessaries1 it may be more     
desirable to be rich than to            
philosophize4  ,moreover1 since books   
are the aptest teachers1 as the previous
 chapter assumes1 it is fitting to      
bestow on them the honour and the       
affection that we owe to our teachers4  

,in fine1 since all men naturally desire
 to know1 and since by means of books we
 can attain the knowledge of the        
ancients1 which is to be desired beyond 
all riches1 what man living according to
 nature would not feel the desire of    
books8  ,and although we know that swine
 trample pearls under foot1 the wise man
 will not therefore be deterred from    
gathering the pearls that lie before    
him4  ,a library of wisdom1 then1 is    
more precious than all wealth1 and all  
things that are desirable cannot be     
compared to it4  ,whoever therefore     
claims to be zealous of truth1 of       
happiness1 of wisdom or knowledge1 aye1 
even of the faith1 must needs become a  
lover of books4    ,,chapter ,,iii      
,,what ,,we ,,are ,,to ,,think ,,of     
,,the ,,price ,,in ,,the ,,buying ,,of  
,,books  ,from what has been said we    
draw this corollary welcome to us1 but  
7as we believe7 acceptable to few3      
namely1 that no dearness of price ought 
to hinder a man from the buying of      

books1 if he has the money that is      
demanded for them1 unless it be to      
withstand the malice of the seller or to
 await a more favourable opportunity of 
buying4  ,for if it is wisdom only that 
makes the price of books1 which is an   
infinite treasure to mankind1 and if the
 value of books is unspeakable1 as the  
premises show1 how shall the bargain be 
shown to be dear where an infinite good 
is being bought8 ,wherefore1 that books 
are to be gladly bought and unwillingly 
sold1 ,solomon1 the sun of men1 exhorts 
us in the ,proverbs3 ,buy the truth1 he 
says1 and sell not wisdom4  ,but what we
 are trying to show by rhetoric or      
logic1 let us prove by examples from    
history4  ,the arch-philosopher         
,aristotle1 whom ,averroes regards as   
the law of ,nature1 bought a few books  
of ,speusippus straightway after his    
death for #gb1jjj sesterces4  ,plato1   
before him in time1 but after him in    
learning1 bought the book of ,philolaus 
the ,pythagorean1 from which he is said 

to have taken the ,timaeus1 for #aj1jjj 
denaries1 as ,aulus ,gellius relates in 
the ,noctes ,atticae4 ,now ,aulus       
,gellius relates this that the foolish  
may consider how wise men despise money 
in comparison with books4  ,and on the  
other hand1 that we may know that folly 
and pride go together1 let us here      
relate the folly of ,tarquin the ,proud 
in despising books1 as also related by  
,aulus ,gellius4  ,an old woman1 utterly
 unknown1 is said to have come to       
,tarquin the ,proud1 the seventh king of
 ,rome1 offering to sell nine books1 in 
which 7as she declared7 sacred oracles  
were contained1 but she asked an immense
 sum for them1 insomuch that the king   
said she was mad4  ,in anger she flung  
three books into the fire1 and still    
asked the same sum for the rest4  ,when 
the king refused it1 again she flung    
three others into the fire and still    
asked the same price for the three that 
were left4  ,at last1 astonished beyond 
measure1 ,tarquin was glad to pay for   

three books the same price for which he 
might have bought nine4  ,the old woman 
straightway disappeared1 and was never  
seen before or after4  ,these were the  
,sibylline books1 which the ,romans     
consulted as a divine oracle by some one
 of the ,quindecemvirs1 and this is     
believed to have been the origin of the 
,quindecemvirate4  ,what did this ,sibyl
 teach the proud king by this bold deed1
 except that the vessels of wisdom1 holy
 books1 exceed all human estimation2    
and1 as ,gregory says of the kingdom of 
,heaven3  ,they are worth all that thou 
hast8    ,,chapter ,,iv  ,,the          
,,complaint ,,of ,,books ,,against ,,the
 ,,clergy ,,already ,,promoted  ,a      
generation of vipers destroying their   
own parent and base offspring of the    
ungrateful cuckoo1 who when he has grown
 strong slays his nurse1 the giver of   
his strength1 are degenerate clerks with
 regard to books4 ,bring it again to    
mind and consider faithfully what ye    
receive through books1 and ye will find 

that books are as it were the creators  
of your distinction1 without which other
 favourers would have been wanting4  ,in
 sooth1 while still untrained and       
helpless ye crept up to us1 ye spake as 
children1 ye thought as children1 ye    
cried as children and begged to be made 
partakers of our milk4  ,but we being   
straightway moved by your tears gave you
 the breast of grammar to suck1 which ye
 plied continually with teeth and       
tongue1 until ye lost your native       
barbarousness and learned to speak with 
our tongues the mighty things of ,god4  
,and next we clad you with the goodly   
garments of philosophy1 rhetoric and    
dialectic1 of which we had and have a   
store1 while ye were naked as a tablet  
to be painted on4  ,for all the         
household of philosophy are clothed with
 garments1 that the nakedness and       
rawness of the intellect may be covered4
 ,after this1 providing you with the    
fourfold wings of the quadrivials that  
ye might be winged like the seraphs and 

so mount above the cherubim1 we sent you
 to a friend at whose door1 if only ye  
importunately knocked1 ye might borrow  
the three loaves of the ,knowledge of   
the ,trinity1 in which consists the     
final felicity of every sojourner below4
  ,nay1 if ye deny that ye had these    
privileges1 we boldly declare that ye   
either lost them by your carelessness1  
or that through your sloth ye spurned   
them when offered to you4 ,if these     
things seem but a light matter to you1  
we will add yet greater things4  ,ye are
 a chosen people1 a royal priesthood1 a 
holy race1 ye are a peculiar people     
chosen into the lot of ,god1 ye are     
priests and ministers of ,god1 nay1 ye  
are called the very ,church of ,god1 as 
though the laity were not to be called  
churchmen4  ,ye1 being preferred to the 
laity1 sing psalms and hymns in the     
chancel1 and1 serving the altar and     
living by the altar1 make the true body 
of ,christ1 wherein ,god ,himself has   
honoured you not only above the laity1  

but even a little higher than the       
angels4  ,for to whom of ,his angels has
 ,he said at any time3  ,thou art a     
priest for ever after the order of      
,melchisedech8  ,ye dispense the        
patrimony of the crucified one to the   
poor1 wherein it is required of stewards
 that a man be found faithful4 ,ye are  
shepherds of the ,lord's flock1 as well 
in example of life as in the word of    
doctrine1 which is bound to repay you   
with milk and wool4  ,who are the givers
 of all these things1 ,o clerks8  ,is it
 not books8  ,do ye remember therefore1 
we pray1 how many and how great         
liberties and privileges are bestowed   
upon the clergy through us8  ,in truth1 
taught by us who are the vessels of     
wisdom and intellect1 ye ascend the     
teacher's chair and are called of men   
,rabbi4  ,by us ye become marvellous in 
the eyes of the laity1 like great lights
 in the world1 and possess the dignities
 of the ,church according to your       
various stations4  ,by us1 while ye     

still lack the first down upon your     
cheeks1 ye are established in your early
 years and bear the tonsure on your     
heads1 while the dread sentence of the  
,church is heard3 ,touch not mine       
anointed and do my prophets no harm1 and
 he who has rashly touched them let him 
forthwith by his own blow be smitten    
violently with the wound of an anathema4
  ,at length yielding your lives to     
wickedness1 reaching the two paths of   
,pythagoras1 ye choose the left branch1 
and going backward ye let go the lot of 
,god which ye had first assumed1        
becoming companions of thieves4  ,and   
thus ever going from bad to worse1 dyed 
with theft and murder and manifold      
impurities1 your fame and conscience    
stained by sins1 at the bidding of      
justice ye are confined in manacles and 
fetters1 and are kept to be punished by 
a most shameful death4 ,then your friend
 is put far away1 nor is there any to   
mourn your lot4 ,peter swears that he   
knows not the man3 the people cry to the

 judge3 ,crucify1 crucify ,him6  ,if    
thou let this man go1 thou act not      
,caesar's friend4  ,now all refuge has  
perished1 for ye must stand before the  
judgment-seat1 and there is no appeal1  
but only hanging is in store for you4   
,while the wretched man's heart is thus 
filled with woe and only the sorrowing  
,muses bedew their cheeks with tears1 in
 his strait is heard on every side the  
wailing appeal to us1 and to avoid the  
danger of impending death he shows the  
slight sign of the ancient tonsure which
 we bestowed upon him1 begging that we  
may be called to his aid and bear       
witness to the privilege bestowed upon  
him4  ,then straightway touched with    
pity we run to meet the prodigal son and
 snatch the fugitive slave from the     
gates of death4  ,the book he has not   
forgotten is handed to him to be read1  
and while with lips stammering with fear
 he reads a few words1 the power of the 
judge is loosed1 the accuser is         
withdrawn1 and death is put to flight4  

,o marvellous virtue of an empiric      
verse6  ,o saving antidote of dreadful  
ruin6  ,o precious reading of the       
psalter1 which for this alone deserves  
to be called the book of life6 ,let the 
laity undergo the judgment of the       
secular arm1 that either sewn up in     
sacks they may be carried out to        
,neptune1 or planted in the earth may   
fructify for ,pluto1 or may be offered  
amid the flames as a fattened holocaust 
to ,vulcan1 or at least may be hung up  
as a victim to ,juno3 while our nursling
 at a single reading of the book of life
 is handed over to the custody of the   
,bishop1 and rigour is changed to       
favour1 and the forum being transferred 
from the laity1 death is routed by the  
clerk who is the nursling of books4     
,but now let us speak of the clerks who 
are vessels of virtue4  ,which of you   
about to preach ascends the pulpit or   
the rostrum without in some way         
consulting us8  ,which of you enters the
 schools to teach or to dispute without 

relying upon our support8  ,first of    
all1 it behoves you to eat the book with
 ,ezechiel1 that the belly of your      
memory may be sweetened within1 and thus
 as with the panther refreshed1 to whose
 breath all beasts and cattle long to   
approach1 the sweet savour of the spices
 it has eaten may shed a perfume        
without4  ,thus our nature secretly     
working in our own1 listeners hasten up 
gladly1 as the load-stone draws the iron
 nothing loth4  ,what an infinite host  
of books lie at ,paris or ,athens1 and  
at the same time resound in ,britain and
 in ,rome6 ,in truth1 while resting they
 yet move1 and while retaining their own
 places they are carried about every way
 to the minds of listeners4 ,finally1 by
 the knowledge of literature1 we        
establish ,priests1 ,bishops1           
,cardinals1 and the ,pope1 that all     
things in the ecclesiastical hierarchy  
may be fitly disposed4  ,for it is from 
books that everything of good that      
befalls the clerical condition takes its

 origin4  ,but let this suffice3 for it 
pains us to recall what we have bestowed
 upon the degenerate clergy1 because    
whatever gifts are distributed to the   
ungrateful seem to be lost rather than  
bestowed4  ,let us next dwell a little  
on the recital of the wrongs with which 
they requite us1 the contempts and      
cruelties of which we cannot recite an  
example in each kind1 nay1 scarcely the 
main classes of the several wrongs4  ,in
 the first place1 we are expelled by    
force and arms from the homes of the    
clergy1 which are ours by hereditary    
right1 who were used to have cells of   
quietness in the inner chamber1 but1    
alas6 in these unhappy times we are     
altogether exiled1 suffering poverty    
without the gates4  ,for our places are 
seized now by dogs1 now by hawks1 now by
 that biped beast whose cohabitation    
with the clergy was forbidden of old1   
from which we have always taught our    
nurslings to flee more than from the asp
 and the cockatrice2 wherefore she1     

always jealous of the love of us1 and   
never to be appeased1 at length seeing  
us in some corner protected only by the 
web of some dead spider1 with a frown   
abuses and reviles us with bitter words1
 declaring us alone of all the furniture
 in the house to be unnecessary1 and    
complaining that we are useless for any 
household purpose1 and advises that we  
should speedily be converted into rich  
caps1 sendal and silk and twice-dyed    
purple1 robes and furs1 wool and linen3 
and1 indeed1 not without reason1 if she 
could see our inmost hearts1 if she had 
listened to our secret counsels1 if she 
had read the book of ,theophrastus or   
,valerius1 or only heard the            
twenty-fifth chapter of ,ecclesiasticus 
with understanding ears4  ,and hence it 
is that we have to mourn for the homes  
of which we have been unjustly robbed2  
and as to our coverings1 not that they  
have not been given to us1 but that the 
coverings anciently given to us have    
been torn by violent hands1 insomuch    

that our soul is bowed down to the dust1
 our belly cleaveth unto the earth4  ,we
 suffer from various diseases1 enduring 
pains in our backs and sides2 we lie    
with our limbs unstrung by palsy1 and   
there is no man who layeth it to heart1 
and no man who provides a mollifying    
plaster4  ,our native whiteness that was
 clear with light has turned to dun and 
yellow1 so that no leech who should see 
us would doubt that we are diseased with
 jaundice4  ,some of us are suffering   
from gout1 as our twisted extremities   
plainly show4 ,the smoke and dust by    
which we are continuously plagued have  
dulled the keenness of our visual rays1 
and are now infecting our bleared eyes  
with ophthalmia4  ,within we are        
devoured by the fierce gripings of our  
entrails1 which hungry worms cease not  
to gnaw1 and we undergo the corruption  
of the two ,lazaruses1 nor is there     
anyone to anoint us with balm of cedar1 
nor to cry to us who have been four days
 dead and already stink1 ,lazarus come  

forth6  ,no healing drug is bound around
 our cruel wounds1 which are so         
atrociously inflicted upon the innocent1
 and there is none to put a plaster upon
 our ulcers2 but ragged and shivering we
 are flung away into dark corners1 or in
 tears take our place with holy ,job    
upon his dunghill1 or--too horrible to  
relate--are buried in the depths of the 
common sewers4  ,the cushion is         
withdrawn that should support our       
evangelical sides1 which ought to have  
the first claim upon the incomes of the 
clergy1 and the common necessaries of   
life thus be for ever provided for us1  
who are entrusted to their charge4      
,again1 we complain of another sort of  
injury which is too often unjustly      
inflicted upon our persons4  ,we are    
sold for bondmen and bondwomen1 and lie 
as hostages in taverns with no one to   
redeem us4  ,we fall a prey to the cruel
 shambles1 where we see sheep and cattle
 slaughtered not without pious tears1   
and where we die a thousand times from  

such terrors as might frighten even the 
brave4  ,we are handed over to ,jews1   
,saracens1 heretics and infidels1 whose 
poison we always dread above everything1
 and by whom it is well known that some 
of our parents have been infected with  
pestiferous venom4  ,in sooth1 we who   
should be treated as masters in the     
sciences1 and bear rule over the        
mechanics who should be subject to us1  
are instead handed over to the          
government of subordinates1 as though   
some supremely noble monarch should be  
trodden under foot by rustic heels4     
,any seamster or cobbler or tailor or   
artificer of any trade keeps us shut up 
in prison for the luxurious and wanton  
pleasures of the clergy4  ,now we would 
pursue a new kind of injury by which we 
suffer alike in person and in fame1 the 
dearest thing we have4  ,our purity of  
race is diminished every day1 while new 
authors' names are imposed upon us by   
worthless compilers1 translators1 and   
transformers1 and losing our ancient    

nobility1 while we are reborn in        
successive generations1 we become wholly
 degenerate2 and thus against our will  
the name of some wretched stepfather is 
affixed to us1 and the sons are robbed  
of the names of their true fathers4     
,the verses of ,virgil1 while he was yet
 living1 were claimed by an impostor2   
and a certain ,fidentinus mendaciously  
usurped the works of ,martial1 whom     
,martial thus deservedly rebuked3       
,the book you read is1 ,fidentinus6     
mine1   ,though read so badly1 't well  
may pass for thine6   ,what marvel1     
then1 if when our authors are dead      
clerical apes use us to make broad their
 phylacteries1 since even while they are
 alive they try to seize us as soon as  
we are published8  ,ah6 how often ye    
pretend that we who are ancient are but 
lately born1 and try to pass us off as  
sons who are really fathers1 calling us 
who have made you clerks the production 
of your studies4  ,indeed1 we derived   
our origin from ,athens1 though we are  

now supposed to be from ,rome2 for      
,carmentis was always the pilferer of   
,cadmus1 and we who were but lately born
 in ,england1 will to-morrow be born    
again in ,paris2 and thence being       
carried to ,bologna1 will obtain an     
,italian origin1 based upon no affinity 
of blood4  ,alas6 how ye commit us to   
treacherous copyists to be written1 how 
corruptly ye read us and kill us by     
medication1 while ye supposed ye were   
correcting us with pious zeal4          
,oftentimes we have to endure barbarous 
interpreters1 and those who are ignorant
 of foreign idioms presume to translate 
us from one language into another2 and  
thus all propriety of speech is lost and
 our sense is shamefully mutilated      
contrary to the meaning of the author6  
,truly noble would have been the        
condition of books if it had not been   
for the presumption of the tower of     
,babel1 if but one kind of speech had   
been transmitted by the whole human     
race4  ,we will add the last clause of  

our long lament1 though far too short   
for the materials that we have4 ,for in 
us the natural use is changed to that   
which is against nature1 while we who   
are the light of faithful souls         
everywhere fall a prey to painters      
knowing nought of letters1 and are      
entrusted to goldsmiths to become1 as   
though we were not sacred vessels of    
wisdom1 repositories of gold-leaf4  ,we 
fall undeservedly into the power of     
laymen1 which is more bitter to us than 
any death1 since they have sold our     
people for nought1 and our enemies      
themselves are our judges4  ,it is clear
 from what we have said what infinite   
invectives we could hurl against the    
clergy1 if we did not think of our own  
reputation4 ,for the soldier whose      
campaigns are over venerates his shield 
and arms1 and grateful ,corydon shows   
regard for his decaying team1 harrow1   
flail and mattock1 and every manual     
artificer for the instruments of his    
craft2 it is only the ungrateful cleric 

who despises and neglects those things  
which have ever been the foundation of  
his honours4    ,,chapter ,v  ,,the     
,,complaint ,,of ,,books ,,against ,,the
 ,,possessioners  ,the venerable        
devotion of the religious orders is wont
 to be solicitous in the care of books  
and to delight in their society1 as if  
they were the only riches4  ,for some   
used to write them with their own hands 
between the hours of prayer1 and gave to
 the making of books such intervals as  
they could secure and the times         
appointed for the recreation of the     
body4  ,by whose labours there are      
resplendent to-day in most monasteries  
these sacred treasuries full of cherubic
 letters1 for giving the knowledge of   
salvation to the student and a          
delectable light to the paths of the    
laity4  ,o manual toil1 happier than any
 agricultural task6  ,o devout          
solicitude1 where neither ,martha nor   
,mary deserves to be rebuked6  ,o joyful
 house1 in which the fruitful ,leah does

 not envy the beauteous ,rachel1 but    
action and contemplation share each     
other's joys6  ,o happy charge1 destined
 to benefit endless generations of      
posterity1 with which no planting of    
trees1 no sowing of seeds1 no pastoral  
delight in herds1 no building of        
fortified camps can be compared6        
,wherefore the memory of those fathers  
should be immortal1 who delighted only  
in the treasures of wisdom1 who most    
laboriously provided shining lamps      
against future darkness1 and against    
hunger of hearing the ,word of ,god1    
most carefully prepared1 not bread baked
 in the ashes1 nor of barley1 nor musty1
 but unleavened loaves made of the      
finest wheat of divine wisdom1 with     
which hungry souls might be joyfully fed
 ,these men were the stoutest champions 
of the ,christian army1 who defended our
 weakness by their most valiant arms2   
they were in their time the most cunning
 takers of foxes1 who have left us their
 nets1 that we might catch the young    

foxes1 who cease not to devour the      
growing vines4  ,of a truth1 noble      
fathers1 worthy of perpetual            
benediction1 ye would have been         
deservedly happy1 if ye had been allowed
 to beget offspring like yourselves1 and
 to leave no degenerate or doubtful     
progeny for the benefit of future times4
  ,but1 painful to relate1 now slothful 
,thersites handles the arms of ,achilles
 and the choice trappings of war-horses 
are spread upon lazy asses1 winking owls
 lord it in the eagle's nest1 and the   
cowardly kite sits upon the perch of the
 hawk4    ,liber ,bacchus is ever loved1
   ,and is into their bellies shoved1   
,by day and by night2   ,liber ,codex is
 neglected1   ,and with scornful hand   
rejected   ,far out of their sight4     
,and as if the simple monastic folk of  
modern times were deceived by a         
confusion of names1 while ,liber ,pater 
is preferred to ,liber ,patrum1 the     
study of the monks nowadays is in the   
emptying of cups and not the emending of

 books2 to which they do not hesitate to
 add the wanton music of ,timotheus1    
jealous of chastity1 and thus the song  
of the merry-maker and not the chant of 
the mourner is become the office of the 
monks4  ,flocks and fleeces1 crops and  
granaries1 leeks and potherbs1 drink and
 goblets1 are nowadays the reading and  
study of the monks1 except a few elect  
ones1 in whom lingers not the image but 
some slight vestige of the fathers that 
preceded them4  ,and again1 no materials
 at all are furnished us to commend the 
canons regular for their care or study  
of us1 who though they bear their name  
of honour from their twofold rule1 yet  
have neglected the notable clause of    
,augustine's rule1 in which we are      
commended to his clergy in these words3 
,let books be asked for each day at a   
given hour2 he who asks for them after  
the hour is not to receive them4        
,scarcely anyone observes this devout   
rule of study after saying the prayers  
of the ,church1 but to care for the     

things of this world and to look at the 
plough that has been left is reckoned   
the highest wisdom4  ,they take up bow  
and quiver1 embrace arms and shield1    
devote the tribute of alms to dogs and  
not to the poor1 become the slaves of   
dice and draughts1 and of all such      
things as we are wont to forbid even to 
the secular clergy1 so that we need not 
marvel if they disdain to look upon us1 
whom they see so much opposed to their  
mode of life4  ,come then1 reverend     
fathers1 deign to recall your fathers   
and devote yourselves more faithfully to
 the study of holy books1 without which 
all religion will stagger1 without which
 the virtue of devotion will dry up like
 a sherd1 and without which ye can      
afford no light to the world4           
,,chapter ,,vi  ,,the ,,complaint ,,of  
,,books ,,against ,,the ,,mendicants    
,poor in spirit1 but most rich in faith1
 off-scourings of the world and salt of 
the earth1 despisers of the world and   
fishers of men1 how happy are ye1 if    

suffering penury for ,christ ye know how
 to possess your souls in patience6     
,for it is not want the avenger of      
iniquity1 nor the adverse fortune of    
your parents1 nor violent necessity that
 has thus oppressed you with beggary1   
but a devout will and ,christ-like      
election1 by which ye have chosen that  
life as the best1 which ,god ,almighty  
made man as well by word as by example  
declared to be the best4  ,in truth1 ye 
are the latest offspring of the         
ever-fruitful ,church1 of late divinely 
substituted for the ,fathers and the    
,prophets1 that your sound may go forth 
into all the earth1 and that instructed 
by our healthful doctrines ye may preach
 before all kings and nations the       
invincible faith of ,christ4  ,moreover1
 that the faith of the ,fathers is      
chiefly enshrined in books the second   
chapter has sufficiently shown1 from    
which it is clearer than light that ye  
ought to be zealous lovers of books     
above all other ,christians4  ,ye are   

commanded to sow upon all waters1       
because the ,most ,high is no respecter 
of persons1 nor does the ,most ,holy    
desire the death of sinners1 who offered
 ,himself to die for them1 but desires  
to heal the contrite in heart1 to raise 
the fallen1 and to correct the perverse 
in the spirit of lenity4  ,for which    
most salutary purpose our kindly ,mother
 ,church has planted you freely1 and    
having planted has watered you with     
favours1 and having watered you has     
established you with privileges1 that ye
 may be co-workers with pastors and     
curates in procuring the salvation of   
faithful souls4  ,wherefore1 that the   
order of ,preachers was principally     
instituted for the study of the ,holy   
,scriptures and the salvation of their  
neighbours1 is declared by their        
constitutions1 so that not only from the
 rule of ,bishop ,augustine1 which      
directs books to be asked for every day1
 but as soon as they have read the      
prologue of the said constitutions they 

may know from the very title of the same
 that they are pledged to the love of   
books4  ,but alas6 a threefold care of  
superfluities1 viz41 of the stomach1 of 
dress1 and of houses1 has seduced these 
men and others following their example  
from the paternal care of books1 and    
from their study4  ,for1 forgetting the 
providence of the ,saviour 7who is      
declared by the ,psalmist to think upon 
the poor and needy71 they are occupied  
with the wants of the perishing body1   
that their feasts may be splendid and   
their garments luxurious1 against the   
rule1 and the fabrics of their          
buildings1 like the battlements of      
castles1 carried to a height            
incompatible with poverty4  ,because of 
these three things1 we books1 who have  
ever procured their advancement and have
 granted them to sit among the powerful 
and noble1 are put far from their       
heart's affection and are reckoned as   
superfluities2 except that they rely    
upon some treatises of small value1 from

 which they derive strange heresies and 
apocryphal imbecilities1 not for the    
refreshment of souls1 but rather for    
tickling the ears of the listeners4     
,the ,holy ,scripture is not expounded1 
but is neglected and treated as though  
it were commonplace and known to all1   
though very few have touched its hem1   
and though its depth is such1 as ,holy  
,augustine declares1 that it cannot be  
understood by the human intellect1      
however long it may toil with the utmost
 intensity of study4  ,from this he who 
devotes himself to it assiduously1 if   
only ,he will vouchsafe to open the door
 who has established the spirit of      
piety1 may unfold a thousand lessons of 
moral teaching1 which will flourish with
 the freshest novelty and will cherish  
the intelligence of the listeners with  
the most delightful savours4 ,wherefore 
the first professors of evangelical     
poverty1 after some slight homage paid  
to secular science1 collecting all their
 force of intellect1 devoted themselves 

to labours upon the sacred scripture1   
meditating day and night on the law of  
the ,lord4  ,and whatever they could    
steal from their famishing belly1 or    
intercept from their half-covered body1 
they thought it the highest gain to     
spend in buying or correcting books4    
,whose worldly contemporaries observing 
their devotion and study bestowed upon  
them for the edification of the whole   
,church the books which they had        
collected at great expense in the       
various parts of the world4  ,in truth1 
in these days as ye are engaged with all
 diligence in pursuit of gain1 it may be
 reasonably believed1 if we speak       
according to human notions1 that ,god   
thinks less upon those whom ,he         
perceives to distrust ,his promises1    
putting their hope in human providence1 
not considering the raven1 nor the      
lilies1 whom the ,most ,high feeds and  
arrays4  ,ye do not think upon ,daniel  
and the bearer of the mess of boiled    
pottage1 nor recollect ,elijah who was  

delivered from hunger once in the desert
 by angels1 again in the torrent by     
ravens1 and again in ,sarepta by the    
widow1 through the divine bounty1 which 
gives to all flesh their meat in due    
season4  ,ye descend 7as we fear7 by a  
wretched anticlimax1 distrust of the    
divine goodness producing reliance upon 
your own prudence1 and reliance upon    
your own prudence begetting anxiety     
about worldly things1 and excessive     
anxiety about worldly things taking away
 the love as well as the study of books2
 and thus poverty in these days is      
abused to the injury of the ,word of    
,god1 which ye have chosen only for     
profit's sake4  ,with summer fruit1 as  
the people gossip1 ye attract boys to   
religion1 whom when they have taken the 
vows ye do not instruct by fear and     
force1 as their age requires1 but allow 
them to devote themselves to begging    
expeditions1 and suffer them to spend   
the time1 in which they might be        
learning1 in procuring the favour of    

friends1 to the annoyance of their      
parents1 the danger of the boys1 and the
 detriment of the order4  ,and thus no  
doubt it happens that those who were not
 compelled to learn as unwilling boys1  
when they grow up presume to teach      
though utterly unworthy and unlearned1  
and a small error in the beginning      
becomes a very great one in the end4    
,for there grows up among your          
promiscuous flock of laity a pestilent  
multitude of creatures1 who nevertheless
 the more shamelessly force themselves  
into the office of preaching1 the less  
they understand what they are saying1 to
 the contempt of the ,divine ,word and  
the injury of souls4  ,in truth1 against
 the law ye plough with an ox and an ass
 together1 in committing the cultivation
 of the ,lord's field to learned and    
unlearned4  ,side by side1 it is        
written1 the oxen were ploughing and the
 asses feeding beside them3 since it is 
the duty of the discreet to preach1 but 
of the simple to feed themselves in     

silence by the hearing of sacred        
eloquence4  ,how many stones ye fling   
upon the heap of ,mercury nowadays6 ,how
 many marriages ye procure for the      
eunuchs of wisdom6  ,how many blind     
watchmen ye bid go round about the walls
 of the ,church6  ,o idle fishermen1    
using only the nets of others1 which    
when torn it is all ye can do to        
clumsily repair1 but can net no new ones
 of your own6 ye enter on the labours of
 others1 ye repeat the lessons of       
others1 ye mouth with theatric effort   
the superficially repeated wisdom of    
others4 ,as the silly parrot imitates   
the words that he has heard1 so such men
 are mere reciters of all1 but authors  
of nothing1 imitating ,balaam's ass1    
which1 though senseless of itself1 yet  
became eloquent of speech and the       
teacher of its master though a prophet4 
,recover yourselves1 ,o poor in ,christ1
 and studiously regard us books1 without
 which ye can never be properly shod in 
the preparation of the ,gospel of       

,peace4  ,paul the ,apostle1 preacher of
 the truth and excellent teacher of the 
nations1 for all his gear bade three    
things to be brought to him by ,timothy1
 his cloak1 books and parchments1       
affording an example to ecclesiastics   
that they should wear dress in          
moderation1 and should have books for   
aid in study1 and parchments1 which the 
,apostle especially esteems1 for        
writing3 ,,and ,,especially1 he says1   
the parchments4 ,and truly that clerk is
 crippled and maimed to his disablement 
in many ways1 who is entirely ignorant  
of the art of writing4  ,he beats the   
air with words and edifies only those   
who are present1 but does nothing for   
the absent and for posterity4  ,the man 
bore a writer's ink-horn upon his loins1
 who set a mark ,tau upon the foreheads 
of the men that sigh and cry1 ,ezechiel 
ix42 teaching in a figure that if any   
lack skill in writing1 he shall not     
undertake the task of preaching         
repentance4  ,finally1 in conclusion of 

the present chapter1 books implore of   
you3 make your young men who though     
ignorant are apt of intellect apply     
themselves to study1 furnishing them    
with necessaries1 that ye may teach them
 not only goodness but discipline and   
science1 may terrify them by blows1     
charm them by blandishments1 mollify    
them by gifts1 and urge them on by      
painful rigour1 so that they may become 
at once ,socratics in morals and        
,peripatetics in learning4  ,yesterday1 
as it were at the eleventh hour1 the    
prudent householder introduced you into 
his vineyard4  ,repent of idleness      
before it is too late3 would that with  
the cunning steward ye might be ashamed 
of begging so shamelessly2 for then no  
doubt ye would devote yourselves more   
assiduously to us books and to study4   
,,chapter ,,vii  ,,the ,,complaint ,,of 
,,books ,,against ,,wars  ,almighty     
,author and ,lover of peace1 scatter the
 nations that delight in war1 which is  
above all plagues injurious to books4   

,for wars being without the control of  
reason make a wild assault on everything
 they come across1 and1 lacking the     
check of reason they push on without    
discretion or distinction to destroy the
 vessels of reason4  ,then the wise     
,apollo becomes the ,python's prey1 and 
,phronesis1 the pious mother1 becomes   
subject to the power of ,phrenzy4  ,then
 winged ,pegasus is shut up in the stall
 of ,corydon1 and eloquent ,mercury is  
strangled4  ,then wise ,pallas is struck
 down by the dagger of error1 and the   
charming ,pierides are smitten by the   
truculent tyranny of madness4  ,o cruel 
spectacle6  where you may see the       
,phoebus of philosophers1 the all-wise  
,aristotle1 whom ,god ,himself made     
master of the master of the world1      
enchained by wicked hands and borne in  
shameful irons on the shoulders of      
gladiators from his sacred home4  ,there
 you may see him who was worthy to be   
lawgiver to the lawgiver of the world   
and to hold empire over its emperor1    

made the slave of vile buffoons by the  
most unrighteous laws of war4  ,o most  
wicked power of darkness1 which does not
 fear to undo the approved divinity of  
,plato1 who alone was worthy to submit  
to the view of the ,creator1 before he  
assuaged the strife of warring chaos1   
and before form had put on its garb of  
matter1 the ideal types1 in order to    
demonstrate the archetypal universe to  
its author1 so that the world of sense  
might be modelled after the supernal    
pattern4  ,o tearful sight6 where the   
moral ,socrates1 whose acts were virtue 
and whose discourse was science1 who    
deduced political justice from the      
principles of nature1 is seen enslaved  
to some rascal robber4 ,we bemoan       
,pythagoras1 the parent of harmony1 as1 
brutally scourged by the harrying furies
 of war1 he utters not a song but the   
wailings of a dove4  ,we mourn1 too1 for
 ,zeno1 who lest he should betray his   
secret bit off his tongue and fearlessly
 spat it out at the tyrant1 and now1    

alas6 is brayed and crushed to death in 
a mortar by ,diomedon4  ,in sooth we    
cannot mourn with the grief that they   
deserve all the various books that have 
perished by the fate of war in various  
parts of the world4  ,yet we must       
tearfully recount the dreadful ruin     
which was caused in ,egypt by the       
auxiliaries in the ,alexandrian war1    
when seven hundred thousand volumes were
 consumed by fire4  ,these volumes had  
been collected by the royal ,ptolemies  
through long periods of time1 as ,aulus 
,gellius relates4  ,what an ,atlantean  
progeny must be supposed to have then   
perished3 including the motions of the  
spheres1 all the conjunctions of the    
planets1 the nature of the galaxy1 and  
the prognostic generations of comets1   
and all that exists in the heavens or in
 the ether6  ,who would not shudder at  
such a hapless holocaust1 where ink is  
offered up instead of blood1 where the  
glowing ashes of crackling parchment    
were encarnadined with blood1 where the 

devouring flames consumed so many       
thousands of innocents in whose mouth   
was no guile1 where the unsparing fire  
turned into stinking ashes so many      
shrines of eternal truth6  ,a lesser    
crime than this is the sacrifice of     
,jephthah or ,agamemnon1 where a pious  
daughter is slain by a father's sword4  
,how many labours of the famous         
,hercules shall we suppose then         
perished1 who because of his knowledge  
of astronomy is said to have sustained  
the heaven on his unyielding neck1 when 
,hercules was now for the second time   
cast into the flames4  ,the secrets of  
the heavens1 which ,jonithus learnt not 
from man or through man but received by 
divine inspiration2 what his brother    
,zoroaster1 the servant of unclean      
spirits1 taught the ,bactrians2 what    
holy ,enoch1 the prefect of ,paradise1  
prophesied before he was taken from the 
world1 and finally1 what the first ,adam
 taught his children of the things to   
come1 which he had seen when caught up  

in an ecstasy in the book of eternity1  
are believed to have perished in those  
horrid flames4  ,the religion of the    
,egyptians1 which the book of the       
,perfect ,word so commends2 the         
excellent polity of the older ,athens1  
which preceded by nine thousand years   
the ,athens of ,greece2 the charms of   
the ,chaldaeans2 the observations of the
 ,arabs and ,indians2 the ceremonies of 
the ,jews2 the architecture of the      
,babylonians2 the agriculture of ,noah  
the magic arts of ,moses2 the geometry  
of ,joshua2 the enigmas of ,samson2 the 
problems of ,solomon from the cedar of  
,lebanon to the hyssop2 the antidotes of
 ,aesculapius2 the grammar of ,cadmus2  
the poems of ,parnassus2 the oracles of 
,apollo2 the argonautics of ,jason2 the 
stratagems of ,palamedes1 and infinite  
other secrets of science are believed to
 have perished at the time of this      
conflagration4  ,nay1 ,aristotle would  
not have missed the quadrature of the   
circle1 if only baleful conflicts had   

spared the books of the ancients1 who   
knew all the methods of nature4  ,he    
would not have left the problem of the  
eternity of the world an open question1 
nor1 as is credibly conceived1 would he 
have had any doubts of the plurality of 
human intellects and of their eternity1 
if the perfect sciences of the ancients 
had not been exposed to the calamities  
of hateful wars4  ,for by wars we are   
scattered into foreign lands1 are       
mutilated1 wounded1 and shamefully      
disfigured1 are buried under the earth  
and overwhelmed in the sea1 are devoured
 by the flames and destroyed by every   
kind of death4 ,how much of our blood   
was shed by warlike ,scipio1 when he was
 eagerly compassing the overthrow of    
,carthage1 the opponent and rival of the
 ,roman empire6 ,how many thousands of  
thousands of us did the ten years' war  
of ,troy dismiss from the light of day6 
,how many were driven by ,anthony1 after
 the murder of ,tully1 to seek hiding   
places in foreign provinces6 ,how many  

of us were scattered by ,theodoric1     
while ,boethius was in exile1 into the  
different quarters of the world1 like   
sheep whose shepherd has been struck    
down6  ,how many1 when ,seneca fell a   
victim to the cruelty of ,nero1 and     
willing yet unwilling passed the gates  
of death1 took leave of him and retired 
in tears1 not even knowing in what      
quarter to seek for shelter6  ,happy was
 that translation of books which ,xerxes
 is said to have made to ,persia from   
,athens1 and which ,seleucus brought    
back again from ,persia to ,athens4  ,o 
glad and joyful return6  ,o wondrous    
joy1 which you might then see in        
,athens1 when the mother went in triumph
 to meet her progeny1 and again showed  
the chambers in which they had been     
nursed to her now aging children6 ,their
 old homes were restored to their former
 inmates1 and forthwith boards of cedar 
with shelves and beams of gopher wood   
are most skilfully planed2 inscriptions 
of gold and ivory are designed for the  

several compartments1 to which the      
volumes themselves are reverently       
brought and pleasantly arranged1 so that
 no one hinders the entrance of another 
or injures its brother by excessive     
crowding4  ,but in truth infinite are   
the losses which have been inflicted    
upon the race of books by wars and      
tumults4  ,and as it is by no means     
possible to enumerate and survey        
infinity1 we will here finally set up   
the ,gades of our complaint1 and turn   
again to the prayers with which we      
began1 humbly imploring that the ,ruler 
of ,olympus and the ,most ,high         
,governor of all the world will         
establish peace and dispel wars and make
 our days tranquil under ,his           
protection4    ,,chapter ,,viii  ,,of   
,,the ,,numerous ,,opportunities ,,we   
,,have ,,had ,,of ,,collecting ,a       
,,store ,,of ,,books  ,since to         
everything there is a season and an     
opportunity1 as the wise ,ecclesiastes  
witnesseth1 let us now proceed to relate

 the manifold opportunities through     
which we have been assisted by the      
divine goodness in the acquisition of   
books4  ,although from our youth upwards
 we had always delighted in holding     
social commune with learned men and     
lovers of books1 yet when we prospered  
in the world and made acquaintance with 
the ,king's majesty and were received   
into his household1 we obtained ampler  
facilities for visiting everywhere as we
 would1 and of hunting as it were       
certain most choice preserves1 libraries
 private as well as public1 and of the  
regular as well as of the secular       
clergy4  ,and indeed while we filled    
various offices to the victorious       
,prince and splendidly triumphant ,king 
of ,england1 ,edward the ,third from the
 ,conquest--whose reign may the         
,almighty long and peacefully           
continue--first those about his court1  
but then those concerning the public    
affairs of his kingdom1 namely the      
offices of ,chancellor and ,treasurer1  

there was afforded to us1 in            
consideration of the royal favour1 easy 
access for the purpose of freely        
searching the retreats of books4  ,in   
fact1 the fame of our love of them had  
been soon winged abroad everywhere1 and 
we were reported to burn with such      
desire for books1 and especially old    
ones1 that it was more easy for any man 
to gain our favour by means of books    
than of money4  ,wherefore1 since       
supported by the goodness of the        
aforesaid prince of worthy memory1 we   
were able to requite a man well or ill1 
to benefit or injure mightily great as  
well as small1 there flowed in1 instead 
of presents and guerdons1 and instead of
 gifts and jewels1 soiled tracts and    
battered codices1 gladsome alike to our 
eye and heart4  ,then the aumbries of   
the most famous monasteries were thrown 
open1 cases were unlocked and caskets   
were undone1 and volumes that had       
slumbered through long ages in their    
tombs wake up and are astonished1 and   

those that had lain hidden in dark      
places are bathed in the ray of unwonted
 light4  ,these long lifeless books1    
once most dainty1 but now become corrupt
 and loathsome1 covered with litters of 
mice and pierced with the gnawings of   
the worms1 and who were once clothed in 
purple and fine linen1 now lying in     
sackcloth and ashes1 given up to        
oblivion1 seemed to have become         
habitations of the moth4  ,natheless    
among these1 seizing the opportunity1 we
 would sit down with more delight than a
 fastidious physician among his stores  
of gums and spices1 and there we found  
the object and the stimulus of our      
affections4  ,thus the sacred vessels of
 learning came into our control and     
stewardship2 some by gift1 others by    
purchase1 and some lent to us for a     
season4  ,no wonder that when people saw
 that we were contented with gifts of   
this kind1 they were anxious of their   
own accord to minister to our needs with
 those things that they were more       

willing to dispense with than the things
 they secured by ministering to our     
service4  ,and in good will we strove so
 to forward their affairs that gain     
accrued to them1 while justice suffered 
no disparagement4  ,indeed1 if we had   
loved gold and silver goblets1 high-bred
 horses1 or no small sums of money1 we  
might in those days have furnished forth
 a rich treasury4  ,but in truth we     
wanted manuscripts not moneyscripts2 we 
loved codices more than florins1 and    
preferred slender pamphlets to pampered 
palfreys4  ,besides all this1 we were   
frequently made ambassador of this most 
illustrious ,prince of everlasting      
memory1 and were sent on the most       
various affairs of state1 now to the    
,holy ,see1 now to the ,court of        
,france1 and again to various powers of 
the world1 on tedious embassies and in  
times of danger1 always carrying with   
us1 however1 that love of books which   
many waters could not quench4  ,for this
 like a delicious draught sweetened the 

bitterness of our journeyings and after 
the perplexing intricacies and          
troublesome difficulties of causes1 and 
the all but inextricable labyrinths of  
public affairs afforded us a little     
breathing space to enjoy a balmier      
atmosphere4  ,o ,holy ,god of gods in   
,sion1 what a mighty stream of pleasure 
made glad our hearts whenever we had    
leisure to visit ,paris1 the ,paradise  
of the world1 and to linger there2 where
 the days seemed ever few for the       
greatness of our love6 ,there are       
delightful libraries1 more aromatic than
 stores of spicery2 there are luxuriant 
parks of all manner of volumes2 there   
are ,academic meads shaken by the tramp 
of scholars2 there are lounges of       
,athens2 walks of the ,peripatetics2    
peaks of ,parnassus2 and porches of the 
,stoics4  ,there is seen the surveyor of
 all arts and sciences ,aristotle1 to   
whom belongs all that is most excellent 
in doctrine1 so far as relates to this  
passing sublunary world2 there ,ptolemy 

measures epicycles and eccentric apogees
 and the nodes of the planets by figures
 and numbers2 there ,paul reveals the   
mysteries2 there his neighbour          
,dionysius arranges and distinguishes   
the hierarchies2 there the virgin       
,carmentis reproduces in ,latin         
characters all that ,cadmus collected in
 ,phoenician letters2 there indeed      
opening our treasuries and unfastening  
our purse-strings we scattered money    
with joyous heart and purchased         
inestimable books with mud and sand4 ,it
 is naught1 it is naught1 saith every   
buyer4  ,but in vain2 for behold how    
good and how pleasant it is to gather   
together the arms of the clerical       
warfare1 that we may have the means to  
crush the attacks of heretics1 if they  
arise4  ,further1 we are aware that we  
obtained most excellent opportunities of
 collecting in the following way4  ,from
 our early years we attached to our     
society with the most exquisite         
solicitude and discarding all partiality

 all such masters and scholars and      
professors in the several faculties as  
had become most distinguished by their  
subtlety of mind and the fame of their  
learning4  ,deriving consolation from   
their sympathetic conversation1 we were 
delightfully entertained1 now by        
demonstrative chains of reasoning1 now  
by the recital of physical processes and
 the treatises of the doctors of the    
,church1 now by stimulating discourses  
on the allegorical meanings of things1  
as by a rich and well-varied            
intellectual feast4  ,such men we chose 
as comrades in our years of learning1 as
 companions in our chamber1 as          
associates on our journeys1 as guests at
 our table1 and1 in short1 as helpmates 
in all the vicissitudes of life4  ,but  
as no happiness is permitted to endure  
for long1 we were sometimes deprived of 
the bodily companionship of some of     
these shining lights1 when justice      
looking down from heaven1 the           
ecclesiastical preferments and dignities

 that they deserved fell to their       
portion4  ,and thus it happened1 as was 
only right1 that in attending to their  
own cures they were obliged to absent   
themselves from attendance upon us4  ,we
 will add yet another very convenient   
way by which a great multitude of books 
old as well as new came into our hands4 
,for we never regarded with disdain or  
disgust the poverty of the mendicant    
orders1 adopted for the sake of ,christ2
 but in all parts of the world took them
 into the kindly arms of our compassion1
 allured them by the most friendly      
familiarity into devotion to ourselves1 
and having so allured them cherished    
them with munificent liberality of      
beneficence for the sake of ,god1       
becoming benefactors of all of them in  
general in such wise that we seemed none
 the less to have adopted certain       
individuals with a special fatherly     
affection4  ,to these men we were as a  
refuge in every case of need1 and never 
refused to them the shelter of our      

favour1 wherefore we deserved to find   
them most special furtherers of our     
wishes and promoters thereof in act and 
deed1 who compassing land and sea1      
traversing the circuit of the world1 and
 ransacking the universities and high   
schools of various provinces1 were      
zealous in combatting for our desires1  
in the sure and certain hope of reward4 
,what leveret could escape amidst so    
many keen-sighted hunters8  ,what little
 fish could evade in turn their hooks   
and nets and snares8  ,from the body of 
the ,sacred ,law down to the booklet    
containing the fallacies of yesterday1  
nothing could escape these searchers4   
,was some devout discourse uttered at   
the fountain-head of ,christian faith1  
the holy ,roman ,curia1 or was some     
strange question ventilated with novel  
arguments2 did the solidity of ,paris1  
which is now more zealous in the study  
of antiquity than in the subtle         
investigation of truth1 did ,english    
subtlety1 which illumined by the lights 

of former times is always sending forth 
fresh rays of truth1 produce anything to
 the advancement of science or the      
declaration of the faith1 this was      
instantly poured still fresh into our   
ears1 ungarbled by any babbler1         
unmutilated by any trifler1 but passing 
straight from the purest of wine-presses
 into the vats of our memory to be      
clarified4  ,but whenever it happened   
that we turned aside to the cities and  
places where the mendicants we have     
mentioned had their convents1 we did not
 disdain to visit their libraries and   
any other repositories of books2 nay1   
there we found heaped up amid the utmost
 poverty the utmost riches of wisdom4   
,we discovered in their fardels and     
baskets not only crumbs falling from the
 masters' table for the dogs1 but the   
shewbread without leaven and the bread  
of angels having in it all that is      
delicious2 and indeed the garners of    
,joseph full of corn1 and all the spoil 
of the ,egyptians1 and the very precious

 gifts which ,queen ,sheba brought to   
,solomon4  ,these men are as ants ever  
preparing their meat in the summer1 and 
ingenious bees continually fabricating  
cells of honey4  ,they are successors of
 ,bezaleel in devising all manner of    
workmanship in silver and gold and      
precious stones for decorating the      
temple of the ,church4 ,they are cunning
 embroiderers1 who fashion the          
breastplate and ephod of the high priest
 and all the various vestments of the   
priests4  ,they fashion the curtains of 
linen and hair and coverings of ram's   
skins dyed red with which to adorn the  
tabernacle of the ,church militant4     
,they are husbandmen that sow1 oxen     
treading out corn1 sounding trumpets1   
shining ,pleiades and stars remaining in
 their courses1 which cease not to fight
 against ,sisera4  ,and to pay due      
regard to truth1 without prejudice to   
the judgment of any1 although they      
lately at the eleventh hour have entered
 the lord's vineyard1 as the books that 

are so fond of us eagerly declared in   
our sixth chapter1 they have added more 
in this brief hour to the stock of the  
sacred books than all the other         
vine-dressers2 following in the         
footsteps of ,paul1 the last to be      
called but the first in preaching1 who  
spread the gospel of ,christ more widely
 than all others4  ,of these men1 when  
we were raised to the episcopate we had 
several of both orders1 viz41 the       
,preachers and ,minors1 as personal     
attendants and companions at our board1 
men distinguished no less in letters    
than in morals1 who devoted themselves  
with unwearied zeal to the correction1  
exposition1 tabulation1 and compilation 
of various volumes4  ,but although we   
have acquired a very numerous store of  
ancient as well as modern works by the  
manifold intermediation of the          
religious1 yet we must laud the         
,preachers with special praise1 in that 
we have found them above all the        
religious most freely communicative of  

their stores without jealousy1 and      
proved them to be imbued with an almost 
,divine liberality1 not greedy but      
fitting possessors of luminous wisdom4  
,besides all the opportunities mentioned
 above1 we secured the acquaintance of  
stationers and booksellers1 not only    
within our own country1 but of those    
spread over the realms of ,france1      
,germany1 and ,italy1 money flying forth
 in abundance to anticipate their       
demands2 nor were they hindered by any  
distance or by the fury of the seas1 or 
by the lack of means for their expenses1
 from sending or bringing to us the     
books that we required4  ,for they well 
knew that their expectations of our     
bounty would not be defrauded1 but that 
ample repayment with usury was to be    
found with us4  ,nor1 finally1 did our  
good fellowship1 which aimed to         
captivate the affection of all1 overlook
 the rectors of schools and the         
instructors of rude boys4  ,but rather1 
when we had an opportunity1 we entered  

their little plots and gardens and      
gathered sweet-smelling flowers from the
 surface and dug up their roots1        
obsolete indeed1 but still useful to the
 student1 which might1 when their rank  
barbarism was digested heal the pectoral
 arteries with the gift of eloquence4   
,amongst the mass of these things we    
found some greatly meriting to be       
restored1 which when skilfully cleansed 
and freed from the disfiguring rust of  
age1 deserved to be renovated into      
comeliness of aspect4  ,and applying in 
full measure the necessary means1 as a  
type of the resurrection to come1 we    
resuscitated them and restored them     
again to new life and health4           
,moreover1 we had always in our         
different manors no small multitude of  
copyists and scribes1 of binders1       
correctors1 illuminators1 and generally 
of all who could usefully labour in the 
service of books4 ,finally1 all of both 
sexes and of every rank or position who 
had any kind of association with books1 

could most easily open by their knocking
 the door of our heart1 and find a fit  
resting-place in our affection and      
favour4  ,in so much did we receive     
those who brought books1 that the       
multitude of those who had preceded them
 did not lessen the welcome of the      
after-comers1 nor were the favours we   
had awarded yesterday prejudicial to    
those of to-day4  ,wherefore1 ever using
 all the persons we have named as a kind
 of magnets to attract books1 we had the
 desired accession of the vessels of    
science and a multitudinous flight of   
the finest volumes4  ,and this is what  
we undertook to narrate in the present  
chapter4    ,,chapter ,,ix  ,,how1      
,,although ,,we ,,preferred ,,the       
,,works ,,of ,,the ,,ancients1 ,,we     
,,have ,,not ,,condemned ,,the ,,studies
 ,,of ,,the ,,moderns  ,although the    
novelties of the moderns were never     
disagreeable to our desires1 who have   
always cherished with grateful affection
 those who devote themselves to study   

and who add anything either ingenious or
 useful to the opinions of our          
forefathers1 yet we have always desired 
with more undoubting avidity to         
investigate the well-tested labours of  
the ancients4  ,for whether they had by 
nature a greater vigour of mental       
sagacity1 or whether they perhaps       
indulged in closer application to study1
 or whether they were assisted in their 
progress by both these things1 one thing
 we are perfectly clear about1 that     
their successors are barely capable of  
discussing the discoveries of their     
forerunners1 and of acquiring those     
things as pupils which the ancients dug 
out by difficult efforts of discovery4  
,for as we read that the men of old were
 of a more excellent degree of bodily   
development than modern times are found 
to produce1 it is by no means absurd to 
suppose that most of the ancients were  
distinguished by brighter faculties1    
seeing that in the labours they         
accomplished of both kinds they are     

inimitable by posterity4   ,and so      
,phocas writes in the prologue to his   
,grammar3       ,since all things have  
been said by men of sense      ,the only
 novelty is--to condense4  ,but in      
truth1 if we speak of fervour of        
learning and diligence in study1 they   
gave up all their lives to philosophy2  
while nowadays our contemporaries       
carelessly spend a few years of hot     
youth1 alternating with the excesses of 
vice1 and when the passions have been   
calmed1 and they have attained the      
capacity of discerning truth so         
difficult to discover1 they soon become 
involved in worldly affairs and retire1 
bidding farewell to the schools of      
philosophy4  ,they offer the fuming must
 of their youthful intellect to the     
difficulties of philosophy1 and bestow  
the clearer wine upon the money-making  
business of life4 ,further1 as ,ovid in 
the first book of the ,de ,vetula justly
 complains3    ,the hearts of all men   
after gold aspire2   ,few study to be   

wise1 more to acquire3   ,thus1         
,science6 all thy virgin charms are     
sold1   ,whose chaste embraces should   
disdain their gold1   ,who seek not thee
 thyself1 but pelf through thee1        
,longing for riches1 not philosophy4    
,and further on3    ,thus ,philosophy is
 seen   ,exiled1 and ,philopecuny is    
queen1  which is known to be the most   
violent poison of learning4  ,how the   
ancients indeed regarded life as the    
only limit of study1 is shown by        
,valerius1 in his book addressed to     
,tiberius1 by many examples4 ,carneades1
 he says1 was a laborious and lifelong  
soldier of wisdom3 after he had lived   
ninety years1 the same day put an end to
 his life and his philosophizing4       
,isocrates in his ninety-fourth year    
wrote a most noble work4  ,sophocles did
 the same when nearly a hundred years   
old4  ,simonides wrote poems in his     
eightieth year4  ,aulus ,gellius did not
 desire to live longer than he should be
 able to write1 as he says himself in   

the prologue to the ,noctes ,atticae4   
,the fervour of study which possessed   
,euclid the ,socratic1 ,taurus the      
philosopher used to relate to incite    
young men to study1 as ,gellius tells in
 the book we have mentioned4  ,for the  
,athenians1 hating the people of        
,megara1 decreed that if any of the     
,megarensians entered ,athens1 he should
 be put to death4  ,then ,euclid1 who   
was a ,megarensian1 and had attended the
 lectures of ,socrates before this      
decree1 disguising himself in a woman's 
dress1 used to go from ,megara to       
,athens by night to hear ,socrates1 a   
distance of twenty miles and back4      
,imprudent and excessive was the fervour
 of ,archimedes1 a lover of geometry1   
who would not declare his name1 nor lift
 his head from the diagram he had drawn1
 by which he might have prolonged his   
life1 but thinking more of study than of
 life dyed with his life-blood the      
figure he was studying4  ,there are very
 many such examples of our proposition1 

but the brevity we aim at does not allow
 us to recall them4  ,but1 painful to   
relate1 the clerks who are famous in    
these days pursue a very different      
course4 ,afflicted with ambition in     
their tender years1 and slightly        
fastening to their untried arms the     
,icarian wings of presumption1 they     
prematurely snatch the master's cap2 and
 mere boys become unworthy professors of
 the several faculties1 through which   
they do not make their way step by step1
 but like goats ascend by leaps and     
bounds2 and1 having slightly tasted of  
the mighty stream1 they think that they 
have drunk it dry1 though their throats 
are hardly moistened4  ,and because they
 are not grounded in the first rudiments
 at the fitting time1 they build a      
tottering edifice on an unstable        
foundation1 and now that they have grown
 up1 they are ashamed to learn what they
 ought to have learned while young1 and 
thus they are compelled to suffer for   
ever for too hastily jumping at         

dignities they have not deserved4  ,for 
these and the like reasons the tyros in 
the schools do not attain to the solid  
learning of the ancients in a few short 
hours of study1 although they may enjoy 
distinctions1 may be accorded titles1 be
 authorized by official robes1 and      
solemnly installed in the chairs of the 
elders4 ,just snatched from the cradle  
and hastily weaned1 they mouth the rules
 of ,priscian and ,donatus2 while still 
beardless boys they gabble with childish
 stammering the ,categorics and ,peri   
,hermeneias1 in the writing of which the
 great ,aristotle is said to have dipped
 his pen in his heart's blood4  ,passing
 through these faculties with baneful   
haste and a harmful diploma1 they lay   
violent hands upon ,moses1 and          
sprinkling about their faces dark waters
 and thick clouds of the skies1 they    
offer their heads1 unhonoured by the    
snows of age1 for the mitre of the      
pontificate4 ,this pest is greatly      
encouraged1 and they are helped to      

attain this fantastic clericate with    
such nimble steps1 by ,papal provisions 
obtained by insidious prayers1 and also 
by the prayers1 which may not be        
rejected1 of cardinals and great men1 by
 the cupidity of friends and relatives1 
who1 building up ,sion in blood1 secure 
ecclesiastical dignities for their      
nephews and pupils1 before they are     
seasoned by the course of nature or     
ripeness of learning4  ,alas6 by the    
same disease which we are deploring1 we 
see that the ,palladium of ,paris has   
been carried off in these sad times of  
ours1 wherein the zeal of that noble    
university1 whose rays once shed light  
into every corner of the world1 has     
grown lukewarm1 nay1 is all but frozen4 
,there the pen of every scribe is now at
 rest1 generations of books no longer   
succeed each other1 and there is none   
who begins to take place as a new       
author4  ,they wrap up their doctrines  
in unskilled discourse1 and are losing  
all propriety of logic1 except that our 

,english subtleties1 which they denounce
 in public1 are the subject of their    
furtive vigils4  ,admirable ,minerva    
seems to bend her course to all the     
nations of the earth1 and reacheth from 
end to end mightily1 that she may reveal
 herself to all mankind4  ,we see that  
she has already visited the ,indians1   
the ,babylonians1 the ,egyptians and    
,greeks1 the ,arabs and the ,romans4    
,now she has passed by ,paris1 and now  
has happily come to ,britain1 the most  
noble of islands1 nay1 rather a         
microcosm in itself1 that she may show  
herself a debtor both to the ,greeks and
 to the ,barbarians4  ,at which wondrous
 sight it is conceived by most men1 that
 as philosophy is now lukewarm in       
,france1 so her soldiery are unmanned   
and languishing4    ,,chapter ,x  ,,of  
,,the ,,gradual ,,perfecting ,,of       
,,books  ,while assiduously seeking out 
the wisdom of the men of old1 according 
to the counsel of the ,wise ,man        
7,eccles4 xxxix473  ,the wise man1 he   

says1 will seek out the wisdom of all   
the ancients1 we have not thought fit to
 be misled into the opinion that the    
first founders of the arts have purged  
away all crudeness1 knowing that the    
discoveries of each of the faithful1    
when weighed in a faithful balance1     
makes a tiny portion of science1 but    
that by the anxious investigations of a 
multitude of scholars1 each as it were  
contributing his share1 the mighty      
bodies of the sciences have grown by    
successive augmentations to the immense 
bulk that we now behold4  ,for the      
disciples1 continually melting down the 
doctrines of their masters1 and passing 
them again through the furnace1 drove   
off the dross that had been previously  
overlooked1 until there came out refined
 gold tried in a furnace of earth1      
purified seven times to perfection1 and 
stained by no admixture of error or     
doubt4  ,for not even ,aristotle1       
although a man of gigantic intellect1 in
 whom it pleased ,nature to try how much

 of reason she could bestow upon        
mortality1 and whom the ,most ,high made
 only a little lower than the angels1   
sucked from his own fingers those       
wonderful volumes which the whole world 
can hardly contain4  ,but1 on the       
contrary1 with lynx-eyed penetration he 
had seen through the sacred books of the
 ,hebrews1 the ,babylonians1 the        
,egyptians1 the ,chaldaeans1 the        
,persians and the ,medes1 all of which  
learned ,greece had transferred into her
 treasuries4  ,whose true sayings he    
received1 but smoothed away their       
crudities1 pruned their superfluities1  
supplied their deficiencies1 and removed
 their errors4  ,and he held that we    
should give thanks not only to those who
 teach rightly1 but even to those who   
err1 as affording the way of more easily
 investigating truth1 as he plainly     
declares in the second book of his      
,metaphysics4  ,thus many learned       
lawyers contributed to the ,pandects1   
many physicians to the ,tegni1 and it   

was by this means that ,avicenna edited 
his ,canon1 and ,pliny his great work on
 ,natural ,history1 and ,ptolemy the    
,almagest4  ,for as in the writers of   
annals it is not difficult to see that  
the later writer always presupposes the 
earlier1 without whom he could by no    
means relate the former times1 so too we
 are to think of the authors of the     
sciences4  ,for no man by himself has   
brought forth any science1 since between
 the earliest students and those of the 
latter time we find intermediaries1     
ancient if they be compared with our own
 age1 but modern if we think of the     
foundations of learning1 and these men  
we consider the most learned4  ,what    
would ,virgil1 the chief poet among the 
,latins1 have achieved1 if he had not   
despoiled ,theocritus1 ,lucretius1 and  
,homer1 and had not ploughed with their 
heifer8  ,what1 unless again and again  
he had read somewhat of ,parthenius and 
,pindar1 whose eloquence he could by no 
means imitate8  ,what could ,sallust1   

,tully1 ,boethius1 ,macrobius1          
,lactantius1 ,martianus1 and in short   
the whole troop of ,latin writers have  
done1 if they had not seen the          
productions of ,athens or the volumes of
 the ,greeks8  ,certes1 little would    
,jerome1 master of three languages1     
,ambrosius1 ,augustine1 though he       
confesses that he hated ,greek1 or even 
,gregory1 who is said to have been      
wholly ignorant of it1 have contributed 
to the doctrine of the ,church1 if more 
learned ,greece had not furnished them  
from its stores4  ,as ,rome1 watered by 
the streams of ,greece1 had earlier     
brought forth philosophers in the image 
of the ,greeks1 in like fashion         
afterwards it produced doctors of the   
orthodox faith4  ,the creeds we chant   
are the sweat of ,grecian brows1        
promulgated by their ,councils1 and     
established by the martyrdom of many4   
,yet their natural slowness1 as it      
happens1 turns to the glory of the      
,latins1 since as they were less learned

 in their studies1 so they were less    
perverse in their errors4  ,in truth1   
the ,arian heresy had all but eclipsed  
the whole ,church2 the ,nestorian       
wickedness presumed to rave with        
blasphemous rage against the ,virgin1   
for it would have robbed the ,queen of  
,heaven1 not in open fight but in       
disputation1 of her name and character  
as ,mother of ,god1 unless the          
invincible champion ,cyril1 ready to do 
single battle1 with the help of the     
,council of ,ephesus1 had in vehemence  
of spirit utterly extinguished it4      
,innumerable are the forms as well as   
the authors of ,greek heresies2 for as  
they were the original cultivators of   
our holy faith1 so too they were the    
first sowers of tares1 as is shown by   
veracious history4  ,and thus they went 
on from bad to worse1 because in        
endeavouring to part the seamless       
vesture of the ,lord1 they totally      
destroyed primitive simplicity of       
doctrine1 and blinded by the darkness of

 novelty would fall into the bottomless 
pit1 unless ,he provide for them in ,his
 inscrutable prerogative1 whose wisdom  
is past reckoning4  ,let this suffice2  
for here we reach the limit of our power
 of judgment4 ,one thing1 however1 we   
conclude from the premises1 that the    
ignorance of the ,greek tongue is now a 
great hindrance to the study of the     
,latin writers1 since without it the    
doctrines of the ancient authors1       
whether ,christian or ,gentile1 cannot  
be understood4  ,and we must come to a  
like judgment as to ,arabic in numerous 
astronomical treatises1 and as to       
,hebrew as regards the text of the ,holy
 ,bible1 which deficiencies1 indeed1    
,clement ,v4  provides for1 if only the 
bishops would faithfully observe what   
they so lightly decree4  ,wherefore we  
have taken care to provide a ,greek as  
well as a ,hebrew grammar for our       
scholars1 with certain other aids1 by   
the help of which studious readers may  
greatly inform themselves in the        

writing1 reading1 and understanding of  
the said tongues1 although only the     
hearing of them can teach correctness of
 idiom4    ,,chapter ,,xi  ,,why ,,we   
,,have ,,preferred ,,books ,,of         
,,liberal ,,learning ,,to ,,books ,,of  
,,law  ,that lucrative practice of      
positive law1 designed for the          
dispensation of earthly things1 the more
 useful it is found by the children of  
this world1 so much the less does it aid
 the children of light in comprehending 
the mysteries of holy writ and the      
secret sacraments of the faith1 seeing  
that it disposes us peculiarly to the   
friendship of the world1 by which man1  
as ,s4  ,james testifies1 is made the   
enemy of ,god4  ,law indeed encourages  
rather than extinguishes the contentions
 of mankind1 which are the result of    
unbounded greed1 by complicated laws1   
which can be turned either way2 though  
we know that it was created by          
jurisconsults and pious princes for the 
purpose of assuaging these contentions4 

,but in truth1 as the same science deals
 with contraries1 and the power of      
reason can be used to opposite ends1 and
 at the same the human mind is more     
inclined to evil1 it happens with the   
practisers of this science that they    
usually devote themselves to promoting  
contention rather than peace1 and       
instead of quoting laws according to the
 intent of the legislator1 violently    
strain the language thereof to effect   
their own purposes4  ,wherefore1        
although the over-mastering love of     
books has possessed our mind from       
boyhood1 and to rejoice in their        
delights has been our only pleasure1 yet
 the appetite for the books of the civil
 law took less hold of our affections1  
and we have spent but little labour and 
expense in acquiring volumes of this    
kind4  ,for they are useful only as the 
scorpion in treacle1 as ,aristotle1 the 
sun of science1 has said of logic in his
 book ,de ,pomo4  ,we have noticed a    
certain manifest difference of nature   

between law and science1 in that every  
science is delighted and desires to open
 its inward parts and display the very  
heart of its principles1 and to show    
forth the roots from which it buds and  
flourishes1 and that the emanation of   
its springs may be seen of all men2 for 
thus from the cognate and harmonious    
light of the truth of conclusion  to    
principles1 the whole body of science   
will be full of light1 having no part   
dark4  ,but laws1 on the contrary1 since
 they are only human enactments for the 
regulation of social life1 or the yokes 
of princes thrown over the necks of     
their subjects1 refuse to be brought to 
the standard of synteresis1 the origin  
of equity1 because they feel that they  
possess more of arbitrary will than     
rational judgment4  ,wherefore the      
judgment of the wise for the most part  
is that the causes of laws are not a fit
 subject of discussion4  ,in truth1 many
 laws acquire force by mere custom1 not 
by syllogistic necessity1 like the arts3

 as ,aristotle1 the ,phoebus of the     
,schools1 urges in the second book of   
the ,politics1 where he confutes the    
policy of ,hippodamus1 which holds out  
rewards to the inventors of new laws1   
because to abrogate old laws and        
establish new ones is to weaken the     
force of those which exist4  ,for       
whatever receives its stability from use
 alone must necessarily be brought to   
nought by disuse4  ,from which it is    
seen clearly enough1 that as laws are   
neither arts nor sciences1 so books of  
law cannot properly be called books of  
art or science4  ,nor is this faculty   
which we may call by a special term     
geologia1 or the earthly science1 to be 
properly numbered among the sciences4   
,now the books of the liberal arts are  
so useful to the divine writings1 that  
without their aid the intellect would   
vainly aspire to understand them4       
,,chapter ,,xii  ,,why ,,we ,,have      
,,caused ,,books ,,of ,,grammar ,,to    
,,be ,,so ,,diligently ,,prepared       

,while we were constantly delighting    
ourselves with the reading of books1    
which it was our custom to read or have 
read to us every day1 we noticed plainly
 how much the defective knowledge even  
of a single word hinders the            
understanding1 as the meaning of no     
sentence can be apprehended1 if any part
 of it be not understood4  ,wherefore we
 ordered the meanings of foreign words  
to be noted with particular care1 and   
studied the orthography1 prosody1       
etymology1 and syntax in ancient        
grammarians with unrelaxing carefulness1
 and took pains to elucidate terms that 
had grown too obscure by age with       
suitable explanations1 in order to make 
a smooth path for our students4  ,this  
is the whole reason why we took care to 
replace the antiquated volumes of the   
grammarians by improved codices1 that we
 might make royal roads1 by which our   
scholars in time to come might attain   
without stumbling to any science4       
,,chapter ,,xiii  ,,why ,,we ,,have     

,,not ,,wholly ,,neglected ,,the        
,,fables ,,of ,,the ,,poets  ,all the   
varieties of attack directed against the
 poets by the lovers of naked truth may 
be repelled by a two-fold defence3      
either that even in an unseemly         
subject-matter we may learn a charming  
fashion of speech1 or that where a      
fictitious but becoming subject is      
handled1 natural or historical truth is 
pursued under the guise of allegorical  
fiction4  ,although it is true that all 
men naturally desire knowledge1 yet they
 do not all take the same pleasure in   
learning4  ,on the contrary1 when they  
have experienced the labour of study and
 find their senses wearied1 most men    
inconsiderately fling away the nut1     
before they have broken the shell and   
reached the kernel4  ,for man is        
naturally fond of two things1 namely1   
freedom from control and some pleasure  
in his activity2 for which reason no one
 without reason submits himself to the  
control of others1 or willingly engages 

in any tedious task4  ,for pleasure     
crowns activity1 as beauty is a crown to
 youth1 as ,aristotle truly asserts in  
the tenth book of the ,ethics4          
,accordingly the wisdom of the ancients 
devised a remedy by which to entice the 
wanton minds of men by a kind of pious  
fraud1 the delicate ,minerva secretly   
lurking beneath the mask of pleasure4   
,we are wont to allure children by      
rewards1 that they may cheerfully learn 
what we force them to study even though 
they are unwilling4  ,for our fallen    
nature does not tend to virtue with the 
same enthusiasm with which it rushes    
into vice4  ,horace has expressed this  
for us in a brief verse of the ,ars     
,poetica1 where he says3    ,all poets  
sing to profit or delight4  ,and he has 
plainly intimated the same thing in     
another verse of the same book1 where he
 says3       ,he hits the mark1 who     
mingles joy with use4  ,how many        
students of ,euclid have been repelled  
by the ,pons ,asinorum1 as by a lofty   

and precipitous rock1 which no help of  
ladders could enable them to scale6     
,,this ,,is ,a ,,hard ,,saying1 they    
exclaim1 ,,and ,,who ,,can ,,receive    
,,it4  ,the child of inconstancy1 who   
ended by wishing to be transformed into 
an ass1 would perhaps never have given  
up the study of philosophy1 if he had   
met him in friendly guise veiled under  
the cloak of pleasure2 but anon1        
astonished by ,crato's chair and struck 
dumb by his endless questions1 as by a  
sudden thunderbolt1 he saw no refuge but
 in flight4  ,so much we have alleged in
 defence of the poets2 and now we       
proceed to show that those who study    
them with proper intent are not to be   
condemned in regard to them4  ,for our  
ignorance of one single word prevents   
the understanding of a whole long       
sentence1 as was assumed in the previous
 chapter4  ,as now the sayings of the   
saints frequently allude to the         
inventions of the poets1 it must needs  
happen that through our not knowing the 

poem referred to1 the whole meaning of  
the author is completely obscured1 and  
assuredly1 as ,cassiodorus says in his  
book ,of the ,institutes of ,sacred     
,literature3  ,those things are not to  
be considered trifles without which     
great things cannot come to pass4  ,it  
follows therefore that through ignorance
 of poetry we do not understand ,jerome1
 ,augustine1 ,boethius1 ,lactantius1    
,sidonius1 and very many others1 a      
catalogue of whom would more than fill a
 long chapter4  ,the ,venerable ,bede   
has very clearly discussed and          
determined this doubtful point1 as is   
related by that great compiler ,gratian1
 the repeater of numerous authors1 who  
is as confused in form as he was eager  
in collecting matter for his            
compilation4  ,now he writes in his     
#cgth section3  ,some read secular      
literature for pleasure1 taking delight 
in the inventions and elegant language  
of the poets2 but others study this     
literature for the sake of scholarship1 

that by their reading they may learn to 
detest the errors of the ,gentiles and  
may devoutly apply what they find useful
 in them to the use of sacred learning4 
,such men study secular literature in a 
laudable manner4 ,so far ,bede4  ,taking
 this salutary instruction to heart1 let
 the detractors of those who study the  
poets henceforth hold their peace1 and  
let not those who are ignorant of these 
things require that others should be as 
ignorant as themselves1 for this is the 
consolation of the wretched4  ,and      
therefore let every man see that his own
 intentions are upright1 and he may thus
 make of any subject1 observing the     
limitations of virtue1 a study          
acceptable to ,god4  ,and if he have    
found profit in poetry1 as the great    
,virgil relates that he had done in     
,ennius1 he will not have done amiss4   
,,chapter ,,xiv  ,,who ,,ought ,,to ,,be
 ,,special ,,lovers ,,of ,,books  ,to   
him who recollects what has been said   
before1 it is plain and evident who     

ought to be the chief lovers of books4  
,for those who have most need of wisdom 
in order to perform usefully the duties 
of their position1 they are without     
doubt most especially bound to show more
 abundantly to the sacred vessels of    
wisdom the anxious affection of a       
grateful heart4  ,now it is the office  
of the wise man to order rightly both   
himself and others1 according to the    
,phoebus of philosophers1 ,aristotle1   
who deceives not nor is deceived in     
human things4  ,wherefore princes and   
prelates1 judges and doctors1 and all   
other leaders of the commonwealth1 as   
more than others they have need of      
wisdom1 so more than others ought they  
to show zeal for the vessels of wisdom4 
,boethius1 indeed1 beheld ,philosophy   
bearing a sceptre in her left hand and  
books in her right1 by which it is      
evidently shown to all men that no one  
can rightly rule a commonwealth without 
books4 ,thou1 says ,boethius1 speaking  
to ,philosophy1 hast sanctioned this    

saying by the mouth of ,plato1 that     
states would be happy if they were ruled
 by students of philosophy1 or if their 
rulers would study philosophy4  ,and    
again1 we are taught by the very gesture
 of the figure that in so far as the    
right hand is better than the left1 so  
far the contemplative life is more      
worthy than the active life2 and at the 
same time we are shown that the business
 of the wise man is to devote himself by
 turns1 now to the study of truth1 and  
now to the dispensation of temporal     
things4  ,we read that ,philip thanked  
the ,gods devoutly for having granted   
that ,alexander should be born in the   
time of ,aristotle1 so that educated    
under his instruction he might be worthy
 to rule his father's empire4 ,while    
,phaeton unskilled in driving becomes   
the charioteer of his father's car1 he  
unhappily distributes to mankind the    
heat of ,phoebus1 now by excessive      
nearness1 and now by withdrawing it too 
far1 and so1 lest all beneath him should

 be imperilled by the closeness of his  
driving1 justly deserved to be struck by
 the thunderbolt4  ,the history of the  
,greeks as well as ,romans shows that   
there were no famous princes among them 
who were devoid of literature4  ,the    
sacred law of ,moses in prescribing to  
the king a rule of government1 enjoins  
him to have a copy made of the book of  
,divine law 7,deut4 xvii47 according to 
the copy shown by the priests1 in which 
he was to read all the days of his life4
  ,certes1 ,god ,himself1 who hath made 
and who fashioneth every day the hearts 
of every one of us1 knows the feebleness
 of human memory and the instability of 
virtuous intentions in mankind4         
,wherefore ,he has willed that books    
should be as it were an antidote to all 
evil1 the reading and use of which ,he  
has commanded to be the healthful daily 
nourishment of the soul1 so that by them
 the intellect being refreshed and      
neither weak nor doubtful should never  
hesitate in action4  ,this subject is   

elegantly handled by ,john of           
,salisbury1 in his ,policraticon4  ,in  
conclusion1 all classes of men who are  
conspicuous by the tonsure or the sign  
of clerkship1 against whom books lifted 
up their voices in the fourth1 fifth1   
and sixth chapters1 are bound to serve  
books with perpetual veneration4        
,,chapter ,,xv  ,,of ,,the ,,advantages 
,,of ,,the ,,love ,,of ,,books  ,it     
transcends the power of human intellect1
 however deeply it may have drunk of the
 ,pegasean fount1 to develop fully the  
title of the present chapter4  ,though  
one should speak with the tongue of men 
and angels1 though he should become a   
,mercury or ,tully1 though he should    
grow sweet with the milky eloquence of  
,livy1 yet he will plead the stammering 
of ,moses1 or with ,jeremiah will       
confess that he is but a boy and cannot 
speak1 or will imitate ,echo rebounding 
from the mountains4  ,for we know that  
the love of books is the same thing as  
the love of wisdom1 as was proved in the

 second chapter4  ,now this love is     
called by the ,greek word philosophy1   
the whole virtue of which no created    
intelligence can comprehend2 for she is 
believed to be the mother of all good   
things3 ,wisdom vii4  ,she as a heavenly
 dew extinguishes the heats of fleshly  
vices1 the intense activity of the      
mental forces relaxing the vigour of the
 animal forces1 and slothfulness being  
wholly put to flight1 which being gone  
all the bows of ,cupid are unstrung4    
,hence ,plato says in the ,phaedo3  ,the
 philosopher is manifest in this1 that  
he dissevers the soul from communion    
with the body4  ,love1 says ,jerome1 the
 knowledge of the scriptures1 and thou  
wilt not love the vices of the flesh4   
,the godlike ,xenocrates showed this by 
the firmness of his reason1 who was     
declared by the famous hetaera ,phryne  
to be a statue and not a man1 when all  
her blandishments could not shake his   
resolve1 as ,valerius ,maximus relates  
at length4  ,our own ,origen showed this

 also1 who chose rather to be unsexed by
 the mutilation of himself1 than to be  
made effeminate by the omnipotence of   
woman--though it was a hasty remedy1    
repugnant alike to nature and to virtue1
 whose place it is not to make men      
insensible to passion1 but to slay with 
the dagger of reason the passions that  
spring from instinct4  ,again1 all who  
are smitten with the love of books think
 cheaply of the world and wealth2 as    
,jerome says to ,vigilantius3  ,the same
 man cannot love both gold and books4   
,and thus it has been said in verse3    
,no iron-stained hand is fit to handle  
books1   ,nor he whose heart on gold so 
gladly looks3   ,the same men love not  
books and money both1   ,and books thy  
herd1 ,o ,epicurus1 loathe2   ,misers   
and bookmen make poor company1   ,nor   
dwell in peace beneath the same         
roof-tree4   ,no man1 therefore1 can    
serve both books and ,mammon4   ,the    
hideousness of vice is greatly          
reprobated in books1 so that he who     

loves to commune with books is led to   
detest all manner of vice4  ,the demon1 
who derives his name from knowledge1 is 
most effectually defeated by the        
knowledge of books1 and through books   
his multitudinous deceits and the       
endless labyrinths of his guile are laid
 bare to those who read1 lest he be     
transformed into an angel of light and  
circumvent the innocent by his wiles4   
,the reverence of ,god is revealed to us
 by books1 the virtues by which ,he is  
worshipped are more expressly           
manifested1 and the rewards are         
described that are promised by the      
truth1 which deceives not1 neither is   
deceived4  ,the truest likeness of the  
beatitude to come is the contemplation  
of the sacred writings1 in which we     
behold in turn the ,creator and the     
creature1 and draw from streams of      
perpetual gladness4  ,faith is          
established by the power of books2 hope 
is strengthened by their solace1        
insomuch that by patience and the       

consolation of scripture we are in good 
hope4  ,charity is not puffed up1 but is
 edified by the knowledge of true       
learning1 and1 indeed1 it is clearer    
than light that the ,church is          
established upon the sacred writings4   
,books delight us1 when prosperity      
smiles upon us2 they comfort us         
inseparably when stormy fortune frowns  
on us4  ,they lend validity to human    
compacts1 and no serious judgments are  
propounded without their help4  ,arts   
and sciences1 all the advantages of     
which no mind can enumerate1 consist in 
books4  ,how highly must we estimate the
 wondrous power of books1 since through 
them we survey the utmost bounds of the 
world and time1 and contemplate the     
things that are as well as those that   
are not1 as it were in the mirror of    
eternity4  ,in books we climb mountains 
and scan the deepest gulfs of the abyss2
 in books we behold the finny tribes    
that may not exist outside their native 
waters1 distinguish the properties of   

streams and springs and of various      
lands2 from books we dig out gems and   
metals and the materials of every kind  
of mineral1 and learn the virtues of    
herbs and trees and plants1 and survey  
at will the whole progeny of ,neptune1  
,ceres1 and ,pluto4  ,but if we please  
to visit the heavenly inhabitants1      
,taurus1 ,caucasus1 and ,olympus are at 
hand1 from which we pass beyond the     
realms of ,juno and mark out the        
territories of the seven planets by     
lines and circles4 ,and finally we      
traverse the loftiest firmament of all1 
adorned with signs1 degrees1 and figures
 in the utmost variety4  ,there we      
inspect the antarctic pole1 which eye   
hath not seen1 nor ear heard2 we admire 
the luminous ,milky ,way and the        
,zodiac1 marvellously and delightfully  
pictured with celestial animals4        
,thence by books we pass on to separate 
substances1 that the intellect may greet
 kindred intelligences1 and with the    
mind's eye may discern the ,first ,cause

 of all things and the ,unmoved ,mover  
of infinite virtue1 and may immerse     
itself in love without end4  ,see how   
with the aid of books we attain the     
reward of our beatitude1 while we are   
yet sojourners below4  ,why need we say 
more8  ,certes1 just as we have learnt  
on the authority of ,seneca1 leisure    
without letters is death and the        
sepulture of the living1 so contrariwise
 we conclude that occupation with       
letters or books is the life of man4    
,again1 by means of books we communicate
 to friends as well as foes what we     
cannot safely entrust to messengers2    
since the book is generally allowed     
access to the chambers of princes1 from 
which the voice of its author would be  
rigidly excluded1 as ,tertullian        
observes at the beginning of his        
,apologeticus4  ,when shut up in prison 
and in bonds1 and utterly deprived of   
bodily liberty1 we use books as         
ambassadors to our friends1 and entrust 
them with the conduct of our cause1 and 

send them where to go ourselves would   
incur the penalty of death4  ,by the aid
 of books we remember things that are   
past1 and even prophesy as to the       
future2 and things present1 which shift 
and flow1 we perpetuate by committing   
them to writing4  ,the felicitous       
studiousness and the studious felicity  
of the all-powerful eunuch1 of whom we  
are told in the ,acts1 who had been so  
mightily kindled by the love of the     
prophetic writings that he ceased not   
from his reading by reason of his       
journey1 had banished all thought of the
 populous palace of ,queen ,candace1 and
 had forgotten even the treasures of    
which he was the keeper1 and had        
neglected alike his journey and the     
chariot in which he rode4  ,love of his 
book alone had wholly engrossed this    
domicile of chastity1 under whose       
guidance he soon deserved to enter the  
gate of faith4  ,o gracious love of     
books1 which by the grace of baptism    
transformed the child of ,gehenna and   

nursling of ,tartarus into a ,son of the
 ,kingdom6  ,let the feeble pen now     
cease from the tenor of an infinite     
task1 lest it seem foolishly to         
undertake what in the beginning it      
confessed to be impossible to any4      
,,chapter ,,xvi  ,,that ,,it ,,is       
,,meritorious ,,to ,,write ,,new ,,books
 ,,and ,,to ,,renew ,,the ,,old  ,just  
as it is necessary for the state to     
prepare arms and to provide abundant    
stores of victuals for the soldiers who 
are to fight for it1 so it is fitting   
for the ,church ,militant to fortify    
itself against the assaults of pagans   
and heretics with a multitude of sound  
writings4  ,but because all the         
appliances of mortal men with the lapse 
of time suffer the decay of mortality1  
it is needful to replace the volumes    
that are worn out with age by fresh     
successors1 that the perpetuity of which
 the individual is by its nature        
incapable may be secured to the species2
 and hence it is that the ,preacher     

says3 ,of making many books there is no 
end4  ,for as the bodies of books1      
seeing that they are formed of a        
combination of contrary elements1       
undergo a continual dissolution of their
 structure1 so by the forethought of the
 clergy a remedy should be found1 by    
means of which the sacred book paying   
the debt of nature may obtain a natural 
heir and may raise up like seed to its  
dead brother1 and thus may be verified  
that saying of ,ecclesiasticus3 ,his    
father is dead1 and he is as if he were 
not dead2 for he hath left one behind   
him that is like himself4  ,and thus the
 transcription of ancient books is as it
 were the begetting of fresh sons1 on   
whom the office of the father may       
devolve1 lest it suffer detriment4  ,now
 such transcribers are called           
antiquarii1 whose occupations           
,cassiodorus confesses please him above 
all the tasks of bodily labour1 adding3 
,happy effort1 he says1 laudable        
industry1 to preach to men with the     

hand1 to let loose tongues with the     
fingers1 silently to give salvation to  
mortals1 and to fight with pen and ink  
against the illicit wiles of the ,evil  
,one4  ,so far ,cassiodorus4 ,moreover1 
our ,saviour exercised the office of the
 scribe when ,he stooped down and with  
,his finger wrote on the ground 7,john  
viii471 that no one1 however exalted1   
may think it unworthy of him to do what 
he sees the wisdom of ,god the ,father  
did4  ,o singular serenity of writing1  
to practise which the ,artificer of the 
world stoops down1 at whose dread name  
every knee doth bow6  ,o venerable      
handicraft pre-eminent above all other  
crafts that are practised by the hand of
 man1 to which our ,lord humbly inclines
 ,his breast1 to which the finger of    
,god is applied1 performing the office  
of a pen6  ,we do not read of the ,son  
of ,god that ,he sowed or ploughed1 wove
 or digged2 nor did any other of the    
mechanic arts befit the divine wisdom   
incarnate except to trace letters in    

writing1 that every gentleman and       
sciolist may know that fingers are given
 by ,god to men for the task of writing 
rather than for war4  ,wherefore we     
entirely approve the judgment of books1 
wherein they declared in our sixth      
chapter the clerk who cannot write to be
 as it were disabled4  ,god himself     
inscribes the just in the book of the   
living2 ,moses received the tables of   
stone written with the finger of ,god4  
,job desires that he himself that       
judgeth would write a book4  ,belshazzar
 trembled when he saw the fingers of a  
man's hand writing upon the wall1 ,mene 
tekel phares4  ,i wrote1 says ,jeremiah1
 with ink in the book4 ,christ bids his 
beloved disciple ,john1 ,what thou seest
 write in a book4 ,so the office of the 
writer is enjoined on ,isaiah and on    
,joshua1 that the act and skill of      
writing may be commended to future      
generations4 ,christ ,himself has       
written on ,his vesture and on ,his     
thigh ,king of ,kings and ,lord of      

,lords1 so that without writing the     
royal ornaments of the ,omnipotent      
cannot be made perfect4  ,being dead    
they cease not to teach1 who write books
 of sacred learning4  ,paul did more for
 building up the fabric of the ,church  
by writing his holy epistles1 than by   
preaching by word of mouth to ,jews and 
,gentiles4  ,he who has attained the    
prize continues daily by books1 what he 
long ago began while a sojourner upon   
the earth2 and thus is fulfilled in the 
doctors writing books the saying of the 
,prophet3  ,they that turn many to      
righteousness shall be as the stars for 
ever and ever4  ,moreover1 it has been  
determined by the doctors of the ,church
 that the longevity of the ancients1    
before ,god destroyed the original world
 by the ,deluge1 is to be ascribed to a 
miracle and not to nature2 as though    
,god granted to them such length of days
 as was required for finding out the    
sciences and writing them in books2     
amongst which the wonderful variety of  

astronomy required1 according to        
,josephus1 a period of six hundred      
years1 to submit it to ocular           
observation4  ,nor1 indeed1 do they deny
 that the fruits of the earth in that   
primitive age afforded a more nutritious
 aliment to men than in our modern      
times1 and thus they had not only a     
livelier energy of body1 but also a more
 lengthened period of vigour2 to which  
it contributed not a little that they   
lived according to virtue and denied    
themselves all luxurious delights4      
,whoever therefore is by the good gift  
of ,god endowed with gift of science1   
let him1 according to the counsel of the
 ,holy ,spirit1 write wisdom in his time
 of leisure 7,eccles4  xxxviii471 that  
his reward may be with the blessed and  
his days may be lengthened in this      
present world4  ,and further1 if we turn
 our discourse to the princes of the    
world1 we find that famous emperors not 
only attained excellent skill in the art
 of writing1 but indulged greatly in its

 practice4  ,julius ,caesar1 the first  
and greatest of them all1 has left us   
,commentaries on the ,gallic and the    
,civil ,wars written by himself2 he     
wrote also two books ,de ,analogia1 and 
two books of ,anticatones1 and a poem   
called ,iter2 and many other works4     
,julius and ,augustus devised means of  
writing one letter for another1 and so  
concealing what they wrote4  ,for       
,julius put the fourth letter for the   
first1 and so on through the alphabet2  
whilst ,augustus used the second for the
 first1 the third for the second1 and so
 throughout4  ,he is said in the        
greatest difficulties of affairs during 
the ,mutinensian ,war to have read and  
written and even declaimed every day4   
,tiberius wrote a lyric poem and some   
,greek verses4 ,claudius likewise was   
skilled in both ,greek and ,latin1 and  
wrote several books4  ,but ,titus was   
skilled above all men in the art of     
writing1 and easily imitated any hand he
 chose2 so that he used to say that if  

he had wished it he might have become a 
most skilful forger4 ,all these things  
are noted by ,suetonius in his ,lives of
 the ,,xii4 ,caesars4    ,,chapter      
,,xvii  ,,of ,,showing ,,due ,,propriety
 ,,in ,,the ,,custody ,,of ,,books  ,we 
are not only rendering service to ,god  
in preparing volumes of new books1 but  
also exercising an office of sacred     
piety when we treat books carefully1 and
 again when we restore them to their    
proper places and commend them to       
inviolable custody2 that they may       
rejoice in purity while we have them in 
our hands1 and rest securely when they  
are put back in their repositories4     
,and surely next to the vestments and   
vessels dedicated to the ,lord's body1  
holy books deserve to be rightly treated
 by the clergy1 to which great injury is
 done so often as they are touched by   
unclean hands4  ,wherefore we deem it   
expedient to warn our students of       
various negligences1 which might always 
be easily avoided and do wonderful harm 

to books4  ,and in the first place as to
 the opening and closing of books1 let  
there be due moderation1 that they be   
not unclasped in precipitate haste1 nor 
when we have finished our inspection be 
put away without being duly closed4     
,for it behoves us to guard a book much 
more carefully than a boot4  ,but the   
race of scholars is commonly badly      
brought up1 and unless they are bridled 
in by the rules of their elders they    
indulge in infinite puerilities4  ,they 
behave with petulance1 and are puffed up
 with presumption1 judging of everything
 as if they were certain1 though they   
are altogether inexperienced4  ,you may 
happen to see some headstrong youth     
lazily lounging over his studies1 and   
when the winter's frost is sharp1 his   
nose running from the nipping cold drips
 down1 nor does he think of wiping it   
with his pocket-handkerchief until he   
has bedewed the book before him with the
 ugly moisture4  ,would that he had     
before him no book1 but a cobbler's     

apron6  ,his nails are stuffed with     
fetid filth as black as jet1 with which 
he marks any passage that pleases him4  
,he distributes a multitude of straws1  
which he inserts to stick out in        
different places1 so that the halm may  
remind him of what his memory cannot    
retain4 ,these straws1 because the book 
has no stomach to digest them1 and no   
one takes them out1 first distend the   
book from its wonted closing1 and at    
length1 being carelessly abandoned to   
oblivion1 go to decay4  ,he does not    
fear to eat fruit or cheese over an open
 book1 or carelessly to carry a cup to  
and from his mouth2 and because he has  
no wallet at hand he drops into books   
the fragments that are left4            
,continually chattering1 he is never    
weary of disputing with his companions1 
and while he alleges a crowd of         
senseless arguments1 he wets the book   
lying half open in his lap with         
sputtering showers4  ,aye1 and then     
hastily folding his arms he leans       

forward on the book1 and by a brief     
spell of study invites a prolonged nap2 
and then1 by way of mending the         
wrinkles1 he folds back the margin of   
the leaves1 to the no small injury of   
the book4  ,now the rain is over and    
gone1 and the flowers have appeared in  
our land4  ,then the scholar we are     
speaking of1 a neglecter rather than an 
inspecter of books1 will stuff his      
volume with violets1 and primroses1 with
 roses and quatrefoil4  ,then he will   
use his wet and perspiring hands to turn
 over the volumes2 then he will thump   
the white vellum with gloves covered    
with all kinds of dust1 and with his    
finger clad in long-used leather will   
hunt line by line through the page2 then
 at the sting of the biting flea the    
sacred book is flung aside1 and is      
hardly shut for another month1 until it 
is so full of the dust that has found   
its way within1 that it resists the     
effort to close it4  ,but the handling  
of books is specially to be forbidden to

 those shameless youths1 who as soon as 
they have learned to form the shapes of 
letters1 straightway1 if they have the  
opportunity1 become unhappy             
commentators1 and wherever they find an 
extra margin about the text1 furnish it 
with monstrous alphabets1 or if any     
other frivolity strikes their fancy1 at 
once their pen begins to write it4      
,there the ,latinist and sophister and  
every unlearned writer tries the fitness
 of his pen1 a practice that we have    
frequently seen injuring the usefulness 
and value of the most beautiful books4  
,again1 there is a class of thieves     
shamefully mutilating books1 who cut    
away the margins from the sides to use  
as material for letters1 leaving only   
the text1 or employ the leaves from the 
ends1 inserted for the protection of the
 book1 for various uses and abuses--a   
kind of sacrilege which should be       
prohibited by the threat of anathema4   
,again1 it is part of the decency of    
scholars that whenever they return from 

meals to their study1 washing should    
invariably precede reading1 and that no 
grease-stained finger should unfasten   
the clasps1 or turn the leaves of a     
book4  ,nor let a crying child admire   
the pictures in the capital letters1    
lest he soil the parchment with wet     
fingers2 for a child instantly touches  
whatever he sees4  ,moreover1 the laity1
 who look at a book turned upside down  
just as if it were open in the right    
way1 are utterly unworthy of any        
communion with books4  ,let the clerk   
take care also that the smutty scullion 
reeking from his stewpots does not touch
 the lily leaves of books1 all unwashed1
 but he who walketh without blemish     
shall minister to the precious volumes4 
,and1 again1 the cleanliness of decent  
hands would be of great benefit to books
 as well as scholars1 if it were not    
that the itch and pimples are           
characteristic of the clergy4  ,whenever
 defects are noticed in books1 they     
should be promptly repaired1 since      

nothing spreads more quickly than a tear
 and a rent which is neglected at the   
time will have to be repaired afterwards
 with usury4  ,moses1 the gentlest of   
men1 teaches us to make bookcases most  
neatly1 wherein they may be protected   
from any injury3 ,take1 he says1 this   
book of the law1 and put it in the side 
of the ark of the covenant of the ,lord 
your ,god4   ,o fitting place and       
appropriate for a library1 which was    
made of imperishable shittim-wood1 and  
was all covered within and without with 
gold6  ,but the ,saviour also has warned
 us by ,his example against all         
unbecoming carelessness in the handling 
of books1 as we read in ,s4  ,luke4     
,for when ,he had read the scriptural   
prophecy of ,himself in the book that   
was delivered to ,him1 ,he did not give 
it again to the minister1 until ,he had 
closed it with his own most sacred      
hands4 ,by which students are most      
clearly taught that in the care of books
 the merest trifles ought not to be     

neglected4    ,,chapter ,,xviii         
,,showeth ,,that ,,we ,,have ,,collected
 ,,so ,,great ,,store ,,of ,,books ,,for
 ,,the ,,common ,,benefit ,,of          
,,scholars ,,and ,,not ,,only ,,for     
,,our ,,own ,,pleasure  ,nothing in     
human affairs is more unjust than that  
those things which are most righteously 
done1 should be perverted by the        
slanders of malicious men1 and that one 
should bear the reproach of sin where he
 has rather deserved the hope of honour4
  ,many things are done with singleness 
of eye1 the right hand knoweth not what 
the left hand doth1 the lump is         
uncorrupted by leaven1 nor is the       
garment woven of wool and linen2 and yet
 by the trickery of perverse men a pious
 work is mendaciously transformed into  
some monstrous act4  ,certes1 such is   
the unhappy condition of sinful nature1 
that not merely in acts that are morally
 doubtful it adopts the worse           
conclusion2 but often it depraves by    
iniquitous subversion those which have  

the appearance of rectitude4  ,for      
although the love of books from the     
nature of its object bears the aspect of
 goodness1 yet1 wonderful to say1 it has
 rendered us obnoxious to the censures  
of many1 by whose astonishment we were  
disparaged and censured1 now for excess 
of curiosity1 now for the exhibition of 
vanity1 now for intemperance of delight 
in literature2 though indeed we were no 
more disturbed by their vituperation    
than by the barking of so many dogs1    
satisfied with the testimony of ,him to 
whom it appertaineth to try the hearts  
and reins4  ,for as the aim and purpose 
of our inmost will is inscrutable to men
 and is seen of ,god alone1 the searcher
 of hearts1 they deserve to be rebuked  
for their pernicious temerity1 who so   
eagerly set a mark of condemnation upon 
human acts1 the ultimate springs of     
which they cannot see4  ,for the final  
end in matters of conduct holds the same
 position as first principles in        
speculative science or axioms in        

mathematics1 as the chief of            
philosophers1 ,aristotle1 points out in 
the seventh book of the ,ethics4  ,and  
therefore1 just as the truth of our     
conclusions depends upon the correctness
 of our premises1 so in matters of      
action the stamp of moral rectitude is  
given by the honesty of aim and purpose1
 in cases where the act itself would    
otherwise be held to be morally         
indifferent4  ,now we have long         
cherished in our heart of hearts the    
fixed resolve1 when ,providence should  
grant a favourable opportunity1 to found
 in perpetual charity a ,hall in the    
reverend university of ,oxford1 the     
chief nursing mother of all liberal     
arts1 and to endow it with the necessary
 revenues1 for the maintenance of a     
number of scholars2 and moreover to     
enrich the ,hall with the treasures of  
our books1 that all and every of them   
should be in common as regards their use
 and study1 not only to the scholars of 
the said ,hall1 but by their means to   

all the students of the before-named    
university for ever1 in the form and    
manner which the following chapter shall
 declare4  ,wherefore the sincere love  
of study and zeal for the strengthening 
of the orthodox faith to the edifying of
 the ,church1 have begotten in us that  
solicitude so marvellous to the lovers  
of pelf1 of collecting books wherever   
they were to be purchased1 regardless of
 expense1 and of having those that could
 not he bought fairly transcribed4  ,for
 as the favourite occupations of men are
 variously distinguished according to   
the disposition of the heavenly bodies1 
which frequently control our natural    
composition1 so that some men choose to 
devote themselves to architecture1      
others to agriculture1 others to        
hunting1 others to navigation1 others to
 war1 others to games1 we have under the
 aspect of ,mercury entertained a       
blameless pleasure in books1 which under
 the rule of right reason1 over which no
 stars are dominant1 we have ordered to 

the glory of the ,supreme ,being1 that  
where our minds found tranquillity and  
peace1 thence also might spring a most  
devout service of ,god4  ,and therefore 
let our detractors cease1 who are as    
blind men judging of colours2 let not   
bats venture to speak of light2 and let 
not those who carry beams in their own  
eyes presume to pull the mote out of    
their brother's eye4 ,let them cease to 
jeer with satirical taunts at things of 
which they are ignorant1 and to discuss 
hidden things that are not revealed to  
the eyes of men2 who perchance would    
have praised and commended us1 if we had
 spent our time in hunting1             
dice-playing1 or courting the smiles of 
ladies4    ,,chapter ,,xix  ,,of ,,the  
,,manner ,,of ,,lending ,,all ,,our     
,,books ,,to ,,students  ,it has ever   
been difficult so to restrain men by the
 laws of rectitude1 that the astuteness 
of successors might not strive to       
transgress the bounds of their          
predecessors1 and to infringe           

established rules in insolence of       
licence4  ,accordingly1 with the advice 
of prudent men1 we have prescribed the  
manner in which we desire that the      
communication and use of our books      
should be permitted for the benefit of  
students4  ,imprimis1 we give and grant 
all and singular the books1 of which we 
have made a special catalogue1 in       
consideration of affection1 to the      
community of scholars living in ----    
,hall at ,oxford1 as a perpetual gift1  
for our soul and the souls of our       
parents1 and also for the soul of the   
most illustrious ,king ,edward the      
,third from the ,conquest1 and of the   
most pious ,queen ,philippa1 his        
consort3 to the intent that the same    
books may be lent from time to time to  
all and singular the scholars and       
masters of the said place1 as well      
regular as secular1 for the advancement 
and use of study1 in the manner         
immediately following1 that is to say3  
,five of the scholars sojourning in the 

,hall aforesaid shall be appointed by   
the ,master thereof1 who shall have the 
charge of all the books1 of which five  
persons three and not fewer may lend any
 book or books for inspection and study2
 but for copying or transcribing we     
direct that no book shall be allowed    
outside the walls of the house4         
,therefore1 when any scholar secular or 
religious1 whom for this purpose we     
regard with equal favour1 shall seek to 
borrow any book1 let the keepers        
diligently consider if they have a      
duplicate of the said book1 and if so1  
let them lend him the book1 taking such 
pledge as in their judgment exceeds the 
value of the book delivered1 and let a  
record be made forthwith of the pledge  
and of the book lent1 containing the    
names of the persons delivering the book
 and of the person who receives it1     
together with the day and year when the 
loan is made4  ,but if the keepers find 
that the book asked for is not in       
duplicate1 they shall not lend such book

 to any one whomsoever1 unless he shall 
belong to the community of scholars of  
the said ,hall1 unless perhaps for      
inspection within the walls of the      
aforesaid house or ,hall1 but not to be 
carried beyond it4  ,but to any of the  
scholars of the said ,hall1 any book may
 be lent by three of the aforesaid      
keepers1 after first recording1 however1
 his name1 with the day on which he     
receives the book4  ,nevertheless1 the  
borrower may not lend the book entrusted
 to him to another1 except with the     
permission of three of the aforesaid    
keepers1 and then the name of the first 
borrower being erased1 the name of the  
second with the time of delivery is to  
be recorded4  ,each keeper shall take an
 oath to observe all these regulations  
when they enter upon the charge of the  
books4  ,and the recipients of any book 
or books shall thereupon swear that they
 will not use the book or books for any 
other purpose but that of inspection or 
study1 and that they will not take or   

permit to be taken it or them beyond the
 town and suburbs of ,oxford4           
,moreover1 every year the aforesaid     
keepers shall render an account to the  
,master of the ,house and two of his    
scholars whom he shall associate with   
himself1 or if he shall not be at       
leisure1 he shall appoint three         
inspectors1 other than the keepers1 who 
shall peruse the catalogue of books1 and
 see that they have them all1 either in 
the volumes themselves or at least as   
represented by deposits4  ,and the more 
fitting season for rendering this       
account we believe to be from the ,first
 of ,july until the festival of the     
,translation of the ,glorious ,martyr   
,s4  ,thomas next following4  ,we add   
this further provision1 that anyone to  
whom a book has been lent1 shall once a 
year exhibit it to the keepers1 and     
shall1 if he wishes it1 see his pledge4 
,moreover1 if it chances that a book is 
lost by death1 theft1 fraud1 or         
carelessness1 he who has lost it or his 

representative or executor shall pay the
 value of the book and receive back his 
deposit4  ,but if in any wise any profit
 shall accrue to the keepers1 it shall  
not be applied to any purpose but the   
repair and maintenance of the books4    
,,chapter ,,xx  ,,an ,,exhortation ,,to 
,,scholars ,,to ,,requite ,,us ,,by     
,,pious ,,prayers  ,time now clamours   
for us to terminate this treatise which 
we have composed concerning the love of 
books2 in which we have endeavoured to  
give the astonishment of our            
contemporaries the reason why we have   
loved books so greatly4  ,but because it
 is hardly granted to mortals to        
accomplish aught that is not rolled in  
the dust of vanity1 we do not venture   
entirely to justify the zealous love    
which we have so long had for books1 or 
to deny that it may perchance sometimes 
have been the occasion of some venial   
negligence1 albeit the object of our    
love is honourable and our intention    
upright4  ,for if when we have done     

everything1 we are bound to call        
ourselves unprofitable servants2 if the 
most holy ,job was afraid of all his    
works2 if according to ,isaiah all our  
righteousness is as filthy rags1 who    
shall presume to boast himself of the   
perfection of any virtue1 or deny that  
from some circumstance a thing may      
deserve to be reprehended1 which in     
itself perhaps was not reprehensible4   
,for good springs from one selfsame     
source1 but evil arises in many ways1 as
 ,dionysius informs us4 ,wherefore to   
make amends for our iniquities1 by which
 we acknowledge ourselves to have       
frequently offended the ,creator of all 
things1 in asking the assistance of     
their prayers1 we have thought fit to   
exhort our future students to show their
 gratitude as well to us as to their    
other benefactors in time to come by    
requiting our forethought for their     
benefit by spiritual retribution4  ,let 
us live when dead in their memories1 who
 have lived in our benevolence before   

they were born1 and live now sustained  
by our beneficence4  ,let them implore  
the mercy of the ,redeemer with         
unwearied prayer1 that the pious ,judge 
may excuse our negligences1 may pardon  
the wickedness of our sins1 may cover   
the lapses of our feebleness with the   
cloak of piety1 and remit by ,his divine
 goodness the offences of which we are  
ashamed and penitent4 ,that ,he may     
preserve to us for a due season of      
repentance the gifts of ,his good grace1
 steadfastness of faith1 loftiness of   
hope1 and the widest charity to all men4
  ,that ,he may turn our haughty will to
 lament its faults1 that it may deplore 
its past most vain elations1 may retract
 its most bitter indignations1 and      
detest its most insane delectations4    
,that ,his virtue may abound in us1 when
 our own is found wanting1 and that ,he 
who freely consecrated our beginning by 
the sacrament of baptism1 and advanced  
our progress to the seat of the         
,apostles without any desert of ours1   

may deign to fortify our outgoing by the
 fitting sacraments4  ,that we may be   
delivered from the lust of the flesh1   
that the fear of death may utterly      
vanish and our spirit may desire to be  
dissolved and be with ,christ1 and      
existing upon earth in body only1 in    
thought and longing our conversation may
 be in ,heaven4 ,that the ,father of    
mercies and the ,god of all consolation 
may graciously come to meet the prodigal
 returning from the husks2 that ,he may 
receive the piece of silver that has    
been lately found and transmit it by    
,his holy angels into ,his eternal      
treasury4  ,that ,he may rebuke with    
,his terrible countenance1 at the hour  
of our departure1 the spirits of        
darkness1 lest ,leviathan1 that old     
serpent1 lying hid at the gate of death1
 should spread unforeseen snares for our
 feet4  ,but when we shall be summoned  
to the awful judgment-seat to give an   
account on the testimony of conscience  
of all things we have done in the body1 

the ,god-,man may consider the price of 
the holy blood that ,he has shed1 and   
that the ,incarnate ,deity may note the 
frame of our carnal nature1 that our    
weakness may pass unpunished where      
infinite loving-kindness is to be found1
 and that the soul of the wretched      
sinner may breathe again where the      
peculiar office of the ,judge is to show
 mercy4  ,and further1 let our students 
be always diligent in invoking the      
refuge of our hope after ,god1 the      
,virgin ,mother of ,god and ,blessed    
,queen of ,heaven1 that we who for our  
manifold sins and wickednesses have     
deserved the anger of the ,judge1 by the
 aid of her ever-acceptable             
supplications may merit ,his            
forgiveness2 that her pious hand may    
depress the scale of the balance in     
which our small and few good deeds shall
 be weighed1 lest the heaviness of our  
sins preponderate and cast us down to   
the bottomless pit of perdition4        
,moreover1 let them ever venerate with  

due observance the most deserving       
,confessor ,cuthbert1 the care of whose 
flock we have unworthily undertaken1    
ever devoutly praying that he may deign 
to excuse by his prayers his            
all-unworthy vicar1 and may procure him 
whom he hath admitted as his successor  
upon earth to be made his assessor in   
,heaven4  ,finally1 let them pray ,god  
with holy prayers as well of body as of 
soul1 that ,he will restore the spirit  
created in the image of the ,trinity1   
after its sojourn in this miserable     
world1 to its primordial prototype1 and 
grant to it for ever to enjoy the sight 
of ,his countenance3 through our ,lord  
,jesus ,christ4  ,amen4    ,,the ,,end  
,,of ,,the ,,philobiblon ,,of ,,master  
,,richard ,,de   ,,aungerville1         
,,surnamed ,,de ,,bury1 ,,late ,,bishop 
,,of   ,,durham ,,this ,,treatise ,,was 
,,finished ,,in ,,our   ,,manorhouse    
,,of ,,auckland ,,on ,,the #bd,,th      
,,day ,,of ,,january1 ,,in ,,the ,,year 
,,of ,,our ,,lord   ,,one ,,thousand    

,,three ,,hundred ,,and                 
,,forty-,,four1 ,,the ,,fifty-,,eighth  
,,year ,,of ,,our ,,age ,,being         
,,exactly   ,,completed1 ,,and ,,the    
,,eleventh   ,,year ,,of ,,our          
,,pontificate   ,,drawing ,,to ,,an     
,,end2   ,,to ,,the ,,glory   ,,of      
,,god4   ,,amen4