The Care of Books Part 31

The catalogue, from which I have already quoted the verses commemorating the building of the library, contains much useful information respecting the arrangement of the books. The verses are succeeded by the following introductory note:

Repertorium omnium librorum in hac Clarevallis biblioteca existentium a fratre Mathurino de cangeyo eiusdem loci monacho non sine magno labore editum.

Lege

Pro intelligentia presentis tabule seu Repertorii, sciendum est quod a parte aquilonari collocantur libri quorum litere capitales nigre sunt, quorum vero rubre a parte australi. Et omnes in ea ordine alphabetico scribuntur.

Utriusque autem partis primum a.n.a.logium per litteram A signatur, secundum per litteram B, tercium per litteram C, quartum per litteram D, quintum per litteram E. Et consequenter cetera a.n.a.logia per sequentes litteras alphabeticas.

Quodlibet autem a.n.a.logium quatuor habet partes, quarum prima signatur per litteram A, secunda per B, tercia per C, quarta per D.

Prime partis primi a.n.a.logii primus liber signatur per A.

a. 1, secundus per A. a. 2, tercius per A. a. 3, et consequenter.

Secunde partis primus liber signatur per A. b. 1, secundus per A. b. 2; et de consequentibus similis est ordinatio.

Tercie partis primus liber signatur per A. c. 1, secundus per A. c. 2; et consequenter.

Quarte partis primus liber signatur per A. d. 1, secundus per A. d. 2; et consequenter.

[In this way five "a.n.a.logia" are enumerated.]

Et eadem est disciplina et ordinacio de ceteris a.n.a.logiis prout habetur in novissimo quaternione eiusdem tabule, immo et in fronte cuiuslibet a.n.a.logii in tabella eidem appendente.

Hanc tabulam seu repertorium scripsit quondam frater Petrus mauray de Arecis oriundus. Vivus vel defunctus requiescat in bona semper pace. Amen.

The most important pa.s.sage in the above note may be thus translated:

Read

For the right understanding of the present table or method of finding books (_tabule seu repertorii_), you must know that on the north side are ranged those books whereof the capital letters are black; on the south side those whereof the capital letters are red. All are set down in alphabetical order.

On each side the first desk (_a.n.a.logium_) is marked by the letter A; the second by the letter B; [and so forth].

Each desk has four divisions, the first of which is marked by the letter _a_, the second by the letter _b_, the third by the letter _c_, the fourth by the letter _d_. The first book on the first shelf of the first desk is marked A. a. i; the second A. a. ii; [and so forth].

The catalogue as well as the description makes it perfectly clear that each desk, that is to say, each bookcase, had four shelves; and further, as the authors of the _Voyage Litteraire_ (1708) mention chains[355], it may be concluded that there were desks, and seats for readers, between each pair of bookcases. If we place two shelves on each side of the case we get a piece of furniture precisely similar to that in use at Canterbury.

FOOTNOTES:

[332] Macray, _Annals of the Bodleian Library_, p. 7. The words used are: Jam enim si quis, ut fit, uni libro inhaereat, aliis studere volentibus ad tres vel quatuor pro vicinitate colligationis praecludit accessum.

[333] Hearne's _Glas...o...b..ry_, ed. 1722, p. 286.

[334] _Fasti Herefordenses_, by Rev. F. T. Havergal. 4^o, 1869, p. 181. A Chapter-order dated 16 February, 1589, directed the removal of the books to the Lady Chapel, and the erection of a school on the ground where the Library had once stood.

[335] For the historical facts in the following account I am indebted to Mr Henderson's History, to the merits of which I have already drawn attention. I have also made copious extracts from the College account-books. Further, I have carefully studied the library on several occasions, and have had the benefit of the professional a.s.sistance of my friend Mr T. D. Atkinson, Architect.

[336] In the bursar's accounts for 1605, among other charges for the library, is the following entry: "pro pari cardinum ad sedem in bibliotheca 12d." If I am right in thinking that this refers to the desks for the readers in the west library it proves that the existing cases had been set up before 1605.

[337] Wood, _Colleges and Halls_, p. 551.

[338] Add. MSS. Mus. Brit. 5803, MSS. Cole, II. 9.

[339] _Arch. Hist._ III. 453.

[340] I have described these fragments in _Camb. Ant. Soc. Proc._, Vol.

VIII. p. 18.

[341] See my paper in _Camb. Ant. Soc. Proc. and Comm._, Vol. IX. p. 37.

[342] _Scrinia reserata_: a Memorial ... of John Williams, D.D.... By John Hacket. Fol. Lond. 1693, pp. 46, 47.

[343] See above, p. 106.

[344] _Arch. Hist. of ... Monastery of Chr. Ch. Cant._ 8vo. 1869, p. 65.

This chapel was pulled down at the end of the 17th century and the present library, called the Howley library, built in its place.

[345] I have to thank my friend Mr W. H. St John Hope, a.s.sistant Secretary of the Society of Antiquaries, for first drawing my attention to it; and the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury for leave to use it.

[346] Reparaciones facte circa libros qui continentur in libraria supra capellam domini prioris videlicet in le new byndyng and bordyng c.u.m coopertoriis and le claspyng and chenyng eciam c.u.m diuersis libris ex dono eiusdem prioris videlicet Anno domini M^o ccccc^o viij^o and Anno Regni Regis henrici vij^o xxiii.

[347] This word seems to have been used at Canterbury to denote any piece of joinery. We have already seen it applied to a carrell (p. 99).

[348] See above, p. 102. The catalogue has been printed by Edwards, _Memoirs of Libraries_, I. pp. 122-235.

[349] Vix certe limen intraveram c.u.m antiquissimorum librorum vel solus conspectus religionem, nescio an stuporem, animo incuteret meo; eaque de causa, pedem paullulum sistebam. Leland, _De Script. Brit._ ed. Hall, I.

41.

[350] This catalogue is in the Bodleian Library (MSS. 920). I am indebted to my friend Dr James for the admirable translation which I here print.

[351] The words thus translated are: "Incipiendo graduum computacionem a loco inferiori in altum procedendo videlicet ut gradus infimus qui primus est sic signetur I."

[352] Dr James has pointed out (_Camb. Ant. Soc. Oct. Publ._, No. x.x.xII.) that there are six MSS. from Dover Priory among Archbishop Parker's MSS.

at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. The first of these--a Bible in two volumes--is entered in the catalogue of the Priory as A. 1. 2, 3--that is to say it was in _distinctio_ A, _gradus_ 1, and the volumes stood second and third in the _gradus_.

[353] See above, p. 112.

[354] The words are: "contient de longueur LXIII pa.s.sees, et de largeur XVII pa.s.sees." I have taken one pace=3 feet.

[355] _Voyage Litteraire_, ed. 1717, Part I.. p. 102.

CHAPTER VI.

THE LECTERN-SYSTEM IN ITALY. LIBRARIES AT CESENA, AT THE CONVENT OF S.