470 Mr. diaries Welch [Jan. 25, 



Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, who contributed to build the 

 Divinity School, and, by undertaking the cost of a library over it, 

 became the Founder of the Library. His gift of books began in 

 14o9, and in 1447 had reached a total of 600 volumes. The after- 

 fortunes of Duke Humphrey's Library unfortunately followed only 

 to'o closely those of Whittington's Library at the Guildhall. 



Ijondon shared in the general awakening to literary and educa- 

 tional effort, and many of the prominent merchants who were 

 Whittington's contemporaries, and held office as Lord Mayor, gave 

 lavishly of their great wealth for educational endowments. Such an 

 one was Sir William Sevenoak, Lord Mayor in 1418 (who founded a 

 school in his native town of Sevenoaks), one of the earliest of a long 

 line of London citizens w^ho estabhshed and endowed famous 

 grammar schools in London and various parts of the country. 



Among the students who enjoyed the use of the G:uildhall 

 Library in the early years of the sixteenth century we may certainly 

 include the celebrated Sir Thomas More, afterwards the famous 

 Chancellor of Henry VIII. Early in his career More had held office 

 under the Corporation as Under-Sheriff, and, with his great love of 

 learning, must have been a frequent visitor at their Library. His 

 taste for theological studies led him, while yet a young man, to give 

 a course of public lectures on Augustine's ' De civitate Dei.' These 

 were delivered in the church of St. Lawrence Jewry, on the opposite 

 side of Guildhall Yard, almost facing the Library, whose rich store 

 of theological books he doubtless used for preparing or revising his 

 lectures. 



Yet another eminent statesman, in his early days, made use of 

 the Library. In 1448-40 the Court of Common Council received a 

 request from the great Cecil, then Secretary of State to Edward YL, 

 for the loan of St. Augustine's works, the subject of More's previous 

 studies. In their reply to the distinguished suitor the Corporation 

 showed themselves fully alive to their responsibilities as custodians 

 of the Library : — 



"Jovis xxxj° Januar' A^ iij E. vj (1548-49, Journal, Court of 

 Common Council). Item for sundrye consyderacons movyng the 

 Co'te it ys ordered & agreid by the same that Mr. Cycyll shall have 

 all suche boks of St. Augustyns works and other as he nowe desyreth 

 that Remayne in the guyldc hall chappell w"' this gentle Requeste 

 to be made to hym vpon the delyu'ye of the same that this howse 

 trusteth that he havynjre pused theym wyll Restore theym to the seid 

 lyberarye there to Remayne to suche vse as they were ^vyded for." 



Nothing more is known of the history of this old library. It 

 only remains to tell the brief story of its destruction at the hands of 

 the Protector, the Duke of Somerset. 



John Stow, writing of the Guildhall Chapel, gives the following 

 account of the Library and its unhappy fate : " Adioyning to this 

 chappell on the south side was sometime a fayre and large librarie 



