12 CHAINED BOOKS IN DORSET AND ELSEWHERE. 



to be found, kept for the use of readers ; primarily, perhaps 

 for the studies of the clergy ; for the ordinary layman, or 

 laywoman, was in those days, as a rule, deficient in learning, 

 and consequently unable to make use of books. 



It has already been pointed out that, early in the thirteenth 

 century, books were chained, for the benefit of students, 

 in St. Mary's Church, Oxford, and that this was the 

 commencement of the University Library ; but, nearly two 

 centuries after the Library had found a permanent home of 

 its own, we read that 



In 1414 a copy of Nicholas de Lyra was chained in the 

 Chancel of St. Mary's Church for public use, where it was 

 inspected by the Chancellor and Proctors every year. 



Nearly a century previously, in 1327, a Breviary and 

 Missal had been chained up in the Choir of Exeter Cathedral 

 for the use of the people. 



In 1365 books were left by Bishop Charleton to be chained 

 at Hereford. 



In 1389, at the altar of St. Thomas the Martyr, in Salisbury 

 Cathedral, were chained Psalters and the Liber Matutinalis. 



Attached to St. Hugh's shrine at Lincoln, there was " a 

 booke of seint Hugh's life cheyned, and a book of sermons." 



In 1472 St. Edmund's, Salisbury, has " ij Legendes, 

 Hugucion y chayned in our lady chapell." 



There is an interesting mediaeval inventory at St. Margaret's, 

 New Fish Street, London, in which some considerable number 

 of the books belonging to the Church are mentioned as being 

 " cheyned." 



There is an erroneous impression that in pre-Reformation 

 times the Bible was practically a closed book. The following 

 extracts tend to show that, if this was the case, it was only so 

 because many were unable to read, or were ignorant of the 

 Latin tongue : 



In 1369 Bishop Charleton left a Bible, a Concordance, a 

 Glossary, Nicholas de Lyra, and five Books of Moses, all to 

 be chained in Hereford Cathedral. 



