14 CHAINED BOOKS IN DORSET AND ELSEWHERE. 



swept away ; 2,000 Monasteries came to an end. The 

 buildings were pulled down. The books were burnt, or used 

 for such purposes as the scouring of candlesticks, or the 

 rubbing of boots. Others went to the grocers or soapsellers 

 for the wrapping up of parcels, or were cut up by the book- 

 binders as materials for their trade. 



The Universities were not spared. The Commissioners of 

 Edward VI., in 1549, considered that they were empowered 

 to reform the Libraries as well as those who used them. 

 Any illuminated MS., even if it had nothing more super- 

 stitious about it than a few rubricated initials, or a 

 mathematical treatise, if it was illustrated with diagrams, 

 was doomed to destruction. At Oxford, of the numerous 

 MSS. of which it had formerly been the possessor, 600 of the 

 most important of which had at one time been the collection 

 of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, not a theologian, but a 

 cultured layman, three only now remain. 



Henceforth, as new libraries were formed, or some few of 

 the old ones restored, printed books for the most part took 

 the place of MSS. ; but the old conditions to a certain extent 

 were continued, and for two centuries longer many volumes 

 were chained. 



The following notices with regard to chaining, and the 

 abolition of chains, at the Bodleian Library, Oxford, during 

 this period, will be of interest : 



A letter, dated 7th Feb., 1643, was written by the Marquis 

 of Hertford, at that time Chancellor of the University, to 

 the Curators of the Library, complaining that many of the 

 books were not properly chained. In reply, the Curators 

 replied that they had ordered to be done all that he required. 



At the surrender of Oxford, after its siege, in 1646, General 



Fairfax set a good guard of soldiers to preserve the Bodleian. 



: 'Tis said there was more hurt donne by the Cavaliers (during 



their garrison) by way of embezzilling and cutting off chains 



of bookes than there was since." 



About 8,000 volumes were added to the Library by Mr. 

 Selden's gift. A condition imposed by the executors 



