600 ON THE PRICE OF PAPER, ETC. 



teenth century. The precautions therefore which librarians 

 took at an earlier period seemed superfluous now, and the 

 custom of chaining books was abandoned. 



In 1655 I have a solitary entry of brass clasps by the dozen 

 at is. This finish to a volume was generally, it would seem, 

 supplied by the bookbinder. Finally, in 1699, S. John's 

 College, Cambridge, procured at a cost of .14 izs. 6d. a 

 copper plate of the College arms, and 9000 impressions of 

 the plate, some of the total cost being due to the charge of 

 pasting the book plate in all the volumes. 



PARCHMENT AND VELLUM. Parchment is found for forty- 

 four years only, vellum for seven. The former is bought by 

 the skin or by the roll. I have taken as usual the dozen as a 

 convenient measure. In vol. iv. p. 594 it is stated that the 

 roll contained five dozen. This is generally an Oxford measure 

 in earlier times, and is much more frequent than in the present 

 period, when parchment is found in a few places only, and only 

 twice, in 1589 at Eton and in 1661 at Winchester, by the roll. 

 It is plain that in those localities it could not have been so 

 large a number of skins as it was in other places and at earlier 

 dates. At Winchester it appears to be the same as the dozen. 

 At Eton it should be three or four dozen. 



It seems plain, from the comparative scantiness of these 

 entries, that the ancient custom of engrossing leases and other 

 deeds in the College office was passing away, and retained 

 only by corporations which were tenacious of traditional 

 customs. If this be the case, it is natural to conclude that it 

 was now becoming the practice of landowners to entrust the 

 duty of preparing deeds to their legal advisers. These deeds 

 were numerously prepared. The vast mass of old leases 

 which New College lately ejected from its muniment room, 

 and the Bodleian Library fortunately rescued from destruction, 

 range in order of time from the latter end of Elizabeth's reign 

 to that of Anne. There are several hundreds of them, and 

 the analysis or calendar of their contents, a work of no little 

 time and labour, will throw considerable light on the relations 



