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There ftiU remain feveral manufcripts of tlic Stli, 9th, and 

 following centuries, wrote on parchment, from which fome 

 former writing had been erafed, in order to fnbftitiite a new 

 compolition in its place. Thus, it is probable, feveral of 

 the works of the ancients peridied. A boek of Livy or 

 of Tacitus might be erafed, to make room for the legendary 

 tale of a faint, or the fuperftitious prayers of a niiffal. As 

 the want of materials for writing accounts for the lofs of 

 many of the works of the ancients, and for the fmall num- 

 ber of MSS. previous to the i ith century, many fafts prove 

 the fcarcity of books at this period. Private perfons feldom 

 poffelfed any books whatever ; and even monalleries of note 

 had only one mifl'al. Towards the end of the feventh cen- 

 tury, even in the papal library at Rome, the number of 

 books was fo inconfidcrable, that pope St. Martin requcfted 

 Sanaamand, bifliop of Maeftricht, if pofiible, to fupply this 

 defeft from the remoteft parts of Germany. In the year 

 855, Lupus, abbot of Ferrieres in France, fent two of his 

 monks to pope Benedift III. to beg a copy of Cicero de 

 Oratore and Qiiintilian's Inftitutes ; " for," fays the abbot, 

 " although we have part of thefe books, there is no com- 

 plete copy of them in all France." At the beginning of 

 the tenth century books were fo fcarce in Spain, that one 

 and the fame copy of the bible, Jerome's epillles, and fome 

 volumes of ecclefiaftical offices and martyrologies, often 

 ferved feveral different monafteries. Among the con- 

 ftitutions given to the monks of England by archbifhop 

 Lanfranc, in 1072, the following injunftion occurs: At 

 the beginning of Lent, the librarian is ordered to deliver a 

 book to each, of the religious, for the perufal of which a 

 whole year was allowed ; and at the returning Lent, thofe 

 monks who had neglefted to read the books they had re- 

 fpeclively received, are commanded to prollrate themfelves 

 before the abbot, and fnpplicate.his forgivenefs. In 1299, 

 John de Pontiffara, bifhop of Winchefter, borrows of his 

 cathedral convent of St. Swithin, at Winchefter, " bibliam 

 bene gloffatam," that is, the bible, with marginal annota- 

 tions, in two folio volumes ; but gives a bond for the return 

 of it, drawn up with great folemnity. For the bequeil of 

 this bible to the convent, and 100 marks, the monks founded 

 a daily mafs for the foul of the donor. If any perfon gave 

 a book to a religious houfe, he behcved, that fo valuable a 

 donation merited eternal falvation, and he offered it on the 

 altar with great ceremony. The prior and convent of Ro- 

 chefter declare, that they will every year pronounce the ir- 

 revocable fentence of damnation on him, who ihall purloin 

 or conceal aT^atin tranflation of Ariftotle's Poetics, or even 

 obliterate the title. Sometimes a book was given to a mo- 

 nallery, on condition that the donor fliould have the ufe of 

 it for his life ; and iometimes to a private perfon, with the 

 refervation that he who receives it (hould pray for the foul 

 of his benefaftor. In the year 1225, Roger de Infula, dean 

 of York, gave feveral Latin bibles to the univerlity of Ox- 

 ford, on condition that the ftudents who perufed them, 

 (hould depofit a cautionary pledge. The hbrary of that 

 univerfity, before the year 1300, confiifcd only of a few 

 trafts, chained or kept in chells, in the choir of St. Mary's 

 church. Among the ftatutes of St. Mary's college at Ox- 

 ford, in 1446, one is, that no fcholar (liould occupy a book 

 in the library above one hour, or two hours at moll, fo that 

 others fhall be hindered from the ufe of the fame. The fa- 

 mous library eftablifiied in the univerfity of Oxford by Hum- 

 phrey duke of Gloucefter, a munificent patron of literature, 

 contained only 600 volumes. About the beginning of the 

 14th century, there were only four claffics in the univerfity 

 of Paris, which were fingle copies of Cicero, Ovid, Lucan, 

 and Boethiu3. 



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The price of books became fo high, that perfons of a mo- 

 derate fortune could not afford to purchafe them. In the yea- 

 1 174, Walter, prior of St. Swithin's at WinchelUr, purchafed 

 of the monks of Dorcheftcr, in Oxfordfhirc, Bede's homilies 

 and St. Auftin's pfalter for twelve meafuves of barley and a 

 pall, on which was embroidered in filver the hiilory of St. 

 Birinus converting a Snxon king. Abor.t the year 14CO, 

 a copy of John of Mcun's " Riinian dc ia Rofe" was fold 

 before the palact-gate at Paris for 40 crowns, or 33 1. 6 s. 

 6d. The countefs of Anjou paid, for a copy of the homilies 

 of Hainion, bifliop of Halberfladt, 200 fneep, five quarters 

 of wheat, and the fame quantity of rye and millet. Even 

 fo late as the year 1471, when Louis XI. of France bor- 

 rowed the works of Rhafis, the Arabian phyfician, from the 

 faculty of medicine at Paris, he not only depofited by way 

 of pledge a confiderable quantity of plate, but he was ob- 

 liged to procure a nobleman^ to join with him as furtty in a 

 deed, binding himfelf under a great forfeiture to reflore it. 

 Many other inftances might be cited, in order to fhew how 

 fcarce books were at the period to which we now refer, and 

 with what difficulty, and at what extravagant prices, copies 

 of them were procured ; and therefore we can be at no loii 

 in acconnting for the extreme ignorance that prevailed. 

 But when, in the nth century, the art of making paper 

 was invented, and more efpecially after the manufacture be- 

 came general, the number of MSS. increafed, and the ftudy 

 of the fciences was wonderfully facilitated. Indeed, the 

 invention of the art of making paper, and the invention of 

 the art of printing, are two very memorable events in the 

 hittory of literature and of human civilization. It is re- 

 markable, that the former preceded the firft dawning of 

 letters and improvement in knowledge, towards the clofe of 

 the eleventh ctntuiy ; and the latter ufhered in the light 

 which fpread over Europe at the asra of the reformation. 

 Murat. Antiq. Ital. vol. iii. vol. ix. Mem. de I'Acad. des 

 Infcript. tom. ix. Hift. Lit. de France, par des Religieux 

 Benediftins, tom. vii. Naude Addit. a I'hifloire de Louis 

 XI. par Comines, ed. Frefnoy, tom. iv. Robertfon's Hift. 

 Ch. V. vol. i. Wharton's Eng. Poetry, vol. i. difT. 2. 



Books, to form a judgment of. Thofe who have treated 

 of the fubjeft, direft us to obfcrve the title, the author's or 

 editor's name, the number of the edition, -the place where, 

 and the year when it is printed (which in old books is fre- 

 quently marked at thj end), and the printer's name, efpe- 

 cially if it be a celebrated one ; proceed then to the preface,' 

 and index of contents, and look for tlie author's defign, and 

 the occafion of his writing ; confider alfo his country (each 

 nation having its peculiar genius), which may fometimes be 

 learned from the dedication ; if his life be annexed, run it 

 over, and note his profeffion, what rank he was of, and any 

 thing remarkable that attended his education, ftudies, con- 

 verfation, or correipondences with learned men ; not forget- 

 ting the elogies which have been given to the author, which 

 often occur at the beginning, or even any critique or cen- 

 fure, efpecially if made by a man of judgment. If the pre- 

 face does not give an account of the method of the work, 

 run briefly over the order and difpofition of it, and note 

 what points the author has handled ; obferve whether the 

 things and fentiments he produces be trite and vulgar, or 

 folid, and fetched from greater depths. Note, whether he 

 go in the common road, or make any innovation, and intro- 

 duce any new principle. 



But it is a fmail number of books we have opportunity of 

 thus judging of by perufing tliem ; befides, when we have; 

 read a book over, the judgment comes too late for many 

 purpofes. Life is too fhprt, and time is too precious, to 

 read every new book quite over, in order to find that it is 

 I ■ not. 



