. Old English libraries; the making, collection and use of books during the middle ages. rs Plowman, B. x. 300 § I BEFORE leaving the subject of monastic libraries,,it is desirable to say something about were built up partly by importing books, partlyby bequests from wealthy ecclesiastics, but largely—andin some cases wholly—by the labours of scribes. Thescene of the scribes craft was the scriptorium or writing-room, which was usually a screened-off portion of thecloister, or a room beside the church and below the library,as at St. Gall, or a chamber over the chapter-house, a
. Old English libraries; the making, collection and use of books during the middle ages. rs Plowman, B. x. 300 § I BEFORE leaving the subject of monastic libraries,,it is desirable to say something about were built up partly by importing books, partlyby bequests from wealthy ecclesiastics, but largely—andin some cases wholly—by the labours of scribes. Thescene of the scribes craft was the scriptorium or writing-room, which was usually a screened-off portion of thecloister, or a room beside the church and below the library,as at St. Gall, or a chamber over the chapter-house, as at under Abbot Paul, at Cockersand Abbey and Birken-head Priory. As a rule the monk was not allowed to writeoutside the scriptorium, although in some houses he couldread elsewhere—as at Durham, where a desk to supportbooks was fitted in the window of each dormitory brothers whose work was highly valued were alloweda small writing-room or scriptoriolum. Nicholas, Bernardssecretary, had a room on the right of the cloister with its 74 OLD ENGLISH LIBRARIES. z a 0 h III; ^000 Q <a szaa« BOOK-MAKING AND COLLECTING 75 door opening into the novices room—a cell, he says, notto be despised; for it is . . pleasant to look upon, andcomfortable for retirement. It is filled with most choiceand divine books ... is assigned to me for reading, andwriting, and composing, and meditating, and praying, andadoring the Lord of Majesty. 1 Perhaps Nicholass roomwas like that shown in one manuscript, where we see amonk seated on a stool before a reading-stand of odd table, which is the top of a hexagonal receptacle forparchment and writing materials, or books, can be movedup and down on the screw. Above the screw is a book-rest; at the foot a pedestal, with the ink-bottle upon itApparently the room also contains cupboards for storingbooks. Nicholas, however, was favoured, for in the samepassage he refers to the older monks reading the booksof divine eloque
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade19, booksubjectlibraries, bookyear1912
