Mr. Editor,--I have been greatly interested by the two numbers of the
"NOTES AND QUERIES" which you have sent me. The work promises to be
eminently useful, and if furnished with a good index at the end of each
yearly volume, will become a book indispensable to all literary men, and
especially to those who, like myself, are in charge of large public
libraries.
To testify my good will to the work, and to follow up Mr. Burtt's
remarks on ancient libraries published in your second number, I venture
to send you the following account of a MS. Catalogue of the Library of
the Monastery of the Friars Eremites of the Order of St. Augustine in
the City of York.
This MS. is now preserved in the Library of Trinity College, Dublin,
amongst the MSS. formerly belonging to the celebrated Archbishop Ussher.
It is on vellum, written in the 14th century, and begins thus:--
"Inventarium omnium librorum pertinentium ad commune armariole
domus Ebor. ordinis fratrum heremitarum Sancti Augustini, factum
in presentia fratrum Johannis de Ergum, Johannis Ketilwell,
Ricardi de Thorpe, Johannis de Appilby, Anno domini Mº. CCC
lxxij in festo nativitatis virginis gloriose. Fratre Willelmo de
Stayntoun tunc existente priore."
The volume consists of forty-five leaves, and contains the titles of a
very large and most respectable collection of books in all departments
of literature and learning arranged under the following heads:--
Biblie.
Hystorie scholastice.
Textus biblie glosati.
Postille.
Concordancie et interpretaciones nominum hebreorum. {84}
Originalia. [Under this head are included the
works of the Fathers, and medieval writers.]
Historie geneium.
Summe doctorum. Scriptores super sententias.
quodlibet. et questiones.
Tabulæ. [This division contained Indexes to
various authors, the Scriptures, canon law,
&c.]
Logicalia et philosophia cum scriptis et commentis.
Prophecie et supersticiosa.
Astronomia et Astrologia.
Instrumenta astrologica magistri Johannis Erghome
[who appears to have been a great
benefactor to the Library].
Libri divini officii magistri Johannis Erghome.
Jura civilia.
Jura canonica et leges humane: magistri Johannis
Erghome.
Auctores et philosophi extranei. [Under this
head occurs the following entry, "Liber hebraice
scriptus."]
Gramatica.
Rethorica. [Two leaves of the MS. appear to
have been cut out here.]
Medicina.
Hystorie et cronice.
Sermones et materie sermonum.
Summe morales doctorum et sermones.
Arithmetica, Musica, Geometria, Perspectiva,
magistri Johannis Erghome.
Each volume is identified, according to the usual practice, by the words
with which its second folio begins: and letters of tha alphabet are
added, probably to indicate its place on the shelves of the Library. As
a specimen, I shall give the division headed "Biblie":--