O celestial gift of divine liberality, descending from the Father of
light to raise up the rational soul even to heaven!... Undoubtedly,
indeed, thou hast placed thy desirable tabernacle in books, where the
Most High, the Light of light, the Book of Life, hath established thee.
Here then all who ask receive, all who seek find thee, to those who
knock thou openest quickly. In books cherubim expand their wings, that
the soul of the student may ascend and look around from pole to pole,
from the rising to the setting sun, from the north and from the sea. In
them the most high incomprehensible God Himself is contained and
worshipped....
Let us consider how great a commodity of doctrine exists in books, how
easily, how secretly, how safely they expose the nakedness of human
ignorance without putting it to shame. These are the masters who
instruct us without rods and ferules, without hard words and anger,
without clothes or money. If you approach them, they are not asleep; if
investigating you interrogate them, they conceal nothing; if you mistake
them, they never grumble; if you are ignorant, they cannot laugh at
you.--R. DE BURY. _Philobiblon._