"In England cupidity and intolerance destroyed recklessly. Thus, after the dissolution of monastic establishments, persons were appointed to search out all missals, books of legends, and such 'superstitious books' and to destroy or sell them for waste paper; reserving only their bindings, when, as was frequently the case, they were ornamented with massive gold and silver, curiously chased, and often further enriched with precious stones; and so industriously had these men done their work, destroying all books in which they considered popish tendencies to be shown by illumination, the use of red letters, or of the Cross, or even by the--to them --mysterious diagrams of mathematical problems-- that when, some years later, Leland was appointed to examine the monastic libraries, with a view to the preservation of what was valuable in them, he found that those who had preceded him had left little to reward his search." Bale, himself an advocate for the dissolution of monasteries, says: "Never had we bene offended for the losse of our lybraryes beyng so many in nombre and in so desolute places for the moste parte, yf the chief monuments and moste notable workes of our excellent wryters had bene reserved, yf there had bene in every shyre of Englande but one solemyne lybrary for the preservacyon of those noble workes, and preferrments of good learnyuges in our posteryte it had bene yet somewhat. But to destroye all without consyderacyon is and wyll be unto Englande for ever a most horryble infamy amonge the grave senyours of other natyons. A grete nombre of them wych purchased of those superstycyose mansyons reserved of those lybrarye bokes, some to serve theyr jaks, some to scoure theyr candelstyckes, and some to rubb theyr bootes . some they solde to the grossers and sope sellers, and some they sent over see to the bokebynders, not in small nombre, but at tymes whole shippesful. I knowa merchant man, whyche shall at thys tyme be namelesse, that boughte the content-, of two noble lybraryes for xl shyllyngs pryce, a shame it is to be spoken. Thys stuffe hathe he occupyed in the stide of greve paper for the space of more than these ten years, and yet hathe store ynough for as many years to come. A prodyguous example is thys, and to be abhorred of all men who love theyr n atyon as they shoulde do." Passing to later epochs, A. D. 1602, the following quaint receipt proves interesting as showing that the "gall" inks were well known at that time: "To make common Ink, of Wine take a quart, Two ounces of Gumme, let that be a part; Five ounces of Galls, of Cop'res take three, Long standing doth make it the better to be; If Wine ye do want, raine water is best, And then as much stuffe as above at the least, If the Ink be too thick, put Vinegar in, For water doth make the colour more dimme." Shakespeare in his Twelfth Night III, 2, has also referred to them in the following amusing strain: