The Thirteenth, Greatest of CenturiesWalsh, James J. (James Joseph)
History
The Thirteenth, Greatest of Centuries
Walsh, James J. (James Joseph)
Civilization, Medieval -- 13th century; Universities and colleges -- History
Some of the bequests of books that were made to libraries at this time
are interesting, because they show the spirit of the {155} testators
and at the same time furnish valuable hints as to the consideration in
which books were held and the reverent care of their possessors for
them. Peter of Nemours, the Bishop of Paris, when setting out on the
crusades with Louis IX. bequeathed to the famous Abbey of St. Victor,
his Bible in 22 volumes, which was considered one of the finest copies
of the scriptures at that time in existence. To the Abbey of Olivet he
gave his Psalter with Glosses, besides the Epistles of St. Paul and
his Book of Sentences, by which is evidently intended the well-known
work with that title by the famous Peter Lombard. Finally he gave to
the Cathedral of Paris all the rest of his books. Besides these he had
very little to leave. It is typical of the reputation of Paris in that
century and the devotion of her churchmen to learning and culture,
that practically all of the revenues that he considered due him for
his personal services had been invested in books, which he then
disposed of in such a way as would secure their doing the greatest
possible good to the largest number of people. His Bible was evidently
given to the abbey of St. Victor because it was the sort of work that
should be kept for the occasional reference of the learned rather than
the frequent consultation of students, who might very well find all
that they desired in other and less valuable copies. His practical
intention with regard to his books can be best judged from his gift to
Notre Dame, which, as we have noted already possessed a very valuable
library that was allowed to circulate among properly accredited
scholars in Paris.
According to the will of Peter Ameil, Archbishop of Narbonne, which is
dated 1238, he gave his books for the use of the scholars whom he had
supported at the University of Paris and they were to be deposited in
the Library at Notre Dame, but on condition that they were not to be
scattered for any reason nor any of them sold or abused. The effort of
the booklover to keep his books together is characteristic of all the
centuries since, only most people will be surprised to find it
manifesting itself so early in bibliophilic history. The Archbishop
reserved from his books, however, his Bible for his own church. Before
his death he had given the Dominicans in his diocese many books from
his library. This churchman of the first half of the {156} Thirteenth
Century seems evidently to deserve a prominent place among the bookmen
of all times.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account