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The Philobiblon of Richard de Buryt www.gutenberg.net

Title: The Philobiblon of Richard de Bury

Author: Richard de Bury

Translator: E. C. Thomas

Posting Date: July !" ##$ %EBoo& '!!(

Release Date: August" )**!

+anguage: English

Character set encoding: A,C--

THE LOVE OF BOOKS

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TE 5/2T /1 4/D BECA2,E -0 TE +/RD;, 1-E+D T/2 A,T 1/20D A -DDE0

TREA,2RE.6

T/5A, A 7E5P-,: Doctrinale Ju)?@" so called from being born near Bury ,t.

Edmunds" was the son of ,ir Richard Aunger


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the Prince in>one of the two gilds which founded CorFus Christi

College.

-n )??@ he became igh Chancellor of England" and Treasurer in )??!"

resigning the former office in )??" so that he might helF the 7ing in

dealing with affairs abroad and in ,cotland" and too& a most

distinguished Fart in diFlomatic negociations between England and

1rance. -n )??* he was again in his bishoFric. Thereafter his name

occurs often among those aFFointed to treat of Feace with PhiliF of

1rance" and with Bruce of ,cotland. -t aFFears that he was not in

Parliament in )?@@. 8asted by long sic&ness>>longa infirmitate

decoctus>>on the )@th of AFril" )?@" Richard de Bury died at Auc&land"

and was buried in Durham Cathedral.

Dominus Ricardus de Bury migrachamber" that it was hardly Fossible to stand or moto be addressed by nobles &neeling" and to be

waited on in his Fresence>chamber and at his table by 7nights

bare>headed and standing but De Bury lo


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%)( CF. ,urtees ,ociety;s edition of ,criFtores Tres also 8harton;s

Anglia ,acra.

%( An unsuccessful attemFt has been made to transfer the authorshiF of

the boo& to Robert ol&ot. 9arious theories ha6Durham College"

maintained by the Benedictines of Durham" was suFFlied with boo&s from

the mother>house" lists of which ha


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eight 5,,." and of the

>an ideal BiblioFhile>>had

toiled at his labour of lo


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9-- The comFlaint of boo&s against wars

9--- /f the numerous oFFortunities we ha


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1orewarned therefore through the admonition of the Psalmist;s de


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all thoughts of other earthly things" and ha


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forth the laws of Feace. All things are corruFted and decay in time

,aturn ceases not to de


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honey" most Flenteous udders of the mil& of life" garners e>and all the noblest comFarisons of ,criFture may be aFFlied

to boo&s" if we choose to sFea& in figures.

CAPTER --

TE DE4REE /1 A11ECT-/0 TAT -, PR/PER+3 D2E T/ B//7,

,ince the degree of affection a thing deser>nay" they are written truth

itself" since by boo&s we do not now mean the materials of which they

are made. 8herefore riches are less than boo&s" esFecially as the most

Frecious of all riches are friends" as Boethius testifies in the second

boo& of his Consolation to whom the truth of boo&s according to

Aristotle is to be Freferred. 5oreo


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And" again" no one doubts that haFFiness is to be Freferred to riches.

But haFFiness consists in the oFeration of the noblest and di>when the whole mind is occuFied in

contemFlating the truth of wisdom" which is the most delectable of all

our


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&ing of Rome" offering to sell nine boo&s" in which =as she declared

sacred oracles were contained" but she as&ed an immense sum for them"

insomuch that the &ing said she was mad. -n anger she flung three

boo&s into the fire" and still as&ed the same sum for the rest. 8hen

the &ing refused it" again she flung three others into the fire and

still as&ed the same Frice for the three that were left. At last"

astonished beyond measure" Taruin was glad to Fay for three boo&s thesame Frice for which he might ha


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8ho are the gi


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Cardinals" and the PoFe" that all things in the ecclesiastical

hierarchy may be fitly disFosed. 1or it is from boo&s that e>too horrible to relate>>are

buried in the deFths of the common sewers. The cushion is withdrawn

that should suFFort our e


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fall a Frey to the cruel shambles" where we see sheeF and cattle

slaughtered not without Fious tears" and where we die a thousand times

from such terrors as might frighten eleaf. 8e fall undeser


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hurl against the clergy" if we did not thin& of our own reFutation.

1or the soldier whose camFaigns are o


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the mon&s. 1loc&s and fleeces" croFs and granaries" lee&s and

Fotherbs" drin& and goblets" are nowadays the reading and study of the

mon&s" eceFt a few elect ones" in whom lingers not the image but some

slight scourings of the world and

salt of the earth" desFisers of the world and fishers of men" how haFFy

are ye" if suffering Fenury for Christ ye &now how to Fossess your

souls in FatienceM 1or it is not want the awor&ers with Fastors

and curates in Frocuring the sal


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boo&s.

But alasM a threefold care of suFerfluities" co


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to learn as unwilling boys" when they grow uF Fresume to teach though

utterly unworthy and unlearned" and a small error in the beginning

becomes a


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Almighty Author and +owise

Aristotle" whom 4od imself made master of the master of the world"

enchained by wic&ed hands and borne in shameful irons on the shoulders

of gladiators from his sacred home. There you may see him who was

worthy to be lawgi


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years the Athens of 4reece the charms of the Chaldaeans the

obser


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goodness in the acuisition of boo&s.

Although from our youth uFwards we had always delighted in holding

social commune with learned men and lo>whose reign may the

Almighty long and Feacefully continue>>first those about his court" but

then those concerning the Fublic affairs of his &ingdom" namely the

offices of Chancellor and Treasurer" there was afforded to us" in

consideration of the royal fabred horses" or no small sums of money"

we might in those days ha


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/ oly 4od of gods in ,ion" what a mighty stream of Fleasure made glad

our hearts whene


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the body of the ,acred +aw down to the boo&let containing the fallacies

of yesterday" nothing could escaFe these searchers. 8as some dehead of Christian faith" the holy

Roman Curia" or was some strange uestion Fresses into the


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of our bounty would not be defrauded" but that amFle reFayment with

usury was to be found with us.

0or" finally" did our good fellowshiF" which aimed to caFticomers" nor were the faday. 8herefore" e


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study" they gama&ing business of life.

1urther" as /


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learned while young" and thus they are comFelled to suffer for e


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dro


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blinded by the dar&ness of no


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Iudgment. 8herefore the Iudgment of the wise for the most Fart is that

the causes of laws are not a fit subIect of discussion. -n truth" many

laws acuire force by mere custom" not by syllogistic necessity" li&e

the arts: as Aristotle" the Phoebus of the ,chools" urges in the second

boo& of the Politics" where he confutes the Folicy of iFFodamus" which

holds out rewards to the in


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truly asserts in the tenth boo& of the Ethics. Accordingly the wisdom

of the ancients de


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amiss.

CAPTER G-9

8/ /24T T/ BE ,PEC-A+ +/9ER, /1 B//7,

To him who recollects what has been said before" it is Flain and

e


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CAPTER G9

/1 TE AD9A0TA4E, /1 TE +/9E /1 B//7,

-t transcends the Fower of human intellect" howe>though it was a

hasty remedy" reFugnant ali&e to nature and to tree.

0o man" therefore" can ser


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and the consolation of scriFture we are in good hoFe. Charity is not

Fuffed uF" but is edified by the &nowledge of true learning" and"

indeed" it is clearer than light that the Church is established uFon

the sacred writings.

Boo&s delight us" when FrosFerity smiles uFon us they comfort us

inseFarably when stormy fortune frowns on us. They lend


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nursling of Tartarus into a ,on of the 7ingdomM

+et the feeble Fen now cease from the tenor of an infinite tas&" lest

it seem foolishly to underta&e what in the beginning it confessed to be

imFossible to any.

CAPTER G9-

TAT -T -, 5ER-T/R-/2, T/ 8R-TE 0E8 B//7, A0D T/ RE0E8 TE /+D

Just as it is necessary for the state to FreFare arms and to Fro


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Christ bids his belo


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and commend them to inhand&erchief until he has bedewed the boo& before him with the

ugly moisture. 8ould that he had before him no boo&" but a cobbler;s

aFronM is nails are stuffed with fetid filth as blac& as Iet" with

which he mar&s any Fassage that Fleases him. e distributes a

multitude of straws" which he inserts to stic& out in different Flaces"

so that the halm may remind him of what his memory cannot retain.

These straws" because the boo& has no stomach to digest them" and no

one ta&es them out" first distend the boo& from its wonted closing" and

at length" being carelessly abandoned to obliused leather will hunt line by line

through the Fage then at the sting of the biting flea the sacred boo&

is flung aside" and is hardly shut for another month" until it is so

full of the dust that has found its way within" that it resists the

effort to close it.

But the handling of boo&s is sFecially to be forbidden to those

shameless youths" who as soon as they ha


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a Fractice that we haa &ind ofsacrilege which should be Frohibited by the threat of anathema.

Again" it is Fart of the decency of scholars that whenestained finger should unfasten the clasFs" or turn

the leawood" and was all co


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1or although the lonamed uni


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that the astuteness of successors might not stri


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8e add this further Fro


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with is terrible countenance" at the hour of our deFarture" the

sFirits of dar&ness" lest +e5an may consider the Frice of the holy blood that e has shed" and

that the -ncarnate Deity may note the frame of our carnal nature" thatour wea&ness may Fass unFunished where infinite lo&indness is to

be found" and that the soul of the wretched sinner may breathe again

where the Feculiar office of the Judge is to show mercy. And further"

let our students be always diligent in in1/2R" TE 1-1T3>E-4T

3EAR /1 /2R A4E BE-04 EGACT+3

C/5P+ETED" A0D TE E+E9E0T

3EAR /1 /2R P/0T-1-CATE

DRA8-04 T/ A0 E0D

T/ TE 4+/R3

/1 4/D.

A5E0.

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Richard de Bury

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