A descriptive catalogue of the manuscripts other than Oriental in the library of King's College, Cambridge / by Montague Rhodes James.

King's College (University of Cambridge). Library

Date:: 1895

Credit: A descriptive catalogue of the manuscripts other than Oriental in the library of King's College, Cambridge / by Montague Rhodes James. Source: Wellcome Collection.

86/108 (page 70)

$and in brede • xxiiij • feet.” The words are worth quoting, as showing the magnificence of the King’s design in this regard : but for the actual history of what existed, I must quote from Willis and Clark’s Architectural History of the University of Cambridge (i. 537), “Numerous charges in the Mundum-Book for 1448 for the purchase and chaining of books prove that a Library was even then in existence ; and the apartment was of sufficient importance to be shewn to Henry the Sixth, from a charge for strewing it with rushes in expectation of a visit from him\ From the fact that the only volume now remaining of those mentioned in the catalogue of 1452 belonged to Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, it is not improbable that the King furnished the College Library with many of the Duke’s books, obtained after his death at Bury in 1447. No precise record of its situation has been preserved; we learn, however, from a catalogue of its contents in the College Register that the door was at the east end, and that it contained sixteen compartments^. Again, when the books were moved into the new library, it was turned into two rooms for Fellows^ It was therefore about forty-five feet long, judging from the dimensions of the plan, and the position of the door at the east end leads to the conclusion that it must have been either on the first or second floor of the south side of the Old Court. The view of the exterior of that side shews four windows close together on the second floor, which look as if they might have belonged to it, and this conjecture is supported by a charge for ‘mending the leddes over the librarie chambers’ in 1578—79. “ The vestries on the south side of the choir of the Chapel were used as a Library from 1570, until the new Library was built by Wilkins. They were fitted up for this purpose at the expense of Dr Roger Goade (Provost 1569—1610).” The derivation of some part at least of the collection from Duke Humphrey, which is suggested above, is rather confirmed by the occurrence of translations of Plato and Plutarch, of a ^ [Mundum-Book, 1448—49. Empciones necessarioruin. “ Item in Cirpis emptis pro libraria erga aduentum Regis xd.”] The Catalogue referred to is that which is printed here. ^ [Mundum-Book, 1570—71. The expense is given “for conuerting thould Library vnto twoo chambers for Fellowes.”]$