[CHAPTER VII.]
THE LIBRARY.
“The Books, but especially the Parchments.”
THE LIBRARY.
The Library had its beginning in 1601, from a subscription by the officers and soldiers of Queen Elizabeth’s army in Ireland. Prior to that, indeed, there were a few books; a list (dated 1600) of forty books, ten of which were MS., has been preserved, and was printed by Dr. J. K. Ingram in an appendix to his Address to the Library Association. It includes—of classical authors—Euripides, Plato, Aristotle, Cicero. In 1601, however, in order to commemorate the battle of Kinsale, in which the Spanish troops and their Irish allies were defeated, the troops subscribed £700[110] to purchase books for the newly-founded College. “Then souldiers,” says Dr. Bernard, “were for the advancement of learning.” Possibly; but it is significant that the money was subscribed “out of the arrears of their pay.” However, the example, as we shall see, proved fruitful. The money was entrusted to Luke Challoner and James Ussher (afterwards Primate), who accordingly went to London to make their purchases. It happened that Sir Thomas Bodley was at the same time buying books for his library at Oxford, and he and Ussher consulted, to their mutual advantage.
It may be asked, What notable books did they buy, and what prices did they pay? As to the first, there exists a rough shelf-list of books in the Library which must have been drawn up very soon after this. It is in Challoner’s handwriting, and shows that rarities were not sought for, but books useful for study and research. The prices are not recorded, but Challoner has left a list of the prices he paid for his own books a few years earlier. A few specimens of these may be interesting. Scapulæ Lexicon cost him 12s.; a Hebrew Bible in 4to, 16s.; an English Bible, 8vo, 6s.; Stephani Concordantiæ, 14s.; Cicero: Opera Omnia, 8vo, 6s. 8d.; Homer: Iliad and Odyssey, each 2s. 6d.; an 8vo Virgil, 1s. 4d.; another, in 16mo, 10d. The most expensive books are—Mercator’s Tabula, £3, and Vatablus; Biblia Sacra (Hebrew, Greek, Latin), £3 10s. The average price was about 5s. A few years later we find Challoner and Ussher again in London buying books for the Library. Chiefly, no doubt, in consequence of their purchases, the number of books in 1610 was about 4,000. In 1635 the Library is already mentioned as a matter of pride to the College by Sir W. Brereton. He specifies a MS. of Roger Bacon, which, he says, they highly esteem, considering it to be the only copy of that great man’s Opus Majus. Brereton, however, professes himself sceptical, on the ground that the MS. is so very clean and newly bound. How the latter fact could militate against the antiquity of the MS. is not very clear. Brereton also pronounces the Library to be not well furnished with books. The building, too, he reports as not large or well contrived.[111]
It was, however, at the Restoration that the Library was at once raised to the first class, at least as regards MSS., by the accession of Archbishop Ussher’s library. The fortunes of this were rather remarkable. During the rebellion of 1641 it was in Drogheda, the seat of the Archiepiscopal residence, where it was in great peril of destruction, that place being besieged for four months. Shortly after the raising of the siege it was transferred to Chester, and subsequently to Chelsea College. Here, however, it was not much safer than in Ireland, for the Archbishop having preached against the authority of the Assembly of Divines, the House of Commons confiscated his library, the severest punishment they had it in their power to inflict. Happily, there were two men in the Assembly of nobler sentiments—Dr. Featley, formerly chaplain to Archbishop Abbot, and the learned John Selden.[112] By Selden’s help, Dr. Featley either obtained a grant of the library or was enabled to purchase it for a small sum, and so preserved it for the Primate; but part had already been embezzled.
When Ussher was appointed by the Benchers preacher at Lincoln’s Inn, apartments were appropriated to his use, in which he was able to place his library, or rather pack up as much of it as remained. It was his intention to bequeath it to Trinity College, as a token of gratitude to the place where he had received his education; but having lost all his other property in the disturbances of the time, he was obliged to give up this purpose and to leave it to his daughter, Lady Tyrrell, wife of Sir Timothy Tyrrell. Ussher died in 1656. The library was famous, and Parr, in his Life of Ussher, states that “the King of Denmark and Cardinal Mazarin endeavoured to obtain it, offering a good price through their agents in England; but Cromwell having, by an Order in Council, prohibited its being sold without his consent, it was bought by the soldiers and officers of the then army in Ireland, who, out of emulation to the previous noble action of Queen Elizabeth’s army, were incited by some men of publick spirits to the like performance, and they had it for much less than it was really worth, or what had been offered for it before by the agents above-mentioned [viz., for £2,200]; they had also with it all his manuscripts (which were not of his own handwriting), as also a choice, though not numerous, collection of ancient coins. But when this library was brought over into Ireland, the usurper and his son, who then commanded in chief there, would not bestow it on the Colledge of Dublin, least perhaps the gift should not appear so considerable as it would do by itself; and therefore they gave out that they would reserve it for a new Colledge or Hall which they said they intended to build and endow; but it proved that as those were not times, so they were not persons capable of any such noble or pious work; so that this library lay in the Castle of Dublin unbestowed and unemployed all the remaining time of Cromwell’s usurpation; but where this treasure was kept being left open, many of the books and most of the best manuscripts were stolen away or else imbezled (sic) by those who were intrusted with them; but after his late Majesty’s Restauration, when they fell to his disposal, he generously bestowed them on the Colledge for which they were intended by the owner, where they now remain.”