University of Virginia Library

Search this document 
The Love of Books: the Philobiblon of Richard de Bury

  
[figure]
  
[frontispiece]
  
[title page]
  
[epigraph]
  
PREFACE
  
[contents]

  
PROLOGUE
 1. 
CHAPTER I THAT THE TREASURE OF WISDOM IS CHIEFLY CONTAINED IN BOOKS
 2. 
CHAPTER II THE DEGREE OF AFFECTION THAT IS PROPERLY DUE TO BOOKS
 3. 
CHAPTER III WHAT WE ARE TO THINK OF THE PRICE IN THE BUYING OF BOOKS
 4. 
CHAPTER IV THE COMPLAINT OF BOOKS AGAINST THE CLERGY ALREADY PROMOTED
 5. 
CHAPTER V THE COMPLAINT OF BOOKS AGAINST THE POSSESSIONERS
 6. 
CHAPTER VI THE COMPLAINT OF BOOKS AGAINST THE MENDICANTS
 7. 
CHAPTER VII THE COMPLAINT OF BOOKS AGAINST WARS
 8. 
CHAPTER VIII OF THE NUMEROUS OPPORTUNITIES WE HAVE HAD OF COLLECTING A STORE OF BOOKS
 9. 
CHAPTER IX HOW, ALTHOUGH WE PREFERRED THE WORKS OF THE ANCIENTS, WE HAVE NOT CONDEMNED THE STUDIES OF THE MODERNS
 10. 
CHAPTER X OF THE GRADUAL PERFECTING OF BOOKS
 11. 
CHAPTER XI WHY WE HAVE PREFERRED BOOKS OF LIBERAL LEARNING TO BOOKS OF LAW
 12. 
CHAPTER XII WHY WE HAVE CAUSED BOOKS OF GRAMMAR TO BE SO DILIGENTLY PREPARED
 13. 
CHAPTER XIII WHY WE HAVE NOT WHOLLY NEGLECTED THE FABLES OF THE POETS
 14. 
CHAPTER XIV WHO OUGHT TO BE SPECIAL LOVERS OF BOOKS
 15. 
CHAPTER XV OF THE ADVANTAGES OF THE LOVE OF BOOKS
 16. 
CHAPTER XVI THAT IT IS MERITORIOUS TO WRITE NEW BOOKS AND TO RENEW THE OLD
 17. 
CHAPTER XVII OF SHOWING DUE PROPRIETY IN THE CUSTODY OF BOOKS
 18. 
CHAPTER XVIII SHOWETH THAT WE HAVE COLLECTED SO GREAT STORE OF BOOKS FOR THE COMMON BENEFIT OF SCHOLARS AND NOT ONLY FOR OUR OWN PLEASURE
 19. 
CHAPTER XIX OF THE MANNER OF LENDING ALL OUR BOOKS TO STUDENTS
 20. 
CHAPTER XX AN EXHORTATION TO SCHOLARS TO REQUITE US BY PIOUS PRAYERS

  
Notes
  
[index]
collapse section Collapse All | Expand All expand section
previous section CHAPTER XII WHY WE HAVE CAUSED BOOKS OF GRAMMAR TO BE SO DILIGENTLY PREPARED The Love of Books: the Philobiblon of Richard de Bury
next section

12. CHAPTER XII
WHY WE HAVE CAUSED BOOKS OF GRAMMAR TO
BE SO DILIGENTLY PREPARED

WHILE we were constantly delighting ourselves with the reading of books, which it was our custom to read or have read to us every day, we noticed plainly how much the defective knowledge even of a single word hinders the understanding, as the meaning of no sentence can be apprehended, if any part of it be not understood. Wherefore we ordered the meanings of foreign words to be noted with particular care, and studied the orthography, prosody, etymology, and syntax in ancient grammarians with unrelaxing carefulness, and took pains to elucidate terms that had grown too obscure by age with suitable explanations, in order to make a smooth path for our students.

82

This is the whole reason why we took care to replace the antiquated volumes of the grammarians by improved codices, that we might make royal roads, by which our scholars in time to come might attain without stumbling to any science.

83

previous section CHAPTER XII WHY WE HAVE CAUSED BOOKS OF GRAMMAR TO BE SO DILIGENTLY PREPARED The Love of Books: the Philobiblon of Richard de Bury
next section