A FAMOUS LIBRARY

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 37, 13 February 1930, Page 24

A FAMOUS LIBRARY

THE BODLEIAN ... ITS FOUNDER'S WOEK There waa born in Exeter in 1545 Thomas Bodley, who has given his name to tho most famous library in England. In an article in the Decem ber number of "Blaekwood's Maga zinc," Mr. A. L. Haycock relates how, after many years spent in study and travel, during which he served also in the diplomatic' corps, Bodley retire'! and settled at Oxford. Here he wis dismayed by tho neglected stato of tho buildings. In 1559 he wrote, to the vice-chancellor offering to take upon himself the task of restoring the Uui versity library, from which even the shelving had been removed. Bodley, vho was knighted in 1604, and who lived until 1613, devoted the last twenty four years of his life to' the service of the library. BUILDING UP THE LIBRARY. Bodley's offer was enthusiastically accepted by tho University. There were many delays beforo the building could bo rendered fit for service. So | dilapidated had it become that it was found necessary to provide a new roof That which was finally erected is now regarded as the finest timber roof in England. While these preparations, were being made Bodley busied himself in book collecting. By June, 1600, the building was complete. The lib rary was formally opened with 2001) books on its shelves in 1602. Bodlej was tireless in filling the empty shelves He was a man widely known and res pected, with a large acquaintance among statesmen, churchmen, scholars and wealthy business men. All these he enlisted as helpers. From all sides gifts of manuscripts and books flowed in, and in 1605 the first catalogue of tho library was published. In the same year James I. paid a State visit to the library, which he praised great ly.--.He remarked that its founder's name should have been Godley and not Bodley. He also promised the pick of the Eoyal books, but the promise was not honoured, though later James did present the Bodleian, with two copies of his own works. Bodley had ap pointed as his buying agent John Bill, a London bookseller, who on behalf of the library visited France, Italy, and Spain in search of suitable accessions His was not an easy task, but in the end ho returned with a fine store of books. So successful was Bodley that in 1605 the need for moro shelf room became apparent, and now, sure of his ground, ho had plans drawn up for a new wing, which was begun in 1610. BODLEY'S POLICY. :Tiie first librarian was Thomas James, who was in many respects an ideal. man for the position. He was a scholar with an encyclopaedic knowledge. He could always direct an ininquirer to tho right book, On tht other hand, he was too much of a scholar to take kindly to routine duties His cataloguing entries were not al ways reliable and accurate, and his con stant lament was that he . had not enough time for his own studies. Shortly after his appointment ho asked for an increase in his salary, but he really shocked Sir Thomas Bodley by an nouncing his intention of being mar ried. Celibacy had been made one of the conditions of the office of librar ian. However, Sir Thomas Bodley yielded, on the "understanding that the rule of celibacy should be inviolate in future. James seems to have come into frequent conflict with the University authorities, and it is apparent that during his lifetime Bodley did most of the administrative work, even down to small details. Bodley's policy concerning the library is made clear in a famous letter to James, in wEich he wrote "I can see no good reason to alter my opinion for excluding such books as almanacks, plays, and day books, and an infinite number that are daily print cd. Haply some plays may bo worth | the keeping, but hardly 'one in forty The benefit thereof will nothing near countervail the harm that the scandal will bring into the library when it shall be given out that we are stuffed with baggage books. This is my opin ion, wherein if I err'l think I shall err with-infinite others; and the more 1 think upon it the more it doth distaste me that-such kind of /books should be vouchsafed a room in so noble a lib rary." Sir Thomas Bodley was so devoted to the classics that in the early days no English translation of Greek or Latin- authors was allowed on the shelves.