Albans Abbey the books he had bought
from the monks there.
[1] O. H. S., 32, Collect. 36-40; also 9.
[2] Blakiston, Trin. Coll. 5, 7; A. de Murimuth, 171.
De Bury has left us an account of his methods of collecting which
throws some light upon the trade in books in his time. "Although
from our youth upwards we had always delighted in holding social
commune with learned men and lovers of books, yet when we
prospered in the world, . . . we obtained ampler facilities for
visiting everywhere as we would, and of hunting as it were
certain most choice preserves, libraries private as well as
public, and of the regular as well as of the secular clergy....
There was afforded to us, in consideration of the royal favour,
easy access for the purpose of freely searching the retreats of
books. In fact, the fame of our love of them had been
soon winged abroad everywhere, and we were reported to
burn with such desire for books, and especially old ones,
that it was more easy for any man to gain our favour by
means of books than of money. Wherefore, since supported
by the goodness of the aforesaid prince of worthy memory,
we were able to requite a man well or ill .
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