Think of the Irish manuscripts now scattered
on the continent; of the library of York; of Bede's workshop
and the northern libraries; and of those in the south,
at Canterbury, Malmesbury, and elsewhere. But the use of
such manuscripts as were in existence was restricted to
monks, wealthy ecclesiastics, and a few of the wealthy
laity.
After the Conquest the state of affairs was the same.
The period of the greatest literary activity in the monasteries
now began, and large claustral libraries were soon formed.
The monks then had plenty of books; wealthy clergy also
had small collections. An ecclesiastic or a layman who
had done a monastery some service, or whose favour it was
politic to cultivate, could borrow books from the monastic
library, under certain strict conditions. Some people
availed themselves of this privilege; but not at any time
during the manuscript period to a great extent.[1]
[1] Bateson x.; Gasquet 4, 30-31; James (M. R.), 148.
Outside this small circle the people were almost bookless:
nearly the whole of the literary wealth of the Middle
Ages belonged to the monks and the church.
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