Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 29.djvu/493

NOTICES OF ARCILEOLOQICAL PUBLICATIONS. I I 5 Religious sentiment entcreil liirgelj into the treatment (jf illnminatecl ait. in the cloistral silence of many a sheltereil abl)ej, sechnled from the world and with minds at peace, patient monks delighted to emhellish the pages of heavenly wisdom witii the pure creations of their spiritual f} cy ; and some of the old illuminated tomes with their exquisite pictures, rich in colour as the tints of a summer's sunset, with figures drawn in the most graceful manner of the antique, with elaborate designs and gorgeous golden capitals and decorations, imite the perfection of the classic style and the devotional art of the recluses* who produced them. "It is interesting," writes Mr. Kershaw, " to oV)serve how the cliief incidents of Scripture and Catholic faith are rendered according to the spirit of the time. Thus, at the end of the thirteenth century, both at home and abroad, the re[)roduction of certain figurative representations was aban- doned, and instead thereof, a vigorous transcription from actual life was developed." To the communication of Gieat Britain with the Frencli and Flemings, is mainly due, according to Mr. Kershaw, the origin of illuminations among those nations ; and the improvements introduced by the Van Eycks, and their great pupil Hans Memlinc (who sometimes conde- scended to paint miniatures), into the Flemish School influenced to a great extent the illuminators of England and France, as is admirably exemplified by the celebrated Bedford Missal in the British Museum, and the Psalter and Devotional Books of the Duke de Berri, in the Imperial (now National) Library in Paris. Although the invention of printing dealt a deadly blow to the calling of the caligrapher, printed books, both on vellum and paper, continued for some time after to be adorned with illuminated illustrations. Of these, the Mazarine New Testament at Lambeth, recently described by persons had access. At Crowland it was as Mr. Burtt observes, "would seem to ordained that the greater books, of which est;iblish the existence of a sj-stem of there were more than three hundred exchanging the literary wealth of mo- V(>lurae>i, were never to be taken for the nustic establishments, and therebj' greatly use of remote schools without licence of extending the advantages of their stores. the Abbot ; but smaller ones, of which Both are executed with all the legal forms there were more than four hundred, used in the most important transaction;*, might be lent to b^ys and acquaintances which would support the opinion of their of the monks, but only for one day ( 1 1 ist. not being s|)ecial instances : but thej* are, Ingulphi, lo5). Some valuable and inte- in either case, curious and satisfactory resting " Notes upon Ancient Libraries," evidence of the care and caution exercised by the Hon. Secretary of the Institute, by the monks in cases where their books Mr. Burtt (see 'Notes and Queries," were couceined; and one cannot but re- vol. i. pp. 2-'l3 Contain a description giet that when the time came that the of a document, which is, in modern Ian- monasteries were destined to be dissolved, guage, a Power of Attorney, executed by and their books torn and scattered to the the Prior of Christ t hurch, Canterbury, winds, no attention was paid to I'ale's ad- ap[>ointing two of the monks of his vice for the formation of 'one solemn church to be procurators for the purpose library in every shire of England.' " of receiving from the Convent of Angle- * Such, for exani])le, as were Don Sil- sey in Cambridgehhire, a book which vestho, aCamaldulan monk of the monas- hatl been lent to the late Pector of Ter- tery of the Angeli, Florence, in the rington. Its precise date is uncertain, fourteenth century, who executed works but it nitLst be about the middle of the (some of which still remain) so bi-autiiid thirt«ei)th century. Mr. Burtt also for their care and design, that they re- alhuU's to an indenture executed in 1343, ceived the apjilausenot only of monarch?, wheieby the Priory of Heuton lent no but even of professors in the best age of less than twenty books to ancither mo- art ; and the " Ble6se<l " Fka Anuelico uaatic establishment. These (k'ci ments, D,v FitsoLE, who, as Va*ari relates, 'it ia