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LITERATURE.

important a bequest, and one hundred marks in money, the monks founded a daily mass for the soul of the donor. A copy of the bond may be seen in the Dissertation on Learning, prefixed to Warton's History of English Poetry.

1300. About wis period, some books were be- queathed to Merton college, Oxford, of which the following are names and valuation : A Scholastic History, twenty shillings ; a Concordentia, ten shillings ; the four great Prophets, with glosses, live shillings; a Psalter, with glosses, ten shil- lings ; St. Augustine, on Genesis, ten shillings.

1301. The following extracts are from a valu- ation in the Parliament Rolls of the moveable property in the borough of Colchester, in order to levy a fifteenth, and are highly illustrative of the domestic economy of the inhabitants. It appears that a blacksmith's tools were valued from 2s. to 6». ; a cobler's stock at 7t. 6d. ; anothers at 10;. 6d. ; anothers at 12t. 4d. ; a tanner's stock, with cloths, &c. at £9. 17s. lOd. This is comparatively with the others, a great sum ; but it must be recollected t^t the trade was one of the first in ancient times. Leather was not only used for various military purposes, but formed a considerable part of the common dress of the people, before the introduction, and during the infancy of the woollen manufacture.

1303. In the compotus of Bolton priory, in Yorkshire, is the following entry : " MCCCV. Pro quondam Libra Sententiarian empt. xxxj." The Book of Sentences, by Peter Lombard, one of the most fashionable books of school divinity in the middle age. The price of this volume was nearly that of two fat oxen ; how expensive must it have been to furnish a libraiy with manu- scripts! but the canons of fiolton did not exhaust themslves in this way, for, says Whitaker, in his History of Craven, I can only discover that they purchased three books in forty years.

The Sentences of Peter Lombard are from the writings of the Fathers ; and for this he is called " The Master of Sentences." These Sentences, on which we have so many commentaries, are a collection of passages from the Fathers, the real or apparent contradictions of whom he endea- vours to reconcile. " He who lectures on the Sentences of Lombard," says the illustrious Ro- ger Bacon, "is every where honoured, and pre- ferred to him who adopts the sacred text as the subject of his lectures; for, who reads the Sen- tences, chooses the most convenient hour, accord- ing to his pleasure, and obtains a companion and an apartment among the religious."

1307. There is remaining in the abbey of St. Germaine des-prez, at Paris, a waxen tablet re- cording the expenses of Philip le Bel, during a journey that he made in this year, on a visit to Pope Clement V; a single Iraf of ibis table book is exhibited in Uie Nouveau Traite de Diplo- matique.

1308, Nov. 8. Died at Cologne, John Duns, commonly called Duns Scotus, a famous Fran- ciscan divine, and one of the most learned men of the age in which he lived. He was born at Dunstancc, in Northumberland, and educated at

Oxford, from whence he went to Paris, where he acquired a great reputation as a disputant, and was called the " Subtile Doctor." His works were printed at Lyons, 1639, in 10 vols, folio.

1310. Motttfaucon in his Journey through Italy, says, that at Bologna he was shewn a very ancient Hebrew Bible, with this inscription pre- fixed: — "This Hebrew Bible was gfiven by brother William, of Paris, of the order of brother preachers, confessor to the most illustrious king of France, to the monastery of Bologna for the common library of the brethren, in honour of St Dominic, a.d. 1310, the day before the ides of February. Whosoever reads in it is desired to pray for him. Amen.

1320. The first public library in the university of Oxford, was commenced at this period by Thomas Cobham, bishop of Worcester, but dyini soon after little progress was made in the work until 1367, when his books were deposnted in it, and the scholars permitted to consult them on certain conditions. A dispute arising betweoi the university and Oriel college, it was not finally completed till abour the year 1411. It was at first called Cobham's library, but in 1480, the books were added to duke Humphrey's collection. — Chalmer's History of the CMeget, Reattached to the University of Oxford.

1320. The invention of linen paper appears to have been very early introduced into England ; for Dr. Prideaux assures us he had seen a rois- ter of some acts of John Crauden, prior of Ely, made on linen paper, which bears date in the 14th jrear of Edward II. a. d. 1320 ; and that in the bishop's registry at Norwich, there is a register book of wills, all made of paper, wherein entries are made which bear date so tax back as 1370, just one hundred years before the time that Ray said the use of it began in Germany. In the Cottonian library in the Bridsh museum, are said to be several writings on tbb kind of paper, as early as the year 1335.

1321, Sept. 14. i>i«iAlighieri Dante the most powerful of the Italian poets, was born at Flo- rence, May 27, 1265. , In 1300 he was chosen chief magistrate of his native city, and became very popular, but during the reaction of parties, in January, 1302, while ambassador to the pope, was by an iniquitous decree, mulct eight thousand lire, and condemned, by a faction, to two years banishment. To satisfy the fine, his house was immediately entered and pillaged ; and scarcely seven weeks had elasped, when a second decree was issued, that he and his associates in exile, should be burned if they fell into the hands of the Neri, their enemies. After his death, which took place at Ravenna, all Italy contended to do honour to his memory.

During his banishment from his native city of Florence, he obtained an asylum at Verona, and had for his patron. Can della Scalla, or the prince of that country. There were in the same Cdurt several strolling players, gamesters, and other persons of that description, one of whom, distinguished for his ribaldry and buffoonery, was much caressed l)evond the others. The

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