as well as for lending[142].

Lastly, the Friars, though property was forbidden, and S. Francis would
not allow his disciples to own so much as a psalter or a breviary[143],
soon found that books were a necessity, and the severity of early
discipline was relaxed in favour of a library. S. Francis died in 1226,
and only thirty-four years afterwards, among the constitutions adopted by
a General Chapter of the Order held at Narbonne 10 June, 1260, are several
provisions relating to books. They are of no great importance, taken by
themselves, but their appearance at so early a date proves that books had
become indispensable. It is enacted that no brother may write books, or
have them written, for sale; nor may the chief officer of a province
venture to keep books without leave obtained from the chief officer of the
whole Order; no brother may keep the books assigned to him, unless they
are altogether the property of the Order--and so forth[144]. A century
later, when Richard de Bury, Bishop of Durham, was writing his
_Philobiblon_ (completed 24 January, 1344-45), he could say of them and
the other friars--whom, be it remembered, he, as a regular, would regard
with scant favour--

But whenever it happened that we turned aside to the
cities and places where the Mendicants had their
convents we did not disdain to visit their libraries and
any other repositories of books; nay there we found
heaped up amidst the utmost poverty the utmost riches of
wisdom. We discovered in their fardels and baskets not
only crumbs falling from the master's table for the
dogs, but the shewbread without leaven and the bread of
angels having in it all that is delicious; and indeed
the garners of Joseph full of corn, and all the spoil of
the Egyptians and the very precious gifts which Queen
Sheba brought to Solomon.

These men are as ants ever preparing their meat in the
summer, and ingenious bees continually fabricating cells
of honey.... And to pay due regard to truth ... although
they lately at the eleventh hour have entered the Lord's
vineyard ..., they have added more in this brief hour to
the stock of the sacred books than all the other
vinedressers; following in the footsteps of Paul, the
last to be called but the first in preaching, who spread
the gospel of Christ more widely than all others[145].

At Assisi, the parent house of the Franciscan Order, th