nt door dates from Cottingham's time. He had found the archway
partially blocked, so that an ordinary square-headed door might be
inserted, a most barbarous arrangement. In the passage within is a
portrait of Bishop Sprat, and in the #Chapter Room# itself one of King
James I. and a view in St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin.

The #Cathedral Library#, also contained in the Chapter Room, is a small,
rather general collection, which, though increased from time to time by
the dean and chapter, had no regular provision made for its increase
until "an excellent regulation was made (some years before 1772) ...
that every new dean and prebendary should give a certain sum of money,
or books to that value, in lieu of those entertainments that were
formerly made on their admission." This arrangement dates from the
deanship of Dean Prat, who is recorded to have given a large book-case,
which had once belonged to H.R.H. the Duke of York.

In the library there are several valuable bibles, including a copy of
the famous first polyglot, known as the Complutensian, which was printed
in six volumes at Alcala in Spain between 1502 and 1517, but was not
published until 1522, owing probably to the death of its great promoter,
Cardinal Ximenes. The Greek New Testament seems to have been first
printed herein, though the edition of Erasmus (1516) forestalled it in
publication. Brian Walton's Polyglot, published, also in six volumes, at
London in 1657, is likewise on the shelves. Of rare English bibles the
cathedral possesses a copy of Miles Coverdale's first complete edition
in English (of 1535), of the rare and valuable Great Bible (Cranmer's)
printed under Cromwell's patronage and published in 1539, and one of the
first edition of Parker's or the Bishop's Bible, which dates from 1565.
There is no early Book of Common Prayer, but a Missal (Salisbury use) of
1534 has been noticed.

[Illustration: THE CHAPTER HOUSE DOORWAY
(FROM A PHOTOGRAPH BY MESSRS. CARL NORMAN AND CO.).]

To turn now to manuscripts, disregarding the other classes of printed
books, the cathedral possesses a great treasure in the #Textus Roffensis#,
which is said to be the work of Bishop Ernulf and dates from early in
the twelfth century. It contains old English codes of law, beginning
with Ethelbert's, much ecclesiastical and historical information,
records of privileges of the cathedral, and some interesting forms of
excommunication, oaths, etc. In 1633 the dean (Dr. Balcan