ch bookes, ornaments,
&c., before any man, and in especiall of all manner of
bookes, ornaments, and other necessaries as now _late were
perteynyng to the Duke of Gloucester_, and that the king
would particular(ly) cause to be employed herein John Pye
his stacioner of London." For this anecdote I am indebted to
Sir H. Ellis. See also the interesting note in Warton's
_Hist. Engl. Poet._, diss. ii., sign. f. 2.]

I had nearly passed through the reign of Henry the Sixth without
noticing the very meritorious labours of a sort of precursor of Dean
Colet; I mean, SIR WALTER SHERINGTON. He was a most assiduous
bibliomaniac;[273] and, in the true spirit of ancient monachism,
conceived that no cathedral could be perfect without a library.
Accordingly, he not only brought together an extraordinary number of
curious books, but framed laws or regulations concerning the treatment
of the books, and the hours of perusing them; which, if I can trust to
my memory, are rather curious, and worth your examination. They are in
Hearne's edition of the Antiquities of Glastonbury, composed in our
own language.

[Footnote 273: "Over the east quadrant of this (great)
cloyster (on the north side of this church) was a fayre
librarie, builded at the costes and charges of (Sir) WALTAR
SHERINGTON, chancellor of the duchie of Lancaster, in the
raigne of Henrie the 6. which hath beene well furnished with
faire written books IN VELLEM: but few of them now do
remaine there." _Antiquities of Glastonbury_; Hearne's edit.
1722; p. 308.

_Regulations concerning Sherington's Library._

"Quodque dicta libraria, hostiis ipsius per praefatos
capellanos custodes ejusdem, et eorum successores, aut
alterum ipsorum, apertis singulis diebus profestis annuatim
a festo Nativ. beat. Mar. Virg. usque festum Annunciacionis
ejusdem, ob ortu solis, donec hora nona post altam missam de
servicio diei in dicta ecclesia cathedrali finiatur: et
iterum ab hora prima post meridiem usque ad finem
completorii in eadem ecclesia cathedrali, vel saltem usque
ad occasum solis per eosdem, seu eorum alterum, sic continue
diligenter custodiatur. Et eciam singulis diebus profestis
annuatim, ab eodem festo Annunciacionis beatae Mariae Virginis
usque ad praedictum festum nativitatis ejusdem, ab hora diei
sexta, donec hora nona post altam missam