'Enemies of books.' Don't you?"

Bigotry has also many sins to answer for. The late M. Muller, of
Amsterdam, a bookseller of European fame, wrote to me as follows a few
weeks before his death:--

"Of course, we also, in Holland, have many Enemies of books, and if I
were happy enough to have your spirit and style I would try and write
a companion volume to yours. Now I think the best thing I can do is
to give you somewhat of my experience. You say that the discovery of
printing has made the destruction of anybody's books difficult. At this
I am bound to say that the Inquisition did succeed most successfully, by
burning heretical books, in destroying numerous volumes invaluable for
their wholesome contents. Indeed, I beg to state to you the amazing fact
that here in Holland exists an Ultramontane Society called 'Old
Paper,' which is under the sanction of the six Catholic Bishops of the
Netherlands, and is spread over the whole kingdom. The openly-avowed
object of this Society is to buy up and to destroy as waste paper all
the Protestant and Liberal Catholic newspapers, pamphlets and books,
the price of which is offered to the Pope as 'Deniers de St. Pierre.'
Of course, this Society is very little known among Protestants, and
many have denied even its existence; but I have been fortunate enough
to obtain a printed circular issued by one of the Bishops containing
statistics of the astounding mass of paper thus collected, producing in
one district alone the sum of L1,200 in three months. I need not tell
you that this work is strongly promoted by the Catholic clergy. You can
have no idea of the difficulty we now have in procuring certain books
published but 30, 40, or 50 years ago of an ephemeral character.
Historical and theological books are very rare; novels and poetry of
that period are absolutely not to be found; medical and law books are
more common. I am bound to say that in no country have more books been
printed and more destroyed than in Holland. W. MULLER."

The policy of buying up all objectionable literature seems to me, I
confess, very short-sighted, and in most cases would lead to a greatly
increased reprint; it certainly would in these latitudes.

From the Church of Rome to the Church of England is no great leap, and
Mr. Smith, the Brighton bookseller, gives evidence thus:--

"It may be worth your while to note that the clergy of the last two
centuries ought to be included in your list (of Bibliocla