Macray in his
'Annals of the Bodleian Library'; it refers to her walks in the field
of Scripture, where she plucked up the 'goodlie greene herbes,' which she
afterwards ate by her reading, 'and chawed by musing.' Her gallery at
Whitehall made a gallant show of MSS. and classics in red velvet, with
gilt clasps and jewelled sides, and all the French and Italian books
standing by in morocco and gold. Archbishop Parker tried to induce her to
establish a national library; but the Queen seems to have cared little
about the plan. She allowed the Archbishop on his own behalf to seek out
the books remaining from the suppressed monasteries: at another time he
obtained leave to recover as many as he could find of Cranmer's books. He
tracked some of them to the house of one Dr. Nevinson, who was forced to
disgorge his treasures. Parker kept a staff of scribes and painters in
miniature, and had his own press and fount of type. He published many
scarce tracts to save them from oblivion. Others he ordered to be copied
in manuscript, and these and all his ancient books he caused to be
'trimly covered'; so that we may say with Dibdin, 'a more determined
book-fancier existed not in Great Britain.' He gave some of his books to
'his nurse Corpus Christi' at Cambridge, and some to the public library;
and his gift to the College was compared to 'the sun of our English
antiquity,' eclipsed only by the shadow of Cotton's palace of learning.
One would like to fancy a symposium of the great men talking over their
books, in the room where Ben Jonson was king, and where
'Mellifluous Shakespeare, whose enchanting quill
Commanded mirth and passion, was but Will.
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