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Show Jewelled Books of History. K T II EKE is n legend to the effect that the famous "Golden Fleece" was nothing noth-ing more than a book covered in sheepskin sheep-skin teaching the trnutunutntiou of the baser metals into pure gold. The Koniau scrolls were adorned with bosses of gold or gems, and their leaves, having been smoothed with pumice, were scented with cedar oil. The Byzantine emperors were great patrons of literature nnd greatly affected superior boqkbiudings. The "Byzantine coatingi," or book covers, were famous for their raagnificqnce; they were of gold, silver, copper, gilt, set with jewels, and these ninsshe tomes were carried car-ried iu imperial processions. "The Silver Book" of Ulpbilas, Bishop of Mocsiu, a translation of the Gospels, was rebuked by St. Jerome. "Your books are covered with precious gems," said he, 'while Christ died, naked, before the gate t)f UJs temple." It is interesting in thjs connection to note a similar observation :rodited to Sadi, the Persian pocf, concerning con-cerning the Mohammedan Scrlptuics. 'The Koran," he wrote, "was given to reform re-form the conduct of men, and men have bought only of embellishing Its pnget." The hooks produced in the curly centuries cen-turies of the Middle Ages were of reroark-ible reroark-ible beauty inwardly and outwardly, leligiouh manuscripts, were onriched by lluminntions within, while their covors vore of siher, gold or enumel encrusted vith gems. They were bestowed as plendid gifts by bishops and princes on nonastic houses and churches, where hey were laid on the altar or chained tp desk. Such chained books were immed "catc-lfUi. "catc-lfUi. ' A rough outer covcriug proceed pro-ceed them. This wns of dark skin, or ealskin, and later of "chrmotin," a kind f leather, or "sandal," a coarse silk, uch ctft-eriugs were also called "chein-os," "chein-os," as a' "chuuliso" of sandalwood." 'hesc precious bobW were ulso.placcd in : caskets, in shrines, or "capsoe." In Ire- HHUtJ . laud they were laid in satchels, otherwise HS uamed "polalres." or "tiagha ubur," the Hm! Celtic bookbinding possessing a peculiar bHM beauty of its own. IH There were secular bookbinders in the HBft Middle Ages who formed themselves into Hyl guilds of craftsmen, but the monks' alone flV united the arts of composition, callgraphy, Kr' illumination, bookbinding, setting of SflBr jewels, enamelling and work on leather, flRct silver and gold. The monasteries of Sfbaa Kcnilworth and Slthen wore granted un- HHTa limited rights of hunting thatuhey might BE obtain "stag bide" for binding their books. JH Tho European princes were great book- vlAp1 loyers, and sonic of their collections are jflE; famous, though now dispersed far and 'hK wide, sometimes reannenrinz .is frens. eOuS ures cast up on the shores of time in 80 some museum or library. Charlemagne HHIr was a patron of bookbinding, surround- IKfel ing himself with Itnlinn workmen in this fBcc line. Thcolind, Queen of the Lombards, BB&Tt presented a magnificent Gospel overlaid PST With gold, silver and jewels to tho Ca- 'Hto1 thedrnl of Mouza. P The Dukes of Burgundy were re- ffl!. nowncd for their libraries. The "Boc- llffl&S! cncclo" of Charles the Bold was bound B$tjf! iu rod velvet set with five large rubies; SpS& another Burgundlau book wns velvet EaSi bound and set with fifty-eight pearls of frSPii great size, with u j,mall "silver instru- t meut" for turning the pages. "Plppes" J5T were also attached to some of these costly gft&Hh tomes, being little bars of silver or gold, PK forming "supjiorts for the markers." : "?W Sometimes the "pippe" was set with ru- USf08 bios, while the numerous markers ,wero 'MSk: adorned with pearls, SV Tjie library of Philip the Good o'f(Bur- 'r$ gnndy, in the fifteenth century, surpassed SllOi" all other European book, collections of ' ' aJ'rii' the time. It contained nearly ten thou- $ielt kond volumes, all richly illuniinuttd on - "tto vellum, with bindings of dnmnsk satin ' tj and velvet iucrusted by -jewels, with Jttf2lTK clap. of gold and gems. Bruges, where f!6! tho ducal court was held, wan filled with 'L&'r,i?J literary craftsmen, and certain of their. 'i1?l splendid productions are still to be seen lilHaii in tho Belgian Koyal Library, !wfetly f r it |
