however；　libraries　even　in　the　West；　formed　by
  Charlemagne　and　by　others　after　him。　We
  are　told　that　Alcuin；　in　writing　to　the　great
  monarch；　spoke　with　longing　of　the　relative
  wealth　of　England　in　these　precious　estates。
  Mr。　Edwards；　whom　I　have　already　quoted；
  mentions　Charles　the　Fifth　of　France；　in　1365；
  as　a　collector　of　manuscripts。　But　some　ten
  years　back　the　Director　of　the　Bibliotheque
  Nationale　informed　me　that　the　French　King
  John　collected　twelve　hundred　manuscripts；
  at　that　time　an　enormous　library；　out　of　which
  several　scores　where　among　the　treasures　in
  his　care。　Mary　of　Medicis　appears　to　have
  amassed　in　the　sixteenth　century；　probably
  with　far　less　effort；　5；800　volumes。＇9＇　Oxford
  had　before　that　time　received　noble　gifts　for
  her　University　Library。　And　we　have　to
  recollect　with　shame　and　indignation　that
  that　institution　was　plundered　and　destroyed
  by　the　Commissioners　of　the　boy　King
  Edward　the　Sixth；　acting　in　the　name　of　the
  Reformation　of　Religion。　Thus　it　happened
  that　opportunity　was　left　to　a　private
  individual；　the　munificent　Sir　Thomas　Bodley；　to
  attach　an　individual　name　to　one　of　the
  famous　libraries　of　the　world。　It　is　interesting
  to　learn　that　municipal　bodies　have　a　share
  in　the　honor　due　to　monasteries　and
  sovereigns　in　the　collection　of　books；　for　the
  Common　Council　of　Aix　purchased　books　for　a
  public　library　in　1419。＇10＇
  Louis　the　Fourteenth；　of　evil　memory；　has
  at　least　this　one　good　deed　to　his　credit；　that
  he　raised　the　Royal　Library　at　Paris；　founded
  two　centuries　before；　to　70；000　volumes。　In
  1791　it　had　150；000　volumes。　It　profited　largely
  by　the　Revolution。　The　British　Museum　had
  only　reached　115；000　when　Panizzi　became
  keeper　in　1837。　Nineteen　years　afterward　he
  left　it　with　560；000；　a　number　which　must　now
  have　more　than　doubled。　By　his　noble　design
  for　occupying　the　central　quadrangle；　a　desert
  of　gravel　until　his　time；　he　provided　additional
  room　for　1；200；000　volumes。　All　this
  apparently　enormous　space　for　development　is　being
  eaten　up　with　fearful　rapidity；　and　such　is　the
  greed　of　the　splendid　library　that　it　opens　its
  jaws　like　Hades；　and　threatens　shortly　to
  expel　the　antiquities　from　the　building；　and
  appropriate　the　places　they　adorn。
  But　the　proper　office　of　hasty　retrospect　in
  a　paper　like　this　is　only　to　enlarge　by　degrees；
  like　the　pupil　of　an　eye；　the　reader's
  contemplation　and　estimate　of　the　coming　time；　and
  to　prepare　him　for　some　practical　suggestions
  of　a　very　humble　kind。　So　I　take　up　again
  the　thread　of　my　brief　discourse。　National
  libraries　draw　upon　a　purse　which　is
  bottomless。　But　all　public　libraries　are　not　national。
  And　the　case　even　of　private　libraries　is
  becoming；　nay；　has　become；　very　serious　for　all
  who　are　possessed　by　the　inexorable　spirit　of
  collection；　but　whose　ardor　is　perplexed　and
  qualified；　or　even　baffled；　by　considerations
  springing　from　the　balance…sheet。
  The　purchase　of　a　book　is　commonly
  supposed　to　end；　even　for　the　most　scrupulous
  customer；　with　the　payment　of　the　bookseller's
  bill。　But　this　is　a　mere　popular　superstition。
  Such　payment　is　not　the　last；　but　the　first
  term　in　a　series　of　goodly　length。　If　we　wish
  to　give　to　the　block　a　lease　of　life　equal　to
  that　of　the　pages；　the　first　condition　is　that　it
  should　be　bound。　So　at　least　one　would　have
  said　half　a　century　ago。　But；　while　books
  are　in　the　most　instances　cheaper；　binding；
  from　causes　which　I　do　not　understand；　is
  dearer；　at　least　in　England；　than　it　was　in　my
  early　years；　so　that　few　can　afford　it。＇11＇　　We
  have；　however；　the　tolerable　and　very　useful
  expedient　of　cloth　binding　（now　in　some
  danger；　I　fear；　of　losing　its　modesty　through
  flaring　ornamentation）　to　console　us。　Well；
  then；　bound　or　not；　the　book　must　of
  necessity　be　put　into　a　bookcase。　And　the
  bookcase　must　be　housed。　And　the　house　must
  be　kept。　And　the　library　must　be　dusted；
  must　be　arranged；　should　be　catalogued。　What
  a　vista　of　toil；　yet　not　unhappy　toil！　Unless
  indeed　things　are　to　be　as　they　now　are　in
  at　least　one　princely　mansion　of　this　country；
  where　books；　in　thousands　upon　thousands；
  are　jumbled　together　with　no　more
  arrangement　than　a　sack　of　coals；　where　not　even
  the　sisterhood　of　consecutive　volumes　has
  been　respected；　where　undoubtedly　an
  intending　reader　may　at　the　mercy　of　Fortune
  take　something　from　the　shelves　that　is　a
  book；　but　where　no　particular　book　can
  except　by　the　purest　accident；　be　found。
  Such　being　the　outlook；　what　are　we　to　do
  with　our　books？　Shall　we　be　buried　under
  them　like　Tarpeia　under　the　Sabine　shields？
  Shall　we　renounce　them　（many　will；　or　will
  do　worse；　will　keep　to　the　most　worthless
  part　of　them）　in　our　resentment　against　their
  more　and　more　exacting　demands？　Shall　we
  sell　and　scatter　them？　as　it　is　painful　to　see
  how　often　the　books　of　eminent　men　are
  ruthlessly；　or　at　least　unhappily；　dispersed
  on　their　decease。　Without　answering　in
  detail；　I　shall　assume　that　the　book…buyer　is　a
  book…lover；　that　his　love　is　a　tenacious；　not
  a　transitory　love；　and　that　for　him　the
  question　is　how　best　to　keep　his　books。
  I　pass　over　those　conditions　which　are　the
  most　obvious；　that　the　building　should　be
  sound　and　dry；　the　apartment　airy；　and　with
  abundant　light。　And　I　dispose　with　a　passing
  anathema　of　all　such　as　would　endeavour　to
  solve　their　problem；　or　at　any　rate
  compromise　their　difficulties；　by　setting　one　row
  of　books　in　front　of　another。　I　also　freely
  admit　that　what　we　have　before　us　is　not
  a　choice　between　difficulty　and　no　difficulty；
  but　a　choice　among　difficulties。
  The　objects　further　to　be　contemplated　in
  the　bestowal　of　our　books；　so　far　as　I
  recollect；　are　three：　economy；　good　arrangement；
  and　accessibility　with　the　smallest　possible
  expenditure　of　time。
  In　a　private　library；　where　the　service　of
  books　is　commonly　to　be　performed　by　the
  person　desiring　to　use　them；　they　ought　to　be
  assorted　and　distributed　according　to　subject。
  The　case　may　be　altogether　different　where
  they　have　to　be　sent　for　and　brought　by　an
  attendant。　It　is　an　immense　advantage　to
  bring　the　eye　in　aid　of　the　mind；　to　see
  within　a　limited　compass　all　the　works　that
  are　accessible；　in　a　given　library；　on　a　given
  subject；　and　to　have　the　power　of　dealing
  with　them　collectively　at　a　given　spot；　instead
  of　hunting　them　up　through　an　entire
  accumulation。　It　must　be　admitted；　however；　that
  distribution　by　subjects　ought　in　some　degree
  to　be　controlled　by　sizes。　If　everything　on　a
  given　subject；　from　folio　down　to　32mo；　is　to
  be　brought　locally　together；　there　will　be　an
  immense　waste　of　space　in　the　attempt　to
  lodge　objects　of　such　different　sizes　in　one
  and　the　same　bookcase。　And　this　waste　of
  space　will　cripple　us　in　the　most　serious
  manner；　as　will　be　seen　with　regard　to　the
  conditions　of　economy　and　of　accessibility。
  The　three　conditions　are　in　truth　all
  connected　together；　but　especially　the　two　last
  named。
  Even　in　a　paper　such　as　this　the　question
  of　classification　cannot　altogether　be
  overlooked；　but　it　is　one　more　easy　to　open　than
  to　close　　one　upon　which　I　am　not　bold
  enough　to　hope　for　uniformity　of　opinion　and
  of　practice。　I　set　aside　on　the　one　hand　the
  case　of　great　public　libraries；　which　I　leave
  to　the　experts　of　those　establishments。　And；
  at　the　other　end　of　the　scale；　in　small　private
  libraries　the　matter　becomes　easy　or　even
  insignificant。　In　libraries　of　the　medium　scale；
  not　too　vast　for　some　amount　of　personal
  survey；　some　would　multiply　subdivision；　and
  some　restrain　it。　An　acute　friend　asks　me
  under　what　and　how　many　general　headings
  subjects　should　be　classified　in　a　library
  intended　for　practical　use　and　reading；　and
  boldly　answers　by　suggesting　five　classes
  only：　（1）　science；　（2）　speculation；　（3）　art；
  （4）　history；　and　（5）　miscellaneous　and
  periodical　literature。　But　this　seemingly　simple
  division　at　once　raises　questions　both　of
  practical　and　of　theoretic　difficulty。　As　to　the
  last；　periodical　literature　is　fast　attaining　to
  such　magnitude；　that　it　may　require　a
  classification　of　its　own；　and　that　the　enumeration
  which　indexes　supply；　useful　as　it　is；　will　not
  suffice。　And　I　fear　it　is　the　destiny　of
  periodicals　as　such　to　carry　down　with　them　a
  large　proportion　of　what；　in　the　phraseology
  of　railways；　would　be　called　dead　weight；　as
  compared　with　live　weight。　The　limits　of
  speculation　would　be　most　difficult　to　draw。
  The　diversities　included　under　science　would
  be　so　vast　as　at　once　to　make　sub…
  classification　a　necessity。　The　olog…ies　are　by　no　means
  well　suited　to　rub　shoulders　together；　and
  sciences　must　include　arts；　which　are　but
  country　cousins　to　them；　or　a　new
  compartment　must　be　established　for　their
  accomodation。　Once　more；　how　to　cope　with　the
  everlasting　difficulty　of　'Works'？　In　what
  category　to　place　Dante；　Petrarch；
  Swedenborg；　Burke；　Coleridge；　Carlyle；　or　a　hundred
  more？　Where；　again；　is　Poetry　to　stand？
  I　apprehend　that　it　must　take　its　place；　the
  first　place　without　doubt；　in　Art；　for　while　it
  is　separated　from　Painting　and　her　other
  'sphere…born　harmonious　sisters'　by　their
  greater　dependence　on　material　forms　they　ar