Combination room, for the use of the fellows, and one from the master's lodge. It was on the staircase of the latter that Dr Caius says (Annals) there used to be a glass window displaying the likeness of two sons of the Duke of Suffolk in their doctors' robes.

The first subsequent reference which I have found to the Library is in 1618, when some additions must have been made to the shelves, as there is an entry in the Bursar's book of payment "to the joyner for 46 foote of bordd for the new shelves in the upper end of the library, 4 10d"; also "for 45 feet, 4 8d." In 1620 the chains by which all the earlier acquisitions of books had been fastened were removed; for there is an entry "for carrying up to the Treasury the chaines and the iron barres that were taken from the bookes and off the deskes in the library."

No important alterations seem to have been made in the old building for more than 200 years after its erection. By 1675 it had, according to Gostlin's account (Historiola), fallen into a state of great decay,-"intus et extra caduca penitus et collapsura,"--and extensive reparations were undertaken, at a cost of £266. 16s. 2d. The windows were enlarged, the remaining old chains, cases, &c. were removed, and a new staircase of stone made. In this state it remained until the change of site in 1853, except that the outside was ashlared', and the windows modernized, in common with the rest of the court, in 1753–4.

In 1710 we have the benefit of a learned foreigner's report on the library. In the course of his travels in England Baron Offenbach paid Cambridge a visit, his object here, as elsewhere, being mainly that of inspecting the MSS. He came to our college on the morning of July 31, but found the librarian absent, which was not surprising in the Long vacation. A fellow, however, who happened to be present, hearing that he wanted to consult some of our MSS., of which he had heard through the well-known General Catalogue printed at Oxford in 1697, told him that he had a key of the room in which they were kept. He accordingly led him thither. Offenbach describes the room as a wretched garret under the roof, the upper steps of the stairs covered with pigeon's dung, the MSS lying in disorder on the floor and smothered in dust. However, as he tells us, he took off his cuffs, and with much messing of his hands and coat set to work to study such of the desired volumes as he could find. The only thing of any interest to him which he could discover was Henry Spelman's Archaismus Graphicus, or Index to the principal abbreviations which occur in old writings (No. 415).

The attic referred to in the above account was a room over the library, in which the MSS. had been placed when the main room became crowded. Formerly the whole attic floor had belonged to the master. In 1583 it was divided up into ten "studies," "in usum studiosiorum collegii," presumably for the use of young scholars who had no studies in their tutors' chambers. In or about 1679 (WillisClark, 1. 200) this floor was utilized as a part of the Library, and it was to this

1 The wording of the Gesta, "to case the west side of Gonville Court with freestone, and to rebuild the wall of the library and the rooms under it as far as necessary" suggest that something more than refacing was perhaps involved.

2 Offenbach, Reisen, ш. 12.

room that Offenbach paid his visit. At some subsequent date it reverted to the

master.

The ancient bookcases were comparatively low. In their present form they appear to date from 1707, when a sum of £49. 10s. Od. was paid for "raising the classes in the Library." This was in pursuance of a college order of Nov. 6, 1706. In 1853-4, as a part of the extensive alterations carried on by Mr Salvin in the Gonville Court and neighbouring ground, a new Library was built facing Trinity Lane, on the site of what had formerly been college offices together with a few students' chambers. A reference to the plan of 1850 (p. 140) will show the arrangement of the various buildings which at that time occupied the site of the present Library and Hall. The walls and roof of the old building were left undisturbed, but the inside has undergone several transformations. It was at first converted into four sets of students' rooms, which were thus occupied from 1854 to 1868, when the two on the first floor were assigned to the Master's Lodge. In 1891 one of these rooms was converted into a small combination room for the fellows; and, in 1896, one on the ground floor was set apart for a combination room for the bachelors.

A number of catalogues of the books have been compiled from time to time, but unfortunately none are of very early date. The oldest is probably of the early part of the 17th century, and refers to our MSS. (it was formerly in the Treasury, where it was erroneously entered as containing Mr O. Naylor's gift of books). We have two, or perhaps three, about 1642-4. One of these was drawn up by Mr Edmund Barker, the librarian, and another by Mr Wm Lyng, fellow. In 1679 the bursar paid £12 for a catalogue; and again £4. 12s. Od. in 1732; but it is not easy to identify these. We have separate catalogues of several donations, chief of these being that of Dr Branthwaite, in 1618. Owing to this being the first very large collection given to us, it seems to have been separately called the "nova donatio," the previous gifts and bequests being entitled the "vetus donatio." is recorded in a handsome catalogue by itself.

In 1846 a printed catalogue of our MSS. was completed by Mr J. J. Smith, the librarian at the time. Till this date the only accessible information on this subject had been given in the Oxford volume of 1697, above referred to. Considering the heavy demands upon a tutor's time, and the many other directions in which he was then engaged, Mr Smith's list is a very complete and creditable performance. To this he added, in 1852, a short account of the Illustrations in our MSS. In 1850 Mr W. R. Collett, librarian, published a list of our Early Printed Volumes.

Till comparatively recent times the Library depended almost entirely for its growth upon the gifts and bequests of former members; a fact which accounts for the character of most such college collections, in respect of the many omissions, and many repetitions of the same books. Occasionally indeed the purchase of

1 The room under the Library itself (the ancient 'audit-chamber'; p. 196) had, at any rate for some time before 1853, been assigned to the master, and was used as a sitting- and occasional dining-room. It seems that the floor of the old Library, unlike that of the old Hall, was left unaltered, as regards its height above the ground, when the conversion into chambers was made.

some work of reference is found entered in the college accounts, but these are generally the application in detail of one or two legacies left for this purpose. Thus in 1708 there is an entry "for Grævius & Gronovius for the use of the College Library, £26. 17. 6."

In 1656 an attempt had been made to supply a constant succession of new works. It was resolved that "whereas fellow-commoners are wont to expend about 40 in an entertainment of the master and fellows, it was agreed that the said sum of 40 at least be translated to the benefit of the Library." This was adhered to for some time, but subsequently dropped. The first systematic provision for new wants seems to be the college order of Ap. 5, 1839, when 158., out of the sum paid by each student on entering the college, was set apart for this purpose. This has since been added to, and the present income, for the purchase of additions to the Library, is about £60 or £70.

The earliest notice of appointment of a regular librarian is in 1629. A college order of May 26 in that year prescribes that the librarian shall receive £6 a year to be paid by the steward out of the "commemoration money " of the bachelors of arts. This was soon after the very large addition to the Library caused by Dr Branthwaite's bequest.

After a long period of neglect the college library has again, of late years, begun to play its part in the scheme of Study and Research. If the tendency is carried out,—of which there seems some trace-to specialize the college libraries, their services would, I think, be greatly enhanced. One important function must of course be, as it always has been, that of supplying the wants of ordinary students. In these days, when scientific works succeed each other so rapidly, the duty of providing the student with the more expensive treatises, and with the last numbers of the scientific journals, has become important. But when this duty is satisfied, there is still room for something more. Several openings suggest themselves. For one thing, a college library seems the natural and fitting place in which to seek for the works of any former member. In our own case, for a good many years past, a serious attempt has been made in this direction, and many volumes, of interest to us, have thus been added to our collection. Again, it seems desirable, for purposes of research, to strengthen a library in any direction in which it is already strong. Our own library, for instance, contains a good supply of antiquarian works, topographical and genealogical, dealing with the Eastern Counties. It seems suitable that a college which was for so long predominantly East-Anglian,-and a college, let us add, at which Francis Blomefield. was trained, should be especially well represented in works of this kind. Our librarians have for some time given attention to this point.

There is one matter of great interest and importance to which it seems desirable to call attention here. The aggregate of the college libraries is very great. From enquiries made some years ago it appears that the total exceeds 300,000 volumes. Of course the bulk of this is of no special value, and the same books are repeated many times over. But no library of this magnitude exists without containing hundreds, we might say thousands, of works which are scarce and valuable. At present what a student does not find in the University Library he has to seek at