The small collection of The Church of St. Mary at Dantzic is one of The earliest of The existing Libraries of Germany, having been founded at The beginning of The fifteenth century in The thick of The dreary war between The King of Poland and The Teutonic Order. A worthy clerical dignitary of that day, andreas von Slommow by name, a member of The order and “priest of our Lady at Dantzic” (Pfarrer czu unser frauen in Danczk),determined to found a Library and to furnish it with good books, especially of Holy Scripture, (nemlich in der hilgen schrift)to The intent that those who came after him should be able ‘to teach and shew to The people The way of truth and of eternal salvation (das sie das volk den weq der warheit und den loeg der ewigen saligkdit leren und weizen, mogen und wissqn), as is said in The Teutonic Grand-Master’s Letter of Ratification of 1413. The Library thus founded has continued to this day. In 1791, it is said to have numbered 300 old folios, besides books in other sizes, and MSS. It need scarcely be added that many rare incunabula are here preserved.

The beginnings of The Town Library of Ratisbon date from 1430, when The Canon Conrad of Hildesheim gave of Ratisbon. some juridical MSS. Until The time of The Reformation it seems to have been The only public collection, and to have contained nothing but law-books. When The LuTheran struggle gave a new impulse to Theological studies, a special Divinity Library was begun at The cost of The Town, and before The end of The sixteenth century another, expressly for The Clergy, and apparently maintained by Them.