autoramento longe potentius. Nec ifta obvia morum facilitas, qua omnes bonos eruditio ifque candidatos complexus eft, quic, quam reverentiæ quaviciffim ille colebatur, detraxerat: potius, om, nium, quos familiari fermone, repetitifque colloquiis dignari placuit, in fe amores et admirationem hac infigni naturæ benignitate excitavit." Vit. Rob. Cottoni, p. xxiv. prefixed to the Catalogus Librorum Manuscriptorum Bibl. Cott. 1696. folio, "Sir Robert was, however, doomed to have the evening of his life clouded by one of thofe crooked and disastrous events, of which it is now impoffible to trace the correct caufe, or affix the degree of ignominy attached to it, on the head of its proper au thor. Human nature has few blacker inftances of turpitude on record, than that to which our knight fell a victim. In the year 1615, fome wretch communicated to the Spanish ambassador the valuable ftate papers in his library, who caused them to be copied and tranflated into the Spanish; thefe papers were of too much importance to be made public; and James the 1ft had the mean. nefs to iffue' a commiflion which excluded Sir Robert from his own library.' The ftorm quickly blew over, and the funshine of Cotton's integrity diffufed around its wonted brilliancy. But in the year 1629, another mifchievous wretch propagated a report, that Sir Robert had been privy to a treasonable publication; becaufe, forfooth, the original tract, from which this treafonable one had been taken, was, in the year 1613, without the knowledge of the owner of the library, introduced into the Cottonian collection. This wretch, under the abufed title of librarian, had, for pecuniary confiderations,' the bafonefs to fuffer one or more copies of the pamphlet of 1613 (written at Florence by Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, under a lefs offensive title) to be taken, and in confequence printed. Sir Robert was there. fore again fingled out for royal vengeance: his library was put under fequeftration; and the owner forbidden to enter it. "It was in vain that his complete innocence was vindicated. To deprive fuch a man as COTTON of the ocular and manual comforts of his library-to fuppofe that he could be happy in the moft fplendid drawing-room in Europe, without his books-is to fuppofe what our experience of virtuous bibliomaniacs will not permit us to accede to. In confequence, Sir Robert declared to his friends, that they had broken his heart, who had locked up his library from him:' which declaration he folemnly repeated to the Privy Council. In the the year 1631, this great and good man closed his eyes for ever upon mortal fcenes: upon thofe whom he had gladdened by his benevolence, and improved by his wifdom. "Such was the man, of whom Gale has thus eloquently fpoken: quifquis bona fide Hiftoriam noftram per omne ævumexplicare fataget, nullum laudatum Scriptorem à fe defiderari exoptarique poffe, quem COTTONIANUS ille incomparabilis thefaurus promptiflime non exhibebit: Ea eft, et femper fuit, nobilis Domus ergo ergo literatos indulgentia-Hujus fores (ut ille Mufarum, apud Pindarum) omnibus patent. Teftes apello Theologos, Antiqua, zios, Jurifconfultos, Bibliepolas; qui quidem omnes, ex Cottoniana Bibliotheca, tanquain ex perenni, fed et communi fonte, fine impenfis et moleftiâ, abundè hauferunt." Rer. Anglic. Script. Vet. vol. i. præf. p. 3. "The lofs of fuch a character-the deprivation of fuch a patron-made the whole fociety of book-collectors tremble and turn pale. Men began to look fharply into their libararies, and to caft a distrustful eye upon those who came to confult and to copy for the fpirit of COTTON, like the ghoft of Hamlet's father, was feen to walk, before cock-crow, along the galleries and balconies of great collections, and to bid the owners of them remember and beware!'- But to return. The library of this diftinguished bibliomaniac continued under fequeftration fome time after his death, and was preferved entire, with difficulty, during the fhock of the civil wars. In the year 1712, it was removed to Effex Houfe, in Effex-ftreet, Strand, where it continued till the year 1730, when it was conveyed back to West. minster, and depofited in Little Dean's Yard. In October 1731, broke out that dreadful fire, which Hearne (Benedict. Abbat. vol. i. præf, p. xvi.) fo pathetically deplores; and in which the nation fo generally fympathized-as it deftroyed and mutilated many precious volumes of this collection. Out of 958 volumes, 97 were destroyed, and 105 damaged. In the year 1753 the library, to the honor of the age, and as the only atonement which could be made to the injured name of Cotton, as well as to the effectual laying of his perturbed fpirit-was purchased by Parlia ment, and tranfported within the quiet and congenial abode of the British Mufeum: and here may it reft, unabused, for revolv. ing ages! The collection now contains 26,000 articles. Confult Mr. Planta's neatly written preface to the catalogue of the fame; vide p. 120, 350, ante. And thus take we our leave of the ever-memorable bibliomaniac, Sir ROBERT COTTON, KNT." P. 351, note. The fixth and laft part is devoted to a description of the fymptoms of Bibliomania, and the probable means of its cure. Two symptoms unnoticed in the author's former publication on this fubject, are here explained and difcuffed; one the paffion for books printed for private diflribution, the other for books printed at a private prefs. We are forry that we can afford room but for one more fpecimen, but this, it is apprehended, will be more generally acceptable to Bibliomaniacs than any which have preceded. "Museum Worfleyanum; by Sir Richard Wotfley: 1798, 1802, atlas folio. 2 vols. The firft volume of this work, of which 200 copies were printed, was finished in May, 1798, and circulated, with the plate's only of vol. ii. amongst the chofen friends friends of Sir Richard Worsley, the author; who was, at that time, the diplomatic Refident at Venice from the Court. The fecond volume, with the letter-prefs complete, of which only 100 copies were printed, was finished in 1802. The entire expence attending this rare and fumptuous publication (of which a copy is in the library of the Royal Institution amounted to the enor mous fum of 27,000l. and from the irregularity of delivering the fecond volumes of plates, in the firft inftance, without the letter. prefs, many of the copies are incomplete. "The Father's Revenge; by the Earl of Carlisle, K. G. &c. 1800, 4to. A limited impreffion of this very beautiful volume, decorated with engravings from the pencil of Weftall, was circulated by the noble author among his friends. I faw a copy of it, bound in green Morocco, with the original letter of the donor, in the library of Earl Spencer at Althorp. Mount St. Gothard; by the late Duchefs of Devonshire, folio. Only 50 copies of this brilliant volume were printed; to a few of which, it is faid, Lady Diana Beauclerk lent the aid of her ornamental pencil, in fome beautiful drawings of the wild and romantic fcenery in the neighbourhood of Mount St. Gothard. Differtation on Etrufcan Vafes, by Mr. Chriftie. Imperial 4to. With elegant engravings. Only 100 copies of this truly claffical volume were printed. From the death of one or two of the parties, who became originally poffeffed of it, as a prefent from the author, it has fallen to the lot of Mr. Christie to be. come, profeffionally, the vender of a work which he himself never meant to be fold. A copy was very lately difpofed of, in this manner, for 141. "Bentleii Epiftolæ; Edited by [the Rev.] Dr. Charles Burney; 1807, 4to. This is one of the most beautiful productions of the Shakspeare prefs; nor are the intrinfic merits of the volume inferior to its external fplendour. The fcarcer copies of it are thofe in medium quarto; of which only 50 were printed: of the imperial 4to. there were 150 executed. "I add two more fimilar examples; which were not printed at the Shakspeare prefs. "Lord Baltimore's Gaudia Poetica; Lat. Eng. et Gall, with plates. (No date.) Large 4to. Only ten copies of this rare volume were printed, and thofe diftributed among the author's friends a copy of it was fold for 61. 10s. at the fale of Mr. Reed's books: fee Bibl. Reed, No. 6682. It was inferted for fale in the catalogue of Mr. Burnham, bookfeller at Northamp ton, A. D. 1796-with a note of its rarity fubjoined. "Views in Orkney and on the North-Eastern Coast of Scot land. Taken in 1805. Etched 1807. Folio. By the prefent Marchionefs of Stafford. "The letter-prefs confifts of 27 pages; the firft of which bear this unaffuming defignation; "Some Account of the Orkney lflands, extracted from Dr. Barry's Hiftory, and Wallace's and Brand's Brand's Defcriptions of Orkney." To this chapter or divifion is prefixed a vignette of Stroma! and the chapter ends at p. 5. Then follow four views of the Orkney Islands. "The next chapter is entitled "The Cathedral of Kirk wall," which at the beginning exhibits a vignette of the Cathe dral of St. Magnus, and at the clofe, at p. 9, a vignette of a Tomb in the Cathedral. To these fucceed two plates, prefenting Views of the Infide of the Cathedral, and an Arch in the Cathe dral. "The third chapter commences at p. 11, with "The Earl of Orkney's Palace," to which a vignette of a Street in Kirkwall is prefixed. It ends at p. 12, and is followed by a place exhibit ing a View of the Door-way of the Earl's Palace; by another of the Hall of the Earl's Palace; and by a third containing two Views, namely, the Infide of the Hall, and, upon a larger scale, the Chimney in the Hall. "The Bay of the Frith" is the fubject of the fourth chapter; which exhibits at the beginning a vignette of the Hills of Hoy. It clofes at p. 14, with a vignette of the Dwarfy Stone. Then follow fix plates, containing a view of the Bay of Frith, a View from Hoy, two Views of the Eaftern and Western Circles of the Stones of Stennis, and two Views of Stromness. "The next chapter is entitled "Duncanfbay or Dungfbyhead," which bears in front a vignette of Wick, and at the end, in p. 16, a vignette of the Caftle of Frefwick. Three plates fol low; the first prefenting a View of Duncanfbay-head; the fea cond, Views of the Stacks of Hemprigs and the Hills of Schra. þiner or Schuraben; the third, a View of the Ord. "The Castle of Helmfdale" is the title of the fucceeding chapter, to which is prefixed a vignette of Helmfdale Castle. It ends at p. 19, with a vignette of the Bridge of Brora. Then follow two plates, prefenting Views of Helmfdale Castle, and the Coaft of Sutherland. "The fubject of the next chapter is "Dunrobin Castle," (the ancient feat of her Ladyfhip's ancestors, and now a refidence of her Ladyship,) which prefents, at the beginning, a vignette of Dunrobin Cattle, and after the clofe of the chapter, at p. 23, four plates; the firft of which is a View of Dunrobin Cattie and the furrounding fcenery; the fecond, a finaller View of the Caffle; the third, a View of Druid Stones, with another of Battle Stones in StrathЯlete; and the fourth, Dornoch, with the Thane's Crofs. "The last chapter is entitled "The Chapel of Rofslyn," to which is prefixed a vignette of Rofslyn Chapel. It is followed by four plates; the first exhibiting a View of a Column in Rofs. lyn Chapel; the fecond, a Door-way in the Chapel; the third, the Tomb of Sir William St. Clair; and the fourth, Hawthorn. den, the refidence of the elegant and plaintive Drummond, with whofe beautiful Sonnet, to this his romantic habitation, the vo lume clofes : * Dear "Dear wood! and you, fweet folitary place, Where I eftranged from the vulgar live," &c. "Of the volume which has been thus defcribed, only 130 copies were printed. The views were all drawn and etched by her Ladyhip; and are executed with a fpirit and correctnefs which would have done credit to the most successful disciple of Rembrandt. A copy of the work, which had been presented to the late Right Hon. C. F. Greville, produced, at the fale of his books, the fum of fixteen guineas." P. 71z, note.. The embellishments introduced into this clofely and ele. gantly printed volume are, it is evident, both appropriate and beautiful. Each part begins with an ornamented initial capital letter, furrounded by a fimilar wood-cut border, after the manner of ancient books. A fanciful vignette, cut in wood, concludes every part. The following are the por traits introduced: Magliabechi, Erafmus, Leland, Bale, Abp. Parker, Sir Thomas Bodley, Anthony Wood, Hearne, Mr. Thomas Miller, Trithemius, and a filhouette of the author: the ornamental illuftrations are, Friar Bacon's ftudy, Eraf mus's fudy, fac fimile of an ancient book-room, torments of hell, arms of the Univerfity of Oxford, John Bagford's arms, ornaments of Grollier's binding, and a pilgrim hawker; all these are cut in wood. In copper there are, a vignette of the interior of the Bodleian Library, of the golden covers of Q. Elizabeth's Manual of Devotion, of the interior of Mr. Jones' principal library, and of the vignette prefixed to the Strawberry-hill books: an outline etching alfo of the whole-lengths of Luther and Calvin, being a fac-fimile of thefe figures on the exterior of the vellum covers of an old book. There are three indexes: namely, chronological, biblio graphical, and general; the two latter are both copious and exact. It can hardly be neceffary to add, that we have received particular gratification from the perufal of this volume, which difplays extraordinary diligence, a prodigious variety of information, combined with much vivacity of thought and ftyle, and is in every refpect very highly creditable to the author. We much doubt, however, its efficacy in contributing to the cure of the disease, which is here the fubject of animadverfion. We rather think it will tend to fpread the infection, and add fuel to the flame; and to this the author has, probably, no very ferious objection. ART, |