Annals of the Bodleian Library, Oxford, A.D. 1598-A.D. 1867 Part 46

Benj. Kennicott, 'Coll. Wadh. Schol.' July 15, 1746.

George Ballard, Dec. 9, 1747.

Edw. Rowe Mores, Commoner of Queen's College, Aug. 29, 1748.

John Uri, 'Korosini, Hungarus,' Feb. 17, 1766.

Edw. Gibbon, 'Coll. Magd. olim Soc. Com.' Oct. 17, 1766.

Joh. Schweighauser, June 13, 1769.

J. J. Griesbach, March 22, 1770.

Hen. Alb. Schultens, Oct. 16, 1772.

John Macbride, 'ex Coll. Exon.' (the late venerable Princ.i.p.al of Magd.

Hall, who was only removed by death at the beginning of the present year), May 10, 1797.

Philip Bliss, Feb. 9, 1809.

[375] Of this xylographic _Apocalypse_ the Library possesses two other editions; one being that called by Mr. Sotheby the Fourth, which was given by Archbp. Laud, and the other being that called the Fifth by Sotheby, but 'Editio princeps' by Heinecken, which was bought in 1853 for 120 5_s._ Other Block-books in the Library are, (1) two editions of the _Biblia Pauperum_, or Scenes from Bible History; one coloured, the other (which belonged to Douce) uncoloured; (2) the _Historia B. M. V.

ex Cantico Canticorum_, being the edition called the Second by Sotheby; (3) _Propugnacula, seu Turris Sapientiae_, a broadside, bought in 1853 for six guineas. A facsimile of this is given in vol. ii. of Sotheby's _Principia_; (4) _Speculum Humanae Salvationis._ In this book, which is the second Latin edition of the work (formerly described as the _Editio princeps_), twenty pages are taken off from wood-blocks, and the rest from moveable type. The copy belonged to Douce. It came previously 'ex Musaeo Pauli Girardot de Prefond,' but is not mentioned in De Bure's catalogue of that library, published in 1757. It is said that a copy of this book has been sold for the large sum of 300 guineas.

[376] A touching letter, in English, dated June 28, which Laud forwarded, together with this formal doc.u.ment, is printed in vol. ii. of Wharton's edition of his _Remains_, p. 217. In the same volume are included copies of all the letters which accompanied the Archbishop's gifts to the Library. The following reply (_ibid._ p. 177) to a notification from the Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Frewen, of the visitation of his collection, and of the giving special charge to the Librarian respecting their safe custody, seeing that they stood unchained, and in a place frequented by strangers who came to see them, should have been noticed in its due place in the _Annals_.

'SIR,

'I thank you heartily for your care of my books. And I beseech you that the Library-keeper may be very watchful to look to them since they stand unchain'd. And I would to G.o.d the place in the Library for them were once ready, that they might be set up safe, and chained as the other books are; and yet then, if there be not care taken, you may have some of the best and choisest tractats cut out of the covers and purloin'd, as hath been done in some other libraries.'

'W. CANT.

'Lambeth, Nov, 15, 1639.'

[377] Pedigree of the family of Lane, p. 392 of the _Boscobel Tracts_, edited by J. Hughes, A.M., second edition, 1857.

[378] No. 7762 in the catalogue of the South Kensington Museum, in 1862.

[379] Mr. John Gough Nichols, in his collection of the _Literary Remains of Edw. VI_, printed by the Roxburghe Club in 1857 (vol. i. pp.

cccxxiii-cccxxv), describes these volumes at length, and a.s.signs the whole of both of them to the pen of the King, but some part of the first volume corresponds much more closely with the usual style of Elizabeth's early writing, and a memorandum by Hearne testifies that it was regarded in his day as having been written by her.

[380] 'The poem of Joseph and Zuleikha, in the Public Library at Oxford, is perhaps the most beautiful MS. in the world; the margins of every page are gilt and adorned with garlands of flowers, and the handwriting is elegant to the highest degree.' (I. Disraeli's _Romances_, 1799, p.

52.)

[381] This book, which has appeared since the earlier sheets of this volume were printed, contains descriptions, with facsimiles, of the Leofric, Dunstan, and Mac-Regol MSS. and of the Rawlinsonian Life of St.

Columba, besides those noticed above.

[382] Caedmon was a monk of St. Hilda's Abbey, and died in 680. Bede (_Eccl. Hist._ iv. 24) tells the well-known story of his being miraculously enabled by a vision to compose vernacular verses, when previously he had been entirely unable to compose or sing a line, so that when present as a layman at feasts where, on the principle of 'no song, no supper,' every one was expected to raise a lay in his turn, he was wont, when he saw the harp coming round, to rise from his place and go home supperless.

[383] This MS. is noticed by Warton in his _Life of Sir T. Pope_, p. 73, where he also quotes Hearne's account of Elizabeth's New Testament, which is described at p. 52 _supra_.

[384] Lent to the South Kensington Museum in 1862, from the catalogue of which exhibition (under No. 202) the above description is taken.

[385] Rawlinson, C. 876, f. 52.

[386] _Catalogue of the South Kensington Exhibition_, 1862, p. 672.

[387] Another specimen of Mr. Ra.s.sam's caligraphic skill is to be seen in the Common Room of Magdalene College (in which College he was entertained for some time), where the College arms are represented in the same manner.

[388] Besides some restorations from the Randolph Gallery of portraits formerly removed thither.

[389] An engraving of a roundel (then, with others, in the possession of John Fenton of Fishguard) of which the exact counterpart is found in one of these sets, is given in the _Gent. Magaz._ for 1799, p. 465. As it is not known how long the Library has been in possession of its present collection, it is possible that Mr. Fenton's series may now be included in it. A description of a set of the time of James I may be found in vol. x.x.xiv of the _Archaeologia_, pp. 225-230; and a notice of the Bodleian trenchers in _Notes and Queries_, 1866, p. 472, and other communications on the subject in the first volume for 1867.

APPENDIX E.

_Numismatic Collection._

The collection of Coins and Medals was commenced by the gift from Archbishop Laud of five cabinets of coins, in 1636[390], to which he subsequently made some additions. These were accompanied by a very full MS. catalogue, which is now preserved among Laud's MSS., No. 554. In 1657 a large addition was made by Mr. Ralph Freke (see p. 88), and numerous small gifts came from many donors in following years. A catalogue, upon which Francis Wise had been engaged for a long period, was published by him in a folio volume, in 1750, ent.i.tled, _Nummorum antiquorum scriniis Bodleianis reconditorum catalogus, c.u.m commentario, tabulis aeneis et appendice_. Wise remarks in his Preface, that no donation, however trifling, was rejected, and that, consequently, there was (as there is still) a very large quant.i.ty of Middle and Third bra.s.s coins of little or no value. From Rawlinson there came, in 1755, besides coins, a collection of Italian medals (Popes, Medici family, &c.), and numerous matrices of seals, chiefly foreign. Browne Willis contributed the most valuable portion of the whole collection, in his series of gold and silver English coins[391].

Subsequent benefactors have been C. G.o.dwyn, in 1770; Douce, whose collection included those of Calder, Moore, and Keate, and from whom came a series of Tradesmen's Tokens; Dr. Ingram, in 1850, whose bequest included some British specimens; the Queen, who gave, in 1841, a portion of the treasure found at Cuerdale (see p. 264); Mackie, Roberts, Elliott, whose valuable series of Indo-Bactrian coins was presented in 1860 (see p. 291), and Dr. Caulfield of Cork, who presented in 1866 a large collection of the Gun-money struck by James II in Ireland. The Ashmole coins were transferred from the Museum, together with Ashmole's library, in 1861. There is also a cabinet of Napoleon medals.

No catalogue of any portion of the contents of this room (excepting a brief description of the Cuerdale coins) has been issued since the publication of Wise's volume. For some short time past, however, W. S.

Vaux, Esq., of the British Museum, has occasionally afforded his valuable services in arrangement and description; and it is hoped that before long the whole of the collection may be reduced to order and properly indexed.

By the statutes of the Library, the Librarian, or one of the Sub-librarians, must always be present when any coins are exhibited; nor may they be shown to more than two persons at a time, unless two officers of the Library, or a Curator, are present. No examination of coins for the purpose of comparison with other specimens is permitted.

[390] Amongst these are several rare Hebrew specimens. Laud's letter of gift, dated June 16, is printed at p. 94, vol. ii., of his _Remains_, edited by H. Wharton. A curious collection of Roman weights came among early benefactions; they are entered in Wise's catalogue.

[391] The special gems are a gold Allectus, and the famous _Reddite_ and _Pet.i.tion_ crowns of Thomas Simon, the latter of which was struck in 1663. The Pet.i.tion crown is probably the one which was sold in Dr.

Mead's sale in February, 1755 (_Cat._ p. 186), and which is noted by Rawlinson in his copy of the sale catalogue as having been purchased by -- Hodsall for 12. A gold Allectus was sold at the same sale to the Duke of Devons.h.i.+re for 21 5_s._