nor have these authors been despised by the boundless curiosity of the proprietors of the Harleian Library. The writers on horsemanship and fencing are more numerous, and more bulky, than could be expected, by those who reflect how seldom those excel in either, whom their educa tion has qualified to compose books.

The admirer of Greek and Roman Literature will meet, in this collection, with editions little known to the most inquisitive critics, and which have escaped the observation of those whose great employment has been the collation of copies; nor will he find only the most ancient editions of Faustus, Jenson, Spira, Swenheim, and Pannartz; but the most accurate and likewise beautiful of Colinæus, the Junta, Plantin, Aldus, the Stephens, and Elzevir, with the commentaries and observations of the most learned editors.

Nor are they accompanied only with the illustrations of those who have confined their attempts to particular writers; but of those likewise who have treated on any part of the Greek or Roman antiquities, their laws, their customs, their dress, their buildings, their wars, their revenues, or the rites and ceremonies of their worship, and those that have endeavoured to explain any of their authors from their statues or their coins.

Next to the ancients, those writers deserve to be mentioned, who, at the restoration of literature, imitated their language and their style with so great success, or who la boured with so much industry to make them understood: such were Philelphus and Politian, Scaliger and Buchanan, and the poets of the age of Leo the Tenth; these are likewise to be found in this library; together with the Delicia, or collections of all nations.,

Painting is so nearly allied to poetry, that it cannot be wondered that those who have so much esteemed the one, have paid an equal regard to the other; and therefore it may be easily imagined, that the collection of prints is numerous in an uncommon degree; but surely the expectation of every man will be exceeded, when he is informed that there are more than forty thousand engraven from Raphael, Titian, Guido, the Caracci, and a thousand others, by Nantucil, Hollar, Callet, Edelinck, and Dorigny, and other engravers of equal reputation.

There is also a great collection of original drawings, of which three seem to deserve a particular mention, the first exhibits a representation of the inside of St. Peter's church at Rome; the second, of that of St. John Lateran; and the

third, of the high altar of St. Ignatius, all painted with the utmost accuracy in their proper colours.

As the value of this great collection may be conceived from this account, however imperfect; as the variety of subjects must engage the curiosity of men of different studies, inclinations, and employments, it may be thought of very little use to mention any slighter advantages, or to dwell on the decorations and embellishments which the generosity of the proprietors has bestowed upon it; yet, since the compiler of the Thuanian catalogue thought not even that species of elegance below his observation, it may not be improper to observe, that the Harleian library, perhaps, excels all others, not more in the number and excellence, than in the splendour of its volumes.

We may now surely be allowed to hope, that our catalogue will be thought not unworthy of the public curiosity; that it will be purchased as a record of this great collection, and preserved as one of the memorials of learning.

The patrons of literature will forgive the purchaser of this library, if he presumes to assert some claim to their protection and encouragement, as he may have been instrumental in continuing to this nation the advantage of it. The sale of Vossius's collection into a foreign country is, to this day, regretted by men of letters; and, if this effort for the prevention of another loss of the same kind should be disadvantageous to him, no man will hereafter willingly risk his for tune in the cause of learning.

1742, Dec.

III. Account of the Harleian Collection of Manuscripts, in the British Musæum.*

THIS collection was begun near the end of the last century, by Robert Harley, of Brampton Bryan, in Herefordshire, Esq. afterwards Earl of Oxford, and Lord. High Treasurer; and was conducted upon the plan of the great Sir Robert Cotton.

He purchased his first considerable collection in August 1705, and in less than ten years he got together near 2,500 curious and rare MSS. among which were those of Sir Simon

From the Preface to the New Index to that Collection compiled by Mt. Astle.

D'Ewes, the Suffolk antiquary; Mr. John Stow, author of the Survey of London; Mr. Charles, Lancaster Herald; and John Fox, the Martyrologist.

Soon after, the celebrated Dr. George Hickes; Mr. Anstis, Garter King at Arms; Bishop Nicholson, and many other eminent antiquaries, not only offered him their assistance in procuring MSS. but presented him with several that were very valuable.

Being thus encouraged to perseverance by his success, he kept many persons employed in purchasing MSS. for him abroad, giving them written instructions for their conduct.

By these means, the MS. Library was in the year 1721, increased to near 6,000 books; 14,000 original charters, and 500 rolls.

On the 21st of May 1724, Lord Oxford died: but his son Edward, who succeeded to his honours and estate, still farther enlarged the collection; so that when he died, June 16, 1741, it consisted of 8,000 volumes several of them containing distinct and independent treatises, besides many loose papers, which have been since sorted and bound up in volumes; and above 40,000 original rolls, charters, letters patent, grants, and other deeds and instruments of great antiquity.

The principal design of making this collection was the establishment of a MS. English Historical Library, and the rescuing from destruction such records of our national antiquities as had eluded the diligence of preceding collectors: but Lord Oxford's plan was more extensive; for his collection abounds with curious MSS. in every science.

A general idea of the contents of this collection may be conceived from the following articles.

Of Bibles and Biblical Books, 300 copies in the Hebrew, Chaldee, Greek, Arabic, and Latin Languages, many of great antiquity, particularly,

A Hebrew bible several hundred years old, to which are perfixed the various readings of the Eastern and Western copies, a syllabus of the Parashoths and Haphtaroths for the whole year, and two remarkable drawings, in gold highly 'embossed, of the sacred vessels and utensils of the ancient Jews.

A Hebrew bible, with small Masoretic notes, adorned with miniature paintings, written in the 14th century.

A Latin bible, with St. Paul's epistle to the Laodiceans, finely illuminated, written in the 11th century, and formerly belonging to the cathedral of Anjou.

The Old and New Testament of the vulgate edition, elegantly written in the 13th century, with the psalter of the Gallican version; Rabanus Maurus's prefaces to his commentaries on the books of the Maccabees, and an interpretation of the Hebrew names, adorned with most beautiful miniatures. The reading of the 8th verse of the 5th chapter of St. John's first epistle in this MS. is, Et tres sunt qui testimonium dant in terra, spiritus, aqua, et sanguis; et hi

tres unum sunt.

A transcript of the books of the Old and New Testament, written in the same century, and illuminated, formerly belonging to the Capuchin convent at Montpelier. In this MS. the 7th verse of the 5th chapter of St. John is wanting; and the reading of the 8th verse is, Quoniam tres sunt qui testimonium dant in terra, spiritus, aqua, et sanguis; et tres

unum sunt.

A copy of the Old and New Testament, with St. Jerome's prologue to the book of Job written in capitals, and of the 18th century.

Another copy, finely illuminated, written in the 18th century.

The most complete copy now extant of Peter de Riga's versification of the Latin bible, written in the 14th century.

A double roll, containing the Hebrew Pentateuch, written with great care in a very large character, and without points, or any horns or flourishes on the tops of the letters, on 40 brown African skins of different sizes, some containing more columns than others, and having a space of about four lines left between every two books.

The Hebrew Pentateuch, with a Chaldee paraphrase; and the books of Canticles, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, and Esther; with the commentaries of R. S. Jarchi, and part of the Chaldee interpretation of the Canticles, written in the 14th century.

A small roll, containing the book of Esther in Hebrew, finely written in a very small character, and by a Spanish hand.

Part of the book of Psalms, and the entire books of Proverbs, Job, Daniel, Esdras, Nehemiah, Chronicles, Ruth, Ecclesiastes, Esther, and Lamentations, in Hebrew, written in the 12th century.

Part of Exodus, and the whole book of Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Esther, Canticles, Ruth, Lamentations, and Ecclesiastes, in Hebrew, with the Haphtaroths; of the 14th century.

Two copies of the book of Job in Latin, one written in the 11th century; the other, with a gloss, in the 12th.

A fine copy of the books of Tobit, Judith, Ruth, and Wisdom, in Latin, with a gloss, written in the 13th century.

Two biblical books, upwards of 500 years old, being part of a most richly illuminated MS. the first vol. of which beginning at Genesis, and ending with Job, is preserved in the Bodleian Library [Arch. A. 154.] They consist of texts according to the vulgar Latin, selected from the books of Maccabees and New Testament, with the subject of each text, represented in a picture, included in a pretty large circle. Underneath each text is an interpretation in Latin, according to the opinion of the author, who generally applies such text to demonstrate the happiness of virtue and the misery of vice. These explications are also represented in historical paintings, and the whole is adorned with illuminated ornaments.

Three very fair copies of the New Testament, of Wickliff's translation, all written in his time, and one of them, as is supposed, by his own hand. To one of these copies is prefixed a calendar of the lessons and gospels of all the year. At the end are the epistles of St. Paul to the Laodiceans, and the lessons and epistles of the old "lawe, that ben red in the chirche all the yeere after the use of Salisbury."

The four gospels in Greek, with the canons of Eusebius, said in a note at the end of the MS. and in a hand nearly coeval with it, to be the proper hand-writing of King Theodosius the Great.

A most august copy of the Greek gospels, in capitals, written in the 11th century.

An ancient transcript of the Greek gospels, adorned with a great variety of historical paintings, and accompanied with an explanatory treatise on the evangelists and evangelical lessons, a menology, the canons of Eusebius written in illuminated blue and gold letters, his epistle to Carpian, the preface of Irenæus, and another preface taken from Cosma, the Egyptian's Christianorum Opinio de Mundo, sive Topographia Christiana; allowed to be at least as old as the 12th century. It is said in a note written on a spare leaf at the end of this MS. that it formerly belonged to a monastery, that took its appellation from the prophet Elias.

A fair copy of the Greek gospels, written in the 11th century, with the pictures of the Evangelists painted on gold crowns, and their names written on the margins in Arabic characters.