[238] For the description of the contents of three of the Irish volumes, the author was indebted to an experienced Irish scholar, Standish Hayes O"Grady, Esq.
[239] A volume of collections by him relating to the early versions of the Bible was bought in 1858 for five guineas.
[240] Ballard MS. ii. 87.
[241] One curious volume is described by Sir F. Madden in his preface to _Syr Gawayne_, printed by the Roxburghe Club in 1839.
[242] With relation to these Rawlinson says, in a letter dated Feb. 25, 1736-7, that he had bought, about two years since, some of Ashmole"s papers from his heirs, including some of Dugdale"s (Ballard MS. ii. 11).
[243] For Parish Registers, see under 1821.
[244] Two MS. volumes of the Relations of Venetian Residents in various countries were given to the Library by Will. Gent, in 1600, and Sir Rich. Spencer, in 1603.
[245] From this library Rawlinson also obtained some French editions of the _Horae_, printed on vellum.
[246] Ballard MS. ii. 41.
[247] The clock, still in use in the Library, made by Robinson in Gracechurch Street, was one of the items comprised in this codicil, where it is described as a "table clock," then in the custody of Mr.
John King, a bookseller, in Moorfields.
[248] These were bought, "very cheap," at Mrs. Kennon"s sale, Feb. 24, 1755, by a dealer named Angel Carmey, who sold them to Rawlinson for 10 10_s._ Carmey"s letter conveying his offer of sale is preserved in Rawlinson"s copy of the sale catalogue.
[249] It does not appear, however, that this sum was ever paid.
[250] A curious, and probably unique, little "Almanacke for XII yere, after the latytude of Oxenforde," printed in 48^o (measuring two and a-half inches by one and three-quarters), by Wynkyn de Worde, "in the fletestrete," in 1508, was presented by David Laing, LL.D., the eminent Librarian to the Writers to the Signet, Edinburgh, in 1842. The Library also possesses two copies of a sheet Almanack, by Simon Heuringius, for 1551, printed by John Turck, at London; and other almanacs for 1564, 1567, and 1569. A volume containing five almanacs for the year 1589 was bought in 1857.
[251] With the same perverse eccentricity he ordered that the recipients of his endowments for the Keepership of the Ashmolean Museum and the Professorship of Anglo-Saxon, should be unmarried (in the former case only M.A. or B.C.L.), not a native of Scotland, Ireland, or the Plantations, nor a son of such native, nor, in the case of the Museum, even educated in Scotland, and not a member of either the Royal Society or the Society of Antiquaries.
[252] Autobiographical memoirs by Foucault, extending to 1719, were published under the editorship of F. Baudry, 4^o. Paris, 1862, in the French Government series of _Doc.u.ments inedits sur l"Histoire de France_. The editor remarks in the preface (p. xli.), "On ignore en quelles mains la bibliotheque de Foucault pa.s.sa apres sa mort [1721]. Le P. Le Long nous apprend seulement qu"elle fut vendue, et probablement dispersee."
[253] A record of his birth and baptism is entered in a family register kept by his father on the fly-leaves of a splendid copy of the folio Prayer-Book of 1662. He was the second son; born in Covent Garden, Apr.
7, 1687; bapt. Apr. 21, by Dr. Patrick, the sponsors being Major-Gen.
Werden, Sir Peter Apsley and the Countess of Bath. Prince George of Denmark was one of the sponsors to his elder brother, George. He had also a sister, Martha.
[254] Amongst these is a large collection of MS. news-letters written from various places abroad about the years 1637-1642; one of these, containing particulars of movements of the Swedish and Imperialist armies, is printed, as a specimen, in _Letters by Eminent Persons_, 1813, vol. i. pp. 15-17.
[255] References to many particulars relative to Th.o.r.esby, Bishop Gibson, White Kennett and Hickes (with a few others) are given in J.
Nichols" notes to the _Letters of Archbp. Nicolson_ (2 vols. 1809), an interesting and varied biographical miscellany, but which is guilty of the capital crime of omitting an index.
[256] This ought, apparently, to have reached the Library much sooner, through the hands of Dr. Charlett; since it has the following inscription on the fly-leaf: "Given by the Hon^ble. S^r. Edmund Warcup (being all writ w^th his own hand at y^e Isle of Wight at y^e Treaty) to the Public Library in Oxford, to be placed there when I thought fitting.
"AR. CHARLETT.
"Univ. Coll.
Nov. 25, 97."
A.D. 1756.
Dr. Samuel Johnson presented the account of Zachariah Williams" attempt to ascertain the longitude at sea, which he had published under Williams" name in the preceding year; and, as Warton noted[257], he entered it with his own hand in the Library Catalogue. The entry is still to be seen, with a memorandum of its being in Johnson"s hand, in an interleaved, and now disused, copy of the Catalogue of 1738.
[257] Boswell"s _Life of Johnson_, edit. 1835, vol. ii. p. 54.
A.D. 1759.
Above forty Syriac, Greek and Arabic MSS. are recorded in the Registers to have been presented by Henry Dawkins, Esq., of Standlynch, Wilts, who had collected them while travelling in the East with Robert Wood, whose works on Baalbec and Palmyra he presented at the same time. There are now _sixty_ MSS. in Syriac alone which pa.s.s under the name of Dawkins, some of which are of great age and value. They are described in Dr. R. Payne Smith"s Catalogue of the Syriac MSS. Mr. Dawkins died in London, June 19, 1814, aged eighty-six.
Swedenborg"s _Arcana Clestia_, published anonymously, in 8 vols.
were sent "by the author, unknown." The same donor, still unknown, sent in 1766 _Selecti Dionys. Halicarn. tractatus_.
In this year and in 1761 published music began to be received from Stationers" Hall, and to be entered in the Register. It remained piled up in cupboards until about twenty-three years ago, when it was all disinterred and carefully arranged by Rev. H. E. Havergal, M.A., then Chaplain of New Coll. and Ch. Ch., and an a.s.sistant in the Library (now Vicar of Cople, Beds.), and bound in some 300 or 400 volumes. Since that time two further series of musical volumes have been arranged and bound.
A meagre list of the pictures, &c., in the Picture Gallery and Library was printed by the Janitor (or Under-janitor), N. Bull, and "sold by him at the Picture Gallery." It fills twelve duodecimo pages. A new edition, "with additions and amendments," including the pictures in the Ashmolean Museum, was issued by him in 1762, in sixteen octavo pages. This was, as it seems, the first list that had been issued since Hearne printed his original Catalogue in his _Letter containing an Account of some Antiquities between Windsor and Oxford_. A list, equally meagre with Bull"s, was published by W. Cowderoy, Janitor, in 1806. He was succeeded in office (before 1825) by ---- Lenthall; on whom followed the present Janitor, J. Norris, appointed in 1835. By him a new Catalogue, enlarged with biographical notices, was issued, filling sixty pages; which was reissued, with a few alterations, in 1847, when such of the pictures as were not portraits had been removed to the new Randolph Gallery. As all the portraits were a few years ago distinctly labelled, but few copies of the Catalogue have, consequently, been since sold, and no new edition has appeared.
A.D. 1760.
The MSS. of the eminent antiquary, Browne Willis, who died on Feb. 5, in this year, came to the Library by his bequest. They were received from his executor, Dr. Eyre, on April 24. There are altogether fifty-nine volumes in folio, forty-eight in quarto, and five in octavo, consisting chiefly of Willis" own collections for his various works, with much correspondence intermingled and a few older historical papers. There is much of value for general ecclesiastical topography and biography, besides his large collections for the county of Bucks, and special volumes relating to the four Welsh Cathedrals. He desired in his will that the books should be placed in the Picture Gallery, "next to those of my friend Bishop Tanner;" both collections have since been removed to a room on the floor below, but the presses which contain them still adjoin each other. Many of his letters are to be found among Ballard"s and Rawlinson"s papers, and show throughout both the warm interest which he took in ecclesiastical renovation and religious work generally, but particularly in the state of the Church in Wales, and the continual efforts which he made to rouse slothful and negligent dignitaries to a sense of their duties and responsibilities. The restoration of the ruined and desolate Cathedral at Llandaff was an object especially dear to him. By his will, which was dated Dec. 20, 1741, he bequeathed to the University, besides his MSS., all his numerous silver, bra.s.s, copper and pewter coins, and also his gold coins, if purchased at the rate of 4 per oz., as the best return he could make for the many favours he acknowledged to have been conferred on him and on his grandfather, Dr.
Thomas Willis, Professor of Natural Philosophy. This latter provision of his will was at once carried into execution; in the following year the University purchased one hundred and sixty-seven gold coins for 150 at 4 4_s._ per oz., and two more in 1743 for 8 5_s._ His other coins were given by him in the years 1739, 1740, 1741, 1747 and 1750; and by a codicil to his will dated Feb. 5, 1742, he desired that the whole collection should be annually visited on the Feast of St. Frideswide (Oct. 19), which day he had himself been wont annually to celebrate in Oxford. His first gift to the Library was in the year 1720, when he gave ten valuable MSS., chiefly historical (now placed among the general _Bodley_ Series), together with his grandfather"s portrait.
A bequest of 70, towards the purchase of an orrery, was received from Rev. Jos. Parsons, M.A., of Merton College.
A.D. 1761.
Kennicott"s collations of Hebrew Biblical MSS., made during the years 1759-60, were received from him on Dec. 17, in this year, according to an entry in the Register. But all his MSS., collations, correspondence, and miscellaneous books (including one in Zend, upon cloth), were subsequently deposited in the Radcliffe Library, whence they were removed, in 1862, together with the other contents of that collection, to the place of their present deposit, the New Museum.
A.D. 1762.
The west, or Selden, end of the Library was re-floored at a cost of 66.
Unchaining of those books which hitherto, on account of their accessibility to all comers, were fastened to their shelves, appears to have been commenced in this year.
A.D. 1763.
The Janitor, Rev. John Bilstone, M.A., was deprived of his office by Dr.
Owen, the Librarian, on account of his neglecting to perform his duties in person. An action for arrears of salary was subsequently brought by Bilstone against Owen[258]. He died Feb. 13, 1767, at which time he held three livings, besides his Chaplaincy of All Souls" College.
[258] "See papers in _Files_, 1763; Archiv." (MS. note in Dr. P. Bliss"
_Collectanea_.)
A.D. 1764.
The _Editio princeps_ of Homer, Florence, 1488, was bought for 6 6_s._