LETTER CXLIV.

EDWARD, Earl of Oxford, to T. HEARNE.

Durandi Rationale Divinorum Officiorum.-Catholicon Joan. Januensis. Caxton.-Cottonian Library.-Benedictus Abbas.-Mr. T. Baker.

SIR,

Wimpole, Dec. 25, 1731.

I ASSURE you I am very sorry I

have not answered your letters which you was so kind as to send me. I tell you truly it proceeded not from any neglect of you, or any unwillingness to communicate to you any thing in my power, for whenever I have any opportunity to pleasure you with any thing I have, it is a very great satisfaction to me. As to your letter in relation to Durandus, I could not for some time come at the book to answer your question fully, at least to go as far as I could [wish.] There is a "Durandus's Rationale Divinorum Officiorum" in All Souls' Library, very imperfect.* I

On this book we find the following note in Hearne's "Walteri Hemingford Historia de rebus gestis Edvardi I. Edv. II. et E. III." Præfat. p. cx.

They have in All-Souls College-Library a noble folio Book printed on vellum, of Durantus's Rationale Divinorum, but then it hath been horridly abused, feveral leaves being cut out. Nor does the date when printed appear,

believe it was discovered to be that book by Dr. Tanner. I have been so told. I have some rea

tho' it was very early, as may appear from the following MS. Note at the beginning of the Book: Liber Collegii omnium animarum Oxon, quem Reverendus pater Jacobus Goldwell, Episcopus Norwicensis, emit in civitate Hamburgensi, dum erat missus in ambassiatam a Christianissimo principe Edwardo Rege Angliæ; &c. ad illustrissimum principem Regem Dania, voluitque dictus Reverendus pater, ut cathanetur in choro dieti Collegii, ad utilitatem studencium. Et si quis eum alienaverit, vel contra hanc disposicionem fecerit, anathema sit. Et hæc disposicio erat per præfatum Reverendum patrem anno Domini millimo CCCCLXXXXVIII.

"This book is even imperfect at the end, where, in aff likelyhood, was the date.

*

* It is, as it is, a Book of great value, but were it perfect, it would be look'd upon as worth about an hundred pounds among curious men.

"Licet fortasse non desint, qui ex hac nota conjicient, nos esse stultos pretii librorum existimatores, haudquaquam tamen hercle nos inepte sensisse judicabunt alií, simul atque cognoverint, suam cuique rem esse carissimam, virumque quendam, his in rebus longe versatissimum, Baronetti prænobilis* (quem supra innuimus) Codicem centum plus minus valere libras nobis indicasse." Præfat. cx, cxi.

Hearne afterwards alludes to this letter from the Earl of Oxford: In Præfatione mentionem feci Durandi Rationalis Divinorum Officiorum Moguntiæ excusi M.CCCC.LIX. Nunc tandem intellexi, exemplar ejusdem editionis penes se habere Comitem nobilissimum Oxoniensem, Edvardum Harleium, idque etiam membraneum et perquam nitidum. Me

Tho. Sebright.

son to think that this was the only copy in England of that book till the year 1715, when the copy came over which I have; it is printed in folio upon vellum, and very fair. It contains 319 pages. At the end is printed in red ink, what I have here inclosed. I have had it done for you in as exact a way as any one I have could do it here in the country. I will take notice to you of a great mistake of Mentelius in his book "De vera Typographiæ origine," in quarto. I think it is plain he did not see the book page 68. If you have not the book I will have the place transcribed for you. The next book that I have is the "Catholicon Joan. Januensis," upon vellum, in two vol. in folio, illuminated, printed in 1460. I have had transcribed what is printed at the beginning of the first volume of the vellum, as also what is printed at the end of the work. I have this printed also upon paper the same year, this is only bound in one vol. I will take notice to you that greater care was taken in illuminating

per litteras, docte et candide propria sua manu scriptas, certiorem fecit ipse Comes. conatuum nostrorum litterariorum fautor eximius." p. 731. Operum Catalog.

With respect to the "Catholicon" mentioned in the above letter, we find the following notice in the same work.

"cujus bina [unum membraneum, alterum chartaceum] exemplaria in bibliotheca sua, libris omnibus instructissima, habet Comes quem diximus, præstantissimus Oxoniensis." p. 733.

the vellum books than the paper ones, as appears from this work, both printed in one year. I have a great number of old printed books, which I think if they were considered, something [more] would come out as to printing, and the history of it, than has yet been taken notice of, though perhaps I may be mistaken.

I have a great number of books printed by Caxton, and in very good condition, except a very few. I think the number is forty-two. Have you any notes relating to that good honest man? I think he deserves those titles, and I may add industrious too. I have several very curious books printed by those that succeeded him in that work, I mean that business. Pray what is your opinion of that book said to be printed at Oxford in 1468?* The signatures stare one in the face. I do not know how to get off of that affair as yet, I hope you will help me, that only sticks with me. The Register of ABp. Bourchier is I think not in being.

As to what you desire in your letter of Nov. 17, that I would send you Mr. Wanley's transcript of "Benedictus Abbas Petroburgensis de Vita et Gestis Henrici 2d."+ This brings into

* For some account of "Expositio in Symbolum Apostolorum," the book above alluded to, see vol. i. p. 160.

+"BENEDICTUS ABBAS PETROBURGENSIS, de Vita et Gestis Henrici II. et Ricardi I. e Cod. MS. in Bibl. Har

my mind the terrible calamity that has befallen the Cottonian Library through the villainy of that monster in nature, Bentley.* He must be detested by all human creatures. I mean the civilized part of them. I think the man that stole

leiana descripsit, et nunc primus edidit Thomas Hearnius." Oxon. 1735, 8vo. 2 tom.-This was the last of Hearne's pub. lications.

*He alludes to the fire which happened about two months before the date of this letter, and which is thus noticed in the first volume of the Gentleman's Magazine, Oct. p. 451.

"Oct. 23. A Fire broke out in the House of Mr. Bentley, adjoining to the King's School near Westminster Abbey, which burnt down that part of the House that contained the King's and Cottonian Libraries; alinost all the printed Books were consumed and part of the Manuscripts. Among the latter, those which Dr. Bentley had been collecting for his Greek Testament, for these last ten years, valued at 20001."

This account, however, is exaggerated; it afterwards appeared that one hundred and eleven books were lost, burnt, or entirely defaced, and ninety-nine rendered imperfect.

Hearne speaks feelingly of this unfortunate accident in the Preface to his "Benedictus Abbas," in which he deplores the loss of a valuable MS.

"incendio illo acerbo, quo nuper perplura itidem alia antiquitatis monumenta, in illa Bibliotheca, per totum orbem terrarum litterarium celeberrima, reposita, absumpta fuerunt, hominibus sane doctis, aliisque etiam bonis, miserum in modum eo nomine lugentibus, quippe qui optime viderunt, quanta inde perturbatio, quanta confusio jacturaque antiquarum litterarum consecutura fuit." Præfat. xvi.