Annals of the Bodleian Library, Oxford, A.D. 1598-A.D. 1867: With a Preliminary Notice of the earlier Library founded in the Fourteenth CenturyMacray, William Dunn
History
Annals of the Bodleian Library, Oxford, A.D. 1598-A.D. 1867: With a Preliminary Notice of the earlier Library founded in the Fourteenth Century
Macray, William Dunn
Bodleian Library
To the annual catalogue for this year was attached a special list,
filling thirty-two folio pages, of the books (upwards of 1500 in number)
which were bought at the Hague, at the sale of the library collected by
the distinguished Dutch scholars and lawyers, Gerard and John Meerman.
The sale-catalogue is a volume of more than 1200 pages. The books bought
for the Library were chiefly such as supplied deficiencies in foreign
history and law, together with some Greek[310] and Latin MSS., for the
most part patristic and classical. The sum expended was £925. Some rare
Spanish historical books (in which class of literature, thanks to Dr.
Bandinel's care in keeping it steadily in view, the Library is now very
rich) were bought at the sale of Don J. Ant. Conde.
But the chief distinction of this year lies in the acquisition, by
bequest of Mrs. Elizabeth Dennis Denyer (widow of Mr. John Denyer, of
Chelsea, who died in 1806) of a most valuable collection of early
editions of the English Bible, numbering altogether about twenty-five.
To show the rarity and worth of this collection, it will be sufficient
to mention but a few of the volumes which it contains. _Imprimis_,
Coverdale's first edition, 1535[311], and his second edition, 1537;
Cranmer's, in April, 1540 and in 1541, and by Grafton in 1553;
Matthew's, by Becke, in 1551; Tyndale's New Testament, in 1536, and
another of his earliest editions; Hollybush's English and Latin
Testament, 1538, and Erasmus' Testament, 1540. Besides the Biblical
collection, Mrs. Denyer also bequeathed twenty-one English theological
works, nearly all printed before 1600; including a beautiful copy of
Fisher on the Penitential Psalms (by Wynkyn de Worde) and books by
(amongst others) Bale, Bonner, Brightwell, Erasmus, Hooper, Joye, and
Tonstall.
Mr. L. E. Judge, New College (B.A. 1827, M.A. 1830; Chaplain; deceased
1853), succeeded Mr. Roberts, in March, as assistant; but in July of the
next year retired, and was succeeded by Mr. W. Bailey, also of New
College (B.A. 1829).
[310] These, in number thirty-eight, are described in Mr. Coxe's
Catalogue, cols. 724-773. An eighth-century copy of Eusebius'
_Chronicon_ is among the Latin MSS.
[311] Wanting title and map. A title had been supplied by Mrs. Denyer,
who in several instances had supplied deficiencies very successfully in
pen and ink; a perfect facsimile, however, by Mr. J. Harris, which might
pass for the original, were not the minute mark '_Fs. T. H._' seen on
the back of the page, has since been substituted. It is a marvel of
caligraphic skill. Another imperfect copy came to the Library among
Selden's books.
A.D. 1825.
The sale at Paris of the library of L. M. Langlès, the keeper of the
Oriental MSS. in the Bibl. Royale, afforded a large accession of books
in that branch of literature which was his specialty.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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