Bibliomania; or Book-Madness: A Bibliographical RomanceDibdin, Thomas Frognall
History
Bibliomania; or Book-Madness: A Bibliographical Romance
Dibdin, Thomas Frognall
Bibliography; Bibliomania; Book collecting; Books -- Prices
[Footnote 82: "The ayre is most temperate and wholesome,
sited in the middest of the temperate zone, subject to no
stormes and tempests, as the more southerne and northerne
are; but stored with infinite delicate fowle. For water, it
is walled and guarded with ye ocean most commodious for
trafficke to all parts of the world, and watered with
pleasant fishful and navigable rivers, which yeeld safe
havens and roads, and furnished with shipping and sailers,
that it may rightly be termed THE LADY OF THE SEA. That I
may say nothing of healthful bathes, and of meares stored
both with fish and fowl. The earth fertile of all kinde of
graine, manured with good husbandry, rich in minerall of
coals, tinne, lead, copper, not without gold and silver,
abundant in pasture, replenished with cattel, both tame and
wilde (for it hath more parks than all Europe besides),
plentifully wooded, provided with all complete provisions of
war, beautified with many populous cities, faire boroughs,
good towns, and well-built villages, strong munitions,
magnificent palaces of the prince, stately houses of the
nobilitie, frequent hospitals, beautiful churches, faire
colledges, as well in the other places as in the two
Vniversities." _Remains_, p. 12. edit. 1637.
How far Camden was indebted to the following curious
description of our country, written in the time of Edward
vj, (of which I shall modernize the orthography,) the reader
will judge for himself. The running title of the work is
"_The Debate between the_ [French and English] _Heralds_,"
8vo., printed in the bl. lett. (In the possession of Mr.
Heber.)
"We have all manner of grains, and fruits, and more plenty
than you; for, thanked be God, England is a fruitful and
plenteous region, so that we have some fruits whereof you
have few; as _wardeines_, quinces, peaches, medlers,
chesnuts, and other delicious fruits; serving for all
seasons of the year; and so plenty of pears and apples that,
in the west parts of England and Sussex, they make perry and
cider, and in such abundance that they convey part over the
sea, where, by the Monsieurs of France, it is coveted for
their beverage and drinks."--_Sign. L._ iiij. rev.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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