Had the king of France himself desired a new book-plate he could scarcely have been provided with one more gorgeous or imposing than that engraved by Daudin, in 1702, for Michel Bégon. Although according to its date it must be classed as an eighteenth century plate, its style belongs to an earlier period, as indeed, properly speaking, did its owner, for he was born at Blois on December 26, 1638, so that he did not have this sumptuous ex-libris engraved till comparatively late in his life, and did not long survive to enjoy it, for he died on the 14th of March, 1710. The arms (blazoned thus by French heraldists: _d’azur au chevron d’or, accompagné en chef de deux roses, et d’un lion en pointe_) on an oval shield surmounted by the coronet of a count, supporters two lions. Inscription: _Michaeli Begon et amicis 1702_. Here we have at once a plate remarkable for its beauty, and interesting on account of its owner, who was a man of note in his day, and famous as a collector. He was thus described in the official registration of his death: “Messire Michel Bégon, chevalier, seigneur de la Picardière et autres lieux, conseiller du Roy en ses conseils et d’honneur au Parlement de Provence. Intendant de Justice et finances de la Généralité de la Rochelle et de la Marine à Rochefort.” Mons. Bégon came of good family, was well educated, and appears to have been very successful in his career as a government official. He held appointments successively at Martinique, San Domingo, and Marseilles, and finally, in 1688, was appointed Intendant de la Rochelle of the port of Rochefort, which post he held for the rest of his life. On the death of his father, he had succeeded to a valuable library which he continued to enrich; he was also an indefatigable collector of medals, of natural history specimens, and of engravings, especially portraits. From an inventory made after his death, it appears he left 7,000 volumes, and more than sixty valuable manuscripts of the ancient classics. His collection of prints, which comprised about 8,000 portraits, 15,600 general engravings, and 925 maps, was valued at 16,481 livres, and was acquired for the library of the King of France in 1770. Michel Bégon was therefore a man worthy to possess a really handsome book-plate such as his was, but we may take it that the expression “for his friends” (_et amicorum_ he wrote on some of his books) did not imply they were to be removed from his custody, but only that they might be consulted by his friends when they visited him, as we know was the intention of Grolier who also used this apparently self-denying expression. [Illustration: BOOK-PLATE OF MICHEL BEGON, 1702.] It may be added that in the “Biographie Universelle” (De Feller, Paris, 1834), a short account is given of Michel Bégon, in which it is said: “Le goût avait presidé au choix de ses livres dont la plupart portaient sur le frontispice _Michaelis Begon et Amicorum_.”