I send you Johnson's _Life of Milton_. My former feelings again return upon me, that Johnson did not mean to affirm that Milton prayed not upon any occasion or in any manner; but that he was engaged in no visible worship; that he prayed at no stated time; that he had not what we may call any regular return of family or private devotion. Pray read the sequel. That he lived without prayer can hardly be affirmed, this {434} surely is decided in my favour: it may wear the appearance of contradiction to the former passage, that omitting public prayer he omitted all; in truth, the expression just quoted is too peremptory and too general. But the sense of Johnson cannot be mistaken, if you attend to the different views he had in each sentence; and I repeat my former assertion, that Johnson did not think Milton destitute of a devout spirit, or totally negligent of prayer in some form or other. Yours, very truly and respectfully, J. PARR. * * * * * PARTS OF MSS. As an instance of the unfortunate dispersion of the parts of valuable MSS. through different countries, occasioned probably, in the case now to be mentioned, by public convulsions and the wild fury of revolutionary mobs in France, will you afford me space to quote an interesting description of a MS. from the catalogue of a library to be sold at Paris in December next? The MSS. and printed books in this library belonged to the eminent bookseller J. J. De Bure, whose ancestor was the distinguished and well-known bibliographer Guillaume de Bure. The publicity given to descriptions like the present through the medium of "N. & Q." may ultimately lead, on some occasions, to the scattered volumes being brought together again, either by way of purchase, or in exchange for other works. JOHN MACRAY. Oxford. _"Catalogue des Livres rares et precieux, manuscrits et imprimes, de la Bibliotheque de feu M. J. J. De Bure, ancien libraire du Roi et de la Bibliotheque Royale, etc._ "No. 1395. Le Second Livre des Commentaires de la Guerre Galleque, par Caius Julius Caesar, traduict en francois. In-8, mar. noir, avec des fermoirs en argent. "Manuscrit sur velin. "L'ouvrage ne porte pas de titre; on lit seulement sur le plat du volume, Tomus Secundus, et au verso du 21 feuillet; c'y commence le Second livre des Commentaires de la Guerre Galleque. "Ce manuscrit a ete fait pour Francois I^{er}; le chiffre de ce Prince se trouve au premier feuillet. Le Vol. se compose de 94 feuillets de texte, et de 4 feuillets de table. L'Ecriture est tres-belle, et parait etre de l'un des meilleurs calligraphes de l'epoque de Francois I^{er}; beaucoup de mots sont en or et en azur. "On remarque 22 miniatures, 15 medaillons d'Empereurs et d'autres personnages Romains, 12 figures d'engins ou machines de guerre, et 2 fleurons; en tout 58 peintures.