The Queer, the Quaint and the Quizzical: A Cabinet for the Curious — John Shaqi
The Queer, the Quaint and the Quizzical: A Cabinet for the CuriousStauffer, Frank H.
History
The Queer, the Quaint and the Quizzical: A Cabinet for the Curious
Stauffer, Frank H.
Literary curiosa
The edition of this Bible contains a plate by John Wierix, representing
the feast of Dives, with Lazarus at his door. In the rich man's
banqueting room there is a dwarf playing with a monkey, to contribute to
the merriment of the company, according to the custom among people of
rank in the sixteenth century.
_Gilt Beards._
There was a French Bible printed in Paris in 1538, by Anthony Bonnemere,
wherein is related "that the ashes of the golden calf which Moses caused
to be burnt, and mixed with the water that was drank by the Israelites,
stuck to the beards of such as had fallen down before it, by which they
appeared with gilt beards, as a peculiar mark to distinguish those who
had worshipped the calf." This idle story is actually interwoven with
the 32d chapter of Exodus.
_Printed in Gold Letters._
Bede speaks of a magnificent copy of the Gospels in letters of the
purest gold, upon leaves of purple parchment.
_Magnificent Latin Bible._
Amongst the rare and costly relics in the library of the Vatican, is the
magnificent Latin Bible of the Duke of Urbino. It consists of two large
folios, embellished by numerous figures and landscapes, in the ancient
arabesque.
_Interesting Manuscript Bibles._
In the British Museum there are two copies of the Scriptures which are
peculiarly calculated to interest the pious visitors, from the
circumstances under which they were transcribed. The elder manuscript
contains "The Old and New Testaments, in short hand, in 1686," which
were copied, during many a wakeful night, by a zealous Protestant, in
the reign of James II., who feared that the attempts of that monarch to
re-establish Popery would terminate in the suppression of the sacred
Scriptures.
The other manuscript contains the book of Psalms and the New Testament,
in 15 volumes, folio, written in characters an inch long, with white
ink, on black paper manufactured for the purpose. This perfectly unique
copy was written in 1745, at the cost of a Mr. Harries, a London
tradesman. His sight having failed with age so as to prevent his reading
the Scriptures, though printed in the largest type, he incurred the
expense of this transcription that he might enjoy those sources of
comfort which "are more to be desired than gold, yea, than much fine
gold."
The British Museum paid $3750 for the manuscript Bible made by Alcuin,
in the eighth century, for the Emperor Charlemagne, whose instructor and
friend he was.
_The Vinegar Bible._
This Bible derives its title from an edition which contained an error in
the heading to the twentieth chapter of St. Luke, in which "Parable of
the Vineyard" is printed "Parable of the Vinegar." The edition was
issued in the year 1717, by the University of Oxford, at their Clarendon
Press.
_Queen Elizabeth's "Oone Gospell Booke."_
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account