^/m n^ m T^\ \^^:- H »>'1M: ,t j,''^- /,i ■^' '^^'^ z ®0mell Utttovsiitg Jil(»g THE GIFT OF 3777 Cornell University Library Z792.M26 J65 1914 John Rvlands Library Manches|en olin 3 1924 029 535 139 The original of tliis book is in tlie Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924029535139 THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY MANCHESTER A BRIEF HISTORICAL DESCRIP- TION OF THE LIBRARY AND ITS CONTENTS, ILLUSTRATED WITH THIRTY.SEVEN VIEWS AND FACSIMILES Price Sixpence /jet Vibe Jobn IRBlanas libratB /iBancbestec WITH THE COMPLIMENTS OF THE LIBRARIAN THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY A BRIEF HISTORICAL DESCRIPTION BERNARD QUARITCH II GRAFTON STREET, NEW BOND STREET, LONDON, W. SHERRATT AND HUGHES PUBLISHERS TO THE VICTORIA UNIVERSITY OP MANCHESTER 34 CROSS STREET, MANCHESTER. AND SOHO SQUARE, LONDON, W. 1. EXTERIOR VIEW OF THE LIBRARY THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY MANCHESTER : a brief historical DESCRIPTION OF THE LIBRARY AND ITS CONTENTS, ILLUSTRATED WITH THIRTY- SEVEN VIEWS AND FACSIMILES MANCHESTER: AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS. LONDON: BERNARD QUARITCH, AND SHERRATT AND HUGHES. MCMXIV. E.V. ABERDEEN THE UNIVERSITY PRESS PREFATORY NOTE. I HE object of the present volume is to provide visitors to the library with a brief narrative of the inception, foun- dation and growth of the institution, followed by a hurried glance at some of the most conspicuous of the litereiry treasures which have made it famous in the world of letters, and which at the same time have helped to make Manchester a centre of attraction for scholars from all parts of the world. As the narrative would be obviously incomplete without some reference to the building, which is regarded by experts as one of the finest specimens of modern Gothic architecture to be found in this or in any country, a brief description of the building has been appended. The volume is illustrated by a number of views of the library, and facsimiles of some of the most noteworthy of the manuscripts and printed books which it contains, several of which are here reproduced for the first time, in the hope that they may add to its interest and usefulness. HENRY GUPPY. The John Rylands Library, March, 1914. Since the above note was written, and whilst these sheets have been passing through the press, there has come PREFATORY NOTE. into the possession of the Hbrary a little manuscript of such outstanding importance as to call for, at least, some brief notice. The manuscript alluded to contains the original of the Syriac version of the so-called " Odes of Solomon," from which, nearly five years ago. Dr. Rendel Harris edited the "editio princeps" ; and for the benefit of those who may yet be unaware of the importance of this document, we cannot do better than to reproduce Dr. Harris's own words upon the subject. "In this little book," says Dr. Harris, "if my judgment is correct, we have for the first time recovered a book of hymns of the early Christian community, and these hymns are marked by all the characteristics which we are accustomed to associate with the time of that great spiritual revival which marks the first days of the early Christian Church. That is to say, they constitute a key to primitive Christian experience much in the same way as the rediscovery of the 'Olney Hymns,' or a volume of early Methodist hymns, or of St. Bernard's Latin hymns — supposing any or all of these to be lost — would furnish the clue to the understanding of what really went on at the Methodist revival in England, or in the great monastic revivals of the Middle Ages." Thejdate of this manuscript is probably not earlier than the sixteenth century, but there need be no hesitation in saying that in its first form, the little book cannot be later than 1 50 A.D., and may belong to the latter half of the first century. CONTENTS. PAGE Prefatory Note v Descriptions of the Illustrations ix Brief Historical Sketch : — Inception and Dedication 2 Purchase of the Althorp Library 4 Purchase of the Crawford Manuscripts 7 Bequests of Mrs. Rylands 8 Formation of the Althorp Library 11 The Reviczky Collection 12 Earl Spencer as a Collector 14 Brief Description op the Contents : — The Early Printed Book Room 1' The Aldine Room 23 The Bible Room 26 The Greek and Latin Classics 32 The Italian Classics 34 The English Classics 35 History ......■••••• 36 Theology and Philosophy 37 Historic Books and Bindings 39 The Manuscript Room 41 Jewelled Book Covers 48 Description of the Building 51 Publications op the John Rylands Library 63 Trustees, Governors, and Principal Officers of the Library . 69 Rules and Regulations of the Library 71 DESCRIPTIONS OF THE ILLUSTRATION S To face Page 1. Exterior View of the Library Title 2. Interior of the Main Library 1 3. Statue of John Rylands in the Main Library . . 2 4. Section op the Main Library, showing one of the Alcoves. 4 5. A Page from a " Book of Hours " executed about 1430 for King Charles VII of France 8 *,* A note in this manuscript attributes it to the same hand that executed the famous " Bedford Missal " €. Portrait of George John, second Earl Spencer, Founder of the Althorp Library, which now forms part of the John Rylands Library 12 7. The Early Printed Book Room 16 S. The " St. Christopher " Block-print. 1423 . . . . 18 *»* The earliest known piece of European printing to which a date is attached, and of which no other copy is known. 9. A Page from the " Biblia Pauperuh ". About 1450. . . 19 *^* The " Biblia Pauperum " or " Bible for the Poor " con- sists of a series of pictures, printed from wood-blocks, during the second quarter of the fifteenth century, probably in Germany. The scheme of the work is to represent by means of pictures, each of which is divided into three compartments, a scene from the life of Christ, in the centre, with preflgurations, or types, from the Old Testament on either side, accompanied by rhyming verses and texts, with the object of familiarising the illiterate with the principal events of the Bible. The scenes illustrated in the facsimile are : " The translation of Enoch," " The Ascension of Our Lord," " Elijah received up into Heaven ". 10. A Page from the First Printed Bible. [1456?] ... 20 *^* This Latin Bible was amongst the first productions of the printing-press in Europe, and the earliest of any size that has survived to the present day. The first copy of this Bible to attract attention was one in the library of Cardinal Mazarin, to which fact it owes its popular name of " Mazarin Bible "- To bibliographers it is known as the " 42-line Bible," from the number of lines to a printed DESCRIPTIONS OF THE ILLUSTRATIONS. To face PagK column, to distinguish it from another one printed at the same time, and styled for a similar reason the " 36-line Bible ". The city of Mainz has been generally recognised as the place where both Bibles were printed, although there is still a differ- ence of opinion upon the point. There is also a difference of opinion with regard to the printer. The name of Johann Gutenberg has been suggested by some authorities ; by others it is assumed that Johann Fust, to whom Gutenberg was originally indebted for financial assist- ance, and his son-in-law, Peter Schoeffer, were mainly respons- ible for it. The book itself contains no definite information as to the names of the printers, the place of printing, or the date, but from the evidence of a note left by the rubricator of a copy preserved in the " Biblioth^ue Nationale," Paris, it is assumed that the work was completed sometime before August 24, 1456. 11. " Death-bed Prayers," Printed by William Caxton. About 1484 22 *„* Of this broadside, or single sheet, printed only on one side of the paper, no other copy is known to exist. From the language of the two prayers it seems evident that they were intended foi use at the bed-side of a dying person. They were probably printed in this portable form for priests, and others, to carry about with them. 12. A Page from Caxton's " Golden Legend " 1483 . , . 2» *♦* The " Golden Legend " was the largest and most exten- sive of all Caxton's literary and typographical undertakings. The translation, which was Caxton's own work," was made from the French version by Jean de Vignay. The original Latin work was compiled by Jacobus de Voragine, archbishop of Genoa from 1292 to 1298. The work may be said to contain the earliest portion of the Bible printed in English, comprising, as it does, a fairly literal translation of nearly the whole of the Pentateuch, and a great part of the Gospels, mixed up with a good deal of mediaeval gloss, under the guise of the lives of Adam, Abraham, Moses, the Apostles, and others. It must have been extensively read by the people, or to the people, long before the days of Tindale and Coverdale, since numerous editions were printed during the latter years of the fifteenth and the early part of the sixteenth century. The reading in Genesis iii. 7 of " breeches " for " aprons," which is generally thought to be peculiar to the " Genevan ver- sion " of the Bible of 1560, and has led to its popular designation " Breeches Bible," was anticipated by Caxton in this volume. 13. A Page of the " Aldine Vergil ". 1501 24 *»* This edition of Vergil, printed at Venice by the famous scholar-printer, Aldus Manutius, marks a real innovation in the art of typography. The italic type, which was employed for the first time in the printing of this volume, is said to be a close copy of the hand- writing of Petrarch, and was cut for the printer by Francesco da Bologna, who has been identified by one authority with the painter, Francesco Raibolini, better known as Francia. DESCRIPTIONS OF THE ILLUSTRATIONS To face Page The new type was a great success, as it enabled the printer to compress into the small dainty format, by which the press of Aldus is best remembered, as much matter as the purchaser could heretofore buy in a large folio. The public welcomed the innovation, which not only meant reduction in size, but also considerable reduction in price, with the result that the wide diffusion of books, and the popularisation of knowledge, at which Aldus aimed was attained. The copy from which the reproduction is made is on vellum, and is illuminated by hand. 14. The Bible Room 26 15. A Page FROM Luther's First "New Testament". September, 1522. ... 4 28 *^ The woodcuts illustrating the Apacalypse are attributed to Lucas Cranach. In this (September) issue the Dragon and the Scarlet Woman are each depicted wearing a tiara in the manner of the Popes. This gave such offence that in the second issue of December, 1522 (of which there is a copy also in the library) the offending illustrations were cancelled, and an ordinary crown was substituted for the tiara in both instances. 16. A Page from an Early Wiclifite "New Testament" Manu- script. About 1400 29 *^ The earlier version of the Wiclifite Bible was partly made by Wiclit himself, and partly prepared under his supervision by Nicholas de Hereford, and others. It was completed about 1382, two years before Wiclif's death. It gave so literal a rendering of the Latin Bible, from which it was translated, as to be in many places obscure. Soon after its completion a thorough revision was undertaken, which was carried to a successful issue by John Purvey, the friend of Wiclif's last days. 17. A Page FROM William Tin dale's " Pentateuch" [1530-34.] . 30 *,* This volume containing the five books of Moses was the first portion of the Old Testament to be translated directly from the original Hebrew, and printed in English. The translator, William Tindale, having completed and issued his version of the New Testament in 1525 or early in 1526, settled down to the study of Hebrew, in order to qualify himself for the translation of the Old Testament. In 1527 he took refuge in "Marburg," where in the intervals of study he found time to prepare his two most important controversial works, which con- stituted his manifesto, and early in 1530 his translation of the " Pentateuch " made direct from the Hebrew, with the aid of Luther's German version, was ready for circulation. There are groundsfor believing the place-name of "Marburg." or " Marlborow," which is found in the imprint to indicate the place of printing to be fictitious, being adopted in order to con- ceal the place of printing which was not improbably Antwerp. This copy has the marginal glosses intact. With few excep- tions these are found to be cut away, as ordered by the Bishop, at least the " most pestilent " of them. The reason for the order is obvious from the gloss on the page teproduced. DESCRIPTIONS OF THE ILLUSTRATIONS. To face Page 18. Title-page of the First Printed Complete English Bible (Coverdale's). 1535 31 *^* The translation was made not from the original Greek and Hebrew, but from the Vulgate and other versions, by a Yorkshireman, Miles Coverdale, afterwards Bishop of Exeter. Nothing definite is known as to the place of printing, but certain features point to Zurich and to Christopher Froschover. There is a curious reading in Jeremiah iii. 22, where " Balm in Gilead " is rendered "Triacle at Galaad ". The Psalter in the " Book of Common Prayer " is sub- stantially the same as that printed in the " Coverdale Bible " of 1535, and actually the same as that printed in the " Great Bible " of 1539. 19. Title-page of the " Great Bible ". 1539 32 *^* The first edition of the " Great Bible„" so called from its size, and from the fact that it is referred to, in the Injunctions issued to the clergy by Thomas Cromwell in 1538, as : " the hole byble of the largyest volume " ordered to be " set vp in sum con- uenient place wythin the said church that ye haue cure of, where-as your parishoners may most comodiously resorte to the same and reade it ". It is a revision by Coverdale of " Matthew's Bible " of 1537, by the aid and with the assistance of Thomas Cromwell. It was printed partly at Paris and partly at London. The •' Psalter "in the " Book of Common Prayer " is the same as that printed in this Bible. 20. Title-page of the "Authorised Version " of the Bible. 1611. 32 *»* The first edition of " King James's Bible," commonly called the " Authorised Version ". The idea of this new translation was due to John Rainolds, President of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, the Puritan leader at the Hampton Court Conference, 1604. The King took up the proposal warmly, and its achievement was due to his royal interest and influence. The translators numbered about fifty, and were divided into six companies, each company being re- sponsible for a certain section of the Scriptures. 21. A Page from the First Printed Edition of Boccaccio's " II Df-Camerone " 1471 . 34 %* The first edition of " 11 Decamerone" was printed at Venice in 1471, by a printer named Valdarfer. This is the only perfect copy extant, the rarity of which is attributed to its having formed part of an edition committed to the " bonfire of the Vanities " in 1497, by the Florentines, through the teaching of Savonarola. It became famous in 1812, when, at the sale of the Duke of Roxburghe's library, it was sold to the Marquis of Blandford for the, at that time unprecedented, price of £2,260. Emerson in one of his essays makes allusion to this incident in the words " at the tap of the auctioneer's hammer Boccaccio turned in his grave ". It was in honour of this volume and its sale that the famous " Roxburghe Club " was founded. DESCRIPTIONS OF THE ILLUSTRATIONS. TofacePage 22. Title-page OF Shakespeare's " Sonnets"- 1609 . . .'36 *,,* The first edition of Shakespeare's "Sonnets" was sur- reptitiously sent to the press by T. Thorpe. The licence for its publication was obtained on May 20, 1609, and the volume appeared in June, in which month Edward AUeyn (the founder of Dulwich College) paid 5d. for a copy, the same figure as appears in manuscript on the title-page of this one. 23. Title-page of Henry VIII. 's " Assertio Septem Sacramen- TORUM ". 1521 38 * ^ This is the work written by Henry VIII. against Luther, for which he received the title " Defensor Fidei " Three copies printed on vellum are known. The one under description was a presentation copy to Louis II., King of Hungary, and bears the inscription in Henry's handwriting " Regi Daciae ". On the binding are the arms of Pope Pius VI. 24. A Page from Elizabeth Fry's Bible 39 * ^ The following note, in the handwriting of Richenda Rey- nolds, the eldest daughter of Mrs. Fry, appears in the Bible : "Richenda Reynolds, 1845. This Bible was used daily by my beloved mother, Elizabeth Fry, for many years when she was at home. She died October 13th, 1845. The marks and comments are all her own." The markings are of extreme interest, revealing something of the beautiful character and spirit of the writer. The pathos of the note on the page which has been reproduced will be felt when it is understood that it was written at a time when the family had been plunged suddenly from affluence into poverty. 25. The Original Manuscript of Heber's Hymn, " From Green- land's Icy Mountains " . . 40 *^* On Vi^hit-Sunday, 1819, the late Dr. Shipley, Dean of St. Asaph, and Vicar of Wrexham, preached a sermon in Wrexham Church, in aid of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. That day was also fixed upon for the com- mencement of the Sunday evening lectures intended to be estab- lished in the Church, and the late Bishop of Calcutta (Heber), then Rector of Hodnet, the Dean's son-in-law, undertook to deliver the first lecture. In the course of the Saturday previous, the Dean and his son-in-law being together at the Vicarage, the former requested Heber to write " something for them to sing in the morning," and he retired for that purpose from the table where the Dean and a few friends were sitting, to a distant part of the room. In a short time the Dean enquired, "What have you written " ? Heber having then composed the three first verses read them over. "There, there, that will do very well," said the Dean, " No, no, the sense is not complete," replied Heber. Accordingly he added the fourth verse, and the Dean being inexorable to his request of " Let me add another, oh, let rae add another," thus completed the hymn which has since become so celebrated ; it was sung the next morning in Wrex- ham Church for the first time. DESCRIPTIONS OF THE ILLUSTRATIONS. To face Page 26. The Glasgow Aeschylus of 1795, bound by Roger Payne . . 41 *^* In this volume are contained the original drawings of John Flaxman, executed expressly for the first Countess Spencer, in illustration of the tragedies of Aeschylus. These reveal a freedom, yet delicacy of touch, of which the plates engraved after them fail to give any adequate idea. The binding forms a worthy covering to the book, being the recognized masterpiece of Roger Payne, whose work at the end of the eighteenth century entitles him, in the opinion of booklovers, to the highest position amongst the followers of his craft in this country. 27. St. John from a Greek Manuscript op the " Gospels ". 11th Century ... 42 *,* The miniature which is reproduced from a Byzantine copy of the Gospels, executed in the early part of the eleventh century, represents St. John the Evangelist holding in his right hand the pen with which the sacred volume upon his knees is being written. In front of him is a scholar's cabinet, with the key in the hasp-lock, of which this miniature gives probably the earliest known representation. On the desk above the cabinet are displayed the various implements used by the ancient scribe in the exercise of his craft — inkpot, dividers, knife for erasure, etc. A pillar at the back of the desk supports a mirror evidently intended to act as a reflector to the hanging lamp, which is suspended from it. 28. A Page from the "Trier Psalter". 9th Century ... 44 *,* The Latin Psalter from which this page has been repro- duced was written in Germany, in the early part of the ninth century, and is a very fine example of the Celtic style of art. From a manuscript note, apparently coeval with the text, inserted in the margin of the calendar for May we gather that the volume was originally in the possession of the abbey of St. Maximin of Trier. This note records how Ada, sister of Charle- magne, left much property to the monastery of St Maximin, and on her decease was buried there. She also bequeathed a " copy of the Gospels written with gold and decorated with gold," which volume is still preserved in Trier in its Stadtbibliothek. :29. A Page from the " Emperor Otto's Gospel Book ". 10th Century 45 *»* The copy of the Gospels in Latin, from which this page is reproduced, was written and illuminated for the Emperor Otto the Great (a.d. 912-978), whose portrait is here shown painted on small medallions with inscriptions around them. The style of the work indicates Cologne as the place of prove- nance. 30. A Page from the " Colonna Missal ". About 1517 ... 46 *^* This manuscript was executed for Cardinal Pompeo Colonna, who was elected a member of the Sacred College in A.D. 1517, and died in a.d. 1532. The tradition handed down by the family was that the large full-page illuminations were executed by Raphael about 1517 on the elevation of the owner to the cardinalate ; but recent in- vestigations have shown that there is a close similarity in style to that of the " Farnese Psalter," which is commonly associated DESCRIPTIONS OF THE ILLUSTRATIONS. To face Page with the craftsmanship of the painter Clovio, but was more prob- ably the work of Vincenzio Raimondi and his associate copyist. 31. A Page from " Lydgate's Siege of Troy". About 1420 . . 47 *^ At the beginning of this stately English manuscript, measuring nearly 17 by 13 inches, and having upwards of seventy pages illuminated in the style of the one reproduced, is an illus- tration of the author presenting his work to King Henry V. At the end are the arms of William Carent of Carent's Court, in the Isle of Purbeck, who was born in 1344, and is known to have been alive in 1422. It was for him doubtless that the manu- script was written. 32. A Page from •• Joan of Navarre's Psalter ". About 1260 . 48 *,* This beautiful French manuscript was written in Paris, probably by the same person who executed the manuscripts given by St. Louis to the Sainte Chapelle. It belonged at one time to Jeanne de Navarre (Queen Consort of Henry IV., King of England), whose autograph appears on one of the blank leaves. 33. A Page from a " Book of Hours " of the " School of Jean Foucquet". About 1490 a.d. ....... 49 *,* This manuscript was executed, probably in the South of France, by an artist of the school of Jean Foucquet, for Jacques Galliot de Gordon de Genouillac, grand-^cuyer de France and grand mattre d'artillerie. 34. A Page of a Manuscript "Apocalypse". 14th Century. . 50 *,* This manuscript consists of a series of ninety-six minia- tures on twenty-four leaves, illustrating the scenes of the Apoca- lypse, with explanatory legends in Latin written in red and black. It was executed in Flanders about the middle of the 14th century. 35. View of the East Cloister 52 36. View of the Main Staircase 54 37. View of the Gallery Corridor in the Main Library . . 56 2. THE MAIN LIBRARY THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH. TO the booklover and to the genuine student there is no more attractive place of pilgrimage in the North of England than the John Rylands Library, situate though it be in the busiest part of that mighty centre of the cotton industry, which is some- times slightingly referred to, by those who are unacquainted with the intellectual activities of Manchester, as " a city of ware- houses ". During the last half-century this metropolis of the North has made determined eflForts to place herself in the front rank of cities which are true cities — efforts in which she has been eminently successful. She has raised herself to university rank. Her schools and training colleges are amongst the largest and most efficient in the kingdom. Her love and patronage of art, music, and the drama is unrivalled, whilst in the matter of libraries she is splendidly equipped, possessing as she does upwards of a million of volumes, to which students and readers have ready access, and amongst which are many of the world's most feunous literary treasures. It was customary not many years ago, to separate culture from business and industry. It was contended, that great libraries were well enough for such university cities as Oxford and Ceun- bridge, but that Manchester existed to supply the world with cotton, cmd for that reason there was no need to provide such places with the instruments of higher culture. This divorce of culture from trade was found to be not only singularly unwise, but opposed to the best traditions of European history. Venice was THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. not simply an emporium ; she was also the centre of art, and the home of the finest printing the world has ever seen. Her art was the better for her commerce, just as her commerce was the better for her art. Thus it was that the great cities of the Middle Ages, finding it impossible to live by bread alone, built up the gremd monuments of culture and art which call for our admiration to-day ; and thus it was that Manchester, aided by the benefactions of many of the citizens whom she has delighted to honour, and whose names have become household words, has raised herself to the proud position of being as great a city of culture and art as hitherto she has been of commerce. The John Rylands Library, one of the youngest, but certainly the most famous, of Manchester's literary institutions, was formally dedicated to the public on the 6th of October, 1899. It owes its existence to the enlightened munificence of Enriqueta Augustina Rylands, the widow of John Rylands, by whom it was erected, equipped and liberally endowed, as a memorial to her late husband, whose name it perpetuates. It was on the 6th of October, 1875, that Miss Tennanl, the daughter of Stephen Cattley Tennant, a Liverpool and Havannah merchant, became Mrs. Rylands, an event which was commemor- ated twenty-four years later, when the library was formally dedi- cated to the public, and to the memory of John Rylands. For thirteen years Mrs. Rylands shared her husband's strenuous life in all its varied activities, with a devotion which evoked the admira- tion of all who came within the sphere of its influence. Mr. Rylands took a deep and constant interest in all that re- lated to literature, but the absorbing cares of business necessarily prevented him from living as much as he would have wished among books. He was always ready, however, to extend his aid and encouragement to students. He took an especial interest in adding to the studies of the poorer Free Church ministers gifts of books which were beyond their own slender means to provide, but which were necessary to keep them in touch with the trend of 3. STATUE OF JOHN RYLANDS IN THE MAIN LIBRARY BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH. modern religious thought, since, in many cases, they were stationed in rural districts remote from anything in the nature of a Ubrary. 1 here are many ministers living to-day who preserve a feeling of profound gratitude to John Rylands for the help which he ex- tended to them in this, as in many other ways. When, therefore, upon the death of Mr. Rylands, which took place on the 1 1th of December, 1888, Mrs. Rylands found her- self entrusted with the disposal of his immense wealth, she resolved, after careful deliberation, to commemorate the name and worth of her husband by dedicating to his memory an institution devoted to the encouragement of learning, which was to be placed in the very heart of the city which had been the scene of the varied activities and triumphs of Mr. Rylands. She recalled the little library at Stretford, which Mr. Rylands had watched over with so much care, and which in its time and measure had been of incalculable benefit to many a struggling minister. She also remembered how great an interest he had taken in theological studies, and accord- ingly resolved to establish a library in which theology should occupy a prominent place, where the theological worker should find all the material necessary to his study and research. From such modest beginnings has the present library arisen. With this idea of the library in view, Mrs. Rylands in 1 889 entered upon the collection of the standard authorities in all de- partments of literature, and in the year 1 890 the erection of the splendid structure in Deansgate was commenced from the designs of Mr. Basil Champneys. The scheme was conceived in no narrow spirit. Thanks to the contact with foreign countries which travel had yielded her, Mrs. Rylands was a woman of catholic ideas, and did not confine herself to any one groove, but allowed the purpose she had in view to mature and fructify as time went on. It was fortunate that she proceeded in a leisurely manner, since various unforeseen circumstances helped to give a shape to the contemplated memorial which neither she nor any one else could have anticipated. While the building was rising from the ground, books were THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. being accumulated, but without ostentation, and few people were aware that a great library was in process of formation. The only interruption of the perfect quiet with CHASE OF which this project was pursued occurred in 1892, LIBRARY ®°'"^ '^° years after the builders had commenced their work of construction, when there came to Mrs. Rylands the opportunity of giving to this memorial a grandeur which had not been at first contemplated. In that year the an- nouncement was made of Earl Spencer's willingnejss to dispose of that most famous of all private collections, " The Althorp Library ". When Lord Spencer found himself compelled to surrender the glory of Althorp, he wisely stipulated with the agent that a pur- chaser should be found who would take the whole collection, and so prevent the famous library from being dispersed in all direc- tions. For some time this object appeared to be incapable of realisation, and the trustees of the British Museum were therefore tempted with the Caxtons, but the ovraer would not consent to have the collection broken up by any mode of picking and choos- ing, and so the negotiations fell through. Negotiations in other directions were then entered into, and it is almost certain that the collection would have been transported to America if Mrs. Rylands had not become aware that it was for sale. Re- cognizing that the possession of this collection would be the crowning glory of her design, Mrs. Rylands decided to become the purchaser. While these negotiations were proceeding, scholars through- out the country were in a state of great suspense. As soon, how- ever, as it was announced that the collection had been saved from the disaster of dispersion, and was to find a permanent home in England, a great sigh of relief went up. The nation was relieved to know that so many of its priceless literary treasures were to be secured for all time against the risk of transportation, and the public spirit which Mrs. Rylands had manifested was greeted with a chorus of grateful approbation. Although the Althorp collection, of rather more than 40,000 4. SECTION OF THE MAIN LIBRARY, SHOWING A READING ALCOVE BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH. volumes, is but a part of the John Rylands Library, which to-day numbers nearly 200,000 volumes, it is, by common consent, the most splendid part. Renouard, the French bibliographer, de- scribed it as " the most beautiful and richest private library in Europe," and another writer has called it "a collection which stands above all rivalry ". It is true that other private libraries have possessed more printed books, but none could boast of choicer ones. But Mrs. Rylands did much more than this. She had ac- quired for Manchester a collection of books which in many respects was unrivalled, but in doing so she had enlarged con- siderably the scope of her original plan, and decided to establish a library that should be at once " a place of pilgrimage for the lover of rare books," and a " live library " for genuine students, whether in the departments of theology, philosophy, history, philo- logy, literature, or bibliography, where they would find not merely the useful appliances for carrying on their work, but an atmosphere with a real sense of inspiration, which would assist them to carry it on in the highest spirit. After ten years of loving and anxious care the building was ready for occupation. Only those who were associated with Mrs. Rylands know how much was put into those ten years. From the very inception of the scheme Mrs. Rylands took the keenest possible interest in it, devoting almost all her time, thought, and energy to it. Not only every detail in the construction of the building, but every other detail of the scheme in general, was carried out under her personal supervision. Nothing escaped her scrutiny, and it would be impossible to say how many ad- mirable features were the result of her personal suggestion. No expense was spared. The architect was commissioned to design a building which should be an ornament to Manchester, and in the construction of which only the very best materials should be employed. It is not too much to say that stone-mason, sculptor, metal-worker, and wood-carver have conspired under the direction of the architect, and under the watchful care of the founder, to THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. construct a building in every way worthy of the priceless collection of treasures which it was intended to house. On the 6th of October, 1899, the twenty-fourth ING OF THE anniversary of Mrs. Rylcinds's wedding-day, the build- LIBRARY. . , . f 11 T r 1 i ing and its contents were formally dedicated to the public, in the presence of a large and distinguished gathering of people from all parts of Europe. The inaugural address was delivered by the Rev. Dr. Fairbairn, Principal of Mansfield College, Oxford — an address in every sense worthy of a great occasion, from which a few passages may be appropriately quoted here : — " It would have been a comparatively simple and easy thing for Mrs. Rylands, out of her large means, to set aside a sum ample enough to build this edifice, to equip and endow this institu- tion. She had only to select an architect and choose a librarian, to summon to her side ministers and agents capable of carrying out her will, saying to them : ' Here is money, spend it in the princeliest way you can, and, if more be needed, more will be at your command '. But she did not so read her duty. The idea! created in her imagination, by the memory and character of her husband, was one she alone could realise. And she proceeded to realise it, with the results that we this day behold. Nothing was too immense, or too intricate to be mastered, nothing was too small to be overlooked. The architect has proved himself a genius. He has adorned Manchester, he has enriched England with one of the most distinguished and the most perfect archi- tectural achievements of this century. . . . The library will be entitled to take its place among the deathless creations of love. To multitudes it will be simply the John Rylands Library, built by the munificence of his widow. . . . But to the few, and those the few who know, it will for ever remain the most marvellous thing in history, as the tribute of a v\dfe's admiration of her husband, and her devotion to his memory. The opening of this library calls for national jubilation. All citizens who desire to see England illumined, reasonable, right, will rejoice that there came 6 BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH. into the heart of one who inherited the wealth of this great Manchester merchant, the desire to create for him so seemly a monument as this. It stands here fitly in a city where wealth is made, to help to promote the culture, to enlarge the liberty, to confirm the faith, to illumine the way of its citizens, small and great." Mrs. Rylands's interest in the Ubrary did not end there. She endowed it with an annual income of upwards of five thousand pounds for its maintenance and extension, and again and again, when rare and costly books, or collections of books, came into the market which were beyond the reach of the ordinary income of the library to secure, she readily and generously found the money, if only she could be assured that the usefulness of the library would be enhanced by their possession. In the month of August, 1 90 1 , another instance of OF THE the munificence of Mrs. Rylands, and of her continued CRAWFORD . • , ,■, 1 1 1- • I I ElAJ^it.. mterest m the library was made public, with the an- SCRIPTS. ■' 11 • r -ii ■ nouncement that the celebrated collection of illuminated and other manuscripts belonging to the Earl of Crawford, number- ing upwards of six thousand, had been purchased for a very con- siderable sum. The purchase came as a great surprise to all but a very few. The negotiations had been conducted in the quiet, unostentatious, yet prompt manner which was characteristic of all Mrs. Rylands's dealings. The importance of the collection cannot easily be overesti- mated. This, however, may be said, that it gives to the John Rylands Library a position with regard to Oriental and Western manuscripts similar to that which it previously occupied in respect of early printed books through the possession of the Althorp Library. Just as the distinguishing mark of the Althorp Library was the early printed books, so the distinguishing mark of the " Bibliotheca Lindesiana," as the Crawford Library is known, was the manu- scripts. To some of these the bindings impart a character and a value of a very special kind. The rarity of such jewelled bind- THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. ings in metal and ivory, dating from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, as are found here, may be gauged by the fact that the John Rylands collection, which contains only thirty, yet ranks third among the collections of the world. By far the richest col- lection is in the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, next comes the one in the Royal Library at Munich, and then comes that pre- served in Manchester. In order to make known the value and contents of this collec- tion Mrs. Rylands undertook to defray the cost of cataloguing it in a manner commensurate with its importance. To this end arrangements had been entered into with a number of leading scholars to deal with the manuscripts in their own special line of research, and although several of these catalogues have since appeared, and others may be expected shortly, it is to be regretted that Mrs. Rylands did not live to see this part of her scheme carried through. From first to last Mrs. Rylands's interest in the library was unflagging. Until within a few weeks of her death she was mak- ing purchases of manuscripts and books, and one of her last cares was to provide accommodation for the rapid extension of the library, so that the work should in no wise be hampered for vrant of space. A fine site adjoining the library had been acquired, and it was her intention, had she lived, to erect thereon a store build- ing that would provide accommodation for at least half a million volumes. Unfortunately death intervened before the arrrange- ments in pursuance of her intentions could be completed. PROVISIONS Mrs. Rylands made additional provision in her will FOR LIBRARY , , , ill r i ii oi IN MRS. RY- tor the upkeep and development ot the library, ohe WILL. bequeathed £200,000 in four per cent, debentures, jaelding an annual income of £8,000. This sum added to the ex- isting endowment gives to the trustees and governors an income of upwards of £13,000 per year, sufficient to enable them to ad- minister the institution in a manner worthy of the lofty ideals of th« founder. In addition to the monetary bequest, Mrs. Rylands bequeathed 8 5. A PAGE OF "KING CHARLES VMS BOOK OF HOURS' French MS About 1430 BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH. to the library all books, manuscripts, and unframed engravings in her residence at Longford Hall, numbering several thousand ■volumes. It must suffice to say that the collection is very rich m modern "editions de luxe," such as the great galleries •of paintings of "Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle," " Bridgewater House," " Ham House," " The Wallace Collec- tion," " The Louvre," and " The Hermitage " ; Sir Walter Arm- strong's monographs on Sir Joshua Reynolds, Turner, Raeburn, and Gainsborough ; Mrs. Frankau's " Eighteenth Century Colour Prints," "William Ward." and "John Raphael Smith"; Mrs. Williamson's " Books of Beauty " ; Goupil's series of " Historical Monographs," — these and many similar works are included, most of v^rhich are in the choicest possible state. Of such series as the " Doves Press," and the " Essex House Press " there are sets printed on vellum. Of " Grangerized," or extra-illustrated, fcooks, we may call attention to the following : Forster's " Life of Dickens," 1 vols. ; " The Book of the Thames," 4 vols. ; Bos- well's " Life of Johnson," 4 vols. ; " The Works of Sir Walter Scott," 67 vols., etc. Other noteworthy books are ; Ongania's "' Basilica di San Marco," 1 5 vols. ; Bode's edition of Reinbrandt, with Hamerton's work on the same master ; the facsimiles of the "Grimani Breviary," and the " Hortulus Anime " ; the copy of Tissot's " Old Testament," which contains the whole of his orig- inal pen drawings ; and a set of the four folios of Shakespeare. The illuminated manuscripts include: two "Books of Hours," attributed to Hans Memling ; two French " Books of Hours," one of which was executed for King Charles VII, and several beautifully decorated Bibles and Chronicles. In the matter of bindings, there is a fine collection of examples of work by the great modern masters of the craft. There is also a very large number of autographs and historical documents, including the greater part of the collection formed by the Rev. Dr. Thomas Raffles, of Liverpool, in the first half of the last century. These are but a few items taken at random, and intended merely to indicate the character of the books which Mrs. Rylands THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. gathered around her during the last twenty years of her Hfe, not alone for her own pleasure, but with a view to the ultimate en- richment of the library on a side where it was but indifferently equipped. These remarks, of necessity, are almost exclusively confined to Mrs. Rylands's relations to the library, which she looked upon with pardonable pride as her great achievement. But her munificence did not end there, nor with her gifts to numerous other public objects, in which she took a keen interest. The full extent of her benefactions will probably never be known. She was naturally reserved, and delighted to do good by stealth, but those who take an active part in charitable work in Manchester could testify to her unfailing readiness to assist any good cause of which she approved. She did not simply give money out of her great wealth, she also gave care, thought, and attention to all that she was interested in. . Personally Mrs. Rylands was little known, but to those who did knovK. her she was most kind and generous. She was a woman of very marked ability and of great determination, and those who had the privilege of assisting her in any of her numerous and ab- sorbing interests can testify to her wonderful business capacity, and to her mastery of detail. She possessed truly, and in a marked degree, " the genius of taking pains ". Mrs. Rylands's death occurred on the 4th of February, 1 908, to the irreparable loss not only of the institution which she had founded, but to the entire city of Manchester. It is impossible within the limits of a brief sketch like the present to attempt to convey anything like an adequate idea of the interest and importance of the contents of the library, comprising as they do nearly 200,000 printed books, and 7,000 manuscripts. The utmost that can be done is to take a glance at some of the outstanding features of the various sections, commencing with the special rooms and in passing to notice some of the more conspicu- ous among the books which hold a predominant position in the fields of history or literature, and which have made the library famous in the world of letters. BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH. Before commencing this survey of the contents, it will not be out of place to sketch very briefly the fascinating history of the formation of the Althorp Library, v^rhich, although but a part of the John Rylands Library, is, by common consent, the most splendid part. FORMATION The formation of the collection was substantially ALTHORP the work of George John, second Earl Spencer, who LIBRARY «-< •' A was born 1 st September, 1 758, and succeeded to the earldom in 1 783. Few men have entered life under happier auspices. At seven years of age he was placed under the tutor- ship of William Jones, the famous Orientalist, who was afterwards knighted, with whom he made two continental tours, visiting libraries' as well as courts in their progress. Jones resigned his charge in 1 770, when Lord Althorp was sent to Harrow ; but tutor and pupil were in constant correspondence, and maintained an intimate acquaintance until I 783, when the former left England for his Indian judgeship. As a collector. Lord Spencer did not begin seriously until he was thirty years of age. He had made occasional purchases before 'that time, but the broad foundation of the Althorp Library, as we now know it, cannot be said to have been fairly laid until Lord^ Spencer acquired the choice collection of Count de Reviczky in 1 790. The possession of that collection at once raised the Althorp Library^into importance, and influenced the character of the acquisitions which were most eagerly sought in after days. In justice to the memory of the first Earl Spencer, some refer- ence must be made to the part he played in the foundation of the library. He was undoubtedly a book- collector, since he bought the library of Dr. George, Master of Eton, consisting of 5,000 volumes. Many of these volumes were collections of the smaller pieces of Elizabethan literature, which, although looked upon at that time as " tracts " or " miscellanea," have come to be regarded as works of considerable importance, and are now eagerly sought after. The George " tracts " are still preserved in the John Rylands Library, and may be distinguished by the arms of the THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. first Earl, which he caused to be stamped upon all the books then at Althorp. But the separately bound works, which Dr. George no doubt prized more highly, were gradually weeded out by the second Earl, and replaced by finer copies. The old Althorp collection was of little importance when compared with the magnificence it ultimately reached under the fostering care of the second Earl. Yet it could not have been without interest, since it won the admiration of Sir Willicun Jones in 1 765, and was instrumental in awakening young Spencer's love for books. It remains, however, to be said that the event which, more than anything else, determined the ultimate character and scope of the Althorp Library, was the acquisition of the Reviczky collection. jHE Charles Emanuel Alexander, Count Reviczky, was col'lIc^^ 3 Hungarian nobleman of considerable fortune, born in Hungary in 1 737, and educated at Vienna. He seems to have possessed an exceptional aptitude for acquiring languages, and to have cultivated it during extensive travels both in Europe and in Asia. Besides the great languages of antiquity, and the modern tongues of ordinary attainment, he is said to have acquired thorough familiarity with the languages of Northern Europe, and with a majority of the languages and chief dialects of the East. He had not long returned rom the travels he had planned for himself when the Empress Maria Theresa sent him as her am- bassador to Warsaw. The Emperor Joseph II gave him similar missions, first in Berlin, and afterwards in London. Everywhere he made himself renowned as a collector of fine books, and especi- ally of the monuments of printing, and won many friends. Some idea of his character and of his eminent accomplishments may be derived from his correspondence with Sir William Jones, who entertained a strong eiffection for him, and to whom his first intro- duction to Lord Spencer was probably owing. The chief characteristic of the Reviczky Library was its extra- ordinary series of the primary and most choice editions of the Greek and Latin classics. No collector has ever succeeded in 6. GEORGE JOHN, SECOND EARL SPENCER. FOUNDER OF THE ALTHORP LIBRARY BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH. amassing a complete series of first editions ; but Reviczky, whose researches in this direction were incessant, is believed to have made a nearer approximation to completeness than any previous or contemporary collector. Next to the " editiones principes et primariae," it was his aim to gather such of the fine productions of the presses of Aldus, Stephanus, Morel, and Turnebus as were not already included in the primary series, then the Elzevirs, the " Variorum " classics, the Delphin classics, the choice editions of Baskerville, Brindley, Foulis, Tonson, and Barbou, and the curious small-typed produc- tions of the press of Sedan. Of his classics, Reviczky himself printed, under the pseudonym of " Periergus Deltophilus," a catalogue entitled " Bibliotheca Graeca et Latina," copies of which may be seen in the Hbrary. This catalogue appeared at Berlin during his embassy in 1 784, and, like the three supplements to it subsequently printed, was restricted to private circulation. Ten years later it was published with additions. If it be true that Reviczky' s health was already failing him when he sold his library to Lord Spencer, he gave an unusual instance of disinterestedness in the conditions upon which he insisted. He stipulated for £1,000 down, and an annuity of £500. The. bargain was made in 1790, and in August, 1793, the Count died at Vienna, so that, for the moderate sum of £2,500, Lord Spencer acquired the collection of books which was to determine the character of the Althorp Library. One of Count Reviczky' s pecuharities as a collector was an abhorrence of books with manuscript notes, no matter how illustri- ous the hand from which they came. To him a " liber notatus manu Scaligeri " excited the same repugnance which he would have shown to the scribblings of a schoolboy on the fair margins of a vellum Aldine. What he prized in a fine book was the freshness and purity which show that the copy is still in the condition in which it left the printer. A copy on vellum had a great attraction for him, and he was not insensible to the 13 THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. charms of a " large paper " copy, or of a copy in the original binding. Lord Spencer was by no means so intolerant of manuscript notes as was Reviczky, but he shared his appreciation of the external beauties of a choice book with a just and keen estimate of its intrinsic merits. And the almost unrivalled condition of many of his later acquisitions make them quite worthy to occupy the same shelves with the cherished volumes of Count Reviczky. EARL The accession of Count Reviczky 's books was an SPENCER epoch-making event in the history of the Althorp Library. It gave direction to Lord Spencer's taste in collecting, and at once placed his library amongst the most important private collections of the time. From this time onward, for something like forty years, Lord Spencer is said to have haunted the sale-rooms and booksellers' shops, not only in this country but throughout Europe, in his eagerness to enrich his already famous collection with whatever was line and rare — even to the purchase of duplicates in order to exercise "the choice of copies. In this way he purchased in 1813 the entire library of Mr. Stanesby Alchorne, so that he might improve his collection of early English books by the addition of some specimens of the presses of William Caxton and Wynkyn de Worde, and in some cases by the substitution of copies of the productions of these printers which were better than those he had previously possessed. After the few advantageous exchanges and the few additions to the Althorp collection already referred to, the bulk of the Al- chorne books were sent to Evans, for sale by auction, in the same year in which they had been purchased. Some idea of the rapid growth of the Althorp Library may be formed, when it is pointed out that this was Lord Spencer's fourth sale of duplicates. Thus, by liberal dealings with booksellers, and by spirited competition at the sales, Lord Spencer continued to enrich his collection. There was yet another way in which he added to the riches of his collection : if the guardians of a public or of a semi- public library were of opinion that they better discharged their BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH. duty, as trustees, by parting with some exceedingly rare, but in their present home, unused books, and by applying the proceeds to the acquisition of other much needed works of modern dates, he was willing to acquire the rarities at the full market value, and so supply the means of multiplying the desired books of reference and of reading. Three of the rarest of the Spencer Caxtons were obtained in this way, and in writing to Dr. Dibdin in 181 1, when the transaction was completed. Lord Spencer speaks of it as "' a great piece of black letter fortune," and as " a proud day for the library ". The authorities from whom the purchase was made also thought it a proud day for their library when between 400 and 500 well-chosen volumes took the place of the dingy little folios which had made Lord Spencer's eyes to glisten and his pulse to beat faster as he tenderly yet covetously turned over their leaves. Another and still more striking instance of Lord Spencer's bold yet successful attempts to enrich the Althorp collection is of sufficient interest to be recorded here. Among the many attractions of the Royal Library at Stuttgart were two editions of Vergil, so rare as to be almost priceless. One was the second of the editions printed in Rome by Sweynheym and Pannartz in 1471 ; the other was an undated edition, printed at Venice, probably in the same year, by the printer " Adam " of Ammergau. Lord Spencer coveted these volumes, and commissioned Dr. Dibdin to go to Stuttgart in quest of them, despite their royal ownership. After many conferences with the librarian of the King of Wirtem- berg, the scheme was submitted to the King, and Dibdin was received in audience, when he dwelt adroitly upon the magnificence of the Stuttgart Library in theology and its comparative insignifi- cance in classics, as Eiifording a reason why a judicious exchange, which should give the means of supplying what was still lacking in the former class at the mere cost of a couple of Vergils, would strengthen his Majesty's library rather than weaken it. The King gave his assent, provided the details of the exchange were made satisfactory to his librarian. The terms were settled, and Dibdin THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. bore off the volumes in triumph to Althorp, where they swelled the number of distinct editions of Vergil printed prior to the year 1 476 to the number of fifteen. In 1819 Lord Spencer made a bibliographical tour of the Continent, one of the special objects of which was the perfecting of his fine series of the productions of the first Italian press of Sweyn- heym and Pannartz. He experienced some difficulty in finding the Martial of 1473, but at last succeeded, and so carried his number of works from that famous press to thirty-two. The most notable event of the tour was the acquisition of the entire library of the Duke of Cassano-Serra, a Neapolitan who had trodden much the path of Reviczky, with special attention to the early productions of the presses of Naples and Sicily. As early as 1807 the owner had printed a catalogue of the fifteenth- century books in this collection. The three books in the collection that had special attractions in Lord Spencer's eyes were aa unique edition of Horace, printed by Amoldus de Bruxella at Naples in 1 474, an undated Juvenal, printed by Ulrich Han at Rome before 1470, and an Aldine Petrarch of 1501, on vellum, with the manuscript notes of Cardinal Bembo. Could he have obtained these three volumes, there is reason to believe he would have been willing to forgo the rest of the Cassano Library, fine as it was, but the fates decreed otherwise. So thoroughly did Lord Spencer know his own collection that while he was at Naples he made a list of the principal duplicates which the Cassano acquisition would cause. All these were sold in 1 82 1 , to the enrichment of the Grenville, Sussex, Heber and Bodleian Libraries, as well as of many minor collections. In the course of his tour Lord Spencer visited the principal libraries, both public and private, that came in his path, and in correspondence with Dibdin he dwelt with particular satisfaction on the choice books he had met with in the collections of Counts Melzi and d'Elci. But he had now little to covet. From the Remondini collection he had obtained some fine Aldines, and he had made many occasional purchases, some of which improved i6 7. THE EARLY PRINTED BOOK ROOM BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH. his library without increasing it. To make a fine but imperfect book complete, he would not hesitate to buy two other imperfect copies. And if fortune put it in his power to benefit the collection of a friend, as well as to improve his own, his pleasure was in- creased. He never cherished the selfish delight of some eminent collectors in putting two identical copies of an extremely rare book on his own shelves, expressly in order that neither of them should fill a gap in the choice library of another collector. Thanks, therefore, to the scholarly instincts possessed by Count Reviczky and by Earl Spencer, and to the munificence of Mrs. Rylands, Manchester is now in proud possession of a library which in many respects is unrivalled. It is not too much to say that seldom if ever before has there been brought together a col- lection of books illustrating so completely as this does the origin and development of the art of printing. There are larger collec- tions, it is true, but in point of condition the collection in the John Rylands Library is peerless, for, as we have already remarked, Earl Spencer was not satisfied merely to have copies of the best books, he was intent upon having the finest copies procurable of the best books. THE EARLY Turning now to the brief survey of the contents of BOo7^° the Ubrary one of the most noteworthy features is its unrivalled collection of books printed before the year 1501, numbering upwards of 2,500 volumes. These books have been arranged upon the shelves of the room specially constructed for their accommodation in accordance with what Henry Bradshaw described as the "natural history method," the arrangement adopted by Mr. Proctor in his " Index to the Early Printed Books in the British Museum". By this method of arrangement it is possible to show upon the shelves the direction which the art of printing took in the course of its progress and development. Conmiencing with the specimens of block-printing — the im- mediate precursors of the type-printed book, the stepping-stones to that remarkable development in the methods of transmitting knowledge which took place in the middle of the fifteenth century 17 2 THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. with the invention of the printing press, and which furnishes one of the most fascinating chapters in the history of the evolution of books — the first object of interest is the famous block-print of " St. Christopher," bearing an inscription of two lines, and the date 1423. This, the earliest known piece of printing to which a date is attached, and of which no other copy is known, is alone sufficient to make the library famous. The print has been coloured by hand, and is pasted on the inside of the right-hand border of the binding of a manuscript entitled " Laus Virginis," written in 141 7 in the Carthusian Monastery of Buxheim, near Memmingen, Swabia, where the volume was carefully preserved until towards the end of the eighteenth century. These religious prints, consisting of out- lines of figures of saints, copied no doubt from the illuminated manuscripts, were printed wholly from engraved blocks or slabs of wood, upon which not only the pictorial matter, but any letter- press was carved in relief. The meuiner of printing was peculiar, since the earliest examples were produced before the printing press Wcis introduced. It may be described as follows : The block was thinly inked over, and a sheet of damped paper was then laid upon it, and carefully rubbed with a dabber or burnisher. From the single leaf prints to the block books was the next step in the development. The block books were made up from single sheets, printed only on one side of the paper, smd then, in most cases, pasted back to back and made up into books. The reason for printing the sheets only on one side is obvious when the manner of printing is recalled. To have turned the sheet to receive a second print would have resulted in the smearing of the first, by reason of the friction necessary to secure the second impression. Four- teen of these block books are preserved in the library, of which nine may be assigned conjecturally to the period between 1 430 and 1 450, while the others are of a somewhat later date. There are two editions of the " Apocalypsis S. Joannis," two editions of the " Ars Moriendi," two editions j fafiffncftoi) ot 3 0)w/2tn5 tf,a( 3 mage fci ana? tcaguc tQp ^Cp tbog goS? ? man Souyouc of a!te manftEn* Cteft Sl*f" tBif^oufc fynne/ 2ttiO tgat f^oii IbjiEf mg fctJi; goSj foigcne me ottr mg fgimcis fb: t§g gSitgouo ibouncco 5 piffioi)/7t«t>? tftaf 3 map cnOi mj Cjf h) t^c tttlbe fcBtfic of a!te loCg c^itctje/ jiii&2 t>i mtfgg^e fouc oMb; cftitjfe IbitQ mp ciio; as Po) ao (^B caaftircyltnti? 3 wmmcnCB mg (blbfe nj (0 rtjg ^Eg fan SCO ^urgO % gRi:gou© ^ift of t^g 6&ng!>? mowt of mticg oaa taip fapnt Wajg I an!>; a!t? mncp/3 ctgegoB meicg/SbtCcomc mg mote/UjcCcome mp Rtsmc t/lbcCoome mg faiigouc/gj nge Hie mctcg IbitQ fetft wn «»gft of mg grefe ^nSgitWttcfft t§at 3 (jaw ^» Stito l^c / >-C^ moofe rartteft fpouO'of mp tbule j^r^fte 3Wu StfEiplS fttfcCpeiictmotx fo: (0 fe Ibtt^ rti» h) ttign^ oe aiiB? lijpffi/ 3tn!) to K;* none ctlQffg t^jnge fe foo npfc Ntgt) *rt aa l^otb Ctgftc Sftfn/Ttnt^ t^at 3 »ra* not foj (6 oeg» f»t 4» goo ft) «5« ^igft 3'>!fii/7in0 t6at 3 magciictmotr fagt 'Bit (B f^f B)t(§ a gCaecccCeiW Wg feS); Wg go&jmp foucmgnc foug* cut CtpR 3etfH / 3 Bgfecffe ttie fttftCg/ mEc me fgnnct Snto t^p graft m«tcg ant>? gtaot/ Jf oj 3 ^"' •?« ""t? aC mg Octtt/tbitQ offi ntg mgnot/ibirt) a(C« mg mggQt/ 3tnO? no tfigngc Too mocfje hi ct(§ no^aetoiieCTtec/aaS 9oo t^e mg flbctc (biB? Ctgfil jecfu / ■Jlnaf fb: l?a< 3 Baiw not foueB? (?f/ anoj iboifBifpeS? tfje/atoue at tf gng oe mp fi)t!>j/Wg goa2/an{> mg faueoiit/Ctgrt 3Wn/3 Bgfccfe Hie Ibtt^ mc6cn«fff ant>} fttfe ojnttgft ^ of mcccg anir; of fbigntmf ffe of mggetft BnEgnOcncfff/fin t^c gtcte font t^at t^oiiffklbwrt foi tm anir; at manBpnOe/tbliit tpms l^ou offnocrt t?g gtegouo EbDp got»2 ana? mat) 5nfo tSc Caiffe/tfiei; to fe crucgfgca? an&j tboiitco 3lnS2 ?«(» t?p gfctpoue fttft a ffetp frcss/f^ct nnnpng out pfon tguoufCg 68:09? an& loattt fbt tflc tcOtmpaon onb faCuaaoi) of mi ana? oC manBgnoc / Jtna? t^iia Caugune ttmcmBmuiKi RosfhrtCg *n mp fttfe of e^f wg faiigout CtgTrt SWi / 3 '»'iBt' "ot / But l^cil Ibjtt 6e fuC ngfe me/onS? comfbjtc mi Bsfgc foSgCp anB gos oftCp Ibit? tCg g5)!poua pwrcnw/Ttna? at Hjc Cnfn ficgngc mc t3nft> i^S cHstC'afJgnge 6CgfTe/t§» lb§ic^ f^ffe ncHet CoMf tiiO!/2tmci)/ 11. "DEATHBED PRAYERS" Printed by William Caxton [1483] •t^ttlpfofJtbialpm (V ^n5crr»:i: ^ni tfeff) (wc Toiie I)o6.' T"! iif6l)pir)/ ft curfiJ): ^giri / TLnbi atjb ^ia font- tonnnij / 3 tOi 6&fT^&f ©m> rnift; fi)r an^B of ')(oc Ibftr iyCCpro '31 nO? f«nra ccCc^ c^e t^c ibmCb? Cptlbene Ben; SScnj Ooa? oC afpi / €t)an} afft^fie/ :jtna ^aplVf alt «ifuGn&?t9an6pS7oinra):&'/7(e:flm BriVftrt oS t^ (bnec tolbatJp? tfjt route, f Qtnt)?ro»bf[^6calbfr(^ctDfrtn&> fbn» eit CyUf df out &:0; toC!>> ^ / gOu* & 12. A PAGE OF CAXTON'S "GOLDEN LEGEND," 1483 BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH. Game and Playe of the Chesse," which for many years was re- garded as the earlier of the two, and also as the first book printed at Westminster. In 1 476 Caxton returned to England from the Low Countries, probably in consequence of the disastrous defeat of Charles the Bold by the Swiss in July of that !year. He set up his press at Westminster within the precincts of the Abbey, and in the autumn of 1477 he published "The Dictes or Sayengis of the Philosophres," the first book to be printed in England. From that year until the time of his death, in 1 49 1 , his press was never idle. Including the broadsides and new editions of certain works, his pubHcations at Bruges and in England number about 100, in the printing of which eight different founts of type were employed. In addition to the works already enumerated, the library possesses of the rarer of the Caxtons one of i the two only known copies of each of : " Malory's Morte d' Arthur," the " Advertisement of pyes of two and three comemoracios of salisburi use," " The Curial of Alayn Charetier," and the " Propositio Johannis Russell," with others less rare to the number, as already stated, of sixty. Of the works printed by Wynkyn de Worde, Lettou, Mach- linia, Pynson, Julian Notary, and the Schoolmaster printer of St. Albans, the library possesses many examples, a feiir proportion of which are believed to be unique. Of the early Oxford books there are nine, including the " Exposicio Sancti leronimi in simbolo apostolorum" of Rufinus, with the date M.CCCC.LXVIII., a mis- print for 1 478, which, in consequence, has been put forward from time to time as the first book printed in England. These are a few of the monuments of early printing which, to the number of 2,500, three-fourths of which were printed before 1480, are to be found upon the shelves of the Early Printed Book Room. The majority of them are remarkable for their excellent state of preservation. THE ALDiNE Another noteworthy feature of the library is the ROOM. collection of books printed at the famous Venetian press, founded by Aldus in or about the year 1 494. The collec- 23 THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. tion is considered to be the largest ever brought together, num- bering as it does upwards of 800 volumes. These have been arranged, like the " Incunabula," in a room specially constructed for their accommodation. It is fitting that Aldus Manutius, or, as he afterv*rards styled himself, " Aldus Pius Manutius Romanus," should be thus honoured, for few men in his own, or indeed in any, age have done more for the spread of knowledge than this scholar-printer of Venice. His earliest aim seems to have been to rescue the masterpieces of Greek literature from the destruction ever impending over a few scattered manuscripts. The master- pieces of Latinity had, for the most part, been exhausted by his predecessors, and it was natural that some scholar and printer should turn his attention to the wide field offered by the Greek classics. As yet no one had seriously undertaken the task. In six cities only had Greek books been issued, at Brescia in 1 474, at Vicenzain 1475 or 1476, at Milan in 1476, at Parma in 1481 at Venice in 1484 and 1486, and at Florence in 1488. Only one great Greek classic, " Homer," had been issued from the press when Aldus began to print. There was, therefore, an abundant field for Aldus to occupy, and to prove how well he occupied it it is only necessary to say that when he ceased his work Aristotle, Plato, Thucydides, Aristophanes, Euripides, Sophocles, Homer, Demosthenes, /Esop, Plutarch and Pindar had been given to the world, most of them for the first time. But to carry out his scheme he required ready access to manuscripts, and this, in all probability, was the consideration that induced him to settle at Venice. Venice, free, enlightened, already the great centre of printing, the repository of unpublished manuscripts, and the home of the refugee Greek scholars who would be capable of assisting Aldus in his enterprise, would naturally appear to him the place most suitable for the establishment of his press, and so from Venice proceeded that stream of Aldine editions which have always been prized by book-lovers. The first productions of Aldus were the " Erotemata " of Laskaris, the " Galeomyomachia," and " Musaei opusculum de 24 r.V.M.MANTVANI BV COLIC ORVM Tixr RVS. '¥ Ityretu fdtui£recuhisfnl> Me. tegmtmfip Siluejlrem Krwivmfam meditaris auena- Nof f.ttrif.tmrclonare doccs f^nuiryll'iid[ylnas- ""'■■' OM.elibxe,deUsrKiblih£coddjrnt- Ti- - N dna;eriti[[emthifemberieils,dliu;drcim '^*' S apctErKrnoflrisdboMilibHumbuetdgrws. I lie mtds errdreboucs,Ht arms,ct ipfum I, nitre^c^Ui£ uelUm,caUmo permftt dp-cfb. lipncquid.emmwdco,rmror maqii,Hndicl;fj)tii Me, V pMCddeo turhdtur dgrn-cn iffi afpcllds V rotimis 'e^a^,hdnc cndmntxTuyredum- H icintn dcnfds wrylosvwdo ndncjid^mcllos, S femgre^s dhfili(vtn midd tvnnixa rcJ/mtit- 5 itf€mnam,Melibcec iiutsui Ti. S tulifs ego huicnofrr£fnndan,cjHofopefole;ms Tt-rt 13. A PAGE OF THE "ALDINE VERGIL," 1501 BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH. Herone et Leandro," all of which appeared in 1495. In the same year he issued the first volume of the folio edition of Aristotle, the work with which he inaugurated his great series of the Greek classics. In 1 502 the " Tragoediae " of Sophocles appeared, fol- lowed in 1518 by the first printed " Greek Bible," of which Aldus was himself the projector and chief editor, though he did not live to see it completed, and in 1 525 by the " editio princeps " of Galen. Aldus did not confine his attention to the Greek classics, though the achievements of his Latin press are not so distinguished as those of his Greek press. The year 1501 marks a real innovation in the art of typography which Aldus effected. The famous italic type which he first employed in the " Vergil " of 1501 is said to be a close copy of the handwriting of Petrarch. It was cut for the printer by Francesco Raibolini, and it is so fine and close as to be ill-suited to the large page of the folio or quarto. Accordingly, Aldus began to make up his sheets into a size that could easily be held in the hand and readily carried in the pocket. This new type allowed him to compress into the small dainty format, by which the press of Aldus is best re- membered, as much matter as the purchaser could heretofore buy in a large folio. The public welcomed the innovation, which not only meant reduction in size, but considerable reduction in price. The result was a wide diffusion of books and the popularisation of knowledge at which Aldus aimed. The " Vergil" of 1501 was followed in the same year by " Horace," and " Petrarch." It is perhaps of interest to remark that the three earliest books to be printed in the type said to have been copied from the handwriting of Petrarch were the two favourite authors of Petrarch, Vergil and Horace, and his own sonnets. In 1499 Aldus published the most famous of Venetian illustrated books, the " Hypnerotomachia Poliphili," the wood engravings of which are supposed to have been designed by Giovanni Bellini. After the death of Aldus, which occurred in 1516, the busi- iness of the press was carried on by his father-in-law, Andrea Torresano of Asola, and his two sons, by Paolo Manuzio, the son 25 THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. of Aldus, whose enthusiasm for Latin classics equalled that of his father for Greek, and by Aldus Junior, the son of Paolo and the grandson of Aldus. In this way the printing establishment founded by Aldus continued in active operation until 1597, a period of 102 years. In addition to the collection of genuine Aldines which the library possesses, many of which are printed on vellum, whilst many others are large paper copies, there are a considerable number of counterfeit Aldines. The fame of the Aldine italic must have spread over Europe with extraordinary rapidity, for in the same year that Aldus issued his " Vergil " (1501) a forgery of it was published in Lyons. Aldus complained bitterly of the constant forgeries to which his works were subjected, and by means of public advertisement warned his customers how they might distinguish the forgeries from the genuine Venetian editions. Upwards of 1 00 of these forgeries are shelved by the side of the genuine copies. THE BIBLE ^°' '®®^ remarkable than the " Incunabula " and '^°°^' the " Aldines " are the Bibles that have been brought together in the Bible Room, comprising, as they do, copies of all the earliest and most famous texts and versions, together with the later revisions and translations, from the Mainz edition of the Latin Vulgate of 1455 to the Doves Press edition of the Author- ised Version, which was completed in 1905. Indeed, the Bible collection may be looked upon as the complement of the other collections, since, between the printing of the first and the last Bibles^ — an interval of four centuries and a half — it shows the pro- gress and comparative development of the art of printing in a manner that no other single book can. As the art of printing made its way across Europe, the Bible was generally the first, or one of the first, books to be printed by many of the early printers. Some half-dozen folio editions of the Bible in Latin and in German, and two great Latin Psalters had 26 o o CQ ■X. H BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH. appeared in type before a single volume of the classics had been dealt with in a similar way. The earliest printed Bibles were of the Latin Vulgate. Of this version alone upwards of 100 editions had appeared before the close of the fifteenth century. The most important of these editions, to the number of seventy, are to be found in the Bible Room. There are the two first printed Mainz editions, with which the name of Gutenberg is associated ; the first Strassburg edition^ printed by Mentelin between 1 459 and 1 460 ; the first dated Bible, printed by Schoeffer at Mainz in 1 462, and on vellum ; the three editions printed by Eggesteyn at Strassburg in 1 466 ; the Bible printed by the " R " printer, probably at Strassburg, in 1 467 ; the first Bible printed at Rome by Sweynheym and Pannartz in 1471 ; the first quarto edition printed by John Peter de Ferrati& at Piacenza in 1 475 ; the first edition printed in Paris, by Gering, Krantz and Friburger, in 1476; three editions printed in 1476 by Moravus of Naples, Jenson of Venice, and Hailbrun of Venice, respectively, all of which are on vellum ; the first octavo edition printed by Froben of Basle in 1491 ; and the most im- portant of the editions of the sixteenth and later centuries. The collection also includes the four great Polyglots printed at Alcala (Complutum), Antwerp, Paris, and London. The " Antwerp Polyglot " is De Thou's large-paper copy, bearing his arms, whilst the " London Polygot," also a large-paper copy, bears on its binding the arms of Nicholas Lambert de Thorigny. The Greek texts comprise the Aldine editio princeps of the Septuagint of 1518, the six editions of the Erasmian Testament of 1516 to 1542, facsimiles of the principal codices, and a group of the finest and most valuable editions, from that of Strassburg of 1 524-26 down to the revised text of Westcott and Hort, issued in 1881. Of the Hebrew texts there are : the Soncino printed portions of 1485, the Bologna Psalter of 1477, and the Pentateuch of 1 482, the Naples edition of 1 491 , the Brescia edition of 1 494, 37 THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. and a long series of successive editions down to and including the current editions of Ginsburg and Kittel. The translations into German include seven editions printed before 1 484, the rare first New Testaments of Luther, issued in September, and December, 1522, and his incomplete Bible of 1524, printed on vellum. In French there are, among others : the Lyons editions of 1475 and 1500, Verard's Paris edition of 1517, three editions of OUvetan's translation, of which the first is of 1 535, and Calvin's revision of the same, printed at Geneva in 1565. In Italian there are : the first edition printed at Venice in 1471 by Wendelin of Speier from the version of N. di Malherbi, and another Venetian edition of the same year, conteiining six en- gravings illustrating the story of the creation, which are found in no other copy, besides a number of other rare editions. Of the other older translations there are : the Icelandic of 1584, the Danish of 1550, the Basque of 1571, the Bohemian of 1506, the Dutch of 1528, the Scottish Gaelic of 1690, the New England Virginian of John Eliot of 1661-63 and 1680-85, the PoHsh of 1 563, the Slavonic of 1 581 , the Spanish New Testament of 1 543, the Spanish Bible of 1 553, one of the few known complete copies of Salesbury's Welsh New Testament of 1 567, Morgan's Welsh Bible of 1588, the Manx Bible of 1771-73, the Chinese Bible printed at the Serampore Mission Press in 1815-22, which preceded the trfmslation of Dr. Morrison, and others too numer- ous to be specifically mentioned. Before turning to the English Bibles it is perhaps of interest to remark that in the Psalter of Giustiniani in five languages, printed at Genoa in 1516, is to be found, in a long Latin note on the nineteenth psalm, the first Hfe of Columbus, in which are given some important particulars of his second voyage along the coast of Cuba. That brings us to the English section, which fully illustrates the history of the English Bible from Wiclif to the present day. It is a matter of surprise to most people when they learn for the first time that the presses of Caxton and of his successors had 28 ■^obannfe. 15. A PAGE OF LUTHER'S FIRST NEW TESTAMENT September, 1522 ittbei^mMittic vcMuii-afm Slttulntie viirabM ctmc yatt» rfyc- yM-Vttujrvi^^ ofuorac il lie itfM^iiffbban"* •(,«'«« [1.. .. jbWj /'^ '' ^ ,,. .^ .3ml cpn^jm^C'ilttb jrf^ e Wdlen 6!>l> bouC'iiKUittt &&ve iMir^ee uaobeac, 9&^y iiorto txett but- rrfii U(«HO >n* » n«nyc tt-fHW-y 4Uc ym (hi' tt-bdalev dllc (»>n«i# ' it-fco McvmM/ tiiAnit fi>Di tic o^iioyci't a$.'btir HtetA >MWniic»*t- ieititlW«« «»«'*<«•* ot**' itifttttut'tftfci-mUMpJH'"*'''!'*'' t»deli<»(Cw»i«M« «"»*A«taE -0Uttfttgi^' 16. A PAGE OF AN EARLY WICLIFITE NEW TESTAMENT MANUSCRIPT, ABOUT 1400 BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH. been in operation nearly fifty years before a single chapter of the tJible, as such, had appeared in print in the English language. It IS true that Caxton, in his English version of the " Golden Legend," had printed in 1 483 nearly the whole of the Pentateuch and a great part of the Gospels, under the guise of lives of Adam, Abraham, Moses, the Apostles and others, and that in the same year, in " The Festival " of John Mirk, he printed some Scripture paraphrases, but they are all mingled with so much mediaeval gloss that, though they may have been read in the churches, they were never recognised as the Holy Scriptures. They were, how- ever, the nearest approaches that the English people made to a printed Bible in their own tongue until the year 1 525. It is also true that many copies of the Bible and of the New Testament, translated into English by Wiclif and his followers, were scattered throughout the country in manuscript,^ and had given educated people and persons of quality a taste for the volume of Holy Writ. But such was the attitude of the Church of that day towards the circulation of the Bible in the language of the country, when it was declared to be a dangerous thing to place the Bible in the hands of the common people, that Caxton adopted a prudent, business-like course, and printed only such books as were likely to be allowed to circulate in peace. It was not until 1523 that any serious attempt was made to give to the people of England the printed Bible in their own tongue. In that year William Tindale, under the influence of reflections growing out of circumstances of his life at Oxford, Cambridge, and Little Sodbury, contemplated the translation of the New Testament into English, as the noblest service he could render to his country. Happening one day to be in controversy with one of the reputed learned divines of his day, he was led to give utterance to the declaration with which his name will ever be associated : "... If Clod spare my life, ere many years I will cause a hoy that driveth the plough to know more of the Scriptures than thou dost ". He went to London in the hope of 1 A dozen such manuscript copies are in the library. 29 THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. finding a sjnnpathetic patron in the person of the Bishop of London (Cuthbert Tonstall), under whose protection he might carry out his project. He was forced, however, slowly to the conclusion that not in England, but amid the dangers and privations of exile should the EngUsh Bible be produced. After a short residence in London he crossed to Hamburg, there completed his translation of the New Testament from the original Greek, probably with the aid of Erasmus's Latin version of 1518, and Luther's German version of 1 522. He then proceeded to Cologne to arrange for the printing, probably at the press of Peter Quentell. The work had not proceeded far when the Senate of Cologne were per- suaded to issue an order prohibiting the printing. Before the order could be carried into effect Tindale took flight to Worms, where the enthusiasm for Luther was at its height, providing him with a safe retreat. Once at Worms, the work commenced and interrupted at Cologne was continued and finished. We have no evidence that the edition commenced at Cologne was ever completed. If it were, as some writers contend, then another edition in octavo must have been simultemeously issued, and large consignments were without delay smuggled into England. This " invasion of England by the Word of God," which Cardinal Wolsey did everything in his power to prevent, commenced early in the year 1 526, probably in the month of March. In that same year the Testament was publicly and vigorously denounced by Bishop Tonstall at Paul's Cross and burned. It was publicly burned a second time in May, 1 530. So rigorously was the suppression of this first " New Testa- ment " carried out that only one small fragment of the Cologne quarto edition, and two imperfect copies of the Worms edition in octavo, have survived. The former is preserved in the British Museum, one of the latter is in St. Paul's Cathedral Library, whilst the other is in the Baptist College at Bristol. We have, perforce, to be content with a facsimile of the Bristol copy on vellum, the more perfect of the two octavos, made by Francis Fry, and a facsimile of the quarto fragment by Professor Arber. 30 A XXXV.aaptcr: apohis face. But rohehe ircnt before the Lor de to fpeak «?ith him,hc tokc the coucrigc of rntill he came out. And he came out and fpa* f|[!'Ari?.iiat kevntothechildcrn of Ifrael that cohich he vv.iKnt 111 IS toas commaundcd.Andthe childernof IfracI uu4c'd."'"*' ^^'^- the face of MofcSjthat the fkynne of his face fhonc trith bcames: but Mofes put a co* uer>ngc Dppon his face, »ntill he t»cnt in, to ccmenrcidihim. The.Kxxv. Chapter . Nd Mofes gathered all the companye „. _ of the childern of Ifrael together, and fayde vr.to them: thcfcare the thinges tchich the Lorde hath commaunded to doo ; Sixc dayes^e (hall roorke,but the feuenth da^e Ihal be t>nto >ou the hol> Sabbath of the Lordcs reft .fo that trhofoeuer doth an> worke there in,fh3lId>e.Moreoucr>c fhall kindle no f>rc tlioroa? out all yourc habitacjons apo the Sab bath dayc. And Mofes fpakcrnto all the multitude of tlie childern of Ifrael fajngc:this i$ the thin gc i-ohich the Lorde comaudcd faynge.'Geue fro amogeyou an heueoffringe,rntotheLor# de. All thatt are willjynge in their hartes, fhall bryngcheiieofFringes vnto the Lordergoldc, C'lucr,braffc: Iac>n(5lc,rcarlet,purpull,b>fre 5d gootes hare;wm8 fk^nncs red and taxus fk>n nes and 17. A PAGE OF TINDALE'S PENTATEUCH, 1530-34 # 18. TITLE-PAGE OF THE FIRST PRINTED ENGLISH ■COVERDALE'S" BIBLE, 1535 BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH. Of the first revision of Tindale's Testament, printed at Aat- Tverp in 1 534, we possess a fine copy, and of the octavo edition of 1 536, " yet once agayne corrected," the edition that appeared in the identical year of Tindale's martyrdom, we possess the only known perfect copy. From this point the library is rich in the numerous editions of Tindale's Testament. Having completed and issued his New Testament, Tindale settled down to the study of Hebrew in order to quaUfy himself for the translation of the Old Testament. In 1527 he took refuge in Marburg, where, in the intervals of study, he found time to issue his two most im- portant controversial works, which constituted his manifesto. Early in 1 530 his translation of the " Pentateuch," made direct from the original Hebrew, with the aid of Luther's German version, was ready for circulation. Of this interesting volume there is a copy of the edition 1 530-34, with all the marginal glosses intact ; with perhaps one other exception, these are usually cut away, as ordered by the Bishop, at least, the " most pestilent " of them. The reason for this order is quite obvious from a glance at the pages of the ■volume. Of the first complete Bible printed in EngUsh, edited by Miles Coverdale, and printed probably at Zurich, there are two •copies, both slightly defective, as are all the known copies ; of the second edition in quarto of the same version, issued at South- wark in 1537, our copy is the only perfect one known. Of the "Matthew Bible" of 1537, edited by John Rogers, an intimate friend of Tindale, and the first martyr in the Marian persecution, who issued it under the assumed naune of " Thomas Matthew," ■we have the copy which formerly belonged to George III. Copies of the following versions are also to be found upon the shelves : "Taverner's Bible" of 1537; the "Great Bible" of 1539; " Cranmer's Bible " of 1 540 ; " Becke's Revision of Matthew's Bible" of 1549; the "Genevan Testament" of 1557, which formed the groundwork of the " Genevan Bible " of 1 560, and was the first Testament to be printed in Roman type, and|the first to show verse divisions; the "Genevan Bible" of 1560, the 31 THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. earliest English Bible to be issued in a handy and cheap form. It obtained speedy and permanent popularity, and although never formally recognised by authority, for three generations maintained its supremacy as the Bible of the people. Between 1560 and 1644 at least 140 editions were called for. The "Bishops* Bible" of 1568 and 1572 ; Tomson's revision of the "Genevan Testament "of 1576 ; the earliest English Bible printed in Scot- land by Arbuthnot and Bassandyne in 1576-79; the "Rhemes Testament " of 1 582, which is the first Roman Catholic version of the New Testament printed in English ; Fulke's refutation of the arguments and accusations contained in the " Rhemes Testament " of 1589; die "Doway Bible" of 1609-10; the "King James' Bible," commonly called the " Authorised Version "of 1611 ; the " Cambridge Standard Edition " of 1 762 ; the " Oxford Standard Edition " of 1 769 ; and the later revisions, with copies of numerous intermediate editions of the various versions enumerated, furnish- ing a complete view of the history of the English text of the Bible. THE GREEK On the classical side the library is pre-eminently AND LATIN . , . . CLASSICS. rich, with its remarkable series of early and fine im- pressions of the Greek and Latin classics, which, with few excep- tions, still retain the freshness they possessed when they left the hands of the printers 400 years ago. Incidental reference has been made already to the Vergils, of which there are seventeen editions printed before 1480. Even more conspicuous is the collection of early Ciceros, numbering seventy-five works, printed before 1500, of which sixty-four are earlier than 1480. The value of such a series, apart from typographic considerations, as aids to textual criticism is obvious enough, since it represents so many precious manuscripts, some of which have since perished. Such was the feverish activity of the early printers that the editors in some cases did not scruple to hand over to the compositors the actual original manuscript from which their edition was taken after 32 I^?:- 19. TITLE-PAGE OF THE "GREAT BIBLE," 1539 20. TITLE-PAGE OF THE FIRST EDITION OF THE •AUTHORISED VERSION," 1611, OF THE ENGLISH BIBLE BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH. they had scribbled upon its margins their corrections, emendations and conjectural readings. The famous Ravenna codex of Aris- tophanes was actually used in this way. The Ciceros include all the early editions of the " Ofllcia," from that of Mainz, printed in 1465, to the Naples edition of 1 479 ; six separate editions of " De oratore " from 1 465 to 1 485 ; five of the " Orationes," anterior to 1474; ten of the " Epistolae ad familiares," earlier than 1 480 ; the " Opera philosophica " of 1471 ; and several impressions of minor works of great rarity. Of Horace there are eight editions prior to 1 480, including the rare first edition printed at Venice, probably in 1 470. Of Ovid there are the editions of Bologna of 1471, of Rome of 1471, of Venice of 1474, of Parma of 1477, Vicenza of 1480, and numerous early editions of the separate works, including the first edition of " De arte amandi," printed at Augsburg in 1471, and a copy of Churchyarde's English translation of " De Tristibus " of 1 5 78. Of Livy there are eight fifteen-century editions, including the first, printed at Rome in 1 469, and that of 1 470. Of PHny's "Historia naturaUs" there are seven editions before 1500, in- cluding the first, printed at Venice by John of Spire in 1 469, a magnificent copy on vellum of the Rome edition of 1 470, and an equally magnificent copy of Landino's Italian translation, printed at Venice by Jenson in 1 476. Indeed, with scarcely an excep- tion, the collection contains not only the first, but the principal editions of such Latin authors as Caesar, Catullus, Quintus Cur- tius, Lucan, Lucretius, Martial, Quintilian, Sallust, Seneca, Sue- tonius, Tacitus, Terence. Of the Greek writers there are the only known copy of the first Greek text ever printed— an edition of the " Batrachomyomachia," printed at Brescia by Thomas Ferrandus about 1 474 ; the Florentine Homer of 1 488 ; the Milan editions of Theocritus and Isocrates, both printed in 1 493 ; the Milan ^sop of 1 480 ; the Venetian Plautus of 1 472, and the long series of Aldines to which reference has been made already. The later presses, such as those of Bodoni, Didot, and Baskerville and the modern critical editions are also very fully represented, 33 3 THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. together with all the facsimiles of the famous codices which have been issued within the last few years. THE Of the great masters of Italian literature the library ITALIAN -111 II ■ Ti rx CLASSICS. possesses a considerable collection. 1 he Uante section alone numbers some 6,000 volumes, and is specially rich in early editions of the " Divina Commedia ". There are : three codices ; the three earliest printed editions of 1 472, issued respectively at Foligno, Jesi and Mantua ; two copies of the Florentine edition of 1 48 1 , with Landino's commentary, one of which contains the twenty engravings said to have been executed by Baldini in imitation of Sandro Botticelli, and eight other editions of the fifteenth century ; a large number of editions of the sixteenth and the succeeding centuries, including the Aldine edition of 1 302, on vellum, and a large number of critical works. The collection of Boccaccio's " II Decamerone " consists of eight fifteenth-century editions, including the only known perfect copy of the " editio princeps," printed at Venice by Valdarfer in 1471, and along series of the sixteenth century and later editions. Of the other works of Boccaccio there are many of the early and much prized editions. There is a vellum copy of the French translation of " De Mulieribus cletris " printed by Verard of Paris in 1493. Also the extremely rare edition of the " Teseide," printed at Ferrara in 1 475, and P)mson*s two editions of the " Fall of Princes," translated by John Lidgate, and printed in 1 494 and 1 527. Of the various works of Boccaccio's friend, Petrarch, there is an equally large number of early editions, including the first edition printed at Venice in 1470, that rarest of all editions printed by Laver of Rome in 1471, and eleven other editions printed before 1486. Of Ariosto there are twenty-five editions of his "Orlando furioso " anterior to 1585, including the first edition of 1516 printed at Ferrara, the rare Venetian editions of 1527 and 1530, the Ferrara edition of 1532 — the last which was edited by Ariosto himself, the Roman edition of 1 543, and the " Giolito edition " of the same year. Many other names could be mentioned, but these must suffice. 34 VMANA.COSA.E.LHAVER, COMrASSiON£.AGLAFFLIGTI. ecomc chcadciafcunaproaftiabenetadcoloro mafTimamcntce richeftro : Iiquah gia hanno diconforto haautomiftien.&hanolotrouito inalcuno/raiqualife aJcunomainbebbfio^ii fu caroogia ncriciuctte piacicre:Io Lono uno dii^uel]i,pciochedala miaprimagiouanc^ia in fino adqucRo tempo: oltra modo cfTcndo ftato accefoda akilTunu !nobiIcamocc fuorfcpm alTai cbclamia balla coditione no p^rcLbe, narrandolo Jofir]ciiicdcfrc:quatuncjuc appo coloro.cbc difcrcci Li.,rio Bialacuinotizia pcruimnc. lo nerulTi lod-UoSi damolco pm tcpuuio; Non dimcnojinifu egli dis;randiirima faticha alTotlVirc : ccrce non per crudclta dela donna amata : ma pcrfupcrcbio amorc ncla mcnce concicpro dapocbo rcgol.ito.ippctito ilcjualfpcrcio aniimo rc2olato,o couencuolc terniinc milafcu cC'Ccncollarc piu dinoia cbcdibifogno no era fpcire uolce fen tire miTaccua , Nclaqaal noia^tato refriggierio miporfcro ipiacicDoli ragionamcnti dalcuno amicoAlc dilcctcuoli fuc conlolationi cbcio porCo tcrmiinma oppinionc pec qucUo elTcrc aducnuto, chc non fia morto. Ma ficomc adcului piacquc ilcjualc cllcndo cgli infinito,diede perlcggc mconmutabilc adtuttc lecole mondanc haucrc fine : llmio amorc ol ere adognalcro fcructc^c ilquale niuna Forza diproponimcnto o dicontcglioijO diucrgogiia cuidcnccjO peticolo chc fcguirc nc potcllc baucuapoiruto ne ropcrc ncpicgbarc per fcmcdcfimo improcclTo ditempo lidiminui ingmla,cbcfoio difc nela mctcmiaalprcfentc ma latciaroquclpiaccrc^hcufato dip orgicrc adcbi troppo no limctcclTe ncfuoi piu cupi pclagbi nauicado: percbe doucfaticofo ciTere folcua ogni affanno,togIendomi dilcileuole mi icntcefTercrimafu: Macjuantucjuc ciclTata Ha Iapena,non percioc larncmoria fuggita debeneficii gia rECicuoti.datimidacholoro: da-* qualiperbcniuolcnzadaloroadmcportata cranograui lemic fatichc' ncpafXcrando mai ficomio credo fenon permorte: Etpcrciojcbcia grati'tudinefecudocbio credo fra laltreuirtu efomamete dacomcdatj ctilcontra-riodabiafimarepcrnonparerfgrato^omccbofterTo^pofto dinon Doler inqucl pocbo cbc per me fipuo incambio dicio,cbeio ricicuctti bora cbclibcro dire mipolTo:&re no acoloro cbeme aiuta^' ronorAiqaali per aducnturaperlor fennoopcrlalorobuona uenuta 2). A PAGE OF THE "VALDARFER BOCCACCIO," 1471 BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH. THE ENGLISH The department of English literature is remarkable CLASSICS. f^j. jjg richness. It is not possible to do more than mention a few names, and therefore the extent of the collection must not be estimated by the limited number of works to which reference is niade. Of Shakespeare there are two sets of the four foHos printed in 1 623, 1 632, 1 664 and 1 685 respectively. One of the first folios is interesting as being the actual copy used by Theobald in the preparation of his edition of the poet's works, which was issued in 1 733. It was purchased by George Steevens in 1 754 for the modest sum of three guineas. Of even greater interest than the first foHo is the copy of " Mr. Shakespeare's Sonnets," printed in 1 609, consequently during the lifetime of the poet, upon the title-page of which is a contemporary mark in manu- script, " 5d.". The copy of the edition of the plays edited by S. Johnson and G. Steevens in 1 793 is Steevens' own copy, which he himself enriched by the insertion of some thousands of engravings, many of which are of extreme rarity. Chaucer, the father of EngUsh poetry, is represented by all the earliest editions, com- mencing with that printed by Caxton in 1 478. Gower's " Con- fessio Amantis " of 1 483 is there, with Spenser's " Faerie Queene " of 1590-96, and his very rare " Amoretti and Epithalamion " of 1 595 ; Milton's " Paradise Lost " in six editions of 1 667 to 1 669 ; two copies of each of his " Comus," 1637, and his " Lycidas," 1638; the "Poems: both English and Latin," 1645, in two issues ; the first edition of Walton's "Compleat Angler," 1653 ; Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress," 1678; "Pilgrim's Progress"; second part, 1684; "The Holy War," 1682; his first pub- lished book — "Some Gospel Truths Opened," 1656, and several other works of the sturdy Puritan in the form in which they first made their appearance. Of "Pierce Plowman" there is a vellum copy printed in 1 550 ; Burton's " Anatomy of Melan- choly," 1621 ; Drayton's " The Owle," 1604, and " Polyolbion," 1613; Ben Jonson's "Works," 1616; Sir Thomas More's "Works," 1557; his "Utopia," 1551; the Earl of Surrey's " Songes and Sonettes," 1 567, and a long series of the original 35 THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. editions of other great classics of England, including a large number of the smaller pieces of Elizabethan literature. On the modern side there is a remarkable collection of the original issues of the works of Ruskin and Tennyson amongst others too numerous to mention, together with the modern critical literature. VOYAGES In the room known as " The Map Room " there AND TRAVELS. are a number of early maps and atlases, amongst which may be mentioned Saxton's " Atlas of England and Wales," of 1579, Blaeu's "Atlas Major," 1662, in eleven volumes folio, and a very extensive series of the early voyages and travels, including such collections as Hakluyt, De Bry, Purchas, Smith, Cook, Bougainville and Clark, together with the more modern works of geographical science. HISTORY. The student of history will find the library well equipped in the matter of the great historical collections, such as : Rymer, Rushworth, Montfaucon, Muratori, the " Monumenta Germaniae historica," " Le Recueil des historiens des Gaules," " Gallia Christiana," " Les Documents inedits sur I'histoire de France," " Commission Royale d'histoire de Belgique," " Chron- iken der deutschen Stadte," the various " Collections des memoires relatifs a I'histoire de France," the Rolls Series of " Chronicles and Memorials," and of the "Calendars of State Papers," the Reports of the " Historical Manuscripts Commission," the " Acta Sanctorum " of the BoUandists, the collections of Wadding, Man- rique, Holstenius-Brockie, the principal editions of the mediaeval chroniclers, together with the publications of the most important of the archaeological and historical societies of Europe, and the principal historical periodicals of this and other countries. The collection of pamphlets, numbering upwards of 15,000, is of ex- treme importance, especially for the Civil War, the Popish Plot, the Revolution of 1 688, the Non- Juror Controversy, the Solemn League and Covenant, for English politics under the first three Georges, and, to a lesser extent, for the French Revolution. The 36 SHAKE-SPEARES S O N N E T S, Ncuer before Imprinced= AT LONDON By g.m^ihr T,T. and are to be ioldt: by- M.t ffr/^ht^^dfldlins, «t CniiiiCh'.irc'vgace. '' '' '■'^ 11. TITLE-PAGE OF SHAKESPEARE'S " London, 1609 SONNETS' BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH. few titles mentioned are only intended to indicate the wide scope of the library, covering as it does the whole field of history, from the ancient empires of the East, through the Greek and Roman periods, down to the present day. The topographical and genea- logical collections should be mentioned as of importance. Every effort is being used to make this department of the library still more efficient to serve the requirements of the students and re- search workers who resort to it. THEOLOGY Theology occupies a prominent place in the Hbrary PHILOSOPHY, by reason of the special character that was impressed upon it from its inception. The original intention of the founder was to establish a library, the chief purpose of which should be the promotion of the higher forms of religious knowledge. It is true that the scope of the institution was enlarged by the purchase of the Althorp collection, but in their selection of the 100,000 volumes that have been acquired since 1 899, the authorities have steadily kept in view the founder's original intention. As a re- sult, the student of theology, whether in church history, textual criticism, dogmatic theology, liturgiology or comparative religion, will find that full provision has been made for him. Sufficient has been said elsewhere about the Biblical texts, but it may not be without interest to make incidental mention of a few of the rarer works in patristic and scholastic theology, liturgi- ology and other sections. There are fourteen works of St. Thomas Aquinas, all printed before 1 480 ; thirty editions of St. Augustine, ranking between 1 467 and 1 490 ; seven editions of St. Chrysostom anterior to 1 476 ; two editions of the " Epistolae " of St. Cyprian, printed in 1471 ; ten editions of various works of St. Jerome printed before 1500, and copies of the Benedictine editions of the Fathers, mostly on large paper. The collection of early Missals and Breviaries is noteworthy : there are twenty printed Missals, beginning with that of Ulrich Han of Rome, printed in 1 475 on vellum, and ending with that printed by Giunta at Venice in 1504, including the famous Mozarabic Missal of 37 THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. , 1500, printed by command of Cardinal Ximenes, and the two Sarum Missals on vellum, printed by Richard Pynson in 1500 and 1 504. There are eight Breviaries printed before 1 500, of which six are on vellum, including the rare Mainz edition of 1477, and the Ambrosian Breviary of 1487. There are also a number of the early sixteenth- century editions, including the copy of the Sarum use on vellum, printed in 1 508 by Richard Pynson. The " Codex liturgicus ecclesiae universae " of Assemanus, 1 749-63, is upon the shelves, together with a set of Mansi's " Sacrorum con- ciliorum nova et amplissima coUectio ". Of the " Book of Common Prayer " the series of editions is both long and interesting, includ- ing two of the first printed editions, issued in London in 1549, and the rare quarto edition printed at Worcester in the same year, followed by all the important revisions and variations. There are a number of the early Primers, and about fifty editions of the dainty books of Hours printed in the fifteenth and sixteenth cen- turies. The works of the reformers are well represented, with a large number of Martin Luther's tracts, including the original edition in book form of the famous " Theses " against the system of indulgences, printed in 1517, and affixed by him to the gate of the University of Wittemberg, and his " Deudsch Catechismus " of 1 529 ; a number of the earHest printed works of Erasmus, Ulrich von Hutten, Philipp Melanchthon, Girolamo Savonarola, Ulrich Zwingli, William Tindale, John Frith, William Roy, Miles Cover- dale, Jean Calvin, including " The Catechisme " of 1 556, and the first edition of the " Actes and Monuments " of John Fox. The great devotional books, such as : St. Augustine's " Confessions," the " Imitatio Christi," the " Speculum Vitae Christi," Hylton's " Scala perfectionis," the " Ars Moriendi," and the " Ordinary of Christian Men," are all to be found in the earliest and in the later editions of importance. In philosophy, the ancient, the mediaeval, and the modern schools are fully represented, including the latest and best works in experimental psychology, and in the psychical sciences. 38 23. TITLE PAGE OF HENRY VIII'S " ASSERTIO SEPTEM SACRAMENTORUM " London, 1522 t The Book of the Prophet ISAIAH. CHAP. w.pl.ilnrlh'.fJuiiuL'ir ■hfi: ■: . r, ,h->r ■l,,l r • i.'lly T' [ Tfnhth riifitkii una ijc!:..-:iin . id ' i uprr.'i.:.:o n t • ligroiir/.rvii, \6 he , J-crinh It •. icil.}/:,-, ,. pTiinij'-t and tkrcjlfiiinp ■ 21 be bc.i-nd.tl' ihcir ti'i.Li'- mft, and dticMic^/'j GmPs p»h'i:->t,, ,r\. ,1 ti,//./.,-- w/f/ cfnmry. zS Th( '.v.. L. J's J.;!. u.T, „. ^TH E vifion of IC'.i.ih rho ln!i of Amc?, uhirli he ijw concernuiK luii.;!i ;iriil f'.Tiililcni iii the (l;ivs of Uz?i.ili, [ntli^irn, Ah.iz, ^, Jili:- ZL'ki^h, kiiif;s of [lulrih. I'HcTtr, Ohtaveiib; jnJj;ivctiir. Ocarlh; fcirtlu: ^^ '■ Lo[tulidthri.xjLcM: 1 have nciirilhrif .inj hronijiil up chililren, nnj Lhcv hive rdullfl ap.unfl itic. t- j.fMn. ^ '' 'i'he oy knov.cth hi'i ovmer, and Ihc aTs hi^ '" ' rri.ill'-r'i onh: t'ut IG-Jtl Jotli not know, my itcork duih not cuiifiJcr, 1 '^ '' / 4 Ah, fiiiiiil narion, a people + l,ij-' ward. „;-/ 5 H Whv fhouid ve be flrickcn any more? ve u t Hch- f revolt more and more ; the whole head is iicV, ar 'i^'i. t^c whole hcirt tdint. 6 From tile fdle of" the foot even unto the he;id ti-/ u nofdimdrcfj in it; inf wound-;, am! bruifL"?, and pj- t rifinuy^ore^ : theyh.ivenot been (.l.tfcdjiieitlicr bound f Or, bJ. iip^ ncitncr molliijetl with !* ointmoit. '"i'l 7 Yovir country i/delbUtc,yoiirciticSjr(*l)umt with ■''■^ " fire: your lind, ltninj;:ers devour it in yoi;r prelcncc, ■fHii) -/aud \i tj del'olate, \ i.i ovtithru^Ti by (Iranj-'crs. '' ^ T// ^ And the diu^hter of /.ion is left as a cottage in /rj.;,-./a vineyard, as a l\A%e in a garden of cucumber;, as I a beficped city. d tjm,^ f>''K>.c€-pttlieI.OK'~i ofhol^s had left untn us aver. Ifmali remnant, we thould have K'cn as ' Sc-dom, ..'.d J we flioLtlvi have lieen like unto Gomoirah, 'I Hear the \\nrd of the Lord, ve riik-rs of So- dom ; give ear unto the law of our God, >e people of Gomorrah : II To what purpofe t, the multitude of your 'Ci- ' crifii"C5 unto mc ? faith the T.oRi): I am full of The burnt -ofl'en n^ ; of r^n^;, and rhe I at of fed l-walU, -ami 1 (Idight not in the blood ot bullocks, or of Iambi, ur oft he-Koats. II Wheti ye comet to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts ? 13 BriiiR no more v-ain oblations; inrenfe i-i an .J .». Iw ^ Onl. t J^^ ,p,. I (■ 1, !■ .0 liir Tho he Ih !l 1-j rhcUf.d nf . ill) v ■\\: leek ji' I'.'meiit, , . .''■ '.''=■ the 1 :: ■ 'iic f.-ihcrlefi, p!-;id tor rhe w iduw.' ; v . .';;d let in rcrifon fiv'f'hiT, fifth the ■- i.'ti \'jnr ITn5 lie as fau-K t, 'bcv ih.ill \k ; j-v; thou^ ihey he ral like crimfun, i. woi.l. .- wiliiui,' and obcdii.'nt, ye O1.1II eat the ;- rt-T'iifc :ind rcl>cl, yc (iia!! be dtr.-onreJ d: tor the moutll'ot the Lord hatil uiih the !'«!-. fpok^n 'f 21 • I hnv 1; the f.utlilii' citv bcroiTif an harlr! -t i\ai 'I'll otjudKiiient; nL-Lt-o'jl.xM'Alsed in it; bur DOW miirdiLrrri ' 2i Thy liKxr is liecoine droE, thy wiiie mi\ed Willi \i-i(er-. 1-, Th\' princes riir icbclii.i' , p'i 1 c ■>"r7it.']'''-r of ihieVis: ^.VL^^■ on.- k-v.lh -TI , u:i f Itnue^h ?_fl^r rewards: thcv ""juJgt. not iIil 'ailHi't '■, nci'hcr dotti ;. J"" '^ the cauic of tlie widow come unto ihcni. /,.-h. 2.\ 'Iheretore, l,uth the Lord, the I.ohp of ho*>':, ' "■ \W mit(hty One ot brad. Ah, I \( ill rile mc of mif-e adverfaric-s, ;uid avenge me ct uv.vc ei icmic---. i :j And I will cum my hand upon thee, .\nd [-pLireH I '''i- j:)'i:- ;:way thy droG. and rat'-- aiov .tU thv i-n. /"",'; 'j 26 AnTI I wi'l rtllore th-j juJi^c is at the VirR^^d -r,';" ihy counfcllors as at the txtimun^ : .Jftrward thuu Ihalt be called, The cirj' ot rij^hreoufnefi, UTii f-iiih- > 7:/ionni.-tllbe «jn\Ln5 with r\^\ < zH.IAndthe'- n fli.tll be tedeemed w iih judgmcin, and 11 her '^''■ '"'" i(chleouiiicl'..~ I '^^ . .... ' tddtrurtioiT of the- tranfii-'ciTor,' .^nd '■■■ of the lliuitrsy/M///.' together, and thei' ihat furf.iEe '-|'^ thc'I.oKi) fhali be conlumed. "** t-M'ni- I'l T'lr they fha" he afhamed of" the oaks which ' ^^ vc have dcliicd, aiid ye flnll Ije confcundcd for the- 1-' ^ardtii'- that y..- ha\e chofcn. ^'; '' ' > 3? For >e (hail be as an oak whofc leaf fadeth, and t ti'S fos a garden that hadi ^ 11 And ihelb-on^l i)fif.uafpark. [none Ihall qut b-onn fhall i Hcb. abommalton unto me ; the new-moons and fahbalh-;, *'/.'i. the calling of alTemhlie?, I cannot away with ; a u ^'' II iniqiiit\', even the folcmn meeting. 14 Yonr new-moons, ^.nd your.ippoinied feulls,my foul hateth : they art a trouble unto me , I am wearj- to Ix-ar tlym. rro». ' 15 " And when yc fpread fonh your hands, I will ^,;,_ hide mine eyes from you ; yc.i, whcni ye t miike iiLiny I It pravers,! will not hear: your h.m ,1! f • I .i,->i 1 1: pnp!.. laTbf 'h •':, -n '/".-'■. /,-o-i*,; dn t: lKL:rd. I tor.-,, '" I ■'HE word that I'jiah the fon of Amo^ fiiwcon- cerijinp |ndah .ind lenifaltm. And it fhall come to pafi n the liiJi d.ivs, tlhd " ^ the mountain of ihe LfiRD''-hoi.re (h,ij| bt icftihlilh- 7 J ed in the top of the muiiniain;, and iTiall be exalted /■.-/ above the hilU; and ,dl nationsi ill ill flow unto it. -t And m.uiv people iha!t ii^o ami fn , Come ye, anu let iiiEoup to the moiint.iin of the Lord, to the hoiifc ol the Gixl of iacob : and he will tearh u^j of h\\ ways, and we wall w,ilk in his paths : for out of /lun Ihall po forth the Uw, and ilit word of the Lord from Jeriifalem. / 4 And he lh.d! )iK\ge among llic nations, and fhall ■ebuke many people; and thcyfti.ill beat their fwotds 24. A PAGE OF "ELIZABETH FRY'S BIBLE' BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH. HISTORIC T^^ library possesses a large number of books which have an interest in themselves as coming from the libraries of such famous collectors as De Thou, Grolier, Thomas Maioli, Canevari, Marcus Laurinus, Comte d'Hoym, Due de la Valhere, Lomenie de Brienne, Diane de Poitiers, Pope Sixtus the Fifth, Michael Wodhull, Cardinal Bembo and others. The copy of the work of Henry VIII., " Assertio septem sacramentorum adversus M. Lutherum," for which he received the title " De- fensor Fidei," is one of the very few copies printed on vellum for presentation. The copy here referred to was presented to Louis II., King of Hungary, and bears an inscription in King Henry's handwriting, " Regi Daciae ". On the binding are the arms of Pope Pius VI. The Aldine edition of Petrarch of 1501 is from the library of Cardinal Bembo, and contains notes and marginalia in his handwriting. The copy of the first edition of " Epistolae obscurorum virorum," the tract which caused so great a stir at the time of the Reformation, belonged to the reformer, Philipp Melanchthon, and contains many marginalia from his pen. Martin Luther's " In primum librum Mose enarrationes," 1 544, has upon the title-page an inscription in Hebrew and Latin in Luther's handwriting, presenting the book to Marc Crodel, Rector of the College of Torgau. The Bible which Elizabeth Fry used daily for many years is full of marks and comments in her own hand- writing. The markings are of extreme interest, revealing, as they do, the source of her inspiration, strength and comfort. The Bible from Hawarden Church, recently acquired, is of interest as being the identical copy from which the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone frequently read the lessons in the course of divine ser- vice between the years 1 884 and 1 894. The original manuscript of Bishop Heber's hymn, " From Greenland's Icy Mountains," is in the library, bearing the pencil note, " A hymn to be sung in Wrexham Church after the sermon during the collection ". The "Valdarfer Boccaccio," to which reference has been made al- ready, came into prominence at the sale of the Duke of Roxburghe's • 39 THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. books in 1812, when it realized the sum of £2,260. It was in honour of the sale of the volume that the Roxburghe Club was founded. The copy of the Glasgow /Eschylus of 1 759 has bound up with it the original drawings of Flaxman, and is clothed in a binding by Roger Payne, which is always spoken of as his master- piece. Such are a few of the many books with a personal history which the library contains. FAMOUS '^ '^® books themselves excite interest and admira- BiNDiNGS. jJqjj^ jjqj [ggg striking is the appropriateness, and often the magnificence, of their bindings. Of the many specimens in the library illustrating the history of the art from the fifteenth century to the present day, we need only refer to the productions of the great artists who worked for Francis I., Grolier, Maioli, Canevari, Laurinus, Henry II., Diane de Poitiers, Charles IX., Henry IV., Marie de Medicis, Lamoignon, De Thou, Lomenie de Brienne, Colbert, Louis XIV., Louis XV., Madame de Pom- padour, James I., Charles I. and Thomas Wotton — who has come to be known as the English Grolier — as figuring in the collection, with examples of the work of Clovis Eve, Nicolas Eve, Padeloup, Le Gascon, the two Deromes, Mearne, the EngUsh masters of the seventeenth century, whose names unhappily have been forgotten, and of Roger Payne, the man who by native genius shines out among the decadent craitsmen of the late eighteenth century as the finest binder England has produced. The library possesses quite a large collection of Payne's bindings, including the Glasgow ^schylus in folio, a binding which was considered by his con- temporaries as his finest work, and the unfinished Aldine Homer, which he did not live to complete. Several of Payne's bills are preserved in the library. They are remarkable documents, con- taining in many cases interesting particulars as to his methods of workmanship. The tradition of fine binding which Roger Payne had revived was continued after his death by certain German binders, Kalthoeber, Staggemier and others who settled in London ; also by Charles Lewis and Charles Hering, who especially imitated 40 ^^i^-t/^ .^ '- '-/"■ ( ;^ .. * y L-r '^_ '. /'■■,.,.. 'Z,,,,.,, '^r^. .^^V.a: ' (''( T- c. .. ,f,-,../ , /i^. 'a _a:.^:^ /a /.. '^ y _/??^ --c^^^^_^ r,i^_ oOrtn- ^ t'L.^ ^a-CU^ ./aJL^ ^ - '■ A* -^ ' '^-^-^^. p^f.^ A^...^^..^ ,Ac^ ^ V>Tr^,_ 1^ A^A-^ ~, n-- /^-^*— , /-£^. 7'/,£^^ tj~f*^ C^-i^-T-rn^ r /.,; / /X^*~^ CJ-Xj 25. Original Manuscrip, of •■ HEBER>S HYMN ■ " '^™" Greenland's Icy Mounlains " [Se .'^'^' Hi^ ^jt-^^.J^)^, ^j^-^- / Original Manuscnp, of -HEBER'S HYMN ' '•From Greenland's Icy MounUins ■ (Reverse) [See over 26. A, ROGER PAYNE BINDING BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH. his manner, but lacked the original genius of Payne and his deli- cacy of finish. Many specimens of the work of these successors of Payne are to be found scattered throughout the library. We may perhaps permit ourselves to refer to one piece of Hering's work which, more than any other, enables us to draw a comparison between his work and that of Payne. It is the Aldine Homer left by Payne in an unfinished state. The second volume was entrusted by Lord Spencer to Hering, evidently with instruc- tions to match the work of Payne. A careful comparison of the two volumes reveals the interesting fact that Hering did not use Payne's tools, but evidently had others cut to match them. These lack the delicacy of design of the early tools, and indeed the forwarding and finishing throughout will not bear comparison with the work of the master hand of England's greatest binder. MANUSCRIPT Another of the outstanding features of the library ROOM. jg jjjg interesting collection of Oriental and Western manuscripts, numbering at the present time nearly seven thou- sand items, and illustrating in a remarkable manner most of the more important materials and methods which have been em- ployed from the earliest times for the purpose of recording, preserving, and transmitting to posterity the knowledge of past achievements. The nucleus of the collection was formed by the manuscripts contained in the Althorp Library, which was added to from time to time by other purchases. But the present magnificence and special character of the collection were given to it by the acquisi- tion, in 1901, of the manuscripts of the Earl of Crawford, consist- ing of nearly six thousand rolls, tablets, and codices. On the death, in 1 908, of the founder of the institution, the collection was further enriched through the bequest of her private library, which contained many manuscripts of great importance. Since then every effort has been employed with a view to building up the collection in such a way as to cover the history of writing 41 THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. and illumination in the principal languages and characters, and at the same time to offer to students in the many departments of Uterary and historical research, original sources which may be of real service to them in the prosecution of their studies. Within the last two years a number of very important cartularies, and other manuscripts of interest to the student of English history, were secured at the sales of portions of the manuscripts of Sir Thomas Phillipps, with the result that the importance of the collection at the present time cannot easily be over-estimated. Many of the manuscripts are well known to scholars, who have always had ready access to them ; but to the world at large, and to many of the readers of these notes, they are yet unknown. A few remarks, therefore, upon some of the most noteworthy and characteristic features of these interesting literary and historical records may not be deemed inappropriate. EASTERN Beginning with the Eastern section, it must be said MANU- 11 1 I f ,"v • • r 11 SCRIPTS. at once that the wealth of Onental manuscripts, or all ages, and in a variety of languages, can only be indicated in the briefest manner in an introduction like the present. Armeniem^ Ethiopic, Sanskrit, Pali, Panjabi, Hindustani, Marathi, Parsi, Burmese, Canarese, Singhalese, Tamil, Telugu, Chinese, Japanese, Malay, Javanese, Achinese, Mongolian, Balinese, Tibetan, Bugi, Kawi, Madurese, Makassar, and Mexican manuscripts are well represented. There are examples of those curious euid rare productions, the " medicine books " of the Battas, inscribed oa the bark of the alim-tree, or on bamboo poles. Of more general interest are the great number of very precious Persian, Arabic, and Turkish manuscripts, numbering nearly two thousand volumes. The examples of the Koran, dating from the eighth and ninth centuries, are, in many cases, of extraordinary beauty and value. One copy, written on 467 leaves of thick bombycine paper, of the date of A.D. 1500, must be one of the largest volumes in the world, measuring, as it does, 34 by 2 1 inches. 42 ^ O Ir 1 t I cu n 4 ',''■/'. ri t c 27. ST. JOHN FROM A GREEK GOSPEL BOOK Byzantine MS. 1 hh Cent. BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH. ROLLS^^ Of papyrus rolls and fragments there are examples ^T<=- of the " Book of the Dead " in Egyptian Hieroglyphic and Hieratic. The Demotic papyri, the catalogue of which, compiled by Dr. F. LI. Griffith, Reader in Egyptology in the University of Oxford, appeared in 1910, after about ten years of persistent labour, form probably the most important collection of documents in this script at present extant. There are a large number of Greek papyri, the literary portion of which was de- scribed, by Dr. A. S. Hunt, in the catalogue issued in the early part of 1911, revealing a new fragment of the recently dis- covered Greek historian, Theopompus, and what is probably the earliest known manuscript of the Nicene Creed. The remaining portion, consisting of the non-literary documents, are at present under arrangement and description by Dr. Hunt. The result of the examination by Professor D. S. Margoliouth, of a considerable collection of Arabic papyri, is awaited with interest. In Coptic the papyri and the codices, ranging from the sixth to the sixteenth century, have been described by Dr. W. E. Crum, in the catalogue which also appeared in 1910. In Samaritan there is an interesting, though not large, group of Bibhcal and liturgical texts, including an important vellum codex of the " Pen- tateuch," written in A.D. 1211, which are at present being de- scribed by Dr. A. E. Cowley, Sub-Librarian of the Bodleian. In Syriac there are amongst others a vellum codex of the " Gos- pels " of the sixth century, and what is probably the earliest known complete Syriac "New Testament," written about A.D. 1000, the description of which has been undertaken by Dr. Rendel Harris. The Hebrew manuscripts comprise many " Rolls of the Law," and several illuminated codices of the " Haggadah," or " Service for Passover." Among the Greek manuscripts there are several beautiful Gospel books, but the most important member of the group is a considerable fragment of a vellum codex of the " Odyssey," possibly of the third century, and consequently one of the earliest vellum books known to be extant. 43 THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. WESTERN When we turn to the Western manuscripts and SCRIPTS. attempt to choose among the large number of finely written and magnificently illuminated examples, the very wealth of material at our disposal constitutes a difficulty. Of the Latin manuscripts, whether produced in Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Flanders, or England, there are some hundreds. One of the most important texts, though quite unadorned, is a manuscript of the letters and minor works of St. Cyprian, written in a bold clear hand in what are known as pre-Caroline minuscules of the eighth century, which originally belonged to the Abbey of Murbach in Alsace. Of manuscripts produced in the famous writing schools of the middle ages there are several. One is a magnificent " Psalter " written in the latter part of the eighth, or the early part of the ninth, century at Trier. Great interest centres in the remarkable interlaced capital letters, completely filling certain pages and exhibiting the characteristics of the Celtic art, which seems to have spread over the whole of Europe about this time. Another is a " Gospel Book," written and illuminated at Cologne, for the Emperor Otto the Great, about A.D. 970, and containing his portrait. There are two "Gospel Books," written in the monastery of St. Gall, in the ninth or tenth century ; a " Lection- arium," executed about 1060 by Ruopertus, Abbot of Priim, a monastery on the Moselle, and a volume of " Preces et officia varia," by a member of the Guild of Illuminators of Bruges, in A.D. 1487. Of the Spanish manuscripts, perhaps the most interesting is a twelfth-century copy of the " Commentary on the Apocalypse," by an abbot of Valcavado, in Castile, known as " St. Beatus." It is a great folio containing 1 1 very large miniatures, painted on grounds of deep and vivid colour, including a map of the world, as conceived by the mediaeval geographer. From the thirteenth century there is a very important pre- Reformation English service-book in the shape of a " Sarum Missal," probably the most venerable manuscript of this service in existence. A very beautiful book, valuable both for its exquisite 44 J.-ON. vOi. OKIO C !- I.t' «-'^*^' Kll' pRC CCA'V *.i.lAl\t - OI AIM® V® m AT \'" ' 28. A PAGE OF THE "TRIER PSALTER" German MS. 9th Cent. 29. A PAGE OF THE "EMPEROR OTTOS GOSPELS' German MS. 10th Cent. BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH. illuminated capitals, and its five pages of miniatures, as well as for its historical associations, is a " Psalter," written in Paris, about 1 260, probably by the same person who executed the manu- script given by St. Louis to the Sainte Chapelle. On a blank leaf, at the commencement of the volume, we find, in very deU- cate handwriting, " Royne Jehanne," the autograph of Joan of Navarre, the second Queen Consort of Henry IV. of England, mto whose possession the volume must have passed a century and a half after its production. Another volume which is of great mterest on account of its historical associations, is the copy of WicUf and Purvey's translation of the Gospels, written about 1410, and presented to Queen Elizabeth, by Francis Newport, as she was passing down Cheapside, on her way to St. Paul's Cathedral. Of equal, and yet of more pathetic, interest is the dainty little " Book of Hours," of Flemish origin, which belonged to Mary, Queen of Scots, and on one of the leaves of which she has written with her own hand : " Mon Dieu confondez mes ennemys M." Then there is a little " Book of Hours," written for King Henry VII., by John Islip, Abbot of Westminster, and builder of the Chantry Chapel of Henry VII., which bears upon the illuminated borders of its pages the rebus of the abbot's name in the form of an eye and a slip of a tree. Another very beauti- ful " Book of Hours," every page of which is surrounded by a most elaborate lace-like border, with here and there charming miniatures, was written for King Charles VII. of France, and is attributed to the same hand that executed the famous " Bedford Missal ". Two of the later acquisitions are " Books of Hours," of Flemish workmanship, possessing, it is thought, evidence of the work of that masterhand, Hans Memling. ,^,,,.., One of the finest of the Italian books is dated ITALIAN WORK. 1 4Q7_ and consists of the " Postilla " of Nicholas de Lyra in three volumes, full of marvellous borders and miniatures, and made historically interesting by the portraits of members of the Gonzaga familv, which have been introduced into the minia- 45 THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. tures. A manuscript like this, perfect in condition, and certain in date and origin, is naturally a most important monument of Italian art at the end of the Trecento. More splendid even than the Gonzaga manuscript, but belonging to an epoch when art had become too self-conscious and conventional, is the celebrated " Colonna Missal," in six large volumes of different dates, and by different hands. The first volume was probably executed about 1517 for the Cardinal Pompeo Colonna, and adorned with a multitude of Raphaelesque illuminations. Many of these have been attributed to a certain Philippus de Corbizis, by whom there is a signed illustration in a missal at Siena ; by other authorities it is considered safer to group them generally under the title " School of Raphael," whilst, as the result of the most recent examination, it is suggested that there is evidence of the same workmanship as that contained in the " Farnese Psalter," which is commonly, but erroneously, attributed to Clovio. It was more pro- bably the work of Vincenzio Raimondi, and his associate copyist. ENGLISH ^^ addition to the English manuscripts already re- WORK. ferred to, there are others of which some mention must be made. The finest is the copy of John Lydgate's " Siege of Troy," executed about A.D. 1420. It is a large folio volume con- taining richly illuminated borders and seventy miniatures, furnishing a mine of pictorial information on the social customs of the period. At the commencement of the volume is a picture of the author on Jsended knee presenting his work to King Henry V. Another is Lydgate's translation of Boccaccio's "Falle of Princes," a plainer but still a very important volume. There are a dozen manuscripts of the Wicliffite Bible, or parts of the Bible, ranging from 1 382 to 1 450. Amongst the cartularies the most important is that of the Benedictine Monastery of St. Mary's, York, written in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The cartulary of the Cistercian Abbey of Melsa, or Meaux, which is in the handwriting of the nineteenth abbot, Thomas Burton (1396-1399), is also of great interest, furnishing, as it does, ^luthority for EngUsh history during the reigns of the Edwards, 45 liX" W^trixml;^$^0^^ UtJTOC 111 cfno f: itcnidi CO g:iii jDctcnio xxrftu i J nni no p fit oiiiinbii0 lx>iinin bnB Tominiie pzopc c: nibiL foUidtifitiofcd in outioyc pcnticcB ISk'L 30. A PAGE OF THE "COLONNA MISSAL" Italian MS. About 1517 •Jirtiell"«<4*'' m II ^J^^^U', ^ .¥^ ^^rniaj'ouow.bnr ^'V f^emortafuiKn mn^mtflio i>f Be iaair { Ij'ffli^tr JvJ VtttHi (BimtafA: flii»ftrric5^f6tamunrr a to (jpucii m (^ < j ,' S^ttfi-R f~ur BtluinStfifivnir * fiiiMf* fl ^L^ai'OiitctacrtfmiS^'ftnifT ',t|/7*'S!^cn H^flntfi fro file SttTOfiv*^«»?Oc^*»^ ■"tljia-affiir'renTB fiiT/Tifetiniitatyc ~^''r tdiSyfimpmssfiifr-'yariflitopirilcitK ^ SSvl^ofltnriJicfli/BfrjnaSriiicurij'rKr S'-t ^Tfc^uto/'atuc ^naitflioCc n-riW ^ SSJitfnt»aiti»tflflr^5'Cai/J9TiK S&i ' H u? cofi>me faft t' ittc^uflCCt Ik rtn5 ftwHi fin- fefc aisfpnrti^iB oiirti.Kj'uc\ ; f'gific an ttt'fe oho ftiiS fir^unt a uoy Soti a 4^'Rctt*ni miia/6 flpof vuPra /Kf m Ikfitpfniftj t oBia f-i[b fti&i» nf cvaj.fniKfcifiwm I '^ii?fljrcMn)'nce n(i&fiirtr.TB)CD Bnti\>e •-f!^^ti^ofifi(h:ync flitcxnolff nuifltrac -^ Le_4 ± 31. A PAGE OF LYDGATE'S English MS. About 1420 ■SIEGE OF TROY' BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH. whilst tracing the history of the abbey from its foundation in 1 1 50 to the year 1 406. Other noteworthy volumes are the thirteenth- century cartulary of the Cistercian Abbey of Warden ; the cartu- lary of the Manor of Tolethorpe, Rutland, in the form of a roll ; the Chronicle of Wigmore ; Wardrobe books of Edward I. and Edward II. ; and a thirteenth-century manuscript of the famous itinerary of Richard I. to the Holy Land. One other volume calls for special mention since it contains the earjiest known copies of the charters granted to London by Henry I. and Henry II. respectively. The volume was written within a few years of the granting of Henry II. 's charter (1 1 55-1 1 61 ). Of other known copies the earliest cannot be less than a century later in date. FRENCH The French manuscripts, though not numerous, are WORK. ^{ great beauty and interest. Perhaps the most im- portant is a " Bible Historiee," or " Picture Bible," consisting of a series of forty full-page paimtings, representing stories from the ^'Book of Genesis," resplendent on a background of burnished gold, and written in the South of France about 1250, at a time wrhen the illiterate read by means of pictures. There is a fine and important copy of " Lancelot du Lac," with seventy-two miniatures and numerous illuminated initials written about 1 300 ; an early fifteenth-century copy of the "Chroniques" of Jean de Courcy; an illuminated manuscript of the " Chroniques de Saint Denys," in which one miniature depicts Edward I. paying homage to Philip the Fair of France, as his overlord, for the Duchy of Aquitaine in A.D. 1286; and a very beautiful manuscript of Guillaume de Guilleville's " Pelerinage de la Vie," written in a clear hand in the fourteenth century, and enriched with 1 73 miniatures, which are illustrative of the poem, and display a wonderful fertility ofjinven- tion, whilst they are valuable for the costume of the time, and for the ways of life of the people. It would be possible to describe others of almost equal interest, such as the "Vie et Passion de Nostre Seigneur Jesus Christ," written about 1350, and ornamented wth twenty-six paintings of Our Lord's Passion, executed in 47 THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. " grisaille " ; and the " Book of Hours " beautifully illuminated in the South of France by an artist of the school of Jean Foucquet, for Jacques Galliot de Gourdon de Genouillac, grand-ecuyer de France and grand-maitre d'artillerie, but sufficient has been said to indicate the nature of the manuscripts in this particular section. JEWELLED Turning now from the manuscripts themselves to BOOK^ COVERS. the jewelled covers with which some of them are adorned, and which impart to them a character, and a value, of a very special kind, we find that there are thirty examples. The extraordinary rarity of these metal and ivory bindings may be gauged by the fact that this collection, containing only thirty examples, yet ranks third among the collections of the world. By far the richest is that in the Biblioth^que Nationale, at Paris, which contains a large number of the books of this class, seized and saved from dispersion at the time of the Revolution. Next comes the Royal Library at Munich ; and then comes the John Rylands collection. One example, perhaps the finest in the world, remciined until a few years ago in English hands. It was the famous " Lindau Gospels," in cover of pure gold and gems, which Lord Ashburnham sold for £10,000, and which is now in the possession of Mr. Pierpoint Morgan. Many oi the covers are of great beauty and interest, none the less so for the process of building-up which they have undergone in long-past centuries. The normal course of things seems to have been as follows : A monastery owned a precious tenth-century "textus," or manu- script of the Gospels ; it also possessed an ivory " pax," or tablet carved with one or more scenes from the life of Christ, of, perhaps, a century later. A century later still it occurred to some rich abbot to have the second made into a cover for the first ; and he would call in some jeweller or metal-worker from Cologne or Liege, who would encase the ivory tablet in a richly jewelled metal frame, and make the whole into a cover to protect the manuscript. Often, therefore, as in the case of some of the examples ex- hibited, the manuscript, the ivory or enamel centre, and the 48 I'lm.liidna.iainit- Ginimnfdiftt curtiniiirttio qntUttuv— '. fir.ml'ilmin t n'H"ncYijf. I iff!... . -Ill ''iWtobunmtol), Tf(tMfiiaSi(Ft. Otvliiffftli'in. 'aifimuciii^t O itn-jnr&abttofi tftMtl>U«?-4lHlt: fenaimtflnftrtaia ftwtitU.TlWiiiuT. iiiotftmlnhhtud lytciitmlt !»mmib''» nutnttt-iioiOT aUHUrt J- m.i\i"u .nil' ttflhmracf HK-nmrt- ; 32. A PAGE OF "JOAN OF NAVARRE'S PSALTER ■ French MS. About 1260 33. A PAGE OF A "BOOK OF HOURS' French MS. Late 15lh Cent. BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH. jewelled or chased borders are of different centuries. But in nearly all cases the result of the joint work of the carver and the goldsmith is of singular richness and beauty. One of the finest has for its centres two plaques of twelfth- century Limoges enamel, its background is of silver stamped from dies of the thirteenth cen- tury, whilst surrounding these are figures of saints in ivory, the whole being enclosed in a border of finely carved and gilt wood. Another is a " Gospel Book " in a German hand of the twelfth century, encased in a cover from which the central ornament on one side has disappeared, but of which the heavy borders of gilt copper enriched with Limoges enamels, representing the Apostles, the Virtues, etc. , are intact. The most important consists of the double cover of a manuscript which has become separated from its binding. The ivory carvings, which serve as panels, are of the finest workmanship of the tenth century ; the metal work, which is very fine, was probably executed at Trier, which was for a long period the great rival of Cologne in the realm of ecclesiastical art and culture. Many of the other examples in the collection bear indications of having been executed, or preserved, in the " stately tower of Trier," while Cologne, and Liege can claim an equal share. The jewels with which many of the covers are enriched form a very varied collection. There are a number of ancient Roman gems, both in intaglio and cameo. One, cut on red jasper, repre- sents Hermes wearing a chlamys and holding the caduceus, copied from an antique Greek statue resembling the Farnese Hermes in the British Museum. Two of the covers have had fitted at each of the four corners large rock crystals in claw settings. The fiUgree and repousse work in general is very chaste. We have ali'eady greatly exceeded the number of pages we had allotted to ourselves for the purpose of this hurried glance at the contents of the library. And yet only the fringe of a few of the most important collections has been touched, whilst many sections of the library have had to be passed over entirely. Much might have been written about the large and growing 49 4 THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. collection of " unique " books, that is to say, printed books of which the only known copy is in the possession of the library, but we must content ourselves with this passing reference to it. Of books printed on vellum the collection numbers upwards of 300, many of which are of extreme rarity and also of great beauty. The ornithological collection includes the magnificent works of Audubon, Gould and Dresser. The botanical works range from the Latin and German editions of the "Herbarius," printed at Mainz in 1484 and 1485, to Sander's " Reichenbachia " of 1888- 94, including the original or best editions of Gerard, Parkinson, Curtis, Jacquin, etc. The art section comprises many of the great " galleries," a complete set of the works of Piranesi, a set of Turner's " Liber studiorum " in the best states, and so forth. There are a number of very fine " extra illustrated " works, such as Rapin's " History of Ejigland," in twenty-one folio volumes. Pennant's " Some account of London," in six volumes. Clarendon's " History of the rebellion and civil wars in England," in twenty- one volumes, Chalmer's " Biographical Dictionary," in thirty-two volumes. There is a complete set of the astronomical works of Hevelius, seldom found in a condition so perfect. The biblio- grapher will find a very extensive collection of working tools, especially rich in works dealing with the history of the early presses. The students of Greek and Latin palaeography will find a collection of from 200 to 300 works dealing with their subjects, including facsimile reproductions of many of the great codices. In the periodical room some 200 of the leading English, American and Continental periodicals in theology, history, philosophy and philology are regularly made available to readers. The library has so many sides and contains such a wealth of rare and precious'volumes which merit extended notice, that to do justice to the magnificence of any one of the sections would re- quire a volume of considerable length. We venture to hope, however, that in these hurriedly written and necessarily discursive pages we have succeeded in conveying some idea of the import- ance of the hbrary, which already is attracting scholars from all so 34. A PAGE OF A MANUSCRIPT APOCALYPSE Flemish MS. 14th Cent. BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH. parts of the world, and of which Manchester people are justly so proud. A LIVING ^" concluding this survey it may be well to say LIBRARY. jjj^j whilst the library is a " place of pilgrimage " for the lover of rare books, it is at the same time an excellent working library for students, whether in the department of theology, history, philosophy, philology, belles-lettres, art, or bibliography. It is designed to assist all who desire to know more than can be found upon their own private shelves or in the public library. There are, in every great city, a number of persons of education who desire to carry their researches to a point beyond the resources of their own private library. Such students receive every encourage- ment in the John Rylands Library ; their requirements and their suggestions receive constant and careful attention, with the result that during the thirteen years that have elapsed since the opening of the library, upwards of 100,000 volumes have been added to its shelves, including many works of extreme rarity. The property has been vested in trustees, and the government of the institution has been entrusted to chosen representatives of the city of Manchester in all its manifold activities and life, while certain other bodies which are not local have also been associated in the government. DESCRIPTION OF THE BUILDING. Any sketch of the Hbrary, however brief, would be obviously incomplete without some reference to the building which is re- garded by experts as one of the finest specimens of modern Gothic architecture to be found in this or in any country. The special requirements of the building, which were necessary in order to fulfil generally the intention of the founder, dictated, to a very considerable extent, its general style and conformation. The form and styl» selected was that of a college library in the later Gothic, but the scope of the undertaking was obviously more extensive than that of any known example. There were SI THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. special requirements to be fulfilled which college libraries do not include. In the first place, a very large number of books had to be accommodated — provision was to be made for 100,000 volumes. Three large rooms had to be provided, one specially near the entrance for the purpose of lectures, and two smaller rooms for council and committee purposes. A suite of rooms for the librarian, near the entrance, and in close communication with the principal Ubrary. Rooms for unpacking, and the other necessary offices and workrooms. A caretaker's house, detached from, but in close communication with the library. Accommoda- tion for the engines and dynamos for electric light, residences for the engineers and an extensive basement for hot-water warming, ventilation and storage. It was urged upon the architect that the vestibule should be of very considerable size and importance, and the main staircase ample and imposing. A further obvious requirement was that the building should be made, as far as possible, fireproof. Though when it was designed^ there was no idea that the collection of books would be of so high a value as that to which, by the purchase of the Althorp Library, it attained, it seemed desirable that risks from fire should be, as far as possible, minimised ; and owing to the close proximity of large warehouses, the situation suggested an element of danger to the fabric and its contents. Stone-vaulting, especially if the usual timber weather-roof can be dispensed with, is as setfe a mode of building as can be used. As the position made it impossible that any but the steepest roof could be rendered visible, and there was therefore no loss of architectural effect involved, timber roofs were omitted over almost the whole of the building. The stone-vaulting has been covered with concrete, brought to a level and then covered with asphalt. Another condition which had to be taken into account was the existence of ancient lights on almost all sides of the site. This consideration to a large extent dictated the general conformation of the building. The most important lights being opposite to the main front, the more lofty features, the high towers, are set back 52 35. THE EAST CLOISTER BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH. at a considerable distance from the frontage line, resulting in securing architectural character out of a mere practical necessity, and for the same reason the side walls of the boundary lines are generally kept low. Such were the conditions under which the architect had to work, and in the estimation of those competent of expressing an opmion upon the subject, Mr. Basil Champneys has succeeded in designing a building, than which no finer has been erected in this or m any other country during the present generation. Nine years was the library in building, but the cause of the delay is not far to seek when once within its walls. It is so large and so very elaborately decorated, and the internal fittings are so perfect of their kind, that even a period of nine years seems none too long for the completion of such a work. It is not too much to say, that stone-mason, sculptor, metal-worker, and wood-carver have conspired, under the direction of the architect, to construct a casket in every way appropriate to the priceless collection of treasures which it was intended to enshrine. Messrs. Robert Morrison & Sons, of Liverpool, were the builders, and Mr. Stephen Kemp acted as clerk of the works. CLOISTERED The principal and only conspicuous front of the CORRIDORS, gjjg faces Deansgate, one of the chief thoroughfares of Manchester ; and on either side the site is bounded by two narrow streets — Wood Street and Spinningfield — both containing buildings of considerable height. With a view to obtain adequate day- light for the library itself, to avoid unnecessary interference with the rights of adjoining owners, and to secure quiet, the library is placed on the upper floor, some thirty feet from the pavement level, and is set back about twelve feet from the boundary line at the sides. On the lower floor on either side a beautiful stone- vaulted cloistered corridor, which gives access to the ground-floor rooms, occupies the remaining space, and is kept low, some nine feet internal height, so as to allow of ample windows above it for Ughting the ground-floor rooms, which are about twenty-one feet high. 53 THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. VESTIBULE. The main entrance is from Deansgate, and the whole of the front is occupied by a spacious stone-vaulted vesti- bule, the ceiling of which is carried on shafts. These are placed at unequal intervals, the greatest width being given to the central passage. Above part of the vestibule are placed the librarian's rooms. The vestibule Hoor is considerably below that of the ground-floor rooms, and a short flight of wide steps leads up, the centre, and parts towards left and right, leading to the ground- floor level, and giving access to the cloistered corridors, whence the ground-floor rooms are entered. ;viA|isj From the vestibule level stairs on either side descend to lavatories in the basement. The basement may also be reached from the ground-floor landing. A wide staircase leads to the first floor, giving immediate access to the librarian's rooms and to the main library. This staircase is crowned by a lantern, contained in an octagonal tower on the left side of the main front, around which a narrow gallery runs. It is stone-vaulted through- out, the height from vestibule floor to top of lantern being fifty- nine feet. The staircase leads into a vestibule opening to the library. This vestibule occupies one of the larger towers, and the vaulted ceiling is some fifty-two feet from the first floor. GROUND T^^ ground floor contzdns one large lecture room, one smaller lecture room, and the council chamber, which occupy the portion of the building under the library nearest to Deansgate. These rooms are panelled in oak and have ceilings of modelled plaster. Behind these, the ground floor is divided by a vaulted cross corridor, which gives access to two large rooms in the rear of the main building, still under the library. These rooms, which are in communication, and around which a gallery runs, are fitted and shelved to give accommodation for about 40,000 volumes. In addition to the shelving accommodation they provide a welcome retreat for students engaged in special research work, to whom freedom from interruption is a boon. Behind these rooms, and in communication with them, and with a hydraulic lift running from the basement to the upper floors, 5+ 36. THE MAIN STAIRCASE BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH. are receiving and packing rooms, connected with the cart entrance from Wood Street, and these again communicate with a basement co-extensive with the main buildings. Behind is a large chamber on the basement level, in which are placed the engines and dynamos for the electric lighting. LIBRARY ^" *^^ fi'"^' floor, with direct access from the main °°^^- staircase and with a door opening into the library, is the librarian's department, consisting of a small vestibule and two rooms. These rooms have modelled plaster ceiUngs divided by oak ribs, and are fitted throughout in oak and bronze. The hbrary consists of a central corridor, twenty feet wide and 1 25 feet long, terminating in an apse at the end farthest from Deansgate. These together give an extreme length of 1 48 feet. The central hall is forty-four feet from the floor to the vaulted ceiling, and is throughout groined in stone. It is divided into eight bays, one of which is on one side occupied by the main entrance, while the rest open into reading recesses. There are, therefore, on this floor fifteen recesses, or studies, occupied by book- cases. Coextensive with the end bay on either side are projections to the limits of the boundary of the site, which form, as it were, transepts to the building. On the Wood Street side the space obtained by this projection is added to the recess, and gives on both floors increased space for books of reference. On the Spinningfield side the extra space forms separate rooms, that on the lower level being the " Map Room," and that on the higher containing the " Early Printed Book Room ". The recess opposite to the main entrance gives access to a cloak-room, and to a separate room of considerable size, the " Bible Room ". Above this, contained in an octagonal tower, is the " Aldine Room ". The apse at the end is lined with book-cases, and adjoining it is, on the one side, the ' entrance to the !ift-room and the " Periodical Room ". The latter is a stone-vaulted and panelled chamber, beneath which are various workrooms, with staircase leading to the lower floors, and a service lift. On the 55 THE JOriN RYLANDS LIBRARY. other side of the entrance to the apse is a sink-room and a spiral staircase for attendants. Two staircases, one at either end of the main Ubrary, lead from the lower to the upper floor. The upper or gallery floor is arranged on somewhat similar lines to the lower. A gallery runs completely round the central space, giving access to the book recesses and other rooms. The reading spaces on both floors have bay windows ; on the lower floor the ceilings of the recesses are of oak ribs and modelled plaster ; on the upper floor they are vaulted. The two tiers of chambers together reach to a height of about thirty feet, and leave space above for a large clerestory beneath the main vaulting. At the rear of the building is a house for the caretaker, separ- ated from, but in immediate connection v^rith the main building. Adjoining the caretaker's house is a spiral staircase which leads to all the floors of the main building, and under the house are the boilers and furnace for the heating apparatus. MATERIAL '^^ material used is mainly stone from quarries in OF BUILDING, jj^^ neighbourhood of Penrith. That used for the in- terior throughout in Shawk, a stone that varies in colour from grey to a delicate tone of red. Much care has been used in the distribution of the tints, which are, for the most part, in irregular combination. Many of the stones show both colours in a mottled form and serve to bring the tints together. As, however, towards the completion of the building it proved impossible to obtain a sufficient quantity of mottled stone, the main vaulting of the library had to be built in a way that gives a more banded effect than had originally been contemplated. STATUARY Appropriate carvings decorate the several parts of CARVING. the exterior. Above the centre of the doorway are the initials "J. R.," with, on the left hand, the arms of St. Helens — the birthplace of Mr. Rylands — and on the right the combined arms of the Rylands and Tennant families — Mrs. Rylands belonging to the latter. Different parts of the front 56 37. GALLERY CORRIDOR IN THE MAIN LIBRARY BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH. elevation also display the arms of several universities — Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, London, the Victoria University, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Dublin, the Royal University of Ireland, together with those of Owens College, Manchester. racmg the main doorway in the vestibule is a symbolic group of statuary, carved in the stone employed throughout the interior of the building. The group is intended to represent Theology, Science and Art. Theology, the central standing figure of a woman, clasps in her left hand the volume of Holy Writ, and with her right hand directs Science, in the guise of an aged man seated, and supporting in his hand a globe, over which he bends in study and investigation. On the left-hand side of Theology is the seated figure of a youthful metal-worker, as representing Art ; be has paused in his work of fashioning a chalice, and with up- turned face listens to the words which fall from the lips of Theo- logy. The lesson which this group is designed to symbolise and teach is, that Science and Art alike derive their highest impulses and perform their noblest achievements, only as they discern their consunmiation in religion. The sculptor of the group was Mr. John Cassidy, of Manchester. By the side of the western stairway are the arms of the city of London ; by the eastern those of the city of Liverpool. A series of portrait statues, designed by Mr. Robert Bridge- man, of Lichfield, has been arranged so as to represent many of the most eminent men of different countries and ages in the several