MZC ^muW ^mm\% pibatg THE GIFT OF k.z(Q%zvc 2L).xr).iz,.. 6561 The date shows when this volume was taken. To reuew this book copy the call No, aud give to the libritriaii. HOME USE RUlis! All Books subject to Recall. Books not in use for instruction or research are returnable within 4 weeks. Volumes of periodi- cals and of patriphlets are held in the library as much as possible. For special purposes they are given out for a limited time. Borrowers .should not use their library privileges for the bene- fit of olher perfous. Students must re- turn all books before leaving town. Offibers should arrange for the return of books ; , wanted d%ing their I absence froin town. Books needed by more than one person are heldon the reserve list. Books , of special value and gift books, when the giver wishes it, are not allowed to circulate. Readers are asked to report all cases of books marked or muti- lated. Do not deface books by marks and writing. Cornell University Library Z792.M26 J65 John Rylands library, '*''.?Mm™i?|||i|i|ii»i ''^ 3 1924 029 535 121 olln Cornell University Library 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/cu31924029535121 THE JOHN RYLANDf ' LIBRARY MANCHESTER A BlIlF HISTORIc|l DESCRIP- TION. OF THE UBRp^AND ITS CONTENTS, im'H iuJSTRATED CATALOGUE OF A SELECTION OF MANUSCRIPTS AI|P PRINTED BOOKS EXHIBITED IN THE MAIN UBRARY 9 [uV^^l^V> Zbe Jobn IRglanOs Xlbrarg ^ancbestcc WITH THE COMPLIMENTS OF THE LIBRARIAN THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY EXHIBITION OF MANUSCRIPTS AND PRINTED BOOKS BERNARD QUARITCH II GRAFTON STREET, NEW BOND STREET, LONDON, W. SHERRATT AND HUGHES PUBLISHERS TO THE VICTORIA UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER 34 CROSS STREET, MANCHESTER, AND SOHO SQUARE, LONDON, W. THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY MANCHESTER : a brief historical DESCRIPTION OF THE LIBRARY AND ITS CONTENTS, WITH CATALOGUE OF A SELEC- TION OF MANUSCRIPTS AND PRINTED BOOKS EXHIBITED ON THE OCCASION OF THE VISIT OF THE CONGREGATIONAL UNION OF ENGLAND AND WALES IN OCTOBER, MCMXII WITH ILLUSTRATIONS MANCHESTER: AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS. LONDON: BERNARD QUARITCH, AND SHERRATT AND HUGHES. MCMXII ^ .^, ABERDEEN THE UNIVERSITY PRES y-^v> 'M- % PREFATORY NOTE. I HE exhibition of manuscripts and printed books, of which a descriptive catalogue will be found on pages 63- 1 32, has been arranged, primarily, to signalise the visit to the library of the members of the Executive of the Congrega- tional Union of England and Wales, on the occasion of the holding of their annual meeting in this city. It is also intended to form one of the regular succession of exhibitions, which are arranged from time to time, for the benefit of students who are yet unaware of the wealth of material which the library contains, as well as for the public in general, by whom it may be viewed on the usual visiting days of Tuesday and Friday, between the hours of two and six in the afternoon, or at other times when the library is open upon application to the officials. It is peculiarly appropriate that the Congregational Union should, during the course of the Manchester meeting, pay an official visit to the John Rylands Library, which owes its existence to the munificence of a lady, who, up to the time of her death, was an honoured member of the Congregational Church, as was also her husband, whose name the library fittingly perpetuates. It is also of interest to remark, that in the " List of Trustees and Governors of the Library " (p. 1 39), PREFATORY NOTE. four of the nine Trustees, and three of the eighteen Governors, are Congregationalists, including the Chairman and Ex- Chairman of the Congregational Union ; whilst in the past Principal Fairbairn, the Rev. Dr. Mackennal, Professor A. S. Wilkins, Alderman Joseph Thompson, and the Rev. J. W. Kiddle, have been actively associated with the government and administration of the library, and have rendered inestim- able services to it. Doubtless many of our guests will be visiting this city for the first time, and it may be of interest to them to learn, by means of this exhibition, something of the character of the collections which have made this library 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. It is impossible, within the limited exhibition space at our disposal, to attempt to convey anything like an adequate idea of the scope and importance of the library's collections in gen- eral, comprising, as they do, something approaching 200,000 printed books and 7000 manuscripts. We have, therefore, made a selection of some of the most noteworthy and famous of the possessions of the library, in the departments which are most likely to appeal to the members of the Congregational Union, whose visit it welcomes. Prefixed to the catalogue is a brief narrative of the incep- tion, foundation, and growth of the library, followed by a hurried glance at some of the most conspicuous of its literary treasures, and a short description of the building, which has been described as "an appropriate casket for the literary gems which it enshrines ". It is hoped that the illustrations may add to the interest and the usefulness of the catalogue. Several of the objects are here reproduced for the first time. PREFATORY NOTE. It remains only for me to express my indebtedness to my colleague, Mr. Vine, for the ready help which he has rendered in the preparation of this catalogue. HENRY GUPPY. The John Rylands Library, 15th October, 1912. CONTENTS. PAGE Prefatory Note v Brief Historical Sketch : — Inception and Dedication 2 Purchase of the Althorp Library 4 Purchase of the Crawford Manuscripts ' Bequests of Mrs. Rylands ■ 8 Formation of the Althorp Library . 11 The Reviczky Collection 12 Earl Spencer as a Collector 14 Brief Description of the Contents : — The Early Printed Book Room 17 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 The Manuscript Room 41 Other Sections 45 Description of the Building 51 C fALOGUE of the EXHIBITION: Case 1. Writing Materials ,63 Case 2. Biblical Manuscripts 72 Case 3. Block-Prints and Block-Books 77 Case 4. The Earliest Printed Bibles 84 Case 5. The English Bible 90 Case 6. Works of the Reformers 97 Case 7. Puritan and Nonconformist Writers 105 Case 8. Masterpieces of English Literature 116 Case 9. Books interesting by reason of their former Ownership , 122 Case 10. Jewelled and Metal Book Covers 128 b ix CONTENTS. PAGE Publications of the John Rylands Library . . ... 133 Trustees, Governors, and Principal Officers of the Library . . .139 Rules and Regulations of the Library 141 ILLUSTRATIONS. The Main Library . The Early Printed Book Room The Bible Room . The East Cloister . The Main Staircase Papyrus Roll. a.d. 29 . St. John from a " Greek Gospels ". 11th cent. St. John from a "Greek Gospels ". 11th cent. The " St. Christopher " Block-print. 1423. Manuscript " Apocalypse ". 14th cent. " Biblia pauperum." Circa 14S0 The First Printed Bible. [1456?] Luther's First New Testament. 1522 . The First Printed English Bible. 1535 The " Authorised Version ". 1611 Henry VIII.'s " Assertio septem' Sacramentorum ". 1521 Robert Browne's Chief Treatise. 1582 Shakespeare's " Sonnets ". 1609 " The Emperor Otto's Gospels." 10th cent. " Elizabeth Fry's Bible " . . . . Original MS. of Heber's Hymn, i "jFrom^ Greenland's Icy Mountains" To face page 1 ., „ 17 ., ,, 26 •) »» 53 „ ,, 54 ■• 11 67 70 ., ,, 76 » 80 •1 n 81 » I) 82 „ .1 84 j» »» 89 »» if 93 „ 96 11 » 98 11 106 1, 1, 119 1, 11 122 1, „ 126 1, „ 127 THE MAIN LIBRARY BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH. '"T'O 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 efforts 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 trEiining 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 famous 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 Cam- bridge, but that Manchester existed to supply the world with cotton, and 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 grand 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 Hberally endowed, as a memorial to her late husband, whose name it perpetuates. It was on the 6th of October, 1875, that Miss Tennant, 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, vsath 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 ciid 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 BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH. modern religious thought, since, in many cases, they were stationed in rural districts remote from anything in the nature of a library. There 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 1 th of December, 1 888, 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 1890 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 1 892, THE AL- THORP some two years after the builders had conunenced LIBRARY. •' . their work or 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 willingness 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 owner 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 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 iNGOFTHE anniversary of Mrs. Rylands's wedding-day, the build- LIBRARY. . , .■' ■' f 11 1 1- 1 1 ing and its contents were rormally 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 carr)ang 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 ideal created in her imagination, by the memory and character of her husband, was one she alone could realise. And she proceeded to reaHse 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 wife'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 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 library 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, 1901, another instance of PURCHASE , .^ f nfl r> 1 1 i f i • i OF THE the munihcence or Mrs. Kylands, and or her contmued CRAWFORD . - , ,., I 1 1- • I I MANU- mterest m the library was made pubhc, with the an- SCRIPTS. -' ... 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. TTiis, 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. TTie 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 BibHotheque 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 v«th 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 hcunpered for want 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 / , i , r , ,., LANDS^s ^^' upkeep and development of the library. She WILL bequeathed £200,000 in four per cent, debentures, yielding 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 the founder. In addition to the monetary bequest, Mrs. Rylands bequeathed 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 in 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 which 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, books, we may call attention to the following : Forster's " Life of Dickens," 10 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 Rembrandt, 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 life, 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 know her she was most kind and generous. She was a woman of very marked ability and of great detennination, 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 Hbrary 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, which, although but a part of the John Rylands Library, is, by common consent, the most splendid part. FORMATION T^e formation of the collection was substantially ALTHORP the work of George John, second Earl Spencer, who 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 1770, when Lord Althorp was sent to Harrow; but tutor and pupil were in constant correspondence, and maintained cm 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 William 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. -P^g Charles Emanuel Alexander, Count Reviczky, was collIo^ a 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 from the travels he had planned for himself when the Empress Maria Theresa sent him as her am- bassador to Warsaw. The EJnperor 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 affection 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 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 library. 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 peculiarities 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 "^^^ 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 onweu^d, 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 fine 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 excheinges and the few additions to the Althorp collection already referred to, the bulk of the Alc- horne 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 H 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 ciffording 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 15 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, v«th 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 an unique edition of Horace, printed by Arnoldus 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 obtciined 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 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^° 'he 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. Commencing 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 1 423. 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. TTie manner of printing was peculiar, since the earliest examples were produced before the printing press was introduced. It may be described as follows : TTie block was thinly inked over, and a sheet of dcimped paper was then laid upon it, emd 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, and 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 1430 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 of the "Speculum humanae salvationis," two editions of the " Biblia pauperum," the "Ars memorandi," the " Historia Virginis ex cantico canticorum," i8 BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH. " Die Enndkrist," " Die fiinfzehn Zaichen Icimen vor dem hingsten Tag," the " Mirabilia urbis romas," and " Die Kunst Ciromantia " The library also possesses one of the original wooden blocks from which the second leaf of an edition of the " Apocalypsis S. Joannis " was printed, about 1 450. Coming to the productions of the press by means of movable types, we find the arrangement to be first by country, then by towns in the order in which they established presses, then by presses or printers in the order of their establishment, and finally a chronological arrangement of the works in the order in which they came from the respective presses, as nearly as can be deter- mined. Claims to the honour of having first made use of separate letters for printing in the Western world have been put forward in favour of Germany, France and Holland. It is true that from contemporary documents it appears that experiments of some kind were made at Avignon as early as 1 444, and there are refer- ences to other experiments at about the same date in Holland, which have been connected with the name of Coster of Haarlem. But the only country which is able to produce specimens in support of her claim is Germany, although the last word in this controversy has not yet been said. Commencing then with Germany, and assuming that the first press was set up at Mainz, we have of the earliest printed docu- ments to which can be assigned a place or date — the " Letters of Indulgence," granted by Pope Nicolas V. in 1452 through Paulinus Chappe, Proctor- General of the King of Cyprus, and conferring privileges on all Christians contributing to the cost of the war against the Turks. The earliest was printed in 1454, the other before the end of 1455. Then follow the two splendid Latin Bibles, one with thirty- six lines to a column, sometimes re- ferred to as the " Bamberg Bible," because the type in which it is printed was afterwards employed by a printer of Bamberg, named Albrecht Pfister ; the other, with forty-two lines to a column, commonly referred to as the " Mazarin Bible," from the 19 THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. accident of the copy in the hbrary of Cardinal Mazarin, at Paris, being the first to attract attention. Whether these two Bibles were printed at one and the same press, or at different printing offices, is a subject of controversy. By some authorities it is thought that the first-named was commenced about 1 448, but was not com- pleted until about 1461, whilst the other was commenced in 1 450, and completed some time before August, 1 456. That Gutenberg was the printer of one of the Bibles, if not of both, is generally con- ceded, although his name is not found in any piece of printing which has been attributed to him. Unfortunately it is only by the aid of conjecture that we are able to link together the few facts we possess concerning the early presses at Mainz. It seems probable, however, that Gutenberg was ruined at the very moment of success through an action, brought against'; him by Johann Fust, for the re- payment of loans advanced to him for the purpose of carrying out his projects. The earliest book to contain particulars of the name of its printers, and the date and place of printing was the " Psalmorum Codex " or " Mainz Psalter," of which there issues seem to have been printed in 1457 at Mainz by Johann Fust and Peter Schoeffer. Peter Schoeffer had been an illuminator, and to his influence has been ascribed the beautiful initials, printed in two colours, with which the book is embellished. Of this majestic folio the library is in proud possession of the only known perfect copy of the first issue. Side by side with it stands a copy of the second Psalter, printed in 1459, also like the first on vellum; and a copy of the third Psalter on paper, printed by Peter Schoeffer alone in 1 490. Of the productions of the press or presses at Mainz vnth which the names of the three printers, Gutenberg, Fust and Schoeffer, are associated, the library possesses no fewer than fifty examples, several of which are the only copies of which there is any record, notably, the German edition of the " Bui zu dutsch . . . der babst Pius II.," printed in 1463 or 1464, which is distinguished as beiag the first printed book in which a title-page was employed. From Mainz the art of printing migrated to Strassburg, a city BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH. where Gutenberg appears to have made experiments as early as 1 439, and where in, or before, 1 460, Johann Mentelin had printed another great Latin Bible, a copy of which is to be found in the library. It also found its way to Bamberg, to Cologne, where Ulrich Zel, the disciple of Schoeffer, was the first printer, to Augsburg, to Nuremberg, to Speier, to Ulm, and to forty-three other towns in Germany, where printing was carried on during the latter part of the fifteenth century by not fewer than 2 1 5 printers. By means of the examples of the various presses to be found on the shelves of the room, it is possible to follow the art step by step in its progress through Germany. Of the works printed by Pfister at Bamberg, the printer who employed the same type as that found in the thirty-six line Bible, only four books and part of a fifth are known to exist in this country, all of which are in Manchester. Though the printing press was born in Germany, the full flower of its development was first reached in Italy, at that time the home of scholarship. The first printers of Italy were two migrant Germans — Conrad Sweynheym and Arnold Pannartz — who set up their press in the Benedictine Monastery of Saint Scholastica, at Subiaco, some twenty miles from Rome, where many of the inmates were Germans. Here, between 1465 and 1467, they printed four books. In the latter year they removed from Subiaco into Rome, where a compatriot, Ulrich Han, was also just beginning to work. Han's first production was " Medi- tationes seu contemplationes," of Turrecremata, the first illustrated book to be printed in Italy, of which the only known perfect copy is in this room. Of the works printed by Sweynheym and Pan- nartz, and enumerated in their famous catalogue of 1 472, the library contains copies of every one save the " Donatus," of which not even a fragment is known to have survived of the 300 copies there recorded to have been printed. The progress of the art in Italy between 1 465 and 1 500 was quite phenomenal. In 1469 John of Speier began to work in Venice. He was followed by Wendelin of Speier, and in 1 470 by a Frenchman named Nicolas Jenson, whose beautiful roman THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. type has never been surpassed and seldom equalled. Within the next five years printing was introduced into most of the chief towns of Italy, and before the end of the century presses had been established in seventy-three towns. In Venice alone not fewer than 1 5 1 presses had been started, and something approaching 2,000,000 volumes had been printed before the close of the fifteenth century — an output which exceeded the total of all the other Italian towns put together. These presses are well repre- sented in the John Rylands collection, and it is possible in most cases to exhibit the first work produced by the printers. Of one specimen of early Venetian printing mention may be made ; it is the first edition of "11 Decamerone" of Boccaccio, printed by Valdarfer in 1471. It is the only perfect copy extant, the rarity of which is attributed to its having formed part of an edition committed to the flames by the Florentines through the teaching of Savonarola. Of the early productions of the Neapolitan presses the library possesses many examples, several of which are the only known copies. The printers of Basle are well repre- sented, as also are the printers of Paris, Lyons, and the other centres of printing in France and Holland and Belgium. The library possesses a very fine copy of the " Epistolae " of Gasparinus Barzizius, the first book printed in France by the three Germans, Gering, Krantz and Friburger, who, in 1 470, at the invitation of two of the professors of the Sorbonne, in Paris, set up a press within the precincts of the college. Turning to the shelves devoted to England, we find that of genuine Caxtons the library possesses sixty examples, of which thirty-six are perfect, and three are " unique ". The unique copies are : " The Four Sons of Aymon, Blanchardyn and Eglan- tyne," and the broadside, " Death Bed Prayers ". It was in assisting Colard Mansion to print " The Recuyell of the Histories of Troye," which Caxton had himself translated from the French of Raoul le Fevre, that he learned the art of printing, as he tells us in his beautifully quaint epilogue to that work. The volume appeared in or about the year 1475, and was followed by "The 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 publications 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 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 fair 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 lime 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 afterwards 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 Vicenza in 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 2 + 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 " Tragcediae " 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- ness 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 or 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 1 597, 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 " (1 501 ) 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 feimous 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 cind 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 o o _1 Ix) X 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 1 00 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 Ferratis 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, 27 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 1 524, 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 Olivetan's translation, of which the first is of 1535, and Calvin's revision of the same, printed at Geneva in 1 565. 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, containing 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 Polish of 1563, the Slavonic of 1581, 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 translation 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 life 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 BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH. been in operation nearly fifty years before a single chapter of the Bible, 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 1525. 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 1 523 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 God spare my life, ere many years I will cause a hoy that driveth the plough to know m,ore of the Scriptures than thou dost ". He went to London in the hope of ' A dozen such manuscript copies are in the library. 29 THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. finding a sympathetic 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 English 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 simultaneously issued, and large consignments were without delay smuggled into Englemd. This " invasion of England by the Word of God," which Cardinal Wolsey did everything in his power to prevent, conunenced 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 pubUcly 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 BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH. Of the first revision of Tindale's Testament, printed at Ant- werp in 1534, 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 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 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 English, 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 name 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 1 560, 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; the " Doway Bible" of 1609-10; the "King James* Bible," commonly called the " Authorised Version ** of 1611 ; the " Cambridge Standard Edition ** of I 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 1 500, of which sixty-four are earlier than 1 480. 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 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 " Officia," 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 famihares," 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 1578. Of Livy there are eight fifteen-century editions, including the first, printed at Rome in 1469, and that of 1470. Of PUny's " Historia naturalis " there are seven editions before 1 500, 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 /Esop 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 • 1 , I II • T-i r-w 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 : two codices ; the three earliest printed editions of 1472, issued respectively at Foligno, Jesi and Mantua ; two copies of the Florentine edition of 1 481 , 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 1502, 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 a long series of the sixteenth century auid 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 claris " printed by Verard of Paris in 1493. Also the extremely rare edition of the " Teseide," printed at Ferrara in 1 475, and Pynson'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 1 470, that rarest of all editions printed by Laver of Rome in 1471, and eleven other editions printed before 1 486. Of Ariosto there are twenty-five editions of his " Orlando furioso " anterior to 1 585, 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 1543, and the " Giolito edition " of the same year. Many other names could be mentioned, but these must suffice. 34 BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH. THE ENGLISH ^^^ department of English literature is remarkable CLASSICS. j^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 made. Of Shakespeare there are two sets of the four folios 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 folio 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 I 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 English poetry, is represented by all the earliest editions, com- mencing with that printed by Caxton in 1478. 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 1550; 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 o( 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 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 Germanise 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 Bollandists, 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 1 5,000, 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 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 library 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. TTiomas 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 1 477, and the Ambrosian Breviary of 1 487. 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 collectio ". 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 ] 529 ; a number of the earliest 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 1556, 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 BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH. HISTORIC The 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 Valliere, Lomenie de Brienne, Diane de Poitiers, Pope Sixtus the Fifth, Michael Wodhull, Cardinal Bembo and others. The copy of the wrork of Henry VIII., " Assertio septem sacramentorum adversus M. Lutherum," for virhich he received the title " De- fensor Fidei," is one of the very iew 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 marginaUa 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 1884 and 1894. 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 Ubrary contains. = .xx^,,c If the books themselves excite interest and admira- FAMOUS BINDINGS, jjjjjj^ jjQf Iggg striking is the appropnateness, 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 EngHsh 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 craftsmen 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 ./Eschylus 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 Lewise and Charles Hering, who especially imitated 40 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 Ubrary. 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 j.jjg 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 1 901 , 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 literary and historical research, original sources which may be of real service to them m 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 Begmnmo with the Eastern section, it must be said '^'"'NU- , , I 1 r ^ • I ■ f 11 SCRIPTS. at once that the wealth or Uriental manuscripts, or all ages, and in a variety of languages, can only be indicated in the briefest manner in an introduction like the present. Armenian, Ethiopic, Sanskrit, PaU, 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 and rare productions, the " medicine books " of the Battas, inscribed on 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 21 inches. 42 BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH. PAPYRUS Of papyrus rolls and fragments there are examples ETC. 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 last year, 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 Biblical 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 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 deli- cate handwriting, " Royne Jehanne," the autograph of Joan of Navarre, the second Queen Consort of Henry IV. of England, into whose possession the volume must have passed a century and a half after its production. Another volume which is of great interest on account of its historical associations, is the copy of Wiclif 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 charmino 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. ITALIAN ^"^ °^ '^^ finest of the Italian books is dated WORK. ,4Q7_ g^j consists of the "PostiUa" 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 family, 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 Rciimondi, 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 bended 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, authority for English history during the reigns of the Edwards, 46 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 earliest 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 55-1 161). Of other known copies the earliest cannot be less than a century later in date. FRENCH '^^ French manuscripts, though not numerous, are WORK. pf 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 when 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 I 73 miniatures, which are illustrative of the poem, and display a wonderful fertility of inven- 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 1 350, and ornamented with 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 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, remained until a few years ago in English hcmds. 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 of 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 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 fines* 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 filigree and repousse work in general is very chaste. We have already 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 growang 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 Gereird, 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 England," in twenty-one folio volumes. Pennant's " Some account of London," in six volumes. Clarendon's " History of the rebellion and civil wars in Englcmd," 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, y\mericaii and Continental periodicals in theology, history, philosophy and philology are regularly made available to readers. The library has so mauiy 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 library, which already is attracting scholars from all 50 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. jj^j^j ^jjiist the library is a " place of pilgrimage " for the lover of rare books, it is at the scune 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 library, 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 style 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 51 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 v^ras 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 tw^o smaller rooms for council and committee purposes. A suite of rooms for the librarian, near the entrance, and in close communication with the principal library. 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 wanning, 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 cuid its contents. Stone-vaulting, especially if the usual timber weather-roof can be dispensed with, is as safe 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 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 opinion upon the subject, Mr. Basil Champneys has succeeded in designing a building, than which no finer has been erected in this or in 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. CLOISTERED '^^ 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 lighting the ground-floor rooms, which are about twenty-one feet high. S3 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 floor 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. MAIN 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 the 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 Th^ ground floor contains 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, emd in communication with them, and with a hydraulic lift running from the basement to the upper floors, 54 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 ^" '^^ ^^^^ floor, with direct access from the main FLOORS. 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 ceilings divided by oak ribs, and are fitted throughout in oak and bronze. The library consists of a central corridor, twenty feet wide and 125 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, in the octagonal lantern of the 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 JOHN 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 Hbrary, 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 with 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 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. Facing the main doorway in the vestibule is a symboUc 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 tlie seated figure of a youthful metal-worker, as representing Art ; he 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 consununation 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 departments of literature, science and art. These are placed, for the most part, in pairs, marking both correspondences and contrasts in character and achievement. The statues, to the number of twenty, are ranged in niches along the gallery front. Those at the two end galleries represent the chief translators of the Bible into English ; statues of John Wiclif and William Tindale being placed at the north end ; whilst facing them, at the south, are : Myles Coverdale and John Rainolds (or Reynolds) — -the great Puritan scholar who originated the revision of 1611, commonly known as " King James's Version ". 57 THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. The rest of the statues are arretnged to face each other in pairs. Beginning from the northern end of the library, and in closest proximity to the " Early Printed Book Room," and re- presenting the art of printing, John Gutenberg, on the left or western side, stands opposite to William Caxton on the eastern side. Next to these Sir Isaac Newton and John Dalton stand for Science. The connection of Dalton with Manchester, as well as his eminence as a natural philosopher, renders the introduction of his statue in this place especially appropriate. Herodotus, the " Father of History," is opposite to Gibbon, historian of the " De- cline and Fall ". Next to these, Philosophy : ancient and modem, is represented by Thales of Miletus, and Francis Bacon, Lord Verulam. Two pairs of statues represent Poetry : Homer op- posite to Shakespeare, and Milton to Goethe. The chief phases of the Protestant Reformation are symbolised by Luther and Calvin, whilst John Bunyan and John Wesley stand for British Evemgelical theology. STAINED- The twenty statues just enumerated are supple- wiNDOWS. mented by a series of pictured effigies in the two stained-glass windows, designed amd wrought by Mr. C. E. Kempe, of London. Each window contains twenty figures, taken, wherever possible, from contemporary sources. Thus the whole number — statues and pictures — present, in the sixty person- ages delineated, no inadequate suggestion of all that is greatest in the intellectual history of mankind. The great north window is symbolical of Theology. The upper compartments in the centre contain representations, accord- ing to the accepted conventions of sacred art, of Moses and Isaiah for the Old Testament, and of the Apostles John and Paul for the New Testament. Below these are figures of the four great Fathers of the Church : Origen, St. Chrysostom, St. Jerome, and St. Augustine. On the left hand the upper divisions represent Mediaeval Theology, in the persons of St. Anselm, St. Thomas Aquinas, and Duns Scotus ; the lower divisions represent the 58 BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH. Theology of the Reformation, by portraits of Erasmus, Beza, and Melanchthon. On the right hand : the upper compartments represent the age subsequent to the Reformation, in the persons of the Anglican — Flichard Hooker, the Puritan — Thomas Cart- wright, and the Jurisconsult and Theologian — Hugo Grotius ; the lower compartments represent the philosophical and critical side of a later Protestant Theology by portraits of Bishop Butler — author of " The Analogy," the American, Jonathan Edwards — Metaphysician and Calvinistic Divine, and F. E. D. Schleier- macher — precursor of modern German critical thought. The south window represents Literature and Art. Philosophy occupies the central division, in which the upper compartments exhibit the effigies of Plato, Aristotle, Lucretius, and Cicero, among the ancients ; the lower compartments, those of Descartes, Locke, Kant, and Hegel, among the moderns. On the left the great Moralists of the ancient and modern world are represented in the upper compartments by Socrates, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius ; in the lower compartments, by Dr. Johnson, William Wordsworth, and Thomas Carlyle. The right-hand division is dedicated to Poetry and Art, of which the selected representatives are : in the upper compartments, /Eschylus, Raffaelle, and Beet- hoven — Poetry, Painting, Music — -corresponding, in the lower compartments, with Dante, Michel Angelo, and Handel. i^^^^ii^ The main design of the library in its bearing upon MOTTOES, philosophy, ethics, and intellectual culture is further illustrated by a series of Latin mottoes, culled from many sources, and carved on ribbon scrolls between the windows of the clere- story. A printer's device is placed below each motto. The mottoes are as follows : — East side (right hand), from the Deansgate end : — Otium sine litteris mors est. Nemo solus sapit. Tendit in ardua virtus. Integros haurire fontes. 59 THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. Est Deus in nobis. Humani nihil alienum. Nescia virtus stare loco. O magna vis veritatis. Quod fugit usque sequar. Per nos, non a nobis. Veritatis simplex oratio est. Omnia mutantur, nihil interit. Securus judicat orbis terrarum. Non multa, sed multum. West side (left hand), from the Apse : — Perpetui fructum donavi nominis. Tolle, lege. Turris fortissima nomen Domini. Nescit vox missa reverti. NuUius in verba magistri. Abeunt studia in mores. Possunt quia posse videntur. Vivere est cogitare. Ratio quasi lux lumenque vitae. Credo ut intelligcmi. Lex sapientis fons vitae. Sapere aude : incipe. Virtus repulsae nescia sordidae. Quod verum est meum est. FITTINGS, The rooms are panelled throughout in Dantzig oak. \/CM^1 1 A TioN, ETC. The floors are of polished oak blocks. The whole of the metal work, such as the gates, railings, coil cases, electric fittings, etc., were carried out in wrought gun-metal and bronze by Messrs. Singer, of Frome, Somerset. As has been already pointed out, the building is almost entirely vaulted in stone, but where this has not been admissible, fireproof construction is used after Messrs. Hanan & Royers' system, the main floors being of a double thickness of fireproof with space between. The heating 60 BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH. is by batteries of hot-water pipes through which air is passed after filtration. The filtration of the air is effected by first draw- ing it in through shafts, and then forcing it through screens loaded with cotton fibre and coke, over which water sprays are constantly playing. In this way the particles of dust with which the air is impregnated are removed. The vitiated air is extracted through shafts placed at the highest points of the various rooms, in which powerful electrical fans are constantly running at a high speed. Gas, the most fatal thing in a library, has been completely ex- cluded, the lighting throughout the building being by electricity. BOOK-CASES, The system of the book-cases may be briefly de- ETC. ' scribed as follows : large sheets of plate glass, some of which are nine feet nine inches by two feet, are contained in gun- metal frames about one inch square. The exclusion of dust, so prevalent in Manchester, is provided for by rolls of velvet made elastic by the insertion of wool, which, when the doors are closed, are pressed between the door and a fillet. The arrangements for locking are somewhat elaborate. A key releases a trigger, which cannot be grasped until it is released. The trigger works espag- nolette bolts, which shoot upwards and downwards at the top and bottom of the frame with intermediate clasps at the side. The internal fittings of the book-cases are of Dantzig oak, the shelves, which are panelled in order to secure the maximum of strength with the minimum of weight, and to prevent warping, are made easily adjustable by means of Tonk's fittings, which have been specially carried out in gun-metal to secure greater strength. The cases for large folios are fitted with adjustable, felt-covered, steel rollers, in which the volumes are placed on their sides, and can be inserted or withdrawn with ease, and with very little friction upon the binding, a matter of no small importance, when the character of the bindings and the weight of the books are con- sidered. 61 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF THE EXHIBITS. CASE 1. WRITING MATERIALS. The earliest written records were almost purely monumental, so that at first the most durable materials were employed, such as stone, clay, wood, metal, etc. Later, as the need was felt, other and more portable materials were extemporised, such as papyrus, linen, skins of animals, leaves, bark, potsherds, bone, ivory, etc. 1. STONE TABLET. Babylonian. Document recording the building of the Temple of E-ninnu by Gudea, the Ruler of Lagash. *^* Of the use of stone we have abundant proof in the ancient monuments of the Babylonians, Assyrians, Egyptians, Phoenicians, and Greeks. In Babylonian temples, early and late, it was customary to deposit at the foundation documents recording the building or repairing of the edifice. In the early period these documents were often in the form of small stone slabs, inscribed on one or on both sides. In the pre-Sargonic period (early third millennium B.C.) the tablet was commonly supported on a bronze figure. In the next period the tablet seems to have been laid by the side of the bronze figure. Such a tablet is the one here shown. The translation of the inscription is as follows : — " To the god Nin-Girsu | (The mighty warrior of the god 63 THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. Ellil), I his King, | has Gudea, | the Ruler | of Lagash, I his E-ninnu temple, ' The Storm- | bird shines ' | built. { The foundation stone | in front of it has he fixed. | This particular document differs from all others of the kind known in having this last sentence. 2. CLAY NAIL-SHAPED CONE. Babylonian. Document commemorating: the rebuilding of the wall of the capital city of Isin by Ellii-bani. *^* Clay was the most common writing material with the Babylonians and Assyrians. The clay was worked up into tablets of the shape of a cushion, cylinders of the shape of a barrel, and cones of various shapes, varying in size, from an inch to more than a foot. The cuneiform or wedge-shaped characters were im- pressed upon the clay whilst it was still plastic, after which it was dried either in the sun or by being baked in a kiln. The " nail," or " cone," of Ellil-bani here shown repre- sents an advanced stage of development in this kind of object, when the text was inscribed both on the shaft and on the cap. The event commemorated in the present text is the rebuilding of the wall of the capital city of Isin. The site is still unidentified, but the city was the seat of a dynasty that began to reign at least two centuries before Hammurabi. The translation of the inscription is as follows : — " Ellil-bani, | the shepherd who makes everything to abound | for Nippur, | the mighty king, | the king of Isin I the king of Sumer and Akkad, | the spouse whom the heart chooses | of Innina, | the beloved of Ellil I and Nin-insina, ] the city wall | of Isin | did build. I " To that wall (belongs) | ' Ellil-bani | Suhus-Ki-in ' | as its name." 64 CASE 1. 3. CLAY CYLINDER. Babylonian. Foundation document recording the rebuilding of the great and ancient Temple of the Sun=god at Sippar, by Nebuchadrez55ar. *^* In the Neo-Babylonian period foundation documents often took the form of barrel- shaped cylinders. The present one records the rebuilding of the great and ancient temple of the Sun-god at Sippar, some forty miles north of Babylon, by Nebuchadrezzar the Great, a ruler distinguished even among Babylonians for his piety. The prayer inscribed on the cylinder is also inscribed on the square brick which belonged to the same temple, exhibited in the same case (no. 4). The inscription on the brick is in the ordinary char- acter of the period. That on this cylinder differs from any other copies of this inscription, as being in an archaic style. The translation of the inscription reads as follows : — " Nebuchadrezzar, King of Babylon, the beautifier of E-Sagila and E-Zida, son of Nabopolassar, King of Babylon, am I. " E-barra, temple of Shamash, which is in Sippar, have I built anew for Shamash, the prolonger of my days, Shamash, great lord, be pleased to regard my deeds with favour, and: bestow on me in gift a life of many days, enjoyment of strength, stability of throne, length of reign. Accept graciously my uplifted hands. Ac- cording to thy supreme command, which changes not, may the achievement of my handiwork endure for ever, my posterity retain dominion, and be firmly planted in the land. When I lift up my hand to thee, O Lord Shamash, may my path open to the destruction of my enemies. Shamash, do thou and thy mighty weapons, which none can stand against, go at my side to overthrow my foes. As the bricks 65 5 THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. of E-barra are firmly laid for ever, so may my years be prolonged for ages." 4. CLAY BRICK. Babylonian. One of a series of flat bricks fixed in some part of the structure of tlie Temple of the Sun-god at Sippar when that ancient edifice was rebuilt by King Nebuchadrezzar. *^* In the time of the great builder ruler Gudea (see no. 3) the large square flat brick (15-^ to 16-^ inches square) used by Sargon and Naram-Sin instead of the earlier curious narrow brick with curved upper surface, gave place to one of more convenient size (about a foot square), which remained in use in Babylonia with little change till the end. These bricks, especially when used for the exposed surface of a pavement often bore an inscription. Such is the brick here shown. See note to no. 3. 5. GOAT-SKIN ROLL. Hebrew. Sefer Torah : Scroll of the Law of Moses in Hebrew, without vowel=points. 28| in. (720 mm.) high. Written on forty-six goat-skins. 15th cent. *,* Skins of animals were employed by the Egyptians from very early times, and by the Jews throughout their history for the sacred rolls of the law. The skins of lambs, goats, antelopes, sheep, and calves were utilized, but until the second century B.C., only one side of the skin was prepared to receive writing. These skin books were made up in the form of rolls, on which the writing was arranged in columns. For the transition from this shape to the modern or " codex " form, made up of folded sheets, see note to no. 9. The present synagogue roll was executed in Spain in the fifteenth century. 66 ^1*1 _1 -, „. Illicit ?^te' < . o ■ Di QJ >■ 0. < CASE 1. The oldest known Hebrew manuscript containing any considerable portion of the Bible is a Pentateuch of the ninth century of the Christian era. 6. ANTELOPE-SKIN ROLL. Hebrew. Megillat Esther: Hand Scroll of the Book of Esther in Hebrew, without vowel-points. 9| in. (245 mm.) high. Written on antelope-skin. 16th cent. *^* See note to no. 5. 7. PAPYRUS ROLL. Demotic and Greek. Bilingual Papyrus — Demotic and Greek. 13| x Hi in. (350 X 292 mm.). A.D. 29. *^* This document of the time of our Lord shows the common writing material, and the form of Greek script in use at the time. Papyrus was employed in Egypt from a very early date as a material for writing, whence its use gradually spread to neighbouring countries. It was prepared from the papyrus plant, which in ancient times grew in abundance beside the Nile, by cutting the pith of the stem into thin longitudinal strips. These were placed side by side, and another layer of strips laid on them at right angles. The layers were then united by means of pressure and moisture, adhesion being furthered prob- ably by the glutinous character of the pith, or by the addition of glue. When dried and poUshed the sheets were then ready for use. The original strength of the papyrus thus prepared for writing is estimated to have been about the same as that d modern paper. Owing to its want of durability any document liable to much handling could not survive for more than a limited period. On such perishable material the books of the New Testament must have been originally written, so that the disappearance of 67 THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. the autograph copies through constant use, apart from other dangers incidental to their circulation, need not occasion any surprise. The upper portion of the papyrus exhibited, which re- lates to the sale of a house in the Faiyum district of Egypt, is written in the demotic form of Egyptian writing, whilst the lower part is in the current Greek script, of a character similar to that which is likely to have been used by the writers of the New Testa- ment. 8. WOODEN TABLET. Greek. *,* Tablets of wood were in use in the East from very remote times. They were used for memoranda, accounts, and educational purposes. For such tem- porary purposes the board was whitened with chalk, or gypsum, and charcoal formed the writing medium. In some cases, as in the example exhibited, the writ- ing was written in ink on the bare board. In other cases the boards were coated with wax, or some kind of composition, the writing being scratched upon them with a sharp-pointed style. In the inventory of the expenses of rebuilding the Erech- theum at Athens, B.C. 407, the price of two boards on which the rough accounts were first entered is set down at two drachmae, and a second entry of four boards at the same price occurs. In the " Palamedes," a lost play of Euripides, exhibited in B.C. 415, the hero with the view of sending news of his fate, writes a message upon oar-blades, which he commits to the waves of the Aegean Sea. This incident provides material in a well-knovra passage for the exercise of Aristophanes' wit at the expense of his fellow-dramatist. (Aristoph. Thesmophor. 769-781.) 68 CASE 1. 9. IVORY OR BONE TABLETS. Roman. Two leaves of a carved bone Consular Diptych, of early sixth= century Roman work, each of which on one side has a carved bust in relief of the Roman Consul Areobindus and his monogram, and on the other side (as shown) the sunken surface into which the wax was run to form the waxed surface for writing upon with a style. *;f* These tablets were at first single ; later two, three, or more were hinged together by means of rings. If the documents were important, such as legal conveyances, wills, or letters, it was necessary to protect the writ- ing. This was done by making the leaves of the tablet in the form of a school slate, the wax was run on to the surface which had been sunk to a depth of about the eighth of an inch, leaving a rim, or raised frame around the edges, to serve as a protection to the writing. The object of this was that two tablets might be placed together face to face, without danger to the writing. The multiple tablet was known as a " codex ". When the convenience of the "tablet," or "codex," form of book was recognized, efforts were made to modify the shape of the roll. It was not easy to overcome the natural conservatism and traditions of the scribes, and so the roll-form continued to be used for literary purposes until the fourth or fifth centuries of our era, although towards the close of the third century A.D. the supremacy of the codex form was assured. In rolls and codices alike, the writing is generally arranged in columns. The transition from the former to the latter shape was by cutting up the rolls into con- venient sized pieces, showing perhaps three or four columns to a page which could be nested, or made up into quires or gathers, as in the case of the two 69 THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. earliest Biblical manuscripts, the " Codex Vaticanus," and the " Codex Sinaiticus " respectively. 10. VELLUM CODEX. Greek. The Four Gospels in Greek. With tables of Eusebian canons, prologues, etc. 8yV x 6^ in. (205 x 155 mm.). On vellum. 11th cent. *^* Vellum, or parchment, from " pergamena," a term which is probably derived from the name of the place (Pergamos), wrhere the preparation of the skins of animals was so improved as to allow of writing on both sides, in contrast to the old method of preparing only one side, was probably first known in the second century B.C. Skins of the goat, sheep, and calf were employed, but that from calf-skin was the finest, emd is known as vellum, from " vitulus ". This material was destined to supersede its old rival, papyrus. It was the most satisfactory of all materials by reason of its great durability, and because it was procurable in any country, whereas the papyrus reed could only be cultivated in a limited area. This gospel book is exhibited, not as the earliest example of a vellum codex which the library contains, but on account of other interesting features which it possesses. The volume is open at the miniature facing the Gospel of St. John, which gives an interesting illustration of the evangelist engaged upon his work, 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 70 ;^*- 1^;. .-— --^^ Olri oc jou o4i ■?/' itc ST. JOHN FROM A "GREEK GOSPELS' Byzantine. 1 1 th Cent. (Case 1 , No. 1 0) CASE 1. desk supports a mirror from which a hanging lamp is suspended. 11. PALM-LEAF BOOK. Burmese. Taddhita=Nissaya. Natna-kappam. Treatise on Grammar. Burmese. Written on 228 palm = leaves. 496 x 54 mm. *^* Wood was possibly one of the earliest substances em- ployed, but it is probable that before men thought of using boards, they utilized the leaves and the bark of trees. In India and the East palm-leaves, palmyra- leaves, and the leaves of the talipot-tree were, and are still used. Slips are cut out of the large leaves, the characters are scratched upon the strips, and some staining fluid is rubbed into the scratches. In Europe leaves of plants are not generally of the tough character of those grown in the tropics, yet the leaves of the olive-tree were used in Greece and Italy, and other parts for purposes of record. Our terms "leaf" and "folio" are derived from this de- scription of material. 12. BARK BOOK. Batak. Pustaha. Magical book of the Battas in the Mandailing dialect, attributed to Ama Ni Mortuhot Bilang. Com = pendium of sorcerer's prescripts for the preparation and application of charms. 9y| x G^i in- (250 x 170 mm.). Written on the bark of the alim-tree, folded as a screen. *^* Bark was very much better adapted for writing pur- poses than leaves, and was extensively used by the Greeks and Romans. The Latin term " liber " originally signified bark, but it later became the term for roll or book, whence is derived our term library. The manuscript exhibited is written on the bark of the alim-tree, folded as a screen, and illustrated with magical figures. 71 THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. The Battas are the inhabitants of the central highlands of Sumatra, and are now mostly subjugated by the Dutch. Their language, of which there are three main dialects, Toba, Dairi, and Mandailing, is one of the oldest of the Malay group, and is said to have a close affinity with that of the Hovas of Madagascar. Their books are written on bark, or bamboo, from bottom to top, the lines running from left to right. Their alphabet is supposed to be derived from that of the Indian monumental inscriptions. Their religion, which also appears to be of Indian origin, consists of demon and ancestor worship. Cannibalism is expressly sanc- tioned on the victims who have had to pay the penalty of death for certain offences. 13. LINEN MUMMY CLOTH. Egyptian. *^* Linen cloth was used cimong the ancient Egyptians to receive writing, and it appears also as the material for certain rituals in Roman history, in references made by such authorities as Pliny and Livy. CASE 2. BIBLICAL MANUSCRIPTS. 1. SYNAGOGUE ROLL OF THE LAW. Sefer Torah : Scroll of the Law of Moses in Hebrew, without vowel -points. 9tV in. (230 mm.) high. On vellum. 17th cent. « * * The scroll-handles are surmounted by the Crown of the Law. (See succeeding note.) The metal hand employed as a pointer by the person using the roll is also exhibited. 72 CASE 2. 2. THE MANTLE OF THE LAW. *^* The " Mantle of the Law " is the popular name of the the cover for the scroll of the Pentateuch. It is made in the form of a bag so as to fit the scroll when it is rolled up, open at the bottom but closed at the top, except for two openings through which the scroll-handles pass. It is made of expensive material, which must not have been used for any other purpose. Between the sectional readings of the law in the synagogue the scroll is closed and covered with the mantle, which is usually decorated with an embroidered crown, borne between two lions, alike typical of Judah, and symbolical of the strength and majesty of the law. Two examples are shown in this case : the first of pink silk with richly gilt embroidery bear- ing the crown between two lions, and the second of white embroidered silk also bearing the crown and two lions. Similarly the upper ends of the scroll-handles are decorated with a coronet, usually made of gilded silver and adorned with bells, known as the " Crown of the Law," as exemplified by the Hebrew manuscript ex- hibited beside the mantles of the law. 3. HEBREW PASSOVER RITUAL. Ha^gadah. Service for Passover. Hebrew. 11 x 9j^ in. (280 X 230 mm.). On vellum. 16th cent. *#* Written in the south of France, or on the borders of Spain. Profusely illuminated, with tinted arabesques intertwined with Hebrew texts. The pictures shown represent : The upper compartment : " The killing of the Passover lamb," " The sprinkling 73 THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. of the doorposts with the blood," and "The roasting of the lamb ". The lower compartment : " The Passover night entertain- ment, when four cups of wine, symbolical of scriptural allusions to Israel's redemption, are successively poured out for each member of the company sitting round the table " 4. SAMARITAN PENTATEUCH. The Pentateuch in Samaritan. lOf x 9 in. (276 x 228 mm.). On vellum. a.d. 1211. *^* Written in bold majuscular characters for public liturgical use. The Scimaritan recension of the Pentateuch, whilst agreeing essentially with the Masoretic, or traditional, text, differs from it in some important particulars. In some of the more serious cases the Samaritan text is found to be in agreement with the Septuagint, representing, perhaps, a retranslation of the latter version. 5. COPTIC (SAiDIC) VERSION OF ST. LUKE. 7th- 8th cent. Fragment of the Qospe! of Saint Luke in the Saidic form of the Coptic translation. 14 x lOA^f in. (355 x 275 mm.). On vellum. 7th-8th cent. » ^* The New Testament is said to have been translated into Coptic before the close of the second century. There are two main forms of the Coptic version, Boheiric (also called Alexandrian and Memphitic), and Saidic or Thebaic. The Boheiric version re- presents the dialect of Lower Egypt, from the Arabic name of which the term itself is derived. The Saidic translation exhibits the dialect of Upper Egypt, and is less polished than the other. 74 CASE 2. 6. THE PESHITTA (SYRIAC) VERSION OF THE GOSPELS, c. A.D. 550. The Four Gospels in the Peshitta form of the Syriac Transla- tion, lli^ X 8i| in. (290 x 227 mm.). On vellum. About A.D. 550. *^* Written in large estrangelo letters, the most ancient form of Syriac characters. The word " Peshitta " means " simple," and hence, per- haps, as applied to the Scriptures " current," " common," in which case it may be compared with the term "Vulgate" used for the Latin Bible, or " Authorised Version " for the English. Besides the Peshitta version there is another of great im- portance known as the Old Syriac. For fifty years this version was represented only by some fragments discovered in the British Museum in 1 842 by William Cureton, and by three leaves found afterwards in the East and published in 1872. In 1892 two Cam- bridge ladies, Mrs. Lewis and her twin-sister Mrs. Gibson, found in the monastery of St. Catherine on Mt. Sinai a palimpsest manuscript, the under- writing of which proved to be a nearly complete copy of the four Gospels of the same version as that discovered by W. Cureton. A much more thorough comparison of this version with the Peshitta was now rendered possible. The relationship of the two is one of the most complex problems that the textual critic has to settle at the present time. Both are obviously of great antiquity, but in the present division of scholar- ship on the question it is inadvisable to hcizard an opinion on the question of priority. There are other Syriac versions, besides the two here men- tioned, but none of the same importance for the history of the text. One of them, the Heraclean, is exhibited immediately above this one. 75 THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. 7. THE PESHITTA (SYRIAC) NEW TESTAMENT. c. A.D. 1200. The Four Gospels in the Peshitta form of the Syriac trans- lation and the remainder of the New Testament in the Heraclean form of that version. 10^ x 7,^ in. (275 x 186 mm.). On vellum. About a.d. 1200. *#* Written in Northern Mesopotamia in the estrangelo character. Remarkable as one of the very few complete copies of a Syriac New Testament in any European library. The Apocalypse in the Heraclean version is not found in any other known manuscript. The name of the version is derived from Tliomas of Heraclea, Bishop of Hierapolis, who in A.D. 616 finished a complete revision, undertaken by himself, of the translation which was prepared in A.D. 508 by one named Polycarp for Philoxenus, a previous Bishop of Hierapolis. 8. MINUSCULE GREEK GOSPELS. 11th Cent. The Four Gospels in Greek. 9^ x 6\^ in. (235 x 170 mm.). On vellum. 11th cent. *** Written in a fine minuscule hand, the first lines of each gospel being in gold. With half-page decora- tive patterns at the commencement of each gospel and full-page miniatures of Moses and of the four evangelists. The style of decoration is Byzantine. The miniature representing St. John follows the Greek tradition, which says that he dictated his Gospel to a disciple named Prochorus. In the upper right-hand corner of the picture is a hand coming forth from a cloud to indicate the presence and activity of the Divine Spirit. St. John stands in the centre, with his left hand raised towards that divine manifestation, in order to receive the heavenly inspiration, and his 76 r^ \^ 1 -*■■ N -it-^,J ST. JOHN FROM A "GREEK GOSPELS' Byzantine. 11th Cent. (Case 2, No. 8) CASE 3. right hand stretched down towards Prochorus, who is seated at the left hand and writing the opening words of the Gospel : " 'Ev lipxv W o ^0709 ". 9. LATIN VERSION OF THE GOSPELS. 9th Cent. The Four Qospels in Latin. Willi prologues, etc. lli|^ X 7^ in. (296 x 200 mm.). On vellum. 9th cent. *^* Written in large Caroline minuscules. Initials in gold. The Caroline minuscule hand is that reformed style of writing introduced in the reign of Charlemagne, by whose authority schools for the training of scribes and others were established throughout the Empire. To assist him in his educational projects the Emperor procured the assistance of Alcuin, who spent the later years of his life in directing and promoting the literary studies that were then in course of re- organisation throughout Charlemagne's dominions. This manuscript was probably produced in the celebrated writing-school of the Monastery of St. Gall. CASE 3. BLOCK-PRINTS AND BLOCK-BOOKS. The immediate precursors of the type-printed books, in other words, of the books printed by means of mov- able metal types capable of being used again and again in different combinations, were the block-prints and block-books, printed wholly from blocks or slabs of wood, upon which not only the pictorial matter but the letter-press had been cut in relief. That printing of this nature was known and practised in China as early as the sixth century A.D., is a fact confirmed by various Chinese writings, and that know- ledge of this art was brought into Europe from China cannot be doubted, although the date and manner of its introduction is still a matter for conjecture. Some 77 THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. of the earliest of the Europccin specimens, notably the " St. Christopher," bear unmistakable evidences of the influence of the East. The earliest known European productions are single sheets, consisting of outline figures of saints, copied no doubt from the illuminated manuscript, and intended chiefly for distribution to the pilgrims at popular shrines. The practice of going on pilgrimage was popular in the fourteenth century but received a great access of popularity at the time when Pope Boniface IX (1 389- 1 404) extended the granting of indulgences to other places of pilgrimage than the basilicas of Rome. Cologne and Munich were the first places in Germany to receive the privilege. These grants were continued by the succeeding popes, and a great influx of pilgrims to the favoured sanctuaries ensued. Numerous as these prints must have been in their day, only a few scattered examples have survived. The earliest example with a definite date is that of " St. Christopher," which bears an inscription of two lines and the date " 1 423," of which the only knovra copy is exhibited in this case. Below it are two undated prints, which, to judge by their execution, belong to an earlier period. The mode of printing was peculiar, since the earliest ex- amples were produced long before the press had been adapted to the use of the printer. The block was thinly inked over, and the impression was obtained by laying over it a sheet of paper, which was care- fully rubbed with some such instrument as a dabber or burnisher, if not with the hand. From the single-leaf prints to the block-books was but a step in the development. The latter were, in most cases, made up of single leaves, printed only on one side, then pasted back to back and made up into books. 7S CASE 3. Fourteen of the block-books are preserved in the library, of which nine may be assigned conjecturally to the period between 1430 and 1450, whilst the others are of a somewhat later date. These were not only the stepping-stones to that remarkable development in the methods of transmitting know- ledge which is represented by the art of typography, but were also the precursors of the later schools of en- graving, and the earliest specimens of the wood-en- graver's art. The library also possesses one of the original wooden blocks from which a leaf of one of the editions of the " Apocalypsis S. Joannis " is printed. 1. WOODCUT OF ST. ANTHONY. Early 15th Century. *^* The saint is represented with the usual symbols, hold- ing in one hand a cross to which a bell is attached, and in the other a book, whilst two young men are kneeling one on either side. The pig at his feet symbolises the demon of sensuality and gluttony which St. Anthony overcame by divine assistance. This woodcut was probably executed in Germany, and is possibly earlier than that of St. Christopher exhibited above it. 2. WOODCUT OF ST. BRIDGET. Early 15th Century. *^* St. Bridget is represented seated at a desk recording her vision, which is symbolised by the picture of the Virgin and Child in the top left-hand corner, and is surrounded by other objects typifying events in the the life of the saintly Swedish princess. The inscription which is in the nature of an invocation reads : " O brigita bit got fir uns ". 79 THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. This print, like that of St. Anthony beside it, is not im- probably earlier than that of St. Christopher, and may represent an intermediate stage in the develop- ment. 3. WOODCUT OF ST. CHRISTOPHER, 1423. *^* This famous woodcut, which is probably of German origin, is the earliest known piece of European print- ing to which a date is attached. It is pasted on the inside of the right-hand board of the binding of a manuscript entitled " Laus Virginis," or " Laus Virginum," which was formerly in the Carthusian monastery at Buxheim, near Memmingen, in Swabia, one of the most ancient of the German religious houses, where it was discovered in 1 769 by C. H. von Heinecken, the author of " Idee generale d'une collection complette d'estampes," 1771. A similar print of " The Assumption " is pasted on the in- side of the left hand or front board of the binding, and it is thought that these prints were pasted in their present position, not with any idea of preserving them, but with the object of covering the much be- scribbled boards. The inscription at the bottom of the print (see reproduction) reads : — " Gristofori facieni die quacumq^ tueris *^* Millesimo cccc° Ilia nempe die morte mala non morieris *^* xx" tercio : — " 4. ARS MEMORANDl. BLOCK-BOOK. Circa \ 450. *^* A block-book consisting of a series of fifteen s)rmboli- cal designs illustrating the principal events recorded in the Gospels, each accompanied by a page of text enumerating the contents of each chapter re- ferred to numerically in the little subsidiary pictures, or groups of figures which symbolise the principal events in the respective evangelists, l 8o jUflnrnqJcdifJiKwrmalanwimoMms^i icftmo THE "ST. CHRISTOPHER" BLOCK-PRINT 1423. (Case 3, No. 3) MANUSCRIPT "APOCALYPSE" Flemish. 14th Cent. (Case 3, No. 6) CASE 3. The volume commences with the Gospel of St. John, which is illustrated by three cuts of the Eagle, the symbol of this Apostle, St. Matthew is illustrated by five cuts of an Angel, St Mark by three cuts of a rampant Lion, and St. Luke by four cuts of a Bull standing up on its hind legs. The size of i the letters of the text, and the character of the cuts seem to denote a very early effort of the united arts of printing and engraving. 5. ARS MORIENDI. BLOCK-BOOK. Circa \ 450. *5if* This block-book was executed in Germany about the middle of the fifteenth century. It consists of a moral treatise upon the subject of dying well, and is made up of two preliminary pages of text, followed by eleven pictures each faced by a page of text, showing the temptations to Unbelief, Despair, Impatience, Vain-glory, and Avarice which beset the dying, the angelic inspirations by which they may be re- sisted, and lastly the final agony. The authorship of this version is not known, but it could not have been written earlier than the fifteenth century, as it borrows from the " Opusculum tri- partitum " of Gerson written about 1 400. Neither the designer nor the cutter of the illustrations has been identified, but the work is certainly German, and there are reasons for connecting it with Cologne. 6. APOCALYPSIS S. JOANNIS. MANUSCRIPT. Circa 1350. *^* The continuity of the mediaeval artistic tradition is strikingly shown by the close resemblance in treat- ment of the same subjects apparent in this manuscript of Flemish origin, and in the block-printed " Apoca- lypse " of about a century later which is exhibited below. 8i 6 THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. 7. APOCALYPSIS S. JOANNIS. BLOCK-BOOK. Girca 1450. *^* A series of pictures printed from wood-blocks, in the second quarter of the fifteenth century, probably in Germany and intended to illustrate the most remark- able portions of the " Apocalypse of St. John," with explanatory texts. This copy, which is bound up with aa edition of the " Biblia Pauperum," is in its original binding bearing the date "1467". 8. BIBLIA PAUPERUM. BLOCK-BOOK. Circa ] 450. * * This " Biblia Pauperum," or " Bible of the Poor," consists 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 are divided into three com- partments, a scene from the life of Christ in the centre, with prefigurations, or types, from the Old Testaunent on either side, accompanied by rh3rm- ing verses and texts, with the object of familiari- sing the illiterate with the principal events of the Bible. A series of pictures thus arranged was executed in encunels at Klosterneuburg in Austria, as early as 1 181, and at the beginning of the fourteenth century the scheme was fully developed in manuscripts. The open pages illustrate : — The angel appearing to Gideon. The increduHty of Thomas. Jacob wrestling with the Angel. The translation of Enoch. The Ascension of Our Lord. Elijah received up into Heaven. 82 'BIBLIA PAUPERUM" Circa 1450. (Case 3, No. 8) CASE 3. 9. HISTORIA SEU PROVIDENTIA VIRGINIS MARIAE : EX CANTICO CANTICORUM. Block-Book. Circa 1450. *^* An interpretation by pictures 'and texts of the " Song of Songs " with reference to the Blessed Virgin and the Church, printed from wood-blocks, in the third quarter of the fifteenth century, probably in Germany. 10. SPECULUM HUMANAE SALVATIONIS. Circa 1450. *^* This work comprises a series of subjects from the New Testament, descriptive of the life of Christ, with parallels from the Old Testament, as well as from traditional history, which was written in the first quarter of the fourteenth century, probably at Strass- burg, by Ludolphus de Saxonia, a Dominican who later joined the Carthusian order. Upwards of two hundred manuscript copies of the work dating from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries have been located, and are described by J. Lutz, and P. Perdrizet in " Speculum humanae Salvationis : texte critique. . . ." Mulhouse, 1907. In this issue of the printed edition, some pages are printed entirely from wooden blocks, whilst others are printed partly from a block, and partly with movable metal type. Hence this volume forms a link between block- printing and typography. Another point of interest is that the " Speculum" forms one of the group of books known by the name of " Costeriana," as being the supposed productions of Laurens Janszoon Coster, for whom is claimed, by some writers, the honour of having been the inventor of printing at Haarlem, as opposed to the more gener- ally admitted claims of Gutenberg and Mainz. 83 THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. CASE 4. THE EARLIEST PRINTED BIBLES. 1. THE FIRST PRINTED BIBLE. [Mainz, 1456?] [Begin:] Incipit epistola sancti iheronimi ad | paulinum presbiterum de omnibus | diuine historic libris. capitulu pmu [Fol. 5 recto, col. 1, text ;] Incipit liber bresith que nos genesim | • • • dicim ' | [End., fol. 641 verso, col. 2, line 40 :] Venio cito amen. Veni domine ihe- [ su. Qratia dni nri ihesu cristi tu omni= | b3 vobis ame. { [Mainz ; before Aug. 24, 1456.] In 2 vols: Fol. *^* TTiis Latin Bible was amongst the first productions of the printing-press in Europe, and the earliest work of any size that has survived to the present day. Twelve copies on vellum and twenty-nine on paper, in a more or less perfect state, are seud to be known, out of an edition that may have consisted of 1 80 paper and 30 vellum copies. 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 column, a name which serves to distinguish it from another one printed at the same time, and styled for a similar reason the " 36-line Bible ". Much has been written about the history, and connection, of these two Bibles without effectually dispelling the obscur- ity that surrounds the circumstances of their produc- tion. Neither Bible gives any definite information as to the place of printing, the names of the printers, or the date. The city of Mainz has been generally recognized as the place where both Bibles were ^ieif^pYp nnnpit lito bnfnt) que nao|[aurim ■ flpriiiripiDtttBuitimatriuBmni'' i itatara.Iataaumiinat inaniBit uama:ii mitbietmtrup bntabiOi- lirCpstmifotbat fup aquaeubintq; llcui).jfiatli0.fc&)ita i: luic.fc uilut llEuo lunin ip db tima :t ijiuirit lun la tniEbrio-iqptUaiuni) lumii Dinu i lanEbraanadoii.Jfaduq; iBud^n; |huine Dito unutul^i^c ql &uB./fut bnnmntniu in luioio oquaijn bhii |tB[ aquae ab aquis.ft tot tnic fie icaiu:luuiritq; nqmio que nic Kiib Bnuamcnio ab bQo q tcant ru|j JbnuamnHU'Et bdu cim-Vocauttq; ' OiuD bnuaramiu idua bdii i uri^ a mant Dm ftaili'.lJiiEu utm ttuo. £on0icgtnf aque qut (ub slo Tut in loiii mm i a;parrat atisa.ft lactu c ira.£cuacauitSBieaiiDam [iccam: nngaganonirqi aquav atpiUauit nianajb uiDit Dtuo q? tflh boiiu-a ait.£cnninic ima bnba uirmmiut &inmtc&nnn:ilignu)nnii&4faace foidii iuEta genua fuii-ui' !tma m fcmetipo Gcfiie iccca. Ct fadii e tta.£ piDnilic tcaa ^vita amaii imrna fmic iujEta gemmfuurlignuq; &uies foiAu 1 ^bto unuqSq) remma litim rpecic rua.£ uitiic tnis qi eflct binii: a!aiii tttadfc ec mane Dies nmuo. £ii^; auie teua. jfiant luniiitarie in binaratta di-i DiuiBat biaii at nodmi:i &ni in Cgua 1 9a cc Dies 1 anno s-uc lumc in ftnuamcm cc(i ec itlumintc teera.ft bdii c its.jftotq; mie Ouo lurafatta niagna:lunnarc raaiug m ptflet bici tc lumiacrniin' utpeflknoiiiBiUaa-iinfiuteaein Eitnianitni nli utlutccent fup ieica:cc ViSiEntiueiainodi-iBiuiiiemitluif ar tenibras.fr Bibitlt9q)j0etlnmi: £t bdu c utfje -i mam bins quacma. JJijit ttia ft'.pnjbueat nque nptile animc uiucnda 1 uoladlt futm: lora- Dib bnuamao ali.Ctcauitqj leue aa gmnbia-it omne aiam uiuente atqi moiabile qua^bu^ast aque f Ijtcic'' Bue-i omnt uolanle Iciim gm^M. ft Dibit tcue q) eOet tDim-btuaiflw tia bitaie-fciTiiit 1 mUpIitanunt-i tqilctt aquaa maiie-au(% wbiiiU. tent ru; tctta.fifoffii t oelee 1 mant bite qumia.j^icit quoq; btue.^to> buiat ttcca m'am mmmc in gent Gu- iumentaiTqitilia-ibBiaataicIidm Iii(rita ruaB.;f adiiq; t ita.fl Eicit te' ItBiae nneium Iptata Diaa-iumm< la 1 0ram nptile tare f prate ruo.ft nibitbme q)t(retbomi-ttait jFaaa mue bm'on ab nneginn fitaibint noM-1 pnOt piUle maiia-tt DOla> riI9D idi 1 bzBii g unioltqi tcne-omiiE tqitili qb moumir t tnra. ft iitauit btuaboteni ab Fiuajgint 1 Gfmibint fua-ab niiagint bn~ iieauit illii-raa liulii 1 fomiia ncauit me.£mfaiidt- q; illia btuai aitCn&iie imlii|iliia> mini 1 iqi(ttetera-tt tfiiiite ti-tt btia> nrinipiriibraarig-etuolatilibinli- et oniuttTiB animatibs que moutni &iptma.£)i|itq;be'J&tcbtbiuobi'' omnt bnbn aKtrnte'Ibimi rug nna- ttnnifilali^aqmtiiitinrauEtipia Itmmit gatie Tui-ut Imt uobie i t(ia 3 mndia aiamib} tott-oniq; uohun oli 1 uniutcTia q mounuc in titia-'t f quSBtSanimauiute-utbabtatab ut&mbii.ft bdu iBita.1f}ttiitq; teue unia qut (Ecctat-i tcBt oalbt bona. FIRST PRINTED BIBLE [Mainz, 1456?] (Case 4, No. 1) CASE 4. printed, although the claims of Bamberg to the honour of producing the " 36-line Bible " have been upheld by some bibliographers, including one of the latest writers on the subject. With regard to the printers there is some difference of opinion, but it seems most probable that the " 36-line Bible " was printed by Gutenberg alone, whilst Johann Fust, to whom Gutenberg was originally indebted for financial assistance, and his son-in-law, Peter Schoeffer, may be assumed to have been mainly responsible for the " 42-Hne Bible ". For the dates when complete copies of each Bible were in circulation, there is the evidence in each case of a rubricated example pre- served in the Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris. The date when the rubricator of the " 36-line Bible," finished his work was 1461, and that of the similar note appended to the copy of the "42-line Bible" by Heinrich Cremer, vicar of the collegiate church of St. Stephen at Mainz, is August 24, 1456. It should be mentioned that the copy of the " 42-line Bible " on exhibition is one of those in which the first few rubrics have been printed in colour. 2. THE FIRST PRINTED HEBREW TEXT (PSALTER). Bologna, 1477. [Colophon] 3 1... ^l-lSDn ^n72p p ^DV p m IQW [Begin.] nvmNn ''□lo-a -ityn -D'^-icnn n^^'^n nrD^^tyin niri m^rj ttr'rur is^j?^"' n^N^n nm«n I ,dii-td^ lynpi ( . ■ • I . • • ■'niDpn WTQ Q^ D"'^"'nn I ■ • • d^qd n-'ptn"' ''!3T-in □•'"'n n"i-|3T ?1DV liati^^in) [Bologna] Fol. ([i.e. 1477] ^^-^ ,ntD2'^n *^* The first portion of the Old Testament in Hebrew that issued from the press ; accompanied by the commentary of Kimchi. 85 THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. 3. THE FIRST PRINTED POLYGLOT (AND GREEK) BIBLE. Alcala. 1514-17. Haec tibi pentadecas tetragonon respicit illud Hospitium petri i pauli ter quinq3 dierum. Namq3 instrumetum vetus hebdoas innuit : octo Lex noua si^atur. ter quinq3 receptat vtrunq3. [Arms of Cardinal Ximenes beneath the foregoing verse.J Vetus testamentii multiplici lingua nuc { primo impres- sum. Et imprimis | Pentateuchus Hebraico Qre= | co atq3 Chaldaico idioma- | te. Adiucta vnicuiq3 sua { latina interpreta- | tione. | (Secuda[=Quarta] pars Veteris testamenti He= | braico Qrecoq3 idiomate nunc | primum impressa : adiun- | eta vtriq3 sua latina | inter > preta- | tione. | — [Vol. 5.] Nouum testamentum | grece I latine in academia | complutensi nouiter | impressum. I — [ Vol. 6.] Vocabularium hebraicum atq3 chaldai^ | cu totius veteris testamenti cu alijs tra | ctatibus prout infra in prefatio= | ne continetur in academia | com = plutensi nouiter | impressum. | — [Colophon, vol. 4.] Explicit quarta et vltima pars totius veteris testameti he I braico grecoq3et latino idiomate nunc primu impressa in hac preclarissima Complutensi | vniuersitate. De mandate ac sumptibus . . . | . . . Francisci Ximenez de Cisneros . . . | . . . Cardinalis ...{... | .. . Industria & solertia . . . | . . . Arnaldi Guillelmi de Brocario artis impres | sorie Magistri. Anno Domini Milles | Imo qnge= tesimo decimo se- | ptimo. mesis lulil die | decimo. | — [Colophon, vol. 5.] Ad perpetuam laudem et gloriam | dei I domini nostri iesu christi hoc sacrosanctum opus noul testa I mentinibrivitegrecislatinisq3characteribus nou- iter impres ] sum atq3 studiosissime emendatum: felici fine absolutu est in | hac preclarissima Coplutensi vniuer^ sitate : de madatot | sumptibus ... ] . . • Fracisci Xime- nez de Cisne { ros • . . { • • • Cardinalis . . . | . . . { . . . industria tsoler | tia honorabilis viri Arnaldi guiliel | mi de Brocario artis impressorie | magistri. Anno domini 86 CASE 4. Mil I lesimo quingentesimo de= | cimo quarto. Mensis 1 ianuarij die decimo. | — [Colophon, vol. 6.] Explicit vocabularium liebraicum totius veteris testamenti cum | oibus dictioibus chaldaicis in eode veteri testameto cotentis : nouiter ipressu in hac preclarissima Co= | plutensi vniuersitate. De madato ac suptibus . . . Fran= cisci I Ximenez de Cisneros . . . Cardi | nalis . . . | , . . Industria & solertia honorabilis viri Arnaldi Quilielmi de 1 Brocario artis impressorie Magistri. Anno Domini Millesimo quin- | gentesimo decimo quinto. mensis Marcii die decima septima. | ) Alcala : A. G. de Brocario, 1514-17. 6 vols. Fol. *^* Titles within woodcut borders. The first Polyglot Bible, printed in an edition of 600 copies at the expense of Cardinal Ximenes. The " Complutensian Polyglot " takes its name from Com- plutum, the Latin form of Alcala in Spain, where it was printed. The principal editor was D. Lopez de Zuniga. The plan of the work was conceived in 1 502 in honour of the birth of the future Emperor Charles V., but the work does not appear to have been in general circulation until 1522. Although the date of the printing of the last volume is 1517, the sanction of Pope Leo X. was not obtained until March 22, 1 520, and even then a further delay seems to have occurred before the actual distribution of the edition. It is interesting to note that the celebrated passage on the "three witnesses" (1 John v. 7, 8), which is sup- ported by no Greek manuscript older than the fifteenth century, appears in the Greek text of the New Testament. The idea of issuing a Polyglot Bible was originally enter- tained by the great Venetian printer Aldus, who makes a promise in a Greek psalter published about 87 THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. 1497 of a triglot Bible, and in 1501 actually sent a specimen page to the German humanist Conrad Celtes. 4. THE FIRST PRINTED ITALIAN BIBLE. Venice, 1471. [Begin .] Epistola De don Nicole di Ma- ] Iherbi ueneto al Reuerendissimo profes- | sore dela sacra Theologia maestro Laure- | tio del ordine de sancto Francesco: nella | Biblia uulgatizata. | [Fol. 13 recto, head-tilte :] Genesis | [Gol. i, text :] [N]el Princi | pio Dio creo | II Cielo et La terra. | Etc. [End., vol. i :] Finisse El Psalteri | o De David | [Vol. 2, fol. 2 recto, head-title ;] Prologo [Col. i] [Ijvnga La Epistola | quelli ciie iunge ii sacerdo- 1 tio ... | Etc. [Fol. 3 verso, head-title ;] Proverbii [Gol. i, text .] [L]e Parabole De Salo | mone : cioe secondo la sente | tia . . . | Etc. [Colophon :] Ini = presso fu questo uolume ne lalma pa= | tria de Venecia ne glanni di la salutifera f { carnatione del figluolo di le terno et omni- | potete dio. | M.CCCC.LXXI. In. Kalen- | de. De. Avgvsto. | Venice : Vindelinus de Spira, 1471. 2 vols. Fol. *^* The printer's name appears in the " Rime di Hier- onymo Squarzafico de Alexandria coposte a laude di questo uolume," preceding the colophon. This Italian translation was the work of Nicolo di Malherbi, abbot of the Camaldolites, and was accorded the Papal approbation. The version, of which this is the first impression, was reprinted frequently during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The rendering is based on the Vulgate text. 5. THE FIRST PRINTED GERMAN BIBLE. [Strass- BURG, 1466.] [Begin.] [Pjruder Ambrosius der hat 1 vns pracht ein cleine gab. • • . 1 Etc. [Fol. 4 recto, col. i, line 37:] [I]n dem ^obannfe. LUTHER'S FIRST NEW TESTAMENT September, 1522. (Case 4, No. 6) CASE 4. anegang geschieff got | den himel vnd die erde. wann | Etc. \End., fol. 405 verso, col. 2, line 16 :] herre ihesus ich kum. Die genade vnsers lierren ihe- | su cristi sey mit vns alien Amen. | [Strassburg : Johann Mentelin, before June 27, 1466.] In 2 vols. Fol. *^* The first German Bible. A copy of this Bible at Munich is stated to have been bought on June 27, 1466, and rubricated in the following year, whilst a copy at Stuttgart has a manuscript colophon : " Explicit liber iste anno Domini millesimo quadringentesimo quinquagesimo [eraseci] sexc^esimo sexto formatus arte impressoria per venerabilem virum Johannem Mentell in Argen- tina". This German version, which is substantially the same as the other pre-Lutheran versions of the Bible, is said to have been in circulation in manuscript for more than a century prior to this date. It is taken from the Latin Vulgate text, although in the New Testament there are many instances of Old Latin readings. The place of its origin is not known, but there are indications of a connection with Bohemia. In this copy the titles to the Psalms are found im- mediately after the Psalms instead of at the end of the Bible. 6. LUTHER'S FIRST NEW TESTAMENT. Wittem- BERG, Sept. 1522. Das Newe Testa- | ment Deutzscli. | Vuittemberg. \ [Melchior Latter, September, 1522.] *^* The first edition of Luther's New Testament. The woodcuts illustrating the Apocalypse are attributed to Lucas Cranach. In this issue the Dragon and the Scarlet Woman are each depicted wearing a tiara in the manner of the Popes. This gave such offence THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. that in the second issue of December, 1 522 (of which there is a copy also in the Hbrary), the offending illus- trations were cancelled, and an ordinary crown was substituted for the tiara in both instances. CASE 5. THE ENGLISH BIBLE. I. TIND ALE'S NEW TESTAMENT. 1525-26. The I First New Testament | Printed In The English | Lan= guage I (1525 or 1526) | Translated From The Greek By I William Tyndale | Reproduced in Facsimile | With An Introduction By | Francis Fry. . . | Bristol I Printed For The Editor | MDCCCLXII | 4to. *^* One of six copies printed on vellum. With woodcuts and capitals illuminated by hand. This is a facsimile of the octavo issue of the first edition of Tindale's New Testament, which, there is every reason to believe, was printed at Worms by Peter Schoeffer. Of this edition only two copies are known to have sur- vived : one preserved in the library of the Baptist College, Bristol, wanting the title-page and prologue, probably eight leaves ; the other in St. Paul's Cathedral Library, wanting probably seventy-eight leaves. We have no evidence that the edition which Tindale had commenced to print at Cologne in the early part of the year, and of which only a fragment has survived, was ever completed. If it were, as some writers contend, then another edition in small octavo must have been simultaneously issued, of which large consignments were without delay smug- gled into England. The edition which had been 90 CASE 5. commenced at Cologne was in quarto, and was furnished with marginal notes, " pestilent glosses," as they came to be described. A description of this had been sent to England by Cochlaeus, and there- fore, as it seems, to baffle his enemies Tindale com- menced a new edition, in small octavo without glosses. 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. To appreciate the value of Tindale's work as a translator, it needs only to be pointed out, as the result of a care- ful calculation, that at least eighty per cent, of the words in the Revised Version of 1881 stand pre- cisely as they stood in Tindale's revised Testament of 1534. This Testament was publicly and vigorously denounced by Bishop Tunstall at Paul's Cross, London, and burned in 1 526. It was publicly burned a second time in May, 1 530. 2. TINDALE'S PENTATEUCH. 1530-34. The first | Boke of Moses called | Genesis. Newly | correctyd I and I amendyd by ] W. T. | [MD]XX[XI1I1] | {[Title ;] A Prolo I ge In To The Secon= | de boke of Moses called I Exodus. I — [Title ;] The secon= | de boke of Moses, caU I led Exodus. | ?^i | —[Title :] A Pro- | loge In To The 1 thirde boke of Moses | called Leuiticus. | — [Title .] C The I Thyrde Bo= | ke of Moses. Cal= | led Leuiti= | cus. I — [Title ,] il A prolo | ge into the fourth boke of | Moses / called Nu= | meri. | —[Title :] The four | the boke of Moses called | Numeri. | — [Title .] A Pro [ loge In To The | fyfte boke of Moses, cal= | led Deuter= onomye. | ) [" Marburg : Hans Luft," 1630-34.] 8vo. 91 THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY. » * The titles, except that to the Prologue of Exodus, are within woodcut borders. With illustrations. Of the book of Genesis two editions are known, the first issued in 1530, the second in 1534. The earlier edition has a colophon : " Emprented at Malborow in the lande of Hesse, by me Hans Luft . . . M.CCCCC.xxx. the .xvij. dayes of Januarij ". The copy contained in this volume is of the revised edition of 1534, in which a Roman fount has been substituted for the original black letter one. The other books are of the first edition, and printed in Roman type, except Numbers, which is in the black letter found in works having the " Marburg " imprint. This copy has the marginal glosses intact. In most other copies these are found to be cut away, as ordered by the Bishop, at least the most " pestilent " of them. The reason for this order is obvious from a glance at the open pages. Having completed and issued the New Testament, Tindale settled down to the study of Hebrew, in order to qualify himself for the translation of the Old Testa- ment. In 1527 he took refuge in Marburg, where, in the intervals of study, he found time to issue his two most important controversial works: " The Parable of the Wicked Mammon" and "The Obedience of a Christian Man" which constituted his manifesto. Early in 1530 his translation of the " Pentateuch," made direct from the original Hebrew, with the aid of Luther's German version, which had been printed by Hans Luft, was ready for circu- lation. This little volume ranks second only to the 1525 New Testament, and is no less important as a monument of the English language. BIBLIA ie,c(K (jelp (gcripwrc of t(){ l !-y pnmijes aiid threattuuigi : i\ it btii.:iilitl> tbdr ivi.L.I- tiifi, and dtittumvlh Gail's jirtln^iiuiih, nii\,il ti'il/i pre- ifit_efvm;-y. ^2Zrhe ^L'wkJ'i c>rjh„a}--i. —~ HE vi lion of ir.'.i.ih rhe foil of Amo?, wliirli he fawc6ncernii;(^ [ud.ih-ailil [tnil.ilcin ill iheiUysofUzzwhilotluim, A'haz,ar;Jll(;- zekinh, kiiiR^ of.UK^ah. 1 'J 'Hear, Oheaveiis; iinil pive ear, Oeartli ; for the ■'^' '" Lord hath fpukcn : I have noiirillicd and brought up chL!i.1ren, and they have rcliulleil ag;\Jnft inc. bj.Kin. ^ ''The ox knoweth his owner, and the af-; ills *^ '■ nialter% crib ; but lli~acl doth not kno^', my jxioplc doth not coiilJJcr. + u "^Z 4 Ah, iinfiil nation, a people t ladeo with iniquity, ■-"'*'/'■ ^ [^ of evil-doers, children ihar .u'e corrupters! tht.'y have tbrfaken tho Lord, the>' have provoked the holy t Hcb. One of llirdel unto anger, they arc tgone away back- "^"^; ward. ■/^ S It Why fhould ye be ftricken any more ? tc will lyl.i-.im toiluv'll: iL-ek ji) U'meiit, ilrt''ifve the ck.. ppjiretrtil, i'lipc thei'.uhcrlof-i, pl'/ad tor the \^id(»\v,' ''JJ*.'^ \?. Come II' iv, itnd let tis rcnfbn tn^-i-flu'r, l.iitli the v-^ I.ORO ; 'l'hoiif,'h y<-nr fins lie as fcirk't, thcv Ih.ill lie ;',''r; iu wlurc ;is iiio\v ; thoiij^h thfy be rul like crimfLHi, Hhev fh,ill I'L.' aswoiil. 10 H' ye tiL- willing :tnd obediAit, ye (hall eat the good of the Li!:d ; 20 Vmr if yc reftife and i'cIk-1, ye flia!l be devoured \yiih thefword: for the mouth 'of the Lord hiitli fpoken Ir. zj *■■ Ihnv i; the faithful cilv become an harlot! it was full of;iklj;iiient; rightcoufnelslutlK'^d in it; bur now mnvdcrcij! 22 Thy fiivcr is iKMoinc drofs, thy wine mixed with w-,iler : 2-, Thy princes art rebellion';, and cimpnnion-; of ihicws: every one luveth j;iff;, ;iiiJ followeih after re\v.trd-: ihev '■judge not the fatheiti-l,, neither doth ^J'T' the auil'e of die widow come unto them. " V.SX. 54 Therefore, Ilijth the Ix^rd, the Lorb of hu%, *■ "^ t^f mit^hty One ot Ifrael, Ah, I will e;de me of mine adverfaries, ;Lnd avenRC me ot jnine eTitmiei. f Bth; t revolt more ind more: the whole head is fick, and^ 1/ 1$ And I will turn my hand upon thee, and fpurd) '^f^ the whole hean titinc. / tfuTf -l^va v thy drofi. and take awav lul th' e 1* Iwe n ■.Cell. I ,0 6 From the fole of the foot even unto the head tho is no Ibimdnefs in it ; but wounds, and bruifes, and pu- trif^nngtfsrei: theyhave not been clored,ueither bound f Of.«;j. upj ncmter mollilied with 11 ointment. aFsMi. "^ "^ Your country is delblate, your cities an- burnt with iirc: your land, ftrangers devour it in your prefcnce, lHi!>.o/ and it is defolate, t as oveithru^m by Ilraugers. J^*^i S And the d.iughter of Zion is left as a cottage in j.'r^iz^rA:i vineyard, a? a ludge in a garden of cucumbers, as I a beiicKed citv. ^ !>'' Except the LoRnofhoils had left unto nsavery Jimall remnant, we (hould have been as ^ Sodom, ,md -: (hoiild have been like unto Gomorrah. — - lolIHcaj the wordof theLoRD, yerulers cfSo- '■ ^ dom; give.ear unto the law of our God, ye ijcople of Gomorrah : fpro». II To what purpofe li the multitude ofyonr'^fa- -i'l;* CTifices unto me? faifh the Lord: I am full of rhe Chip.' bumt-oflcrings of rdms» and rhe far of fed be.illsi and ^^ I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, yr 0. 10. ' oft he-Roats. Araoi5. , J \vhen ye come + to appe:ir before me, who hath t'n'cb. recpiired this at your hand, to tread my courts ? grrtihr- ij Bring DO more vain oblations; incenfe is an t°iii:b. abomination unto me ; the nciv-moons and fabbaths, ichf.n. the ftlling of aflemblies, i cannot aw-ay with ; « u " °l' [| iniquity-, even the fblcmn meeting. ^ 14 Yonr new-moons, and your appointed feafts,my foul hateth : they are a trouble unto me ; I am wearj' to bear //vn?. s FroT. ; 15 s And when ye fpread forth your hands, I will jnem. ^'^^ mine eyes from you ; yea, when ye t make m;my J4. II. prayers,! ^vlll not hear; your handy are fill! of" tblood. 'MUib 16 ?\Vj(h you, make you dean jputaway the e\'il of t hW yo* doings from before mine e^'es : ' ceale to do evil ; A^A/A nv.^i ,'^'-^' r.^-z-^/A^w- ireti-awa v thy liroli, and take a'wav idl thy tin . /.".;;'? 26 AnTl I wiil rellore thy judges as at the nrJtj'.-ind »'';." thy counfellors as at the beginning : afterward fhuu fhalt be called, The city ot lighteoufntli, 'i"he faiih- fnl citv. / 2 7 '/ion flull be tedeemed _M-itliJu_dpm ent, and ii her n, "'• odnvurl'; with rightcoufiiefs. '^L^a . To 1 And the ' tdclVn^ioQ of the tranrgi-efTors .nnd ' '■ of tbe iauiers JlhJf k- together, and they that fyrr,i£; 'J"^ thc'LoHu ihal' be conlumed. — "^ W-ir,. 20 For they fha'l be afhamed of rhe oaks which | ^^ ye ti.ive defuvd, and ye fhail be confounded for the 7j.i7.*« gardens that \\' have chofen. J^l'if^ f3o For ye (hall be as an oak whofe leaf fadeth, and t Hcb.' a giu-den that hath no water. /—*-»;. , ■; t And the llrong fhall be :is tow, U and the maker a Or. fpark, and fhe>' fhall both burn together, and -^l-^ff' CHAT. n. I/alah prophfpflh tht c-'mhtv cfChi-yl's Hxgd'.m. 6 JH, b,L . „.■/, if tht caufi ivh^ G'J halhfi.fikm hisproph. \otbi pvoph-t hreu\trn(t)i tk< in of tht terribU d.iy of the Lcrd. ' THE word that fl'aJan the fon of Amoz faw con- cerning [udah .md Jenifalem. 2 ' And it (h.iU come to p;tfs i;i the lait days, ih.it » M\c:.:y the inouiitain of the LoRn'shoufefhallbe bcltiblilh- ;)'o;~" ed in the top of the moimjains, and fhall be e.x;ilted pr-;j'.< above the hilKj and all nations Ihjll (low unto it. ri And m.my people (hall go ami fiy, Come ye, and let us go up to themoum:;dn of the Lord, to the houfe of the God of lacob : and he will teat h us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths : for out of Zion Inall go forth the law, and it.e word of the Lord from Jeruialan. / 4 And he Ihal! judge among the nations, and (hall [rebuke m:mypeuplei and they fhall beat thdrfwords Vuio plough-(hares, and their lpc;u-s into I) pruning- 1^;;^ J y And tl /ifit-i-safpa fuoiie ihall c, 't ELIZABETH FRY'S BIBLE" (Case 9, No. 9) 7cr^ cO^ -t/^ ,4l, 'Zf.-Kt-tj.-. Y'^-n-'-.c^ JtJ^f^f^-L, fn< — -Oi.o.iv_y "- >- rx_ ^ Z?^- t>_ *v,/_j (?i,#. <3l,**_c_*— e,-»,..-'Cr (,'Z.t-t^ .z. /? 6i^ y^// !J-^-^ ' /,<>