AMES'S PREFACE.*

W

HEREAS it appears from reason and ancient history, that

*

in the most early ages of the world, mankind had industriously invented other means of communicating their ideas, than merely by the voice, not only that they might with freedom converse at a distance, but also to enable them to preserve and transmit to their posterity the most valuable deeds, and most useful discoveries made in the world; they esteemed books, those curious repositories of the sentiments and actions of men, as a real treasure, and the happy possessors, who well understood the subjects they contain'd, were caressed by the wise, and favoured by the great, and consequently were the only truly learned, with whom all prudent princes and philosophers chose to advise.

Books being thus useful and curious, the learned thought it worthy the chief labour of their lives, either to compile, or collect those valuable tracts, and imagined themselves distinguished from mankind more or less, as they excelled in the bulk or goodness of their libraries. Of which I cannot produce a greater instance, than what Dr. Conyers Middleton says in the Life of Cicero, p. 136, and 137. 'Nor was he (speaking of Cicero) less eager in making a collection of Greek books, and forming a library, by the same opportunity of Atticus's help. This was Atticus's own passion, who, having free access to all the Athenian libraries, was employing his slaves in copying the works of their best writers, not only for his own use, but

* The NOTES to this reimpression of it are by the present Editor

+ Consult the first two chapters of Mr. Astle's ingenious and splendid work upon' The Origin and Progress of Writing,' 1784, 1803, 4to. where this subject is very learnedly and satisfactorily treated.

for sale also, and the common profit both of the slave and the master; for Atticus was remarkable above all men of his rank for a family of learned slaves, having scarce a footboy in his house, who was not trained both to read and write for him. By this advantage he had made a very large collection of choice and curious books, and signified to Cicero his design of selling them; yet seems to have intimated withal, that he expected a larger sum for them than Cicero would easily spare; which gave occasion to Cicero, to beg of him in several letters, to reserve the whole number for him, till he could raise money enough for the purchase. Pray keep your books,' says he, 'for me, and do not despair of my being able to make them mine; which, if I can compass, I shall think myself richer than Crassus, and despise the fine villa's and gardens of them all.' Again, 'Take care that you do not part with your library to any man, how eager soever he may be to buy it; for I am setting apart all my little rents to purchase that relief for my old age.' In a third letter, he says, That he had placed all his hopes of comfort and pleasure, whenever he should retire from business, on Atticus's reserving these books for him.' Again, in p. 453. Atticus lent him two of his librarians to assist his own, in taking catalogues, and placing the books in order; which he calls the infusion of a soul into the body of his house."*

And among other writers on this subject, Mr. Watson, in his History of Printing, tells us, from an epistle of Antonius Bononia Becatellus, surnamed Panorme, to Alphonsus king of Naples and Sicily, Lib. 5. Epist. · Significasti mihi nuper ex Florentia,' &c. You lately wrote to me from Florence, that the works of Titus Livius are there to be sold, in very handsome books; and that the price of each book is 120 crowns of gold: therefore I entreat your majesty, that you cause to be bought for us Livy, whom we use to call the king of books, and cause it to be sent hither to us. I shall in the mean time procure the money which I am to give for the price of the book. One thing I want to know of your prudence, whether I

* Consult the excellent notes of the Abbé Mongault, attached to his French translation of Cicero's Letters to Atticus; Paris, 1714, 12mo. 6 vols.

or Poggius have done best; he, that he might buy a country house near Florence, sold Livy, which he had writ in a very fair hand; and I, to purchase Livy, have exposed a piece of land to sale. Your goodness and modesty have encouraged me to ask these things with familiarity of you. Farewel, and triumph.' There are several passages, which shew the great value and esteem of manuscripts, and that the manner of their conveyance was by notaries, as lands, &c.

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I have a folio manuscript in French verse called, Romans de la Rose' (from whence Chaucer's translation) on the last leaf of which is wrote, Cest lyuir costa au palas de Parys quarante coronnes dor sans mentyr,' that is, this book cost at the palace of Paris 40 crowns of gold, without lying. (About 331. 6s. 6d. sterling.)* :

The following further particulars from Watson, upon this interesting subject, may be acceptable to the reader:

"All the elogiums which we make of PRINTING, and the honours which we pay to it, come far short of its merit; and we cannot but easily consent to this, if we consider the vast expenses which the ancients were obliged to be at, in procuring manuscripts; whereof I shall give here a few instances.

"Galen saith, in his Commentary upon the third of the Epidemicks, and upon the first book of the 'Nature of Man,' that Ptolomeus Philadelphus gave to the Athenians 15 talents, with exemption from all tribute, and a great convoy of provisions, for the Autographs and Originals of the Tragedies of Eschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides.

“But there is no need of proofs so far off, since we want not examples in modern authors, among whom James Picolomini, Cardinal of Pavia, having intreated Donatus Acciaiolus to buy him Josephus, had for an excuse, that it was too dear: page 114 of the old edition. apud Papiens. Josephus, of which you writ, is, in my opinion, too dear, especially this year, when money is scarce with me; therefore let that book alone.

"But what Acciaiolus wrote back to him afterward, concerning the great price of some other books, is yet much more remarkable. See Papiens, as above: He has taken out the titles, as you advise me, of the 3 volumes of Plutarch, in which are contained 24 parallels. The price of it cannot be less than 80 crowns of gold. [Or rose-nobles, value 16s. 8d. sterl. a-piece ] Of Seneca's Treatises, we have as yet found only the Epistles, for which they ask 16, or at least 15 crowns of gold.'

"And that it may not be thought, that this high price was only in Italy, see what Gaguin saith of a book, which he sought out at Paris for one of his friends who wrote to him from Rome. I have not to this day found out a Concordance, save one that's very

About the time of our king Henry II, as I have somewhere read, their manner of publishing the works of their authors was to have them read over for three days successively before the university, or

precious, which Paschasius, the bookseller, has told me is to be sold, but the owner of it is abroad; and it may be had for a hundred crowns of gold.

"And Paul Jove observeth very pleasantly on this head, how that Jason Mainus, when studying at Padua, fell into such want by his debaucheries, that he was forced to lay in pledge a book of law writ on parchment, which he purchased at a great price. And Petrarchus reporteth of Tuscus, who taught him grammar and rhetorick, that he pawned, for the same cause, two little volumes of Cicero. [In Epist. ad Lucam Pennam.] And Brassicanus tells, that the Emperor Frederick III. knew no better way to gratify John Capnion (call'd, Reuchlin, Præfat. in Salvian. de Provident.) who had been sent to him in an embassy by Edward of Witemberg, than by making him a present of an old Hebrew Bible. They us'd also to be left by testament, as some great heritage, as Nostradamus tells he hath observed in an old instrument about the year 1393 (in the fifth part of the History of Provence, p. 516.) whereby it was provided, that Alazie de Blevis, Lady of Romolles, spouse of the magnificent Boniface of Castellane, Baron of Germany, making her last will, left to a young lady her daughter, a certain number of books, wherein was writ the whole body of the law, done in a fair letter upon parchment; charging her, in case she would marry, that she would take a man of the long robe, a doctor, a lawyer; and that for that end, she had left her that fine and rich treasure, these exquisite and precious volumes, in abatement of her dowry.' So that he who gifted a book in those days, gave no small present: seeing four or five manuscripts made a part of the dowry of the daughter of a great lord." [This anecdote is related by Lambinet, p. 173] Finally, those MSS. or rather those books, were so rare in those days, that they were not sold but by contracts upon as good conditions and securities, as these of an house of 20000 livres value. Witness that which is still kept in the college of Laon in this city, cited by Brenil, and made in presence of two notaries, Anno 1332, which beareth, that 'Jeffry of St. Liger, [Livre 2. des Antiquit. de Paris, pag. 608.] one of the clergy-men booksellers, and so qualified, acknowledges and confesses to have sold, ceded, quitted and transported; and sells, cedes, quits and transports upon mortgage of all and sundry his goods, and the custody of his own body, a book entitled Speculum Historiale in Consuetudines Parisienses, divided and bound up in four volumes, covered with red leather, to a nobleman, Messire Girard of Montague, Advocate to the King in the Parliament, for the sum of 40 livres of Paris; whereof the said bookseller holds himself well content and paid.' In those days, kings only and sovereigns, or the rich, could pretend to the sciences : the poor being entirely debarr'd by the excessive price of the MSS. Whereas now a-days, by means of this worthy and noble Invention of PRINTING, every body may have books of all the whole sciences, for a small sum." Watson on Printing, p. 2-5.

'In Stow's Annals [Life of Edward 1st.] it is said that William de Howton, Abbot of