In the Chapter House at Padua.
| Ciceronis Epist. ad Atticum | Jenson | 1470 | |
| Quintilian | Jenson | 1471 | |
| Macrobius | 1472 | ||
| Solinus | Jenson | 1473 | PRINTED UPON VELLUM. |
| Catullus | 1472 | ||
| Plautus | 1472 | ||
| Ovidii Opera | Bonon. | 1471 |
The public is indebted to Mr. Edwards for the timely supply of the foregoing bibliographical intelligence.
Ever ardent in his love of past learning, and not less voracious in his bibliomaniacal appetites, was the well known Narcissus Luttrell. Nothing—if we may judge from the spirited sketch of his book character, by the able editor[366] of Dryden's works—nothing would seem to have escaped his Lynx-like vigilance. Let the object be what it would (especially if it related to poetry) let the volume be great or small, or contain good, bad, or indifferent warblings of the muse—his insatiable craving had "stomach for them all." We may consider his collection as the fountain head of those copious streams which, after fructifying the libraries of many bibliomaniacs in the first half of the eighteenth century, settled, for a while, more determinedly, in the curious book-reservoir of a Mr. Wynne—and hence, breaking up, and taking a different direction towards the collections of Farmer, Steevens, and others, they have almost lost their identity in the innumerable rivulets which now inundate the book-world.
[366] "In this last part of his task, the editor (Walter Scott) has been greatly assisted by free access to a valuable collection of fugitive pieces of the reigns of Charles II., James II., William III., and Queen Anne. This curious collection was made by Narcissus Luttrell, Esq., under whose name the Editor usually quotes it. The industrious collector seems to have bought every poetical tract, of whatever merit, which was hawked through the streets in his time, marking carefully the price and date of the purchase. His collection contains the earliest editions of many of our most excellent poems, bound up, according to the order of time, with the lowest trash of Grub-street. It was dispersed on Mr. Luttrell's death," &c. Preface to The Works of John Dryden, 1808: vol. i., p. iv. Mr. James Bindley and Mr. Richard Heber are then mentioned, by the editor, as having obtained a great share of the Luttrell collection, and liberally furnished him with the loan of the same, in order to the more perfect editing of Dryden's Works. But it is to the persevering book-spirit of Mr. Edward Wynne, as Lysander above intimates, that these notorious modern bibliomaniacs are indebted for the preservation of most of the choicest relics of the Bibliotheca Luttrelliana. Mr. Wynne lived at Little Chelsea; and built his library in a room which had the reputation of having been Locke's study. Here he used to sit, surrounded by innumerable books—a "great part being formed by an eminent and curious collector in the last century"—viz. the aforesaid Narcissus Luttrell. (See the title to the Catalogue of his Library.) His books were sold by auction in 1786; and, that the reader may have some faint idea of the treasures contained in the Bibliotheca Wynniana, he is presented with the following extracts:
| LOT | £ | s. | d. | |
| 2 | A parcel of pamphlets on poetry, 8vo. | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Do. Tragedies and Comedies, 4to. and 8vo. | 3 | 13 | 6 |
| 4 | Do. Historical and Miscellaneous, 4to. and 8vo. | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 5 | Poetical, Historical, and Miscellaneous, folio | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 11 | Do. giving an account of horrid Murders, Storms, Prodigies, Tempests, Witchcraft, Ghosts, Earthquakes, &c., with frontispieces and cuts, 4to. and 8vo. 1606 | 1 | 14 | 0 |
| 12 | Do. Historical and Political, English and Foreign, from 1580 to 1707 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Do. consisting of Petitions, Remonstrances, Declarations, and other political matters, from 1638 to 1660, during the great Rebellion, and the whole of the Protectorate: a very large parcel, many of them with cuts. Purchased by the present Marquis of Bute | 7 | 7 | 0 |
| 14 | Do. of single sheets, giving an account of the various sieges in Ireland in 1695-6; and consisting likewise of Elegies, Old Ballads, accounts of Murders, Storms, Political Squibs, &c. &c., many of them with curious plates, from 1695 to 1706. Purchased by the same | 6 | 16 | 6 |
Lots 23-4 comprised a great number of "Old Poetry and Romances," which were purchased by Mr. Baynes for 7l. 9s. Lot 376 comprehended a "Collection of Old Plays—Gascoigne, White, Windet, Decker, &c.," 21 vols.: which were sold for 38l. 17s. Never, to be sure, was a precious collection of English History and Poetry so wretchedly detailed to the public, in an auction catalogue! It should be noticed that a great number of poetical tracts was disposed of, previous to the sale, to Dr. Farmer, who gave not more than forty guineas for them. The Doctor was also a determined purchaser at the sale, and I think the ingenious Mr. Waldron aided the illustrious commentator of Shakspeare with many a choice volume. It may be worth adding that Wynne was the author of an elegant work, written in the form of dialogues, entitled Eunomus, or Discourses upon the Laws of England, 4 vols., 8vo. It happened to be published at the time when Sir William Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England made their appearance; and, in consequence, has seen only three editions: the latter being published in 1809, 2 vols., 8vo.
Why have I delayed, to the present moment, the mention of that illustrious bibliomaniac, Earl Pembroke? a patron of poor scholars, and a connoisseur, as well as collector, of every thing the most precious and rare in the book-way. Yet was his love of Virtû not confined to objects in the shape of volumes, whether printed or in MS.: his knowledge of statues and coins was profound;[367] and his collection of these, such as to have secured for him the admiration of posterity.
