OBIIT MDCCXXXV: ÆTATIS SUÆ LVII.
Deut. xxxii: 7. Remember the days of old.
The library of Hearne was sold in February, 1736, by Osborne the book-seller; "the lowest price being marked in each book." The title-page informs us of what all bibliomaniacs will be disposed to admit the truth, that the collection contained "a very great variety of uncommon books, and scarce ever to be met withal," &c. There is, at bottom, a small wretched portrait of Hearne, with this well known couplet subjoined:
|
Pox on't quoth Time to Thomas Hearne, Whatever I forget you learn. |
Let the modern collector of Chronicles turn his eye towards the 15th page of this catalogue—nos. 384, 390—and see what "compleat and very fair" copies of these treasures were incorporated in Hearne's extensive library!
A little volume of book chit-chat might be written upon the marvellous discovesies and voluminous compilations of Bagford and Hearne: and to these, we may add another unique bibliomaniac, who will go down to posterity under the distinguished, and truly enviable, title of "The Musical Small-Coal Man;" I mean, master Thomas Britton. Yes, Lisardo; while we give to the foregoing characters their full share of merit and praise; we admit that Bagford's personal activity and manual labour have hardly been equalled—while we allow John Murray to have looked with sharper eyes after black-letter volumes than almost any of his predecessors or successors—while we grant Thomas Hearne a considerable portion of scholarship, an inflexible integrity, as well as indefatigable industry, and that his works are generally interesting, both from the artless style in which they are composed, and the intrinstic utility of the greater part of them, yet let our admiration be "be screwed to its sticking place," when we think upon the wonderous genius of the aforesaid Thomas Britton; who, in the midst of his coal cellars, could practise upon "fiddle and flute," or collate his curious volumes; and throwing away, with the agility of a harlequin, his sombre suit of business-cloths, could put on his velvet coat and bag-wig, and receive his concert visitors, at the stair-head, with the politeness of a Lord of the Bedchamber!
Loren. In truth, a marvellous hero was this Small-Coal Man! Have you many such characters to notice?
Lysand. Not many of exactly the same stamp. Indeed, I suspect that Hearne, from his love of magnifying the simple into the marvellous, has a little caricatured the picture. But Murray seems to have been a quiet unaffected character; passionately addicted to old books of whatever kind they chanced to be; and, in particular, most enthusiastically devoted to a certain old English Chronicle, entitled Rastell's Pastime of (the) People.
Phil. I observed a notification of the re-appearance of this Chronicle in some of the Magazines or Reviews: but I hope, for the benefit of general readers, the orthography will be modernized.