[375] Let us, first of all, hear Hearne discourse rapturously of the bibliomaniacal reputation of T. Rawlinson: "In his fuit amicus noster nuperus Thomas Rawlinsonus; cujus peritiam in supellectile libraria, animique magnitudinem, nemo fere hominum eruditorum unquam attigit, quod tamen vix agnoscet seculum ingratum. Quanquam non desunt, qui putent, ipsius memoriæ statuam deberi, idque etiam ad sumptus Bibliopolarum, quorum facultates mire auxerat; quorum tamen aliqui (utcunque de illis optime meritus fuisset) quum librorum Rawlinsoni auctio fieret, pro virili (clandestinò tamen) laborabant, ut minus auspicatò venderentur. Quod videntes probi aliquot, qui rem omuem noverant, clamitabant, ô homines scelestos! hos jam oportet in cruciatum hinc abripi! Quod hæc notem, non est cur vitio vertas. Nam nil pol falsi dixi, mi lector. Quo tempore vixit Rawlinsonus (et quidem perquam jucundum est commemorare), magna et laudabilis erat æmulatio inter viros eruditos, aliosque etiam, in libris perquirendis ac comparandis, imo in fragmentis quoque. Adeo ut domicilia, ubi venales id genus res pretiosæ prostabant, hominum cœtu frequenti semper complerentur, in magnum profecto commodum eorum, ad quos libri aliæque res illæ pertinebant; quippe quod emptores parvo ære nunquam, aut rarissime, compararent." Walter Hemingford, præfat., p. civ. In his preface to Alured de Beverly, pp. v. vi., the copious stores of Rawlinson's library, and the prompt kindness of the possessor himself, are emphatically mentioned; while in the preface to Titi Livii Foro-Juliensis Vit. Henrici V., p. xi., we are told, of the former, that it was "plurimis libris rarissimis referta:" and, in truth, such a "Bibliotheca refertissima" was perhaps never before beheld. Rawlinson was introduced into the Tatler, under the name Tom Folio. His own house not being large enough, he hired London House, in Aldersgate Street, for the reception of his library; and there he used to regale himself with the sight and the scent of innumerable black letter volumes, arranged in "sable garb," and stowed perhaps "three deep," from the bottom to the top of his house. He died in 1725; and catalogues of his books for sale continued, for nine succeeding years, to meet the public eye. The following is, perhaps, as correct a list of these copious and heterogeneously compiled catalogues, as can be presented to the reader. I am indebted to the library of Mr. Heber for such a curious bibliographical morçeau. i. A Catalogue of choice and valuable Books in most Faculties and Languages; being part of the Collection made by Thomas Rawlinson, Esq., which will begin to be sold by auction at Paul's Coffee House, the West-end of St. Paul's, 4th Dec., 1721, beginning every evening at 5, by Thomas Ballard, bookseller, at the Rising Sun, Little Britain. 12mo. Price 1s. 144 pages.——ii. A Catalogue, &c., being the 2nd part of the Collection by T. Rawlinson, Esq., to be sold by auction at Paul's Coffee-House, 7th March, 1721-2, every evening at 5, by T. Ballard. 12mo. Price 1s., paged on from the last, pp. 145 to 288. [These two parts contain together 1438 8vo. lots; 1157 in 4to., 618 in folio.]——iii. A Catalogue, &c., being the third part of the Collection by T. Rawlinson, Esq., to be sold by auction at Paul's Coffee-House, 17th Oct., 1722, every evening at 5, by T. Ballard. 12mo. Price 1s. (no paging or printer's letter.)——iv. A Catalogue, &c., being the 4th part of the Collection by T. Rawlinson, Esq., to be sold by auction at Paul's Coffee-House, 2nd April, 1723, every evening at 5, by T. Ballard, 12mo. Price 1s. (no paging or printer's letter.)——v. & vi. A Catalogue, &c., being the 5th part of the Collection by T. Rawlinson, Esq., to be sold by auction at Paul's Coffee-House, 20th Jan. 1723, every evening at 5, by T. Ballard. 12mo. Price 1s. Altho' this vol. seems to have been the last of only one sale—yet it may be collected, from the concurrent testimony of his notes in more copies than one—that it was divided and sold at two different times; the latter part commencing about the middle of the volume, with the Libri Theologici. In folio.—Test. Nov. 1588, being the first article. This collection began to be sold in Feb. 2. [1724?]—vii. A Catalogue, &c., being the 6th part of the Collection made by T. Rawlinson, Esq., Deceased, which will begin to be sold by auction at London-House, in Aldersgate Street, 2nd March, 1726, every evening at 5, by Charles Davis, bookseller. 12mo. Price 2s. 6d. (no paging—printer's mark at bottom irregularly continued from 1 to 35.)—viii. Bibliotheca Rawlinsoniana, being a Cat. of part the Val. Libr. of Tho. Rawlinson, Esq., Deceased: which will begin to be sold by auction at the Bedford Coffee-House, in the great Piazza, Covent Garden, the 26th of this present April [1727] every evening at 5, by Charles Davis, bookseller. 8vo. Price 6d. (20 days' sale—2600 lots.)——ix. Bibliothecæ Rawlinsonianæ, &c., Pars ix. being a Cat. of part of the Libr. of Th. Rawlinson, Esq., Deceased, to be sold by auction at St. Paul's Coffee-House, 16th Oct., 1727, every evening at 6, by T. Ballard. 8vo. Price 1s. (20 days' sale, 3200 lots.)——x. Bibliothecæ Rawlinsonianæ, &c., Pars altera, being a Cat. of part of Lib. of Th. Rawlinson, Esq., Deceased, to be sold by auction at St. Paul's Coffee-House, 22d Nov., 1727, every evening at 6, by Th. Ballard. 8vo. Price 1s. (22 days' sale, 3520 articles.)——xi. Bibliothecæ Rawlinsonianæ, Pars altera, being a Catalogue of part of the Library of T. Rawlinson, Esq., deceased, to be sold by auction at St. Paul's Coffee-House, 22d Jan. 1727-8, every evening, Saturdays excepted, at 6. 8vo. Price 1s. (22 days' sale, 3520 lots.)——xii. Bibliothecæ Rawlinsonianæ, Pars altera, being a Cat. of part of the Library of Th. Rawlinson, Esq., deceased, to be sold by auction at St. Paul's Coffee-House, 18th March, 1727-8, every evening at 5, by T. Ballard. Price 1s. (8vo. 24 days' sale, 3840 lots.)——xiii. Bibliothecæ Rawlinsonianæ, Pars altera, being a Cat. of part of the Library of Th. Rawlinson, Esq., deceased, to be sold by auction at St. Paul's Coffee-House, 21st April, 1729, every evening at 5, by T. Ballard. Price 1s. (8vo. 26 days' sale, 4161 lots.)——xiv. Bibliothecæ Rawlinsonianæ, Pars altera, being a Cat. of part of the Library of T. Rawlinson, Esq., deceased, to be sold by auction at St. Paul's Coffee-House, 24 Nov. 1729, every evening at 5, by T. Ballard. Price 1s. (8vo. 18 days' sale, 2700 lots.)——xv. Bibliothecæ Rawlinsonianæ, Pars altera, being a Cat. of part of the Library of T. Rawlinson, F.R.S., deceased, to be sold by auction 13th Nov., 1732, at St. Paul's Coffee-House, every evening at 5, by Tho. Ballard. Price 1s. (8vo. 26 days' sale, 3456 lots.)——xvi. Codicum Manuscriptorum Bibliothecæ Rawlinsonianæ Catalogus—cum appendice Impressorum—to be sold 4th March, 1733-4, at St. Paul's Coffee-House, every night at 6, by T. Ballard. Price 1s. (8vo., 16 days' sale, MSS. 1020 lots—appendix 800). To these may be added, Picturæ Rawlinsonianæ—being the collection of original paintings of T. Rawlinson, Esq., F.R.S., by the best masters—part of which were formerly the Earl of Craven's Collection. To be sold by auction, at the Two Golden Balls, in Hart Street, Covent Garden, 4th April, 1734, at 11. 8vo. (117 lots.) Now let any man, in his sober senses, imagine what must have been the number of volumes contained in the library of the above-named Thomas Rawlinson? Does he imagine that the tomes in the Bodleian, Vatican, and British Museum were, in each single collection, more numerous than those in the Aldersgate Street repository?—Or, at any rate, would not a view of this Aldersgate Street collection give him the completest idea of the ne plus ultra of book-phrensy in a private collector? Rawlinson would have cut a very splendid figure, indeed, with posterity, if some judicious catalogue-maker, the Paterson of former times, had consolidated all these straggling Bibliothecal corps into one compact wedge-like phalanx. Or, in other words, if one thick octavo volume, containing a tolerably well classed arrangement of his library, had descended to us—oh, then we should all have been better able to appreciate the extraordinary treasures of such a collection! The genius of Pearson and Crofts would have done homage to the towering spirit of Rawlinson.
Lysand. If the most unabating activity and an insatiable appetite—if an eye, in regard to books, keen and sparkling as the ocean-bathed star—if a purse, heavily laden and inexhaustible—if store-rooms rivalled only by the present warehouses of the East-India Company—if a disposition to spread far and wide the influence of the Bibliomania, by issuing a carte blanche for every desperately smitten antiquary to enter, and partake of the benefits of, his library—be criteria of book-phrensy—why then the resemblance of this said Tom Rawlinson ought to form a principal ornament in the capital of that gigantic column, which sustains the temple of Book Fame! He was the Tom Folio of the Tatler, and may be called the Leviathan of book-collectors during nearly the first thirty years of the eighteenth century.
Lis. I suppose, then, that Bagford, Murray, and Hearne, were not unknown to this towering bibliomaniac?
Lysand. On the contrary, I conclude, for certain, that, if they did not drink wine, they constantly drank coffee, together: one of the huge folio volumes of Bleau's Atlas serving them for a table.
But see yonder the rough rude features of Humphrey Wanley[376] peering above the crowd! All hail to thy honest physiognomy—for thou wert a rare Book-wight in thy way! and as long as the fame of thy patron Harley shall live, so long, honest Humphrey, dost thou stand a sure chance of living "for aye," in the memory of all worthy bibliomaniacs.
[376] Lysander is well warranted in borrowing the pencil of Jan Steen, in the above bold and striking portrait of Wanley: who was, I believe, as honest a man, and as learned a librarian, as ever sat down to morning chocolate in velvet slippers. There is a portrait of him in oil in the British Museum, and another similar one in the Bodleian Library—from which latter it is evident, on the slightest observation, that the inestimable, I ought to say immortal, founder of the Cow Pox system (my ever respected and sincere friend, Dr. Jenner) had not then made known the blessings resulting from the vaccine operation: for poor Wanley's face is absolutely peppered with variolous indentations! Yet he seems to have been a hale and hearty man, in spite of the merciless inroads made upon his visage; for his cheeks are full, his hair is cropt and curly, and his shoulders have a breadth which shew that the unrolling of the Harleian MSS. did not produce any enervating effluvia or mismata. Our poet, Gay, in his epistle to Pope, ep. 18, thus hits off his countenance:
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O Wanley, whence com'st thou with shorten'd hair, And visage, from thy shelves, with dust besprent? |
But let us hear the testimony of a friend and fellow bibliomaniac, called Thomas Hearne. The following desultory information is translated from the preface to the Annales Prioratûs de Dunstable—wherein, by the bye, there is a good deal of pleasant information relating to Wanley. We are here told that Wanley was "born at Coventry; and, in his younger days, employed his leisure hours in turning over ancient MSS., and imitating the several hands in which they were written. Lloyd, Bishop of Litchfield and Coventry, in one of his episcopal visitations, was the first who noticed and patronized him. He demanded that Wanley should be brought to him; he examined him "suis ipsius, non alterius, oculis;" and ascertained whether what so many respectable people had said of his talents was true or false—'A few words with you, young man,' said the Bishop. Wanley approached with timidity—'What are your pursuits, and where are the ancient MSS. which you have in your possession?' Wanley answered readily; exhibited his MSS., and entered into a minute discussion respecting the ancient method of painting." Hearne then expatiates feelingly upon the excessive care and attention which Wanley devoted to ancient MSS.; how many pieces of vellum he unrolled; and how, sometimes, in the midst of very urgent business, he would lose no opportunity of cultivating what was useful and agreeable in his particular pursuit. His hobby horse seems to have been the discovery of the ancient method of colouring or painting—yet towards British History and Antiquities he constantly cast a fond and faithful eye. How admirably well-calculated he was for filling the situation of librarian to Lord Oxford is abundantly evinced by his catalogue of the Harleian MSS.; vide [p. 89], ante. Of his attachment to the Bibliomania there are innumerable proofs. Take this, inter alia; "I spoke to Mr. Wanley, who is not unmindful of his promise, but says he will not trouble you with a letter, till he has something better to present you, which he doubts not he shall have this winter among Mr. Harley's MSS. Mr. Wanley has the greatest collection of English Bibles, Psalters, &c., that ever any one man had. They cost him above 50l., and he has been above twenty years in collecting them. He would part with them, I believe, but I know not at what price." Masters's Life of Baker, p. 27. Consult also the preface to the Catalogue of the Harleian MSS., 1808, 3 vols., folio, p. 6.
A softer noise succeeds; and the group becomes calm and attentive, as if some grand personage were advancing. See, 'tis Harley, Earl of Oxford![377]
[377] There was an amusing little volume, printed in 1782, 8vo., concerning the library of the late King of France; and an equally interesting one might have been composed concerning the Harleian Collection—but who can now undertake the task?—who concentrate all the rivulets which have run from this splendid reservoir into other similar pieces of water? The undertaking is impracticable. We have nothing, therefore, I fear, left us but to sit down and weep; to hang our harps upon the neighbouring willows, and to think upon the Book "Sion," with desponding sensations that its foundations have been broken up, and its wealth dissipated. But let us adopt a less flowery style of communication. Before Harley was created a peer, his library was fixed at Wimple, in Cambridgeshire, the usual place of his residence; "whence he frequently visited his friends at Cambridge, and in particular Mr. Baker, for whom he always testified the highest regard. This nobleman's attachment to literature, the indefatigable pains he took, and the large sums he expended in making the above collection, are too well known to stand in need of any further notice." Masters's life of Baker, p. 107. The eulogies of Maittaire and Hearne confirm every thing here advanced by Masters; and the testimony of Pope himself, that Harley "left behind him one of the finest libraries in Europe," warrants us, if other testimonies were not even yet daily before our eyes, to draw the same conclusion. In a periodical publication entitled The Director, to which I contributed all the intelligence under the article "Bibliographiana," there appeared the following copious, and, it is presumed, not uninteresting, details respecting the Earl of Oxford, and his Library. After the sale of Mr. Bridges's books, no event occurred in the bibliographical world, worthy of notice, till the sale of the famous Harleian Library, or the books once in the possession of the celebrated Harley, Earl of Oxford. This nobleman was not less distinguished in the political than in the literary world; and "was a remarkable instance of the fickleness of popular opinion, and the danger of being removed from the lower to the upper house of parliament." (Noble's Continuation of Granger, vol. ii., 23.) He was born in the year 1661, was summoned to the house of Lords by the titles of Earl of Oxford and Mortimer, in 1711; declared minister and lord high treasurer in the same year; resigned, and was impeached, in the year 1715; acquitted, without being brought to a trial, in 1717; and died at his house in Albemarle Street, in 1724. A character so well known in the annals of this country needs no particular illustration in the present place. The Harleian Collection of MSS. was purchased by government for 10,000l., and is now deposited in the British Museum (vide [p. 89], ante). The Books were disposed of to Thomas Osborne, of Gray's Inn, bookseller;—to the irreparable loss, and, I had almost said, the indelible disgrace, of the country. It is, indeed, for ever to be lamented that a collection so extensive, so various, so magnificent, and intrinsically valuable, should have become the property of one who necessarily, from his situation in life, became a purchaser, only that he might be a vender, of the volumes. Osborne gave 13,000l. for the collection; a sum which must excite the astonishment of the present age, when it is informed that Lord Oxford gave 18,000l. for the Binding only, of the least part of them. (From Oldys's interleaved Langbaine. See Brydges's Cens. Literar., vol. i., p. 438.) In the year 1743-4 appeared an account of this collection, under the following title, Catalogus Bibliothecæ Harleianæ, &c., in four volumes (the 5th not properly appertaining to it). Dr. Johnson was employed by Osborne to write the preface, which, says Boswell, "he has done with an ability that cannot fail to impress all his readers with admiration of his philological attainments." Life of Johnson, vol. i., 81, edit. 4to. In my humble apprehension, the preface is unworthy of the doctor: it contains a few general philological reflections, expressed in a style sufficiently stately, but is divested of bibliographical anecdote and interesting intelligence. The first two volumes are written in Latin by Johnson; the third and fourth volumes, which are a repetition of the two former, are composed in English by Oldys: and, notwithstanding its defects, it is the best catalogue of a large library of which we can boast. It should be in every good collection. To the volumes was prefixed the following advertisement: "As the curiosity of spectators, before the sale, may produce disorder in the disposition of the books, it is necessary to advertise the public that there will be no admission into the library before the day of sale, which will be on Tuesday, the 14th of February, 1744." It seems that Osborne had charged the sum of 5s. to each of his first two volumes, which was represented by the booksellers "as an avaricious innovation;" and, in a paper published in "The Champion," they, or their mercenaries, reasoned so justly as to allege that "if Osborne could afford a very large price for the library, he might therefore afford to give away the catalogue." Preface to vol. iii., p. 1. To this charge Osborne answered that his catalogue was drawn up with great pains, and at a heavy expense; but, to obviate all objections, "those," says he, "who have paid five shillings a volume shall be allowed, at any time within three months after the day of sale, either to return them in exchange for books, or to send them back, and receive their money." This, it must be confessed, was sufficiently liberal. Osborne was also accused of rating his books at too high a price: to this the following was his reply, or rather Dr. Johnson's; for the style of the Doctor is sufficiently manifest: "If, therefore, I have set a high value upon books—if I have vainly imagined literature to be more fashionable than it really is, or idly hoped to revive a taste well nigh extinguished, I know not why I should be persecuted with clamour and invective, since I shall only suffer by my mistake, and be obliged to keep those books which I was in hopes of selling."—Preface to the 3d volume. The fact is that Osborne's charges were extremely moderate; and the sale of the books was so very slow that Johnson assured Boswell "there was not much gained by the bargain." Whoever inspects Osborne's catalogue of 1748 (four years after the Harleian sale), will find in it many of the most valuable of Lord Oxford's books; and, among them, a copy of the Aldine Plato of 1513, struck off upon vellum, marked at 21l. only: for this identical copy Lord Oxford gave 100 guineas, as Dr. Mead informed Dr. Askew; from the latter of whose collections it was purchased by Dr. Hunter, and is now in the Hunter Museum. There will also be found, in Osborne's catalogues of 1748 and 1753, some of the scarcest books in English Literature, marked at 2, or 3, or 4s., for which three times the number of pounds is now given.