Advice on Establishing a Library  

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Advis pour dresser une bibliothèque is a text on library science by Gabriel Naudé published in 1627. It was translated by John Evelyn as Advice on Establishing a Library in 1661.

Advice, written as a set of instructions for a private collector and was based on Naudé's own experience and research. In the introduction of his book, Naudé wrote that he is not an expert in the field of librarianship but he presented what he believed to be the most important ideas. He based some of the opinions in Advice on his own experience in Mesme's library, and wrote out for Mesme the accepted practices and principles of librarians of the time. Chapters covered topics such as number of books, selecting the books, procuring the books, etc.

Naudé's first chapter poses the question, "Why establish a library?" He answers the question with a simple message; there is no greater honor than building a great library and sharing it with the public. Naudé believes libraries should model themselves after the best libraries of the world. The first task is to create a plan. Before a person can erect a library, he must educate himself on the subject of collecting and organizing books. A person must also seek the guidance of those who have already built their own libraries or are in the process. He suggests studying and copying the catalogues of other libraries.

Naudé devotes an entire chapter to book selection, remarked upon throughout. The first authors who need to be purchased are those considered experts in their respective fields. No matter whether they are ancient or modern works, if a book is held in high regard by practitioners of a particular field then it should be present in any collection. In addition, any well known interpretations or commentaries that exist are a necessity. Naudé suggested purchasing books in the original languages because meaning can often be lost in translation. He is strongly against censorship of any kind. Naudé believes that every book has a reader regardless of the subject; and that information should be free and available. Readers could always find use of a book, even if it is to refute the ideas presented on its pages. Certain books are popular at times but later forgotten; he argued that it would be beneficial to a library if there were multiple copies of these books to accommodate the popular tastes of the times.

In his chapter on book acquisition, Naudé gave tips. The easiest way is to purchase another library in its entirety. Naudé went on to praise second-hand book sellers who often provided good books at cheap prices. Naudé himself browsed book-binding and printing shops for used paper, and had once discovered a rare manuscript that a book binder was using as scrap paper.

Naudé included a chapter in Advice for arranging the books. In discussing arrangement he quoted Cicero, "It is order that gives light to memory." He gave instructions that he considered logical. His subject headings included: theology, philosophy, jurisprudence, medicine, history, mathematics and humanities. Naudé would add other subject heading in later years but these categories best represented the known body of knowledge in the world. Each section should be divided into subheadings and begin with the principal authors followed by the commentaries.

Full text of English translation[1]

Full text of "Instructions concerning erecting of a library, presented to My Lord the President De Mesme"

ERECTING OF A LIBRARY

INSTRUCTIONS

Concerning Eredling of a

LIBRARY:

Prefented to My LORD

The PRESIDENT

De MESME.

BY

GABRIEL NAUDEUS,P.

And now Interpreted

BY

Jo. EVELYN, Efquire.

CAMER ID G ,

Printed for Houghton, Mifflin & Company,

at the Riverfide Prefs,

l 903.

Ill

INTRODUCTION

GABRIEL NAUDE, the author of "Advispour DreJJer une Biblio- theque," was a medical ftudent of twenty- two, in Paris, when Prejident Henri de Mefmes made him his librarian in 1622. He had already gained repute asfcholar and bibliophile. He foon returned to his medical Jludies ; but his librarian/hip under de Mefmes hadjhown him where his tq/tes and talents lay, and determined his career. The " Advis " was written and printed in 1627 tofave the labour of writing out the many copies ajkedfor by his friends, of his opinions and advice on books and libraries. It is an indifpenfa- ble document in the hijtory of the Maza-

rin

Introduction

rin library, for, as Sainte-Beuve Jays, that library has " thefeal o/* Naude over it all." It embodies, in fat, the very fpirit of Naude; itforecafts his career; itfuggejls by its many allujions the young mans learning ; and above all, it fets forth the principles its brilliant author was to follow twenty years later, firft in building, next in making " open to all the world, without excluding a living foul,' 9 the great library of Cardinal Mazarin. {^ Naude completed his medical Jiudies with honour, was librarian fuccejjively to Cardinals Bagni & Barberini in Italy, was recalled to Paris by Richelieu jujl before the latter s death, and at forty- two was engaged by Mazarin to form his library. For Jive years he vijited the book markets of Europe and gathered treafures,

and,

Introduction

and, as Sainte Eeuvefays, " attained the accompli/hment of the dream and the la- bour of his whole life.' 9 Naude died on his way home from ajbortftay in Stockholm, where he was librarian to Queen Chrif- tina, at Abbeville, July 29, 1653. Gui Patin, his moft intimate friend, defcribes him as tall and fpare, and lithe in his movements. Patin, with others, te/ttfies that he w as wife,far-feeing 9 and of well- balanced mind ; and that he led a chq/te and fober life. He wrote much in both French and Latin . Of himfelf he f aid, in his " Refined Politics," " I have addreff'd my f elf to the Mufes, without being too much enamour 9 d of them ; I was pleqf'd with my Studies, but not too much ad- diStedto them ; Ipaff'd through a Courfe of Scholqftick Philofophy, without med- dling

Introduction

dling with the contentious part of it, and through that of the Ancient and Mod- erns, without being partial to any SeSl. . . . Pedantry might have gained fome- thing upon my Behaviour and Carriage, during f even or eight Tears that IJtaidin the Colleges, but lean ajfure myjelf that it obtained no Advantage overmyfpirit. " { The "Advis " appeared in an edition revifed by the author in 1 644 . It has been feveral times reprinted in French, and once in Latin . The tranflation here given is that of John Evelyn, and is referred to more than once in the better known " Di- ary." Under the date, November 16, 1661, occurs the entry : " I prefentedmy tranflation of' Naudaeus concerning Li- braries' to my Lord Chancellour, but it was miferablyfalfe printed; " and another en- try

Introduction vii

try a few days later defcribes the vote of thanks from "our philofophic affembly," in recognition of "the honourable men- tion I made of them by the name of Royal Society " in the dedication to " my Tra- duStion of Naudeus "as " too great an honour for a trifle." This " TraduEtion," to life Evelyn's quaint word, has been here followed exaffily, with the exception of a few obvious typographical errors.

JOHN COTTON DANA.

IX

To the Right Honourable EDWARD, Earl of CLARENDON, Vijcount CORN- BERY, Baron HTDE of HYNDON ; Lord High Chancellour of England, Chancellour of the Univerfity of Ox- ford, and one of the Lords of His Majefties Privy Council.

MT LORD,

I HAVE had fo great a thirft to tefti- fie to your Lordfhip, and to publifh to the World the extraordinary Zeal which I have for your fervice ; that pre- tending to fo little merit of my own, and yet having fo many obligations upon me, I am to be excuf 'd, if in making ufe of anothers Labours to accomplifh my deiign, I take occafion by this Ded- ication,

x Dedication

ication, to declare to the world, how immenfe your favours are, and how prone I am to acknowledge them to the utmoft of my Talents : And perhaps it will be more acceptable to your Lord- fhip, that I exprefs this rather by put- ting an excellent Authour into your hands (of which I pretend onelyto have been the Interpreter] than, whilft that learned perfon difcourfes fo well of ex- cellent Books, to have multiplied the number of the ill-ones, byfome produc- tion of my own. I have made choice (my Lord) of this Argument to pre- fent to your Honour, becaufe I efteem it the mod appofite, and the moft be- coming, as it has an afpe6lto your Lord- fhips nobleft Character, which is to be as well L. Chancellour of the moft famous

Univerjity

Dedication xi

Univerfity of the World, as L. High Chancellour of England; and, becaufe I think, worthily to prefide over Men of Letters, is a greater dignity than to be born to the name of Empire ; fo, as what was faid of the great Themiftius in the Epigramm, may with equal truth be applied to your Lordfhip in all the glorious fteps which you have afcended v\)v yap aw /carets, That you were never lefs than now you are; efpecially, fince your Lordfhips Titles are not fo much the produ6t of your Fortune, as the effeft of your Merits; verifying by your univerfal knowledge, the Rank you hold over the Learned Republique, as well as over the Political; which is, in fumm, to be the greateft and moft ac- complifh'd Mini/ter, that this Nation has

ever

Dedication

ever celebrated. But in nothing does this appear more confpicuous, and for which your Lordfhip has greater caufe to rejoice in, then that God hasenlight- n'd your great Mind, with a fervour fo much becoming it in the promoting and encouraging of the ROYAL SOCIE- TY; which is in one word, to have dared a nobler thing, than has been donethefe fifty Ages and more, that the Knowledge of Caiifes,a.nd the Nature of Things have layn concealed from us ; and that the World has continued, without once hav- ing aflum'd the Courage and Refolu- tion, which our Illuftrious Prince, and your Lordfhip, have fhewed in eftablifh- ing, and cultivating a Defign fo worthy, and perfe6live of Humane Felicity, as far, at leaft, as in this life men may hope

to

Dedication xiii

to attain it. My Lord, This is your Hon- our, and this is truely to fix and to merit it. For let men talk what they pleafe of the Laurells of Conquerours,the Ti- tles of great men, illuftrious and am- ple Pofterity ; all the pleafures of the lower fenfes how exalted foever by the effe6ls of Opulence, & Fortune; which make indeed a great noife, and ftir for the time ; and, whilft the World is in the Paroxyfme, bear much before them; dazling the eyes of the Vulgar, & flat- tering the weaker difcernements; They arrive not to the leaft perceptible de- gree of that Dignity, and true honour which a man may raife to himfelf by noble and virtuous A6lions; Becaufe there is nothing folid in them, they laft but for a moment, in their ufing lan-

guifh

xiv Dedication

guifh and expire. He that would lay a Foundation of true & permanent Hon- our, that would place it beyond the reach of Envy, muft qualifie it with fomething more noble and intelleftual, and which is not obnoxious to the common vicif- fitudes ; becaufe, by whatever circum- ftances fuch a worthy Defign may hap- pen to be difcompof 'd, it will neverthe- lefs be celebrated as long as Virtue fhall have an Advocate here ; and when the World fhall become fo deprav'd, that there is nothing fincere remaining in it, God himfelf will remunerate it hereafter. If the Soveraignes and Pu- iflances of the Earth (having fated themfelves with their Triumphs over Men and Provinces, enlarged their Do- minions, and eftablifh'd their eftates)

would

Dedication

would one day think (as our glorious Prince has begun to them) of extend- ing, and amplifying the Bounds & Em- pire of real Philofophy, in purfuite of thofe Magnalia Nature, to the glory and contemplation of the Maker, and the univerfal benefit of Mankind; how happy would fuch Princes be, how for- tunate their People ! And truely this has made me frequently to confider, where- in the felicity of that great Monarch con- fifted, whofe heart was fo enlarged with knowledge, improv'd to the good of his Subje6ls, where filver was as the ftones of the ftreets for abundance, and the conveniences of life fo generally afflu- ent: Certainly it is by fuch a Defign as our own Solomon, and your Lord/hip, is about to favour, that even We may

hope

xvi Dedication

hope for thofe glorious times again, & by which the publique health may be confirm 'd, our Lives produced, know- ledge and converfation improved, and joy and contentednefs become as uni- verfal as the Air which gives us breath : For my Lord, what can be more glori- ous, and worthy a Prince, to which God himfelf has faid, Dixi, Dii eftis, I have J aid ye are Gods, then by this means to aid, and to comfort Mankind, which is environ'd with fuch variety of Miferies ? And to emancipate, & redeem the reft, who by the utmoft of their endeavours afpire to more happinefs, to be freed from the Preffures,Errours and infinite Miftakes which they fall into, for want of Experiences, and competent fubfid- iaries to eflay them. But to accomplifh

this,

Dedication xvii

this, my Lord, There is certainly no- thing more expedient, than in purfuite of that ftupendious Idea of your Illuftri- ous Predecefjbr, to fet upon a Defign no way beneath that of his Solomons Houfe; which, however lofty, and to appear- ance Romantic, has yet in it nothing of Impoffible to be effected, not onely con- fidering it as Himfelf has fomewhere defin'd the Qualifications, but as your Lord/hip has defign'd the Inftruments (and may in time, the Materials} as all the World muft needs acknowledge, that fhall but caft an eye over the Cat- alogue of fuch as have already devoted themfelves; Becaufe (but for the mif- take which they made in honouring me with their fuffrages) I fhould not blufh to pronounce the Royal-Society furnifh'd

with

xviii Dedication

with an Affembly as accomplifh'd for that noble and great Attempt, as Eu- rope, or the whole World befides, has any to produce ; And that, my Lord, becaufe it does not confift of a Company of Pedants, & fuperficial perfons ; but of Gentlemen, and Refined Spirits that are univerfally Learn'd, that are Read, TravelVd, Experiencd and Stout; in fumm, my Lord, fuch as becomes your Honour to cherifh, and our Prince to glory in. Thefe are the Perfons, my Lord, that without the leaft of fordid, and felf intereft, do fupplicate the con- tinuance of your Lordfhips Prote6lion, and by your Influences to put them into a farther capacity to proceed in that glo- rious Work of Reftoring the Sciences, Interpreting Nature, unfolding the ob-

ftrufities

Dedication *ix

ftrufities of Arts, for the Recovery of the Loft; Inventing, and Augmenting of new and ufeful Things, & for what- foever elfe is in the Dominion of infe- riour Agents. For my own part, my Lord, I profefs it, that were it in my power to choofe, I had rather be the Author of one good and beneficial In- vention, than to have been Julius Cte- far, or the great Alexander himfelf; & do range the Names of a Gilbert, a Ba- con, a Harvey, a Guttemberge, Columbus, Goia, Metius, Janellus, Thyco, Galileo (not to mention Hippocrates, Proclus, Hieron, Archimedes, Ctejibes, Boetius, & what more of the Antients) who gave us the Ufe of the Load-ftone, Taught us the Art of Printing; found out the Circu- lation of the Blood, detected new Worlds,

invented

xx Dedication

invented the Telefcope, and other opti- call GlaffeSy Engines and Automates, a- mongft the Heroes, whom they Dejfi'd, and placed above the Stars; becaufe they were the Authors of ten thoufand more worthy Things, than thofe who had never been named but for their blood-fhed and cruelty, pride and pro- digious lufts ; nor would any memory of them have been preferv'd from ob- livion, but for the Pens of fuch great GeniuJ's & learned men, of whom fome of them did the leaft deferve. The no- ble Verulam your Lordfhips Predecef- for, as he out-ftripp'd all who went be- fore him ; fo is he celebrated as far as knowledge has any Empire ; and (mau- gre the frowardnefs of his latter For- tune) the Learned rife up at the found

of

Dedication

of his very Name ; And for what is all this ? But his great and fhining endea- vours to advance the excellency of mens Spirits, cultivate humane Induftry, and raife an Amphitheatre of Wifdom, without which this publique Soul of his had flept as much negle6led and forgot- ten, as thofe who onely became great by their power, & perifh'd with it. All this your Lordfhip knows ; and therefore as your Education has been amongft the moft refin'd, you burn with a defire to improve it alfo amongft others ; fo that the Chancellours of France fhall not for ever bear away the Reputation of hav- ing rendred that Spot the envy of Eu- rope, for being Fautors and Macenaf's to fo many rare Witts, and laudable So- cieties, as are amongft that Mercurial

people

Dedication

people ; fince there is that left for your Lord/hip and our Nation, which is as far beyond the polifhingof Phrafes, & cul- tivating Language, as Heaven is fupe- riour to Earth, & Things are better than Words; Though even thofe alfo will not be negle6led in their due Time & Or- der: But it is prodigious onely to eon- fider, how long thefe fhells have been plai'd with, & pleafed the World; That after fo many Revolutions, in which Learning has been feen as it were at its higheft Afcendent, there never yet ap- peared any man of Power, who pof- feff'd a Soul big enough, & judgement fuitable, to ere<5l fome confiderable Foundation for Practical Philofophers, & for the Aflembling of fuch whofe united, and affiduous Endeavours, might pen- etrate

Dedication xxiii

etrate beyond the Walls of what is yet difcover'd, or receiv'd upon truft

Atque omne immenjum peragrarent mente, animoque

That might redeem the World from the Infolency of fo many Errours as we find by daily experience will not abide the Teft, and yet retain their Tyranny ; and that by the credit onely & addrefs of thofe many Fencing- Schools which have been built (not to name them Col- ledges} and endow'd in all our Univer- Jities : I fpeak not here of thofe rever- end, and renouned Societies which con- verfe with Theologie, cultivate the Laws, Municipal, or Forreign ; But, I deplore with juft indignation, the fupine negle6l of the Other, amongft fuch numbers as

are

xxiv Dedication

are fet apart for empty, and lefle fruit- ful Speculations ; efpecially, fince I find the pretences of fo many fober & qual- ified perfons as have deplor'd this ef- fe6l, fo very reafonable, and fo emi- nently beneficial. Butwhy dol abound? Your Lord/hip who is already pofleff'd with all this, is not to be inftru6led, with- out prefumption & impertinence, which cannot be the leaft defign of this Epiftle; fince thofe who know both your Lord- fhips affe6lion, and inclination to pro- mote fo glorious a Work, know alfo, that there is none more able to make it attain to its defired prote6lion. And this is, my Lord, worthily to confult your Fame, & to eternize your Name in the World amongft the Good & the Virtu- ous; which will make you live not onely

in

Dedication xxv

in the Mouths & Pens, but in the Hearts of gallant Perfons, and fuch as beft fkill to make Eftimates of the Favours you fhall confer upon them ; becaufe they feek it not out of private advantage, fordid purpofes, or artificially ; but to the ends propof 'd ; The enlargement of real knowledge, and for the publique benefit; in fum, my Lord, for the moft ufeful and nobleft eflfe<5ls, and for the Glory of God. And thus, my Lord, I have taken the boldnefs in prefenting your Honour with this little Difcourfe of Books and Libraries, to put thefe Re- fle6lions of mine into your Lordfhips hands ; Becaufe, as having my felf the honour to have fome Relation to that AJJembly, who make thefe their pre- tences to conciliate your Efteem, I

think

xxvi Dedication

think my felf obliged to acknowledge with them likewife, your Lordfhips fa- vourable Reception of their late Ad- drejjes; and becaufe I am for fo many other obligations in particular, to pub- lilh to the world, how perfe<5lly I am,

My Lord,

Tour mo/t humble, and mo/t obliged Servant, ]. EVELYN.

Instru6lions

XXV11

Inftru6lions concerning Ere6ling of a Library, prefented to my Lord the Prefident De Mefme, by Gabr. Nau- deus P.

TO THE READER

THIS Advice occajion'd by a cer- tain difpute, which was fome monethsjince controverted in his Library , who was thenpleaf'd to accept of it, had never been drawn out of the duft of my ftudy, and expof'd to the Light; till not finding my f elf able to render a better, or more fpeedy fatisfaStion to the curiofity of many of my Friends, who defired Copies of it, I at loft refolv 'd to print it : as well that it might deliver me from the charge and inconveniency of the Tran-

fcribers,

xxviii To the Reader

fcriberSy as for my natural propenfity to oblige the publique ; zvhom, if this Ad- vice be not worthy tofatisfie, it may yet ferve as a Guide at leaft to thofe who de- Jire tofurnifh the world with better ', that it may no longer be deprived of a piece which feems wanting to its felicity ; and, for which refpeffi alone I have beenjirjl conflraind to break the Yce, and trace the way curforily for thofe who may render it more perfpicuous at their leafure; This if you Jhall accept , IJhall have caufe to acknowledge your civility, & good will; Ifotherwife, IJhall, at leaft, requejt you to excufe my faults, and thofe of the Printer.

A Table

XXIX

A Table of the principal Matter s, treated of in thefe InftruElions.

CHAP, i . One ought to be curious in ere6ling of Libraries, and why? Chap. 2. How to inform ones felf, and

what we are to know concerning

the ere<5ling of a Library. Chap. 3. The Number of Books which

are requifite. Chap.^. Of what quality and condition

they ought to be. Chap. 5. By what expedients they may

be procured. Chap. 6. The difpofition of the Place

where they fhould be kept. Chap. 7. The Orders which it is requi- fite to affign them.

Chap.

XXX

A Table

Chap. 8. Of the Ornament and Deco- ration neceffarily to be obferved.

Chap. 9. What ought to be the principal Scope, and end of fuch a Library.

In

XXXI

In primum Jlruenda ordinatim Biblio- theca: AuEtorem, Gabr. Naudaeum.

Epigramma.

Compofuiffe Libros^promptum & trivia le cuique eft ; Librorum Auttores compofuijfe, Tuum eft.

EJUSDEM LUSUS.

Bibliotheca licet tot fts Naudaee librorum,

Cufa heec non tamen eft Bibliotheca tua. Non etenim veluti plantam parit altera planta^

Bibliotbecam aliam Bibliotheca parit. Si tamen ifta Tua eft^ mihi credito non nifi mon- ftrum eft,

Cum Bibliothecam aliam Bibliotheca parit. At monftrum ejfe negas ; quod doff a lutetia laudat :

Ergo divints fabrica mentis erit. Non divum eft, inquis, humana conditum ab arte :

Die ergo tua tu Bibliotheca quid eft ?

J. C. FREY, Doft. Medic. & Philofoph. in Academia Paris. Decanus.

JANUS

XXX11

' JANUS C^CILIUS FREY.

Invia ad artes & Scientias. Pars 4. praecepta continet ordinandi Biblio thecas.

SCRIPSIT AUREUM NUPER DE HAC RE LIBELLUM GALLUM GABRIEL NAUD^EUS. EGO FAUCIS REM DIFFI- CILLIMAM ORDINATIM PROFERAM.

INSTRUCTIONS

INSTRUCTIONS

Concerning Ereting of a Library, /V*/#ta/ to My Lord the Prefi- dent DE MESME.

.... Juvat immemorata ferentem Ingenuis oculifq; legi,manibufq; teneri.

MT LORD,

SUPPOSE it will not ap- pear unreafonable, that I give the Title & Quality of a thing unheard of to this Difcourfe, which I prefent you with as much aflfeftion, as your favour, & the fervice which I owe you, oblige me to do: fince it is certain,

that

2 Erecting of

that amongft the almoft infinite number which have to this day taken the Pen in hand, there never arrived any yet ( to my knowledge) upon whofe advice a man might regulate himfelf concerning the choice of Books, the means of procuring them, and how they fhould be difpof 'd of, that they might appear with profit and honour in a fair & Sumptuous Bib- liotheque.

C,For though we have indeed the Coun- fell which is given us by John Baptift Cardon, Bifhop of Tortofa, touching the ere6ling and entertainment of the Roy- al Library of the Efcurial ; yet he hath fo lightly pafled over this fubje6l, that though we did not efteem it as good as nothing, yet at leaft ought it not to retard the happy defigne of thofe who

would

a Library 3

would undertake to impart fome great- er light and dire<5lions to others, upon hope, that if they fucceed no better, the difficulty of the Enterprife will not ren- der them lefle excufable then him, and exempt from all fort of blame and re- proch.

C,As true it is, that it is not every mans Talent to acquit himfelf happily in this affair, and that the pains and the difficulty which there is in acquiring a fuperficial knowledge only of all the Arts and Sciences, to deliver ones felf from the fervitude & flavery of certain opinions, which make us fpeak & gov- ern all things according to our Fancy, and to judge difcreetly, and without paffion, of the merit and quality of Au- thors ; are difficulties more than fuffi-

cient

4 Erecting of

cient to perfwade us, that what Jujtus Lipfius elegantly fpake, and much to the purpofe, of two other forts of per- fons, may be truly verified of a Library- keeper: Confulesfiunt quotannis,&novi Proconfules : Solus aut Rex aut Poeta non quotannis nafcitur. CL And if I, my Lord, affume the bold- neffe to prefent you thefe Memoires & Inftrudlions ; it is not, that I fo much value and efteem my own Judgment, as to interpofe it in an affair of fo much difficulty ; or that I am fo far tranfported with felf-love to imagine there is that in me, which is fo rarely to be encoun- tred amongft others : But the great af- fe<5lion which I have to perform a thing which may be acceptable to you, is the folecaufe which excites me to joyn the

common

a Library

common fentiments of divers perfons, Learned, and extreamly verfed in the knowledge of Books, & the feveral ex- pedients pra6lifed by the moft famous Bibliothecaries, to that which the little Induftry & Experience I have my felf obtained, may together furnifh me with- all ; that I may with this Advice, re- prefent unto you the Precepts and the means on which it is neceflary to reg- ulate ones felf, and attain a fortunate fuccefle in this noble and generous en- terprife.

C[And therefore, my Lord, after I have made it my moft humble requeft, that you would rather attribute this tedious difcourfe to the candor and fincerity of my affeftion, then to the leaft prefump- tion of being capable to acquit my felf

"of

6 Erecting of

of it more worthily then another; I (hall freely tell you, that unlefle your de- fignes be to equall the Vatican Library, or the Ambrofiane of Cardinal Borro- meus, you have already fufficient to give your minde repofe, to be fatisfied, and contented in pofleffing fuch a quantity of Books, and fo rarely chofen, that though it be not arrived to thofe dimen- fions, it is yet more than fufficient, not only to ferve your particular content- ment, and the curiofity of your Friends ; but to conferve likewife the reputation of being one of the moft confiderable, and beft furnifhed Libraries of France ; fince you there enjoy all the Principals in the chief Faculties, and a very great number of others, which may minifter to the various rencontres of particular

and

a Library 7

and lefs obvious fubje6ls. But if your Ambition be to render your name il- luftrious by that of your Bibliotheque, & to joyn this expedient alfo to thofe which on all occafions you praftife by the Eloquence of your Difcourfes, the Solidity of your Judgment, & the glory of the nobleft Dignities and Magiftra- tures which you have fo fuccefsfully borne, to render an eternal Luftre to your Memory, and affure you whilft you live, that you may with eafe difin- velopeyour felf from the innumerable volumes and Scrowles of Ages, to live and be famous in the Memories of men ; it will then be needfull to augment, and every day to perfeft what you have fo happily begun; and infenfibly to give fuch, and fo advantageous a Progrefs to

your

8 Erecting of

your Library, that it may become as unparallePd as your felf, without equal ; and as fair, perfe6t and accomplifh'd, as it can be made by the Induftry of thofe, who never effe6l any thing with- out fome fpot and imperfe6lion. Adeo nihil eft ab omniparte beatum.

CHAP.

a Library

CHAP. I.

One ought to be curious in ereSling of Libraries, and why ?

ND now, my Lord, fmce all the difficulty of this Defigne confifts, in that (being able to execute it with facility) Tou think fit to undertake it. It will be requifite, that, before we arrive at thofe Precepts which may ferve to put it in execution, we firft deduce, & explain the reafons which are moft likely to perfwade You, that it is to Your advantage, and that You ought by no means to negleft it. For not to go far from the nature of this Enter- prife, common fence will informe us,

that

10 Erecting of

that it is a thing altogether laudable, generous, and worthy of a courage which breathes nothing but Immortal- ity, to draw out of oblivion, conferve, & ere6l (like another Pompey] all thefe Images, not of the Bodies, but of the Minds of fo many gallant men, as have neither fpared their time, nor their In- duftry, to tranfmit to us the moft lively features and reprefentations of whatfo- ever was moft excellent & confpicuous in them. And this is alfo a thing which the younger Pliny (who was none of the leaft ambitious amongft theRomans) would feem particularly to encourage us in, by that handfome expreffion in the firft of his Epiftles ; Mihi pulchrum in primis videtur, non pati occidere qui- bus aternitas debetur: fince this curious

paflage,

a Library n

paflage, not trivial & vulgar, may le- gitimately pafs for one of thofe lucky prefages, of which Cardan fpeaks in his Chapter de Jignis eximice potentia; for that being extraordinary, difficult, and of great expence, it can no wayes be effe6led without giving every man oc- cafion to fpeak well of it, and with Ad- miration, as it were, of him who puts it in Execution : Exiftimatio autem & opinio (fayes the fame Author) rerum humanarum regince funt. And in ear- neft, if we finde it not ftrange that Deme- trius made a fhew and Parade of his Ar- tillery, vaft and prodigious Machines ; Alexander the Great of his manner of encamping; the Kings of JEgypt of their Pyramides; nay Solomon of his Temple, and others of the like : fince Tiberius

well

12 Erecting of

well obferves it in Tacitus, cateris mor- talibus in eo flare con/ilia quidjibi con- ducere putent, principum diverfam ejje fortem, quibus omnia ad famam diri- genda : How much ought we then to efteem of thofe, who have never fought after thefe fuperfluous inventions, and, for the moft part, unprofitable; well judging and believing, that there was no expedient more honeft and affur'd, to acquire a great reputation amongft the people, than in eredling of fair & magnificent Libraries, to devote and confecrate them afterward to the ufe of the Publick ? As true is it, that this Enterprife did never abufe nor deceive thofe who knew how to manage it well, and that it has ever been judg'd of fuch confequence, that not only particular

perfons

a Library 13

perfons have made it fuccefleful to their own advantage, as Richard de Bury, Bef- farion 9 Vincentim Pinelli, Sirlettus, Hen- ry de Mefme your Grandfather of moft happy memory, the Englifh Knight Bodley, the late Prefident Thuanus, and a world of others ; but that even the moft ambitious would ftill make ufe of this, to crown and to perfe6l all their glorious atchievements, as with the Key-ftone of the Arch, which adds luftre & ornament to all the reft of the Edifice. And I pro- duce no other proofs and teftimonies of what I fay, than thofe great Kings of JEgypt, & ofPergamus, Xerxes, Auguf- tus, Lucullus, Charlemain, Alphonfus of Arragon, Matth. Corvinus,& that great Prince Francis the Firft, who have all of them had a particular aflfe<5tion, and

fought

14 Erecting of

fought (amongft the almoft infinite number of Monarchs and Potentates, which have alfo pra<5lif d this Strata- gem ) to amafs great numbers of Books, and ere<5l moft curious and well fur- nifht Libraries : not that they flood in need of other fubje6ls of recommenda- tion and Fame, as having acquired fuffi- cient by the Triumphs of their great & fignal Vi6lories ; but becaufe they were not ignorant, that thofe perfons, quibus fola mentem animofque perurit gloria, fhould negleft nothing which may eaf- ily elevate them to the fupream and Sovereign degree of efteem & reputa- tion. And truly, fhould one enquire of Seneca, what are to be the a6lions of thefe gallant and puiflant GeniuJ's, which feem not to have been fent into

the

a Library 15

the world but to do Miracles, he would certainly anfwer us 9 Neminemexcel/iin- genii virum humilia deleStant &fordida, magnarum rerumjpedes adje vocal & allicit. And therfore, my Lord, it feems very much to the purpofe, fince you govern & prefide in all fignal A6lions, that you never content your felf with a Mediocrity in things which are good & laudable; and fince you have nothing of mean & vulgar, that you fhould alfo cherifh, above all others, the honour and reputation of poflefling a Biblio- theque, the moft perfe6l, the beft fur- nifh'd and maintained of your time. In fine, if thefe Arguments have not power fufficient to difpofe you to this Enter- prife, I am at leaft perfwaded, That of your particular fatisfa<5tion will of it felf

be

16 Erecting of

be fufficiently capable to make you re- folve upon it : For if it be poffible in this world to attain any fovereign good, any perfedl and accomplifht felicity, I be- lieve that there were certainly none more defireable than the fruitful enter- tainment, and moft agreeable divertife- ment which might be receivedfrom fuch a Library by a learned man, & who were not fo curious in having Books, ut illi Jint ccenationum ornamenta, quam ut Jludiorum injtrumenta, fince from that alone he might with reafon name him- felf Cofmopolitan, or Habitant of the Univerfe ; that he might know all, fee all, & be ignorant of nothing. Briefly, feeing he is abfolute Mafter of this Con- tentment, that he might manage it after his own fancie, enjoy it when he would,

quit

a Library 17

quit it when he pleaf 'd, entertain him- felf in it at his liberty ; and that with- out contradi6lion, without travail, and without pains, he may inftru6l himfelf, and learn the exa<5left particulars

Of all that is, that was, and that may be In Earth, thefarthejl Heavens, and the Sea. \

I fhall only adde then, for the refult of all thefe reafons, and of many other; that it is eafier for you to conceive, than 'tis for any other to exprefle it, that I pretend not hereby to engage you in a fuperfluous & extraordinary expence, as being not at all of their opinion, who think Gold and Silver the principal nerves of a Library, and who perfwade themfelves, (efteeming Books only by

the

18

Erecting of

the price they coft) that there is nothing good to be had but what is dearly pur- chafed. Yet, neither is it my defigne to perfwade you, that fo great a provi- fion can be made with a fhut purfe, and without coft; very well knowing that the faying of Plautus is as true on this occafion, as in many others, Necejfe eft facere fumptum qui qucerit lucrum: but to let you fee by this prefent Difcourfe, that there are an infinity of other expe- dients, which a man may make ufe of with a great deal more facility and lefle expence, to attain at laft,the fcope which I propofe to you.

CHAP.

a Library 19

CHAP. II.

How to inform ones J elf \ and what we

ought to know concerning the eretf-

ing of a Library.

A MONGST thefe now, my Lord, I y \ conceive there are none more profitable & neceffary, than to be firft well inftru6ted ones felf, before we ad- vance on this enterprife, concerning the order, and the method which we ought precifely to obferve to accomplifh its end. And this may be eflfe6ted by two means, fufficiently eafie & fecure. The Firft is, to take the counfel & advice of fuch as are able to give it, concert & ani- mate us viva voce: fuppofing that they

are

Erecting of

are capable to do it; men of Letters, fober and judicious, and who by being thus qualified, are able to fpeak to the purpofe, difcourfe & reafon well upon every fubje6l; or for that they alfo are purfuing the fame Enterprife with the efteem & reputation of better fuccefie, and to proceed therein with more in- duftry, precaution, and judgment than others do ; fuch as are at prefent MM. de Fontenay, Hale, du Puis, Rzber, des Cordes, and Moreau, whofe examples one cannot erre in following; fince according to the faying of Pliny the younger : Stultiffimum effet ad imitan- dum, non optima quceque Jibi proponere: & for what concerns you in particular, the variety of their procedures may continually furnifh you with fome new

addrefle

a Library si

addreffe and light, which will not be, perad venture, unferviceable to the pro- grefle and advancement of your Li- brary ; by the choice of good Books, and of whatfoever is the moft curious in every one of theirs. The Second is, to confult, & diligently to colle6l thofe few Precepts that maybe deduc'd from the Books of fome Authors, who have written but fleightly upon this matter ; as for inftance, The Counfel of Baptifta Cardonius 9 the Philobiblion ofRichardus de Bury, the life of Vincentius Pinelli, the Books of PoJJevine, de cultura inge- niorum, of that which Lipjius has made concerning Libraries, and of all the feveral Tables, Indexes , and Catalogues; and govern ones felf by the greateft & moft renowned Bibliotheques which

were

Erecting of

were ever ere<5led : fince to purfue the advice & precept of Cardan, His max- ime in unaquaque re credendum eft, qui ultimum de fe experimentum dederint. In order to this, you muft by no means omit, and negle6l to caufe to be tran- fcrib'd all the Catalogues, not only of the great and moft famous Libraries, whether ancient or modern, publike or private, with us, or amongft ftrangers ; but alfoof the Studies & Cabinets, which for not being much known, or vifited, remain buried in perpetual filence : A thing which will no way appear ftrange, if we confider four or five principal rea- fons, which have caufed me to eftablifh this propofition. The firft whereof is, That a man can do nothing in imitation of other Libraries, unlefle by the means

"of

a Library 23

of their Catalogues he have knowledge of what they contain. The fecond, For that they are abletoinftru&us concern- ing the Books themfelves,the place, the time, and the form of their Impreffion. The third, Becaufe that a minde which is generous and nobly born, fhould have a defire and an ambition to aflemble, as in one heap, whatfoever the others pof- fefle in particular, ut quce divifa beatos efficiunt, infe mixtafluant. The fourth, For that by this means, one may fome- times do a friend fervice and pleafure ; and when we cannot furnifh him with the Book he is in queft of, fhew and dire<5l him to the place where he may finde fome Copie, a thing very feafible by the afliftance of thefe Catalogues. Finally, Becaufe it is altogether impof-

fible,

24 Erecting of

fible, that we fhould by our own induf- try, learn, and know the qualities of fo vaft a number of Books, as it's re- quifite to have, it is not without rea- fon, that we follow the judgments of the moft intelligent and beft verfed in this particular, and then to deduce this In- ference; Since thefe Books have been collected and purchaf 'd by fuch and fuch, there is reafon to believe, they deferv'd it for fome circumftance un- known to us : And in effe6l, I may truly fay, that for the fpace of two or three years, that I have had the honour to meet fometimes with M. de F. amongft the Book-fellers, I have frequently feen him buy Books fo old, ill bound, and wretchedly printed, that I could not chufe, but fmile and wonder together,

till

a Library 25

till that he being afterwards pleaf 'd to tell me the caufe and the circumftances for which he purchaf 'd them ; his rea- fons feemed to be fo pertinent, that I fhall never otherwife think, but that he is a perfon the beft verfed in the know- ledge of Books, and difcourfes of them with more experience and judgment, than any man whatfoever, not only in France, but in all the world befides.

CHAP.

26 Erecting of

CHAP. III.

The Number of Books which are requifite.

THE firft Difficulty having been thus deduced & explain'd,that which ought to follow and approach us neereft, obliges us to enquire, if it be to purpofe to make any great provifion of Books, to render thereby our Library famous, if not by the quality of them, yet atleaft by the unparalleFd and pro- digious quantity of its Volumes ? For it is certainly the opinion of very many, that Books are like to the Laws & Sen- tences of the Jurifconfults, which (as one fayes ) aftimantur pondere & quali- tate, non numero; & that it appertains

to

a Library 27

to him only, to difcourfe handfomely upon any point of Learning, who is leaft converfant in the feveral Readings of thofe Authors which have written upon it: and really, it feems that thofe gal- lant Precepts, & Moral Ad vertifements of Seneca, Paretur Librorum quantum fatis ejt,nihil in apparatum: Onerat dif- centem turba,non inftruit, multoque fa- tius eftpauciste auSloribus tradere; quam err are per multos. Quum legere non pof- Jis quantum habeas, fat eft te habere quantum legas, and divers other like it, which he gives us in five or fix places of his Works, may in fome meafure favour, and fortifie this opinion, by the authority of fo great a Perfon : But if we would entirely fubvert it, to eftab- lifh our own as the moft probable, we

need

28 Erecting of

need only fix our felves upon the great difference which there is between the Induftry of a particular man, and the Ambition of him who would appear confpicuous by the Fame of his Biblio- theque : or 'twixt him that alone defires to fatisfie himfelf, & him that only feeks to gratifie and oblige thePublique. For certain it is, that all thefe precedent reafons point only to the Inftruftion of thofe who would judicioufly, and with order & method, make fome progrefs in the Faculty which they purfue; or rather, to the condemnation of thofe that Ihewthemfelves fufficiently know- ing, & pretend to great abilities, albeit they no more difcern this vaft heap of Books, which they have already aflem- bled, then did thofe crooked perfons

"(to

a Library 29

(to whom King Alphonfus was wont to compare them ) that huge bunch which they carried behind their Back; which is really very feafonably reproch'd by Seneca, in the places before alledged; & in plainer terms yet, where he fayes, Quo mihi innumerabiles libros &Biblio- thecas, quarum dominus vix tola vitajua indices perlegit? As by that Epigram alfo which Aujonius fo handfomly ad- dreffes ad Philomufum.

Emptis quod libris tibi Bibliotheca re-

ferta ejl, Dotfum & Grammaticum te Philo-

mufe putas? Hoc genere et chordas, et pletra,et bar-

bita conde, Omnia mercatus,cras Ciiharcedus eris;

That

30 Erecting of

That thou with Books thy Library haft

fill'd, Think'ft thou thy felf learn'd, and in

Grammar fkilPd? Then ftor'd with Strings, Lutes, Fiddle-

fticks now bought; To morrow thou Mufitian may'ft be

thought.

<[But you, my Lord, who have the re- putation of knowing more then can be taught you, and who deprive your felf of all fort of contentments, to enjoy, & plunge your felf, as it were, in theplea- fure which you take in courting good Authors ; to you it is that it properly at- tains, to poffefs aBibliotheque, themoft auguft, and ample, that hath ever been ere6ted: to the end it may never be faid

hereafter,

a Library 31

hereafter, that it was only for want of a little care which you might have had, that you did not beftowthis Piece upon the Publique; and of your felf, that all the a6lions of your life had not furpaffed the moft heroick exploits of the moft illuftrious perfons. And therefore I fhall ever think itextreamly neceffary, to colle6l for this purpofe all forts of Books, (under fuch precautions, yet, as I fhall eftablifh) feeing a Library which is ere<5led for the publick benefit ought to be univerfal, but which it can never be, unleffe it comprehend all the prin- cipal Authors that have written upon the great diverfity of particular Subjects, & chiefly upon all the Arts & Sciences ; of which, if one had but confidered the vaft numbers which are in the Panepiftemon

of

Erecting of

ofAngelus Politianus 9 or in any other ex- a6l Catalogue lately compiled : I do not at all doubt, but that you will be ready to judge by the huge quantity of Books ( which we ordinarily meet with in Li- braries ) in ten or twelve of them, what number you ought to provide, to fatif- fie the curiofity of the Readers upon all that remains. And therefore I do nothing wonder, that Ptolemy King of JEgypt did not for this purpofe colle6l one hundred thoufand Volumes, as Ce- drenus will have it ; not four hundred thoufand, as Seneca reports ; not five hundred thoufand as Jojephus afiures us ; but feven hundred thoufand, as wit- nefle, & accord, Aulus Gellius, Ammia- nus Marcellinus, Sabellicus Volaterran. Or that Eumenes the fon of Attains had

collected

a Library 33

collected two hundred thoufand; Con- ftantine a hundred and twenty thou- fand : Sammonicus ( Preceptor to the Emperour Gordian the younger )fixty two thoufand. Epaphroditus, a fimple Grammarian only, thirty thoufand. And that Richard of Bury, Monjieur de Thou, and Sir Tho. Bodley have made fo rare a pro vifion, that the Catalogues only of either of their Libraries do amount to a juft Volume. For certainly there is no- thing which renders a Library more re- commendable, then when every man findes in it that which he is in fearch of, and could no where elfe encounter ; this being a perfect Maxime, That there is no Book whatfoever, be it never fo bad or decried, but may in time be fought for by fome perfon or other; fince accord- ing

34 Erecting of

t

ing to that of the Satyrift,

Mille hominumfpecies, & rerum dif color

ujus, Vellefuumcuiqueeft>nec voto vivitur uno.

And that it is commonly amongft Read- ers as it was with Horace's three Guefts,

Pofcentes vario nimium diverf a potato.

There being no better refemblance of Libraries, then to the Meadow of Sen- eca, where every living creature findes that which is moft proper for them : Bosherbam, Cants leporem, Ciconia lacer- tuih. And befides, we are to believe, that every man who feeks for a Book, judges it to be good ; and conceiving it to be fo, without finding it, is forced toefteem it curious and very rare ; fo that coming

at

a Library 35

at laft to encounter it in fome Library, he eafily thinks, that the Owner of it knew it as well as himfelf : and that he bought it upon the fame account that excited him to fearch after it ; and in purfuit of this, conceives an incompar- able efteem both of the Owner, and of the Library ; which coming afterwards to be publifhed, there will be need but of few like encounters, joyn'd to the com- mon opinion of the Vulgar, Cui magna pro bonisfunt, to fatisfie & recompence a man that accounts it never fo little honour and glory in all his expences & pains. Andbefides,fhould one enter into the confideration of times, of places, & new inventions, no man of Judgement can doubt, but that it is much eafier at prefent,to procure thoufands of Books,

then

36 Erecting of

then it was for the Antients to get hun- dreds ; and that by confequent, it would be an eternal fhame and reproch in us, to come beneath them in this particular, which we may furmount with fo much advantage and facility. Finally, as the quality of Books does extreamly aug- ment the efteem of a Library amongft thofe who have the means, and the lea- fure tounderftand it; fo muftit needs be acknowledged, that the fole quantity of them brings it into luftre, & reputation, as well amongft Strangers and Travel- lers, as amongft many others, who have neither the time, nor the conveniencyof exa<5lly turningthem over in particular ; as may eafily be judged by the prodi- gious number of Volumes, that there muft needs be an infinity of good ones,

fignal,

a Library 37

fignal, and remarkable. Howbeit, nei- ther to abandon this infinite quantity without a definition, nor to put thofe that are curious out of hopes of being able to accomplifh, and finifh fo fair an enterprife ; it would, me thinks, be very expedient to do like thofe Phyfitians, who prefcribe the quantity of Drugs ac- cording to their qualities ; & to affirm, that a man can never fail in collecting all thofe which fhall have the qualities & conditions requifite & fit to be placed in a Library. Which that you may dif- cern, one muft be carefull to take with him divers Theorems, and precautions; which may with more facility be re- duc'd to practice as opportunity hap- pens, by thofe who have the routine, & are verf 'd in Books, and who judge of

aft

3 8 Erecting of

all things maturely & without paffion, then poffibly be deduced, and couch'd in writing, feeing they are almoft infi- nite ; and that, to fpeak ingenuoufly, fome of them combat the mod vulgar opinions, and maintain Paradoxes.

CHAP.

a Library 39

CHAP. IV.

Of what Quality and Condition Books ought to be.

I WILL now fay notwithftanding, that to omit nothing which may ferve us for a Guide, & in this Difqui- fition, that the prime Rule which one ought to obferve, is, in the firft place to furnifh a Library with all the chief & principal Authors, as well antient as modern, chofen of the beft Editions, in grofs,or in parcels, & accompanied with their moft learned, & beft Interpreters, & Commentators, which are to be found in every Facultie ; not forgeting thofe which are lefle vulgar, and by confe-

quent

40 Erecting of

quent more curious : As for Example, with the feveral Bibles, the Fathers, & the Councels, for the grofs of Theology : with Lyra, Hugo, Toftatus, Salmeron, for the poiitive: with S. Thomas, Occhus, Durandus, Peter Lombard, Henricus Magnus, Alexander of Hales, JEgidius Romanus, Albertus magnus, Aureolus, Burleus, Capreolus, Major, Vafques, Sua- rez, for the Scholiaftick: with the Body of the Courts Civil and Canon Laws ; with Baldus, Bartholus, Cujas, Alciat, du Moulin for the Law : with Hippoc- rates, Galen, Paulus Mginetus, Oriba- Jius, TEtius, Trallian,Avicen, Avenzoar, Fernelius, for Phyfick : Ptolomy, Firmi- cus, Holy, Cardan, Stoflerus, Gauricus, JunStinus, for Aftrologie : Halhazen, Vitellio, Bacon, Aguillonius, for the

Opticks :

a Library 41

Opticks: Diophantes, Boetius, Jordan, Tartaglia, Silifcus, Lucus de Burgo, Villefranc for Arithmetick : Artemido- rus, Apomazar, Sinejius, Cardonius, for Dreams : And fo with all the other, which it would be too long, and trou- blefome, to fpecifie and enumerate pre- cifely.

Cjn the fecond place; To procure all the old and new Authors that are wor- thy of confideration, in their proper Lan- guages, and particular Idioms : The Bi- bles and Rabbies in Hebrew; the Fathers in Greek & Latine ; Avicenne in Arabick ; Bocacio, Dantes, Petrarch, in Italian ; together with their beft Verfions,Ldtfm, French, or fuch as are to be found : Thefe laft being for the ufe of many perfons who have not the knowledge of

forrein

42 Erecting of

forrein Tongues; &the former, for that it is very expedient to have the fources whence fo many ftreams do glide in their natural chanels without art or dif- guife; and that we ordinarily meet with a more certain efficacy, and richnefs of conception, in thofe that cannot retain & conferve their luftre fave in their na- tive languages, as Pictures do their col- ours in proper lights : not to fpeak of the neceffity alfo which one may have for the verification of Texts & paflages ordinarily controverted, or dubious. C. Thirdly, Such Authors as have beft handled the parts of any Science or Fac- ulty, whatever it be : As Bellarmine for Controverfies, Tolet, and Navarr 9 Caes of Confcience, Vejalius Anatomie, Afdtf- thiolus the Hiftory of Plants, Gefner &

Aldrovandus

a Library 43

Aldrovandus that of Animals, Rondole- tius and Salvianus that of Fifties, Vico- mercatus that of Meteors, &c. C. In the fourth place, All thofe that have heft commented, or explained any Author or Book in particular; as Pere- rius upon Genejis; Villalpandus, Eze- chiel; Maldonat, the Gofpels; Monlorius and Zabarella the Analyticks; Scaliger, Theophrq/tusHiRoYy of Plants; Proclus, & Marfilius Ficinus upon Plato ; Alex- ander, & Themiftius upon Arijtotle; Flu- rancius Rivaultius, Archimedes; Theon and Campanus 9 Euclide; Cardan, Ptolo- mie : And this fhould be obferved in all forts of Books and Treatifes, antient or modern, who have met with Commen- tators and Interpreters. f^Next, all that have written & made

Books

44 Erecting of

Books and Trails upon any particular fubjeft ; be it concerning the Species or Individuals,^ Sanchez, whohath amply treateddematrimonio: SainStes & Perron of the Euchari/t; Gilbertus of theLoad- ftone ; Maier, de volucri arborea ; Scortia, Vendelinus, and Nugarola concerning the Nile : the fame to be underftood of all forts of particular Treatifes in mat- ter of Law, Divinity, Hiftory, Medicine, and what ever elfe there may be : with this difcretion neverthelefle, that he which moft approches to the profeffion which he purfues, be preferred before any other.

^Moreover, All fuch as have written moftfucceffefully aga.mfta.ny Science, or that have oppof 'd it with moft Learning and animofity ( howbeit without chang- ing

Library

45

ing the principles ) againft the Books of fome of the moft famous and renowned Authors. And therefore one muft not forget Sextus Empiricus, Sanchez, and Agrippa, who have profeffedly endeav- oured to fubvert all the Sciences: Pi- cus Mirandula, who has fo learnedly re- futed the Aftrologers : Eugubinus, that has dafhed the impiety of the Salmones, & irreligious : Morifotus, that has over- thrown the abufe of Chymifts : Scaliger, who has fo fortunately oppof 'd Cardan, as that he is at prefent in fome part of Germany more followed then Anftotle himfelf : Cafaubon,who durft attaque the Annals of that great Cardinal Baronius : ArgenteriuSy who hath taken Galen to tafke : Thomas Erq/lus, who has fo per- tinently refuted Paracelfus : Carpenter,

who

46 Erecting of

who has fo rigoroufly oppof 'd Ramus: and finally, all thofe that haveexercif 'd themfelves in the like confli<5ls, & that are folinkttogether, that it were as great an error to read them feparately, as to judge and underftand one party without the other, or one Contrary without his Antagonift.

'{[.Neither are you to omit all thofe which have innovated or chang'd any thing in the Sciences; for it is properly to flatter the flavery, and imbecillity of our wit, to conceal the fmall knowledge which we have of thefe Authors, under the difdain which we ought to have, be- caufe they oppofe the Antients, and for that they have learnedly examined what others were ufed to receive, as by Tra- dition : And therefore, feeing of late

more

a Library 47

more than thirty or fourty Authors of reputation have declared themfelves againft Ariftotle; that Copernicus, Kep- ler, Galiltfus, have quite altered Aftron- omie ; Paracelfus, Severinus the Dane, Du Chefne, & Crollius, Phyfick : & that divers others have introduced new Prin- ciples, and have eftablifhed ftrange & unheard of Ratiocination upon them, & fuch as were never forefeen : I affirm, that all thefe Authors are very requi- fite in a Library, fince according to the common Saying,

Eft quoque cunStarum novitas gratif- fima rerum;

and (not to infift upon fo weak a rea- fon) that it is certain, the knowledge of thefe Books is fo expedient, & frugifer-

ous

48 Erecting of

ous to him who knows how to make reflection, and draw profit from all that he fees, that it will furnifh him with a million of ad vantages, and new concep- tions ; which being received in a fpirit that is docile, univerfal, and difingag'd from all interefts,

NulliiisaddiStusjurare in verba Magiftri,

they make him fpeak to the purpofe upon all fubje<5ls, cure the admiration which is a perfe6l figne of our weak- neffe, & enables one to difcourfe upon whatfoever prefents it felf with a great deal more judgment, experience, and refolution, then ordinarily many per- fons of letters and merit are ufed to do. C.One fhould like wife have thisconfid- eration in the choice of Books, to fee

whether

a Library 49

whether they be the firft that have been compofed upon the matter on which they treat. Since 'tis with mens Learn- ing, as with water, which is never more fair, pure, and limpid, then at its fource; All the Invention comeing from the Firft, and the Imitation with repetition from others: as 'tis eafy to perceive that Reuchlin who firft writ of the Hebrew Tongue, and the Cabal ; Budeus of the Greek, and of Coyns; Bodinus of a Re- publique ; Codes of Phyfiognomie ; Pe- ter Lombard, S. Thomas, of Scholaftical Divinity, have done better than thofe many others, which ingag'd themfelves in writing fince them. { Moreover ought one alfo to take no- tice, whether the Subje6ls of which they treat be trifling or lefs vulgar ; curious or

negligent;

50 Erecting of

negligent ; fpinie or facil ; feeing what we ufed to fay of all things elfe that be not common, may be fo appofitely ap- ply ed to curious new Books;

Rara juvant, primisjic major gratia po-

mis, Hibernce pretiumfic meruere rofce.

CL Under the notion then of this pre- cept we (hould open our Libraries, and receive them therein, who firft wrote of Subje6ls the leaft known, and that have not been treated of before, unlefs in Fragments, and very imperfe6lly; as Licetus, who hath written defpontaneo viventium ortu, de lucernis antiquorum ; Tagliacotius, how to repair a decayed Nofe ; Libavius & Goclinus of the Mag- netickOyntment ; Secondly, All curious

and

a Library 51

and not vulgar Authors ; fuch as are the books of Cardan, Pomponacius, Brunus, and all thofe who write concerning the Caball, Artificial Memory, the Lullian Art, the Philofophers Stone, Divinations, and the like matters. For, though the greateft part of them teach nothing but vain and unprofitable things, and that I hold them but as Humbling blocks to all thofe who amufe themfelves upon them, yet not withftanding that one may have wherwithalto content the weaker wits, as well as the ftrong; and at the leaft fatisfie thofe who defire to fee them, to refute them, one fhould colle6l thofe which have treated on them, albeit they ought to be accounted amongft the reft of the Books in the Library, but as Ser- pents and Vipers are amongft other liv- ing

52 Erecting of

ing Creatures; like Cockle in a Field of good wheat; like Thorns amongft the Rofes: and all this in imitation of the world, where thefe unprofitable and dangerous things accomplifh the Mafter-piece, and the Fabrick of that goodly compofition. <L And this Maxime fhould lead us to another of no lefs confequence, which is, not to negle6t the works of the prin- cipal Herejiarchs or Fautors of new Re- ligions different from ours, more com- mon, & revered, as more juft & veritable: For it is very likely, fince the firft of them, (not to fpeak of the new ones) have been chofen, and drawn out from amongft the moft learned perfonages of the precedent Age, who by I know not what Fancie, and exceffi ve love to nov- elty,

a Library 53

elty, did quit their Cafjbcks, & the Ban- ner of the Church, to enroll themfelves under that of Luther and Calvine; and that thofe of the prefent time are not admitted to the exercife of their Minif- try till after a long and fevere Examen in the three Tongues of the Holy Scrip- ture, and the chief points of Philofophy and Divinity: There is a great deal of likelihood, I fay, that excepting the paflages controverted, they may fome- times hit very luckily upon others, as in many indifferent Treatifes they have done, on which they often travail with a great deal of Induftry and Felicity. And therefore, fmce it is neceflary that our Do6lors fhould finde them in fome places to refute them; fmce M. de T. has made it no difficulty to colle6l them;

that

54 Erecting of

that the antient Fathers & Do6lors had them, that divers religious perfons pre- ferved them in their Libraries; that we make it no Scruple to have a Thalmud or an Alcoran, which belch a thoufand Blafphemies againft Jefus Chrift, and our Religion, infinitely more danger- ous than thefe : that God permits us to make profit of our enemies, and ac- cording to that of the Palmift,Salutem ex inimicis no/Iris, &demanu omnium qui oderunt nos; that they are prejudicial but to them onely, who deftitute of a right condu<5l, fuffer themfelves to be tranfported with the firft puff of wind that blows.

CAnd to conclude in a word, fince the intention which determines all our ac- tions to good or evil, is neither vitious

nor

a Library 55

nor cauterifed, I conceive it no extrav- agance or danger at all, to have in a Li- brary (under caution neverthelefs of a licenfe & permiffion from thofeto whom it appertains ) all the Works of the moft learned and famous Hereticks, fuch as have been, and divers others of lefler confequence, Quos fama obfcura recon- dit.

C.This alfo ought to be retained as a Maxime, that all the bodies and aflfem- blies of feveral Authours writing upon the fame fubje<5l; fuch as are the Thai- mud, the Councels, the Biblotheques of the Fathers, Thefaurus Criticus, Scrip- tores Germanici, Turcici, Hifpanici, Gal- lid, Catalogus teftium veritatis, Monar- chia Imperil, Opus magnum de Balneis, Authores Gyneciorum, De Morbo Nea-

politano,

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politano, Rhetores antiqui, Grammatici Veteres 9 Oratores Grcecice, Flores DoSto- rum, Corpus Poetarum, and all thofe which contain fuch like Collections, ought of neceffity to be put into Libra- ries ; forafmuch as they fave us, firft of all, the labour of fearching an infinity of Books extreamly curious and rare: and fecondly, becaufe they fpare abundance pf other, and make room in a Library. Thirdly, for that they handfomly com- prehend in one Volume, what wefhould be otherwife long in fearching with a great deal of pains, & in divers places ; and finally, becaufe they are lefs expen- five, they being nothing fo chargeable to purchafe as they would be,fhould one buy feparately all the Authours which they contain. I hold it alfo for a tenent

as

a Library 57

as neceffary as any of the precedent, that one Ihould draw out & make elec- tion from amongft the great number of thofe who have written, & do daily write, thofe who appear as an Eagle in the Clouds, and as a Star twinkling and moft refulgent in the midftof obfcurity; I mean thofe great Witts, which are not of the common alloy ;

Quorumque ex ore prof ufo Omnis pojteritas latices in dogmata duett;

C, And of whom one may make ufe, as of Matters the moft expert in the know- ledge of all things, and of their works as of a Seminarie, perfe6lly fufficient to enrich a Library not onely with all their Books, but even of the leaft of their Fragments, Papers 9 looje Sheets, and the

very

38 Erecting of

very words which efcape them. For as it would be amifs to employ the place & the money in amaffing all the world, & I know not what gallimauphry of cer- tain vulgar and defpicable Authours; fo would it be a notorious oblivion, & fault unexcufable in thofewho make profef- fion of having all the beft Books, to negle6l any of Them; for example, of Erafmus, Chiaconus, Onuphrius, Turne- bus, Lipjius, Genebrard, Antonius Au- gu/tinus, Cafaubon, Salmafius, Bodinus, Cardan, Patricius, Scaliger, Mercurialis, & others, whofe works we are to wink & take, & without choice; carefull, that we be not cheated in Books rampant, with Authours infinitely more rude and grofs: iince, as one cannot poflefs too much of that which is good, and exqui-

fitely

a Library 59

fitely chofen; fo neither can one have too little of that which is bad, & of which we have no hopes of receiving any profit or utility.

C, Neither muft you forget all forts of Common places, Dictionaries, Mixtures, feveral LeStions, Collections of Sentences, and other like Repertories; feeing it is as fo much way gone, and Matter ready prepared for thofe who have the induf- try to ufe them with due advantage ; it being certain, that there are many who fpeak and write wonderfull well, who have yet feen but very few Volumes, befides thofe which I have mentioned ; whence it is, that they commonly fay, the Calepine, which they take for all kind of Dictionaries, is the livelyhood of the Regents; And if I fhould affirm it

"of

so Erecting of

of many, even amongft the moft famous perfons, it would not be without reafon, fince one of the moft renound amongft the laft had above fifty of them, which he perpetually ftudied; and who having encountred a difficult word at the firft offering of the Book of Equivocals, as it was prefented to him, he had recourfe immediately to one of thefe DiStionaries, and tranfcribed out of it above a page of writing, upon the margent of the faid Book, and that in prefence of a certain Friend of mine and of his; to whom he could not abftainfrom fay ing, that thofe who fhould fee this remark, would eaf- ily believe that he had fpent above two dayes in compofingit; though he had in truth butthe pains onely of tranfcribing it: And in earneft, for my part, I efteem

thefe

a Library 6l

thefe Colle6lions extreamly profitable and neceflary, confidering, the brevity of our life, and the multitude of things which we are now obliged to know, e're one can be reckoned amongft the num- ber of learned men, do not permit us to do all of ourfelves; befides, feeing it is not granted every man, nor in all ages, to have the means to labour at his own coft and charges, and without borrow- ing from others, what ill is there in it, I pray, if thofe who are fo induftrious to imitate nature, and fo to diverfifie and appropriate to their fubje6l what they extra<5l from others, ut etiam,Ji apparu- erit unde fumptum Jit, alind tamen efje quam unde fumptum eft appareat, do make bold with thofe who feem not to have been made but to lend, and draw

out

62 Erecting of

out from the Refer vatories & Magazines which are deftin'd for this purpofe : fince we ordinarily fee that both Painters & Architects, make excellent and incom- parable pieces by the affiftance of Col- ours and Materials which others grinde and prepare for them. C,Laftly, we fhould upon this occafion reduce to pra6lice that fame Aphorifme of Hippocrates, which advertifes us to yield fomething to time, to place, & to cuftom ; that is to fay, that fome kinde of Books be fometimes in vogue & re- putation in one Countrey, and not fo in another; and in the prefent age, which were not in the paft: it is more expedi- ent to make a good provifion of thefe, than of the other; or at leaft to have fuch a quantity of them, as may teftifie we

comply

a Library 63

comply with the times, and that we are not ignorant of the mode and inclina- tion of men : And hence it proceeds, that we frequently find in the Libraries of Rome, Naples, and Florence, abundance ofPofitive Theologifts; in thofe of Milan and Pavia ftore of Civil Law; in thofe of Spain, and antientones of Cambridge and Oxford in England, a number of Scholafticks ; and in thofe of France a world of Hi/lories & Controverfies. The fame diverfity may be alfo obferved in the fucceffion of ages, by reafon of the vogue which have had the Philofophy of Plato, that of Ariftotle, the Scholaf- tique, the Tongues and Controverfies; which have every one had their turns, domineered in feveral times ; as we fee that the ftudy of the Ethlcks & Politicks

~do

64 Erecting of

do at prefent employ the greateft part of the moft vigorous witts of this our age, whilft the weaker fort amufe them- felves with FiStions and Romancies, of which I fhall onely fay, what has for- merly been verified by Symmacus upon the like narration, Sine argumento re- rum loquacitas morofa difplicet. C^Thefe ordinary precepts &maximes being fo amply explain'd, there remains now no more to accomplifh this Title of the Quality of Books, then to propofe two or three others , which will undoubt- edly be received as very extravagant, & very fit to thwart the common & invet- erate opinion which many have taken up, that efteem no Authours but by their number or bulk of their Volumes, and judge onely of their value & merit, by

that

a Library 65

that which ufes to make us defpife all other things, viz. their age & caducity, like that of the old man in Horace, who is reprefented to us in his works ;

.... Laudator temporis ati, Prafentis cenfor, cq/tigatorquefuturi:

C. The nature of thefe prepoffeffed fpirits being for the moft part fo taken & in love with thofe Images & antique pieces, that they would not fo much as look at the greateft upon any Book what- ever, whofe Authour were not older than the Mother of Evander, or the Grand- firs of Carpentras; nor believe that time could be well imployed, which was fpent in reading any modern Books, fince ac- cording to their maxime, they are but Rapjodifts, Coppiers, or Plagiaries ,& ap- proach

66 Erecting of

proach in nothing to the Eloquence, the learning and the noble conceptions of the Antients ; to whom for this refpe6l they hold themfelves as firmly united as the Polypus does to the Rocks with- out departing in the leaft, or from their Books, or do6lrine ; & which they never think to have fufficiently comprehend- ed, till they have chewed them over all their life time; & therefore it is nothing extraordinary, if in conclufion of the whole fum, and when they have fuffi- ciently fweat & tired themfelves, they referable that fame ignorant Marcellus, who vaunted up & down in all places where he came, that he had read Thud- dides eight times over; to that Nonnus of whom Syidas fpeaks, that he had read his Demofthenes ten times without ever

being

a Library 67

being able once to plead, or difcourte of any thing : And to fpeak really, there is nothing more apt to make a man a Ped- ant, & banifh him from common fenfe, then to defpife all Modern Authors, to court fome few only of the Antient; as if they alone were, forfooth, the fole Guardians of the higheft favours that the wit of man may hope for; or that Nature, jealous of the honour & reputa- tion of her elder fons, would to our pre- judice put forth all her abilities to the extreams, that fhe might Crown them alone with all her graces & liberality: Certainly I do not imagine that any ex- cept thofe Gentlemen the Antiquaries, can fatisfie themfelves with fuch Opin- ions, or feed themfelves with fuch Fa- bles; fince fo many frefh Inventions,

~ "fo

68 Erecting of

fo many new Opinions & Principles, fo many feveral and unthought of Altera- tions, fo many learned Books of famous Perfonages, of new Conceptions ; and finally, fo many Wonders as we daily behold tofpring up, dofufficiently tefti- fie, that the wits are ftronger, more po- lite, and abftra<5ted than ever formerly they were ; and that we may truly and affuredly affirm at this prefent day,

Sumpfenwt artes hactempeftate decorem, Nullaque non meliorquamprius ipfafuit.

CL Or make the fame judgement of our age as Symmachus did of his own, Ha- bemus fteculum virtute amicum, quo ni/i optimus quifque gloriam parity hominis eft culpa, non temporis. From hence we may infer, that it would be a fault un- pardonable

a Library 69

pardonable in one who profefles toftore a Library, not to place in it Piccohmini, Zabbarell, Achillinus, Niphus, Pompo- nacius, Licetus, Cremoninus, next the old Interpreters ofAri/lotle; Alciat,Ti- raqueaneus, Cujas, du Moulin, after the Code and Digeft ; the fumof Alexander of Hales, and Henry of Gaunt, next that of S. Thomas ; Clavius, Maurolicus and Vutta after Euclide and Archimedes ; Montagne, Charon, Verulam, next to Seneca & Plutarch ; Fernelius, Sylvius, Fujthius, Cardan, next to Galen & Avi- cen ; Erafmus, Cafaubon, Scaliger, Sal- majius, next to Varro; Commines, Guic- ciardin, Sleiden, next to Titus Livius & Cornelius Tacitus ; Ariojlo, TaJJb, du Bartas, next to Homer and Virgil, and fo confequently of all the Modern moft

famous

70 Erecting of

famous & renouned Authours; fince if the capricious Boccalinihad undertaken to ballance them with the Antients, he had haply found a great many of them more inconfiderable, and but very few which do at all furpafs them. CLThe fecond Maxime, & which haply will not lefs feem a Paradox than the firft, is dire6lly contrary to the opinion of thofe who efteem of Books onely as they are in price & bulk; and who are much pleafed, & think themfelves greatly honoured, to have Toftatus in their Libraries, becaufe it is in fourteen Volumes ; or a Salmeron, becaufe there are eight; negle6ting in the mean time to procure & furnifh themfelves with an infinity of little Books, amongft which there are often found fome of them fo

rarely

a Library 71

rarely & learnedly compofed, that there is more profit and contentment to be found in reading them, than in many others of thofe rude, heavy, indigefted & ill polifhed maffes, for the moft part; Atleaft,fo true is that faying of Seneca, Non eft facile inter magna non dejipere; and that which Pliny faid of one of Cic- ero's Orations, M. Tullii Oratio fertur optima qucemaxima, cannot be apply ed to thefe monftrous and Gigantine Books ; as in effe<5l it is almoft impoffible, that the witt fhould alwayes remain intent to thefe great works, & that the heaps and grand confufion of things that one would fpeak choak not the fancy, and too much confound the ratiocination; whereas on the contrary, that which ought to make us efteem fmall Books,

which

72 Erecting of

which neverthelefs treat of ferious things, or of any noble & fublime fub- je6l, is, that the Authour of them does perfe6lly command over his fubje<5l,as the Workman and Artift does over his matter ; and that he may chew, conco6l, digeft, polifh and form it according to his fancy, then thofe vaft colle6lions of fuch great&prodigious Volumes, which for this caufe are often times but the Panfpermia, Chaof's & AbyflTes of Con- fufion;

.... rudis indigeftaque moles,

Nee quicquam niji pondus iners conge-

Jlaque eodem, Non bene junStarum difcordia Jemina

rerum.

C,And hence it is that there refults a

fuccefs

a Library 73

fuccefs fo unequal as may be obferved between the one and the other; for example, 'twixt the Satyrs of Perjius and Philelphius ; the Examen of Witts of Huarto, and that of Zara; the Arithmetick of Ramus, and that of For- cudel; Machiavels Prince, & that of more than fifty other Pedants; The Logick of du Moulin, & that of Vallius ; The Annales of Volufius, & the Hiftory of Saluft: EpiStetus Manuel, and the moral Secrets of Loriotus; The works of Fracaftorius, & an infinite of Phi- lofophers and Phyficians; fo true is that which S. Thomas has well fpoken, Nufquam ars magis quant in minimis tot a eft; & what Cornelius Gallus was wont to promife himfelf, of his fmall Elegies ;

Nee

74 Erecting of

Nee minus eft nobis per pauca volumina

famce, Quam quos nullafatis Bibliotheca capit.

C.But that which on this encounter makes me moft to admire, is, that fuch perfons fhould negleft the Works and Opufcles of fome Authour whilft they remain fcattered and feparated, which afterwards burn with a defire to have them when they are colle<5led & bound together in one Volume : Such will neg- Ie6l ( for example ) the Orations of James Cnfrw,becaufe they are not to be found Printed together, who will neverthelefs be fure to have thofe of Raymondus, Gallatius, Nigronius, Bencius, Perpini- anus,&divers other Authours in his Li- brary; not that they are better, or more

difert

a Library 75

difert and eloquent than thofe of this learned Scotchman; but becaufe they are to be found in certain Volumes bound up together: Certainly, fhould all little Books be negle6led, there were no reckoning to be made of the Opufcles of S. Auguftin, Plutarchs Morals, the Books of Galen, nor of the greateft part of thofe of Erafmus, of Lipjius, Turne- bus, Mazaultius, Sylvius, Calcagninus, Francifcus Picus, and many like Au- thours ; no more than of thirty or fourty minor Authours in Phyjick & Philofo- phy, the beft,and moft antient amongft the Greeks ,and of divers other amongft the Divines; becaufe they have all of them beendivulgedfeparately, & apart, one after another, and in fo fmall Vol- umes, that the greateft of them do not

frequently

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frequently exceed half an Alphabet : & therefore, fince one may unite under one Cover, that which was feparate in the impreffion, conjoyn with others what would be loft being alone, and in effe<5l we may meet an infinity of mat- ters which have never been treated of but in thefe little Books onely, concern- ing which it may rightly be faid, as Vir- gil does of Bees,

Ingentes animos angujlo in corpore ver- fant;

C. It appears to me to be very expedi- ent, that we fhould draw them out of their Stalls and old Magazines, & from all places wherever we encounterthem, to bind them up with thofe which are of the fame Authour, or treat of the fame

matter,

a Library 77

matter, to place them afterwards in our Libraries, where I aflame myfelf they will make the induftry and diligence of thofe Efculapiuf's to be admir'd, who are fo well fkilFd to joyn and reaflem- ble the fcattered & feparated members of thofe poor Hippolituf's. C,The third (which at firft appearance one would conceive to be contrary to the firft) does in particular combat the opinion of thofe who are fo wedded and befotted to all new Books, that they to- tally negle<5t, and make no efteem, not onelyof all the Antients,butof the Au- thours which have had the vogue, & ap- peared flourifhing and renouned fince fix or feven hundred years ; that is to fay, fince the age ofBoetius, Symmachus, Sydonius, and Cqffiodorus, down to that

of

78 Erecting of

of Picas, PolitianuSy Hermolaus, Gaza, Philelphus, Pogius, and Trapezontius ; fuch as are divers Philofophers, Divines, Jurifconfults,PhyJitians andAftrologers, who by their black and Gothick impref- fions difguft our moft delicate ftudents of this age, not fuffering them fo much as to caft an eye upon them, but with a blufh, and to the difdaining of thofe who compofed them : All which properly proceeds from hence, that the ages or thofe witts which then appeared, have had final Geniuf's and different inclina- tions, not long harping upon the fame firing of like ftudy or affe6tion to the Sciences ; or having nothing fo affured as their viciffitude or change; as in ef- fe<5l we fee, that immediately after the birth of the Chriftian Religion (not to

take

a Library 79

take things any higher) the Philofophy of Plato was univerfally followed in the fchools; and the greater part of the Fathers were Platonifts : and fo contin- ued till Alexander Aphrodifeus gave it a forceable juftle to inftal that of thePeri- pateticks, & traced the way to the Greek and Latine Interpreters, who were fo wedded to the Explication of Anftotles Text, that a man fhould yet erre in it without much benefit, if the Queftions & Scholajticks introduced byAbelardus had not put themfelves amongst the rari- ties, to domineer over all, with the great- eft and moft univerfal approbation, that was ever given to anything whatfoever; & that for the fpace of about five or fix ages, after which, the Hereticks did re- cal us to the interpretation of the Holy

Scriptures,

so Erecting of

Scriptures, and occafioned us to read the Bible and the Holy Fathers , who had continually been negle<5ledamidft thefe Ergotifmes; & in purfuite whereof Con- troverlie comes now in requeft as to what concerns Theologie, and the Ques- tionaries with the Novators, who build upon new Principles, or elfe reeftablifh thofe of the antients, Emptdoclts, Epi- curus, Philolaus, Pythagoras, andDemoc- ritus, for Philofophy. The reft of the Faculties being not exempted from like alterations ; amongft which, it has ever- more been the cuftom of the Witts who follow thefe violences and changes, as the Fifh do the Tyde, to think no more of what they have once quitted ; and to fpeak rafhly with the Poet Calphur- nius,

Vilia

a Library si

Villa funt nobis quczcunque prioribus

annis Vidimus, &fordet quicquid fpedtavimus

olim.

C, Infomuch as the greateft part of good Authours, by this means, remain on the funds, abandon 3 d& negle<5led by every man ; whilft our new Cenfors or Plagi- aries poflefle their places, and enrich themfelves with their fpoils. And it is in earneft a very ftrange and unreafon- able thing, that we fhould follow & ap- prove (for example) the Colledges of Conimbre and Suarez in Philofophy, and fhould come to negle6l the works of Al- bertus Magnus, Niphus,Mgidius 9 Saxo- nia, Pomponacius, Achillinus, Hervicus, Durandus, Zimares, Buccaferrus, and a

number

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number of the like, out of which all the great Books which we now follow, are for the moft part compiled and tran- fcribed word for word : That we fhould have an incomparable efteem of Ama- tus, Thrivierus, Capivaccius, Montanus, Valejius, and almoft of all the modern Phyfitians, & be afhamed to furnifh our Libraries with Books of Hugo Senenjis, Jacobus de Forlivio, Jacobus de Va- lejius, Gordonus, Thomas, Dinus, and all the Avicenifts, who have really followed the Genius of their Age, rude and dull as to what concerned the barbarity of the Latine tongue ; but who have yet fo far penetrated into the profundities of Phy- fick, according to Cardans own confef- fion, that divers of our modern for want of fufficient refolution, conftancy, and

affiduity

a Library 83

affiduity to purfue & imitate them, are conftrained to make ufe of fome of their Arguments to re veft them a la mode, & make their braggs and parade, whilft they themfelves dwell onely upon the topps of flowers, &fuperficial language, or without advancing farther.

Decerpunt flores, & fumma cacumina captant.

C. What fhall we then fay, that Scaliger and Cardan, two of the greateft per- fonages of the laft age, consenting both in the fame point concerning the pre- mifes of Richard Suiflent, otherwife called the Calculator, who lived within thefe three hundred years, to place him in the rank of ten of the rareft witts that ever appeared ; whilft we are not able

to

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to find his works in all the moft famous Libraries ? And what hope is there that the SeSlators of Occham Prince of the Nonunah, fhould eternally be deprived of once feeing his works, as well as all Philofophers, thofe of the great and re- nouned Avicen ? In earneft, me thinks that it is wholly for want of judgement in the choyce and cognizance of Books, tonegle6l all thefe Authours, which are fo much the more to be fought after, as they are more, and may hereafter challenge the place of Manufcripts ; fince we have almoft loft all hopes that they fhould ever be printed. C, Finally, the fourth and laft of thefe Maximes concerns onely the choice & ele6lion, which one ought to make of Manuscripts, in oppofition of that cuf-

tome

a Library 85

tome receiv'd and introduced by many, from the great reputation of our prefent Criticks, who have taught & accuftom'd us to make more account of one Manu- fcript of Virgil, Suetonius, Perjius, Ter- ence, or fome others amongft the old Authours, than of thofe gallant perfons who have never yet been either feen,or printed; as if there were any likelyhood that men fhouldprefently purfuethe ca- pricioufnefs, imaginations or cheats of thefe modern Cenfurors and Grammari- ans, which ufelefly apply the flower of their age in forging of empty conjec- tures, & begging the corrections of the Vatican, to alter, corre6l or fupply the Text of fome Authour,who hath haply already confirmed the labour of ten or twelve men, though one might very

eafily

86 Erecting of

eafily be without it. C. Or that it were not a miferable thing, and worthy of commiferation to fuflfer to be loft and rot amongft the hands of fome ignorant poffeflbrs, the elucubra- tions and labours of an infinity of great perfonages, who have fweat & wrought perhaps all their lives long, to impart us the knowledge of fomething that was never known before, or elucidated fome profitable and neceflary matter; And yet neverthelefs, the example of thefe Cenfors have been fuch, and their au- thority fo ftrong & forceable, that not- withftandingthe difguft which Robortel and others amongft them hath given us; nay, even of thefe Manufcripts them- felves ; yet have they fo far bewitched the world in fearch of them, that they

are

a Library 7

are the onely things now in requeft, & judged worthy of being placed in our Bibliotheques.

Tanta eftptenuria mentis ubique, In nugas tamprona via eft!

Q And therefore, fince it is the very Ef- fence of a Library, to have a great num- ber of Manuscripts ; becaufe they are at prefent in moft efteem, and lefs vulgar; I conceive, my Lord, with refpeft to your better judgement, that it would be extreamly requifite for you to purfue as you have begun, in furnifhing your Li- brary with fuch as have been compofed dearly, and full, upon any gallant fub- je6l, conformable to thofe which you have already made fearch of, not onely here, but at Conjlantinople, and what-

foever

88

Erecting of

foever is to be obtained of many other Authours Antient & Modern, fpecified by Neander, Cardan, Gefner, and all the Catalogues of the beft Libraries; & not of all thofe Copies of Books which have been already printed, and which at beft are onely capable to affift us with fome vain and trifling conje6lures: and yet it is not my intention that men fhould un- dervalue and negle6l all thefe kind of Books, as well knowing by the exam- ple of Ptolomy, what efteem one fhould alwayes have ofAutographes,or of thofe two forts of Manufcripts which Robortel (in relation to Criticifm} prefers before all others.

C, Laftly, to clofe this point concerning the quality of Books,! add, that, as well concerning Books of this fort, as printed

ones,

a Library 89

ones, you muft not onely obferve the aforefaid circumftances, & choofe them accordingly; as for inftance,bethequef- tion about Bodins Republique, to infer that he ought to be had, becaufe the Au- thour has been the moft famous and re- nouned of his age, & who amongft the moderns has firft treated on this fubje<5l, that the fubje6l is exceedingly necef- fary, and in much requeft in the times wherein we live, that the Book is com- mon, tranflated into feveral tongues, & printed almoft every five or fix years ; but this we are alfo to obferve, viz. to buy the Book, if the Authour be good, though the matter it felf be but vulgar & trivial; or, when the fubje6l of it is difficult & little known, though the Au- thour thereof be not much efteemed; &

thus

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thus pra6tife a World of other Rules, as upon occafionwe encounter them,fmce it were impoffible to reduce them to an Art or Method ; which makes me con- ceive fuch a man worthily to acquit him- felf of fuch a charge, who has not a perverted judgement, temerarious, ftuft with extravagances, and preoccupied with thefe childifh opinions, which ex- cite many perfons to defpife & fuddenly to reje<5t whatfoever is not of their own gifts, as if every one were obliged to govern himfelf according to the ca- prices of their fantafies, or as if it were not the duty of a difcreet and prudent man, to difcourfe of all things indiffer- ently, & never to judge according to the efteem which both one or the other admits of them, but rather conform- able

Library

able to the fentiment which we ought to have in refpe6l of their proper nature and ufe.

CHAP.

92 Erecting of

CHAP. V.

By what Expedients they may be procured.

HAVING now, my Lord, {hewed by thefe three firft Points, what one ought to purfue to inform himfelf in the ere6ling of a Library; with what quantity of Books it is expedient to fur- nifh it, and of what quality they ought to be chofen : That which now enfues, is to enquire, by what means a man may procure them, & what we are to do for the progrefs & augmentation of them : Upon all which, I fhall truly affirm, that the firft precept which is to be given on thisfubje6l, is, that a manftudioufly pre-

ferve

a Library 93

ferve thofe which are a<5lively acquired, and that he yet obtain new ones every day; not fuffering any to be loft or em- bezled at any hand. Tolerabilius enim eft,faciliufque (fayes Seneca] non acqui- rere,quam amittere, ideoque Icetiores vide- bis quos nunquamfortuna rejpexit, quam quos deferuit. Add, that it will never be this way toaugmentmuch, if that which you have colle6led with fo much pains and induftry, come to be loft, & to per- ifh for want of care : And therefore Ovid &the wifeft men had reafon to fay, that it was no lefs vertue to prefervea thing well, than to acquire it fo : Nee minor ejt virtus quam quarere part a tueri. C.The fecond is, that we negle<5l no- thing which is worth the reckoning, & which may be of ufe, be it either to

our

94 Erecting of

our felves or others; fuch as are Libels, Placarts, Thefes, Fragments, Proofs, & the like, which one ought carefully to unite, and gather according to Titles, & fubje<5ls of fuch they treat ; becaufe it is the onely expedient to render them confiderable,and fo order it, Ut qua non profuntJingula,junStajuvent. Other- wife, it ordinarily comes to pafs, that whilft we defpife thefe little Books, which appear onely as mean baubles, and pieces of no confideration, we hap- pen to lofe a world of rare colle<5lions, and fuch as are fometimes the moft cu- rious pieces of the whole Library. CL The third may be deduced from the means that were pra6lif 'd by Richard de BuryEiihop of Durham, great Chan- cellour & L. Treafurer of England, which

confifts

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confifts in publifhing & making known to every body the aflfe6lion which we have to Books, and the extraordinary defire which we have toere6l a Library; for this being once divulged and com- municated, it is certain, that if he who defignes it be inefficient credit and au- thority to do his friends pleafure; there will not be a man of them but will take it for an honour to prefent him with the moft curious Books that come into his hands ; and that will not voluntarily ad- mit him into his Study, or in thofe of his friends; briefly, who will not ftrive to aid and contribute to his intention all that he can poffibly ? as it is very well obferved by the fame Richard de Bury, in thefe proper terms, which I there- fore the more willingly tranfcribe, be-

caufe

96 Erecting of

caufe his Book is very rare, and of the number of thofe which are loft through our negle<5l. Succedenttbus (fayes he) profperis, Regice majejlatis confecuti no- titianiy & in ipjius acceptati familia, fa- cultatem fufcepimus ampliorem, ubilibet vijitandipro libitu, &venandi qua/if altus quojdam delicatiflimos,tumprivatas, turn communes, turn regularium, tumftecula- rium Bibliothecas: & a little after, Pm- Jlabatur nobis aditus facilis, regalisfa- voris intuitu, ad librorum latebras libere perfcrutandas, amoris quippe noftrifama volatilisjam ubique percrebuit, tantum- que librorum & maxime veterum fere- bamur cupiditate languejcere, pojje vero quemlibetper quaternos facilius quamper pecuniam adipifcifavorem. Quamobrem cum fupradiSti Principis auStoritate fuf-

fulti

a Library 97

fulti pojjemus obejje &prodeffe,proficere &officerevehementertam majoribus quant pujillis, affluxerunt loco Enceniorum & munerum, locoque donorum &jocalium. Ccenulenti quaterni, ac decrepiti Codices nojtristam afpeftibus quamaffeftibus pre- tioji, tune nobiliffimorum Monafteriorum aperiebantur armaria, referabantur fcri- nia, &ciftulcefolvebantur 9 &c. To which he yet adjoyns, the feveral Voyages which he madehimfelf in quality of Am- baflador, & the great number of learned, & curious perfons, ofwhofe labour &in- duftry he made ufe of in this refearch ; and what yet induces me to believe that thefe pra6lifes would have fome effe<5l, is, that I know a perfon, who being cu- rious of Medalls, Pictures, Statues, In- taglias and other Cabinet pieces, hath

collefted

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collected by this fole induftry, above twelve hundred pounds worth, without ever having difburfed four. And in ear- neft, I hold it for a Maxime, that every civil and good natur'd man, fhould al- wayes fecond the laudable intentions of his friends, provided they be not pre- judicial to his own: So that he that has Books, Medalls, PiStures 9 which comes to him by chance, rather than out of aflfe<5lion to them, may eafily be per- fwaded to accommodate fuch of his friends whom he knows to defire, & is curious of them. I fhall willingly add to this third Precept, the craft which Ma- giftrates and perfons of authority may pra6life, and exercife by means of their dignities : but I would not more nakedly explicate it, than by the fimple narra- tion

a Library 99

tion of the Stratagem which the Vene- tians made ufe of, to obtain the beft Man- ufcriptsofPinellus immediately after his deceafe ; for upon the advice which they had, that they were about to tranfport his Library from Padua to Naples ,they fuddenlydifpatched one of their Magif- trates, whofeifed upon a hundred Bales of Books, amongft which there were fourteen of them that contain'd Manu- fcripts, & two of them above four hun- dred Commentaries on all the affairs of Italy ; alledging for their reafons, that though they had permitted the defun6l Seigneur Pinelli y in regard of his condi- tion, his defign, his laudable and irre- proachlefs life, & principally, thefriend- fhip which he ever teftified towards the Republique, to have Copies of their Ar- chives,

ioo Erecting of

chives, & Regifters of their affairs ; yet it was neither fit nor expedient for them, that fuch pieces fhould come to be di- vulged, difcovered and communicated after his death ; whereupon at the in- ftance of the Heirs and Executors of the Teftament, who were powerful & au- thorifed, they retained onely two hun- dred of thefe Commentaries, which were placed in a Chamber apart, with this in- fcription, Decerpta hcec Imperio Senatus e Bibliotheca Pinelliana. dThe fourth is,toretrench & cut off all the fuperfluous expences, which many prodigally and to no purpofe beftow up- on the binding and ornaments of their Books, and to employ it in purchafing fuch as they want, that fo they may not be obnoxious to that cenfure of Seneca,

who

a Library 101

who handfomly reproaches thofe, Qui- bus voluminum fuorum /routes maxime placent titulique; & this the rather, that the binding is nothing but an accident & form of appearing, without which ( at leaft fo fplendid and fumptuous ) Books become altogether as ufeful, commode & rare ; it becoming the ignorant onely to efteem a Book for its cover; feeing it is not with Books, as it is with men, who are onely known and refpe<5ted for their robes and their clothes, fo that it is a great deal better, and more necef- fary, for example, to have a good quan- tity of Books, well & ordinarily bound, than to have a little Chamber or Cab- inet full of wafhed, gilded, ruled, and enriched with all manner of nicity, lux and fuperfluity.

CThe

102 Erecting of

fifth concerns the buying of them, & that may be divided into four or five Articles, fuitable to the feveral expedients which maybe obferved in the pra6life. Now, amongft thefe, I fhould willingly fet down for the firft, the fpeedieft, eafie and advantagious of all the reft, that which is made by the ac- quifition of fome other entire and undif- fipated Library. I call it prompt, and fpeedy ; becaufe thatin lefs than a dayes time one may have a goodly number of Books curious and learned, which one fhall not be able to amafs and colle6l together during a mans whole life. I call it facil, becaufe one fpares both the pains and the time which would be con- fumed in purchafing them feparately ; In fine, I name it advantagious, becaufe,

if

a Library 103

if the Libraries which we buy be good and curious, they ferve to augment the credit and reputation of thofe who are enriched by them ; whence we fee that Paffemnus fo much efteems that of Car- dinal de Joyeufe, for that it was com- pofed of three others, one whereof had beenMonfieurPitheus,&t for that all the moft renouned Libraries have received their augmentation in this manner ; as for inftance, that of S. Mark at Venice by the donation of Cardinal Beffarions; that of the Efcurial by that great one which Hurtado de Mendoza had col- lefted; The Ambrofian of Milan,bythe ninety Bales which were added to it at once by that one fole naufrage & ruine of Pinellis ; that of Ley den, by above two hundred Manufcripts in the Ori- ental

104 Erecting of

ental Languages, which Scaliger be- queathed to it by his Teftament; and fi- nally, that ofAfcanius Colomna, by that incomparable one which Cardinal Sir- let tus left it ; whence I conje6lure, my Lord, that yours cannot but one day emerge one of the moft famous and re- nouned amongft the greateft, by rea- fon of that of your Fathers, which is al- ready fo famous and univerfally known from the relation which has been left to pofterity by La Croix, Fauchet, Marjil- lius, Turnebus, Pafjeratius, Lambinus, & by almoft all the gallant perfons of that ftrain, who have not been [unjmindfull of the benefit & inftruftions which they have received of them. C. After all which, me thinks, the means which neareft approaches to this firft, is,

to

a Library 105

to rummage and often to revifite the fhops of frippery Bookfellers, & the old Stores and Magazines as well of Books bound up, as of thofe which have fo long remained in waftefheets,fo many years, that there are many, not much know- ing & verfed in this kind of fearch, who conceive they can be of no others ufe then to hinder.

toga cordylis, ne pcenula dejit olivis,

albeit we often encounter very excellent Books amongft them, and that (the ex- pence well managed) one may chance to purchafe more for ten crowns, than one can other wife buy for fourtyorfifty, (hould one take them in feveral places & pieces ; provided neverthelefs, a man have a fufficient ftock of care and pa- tience,

ice Erecting of

tience, confidering that one cannot fay of a Library what certain Poets faid of our City,

Quo primum nata eft tempore, magna fuit:

It being impoffible fo fpeedily to ac- complifh a thing, of which Solomon tells us there is no end ; Libros enimfaciendi non erit finis; & to the finifhing where- of, though Monfieur Thuanus has la- boured twenty years, Pinelli fifty, and divers others all their lives long, yet are you not to believe, that they are arrived to that utmoft perfection which were to be wifhed one might attain to, in point of a Library.

f^Butfince itis neceflary forthe growth & augmentation of fuch a piece, to fur-

nifh

a Library 107

nifh it diligently with all the new Books of merit and confideration that are printed in all parts of Europe; and that Pinellus and the reft have for this pur- pofe entertained correfpondency with an infinite number of friends, ftrangers, and forreign Merchants; It would be very expedient, to put the fame in prac- tice, or at leaft to make choice of two or three rich Merchants kno wing & expe- rienced in their vocation, who by their various intelligences, & voyages, might furnifh us with all kinds of novelties, & make diligent perquifitionof what ever we demand by Catalogues; which thing it is not fo neceflary to pra6life for old Books, forafmuch as the fureft expedi- ent to ftore ones felf good cheap with them, is, to feek for them indifferently

amongft

Erecting of

amongft the Stationers, amongft whom the length of time, & various occaiions is uf 'd to difperfe and fcatter them. C.I will not yet infer, for all the good hulbandry which we have propofed a- bove, that it is not fometimes necefiary to exceed the limits of this Oeconomy, to purchafe at extraordinary prices fome certain Books that are very rare, and which one fhall hardly get out of their hands who underftand them, but by this onely means. But the temper which is to be obferved in this difficulty, is, to confider that Libraries are neither built nor efteemed but for the fervice & benefit which one may receive from them, and therefore one fhould negle6l fuch Books & Manufcripts as are only valuable in refpeft of their Antiquity,

figures,

a Library 109

figures, paintings, binding, and other weak confiderations ; Such as were the Froijfard, which certain Merchants would have fold not long fince at three hundred Crowns ; The Bocace of the un- fortunate Nobles, which was eftimated at a hundred; The Mtffal and Bible of Guinart ; the Howres, which they are wont to fay was ineftimable for its curi- ous figures and copartiments, The Titus Livius, and other Hiftorians in Manu- fcripts & painted in miniature; Chinefe and Japan Books, fuch as are drawn in Parchment, ftained Paper, of extream fine Cotton, and with large Margents, and feveral others of the like fluff; to employ the great fums which they coft, upon Volumes more ufeful in a Library than all thefe we have mentioned, or fuch

as

no Erecting of

as refemble them, which fhall never make the paffionate Colle6lors of them fo much efteemed, as was Ptolomeus Philadelphus for giving fifteen talents for the works of Euripides; Tarquinius, who bought the three Books of Sibyll, at as great a price as would have pur- chafed all the nine ; Ariftotle, who gave threefcore and twelve thoufand Sefter- cies for the works of Speujippus; Plato, who employed a thoufand denarii for thofe ofPhilolaus; Eeffarion, who bought thirty thoufand Crowns worth of Greek Books; Hurtado de Mendoza, who pro- cured a great Ships fraight, out of the Levant; Picus Mirandula, who ex- pended feven thoufand Crowns in He- brew Manufcripts, Chaldean, & others; & in brief, that King of France who en-

a Library m

gaged his Gold & Silver Plate to have a Copy of LacertiuSj a Book belonging to theLibraryof the Phyfitiansof this City, as it is teftified at large in the antient Patent and Regifters of their Faculty. C[To thefe I add, that it would be expe- dient alfo to know of the Parents and Heirs of feveral gallant perfons, wheth- er they have not left fome Manuscripts which they would part withall, feeing it frequently comes to pafs, that the great- eft number of them never print half of their works ; being either prevented by their death, or hindred by the expence, the apprehenfion of many cenfures & judgements, the fear of not coming well off, the liberty of their difcourfe, their modefty, & other the like reafons which have deprived us of many Books of Pof-

tellus,

us Erecting of

tellus 9 Bodin, Mar/illius, Pafferatius, Maldonat, &c. whofe Manuscripts are frequently lighted upon in particular mens ftudies, or in Bookfellers fhops. In like manner alfo ought one to know from year to year, what TraSls the moft learned Regents of the neighbouring Univerjities are to read, as well in their publique Clafles, as in particular, there- by to procure Copies to be written ; & by this means eafily obtain a world of pieces, as good & eftimable as are many Manufcripts which are dearly bought for their age and antiquity ; for inftance, theTreatife of the Druides of M. Mar- Jillius; The Hiftory and Treatife of the French Magiftrates of M. Grangier; The Geography of M. Belurgey; the fun- dry writings of M. M. Dautruy, Ham-

bert 9

a Library

bert, Seguin, ofdu Val 9 of Artis; and in a word, of the moft renouned Profef- fors of all France.

C. Finally, one that had as great an af- feftion for Books as the Sieur Vincen- tius Pinellij may alfo, as he did, vifit the Shops of thofe who often buy old Pa- pers or Parchments, to fee if there no- thing chance into their hands that may be worthy the colle<5lion for a Library ; And in truth, we fhould be much en- couraged in this particular, by the ex- ample ofPogius, who found Quintilian upon the Counter of a Cooks Jbop, dur- ing the time that he was at the Councel of Conftance, as alfo by that of Papirius MaJJbnius, who encountred Agobardus in a Stationers fhop, who was ready to cover his Books with it; & ofAfconius,

which

H4 Erecting of

which has been given to us by a like chance : But forafmuch, nevertheleffe, that this expedient is alfo as extraordi- nary as is their aflfe<5lion who make ufe of it ; I fhall rather choofe to leave it to their difcretion, than prefcribe it as a general and neceflfary rule.

CHAP.

a Library

CHAP. VI.

The Difpojition of the place where they Jhould be kept.

THIS confideration of the place which ought to be made choice of to corre6l and eftablifh a Library in, would well take up as long a difcourfe as any of the precedent, could the Pre- cepts which one might give be exe- cuted with as much facility, as thofe which we have already deduced & ex- plicated above: But, forafmuch as it onely appertains to thofe who would build places exprefly for this purpofe, precifely to obferve all the rules & cir- cumftances which depend on the Archi-

teSture,

116 Erecting of

teSlure, many particularities being nec- eflarily obliged to fubmit to the divers fhapes of their dwellings, to place their Library as conveniently as they can ; and to fpeak ferioufly, I conceive it the fole occafion which has perfwaded Ar- chiteSls to add nothing to what Vitruvi- us has faid thereupon. Howbeit, not to publifhthis advice lame and imperfeft, I fhall offer you my opinion in fhort, to the end that every body may make ufe of it according to his power, or as he fhall judge it to his liking. 4L As to what concerns then the fitua- tion, where one would build, or choofe a place convenient for a Library, it feems that this common faying Carmina fecejjum fcribentis & otia qute- runt,

would

a Library

would oblige us to take it in a part of the houfe the moft retired from the noife & difturbance, not onely of thofe with- out, but alfo of the family and domef- ticks ; diftant from the ftreets, from the kitchin, the common hall, & like place ; to fituate it ( if poffible ) within fome fpa- cious Court, or fmall Garden, where it may enjoy a free light, a good & agree- able profpe6t; the air pure, not near to marfhes, finks or dung-hills, and the whole difpofition of its edifice fo well conduced and ordered, that it partici- pate of no kind of indecorum or appar- ent incommodity.

41. Now to accomplifh this with more pleafure, & leffe pain, it will be alwayes fit to place it in the middle flages, to a- void the dampnefs of the ground, which

engenders

us Erecting of

engenders mouldinefs, and is a certain rottennefs that does ataque Books infen- fibly, and that the Garrets and Cham- bers above may preferve it from intem- peratures of the air; as thofe whofe roofs are low quickly refent the incom- modity of the rain, fnow, and heats; Which if there be no means eafily to avoid, yet ought one at leaft to be care- ful that they afcend to them by four or five fteps, as I have obferved in the Ambrojian at Milan ; & the higher the better, and that as well in refpe6l of its beauty, as to avoid the named incon- veniences ; otherwife, the place being humid, and ill fituated, you muft of ne- ceffity have recourfe to mats or tapif- tries, to line the walls withall, and to the ftove or chimney, in which nothing

muft

a Library 119

muftbe confumed fave wood, which will burn without fmoke, to heat & dry the room during the winter, and other wet feafons of the year.

L But all thefe difficulties and circum- ftances are nothing to thofe which are to be obferved for the giving light, and conveniently placing the windows of a Library, as well for beingoffo great im- portance, that it be fully illuminated to the very fartheft corners, as in refpe<5t likewife of the feveral natures of the winds which ordinarily blow, & which produce effe6ls as different as are their qualities and the places through which they pafs ; upon which, I fay, there are two things to be obferved ; the firft, that the tranfum and the windows of the Li- brary (if they mull be through-lights)

120 Erecting of

be not diametrically oppofite, unlefs thofe onely which give day to fome ta- ble; thatfo the lights paffingnotthrough, the place be fufficiently fupplyed. The fecond, that the principal overtures be alwayes placed towards the Eaft, as well becaufe of the early light which the Li- brary may receive in the morning, as in refpe<5t of the winds which fpire from that quarter, which for being hot & dry of nature, do wonderfully attemper the air, fortifie the fenfes, fubtilize the hu- mors, depure the fpirits, preferve a good conftitution, corre6l the bad, & in a word, are very healthy and falubrous: where- as on the contrary, thofe which blow from the Weft are more troublefom & noxious, and the Meridional more dan- gerous than all the reft, for that being

hot

a Library

hot and moift they difpofe things to cor- ruption, thickentheair,nourifhwormes, engender vermine, foment and create fickneffes, difpofing us to new ones; whence that of Hippocrates, Auftri audi- tum hebetantes, Caliginofi,caput gravan- tes,pigri 9 diflblventes; for that they fill the head with certain vapors & humidi- ties which cloud the fpirits, relax the nerves, obftrudl the conduits, obfufk the fenfe,&render us dull & almoft unfit for all forts of a6lions; Therefore, in defe6l of the firft, you fhould have recourfe to thefeptentrionall, and which by reafon of their qualities, cold, and drye, ingen- ders no humidity, and do well conferve both their Books and Papers.

CHAP.

122 Erecting of

CHAP. VII.

Of the Order which it is requijite to affign them.

\JU C-7

THE feventh point, and which feems abfolutely neceflary to be treated of after the precedent, is that of the Order and Difpojition which Books ought to obferve in a Library; for with- out this, doubtlefs, all inquiring is to no purpofe, and our labour fruitlefs ; feeing Books are for no other reafon laid & re- ferved in this place, but that they may be ferviceable upon fuch occaiions as pre- fent themfelves ; Which thing it is not- withftanding impoffible to eflfe6l, unlefs they be ranged, and difpofed according

to

a Library 123

to the variety of theirfubje6ts,or infuch other fort, as that they may eafily be found,asfoon as named. I affirm, more- over, that without this Order and difpo- fition, be the colle6tion of Books what- ever, were it of fifty thoufand Volumes, it would no more merit the name of a Library , than an aflembly of thirty thoufand men the name of an Army, unleffe they be martially in their fever- al quarters, under the conduft of their Chiefs and Captains ; or a vaft heap of ftones and materials, that of a Palace or a houfe, till they be placed and put to- gether according to rule, to make a per- fe<5l and accomplifhed ftru6ture. And juft as we fee Nature, Qua nihil unquam fine ordine meditata e/t vel effecit, does govern, entertain, and conferve, by this

onely

124 Erecting of

onely way, fo great a di verfity of things, without the ufe whereof we could not fuftain & preferve our bodies; fo ought we to believe, that to entertain our fpirit, it is fit that the objefts and things which it makes ufe of, be in fuch fort difpofed, that it may alwayes and at pleafure difcern the one from the other; draw, and feparate them at his fantafie, without labour, without pains, without confufion. Which yet it could never accomplifh in the affairs of Books, if one fhould range them by a defign of a hundred Prefles, as la Croix du Maine propofes towards the conclufion of his French Bibliotheque ; or the Caprices which Julius Camillus expofes in the Idea of his Theatre ; and much lefs yet, fhould one purfue the triple divifions

which

a Library 125

which John Mabun infers from thefe words of the Pfalmift, Difciplinam, bo- nitatem, & fcientiam doce me y for the diftribution of all forts of Books under the three ClaJJes, & principal heads of Morals, of the Sciences, and of Devo- tion ; For as the Eele efcapes, by being too hard preffed, that Artificial Memo- ry fpoils and perverts the natural, and that we frequently fail of accomplifhing many affairs, by crouding them with too many circumftances and precau- tions ; fo is it certain, that it would be ex- treamly difficult for any fpirit, to regu- late, & accuftom itfelf to this Oecono- my, which feems not to have any other fcope but to torture & eternally cruci- fie the Memory, under the Thorns of thofe frivolous Punctilios & Chymerick

fubtilties ;

126 Erecting of

fubtilties ; fo far is it from rendring us the leaft aid, & verifie the faying of Ci- cero, Ordo e/t maxime qui memories lu- men qffert. And therefore making no more efteem of an order that can onely be followed by an Author, which will not be underftood, I conceive that to be alwayes the beft which is moft facil, the leaft intricate, moft natural, pra<5lifed, & which follows the Faculties of Theologie, Phyjick, Jurif prudence, Mathematicks, Humanity, & others, which fhould be fubdivided each of them into particulars, according to their feveral members, which for this purpofe ought to be rea- fonably well underftood by him who has the charge of the Library ; as for exam- ple, in Divinity, you fhould ever place

the Bibles firft, according to the order

a Library 127

of the tongues,next thefe, the Councells, Synods, Decrees, Canons, & all that con- cerns \heEccleJiaftical constitutions; for- afmuch as they retain the fecond place of authority amongft us ; After thefe, the Fathers, Greek & Latine ; then the Commentators, Scholafticks, Mix'd Doc- tors, Hiftorians, and finally, the Here- tiques. In Philojophy, to begin with that of Trifmegiftus as the moft antient, fol- low by that of Plato, of Ariftotle, of Raymondus Lullius, Ramus, and finifh with the Novators, Telejius, Patricius, Campanella, Verulamius, Gilbert, Jor- danus Brunus, GaJJendus, BaJJbnus, Go- mejius, Carpenter, Gorleus, which are the principal amongft a thoufand others: and fo to obferve the like in all Facul- ties; with thefe cautions, feduloufly ob-

ferved :

iss Erecting of

ferved: the firft, that the moft univerfal & antient, do alwayes march in front ; the fecond, that the Interpreters & Com- mentators be placed apart, & rang'd ac- cording to the order of the Books which they explicate ; the third, that the par- ticular Treatifes follow the rank and difpofition of their matter and fubjeft, in the Arts and Sciences; the fourth & laft, that all Books of like argument & fubje<5l be precifely reduced, and difci- plin'd in their deftin'd places ; fince in fo doing, the memory is fo refrefhed, that it would be eafie in a moment onely to find out whatever Book one would choofe or defire, in a Library that were as vaft as that of Ptolomy ; to eflfe6l which yet with more eafe and content- ment, care muft be had, that thofe Books

which

a Library

which are in too fmall Volumes to be bound alone, be joyned onely with fuch as treat upon the like or very fame fub- je6l ; and yet it were better to bind them alfo {ingle, then to make fo great a con- fufion in a Library as joyning them with others of fubje<5ls fo extravagant and wide, that a man fhould never imagine to find them in fuch Companies. I know well, that one may reprefent to me here two notable inconveniencies, which accompany this order ; viz. the difficulty of handfomly reducing and placing of certain mixed Books in any ClaJJes or principal Faculty, and the continual pains which attends the dif- turbing of a Library when one is to range a thirty or fourty Volumes into feveral places thereof: But to this I

reply,

130 Erecting of

reply, Firft, that there are but very few Books but what are reducible to fome order, efpecially when one has many of them ; being once placed, a very fleight memory will ferve to admonifh one where they Hand ; and at the worft, it is but to deftine a certain place to martial them in altogether : And as to the fecond Obje6lion, It is true, that a man might avoid fome trouble by fet- ting the Books loofe,or in leaving fome fmall place at the extreams of the fhelves, or places, where every faculty ends : but it would yet, me thinks, be much more advantagious, to choofe fome place deftin'd for fuch Books as fhould be purchafed during every fix moneths, at expiration whereof they fhould be ranged amongft the reft, each

in

a Library

in their proper ftages; fince by this means alfo they would be the better, being dufted and handled twice a year; And however, I conceive, that this or- der being the moil pra6lifed will ever be efteemed much better & eafier than that of the Ambrojian Library, & fome others, where all the Books are indif- ferently ranged pellmejle, according to the order of their Volumes and Ciflfers, and onely diftinguifhed in a Catalogue, wherein every piece is found under the name of its Author; forafmuch as that to avoid the precedent inconveniencies, it draws along with it an Iliad of others, to many whereof one may yet prefcribe a remedy, by a Catalogue faithfully com- piled according to the Claffes, and each Faculty fubdivided to the moft precife

and

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and particular of their parts. C, There now remains only Manu- fcripts to be fpoken of, which cannot be better placed then in fome quarter of the Library, there being no occafion to feparate and fequefter them from it ; lince they compofe the beft part & the moft curious, & efteemed ; to this add, that divers eafily perfwade themfelves, when they do not fee them amongft the reft of the bookes, that all thofe Cham- bers where we ufe to fay they are lock't up, are onely imaginary, and only def- tin'd to excufe fuch as indeed have none. There we may fee one intire fide of the Ambrojian Library which is filled with nine thoufand Manuscripts , which have all been aflembled by the care & dili- gence of the Sieur Jovanni Antonio Ol-

giati;

a Library 133

giati; And in that of M. the Prejident Thuanus, there is one Chamber of the fame floor with the reft, deftin'd for this purpofe. And therefore, in prefcribing the order which one might thence ob- ferve, you muft confider that there are two forts of Manuscripts, & that thofe which are of a juft Volume & Bulk may be martial'd as other Books are; with this precaution neverthelefs, that in cafe there be any of great confequence, pro- hibited, and defended, they be placed upon the upmoft fhelves, & without any exteriour Title, that fo this may be the fartheft diftant both from hand and eye, & fo neither to be known nor handled but at the difcretion of him which hath the charge of them ; the fame which ought alfo to be put in pra6lice with the

other

134

Erecting of

other fort of Manuscripts which confift in fheets, & fmall loofe pieces ; which fhould be united by bundles & parcels according to their fubje<5ls, and placed upmoft of all the reft, becaufe being fmall, & eafily tranfcribed, they would be daily obnoxious to be taken away or borrowed, if they fhould be placed in any part where they might be feen & handled by every one, as it frequently happens to Books which lye upon dejks in antient Libraries: And this isfufficient to have been fpoken upon this point on which there is no farther need of en- larging, fince the order of Nature which is alwayes uniform & like her felf, not being to be exa<5lly imitated, by rea- fon of the extravagancy & diversity of Books, there onely remains that of Art,

which

a Library 135

which every man will for the moft part eftablifh according to his own fancy, and as he finds beft to fuite his purpofe, by his own judgement and underftand- ing, as well to fatisfie himfelf, as be- caufe he will not follow the tracks and opinions of others.

CHAP,

Erectin of

CHAP. VIII.

Of the Ornament and Decoration neceffarily to be obferved.

I SHOULD willingly difpenfe with this laft Confideration, to pafs to that which ought to clofe and fhut up thefe InftruStions, were I not advertif 'd by that excellent faying of Typotius, Ig- notapopulo eft & mortua pene ipf a virtus fine lenocinio, to fpeak a word by the way concerning the exteriour parade & ornament which is requifite to a Libra- ry, confidering that this fard & decora- tion feems to be neceflary, fince accord- ing to the faying of the fame Author, Omnis apparatus bellicus, omnes machine

forenfes,

a Library 137

forenfes, omnis denique fupellex domef- tica, ad oftentationem comparata sunt: & to fpeak truth, that which makes me the more eafily excufe the paffion of thofe who at prefent feek after this pomp with a great deal of expence & ufelefs coft, is, that the Antients have therein been more prodigal than we ; for let us firft of all confider, what the ftru6lure & building of their Libraries were ; IJidorus will tell us, that they were all paved with Serpentine marble, & the roof overlaid with Gold ; Boetius, that the Walls were lined with Glafs & Ivory ; Seneca, that the Prefles & Defks were of Ebony & Cedar: If we enquire what rare and exquifite pieces they put into them; Both the Plinies, Sueton, Martial , & Vopifcus, will teftifie through

aU

Erecting of

all their works, that they fpar'd neither Gold nor Silver to decore them with the Images, and lively Statues of all the gallant men. And finally, if you would know what was the Ornament of the Books ; Seneca does nothing elfe than reprehend the lux and exceffive ex- pences which they were at in painting, gilding, limming, covering and binding, with all kind of bumbaft, miniardife and fuperfluity. But that we may extraft fome inftru6lions from thefe diforders, we ought to choofe and draw out of thefe extreams that which is fo requifite for a Library, that we may at no hand negleft it, without avarice, nor exceed without prodigality ; I fay, firft of all, That as to the binding of Books, there is no need of extraordinary expence ;

it

a Library 139

it were better to referve that mony for the purchafing of all the books of the faireft and beft editions that are to be found ; unlefs that to delight the eyes of Spe6lators, you will caufe all the backs of fuch as fhall be bound as well in Rough, as in Calvejkin, or Morroccin, to be gilded with filets, and fome little flowers, with the name of the Authors ; for which you may have recourfe to the Guilder that is ufed to work for the Library, as alfo to the Binder, to re- pair the backs and peeled covers, re- ftitch them, accommodate the tranfpofi- tions, new pafte the Mapps & Figures, cleanfe the fpoiled leaves, and briefly, to keep all things in a condition fit for the ornament of the place, and the con- fer vation of the Books.

L Nor

Erecting of

CNor is there any neceffity of feeking for, and amaffing in a Library all thefe pieces and fragments of old Statues,

Et Curios jam dimidios, humeroque mi-

norem, Corvinum, & Galbam auriculis nafoque

carentem ;

It being fufficient to have good Copies drawn from fuch as are moft famous in the profeffion of Letters ; that thereby a man may at once make judgement of the wit of the Authours by their Books, and by their bodies ; figure, and phyfiognomy by thefe Pi6lures and Images, which joyn'd to the defcription which many have made of their lives, may ferve, in my opinion, as a puiflant fpurre to excite a generous and well- born

a Library

born Soul to follow their track, and to continue firm and ftable in the wayes and beaten paths of fome noble enter- prife and refolution. L Much lefs ought one to employ fo much gold on the Cieling, Ivory and glafs upon the Walls, the Cedar Shelves, and Marble Floors, feeing this is not now in ufe; nor do they now place their Books upon Defks, as the antients did ; but upon Shelves that hide all the Walls ; but in lieu of fuch gildings and adornings, one may fupply it in Math- ematical Inftruments, Globes, Mapps, Spheres, PiStures, Animals, Stones, and other curiofities as well Artificial as Natural, which are ordinarily colle6led from time to time, with very little ex- pence.

C Finally,

142 Erecting of

CL Finally, it would be a great forget- fulnefs, if after we have thus furnifht a Library with all things requifite, it fhould not have the Shelves garnifh'd with fome fleight fearge, buckrom or canvas, fitted on with nails filvered or gilt, as well to preferve the Books from duft, as to render a handfom ornament and grace to the whole place ; and alfo, fhould it be unprovided of Tables, Car- pets, Seats, Brufhes, Balls of Jafper, Conferves, Clocks, Pens, Paper, Ink, Penneknifes, Sand, Almanacks, and other fmall moveables, and fuch like Inftruments, which are of fo little coft, and yet fo neceflary, that there is no excufe for fuch as neglecSl to make this provifion.

CHAP.

a Library 143

CHAP. IX.

What ought to be the principal J cope and end offuch a Library.

A<L things being in this equipage, there remains nothing more for the accomplifhment of this difcourfe, than to know what ought to be its prin- cipal end and ufe ; for to imagine that after all this pains and expence, thefe lights are to be fet under a Bufhel, and condemn fo many brave witts to a per- petual filence & folitude, is ill to under- ftand the fcope of a Library 9 which nor more nor lefle thanNature herfelf,P^r- ditura estfrulumfui,Ji tarn magna, tarn prceclara, tamfubtiliterdita 9 tarn nitida,

144 Erecting of

&non unogenereformofa 9 folitudine of- tenderit, fcias illam fpeStari voluifle, non tantum afpicL Therefore, I fhall tell you, my Lord, with as much freedom as affeftion, for your fervice, That in vain does a man ftrive to put in execu- tion any of the forefaid Expedients, or be at any notable charge for Books, who has not a defign to devote and con- fecrate them to the publick ufe, or de- nies to communicate them to the leaft, who may reap any benefit thereby ; fo true is that faying of the Poet , Vile latens virtus, quid enim demerfa

tenebris

Proderit 9 obfcuro velutijine remige pup- pis,

Vel lyra qua reticet, vel qui non tenditur arcus.

a Library 145

So far was it one of the principal M ax- imes of the moft fumptuous and fplen- did amongft the Romans, or of thofe who were moft affefted to the publique good, to enrich many of thofe Libraries, to bequeath & deftine them afterwards to the ufe of all the learned men ; fo that even according to the calculation of Peterus ViStor, there were nine & twen- ty at Rome, and as Palladius reports, thirty feven, which were fo evident indi- cations of the grandieur, magnificence, & fumptuofity of the Romans, that Pan- cirolus had reafon to attribute to our negligence, & to range amongft thofe memorable things of Antiquity, which defcended not to our times, thefe af- fured teftimonies of the opulency, and good affe6lion of the Antients towards

thofe

146 Erecting of

thofe who made profeffion of Letters ; and that with fo much more reafon, as that there are at prefent, as far as I can underftand, none fave thofe of the Knight Bodley in Oxford ; of Cardinal Borromeus at Milan, of the Auguftine Fryers at Rome, where one may freely enter, and without difficulty; all the reft, as that ofMuretus 9 Fulvius Urfinus, Montalto, and the Vatican; OfMedicis, and Petrus ViStor, at Florence ; of Bejfa- rion, at Venice ; of St. Anthony ofPadoua; of the Jacobins, at Boulogne; of the Au- guftines, at Cremona ; of Cardinal Siri- pandus, at Naples; of Frederick, Duke of Urbin ; ofNunneJius, at Barcelona; of Ximenes, at Complutum; of Ranzovius, at Brandeburg; ofFoulcres, at Aujbourg; and finally, the King's at S. ViStor, &

of

a Library 147

of M. de T. at Paris, which are all of them fair and admirable; but neither open to every one, nor fo eafie of accefs, as are the three precedent : for tofpeak of the Ambrojian of Milan onely, and fhew how (by the fame means) it fur- pafies as well in greatnefs and magnifi- cence, as in obliging the publique, many of thofe that were even amongft the Romans ; is it not a thing altogether ex- traordinary, that any one may come into it, almoft at all hours he will, ftay as long as he pleafes, fee, read, extra6l what Authors he defires, have all the means & conveniences to do it, be it in publique or particular, & that without any other labour, than vifiting it him- felf at the ordinary dayes, and hours, placing himfelf in the feats deftin'd for

this

148 Erecting of

this purpofe, & afking of the Bibliothe- cary for thofe Books which he defires to make ufe of, or of any three of his fer- vants, who are well ftipendiated, & en- tertain'd as well for the fervice of the Library, as of all thofe who come every day thither to ftudy in it. C. But to regulate this liberty with ci- vility, and all thofe precautions which are requifite, I fuppofe it would be ex- pedient to make ele<5lion & choice in the firft place of fome honeft perfon, learned, & well experienced in Books, to give, together with the charge and requifite ftipends, the title & quality of Bibliothecary unto, as we fee it has been pra6lif 'd in all the moft renoun'd Li- braries, where divers gallant men have alwayes thought themfel ves much hon- oured

a Library 149

cured in executing this charge, & have rendred it mod illuftrious and recom- mendable by their great learning and capacity; as for inftance, Demetrius PhaleriuSy Callimachus, Apollonius, Al- exandrinus, Ariftoxenus, & Zenodotus, who had the charge heretofore of that of Alexandria ; Varro & Hyginus, who govern'd that on Mount Palatinus at Rome ; Leidratus and Agobardus, that of the Ifland Barbe near Lyons under Charlemaine ; Petrus Diaconus that of Mount Coffin ; Platina, Eugubinus and Sirlettus, that of the Vatican ; Sabellius that of Venice ; Wolphius ofBqfil ; Greu- ter that of Heidelburgh; Douza and Paulus Merula that of Ley den, whom the learned Heinjius has fucceeded ; as after Budteus, GoJJelinus, & Cafaubon,

150 Erecting of

M. Rigaultius does at prefent govern the Bibliotheque Royal eftablifhed by King Francis thejirfl, and exceedingly augmented by the extream induftry & diligence which he ufed. C. After all which it fhall be very re- quifiteto make two Catalogues of all the Books contained in the Library, in one whereof they fhould be fo precifely dif- pof'd according to their feveral Matters and Faculties, that one may fee & know in the twinkling of an eye, all the Au- thors which do meet there upon the firft fubje6l that fhall come into ones head ; and in the other, they fhould be faithfully ranged and reduced under an Alphabetical order of their Authours, as well to avoid the buying of them twice, as to know what are wanting, & fatisfie

a Library 151

a number of perfons that are fometimes curious of reading all the works of cer- tain Authours in particular. Which be- ing thus eftablifhed, the advantage to be gained is in my opinion extreamly important ; be it in refpe<5l to the par- ticular profit which the Owner & Bib- liothecary may thereby receive, or in regard of the renown to be acquired by their communication with every- body ; that we may not be like to thofe avaritious perfons, who take no felicity in their riches ; or to that malicious Ser- pent, who fuffered none to approach and gather the fruits of the Garden of Hefpendes; efpecially confidering, that there is nothing eftimable, but as it be- comes profitable & ufeful : & for that, concerning Books in particular, they

are

152 Erecting of

are like to the Man of whom Horace fpeaks in one of his Epiftles,

Odifti claves & grata Jigillapudico Faucis oftendigemis,&communia laudas.

However, fince it were unreafonable to profane that indifcreetly which (hould be managed with judgement, we ought to obferve; that feeing all Libraries cannot continually be fo open as the Ambrojian; it were yet at leaft wife permitted, that whoever had occafion for it, fhould have free acceffe to the Bibliothecary, whofhould introduce him with the leaft delay or difficulty ; fec- ondly,that thofe which were altogether ftrangers, and all others that had ufe onely of fome paffages, might fearch & extra<5l out of all printed Books, what- ever

a Library

ever they flood in need of: thirdly, that perfons of merit & knowledge might be indulged to carry fome few ordinary Books to their own Lodgings, never- thelefs yet with thefe cautions, that it fhould not be for above a fortnight or three weeks at moft, & that the Library- keeper be careful to regifter in a Book deftin'd for this purpofe, & divided by Letters Alphabetically, whatfoever is fo lent out to one or other, together with the date of the day, the form of the Volume, & the place & year of its im- preffion ; & all this to be subfcribed by the Borrower, this to be cancel'd when the Book is returned, & the day of its reddition put in the margent, thereby to fee how long it has been kept ; and that fuch as fhall have merited by their

diligence

154 Erecting of

diligence and care in conferving of Books, may have others the more read- ily lent to them. Affuring you, my Lord, that if it fhall pleafe you to purfue what you have already begun, & aug- ment your Library to make this ufe of it, or fome other which you fhall judge to be better, you fhall obtain praifes incomparable, infinite acknowledge- ments, not vulgar advantages, and in brief, a fatisfaftion indicible, when by running over this Catalogue, you fhall confider the courtefies which you have done, the gallant men you have obliged, the perfons which fhall have feen you, the new friends & fervants which you fhall have acquired, & in a word, when you fhall have judged by the finger & the eye, how much glory & reputation

your

a Library 155

your Library fhall have produced you ; Towards whofe progrefs and augmen- tation, I proteft I would willingly, and whilft I live, contribute all that I could poffible ; as I have already taken the boldnefs to render you fome teftimo- nies of it by thefe Inftru6lions, which I hope in time fo to polifh and augment, that it fhall not blufh the publication, to difcourfe & fpeak more at large on a fubje<5t not hitherto treated of, & let- ting the world fee, under the Title of Bibliotheca Memmiana, what has been fo long wifhed for, An ample & particu- lar Hiftory , both of Letters & of Books ; the Judgement & Cenfure of Authors, the Names of the beft & moft neceffary in each Faculty; the Scourge of Pla- giaries, the Progrefle of the Sciences,

the

156 Erecting of

the Diverfity of SeSts, the Revolutions of Arts and Difciplines, the Decadence of the Antient, the feveral Principles of the Novators; & that Excellent Law of the Pyrrhenians founded upon the igno- rance of all men ; under the umbrage whereof I do moft humbly, my Lord, befeech you, to excufe my own, and to receive thefe Render Inftrutfions, though courfe and ill woven, as pledges of my good will, and of that which I promife to prefent you one day, with a greater attendance, and better equipage.

Nunc te marmoreumpro temporefecimus,

at tu Sifceturagregemfuppleverit, aureusejlo.

FINIS.

a Library 157

The Copy of a Letter fent to the Learn- ed, my moft honour'd and worthy Friend, Dr. Barlow, D.D. Provoft of Queens Colledge, and late Proto- Bibliothecary of the Bodleian Libra- ry in Oxford.

Reverend Sir,

"\) whatpurpofe Ihaddejigrid the Copy which you were longjince pleaf'd to favour me with accepting, I do nowpubli/h; & by this acknowledgement exprefs my obligations to you; that though there was nothing of mine in what I transmitted to you bejide the pleafure of putting afubjeSt into Englifh, which I thought might be acceptable to you; you would yet honour me with Printing at Oxford ; and where, Jince it was loft, it

is

158 Erecting of

is here retriv'd, and by the fame hand prefented again to you ; but not as a thing which can in the leaft pretend to inftruSl you, who not onely haveprejided over one of the mojl illuftrious Libraries in the World; but are alfo of your f elf (as Eunapius would exprefs the merits of the Sophift Longinus) /Ji/SXio^'joj ^v X<>9, fcal TrepiTTdTovv /xoucretoj/ ; and to whom, with no lefs reafon 9 may well be apply ed what S. Hieromfaid once of Origen ; Auxerunt aliorum ftudia Bib- liothecas, ac per partes compleverunt : unus tamen ( Barlous ) ingenii facilitate, Bibliothecam unam quamvis ingentem, implere potuit. JVbr do I believe that I Jhall hereby inform you of a thing un- known to you, by telling you that the per- fon who publi/hed thefe InJlruStions, P.

Ludovicus

a Library 159

Ludovicus Jacobus, a Monk, hasfet forth a larger Treatife or Hiftory of the mo/t famous Libraries, as well publique, as particular, which have either been hereto- fore, or are at prefent extant in all the World; where, what he hathfpoken in commendation of this Piece, & the learned Authour of it ; what honourable mention he makes of the Bodlean especially, & of all thofe ofthefeveral Colledges in both our Univerfities, cannot but extreamly affeft you, and be very acceptable to all thofe that delight in the progrefs & ad- vancement of Learning. But Sir, I do but touch it, and, after my AddreJJes to my L. Chancellor, fubmit thefe papers to your favourable cenfure; becaufe I know, if they receive it now afecond time, they will be doubly fortified; if not for the fub-

jeSt,

Erecting of a Library

jet,for the great Names which compre- hend them. But, if from hence alfo the Gentlemen of our Nation derive fuch encouragements, as may any way incite them to imitate thofe gallant &renoun'd Geniuf 's of our de Bury, Bodley, Cot- ton, Hales ; Their Memmius, Thuanus, Putean, Cordeiius, & a thoufand more celebrated for their Libraries, affeStion to Books, and promotement of publique de- Jigns, I/ball then efteem myfelfextreamly fortunate, in having contributed to fo great a good ; and especially, if to this alfo be added your Acceptation of thefe Exprejfions of it from

Reverend Sir,

Your moft humble, and moft aflfe<5lionate Servant,

J. EVELYN.

Four hundred and nineteen copies of this book were printed at the RIVERSIDE PRESS, Cambridge, in the month of February, Mdcccciii. Of this number four hundred are for sale.

LENDER COLL.]