The hereditary collections of Colbert and La Moignon were as much
indebted to their librarians as the Mazarine to the labours of Naude.
The Minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert was as celebrated for his books as for
his finance: but the magnificence of the library was mainly due to its
guardian Calcavi and his successor the venerable Baluze. Colbert's
manuscripts are believed to have been the most valuable ever amassed by a
person of private fortune. Among their eight thousand volumes were the
choicest treasures from St. Martin's Abbey at Metz, including the _Book
of Hours_ used by Charles the Great, and a Bible said to have been
illuminated for Charles the Bald. There were about 50,000 printed books,
almost all well-bound; and it was thought that the choicest Levantine
moroccos had been secured for the Minister by an article in a treaty with
the Sultan. Colbert died in 1683, and the library remained in his family
for half a century afterwards. In 1728 the Marquis de Seignelaye sold the
books, and began to sell a portion of the manuscripts; the world was
alarmed at the idea of a general dispersion; the remaining manuscripts,
however, were offered to Louis XV.; and there was great rejoicing when he
wrote '_Bon, 300,000 livres_' on the letter received from the Marquis.
The other famous library was amassed by 'an extraordinary family of
book-collectors.' It was begun by Guillaume de la Moignon, who was
President of the Parliament of Paris in 1658.
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