Among his notices of the London libraries we find an interesting account
of the collection at Lambeth, then housed in the galleries above the
cloisters. 'The oldest of the books were Dudley's, the Earl of Leicester,
which from time to time have been augmented by several Archbishops of
that See. It had a great loss in being deprived of Archbishop Sheldon's
admirable collection of missals, breviaries, primers, etc., relating to
the service of the Church, as also Archbishop Sancroft's.' The books and
MSS. belonging to Sancroft had in part been deposited at Lambeth; but on
his deprivation they were removed to Emmanuel College at Cambridge.
Oldys added that there was another apartment for MSS., 'not only those
belonging to the See, but those of the Lord Carew, who had been Deputy of
Ireland, many of them relating to the state and history of that kingdom.'
Archbishop Tenison had furnished another noble library near St. Martin's
Lane 'with the best modern books in most faculties'; 'there any student
might repair and make what researches he pleased'; and there too were
deposited Sir James Ware's important Irish MSS. and many other portions
of the Clarendon Collection, until offence was taken at their having been
catalogued among the papers of the Archbishop.
In Dulwich College there was another library to which Mr. Cartwright the
actor gave a collection of plays and many excellent pictures; and 'here
comes in,' says Oldys, 'the Queen's purchase of plays, and those by Mr.
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