' Shortly before his death in
1772 he commissioned Mr. Vaillant to buy largely at the sale of Mr.
Freebairn's library. In Clarke's _Repertorium_ we are told how a fine
Virgil was secured: 'and it was noted that when Mr. Vaillant had bought
the printed Virgil at L46 he huzza'd out aloud, and threw up his hat for
joy that he had bought it so cheap.' The great collection was afterwards
taken to Blenheim, and has been dispersed in our time; 'the King of
Denmark proffered the heirs L30,000 for it, and "Queen Zara" would have
inclined them to part with it.' When the Earl of Sunderland died,
Humphrey Wanley saw a good chance for the Harleian. 'I believe some
benefit may accrue to this library, even if his relations will part with
none of the works; I mean by his raising the price of books no higher
now; so that in probability this commodity may fall in the market, and
any gentleman be permitted to buy an uncommon old book for less than
forty or fifty pounds.' If we listen to the Rev. Thomas Baker, the
ejected Fellow who gave 4000 books to St. John's at Cambridge, we shall
hear a complaint against Wanley. Lord Oxford's librarian when he saw a
fine book, even in a public institution, used to say, 'It will be better
in my lord's library.' Baker might have said, 'a plague on both your
houses!' What he wrote was as follows:--'I begin to complain of the men
of quality who lay out so much for books, and give such prices that there
is nothing to be had for poor scholars, whereof I have felt the effects;
when I bid a fair price for an old book, I am answered, "The quality will
give twice as much," and so I have done.
Pages:
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206