Farmer's
ragged regiments of old plays and frowsy ballads, and square-faced
broadsides 'bought for thrice their weight in gold.'
M. Paris de Meyzieux was the owner of a splendid library. Dibdin has
described his third sale, held in London during 1791, when the
bibliomaniacs, it was said, used to cool themselves down with ice before
they could face such excitement. Of himself he confessed that when he had
seen the illuminations of Nicolas Jany, the snow-white 'Petrarch,' the
'Virgil' on vellum, life had no more to offer: 'after having seen only
these three books I hope to descend to my obscure grave in perfect peace
and happiness.' The _Livre d'Heures_ printed for Francis I., which had
belonged to the Duc de la Valliere, was bought by Sir Mark Sykes, and
became one of his principal treasures at Sledmere.
Mr. Robert Heathcote had a most elegant library, in which might be seen
the tallest Elzevirs and several Aldine classics 'in the chaste costume
of Grolier.' It is said that the books passed lightly into his hands 'in
a convivial moment,' much to their former owner's regret. About the year
1807 they passed into the miscellaneous crowd of Mr. Dent's books; and
twenty years afterwards the whole collection was dispersed at a low
price, when the book-mania was giving way for a time to an affection for
cheap and useful literature.
The fever was still high in 1810 when Mr. Heath's plain classics were
snatched up at very extravagant terms. Colonel Stanley's library was
typical of the taste of the day.
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