THE BALD; who is surrounded by four attendants, blended, as it were, with a group of twelve below—­in the habits of priests—­listening to the oration of one, who stands nearly in the centre.[31] This illumination, in the whole, measures about fourteen inches in height by nearly ten and a half in width:  the purple ground being frequently faded into a greenish tint.  The volume itself is about twenty inches in height by fifteen wide.

PSALTER OF CHARLES THE BALD.  This very precious volume was also in the library of the Great Colbert.  It is a small quarto, bound in the most sumptuous manner.  The exterior of the first side of the binding has an elaborate piece of sculpture, in ivory, consisting of small human figures, beasts, &c.; and surrounded with oval and square coloured stones.  The exterior of the other, or corresponding, side of the binding has the same species of sculpture, in ivory; but no stones.  The text of the volume is in gold capitals throughout; but the ornaments, as well as the portrait of Charles, are much inferior to those in that just described.  However, this is doubtless a valuable relic.

PRAYER BOOK OF CHARLES THE BALD; in small 4to.  This is rather an Evangelistarium, or excerpts from the four Gospels.  The writing is a small roman lower-case.  The illuminations, like those in the Bible, are rubbed and faded, and they are smaller.  The exterior ornament of the binding, in the middle, contains a group of ivory figures—­taken from the original covering or binding.

BOOK OF THE GOSPELS, OF THE EMPEROR LOTHARIUS.  Although it is very probable that this book may be of a somewhat earlier date than the MS. just described, yet as its original possessor was brother to Charles the Bald, it is but courtesy to place him in the second rank after the French monarch; and accordingly I have here inserted the volume in the order which I apprehend ought to be observed.  An ancient ms. memorandum tells us that this book was executed in the 855th year of the Christian era, and in the 15th of the Emperor’s reign.  On the reverse of the first leaf is the portrait of the Emperor, with an attendant on each side.  The text commences on the recto of the second leaf.  On the reverse of the same leaf, is a representation of the Creator.  Upon the whole, this book may be classed among the most precious specimens of early art in this library.  On the cover are the royal arms.

LATIN BIBLE.  Fol.  This MS. of the sacred text is in four folio volumes, and undoubtedly cannot be later than the thirteenth century.  The text is written with three columns in each page.  Of the illuminations, the figures are sketches, but freely executed:  the colouring coarse and slightly put on:  the wings of some of the angels reminded me of those in the curious Hyde-Book, belonging to the Marquis of Buckingham at Stowe; and of which, as you may remember, there are fac-similes in the Bibliographical Decameron.[32] The group of angels (on the reverse of the fourth leaf of the first volume), attending the Almighty’s commands, is cleverly managed as to the draperies.  The soldiers have quilted or net armour.  The initial letters are sometimes large, in the fashion of those in the Bible of Charles the Bald, but very inferior in execution.  In this MS. we may trace something, I think, of the decline of art.