BIBLIA LATINA. Printed by Fust and Schoiffher, 1462. 2 vols.  There are not fewer than three copies of this edition, which I shall almost begin to think must be ranked among books of ordinary occurrence.  Of these three, two are UPON VELLUM, and the third is upon paper.  The latter, or paper copy, is cruelly cropt, and bad in every respect.  Of the two upon vellum, one is in vellum binding, and a fair sound copy; except that it has a few initials cut out.  The other vellum copy, which is bound in red morocco—­ measuring full fifteen inches and a half, by eleven inches and a quarter—­ affords the comfortable evidence of ancient ms. signatures at bottom.  There are doubtless some exceptionable leaves; but, upon the whole, it is a very sound and desirable copy.  It was obtained of the elder M. Brunet, father of the well-known author of the Manuel du Libraire.  M. Brunet senior found it in the garret of a monastery, of which he had purchased the entire library; and he sold it to the father of the present Comte d’Artois for six hundred livres ... only!

ROMAUNT DE JASON, Supposed to be printed by Caxton.  Folio. Without date.  This is a finer copy than the one in the Royal Library; but it is imperfect, wanting two leaves.

Here is a copy of the very rare edition of the MORLINI Novella Comoediae et Fabulae, printed in 1520 in 4to.:—­also of the Teatro Jesuitico—­impresso en Coimbra, 1634, 4to.:—­and of the Missa Latina, printed by Mylius in 1557, 8vo. which latter is a satire upon the mass, and considered exceedingly rare.  I regretted to observe so very bad a copy of the original Giunta Edition of the BOCCACCIO of 1527, 4to.

MISSALE PARISIENSE. 1522.  Folio.  A copy UPON VELLUM.  I do not think it possible for any library, in any part of the world, to produce a more lovely volume than that upon which, at this moment, I must be supposed to be gazing!  In the illuminated initial letters, wood-cuts, tone and quality of the vellum, and extreme skilfulness of the printer—­it surely cannot be surpassed.  Nor is the taste of the binding inferior to its interior condition.  It is habited in the richly-starred morocco livery of Claude d’Urfe:  in other words, it came from that distinguished man’s library.  Originally it appears to have been in the “Bibliotheque de l’Eglise a Paris.”

Mozarabic Missal and Breviary. 1500, 1502.  Folio.  Original Editions.  These copies are rather cropt, but sound and perfect.

THE DELPHIN STATIUS.  Two copies:  of which that in calf is the whitest, and less beaten:  the other is in dark morocco.  The Abbe Grosier told me that De Bure had offered him forty louis for one of them:  to which I replied, and now repeat the question, “where is the use of keeping two?” Rely upon it, that, within a dozen years from hence, it will turn out that these Delphin Statiuses have never been even singed by a fire![88] I begin to suspect that this story may be classed in the number of BIBLIOGRAPHICAL DELUSIONS—­ upon which subject our friend * * could publish a most interesting crown octavo volume:  meet garniture for a Bibliomaniac’s breakfast table.