of the prints at Paris, prevailed upon me to part with my St. Catherine—­at a price, which sufficiently shewed that he considered it to be no very indifferent object to the royal collection of France.  This however was a perfectly secondary consideration.  The print was left behind at Paris, as adding something to a collection of unrivalled value and extent, and where there were previously deposited two or three similar specimens of art.

But the Baron laid the greatest stress upon a copper plate impression of a crucifixion, of the date of 1430:  which undoubtedly had a very staggering aspect.[175] It is described in the subjoined note; and for reasons, therein detailed, I consider it to be much less valuable than the St. Catherine.[176] I also purchased of the Baron a few Martin Schoens, Albert Durers, and Israel Van Mechlins; and what I preferred to either, is a beautiful little illumination, cut out of an old choral book, or psalter, said, by the vendor, to be the production of Weimplan, an artist, at Ulm, of the latter end of the fifteenth century.  On my return to England, I felt great pleasure in depositing this choice morceau of ancient art in the very extraordinary collection of my friend Mr. Ottley—­at the same price for which I had obtained it—­about five and twenty shillings.  Upon the whole, I was well satisfied with the result of the “temptation” practised upon me at Baron Derschau’s, and left the mansion with my purse lightened of about 340 florins.  The Baron was anxious to press a choice Aldus or two upon me; but the word “choice” is somewhat ambiguous:  and what was considered to be so at Nuremberg, might receive a different construction in London.  I was, however, anxious to achieve a much nobler feat than that of running away with undescribed printed volumes, or rare old prints—­whether from copper or wood.  It was at Nuremberg that the EBNER FAMILY had long resided:  and where the Codex Ebnerianus—­a Greek MS. of the New Testament, of the XIIth. century—­had been so much celebrated by the elaborate disquisition of De Murr—­which is accompanied by several copper plate fac-simile engravings of the style of art in the illuminations of the MS. in question.  I had heard that the ancient splendors of the Ebner family had been long impaired; that their library had been partly dispersed; and that THIS VERY MS. was yet to be purchased.  I resolved, therefore, to lose no opportunity of becoming possessed of it ... preparing myself to offer a very considerable sum, and trusting that the spirit of some private collector, or public body, in my own country, would not long allow it to be a burden on my hands.  Accordingly, by the interposition and kind offices of M. Lechner, the bookseller, I learnt, not only in what quarter the MS. was yet preserved, but that its owners were willing to dispose of it for a valuable consideration.  A day and hour were quickly appointed.  The gentleman,