occupies, his Majesty the King of Wuertemberg does not possess in any nook, corner, or portion of his Suabian dominions.  I will prove what I say at the point of—­my pen.  Yet more extraordinary intelligence.  A “deed of note” has been performed; and to make the mystery more mysterious, you are to know that I have paid my respects to the King, at his late levee; the first which has taken place since the accouchement of the Queen.[4] And what should be the object of this courtly visit?  Truly, nothing more or less than to agitate a question respecting the possession of two old editions of Virgil, printed in the year 1471.  But let me be methodical.

When I parted from Lord Spencer on this “Bibliographical, Antiquarian and Picturesque Tour,” I was reminded by his Lordship of the second edition of the Virgil printed at Rome by Sweynheym and Pannartz, and of another edition, printed by Adam, in 1471, both being in the public library of this place:—­but, rather with a desire, than any seriously-grounded hope, on his part of possessing them.  Now, when we were running down upon Nancy—­as described in a recent despatch,[5] I said to Mr. Lewis, on obtaining a view of what I supposed might be the Vosges, that, “behind the Vosges was the Rhine, and on the other side of the Rhine was Stuttgart! and it was at Stuttgart that I should play my first trump-card in the bibliographical pack which I carried about me.”  But all this seemed mystery, or methodised madness, to my companion.  However, I always bore his Lordship’s words in mind—­and something as constantly told me that I should gain possession of these long sought after treasures:  but in fair and honourable combat:  such as beseemeth a true bibliographical Knight.

Having proposed to visit the public library on the morrow—­and to renew the visit as often and as long as I pleased—­I found, on my arrival, the worthy Head Librarian, seriously occupied in a careful estimate of the value of the Virgils in question—­and holding up Brunet’s Manuel du Libraire in his right hand—­“Tenez, mon ami,” exclaimed he, “vous voyez que la seconde edition de Virgile, imprimee par vos amis Sweynheym et Pannartz, est encore plus rare que la premiere.”  I replied that “c’etoit la fantasie seule de l’auteur.”  However, he expressed himself ready to receive preliminaries, which would be submitted to the Minister of the Interior, and by him—­to the King; for that the library was the exclusive property of his Majesty.  It was agreed, in the first instance, that the amount of the pecuniary value of the two books should be given in modern books of our own country; and I must do M. Le Bret the justice to say, that, having agreed upon the probable pecuniary worth, he submitted a list of books, to be received in exchange, which did equal honour to his liberality and judgment.