by G.D.
Originally published in The Athenæum (Longman, Rees, Hurst and Orme; Cadell and Davies) vol.1 #3 (01 Mar 1807).
This Library consists of three principal and original collections, that made by Sir Robert Cotton, that by Robert, Earl of Oxford and Mortimer, and that by Sir Hans Sloane.
And first in the order of time are the Cottonian Manuscripts, a collection not more valuable, than extensive, being in most languages, and relating to a great variety of subjects, but principally, to the history and constitution of this country. Many therefore are written in the Saxon character. Sir Robert spent the greatest part of 40 years in making this collection, purchasing at great expense from all quarters, particularly from the dissolved monasteries, Chronicles, Chartularies, Histories, and Manuscripts of all kinds, in which pursuit he was assisted by many learned men: among whom were Andrews, Bishop of Winchester, Lambard, Dee, Cambden, and Sir Christopher Hatton. In his will he ordered it to be preserved entire for the use of the public. It was accordingly so preserved, and so used at his manor house, in Westminster, where it was much augmented by his heirs.
The house in. which they were deposited, was, in the year 1731, demolished by a fire, and many of the books were altogether consumed, others very much damaged. The residue still being the public property, remained, as before, at the disposal of parliament.
Next followed the Harleian collection, all manuscripts. This was purchased by parliament for ten thousand pounds, of Henrietta Cavendish Holles, Countess of Oxford, and Countess of Mortimer, relict of Edward, Earl of Oxford, and Earl Mortimer, and the Dutchess of Portland their only daughter, upon an express condition, that it should be kept together in a repository, when provided, as an addition to the Cottonian library, and be called by the name of the Harleian collection of manuscripts; and the richest collection of manuscripts ever got together by an individual in this country, was every way worthy of accompanying that of Sir Robert Cotton. The collector pursued nearly the same course, and had nearly the same object in view, as Sir R. Cotton. Of course the collection will be no less distinguished by variety than the former, abounding with topographical descriptions, treatises on the antiquities, laws, custems, civil and ecclesiastical polity of this country, and general histories of the principality of Wales, of Scotland and of Ireland. It contains many poems, ancient ballads and plays; but it is particularly rich in bibles and biblical books, of which there are three hundred copies in Hebrew, Chaldee, Greek, Arabic, and Latin: there are also many manuscript copies of the Greek and Latin classics.
The third collection was that of Sir Hans Sloane, who, by a codicil to his will, bearing date 20th July, 1749, ordered that his library and museum at Chelsea, consisting of drawings, prints, medals and coins, and also of books, and manuscripts, should be preserved entire for the use of the public; and empowered his trustees te dispose of them to government, within a twelvemonth after his death, for the sum of 20,000l.
This, also, as may be supposed, by the vast sum given for the purchase, is a very choice and very rich collection. It is more particularly abundant in original treatises on philosophy, medicine, and natural history, though possessed of a great variety of other matter. The catalogues of this collection, containing short accounts of the contents, drawn up by Sir Hans Sloane himself, embraced no less than 38 volumes in folio, and eight in quarto.
Here we learn the influence of example. Here we behold the natural order of public spirit! Here we are taught that liberality moves with a kind of accelerated force; not resting with the individual from whom it originates, it propels others in its progress; sometimes, indeed, rousing the pride of emulation; but sometimes stirring the energies of benevolence. For let the philosopher of Malmesbury,[1] or the philosopher of Geneva,[2] say what they please, man possesses as much of the benevolent, as of the selfish animal, and goodness provokes to goodness.
Government being thus possessor of these collective riches, wisely determined, after various delays which had been made, in reference to the wills of the testators, and different arrangements which had been formed for the accommodation of the public, to bring them under one roof, in order to form them into a grand national depot: accordingly the trustees, being incorporated by the name of the Trustees of the British Museum, purchased the large mansion, built by a late Duke of Montague, and long used as his residence, and converted it into a general repository of valuable articles.
To forward this purpose, as well as to raise salaries for a principal librarian and other officers, a vast sum was raised by a lottery, the whole of which was to be paid to receivers appointed by government, on or before the 6th of October, 1747, and foreigners no less than natives were invited to contribute according to proportions limited and settled by act of parliament.
In connection with these three principal collections, should also be mentioned, the books and manuscripts of Major Arthur Edwards, who by his last will and testament, bearing date June 11, 1738, left his own library, for the same public purpose, and on the death of Elizabeth Milles bequeathed 7000l. towards erecting or purchasing a house for the reception of the Cottonian library, or, in case such house should be provided sooner than that event took place, to buy books and MSS for the new establishment. This collection therefore is to be considered as a sort of accompaniment to the Cottonian library; it is more particularly rich in Italian books, the rest are French and English.
Upon the whole we may say of this one establishment, at least, what Pericles says in his celebrated funeral oration of the city of Athens. Here we exhibit a public city, and we do not drive away even foreigners from reading our books, nor from beholding our curiosities, which not being kept from the public, even our enemies may survey and receive benefit from.
And thus much concerning the British Museum, as our national library. The present establishment was made in the year 1753, and being once formed, on the strength of the above original collections, and strongly recommended by the support of Government, gained powerfully on the public notice; and the British Museum was from that time considered as a sort of asylum, where valuable sets of books might be lodged in security, without the danger of being dispersed; or as to a general store-house where the public curiosity might be at once quickened and gratified.
The first addition to these collections, that shall be here noticed, is what is called the king's library. This was first formed under James I., enlarged under Charles II. and contains many curious treatises, which belonged to several of our preceding princes. The manuscripts of the royal library, consist nearly of 2000 volumes, among which more particularly, are a vast number of Greek and Latin fathers, and of the Old and New Testaments. Latin bibles, and some very ancient, are here in great abundance; and the celebrated Alexandrine MS of the Old and Greek Testament, is one of the oldest Greek MSS which is any where known to exist. This collection was presented to the British Museum by the present king, in 1761.
Next may be mentioned the papers of Dr. Birch, being principally extracts made from original works in different libraries, and intended to illustrate many interesting parts of the English history, and biography. Ayscough, a late very useful and respectable labourer in the province of making catalogues, proposed publishing the three volumes of historical letters, written in the reigns of James I. and Charles I., as containing a very curious detail of many particulars not mentioned by our historians.
Catharine Madox, widow of Thomas Madox, Historiographer royal to Queen Anne and King George I., bequeathed to this establishment her husband's MS collections. These are contained in 94 volumes, part in folio, part in quarto, being the labour of 30 years of the compiler's life. They consist of extracts from Records in different public archives and libraries in England, and were designed to furnish materials for composing a Feudal History of England from the remotest period.
In so small a sketch, as must be unavoidably contained within the limits of a letter, it will not be expected, that the names of all the persons, who have either given, or bequeathed, particular books, or sets of books, should be specified, or that any description will be given of books, however curious or useful it might be to particular persons. The present writer aims only at general hints for the use of general readers, as being most likely to be generally useful.
He therefore passes over the particulars of those purchases, several Greek MSS more particularly, made from the libraries of Dr. Mead, and Dr. Askew; the curious papers, collected or composed by Cole and Baker, principally relating to the University of Cambridge; (though indeed the latter belongs to the Harleian collection,) the valuable library, lately received, that was bequeathed by Cracherode; these, and many more must be dismissed; nor will any account of the printed books be given, as opening into a field too wide for the present.
But that vast collection of pamphlets, made by Tomlinson, the Bookseller, in the eighteenth century, must not be wholly overlooked. This embraces the pamphlets, published during a most turbulent period in our history, viz. from the end of year 1640, to the beginning of 1660. These being brought into one aggregate, and preserved entire, were uniformly bound, in a series of more than two thousand volumes. The catalogue consists of twelve volumes in small folio, and had so exact a register, and references, that the smallest article can be very readily found. Eight volumes of this catalogue contain small quarto Pamphlets, two, small octavo, and two, folio. Many of these pamphlets were so rare, when first published, that Charles the first is said to have given ten pounds for the perusal of one of them at the collector's house; and, though the value afterwards fell considerably lower, four thousand were refused for them at first.
The collection consists of public orders and ordinances and declarations of both Houses of Parliament, together with proclamations, and papers printed at Oxford, and also pamphlets on all subjects connected with the history of those times, whether occasional, historical, political, or theological. Of course it must be supposed, that they have been largely drank at, as very plentiful sources of information by writers on that turbulent period. Rashworth particularly, in his voluminous historical collections, has taken large draughts from them, The whole came at length into the present king's hands, who presented them to the Museum in 1761.
1. Hobbes.
2. John Calvin.