, 1874-03-22
Ancient Bjbles--.De Beauvais' "Specu~
Ium Trip|ex "---7he +" NuseH-
berg Chronicle"
Luther,s Autograph---E}iots Indian Bible
and Prin1er---The "BaT
psaIm- Books
Observation-Disclosures s'.scalpture
and Painting---The Tosli
EngraVings.
tsECoND ART1CLE.1

Tho short term Of life OF the Boston Iubnc
Library aud the urgent necessity OF supplying
at once the most pressing needs Of the readln6
community, have prevented the Directors spend
iuc much money in the purchase ot rare hooks;
Int soyera, "benefactors " have been euch wiso
bbliouaaniacs that it's treasures OF this Rlnd are
hy no means inconsiderable. The lover OF ex-
troyaeaut bindings, leaves Of satin and Vellum,
aud letters OF gold, will find htt]eto grat'fy his
taste but Ie who seeks original editions aud
real rarities will not be doomed to disappolnt-
ment-
With the
LIBRARY or rHEoDoRE PARKER
carne the first ACCESSION Of rare books. The
Oldest among them is the first volume OF a Latin
Bible, printed by Eggesteyn, at stfasourg, III
1468,-celebrated being the first work OF that
printer. As the dateof the earliest printed BOOK
il somewhere between 1450 and 1455, it will be
seen That this volume is less than eighteen years
rounper than the oldest book in the world. 1t
is Of extreme rarity The type is the massive
and vigorous form which Germany established
in taking the lead in tho Development OF the
art. Tue red CAPITAL. lotters arc inserted BY
hand there are occasional numnat1onb, anu
freouent red 1narks acroas the open spaces OF
the letters enhance very much the beauty OF tho
page.
LATIN B1BLE
of Mentclin bears the date Of 147o- 1t il beauta~
fu'ly Illuminated in red, and blue, aud purple;
ana the colors have preserved wonderful 1lesh~
ness.
A book on the "Lives and Deaths OF Poets
and Philosophers " wants the htle~paso. 1t IL
written in Latin, BY Walter Burleigh: and printed
in Gothic type, at Nuremberg, II A72. Ino
poets and philosophers begin with Ihales, and
end with Seneca; and their lives and deaths are
lnterspersed with a sutable amount Of moral
| dissertation.
I We come then to tho
EpEcu1t,I rR1pLEx--
Tr;n1e Mirror-of Vincent de Beauyais, ono OF
I the most yoluminous ard celebrated works OF
| tbs fifteenth century. It is II nine Volumes as
GIANTS in those days! Ten degenerate men ~ OF
| Our tino could hardly lift such weight. The
| covers are two solid boards, hall an iuch th:ck
held together by n H. en9rmoaS arrn eat,en ese
large folio with uncut margins, printed by Men
teltu. Of Strasharg Tho date 1A73 occurs at tho
end OF the last volume; and it il estimated that
! the work must have been begun at least hSe
I years before It is celebrated in the HISTORY OF
! printing as the first book eTer printed y stIas-
| bburr. Vincent de Bcauyais was monk in tho
aepes at:pastea the asteut.on Of Louis the
| pious and who received the appointment
Of Reader to the King. He is described a. MAJ, man
! manners; and he is said to have deTonfca az
I hacks. ancient and modern, thai came IN his
way. We can we'll bo',eye it. Tor ho rofers to no
less than $50 authorities. His Mlrrof Ii Tue
! ENCYCLOPEDIA OF TILE TmaTEEHTH CENTURY,
| and marvel Of patient labor. He describes it,
in lis preface as collection Of ai that il worthy
to bo contemplated admired: and initiated,
whether visible or invisible. With the three
1~Nf rir01
fourth-the morai-haa usually teen bound up;
but it is now known to bo wretched coinplla~
tion ty some unknown writer. The cnuRacra-
ton of tho branches Of Mathematics NIL serve
to illustrate the advancement OF science n thas
| time. They included Arithmetic, MnEic, Gcou1-
| e,ry. Perspective, Astronomy. Weights and
! Measures md Metaphysics.
Next We turn to thu pages Of tho
| NUREMBERG CHRONICLE,
| = Eoborcer Of 1853. It is remarkably hne
t cow. Tie cover ls of light leather, beautifully
| urcssed in small and delicate figures, and orna-
| meutcd With brass knobs. plates. and clasps 1t
coutains upwards Of 1000 spirited and cur1ons
wood-cuts By Wohlgemutl,-Ducr crs master-and
cessful limitations Of tue crosd-hatchings Of =
ncn-drawipg. The book is a description Of
everything, from the creation to the end Of
the world The first cut represents angels,
wcII-dresscd in long cloaks and decorative
badecs, who look on while the Hand OF God.
somewhat wrinl}ed and skinny. begins its work
on nothing. Successive circles, always with the
Creative hand IN the corner. occur IN the follow
ing order: Land, Water, Fire, aloon, Mercoryt
Venus. Sun, Mars, JoTe, Saturn, Zodiac, the
[ Crystal Heaven. and the Primum Mobile. In
the picture OF the Ark, tho ladders, saws, and
| axes arc quito modern-looking tools: Moab
! e.auds in the foreground, aud Keeps us wo1R-
la.En dlligent by poklng them with stlck from
behind. But tho chief feature Of the book is
| IT'S PORTRAITS.
A modern photograrhers chop ia nothing to 1t.
! Eretybody who ever lived and loft 80 much a. 8
rnne behind has sat for his picture. Inc entlTc
| Apostoiical succession. The features OF every
King priest, poet, philosopher, eioyl, saint. ano
| witch, those German enEravers knew no" &c
evolve ont Of tue depths Of their conec'ousneas
AN the cities ia tho world arc drawn. All tne
| hairy stars. sacred fres showers Of stones
eclpees. comets, and "llorrible aspects arc PM
down in their order, and their coincidence Will
memorable events is noted: The Last scene o.
cnucs uron cloud. while two angels sound tht
fual lrump before Him, aud grim skeletons dral
themselves out of black boxes in the ground:
: va oaunot stop to look ut tue Nuremberg
Bible OF 1883 the beautiful Latin bl1le oi lal9
described by Baumgarten, with gilt-edged leave
! and illuminated letters; the Eplstles OF Pop
Iius H.. nrinted in 1477 aud q Bible, w1thou
date Of which the text occupies small parallel
ocram in the centre OF the page. and ls su'ronn11
) ed by a commentary, in which s. ''innume5anl %
| questions ME explained by analogy" IN
. Enistles Of St. jerome have these words writ
= | ten in
! LUTHER's AUTOGRAPH
On the inside Of the cover " IN }5oreno <tfs no
! ! est otulus Notwithstanding Lu1erus.
. | Latin translation Of Ptolemy'e Geography
= Koberge1, 1925. is curious aa containing serera
= very carly maps OF tho New World, iu on
Of which It il called America. dccofdings t
: Humboldt, there is no record OF the usa OF tn
= name y, ,cvious to 1920. Some of the aucien
4 maps are diversified By an occasional picture
& Hing who ''died here" 4 copy of De Bry
O Voyayes appears, from its collation., to be ur
d usnally FULL aud another rare book is Foiu1a
a containing nine various works Illustrated by hin
" The epgravipgs ar6 OF au extraordinary dnenes
a ! and spirit.
a THE REV. THOMAS PRINCE
"a began the Systematic collection Of hs books an
It manuscripts ION entering Harvard Co1leg'
ID June 6, 1703 in the 10th year Of his age, thons
II he mad received at least one book "from b
mother" when he Was TO-. At the time Of b
death, the New England Library WAS the mo.
10 extensive Of its kind that had ever bee
a for1ned. It was stored boxea al
ia barrels in the stoeple Of the Old South Chnrcl
y, During tia occupation of Boston by the B.itisj
20 the Old South was nsed as riding-school; ar
N it is supposed that large part OF this inya1u:
;c BILE library WAS used in kindling fires. Amor
ia the treasures that remain arc copies Of the fr
n and second editions Of
~ EL1orfs INDIAN BIBLE
m OF the first edi.lou, Cambridge, 1Gb3, less th,