The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1883-06-23
Our Olio.
FAMOUS MANUSCRIPTS.

=
London Times.
) The splendid collection of manuscripts
brought together by the late Earl of Ash
burnham has been offered to the nation
and the Trustees of the British Museum
are in treaty for its purchase. This an
nouncement will not altogether take the
country by surprise. That wonderful
library of printed books and manuscripts,
which now rests within the walls of the old
family seat of the Ashburnhams, in one of
) the fairest spots of Sussex, has long been
an object to which the literary world has
turned its thoughts. What would be its
fate? Would those treasures which so
many years of patience and enthusiasm
and judgment had collected be again dis
persed to the four quarters of heaven
or would they find fitting home on the
shelves of some great national library ?
Disquieting rumors have from time to
time been afoat Now whisper of ne
gotiations with Berlin, now the hint of a
compact with some great city in the far
West, has disturbed the equanimity and
reused the fears of English scholars.
Happily, such rumors, whatever their
foundation, have resulted in nothing.
Lord Ashburnham comes first to his own
country with an offer He is unwilling
that the collections which his father
formed, and with which his fathers name
will always be associated, should be
broken up But the printed books and
the manuscripts of the library may be
fairly separated, and accordingly the lat
ter are now offered en- bloc to the national
library.
The Ashburnham manuscripts consist
of four divisions, or we may even say OF
four separate libraries. The first is the
great collection formed by Prof. Libri,
which Lord Ashburnham purchased in
1913, collection rich in codices of most
ancient date in Illuminated manuscripts,
medieval literature, particularly that OF
Italy, and in most extensive correspOn-
dence of scientific and literary men.
Next come the manuscripts brought to-
gether by the French collector Barrois,
the strength of which lies in their invalu
able early texts of French poetry and
romances. The third portion is the
Stowe library, which passed from the
Duke of Buckingham to Lord Ashburn-
ham in 1S49 Here we have rich store
of material for English history, ancient
charters, monastic registers, State papers,
heralds visitation books, and antiquarian
collections. Irish history and literature
are also well represented, for this portion
of the Ashburnham Library includes the
numerous and valuable codices which be-
longed to the Celtic scholar, DIR. Charles
O'Connor. To the three great divisions
which have been named is to be added
the portion called the Appendix, a mod
est title which i'll describes the numerous
and well-chosen manuscripts which the
late Earl acquired from time to time at
various sales and from many persons and
places. The exquisitely Illuminated books,
the rich bindings and the long row Of
Chaucers, Wycklifes, Occleves, and other
early English manuscripts, the historical
papers, charters, and registers of this part
of the library prove what patience, good
/ Judgment, ready purse, and the reputa-
ton of great connoisseur can achieve.
Altogether the Ashburnham collection
amounts to something under 1000
volumes, and considering the almost price
less nature of certain individual volumes,
and the varied and high literary value of
the different classes, it is no exaggeration
to say that, as a private library of manu-
scripts, it stands unrivalled.
Among the most ancient manuscripts
of the library, the one which is probably
best known by repute is the Pentateuch
of the Libri collection. OF at least as
early date as the seventh century, this
codex is one of that small number of vol
umes which have descended to us to show
what the artists brush could do in those
early ages. Executed probably in Italy,
| it contains nearly score of large cOlOred
illustrations, of the greatest value to
students of the history of painting and of
costume OF even greater interest, how
ever, to the photographer are the still
more ancient Latin manuscripts, of which
there are not a few One of these, por-
ton of the Psalter, may be assigned to as
remote period as the fourth century, and
would probably stand comparison with the
| OluCSU COulCCo WulOh SNCh OiiO o'iSt'i
Library could produce.
In the literal embdrrds de richesse, in
which an examination of the catalogues
of this wonderful collection involves us, it
is difficult to select volumes for special
notice without feeling that We are doing a
wrong to others of equal value which our
space compels us to pass over in silence.
TO take things almost at random, We may
turn to the catalogue of the Stowe cOllec-
ton, thoroughly English one, and jot
down few of its treasures. FIRST stands
volume, which is justly called match
less, containing upward of forty Anglo
Saxon charters, dating from the close of
the seventh century to the period of the
Conquest. The stimulus which the study
of our early history and language has re-
ceived of late years, renders the preserva-
ton of these ancient relics of national i'm
portance. OF kindred interest and value
is the ancient register of Hyde Abbey,
Winchester, written in the eleventh CEN
tury, and adorned with drawings by an
Anglo-Saxon artist An original ward
robe book, or account of the expenditure
OF Edward IL: Is next clted, as well as IN
ventories of Queen Elizabeth's wardrobe,
plate and jewels. The Stowe Library is
also extremely rich in State papers
Foremost of these are the ten volumes
entitled, ''Hanoverian Papers" comprising
the correspondence of the Electress Sophia
and her son the Elector, afterward King
George l., with members of both political
parties in England, and other original let
ters, and, perhaps, next in Importance for
modern history is the extensive collection
of correspondence and papers of Arthur
Capel, Earl of Essex, Lord Lieutenant of
Ireland in the reign of Charles Ii. But
the student of an earlier period of our
history will find store of material in the
twelve volumes of correspondence of Sir
Thomas EdmOndes, Ambassador in France
and the Netherlands in the reigns of