The New York herald., 1922-02-12
Towneley Manuscript of
Miracle Plays Comes to
Huntington Collection.
FROM BRITWELL COURT
Dr.. Rosenbach Defeats Quar-
itch in Weeks Contest for
Literary Treasures.

Special Cable to TIE New Yosx HERALD.
Copyright. 1879, by TIE New York HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau,
London, Feb. IL.
In an exciting duel for old books
and ancient English manuscripts sold
at auction at Sothebys Bond street
rooms America, represented by DR..
Abraham Rosenbach of New York and
Philadelphia, triumphed over repre-
sentative of the house Of Quart, eh,
who in some instances presumably was
bidding for the British Museum. AS a
result many rare books will find places
in American libraries, including the
'Towneley Mysteries" which it is re-
ported will go to California for the
Huntington collection.
Rosenbach came over especially for
the sale of early English poems and
works of literature from the renowned
Britwell Court library, the property of
Sir Christie-Miller. He spent more than
5000. 900 this week and bought over half
Of the itemr offered.
Bids Rushed.
The sales continued for several days,
Rosenbach bidding with a rush which
ders. much to their Irritation, but they
could not meet the Americans pocket
book He sat just below the auctioneer's
desk across from the Quaritch man and
the tits that came between these two
usually ended in the American having
his own way.
Rosenbaoh's activity means that
America will have some of the richest
literary treasures in the English Ian
guage. His competition naturally sent
the prices UP and the sale realized far
more than was expected. but there is
feeling Of depression among English
dealers because Of the loss suffered.
The prize of the sale was the famous
Towneley manuscript of the fifteenth CEN
tury miracle plays which used to be per-
formed at the Wakefield fairs In York
shire by local craftsmen In much the
same spirit as the Oberammergau Pas
sion Play of to-day. The plays probably
were written by the Black Canons OF
the Augustine monks at Widkirk about
1850 and were as popular at that time
as any movie feature is to-day.
The plays are full OF domestic humor
and Noah and the Ark" carries germ
Of disputation between the patriarch
and his wife on geological and seafaring
matters. They are entirely religious
plays taken from episodes in the Bible
Quaritch Outbid by $50.
Similar manuscripts. those OF the
Chester York Coventry, have been
zealously preserved in the British Mu-
scum and the Bodleian Library. But the
Wakefield manuscripts have changed
hands several times. They were bought
by Sir Edward Coates in 1888 for $4,000.
Rosenbach paid $4,000. outbidding by
$50 the Quaritch man. who was repre-
senting a Yorkshire millionaire.
Other books purchased by Rosenbach
included the York Missal of 1903. pub
lished at Rouen "Greene's Vision" 1892.
for which he paid $4,000 and of which
there Is only one other copy in the
Bodleian Library, and that is imperfect.
He bought Robert Chester's Loves
Martyr, or Rosaline's Complaint" print
ed in 1901, which contains Shakespeare S
poem political Essay on the Phoenix
and the Turtle" printed in this form
for the first time and the only complete
copy known. For this he paid $4,000.
He also bought La Consultance
d'Amours." Of i6 leaves, for $1,000.