A.D. 1821
The great event of this year was the reception of the famous and extensive collection of English dramatic literature and early poetry, formed by Edmund Malone302. It was bequeathed by him on his decease (May 25, 1812) to his brother, Lord Sunderlin, with the expression of a wish that, if not retained as an heirloom in the family, it should be deposited in some public library. In fulfilment of this wish, Lord Sunderlin communicated to the University, in 1815, his intention to transfer the collection to the Bodleian so soon as Mr. James Boswell, to whom it was entrusted in order to assist him in the preparation of a new edition of Malone’s Shakespeare, should have finished his use of it. That edition being at length issued in 1821, the library was sent to Oxford in the same year. The character of the collection is too well known to need description; suffice it to say that it contains upwards of 800 volumes, of which by far the greater number are distinguished by their rarity. There are first quartos of many of Shakespeare’s plays, and second editions of others303; of his collected works there are both the first and second folios. Barnfield, Beaumont and Fletcher, Chapman, Decker, Greene, Heywood, Ben Jonson, Lodge, Massinger, Rich. Taylor the water-poet, and Whetstone are amongst those who are most fully represented. There are also a few MSS. A Catalogue of the collection, in folio (52 pp.), with a life of Malone by Boswell (previously printed in Gent. Magaz. and Nichol’s Lit. Hist.), was published in 1836; and, in 1861, Mr. J. O. Halliwell printed fifty-one copies of a small Hand-list of the early English literature preserved in it. Various volumes of Malone’s own MSS. collections have been subsequently added by purchase; viz. in 1836 some papers relating to the life and writings of Pope; in 1838, his collections for the last edition of his Shakespeare and for the illustration of ancient manners, together with a portion of his literary correspondence; in 1851 a volume of letters written to him by Bishop Percy, between 1783 and 1807; in 1858 three octavo volumes of collections made by him at Oxford; and in 1864 a volume of letters to him from Dr. Johnson, Mrs. Siddons, and others. A large series of pamphlets, chiefly relating to Irish history and to literary matters, comprised in seventy-five volumes, was also purchased in 1838304. Almost all his books are uniformly bound in half-calf, with ‘E. M.’ in an interlaced monogram on the back; a very few have a book-plate consisting of his coat-of-arms within a square of books, with the inscription (in imitation of Grolier’s) ‘Edm. Malone et amicorum,’ and a motto from the Menagiana.
A curious instance of the variableness and uncertainty of the prices of books is afforded by the purchase-list of this year, when contrasted with prices paid at the present time. A copy (wanting the preliminary leaves and a few others) of one of the Antwerp editions of Tyndale’s New Test. in 1534, (which had belonged to Mr. Benj. Ibott, and is mentioned in Herbert’s Ames, vol. iii. p. 1543) was bought for nineteen shillings; Mr. Stevens in 1855 priced another imperfect copy at fifteen guineas. But, on the other hand, £63 were given in this year for the rare Ed. Pr. of Virgil, printed by Sweynheim and Pannartz in 1469305. A somewhat similar instance occurred also in 1826, when Daye’s edition of the Apocrypha, printed in 1549 (being vol. iv. of his edition of the Bible in that year), was obtained for fifteen shillings, while £73 10s. were paid for an edition of Virgil printed at Venice about 1473.
The very rare German Bible, printed at Strasburgh about 1466, was bought for £42, and a perfect copy of the first edition of the Bishops’ Bible, in 1568, for seven guineas306. A volume of interest in typographical history was presented, in the first book printed in New South Wales. It is entitled Michael Howe, the last and worst of the Bush Rangers of Van Dieman’s Land; narrative of the chief atrocities committed by this great murderer and his associates during a period of six years in Van Dieman’s Land: it extends to thirty-six small octavo pages, and was printed at Hobart Town, by Andrew Bent, in Dec, 1818307.
The Catalogue of the Oriental MSS., commenced in the year 1787 by Uri, was continued in this year by the publication by Mr. Nicoll of the first part of a second volume, containing notices of 234 additional Arabic MSS. His premature death occurred before the publication of the second part, which he had printed as far as p. 388; this was completed and edited (with nine lithographic plates of specimens of Arabic MSS.) by his successor in the Hebrew Professorship, Dr. Pusey, in 1835. It contains altogether descriptions of 296 Arabic volumes, together with copious additions by Dr. Pusey to Uri’s first portion, which are noticed above, p. 199.
The Parish Registers of Newington, Kent, and of Bures, in Suffolk, which had come into the Library among Dr. Rawlinson’s books, were restored to their respective parishes by a decree submitted to Convocation on Nov. 9. In the Register of Convocation itself, by a singular omission, no mention of the former of these parish books is made (although included in the proposal), and the restoration of that of Bures is alone recorded. But by enquiry addressed to the Vicar of Newington, it has been ascertained that one of the Registers contains a memorandum of its having been returned by vote of Convocation on the day in question.
By a vote of Convocation on July 7, the rooms on the first floor of the Schools’ quadrangle, which were formerly used as the Hebrew and Greek Schools, were assigned to the Library; the former (on the south side) now contains, in two rooms, the Bodley, Laud, and other collections of MSS.; the latter (on the north side), also in two rooms, the foreign and English periodicals308.
On May 25, a plan for warming the Library was, for the first time, adopted. It consisted in introducing hot air simply at two small gratings at one end of the Library, from pipes communicating with a stove placed (with the consent of Exeter College) where the furnace of the present apparatus is situated, in the wall between the north-west corner of the Library and the Ashmolean Museum. As a means of warming the Library generally the system was wholly ineffectual, no benefit being experienced except by those who remained in the immediate vicinity of the gratings. It remained, however, in use until 1845, when pipes were laid down through a considerable part of the Library for the purpose of warming it by steam. This plan, however, did not give satisfaction, either on the ground of safety or of effectiveness. In 1855 Mr. Braidwood, the late distinguished head of the London Fire Brigade, was brought down to survey the apparatus and to examine generally how the Library could best be secured against fire; and, by his advice and that of Mr. G. G. Scott, the pipes were enclosed in slate casings, so as effectually to hinder contact with any inflammable materials, and two fire-proof iron doors were inserted at the entrances to the great Reading-room, in order to cut it off from the rest of the building309. But in 1861 steam was discarded for the safer and more effectual system, now in use, of warming by hot water; new pipes (cased in slate) were laid down by Messrs. Haden and Son, and were carried through the Examination Schools on the ground-floor of the quadrangle, as well as through the Library.
In Feb. Mr. J. P. Roberts, New College (B.A. 1821, M.A. 1826, now Minor Canon of Chichester) was appointed minister, vice Mr. P. Barrett, Wadham College (B.A. 1828); and Mr. Robert Eden, of St. John’s College (Corp. Chr. Coll. B.A. 1825, M.A. 1827, now Vicar of Wymondham, Norfolk), was appointed vice Walker. From this time there appear to have been two assistants, although it was not until 1837 that that number was formally allowed by Statute.
Notes
302 Malone was the son of an Irish Judge. He was born in Dublin, Oct. 4, 1741, was educated at Trin. Coll. Dublin, where he took the degree of M.A., and became a barrister, but soon retired from legal practice.
303 For notices of the purchase of several early quartos, wanting in this series, see 1834.
304 These are now incorporated with the large collection called Godwyn Pamphlets. A copy of Wood’s Ath. Oxon. with MSS. notes by Malone, was given by Mr. B. H. Bright in 1835.
305 Various other editt. princ. were bought in this year, with some Aldines. Also a collection of modern Greek works printed at Venice.
306 Offor’s copy sold for £41; Lea Wilson’s for £61 10s.
307 The present writer has in his possession an early newspaper printed in New Zealand, the Auckland Times, No. 41, for Apr. 6, 1843, not merely curious in relation to the history of the colony, but also as a typographical relic. Its crowning interest is to be found in its colophon (if such a classical word may be applied to the imprint of a newspaper), which states that it was ‘Printed in a mangle.’
308 In Lascelles’ Account of Oxford, published in this year, it is said that the printed books in the Library were computed at 160,000, and the MSS. at 30,000.
309 Mr. Braidwood’s report was printed in 1856, together with one from Mr. Scott, on the extension of the Library, and the means of rendering it fire-proof.