TO THE

RIGHT HONOURABLE

THOMAS GRENVILLE

THESE BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES

OF

A CONSIDERABLE PORTION

OF

HIS LIBRARY

ARE

RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED

BY HIS MOST OBEDIENT HUMBLE SERVANTS

J. T. PAYNE AND H. FOSS.

THE Library, of which the following Notices include the most valuable portion, is the result of a continued and unwearied pursuit of nearly fifty years; guided by a very extensive knowledge of ancient and modern literature, and by a familiar acquaintance with rare and curious books. This Collection has been enriched from the successive sales of the valuable Libraries of Count Mac Carthy, Mr. Bindley, Sir M. Sykes, Mr. Hibbert, Mr. Heber, and others; and has been formed with much discrimination, both as to the selection of authors and to the choice of editions and copies. The entire Library consists of about twenty thousand volumes, among which are many of the earliest and most curious specimens of typography; first and best editions of the Classics, including an unrivalled collection of Homers; the scarcest Spanish and Italian Poems and Romances; the most complete series existing of the early editions of Ariosto; many books printed on Vellum of extreme beauty; a range of English, and more especially Irish, History perhaps unrivalled, among which will be found the rarest works on the Spanish Armada,

and the Divorce of Henry the 8th; an assemblage of early Voyages and Travels from the original editions of Marco Polo and Contarini, Columbus and Vesputius, to the collections of De Bry, Hulsius, Hakluyt and Purchas, forming such a complete chain of uninterrupted information on the subject as no other Library can furnish. One striking merit perhaps may be claimed by this collection, that in no one of its branches is anything superfluous to be found; while there is a sufficiency of information on all: and so various are its divisions and classes, as to meet the taste and satisfy the curiosity of the Bibliographer.

With regard to the arrangement of this Catalogue, the alphabetical order has appeared to us to be preferable notwithstanding it is liable both to the objection which Mr. Hallam raises against his own plan, "that the law of synchronism which we have hitherto obeyed, bring strange partners together, and we may pass at once from Luther to Ariosto," and also, that the strength of the collection in its various classes cannot be viewed in its natural and proper divisions. To obviate in some measure this last objection we have added an Index, by referring to which under general heads, as for instance to America, Ireland, &c., all the authors on these several subjects will be found in the references to the Catalogue. This Index has also enabled us to point attention to different editions of the same Work, which by error have been printed under different heads; for instance, the "Historia septem

5

Sapientum" is in the Catalogue under "Historia," "Ludus" and "Siete Sabios." In the Manuel du Libraire it will be found under "Historia" and " Sept Sages;" in Ebert under "Meister;" but in the Bodleian Catalogue of Mr. Douce's Collection, correctly under "Sapientes." Again the rare poem of "Hilarie on the Mass" is by mistake inserted under "Mass." The Titles have been given with that degree of attention which the different merits and value of each book seemed to us to deserve. When an early and curious edition has been correctly described in the standard works of Van Praet, Dibdin, Melzi, Panizzi and Brunet, we have contented ourselves with referring to those authors, whose works are in the hand of every Bibliographer, in preference to a detailed transcription of their remarks.

Mr. Grenville's Library contains a complete Series of books printed by the Roxburghe, Bannatyne and Maitland Clubs, and of the Societé des Bibliophiles at Paris, and by the Historical and Camden Societies, but we have not considered it desirable to include them in this work, as they are to be found in many catalogues, and are also still in the progress of publication. It might perhaps be objected that too many articles of little value have been inserted; but that has not been done without consideration; as they for the most part form portions of Classes which are particularly rich, and which it was important to exhibit in all their copiousness and strength.