Forcellini, and the excellent Lexicon of Scheller; or the French, the work of Ménage, the Dictionnaire de Trévoux,* that of Littré, and that of the French Academy, with the Mémoires sur la Langue Celtique, by Bullet, in three vols. folio, 1754, in which is a Glossary giving the etymology of many of the names of towns, rivers, &c. of Great Britain. The Italian, Spanish, German, Anglo-Saxon, English, and other languages, are illustrated by the best dictionaries for each. BIBLIOGRAPHY. IN the class of Bibliography and the History of Literature, will be found in the Library the Manuel du Libraire et de l'Amateur de Livres, by Brunet ; the Bibliotheca Britannica of Watt; the works of Tiraboschi, Le Long, Ginguené, Antonio, and Casiri, &c. * The Dictionnaire de Trévoux derives its name from a small town in France, where the Duc du Maine, early in the last century, as prince sovereign of Dombes, having transferred his parliament and other public institutions, established a magnificent printing-house. The first edition of the work from that press, was in 1704, in three volumes, gradually increased by the contributions of the most eminent men of letters in France, to eight volumes, folio. The last edition was printed in 1771. A peculiar feature of this dictionary is its being furnished with quotations from the French classical writers.-D'ISRAELI. Among the Catalogues of Public Libraries will be found most of those which have been printed of the British Museum; the Catalogue of the Bodleian Library; that of the Advocates' Library at Edinburgh; and those of the principal libraries in the kingdom. Many eminent members of the legal profession have been distinguished as collectors of books. One of the first of these was Arthur Annesley, Earl of Anglesey, whose name appears at the head of the Readers of Lincoln's Inn, to whom Prynne dedicated the third volume of his Records, and who was author of the Privileges of the Houses of Lords and Commons, and many other works. He was one of the first noblemen in England who collected an extensive library, which consisted of "the choicest volumes in all faculties, arts and languages," and was kept at his seat at Blechington, near Oxford, but was sold by public auction after his lordship's death. * In all great Libraries there should not only be a collection of all the catalogues of libraries existing in the country, but so far as possible, a collection of those of all the libraries in the world. A great library should in fact contain within it a library of catalogues.-REPORT OF THE HOUSE of CommonS ON PUBLIC LIBRARIES. He had studied the laws with such diligence, as to be styled and esteemed a lawyer, even by the most conceited lawyers of his time.-BIOGRAPHIA BRITANNICA. Another eminent collector was Philip Carteret Webb, of Lincoln's Inn, solicitor to the Treasury in 1756-65, the sale of whose library, in 1771, including his MSS. upon vellum, occupied seventeen days. Matthew Duane, of Lincoln's Inn, also a collector of books and coins, was a curator of the British Museum, and is reputed to have been "universally esteemed for his profound knowledge, great abilities, and unsullied reputation in the profession of the law." Among the lawyers of the present century who have been known as collectors of books are Mr. Serjeant Heywood; Mr. Baron Bolland; Mr. Justice Littledale; Mr. John Miller; Mr. Benjamin Heywood Bright; Mr. Sutton Sharpe, and the late Mr. Louis Hayes Petit, whose library was particularly rich in philological works; Mr. Charles Purton Cooper; and Mr. Clement Tudway Swanston. HAVING thus taken a cursory survey of some of the most important classes of books in the Library of Lincoln's Inn, the author must bring his pleasant task to a conclusion, not tarrying among the works of Bacon, Boyle, Locke, Newton, and others, in the department of mental and natural philosophy; nor venturing to linger, tempted by such names as Shakespeare, Milton, Spenser, and Ben Jonson, among the poets and dramatists; nor must he venture to survey those fields of literature, wherein the names of De Foe, Swift, Fielding, Johnson, and other celebrated authors, might deserve a far more extended notice. In relation to natural philosophy, there are not as yet in the Library many of the volumes which record the wondrous discoveries of modern science; neither can works on the Fine Arts boast of much display upon its shelves. My task is done-a task that may recall And touch with life the shadows of the past :The courts-the chambers--and that ancient hall, Where names revered around their lustre castThe sacred fane, where preachers, holding fast The pure, calm faith, its champions aye have beenAll rise to view; then, shining forth the last, Far o'er the rest, in tow'ring grandeur seen, Rises the late-rear'd pile, majestic and serene. Nor has it been less pleasing, sooth to say, Whence voices seem to burst from their repose- Such words of wisdom as his heart may prize, To chasten, train, and guide the hopes that in him rise. |