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I have alfo applied thefe leaves to another very different ufe; that is, as a fubstitute for faw-duft, to put among my bottles in my winebins in my cellar: they ferve very well for this purpofe, as my cellar is dry; and I rather chufe to make ufe of them, as they are easily procured, which is not the cafe with faw-duft; for I have been often very much puzzled to get a few facks, as I live at a confiderable distance from any great town.

I have but one thing more to mention relative to the ufes of the leaves of trees, which is, that I have great reafon to think that oak leaves may ferve, inftead of oak bark, for tanning leather: I can not fay I ever tried them in this intention, because I am not acquainted with the procefs ufed in tanning; but I have frequently foaked them for a confiderable time in water, and found the water trongly impregnated with their qualities: it had a dark colour, and a tafte remarkably aftringent.

I cannot, therefore, but think that the juices of the leaves of the oak have nearly the fame qualities as the juices that are to be

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IN
IN our laft year's Regifter, vol.

V. page 91, we published Mr. Gefner's propofal for fubftituting the duft of heath dried in an oven, to oak bark in tanning of leather. The publication of one ingenious propofal, is frequently the caufe of new ones for attaining the defired end. Accordingly it has been fince propofed, that the leaves of oak, now of little or no valuc, at leaft in England (fee the preceding article) and the small branches of heath, confifting of little else but bark, fhould be tried for the fame purpofe; and we hope the experiment will be made, as the fuccefs of either of these methods would be of great public utility, as well as private advantage; for, in the first place, it would be a very great faving to the tanner, and confequently would enable him to afford that ufeful commodity at a much cheaper rate. Secondly, it would be a great faving of our oak timber, which, it is much feared, we fhall, before it is very long, feel the want of. Thirdly, the method of tanning with the fmall branches of heath, would fürnifh fubfiftence to many poor children upon our heaths, who are now a dead weight upon the little industry of their parents.

ANTI

ANTIQUITIES.

Some account of the Harleian collection of manufcripts, now in the British Museum; from the preface to the new index to that collection, moft judiciously compiled by Mr. Afile.

T

HIS collection was begun near the end of the last cen tury, by Robert Harley, of Brampton Bryan, in Herefordshire, Efq; afterwards earl of Oxford, and lord high treasurer; and was conducted upon the plan of the great Sir Robert Cotton.

: He purchafed his firft confiderable collection in Auguft 1705, and in less than ten years he got together near 2,500 curious and rare MSS, among which were thofe of Sir Simon d'Ewes, the Suffolk antiquary; Mr. John Stow, author of the Survey of London; Mr. Charles Lancaster, herald; and John Fox, the martyrologist.

Soon after, the celebrated Dr. George Hicks, Mr. Antis garter king at arms, bishop Nichol fon, and many other eminent antiquaries, not only offered him their adistance in procuring MSS, but prefented him with feveral that were very valuable.

Being thus encouraged to perfeverance by his fuccefs, he kept many perfons employed in purchafing MSS for him abroad, giving them written inftructions for their conduct,

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By thefe means, the MS brary was in the year 1721 increased to near 6,000 books 14,000 original charters, and 500 rolls.

On the 21st of May 1724, lord Oxford died; but his fon Edward, who fucceeded to his honours and eftate, ftill farther enlarged the collection; fo that when he died, June 16, 1741, it confifted of 8,coo volumes, feveral of them containing diftin&t and independent treatifes, befides many loose papers, which have been since sorted and bound up in volumes; and above 40,oce original rolls, char ters, letters patents, grants, and other deeds and inftruments of great antiquity...

The principal defign of making this collection was the establiment of a MS English historical library, and the refcuing from destruction fuch records of our national, antiquities, as had eluded the diligence of preceding collectors: but lord Oxford's plan was more extenfive; for his collection abounds with curious MSS in every science.

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A general idea of the contents of this collection may be conceived from the following articles.

Of Bibles and biblical books, 300 copies in the Hebrew, Chaldee, Greek, Arabic, and Latin languages, many of great antiquity, particularly,

A Hebrew bible feveral hundred years old, to which are prefixed the

various

various readings of the eaftern and western copies, a fyllabus of the parafhoths and haphtaroths for the whole and two remarkable drawings in gold highly emboffed, of the facred veffels and utenfils of the ancient Jews.

year,

A Hebrew bible, with fmall Maforetic notes, adorned with miniature paintings, written in the 14th century, a

A Latin bible, with St. Paul's epiftle to the Laodiceans finely illuminated, written in the 11th century, and formerly belonging to the cathedral of Anjou.

The Old and New Teftament of the Vulgate edition, elegantly written in the 13th century, with the pfalter of the Gallican verfion; Rabanus Maurus's prefaces to his commentaries on the books of the Maccabees, and an interpretation of the Hebrew names, adorned with most beautiful miniatures. The reading of the 8th verfe of the 5th chapter of St. John's firft epiftle in this MS is, Et tres funt qui teftimonium dânt în terra, fpiritus, aqua, et fanguis, et hit tres unum funt.

A tranfeript of the books of the Old and New Testament, written in the fame century, and illuminated, formerly belonging to the Capuchin convent at Montpelier. In this MS the 7th verfe of the fifth chapter of St. John's first epiftle is wanting; and the reading of the 8th verfe is,Quoniam tres funt qui reftimonium dant in terra, Spiritus, aqua, et fanguis, et tres unum June.

D

A copy of the Old and New Teftament, with St. Jerome's Prologue to the book of Job written in capitals, and of the 13th cen

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The Hebrew Pentateuch, with a Chaldee paraphrafe; and the books of Canticles, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclefiaftes, and Efther with the commentaries of R. S. Jarchi, and part of the Chaldee interpretation of the Canticles, written in the 14th century.

A fmall roll, containing the book of Efther in Hebrew, finely written in a very fmall character, and by a Spanish hand.

Part of the book of Pfalms, and the entire books of Proverbs, Job, Daniel, Efdras, Nehemiah, Chronicles, Ruth, Ecclefiaftes, Efther, and Lamentations, in Hebrew, written in the 12th century.

Part of Exodus, and the whole books of Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Efther, Canticles, Ruth, Lamentations, and Ecclefiaftes, in Hebrew, with the haphtaroths; of the 14th century.

Two copies of the book of Job in Latin, one written in the 11th century, the other, with a glofs, in the 12th..

A fine copy of the books of Tobit, Judith, Ruth, and Wisdom, in Latin, with a glofs, written in the 13th century.

J

Two biblical books, upwards of 500 years old, being part of a most 3

richly

richly illuminated MS, the first vol. of which, beginning at Genefis, and ending with Job, is preferved in the Bodleian library, [Arch. A. 154.] They confift of texts according to the vulgar Latin, felected from the books of Maccabees and New Teftament, with the fubject of each text, reprefented in a picture, included in a pretty large circle. Underneath each text is an interpretation in Latin, according to the opinion of the author, who generally applies fuch text to demonftrate the happiness of virtue and the mifery of vice. Thefe explications are alfo reprefented in hiftorical paintings, and the whole is adorned with illuminated orna

ments.

Three very fair copies of the New Teftament, of Wickliff's tranflation, all written in his time, and one of them, as is fuppofed, by his own hand. To one of these copies is prefixed a calendar of the leffons and gospels of all the Zeere. At the end are the epiftles of St. Paul to the Laodiceans, and the leffons and epiftles of the old "Lawe, that ben red in the chirche all the Zeere after the use of Salisbury."

The four Gofpels in Greek, with the Canons of Eufebius, faid in a note at the end of the MS, and in a hand nearly coeval with it, to be the proper hand-writing of king Theodofius the Great.

A most auguft copy of the Greek Gofpels, in capitals, written in the 11th century.

An ancient tranfcript of the Greek Gofpels, adorned with a great variety of hiftorical paintings, and accompanied with an explanatory treatise on the Evangelists and evangelical leffons, a menology, the Canons of Eufebius written in

illuminated blue and gold letters, his epistle to Carpian, the preface of Irenæus, and another from Cofma, the Egyptian's Chriftianorum opinio de Mundo, five Topographia Chriftiana; allowed to be at least as old as the 12th century. It is faid in a note written on a fpare leaf at the end of this MS, that it formerly belonged to a monaftery, that took its appellation from the prophet Elias. £ 1.]

A fair copy of the Greek Gofpels, written in the 14th century, with the pictures of the Evangelifts painted on gold crowns, and their names written on the margins in Arabic characters.

Two other copies of the Greek Gofpels written in the 12th century, and another of the fame age, adorned with the picture of the Holy Virgin and Evangelifts.

An elegant tranfcript of the Four Gofpels in Greek, written in the 13th century, illuminated and adorned with paintings, and two others of the fame century.

A moft venerable Exemplar of the four Gofpels of St. Jerome's verfion, with the prefaces and canons of Eufebius; the whole written in capitals, and allowed to be 1200 years old. In this MS. it is obfervable, that the genealogy of our bleffed Saviour appears to be diftinct, and feparated from St. Matthew's Gofpel. The following words, in two independent lines, occurring after the 17th verfe of that chapter:

Genealogia Hucufque,

Incip. evangl. feed. MATTH. So that the Gospel begins at the 18th verfe of the first chapter, in the fame manner as in the famous copy of the Evangelifts written in

Ireland,

Ireland, and in another MS. of the fame kind, and of the 12th century; which MSS. are both preferved in this library. It is alfo obfervable, that the like diftinction or feparation of the genealogy of our bleffed Saviour, from the other part of St. Matthew's Gof pel, is made in the famous copy of the four Gofpels, formerly belonging to king Æthelftan, and now preferved in the Cottonian library (Tiberius, A. II.) which book was appointed to be used by the fucceeding kings of England, at the time of their taking their coronation oath.

A noble Exemplar of the four Gospels, in capital letters of gold, written in the eighth century. Every page of the facred text, confifting of two columns, is enclofed within a broad and beautifully illuminated border. The pictures of the Evangelifts, with their fymbolic animals, are curioufly painted in the front of their refpective Gofpels; the initial letter of each Gofpel is richly illuminated, and fo large as to fill an entire page. To the whole are prefixed the prologues, arguments, and breviaries; two letters of St. Jerome to Damafus, the canons of Eufebius, his letters to Carpian, and a Capitular of the Gofpels for the courfe of the year, all of them written in small golden characters.""

A tranfcript of the Latin Gofpels, with their ufual accompanyments; of the fame age with the laft MS, written in letters of gold, but of a small alphabet; and remarkable for the fingular manner in which the genealogy of our Saviour is placed.

An Exemplar of the Holy Gofpels, likewife written in the 8th century, and formerly belonging

to the church of St. Ciricius at Soiffons. To this manufcript are prefixed the epiftle to Damafus, and the ufual arguments, prologues, with an interpretation of Hebrew names, a catalogue of the books and veftments belonging to that church, and a lift of its faints.

Two other copies of the four La tin Gofpels, alfo written in the 8th century. In the latter of thefe, the reading of the 23d verfe of the last chapter of St. John's Gospel is, Si fic eum volo manere donec veniam ; and that of the 24th verse is, Si eum volo manere.

The four Gospels of St. Jerome's verfion, with his prologues, arguments, &c. the canons of Eufebius, and the parallel paffages, written in letters of gold in the tenth century. This MS is adorned with pictures of the following fubjects, painted on purple grounds, viz. before the 'Gofpel of St. Matthew, in a circle, are, the reprefentation of our Saviour, fitting as enthron ed; holding in his right hand the book of the new law, that of the old law lying in his lap; with the four evangelifts in the angles, kneeling. zdly, Our Saviour ftanding with St. John, refting his head on his bofom. 3dly, The portrait of St. Matthew. And 4thly, the salutation of the Virgin. Before St. Mark's Gofpel are the portrait of that evangelift, and the dormition of the Virgin Mary. At the beginning of St. Luke's Gospel are his portrait, and the crucifixion of our Saviour. Before the Gospel of St. John, are, the picture of that evangelift, and the afcenfion of our Lord.

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Two other copies, written in the fame century; one of them finely decorated with the pictures of the evangelifts and St. Jerome; and hav

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