Lives of particular Men, whether eminent in the Church or the State, or remarkable in private Life; whether exemplary for their Virtues, or deteftable for their Crimes; whether perfecuted for Religion, or executed for Rebellion.

That memorable Period of the English Hiftory, which begins with the Reign of King Charles the First, and ends with the Restoration, will almost furnish a Library alone, fuch is the Number of Volumes, Pamphlets, and Papers, which were publifhed by either Party; and fuch is the Care with which they have been preserved.

Nor is Hiftory without the neceffary Preparatives and Attendants, Geography and Chronology: Of Geography, the beft Writers and Delineators have been procured, and Pomp and Accuracy have both been regarded: The Student of Chronology may here find likewise those Authors who fearched the Records of Time, and fixed the Periods of History.

With the Hiftorians and Geographers may be ranked the Writers of Voyages and Travels, which may be read here in the Latin, English, Dutch, German, French, Italian, and Spanish Languages.

The Laws of different Countries, as they are in themselves equally worthy of Curiofity with their Hiftory, have, in this Collection, been justly regarded; and the Rules by which the various Communities of the World are governed, may be here examined and compared. Here are the ancient Editions of the Papal Decretals, and the Commentators on the Civil Law, the Edicts of Spain, and the Statutes of Venice.

But with particular Induftry have the various Writers on the Laws of our own Country been collected, from the moft ancient to the prefent Time, from the Bodies of the Statutes to the minutest Treatife; not only the Reports, Precedents, and Readings of our own Courts, but even the Laws of our VOL. II.

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Weft

Weft-Indian Colonies, will be exhibited in our Ca talogue.

But neither History nor Law have been so far able to engrofs this Library, as to exclude Phyfic, Philofophy, or Criticism. Thofe have been thought, with Juftice, worthy of a Place, who have examined the different Species of Animals, delineated their Forms, or defcribed their Properties and Inftincts, or who have penetrated the Bowels of the Earth, treated on its different Strata, and analyfed its Metals; or who have amufed themfelves with. lefs laborious Speculations, and planted Trees, or cultivated Flowers.

Thofe that have exalted their Thoughts above. the minuter Parts of the Creation, who have obferved the Motions of the heavenly Bodies, and attempted Syftems of the Universe, have not been. denied the Honour which they deferved by fo great an Attempt, whatever has been their Succefs. Nor have those Mathematicians been rejected, who have applied their Science to the common Purposes of Life; or thofe that have deviated into the kindred Arts, of Tactics, Architecture, and Fortification.

Even Arts of far lefs Importance have found their Authors, nor have these Authors been despised by the boundless Curiosity of the Proprietors of the Harleian Library. The Writers on Horfemanfhip and Fencing are more numerous, and more bulky, than could be expected by those who reflect how feldom thofe excel in either, whom their Education has qualified to compofe Books.

The Admirer of Greek and Roman Literature will meet, in this Collection, with Editions little known. to the most inquifitive Critics, and which have efcaped the Obfervation of thofe whofe great Employment has been' the Collation of Copies; nor will he find only the most ancient Editions of Faufus, Jenfon, Spira, Sweynheim, and Pannartz, but

the

the most accurate likewife and beautiful of Colinæus, the Junta, Plantin, Aldus, the Stephens, and Elzevir, with the Commentaries and Obfervations of the most learned Editors.

Nor are they accompanied only with the Illuftrations of those who have confined their Attempts to particular Writers, but of those likewife who have treated on any Part of the Greck or Roman Antiquities, their Laws, their Customs, their Drefs, their Buildings, their Wars, their Revenues, or the Rites and Ceremonies of their Worship, and those that have endeavoured to explain any of their Authors from their Statues or their Coins.

Next to the Ancients, thofe Writers deferve to be mentioned, who, at the Restoration of Literature, imitated their Language and their Stile with fo great Succefs, or who laboured with fo much Industry to make them understood: Such were Philelphus and Politian, Scaliger and Buchanan, and the Poets of the Age of Leo the Tenth; these are likewife to be found in this Library, together with the Delicia, or Collections of all Nations.

Painting is fo nearly allied to Poetry, that it cannot be wondered that those who have fo much esteemed the one, have paid an equal Regard to the other; and therefore it may be eafily imagined, that the Collection of Prints is numerous in an uncommon Degree; but furely, the Expectation of every Man will be exceeded, when he is informed that there are more than forty thousand engraven from Raphael, Titian, Guido, the Carraches, and a thousand others, by Nauteueil, Hollar, Callet, Edelinck, and Dorigny, and other Engravers of equal Reputation.

There is also a great Collection of original Drawings, of which three feem to deserve a particular Mention; the first exhibits a Representation of the Infide of St. Peter's Church at Rome; the fecond, of that of St. John Lateran; and the third, of the high Altar

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Altar of St. Ignatius; all painted with the utmost Accuracy, in their proper Colours.

As the Value of this great Collection may be conceived from this Account, however imperfect, as the Variety of Subjects must engage the Curiofity of Men of different Studies, Inclinations, and Employments, it may be thought of very little Ufe to mention any flighter Advantages, or to dwell on the Decorations and Embellishments which the Generofity of the Proprietors has bestowed upon it; yet, fince the Compiler of the Thuanian Catalogue thought not even that Species of Elegance below his Obfervation, it may not be improper to obferve, that the Harleian Library, perhaps, excels all others, not more in the Number and Excellence, than in the Splendor of its Volumes.

We may now furely be allowed to hope, that our Catalogue will be thought not unworthy of the public Curiofity; that it will be purchased as a Record of this great Collection, and preferved as one of the Memorials of Learning.

The Patrons of Literature will forgive the Purchafer of this Library, if he presumes to affert fome Claim to their Protection and Encouragement, as he may have been inftrumental in continuing to this Nation the Advantage of it. The Sale of Voffius's Collection into a foreign Country, is, to this Day, regretted by Men of Letters; and if this Effort for the Prevention of another Lofs of the fame Kind fhould be difadvantageous to him, no Man will hereafter willingly rifque his Fortune in the Cause of Learning.

A DIS

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A DISSERTATION ON AUTHORS.

Scire velim quare toties mihi, Nævole, triftis Occurris fronte obductà, ceu Marfya vitus. Juv.

HERE is no Gift of Nature, or Effect of

Τ
T Art, however beneficial to Mankind, which,

either by cafual Deviations, or foolish Perversions, is not fometimes mifchievous. Whatever may be the Caufe of Happiness, may be made likewife the Cause of Mifery. The Medicine, which rightly applied, has Power to cure, has, when Rafhness or Ignorance prescribes it, the fame Power to deftroy.

I have computed, at fome Hours of Leifure, the Lofs and Gain of Literature, and fet the Pain which it produces against the Pleasure. Such Calculations are indeed at a great Distance from mathematical Exactness, as they arise from the Induction of a few Particulars, and from Obfervations made rather according to the Temper of the Computift, than the Nature of Things. But fuch a narrow Survey as can be taken, will eafily fhew that Letters cause many Bleffings, and inflict many Calamities; that there is fcarcely an Individual who may not confider them as immediately or mediately influencing his Life, as they are chief Inftruments of conveying Knowledge, and tranfmitting Sentiments; and almoft every Man learns, by their Means, all that is right or wrong in his Sentiments and Conduct.

If Letters were confidered only as Means of Pleafure, it might well be doubted in what Degree of Eftimation they should be held; but when they are referred to Neceffity, the Controverfy is at an End : It foon appears, that though they may fometimes in

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commode