34 ACCOUNT OF THE How the Knowledge of the Sacred Writings has been diffufed, will be obferved from the Catalogue of the various Editions of the Bible,from the first Impreffion by Fuft, in 1462, to the prefent Time; in which will be contained the Polyglot Editions of Spain, France, and England, thofe of the original Hebrew, the Greek Septuagint, and the Latin Vulgate; with the Verfions which are now used in the remoteft Parts of Europe, in the Country of the Grifons, in Lithuania, Bohemia, Finland, and Iceland. With regard to the Attempts of the fame Kind made in our own Country, there are few whofe Expectations will not be exceeded by the Number of English Bibles, of which not one is forgotten, whether valuable for the Pomp and Beauty of the Impreffion, or for the Notes with which the Text is accompanied, or for any Controverfy or Perfecution that it produced, or for the Peculiarity of any fingle Paffage. With the fame Care have the various Editions of the Book of Common-Prayer been felected, from which all the Alterations which have been made in it may be eafily remarked. Amongst a great Number of Roman Miffals and Breviaries, remarkable for the Beauty of their Cuts and Illuminations, will be found the Mofarabic Miffal and Breviary, that raised such Commotions in the Kingdom of Spain. The Controverfial Treatifes written in England, about the Time of the Reformation, have been diligently collected, with a Multitude of remarkable Tracts, fingle Sermons, and small Treatifes; which, however worthy to be preserved, are, perhaps, to be found in no other Place. The Regard which was always paid, by the Collectors of this Liberary, to that remarkable Period of Time, in which the Art of Printing was invented, determined them to accumulate the ancient Impreffions of the Fathers of the Church; to which the later Additions 2. Additions are added, left Antiquity should have feemed more worthy of Efteem than Accuracy. Hiftory has been confidered with the Regard due to that Study by which the Manners are most easily formed, and from which the moft efficacious Inftruction is received; nor will the moft extenfive Curiofity fail of Gratification in this Library; from which no Writers have been excluded, that relate either to the religious or civil Affairs of any Nation. Not only thofe Authors of Ecclefiaftical History have been procured, that treat of the State of Religion in general, or deliver Accounts of Sects or Nations, but thofe likewife who have confined themfelves to particular Orders of Men in every Church; who have related the Original, and the Rules of every Society, or recounted the Lives of its Founder and its Members; those who have deduced in every Country the Succeffion of Bishops, and those who have employed their Abilities in celebrating the Piety of particular Saints, or Martyrs, or Monks, or Nuns. The Civil History of all Nations has been amaffed together; nor is it eafy to determine which has been thought most worthy of Curiofity. Of France, not only the general Hiftories and ancient Chronicles, the Accounts of celebrated Reigns, and Narratives of remarkable Events, but even the Memorials of fingle Families, the Lives of private Men, the Antiquities of particular Cities, Churches, and Monafteries, the Topography of Provinces, and the Accounts of Laws, Cuftoms, and Prefcriptions, are here to be found. The feveral States of Italy have, in this Treasury, their particular Hiftorians, whofe Accouns are, perhaps, generally more exact, by being less extenfive; and more interefting, by being more particular. Nor has lefs Regard been paid to the different Nations of the Germanic Empire, of which neither the Bohemians, nor Hungarians, nor Auftrians, nor Ba varians, ACCOUNT OF THE varians, have been neglected; nor have their Ant? quities, however generally disregarded, been lefs ftudioufly fearched, that their prefent State. The Northern Nations have fupplied this Collection, not only with History, but Poetry, with Gothic Antiquities, and Runic Infcriptions; which at leaft have this Claim to Veneration, above the Remains of the Roman Magnificence, that they are the Works of thofe Heroes, by whom the Roman Empire was destroyed; and which may plead, at least in this Nation, that they ought not to be neglected by those that owe to the Men whofe Memories they preferve, their Conftitution, their Properties, and their Liberties. The Curiofity of thefe Collectors extend equally to all Parts of the World; nor did they forget to add to the Northern the Southern Writers, or to adorn their Collection with Chronicles of Spain, and the Conqueft of Mexico. Even of those Nations with which we have lefs Intercourfe, whofe Cuftoms are lefs accurately known, and whofe Hiftory is lefs diftinctly recounted, there are in this Library repofited fuch Accounts as the Europeans have been hitherto able to obtain; nor are the Mogul, the Tartar, the Turk, and the Saracens without their Hiftorians. That Perfons fo inquifitive, with Regard to the Tranfactions of other Nations, fhould enquire yet more ardently after the Hiftory of their own, may be naturally expected; and, indeed, this Part of the Library is no common Inftance of Diligence and Accuracy. Here are to be found, with the ancient Chronicles, and larger Hiftories of Britain, the Narratives of fingle Reigns, and the Accounts of remarkable Revolutions, the topographical Histories of Counties, the Pedigrees of Families, the Antiquities of Churches and Cities, the Proceedings of Parliaments, the Records of Monafteries, and the Lives ranked the W may be read 1 man, French, The Laws themfelves e Hiftory, have garded; and munities of examined and tions of the P on the Civil Statutes of But with p ters on the lected, from from the Bod fife; not onl ings of our VOL. II. 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 Firft, and ends with the Refloration, will almost furnish a Library alone, fuch is the Number of VoJumes, Pamphlets, and Papers, which were pub lifhed by either Party; and fuch is the Care with which they have been preferved. Nor is Hiftory without the neceffary Preparatives and Attendants, Geography and Chronology: Of Geography, the best Writers and Delineators have been procured, and Pomp and Accuracy have both been regarded: The Student of Chronology may here find likewife thofe 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 juftly 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 Industry 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 minuteft Treafife; not only the Reports, Precedents, and Readings of our own Courts, but even the Laws of our VOL. II. West C 18 ACCOUNT OF THE Weft-Indian Colonies, will be exhibited in our Catalogue. But neither Hiftory, nor Law have been so far able to engrofs this Library, as to exclude Phyfic, Philofophy, or Criticifm. 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 analysed its Metals; or who have amufed themselves 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 Systems of the Univerfe, 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 those 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 defpifed by the boundless Curiofity of the Proprietors of the Harleian Library. The Writers on Horfemanship and Fencing are more numerous, and more bulky, than could be expected by thofe 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 those whofe great Employment has been the Collation of Copies; nor will he find only the most ancient Editions of FauBus, fenfon, Spira, Sweynheim, and Pannariz, but the HAI the most accu the funta, ir, with th the moft learn Nor are th dons of thofe particular W treated on any W or w ties, their La Buildings, th Rites and Ce that have end thors from the Next to the mentioned, itated their Succefs, make them u Politian, Scali Age of Leo found in this Collections o Painting is de wondered the one, have and therefore lection of Pri gree; but fur be exceeded, more than for tian, Guide, Nauteuil, Ho other Engrav There is a ings, of wh Mention; th that of St. |