But with particular induftry have the various writers on the laws of our own country been collected, from the most ancient to the prefent time, from the bodies of the ftatutes to the minuteft treatife; not only the reports, precedents, and readings of our own courts, but even the laws of our Weft-Indian colonies, will be exhibited in our catalogue.

But neither history nor law have been fo far able to engross this library, as to exclude phyfic, philofophy, or criticism. Thofe have been thought, with juftice, worthy of a place, who have examined the different fpecies of animals, delineated their forms, or defcribed their properties and instincts; or who have penetrated the bowels of the earth, treated on its different ftrata, and analyfed its metals; or who have amufed themselves with lefs laborious fpeculations, 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 fyftems of the univerfe, have not been denied the honour which they deserved by fo great an attempt, whatever has been their fuccefs. Nor have thofe 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 thefe authors been defpifed by the boundless curiofity of the proprietors of the Harleian library. The writers on horfemanship and fencing are more numerious, and more bulky, than could be expected

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 criticks, and which have escaped the obfervation of thofe whofe great employment has been the collation of copies; nor will he find only the most ancient editions of Fauftus, Jenfon, Spira, Sweynheim, and Pannartz, but the moft 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 thofe likewife who have treated on any part of the Greek or Roman antiquities, their laws, their customs, their dress, 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 ftatues or their coins.

Next to the ancients, those writers deferve to be mentioned, who, at the restoration of literature, imitated their language and their style with fo great fuccefs, or who laboured with fo much induftry to make them understood: fuch were Philelphus and Politian, Scaliger and Buchanan, and the poets of the age of Leo the Tenth; thefe 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 thofe who have fo much

efteemed the one, have paid an equal regard to the other; and therefore it may be easily 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 thoufand others, by Nanteuil, Hollar, Collet, Edelinck, and Dorigny, and other engravers of equal reputation.

There is alfo a great collection of original drawings, of which three feem to deferve a particular mention; the firft exhibits a reprefentation 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 of St. Ignatius; all painted with the utmost acin their proper colours.

curacy,

As the value of this great collection may be conceived from this account, however imperfect, as the variety of fubjects must engage the curiofity of men of different ftudies, 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 fpecies 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 fplendor of its volumes.

We may now furely be allowed to hope, that our catalogue will not be thought unworthy of the publick curiofity; that it will be purchased as a record

of this great collection, and preserved as one of the memorials of learning.

The patrons of literature will forgive the purchafer of this library, if he prefumes 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 fale 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 caufe of learning.

N 4

AN

ESSAY

ON THE

ORIGIN AND IMPORTANCE

OF

SMALL TRACTS AND FUGITIVE PIECES.

Written for the INTRODUCTION to the

HARLEIAN MISCELLANY.

T

HOUGH the scheme of the following Miscellany is fo obvious, that the title alone is fufficient to explain it; and though feveral collections have been formerly attempted upon plans, as to the method, very little, but, as to the capacity and execution, very different from ours; we, being poffeffed of the greatest variety for fuch a work, hope for a more general reception than those confined schemes had the fortune to meet with; and, therefore, think it not wholly unneceffary to explain our intentions, to display the treasure of materials out of which this Mifcellany is to be compiled, and to exhibit a general idea of the pieces which we intend to infert in it.

There is, perhaps, no nation in which it is fo neceffary, as in our own, to affemble, from time

to