of detecting little lapses from accuracy of drawing, or harmony of
composition--I do not hesitate one moment to pronounce the series of
embellishments, which they contain, perfectly unrivalled--as the production
of the same pencil. Their great merit consists in a prodigious freedom of
touch and boldness of composition. The colouring seems to be purposely made
subordinate. Figures the most minute, and actions the most difficult to
express, are executed in a ready, off-hand manner, strongly indicative, of
the masterly powers of the artist. The subjects are almost interminable in
number, and endless in variety.
I shall now proceed at once to an account of the xylographical productions,
or of BLOCK BOOKS in the public library of this place; and shall begin with
a work, of which (according to my present recollection) no writer hath yet
taken notice. It is a _Life of Christ_, in small quarto, measuring scarcely
five inches by four. The character of the type is between that of Pfister
and the Mazarine Bible, although rather more resembling the latter. Each
side of the leaf has text, or wood cut embellishments. The first eight
pages contain fifteen lines in a page: the succeeding two pages only
thirteen lines; but the greater number of the pages have fourteen lines.
It is precisely the dotted ground, in the draperies, that impresses me with
a notion of the antiquity of these cuts. Such a style of art is seen in all
the earlier efforts of wood engraving, such as the _St. Bernardinus_
belonging to M. Van-Praet, and the prints pasted within the covers of Mr.
George Nicol's matchless copy of the Mazarine Bible, upon vellum, in its
original binding.[51] M. Bernhard also shewed me, from his extraordinary
collection of early prints, taken from the old MS. volumes in this library,
several of this precise character; and to which we may, perhaps with
safety, assign the date of 1460 at the latest. I have been particular in
the account of this curious little volume, not so much because it is kept
in a case, and considered to be _unique_, as because, to the best of my
recollection, no account of it is to be found in any bibliographical
publication.
EXHORTATION AGAINST THE TURKS, &c.: of the supposed date of 1455. This is
the singular tract, of which Baron Aretin (the late head librarian of this
establishment) published an entire fac-simile; and which, from the date of
M.cccc.lv appearing at the bottom line of the first page, was conceived to
be of that period. M. Bernhard, however,--in an anonymous pamphlet--proved,
from some local and political circumstances introduced, or referred to, in
the month of _December_--in the Calendar attached to this exhortation--that
the _genuine_ date should rather be 1472. This brochure is also considered
to be unique. It is a small quarto, of six leaves only, of which the first
leaf is blank. The type is completely in the form of that of Pfister, and
the paper is unusually thick. At the bottom of the first leaf it is
observed, in ms. "_Liber eximiæ raritatis et inter cimelia bibliothecæ
asservandus. F. Er_."
ARS MEMORANDI, &c. Here are not fewer than _five copies_ of this well
known--and perhaps first--effort of block-book printing. These are of the
earliest dates, yet with trifling variations. The wood cuts in all the
copies are coloured; some more heavily than others; and in one of them you
observe, in the figure of St. Matthew, that red or crimson glossy wash, or
colour, so common in the earliest prints--and which is here carried over
the whole figure. One of these five copies is unbound.
ARS MORIENDI. Here are two editions, of which one copy is indisputably the
most ancient--like that in Lord Spencer's library,[52]--but of a
considerably larger size, in quarto. There can be no doubt of the whole of
this production being xylographical. Unluckily this fine copy has the first
and last pages of text in ms. The other pages, with blank-reverses, are
faintly impressed in brown ink: especially the first, which seems to be
injured. A double-line border is round each page. This copy, which is bound
in blue morocco, has also received injury from a stain. I consider the
second copy, which is bound in red morocco, to be printed with moveable
_metal_ types. The ink is however of a palish brown. I never saw another
copy of this latter impression.
BIBLIA PAUPERUM. _In Latin_. I doubt whether this be the first edition; but
at any rate it is imperfect. _In German_: with the date of 1470. Here are
two copies; of which I was anxious to obtain the duplicate (the largest and
uncoloured,) for the library in St. James's Place; but the value fixed upon
it was too high; indeed a little extravagant.
The APOSTLES CREED. _In German_. Only seven leaves, but pasted together--so
that, the work is an opistographised production. This is a very rare, and
indeed unique volume; and utterly unknown to bibliographers. Each cut is
about the same size, and there are twelve in the whole. There is no other
text but the barbarous letters introduced at the bottom of the cut.
MIRABILIA URBIS ROMÆ. Another generally unknown xylographic performance;
printed in the German language: being a small quarto. I have secured a
duplicate of this singular volume for Lord Spencer's library, intending to
describe it in the _Ædes Althorpianæ_.[53]
The LIFE OF ST. MEINRAT; _in German_, in a series of wood-cut
representations. This Saint was murdered by two men, whose Christian names
were Peter and Richard, and who were always afterwards haunted by a couple
of crows. There is a German introduction of two pages, preceding the cuts.
These cuts are forty-eight in number. At the thirtieth cut, the Saint is
murdered; the earlier series representing the leading events of his life.
The thirty-first cut represents the murderers running away; an angel being
above them; In the thirty-second cut, they continue to be pursued. The
thirty-third cut thus describes them; the German and the version being as
follow; "_Hie furt man die mord vo danne un wil schleisse vn
redern die rappen volget alle zit hin nach vn stechet sy_." "Here
they bring the murderers, in order to drag them upon the hurdle to
execution, and to break them upon the wheel. The crows follow and peck
them."
In the thirty-fourth cut Peter and Richard are tied and dragged at the
heels, of a horse. In the thirty-fifth they are broken upon the wheel.
The _Calendar of Regiomontanus_--A decidedly xylographical production; the
first date is 1475, the last 1525. A fine sound copy, but cropt. In a
duplicate copy the name of the mathematician is given at the end.
CANTICA CANTICORUM. First edition. A beautiful copy; cropt, but clean.
Sixteen cuts, uncoloured. The leaves have been evidently pasted together.
Another copy, coloured; but of a later date. In fine preservation. A third
copy; apparently the first edition; washed all over with a slight brown
tint, and again coarsely coloured in parts: This copy singularly enough, is
intermixed with portions of the first edition (as I take it) of the
_Apocalypse_: very clumsily coloured. A fourth copy, also, as I conceive,
of the first edition; rather heavily coloured. The back grounds are
uncoloured. This is larger than the other copies.
DEFENSIO IMMACULATÆ CONCEPTIONIS B.M.V. _Without place; of the date of
1470_. This is a Latin treatise; having four cuts in each page, with the
exception of the first two pages, which exhibit only Saints Ambrose,
Austin, Jerom and Gregory. At the bottom of the figure of St. Austin,
second column, first page, it is thus written; "_f.w. 1470_." In the whole
sixteen pages. The style of art is similar to that used in the
Antichrist.[54] Of this tract, evidently xylographical, I never saw or
heard of another copy.
The foregoing list may be said to comprise the _chief rarities_ among the
BLOCK BOOKS in the Public Library at Munich; and if I am not mistaken, they
will afford no very unserviceable supplement to the celebrated work of
Heineken upon the same subject. From this department in the art of
printing, we descend naturally to that which is connected with metal types;
and accordingly I proceed to lay before you another list of
_Book-Rarities_--taken from the earlier _printed volumes_ in this most
extraordinary Library.
We will begin with the best and most ancient of all Books:--the BIBLE. They
have a very singular copy of what is called the _Mazarine edition_: or
rather the parent impression of the sacred text:--inasmuch as it contains
(what, I believe, no other copy in Europe contains, and therefore M.
Bernhard properly considers it as unique) _four printed leaves of a table_,
as directions to the Rubricator. At the end of the Psalter is a ms. note
thus: "_Explicit Psalterium, 61_." This copy is in other respects far from
being desirable, for it is cropt, and in very ordinary calf binding.
_Mentelin's German Bible_. Here are two copies of this first impression of
the Bible in the German language: both of which have distinct claims to
render them very desirable. In the one is an inscription, in the German
language, of which M. Bernhard supplied me with the following literal
version: "_Hector Mulich and Otilia his wife; who bought this Bible in the
year of Our Lord, 1466, on the twenty-seventh day of June, for twelve
florins_." Their arms are below. The whole is decidedly a coeval
inscription. Here, therefore, is another testimony[55] of the printing of
this Bible at least as early as the year 1466. At the end of the book of
Jeremiah, in the same copy, is a ms. entry of 1467; "_sub Papa Paulo
Secundo et sub Imperatore Frederico tertio_." The second copy of this
edition, preserved in the same library, has a German ms. memorandum,
executed in red ink, stating that this edition is "_well translated,
without the addition of a single word, faithful to the Latin: printed at
Strasbourg with great care_." This memorandum is doubtless of the time of
the publication of the edition; and the Curators of the library very
judiciously keep both copies.
A third, or triplicate copy, of Mentelin's edition--much finer than either
of the preceding--and indeed abounding with rough edges--was purchased by
me for the library in St. James's place; but it was not obtained for a sum
beneath its full value.[56]
Here is a copy of _Eggesteyn's Latin Bible_, containing forty-five lines in
a full page, with the important date of "_24th May, 1466_"--in a coeval ms.
memorandum. Thus, you see, here is a date two years earlier[57] than that
in a copy of the same Bible in the Public Library at Strasbourg; and I
think, from hence, we are well warranted in supposing that both Mentelin
and Eggesteyn had their presses in full play at Strasbourg in 1466--if not
earlier. This copy of Eggesteyn's first Bible, which is in its original
binding of wood, is as fine and large as it is precious.
I shall continue, miscellaneously, with the earlier printed books. _T.
Aquinas de Virtutibus et Vitiis_; printed by _Mentelin_ in his smallest
character. At the end, there is the following inscription, in faded green
ink; _Johannes Bamler de Augusta hui^9 libri Illuiator Anno 1468_. Thus
Bamler should seem to be an illuminator as well as printer,[58] and Panzer
is wrong in supposing that Bamler _printed_ this book. Of course Panzer
formed his judgment from a copy which wanted such accidental attestation.
_Ptolemy_, 1462: with all the maps, coloured. _Livy_ (1469): very fine--in
its original binding--full sixteen inches high. _Cæsar_, 1469: very fine,
in the original binding. _Lucan_, 1469: equally fine, and coated in the
same manner. _Apuleius_, 1469: imperfect and dirty. The foregoing, you
know, are all EDITIONES PRINCIPES. But judge of my surprise on finding
neither the first edition of _Terence_, nor of _Valerius Maximus_, nor of
_Virgil_[59]--all by Mentelin. I enquired for the first _Roman_ or _Bologna
Ovid_: but in vain. It seemed that I was enquiring for "blue
diamonds;"[60]--so precious and rare are these two latter works.
Here are very fine copies of the _Philosophical works of Cicero, printed by
Ulric Han_--with the exception of the Tusculan Questions and the treatise
upon Oratory, of the dates of 1468, 1469--which are unluckily wanting. M.
Bernhard preserves _four_ copies of the _Euclid_ of 1482, because they have
printed variations in the margins. One of these copies has the prefix, or
preface of one page, printed in letters of gold. I saw another such a copy
at Paris. Here is the _Milan Horace of 1474_--the text only. The
_Catholicon by Gutenberg, of 1460_: UPON VELLUM: quite perfect as to the
text, but much cropt, and many pieces sliced out of the margins--for
purposes, which it were now idle to enquire after; although I have heard of
a Durandus of 1459 in our own country, which, in ancient times, had been so
served for the purpose of writing directions on parcels of game, &c.
_Catholicon of 1469 by G. Zeiner_; also UPON VELLUM, and equally cropt--but
otherwise sound and clean. This copy contains an ancient manuscript note
which must be erroneous; as it professes the first owner to have got
possession of the book before it was _printed_: in other words, an _unit_
was omitted in the date, and we should read 1469 for 1468.[61]
Among the more precious ITALIAN BOOKS, is a remarkably fine copy of the old
edition of the _Decameron of Boccaccio_, called the _Deo Gracias_--which
Lord Spencer purchased at the sale of the Borromeo library in London, last
year. It is quite perfect, and in a fine, large condition. It was taken to
Paris on a certain memorable occasion, and returned hither on an occasion
equally memorable. It contains 253 leaves of text and two of table; and has
red ms. prefixes. It came originally from the library of Petrus Victorius,
from which indeed there are many books in this collection, and was bought
by the King of Bavaria at Rome. What was curious, M. Bernhard shewed me a
minute valuation of this very rare volume, which he had estimated at 1100
florins--somewhere about £20. below the price given by Lord Spencer for his
copy, of which four leaves are supplied by ms. Here is a magnificent copy
of the _Dante of 1481_, with XX CUTS; the twentieth being precisely similar
to that of which a fac-simile appears in the B.S. This copy was _demanded_
by the library at Paris, and xix. cuts only were specified in the demand;
the twentieth cut was therefore secreted, from another copy--which other
copy has a duplicate of the first cut, pasted at the end of the preface.
The impressions of the cuts, in the copy under description, are worthy of
the condition of the text and of the amplitude of the margins. It is a
noble book, in every point of view.
I was shewn a great curiosity by this able bibliographer; nothing less than
a sheet, or _broadside_, containing _specimens of types from Ratdolf's
press_. This sheet is in beautiful preservation, and is executed in double
columns. The first ten specimens are in the _gothic_ letter, with a
gradually diminishing type. The last is thus:
_Hunc adeas mira quicunq: volumina queris
Arte uel ex animo pressa fuisse tuo
Seruiet iste tibi: nobis (sic) iure sorores
Incolumem seruet vsq: rogare licet._
This is succeeded by three gradually diminishing specimens of the printer's
_roman_ letter. Then, four lines of Greek, in the Jensonian or Venetian
character: next, in large black letter, as below.[62]
But a still greater curiosity, in my estimation, was a small leaf; by way
of _advertisement_, containing a list of publications issuing from the
press of a printer whose name has not yet been discovered, and attached
apparently to a copy of the _Fortalitium Fidei_; in which it was found.
Luckily there was a duplicate of this little broadside--or
advertisement--and I prevailed upon the curators, or rather upon M.
Bernhard (whose exclusive property it was) to part with this Sibylline
leaf, containing only nineteen lines, for a copy of the _Ædes Althorpianæ--
_as soon as that work should be published.[63] Of course, this is secured
for the library in St. James's Place.
I am now hastening to the close of this catalogue of the Munich
book-treasures. You remember my having mentioned a sort of oblong cabinet,
where they keep the books PRINTED UPON VELLUM--together with block books,
and a few of the more ancient and highly illuminated MSS. I visited this
cabinet the first thing on entering--and the last thing on leaving--the
Public Library. "Where are your _Vellum Alduses_, good Mr. Bernhard?" said
I to my willing and instructive guide. "You shall see only _two_ of
them"--(rejoined he) but from these you must not judge of the remainder. So
saying, he put into my hands the _first editions of Horace and Virgil_,
each of 1501, and bound in one volume, in old red morocco. They were
gems--almost of the very first order, and--almost of their original
magnitude: measuring six inches and three eighths, by three inches and
seven eighths. They are likewise sound and clean: but the Virgil is not
equal to Lord Spencer's similar copy, in whiteness of colour, or beauty of
illumination. Indeed the illuminations in the Munich copy are left in an
unfinished state. In the ardour of the moment I talked of these two
precious volumes being worth "120 louis d'or." M.B. smiled gently, as he
heard me, and deliberately returned the volumes to their
stations--intimating, by his manner, that not thrice that sum should
dispossess the library of such treasures. I have lost my memoranda as to
the number of these vellum Alduses; but the impression upon my mind is,
that they have not more than _six_.
Of course, I asked for a VELLUM _Tewrdanckhs_ of 1517, and my guide
forthwith placed _two_ MEMBRANACEOUS copies of this impression before
me:--adding, that almost every copy contained variations, more or less, in
the text. Indeed I found M.B. "doctissimus" upon this work; and I think he
said that he had published upon it as well as Camus.[64] This is about the
ninety-ninth time that I have most sensibly regretted my utter ignorance,
of the language (German) in which it pleaseth M. Bernhard to put forth his
instructive bibliographical lucubrations. Of these two copies, one has the
cuts coloured, and is very little cropt: the other has the cuts uncoloured,
and is decidedly cropt.
With the Tewrdanckhs, I take my leave both of the public library of Munich
and (for the present) of its obliging and well-informed Second Librarian.
But I must not leave this WORLD OF BOOKS without imparting to you the
satisfaction which I felt on witnessing half a dozen grave-looking scribes
employed, chiefly under the direction of M. Bernhard, in making out a
classed catalogue of _Fifteeners_--preparatory to the sale of their
Duplicates. This catalogue will be important in many respects; and I hope
to see it in my own country within two years from the date of the present
epistle.[65]
And now methinks it is high time to put the concluding paragraph to this
said epistle--so charged with bibliographical intelligence respecting the
capital of Bavaria. You must give it more than _one_ perusal if you wish to
digest it thoroughly. My next, within forty-eight hours hereof, will leave
me on the eve of departure from hence. In the meanwhile, prepare for some
pleasant BOOK TIDINGS in my ensuing despatch.
[40] Both the nave and towers appear in Hartmann Schedel's view of Munich,
in the _Nuremberg Chronicle_ of 1493: see fol. ccxxvi. The
"pepper-box" terminations are, I conceive, of a later date.
[41] I take this to be the famous Albert who died in 1500; and who, in
Schedel's time, kept lions for his disport--at Munich: "qui sua
magnificentia plures nutrit leones" _Chron. Norimb._ 1493.
_Ibid._
[42] The steeple fell down in the year 1599, and has never been rebuilt.
[43] See p. 87 ante.
[44] See p. 66 ante.
[45] [Sir J. Reynolds criticised these pictures when they were in the
_Dusseldorf Gallery_: but I cannot just now lay my hand upon his
remarks.]
[46] [It has made, and is yet making, great strides towards the
accomplishment of the above-mentioned objects--since the above passage
was written.]
[47] [With the exception of the first, (although I do not make this
exception with _confidence_) all the above-named gentlemen have
CEASED TO EXIST. Mr. Bernhard I believe died before the publication of
the preceding edition of this work: and I add, with perfect sincerity,
that _his_ decease, and that of _M. Adam Bartsch_ (vide
post) were, to me, among the bitterest regrets which I ever
experienced in my intercourse with foreign literati.
[48] The able editor of the Romance of Sir TRISTREAM, ascribed to Thomas of
Ercildoune, appears to have been entirely ignorant of the existence of
this highly curious and coeval German version. I regret that I am
unable to give the reader a complete analysis of the whole.
From this account, I select the following very small portion--of
fidelity of version--with a fac-simile of one of the Embellishments.
So all his thoughts were wavering:
_Wilen abe vn wilent an_--
One while above, and one while down,
_Er tet wol an im selben schin_
He truly on himself made shew,
_Daz der minnende mot_
That an amorous mind behaves
_Reht als der vrie fogel tot_
Even as the bird in the open air,
_Der durch die friheit dier hat_
Who, by the liberty he enjoys,
_Vf daz gelimde twi gestat_
Slightly sits on the lime-twig down;
_Als er des limes danne entsebet_
As soon as he the lime descrys,
_Vnd er sieh vf ze fluhte hebet_
And rises up to fly in haste,
_So chlebet er mit den fossen an_.
His feet are clinging to the twig.
This simile of the bird seems expressed in the illumination, of which
the outline has been faithfully copied by Mr. Lewis:
[Illustration]
[49] See page 33 ante.
[50] It appeared in the year 1808, and was sold for 2l. 12s. 6d. But a
blank space was left in the middle--which, in the original, is
occupied by a heavy gothic text. The publication of the continuation
by Lucas Cranach appeared in 1818.
[51] Now in the Collection of Henry Perkins, Esq.
[52] See _Bibl. Spenceriana_, vol. i. p. xv-xxiii. where fac-similes
of some of the cuts will be found.
[53] Where it is fully described, in vol. ii. p. 188, &c. with fac-similes
of the type and ornaments. An entire page of it is given at p. 189.
[54] See _Bibl. Spenceriana_, vol. i. p. xxxi.
[55] A copy in the public library at Stuttgart has a ms. memorandum in
which the same dominical date is entered. See note, at page 21 ante.
[56] It must be mentioned, however, that a fine copy of the _German
edition of Breydenbach's Travels, of 1486_, was given into the
bargain.
[57] In the _Bibl. Spencer_, vol. i. p. 38-9--where a fac-simile of
the type of this edition is given--the impression is supposed to have
been executed in "the year 1468 at latest." The inscription of 1468 in
the Strasbourg copy (see vol. ii. p. 404.) should seem at least to
justify the caution of this conclusion. But, from the above, we are as
justified in assigning to it a date of at least two years earlier.
[58] Lord Spencer possesses a copy of _St. Austin de Civitate Dei_,
with the Commentary of Trivetus, printed by Mentelin, which was also
illuminated by Bamler in the same year as above--1468. The memorandum
to this effect, by Bamler, is given in the _Ædes Althorpianæ_;
vol. ii. p. 20.
[59] I will not say _positively_ that the VIRGIL is _not_ there;
but I am pretty sure of the absence of the two preceding works. My
authority was, of course, the obliging and well informed M. Bernhard.
[60] See page 115 ante.
[61] The inscription is this: "_Anno dni Millesimo cccc^o lxviij^o.
Conparatus est iste Katholicon tpe Iohis Hachinger h^{9} ccclie p
tunc imeriti pptti. p. xlviij Aureis R flor^{9} taxatus p. H xxi
faciunt in moneta Vsuali xlvj t d_." So that it seems a copy of
this work, upon vellum, was worth at the time of its publication,
_forty-six golden florins_.
[62] _Indicis characterum diversarum manerieru impressioni
parataru: Finis. Erhardi Ratdolt Augustensis viri solertissimi:
preclaro ingenio & mirifica arte: qua olim Venetijs excelluit
celebratissimus. In imperiali nunc vrbe Auguste vindelicorum
laudatissime impressioni dedit. Annoq; salutis_ M.CCCC.LXXXXVI.
_Cale Aprilis Sidere felici compleuit_.
[63] An admirably executed fac-simile of the above curious document appears
in the work here referred to: vol. ii. p. 131--where the subject of
its probable printer is gone into at considerable length.