Gerard Langbaine, D.D., the learned Provost of Queen's College, died on
Feb. 10 in this year. Twenty-one vols. of his _Adversaria_, consisting
chiefly of extracts from Bodleian MSS. and of notes concerning the
arrangement of the books in the Library, were bought for £11. Nine other
volumes were bequeathed by Ant. à Wood in 1695. They are all fully
described by Mr. Coxe in vol. i. [cols. 877-888] of the General
Catalogue of the MSS. of the Library, which appeared in 1853, as well as
more briefly in Bernard's Catalogue. Besides obtaining his own
autograph collections by purchase, the Library became possessed by
bequest from him of the very valuable MS. (_e Mus. 86_) on the history
of Wickliffe and his followers, entitled _Fasciculi Zizaniorum_, written
by Thomas Walden. This was edited by the late Dr. Shirley in 1858, as
part of the Master of the Rolls' Series of Chronicles. Dr. Shirley
traced the volume to the hands of Bale and Usher, but was not aware of
the way in which it came to the Library.
The effect which civil war and confusion had had upon literature may be
commercially estimated by the fact that a gift of £5 from Joseph
Maynard, B.D., of Exeter College, proved sufficient for the purchase of
28 printed volumes and 11 MSS., many of which were curious.
A crocodile, from Jamaica, was given by John Desborow, the republican
Major-General, and brother-in-law to the Protector.