In the Register of Benefactions, on a page faintly headed in pencil with
this date, is entered a gift from Christopher, Lord Hatton, 'Homiliarum
Saxonicarum 4 volumina antiqua.' The donor was consequently the second
baron, and first viscount, Hatton, who succeeded his father Christopher
(a firm royalist, and close friend of Clarendon, as well as antiquarian,
and friend of Dodsworth) in 1670, and died in 1706. Possibly this gift
may have been made through the influence of his uncle, Capt. Charles
Hatton, who appears to have been much interested in Anglo-Saxon studies,
who himself gave three MSS. to the Library, and several of whose letters
to Dr. Charlett in 1694-1707 are preserved in vol. xxxiii. of Ballard's
MSS. Strange to say, these volumes of Homilies (written shortly after
the Norman Conquest) are now among the Junian MSS., Nos. 22, 23, 24, 99,
and their appearance in that collection is accounted for by Wanley
(_Cat._ p. 45, where they are fully described) by a story which, he
says, was often told him by Hyde, viz. that, immediately upon the
arrival of the MSS. at the Library, they were lent to Dr. Marshall, who
most probably in turn lent them to Junius; that, Marshall dying soon
after, Junius kept them until his own death, when they returned to the
Library with his own books, by his bequest. Junius himself frequently
refers to them under the description of _Codices Hattoniani_.
The Library also contains a collection of 112 miscellaneous and valuable
MSS., 'ex Codicibus Hattonianis,' of the presentation of which no record
has been found[136], but which doubtless came about the same time from
the same donor. Some precious Anglo-Saxon volumes form the special
feature of this collection. Amongst them are, King Alfred's translation
of Gregory's _Pastoral Care_, of which the king designed to send a copy
to each Cathedral Church in the kingdom, this being the copy sent to
Worcester (No. 20); the translation by Werfrith, Bishop of Worcester, of
Gregory's _Dialogues_, with King Alfred's preface (No. 76); and a
version of the Four Gospels, written about the time of Henry II (No.
65).
Henry Justell, afterwards Librarian at St. James's, sent to the
University from France, through Dr. Hickes, three very precious MSS. of
the seventh century, written in uncial characters, containing the Acts
of the Council of Ephesus, the Canons of Carthage, Nicæa, Chalcedon, &c.,
which had been used by his father Christopher Justell in his
_Bibliotheca Juris Canonici veteris_, 1661. They are now numbered, _e
Mus._ 100-102. Several other MSS. given at the same time are preserved
in the same series. In return for this valuable gift Justell was created
D.C.L. by diploma.
[136] The Register has evidently been kept very irregularly and
imperfectly during the time that Barlow and Hyde held the headship.