The great event of this year was the reception of the famous and
extensive collection of English dramatic literature and early poetry,
formed by Edmund Malone[302]. It was bequeathed by him on his decease
(May 25, 1812) to his brother, Lord Sunderlin, with the expression of a
wish that, if not retained as an heirloom in the family, it should be
deposited in some public library. In fulfilment of this wish, Lord
Sunderlin communicated to the University, in 1815, his intention to
transfer the collection to the Bodleian so soon as Mr. James Boswell, to
whom it was entrusted in order to assist him in the preparation of a new
edition of Malone's _Shakespeare_, should have finished his use of it.
That edition being at length issued in 1821, the library was sent to
Oxford in the same year. The character of the collection is too well
known to need description; suffice it to say that it contains upwards of
800 volumes, of which by far the greater number are distinguished by
their rarity. There are first quartos of many of Shakespeare's plays,
and second editions of others[303]; of his collected works there are
both the first and second folios. Barnfield, Beaumont and Fletcher,
Chapman, Decker, Greene, Heywood, Ben Jonson, Lodge, Massinger, Rich.
Taylor the water-poet, and Whetstone are amongst those who are most
fully represented. There are also a few MSS. A Catalogue of the
collection, in folio (52 pp.), with a life of Malone by Boswell
(previously printed in _Gent. Magaz._ and Nichol's _Lit. Hist._), was
published in 1836; and, in 1861, Mr. J. O. Halliwell printed fifty-one
copies of a small _Hand-list_ of the early English literature preserved
in it. Various volumes of Malone's own MSS. collections have been
subsequently added by purchase; viz. in 1836 some papers relating to the
life and writings of Pope; in 1838, his collections for the last
edition of his _Shakespeare_ and for the illustration of ancient
manners, together with a portion of his literary correspondence; in 1851
a volume of letters written to him by Bishop Percy, between 1783 and
1807; in 1858 three octavo volumes of collections made by him at Oxford;
and in 1864 a volume of letters to him from Dr. Johnson, Mrs. Siddons,
and others. A large series of pamphlets, chiefly relating to Irish
history and to literary matters, comprised in seventy-five volumes, was
also purchased in 1838[304]. Almost all his books are uniformly bound in
half-calf, with 'E. M.' in an interlaced monogram on the back; a very
few have a book-plate consisting of his coat-of-arms within a square of
books, with the inscription (in imitation of Grolier's) 'Edm. Malone et
amicorum,' and a motto from the _Menagiana_.
A curious instance of the variableness and uncertainty of the prices of
books is afforded by the purchase-list of this year, when contrasted
with prices paid at the present time. A copy (wanting the preliminary
leaves and a few others) of one of the Antwerp editions of Tyndale's New
Test. in 1534, (which had belonged to Mr. Benj. Ibott, and is mentioned
in Herbert's _Ames_, vol. iii. p. 1543) was bought for nineteen
shillings; Mr. Stevens in 1855 priced another imperfect copy at fifteen
guineas. But, on the other hand, £63 were given in this year for the
rare _Ed. Pr._ of Virgil, printed by Sweynheim and Pannartz in
1469[305]. A somewhat similar instance occurred also in 1826, when
Daye's edition of the Apocrypha, printed in 1549 (being vol. iv. of his
edition of the Bible in that year), was obtained for fifteen shillings,
while £73 10_s._ were paid for an edition of Virgil printed at Venice
about 1473.
The very rare German Bible, printed at Strasburgh about 1466, was bought
for £42, and a perfect copy of the first edition of the Bishops' Bible,
in 1568, for seven guineas[306]. A volume of interest in typographical
history was presented, in the first book printed in New South Wales. It
is entitled _Michael Howe, the last and worst of the Bush Rangers of Van
Dieman's Land; narrative of the chief atrocities committed by this great
murderer and his associates during a period of six years in Van Dieman's
Land_: it extends to thirty-six small octavo pages, and was printed at
Hobart Town, by Andrew Bent, in Dec, 1818[307].
The Catalogue of the Oriental MSS., commenced in the year 1787 by Uri,
was continued in this year by the publication by Mr. Nicoll of the first
part of a second volume, containing notices of 234 additional Arabic
MSS. His premature death occurred before the publication of the second
part, which he had printed as far as p. 388; this was completed and
edited (with nine lithographic plates of specimens of Arabic MSS.) by
his successor in the Hebrew Professorship, Dr. Pusey, in 1835. It
contains altogether descriptions of 296 Arabic volumes, together with
copious additions by Dr. Pusey to Uri's first portion, which are noticed
above, p. 199.
The Parish Registers of Newington, Kent, and of Bures, in Suffolk, which
had come into the Library among Dr. Rawlinson's books, were restored to
their respective parishes by a decree submitted to Convocation on Nov.
9. In the Register of Convocation itself, by a singular omission, no
mention of the former of these parish books is made (although included
in the proposal), and the restoration of that of Bures is alone
recorded. But by enquiry addressed to the Vicar of Newington, it has
been ascertained that one of the Registers contains a memorandum of its
having been returned by vote of Convocation on the day in question.
By a vote of Convocation on July 7, the rooms on the first floor of the
Schools' quadrangle, which were formerly used as the Hebrew and Greek
Schools, were assigned to the Library; the former (on the south side)
now contains, in two rooms, the Bodley, Laud, and other collections of
MSS.; the latter (on the north side), also in two rooms, the foreign and
English periodicals[308].
On May 25, a plan for warming the Library was, for the first time,
adopted. It consisted in introducing hot air simply at two small
gratings at one end of the Library, from pipes communicating with a
stove placed (with the consent of Exeter College) where the furnace of
the present apparatus is situated, in the wall between the north-west
corner of the Library and the Ashmolean Museum. As a means of warming
the Library generally the system was wholly ineffectual, no benefit
being experienced except by those who remained in the immediate vicinity
of the gratings. It remained, however, in use until 1845, when pipes
were laid down through a considerable part of the Library for the
purpose of warming it by steam. This plan, however, did not give
satisfaction, either on the ground of safety or of effectiveness. In
1855 Mr. Braidwood, the late distinguished head of the London Fire
Brigade, was brought down to survey the apparatus and to examine
generally how the Library could best be secured against fire; and, by
his advice and that of Mr. G. G. Scott, the pipes were enclosed in slate
casings, so as effectually to hinder contact with any inflammable
materials, and two fire-proof iron doors were inserted at the entrances
to the great Reading-room, in order to cut it off from the rest of the
building[309]. But in 1861 steam was discarded for the safer and more
effectual system, now in use, of warming by hot water; new pipes (cased
in slate) were laid down by Messrs. Haden and Son, and were carried
through the Examination Schools on the ground-floor of the quadrangle,
as well as through the Library.
In Feb. Mr. J. P. Roberts, New College (B.A. 1821, M.A. 1826, now Minor
Canon of Chichester) was appointed _minister_, _vice_ Mr. P. Barrett,
Wadham College (B.A. 1828); and Mr. Robert Eden, of St. John's College
(Corp. Chr. Coll. B.A. 1825, M.A. 1827, now Vicar of Wymondham,
Norfolk), was appointed _vice_ Walker. From this time there appear to
have been two assistants, although it was not until 1837 that that
number was formally allowed by Statute.
[302] Malone was the son of an Irish Judge. He was born in Dublin, Oct.
4, 1741, was educated at Trin. Coll. Dublin, where he took the degree of
M.A., and became a barrister, but soon retired from legal practice.
[303] For notices of the purchase of several early quartos, wanting in
this series, see 1834.
[304] These are now incorporated with the large collection called
_Godwyn Pamphlets_. A copy of Wood's _Ath. Oxon._ with MSS. notes by
Malone, was given by Mr. B. H. Bright in 1835.
[305] Various other _editt. princ._ were bought in this year, with some
Aldines. Also a collection of modern Greek works printed at Venice.
[306] Offor's copy sold for £41; Lea Wilson's for £61 10_s._
[307] The present writer has in his possession an early newspaper
printed in New Zealand, the _Auckland Times_, No. 41, for Apr. 6, 1843,
not merely curious in relation to the history of the colony, but also as
a typographical relic. Its crowning interest is to be found in its
colophon (if such a classical word may be applied to the imprint of a
newspaper), which states that it was '_Printed in a mangle_.'
[308] In Lascelles' Account of Oxford, published in this year, it is
said that the printed books in the Library were computed at 160,000, and
the MSS. at 30,000.
[309] Mr. Braidwood's report was printed in 1856, together with one from
Mr. Scott, on the extension of the Library, and the means of rendering
it fire-proof.