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but also a list of the additions which he made to it between the publication of that work and his own death in 1714.

During the interval which has since elapsed, the manuscript department of the Library has been considerably enriched from time to time by private benefactions'; such, for instance, as bequests of Archdeacon Lewes, of Dr William Burrel, of Dr Claudius Buchanan, and of the celebrated traveller, J. L. Burckhardt 2; so that the University possesses at the present time about three thousand MSS.

Yet, strange to say, until the very close of the last century no tolerable catalogue existed to indicate the real nature of their contents either to members of the University or to the literary world at large. The task of constructing such a catalogue was first confided in 1794 to Mr James Nasmith, Fellow of Corpus Christi College, who had already gained considerable familiarity with that field of antiquarian research. If his endeavours were not altogether successful in the present instance, the failure is more attributable to the magnitude of the task imposed upon him than to his deficiency either in knowledge, accuracy, or judgment. Indeed it may be questioned if any single hand could have adequately examined and described a collection of such area and variety in the short period of three years which he devoted to the work. When, therefore, the University became more anxious to put forth a printed statement respecting MSS. in its possession,

3

The Library itself contains but few records of the number and nature of these benefactions. The principal (after E B, Ix. 12) is a meagre list of purchases and presents, beginning at June, 1758, and proceeding as far as May, 1789. From it we learn, for instance, that an unknown benefactor in 1786 presented the MSS. Dd. 1x. 70, 71, 72, together with a copy of St John's Gospel, 'in a lock-up class."

2 His name is given to one large section of the Oriental MSS., described under the title Catalogus Bibliothecæ Burckhardtianæ, by Mr (now Professor) Preston, in 1853.

3 A slight account of the MSS., in addition to those already noted, was subsequently given to the public in Dyer's Privileges of the University of

and two courses were open, either to publish Nasmith's volumes or to authorize the formation of a more elaborate catalogue, the second of these courses was suggested by the Pitt Press Syndicate, under whose auspices the present work is being executed.

The instructions of the Syndicate1 were issued in the spring of 1851, and since that time a party of Cataloguers have been at intervals engaged in carrying out their project. The following list will exhibit the division of subjects which has been adopted, together with the names of those Members of the Senate who have contributed to the first volume of the Catalogue:

1. Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Norman, and Early English Litera-
ture, Mr C. Hardwick, St Catharine's Hall, Editor.

2. Classical, Mr Churchill Babington, St John's College.
3. Heraldic, &c., Mr Chas. C. Babington, St John's College.

Cambridge, 1. 559 sq. Lond. 1824. Hänel's Catalogi Librorum Manuscriptorum qui in Bibliothecis Galliæ, Helvetiæ, Belgii, Britannia M., Hispaniæ, Lusitaniæ asservantur, Lips. 1830, notwithstanding the promise of the title, devotes only four columns to all the Cambridge libraries.

The following are some of the chief:

That the language employed in describing the MSS. shall be English. That the description of each MS. shall include the following particulars:

(1) Material.

(2) Size.

(3) Number of pages, and of columns and lines in a page.

(4) Style of handwriting (and difference of hands, if any).

(5) Probable age.

(6) Traces, if any, of original owner, and subsequent history.
(7) Present condition.

(8) Whether it has been published or collated.

That the new Catalogue shall be arranged according to the present order of the MSS.

The cataloguing of the Oriental MSS. interspersed through the general collection has been entrusted to Professor Williams, whose work will form a sequel to the Catalogue above mentioned, p. xi. n.2.

4. Historical, Mr W. R. Collett, Gonville and Caius College. 5. Legal, Professor Abdy, Trinity Hall.

6. Musical, Mr W. W. Hutt, Gonville and Caius College. 7. Scientific, Medical, &c. Dr Webster, Jesus College, and Mr J. Glover, Trinity College.

8. Theological', Mr H. R. Luard and Mr C. B. Scott, Trinity College.

In committing the first-fruits of their labour to the press, the contributors have to apologize for numerous blemishes and defects which they are conscious will not pass unnoticed by persons skilled in all the various branches of the subject. On the other hand, such persons, and they only, are aware of the formidable difficulties arising out of undertakings like the present, as well as of the inadequate representation which descriptions ordinarily furnish of the thought and labour they have cost.

The contributors particularly feel that the proposal to determine as far as possible whether each important MS. has been already published or collated, has not only entailed upon them a large expenditure of time unknown to ordinary cataloguers, but has also been the means of exposing their production to unusual criticism. Any suggestions calculated to assist them in the further prosecution of their labours, or to remedy omissions and mistakes in the present volume, will be thankfully received by the Editor.

At the conclusion of the work a set of copious Indices will be appended, for the purpose of facilitating reference to the Catalogue; together with a Table denoting as far as possible the last owner from whom each MS. had passed into the hands of the University.

1 Assistance in this department has also been rendered by Mr J. E, Cooper, of St John's College, who left the University at an early stage of the proceedings; and by Mr W. W. Howard, of Sidney Sussex College, and Mr F. J. A. Hort, of Trinity College.

It only remains to add, by way of explanation, that where the title of any treatise stands between inverted commas, such title is derived from the MS. itself. In other cases the deficiency has

been supplied by the cataloguer.

CAMBRIDGE, January 1, 1856.

CORRIGENDA.

Page 13, line 25, for 'braviam' read 'bravium'

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18, for 'f. 140' read 'f. 144'

19, dele comma after 'virginitate,' and read B. M. in italics 22, for 'cantaristaram' read 'cantaristarum'

5 from bottom, for ‘eλvoev' read ‘E\vσev'

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13.

15.

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This treatise is uniform in writing, &c. with the preceding.

This stanza appears among the works of Marbodius. 15, for Audimus' read 'Audinnus'

25, for 'penurion' read 'penuriam'

2. for 'spiritualis' read 'spirituales'
9, for 'injustæ' read 'injuste'

6, for 'firmaviorum' read 'firmariorum'

2 from bottom, for Fontenay read Fontenay'

9, for 'Nasmyth' read 'Nasmith'

5 from bottom, for 'humanam' read 'humanum'

4, dele 'of the margin'

for 'the variations-collated' read "The copyist has collated the variations in the margin of § III.'

last line, read "This is the preface'

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for 'preceding MS.' read '§ 9, vi.'

29, for 'Nicolas of Saguntum' read 'Niccolò Sagundino of Negropont.' See Tiraboschi Storia dell. Lett. Ital. t. vi. p. 776 sqq. Moden. 1790: and for this epistle (printed at Naples) Zeno Dissert. Voss. t. i. p. 333 sqq.

19. Between the brackets insert 'imbris', and see Ee. vi. 6,

$ 4.

26, 'bemergebyre' is a mistake. In the MS. the words 'in bening byre' are repeated by a clerical error, with the difference of 'beninge' for 'benyng.'

31, for 'ipsam read 'ipsum'

3, for 'and-leaves' read 'the last five leaves are much mutilated'

23, for 'Adelungh' read 'Adelung'

2 from bottom, the Scala Perfectionis was printed by Caxton

in 1494.

13 from bottom, for 'Algem.' read 'Allgem.'

3 from bottom. This work has been printed, but without

name of place or date.

7 from bottom, read 'tom. v.'

281,

307,

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341,
360,

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377,

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3, for 'pio' read 'hic'

5 from bottom, for 'of' read 'that'
8, for 'sedus' read 'scdus'

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