It remains only to observe, that the volume, in which these precious specimens of the early art of engraving are contained, is a manuscript, entitled LAUS VIRGINIS, OF LAUS VIRGINUM:* beginning thus:

Incipit prologus permatutinale Bie marie qõ
de laus virginū.

Beneath is the word ' Buxheim;' but evidently of a later date than the colophon, which is as follows :

Explicit liber iste Qui jntptulak laus virginis Anno dui m'ecce°rvij' In vigilia Ste mathpe apli.

The numerals 1417 are at the end of 4 more lines of ms.

The contents of the volume are written in a brown colour, or faded ink, with red intermixed. On the reverse of the last leaf, opposite the cut of St. Christopher, are some memoranda relating to the virtues of herbs and minerals, written in a different and smaller character: seven verses are beneath; not material here to quote.

2. ARS MEMORANDI NOTABILIS PER FIGURAS. Folio.

I have little or no hesitation in placing this work as the first in the list of those in the present collection, which were executed by means of wooden blocks, IN THE INFANCY OF THE ART OF PRINTING. It bears every mark of extreme antiquity, as well from the formation of the types, as from the outline and colouring; and was probably executed before the year 1430. The cuts of the present copy, according to a

* Upon the outside of the cover, which consists of a gray uncurried or untanned leather, is a slip of paper, at top, with this inscription:

Matutinale bte marie qd' di
laus virginu

+ The reader will not consider this conclusion a precipitate or ungrounded one, when he is informed that Mr. HORN-a gentleman, long and well known for his familiar acquaintance with ancient books printed abroad-was in possession of a copy of the BIBLIA PAUPERUM, of the ARS MORIENDI, and of the APOCALYPSE, all bound in one volume; which volume had, upon the exterior of the cover, the following words stamped, at the extremity of the binding, towards the edge of the squares: HIC LIBER RELEGATVS FVIT

ms. observation of Mr. Edwards, are coloured in oil; 'probably the same which was used in the colouring of playing-cards.' The size of the letters of the text, the pale and dirty-brown colour of the printingink, the particular character of the cuts, the obvious utility of such a work to impress upon young minds the leading features of the several chapters in the Evangelists, all seem to denote a very early effort of the united arts of printing and engraving. It is true, Heinecken arranges this work as the fifth in the series of block-printed books; but he sets out, in his arrangement, without professing to regulate himself by strict rules of chronology. Nous avons rangé ces livres au hazard (are his words) sans en garantir l'ordre.' Idée Générale, &c. p. 291, 394.

According to the same authority, there are two editions of this curious performance. The most ancient one would appear to be the copy now under consideration; and it is distinguished (says Heinecken) by having, in the text of the first block-page, the words tolle Grabactum tuum et ambula'—whereas, in the posterior edition, the words are tolle Grabatum tuum tuum & vade.' Heinecken adds a fac-simile of the beginning and ending of this first page, in the two editions; from which it would appear that, in the first edition, the second line ends with hic,' and the bottom line has de-eukarist-ia:' in the latter edition, the second line ends with ex', and has the following bottom line' Et de ewkaris-tia+a+. The fac-similes of these types, given in the work just referred to, will not bear a very severe critical examination. In the original, the letters appear more decisive and thick. Another fac-simile, of the last cut in the Gospel of St. Luke, is also given by Heinecken; which, comparatively with the others contained in his work, claims the merit of fidelity: except that the countenances of the human figures, at bottom, want the sharpness and full expression of the originals. But whatever merit Heinecken may have for his particular description of this work, it must not be

PER PLEBANUM-ECCLESIE-ANNO DOMINI 142[8].' Mr. Horn, having broken up the volume, and parted with the contents, was enabled to supply me with the foregoing information upon the strength of his memory alone: but he is quite confident of the three following particulars: 1. That the works, contained in this volume, were, as have been just mentioned: 2. That the binding was the ancient legitimate one, and that the treatises had not been subsequently introduced into it: and 3. That the date was 142 odd—but positively anterior to the year 1430. As the ARS MEMORANDI has every appearance of being executed before either of the treatises here mentioned, I can only conclude this note in the words with which it is commenced, that the reader will not consider the above conclusion a precipitate or ungrounded one.'

forgotten that, nearly forty years before, it was noticed and commented upon by Schelhorn, in a very curious and animated manner. In the first volume of his Amanitates Literariæ, p. 5-13, there is a long account of it- dabimus (says Schelhorn) jam opusculi hujus rarissimi, adhuc nemini, quod sciam, observati, dilucidam et accuratam, quantum fieri poterit, notitiam, gaudiique nostri te etiam reddemus participem.' He calls the character of it' Gothicus, majusculus, ater, crassus, rudis informis.' 'Videas (says he) hic nonnunquam literas atramento confluenti deformatas, ventremque illarum, alias album & vacuum, atramentaria macula repletum, ut scilicet inde artis ignoscas infantiam.' He admits that the work compendiosam* rationem potissima quatuor Evangeliorum argumenta memoriæ mandandi tradit;' and further, somewhat humourously, thus remarks: Fateor, in sola antiquitate et raritate ponendum esse omne hujus libri pretium, cetera incompti, barbari & horridi, immanemque illam squalem, quæ ea ætate linguas bonasque artes obsedit, ubique referentis.' &c. Ibid. Jungendres, about ten years afterwards, noticed the same work-( sæpius quinquaginta Coronatorum precio æstimatum'-) referring to the full description' of it by Schelhorn. Not. Charact. Libror. a Typog. Incunab. &c. p. 7. But it is time to describe the volume in regular order.

The work consists of a number of rude wood-cuts (as the accom-panying fac-simile demonstrates) illustrative of the principal events recorded in the several Gospels. The original intention of this publication, as has been before observed, was, to impress these events upon the minds of young people. Opposite each cut, which has the chapters marked in Arabic numerals, there is a page of text, enumerating the contents of each chapter, which is referred to, numerically, in the cut. An examination of the fac-simile will best explain this.

It begins with the Gospel of ST. JOHN, which is illustrated by three cuts, and three corresponding pages. As the Eagle is the symbol of this Apostle, so all the events are inscribed upon this eagle, which is made to stand upright. In like manner ST. MATTHEW is illustrated by five cuts of an Angel; and the accompanying fac-simile, with the ensuing text, will give a pretty correct idea of the method observed throughout the whole work.

It probably might have furnished a hint, however crude, to some of those scriptural illustrations of which Wolfius, in his Biblioth. Hebraica, part ii. p. 247, gives a catalogue, under the title of Introductiones in Scripturam Sacram Mnemonicæ, ubi summa librorum capitumve Biblicorum nunc per Carmina, nunc per Tabulas, nunc per Quæstiones et Responsiones, nunc alia compendii via proponitur.'

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