Paradise Lost, first edition, with second title, 1668, Paradise Regained, first edition, 1671, and Minor Poems, first complete edition, 1673; a copy of Pickering's edition of Milton's complete works, 8 vols. 8vo., 1851, most beautifully bound in light olivegreen morocco, by Matthews; one of the books which won the gold medal for the binder at the Great Exhibition of 1853; Petrarca Le Rime di bellessime figure ornato, Venice, 1565, in orangemorocco by Wright; and a complete set of Ritson's Poetical Collections. There are exquisitely bound copies of Rogers's Poems, and Italy, with proof impressions of the illustrations by Turner and Stothard, and also a proof copy most daintily clothed of the Book of Gems, 3 vols. 8vo., from Lady Bury's library. Finally, the first complete edition of Spenser's Faerie Queen, folio, 1609; and Waller's Poems, first edition, 1635, also the 4to. edition of 1729, specially illustrated with portraits. The number of scarce reprints of rare early editions of English poets is quite large.

In the Shakespearian department, completeness, from the first modern edition of the plays-Rowe's, in 1709-and the first criticism published upon them -by Francis Meres, in 1598-has been sought. But although it numbers over six hundred volumes, and is strictly limited to editions of Shakespeare containing a special revision of the text, and works

professedly written upon Shakespeare, many are still lacking to perfect it. Indeed, it is so much surpassed by another collection of the same kind (Mr. Barton's), fully described in this work, that special mention of its contents may be properly omitted, though it is not without rarities on large paper, on thick paper, privately printed volumes, &c., &c. But it is worth while to mention Chalmers's own copies of the "Apology" and "Supplementary Apol ogy," with his manuscript marginal notes; Hazlewood's copy of the same author's pamphlet upon the Tempest, of which only forty copies were printed for private circulation; Malone's Tract upon the same play, eighty copies of which were privately printed,

a presentation copy to Dibdin, and again from Dibdin to Hazlewood, having besides, a manuscript note by the author; Gilchrist's Essay upon Ben Jonson's alleged enmity to Shakespeare, a presentation copy to Dibdin; a copy of Dyce's Shakespeare, in which three interesting letters from the editor, which touch upon the progress and history of the work, have been inserted; and an illustrated Shakespeare, formed by uniting the Pictorial, the Illustrated (Kenny Meadows), and Routledge's (John Gilbert) -the three impressions of each play being brought together, and hundreds of engravings of all periods and styles having been added. The illustrations

have been selected for their beauty and interest, not collected indiscriminately; only a print or two having been sometimes taken from a set. They include a complete set of the illustrations to Rowe's edition, 1709, which show the costume, and in some instances the action, with which these plays were presented at that period. This book, like the illustrated Waverley, is yet unbound. It is in place to mention here a set of the privately printed fac-similes of eighteen passages in Mr. Collier's folio Shakespeare of 1632, and a set of the ten fac-similes, also privately printed by Mr. Collier, of certain of the Bridgewater and Dulwich College MSS., to which the existing discussion as to the authenticity of their originals lends a special interest. These are a gift from the late Earl of Ellesmere.

There are a number of books collected by Mr. White, merely as specimens of beautiful typography. The use which he has made of them is shown in his edition of Shakespeare, every letter of which was submitted to his approval, and which was printed in the most minute particulars under his special direction. In typography, form, and even binding, all of which were peculiar to it when it appeared, it has had several more or less successful imitators.

REV. DR. WILLIAMS'S LIBRARY.

DR. WILLIAMS's library, which is scattered through several rooms of his dwelling in Grove-street, contains nine thousand volumes, mainly devoted to Theology, Biblical Criticism, Ecclesiastical History, Religious Poetry, and subjects of a kindred character. The department of Political Economy is confined to that portion of the subject which associates itself with Christianity, and contains the writings of Louis Blanc, Prudhon, and their associates, who sought, upon the recent overthrow of the monarchy in France, to rear a form of government whose basis should rest on this foundation, with what sincerity of pur pose their brief existence has deprived the world of the means of ascertaining.

There is a fair collection of works on General History, although Ecclesiastical History, and more particularly that portion which relates to the Calvinistic sects, is greatly in the ascendant. Among these is a scarce work in folio, mainly devoted to the Mennonite martyrs in Holland, but also containing an account

of earlier Church history, written in the Dutch dialect by Van Braght, and illustrated by numerous etchings executed by John Luyken, an artist of much celebrity in his day. This copy is the second edition, and was published in 1685; also, the works of Simon Menno, written in the same language; a very rare folio, called the Wonder Book, written by David Joris, containing a vast amount of unintelligible mysticism, which passed for the religious belief of the sect he founded, which was an offshoot from the Anabaptists, who always spoke of the author with unmeasured severity. It was alleged that the sect founded by him was immoral in tendency, and licentious in character. Be this as it may, Joris, or George, excited against himself such an outburst of popular indignation that he was forced to fly to save his life. He took refuge at Basle, in Switzerland, where he passed, under an assumed name, as a merchant, and having some means was enabled to command respect. After his decease, which took place five years after his flight, his true character was discovered, and the enraged populace tore his dead body from the tomb, and caused it to be burned.

The Wonder Book was printed in 1551, without name of printer or place of publication, as a knowl edge of a connection with it would have involved those concerned in immediate destruction. This