medals both antient and modern, Roman and Greek antiquities; ores of several sorts, as gold, silver, copper, tin, lead, and a vast many other antique rarities that had been Mr. Charleton's, so that with what he had before and since hath collected, he hath the greatest in England.

"His book of plants of several countries, a large collection of voyages, discoveries, travels into foreign parts, in most of the European languages, not only printed, but most of them in MS. in Latin, Italian, French, Flemish, Dutch, and English, nothing having escaped him that he knew of, either here or abroad, that could be purchased. He is copiously furnisht with books on all curious subjects; perhaps there is not such another collection in its kind in all Europe.

"The Earl of Carbery hath made a noble collection ; and amongst other things, all that relate to mystical divinity.

“The Earl of Kent hath spared for no cost to compleat his collection of English historians, visitations, and pedigrees.

"The Earl of Pembroke is very choice in books of medals, lives, and effigies of all great and learned men, kings, princes, dukes, and great generals, with abundance of others of pomp and state.

"The Lord Somers hath an admirable collection of books relating to the laws of this land and other countries in Latin, French, Italian, and Spanish ;

Spanish; also our English historians, both printed and M.— a rare library in this kind.

"The Earl of Sunderland hath a great collection of scarce and valuable authors, in polite learning, especially the best editions of the classicks; he bought Mr. Hadrian Beverland's entire-a collection very choice in its kind. This, in my opinion, is the best and most expeditious way to procure a good library; and the method taken by the old earl of Anglesea, who bought several entire, as Oldenburgh's, &c."

The Journey through England also mentions this collection in terms of great approbation in speaking of Althrop, a seat belonging to the Earl of Sunderland. "The library is a spacious room, the books disposed in neat cases, and an antique bust over every case. But this library, nor any private library in Europe, comes up to that great one which the present Earl of Sunderland (2d edit. of the work 1724) hath collected at his house in Piccadilly, or the good disposition of them; and it is one of the greatest curiosities in London for a learned traveller."

66

The same author thus notices it again in his second volume. Adjoining to this is the palace of Charles Earl of Sunderland (second son of the late earl of that name, who was groom of the stole, first gentleman of the bedchamber, and prime minister to his Majesty King George, a

nobleman

nobleman of uncommon talents, a great encourager of learning and learned men; and, what seldom happens in one line, had the greatest share in this administration, as his father had in the reigns of King Charles the second, King James, and King William), separated also from the street of Piccadilly by a wall with large grown trees before the gate.

"But the greatest beauty of this palace is the library, running from the house into the garden; and, I must say, is the finest in Europe, both for the disposition of the apartments and of the books. The rooms, divided into five apartments, are full 150 feet long, with two stories of windows; and a gallery runs round the whole in the second story, for the taking down books.

"No nobleman in any nation hath taken greater care to make his collection complete, nor does he spare any cost for the most valuable and rare books; besides, no bookseller in Europe hath so many editions of the same book as he, for he hath all, especially of the classicks.,

"The Lord Halifax's collection is noble and choice, with admirable judgment well digested, and in good order.

"There is a large and curious collection made by the late Mr. Secretary Pepys, now in the possession of Mr. Jackson his heir, at Clapham in Surrey. It consists of various subjects, as Eng

1;

lish history, maritime affairs, the power and constitution of the admiralty, and sea laws. He made a vast collection from our antient records in the Tower, and English historians, both antient and modern, relating to our naval affairs and those of other countries. Here are the finest models of ships of all rates and sorts; ships painted by the best masters, as Valde, Backhuysen, &c.; the drawing of the royal navy of Henry VIIIth ; books of musick, mathematicks, and several other subjects, all excellent in their kind. But what he hath collected. with respect to the city of London is beyond all compare; as for books, ground plots, views, palaces, churches, great houses, coronations, funerals, public shews, heads of famous men, all that could be collected relating to London. He hath been at the charge of drawing such things as never were in print, for the illustration of that famous city, he being a native thereof. A vast collection of heads, both domestick and foreign, beyond expression; copy books of all the masters of Europe, Italian, French, German, Flemish, Dutch, Spanish, and English, all digested according to their time and country, pasted on large paper, and bound up; a large book of title-pages, frontispieces, not only of the best English masters, but Italian, French, &c. which are very much improved by Mr. Jackson, his nephew, in his travels-this is not to be paralleled ;

paralleled; there are many other excellent books and rarities. He contrived his catalogue for the easy finding any author, fand the various subjects, so that a single sheet may be found as soon as the largest folio. Of all the catalogues I ever saw, nothing came near it but my lord Maitland's, taken by his own directions, having the name of the author, the place where printed, the printer's name, and date: when printed, a catalogue thus taken, with an index of the author's name, must needs be of excellent use.

"The inclinations of persons are vastly different in their collecting, as particularly my lord Clarendon, mainly about the affairs of Ireland and its government; Mr. Wild, formerly living in Bloomsbury, his consisted of architecture and agriculture, admirable in its kind; a gentleman that lived in the Inner Temple had a collection consisting of books of necromancy and magic, mostly MSS.; Mr. Thomas Britton, the smallcoal man in St. John's, books were of chemistry, as may be seen by the catalogue printed for their sale by auction. He hath a vast collection of musick, pricked by his own hand, and esteemed of great value.

"Dr. Beaumont, for some years last past, hath collected whatever he could relating to mystical divinity, spirits, witchcraft, and such like nice subjects.