In the second volume was advertised as ready for the press, "Catalogus librorum impressorum qui in singulis collegiorum in Academia Oxon. bibliothecis reperiuntur, et in Bodleiana desiderantur." This was never published.

In the year 1600, Dr James published a catalogue, in 4to, of all the MSS. in each college, but none of those in the public library here, and of those both in the public and college libraries at Cambridge. This indefatigable peruser of MSS. had ransacked all the public libraries in England. As he had liberty of access to all at Oxford, he is said to have taken many MSS. from those colleges, which he thought careless of them, to have lodged them in the public library.

The "Catalogus MSS. Angliæ," was published in the year 1697. It is the work of many hands, and contains about thirty thousand titles. The preface was written by Humphrey Wanley.

IN

488.

N the university statutes we meet with the term disputationes in Augustinensibus. These were disputations with the Augustine monks, who had acquired great reputation for exercises of this kind, and had formerly a monastery in Oxford, on the site of which Wadham College is erected. Some traces of this practice still remain in the university exercises, and the common phrase of scholars "doing Austins" has a direct allusion to it.

A

489.

GENTLEMAN who had been long attached to Cardinal Mazarin, and much esteemed by that minister, but was little assisted in his finances by court favour, one day told Mazarin of his many promises and his dilatory performance. The cardinal, who had a great regard for the man, and was unwilling to lose his friendship, took his hand, and leading him into his library, explained to him the many demands made upon a person in his situation as minister, and which it would be politic to satisfy previously to other requests, as they were founded on services done to the State. Mazarin's companion, not very confident in the minister's veracity, replied, "My Lord, all the favour I expect at your hands is this, that whenever we meet in public, you will do me the honour to tap me on the shoulder in the most unreserved manner." two or three years the friend of the cardinal became a wealthy man, on the credit of the minister's attentions to him; and Mazarin used to laugh, together with his confidant, at the folly of the world in granting their protection to persons on such slight security.

490.

In

"I'LL send you my bill of fare," said Lord Bolingbroke, when trying to persuade Swift to dine with him. "Send me your bill of company," was Swift's answer to him.

491.

I

HAVE a Stephen's Greek "Thesaurus" bound in a very singular manner. Two folio volumes of large size are bound with catgut, the strings of which giving way to the weight, the books open when I lay them on the table as easily as if they contained a very few leaves. A friend of mine employed Vasseur, the best binder in the country, to imitate my "Thesaurus;" but with all his care Vasseur spoiled the book on which he was trying the experiment.-Longuerana.

492.

`ROM an old account-book of Bernard Lintot,

FROM

the bookseller, the following information respecting the prices usually paid at that time for the copyrights is gleaned. Dr Young received for his "Busiris" £84; Smith, for his "Phædra and Hippolitus," £50; Rowe, for his "Jane Shore," £50, 15s.; and for his "Lady Jane Grey," £75, 5s.; and Cibber, for his "Nonjuror," attained £105. Tragedies were then the most attractive dramas, and obtained the best price.

493.

WHEN Henderson, the celebrated performer,

first made application to Garrick, and gave him "a specimen of his quality," Garrick assured him that he could not possibly convey articulate sounds to the audience of any theatre. Foote said Colman at length took Hender

nearly the same.

son by the hand, and such was the success of the man who could not possibly convey an articulate sound that, during the first thirty-four nights of his performance at the Haymarket, the receipts were computed at no less than £4500.

THAT

494.

'HAT industrious antiquary, Aubrey, informs us that our great dramatist took the humour of Dogberry, in "Much Ado about Nothing," from an actual occurrence which happened at Crendon, in Bucks, during one of the poet's journeys between Stratford and London, and that the constable was living at Crendon when Aubrey first went to Oxford, which was about the year 1642.

495.

MURAT and his Queen were extremely civil to

me. The Queen once talked to me about "The Pleasures of Memory." I often met Murat when he was on horseback, and he would invariably call out to me, rising in his stirrups, "Eh bien, monsieur, êtes-vous inspiré aujourdhui ?”—Rogers.

496.

DR PLOT was very credulous, and took up with any stories for his "History of Oxfordshire." A gentleman of Worcestershire was likely to be put into the margin, as having one leg rough and the other smooth, had he not discovered the cheat to him out of compassion-one of his legs had been shaved.

497.

A SPANISH gentleman, who had but one eye,

used frequently to attend a tennis court, whenever any match of skill was played there. One day the ball was so violently struck against the other eye, as in a moment to deprive him of the use of it. He bowed to the company, and, without apparent emotion, left the court, saying, "Buenas noches!" (Good night, gentlemen.)

Do

498.

OMENICHINO has committed a capital fault in mixing a burlesque circumstance in the grave subject of "St Andrew's Flagellation." In the group of figures a soldier is represented laughing at his comrade who, pulling at a rope, had fallen backwards on the ground. Caravaggio has committed a still grosser fault in his picture of the "Breaking of the Bread,"-one of the pilgrims, in the act of doing homage to Christ, spills wine on His garment in the attitude of a person vomiting

it.

499.

M. BOILEAU, doctor in the Sorbonne Col

lege, in his "History of the Flagellants," has made a great and very advantageous use of a book, written by Meibonius and entitled "De Flagrorum usu in re Veneria." Boileau's history does him great credit; and his "Treatise de re Vestiaria," &c. sustains his pretensions to a literary character.