He was always grateful for a well-meant present. He
writes to his librarian: 'Mr. Schoolmaster of Winton's gift of
Melanchthon and Huss I do greatly esteem, and will thank him, if you
will, by letter.' Some of the earliest gifts were of a splendid kind.
Lord Essex sent three hundred folios, including a fine Budaeus from the
library of Jerome Osorio, captured at Faro in Portugal when the fleet was
returning from Cadiz. Bodley himself gave a magnificent _Romance of
Alexander_ that had belonged in 1466 to Richard Woodville, Lord Rivers.
The librarian contributed about a hundred volumes, including early MSS.
procured from Balliol and Merton by his persuasion. Merton College, for
its own part, sent nearly two-score volumes of 'singular good books in
folio.' Sir Henry Savile gave the 'Gospels' in Russian and the Greek
'Commentaries on St. Augustine,' and William Camden out of his poverty
brought a few manuscripts and ancient books. Lawrence Bodley, the
founder's brother, came with thirty-seven 'very fair and new-bought works
in folio, and Lord Lumley with forty volumes reserved out of the library
sold to the Prince. Lord Montacute contributed the works of the Fathers,
'in sixty-six costly great volumes, all bought of set purpose and fairly
bound with his arms,' Mr. Gent a number of medical treatises, Sir John
Fortescue five good Greek MSS. and forty other books. We only mention a
few of the choicer specimens or note the reappearance of old friends
described in earlier chapters. In 1602 there arrived from Exeter Bishop
Leofric's vellum service-book, with several others that had lodged in its
company since the days of Edward the Confessor. Next year came one of the
exquisite 'Gospels' which Pope Gregory, as men said, had given to the
missionary Augustine; the other had been included in Parker's gift to
Corpus Christi. Sir Henry Wotton contributed a valuable Koran, to which
in later years he added Tycho Brahes 'Astronomy' with the author's MS.
notes. Thomas Allen gave a relic of St. Dunstan, containing the Saint's
portrait drawn by himself, and one of Grostete's books that had been
given by the Friars to Dr. Gascoigne. Mr. Allen gave in all twelve rare
MSS. besides printed books, 'with a purpose to do more'; and Bodley
commends him as a most careful provoker and solicitor of benefactions. He
was the mathematician, or rather the cabalistical astrologer, who taught
Sir Kenelm Digby, introducing that romantic giant to the art of rulin