t 'into a decent shape,'
and furnishing it with a vast number of learned volumes. The best of them
came from the library of Mr. Baker of Highgate, who throughout a very
long life had been gathering 'the best authors of all sciences in their
best editions.' Dean Colet had endowed St. Paul's School with
philological works in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin; but these were destroyed
in the great fire, together with the whole library of the High Master.
This was Mr. Samuel Cromleholme, who had the best set of neatly-bound
classics in London; 'he was a great lover of his books, and their loss
hastened the end of his life.' The shelves at Merchant Taylors and in the
Mercers' Chapel were almost as well filled as those at St. Paul's; and
Christ's Hospital at that time had a good plain library in the
mathematical school, with globes and instruments, 'and ships with all
their rigging for the instruction of lads designed for the sea.'

In the College of Physicians was a fine collection 'in their own and the
other faculties.' Selden bequeathed to it his 'physical books,' and it
was enriched by a gift of the whole library of Lord Dorchester, 'the
pride and glory of the College.' We can only mention a few of the
libraries described by Oldys. The Jews, he says, had a collection at
Bevis Marks relating to the Talmud and Mischna and their ceremonial
worship: the French Protestants had another at the Savoy, and the Swedes
another at their Church in Trinity Lane. The Baptists owned a great
library in the Barbican. The Quakers had been for some years furnishing a
library with all the works written by the Friends. John Whiting published
the catalogue in 1708; 'and in my opinion,' says our critic, ''tis more
accurately and perfectly drawn up than the Bodleian Library at Oxford is
by Dr. Hyde, for the Quaker does not confound one man with another as the
scholar does.' Francis Bugg, he adds, 'the scribbler against them,' had a
better collection of their writings than any of the brethren; 'but I
think I have read in some of his rhapsodies that he either gave or sold
it to the library at Oxford.'

Charles Earl of Sunderland was the greatest collector of his time. He
bought the whole library of Hadrian Beverland, 'which was very choice of
its kind,' and a great number of Petau's books as mentioned before; 'no
bookseller,' it was said, 'hath so many editions of the same book as he,
for he hath all, especially of the classics.' Shortly before his death in