rotect. Among the earlier
printed books, I saw a very bad copy of _Sweynheym and Pannartz's_ edition
of the _De Civitate Dei_ of St. Austin, of the date of 1470; and a large
folio of _Gering's_ impression of the _Sermons of Leonard de Utino_ printed
about the year 1478. This latter was rather a fine book. A little
black-letter Latin Bible by Froben, of the date of 1495, somewhat tempted
me; but I could not resist asking, in a manner half serious and half
jocose, whether a napoleon would not secure me the possession of a piquant
little volume of black-letter tracts, printed by my old friend Guido
Mercator?[163] The Abbe smiled: observing--"mon ami, on fait voir les
livres ici; on les lit meme: mais on ne les vend pas." I felt the force of
this pointed reply: and was resolved never again to ask an Ecclesiastic to
part with a black-letter volume, even though it should be printed by "my
old friend Guido Mercator."

Seeing there was very little more deserving of investigation, I enquired of
my amiable guide about the "LIBRARY OF THE CORDELIERS," of which he had
just made mention. He told me that it consisted chiefly of canon and civil
law, and had been literally almost destroyed: that he had contrived however
to secure a great number of "rubbishing theological books," (so he called
them!) which he sold for _three sous_ a piece--and with the produce of
which he bought many excellent works for the library. I should like to have
had the sifting of this "theological rubbish!" It remained only to thank
the Abbe most heartily for his patient endurance of my questions and
searches, and particularly to apologise for bringing him from his
surrounding friends. He told me, beginning with a "soyez tranquille," that
the matter was not worth either a thought or a syllable; and ere we quitted
the library, he bade me observe the written entries of the numbers of
students who came daily thither to read. There were generally (he told me)
from fifteen to twenty "hard at it"--and I saw the names of not fewer than
_ninety-two_ who aspired to the honour and privilege of having access to
the BIBLIOTHECA PICHONIANA.

For the third time, in the same day, I visited Monsieur Adam; to carry
away, like a bibliomaniacal Jason, the fleece I had secured. I saw there a
grave, stout gentleman--who saluted me on my entrance, and who was
introduced to me by Monsieur A. by the name of SEGUIN. He had been waiting
(he said) full three quarters of an hour to see m