0 2 0
The Creede of Pierce Plowman, 1553 0 1 6
The Bookes of Moses, in English, 1530 0 3 9
Bale's Actes of Englishe Votaryes, 1550 0 1 3
The Boke of Chivalrie, by Caxton 0 11 0
The Boke of St. Albans, by W. de Worde 1 1 0

These are only very few of the rare articles in English
literature, of the whole of which (perhaps upwards of 200 in
number) I believe, the 'Boke of St. Albans,' brought the
highest sum. Hence it will be seen that this was not the age
of curious research into the productions of our ancestors.
Shakspeare had not then appeared in a proper _Variorum
edition_. Theobald, and Pope, and Warburton, had not
investigated the black-letter lore of ancient English
writers, for the illustration of their favourite author.
This was reserved for Farmer, for Steevens, for Malone, for
Chalmers, Reed and Douce: and it is expressly to these
latter gentlemen (for Johnson and Hanmer were very sparing,
or very shy, of the black letter), that we are indebted for
the present spirit of research into the works of our
ancestors.

The sale of the books lasted 50 days. There was a second
sale of pamphlets, books of prints, &c., in the following
year, which lasted 10 days; and this was immediately
succeeded by a sale of the Doctor's single prints and
drawings, which continued 8 days.]

[Footnote 41: This gentleman's library, not so remarkable
for the black letter as for whimsical publications, was sold
by auction, by Samuel Paterson, [the earliest sale in which
I find this well known book-auctioneer engaged] in June,
1759, and the three ensuing evenings. The title of the Sale
Catalogue is as follows:

"A Catalogue of the original MSS. and manuscript collections
of the late Reverend Mr. JOHN HENLEY, A.M., Independent
Minister of the Oratory, &c., in which are included sundry
collections of the late Mons. des Maizeaux, the learned
editor of Bayle, &c., Mr. Lowndes, author of the Report for
the Amendment of Silver Coins, &c., Dr. Patrick Blair,
Physician at Boston, and F.R.S. &c., together with original
letters and papers of State, addressed to Henry d'Avenant,
Esq., her Britannic Majesty's Envoy at Francfort, from 1703
to