lbert, but who is GROLLIER?[429]

[Footnote 429: The reader may be better pleased with the
ensuing soberly-written account of this great man than with
Philemon's rapturous eulogy. JOHN GROLLIER was born at
Lyons, in 1479; and very early displayed a propensity
towards those elegant and solid pursuits which afterwards
secured to him the admiration and esteem of his
contemporaries. His address was easy, his manners were
frank, yet polished; his demeanour was engaging, and his
liberality knew no bounds. As he advanced in years, he
advanced in reputation; enjoying a princely fortune, the
result, in some measure, of a faithful and honourable
discharge of the important diplomatic situations which he
filled. He was Grand Treasurer to Francis I., and was sent
by that monarch as ambassador to Pope Clement VII. During
his abode at Rome, he did not fail to gratify his favourite
passion of BOOK-COLLECTING; and employed the Alduses to
print for him an edition of Terence in 8vo., 1521: of which
a copy _upon vellum_, was in the Imperial library at Vienna;
See _L'Imp. des Alde_; vol. I., 159. He also caused to be
published, by the same printers, an edition of his friend
Budaeus's work, _De Asse et partibus ejus_, 1522, 4to.;
which, as well as the Terence, is dedicated to himself, and
of which the presentation copy, _upon vellum_, is now in the
Library of Count M'Carthy, at Toulouse: it having been
formerly in the Soubise collection: vide p. 96, ante--and
no. 8010 of the _Bibl. Soubise_. It was during Grollier's
stay at Rome, that the anecdote, related by Egnatio, took
place. 'I dined (says the latter) along with Aldus, his son,
Manutius, and other learned men, at Grollier's table. After
dinner, and just as the dessert had been placed on the
table, our host presented each of his guests with a pair of
gloves filled with ducats.' But no man had a higher opinion
of Grollier, or had reason to express himself in more
grateful terms of him, than De Thou. This illustrious author
speaks of him as "a man of equal elegance of manners, and
spotlessness of character. His books seemed to be the
counterpart of himself, for neatness and splendour; not
being inferior to the glory attributed to the library of
Asinius Pollio, the first who made a collection of