cumstance, connected with our present subject,
occurred to the Rev. Dr. Charles Burney. At a small sale of
books which took place at Messrs. King and Lochee's, some
few years ago, the Doctor sent a commission, for some old
grammatical treatises; and calling with Mr. Edwards to see
the success of the commission, the latter, in the true
spirit of bibliomaniacism, pounced upon an anciently-bound
book, in the lot, which turned out to be--nothing less than
the _first edition_ of MANILIUS by Regiomontanus: one of the
very scarcest books in the class of those of which we are
treating! By the liberality of the purchaser, this _primary
bijou_ now adorns the noble library of the Bishop of Ely.]

[Footnote 449: An instance of this kind may be adduced from
the _first edition_ of Fabian, printed in 1516; of which
Chronicle Messrs. Longman, Hurst, and Co. have just
published a new edition, superintended by Mr. H. Ellis, and
containing various readings from all the editions at the
foot of the text. "The antiquary," says the late Mr. BRAND,
"is desired to consult the edition of Fabian, printed by
Pynson, in 1516, because there are others, and I remember to
have seen one in the Bodleian Library at Oxford, with a
continuation to the end of Queen Mary, 1559, in which the
language is much modernized." _Shakspeare_, edit. 1803, vol.
xviii., pp. 85, 86. See also what has been before said (p.
233.) of an _after_ edition of Speed.]

[Footnote 450: A singular story is "extant" about the
purchase of the late Duke of Roxburgh's copy of the first
edition of Shakspeare. A friend was bidding for him in the
sale-room: his Grace had retired to one end of the room,
coolly to view the issue of the contest. The biddings rose
quickly to 20 guineas; a great sum in former times: but the
Duke was not to be daunted or defeated. A slip of paper was
handed to him, upon which the propriety of continuing the
contest was suggested. His Grace took out his pencil; and,
with a coolness which would have done credit to Prince
Eugene, he wrote on the same slip of paper, by way of reply--

lay on Macduff!
And d----d be he who first cries "Hold, enough!"

Such a spirit was irresistible, and bore down all
opposition. The Duke was of