pine-apple from the roughness of its coat? Get ready the
wherry; man it with a choice bibliomanical crew, good Lisardo!--and
smuggle over in it, if you can, the precious works of these latter
bibliographers--for you may saunter "from rise to set of sun," from
Whitechapel to Hyde-Park Corner--for them--in vain!
[Footnote 151: Barthelemy, MERCIER DE ST. LEGER, died in the
year 1800, and in the sixty-sixth of his age, full of
reputation, and deeply regretted by those who knew the
delightful qualities of his head and heart. It is not my
intention to enumerate _all_ his publications, the titles of
which may be found in the _Siecles Litteraires_, vol. iv.,
p. 350: but, in the present place, I will only observe that
his "_Supplement a l'Histoire de l'Imprimerie, par P.
Marchand_," was first published in 1773, and afterwards in
1775, 4to., a rare and curious work; but little known in
this country. His _Bibliotheque des Romans, traduit de
Grec_, was published in 1796, 12 vols. 12mo. His letter
concerning De Bure's work, 1763, 8vo., betrayed some severe
animadversions upon the _Bibliogr. Instruct._: but he got a
similar flagellation in return, from the Abbe Rive, in his
_Chasse aux Bibliographes_--who held him and De Bure, and
all the bibliographical tribe, in sovereign contempt. His
letter to Heinecken upon the rare editions of the 15th
century, 1783, 8vo., and his other works, I never saw in any
collection. The imperial library at Paris purchased his copy
of Du Verdier's and La Croix du Maine's Bibliotheques,
covered with his marginal annotations, as well as his copy
of Clement's _Bibl. Curieuse_. Le Blond, member of the
Institute, obtained his copy of De Bure's _Bibliographie
Instructive_, also enriched with MS. notes. Mr. Ocheda, Lord
Spencer's librarian, who knew well the Abbe de St. Leger,
informed me that he left behind him ample materials for a
History of Printing, in a new edition of his Supplement to
Marchand's work, which he projected publishing, and which
had received from him innumerable additions and corrections.
"He was a man," says Mr. Ocheda, "the most conversant with
editions of books of all kinds, and with every thing
connected with typography and bibliography, that I ever
conversed with." The reader may consult Peignot's _Dict. de
Bib
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