ose, by a quick
succession, into posts of literary honour, till he became
librarian to the Grand Duke of Tuscany. In this situation
Magliabechi had nothing further, or more congenial to his
feelings, to sigh for: in the Florentine library he revelled
without cessation in the luxury of book-learning. The
strength of his memory was remarkable; one day, the Grand
Duke sent for him to ask whether he could procure a book
that was particularly scarce. "No, sir," answered
Magliabechi, "it is impossible; for there is but one in the
world, and that is in the Grand Signior's Library at
Constantinople, and is the seventh book on the second shelf
on the right hand as you go in." In spite of his cobwebs,
dirt, and cradle lined with books, Magliabechi reached his
81st year. Hearne has contrived to interweave the following
(rather trifling) anecdote of him, in his _Johan. Confrat.,
&c., de Reb. Glaston_, vol. ii., 486--which I give merely
because it is the fashion to covet every thing which
appertaineth to Tom Hearne. "I have mentioned the bank where
the MSS. (concerning the Epistles of St. Ignatius; Bank
LVII.) stands, and the title of the book, because Vossius
tells us not in his preface which of the several MSS. in
this library he made use of; and to finde it out gave me so
much trouble that, if the Grand Duke's library-keeper had
not known the book, and searched it for me, I think I should
never have met with it, there being not one canon of St.
Laurence, not their library-keeper himself, nor, I believe,
any other in Florence, except this Sre. MAGLIABECHI, that
could direct me to it. The learned Bishop will be pleased to
take notice of Sre. Maliabechi's [Transcriber's Note:
Magliabechi's] civility; who, besides procuring me the Grand
Duke's leave to collate the epistles, attended himself in
the library, all the time I was there (the licence being
granted by the Grand Duke upon this condition): and since,
as a mark of his respect to the reverend bishop, hath been
pleased to present him with a book (about the Florentine
history) which I have committed to Mr. Ferne, my Lord
Lexinton's Gentleman, to be conveyed to his lordship." (Mr.
Ledgerd's account of his collations of the Florentine MS.
with the edition of Vossius.)----ST. MARK. _Graeca