bt. And
while he was king, we may judge, even from the splendid fragments of
his library, which are collected in the British Museum, of the nicety
of his taste, and of the soundness of his judgment. That he should
love extravagant books of devotion,[286] as well as histories and
chronicles, must be considered the fault of the age, rather than of
the individual. I will not, however, take upon me to say that the
slumbers of this monarch were disturbed in consequence of the
extraordinary and frightful passages, which, accompanied with bizarre
cuts,[287] were now introduced into almost every work, both of
ascetic divinity and also of plain practical morality. His
predecessor, Richard, had in all probability been alarmed by the
images which the reading of these books had created; and I guess that
it was from such frightful objects, rather than from the ghosts of his
murdered brethren, that he was compelled to pass a sleepless night
before the memorable battle of Bosworth Field. If one of those
artists who used to design the horrible pictures which are engraved in
many old didactic volumes of this period had ventured to take a peep
into Richard's tent, I question whether he would not have seen, lying
upon an oaken table, an early edition of some of those fearful works
of which he had himself aided in the embellishment, and of which
Heinecken has given us such curious fac-similes:[288]--and this, in my
humble apprehension, is quite sufficient to account for all the
terrible workings in Richard, which Shakespeare has so vividly
described.

[Footnote 285: Mr. Heber has a fine copy of one of the
volumes of a black-letter edition of Froissart, printed by
Eustace, upon the exterior of the binding of which are
HENRY'S arms, with his name--HENRICVS DVX RICHMVNDIAE. The
very view of such a book, while it gives comfort to a
low-spirited bibliomaniac, adds energy to the perseverance
of a young collector! the latter of whom fondly, but vainly,
thinks he may one day be blessed with a similar treasure!]

[Footnote 286: The possession of such a volume as "_The
Revelations of the monk of Euesham_" (vide vol. ii., of the
new edition of _Brit. Typog. Antiquities_), is evidence
sufficient of Henry's attachment to extravagant books of
devotion.]

[Footnote 287: It is certainly one of the comforts of modern
education, that girls and boys have nothing to do, even in