one Borrheus, that hath written well upon Aristot. priorum,
&c., even now is printing goodly commentaries upon
Aristotle's Rhetoric. But Sturmius will obscure them all."
p. 381. These extracts are taken from Bennet's edition. Who
shall hence doubt of the propriety of classing Ascham among
the most renowned bibliomaniacs of the age?]

From the tutor of Elizabeth let us go to her prime minister,
CECIL.[330] We have already seen how successfully this great man
interposed in matters of religion; it remains to notice his zealous
activity in the cause of learning. And of this latter who can possibly
entertain a doubt? Who that has seen how frequently his name is
affixed to Dedications, can disbelieve that Cecil was a LOVER OF
BOOKS? Indeed I question whether it is inserted more frequently in a
diplomatic document or printed volume. To possess all the presentation
copies of this illustrious minister would be to possess an ample and
beautiful library of the literature of the sixteenth century.

[Footnote 330: The reader, it is presumed, will not form his
opinion of the bibliomaniacal taste of this great man, from
the distorted and shameful delineation of his character,
which, as a matter of curiosity only, is inserted at p. 237,
ante. He will, on the contrary, look upon Cecil as a lover
of books, not for the sake of the numerous panegyrical
dedications to himself, which he must have so satisfactorily
perused, but for the sake of the good to be derived from
useful and ingenious works. With one hand, this great man
may be said to have wielded the courageous spirit, and
political virtue, of his country--and with the other, to
have directed the operations of science and literature.
Without reading the interesting and well-written life of
Cecil, in Mr. Macdiarmid's _Lives of British Statesmen_ (a
work which cannot be too often recommended, or too highly
praised), there is evidence sufficient of this statesman's
bibliomaniacal passion and taste, in the FINE OLD LIBRARY
which is yet preserved at Burleigh in its legitimate
form--and which, to the collector of such precious volumes,
must have presented a treat as exquisite as are the fresh
blown roses of June to him who regales himself in the
flowery fragrance of his garden--the production of his own
manual labour! Indeed Strypes tells us t