lles du Regne de Louis le Grand, de l'imp. Roy. 1. p.
fol. 1702, L5 15_s._ 6_d._

The works on _Natural History_ brought still higher prices;
but the whole, from the present depreciation of specie, and
increased rarity of the articles, would now bring thrice the
sums then given.

Of the _Greek and Latin Classics_, the Pliny of 1469 and
1472 were sold to Dr. Askew for L11 11_s._ and L7 17_s._
6_d._ At the Doctor's sale they brought L43 and L23:
although the first was lately sold (A.D. 1805) among some
duplicates of books belonging to the British Museum, at a
much lower price: the copy was, in fact, neither large nor
beautiful. Those in the Hunter and Cracherode collections
are greatly superior, and would each bring more than double
the price.

From a priced copy of the sale catalogue, in my possession,
I find that the amount of the sale, consisting of 5126
articles, was L3091 5_s._

The _Prints and Drawings_ of Mr. Folkes occupied a sale of 8
days; and his _pictures_, _gems_, _coins_, and _mathematical
instruments_, of five days.

Mr. MARTIN FOLKES may justly be ranked among the most
useful, as well as splendid, literary characters of which
this country can boast. He appears to have imbibed, at a
very early age, an extreme passion for science and
literature; and to have distinguished himself so much at the
University of Cambridge, under the able tuition of Dr.
Laughton, that, in his 23rd year, he was admitted a Fellow
of the Royal Society. About two years afterwards he was
chosen one of the council, and rose, in gradual succession,
to the chair of the presidentship, which he filled with a
credit and celebrity that has since never been surpassed. On
this occasion he was told by Dr. Jurin, the Secretary, who
dedicated to him the 34th vol. of the Transactions, that
"the greatest man that ever lived (Sir Isaac Newton) singled
him out to fill the chair, and to preside in the society,
when he himself was so frequently prevented by
indisposition: and that it was sufficient to say of him that
he was _Sir Isaac's friend_."

Within a few years after this, he was elected President of
the Society of Antiquaries. Two situations, the filling of
which may be considered as the _ne plus ultra_ of literary
distinction. Mr