half, all my negligent
omissions, and defective form of thanks, for all your public
honours, entertainments, letters, gifts, and other graces
conferred upon me, which have so far exceeded the compass of
my merits that, where before I did imagine that nothing
could augment my zealous inclination to your general good,
now methinks I do feel it (as I did a great while since) was
very highly augmented: insomuch as I cannot but shrive
myself thus freely and soothly unto you. That, albeit, among
a number of natural imperfections, I have least of all
offended in the humour of ambition, yet now so it is, that I
do somewhat repent me of my too much niceness that way: not
as carried with an appetite to rake more riches to myself
(wherein, God is my witness, my content is complete) but
only in respect of my greedy desire to make a livelier
demonstration of the same that I bear to my COMMON MOTHER,
than I have hitherto attained sufficient ability to put in
execution. With which unfeigned testification of my devotion
unto you, and with my daily fervent prayers for the endless
prosperity of your joint endeavours, in that whole
institution of your public library, I will close up this
letter, and rest, as I shall ever,

Yours, in all loving and dutiful affection,

THOMAS BODLEY.

London, May 31, 1609."

The following, which is also in Mr. Gutch's publication,
shews the laudable restlessness, and insatiable ambition, of
our venerable bibliomaniac, in ransacking foreign libraries
for the completion of his own.

"_To the Right Worshipfull Mr. D. Singleton, Vicechancellor
of the University of Oxon._

(Read in Convocation, Nov. 9, 1611.)

SIR,

About some three years past, I made a motion, here in
London, to Mr. Pindar, Consul of the Company of English
Merchants at Aleppo (a famous port in the Turk's dominions)
that he would use his best means to procure me some books in
the Syriac, Arabic, Turkish, and Persian tongues, or in any
other language of those Eastern nations: because I make no
doubt but, in process of time, by the extraordinary
diligence of some one or other student, they may be readily
understood, and some special use made of their kind of
learning in those parts of the world: and where I had a
purpose t