must have been in two arts pursued as special studies,
and each involving research and minute original inquiry, it cannot be
considered noticeably small, and it must have been sufficient. Rossetti
differed strangely as a reader from the man to whom in bias of genius
he was most nearly related. Coleridge was an omnivorous general reader:
Rossetti was eclectic rather than desultory. His library contained a
number of valuable old works of more interest to him from their plates
than letterpress. Of this kind were _Gerard's Herbal_ (1626), supposed
to be the source of many a hint utilised by the Morris firm, of which
Rossetti was a member; _Poliphili Hypnerotomachia_ (1467); Heywood's
_History of Women_ (1624); _Songe de Poliphile_ (1561); Bonnard's
_Costumes of 12th, 13th, and l4th Centuries; Habiti Antichi_ (of
which the designs are said to be by Titian)--printed Venice, (1664);
_Cosmographia_, a history of the peoples of the world (1572); _Ciceronis
Officia_ (1534), a blackletter folio, with woodcuts by Burgkmaier;
_Jost Amman's Costumes_, with woodcuts coloured by hand; _Cento Novelle_
(Venice, 1598); Francesco Barberino's _Documenti (d'Amore_ (Rome, 1640);
_Decoda de Titolivio_, a Spanish blackletter, without date, but probably
belonging to the 16th century. Besides these were various vellum-bound
works relating to Greek and Roman allegorical and mythological subjects,
and a number of scrap-books and portfolios containing photographs from
nearly all the picture-galleries of Europe, but chiefly of the pictures
of the early Florentine and Venetian schools, with an admixture of
Spanish art. Of Michael Angelo's designs for the Sistine Chapel there
was a fine set of photographs.

These did not make up a very complete ancient artistic library, but
Rossetti's collection of the poets was more full and valuable. There was
a pretty little early edition of Petrarch, which appeared to have
been presented first by John Philip Kemble to Polidori (Rossetti's
grandfather) in 1812; then in 1853 by Polidori to his daughter,
Rossetti's mother, Frances Rossetti; and by her in 1870 to her son. A
splendid edition (1552) of Boccaccio's _Decamerone_ contained a number
of valuable marginal notes, chiefly by Rossetti, the first being as
follows:

This volume contains 40 woodcuts besides many initial letters. The
greater number, if not the whole, must certainly be by Holbein. I am
in doubt as to the pictures heading the chapters, but think thes