was of desperate
expectation. . . . He courted, as a fond lover, all best editions,
fairest characters, best-bound and preserved. . . . He delighted in the
small editions of the classics by Seb. Gryphius, and divers of his
acquaintance, meeting with any of them, bought and brought them to him,
which he accepted as choice presents, although, perhaps, he had one or
two of them before. . . . His soul was never so staked down as in an old
bookseller's shop. . . . He was for the most part his own factor, and
seldom or never bought by commission, which made him lose time in
turning over vast numbers of books, and he was very hardly pleased at
last. I have borne him company in shops for many hours together, and,
minding him of the time, he hath made a dozen proffers before he would
quit. By this care and industry, at length he made himself master of a
very considerable library, wherein the choicest collection was Greek.'
At his death the collection came to his brother, the Lord Keeper.

As with Dr. John North, book-hunting was the consuming passion of the
life of a very different man--Richard Smyth or Smith (of whom there is a
very fine and rare engraving by W. Sherwin), one of the Secondaries or
Under-Sheriffs from 1644 to 1655. Having sufficient wealth, he resigned
his municipal appointment, which was worth L700 a year, in order to
devote himself entirely to book-hunting. Anthony a Wood describes him as
'infinitely curious and inquisitive after books,' and states that 'he
was constantly known every day to walk his rounds amongst the
booksellers' shops (especially in Little Britain).' Richard Chiswell,
the bookseller who drew up a catalogue of Smith's books, which
subsequently came into his possession _en bloc_, tells us that his skill
and experience enabled him 'to make choice of such books that were not
obvious to every man's eye. . . . He lived in times which ministered
peculiar opportunities of meeting with books that were not every day
brought into public light, and few eminent libraries were bought where
he had not the liberty to pick and choose. Hence arose, as that vast
number of his books, so the choiceness and rarity of the greatest part
of them, and that of all kinds, and in all sorts of learning.' This
collection was sold by auction in May, 1682, the catalogue of it
occupying 404 closely-printed pages in large quarto. There were fourteen
Caxtons, 'the aggregate produce' of which was L3 14s. 7d.; the 'Godfrey
of B