riting of the well-known antiquary, Warburton:

"After I had been many years collecting these Manuscript Playes, through
my own carelessness and the ignorance of my servant, they was unluckely
burned or put under pye bottoms."

Some of these "Playes" are preserved in print, but others are quite
unknown and perished for ever when used as "pye-bottoms."

Mr. W. B. Rye, late Keeper of the Printed Books at our great National
Library, thus writes:--

"On the subject of ignorance you should some day, when at the British
Museum, look at Lydgate's translation of Boccaccio's 'Fall of Princes,'
printed by Pynson in 1494. It is 'liber rarissimus.' This copy when
perfect had been very fine and quite uncut. On one fine summer afternoon
in 1874 it was brought to me by a tradesman living at Lamberhurst. Many
of the leaves had been cut into squares, and the whole had been rescued
from a tobacconist's shop, where the pieces were being used to wrap up
tobacco and snuff. The owner wanted to buy a new silk gown for his wife,
and was delighted with three guineas for this purpose. You will notice
how cleverly the British Museum binder has joined the leaves, making it,
although still imperfect, a fine book."

Referring to the carelessness exhibited by some custodians of Parish
Registers,

Mr. Noble, who has had great experience in such matters, writes:--

"A few months ago I wanted a search made of the time of Charles I in
one of the most interesting registers in a large town (which shall be
nameless) in England. I wrote to the custodian of it, and asked him
kindly to do the search for me, and if he was unable to read the names
to get some one who understood the writing of that date to decipher the
entries for me. I did not have a reply for a fortnight, but one morning
the postman brought me a very large unregistered book-packet, which I
found to be the original Parish Registers! He, however, addressed a note
with it stating that he thought it best to send me the document itself
to look at, and begged me to be good enough to return the Register to
him as soon as done with. He evidently wished to serve me--his ignorance
of responsibility without doubt proving his kindly disposition, and on
that account alone I forbear to name him; but I can assure you I was
heartily glad to have a letter from him in due time announcing that
the precious documents were once more locked up in the parish chest.
Certainly, I think such as he to be