riage.[36] Wood informs
us that 'he was constantly known every day to walk his rounds among the
booksellers' shops (especially in Little Britain) in London, and by his
great skill and experience he made choice of such books that were not
obvious to every man's eye.' 'He lived in times,' Wood adds, 'which
ministred 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.... He was also a
great collector of MSS., whether ancient or modern that were not extant,
and delighted much to be poring on them.' Wood also states that after
Smith's death, 'there was a design to buy his choice library for a
public use, by a collection of moneys to be raised among generous
persons, but the work being public, and therefore but little forwarded,
it came into the hands of Richard Chiswell, a bookseller living in S.
Paul's Ch.-yard, London: who printing a catalogue of, with others added
to, them, which came out after Mr. Smith's death, they were exposed to
sale by way of auction, to the great reluctancy of public-spirited men,
in May and June 1682.' The sale, which commenced on the 15th of May, and
was continued day by day the first five days of every week until all the
books were sold, took place at 'the Auction House known by the name of
the Swan in Great Bartholomew's Close.' It realised one thousand four
hundred and fourteen pounds, twelve shillings and eleven pence.[37] A
copy of the catalogue, with the prices in manuscript, is preserved in
the British Museum. The sums obtained for the Caxtons, of which there
were about a dozen, will be interesting to bibliographers. A copy of
_Godfrey of Bulloyn_, which it is stated had belonged to King Edward
IV., fetched the highest price--eighteen shillings; and the _Game of the
Chesse_, the _History of Jason_, and the _Eneydos of Virgil_ sold
respectively for thirteen shillings, five shillings and a penny, and
three shillings; while no more than two shillings could be got for the
_Book of Good Manners_. A fine copy of the Coverdale Bible realised only
twenty shillings and sixpence, and Captain John Smith's _History of
Virginia_ went for seven shillings and twopence. The manuscripts also,
even for those days, sold at exceedingly low prices.

A very interesting account of the library will be found in an article on
English Book-Sales, 1681-86, by Mr. A.W. Pollard, in vol. ii.