library, made many additions to it. He
died on the 7th of July 1831, and fifty-three years later a portion of
the books was sold by auction by Sotheby, Wilkinson and Hodge. The sale,
which took place on December 12th, 1884, and seven following days,
consisted of two thousand one hundred and ten lots, which realised the
large sum of twenty-eight thousand and one pounds, fifteen shillings and
sixpence. For some of the rarest of the books very large prices were
obtained. Mr. Quaritch acquired the Gutenberg Bible for three thousand
nine hundred pounds, and the Mentz Psalter for four thousand nine
hundred and fifty. _The Catholicon_ sold for four hundred pounds, the
1462 Latin Bible for one thousand pounds, _The Mirrour of the World_
for three hundred and thirty-five pounds, the Aldine Greek Bible for
fifty-one pounds, and the first Shakespeare folio for five hundred and
ninety pounds.

REV. RICHARD FARMER, D.D., 1735-1797

The Rev. Richard Farmer, D.D., was born at Leicester on the 28th of
August 1735. He was the second son of Richard Farmer, a wealthy maltster
of that town. After receiving his early education in the Free Grammar
School of his native place, he was entered in 1753 as a pensioner of
Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he graduated B.A. in 1757 and M.A. in
1760. In the latter year he was appointed classical tutor of his
College; which post he held until his election to the Mastership in
1775, when he took the degree of D.D. He served the office of
Vice-Chancellor of the University in 1775-76 and again in 1787-88, and
on the 27th of June 1778 was chosen the Chief Librarian of the
University. In 1780 he was collated to a prebendal stall at Lichfield,
and two years later became Prebendary of Canterbury, which he resigned
in 1788 on being preferred to a residentiary canonry of St. Paul's
Cathedral, London. It is said that he twice refused a bishopric which
was offered to him rather than forgo the pleasure of witnessing dramatic
performances on the stage. He died on the 8th of September 1797, at the
Lodge, Emmanuel College, and was buried in the chapel. A monument, with
an epitaph by Dr. Parr, was erected to his memory in the cloisters.

Dr. Farmer, who was an elegant scholar and a zealous antiquary, was
somewhat eccentric both in his appearance and manners. It is said of him
'that there were three things he loved above all others, namely, old
port, old clothes, and old books; and three things which nobod