in procuring it on paper, he would rather have it
on expensive terms and "ugly vellum," than not at all.

'By the bequest of Mr. Grenville's library, the collection of books
printed on vellum now at the Museum, and comprising those formerly
presented by George II., George III., and Mr. Cracherode, is believed to
surpass that of any other National Library, except the King's Library at
Paris, of which Van Praet justly speaks with pride, and all foreign
competent and intelligent judges with envy and admiration. Injustice to
the Grenville Library, the list of all its vellum books ought here to be
inserted. As this cannot be done, some only of the most remarkable shall
be mentioned. These are--the Greek Anthology of 1494; the Book of
Hawking, of Juliana Berners, of 1496; the first edition of the Bible,
known as the "Mazarine Bible," printed at Mentz about 1454; the Aldine
Dante of 1502; the first Rationale of Durandus of 1459; the first
edition of Fisher On the Psalms, of 1508; the Aldine Horace, Juvenal,
Martial, and Petrarca, of 1501; the Livy of 1469; the Primer of
Salisbury, printed in Paris in 1531; the Psalter of 1457, which supplies
the place of the one now at Windsor, which belonged to the Royal
Collection before it was transferred to the British Museum; the
Sforziada, by Simoneta, of 1490, a most splendid volume even in so
splendid a library; the Theuerdank of 1517; the Aulus Gellius and the
Vitruvius of Giunta, printed in 1513, etc., etc. Of this identical copy
of Vitruvius, formerly Mr. Dent's, the author of the Bibliographical
Decameron wrote, "Let the enthusiastic admirers of a genuine vellum
Junta--of the amplest size and in spotless condition--resort to the
choice cabinet of Mr. Dent for such a copy of this edition of Vitruvius
and Frontinus." The Aulus Gellius is in its original state, exactly as
it was when presented to Lorenzo de' Medici, afterwards Duke of Urbino,
to whom the edition was dedicated.'

In addition to the printed books, the Grenville Library contains
sixty-four manuscripts, many of them being of great interest and value.
The finest of them is a volume of exquisite miniature drawings by
Giulio Clovio, executed by command of Philip II. of Spain, and
representing the victories of the Emperor Charles V. This volume was
formerly in the Escurial. Other notable manuscripts are the original
drawings for Hariot's Virginia in the De Bry collection, made by John
White; Norden's Description of Essex; th