ut the weight of my
authorities will, I trust, secure me from any great violence
of critical indignation. To render so dry a subject (the
very "_Hortus Siccus_" of bibliography) somewhat palatable,
I have here and there besprinkled it with biographical
anecdotes of the collectors, and of the state of French
literature in the last century and a half.----D'AGUESSEAU.
_Catalogue des Livres Imprimes et Manuscrits de la
Bibliotheque de feu Monsieur D'Aguesseau_, &c., Paris, 1785,
8vo. "Anxious to enrich his collection, (says the compiler
of this catalogue) the Bibliomaniac sees with delight the
moment arrive when, by the sale of a library like this, he
may add to his precious stores. It is, in truth, a grand
collection; especially of history, arts, and sciences, and
jurisprudence. The famous Chancellor D'Aguesseau laid the
foundation of this library, which was as universal as his
own genius." It would appear that the son, to whom the
collection latterly belonged, was gracious in the extreme in
the loan of books; and that, in consequence, a public
advertisement was inserted at the foot of the "Avis
preliminaire," to entreat those, who had profited by such
kindness, to return their borrowed (shall I say stolen?)
goods? For want of these volumes, many sets of books were
miserably defective.----ANONYMIANA. _Catalogus Bibliothecae
Anonymianae, in quo libri rariores recensentur, una cum notis
litterariis_, Norimb., 1738, 8vo. This is a catalogue of
value, and may be well ranged with its brethren upon the
bibliographer's shelf. Another "_Bibliotheca Anonymiana_,"
was published ten years preceding the present one; at the
Hague, in three parts, one vol., 8vo.: which, in the _Bibl.
Solger._, vol iii., no. 1388, is said to contain many
rare books: see also no. 1370, _ibid._----D'ARTOIS.
_Catalogue des Livres du Cabinet de Monseigneur Le Compte
D'Artois_, Paris, 1783, 8vo. Very few copies of this
catalogue, which is printed in a wide octavo page,
resembling that of a quarto, were struck off: according to
Fournier's _Dict. Portat. de Bibliogr._, p. 120, edit. 1809.
See also _Cat. de Boutourlin_, no. 3876.----AUGUSTANA.
_Catalogus Bibliothecae inclytae Reipubl. Augustanae utriusque
linguae tum Graecae tum Latinae librorum et impressorum et manu