Dibdins Bibliographical Tour in France and Germany. 



four leaves with a very slight indica- 

 tion of ornament in brown. An illu- 

 mination of tlic larger kind follows ; it 

 is that of St. Nicholas preaching, accom- 

 panied by square oi-naments. A clever 

 composition is at the bottom to the 

 right. One leaf follows, in which the 

 squares arc left as blanks : then three 

 leaves not ornamented ; next an illu- 

 minated leaf, upon (he reverse of which 

 is a splendid representation of the Tem- 

 ple of Jentralem on the re\'ei-se. The 

 ensuing leaf displays a brilliant deco- 

 ration, the subject of which is the death 

 of Ste. Lucie. The coverlid to the bed 

 made me forget all (he coverlids which 

 I had seen in Normandy. The pliysi- 

 cian, as usual, is examining the urhial, 

 and raising his right hand at the same 

 moment, indicative of despair ! This 

 interesting subject is followed by three 

 leaves without ornament ; then eight 

 leaves pretty fully ornamented, of which 

 the first, relating to the history of St. 

 Thomas, contains a large, brilliant, 

 and rather singular representation of 

 that saint on the recto : on the fourth 

 of these leaves, is a splendid but some- 

 what more coarsely executed subject, 

 of the figure of St. Sebastian. On the 

 eighth is a large illumination repre- 

 senting (he acts of St. Agnes, appa- 

 i'ently by the same hand, very curious 

 and very splendid : then two lea^'es 

 without ornament. 



Next follow seventy-two leaves, fully 

 ornamented, in squares, with aboiit 

 twenty-one or twenty-two of the larger 

 o:-naments; among which tlie death of 

 our King Edward the Alartijr, and <S/. 

 George and the Dragon, are perhaps 

 the most cxrious. These leaves, ho«-- 

 ever, absolutely form one series of daz- 

 zling splendour; then eight leaves not 

 ornamented. These are succeeded by 

 twenty-nine more, fully ornamented ; 

 one of the two larger ornaments dis- 

 plays a subject connected with St. 

 James, beautifully minute and curious. 

 Next, two leaves without ornament; 

 then iin ornamental leaf, of which the 

 representation of Elizabeth, Mary, and 

 the Infant Christ, is the chief subject. 

 Afterwards two leaves, destitute of or- 

 nament followed by a leaf of circular 

 ornaments ; then two leaves unorna- 

 mented. We now commence a series 

 of 120 leaves, fully ornamented with 

 the small illuminations, but among 

 which are only five principal or larger 

 subjects ; and, of these, the fifth is the 

 last illuminatioa in the volume. It is 

 not only the last, but it is by much the 



611 



most splendid for its execution and for 

 its state of preservation. It is the fa- 

 vourite subject for which the artists of 

 the middle age, and especially the old 

 illuminators, seemed to have reserved 

 all their powers, and upon w hich they 

 lavished all their stock of gold, ultra- 

 marine, and carmine. You will readily 

 anticipate that I am about to add — the 

 Assumption of the Virgin, One's me- 

 mory is generally fallacious in these 

 matters, but of all the exquisite, and 

 of all the minute, elaborate, and daz- 

 zling works of art, of the illuminatory 

 kind, I am quite sure that I have not 

 seen any which exceeds this. To equal 

 it, there may be some few: but its supe- 

 rior (of its own particular class of sub- 

 jects) I (hink it would be verydifticult 

 to discover. 



A dreary moor sometimes bordei-s 

 upon a luxuriant flower-garden. Adieu 

 now, to the magical hues and rainbow 

 tints of the illuminator. We turn 

 over sixty-eight leaves destitute of or- 

 nament ; except it be that some few of 

 them have only the indications of gilt 

 frames without subjects : and two 

 leaves are left entirely blank, witl^the 

 exception of tlie ruled lines, for the 

 scribe to write the tf^iit. And thus, 

 having gone thruugh this celebrated 

 volume, let me shut it up, and request 

 the worthy Abbe L'Epine to put it 

 away; not, liowever, withont turning 

 round (o make my' bow to RI. Millin, 

 for the kindness of his attention in the 

 accommodations offered to Mr. Lewis, 

 beneath his warm sky-light, and in the 

 midst of his richly furnished l-brary. 

 You cannot fail to have concluded, 

 during the progress of reading the fore- 

 going descriptitu, that the Bedford 

 Breviary was, in all probability, ex- 

 ecuted posterior to the Missal bearing 

 the same name, and that it has been 

 left in a state by no means finished or 

 perfect ; and (hat several artists have 

 tried their skill upon it pages; and 

 that in consequence it exliibits various 

 and unequal merit. TJpon the whole, 

 however, it deserves all that has been 

 said of it, either by speech, by pen, or 

 in print. Let me only further add, 

 that the writing is not of a very first 

 rate kind. The letter is a tall, close, 

 gothic character, with a good deal of red 

 intermixed : the black ink is generally 

 pale. The book has been cruelly cropt 

 in the binding, apparently by De Rome, 

 measuring only ten inches in length, by 

 not quite seven in width. It is in a red 

 morocco coat. 



HOURS 



