BOOKS, BOOKSELLERS, AND BIBLIOMANIACS. 



BLACK-LETTER BOOKS. 



It was in the period of Scott's 

 early manhood that the mania for 

 black-letter books began to mani- 

 fest itself in the land, and, like the 

 once notable tulip madness in Hol- 

 land, proved an important source 

 of emolument to those who had even 

 a small capital to embark in the 

 purchase of rare specimens. It was 

 quite possible for such traders occa- 

 sionally to purchase for a trifling 

 sum an entire library from some 

 improvident or illiterate represen- 

 tative of an old family, by whom 

 the books were looked upon as mere 

 lumber. From these the fortunate 

 purchaser well knew how to select 

 the gems inestimable in the eyes of 

 a collector, any one of which, being 

 properly set and adorned in its fra- 

 grant binding of Russia leather, 

 would sometimes bring nearly as 

 much money as had been given for 

 the whole lot. It was, indeed, on 

 this basis principally that Mr. Con- 

 stable, who had the honour of pub- 

 lishing the Lay of the last Minstrel, 

 and Marmion, contrived to accumu- 

 late that wealth, or acquire that 

 credit, which, if more prudently 

 managed, might have insured him 

 -stability and reputation for life. 

 Mr. Scott was one of the very few 

 .among Constable's patrons who 

 could turn this mania to good ac- 

 count ; for, whilst he seemed to the 

 uninitiated to have an indiscrimi- 

 nate appetite for old books of every 

 description, the truth was, that he 

 seldom made a purchase of one 

 without some rational and special 

 object in view. 



EIVAL PUBLISHERS. 



Both Tonson and Lintot were 

 rivals for publishing a work of Dr. 

 Young's. The poet answered both 

 their letters the same morning, but 

 unfortunately misdirected them. 

 In these epistles, he complained of 

 the rascally cupidity of each. In 

 the one he intended for Tonson, he 



said that Lintot was so great a 

 scoundrel, that printing with him 

 was out of the question ; and writ- 

 ing to Lintot, he declared that Ton- 

 son was an old rascal, with many 

 other epithets equally opprobrious. 



BLACK-LETTER HUNTERS. 



" Others, like Kcmble, en black-letter 



pore, 



And what they do not understand, adore; 

 Buy at vast sums the trash of ancient 



days, 



And draw on prodigality for praise. 

 These when some lucky hit, or lucky 



price, 

 Has blessed them with " The Boke of 



gode advice," 



For ekes and algates only deign to seek, 

 And live upon a whilome for a week." 



Though no great catalogue-hun- 

 ter, I love to look into such marked 

 ones as now and then fall in my 

 way. That of poor Dodd's books 

 amused me not a little. It exhi- 

 bited many instances of BLACK-LET- 

 TER mania ; and what is more to 

 my purpose, a transfer of much 

 valuable "trash of ancient days" 

 to the fortunate Mr. Kemble. For 

 example : 



" First part of the tragicall s. d. 



reigne of Selimus Emperor 



of the Turks 1 11 6 



Jacob and E^au, a Mery and 



Whittle Comedie 850 



Look about You, a Comedie, 570 

 The Tragedie of T. Nero, 



Rome's Greatest Tyraunte, 140 



&C..&C." 



"How are we ruined!" (GifTord, 

 in Baviad.) 



ILLUMINATORS. 



As to the word Alluminor in 

 the " Richard III.," I take it that, 

 even before the invention of print- 

 ing, when, as well as afterwards, it 

 was the custom to illuminate the 

 initial letters, such had the privi- 

 lege of being members, and were 

 entitled to the privileges of univer- 

 sities, whereof you will find some 

 memorandums in the history of 

 Bullens, or that of Paris ; acd if 



