L I B 



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LIB 



Library, to modern ideas of the dignity of science, and the im- 

 S """V*" P ' portance of the arts, Debure classified several useful 

 catalogues - rcordingly, by which theology is subdivid- 

 ed into, 1. Bibles, interpreters, critics, commentators; 

 2. Councils, liturgies, fathers; 3. Theologians. Juris- 

 prudence into, 1. Canon law; 2. Civil law. Sciences and 

 arts into, 1. Philosophy ; 2. Physics ; S. Natural history ; 

 4. Medicine ; 5. Mathematics ; 6. Arts. Belles letlres into, 



1. Grammar; 2. Rhetoric; 3. Poetry ; 4. Philology; 5. 

 Polygraphy. History into, 1. Historical prolegomena; 



2. Geography ; 3. Chronology ; 4. Ecclesiastical histo- 

 ry ; 5. Profane history of ancient monarchies ; 6. Mo- 

 dern European and foreign history ; 7. Historical para- 

 lipomena ; 8. Antiquities ; 9. Literary, academic, and 

 bibliographical history; 10. Biography; 1 1 . Historical 

 extracts. This system is founded almost exclusively 

 on that of Gabriel Martiff, who divides literature into 

 the five primitive classes adopted by Debure, and who, 

 by the arrangement of no less than 148 catalogues, had 

 an opportunity of reducing his theory to practice. 

 These systems have been followed, in many instances, 

 with very little alteration, though probably from being 

 more generally known. Denis, the imperial librarian 

 at Vienna, proposes an arrangement under seven dif- 

 ferent heads, which probably could be adopted with 

 considerable convenience; theology, jurisprudence, phi- 

 losophy, medicine, mathematics, history, philology. He 

 considers that theology is connected with jurisprudence 

 by the ecclesiastical councils ; jurisprudence with phi- 

 losophy by the law of nature ; philosophy with medi- 

 cine by natural history ; medicine with mathematics by 

 anatomy; mathematics with history by chronology; 

 history with philology by heroic fables ; and that phi- 

 lology is connected with theology by mythology. Ano- 

 ther system, rather more explicit, was offered at Jena, 

 which divides literary works into sixteen different 

 classes: 1. The knowledge of books ; 2. Philology; 3. 

 Theology ; 4. Jurisprudence ; 5. Medicine ; 6. Philoso- 

 phy ; 7. Pedagogy ; 8. Science of the statesman ; 9. 

 Science of the soldier ; 10. Knowledge of nature; 11. 

 Knowledge of arts and trades; 12. Mathematics; 13. 

 Geography and history; 14. Fine arts; 15. Literary 

 history; 16. Miscellanies. We shall say nothing of the 

 system proposed by M. Thiebault ; for it does not seem 

 applicable to practice. A system in very copious detail 

 is suggested by M. Peignot, the author of several works 

 on what is now called bibliography, a subject which 

 as yet has not been reduced to any fixed principles. 

 This is chiefly founded on the three great sources of 

 knowledge, according to the philosophers before named, 

 memory, reason, and imagination, preceded by the ar- 

 ticle bibliography. M. Peignot enumerates about 250 

 different heads, under which the books may be arran- 

 ged ; but we cannot see on what sound principle natu- 

 ral history is ranked under HISTORY ; and the science of 

 nature, comprehending some of its most essential parts, 

 under PHILOSOPHY. Neither can we reconcile the po- 

 sition of the military art, which stands between engra- 

 ving and music, with the principles of analogy. What 



is now said, sufficiently evinces the difficulty of classi- 

 fying the catalogue of a great library according to any 

 unobjectionable system ; yet it is not absolutely essen- 

 tial that such arrangement should proceed on the most 

 refined principles ; for a few general heads, each branch- 



3 



ed into details, will prove exceedingly convenient, though Library, 

 they are not intimately connected together. If all the II 

 works on the military art, alf those on engraving, and Licl > ano - 

 all on music, are entered respectively under'three dif- ^""^ 

 ferent branches, the welfare of the library to which they 

 belong, is in no respect dependent on their being ascri- 

 bed to either science or the arts, their proper places, or 

 to the fruit of imagination. M. Peignot's work may 

 be very profitably consulted for details: See Diction, 

 naire Bibliographique, torn. ii. p. 271. The principal 

 object is to associate works on analogous subjects, for it 

 is from this juxtaposition that utility is derived. The 

 most convenient arrangement of a catalogue, therefore, 

 seems to be according to matter, along with an index 

 auctorum. In one department, natural hiitory, the cata- 

 logue of Sir Joseph Banks forms an excellent model, 

 specifying the subject of every treatise, its extent, and 

 the number of plates; besides which, there is, in many 

 instances, an obituary of the authors. Another cata- 

 logue, not of a library indeed, but of all works connect- 

 ed with mathematics and physics, was lately published 

 by F. G. A. Murhard, in five octavo volumes, which 

 proves exceedingly useful to those pursuing such stu- 

 dies, and is also a satisfactory guide to the classification 

 of a literary collection. 



Rules for the formation of a library, must be depen- 

 dent on the taste of the age, and the purpose for which 

 it is designed, whether private or public. Hence few 

 of those laid down by Gabriel Naude, in his Avis pour 

 dresser tine Bibliotheque, are now applicable with re. 

 spect to the selection of works. Nevertheless there are 

 authors historians, moralists, and explorers of natural 

 phenomena, who will be always prized, because their 

 writings are founded on immutable truth. Some col- 

 lectors have addicted themselves to the early editions, 

 to certain sciences, to arts and trades, to works whose 

 chief embellishment is engravings, or to those merely 

 printed on a large size of paper. It is by the union of 

 all these peculiarities that a great public library is form- 

 ed. But its basis ought to rest on original works of truth, 

 for they alone are the source of knowledge : commen- 

 tators and critics hold a secondary place ; and works of 

 fiction may be introduced for amusement. The extent of 

 a library is indefinite. One of the ancients, celebrated for 

 his learning, is said to have possessed only four volumes. 

 Leibnitz declares, that his library had no more than the 

 works of Plato, Aristotle, Archimedes, Euclid, Plutarch, 

 Sextus Empiricus, Pliny, Cicero, and Seneca. Lenglet 

 du Fresnoy makes a calculation, whereby it appears that 

 no one can read above 900 folio volumes in his life ; 

 from all which is deduced the inutility of extensive li- 

 braries. These remarks will not apply to those collec- 

 tions destined for public use ; but the words of Seneca . 

 never should be forgot, non rrf'ert qiiam miiltos libros 

 sedquam bunos habeas, inferring, that Inequality of books, 

 not their number, is the primary consideration, (c) 

 LIBRATION. See ASTRONOMY. 

 LICHANOS-HYPATON, in the music of the 

 Greeks, implied the D, next beiow the bass cliff of our 

 modern scale. 



LICHANOS-MESON, in the music of the Greeks, 

 implied the G, next above the bass cliff of our modern 

 scale. 



