DEPARTMENT OF PRINTED BOOKS. 21 



((/) 11,809 articles have been received in the Department 

 not included in the foregoing paragraphs, comprising 

 broadsides, Parliamentary Papers and other miscellaneous 

 items. The addition of this number to those already given 

 produces a total of 114,050 articles received in the Depart- 

 ment in the course of the year. 



Acquisitions of Special Interest. — The most remarkable 

 incident in a year of important acquisitions has been the 

 purchase of three Caxtons, a circumstance probably un- 

 precedented. With " The Doctrinal of Sapience," bought at 

 the first A.shburnham sale in 1897, the Library has obtained 

 in these two years as many Caxtons as had been acquired 

 from 1851 to 1896. Two of the acquisitions of 1898 have 

 come to light in the Library, until recently inaccessible, of 

 Maurice Johnson, of Spalding, an eminent antiquary of the 

 18th century, the disappearance of whose collection, known to 

 have included several Caxtons, had long been a subject of 

 regret to bibliographers. It proved to contain seven, of five 

 of which the Museum already possessed copies. The two 

 acquired for the nation are : — 



Parvus et magnus Chato, third edition. 



De curia Sapientiae, 

 both printed about 1481. Of each of these works only two 

 copies are known, apart from those now in the Museum. 



The third acquisition of a Caxton made during the year is 

 the " Proflfytes of Tribulacyon," purchased at the sale of the 

 third portion of the library of the Earl of Ashburnham. This 

 is the second of three tracts printed by Caxton in 1490, and 

 generally, although without the authority of Caxton himself, 

 described as •' A Booke of Divers Ghostly Matters " — a portion, 

 therefore, of a collection, but complete in itself. Five other 

 copies are enumerated by Mr. Blades. 



Along with the Caxtons purchased from Mr. Johnson's 

 representatives were also bought ten books of the utmost 

 rarity printed by Wynkyn de Worde. These are : — 



Bishop Alcock. Mons perfectionis. 1497. 



Hawes (Stephen). The couercyon of swerers. 1509. 



Bishop Fisher. Sermon for Henry VII. 1509. 



The life of Joseph of Arimathy. [1510.] 



History of Jacoby and his twelve sones. 1510. 



Christiani hominis institutio. [1510.] 



Nychodemus Gospel]. 1511. 



The dystrucyon of Jerusalem by Vespazian and Tytus. 

 [1517.] 



A lytell treatise of the turkes lawe called Alcaron. 

 [1519.] 



The myrrour of the churche. 1521. 



From the same source were obtained two very rare 

 examples of the early Antwerp press : — 



Miracula confraternitatis septem dolorum V. Mariae. 1510. 



