22 ACCOUNTS ETC., OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 



Canutus, Bishop of Aarhuus. A little book concerning the 

 pestilence. [1520.] Unique. 



Next to the Caxtons andWynkyn de Wordesare to be named 

 two books privately printed at Naples in 1487 and 1488 ; the 

 proceedings against Antonello Petrucci and others for par- 

 ticipation in the conspiracy of the Barons against Ferdinand, 

 King of Naples, in 1486 ; and the inquisition into the 

 conspiracy itself. These, perhaps the first instances of the 

 authorised publication of judicial proceedings, appear to have 

 been circulated among the courts of Europe in vindication of 

 Ferdinand's action against the conspirators. Few books of 

 equal historical interest are so rare. Three copies of the 

 first and two of the second part, including those now 

 acquired, are known to be in existence, but no Library except 

 the Museum possesses both. The second part was reprinted 

 soon after the first publication, but two copies only of the 

 reprint can be traced. 



The acquisitions of the year further comprise several 

 highly interesting Bibles and Liturgies. Among the former 

 may be mentioned : — The exceedingly rare edition of Tyndale's 

 New Testament, printed by Richard Jugge in 1548 ; two 

 fragments of undescribed editions of the New Testament ; 

 the Polish Bible of 1575, of which only four copies were 

 known to Estreicher : the Bohemian Bible of 1529. Among 

 remarkable Liturgies the first place is due to the splendid 

 Missale ad Consuetudinem insignis Ecclesiae Sarum, printed 

 by Wolfgang Hopyl, Paris, 1504, with many ornamental 

 initials and other illustrations. 



The acquisition of Geofi*rey Tory's Book of Hours, Paris, 

 1527, is of even greater importance to the Museum, which, 

 having previously possessed only two really fine examples of 

 this famous typographical artist, has now obtained one of 

 his most celebrated productions, enthusiastically praised in 

 Dibdin's Bibliographical Decameron. These purchases were 

 made at the second Ashburnham sale, and two other 

 Liturgies of less aesthetic but greater historical interest were 

 secured at the third — a copy on vellum of the 15-35 edition 

 of the first Reformed Primer commonly known as Marshall's 

 Primer, and the first edition of " The Forme of Prayer 

 and Ministration of the Sacraments used in the English 

 Church at Geneva, approved and received by the Churche of 

 Scotland," Edinburgh, 1565, commonly called John Knox's 

 Liturgy. On the same occasion was purchased a beautiful 

 edition of the Epistles and Gospels used in the Liturgy ; 

 T. Gaultier, 1551. A very beautiful Book of Hours, Paris, 

 about 1508, has also been acquired. 



The department of early Spanish literature, so greatly 

 enriched of late years, has received further important acces- 

 sions in Valera, Coronica de Espana, Seville, 1482, the first 

 historical work printed in Spain ; Ximenez de Prexano, 

 Confutatorium Errorum contra Claves Ecclesise, I486, 

 the first book printed at Toledo : Boteler, La Scala de 



