ACCOUNTS, &C., OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM. IJ 



Music, Broadsides, Songs, Parliamentary Papers, and other miscellaneous items ; the 

 addition of this number to those already given produces a total of 99,889 articles 

 received in the Department. 



(ff.) The number of stamps Impressed upon articles received h altogether .326,311. 



Among the acquisitions of interest may be noted : — 



A magnificent copy of Vols. 2 and 3 of Moustrelet's Chronicles, printed on vellum, 

 by Antoine Verard, at Paris, about 1498, with painted and gilded pictures and initials 

 The Museum had long possessed a fine copy on vellum of Vols. 1 and 3, which formed part 

 of the Old Eoyal Library, and formerly belonged to Henry VII., but the second volume 

 was wanting, and it must be regarded as a singular piece of good fortune that it should 

 have been found possible to supply the deficiency in the case of a book of such extreme 

 rarity. Only three copies on vellum were known to Van Praet, of Avhich two were 

 imperfect, that in the Museum wanting Vol. 2, and another in Kussia (the one now 

 acquired) wanting Vol. 1. 



A rare edition of the " Mundus Novus " of Amerigo Vespucci, the Florentine navigator, 

 whose name Avas given to the New World in the appellation America. The work is a 

 Latin translation of a letter addressed by Vespucci to his patron, L. P. F. de Medici, and 

 contains an account of his third voyage made to Brazil, in the service of Portugal. Only 

 four copies of this edition are known. 



A curious German Broadside, compi'ising a letter, dated 3 March 1526, from the 

 Alderman and Merchants of the Gennan Hansa in London (the Steelyard), to the 

 Burgomaster and Council of Cologne, giving an account of the forcible occupation of 

 their factory, by Sir Thomas More, with other Lords and Knights of the King's Council, 

 sent in the name of the King and the Cardinal nominally to enquire into charges of 

 clipping the King's coin, but principally into the introduction of Luther's books, " by 

 means of which great heresies originating from the Steelyard had been spread amongst the 

 King's subjects." A rigorous search for prohibited books was made, and the head mer- 

 chants were on two occasions obliged to appear on their knees before Cardinal W&lsey, 

 and to enter into bonds not to import Lutheran works. 



A considerable number of early English books have been acquired; amongst them may 

 be noted : '• A Dyalogue of Syr Thomas More, wherein he treatyth dyvers maters, as 

 of the veneration and worshyp of ymagys and relyques, praying to Sayntys, and goyng 

 o pylgrymage, with many othere thyngys touching the pestylent sect of ]juther and 

 Tyndale." London, Johannes Rastell, 1529. This is the first edition, and is of exces- 

 sive rarity. An edition of the " Enchiridion Mllitls Christiani " of Erasmus, In English, 

 jirinted by Wynkyn de Worde, London 1538. " A Warning for Englande, conteyning 

 the horrible Practices of the King of Spayne in the KIngdome of Naples." London 

 [1555]. 



" An Admonition to the Towne of Callays," dated 12 April 1557. This tract, which was 

 Avritten not long before the taking of Calais by the French, in January 1558, is stated 

 to be unique, and to be the only work published in English relating to Calais, whilst 

 under English rule. 



Archbishop Parker's " Defence of Priestes Marriages." London [1560]. The first 

 edition, and extremely rare. 



Bishop Ridley's " Pituous Lamentation of the miserable estate of the Churche In 

 Englande In the time of the late revolt from the Gospel. Never before this tyme Im- 

 prynted." London [1566]. Lupton (Thomas) " A thousand notable things," 1579. 

 First edition. No other copy known. A curious moral dialogue upon the social life of the 

 Elizabethan age, entitled : " Questions of profitable and pleasant concerning talked of by 

 two old seniors under an oake in Kenelworth Parke." London, 1574. Dedicated to 

 Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex. Only three other copies are known. Richard Verste- 

 gan's " Odes In imitation of the seaven Penitential Psalmes" : a book of excessive rarity, 

 printed abroad, probably at Antwerp, In 1601. 



ISeveral important additions have been made to the collection of Liturgies; amongst 

 them: a fine copy of the " Pontificale Romanum"'. Printed by Stephen Plannck, 

 Rome, 1485 ; an edition of great rarity, only two other copies being known. A Bre- 

 viary of the Canons Regular of WIndesheim. Printed by Henry Eckert de Homberch, 

 Delft, 1499. Service books of this order, a branch of the Augustinians, and originally 

 known as the " Brothers of Common Life," are very scarce. " JVlIssale Magdeburgense," 

 printed at Magdeburg by >!. Briind in 1497, with the " Proprium " of the diocese of 

 Verden at the end. This book is very rare ; the only other complete copy known is in 

 the Town Library at Luneburg. 



" Passionariura Toletanum." Printed at the command of Cardinal Xlmenes, by 

 Arnaldus Gulielmus Brocarlus, or Brocard, of Alcala, 1516, on vellum. This book, which 

 is excessively rare, contains the four Gospels of the Passion used In Holy Week, with 

 the " Cantus Passionis," and other offices according to the use of Toledo ; it is a beautiful 

 specimen of early Spanish printing. 



•' Ordo Bveviarii secundum ritum Romana) Ecclesiaj." Printed by Petrus de Plaslis of 

 Cremona, and Bartholomaeus de Blavlis, of Alexandria, at Venice, 1479, small 8vo ; 

 this is a very scarce and very early Breviary, of unusually small size 



1 85. J " Breviarium 



