vicar of Coggeshall, which was published in that year.

Possibly it was the misfortune of the Library to lose a donation of manuscripts from Peter Le Neve relating to Norfolk that would have been of inestimable value, as the collector’s work, said Mr. Walter Rye, “was characterised by strictest honesty,” and the material “formed the backbone of the well-known county history, begun by Blomefield, and completed by Parkin.” [24] 

Bishop Tanner, one of Le Neve’s executors, stated in a letter to Dr. Rawlinson in 1735 that “There was an ugly Codicil made a few days before his death in favour of his wife, upon which she set up a claim for several of his Norfolk Collections, and has hindered the execution of that part of his will, which relates to the putting those papers into some public library in Norwich.  But I have hopes given me that she is coming into better temper, and will let us perform our trust without entering into a chancery suit.” [25a]  There is no codicil to the will at Somerset House, and the actual words relating to his collections are as follows: “I give and bequeath unto the Revd. Doctor Tanner Chancellor of Norwich and Mr. Thomas Martin of Palgrave all my abstracts out of Records old Deeds Books pedigrees seals papers and other collections which shall only relate to the antiquities and history of Norfolk and Suffolk or one of them upon condition that they or the survivor of them or the Exors or Admors of such survivor do & shall within 12 months next after my decease procure a good and safe repository in the Cathedral Church of Norwich or in some other good and publick building in the said city for the preservation of the same collections for the use and benefit of such curious persons as shall be desirous to inspect transcribe or consult the same.”  Le Neve’s widow evidently impeded his purpose, as his collections did not come to the city.

A donation, the loss of which, however, cannot be regretted, is referred to in the Court Book for 1677: “The Chamberlain, with the advice of Rob’ Bendish & Jo: Manser, Esq^rs are to consult a good workeman about ye making of a Case of Deale for y^e skeleton of a Man given to the City Librarie & to report y^e charge.” [25b]  Kirkpatrick quotes this and remarks: “But it seems it was not made, for there is no skeleton in the library now.” [25c]  Since the days of Rameses II., whose Egyptian Library bore the inscription “Dispensary of the Soul,” libraries have often been properly so regarded, as their contents are undoubtedly remedial agents of vigour and virtue, but it is not clear why a

library should be regarded as a repository for man’s mortal frame.

CONTENTS OF THE LIBRARY.

The Library having been established primarily but not exclusively for the clergy, by whom it was chiefly used, its contents were designed to facilitate their studies, and pre-eminence was given to theological works, and other works of particular interest or value to them.  Regarding the contents of the Library in 1706, when the first printed catalogue was published, the Rev. Joseph Brett said in the preface: “It may be more proper to observe, that upon the first Foundation of this Library many and great Benefactions, (by which alone it was first raised, and still encreases) were given by the Magistrates, Gentlemen and Tradesmen of this City, by which means, here is no inconsiderable Collection of Divinity Book, [sic] for that time especially.  But considering the great Advance of Learning, in the last Century, the fine Editions of many of the Fathers, and the many learned Books that were then published, it must be owned, that this Library is now very deficient, even in Divinity itself.  Besides here are very few Humanity Books, few or none of Law, Physick, Mathematicks, or indeed of any science but Divinity.”  Large donations from the Rev. Thomas Nelson, John Kirkpatrick, and others greatly increased the usefulness of the Library, and accordingly Mackerell, in his preface to the 1732 Catalogue, considered that “this Library is far from being meanly provided with Books (I wish I could say in all Faculties).”

While time has caused many of the works to decrease in value and practical interest, it has greatly enhanced the value of the few manuscripts and the considerable number of early printed books in the Library.  The following are the most interesting and valuable manuscripts, some of which are on loan at the Castle Museum for exhibition.  Dr. Montague Rhodes James, the Provost of King’s College, Cambridge, one of the greatest authorities on early manuscripts, has kindly examined and dated four of them, and he has also supplied detailed descriptions which it is hoped will be published on another occasion.

MANUSCRIPTS.

Anon.  In Apocalypsin.  XIIIth century.

Vellum, 10¼ x 7½ inches, ff. 5 + 74 + 28, double columns, the number of lines varies.  Bound in wooden boards.  Presented to the Library in 1618 by Thomas Atkins, merchant, Norwich.

Contains: 1.  Anonymous comment on the Apocalypse, with a few very rough pictures, coloured.

2.  The Summa of Richard de Wethersett, Chancellor of Cambridge, called Qui bene praesunt.

Biblia Hieronymi, or Bible of St. Jerome.  XIIIth Century.

Vellum, 9 2/10 x 7 1/10 inches, double columns of 52-53 lines.  The illuminated initial letters are unfinished.  Brown leather binding.

Presented to the Library in 1614 by Bassingbourne Throckmorton.

Contains: Genesis—2 Chron. (imperfect), Proverbs—Ecclus.  Then the prologue to Wisdom and a small piece of the text of Wisdom repeated.  Matthew, 1 leaf of Mark.  Philippians, Col.  1, 2 Thess.  Laodiceans (apocryphal)  1, 2 Tim.  Tit.  Phil.  Heb.  Apoc.

Medica.  XIIIth century.

Vellum, 7½ x 5½ inches, ff. 62, double columns of 40 lines, in a small clear hand which Dr. James thinks may be South French.  Initials in green and red and blue.  There is no binding; the first page is much soiled.

Contains thirteen items: medical tracts, list of materia medica, etc.

Manuale.  XVth century.

Vellum, 9 7/8 x 7¼ inches, ff. 1 + 62 + 1, double columns of 27 lines, early XVth century, well written.

Original binding, white skin with circuit edge over wooden boards bevelled at the edges; remains of two strap and pin fastenings.

On the fly-leaf: John Kirkpatrick, Sept. 12, 1704.  An old pressmark: 4to K 147.  An illegible (not early) note of price.

The covers are lined with four half-leaves of a folio XVth century Missal in double columns, with parts of the Offices for St. Thomas of Canterbury and Sundays after Epiphany.  At the end are bound in 7 smaller leaves of paper on which Kirkpatrick (?) has carefully facsimiled alphabets and abbreviations, and arranged the latter in alphabetical