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diff --git a/41142-8.txt b/41142-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 11190f6..0000000 --- a/41142-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6108 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Book-Plates, by William J. Hardy - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Book-Plates - -Author: William J. Hardy - -Release Date: October 22, 2012 [EBook #41142] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BOOK-PLATES *** - - - - -Produced by Chris Curnow, Emmy and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - -[Transcriber's Notes: Two letters had macrons above them in the orginal -these have been marked as: [=i] and [=m]. - -A carot ^ before bracketed letters indicated that the letter or letters -were superscripted in the orginal: Hon^{ble}.] - -[Illustration] - - - - -Book-Plates - -By W. J. Hardy, F.S.A. - -_SECOND EDITION_ - -[Illustration] - - London - Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., Ltd. - MDCCCXCVII - - - - - _First Edition published 1893 as Vol._ II. _of 'Books about Books.'_ - - - - -Preface - - -HAVING vindicated in my introductory chapter the practice of collecting -book-plates from the charge of flagrant immorality, I do not think it -necessary to spend many words in demonstrating that it is in every way a -worthy and reasonable pursuit, and one which fully deserves to be made -the subject of a special treatise in a series of _Books about Books_. If -need were, the Editor of the series, who asked me to write this little -hand-book, would perhaps kindly accept his share of responsibility, but -in the face of the existence of a flourishing 'Ex Libris' Society, the -importance of the book-plate as an object of collection may almost be -taken as axiomatic. My own interest in this particular hobby is of long -standing, and happily the appearance, when my manuscript was already at -the printer's, of Mr. Egerton Castle's pleasantly written and profusely -illustrated work on _English Book-Plates_ has relieved me of the dreaded -necessity of writing an additional chapter on those modern examples, in -treating of which neither my knowledge nor my enthusiasm would have -equalled his. - -The desire to possess a book-plate of one's own is in itself commendable -enough, for in fixing the first copy into the first book the owner may -surely be assumed to have registered a vow that he or she at least will -not join the great army of book-persecutors--men and women who cannot -touch a volume without maltreating it, and who, though they are often -ready to describe the removal of a book-plate, even from a worthless -volume, as an act of vandalism, do infinitely more harm to books in -general by their ruthless handling of them. No doubt, also, the decay of -interest in heraldry, which is mainly responsible for the eccentricities -of modern 'fancy' examples, has taken from us the temptation to commit -certain sins which were at one time attractive. Our ancestors, for -instance, may sometimes have outraged the susceptibilities of the -heralds by using as book-plates coats-of-arms to which they had no -title. Yet their offence against the College of Arms was trivial when -compared with the outrage upon common-sense committed by the mystical -young man of to-day, who designs, or has designed for him, an -'emblematic' book-plate, or a 'symbolic' book-plate, or a 'theoretic' -book-plate, in which the emblem, or the symbol, or the theory, is far -too mystical for any ordinary comprehension, and needs, in fact, a -lengthy explanation, which, however, I am bound to confess, is always -very willingly given by either owner or designer, if asked for. - -It is, perhaps, needless to say that I am very far from including all -modern book-plates under this condemnation. The names of the -artists--Sir John Millais, Mr. Stacy Marks, Randolph Caldecott, Mr. -Walter Crane, Miss Kate Greenaway, and others--who have found time to -design, some of them only one, some quite a considerable number of -really interesting marks of ownership, suffice to rescue modern -book-plates from entire discredit. Here and there, too, a little-known -artist, like the late Mr. Winter of Norwich, has produced a singularly -fine plate. Above all, the strikingly beautiful work of Mr. Sherborn, as -seen in the book-plates of the Duke of Westminster, in that of Mr. -William Robinson, and in many other fine examples, forms a refreshing -oasis in the desert of wild eccentricity. But the most ardent admirer of -modern book-plates cannot pretend that amid the multiplicity of recent -examples any school or style is observable, and as I have aimed at -giving in this little hand-book an historic sketch, however -unpretentious, of the different styles adopted in designing book-plates -from their first introduction, I hope I may be excused for not having -attempted to trace their history beyond the early years of the present -century, after which no distinctive style can be said to exist. - -As I have said elsewhere, it has been no part of my object in writing my -book to advocate indiscriminate collecting. But for those who are -already collectors I have one word of advice on the subject of the -arrangement of their treasures. Some enthusiasts advocate a -chronological arrangement, others a genealogical, others a -topographical: and the advocates of each theory paste down their -specimens in scrap-books or other volumes in adherence to their own -views. Now there is a great deal to be said in favour of each of these -classifications: so much, indeed, that no system is perfect which does -not admit of a collection being arranged according to one plan to-day -and another tomorrow--_i.e._ no arrangement is satisfactory which is -necessarily permanent. Let each specimen be lightly, yet firmly, fixed -on a separate sheet of cardboard or stout paper, of sufficient size to -take the largest book-plates commonly met with. These cards or sheets -may be kept, a hundred or a hundred and fifty together, in portfolios or -boxes, which should be distinctly numbered. Each card or sheet should -also be paged and bear the number of the portfolio to which it belongs. -The collector can by this means ascertain, when he pleases, if all his -portfolios contain their proper number of cards or sheets, and he can -arrange his specimens according to the particular point of interest in -his collection which from time to time he may desire to illustrate. In -addition to this, the system of single cards has obvious advantages for -the purpose of minute study and comparison. - -In conclusion, it only remains for me to express my warm thanks to Lord -De Tabley and to Mr. A. W. Franks, C.B.; to the former for allowing me -to make use, without oft-repeated acknowledgment, of the matter -contained in his _Guide to the Study of Book-Plates_, a second, and much -amplified edition of which we may hope will, before long, make its -appearance; to the latter, not only for constant advice and assistance, -but also for the loan from his collection of nearly all the book-plates -with reproductions of which this volume is illustrated. - - W. J. H. - 1893. - -[Illustration] - - - - -Preface to the Second Edition - - -A FEW words are, perhaps, needed by way of introduction to the present -revised and enlarged edition of this work. Some slips of my own have -been rectified, and there has been added a considerable amount of -additional information, brought to light since 1893; for much of this I -am indebted to the researches of Mr. Egerton Castle, Mr. Charles Dexter -Allen, Miss Norna Labouchere, and Mr. Walter Hamilton, as well as to Mr. -Fincham and various other contributors to the pages of the _Ex Libris -Journal_. - -During the three years that have elapsed since the first publication of -my book, the ranks of those taking an intelligent interest in -book-plates have been largely increased; yet they have suffered some -serious losses, and foremost amongst these must be placed the death of -Lord De Tabley. That he died ere the completion of the promised new -edition of his _Guide to the Study of Book-Plates_ is a matter of -sincere regret to every student of the subject; all we can now hope for -is that Sir Wollaston Franks--the one man really capable of bringing out -a new edition of Lord De Tabley's book--will some day undertake the -task. - -As before, I have again to express my sincere gratitude to a great -number of collectors for the kindly help they have given me; and I must -not pass without special thanks the kindness of Mr. Everard Green, -F.S.A., Rouge Dragon, for allowing me to illustrate this preface with -his own book-plate, designed and engraved for him by Mr. George W. Eve; -it is in every way an excellent specimen of modern work in book-plates, -being both appropriate and artistic, and, above all, rational. - - W. J. H. - ST. ALBANS, 1896. - - - - -Contents - - - PAGE - - CHAPTER I. - INTRODUCTORY, 1 - - CHAPTER II. - THE EARLY USE OF BOOK-PLATES IN ENGLAND, 20 - - CHAPTER III. - 'STYLES' IN ENGLISH BOOK-PLATES, 48 - - CHAPTER IV. - ALLEGORY IN ENGLISH BOOK-PLATES, 72 - - CHAPTER V. - ENGLISH 'PICTURE' BOOK-PLATES, 98 - - CHAPTER VI. - GERMAN BOOK-PLATES, 114 - - CHAPTER VII. - THE BOOK-PLATES OF FRANCE AND OTHER COUNTRIES, 135 - - CHAPTER VIII. - AMERICAN BOOK-PLATES, 150 - - CHAPTER IX. - INSCRIPTIONS ON BOOK-PLATES IN CONDEMNATION OF - BOOK-STEALING OR BOOK-SPOILING, AND IN PRAISE OF - STUDY, 162 - - CHAPTER X. - PERSONAL PARTICULARS ON BOOK-PLATES, 178 - - CHAPTER XI. - LADIES' BOOK-PLATES, 186 - - CHAPTER XII. - THE MORE PROMINENT ENGRAVERS OF ENGLISH BOOK-PLATES, 200 - - CHAPTER XIII. - ODDS AND ENDS, 216 - - INDEX, 231 - - - - -List of Illustrations of Book-Plates - - - RICHARD TOWNELEY, 1702, _Frontispiece_ - - PAGE - - EVERARD GREEN, ROUGE DRAGON. By G. W. Eve, x - - PLATE - - I. SIR THOMAS ISHAM. By Loggan, 9 - - II. FRANCIS DE MALHERBE, 25 - - III. SIR NICHOLAS BACON, 27 - - IV. SIR THOMAS TRESHAM, 1585, 29 - - V. GORE. By Burghers, 35 - - VI. MARRIOTT. By Faithorne, 37 - - VII. ST. ALBANS GRAMMAR SCHOOL, 41 - - VIII. CHARLES JAMES FOX, 45 - - IX. THOMAS KNATCHBULL, 1702, 51 - - X. SIR THOMAS HARE, 1734, 61 - - XI. JAMES BRACKSTONE, 1751, 63 - - XII. BISHOP OF KILMORE, 1774, 67 - - XIII. BIRNIE OF BROOMHILL, 71 - - XIV. GIFT BY GEORGE I. TO CAMBRIDGE, 1715, 77 - - XV. GEORGE LAMBART. By Hogarth, 80 - - XVI. JOHN WILTSHIRE, 83 - - XVII. DR. WILLIAM OLIVER, 85 - - XVIII. DR. THOMAS DRUMMOND. By Sir R. Strange, 89 - - XIX. LADY BESSBOROUGH. By Bartolozzi, 93 - - XX. WILLIAM HEWER, 1699, 101 - - XXI. THE RECORD OFFICE IN THE TOWER OF LONDON, 105 - - XXII. SOUTHEY. By Bewick, 111 - - XXIII. GIFT-PLATE TO BUXHEIM MONASTERY, 115 - - XXIV. EBNER. By Albert Dürer. 1516, 119 - - XXV. PAULUS SPERATUS, 123 - - XXVI. 'È BIBLIOTHECA WOOGIANA,' 129 - - XXVII. ELECTORAL LIBRARY OF BAVARIA, 1618, 133 - - XXVIII. CHARLES DE SALES, 139 - - XXIX. AMADEUS LULIN. By B. Picart, 1722, 145 - - XXX. MICHAEL LILIENTHAL, 165 - - XXXI. DAVID GARRICK, 169 - - XXXII. LADY BATH, 1671, 187 - - XXXIII. COUNTESS OF OXFORD AND MORTIMER. By Vertue, 191 - - XXXIV. FRANCES ANNE HOARE, 197 - - XXXV. BISHOP HACKET. By Faithorne (Portrait), 201 - - XXXVI. SIR CHRISTOPHER MUSGRAVE, 205 - - XXXVII. FRANCIS CARINGTON, 1738, 207 - - XXXVIII. BENJAMIN ADAMSON, 1746, 209 - - XXXIX. WILLIAM OLIVER, 1751, 211 - - XL. SAMUEL PEPYS. By R. White (Portrait), 217 - - XLI. FRANCIS PERRAULT (Portrait), 219 - - XLII. ROBERT BLOOMFIELD, 1815, 229 - - - - -BOOK-PLATES - - - - -CHAPTER I - -INTRODUCTORY - - -BOOK-PLATE collecting, at least in this country, is a thing of -yesterday. On the Continent, particularly in France, it attracted -attention sufficiently serious to induce the publication, in 1874, of a -monograph on French book-plates by M. Poulet Malassis, which in the next -year obtained the honours of a second edition. In England, prior to -1880, we had no work devoted to the study; but, in that year, the -Honourable J. Leicester Warren--afterwards Lord De Tabley--published _A -Guide to the Study of Book-Plates (Ex Libris)_. How little was then -generally known about these marks of ownership is shown by the allusions -to them--very few in number--that find place in the pages of such -publications as _The Gentleman's Magazine_ or _Notes and Queries_: for -that reason, the skilful handling of the subject by the late Lord De -Tabley, and his zeal in compiling the treatise, are all the more -conspicuous. - -One of the most useful works which has yet appeared in the journal of -the _Ex Libris_ Society--a society intended to promote the study of -book-plates--is a compilation by Mr. H. W. Fincham and Mr. J. Roberts -Brown, _A Bibliography of Book-Plates_, arranged chronologically. A -glance at this compilation emphasises the truth of the statement, just -made, as to the scantiness of recorded information on book-plates prior -to the year 1880; it also shows what a great deal about them has been -written since. - -Writing to _Notes and Queries_ in 1877, Dr. Jackson Howard, whose -collection is now one of the largest in England, says that he began -collecting forty years before that date, and that the nucleus of his own -collection was one made by a Miss Jenkins at Bath in 1820. It is -probably, therefore, to this lady that we should attribute the honour of -being the first collector of book-plates, for their own sake. No doubt -the collector of engravings admitted into his portfolios book-plates -worthy a place there as interesting engravings, for stray examples are -often found in such collections as that formed in the seventeenth -century by John Bagford, the biblioclast, which is now in the British -Museum. No doubt, too, heraldic painters or plate engravers collected -book-plates as specimens of heraldry, but this was not collecting them -as book-plates--viz. as illustrations of the custom of placing marks of -ownership in books, which, I take it, was evidently Miss Jenkins's -object.[1] - -Still, though little was written on the subject of book-plates prior to -1880, it by no means follows that for some years before that date there -had not been a considerable number of persons who took an interest in -the subject. The fact is, that the book-plate collector of earlier days -was wiser in his generation than are those of his kind to-day. He kept -his 'hobby' to himself, and was thus enabled to indulge it economically. -My father had a small collection; and I can well remember how, as a boy, -I used to help him to add to it. We used to go to a shop in a dingy -street, leading off Oxford Street, and there select from a large -clothes-basket as many book-plates as were new to our collection. The -price was one penny a piece,--new or old, dated or undated, English or -foreign, that of Bishop Burnet, or David Garrick, or Mr. Jones, or Mr. -Brown,--all alike, a penny a piece; and I have no doubt, though I do not -remember the fact, there was the usual 'reduction on taking a quantity.' -I think this shop was almost the only one in London where you could buy -book-plates at all. Well, those days are past now; and, whilst we regret -them, because book-plate collecting is no longer an economical pursuit, -we cannot allow our regret to be unmingled with satisfaction. The -would-be collector of to-day can, if he pleases, know something about -the collection he is undertaking; he can tell when he meets with a good -specimen; he knows the points which render any particular book-plate -interesting; and he can, at least approximately, affix a date to each -example he obtains. - -As to the morality of book-plate collecting, I suppose something ought -to be said here. There is but one objection to it, but that is, -undoubtedly, a serious one: taking a book-plate out of a book means the -possible disfigurement and injury of the volume from which it is taken; -yet, for the purpose of study and comparison, the removal is a distinct -advantage. To confess this seems, at first sight, to bring collecting at -all under a sweeping condemnation; and such, indeed, would be the case, -were it not for the fact that damage to, or even the actual destruction -of, very many books is really a matter of no consequence whatever. -Book-plates are found quite as often in the worthless literary -productions of our ancestors as in the worthy; and it is puerile to -cavil over the removal of a book-plate from a binding which holds -together material by the destruction of which the world would certainly -not be the poorer. So much for the book-plates in valueless books. As -regards those in valuable or interesting ones, it is certainly unwise to -remove them at all. This is a golden rule which cannot be too forcibly -impressed upon collectors and booksellers. The case does not occur very -often; and when it does, the book itself, with the book-plate in it, can -be easily fetched and placed beside the 'collection' when needed for -comparison. It may happen that the book-plate in this valuable book is -interesting from the fact that it belonged to some man of note, or that -it is unique; if so, we have only a further reason against taking it out -of the volume. The value of a very early book-plate, when preserved in -the volume in which it is discovered, is lessened almost to a vanishing -point if separated from that volume. Pasted into a book as a mark of -ownership, it is an undoubted book-plate; whereas, if taken out and -fastened into a collection of book-plates, it at once loses the proof of -its original use, so essential to its value and so material to the -student of book-plates. - -On the other hand, as I have said, there is no harm in removing, from -some uninteresting and valueless volume, the book-plate of a famous man. -Everybody knows that Bishop Burnet or David Garrick had plenty of what -they themselves regarded as 'rubbish' in their libraries; so that -Burnet's book-plate in an actually valueless volume does not prove that -the Bishop's shrewd eye ever scanned its pages, or that his episcopal -hand ever held it. Besides, I know as a fact that it is a not uncommon -trick for the possessor of the book-plate of some famous man to affix -that book-plate in a worthless volume, and then offer the whole for sale -at a price much higher than would be asked or obtained for the -book-plate itself, though the value of the book may be _nil_! - -Without quarrelling with the name book-plate,--as applied to the marks -of ownership pasted into books,--and without wasting time with -discussion of suggestions for a better one, it may be admitted that the -word is not altogether happily chosen. It perhaps suggests to the mind -of the 'uninitiated' an illustration in a book rather than a mark of -possession. But then at the present day there are not many 'uninitiated' -amongst either buyers or sellers of books and prints, so that the -inappropriateness of the name need not concern us. - -As to its antiquity, that is doubtful; but probably one of the earliest -instances of its use, in print, occurs in 1791, when John Ireland -published the first two volumes of his _Hogarth Illustrated_. In this -work he says that the works of Callot were probably Hogarth's first -models, and 'shop bills and _book-plates_ his first performances.' -Again, in 1798, Ireland refers to the 'book-plate' for Lambert the -herald-painter, which Hogarth had executed. In 1823, a certain 'C. S. -B.,' writing in the pages of the _Gentleman's Magazine_, refers to what -'are generally called' book-plates. His letter was suggested by an -article--a review of Thomas Moule's _Bibliotheca Heraldica_--in the -previous number of the magazine, the writer of which was evidently not -familiar with the term book-plate as we now apply it, for he calls -book-plates 'plates of arms.' We shall see, later on, that this is quite -an inappropriate name; some of the most interesting and the most -beautiful book-plates have nothing armorial about them. - -On the Continent, the term _ex libris_ is generally applied to -book-plates. This is, perhaps, even less appropriate than book-plate. It -is taken from the two first words of the inscription on a great many -book-plates, when the inscription is written in Latin--_e.g._ 'ex libris -Johannis Stearne, S.T.P. Episcopi Clogherensis.' A moment's reflection -will show that this inscription is not intended as a declaration by the -book-plate (should it ever become severed from the book in which it was -fastened) that it came out of a book belonging to Bishop Stearne; but -that it is a declaration by the _book_ in which the book-plate is found -pasted, that that particular book is from amongst the books of a -particular library, and ought to be restored to it. It would be as -rational to call book-plates '_libri_,' because the inscription on them -often begins--as in a very famous German book-plate--'_Liber Bilibaldi -Pirckheimer_.' It may, indeed, be laid down as a general rule, that -whatever the sentiment expressed on a book-plate, it is clearly intended -to be uttered by the book in which the book-plate is fixed, not by the -book-plate itself. - -There are but two instances, quoted by Lord De Tabley, of the -inscription directly referring to the _book-plate_. Both are foreign, -and date about the middle of the last century. One is _Symbolum -Bibliothecæ_ of John Bernard Nack, a citizen and merchant of -Frankfort;[2] and the other, _Insigne Librorum_, etc., quoted from the -work of M. Poulet Malassis. Lord De Tabley thinks that the _Symbolum_ of -Herr Nack is simply a trade card; but he founds this conclusion on the -supposition that Herr Nack was a book-dealer, and that the scene -depicted on his book-plate was, in fact, his shop. In my opinion, we -have in this book-plate a representation of a portion of Herr Nack's -library, in which Minerva(?) is seated, using the books thereof. A -gentleman in eighteenth century dress, who may, likely enough, be Herr -Nack himself, addresses himself to the goddess, and explains--as he -points to the outer scene, which shows us ships and merchandise--that, -whilst following his trade as a merchant, he still has time to devote -some attention to literature. In any case, these and the few other -instances there may be of the inscription referring to the book-plate -and not to the book, seem hardly sufficient to make _ex libris_ a good -name for book-plates in general. - -Our ancestors, of degrees more remote than grandfather, do not appear to -have referred to book-plates at all, so we are unable to learn by what -name they would have called them. Pepys, in 1668, speaks of going to his -'plate-maker's,' and there spending 'an hour about contriving' his -'little plate' for his books. This 'little plate' still exists, and is a -characteristic one; it shows us the initials 'S. P.,' with two anchors -and ropes entwined. But we shall speak again of this, and Sam's other -book-plates, later on. - -[Illustration: SIR THOMAS ISHAM'S BOOK-PLATE, BY DAVID LOGGAN.] - -David Loggan, a German born, and an engraver of some note, has, in -writing to Sir Thomas Isham in 1676, a no more concise name for Isham's -book-plate than 'a print of your cote of arms.' Loggan, as a return for -many favours, had sent Sir Thomas a book-plate designed and executed -by himself. 'Sir,' he says, in the covering letter, 'I send you hier a -Print of your Cote of Armes. I have printed 200 wich I will send with -the plate by the next return, and bege the favor of your keind -excepttans of it as a small Niew yaers Gift or a aknowledgment in part -for all your favors. If anything in it be amies, I shall be glade to -mend it. I have taken the Heralds painter's derection in it; it is very -much used amongst persons of Quality to past ther Cotes of Armes befor -ther bookes instade of wreithing ther Names.' - -The 'Heralds painter' was, unfortunately, wrong in his treatment of the -Isham 'coat,' and so Loggan's work, artistic as it might be, could not -be acceptable to Sir Thomas, to whom a mistake in the family escutcheon -was no light matter. This he evidently told David, who, a few days -after, writes to him again:-- - -'I ame sorry that the Cote is wronge; I have taken the herald's -derection in it, but the Foole did give it wrong. . . . The altering of -the plate will be very trubelsom, and therfor you will be presented with -a newe one, wich shall be don without falt, and that very sudenly. And -if you plase, Sir, to give thies plate and the prints to your Brothers, -it will serve for them.' - -These Isham book-plates are really very beautiful pieces of work. A -reproduction of one of them may be seen on the foregoing page. This is -evidently the one first executed, the omission of the mark of -baronetcy--the 'bloody hand of Ulster'--and the helmet of an esquire -instead of a knight or baronet clearly constituting the blunder into -which Loggan had fallen. By the kindness of Sir Charles Isham, the -present baronet, I have been enabled to see a copy of the corrected -design sent by Loggan, which is in all respects accurate. This was doing -duty as a book-plate in a volume in which it had evidently been placed -at the time it was received by Sir Thomas. - -Nicholas Carew, afterwards Sir Nicholas Carew, Baronet, records in his -accounts, on the 19th February 1707, a payment for his book-plate, which -is dated in that year, as follows:--'For coat of arms impressing, 1_l._ -1_s._ 6_d._;' and a few months later is a payment 'For 300 armes, 7_s._ -6_d._' - -'The mark of my books,' is the phrase which Andrew Lumisden applies to -the book-plate engraved for him by his brother-in-law, Sir Robert -Strange, about the year 1746. The plate is an interesting one, and by an -interesting man, of whom we shall speak later on. Lumisden thought well -of it, and thus refers to the work in a letter written from Rouen, in -June 1748:--'I am very anxious to know if my brother continues his -resolution of coming to this country. If he does, I can luckily be of -use to him in the way of his business, from the acquaintance I have of a -very ingenious person, professor of the Academy of Design here . . . I -show'd him, a few days ago, _the mark of my books_, from which he -entertains a high notion of Robie's abilities.' - -There is a curious advertisement, quoted by Thomas Moule in his -_Bibliotheca Heraldica_, of a certain Joseph Barber, a Newcastle-on-Tyne -'bookseller, music and copper-plate publisher,' who, in 1742, resided in -'Humble's Buildings.' In that year he engraved the 'Equestrian Statue of -King James [II.],' which once stood in the Sandhill Market. If a -moment's digression be allowed, the history of this statue is worth -telling. On 16th March 1685, the Town Council voted £800 for the -erection of 'a figure of His Majesty in a Roman habit, on a capering -horse, in copper, as big as the figure of His Majesty, King Charles I., -at Charing Crosse, on a pedestal of black marble.' A certain Mr. William -Larson executed it; Sir Christopher Wren expressed his approval, and -everybody was very pleased, for a year or two. But popular feeling soon -changed in Newcastle, as elsewhere, and the prevalence of sentiments -which threw the king off his throne threw his metal representation into -the Tyne, where it rested till fished out to be melted down and used to -make a set of church bells. The drawing of the luckless statue was safe -in the keeping of Sir Hans Sloane; and from this, Barber made his -engraving, which he sold for 5s. The fact that in 1742, three years -before the second Scotch rebellion, this Newcastle printseller found it -worth while to issue the engraving at all, is not without political -significance. With his engraving, Barber issued two large plates of the -arms of all the subscribers to it, each coat of arms being 1-3/4 inches -in length, and 1-1/4 inches in breadth; and a few years later, it seems -to have occurred to him that he might turn an honest penny by cutting up -these large sheets of the subscribers' arms, so that each coat of arms -became a separate plate. Having done this, he issued an advertisement to -the subscribers, in which he sets forth that he is 'the sole proprietor -of each of their plates,' and is willing to part with it, to the lady or -gentleman whose arms are engraved thereon, 'together with one hundred -prints of it on a good paper,' for the modest sum of half-a-crown. These -plates, suggests Mr. Barber, might be advantageously used as what we now -call book-plates, and he continues: 'The design of this proposal is a -useful and necessary embellishment, and a remedy against losing books by -lending, or having them stolen; by pasting one print on the inside of -the cover of each book, you have the owner's name, coat of arms, and -place of abode; a thing so useful and the charge so easy, 'tis hoped -will meet with encouragement. To have a plate engraved will cost 10_s._ -6_d._' - -From all which it may be inferred that Mr. Joseph Barber thought--or -wanted other people to think--that the idea of using a book-plate was -his own. Newcastle people, in 1743, must have been very unobservant of -the habits of their neighbours if they believed Mr. Barber; for the -fashion of using a book-plate--which in England came in some forty years -before--was by that time general throughout the country. That some of -the subscribers accepted the offer, and got their 'hundred plates on a -good paper' for half-a-crown, is demonstrated by the existence of copies -of the plates published with the 'equestrian statue,' being still found -in books, doing duty as book-plates. Very poor productions they are, -reflecting but slight credit on the designer or engraver. But what -Joseph lacked in art, he atoned for in enterprise; we see this in his -ingenious way of getting rid of his old copper-plates, and the -postscript to his advertisement demonstrates the fact even more plainly, -for on a day near at hand, the advertisement tells us, was to be fought, -at a neighbouring cock-pit, 'a Welsh main,' and the prize was to be -nothing less than one of the advertiser's engravings, 'a pretty piece of -work, worthy the observation of the curious.' If the term book-plate had -been known in Barber's day, it would probably have found its way into -his advertisement, which is clumsy from the want of a word to express -the very thing he is advertising. - -William Stephens, who engraved a good many book-plates in his time, -could find no better expression than 'print of your arms' to describe -the 800 book-plates which, for half-a-guinea, he sent to Dr. Samuel -Kerrich, the Shakespearian student, in 1754. - -Horace Walpole, again, would, I think, have used the phrase 'book-plate' -had he known it. In his _Catalogue of Engravers_--the edition of -1771--he speaks of George Vertue having engraved 'a plate to put in Lady -Oxford's books'; and in his _Anecdotes of Painting_, he refers to the -'plate' which Hogarth 'used for his books.' One of his own -book-plates--that engraved soon after 1791--Walpole describes as his -'seal': _Sigillum Horatii Comitis de Orford_; but this phrase is, I -think, used simply because the book-plate itself is the representation -of a mediæval seal. Bartolozzi--giving, in 1796, a receipt for a -book-plate which he had just completed--refers to it as a 'ticket-plate' -(see p. 94); but he was a foreigner, and may not have known the English -name for such things, for we have seen that, some five years before, -Ireland refers to Hogarth's 'book-plate.' Charles James Fox, in a note, -dated at Leicester on 2nd August 1801, speaks of the 'book-plate' of his -great-great-grandfather, Sir Stephen Fox. - -But, though the phrase 'book-plate' may have been occasionally used at -the close of the last century and the beginning of the present, it was -then by no means widely used; and although the writer quoted on page 6 -refers in 1823 to what are 'generally called' book-plates, William Wadd, -in 1827, can find no direct term by which to refer to these marks of -ownership. Speaking in _Mems., Maxims, and Memoirs_, he says: 'In the -Library of the Royal College of Surgeons, there are many volumes, -formerly the property of the celebrated Douglas, having his arms -embellished with various kinds of surgical instruments, which was by no -means an uncommon practice, as in the Library of the College of -Physicians there are many examples of volumes where the former possessor -has not only blazoned his own arms, but borrowed the arms of the -college and super-added supporters, as Apollo, Mercury, Æsculapius, and -his daughter Hygeia.' - -Lord Byron, too, did not, I fancy, know the word 'book-plate' in its -now-used sense; writing to a fair admirer, who had apparently designed -one of these for him, he says: 'I received the arms, my dear Miss ----, -and am very much obliged to you for the trouble you have taken. It is -impossible I should have any fault to find with them. The sight of the -drawing gives me great pleasure for a double reason: in the first place -they will ornament my books, and in the next they convince me that you -have not entirely forgot me.'[3] - -So the term book-plate is only a century old, and the fashion of -collecting book-plates much more modern still; but the use of -book-plates is really of respectable antiquity, and is a matter on which -we may now appropriately speak. Whether, in the first instance, the use -of book-plates was suggested by a desire to commemorate a gift, or as a -mark of ownership, seems to be a matter on which a variety of opinions -exist. Some of the earliest mechanically produced book-plates are -certainly commemorative of gifts (see p. 114); but I think we must -accept as book-plates, to all intents and purposes, the six fourteenth -century examples mentioned by Herr Warnecke in his _Die Deutschen -Bücherzeichen_, an excellent work on German book-plates. These are -heraldic coloured drawings on the parchment leaves of Italian -manuscripts, which also bear an inscription of possession by the -particular individuals whose arms are represented. - -But, of course, the real necessity for book-plates, whatever may have -been their original use, began when the printing-press gave to the world -not two nor three, but a hundred or more copies of a particular book. -Then it was that the different owners needed to distinguish their -respective copies of a work; for the professional book-borrower, who -would gladly have retained the manuscript volume lent to him by an -unsuspecting friend, could he have done so without his crime being -detected, doubtless saw in the multitude of copies a greater opportunity -of carrying out his nefarious designs. The existence of book-plates is, -therefore, largely due to the literary enthusiast who amasses a library -by retaining volumes received on loan; the inscriptions on some of the -earlier book-plates prove this to be so. - -The earliest printed book-plates are certainly German, and there is -little doubt that some of these are nearly contemporary with the very -early printed books on the oak covers of which they may still be found -pasted. By the commencement of the sixteenth century book-plates were -frequently fine examples of the wood-engraver's art. Albert Dürer -himself designed book-plates; and of these, one of the most elaborate -and the best known is that of his friend Bilibald Pirckheimer, the -Nuremberg jurist, whose portrait he engraved on copper in 1524. The -book-plate is still earlier. - -England can now--thanks to recent investigations--claim the second place -in the chronological sequence of countries in which book-plates have -been used. Cardinal Wolsey's book-plate (see p. 24) is probably not -later in date than 1525. France can boast of a book-plate dated in 1574; -Sweden of one dated in the following year, and Switzerland of one in -1607; Italy in 1623: in other European countries, dated examples do not -appear, nor does the practice of using book-plates seem to have been -adopted until considerably later. - -In concluding this opening chapter, let me say a word about the position -in a book in which a book-plate should be looked for. The usual place -was certainly on the front cover of a volume; sometimes another copy of -the same plate was fastened to the back cover; and sometimes--as in -Pirckheimer's case, just noticed, and in that of Samuel Pepys (see p. -216)--the same person would use a different book-plate at the back of -the volume to that used at the front. Another plan, less frequent, but -by no means uncommon, was to insert the book-plate on the title-page, -often on the back of it; and another, to fasten the book-plate into the -volume, by pasting its right-hand margin about a quarter of an inch on -to the title-page, so that the book-plate would fold over and face it. -This is a plan that leads to a book-plate being most easily overlooked. - -Collectors should also note that, in many instances, book-plates are -found in a variety of sizes; this should certainly be borne in mind -when setting aside any particular specimen as a duplicate. In the -present day, most people are content to have a book-plate small enough -to go into a volume of any size; its dwarfed appearance on the cover of -a full-sized folio is no eyesore to them, or, if it is, the pleasure of -economy makes them bear with it. But in days gone by it was--especially -in Germany--certainly otherwise. The possession of a large library would -necessitate, in the owner's mind, the possession of a number of -differently sized book-plates, in order to get one which would neither -look too small in the largest volume, nor be too large for the smallest! -Some of the most noble foreign examples, rich in detail and bold in -general effect, are those that belonged to men who liked to have for -their folios a book-plate of proportionate size. There are no very large -English book-plates, but plenty of library owners in this country had -two or three different sized book-plates, and the late Sir William -Stirling-Maxwell boasted of over a hundred varieties! - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] Among the late Sir Bernard Burke's papers there was discovered a -collection of book-plates said to have been formed in Ireland in the -middle of the last century; but there is nothing to show that the -collection was formed as a collection of book-plates _qua_ book-plates. - -[2] There are two varieties of this book-plate. - -[3] Moore, vol. i. p. 87. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -THE EARLY USE OF BOOK-PLATES IN ENGLAND - - -IN a short paper, which in 1882 I contributed to the _Antiquarian -Magazine and Bibliographer_, I wrote this passage:--'It is difficult to -believe that the general use of book-plates should have been a hundred -and fifty years in reaching this country from the Continent; and yet -there is rather more difference than that between the date on the -earliest-known German example (1516) and the time when English-dated -specimens appear at all plentifully. Surely the many English men of -letters who amassed large libraries in the sixteenth century, and the -first half of the seventeenth, must have possessed book-plates; and yet, -where are their book-plates now? - -'Many, no doubt, have perished with the bindings to which they were -fastened, but some are doubtless still extant; and we may yet hope that, -when the interest in these labels becomes more widely diffused, more -than one or two specimens will be brought to light, bearing an engraved -date sufficiently early to dispel the idea that this country was a -century and a half behind its German neighbours in the general practice -of using book-plates.' - -Mr. Daniel Parsons, who may be properly called the father of book-plate -literature,--his contribution, in 1837, to 'The Third Annual Report of -the Oxford University Archæological and Heraldic Society,' was certainly -the first paper on the subject that ever appeared,--commented on this -hope of mine in the number of the same magazine issued in the following -January, and was despondent as to evidence being forthcoming to prove -the early use of book-plates in England. - -Well, in that I expressed the belief that investigation would bring to -light a number of sixteenth and seventeenth century _dated_ book-plates, -I was perhaps wrong--early English dated book-plates have not been found -in anything approaching plenty; but I was also wrong in suggesting that -proof of the early use of book-plates in this country could only be -proved by dated examples; the existence of examples which, from internal -evidence, are proved to be of early date is really equally valuable; and -as these have certainly come to light in considerable numbers, I think a -good case has been made out on behalf of our fellow-countrymen. - -I do not pretend that early English book-plates are so plentiful as -those of Germany. Some individual specimens are known to exist; but -there are very few that are recorded as existing in more than a few -collections, and some are unique. From some cause or other, early -English book-plates are a rarity; and I propose, therefore, to speak -individually of the majority of them,--that is to say, of those -executed prior to the close of the seventeenth century. - -But before doing this, let me say a word as to the date at which the -colours intended to be shown on the shield of arms were first -represented by lines or points. For instance, perpendicular lines from -the top to the bottom of the shield, thus: - -[Illustration] - -to express _gules_--red. - -A number of small dots or points, thus: - -[Illustration] - -to express _or_--gold; and so on. - -To whom may be attached the credit of inventing this useful system, -matters little; what we are now interested in--for the purpose of -considering the approximate dates of book-plates--is the time at which -it was first employed in heraldic engravings. Mr. Walter Hamilton, in -the pages of the _Ex Libris Journal_, realises the importance of the -subject. He speaks of the work by Father Silvester Petra-Sancta, -published at Rome in 1638, in which the proposal is advocated, and -refers to M. Henri Bouchot's allusion to a work by Vulsson de la -Colombière, written in 1639, which advocates the system. - -That, at an earlier date, lines running all in one direction were used -only as shading, is shown over and over again. Take, for instance, the -book-plate of Francis de Malherbe (reproduced over leaf), which, as the -owner died in 1628, was engraved, probably, soon after the opening of -the century. In this case we have a statement by De Malherbe that his -arms are 'D'argent à six roses de gueules, et des hermines de sable sans -nombre,'--a description obviously inaccurate. De Malherbe was a poet, -and could no more be expected to describe a coat of arms than 'Garter' -could be expected to write a poem. The proper blazoning of his family -arms is: ermine, six roses gules. But, according to the lines depicted -on his book-plate, the 'field' would be _azure_: clearly, in this case, -the lines mean nothing at all. - -The late Mr. J. E. Bailey points out that in the 1562, 1568, and 1576 -editions of Gerard Legh's _Accedens of Armory_, sable (black) is -expressed, as it would be now, by horizontal and perpendicular lines -crossing each other; whilst the other colours are represented by the -initials of their names. It is possible that this form of expressing -sable may be merely the result of an attempt on the part of the engraver -to produce as dark a tint as possible to represent it. In Vincent's -_Discovery of Brooke's Errors_, 1622, such lines are certainly used as -shading, or to distinguish colour from white; but, as shown from his -verbal description of the arms he represents, these lines are used -without any system whatever, perpendicular lines sometimes representing -gules, and sometimes azure. Again, in the second edition of Guillim's -_Display_, 1632, lines are used to denote the darker colours, though -they are used without system. But in 1654, we find, in Bysshe's heraldic -tracts, gules, azure, sable, and the rest expressed in the now orthodox -manner, and an explanatory plate showing what colours are represented by -the respective dots or lines, a conclusive proof of the novelty of the -system in England. I think the reader will see, as he proceeds, that -this has been a useful digression. - -[Illustration: BOOK-PLATE OF FRANCIS DE MALHERBE.] - -We have said that the earliest English book-plate yet come to light is -Cardinal Wolsey's. This is not a printed book-plate at all, but a -carefully drawn sketch of the Cardinal's arms, with supporters, and -surmounted by a Cardinal's hat, the whole coloured by hand. How many of -these book-plates the Cardinal possessed, we do not know; but that -this--the only example known--is undoubtedly a book-plate, is proved -from the fact that it may now be seen in a folio volume which once -belonged to Wolsey, and subsequently to his royal master. It bears no -date, and may have been designed any time after the minister's elevation -to the cardinalate in September 1514. It is a splendid affair in every -way, and gorgeously coloured. The shield of arms rests on a platform -(gold), the front of which is red, ornamented with an arabesque pattern, -also red; pillars on the platform support a canopy, ornamented as the -front of the platform, with the addition of Tudor roses; over the shield -is the Cardinal's hat, and above that again the holy dove descends. The -shield is supported by two dingy-looking griffins, whose wings and heads -are red, and whose beaks, claws, and tail-tips are gold; the background -is blue. - -[Illustration: BOOK-PLATE OF SIR NICHOLAS BACON.] - -Next in date, after Wolsey's book-plate, comes that which was, I -believe, engraved at least contemporaneously with the date upon it, -1574, to place in the volumes given in that year by Sir Nicholas Bacon -to the University of Cambridge. Bacon died five years after this date; -he is familiar to us all as 'the father of his country and of Sir -Francis Bacon.' This book-plate is engraved on wood; like Wolsey's, it -is found coloured, but it is also--amongst the odds and ends in the -Bagford Collection--found uncoloured, and without the inscription which -records the gift to Cambridge. A facsimile of that in the Bagford -Collection appears opposite: can it be the book-plate of Bacon himself, -to which, on the copies used for the books that he gave to Cambridge, -was added the donatory inscription? A close comparison shows that both -shields of arms are struck from the same block. The arms shown are Bacon -quartering Quaplode. The variety of this book-plate which bears the -inscription belongs to what are termed 'gift' or 'legacy' book-plates, -the dates on which--as they refer to the date of the 'gift' or 'legacy' -commemorated--are considered _earlier_ than the engraving. In the case -of 'legacy' book-plates they may often be so, but they are not, I think, -in many cases of 'gift' book-plates. For instance, if (as from the -Bagford example seems probable) this was Bacon's own book-plate, the -date upon it, 1574, may even be many years _later_ than the time at -which it was made for him. That the date on one of these 'gift' -book-plates must be, within a very short space of time, the date of its -engraving, will be shown presently when I come to speak of that -recording a donation made by Lady Bath. - -[Illustration] - -The next English book-plate which bears upon it an engraved date is that -of Sir Thomas Tresham. On this the inscription reads 'June 29, 1585,' -which no doubt refers to the date of engraving, or, probably, to the -date at which the design for the engraving was finished by the artist. -As a work of art it is poor, but its interest as a book-plate to -collectors is not lessened on that account. Tresham was knighted by -Queen Elizabeth ten years before the date of his book-plate. We know not -much of him, save what Fuller tells us that he was famous for 'his skill -in buildings.' One of his sons, Sir Francis, was involved in the -Gunpowder Plot, and another, Sir Lewis, was made a baronet in 1611. - -These three examples are all the sixteenth century English dated -book-plates yet brought to light. Those in the seventeenth century are -far more numerous. We find one bearing the date '1613,' which was -prepared to place in the volumes given, in that year, by William -Willmer, a Northamptonshire squire, to his college library. The -inscription on it reads: 'Sydney Sussex Colledge--Ex dono Wilhelmi -Willmer de Sywell in Com. Northamtoniæ, Armigeri, quondam pentionarii in -ista Domi (_sic_), viz. in Anno Dñi 1599; sed dedit in Ano Dñi 1613.' -The book-plate is clearly early, and shows us fine bold heraldic work. -In style it nearly resembles the Bacon plate, and that of Sir Thomas -Tresham; but the mantling here descends to the base of the shield. The -Willmer plate is in Dr. Howard's Collection; a reproduction of it is -given in Mr. Griggs's _Examples of Armorial Book-Plates_. - -Early in the reign of Charles I. may be placed a very beautiful example -of heraldic engraving, which Sir Wollaston Franks satisfactorily assigns -to a certain John Talbot of Thorneton, who died in 1659. It is inscribed -'Coll. Talbott,' and this John Talbot is called 'Colonellus ex parte -Regis'; the quarterings are those of the families of Ferrers, Bellars, -and Arderne. - -In strange contrast to this fine work is the wood block book-plate of -'William Courtenay of Treemer, in the county of Cornwall, Esquire,' -who, in 1632, inherited the Treemer estate. We may note that, not only -is this book-plate, like all those yet described, free from any -indication of lines or dots to express the colours in the armorial -bearings, but below the shield is given a verbal blazon of the coat: 'He -beareth _or_, 3 Torteauxes.' - -This seems to be the place to speak of a very puzzling pair of -engravings, which certainly appear to have been used as book-plates, -dated in 1630. They represent the armorial bearings of Sir Edward -Dering. One of these book-plates which I take to be the earlier, shows a -less number of quarterings, and contains no indication of a really -systematic expression of the metals and tinctures in the arms; but the -other and later example does. The same date appears upon each. The -second of the two plates occurs bound up in a volume of the Harleian -Collection of MSS.; and 'Mr. Humphrey Wanly, library-keeper to Robert -and Edward, Earls of Oxford,' in his description of the specimen in the -Harleian Collection, calls it 'A printed cut of the Arms or Atchievement -of Sir Edward Dering, Baronet, dated A.D. 1630, with a fanciful motto in -misshapen Saxon characters; but by the hatching of the arms in order to -show the colours, according to the way found out by Sir Edward Bysshe, I -guess that it is not so old.' - -Now, the Harleian volume, in which this engraving occurs, is a copy, -written in 1645-46, of the Heralds' Visitation of Kent in 1619; and in a -later, but certainly seventeenth century, handwriting, is a description -of the numerous quarterings as they appear on the engraving; so that, -whilst rejecting the claim of this variety of the plate to be an -engraving of 1630, we may, I think, accept it as at least an early -example of the indication of the colours and tinctures by lines and -dots. As for the first of the two varieties, I do not see why it should -not be as early as the date upon it; there was no particular reason in -selecting that date; for I do not find that it refers to any special -event in Sir Edward's life. A writer to _Notes and Queries_, in 1851, -states that there were several 'loose copies' of the plate--which -variety, he does not say--in the Surrenden Collection, and Dr. Howard -saw it 'inserted' in several folio volumes of that collection, when it -was disposed of by Messrs. Puttick and Simpson. Very good facsimiles of -these book-plates have been given by Dr. Howard in his _Miscellanea -Genealogica et Heraldica_. - -Another early instance of the expression of the metals and tinctures -occurs in the book-plate of Lord-Keeper Lyttelton, a plate which derives -additional interest from the fact of its being the work of William -Marshall, the famous frontispiece engraver. Sir Edward Lyttelton, the -owner of the book-plate, was made Lord-Keeper in 1641, under the title -of Baron Lyttelton of Mounslow. This book-plate, which shows us the arms -of Lyttelton of Frankley, was evidently engraved before Sir Edward's -elevation to the peerage. The book-plate, which is the earliest English -example bearing an engraver's signature, may be dated about 1640. - -We know from the arms on dedication plates, and the like, that the -expression of colours on shields did not become at all general for many -years after 1640. Take, for instance, Hollar's cuts of arms in the -illustrations to Dugdale's _Monasticon_, or his _History of St. Paul's_. -Thus, we must not date every book-plate we find, on which the colours -are not shown in the new fashion, as before 1640. The small and -unpretentious book-plate of John Marsham of Whom's Place, near Cuxton, -in Kent, is an illustration of this. A representation of it is given by -Mr. Griggs in his _Facsimiles_. Marsham was made a baronet in 1663; so -the plate is earlier than that, but as it is exactly in the style of the -dedicatory plates in the works just noticed, we may place it somewhere -about 1655. It is perhaps by Hollar. Likely enough, other examples will -come to light. - -After the Restoration, the number of English book-plates perceptibly -increases, though we must remember that the active supporters of -Cromwell did not object to a little heraldic display--there was a fair -amount of heraldic work one way and another, executed both with pen and -pencil, during the twelve years that the king was kept off his throne. -Two of the earliest post-Restoration book-plates are those of Sir Edward -Bysshe and his brother-in-law, John Greene. Sir Edward Bysshe became -Garter King-at-Arms, and John Greene was of Navestock, Essex. Both are -curious oblong plates, having fancifully shaped shields surrounded by -palm branches, and held up by ribbons. There is no crest shown in -either. They are evidently by the same artist, which, as Bysshe and -Greene were brothers-in-law, is perhaps natural. A somewhat similar, -though plainer, form of ornamentation surrounds the shields on two other -anonymous book-plates, one bearing the arms of Southwell, and the other -those of Eynes or Haynes. - -[Illustration: BOOK-PLATE OF THOMAS GORE BY MICHAEL BURGHERS.] - -Thomas Gore of Alderton, Wilts, the author of _Catalogus de Re -Heraldicâ_, is a man who might be expected to use a book-plate, and he -did. Three varieties are known. The first, which dates about 1660, -though a more elaborate piece of work than those last described, is -somewhat similar in style, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say -dissimilar to the style in which other book-plates prior to the -Restoration were designed. Whoever engraved this plate for Gore also -engraved the arms of Edward Waterhouse--most probably the engraving was -intended for Waterhouse's book-plate--which appear as a frontispiece to -his _Discourse and Defence of Arms and Armory_, 1660. In his second -book-plate Gore called to his aid the foreigner's art, employing Michael -Burghers, a Dutch artist, who had recently come from Holland and settled -at Oxford. Michael produced the book-plate figured opposite, which -introduces some rather wild allegory, singularly plain cupids seated on -the backs of flying eagles. Perhaps Gore did not care for this -allegory,--allegory seems never to have been popular with English -book-plate owners (see Chapter IV.),--and for his third plate went to an -Englishman, and to a no less eminent one than William Faithorne. The -famous portrait-engraver produced as beautiful and bold a book-plate in -the Simple Armorial style as could well be: the peculiar 'depth' of his -touch is apparent here and in his other book-plates, of which there are -several. - -[Illustration: BOOK-PLATE OF THE MARRIOTT FAMILY BY FAITHORNE] - -It is interesting to note that Faithorne reverts to the pre-Restoration -style, and improves upon it. The mantling is much richer than that shown -in earlier examples in the same style, and it more completely surrounds -the shield. To Faithorne may be assigned two other magnificent -book-plates, that of Sir George Hungerford of Cadenham (anonymous), and -the one here reproduced of a member of the family of Marriott of -Whitchurch, Warwickshire, and Alscot and Preston, Gloucestershire.[4] -The Hungerford book-plate is noteworthy. The name of Sir George -Hungerford, its possessor, does not occur in any list of baronets, yet -he evidently considered himself to possess that dignity, as the 'bloody -hand of Ulster' figures on his arms. Dugdale, too, in speaking of Sir -George's marriage, refers to him as 'baronet.' Faithorne also produced a -book-plate to commemorate a gift of books made by Bishop Hacket, who -died in 1670--it is particularly curious as showing us the Bishop's -portrait. I shall speak of it later on, under the heading 'Portrait -Book-Plates' (pp. 216-220); such plates are comparatively few in number. - -Dated, and most probably engraved, in the following year, 1671, is -another 'gift' book-plate, prepared to place in books presented by the -then Countess-Dowager of Bath. The inscription reads: 'Ex dono Rachel -Comitissæ Bathon: Dotariæ An: Dom. MDCLXXI.' This lady was born in 1613; -she was a daughter of Francis Fane, first Earl of Westmoreland, and -became the wife of Henry Bourchier, Earl of Bath, who died in 1654; and -soon afterwards of Lionel Cranfield, Earl of Middlesex, who died in -1674; she herself dying in 1680. There is no reason to doubt the date on -this book-plate, 1671, though, at first sight, it may look a little -suspicious. True, she had become the wife of the Earl of Middlesex (a -title only dating from 1622) in 1654, and was still his wife in 1671; -but she had apparently little reason to be proud of him or his title, -for he left her and made hay of her fortune, spending it to use the -words of a contemporary letter,[5] 'in play and rioting.' We cannot, -therefore, feel much surprised at her desire to pass by her former title -which would give her rank at court as the widow of an Earl whose -creation was hard on a century earlier. 'Our cousin, Lady Bath,' writes -Lady Newport, in April 1661, 'hath got her place of being Lady Bath -again; it cost her 1,200_l_ . . . her Lord is very angry at her changing -her title; he says it is an affront to him.' That is why she calls -herself, on the book-plate under notice, Countess-Dowager of Bath in -1671. A curious feature about the book-plate is, that it does not seem -to have been prepared to place in books included in one particular gift -to a particular person or institution, but rather to have been the -outcome of my lady's fancy to place such a remembrance of herself in any -volume she gave away at that or at any subsequent date. The Countess -also used a book-stamp of the same design as the _ex libris_, but -without the inscription. - -Whilst speaking on the subject of gift book-plates, reference may -appropriately be made to a curious woodcut used as a book-plate by the -St. Albans Grammar School, which is figured opposite the next page. It -is a quaint bit of, no doubt, local work, and, as pointed out to me by -the Rev. F. Willcox, the headmaster, during a long and dusty hunt, -occurs only in the volumes given to the school by Sir Samuel Grimston. -The plate shows us a combination of the arms of the city of St. Albans -and the motto of the Bacon family, adopted by the Grimstons. - -I have no doubt that, if a thorough investigation of the too often -neglected libraries of our old foundation grammar schools were made, -other early and curious book-plates might be discovered. - -Between 1670 and 1680 quite a number of book-plates were designed, -evidently by the same man. The work is feeble, but it is very distinct. -The most interesting of these book-plates, from its possessor, is that -of Samuel Pepys. Altogether, I know of eight examples: Charles Pitfield, -Sir Robert Southwell, William Wharton, Sir Henry Hunloke, Samuel Pepys, -Justinian Pagit, Walter Chetwynd, and Randolph Egerton. - -A point of interest about them all is that, as well as expressing -heraldically the blazon of the different shields, they also indicate -with an initial letter the colour intended to be shown: 'a' for argent, -'g' for gules, and so on. The initial of the heraldic term is used in -every case except that of 'azure,' when 'b' for blue is used; 'a,' as we -have seen, standing for argent. - -Though they differ in the arrangement of the mantling, there can be -little doubt that all these book-plates are by the same hand, and that -whoever engraved the plates in Blome's _Gwilim_, engraved these also. - -The book-plate of 'Fettiplace Nott,' which bears the date 1694, is a -fair type of the book-plate that was in use in England for the next -twenty years; indeed, these might all be the work of half a dozen -artists. - -[Illustration: BOOK-PLATE OF THE ST. ALBANS GRAMMAR SCHOOL, SEVENTEENTH -CENTURY.] - -I have not yet mentioned a very numerous and very uninteresting class of -early English book-plates--I mean those which are nothing more than -'name-tickets'--the owner's name and date printed within a border more -or less ornate. These occur quite early in the seventeenth century, and -run all through it. Of course, it may be that the owner is an -interesting person, and then his or her name-ticket becomes interesting -by reflection, but in themselves these tickets are merely dull. Of -English Armorial plates, I have referred in detail to the majority of -those bearing an engraved date--when that date is not obviously -misleading--prior to the year 1698. I have also spoken of several, -though by no means all, of the undated examples, which have been proved -to belong to the seventeenth century. To this second list a patient -working out of the internal evidence on early-looking, but undated, -book-plates would, no doubt, add very considerably; and the -illustrations, verbal and otherwise, that I have given may, I hope, be -sufficient to indicate the kind of book-plates that are worth such -investigation. - -I have used the date 1698 as a stopping-point, because from that year we -have dated examples of English book-plates, yearly, down to the -commencement of the present century. Here let me say a word on the -subject of dated book-plates generally. The date is certainly an -advantage, especially when it clearly refers to the date of the -engraving, and not, as we have seen it sometimes does, to an event in -the owner's career; but I cannot understand why the 'market value' of a -book-plate should be enhanced to such an extent as it is by the presence -on that book-plate of an engraved date. There are probably few -book-plates which do not bear some mark by which an approximate date can -be safely affixed to them, and the study of these marks is a very -desirable undertaking. The great value of a printed date on a book-plate -is that one can see from it the style of decoration in vogue at a -particular period, and thus obtain the means for arranging, -chronologically, undated examples. For there were during certain years -certain marked styles of decoration adopted by book-plate engravers; but -of these I propose to speak later on under the heading of 'Styles.' - -Let me also mention _misleading_ dates on book-plates, and for this -purpose it will be sufficient if I take principally the examples cited -by Mr. J. Paul Rylands, F.S.A., in his Notes on Lancashire and Cheshire -examples. The date on Sir William St. Quintin's book-plate, 1641, is -that at which the baronetcy was created; the book-plate was engraved in -the last century. Sir Francis Fust's book-plate, one remarkable for its -size and ugliness, is inscribed 'S^{r} Francis Fust of Hill Court in the -county of Gloucester, Baronet, created 21st August 1662, the 14 year of -King Charles 2d.' Now this plate cannot be earlier than 1728, the year -in which the first 'Sir Francis' succeeded to the baronetcy. Here, -however, the context of words, 'created 21st August 1662,' renders the -inscription less likely to mislead people into supposing that 1662 was -the year in which the plate was executed. In other instances we have not -this help. - -The date 1669, on the book-plate of Gilbert Nicholson of Balrath, merely -refers to the date at which Gilbert acquired his Irish estates; the -example itself must be later than 1722, as the same copper was employed -for it as that on which the book-plate of Thomas Carter, dated in that -year, had been engraved. Again, some collectors hold, and have -maintained in print, that the book-plate of Sir Robert Clayton, of which -we must speak again hereafter, was not really engraved in 1679--the date -which appears upon it. 1679 is the year in which Sir Robert was Lord -Mayor of London, and it is thought probable that the book-plate was -engraved later--perhaps in the early years of the eighteenth century, -when, as we have seen, the fashion of having a book-plate was so -prevalent--and that Sir Robert placed the date 1679 upon it in order to -commemorate the date of his mayoralty. For my part, I see no particular -reason for holding this view; the style in which the plate is executed -does not seem to me contradictory to the date upon it. Still, as the -doubt exists, it is better to mention it. - -Attention has been called to a book-plate of 'David Paynter of Dale -Castle, Pembrokeshire, 1679,' which is probably nearly a century later. -The book-plate of 'William Twemlow of Hatherton, Cheshire, Esquire, -1686,' was engraved for a Mr. William Twemlow, who died in 1843. - -[Illustration] - -On the other hand, there are certain book-plates which were engraved -earlier than the dates which appear upon some impressions of them. The -book-plate of the statesman Charles James Fox (see opposite) is one -instance of this. It is inscribed 'The Hon^{ble} Charles James Fox,' and -was used by the great statesman, but the plate was engraved in 1702--as -its style suggests--for his half-uncle, and the inscription, before its -alteration, read:--'Charles Fox of the parish of St. Martin's-in-the-Fields, -Esq., 1702.' - -There is a large book-plate, shown by its style to have been engraved in -the early years of the eighteenth century, but which is inscribed -'Martin Stapylton, Esq. of Myton, in the county of York, A.D. 1817.' The -book-plate was evidently engraved for Sir Bryan Stapylton, who died in -1727. The Martin Stapylton who altered and used it was one Martin -Bree--nephew of the last baronet, who died in 1817--who succeeded to his -uncle's property, but not to his baronetcy; hence he was not justified -in leaving the helmet of a knight or baronet upon it; he removed the -'bloody hand of Ulster' from the shield, but the mistake in the helmet -does not seem to have struck him. On a small variety of this book-plate, -the inscription on which is similarly altered, the 'bloody hand' -remains. - -Again, the book-plate of 'S^{r} Will^{m} Robinson, Baronett, of Newby, -in the county of York, 1702,' was altered--by turning the '0' into a -'6'--into 1762, and was used by his grandson; that inscribed 'John -Peachey, 1782,' designed in the Chippendale style, is quite twenty years -earlier; and that of 'Fr. Dickens Armig. 1795,' was certainly engraved -half a century before. - -During the ten or twelve years immediately following the year 1698, the -number of English dated book-plates is exceedingly large. Taking the -list printed for private distribution by Sir Wollaston Franks in 1887, -we find sixteen examples in 1698; seven in 1699; fifteen in 1700; -sixteen in 1701; forty-four in 1702; fifty-eight in 1703; twenty-seven -in 1704; and many, but not so many, in the succeeding years. -Something--what, I have failed to discover--must have given a stimulus -to the fashion of using book-plates just at the close of the seventeenth -and opening of the eighteenth century; and not only to using them, but -also to putting a date on those used. It is a fact that it is more rare -to find book-plates engraved in this particular style without dates than -with them. - -The fashion of 'dating,' as a rule, went out about the year 1714, about -the time at which, as we shall see, a new 'style' in book-plates became -generally adopted. Anonymous book-plates are rare after this date, -though, both in England and on the Continent, they were, in early times, -certainly common--a fact which bears silent testimony to the much -greater intimacy which people in the good old days had with their -neighbours' armorial bearings. The coat of arms of a man of position was -almost as well known to those dwelling about him as were the features of -his face; and if a volume, having within it an Armorial book-plate, -happened to be found in wrongful custody, the finder might recognise the -heraldry of the owner, even if he could not read the inscription -recording that ownership. - -So much for the early use of book-plates in England. In the next chapter -I propose to say something about the leading styles of decoration -employed by their designers. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[4] There are two sizes of this book-plate. - -[5] Report by the Historical MSS. Commission on the papers of the Duke -of Rutland. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -'STYLES' IN ENGLISH BOOK-PLATES - - -LORD DE TABLEY has given us names for nearly all the styles met with in -English book-plates, and it is perhaps better to accept these -descriptions in the present work, adding to them another--'Simple -Armorial'--for the earliest plates, and, indeed, for the great majority -of those anterior to 1720. - -It is not only in book-plates that we see this style adopted: it is used -in almost every representation of shields of arms in the sixteenth and -seventeenth centuries, be it on a memorial brass, in sculpture, or on a -stained glass window. The style is simple and effective. The shield, -nearly always symmetrical, is surmounted by a helmet, on which is the -wreath and crest. From the helmet is outspread more or less voluminous -mantling. In the earlier examples this terminates, generally in tassels, -before reaching the base of the shield. In later examples its heavy -folds descend quite to the base, and often ascend upwards from the -helmet to the level of the top of the crest. Below the shield is a -narrow scroll for the motto, which is not always given, and at the -bottom of all is a bracket (on which the owner's name is inscribed), -having indented edges. Occasionally, but not often, the mantling, -instead of being foliated, hangs from the helmet in stiff folds at the -back of the shield, its upper corners being tied up and tasselled. The -book-plate of Thomas Knatchbull, dated in 1702 (shown on p. 51), is a -very fair, though not a very early, example of this style. In some -instances the shield is placed on one side--its right hand upper corner -being thus brought to the centre of the helmet. The Simple Armorial -style was, roughly speaking, not much used after 1720. - -Besides the book-plates described in the foregoing chapter, nearly all -of which belong to the 'Armorial' style, there are sundry others worthy -of particular observation, should the reader meet with them. There is, -for instance, the book-plate of 'The Right Hon^{ble} James, Earl of -Derby, Lord of Man and ye Isles, 1702'; the grandson of _the_ James, -seventh Earl, who suffered for his loyalty, and of the gallant Charlotte -Trémouille. This is a large and very striking book-plate in every way; -its size makes possible the introduction of some fine bold work, which -is rendered even more effective by the fact that the arms portrayed are -simply those of Stanley; so that there is no crowding in of quarterings. -The decoration is that common to the book-plates of peers, or of other -persons entitled to use supporters at the time: the mantling spreads -from the helmet, and terminates at the heads of the supporters; these -stand upon the motto-scroll. There is a smaller variety of this -book-plate--one of the ordinary size--which is not so pleasing. When -Earl James died, in 1736, the Earldom of Derby devolved on his kinsman, -Sir Edward Stanley, Bart., whose book-plate, larger and finer than that -just described, is really a very beautiful piece of work in the Jacobean -style; the arms are Stanley impaling Hesketh, and the size of the -book-plate is 6-5/8 × 5-1/4 in. - -Similar examples of large-sized book-plates are furnished by those of -'The Honourable Iames Brydges of Wilton Castle, in Hereford Shere' -(where the effect is somewhat marred by the number of quarterings -displayed); 'Sir William Brownlowe of Belton, in the County of Lincoln, -Baronet, 1698,' and his wife 'Dame Alice Brownlowe;' Lord Roos and his -wife, Lady Roos; 'Paul Jodrell of Duffield, in y^{e} County of Derby, -Esq^{r}, Clerk of y^{e} Hon^{ble} House of Commons'--a particularly bold -piece of work; and 'S^{r} John Wentworth of North Elmeshall, in the West -Rideing of Yorkshire, Baronet.' It is probable that all these, and other -large-sized English book-plates, also exist, or existed, in the ordinary -size (see pp. 18, 19). The largest English book-plate, and one which, -from its unusual size, is certain to attract attention, is that of -'Simon Scroope of Danby-super-Yore, in com. Ebor., Esq., 1698'; here, -too, much of the good effect is lost by the number of quarterings (no -less than twenty-seven) introduced upon the shield. - -[Illustration] - -I referred, at the close of the previous chapter, to the large number of -English book-plates engraved during the last two years of the -seventeenth century and first ten of the eighteenth. The great majority -of these book-plates are in the 'Simple Armorial' style, and there is -upon these a very great similarity in the way in which that style is -represented; indeed, they may well have been, all of them, the work of -less than a dozen artists. Any distinctive feature that exists is to be -found in the treatment of the mantling. For instance: it is finely cut -on the book-plates of Nicholas Penny, Lord Cornwallis, Lord Roos, and -'John Sayer of Hounslow, in the County of Midd., Esq^{r},' all dated in -1700; on the Sayer plate the inscription is enclosed in a Jacobean -scroll; it is heavy, and stiffly cut in the book-plates of James -Bengough, Richard Newdigate, Sir William Hustler, and John Godfrey, all -dated in 1702; it is leaflike and graceful on the book-plates of William -Thompson and Francis Columbine, dated in 1708, and of Thomas Rowney, -dated in 1713, whilst the book-plate of 'Gostlet Harington of -Marshfield, in the Coun. of Glocester, Gent., 1706,' is unique, the -mantling being cut like strawberry leaves. There is a peculiar effect -produced by the way in which this example is printed, and the lettering -of the inscription is also unusual. - -There is one of these book-plates which the reader should notice from -the peculiar arrangement of the decorative accessories, occasioned by -the fact that the owner was both a spiritual and temporal peer. I refer -to that of 'Nathanael Crewe, Lord Bishop of Durham and Baron Crewe of -Stene, 1703.' Here the mantling springs from the helmet, rises to the -level of the crest, and terminates at the heads of the supporters; a -baron's coronet appears instead of a mitre, and behind the shield are a -crozier and sword in saltire, the decoration of the head of the crozier -being so like the form of the mantling that it seems, at first sight, to -be part of it. - -The 'Jacobean' style is far more ornate than that last mentioned, and -the book-plate of 'John Reilly of the Middle Temple, Esqr.,' is a fair -example of the best kind of Jacobean work. The escutcheon is raised on -an elaborate and richly-carved Jacobean sideboard; mantling is still -there, but it is curtailed, and seems almost resting on the top of the -sideboard, on either side of which are columns, given in high relief; on -each is carved a perpendicular festoon of leaves. Below the shield, -crouched on the ledge of the sideboard, are two eagles with expanded -wings; each holds in its beak one end of the ribbon which ties into a -bunch the corners of a fringed cloth bearing the inscription already -quoted; below the eagles, inverted cornucopiæ pour out books upon the -floor on which the sideboard stands. - -This plate may probably be dated very early in the eighteenth century, -or even late in the seventeenth, since it is recorded that John Reilly's -signature, with the date '1679,' occurs in a book in which it is -fastened. To whichever date it belongs, the Simple Armorial style was -then in general use,--that is to say, so far as the book-plates of -private individuals are concerned. These, as we have just seen, nearly -all bear a helmet, varying according to the owner's social rank, and -from that falls the mantling, more or less elaborate. But if we look at -the book-plates, dated in or about the year 1700, of certain colleges at -Oxford or Cambridge, at ladies' book-plates of the same period,--none of -which, of course, display a helmet,--and at some others in which the -arms are given in an oval, we see that the blank on either side of the -shield (consequent upon the absence of the helmet from which the -mantling would fall) is supplied by work distinctly Jacobean. Lord De -Tabley, whose descriptions in justification of the names he has bestowed -upon the several styles we shall not hesitate to quote in this chapter, -thus describes this work:-- - -'To supply this void in decoration, a distinct frame was placed round -the escutcheons, and this framework was ornamented with ribbons, palm -branches, or festoons. - -'The prominent or high-relief portions of this frame were not set close -to the edges of the escutcheons, but between it and them; an interval of -flat-patterned surface nearly always intervened, in which, as upon a -wall, the actual shield was embedded. This we shall call the lining of -the armorial frame; and we shall find this lining is usually imbricated -with a pattern of fish-scales, one upon another, or diapered into -lattice-work. The scale-covered or latticed interval of lining is the -characteristic of the style. . . . Another step in the external -decoration was to add a bracket, distinct from the frame, upon which the -shield, in its frame, was supposed to rest. This bracket naturally -initiated the decorative art and surface arrangement of the -shield-frame.' - -As a rule, too, an escallop-shell forms the centre of the bracket in -Jacobean book-plates. In some instances it is placed in the centre -below, but more usually in the centre above; and then in the centre -below we have the head of some mythical and uninviting monster. Either -as quasi-supporters on the ledges of the bracket, right and left, or on -the side ledges of the shield, if the bracket is amalgamated with the -frame, are 'things' selected from the following miscellaneous -collection--lions; cherubs, male and female; term-figures; busts of -fairies, with butterfly wings; angels, generally engaged in -trumpet-blowing, etc. - -The student should notice this escallop-shell, because we shall see it -introduced into the style of decoration that succeeded the -Jacobean--there it became a shelly border rather than a distinct shell. - -On the whole, then, the usual ornamentation of a Jacobean book-plate -renders it easily recognisable. The decoration is stiff and -conventional, displays more solidity than grace, and altogether seems -less appropriate to a book-plate than the heavy rolls of mantling, -which, as we have seen, surrounded the shield during the prevalence of -the preceding style. As for the title 'Jacobean' which has been bestowed -upon it, it should be explained that the reference is rather to the -style of decoration in vogue in the days of James II. than to anything -in the days of James I. Lord De Tabley has pointed out that, as compared -with the woodwork preserved in churches of the latter half of the -seventeenth century, and as compared with the mouldings on monuments of -the same period, a practical identity of decoration cannot fail to -strike the antiquary, and his choice of the name 'Jacobean' for this -class of book-plates is thus abundantly justified. - -Examples of Jacobean book-plates are numerous in most English -collections, for the style continued long in fashion; indeed, it lasted, -in more or less purity, down to 1745, or even later, and I think it -quite likely that some of the evidently early undated examples may -really have been executed during the last quarter of the seventeenth -century. The similarity, to which we have just alluded, between the -ornamentation shown upon Jacobean book-plates and that displayed in -ecclesiastical decoration of the time of Charles the Second as well as -James the Second, makes it very probable that this is so. - -The few book-plates which are known to have been designed or executed by -Hogarth (see p. 79) are in the Jacobean style; but, with the exception -of that eminent artist and George Vertue, the men who worked upon -Jacobean book-plates were not distinguished engravers. Nevertheless, -some of their productions are distinctly good, though the decoration -was, perhaps, too often overdone. The touch, in many, suggests that the -artist was accustomed to engrave on gold or silver plate. This is -notably the case in the book-plate of 'Charles Barlow, Esq., of Emmanuel -College, Cambridge,' engraved in, or immediately after, 1730. This -book-plate is worthy of observation, should the reader meet with it, as -a particularly exaggerated example of the Jacobean style: the framework -seems scarcely able to support the decorative accessories with which it -is laden, and which include representations of birds, beasts, mythical -figures, stony flowers in festoons or baskets, heads, shells, and what -not! - -The earliest dated Jacobean example is that of 'William Fitz Gerald, -Lord Bishop of Clonfert,' which is inscribed '1698.' Here the escutcheon -is of the 'Simple Armorial' shape, but set in a Jacobean framework, -decorated with leafy sprays, and surmounted by a mitre, the ribbons of -which terminate in tassels. Next we have the book-plates of five -Cambridge Colleges,--Jesus, Pembroke, Queens', St. John's, and Trinity -Hall; all bear the same engraved date--1700. These, and many like them -dated in subsequent years, are no doubt the work of one man: the design -consists of an escutcheon, on which are the College arms, set in a -finely-drawn, scale-patterned frame, bedecked with hawk-bells, ribbons, -wreaths, and sprays of flowers. Other College plates--except that of New -College, Oxford, which is 'Simple Armorial' in its style--are Jacobean. - -In 1701 comes the book-plate of Dame Anna Margaretta Mason. Here the -lozenge, in which she bears her arms, appears with decoration very -similar to that just described, though slightly more elaborate. In 1703 -the book-plate of Philip Lynch shows how similar decoration is bestowed -upon an oval escutcheon; whilst, in 1713, the book-plate of Henry, Duke -of Kent, furnishes an early dated example of the introduction of the -bracket, which is, as we have seen, a leading feature in Jacobean -ornamentation. - -This is really a remarkably fine book-plate. The escutcheon, indented in -a somewhat peculiar fashion, is surrounded by the Garter, and fastened -to the front of the bracket, a highly ornamented piece of work, on which -stand the two supporters. Above is the ducal coronet; below, in an -oblong Jacobean frame, is the inscription. The family of Grey, Dukes of -Kent, is prolific in book-plates; that, dated five years later, of -'Mary, Countess of Harrold,' daughter-in-law to Henry, Duke of Kent, is -a more elaborate, though less finely executed, piece of Jacobean work. -Her arms, and those of her husband, appear side by side in separate oval -shields; angels hold aloft an earl's coronet over both, while below, -between the shields, is the head of a cherub, whose wings are arranged -as a collar. - -Other conspicuous Jacobean book-plates are those of Ellerker Bradshaw; -Dr. Philip Bisse, Bishop of St. David's; Richard Massie of Coddington, -Cheshire; 'James Hustler,' 1730; 'Sir Thomas Hare, Baronet, of Stow -Hall, in Norfolk,' dated in 1734 (see p. 61); 'Francis Winnington, of -Lincoln's Inn, Esq.,' dated in 1732; 'Saml. Goodford of ye Inner Temple, -Esq.,' dated in 1737; 'John Robinson, M.D.,' dated in 1742; 'St. -Thomas's Hospital Library;' and 'Lucius Henry Hibbins, of Gray's Inne, -Esqe.' - -A little before, and a little after, 1720 there was a fashion in English -book-plates, which may almost be called a style: it was to place the -shield of arms in a medallion, the background of which is shaded. -Beneath, is the owner's name and description. The term 'Tombstone Style' -might not sound an agreeable designation for these book-plates, but it -would be very accurate; for, really, there is a strong likeness between -them and the monumental slabs placed over deceased persons, whose social -status rendered them eligible for interment in positions where they -would be walked over by future generations of church-goers. We may -mention three such book-plates: Edward Haistwell, dated in 1718, Sir -John Rushout and John Lethieullier, Remembrancer of the City. - -So far the shape of the shield used has been perfectly symmetrical. We -now come to speak of the third style adopted by English book-plate -designers, the leading feature of which is an absence of symmetry. This -style has been christened 'Chippendale'; and when its characteristics -have been described, and the leading features in Chippendale furniture -remembered, we shall see the appropriateness of the name. - -'The mark and stamp of a Chippendale _ex libris_,' says Lord De Tabley, -'is a frilling or border of open shell-work, set close up to the rounded -outer margin of the escutcheon, and, with breaks, more or less enclosing -it. This seems to be a modification of the scallop shell, so normal at -the base either of frame or bracket on a Jacobean plate. It is, in fact, -a border imitating the pectinated curves and grooves on the margins of a -scallop-shell. Outside this succeed various furniture-like limbs and -flourishes, eminently resembling the triumphs of ornate upholstery which -Chippendale about this time brought into vogue.' The helmet and mantling -are quite exceptional in book-plates of this style, except in examples -which were probably designed and executed by Scotch artists. - -[Illustration] - -Although it was not until 1754 that Chippendale published, in folio, -_The Gentleman's and Cabinetmaker's Director_, 'being a large Collection -of the most useful Designs of Household Furniture in the most -fashionable taste, with 160 Plates of elegant designed Furniture,' there -was probably by that time a good deal of Chippendale furniture already -in the market, and we are therefore not surprised to find a book-plate -designed in the Chippendale style, dated in 1714--that of 'East -Apthorpe.' True, the style there shown is not at all 'advanced,' yet -there are decided indications of it, and for that reason it deserves -attention. Although the shield is shell-shaped and ornamented with -flowers, yet there are upon the plate indications of a horizontally-hatched -Jacobean lining to the frame. We may, I think, consider this one of the -earliest attempts at designing a Chippendale book-plate. - -[Illustration] - -The style improved during the next ten or fifteen years, and then began -to deteriorate. As an escutcheon, the shell-shaped or non-symmetrical -shield is unnatural and even ugly, but it lends itself to an artistic -treatment which the previous styles in English book-plates certainly did -not. For example, flowers--of which there are always many in this style -of book-plate--can be represented as in nature; roses blossom on sprays -or branches, instead of being woven closely together in conventional -festoons, lilies are left to droop their heads, whilst bunches of -grasses or leaves are bound so loosely together that they forfeit -nothing of their natural elegance. Allegoric figures also find place in -Chippendale book-plates, but they are of a much more attractive kind -than those displayed in the Jacobean plates. Cupids or nymphs are -sometimes really graceful bits of drawing when depicted in the better -specimens of the style of which we are now speaking. The book-plate of -'James Brackstone, Citizen of London,' dated in 1751--figured opposite -this page--is as good a specimen of a pure Chippendale book-plate as -could be found; whilst that of John Ord of Lincoln Inn, dated ten -years later, betrays some signs of a decadence which soon afterwards -became general. - -'The fashion,' as Lord De Tabley remarks, 'began to be vulgarised in the -hands of weak designers, who bestowed floral embellishments upon the -framework of the shields, without any moderation whatever, endeavouring -by a crowded decoration to mask the real weakness and poverty of their -powers of design.' As a consequence, we have in the later Chippendale -book-plates, those, say, from 1760 to 1780 or 1785, some very terrible -productions. Shell-work and flowers are retained, but they are regarded -as inadequate, and cherubs, dragons, 'nymphs in kilted petticoats,' -sheep, cattle, trees, fruit, fruit-baskets, portions of buildings, -fountains, books, implements of husbandry, and a host of other -miscellaneous objects appear as decorations. Indeed, it is wonderful -what a strange medley a designer in the later days of Chippendaleism -could produce for a customer willing to pay for it! - -We may as well here point out a few interesting examples of English -book-plates designed in the Chippendale style. A prolific worker in it -was J. Skinner of Bath (see pp. 81-86; 203-212), who followed the -excellent plan of dating nearly all his work, which should, therefore, -be carefully observed when met with. In one of his book-plates, that -which, in 1743, he produced for 'Charles Delafaye, Esq., of Wichbury, -Wilts.' it is curious to note with what evident diffidence the designer -uses the graceful sprays of natural flowers in ornamenting the shelly -shield. Yet in another book-plate, that of Benjamin Hatley Foote, -engraved in the same year, the anonymous artist uses these ornaments -without hesitation, and produces a book-plate which might have been -engraved many years later. Two very noticeable examples are also -supplied by the fully developed Chippendale book-plates of Richard -Caryer and Joseph Pocklington. In each the crest is placed on a -miniature representation of the shield, which contains the arms. Of the -debased Chippendale book-plates, of which we have had to speak, it is -hard to select examples for particular reference, for they are sadly -numerous, and seem to vie with each other in ugliness and vulgarity; the -prize may, however, be claimed by 'C. Eve', who, conscious, perhaps, of -the atrocity he was committing in using such a book-plate, makes an -attempt at disguising his name. To describe his plate is nearly -impossible; suffice it to say that, built on to the frame are sundry -stages on which a variety of pastoral scenes are depicted, and that any -beauties which the floral embellishments might in themselves possess are -effectually obliterated by overcrowding. - -Before Chippendaleism had died out, another marked style in English -book-plates had already come in, and was getting to be generally -adopted. We will call this the 'Wreath and Ribbon' or 'Festoon' style, -and probably one of the earliest examples of it is that figured -opposite, which shows us the book-plate of George Lewis Jones, Bishop of -Kilmore, dated in 1774. There is a good deal of grace in these 'Wreath -and Ribbon' book-plates. The shield is again symmetrical, and of a shape -that a shield might possibly be; the flowers and leaves that decorate it -are for the most part still left free and unconfined, and even when -woven into festoons they are somewhat less conventional than those which -compose the festoons of the Jacobean period. These festoons, and a -labyrinth of floating ribbons, were intended to compensate for the loss -of the shelly border and its adjuncts of the 'Chippendale' style. - -Just in the same way as the Chippendale book-plates very closely -resembled in their decoration the furniture with which Chippendale -filled the fashionable drawing-rooms of his time, so in their turn those -designed in what we have christened the 'Wreath and Ribbon' style very -closely resembled the decoration which Thomas Sheraton suggested for -contemporary furniture. This the reader may see for himself, if he will -turn to Sheraton's work, _The Cabinetmaker and Upholsterer's Drawing -Book_. - -[Illustration] - -I do not know that there are many examples of the 'Wreath and Ribbon' -book-plates which call for special attention. Though several are pretty, -there is a strong family likeness between all. Perhaps the most -conspicuous is that of 'John Symons, Esq^{r}.' In this, prettily drawn -cherubs, descending from the sky, hold the corners of a mantle, which -surrounds the shield. The book-plates of 'Sir Thomas Banks I'Anson, of -Corfe Castle, Dorset'; of the 'Rev. George Pollen'; and of 'John -Holcombe, New Cross,' are useful for comparison, on account of the -engraved dates which they bear--1783, 1787, and 1799 respectively; -whilst that of 'Robert Surtees, Mainsforth,' is interesting both from -its possessor, the historian of Durham, who was also its designer, and -from its unusual hatched background. - -By degrees the festoons of flowers and entanglement of ribbons were -discarded, and the shield, similarly shaped, appeared destitute of -ornamentation. The helmet was omitted, and the 'wreath' on which the -crest should properly rest was placed, in a meaningless way, the -fraction of an inch above the upper line of the shield, and entirely -without support. After this, quite early in the nineteenth century, and -during its first fifteen or twenty years, there came into fashion a -design in English book-plates which we may term the 'Celestial' style. -In this the shield is depicted as suspended in mid-air, with a -background of sky or clouds, or else resting upon a cloud-built bank. It -gave the designer very slight opportunity for the display of artistic -taste; had it done so, the opportunity would probably have been -neglected, for the designers and engravers of book-plates in this style -were men of whom the world at large knows nothing. The shield, in -book-plates of the time of which I am now speaking, was entirely -without ornament, and of this shape-- - -[Illustration] - -The helmet was seldom introduced, so that the crest was placed in the -same absurd position as that just described. The shield figured above is -a fair specimen of that in vogue between 1810 and 1830. From the latter -date to within a few years ago, the arms, in the majority of English -book-plates, were represented in a more ornate shield. The helmet was -reintroduced, and from it fell a slight mantling, somewhat similar to -that which appears in our earliest examples. It is hardly necessary to -indicate any particular specimens designed in these last-mentioned -styles. - -Before closing this chapter, I ought, perhaps, to say a word about -Scotch and Irish book-plates. It cannot be said that in these there was -ever a style distinctively national. The style fashionable in England at -a particular time was also fashionable in Scotland and in Ireland; yet -there is a perceptible difference in the way in which its details were -carried out, especially in Scotland. In Edinburgh there were several -book-plate engravers, and their work possesses a characteristic -touch;[6] the 'Simple Armorial' style is rendered much more stiffly, and -the shield is often round. 'Jacobean' book-plates are very uncommon, but -the 'Chippendales' are an odd mixture of that style as we know it in -England and the 'Jacobean.' The presence of a helmet and mantling in a -'Chippendale' book-plate engraved in Scotland is not unusual, and the -shield is always very soberly placed. I do not know of a 'Library -Interior' plate that hails from north of the Tweed; but, if one ever be -discovered, depend upon it no Cupids will frolic there. A few Scotch -book-plates are, perhaps, emblematic; that is, display emblems of the -possessor's art or trade. Dr. John Bosworth's, in which are figured the -staff of Æsculapius, a cock, a serpent, and an owl, is an instance of -this; but allegory is almost unknown. No mythological figures sit among -the floral decorations of Scotch Chippendale book-plates, as they do so -frequently in later Chippendale work in England. The only instance that -I can call to mind of the introduction of figures at all into the -decoration of a Scotch book-plate, is that of 'Birnie of Broomhill' -(_circa_ 1715), reproduced opposite, and in this the figures are sombre -enough,--two ministers of 'the kirk' kneeling at their desks. Irish -book-plates have even less individuality than Scotch, and are chiefly -recognisable by the coarseness of their work, and their dark printing. - -[Illustration] - -FOOTNOTE: - -[6] A list of some Scottish book-plate engravers, compiled by Mr. J. -Orr, is printed in the _Ex Libris Journal_, ii. p. 41. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -ALLEGORY IN ENGLISH BOOK-PLATES - - -IN the last chapter I spoke of the leading styles followed in designing -English book-plates, in, as far as possible, chronological sequence, -though the reader will have noticed that such styles overlapped each -other, often by a considerable number of years. Concurrently with these -distinct styles, or with nearly all of them, there are to be found many -English book-plates which may be appropriately called 'picture' -book-plates, and which may themselves be divided into two classes: those -which, quite apart from the heraldry upon them, show things unreal, or -combinations of things real and unreal; and those which, apart from the -heraldry, show things wholly real. Let us speak, first, of the former of -these divisions--'Allegoric' book-plates we will call them. - -The collector will soon discover that in England allegory formed at no -period, except, perhaps, in the days of Bartolozzi and Sherwin, a really -national style in book-plates, but rather an occasional fancy indulged -in by a particular individual here and there. Whilst in France -book-plates on which was displayed allegory, and the wildest allegory, -were actually abundant, in England they are decidedly rare; and it is -indeed interesting to see how our English artists set to work when -called upon to design them. - -So far as I am aware, the earliest example of an English Allegoric -book-plate as yet brought to light, is that of Thomas Gore of Alderton, -which is fully described on p. 34. This may be dated somewhere about -1675, and was, as the signature shows us, the work of a Dutch artist, -Michael Burghers; so that we may, perhaps, regard the allegory upon it -rather as the outcome of Michael's brain than the carrying out of -instructions given him by a Wiltshire squire! - -The date of the next English book-plate I have noticed, in which -allegory is introduced, is also the work of a foreigner,--a -Frenchman,--Louis du Guernier, who, at the age of thirty, came over from -Paris in 1708, and who died here in 1716. Soon after his arrival he -executed a book-plate, decidedly foreign in appearance, for Lady -Cairnes, wife of Sir Alexander Cairnes of Monaghan. The Cairnes arms, -impaling Gould, are on a round shield in a scaly frame; this is placed -on steps, at the back of which is classical masonry. The shield is kept -from falling by three cupids,--two seated and one standing,--whilst two -flying ones hold aloft a ribbon bearing the owner's name, thus: 'Lady -Elizabeth Cairnes.' She was a sister of Sir Nathaniel Gould, so that her -description on the book-plate as 'Lady' is clearly wrong; she should -have been called 'Dame.' The error arose, most likely, from the -engraver's imperfect knowledge of English titles,--a very general -stumbling-block to foreigners. The book-plate is an exceedingly pretty -piece of work. There is some of the Jacobean scale work used in it which -English engravers were beginning to introduce into their designs; but -the employment of allegory is certainly the most striking feature it -possesses. I do not know of any other book-plates executed by Louis du -Guernier while in England, and probably the people of this country were -not yet quite prepared to confide--as Lord De Tabley puts it--their -family escutcheons 'to the care of Minerva or the Delian Phoebus -himself.' - -But though Michael Burghers's somewhat unbeautiful allegory may not have -pleased Thomas Gore or his other English clients in 1675, nor the -prettier allegory of Louis du Guernier have generally commended itself -to people in this country in 1710, allegory, if not in the work of these -artists, was bound sooner or later to come into fashion on English -book-plates, seeing that it was, and for long had been, fashionable -across the Channel. There have been few outbreaks of disease on the -Continent that have not infected this country,--at all events, slightly. -The foreigners whom the foreign king, on his arrival in England in 1688, -brought with him engendered foreign ways and foreign fashions at Court, -and these ways and fashions were in turn adopted by people who did not -go to Court, and that is how allegory crept into the book-plates of the -rank and file of Englishmen. - -The first English engraver, born and bred, to execute an Allegoric -book-plate was John Pine, himself a man of letters, and one with whose -features Hogarth has made us familiar. In 1736 he was employed to design -and engrave a book-plate to place in the thirty thousand volumes of -Bishop Moore's library, which George I. had bought, in 1715, to present -to the University of Cambridge, but which were not suitably housed till -1734. No doubt Pine was fully impressed with the munificence of the -gift,--a mass of volumes which the heavy-headed king would have never -opened had he kept, and never understood had he opened them. His task -was to design a book-plate commensurate with the royal munificence, and -he probably considered he had been equal to the occasion when he -produced what we see opposite the next page. Lord De Tabley's words so -accurately describe this pompous production, that I will quote them:-- - -'The design represents a vast structure, rather like an ormolu -chimney-piece clock, of which the arms of the University of Cambridge, -in a plain, solid frame, represent the face. Behind this towers up a -vast pyramid, on which the brick work is distinctly marked. As dexter -supporter stands Phoebus Apollo in person, reaching out a wreath. A -clouded sun rays out behind him. At his feet are deposited samples of -the book collection of late so munificently bestowed. As sinister -supporter sits Minerva with helm and spear and Gorgon-headed shield. Her -feet are wrapt in cloud. In the centre of the bracket, beneath these -gods, is inserted a medallion portrait of royal George, reading round -its exergue, _Georgius D.G., MAG. BR. FR. ET HIB. REX F.D._ This is -flanked by a laurel and a palm branch.' Pine--who had submitted proofs -of this book-plate before August 1736, for at that date he offers to -make George's portrait more accurate--engraved four sizes of this plate. -The design is similar in three, but in the fourth, and smallest, the -artist evidently felt that, in so limited a space, he could not do -justice to Apollo and Minerva, and discreetly omitted them. He signs -this smallest plate in full, 'J. Pine, Sculp.' - -There may now be seen at Cambridge, in many of the books which George I. -presented, book-plates which at first sight appear to be modern -impressions from Pine's plates, but, on examination, prove to be copies, -though not exact copies, of Pine's work, and on these the signature is -'J. B.' The late Mr. Henry Bradshaw discovered that these copies were -the work of John Baldrey, a Cambridge engraver, at the close of the last -century. At the time that he was working for the University, a large -number of the volumes given by George I. required re-binding, and, as -Pine's plates were worn out or lost, Baldrey was commissioned to execute -a copy of the earlier design, in order to supply a book-plate for the -re-bound volumes. - -[Illustration: BOOK-PLATE FOUND IN BOOKS GIVEN BY GEORGE I. TO THE -UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE.] - -Very soon after the 'Munificentia Regia' to Cambridge in 1715, the -loyalty of Oxford to the 'illustrious House of Hanover' was seriously -doubted, and the King sent a squadron of horse into the city, whereupon -an Oxford 'varsity wit composed the following epigram:-- - - 'The King, observing with judicious eyes, - The state of both his Universities, - To one he sends a regiment;--For why? - That _learned_ body wanted _loyalty_; - To th' other books he gave, as well discerning - How much that _loyal_ body wanted _learning_.' - -Which drew from a champion of Cambridge the reply:-- - - 'The King to Oxford sent his troop of horse, - For Tories own no _argument_ but _force_; - With equal care, to Cambridge books he sent, - For Whigs allow no _force_ but _argument_.' - -Though much later in date than the design just noticed, it may be as -well to mention here another book-plate--also 'Allegoric'--which, was -engraved by John Pine. This was executed by him from a drawing by -Gravelot, for Dr. John Burton, about the year 1740. It shows us the -interior of a library, presumably the doctor's, with a couple of cupids -supporting a shield bearing the Burton arms. This design, which was -subsequently appropriated by 'Wadham Wyndham, Esq.,' as his -book-plate,[7] is a very 'slight' affair after the Cambridge plate; but -Pine no doubt possessed a fitting sense of the difference to be observed -in designing a book-plate for a mere Doctor of Divinity and in -commemorating the gift of a royal donor. - -After John Pine, the next designers of English book-plates in the -Allegoric style are both famous men,--William Hogarth and George Vertue. -We will speak of the works of the greater man first: they consist of two -undoubted book-plates and of a few more possible ones, and were executed -quite at the outset of Hogarth's career, say, about 1720. The first is -described as done for the books of John Holland, herald painter. Minerva -is seen seated among cupids, four in number, with her hand placed upon a -shield bearing the family arms. The chief interest in Hogarth's other -undoubted book-plate--that of George Lambart, the landscape painter, one -of Hogarth's convivial crew--lies in the female figures, which sit right -and left of the shield. It is figured over leaf, from the copy in Sir -Wollaston Franks's collection, which is the only original example known -to exist--other copies are from the plates in Ireland's work, and bear -his initials. The collector is cautioned against certain plates signed -'W. H.,' which have been attributed to Hogarth, but are in reality the -work of William Hibbart, a Bath engraver, working about the middle of -the eighteenth century. - -[Illustration] - -Turning now to the work of George Vertue in designing English Allegoric -book-plates, we come to a very beautiful and very interesting example, -which was probably engraved in, or very soon after, 1730--the book-plate -of Henrietta, Countess of Oxford. I have already called attention to -this engraving in speaking of old-time allusions to book-plates (p. 14), -and do not here intend to do more than make passing reference to it, -since I have spoken fully of it later on in what I have to say about -'ladies'' book-plates (pp. 186-199). It is only mentioned now in order -to give a reference to it in its proper chronological position. - -We have now to travel for some distance along the road of time before -coming to another example of allegory on an English book-plate. - -We find it, in 1740, on a plate which one J. Skinner engraved from a -design by 'T. Ross.' This is really a very beautiful book-plate, as its -reproduction (p. 83) shows. A shield--the shape and ornamentation of -which is Chippendale--bearing the Wiltshire arms, is placed upon a -platform and against a cippus, or small monumental column; Shakespeare -stands on the right, and listens, with a pleased expression, to the -music of a rustic piper, whose head appears at the back of the cippus, -whilst, on the left, Pope weighs the eloquence of an orator, whose head -and upraised hand also appear from behind the cippus. A medallion of -Augustus is on a pedestal above. Lying on the platform are a globe and -books and many emblems of the painter's and musician's arts, and amongst -these sits Cupid thinking, perhaps, with which he will play next, and -holding the end of a ribbon inscribed: 'John Wiltshire, Bath, 1740.' The -design is certainly original, and makes us interested as to the identity -of the owner. - -It is quite possible that we have here not only an interesting -book-plate, but the book-plate of an interesting man. When Gainsborough, -the painter, moved to Bath in 1760 he found that the 'Pickford' of the -day, who had the carrying trade of the Bath road, was no ordinary -carrier, but a man of taste and culture, and ready to do anything he -could to help art and artists. He was a certain John Wiltshire, and -before Gainsborough had been long a resident at Bath he was Wiltshire's -fast friend, and in the enjoyment of a very tangible proof of -friendship: for Wiltshire carried to London, _gratis_, every picture -that Gainsborough needed to send thither. Not a penny would he take for -carriage. 'No, no,' he would say, when the painter's modesty led him to -protest against such generosity, 'I admire painting too much for that.' -No doubt he did, and it must be said that, in return for his goodness, -Gainsborough gave him many a charming bit of work on which to feast his -eyes. Let us hope we have before us the book-plate of this 'kind of -worthy man,' as Allan Cunningham called him, who loved Gainsborough and -admired his works. - -[Illustration] - -Of course the plate is twenty years earlier than the commencement of -Gainsborough's residence at Bath and of his friendship with Wiltshire; -but what of that? Wiltshire had been, likely enough, a lover of things -beautiful and the owner of books, long before; there is no necessity for -imagining that his was a sudden conversion to a self-sacrificing love -for art, produced by intimacy with Gainsborough. - -Another interesting English book-plate, in which allegory plays a part, -is that, also by J. Skinner, of William Oliver,[8] doctor of medicine, -philanthropist, and inventor of biscuits. It is, judging from the form -of the engraver's signature, of about the same date as the Wiltshire -book-plate. The shield, bearing the Oliver coat-of-arms, rests upon a -platform on which stand two figures, as in the example last described; -but instead of these figures being representative of the drama and of -literature, they are an ancient and a modern medical practitioner: the -former, perhaps, even the god of medicine himself. This was quite -appropriate, for Oliver, though a man of cultured tastes in varied walks -of life, and one who might have appropriately committed the care of his -family escutcheon to the allegoric representatives of many arts, was -first and foremost a doctor of medicine. The modern doctor is arrayed in -cap and gown, and stands on the left of the shield, with hand -outstretched towards his fellow of old time. Below the platform, on a -triangle, is a club, around which the serpent of Æsculapius entwines -itself. - -[Illustration] - -Oliver's life lasted for hard on seventy years--1695 to 1764; after -settling at Bath and commencing practice, his rise to fame was -remarkable for its rapidity, and, as quite early in his career he busied -himself with hospital building, hospital management, and other good -works, he soon made for himself a number of enemies amongst his -fellow-practitioners less capable and less energetic than himself. As a -physician and philanthropist he is now forgotten; as the inventor of a -biscuit he is remembered--for the 'Bath Oliver' still holds its own -against the multitude of modern competitors, and is still--so the makers -say--prepared from Dr. Oliver's original receipt. That receipt he -confided, when on his death-bed, to his coachman, giving him £100 in -money and ten sacks of the finest flour wherewith to continue the -production of the then already popular biscuits. With the money the -coachman opened a shop in Green Street, Bath, and so got together a -comfortable fortune. Of Skinner, to whom we owe these two plates, we -shall have more to say presently (pp. 203-212), in referring to the -engravers of English book-plates. - -Ten years after the Wiltshire plate comes our next distinctly Allegoric -book-plate, engraved by a second-rate engraver for 'John Duick.' I have -not seen this plate, but Lord De Tabley, whose word-pictures are always -good, thus describes it:--'Apollo with a broad ray effect round his -head, playing the lyre to the nine Muses, who are grouped around him; -the musical ones also assist in the concert with various instruments. -Below are clouds, above them appear the abrupt cliffs of Helicon, with -Pegasus launching himself into the air therefrom; the fountain -Hippocrene, tapped by his galloping hoofs, descends the cliff-side in a -cascade.' - -Allegory also appears in the two book-plates engraved by Sir Robert -Strange about the middle of the eighteenth century; those of his -brother-in-law, Andrew Lumisden, secretary to Prince Charlie, and of a -Dr. Thomas Drummond. The circumstances under which the former was -engraved have been already referred to (p. 11). It is a sombre -book-plate, showing us, before a dark background, a slab with a bust at -either end; 'Cupid' plays on the ground before the centre of the slab; -the Lumisden arms are on a shield that lies in the left-hand corner; and -a heavy curtain hangs over the upper part of the design, which is signed -'_R. Strange, sculpt._' - -Dr. Drummond's book-plate (see p. 89) is a less heavy, but not so -finished a production, and is drawn by T. Wale: Aurora soars at the top -of the design, and with her left hand pulls aside a curtain, thus -disclosing a view of the doctor's library. In the centre is placed a -table covered with cloth, except at the right-hand corner; here the -drapery is raised so as to display the ornate workmanship of the -table-leg. On the cloth are a number of books, some music, and a flute; -before the table a globe, and, leaning against that, a violoncello. The -general decoration of the room is classical, and busts and statues are -introduced, though not with sufficient detail to be recognisable. In -Aurora's right hand is a flaming torch, held in dangerous proximity to -the curtain. - -After the date of these two plates comes another long interval--twenty -years or so--before we reach the next truly Allegoric book-plate -designed in England. We then find a decidedly graceful piece of work. A -hooded Sibyl, seated at the foot of a pyramid, peruses attentively an -open volume. She leans her cheek upon her right hand, whilst the left -rests upon the book. A caduceus, against which rests a shield of arms, -lies at her feet. The whole is contained in an oval wreath of berried -laurel. Below is written: 'E libris Joh[=i]s Currer de Kildwick, Arm.' -This book-plate was afterwards altered for 'Danson Richardson Currer, de -Gledston, Ar[=m],' and an inferior copy was used by a certain R. H. -Alexander Bennet; this is a much commoner book-plate than the Currer--in -either form. - -[Illustration] - -Of much the same date is the far less graceful representation of -allegory, which appears on the book-plate of 'T. Gascoigne, Parlington, -in Yorkshire.' Here we have a representation of what, we must presume, -is the interior of the Parlington Library; but neither 'T. Gascoigne,' -nor yet any other eighteenth century Yorkshire gentleman, is tasting the -sweets of his literary collection; the library is tenanted by a couple -of mythological females, of such substantial forms that Lord De Tabley -thinks they must represent two Yorkshire damsels masquerading, one as a -muse and the other as Apollo. The muse writes down either notes or words -from Apollo's dictation. Columns support the roof of the library, and in -a niche in the wall stands a small statue of Minerva. If Mr. Gascoigne -obtained the services of some Yorkshire relatives to stand as models for -the figures on his book-plate, he probably did so when they were in town -for the season, for the work is signed by a Bond Street engraver. - -About the year 1775, English Allegoric book-plates became more numerous, -and the allegory upon them assumes a grace in conception and execution -not before known. Cipriani, Bartolozzi, and his pupil Sherwin, were -showing Englishmen how allegory could be represented on book-plates -without being clumsy and ridiculous, and the lesser artists were -imitating their work with more or less success. - -One of Bartolozzi's earliest book-plates was executed for Sir Foster -Cunliffe, Bart., the descendant of a very famous Liverpool merchant. The -Cunliffe arms appear in mid-air, resting upon a bank of clouds; two -exquisitely drawn cherubs support the shield, over which is folded -drapery. The cherub on the dexter side is seated, and holds a caduceus -in his right hand. The one on the sinister side is furnished with two -trumpets, and is blowing that in his left hand. On a medallion above the -shield is the Cunliffe crest, with the motto _Fideliter_. The plate, -which was afterwards altered for Sir Robert H. Cunliffe, Bart., is, in -all probability, Cipriani's design, for that artist signs his name as -designer of an almost similar book-plate for Jean Tommins, which was -engraved by Ford several years before. A very coarse imitation of the -design was also used by Thomas Anson of Shughborough, who intrusted the -imitation to Yates. - -Sir Foster Cunliffe was a grandson of Foster Cunliffe, King Charles the -Second's godson, the Liverpool merchant, who, according to Foster's -_Lancashire Families_, 'became not only the first man in Liverpool, but -was supposed to have a more extended commerce than any merchant in the -kingdom, and declined all solicitations that he should represent -Liverpool in Parliament.' - -The remarkably large example of Bartolozzi's work which has often been -described as the book-plate of George III., does not appear ever to have -been used as such. In the previous edition of this book I alluded to it -(at p. 67) as, possibly, a gift to the King, in which, at the expense of -utility, Bartolozzi sought to display his gratitude to, and admiration -for, the sovereign, under whom he had come to reside; it does not, -however, seem that Bartolozzi intended the engraving for a book-plate at -all, but designed it for the title-page of a folio volume, issued in -1792, which contained engravings of thirty-six statesmen of the reign of -Henry VIII., from drawings by Holbein. I will give a short description -of the engraving in question, so that it may be more easily recognised -by the collector, if offered to him as a book-plate. It shows us the -arms of England, as borne by George III., prior to the Union with -Ireland, upheld in mid-air by three inhabitants of the skies. Above the -shield a fourth celestial being is flying, and at the same time holding -aloft His Majesty's crown. On the left side of the plate is the figure -of Fame, who, on a long trumpet placed to her lips, is evidently giving -a sonorous blast. This is perhaps the most uncomfortable part of the -design, for the whole weight of this somewhat massive young lady is upon -the shield, which we have said is in mid-air, and only supported by -three cherubs, whose united muscular powers strike one as totally -inadequate to bear the burden imposed upon them. - -[Illustration] - -In 1796, Bartolozzi, then a Royal Academician, executed his most -beautiful book-plate. It is inscribed 'H. F. Bessborough,' and was made -for Lady Henrietta Frances Spencer, who, in 1780, married Frederick, -third Earl of Bessborough. The design shows us a Roman interior with an -exquisitely drawn Venus, seated, and holding in her left hand--which is -uplifted--a burning human heart, and in her right, a dove. Behind her is -a vase of flowers. The other inmates of the room are two cupids, who -hold above the goddess a long scarf bearing Lady Bessborough's name. The -design is Cipriani's. Besides his signature and that of the engraver, -there is also on the book-plate, 'Published Dec. 30, 1796, by F. -Bartolozzi.' It will be remembered that in 1735 Hogarth, by his own -exertions on behalf of his brother artists, managed to get an Act -through Parliament--a body that then probably cared little for art or -artists--by which designers and engravers obtained a copyright in their -own works; and it is a singular testimony to the popularity of -Bartolozzi's work, that on so trivial a work as a book-plate it was -found necessary to adopt this formula of publication. By the kindness of -the Hon. Gerald Ponsonby, I am enabled to state that Bartolozzi's -receipt for this 'ticket plate,' as he calls it, bears as its date the -29th December 1796, the day before the date of 'publication.' It is -noteworthy that Bartolozzi received £20 for his work. The book-plate is -given on the previous page. - -Quite distinct from this 'joyous' book-plate is another, executed by the -same artist for a Spanish lady, which we may class as English, since it -was no doubt engraved by him in England. Isabel de Menezes, the lady for -whom this book-plate was designed, was, as she tells us on it, in the -seventy-first year of her age. Allegoric figures disporting themselves -in youthful frolic would, perhaps, have been out of keeping on the -book-plate of a lady at that sombre time of life, and so the designer -has run to the other extreme. Gloominess predominates in this -book-plate. A partly ruined square-built tomb is erected on a promontory -above the sea; briars and other creepers have grown round it and had -covered it, till the kneeling female figure drew them down in order to -place upon the tomb a commemorative inscription. Beside the figure is a -Cupid, who points to the newly-cut words. It has been thought that this -may have been designed for a visiting card; it is quite in the fashion -of such things at the date, and it is likely enough that Isabel de -Menezes used the plate both as a card and as a mark of ownership for -her books. - -There are, besides those described, a number of English book-plates -which in style much resemble Bartolozzi's work. If they are his, they -probably date before 1796, for the adoption of the publication formula, -before noticed, makes it improbable that he executed any work, whilst in -England, that he did not thus protect. After his departure from this -country, he produced, from a drawing by Signeira, a book-plate for Sir -Thomas Gage, Bart., of Hengrave Hall, Suffolk. In this, a female figure -sits upon a stone, against which is a plain shield bearing the Gage -arms. The plate is signed 'Bartolozzi, Lisbon, 1805.' There is a -distinct resemblance in this book-plate to that which was engraved, -either in 1786 or 1787, for Richard Hoare, eldest son of the Lord Mayor -of London. He was created a baronet in the former year, and died in the -latter. In this we have a seated female, classically draped, who rests -her left elbow on a cippus, on which is engraved a shield bearing the -arms of Hoare. Richard Hoare married the heiress of Stourhead, and his -son was Sir Richard Colt Hoare, the famous antiquary and author. The -date at which this plate must have been executed, 1786 or 1787, does not -allow the absence of the engraver's name and formula of publication to -tell against the work being Bartolozzi's; his fame was not then so -great, and he found it less necessary to protect his engravings from -piracy (see p. 197). - -Beautiful as are Bartolozzi's book-plates, it cannot be said that his -capabilities as a designer or an engraver are demonstrated in these; -works of a larger kind showed forth his talents far more. - -So, then, allegory at length came to be almost popular with English -book-plate owners, and various lesser artists--Henshaw, Roe, Pollard, -and some others--produced it in imitation of Bartolozzi, with only -indifferent success. But before ending this chapter, we must say -something about the book-plate work of Bartolozzi's chief English pupil, -John Keys Sherwin. In 1773, the year after he gained the Royal Academy's -gold medal for drawing, he executed an extremely pretty Allegoric -book-plate for John Mitford of Pitt's Hill. It represents an infant -Neptune, with his trident, seated on a large shell, which is upon the -back of a sea-horse. Young Neptune's drapery forms a graceful canopy, -and he supports in his right hand a small shell, which displays the -Mitford arms and crest. A dolphin, spouting water in fountain-like -sprays, swims by his side. There are two states of this plate, one -having the arms incorrectly shaded: both are signed by Sherwin. - -In closing our remarks on English book-plates, designed after this -fashion, notice--though only a passing one, for it is spoken of fully -later on--must be taken of the charming book-plate which Agnes Berry -designed in 1793 for her friend Mrs. Damer. I mention it here only to -associate it in the reader's mind with 'Allegoric' book-plates. - -So much for allegory on English book-plates. It is to the credit of -Englishmen that Allegoric work did not become popular until something -really artistic in this particular style was produced, and that, even -before that time, allegory never ran quite so wild on English -book-plates as it did on foreign examples. M. Poulet Malassis assures us -that into one French book-plate of the last century were crowded the -whole _personnel_ of Olympus! - -FOOTNOTES: - -[7] The design has been more recently used by Thomas Gainsford. - -[8] William Oliver's plate from _Bibliographica_, vol. ii. p. 434. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -ENGLISH 'PICTURE' BOOK-PLATES - - -IN turning now to consider English book-plates which show us, apart from -the heraldry upon them, things wholly real, we find much that is -interesting. First, we have 'Portrait' book-plates, those which, either -combined with heraldry or entirely without it, show us the features of -the owner of the volume. There are but few of such book-plates, but they -are so interesting that we shall speak of them by themselves later on -(pp. 216-220); they are common to all periods, and the fashion of using -them has increased lately. - -Then we have book-plates in which books themselves--book piles or book -shelves--are the predominating feature in the design; with these, Sir -Arthur Vicars, in the pages of the _Ex Libris Journal_, has dealt -exhaustively. Though the book-plates which show us library interiors -would seem naturally to come into this class of examples, I have been -forced to except the majority of them, and to speak of them in the -previous chapter, as being in nearly every case at least tinged with -allegory. Even in the _sanctum_ of a doctor of divinity, Cupid frolics -about as happy, and as busy, as in a maiden's boudoir. Still there are a -few 'Library Interiors' entirely free from allegory. Take, for instance, -the book-plate of Sir Robert Cunliffe. Here we have the interior of a -library with a window to the right. Every ornament is thoroughly -'Chippendale' in character; the legs of the table, the cartouche (which -contains the name), the shield, and the woodwork surrounding the window. -On the table is a globe, upon a stand, the supports of which terminate -in Chippendale scrolls, an inkstand with a pen on it, and two books, one -closed, and the other open. There are numbers of books confusedly -disposed on the shelves, the ceiling of the room is plain, and there is -only a plain line for a cornice. The arms occupy the centre of the -plate, and appear to be suspended in mid-air, the foot of one of the -scrolls only resting on the table. - -Again, the book-plates of 'The Manchester Subscription Library,' 'The -Manchester Circulating Library,' and 'The Rochdale Circulating Library' -all show interiors of libraries, but free from allegoric inmates. These -three book-plates are nearly identical. There are shelves of books at -the sides, a tiled floor, a table in the foreground, a panelled ceiling -with a cornice; and, at the end of the room, perhaps a passage. There is -a round arch containing a window of three lights, the centre one having -a round top. The general appearance of the room is classical Very -similar is the book-plate of the Liverpool Library. Here we have a -complicated Chippendale bookcase, with ten columns upon square bases, -and ornamental capitals of no particular style. The shelves are filled -with books, and the two central divisions of the bookcase are all -cupboards. In the centre of the case, among Chippendale scrolls, is the -crest of the town, and below the central division of the bookcase are -the words 'Liverpool Library' in two lines. Below the whole is a large -cartouche, in the same style as the rest of the plate, inscribed, -'Allowed for reading . . . . days. Forfeiture, . . . d. per day.' Mr. -J. Paul Rylands, in his interesting _Notes on Book-Plates_, tells us -that this library, now the Lyceum, was founded on the 1st of May 1758; -the book-plate was, no doubt, engraved soon afterwards, as all the -ornamentation introduced is certainly 'Chippendale.' So, too, is that on -the book-plate engraved by John Pine in 1750, which the Benchers of -Gray's Inn used for their volumes. Here a shell-shaped shield, bearing -the arms of the 'Learned and Honourable Society,' is apparently fastened -on to a background of book-shelves filled with books. So much for the -'Library Interiors.' The arrangement of the volumes in the other -book-plates in which books form the chief feature of decoration, is -generally like that shown opposite in the book-plate of William Hewer, a -Commissioner of the Navy, and the friend and secretary of Samuel Pepys. -How the scroll, on which are either the owner's arms or his name, is -supported, is not clear. - -[Illustration] - -The book-plate of Sir Philip Sydenham, dated 1699, when he was, as he -tells us, twenty-three years of age, offers another interesting example -of the Book-Pile design; Sir Philip shows us his coat of arms on the -face of the scroll, on the lower roll of which, in very small letters, -is written the inscription. Apparently neither this nor any of his other -book-plates completely satisfied him, for during the remaining forty -years of his life he had more than half-a-dozen different plates -designed, and nearly all of these are found in various 'states.' There -are, Mr. Fincham tells me, some sixteen varieties of Sir Philip's -book-plate; many of his books are now in Sion College Library. In the -book-plate of White Kennett, who filled the See of Peterborough from -1718 to 1728, we see how the emblems of episcopacy are treated when -introduced into book-plates of this type. White Kennett had other -book-plates; the rarest and earliest, engraved when he was at college, -is in the 'Simple Armorial' style. These 'Book-Pile' plates appear at -intervals down to the close of the century, and the style has been -recently revived by book-plate designers; it is simple and certainly -appropriate. The approximate date of each example may be generally -gathered from the shape of the shield containing the arms, or the style -of decoration around it. - -We have yet to speak of by far the most numerous class of those English -book-plates, which may be properly brought into our second division of -'Picture' book-plates--I mean the examples which represent upon them a -landscape, either real or imaginary. The real landscapes represented -have, of course, some direct reference to the plate; being a view, -either of the owner's house, his park, his parish church, his town or -village, of some particular spot in the immediate vicinity of his -residence, or of some incident connected with his career or -occupation--be it business, profession, or pleasure. For instance, -Horace Walpole, in one of his book-plates, shows us a view of his -'Palace of Varieties' at Strawberry Hill (see p. 106). Again, Thomas -Gosden, the angler sportsman and collector of angling literature, -introduces into his book-plate all sorts of angling and sporting gear, -even to a capacious whisky flask. 'The Hon^{ble} Robert Henry Southwell, -Lieut. 1st Regiment of Horse, 1767,' flanks his shield with various -kinds of military weapons and trophies; whilst 'Captain William Locker, -Royal Navy,' shows us the swelling bosom of a man-of-war 'foretop -gallant' sail, on which is figured his coat of arms. - -We will speak first of those book-plates on which the landscape is real, -and we will call them 'View' plates. Probably the earliest of these is -the very interesting one (see p. 105), which was engraved by Mynde about -1770 for the Library of the Public Record Office, then in the Tower of -London; here we have a remarkably faithful representation of the -historic building. The date at which the Tower book-plate was probably -engraved adds to its interest. Plates in this style hardly appear at all -before 1778 or 1780, and do not become common till five or six years -later. - -The book-plate of 'Peter Muilman of King S^{t.}, London, and Kirby Hall, -Castle Hedingham, Essex,' is one which, I think, may be classed among -'View' plates, since the ruins depicted on it have certainly the -appearance of having been sketched from the remains of some feudal -stronghold, perhaps from Castle Hedingham itself. In front of the ruins -is a wooded lawn, on which two robust cupids are wrestling for the -Muilman escutcheon. Kirby Hall is not shown: no doubt this was a -comfortable Georgian house round the corner, where Peter and his family -spent their summer holidays away from the bustle and smoke of King -Street. Presumably, the ruins of the castle were left standing in the -park for ornament's sake, to give a tone of feudalism to the Muilman -domain, whose owner, save by his book-plate, is not known to fame. The -plate was engraved by Terry of Paternoster Row, probably about 1775, so -that this again is an early example of its kind. - -[Illustration] - -Among other notable specimens of these 'View' book-plates may be -mentioned that which Pye, a Birmingham engraver, executed for 'T. W. -Greene' of Lichfield. Here we have an oval-shaped shield, bearing the -arms of Greene, resting against a tree-stump. In the distance is a -river, and Lichfield Cathedral. Later on, Pye engraved a very similar -book-plate for another Lichfield man--an attorney named Nicholson, who -went to live at Stockport. This shows Nicholson's residence on the -margin of a sheet of water. The arms rest against a shattered oak-tree. -A local view--one of Darlington--also appears on the book-plate of -George Allen, who describes himself as of that town. - -Collectors are wont to reckon as the most interesting example of a view -book-plate the vignette of Horace Walpole's house at Strawberry Hill, -with his arms hanging on a shield from a withered tree. Mr. Wheatley, -however, who is inclined to attribute the design to Walpole's friend, -Bentley, has suggested (_Bibliographica_, vol. iii. p. 88) that the -vignette was never used as a book-plate, but was exclusively reserved as -a kind of printer's device for the adornment of the books printed at the -Strawberry Hill Press. Sir Wollaston Franks has four varieties of the -vignette, one engraved on wood and three on copper; and I have certainly -seen at least one of them doing duty as a book-plate, but whether -rightfully or not it is impossible to say. - -Modern examples of View book-plates were, till quite recently, rare. One -of the quaintest is furnished by that used by the late Dr. Kendrick of -Warrington, and engraved for him in 1855; here we have a view of the -doctor's town as it was in 1783 and a picture of a 'loyal Warrington -Volunteer' of 1798. Quite a useful historical print! - -Now let me say a word about the Picture book-plates on which the -landscape is a fancy one. Prominent amongst these is that of 'Gilbert -Wakefield,' which shows us a pretty scene: a stag stoops to drink from a -rivulet that trickles through a wood. Very much later in date is a -charming vignette, representing a rock, over which a stream of water -trickles and sparkles as it falls into a pool below. Ferns and flags -grow in the pool. The book-plate belonged to Joseph Priestley, and on -that account we mention it after Wakefield's. Priestley was quite as -bitter a Dissenter and as ardent a controversialist as Gilbert -Wakefield, though it is more as a man of science that most people -remember him. His name is so intimately associated with Birmingham -politics at the time of the French Revolution, that the fact of his -book-plate being engraved by a Birmingham man--it is signed 'Allen sct. -Birming^{m}'--becomes the more interesting, and enables us to assign the -engraving to a marked period in the owner's life--the time when his -friendship with Lord Shelburne began to cool, and when, settling down at -Birmingham, he began work on his _History of the Corruptions of -Christianity_. James Yates, who edited Priestley's collected works, used -the same book-plate, after altering the name upon it. - -Another delightfully rural scene is depicted on the book-plate of 'John -Hews Bransby.' His motto reads, _Breve et irreparabile tempus_; and he -shows a rustic landscape, in which the figures represented have -evidently learnt the truth of the assertion. The sower scatters seed, -the ploughboy is engaged with his team,--all are making the most of -their time, yet there is no sign of hurry or bustle. The day is fine, -but clouds hover in the sky. On the left, a cottage nestles in the -trees, and the smoke from its chimney tells of the housewife within -preparing a meal for those who are earning it by their labour without. - -So much for landscapes having direct reference to the book-plates on -which they appear. Often, however, the landscape is purely a fancy one, -as that on the book-plate of Gregory Louis Way. A river flows through -fields, and beside it sits an armour-coated knight, who is either -wearied with the fight, or bowed down by the fickleness of his lady. His -shield rests beside him, and on it are depicted the arms of Way. The -moon sheds upon the scene what light she is able, but the sky is -overcast and stormy. - -I must not close this chapter without reference to the book-plates -produced by Thomas Bewick, many of which are familiar enough--as -examples of Bewick's art--to those who know little about book-plates, -and do not collect them. His are certainly for the most part 'Landscape' -plates; but I do not know whether to class them with these examples of -'View' book-plates, or with those which I have christened 'Fancy -Landscapes.' They were chiefly engraved for northern book-owners, but -one can hardly say that the particular bit of scenery on each--though, -doubtless, in most cases drawn from nature--has any special -applicability to the owner. I will therefore speak here of Bewick's -book-plates as forming a class by themselves. His first was prepared for -Thomas Bell, and is dated 1797, so that it is inaccurate to speak of -Bewick as the originator of the Landscape style in book-plates; he found -the style already followed by many engravers, and his taste and skill -brought it to perfection. The Bell plate is not uncommon, as the books -for which it was engraved were sold in 1860. It shows, in the foreground -of a landscape, an oval shield, inscribed 'T. Bell, 1797,' and resting -against a decayed tree. In the distance are trees, and above them rises -the tower of St. Nicholas's Church, in Newcastle--a favourite object -with Bewick. It is also introduced by Ralph Beilby into the book-plate -of Brand, the antiquary. - -Out of the hundred or so book-plates designed or engraved by Bewick, it -is difficult to know which to select for comment; but from the interest -which attaches to its owner, that of Robert Southey (figured on p. 111) -suggests itself. Here we have a rock, thickly crowned with shrubbery, -from which a stream of water falls into a brook below. Against the face -of the rock leans an armorial shield, bearing the Southey arms--a -chevron between three crosses crosslet. On the ground to the right of -the shield, and in contact with it, is the helmet, supporting on a -wreath the crest--an arm vested and couped at the elbow, holding in the -hand a crossed crosslet. Across the sinister chief corner of the shield, -and trailing thence to the ground, is thrown the riband bearing the -motto _In labore quies_. The date of the book-plate is probably about -1810. - -Not only Newcastle itself, but the whole line of country along the river -thence to Tynemouth, seems to have been Bewick's sketching ground, and -many of his sketches he used for book-plates. Jarrow and Tynemouth -itself were particularly favourite spots. Of the latter place his views -were mostly taken from the sea, and afford us delightful pictures of -water, shipping, and the ruins of Tynemouth Priory. The book-plate of -'Charles Charlton, M.D.,' is one of these. - -[Illustration: SOUTHEY'S BOOK-PLATE BY BEWICK.] - -A great many of the ordinary bits of landscape which Bewick used for -book-plates he afterwards utilised as tailpieces for various books -illustrated by him. The book-plate of the 'Rev. H. Cotes, Vicar of -Bedlington, 1802,' which shows us the reverend gentleman busily engaged -in fishing, doubtless a favourite sport with him, is an instance of this -diverted use; but in this case we know the history of the plate. Mr. -Cotes had practically edited the artist's second volume of _British -Birds_, and, as a slight return, Bewick prepared for him the book-plate -in question; but, owing to a subsequent quarrel, the artist never gave -the parson the block, turning it instead to his own account. - -There are a great many more copper-plate book-plates by Bewick than is -generally supposed. One of the most elaborate is that of 'Buddle -Atkinson,' which represents a bubbling trout-stream, into which an -angler casts his line: in the foreground is a crest enclosed in a -shield. Other copper-plate work by Bewick is found in the book-plates of -'Edward Moises, A.M.'--a shield of arms, with books, pens, artists' -tools of all kinds, and musical instruments; 'James Charlton' and 'A. -Clapham'--Tyneside scenes; 'J. H. Affleck, Newcastle-upon-Tyne'--a -shield of arms, in the midst of flowers and foliage; 'Tho^{s} Carr, -Newcastle'--a spring of water flowing from a rock; and some few others. - -Examples of the more unusual designs in Bewick's book-plates, _i.e._ -those in which scenery is not depicted, are found in the book-plates of -'John Anderson, St. Petersburgh'--a sportsman on horseback, which was -afterwards utilised as a vignette in _British Birds_; 'Mr. Bigges'--a -figure of liberty; 'Alex^{r} Doeg, shipbuilder'--a just-completed ship, -still standing on the stocks; and several others, which simply show the -shield of arms and owner's name. - -One reason why Bewick was so successful as an engraver of book-plates -lay in the fact that his ability was most conspicuous in a small design. -The work of such men as Hogarth or Bartolozzi seems cramped when it -appears on the small scale which alone a book-plate can admit; but with -Bewick, the smaller the size of the scene he desired to represent, the -greater was his skill in introducing into it both originality and -beauty. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -GERMAN BOOK-PLATES - - -I HAVE said that the use of book-plates, whether as commemorative of -gifts or as marks of ownership, originated in Germany. Here, well before -the close of the fifteenth century, we find at least three undoubted -book-plates, examples of which have survived until the present day, and -have recently been discovered fulfilling the function for which they -were originally intended. - -Fastened to the cover of an old Latin vocabulary was discovered the most -ancient of these book-plates. It is printed from a wood-block, and is -rough in execution. It shows us a hedgehog carrying a flower in its -mouth, trampling over fallen leaves; above is the inscription, '_Hans -Igler, das dich ein igel kuss_.' - -[Illustration: BOOK-PLATE OF HILDEBRANDE BRANDENBURG.] - -Following, in point of date, closely after this curious book-plate, -comes a small woodcut, representing an angel who holds a shield, on -which is displayed a black ox, with a ring passed through its nose--the -arms of the Brandenburg family. A written inscription beneath it states -that the book for which it was intended, and in which it was found, -belonged to Hildebrande Brandenburg of Biberach, who presented it to -the Carthusian monastery of Buxheim, of which he was a monk. This -book-plate, which is rudely coloured, is struck off on scraps of paper, -printed on one side; a curious illustration of the then scarcity of that -material. Oddly enough, another very early book-plate--probably of -almost the same date as the last--was also found in a book which -belonged to the same monastery, and which had been given to it by -Wilhelm von Zell. This book-plate also is anonymous; but the volumes -that contained it, as in the last case, bear a written inscription, -recording the fact that they belonged to the monastery in question, and -were the gift of the person whose arms are figured in the book-plate -inserted. - -From the fact that two of the three known fifteenth century book-plates -are connected with the monastery at Buxheim, it would seem as if the use -of a book-plate commended itself to the librarian of that monastery, who -commemorated the gifts of volumes by a book-plate bearing the donor's -arms. - -In the sixteenth century, German book-plates became numerous, and of -their beauty there can be no doubt. There is a difficulty, however, in -accepting many of the early armorial woodcuts which one finds; and it is -this: Suppose the example is no longer doing duty in a volume as a -book-plate, there is really no means of being assured that the cut of -arms is a book-plate at all; for very many of these plates are void of -any inscription, save perhaps a text or motto. Some of these -book-plates are probably the work, or from the design, of Albert Dürer. -He certainly produced some undoubted examples; the earliest, actually -dated, in 1516. This is the Ebner book-plate (see p. 119). The -inscription on this leaves us in no doubt as to its intended use: 'Liber -Hieronimi Ebner, 1516.' - -Eight years after completing the Ebner plate, Dürer engraved on copper a -Portrait plate of Bilibald Pirckheimer, a Nuremberg jurist of some note, -who became councillor to Maximilian I., and was the owner of a library, -whose subsequent history has been told in 'Books about Books' by Mr. -Elton in his _Great Book Collectors_. Now this Portrait plate, which is -dated 1524, was undoubtedly used by Pirckheimer as his book-plate. There -are plenty of known instances in which it may be still found fastened in -at the end of a volume. Whether or not it was intended for any other -purpose than that which I have here mentioned, we cannot say, for it -bears no inscription expressing its use. However--very possibly at the -same date--Dürer designed for Pirckheimer what was, without doubt, -intended for a book-plate, since it bears the inscription, 'Liber -Bilibaldi Pirckheimer.' This is, in many instances, found on the front -cover of volumes which also contain the book-plate last described -fastened on the back cover. - -It is a very striking book-plate. A strangely large helmet, on which is -placed an equally large crest, surmounts a pair of shields. The dexter -one bears the arms of Pirckheimer--a _birke_ or birch-tree; whilst the -sinister bears those of his wife, Margretha Rieterin--a crowned mermaid -with two tails, each of which she holds in her hands. Pirckheimer's arms -show the curious punning heraldry of the time, the _birke_ being, no -doubt, a playful allusion to the jurist's name. Clasping the helmet are -two angels. On either side of the shield is a large cornucopia -apparently filled with grapes and vine leaves, and amongst these stands -a smaller angel holding one end of a heavy festoon, the other end of -which is fastened to a ram's head, the centre of the design. Angels, -apparently at play, are also represented below the shield. Examples of -this plate are not uncommon in English collections, many of -Pirckheimer's books having passed into the Library of the Royal Society, -and some of these having been sold as duplicates, when they were bought -up by collectors for the sake of the book-plate. Sir Wollaston Franks -points out to me that there is yet a third variety of Pirckheimer's -book-plate, which is signed 'J. B. 1529,' and is not the work of Dürer. - -[Illustration] - -The book-plate of Hector Pömer, provost of the Church of St. Laurence at -Nuremberg, dated in 1525, is also ascribed to Dürer, though it is signed -with the initials 'R. A.' This signature is probably that of the artist -who cut the design upon wood, for it is now maintained that Dürer -himself only made the drawings for the woodcuts known as his; the -mechanical operation of cutting being handed over to assistants. The -Pömer plate is the earliest dated book-plate which bears a signature -either of the designer or the engraver. - -The size of this really fine example of early wood-engraving is 13 -inches by 9. On the principal shield in the design we have what are no -doubt the arms of the monastery, the gridiron of St. Laurence, -quartering those of Pömer. The gridiron is on the first and fourth -quarters, whilst the second and third contain what is heraldically -described as _per bend sable (?) and argent, three bendlets of the -first_. We say 'sable,' because the dark mass which the artist has here -shown is probably meant to represent this, but any dark colour may have -been intended, as I have already endeavoured to show (see p. 23). These -last arms are very probably Pömer's, for, in one of the small shields -which appear in each of the four corners of the design, they occur -again--the other three shields being most likely filled with arms -quartered by the Pömer family. The helmet surmounting the principal -shield is without wreath, and the crest is a demi-nun. The motto, 'To -the pure all things are pure,' is given, as in other of Dürer's -book-plates, in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. In charge of the shield stands -St. Laurence himself, dressed in a monk's garb, and holding in his right -hand the instrument of his martyrdom, and in his left the palm of -martyrdom. The nimbus appears around his head. The beauty of the design -is apparent at the first glance, and it becomes more apparent as we -look into it. - -Dr. Hector Pömer was the last Prior of the Abbey of St. Laurence in -Nuremberg. To him Erasmus gave a copy of his edition of the works of St. -Ambrose, issued from Froben's press. That very copy is in the possession -of the Rev. H. W. Pereira, and in each of the two thick volumes in which -the work is contained is Pömer's book-plate. One is struck with the -exquisite detail and treatment; as Mr. Pereira says, in describing the -plate, the expression and figure of St. Laurence is full of sweetness -and tender pathos. - -The list of 'Armories' by Dürer, as printed by Bartsch in vol. vii. of -the _Peintre-Graveur_, gives us some twenty examples, any of which may -have been used as book-plates. Some idea as to whether or not an early -armorial plate is really a book-plate may, however, be gained by taking -its measurement. A very large engraving should be regarded with -suspicion, though not necessarily rejected as a book-plate on account of -its size. Sir Wollaston Franks possesses a magnificent book-plate, -measuring no less than 14 × 10 inches, which is at this moment still -fulfilling its original functions. This is certainly the largest example -yet discovered. It has been known to collectors for some time in what -was believed to be a perfect state, but the copy just mentioned shows -that what was thought to be the whole was in reality only a portion of -the design, since it lacked the elaborate framework, which is richly -embellished with weapons and ensigns, as well as with musical -instruments of every description. This book-plate belonged to Count -Maximilian Louis Breiner, a distinguished official of the Emperor of -Austria in Lombardy. A striking feature in it is the introduction, above -the arms of the owner of the plate, of those of Austria, surmounted by -the imperial crown, supported by a couple of cherubs. Both the design -and engraving are the work of Giuseppe Petrarca, who probably produced -them during the closing years of the seventeenth century. - -[Illustration] - -Quite in a distinct style from the other German book-plates mentioned is -that figured opposite, which may be dated about the year 1530. It is -interesting from its owner, one Paulus Speratus, an ardent preacher of -the Lutheran doctrine at Augsburg, Württemberg, Salzburg, and Vienna, -and afterwards Bishop of Pomerania, who proved himself ready to undergo -suffering in the cause he imagined to be right. He was born in 1484, and -died in 1554. The shading in the arms is very peculiar, expressing as it -does, on the first and fourth divisions of the shield, _argent_ and -_vert_ at a period, as we have seen, long anterior to the use of lines -or dots to express the metals or tinctures in heraldry. An explanation -is no doubt to be found in the fact that the artist only intended to -represent some light colour in the shaded parts, in the same way as in -the second and third divisions of the shield he desired in the thickly -inked parts to represent _sable_. The book-plate is now preserved in a -copy of the Psalms translated into Russian by Francis Skorina, and -printed at Wilna about the year 1525. The peculiar inscription on this -book-plate is referred to on p. 166. - -We have spoken somewhat fully about these early examples of German -book-plates, because, both from the fact that they are the earliest -known to us, and that several of them are the designs of Albert Dürer, -they have a very special interest. Space precludes the possibility of -alluding in detail to later German examples, though they are, many of -them, exceedingly beautiful specimens of the engraver's art, as indeed -they may well be considering the men who engraved them--Lucas Cranach, -Jost Amman, Hans Troschel, Wolffgang Kilian of Augsburg, and the uncle -and nephew Giles and Joseph Sadeler. - -Let me, however, speak very tersely of a few examples of the productions -of these artists, in order that the reader's attention may be attracted -should he come across a specimen of their work. - -Two woodcuts by Lucas Cranach have certainly been used as book-plates, -though not designed by the artist as such, for they both appear among -other cuts in a work illustrated by him. Sir Wollaston Franks possesses -both varieties. In one, we have a half-length figure of St. Paul. He is -seated, and reading a book, the lines of which he follows with his -finger. His head is surrounded with the nimbus, whilst a shaggy beard -nearly covers the face. The right hand holds a double sword with the -points upwards; beneath this is the shield of the Elector of Saxony. -Above the upper line of the plate is an inscription, showing that it was -intended to mark the volumes belonging to the 'preachership' -('Predicatur') at Oringen. The other woodcut by Cranach is very similar -in design, but the figure represented is that of St. Peter, and it bears -the inscription 'Stadt Orngau.' - -It is worth remarking that in one instance at least, on removing the -book-plate portraying St. Paul, a smaller hand-drawn book-plate was -found, which consisted of a shield half red and half white, and upon it -a key, placed in pale, countercharged. There is no inscription on this -book-plate, nor is there any margin shown--the paper being cut close to -the design. - -Jost Amman is another German artist who leaves us in a difficulty as to -deciding as to which of his many armorial engravings were really -intended for book-plates. One undoubted book-plate by him, however, -exists, and this was designed for a member of the Nuremberg family of -Holzschuher--'Wooden shoes.' Wooden shoes, or sabots, appear as charges -on the shield, and afford another example of the punning heraldry which -was then fashionable in Germany. This is a fine book-plate, engraved on -copper, and signed 'J. A.'; its size, 7-3/4 × 6-1/8 inches. The shield -is supported by two angels and a lion. - -Hans Sibmacher or Siebmacher was another Nuremberg engraver; he worked -there quite at the close of the sixteenth century and in the early years -of the seventeenth. He also executed a book-plate for a member of the -Holzschuher family. This is a more elaborate piece of work than Amman's, -though smaller (4-1/2 × 3-3/8 inches). Its characteristic feature is a -closely-woven wreath of leaves, with clusters of fruit and ornaments -introduced at intervals. Seated on this wreath, at the top of the -design, are two reading cherubs clothed in 'nature unadorned.' Below the -design is an oblong and indented bracket. - -Hans Troschel's work as a book-plate engraver is illustrated by the -book-plate of yet another Nuremberg man--John William Kress of -Kressenstain, dated in 1619. In this we are shown a shield set in an -oval wreath of leaf-work. The helmet which surmounts it displays some -elaborate work; finely-cut mantling extends itself from this on the -right side and on the left; and above is a cornet, which encircles the -crest. The whole is enclosed in a circle of leaves and berries, somewhat -similar to that just described in speaking of Sibmacher's work; but -outside this, at each of the four corners of the plate, are small -shields surmounted by helmets and crests, and containing the arms of the -four families from which he immediately descended, their names being -given. Nestling amongst the mantling on the left side of the design is a -distinct shield, on which are depicted the arms of Susanna Koler, wife -of the owner of the book-plate. - -Wolffgang Kilian (born 1581, died 1662) was an Augsburg man, and the -book-plate which bears his signature and the date, 1635, is that of an -Augsburg church dignitary--Sebastian Myller, suffragan-bishop of -Adramytteum, and Canon of Augsburg. In its ornamentation it bears some -resemblance to an English Jacobean book-plate. Above the shield is the -head of a cherub, on which the episcopal mitre is made to rest in a -somewhat comical manner; the cherub's wings protrude over the top of, -and into, the shield. The inscription is contained in an oval band; -outside this is an oval leaf-wreath, and outside this again an indented -frame. Wolffgang was a younger brother of the more noted Lucas Kilian. -Both brothers studied at Venice, and were pupils of their stepfather, -Dominick Custos, who was himself a designer of book-plates. - -Of Giles Sadeler's work--the Count of Rosenberg's book-plate--I shall -speak directly (pp. 130, 131). An example of his nephew's engraving is -afforded by the book-plate of Ferdinand von Hagenau, dated in 1646. - -In later times--the eighteenth century--other distinguished German -artists 'stooped' to book-plate engraving. Amongst them was Daniel -Nicholas Chodowiecki (the son of a Dantzig drug merchant), born in 1726. -Chodowiecki is best known as a book-illustrator, in which his great -knowledge of costume--at a period when the point was little -studied--stood him in good stead. His book-plates are probably few; only -four or five are known. One of the most elaborate in design is that of a -German doctor of medicine, dated in 1792, nine years before the artist's -death. - -In this example much of the sensational style of the generality of his -work manifests itself. 'The book-plate,' says Lord De Tabley, 'in its -motive reminds us much of those allegoric framed certificates of -membership which various sick clubs and benefit societies accord to -their members at the present day. In the foreground, Æsculapius is -pushing out a skeleton draped in a long white sheet, with a scythe -across its shoulder. The god is sturdily applying his serpent-twined -staff to the somewhat too solid back of the terrible phantom. Behind, -beneath a kind of pavilion, lies a sick person in bed; his hands are -upraised in silent thankfulness as he watches the prowess of the healing -deity.' The book-plate was engraved for Dr. C. S. Schintz. Besides this, -Chodowiecki engraved, about 1770, a book-plate for himself, and, about -ten years later, one for the French seminary at Berlin. - -[Illustration] - -The book-plate of Dr. Schintz calls to mind a somewhat earlier German -example, engraved by Boetius from a design by Wernerin (whose signature -appears on some varieties of the plate), about the middle of the last -century. It is figured opposite, and is perhaps the most gloomy -book-plate that it ever entered into the mind of man to conceive. A -skeleton sits upon a coffin, or a coffin-shaped tomb, holding in his -right hand a pair of scales, and in his left a scythe; in the lighter -balance of the scales is a scroll, bearing the inscription, 'Dan. v. 25, -_Mene Tekel_'; in the background we see monuments, Lombardy poplars or -cypress-trees, and a distant landscape. This uninviting picture is -contained in a frame, inscribed, in a medallion above, 'E Bibliotheca -Woogiana,' and below, _Nominor â libra: libratus ne levis unquam -Inveniar, præsta pondere, Christe, tuo_,--a motto in which the owner -makes a play upon the derivation of his name from _wage_, the German for -a weight or balance, and asks the bestowal of divine weight on the day -of soul-weighing. - -As compared with German book-plates, those of other countries are sadly -deficient in artistic composition. The former, particularly examples of -the seventeenth century, are ornate and well designed. - -Take, for instance, the really magnificent book-plate of Peter Vok, -Ursinus, Count of Rosenberg, dated '1609.' It is engraved on copper, and -measures 10 inches by 6. In a central circular medallion, 3-2/3 inches -in diameter, is depicted the owner, arrayed in armour, and seated on a -richly caparisoned war-horse, plumed, and going at full speed across a -landscape of hillocks. On his breastplate is an escutcheon bearing his -arms; a knight's sword is in his hand. Round the margin of the medallion -runs a wreath of roses. Platforms come out on either side of the -medallion, and on each of these there stands a figure about 5 inches in -height; the one on the left is a female symbolical form, clad in flowing -drapery, and holding in one hand the cup of the Eucharist, and in the -other a cross. A somewhat similar figure stands on the right, holding in -her hand a tablet, inscribed _Verbum Domini manet in eternum_. - -The medallion rests upon two bears--an allusion, of course, to the -family name of the owner, _Ursinus_--crouching between the two female -figures described. The face of the altar-like platform below is divided -into one central and two lateral compartments, of which the side ones -project forward. On the right lateral slab is an escutcheon, charged -simply with the Rosenberg rose; whilst on the left we see the family -arms, as on the breastplate, but surmounted with an ermine-faced crown. -On the central slab is a skull resting on two shin-bones. - -Reaching across the upper portion of the design is an oblong tablet, -with indented shelly scroll-work edges, and a background border of large -full-blown roses, with thorny stems. With the inscription, which is -appropriately pompous, I need not trouble the reader; but I have thought -it worth while to give here (following Lord De Tabley's example, and -using sometimes his words) a very full verbal picture of this truly -magnificent book-plate, in order that the pitch of elaboration to which -a German book-plate can be carried may be understood. Suffice it to add -that this work of art was engraved by Giles Sadeler, the Antwerp-born -engraver, who, after studying in Italy, was invited by the Emperor -Rudolph II. to enter his service at Prague; in short, to become what he -styles himself in his signature to this book-plate--'Engraver to His -Imperial Majesty.' - -Less elaborate, yet very beautifully engraved, are the book-plates used -in the Electoral Library of the Dukes of Bavaria at Munich. On one, -dated in 1618, the largest variety of which is 7 inches high and 5-1/2 -broad, we have the arms of the Duchy enclosed by the collar of the -Golden Fleece. Winged Caryatides support the Electoral crown, whilst -below is an arabesqued platform, on which is the inscription: _Ex -Bibliotheca Serenissimorum Utriusque Bavariæ Ducum_, 1618. A smaller -variety of this plate is figured opposite. Some twenty years later, a -still larger and more ornate book-plate (10 × 7 inches) was designed for -use in the same library. Here the arms are in an oval frame, surrounded -by the Golden Fleece; on the right and left are inverted cornucopiæ, and -the crown is held aloft by four cherubs. All the book-plates of this -library exist in a great variety of design, and nearly all the varieties -are found in different sizes. - -[Illustration] - -These examples are typical of many other German book-plates; the -conception of the design is excellent, and its working out is equally -good. In later times, the work on book-plates perhaps deteriorated, -because it fell, to a large extent, into inferior hands. Yet Germany -can show several very creditable examples in the eighteenth century. -Some of those which give the view of a library interior are decidedly -pleasing; they appear soon after the commencement of the century. The -libraries represented have usually one or more mythological inmates; -but, in one instance, the owner is in possession, and is seen hard at -work amongst his volumes. - -In concluding this chapter, it may be noted that examples of -name-tickets are found in Germany as in other countries. Perhaps the -earliest is one (first noticed, I believe, by Mr. Weale) in a copy at -the Bodleian Library of a German Psalter printed at Augsburg in 1498. -This reads, 'Sum Magistri Georgii Mayrii Monacencis' [_i.e._ of Munich], -with the motto, 'Melius est pro veritate pati supplicium, quam pro -adulatione consequi beneficium.' The same inscription has been written -in ink on the title-page, with the added date 1513, and afterwards--no -doubt a few years later when the label was printed and placed in the -book--crossed through. - -The most complete work on German book-plates that has yet made its -appearance is Herr Warnecke's _Die Deutschen Bücherzeichen_, Berlin, -1890; but a work properly classifying the different styles of German -book-plates, and affixing to these styles covering dates, has yet to be -written. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -THE BOOK-PLATES OF FRANCE AND OTHER COUNTRIES - - -FRANCE, so far as a generally descriptive account of her book-plates is -concerned, is certainly more fortunate than her neighbour Germany. -French book-plates received attention, in the shape of a capital work -upon them, before those of any other country were similarly honoured. M. -Poulet Malassis's _Les Ex libris Français_ made its first appearance in -1874, and bears evident testimony to the fact that the author had for -many years previously made an attentive study of his native book-plates. - -Since the appearance of M. Poulet Malassis's work, book-plate collecting -in France, as well as in other countries, has been vigorously carried -on, and earlier examples of dated French book-plates than those then -known have come to light. The most ancient of these is one dated 1574 -(the same year, it will be noted, as that of the plate of Sir Nicholas -Bacon), but it is simply typographical, having no kind of design -whatever. It reads: 'Ex bibliotheca Caroli Albosii E. Eduensis. Ex -labore quies.' No Armorial book-plate bearing an engraved date appears -in France until thirty-seven years later, when we, at last, meet with -that of Alexandre Bouchart, Vicomte de Blosséville, engraved by Léonard -Gaultier, and, in the copy in the Bibliothèque Nationale, dated 1611. A -variety of this book-plate, undated, unsigned, and probably not by the -same hand, exists in the collection of Sir Wollaston Franks. The field -in the Bouchart arms is gules, though the lines shown in the engraving -of the undated plate would, according to the present system, represent -it as azure (see remarks on this point at p. 22). After the Bouchart -book-plate, we have, in 1613, that of Melchior de la Vallée, Canon of -Nancy, given by M. Poulet Malassis as dated in 1611, and then, in 1644, -a roughly-executed anonymous book-plate signed 'Raigniauld Riomi, 1644.' -The arms are untinctured, and leaflike mantling falling from the helmet -surrounds the shield; there is no crest. Raigniauld--or, as the modern -spelling of the name is, Regnault--is not a known engraver. Riomi is an -old-fashioned town of Auvergne. - -Other French book-plates of the seventeenth century, both dated and -undated, exist; but France is undeniably behind Germany both in the -number of her early book-plates and in their beauty; for instance, we do -not in France find those numerous book-plates of ecclesiastical -corporations which so much swell the list of early German examples. The -subject of French ecclesiastical book-plates has, indeed, received -special treatment from Father Ingold, himself a French ecclesiastic; and -he is compelled to admit that such book-plates are not numerous and not -ancient. The old way seems to have been for the monastic official in -charge of the convent library to inscribe each volume with some -appropriate inscription. These are in themselves interesting; but -book-plate lovers must regret the existence of the fashion. The earliest -French ecclesiastical book-plates belong to the middle of the eighteenth -century, and, like the 1574 example already noticed, they are mere -typographical labels, possessing little more artistic merit than is -usually displayed in a post-mark. - -With regard, however, to the book-plates of ecclesiastical individuals, -the case is different; some of them engraved during the seventeenth -century are ambitious and interesting. A particularly quaint example is -found in the book-plate which an Annecy engraver, named Sinton, executed -for Charles de Sales, the energetic labourer in the cause of religion, -brother of St. Francis de Sales, and his successor in the Bishopric of -Annecy. Lord De Tabley thus describes the book-plate:--'The family arms -are shown in a shield, which appears very gigantic, in a frame of heavy -curves, which is set in the centre of a huge sideboard-like monumental -structure. On the top ledges of this, two full-grown, long-skirted -angels, seated right and left, uphold the episcopal hat (with its usual -knotted ropes and tassels) in air above the escutcheon. - -'At the base of the structure, to the right, appears a figure of St. -Francis de Sales, seated, holding an olive branch in one hand, while -beneath his other arm is a profuse cluster of fruit. To the left, also -seated, is a portrait of St. Jane Frances De Chantal, holding a -palm-branch, also with fruit beneath her other arm. Each portrait is -realistic, and not in the least flattered. Between them is a medallion -bearing the crossed papal keys.' - -The probable date of this very curious book-plate is 1642. It appears -earlier, but this may be accounted for by the fact that the work is -provincial. Students will do well to remember that provincially executed -book-plates, English or foreign, are often misleading in this respect. - -There is a somewhat elaborate book-plate, engraved in several sizes, and -dated in 1692, which introduces the cardinal's hat, mitre, and crozier, -and which was prepared to place in the books given by Dr. Peter Daniel -Huet to the Paris Jesuits. Huet is himself an interesting figure in -French literature. In 1670 he was made tutor to the Dauphin, and whilst -so employed he assisted in bringing out the sixty-two volumes of -classics, specially prepared for his pupil, known as the _Delphin_ -edition. He became Bishop of Avranches in 1689, but ten years after -resigned his see in order to devote the remainder of his life to -literature, which he did, completing amongst other voluminous works a -defence of the doctrine of Christianity. - -[Illustration: BOOK-PLATE OF CHARLES DE SALES.] - -It is from their possessors that French book-plates derive their chief -interest; and these possessors are for the most part persons who lived -at a late date. Amongst the few early celebrities is the soldier-poet of -France, Francis de Malherbe, of whom it has been said that he was as lax -in morals as he was rigid in his zeal for the purity of his native -language. His book-plate is figured at p. 25, and is interesting as -showing that no reliance can be placed on lines, apparently expressing -the colour of the shield in early Armorial book-plates (see pp. 21-22). -He died in 1628. The books containing this very pleasing book-plate -passed after De Malherbe's death to Vincent de Boyer, in whose family -they remained till the Revolution; after that they were dispersed. - -Coming to later times, we find a charming book-plate, engraved by Le -Grand for the unfortunate Countess Dubarry. Her books were well chosen -and well bound, but they were few in number; hence her book-plate is -rare, but it may be seen in the library at Versailles, where most of her -books are preserved. Though she could not read, she seems to have felt -in duty bound to follow 'La Pompadour' in getting together a library to -amuse her royal master. - -From the book-plate of the countess--a woman who, after aiding in the -general degradation of the French court, was willing to risk her life -for those whose downfall she had in a measure assisted in bringing -about--we may appropriately turn to that of Cardinal Maury; the -inscription on which reads: _Bibliothèque particulière de son Eminence -Mgr. le Cardinal Maury_. This book-plate calls to mind a famous figure -in the French Revolution,--a fervent preacher, the spokesman of his -fellow-clergy before those who were but little inclined to listen to -argument; the calm-minded man, who would turn round and give a witty -retort to a cry raised by the mob which followed through the streets of -Paris, clamouring for his blood. - -The mention of these names leads one naturally to speak generally of -book-plates engraved about the time of the French Revolution,--a period -which is immortalised in a singular manner on French book-plates. M. -Poulet Malassis remarks that many a noble library owner took good care -to alter his book-plate in those troublesome times, and to replace the -coronet which had surmounted the family escutcheon by the Phrygian cap -of liberty. For instance, the Viscount de Borbon-Busset in 1793 changed -his Armorial book-plate to a simple inscription--in which he calls -himself 'Citoyen François'--surrounded by a leafy garland. The same -fashion is exemplified even in clerical examples. Father le Mercier in -his first book-plate displays the coronet which he either was, or at -least considered himself to be, entitled to bear; but between 1789 and -1792 we find a second example of his book-plate, with a simple -decorative finish to the top of the design in lieu of the coronet. At -that time there was in France, as Mr. Walter Hamilton puts it, 'an -awkward fashion of putting heads accustomed to coronets under the -falling knife of the guillotine.' - -As far as the classifying of the leading styles in French book-plates -goes, M. Poulet Malassis does not really help us much; and we cannot but -hope that ere long some enterprising French collector will undertake the -task. There is certainly, as M. Poulet Malassis observes, a -resemblance--as the reader will see by turning back to the illustration -of De Malherbe's book-plate--between the style of the first French -book-plates and that of the first English; and it is noteworthy that the -style disappeared in both countries much at the same time. Again, French -book-plates of 1720-1730 bear distinct traces of what we have called -'Jacobean' work in speaking of English examples. - -The French _Rococo_ book-plate is really analogous to our 'Chippendale.' -There is, however, a greater variety both of subject and treatment in -each French style than one finds in England. - -Allegory is, as I stated in Chapter iv., more frequent and more wild in -French book-plates than in those of England. The follies of his own -countrymen in this respect are fully recognised by M. Poulet Malassis, -who, in most amusing style, deals with some of the more pronounced -examples; as for instance the rollicking allegory displayed in the -book-plate of M. Hénault, President of the French Academy. The date of -this remarkable production may be fixed at 1750; it is designed by -Boucher and engraved by Count de Caylus, and we see that Minerva has -honoured M. le Président by placing his family arms upon her shield. -Very wonderful, too, is the book-plate of the Abbé de Gricourt, whose -arms are borne heavenwards by a vast company of angels. This example, -which is approximately of the same date as the last, is the work of the -Abbé's brother, A. T. Ceys, who was himself an ecclesiastic. Often the -allegory displayed has allusion to the owner's business or his tastes, -as on that of M. Gueullette, a French novelist and dramatist of the -first half of the last century, the popularity of whose writings, -although those writings are numerous, has not outlived him. This -book-plate is the work of H. Becat, and is inscribed after the -Pirckheimer manner, 'Ex libris Thomæ Gueullette et Amicorum.' The family -arms are supported by an Italian harlequin, a Chinese mandarin, a -Cyclops holding an infant, and a Tartar. Now the presence of these -strange inhabitants of a book-plate is accounted for thus. Gueullette -wrote farces for the Paris stage, and he also wrote 'Contes Tartares' -and 'Les Aventures du Mandarin Fum Hoam.' Below the shield water pours -from a satyr's mouth into a basin containing a mermaid, and above soars -Cupid in clouds, bearing aloft a scroll and motto. This, says 'W. H.' in -the _Ex Libris Journal_, is probably one of the earliest book-plates on -which appear allegoric allusions to its owner's tastes and literary -labours. - -The _Typical_ or _Personal_ book-plate is also found in France in that -of the Chevalier de Fleurieu, described by Mr. Egerton Castle. During -the _ancien régime_ he was a naval officer, who, whilst still low in the -service, was intrusted with the testing of various new marine -appliances. On the book-plate we get the bird's-eye view of an island, -on which are strewn the said marine appliances, and behind them stands -the Chevalier's coat of arms. - -A recent writer on French book-plates, M. Henri Bouchot, goes so far as -to think a book-plate may be of service as exhibiting a man's character. -It may be so with regard to Frenchmen and French book-plates, but if -this principle of argument be applied to English book-plates, all I can -say is, that the possessors of English book-plates in the closing years -of the seventeenth century and the opening years of the eighteenth must -have been singularly alike in their personal characteristics! - -[Illustration] - -The 'Library Interior' book-plate is found in France as early as 1718, -in an anonymous book-plate described by Mr. Walter Hamilton in the _Book -Worm_ for May 1892. It shows us, in the background of a library, two men -working a printing-press. In the foreground are five little winged -cupids at play with books and mathematical instruments, whilst a female -figure, representing peace and plenty, appears seated on what Mr. -Hamilton conjectures to be a Pegasus. The engraving is by Bernard -Picart, an eminent engraver, who, though a Frenchman by birth, settled -at Amsterdam in 1710 (he died in 1733) and was evidently much influenced -by the then prevailing style in Dutch art. He executed another very -beautiful 'Library Interior' plate (figured opposite) for Amadeus -Lulin, a Savoyard. Here we have the interior of a French library of the -period, with a curved roof. At the end of the room is a window and -beneath this a Louis XV. table. In the foreground the same cupids 'play -with books,' which, by the way, they are treating exceedingly badly. -Caryatides at the sides form a frame for the plate. On the breast of one -is a sun; the other holds a heart. A globe surmounts each. The arms are -shown in the centre of the design at the top. - -Other examples of French book-plates of this kind are found quite late -in the century, and any one who feels specially interested in the -subject of these, and indeed of 'Library Interior' book-plates as a -whole, will do well to study Sir Arthur Vicars's valuable treatise and -lists in the pages of the _Ex Libris Journal_. - -About the book-plates of countries other than Germany and France there -is not very much to be said. Sweden has given us an insight into its -native book-plates.[9] Herr Carlander tells us that the earliest date on -a Swedish book-plate is 1595, which occurs on that belonging to Thure -Bielke, a senator who, having mixed himself up in political strife, lost -his head by a stroke of the executioner's axe five years later. Senator -Bielke was evidently far in advance of his fellow-countrymen as regards -such matters; for no other dated Swedish book-plate occurs for a -considerable number of years. In the eighteenth century, however, -Swedish book-plates became much more numerous, and some of the more -prominent native engravers appear to have worked upon them, producing a -few singularly fine examples in the _Rococo_ style; library interiors -also appear occasionally on Swedish book-plates. One of the most -interesting late examples of book-plates of this country is that of King -Charles XIII. On this we have the royal arms of Sweden, surmounted by -the collar and cross of the order of the Seraphim, and the king's motto, -'Folkets wäl mint hogsta lag'--'The people's weal my highest law.' I -imagine that this book-plate may be placed at the close of the last -century. Charles died in 1818. - -Swiss book-plates are numerous and early. The first dated example occurs -in 1607. Their general style is not pleasing, since it presents a -stiffness and awkwardness in the arrangement of the decoration. Italian -book-plates, again, possess few remarkable features. Perhaps their -leading characteristic is the extreme coldness of their engravers' -touch. One of these engravers was, however, a famous man, whose work -deserves more than passing mention. I mean Raphael Morghen, the -Florentine artist, who died in 1833, and who is said to have been able -to engrave a plate when he was only twelve years old. It is curious to -turn from his large engravings of the chief works in the gallery at -Florence, to the unusually small work which enables us to reckon him -here among the engravers of book-plates. This is a representation of -the arms of the Duke of Cassano Serra, framed in a shelly frame, -somewhat 'Chippendale' in appearance, but with the stiff, heavy -'Jacobean' wreath clinging closely to it. In a scroll which winds in and -out of this wreath is the inscription: 'Il Duca Cassano Serra'; it is -signed 'R. Morghen f[ecit].' - -A careful investigation of the Vatican and other Italian libraries would -probably lead to the discovery of some more papal book-plates. Sir -Wollaston Franks tells me that amongst his numerous engravings of the -papal arms, there is only one which he feels sure was ever used as a -book-plate. The late Sir George Dasent, in _Notes and Queries_,[10] -describes what he considers the book-plate of Maffeo Barberini, Urban -VIII.; but he does not tell us what leads him to the belief that the -engraving is really a book-plate. - -About Spanish book-plates not much is yet known, and it seems likely -that the majority of examples usually classed as Spanish were designed -and executed in Flanders. The family of Bouttats--the original Bouttats -had, says Walpole, twenty sons, of whom twelve became engravers--executed -some of these book-plates. Amongst their work is one which Lord De -Tabley styles 'a gloomy yet striking heraldic study'; it is signed 'P. -B. Bouttats, sculp.,' and was probably engraved about the middle of the -seventeenth century. It shows us the arms of a bishop surmounted by a -plumed helmet, above which again is a bishop's hat, with pendent ropes -and tassels; beneath is the motto: 'Por la Leÿ Bezerra ÿ por el Rëy.' A -particularly fine example of Flemish heraldic art is furnished by the -book-plate engraved and signed by J. Harrewyn, of Brussels, and dated -1723; the inscription gives us quite a biographical sketch: 'Messire -Charles Bonaventure, Comte vander Noot, Baron de Schoonhoven et de Mares -&c^{a}; Conseiller de sa Ma^{te} Imp^{le} et Cath^{e} au souverain -Conseil de Brabant par patante du 9 Mars 1713, Reçu aux Etats nobles de -Brabant, fils de Messire Rogier Wouthier, en son vivant Baron de Carloo -&c^{a}; et deputez ordinaire au dit corps de la noblesse des Etats de -Brabant, et de Dame Anne Louÿse vander Gracht, née Baronne de Vrempde et -d'Olmen, &c^{a}.' - -Our knowledge of Russian or Polish book-plates is chiefly derived from -the illustrations shown in Monsieur S. J. Siennicki's work, entitled -_Les Elzevirs de la Bibliothèque de L'Université Impériale de Varsovie_. -Here we have some examples of the book-plates both of distinguished -laymen and ecclesiastics. The probability is that none are of an early -date, and they are certainly not conspicuous as works of art. The -Russian style is perhaps the more distinct, though in many respects -resembling the French, especially that shown in the more pronounced -examples of the Louis XV. epoch. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[9] _Svenska Bibliotek och Ex Libris antecknigar af C. M. Carlander, med -84 illustrationer._ Stockholm, 1889, and Supplement, 1891. - -[10] Sixth series, vol. i. p. 2. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -AMERICAN BOOK-PLATES - - -WHATEVER an American collects, he collects well: he works with a will -and energy that loosens his purse-strings in a manner which makes the -acquisition of valuable specimens a comparatively easy matter. It is -well, therefore, that book-plate collecting has found its way over the -Atlantic, and that there is now a goodly body of American book-plate -collectors who are giving the requisite amount of attention to American -examples, and who are not keeping to themselves the result of their -labours. In the first edition of this book I wrote: 'No doubt, ten years -hence, we shall know a great deal more about American book-plates'; and -already the appearance of Mr. Charles Dexter Allen's[11] interesting and -carefully composed account of them has enabled me materially to improve -this chapter, which I have devoted to them. - -The majority of book-plates which bear upon them American addresses, -especially those belonging to the Southern States, many of which appear -with the opening of the eighteenth century, are, without doubt, the work -of engravers in the then mother-country.[12] The library owners of -Virginia sent to England for these book-plates, or their sons ordered -them there, whilst paying the orthodox visit to one of the universities, -and brought them home, either for their own use or for the use of their -fathers. The northern book-plates, though much later, are mostly the -work of artists born and bred, or at least settled, in America. - -Foremost in interest and earliest in date of these American -address-plates is that of William Penn, on which he styles himself -'Proprietor of Pensylvania.' This is designed in the ordinary 'Simple -Armorial' style then common in England, and is dated in 1702. It is -therefore subsequent to Penn's last visit to his 'plantation,' and -cannot have been the work of an engraver on that side of the Atlantic. -After his death, the inscription on this book-plate was altered, for his -son's use, to 'Thomas Penn of Stoke Pogeis, in the county of Bucks, -first proprietor of Pensilvania (_sic_).' The expression 'first' must -here be evidently read as 'chief' or 'principal.' The fact of this -alteration is important for collectors to note, as copies of William -Penn's book-plate are frequently offered for sale, which--they are -palpably recent impressions--are said to be struck from the original -plate; a statement which, from the fact mentioned, may be at once -discredited.[13] - -Next in point of date is a much more ornate book-plate, the inscription -on which reads: 'William Byrd of Westover, in Virginia, Esquire.' It is -an elaborate piece of work, excellently engraved in the style of the -majority of English book-plates of 1720 or thereabouts, 'Simple -Armorial,' but with indications of Jacobean decoration. William Byrd was -born in Virginia, 28th March 1694; he was sent to England to be -educated, and returned to his native country, having his mind 'stored -with useful information to adorn its annals, his manners cultivated in -royal Courts,' and with this book-plate, as a mark of his devotion to -literature. - -The famous Westover mansion, which may to-day be viewed from the James -River, two hours' sail below Richmond, was for long the viceregal Court -of Virginia. It was erected about the year 1678, by William Byrd, who -left England when very young, and was father to his namesake, whose -book-plate has just been described, the author of the famous _Westover -Manuscripts_, compiled in 1732-33. - -Some five years before the probable date of the Byrd book-plate, we have -note of that belonging to 'Robert Elliston, gent., Comptrol^{r} of His -Majestie's Customs of New York in America MDCCXXV.' This book-plate is -quite 'Jacobean' in style, and was no doubt executed in England, and -sent out to the colony. It is too fine a piece of work to be the -production of any colonial engraver of that date. - -But the interest attaching to book-plates bearing upon them American -addresses, and used by residents in America, is obviously not so great -as that awakened by examples which were also actually produced in -America,--examples which at once give us an insight into the state of -the engraver's art, and of the artistic feeling then existing there. - -The earliest of these is the book-plate of the 'Rev. John Williams,' -first minister of Deerfield, Mass., dated in 1679. The next, in 1704, -that of Thomas Prince, an American born and bred, who graduated from -Harvard College in 1707, and paid his first visit to England in 1709, so -that his book-plate may be taken as genuinely American. In design it -resembles dozens of English examples,--a rough woodcut border of -national emblems, within which is the inscription, 'Thomæ Prince Liber, -Anno Domini, 1704'; the sequence of the words in the inscription, the -reader will notice, being somewhat unusual. The Prince Library was -bequeathed to a Society, which became known as 'the New England -Library,' and which itself had a similar label prepared recording the -gift. A part of the collection is now in the Boston Public Library. - -But these two examples stand by themselves; it is not until the middle -of the eighteenth century that any number of book-plates of American -execution are found; after that, there are a really considerable -quantity. Their style is not particularly distinctive; it is at first -either Jacobean or 'Chippendale,' or a combination of the two styles; -later, the 'wreath and ribbon,' and landscape and pictorial styles are -introduced and treated much as in England. In execution, American -book-plates are perhaps a trifle coarse. The more prominent of their -engravers seem to have been--Hurd, Dawkins, Anderson, Johnson, -Callendar, Doolittle, the Mavericks, Revere, and Turner. Revere is the -best known; he was a picture engraver of some merit; but for the most -part the names quoted are those of men of little artistic reputation. -Nathaniel Hurd was probably the earliest of these engravers, and not the -worst. He was born at Boston in 1729, the son of an American, who was a -goldsmith in that town. Nathaniel was his father's apprentice; he -devoted himself to working on copper, and so naturally would turn his -attention to book-plates. Probably the earliest example, signed by him -as 'N. H.,' and dated in 1749, was designed for Thomas Dering. This is -the earliest signed and dated American book-plate yet brought to light; -Hurd was barely twenty when he produced it. As a seal and book-plate -engraver he worked hard and well; he died in 1777. One of his most -original book-plates is that of Harvard College. A curiously short and -wide shield, bearing the college arms, is encircled by a band bearing -the inscription, 'Sigill. Coll. Harvard. Cantab. Nov. Angl. 1650.' -Outside this circle are two leaf sprays, tied at the base and nearly -meeting at the top. Both in conception and execution this is a very -peculiar book-plate. The Dering plate, on the other hand, is interesting -as showing how exactly the style of the mother-country at that period -was copied in America. Here we have a pure 'Chippendale' book-plate of -an unpronounced type. - -Henry Dawkins (who began life by designing metal buttons) had been for a -long time resident in America, when, in 1754, he engraved the book-plate -of 'John Burnet of New York.' Like the Dering plate, Burnet's is -interesting, and for the same reason; it is 'Chippendale,' but -distinctly _later_ Chippendale, with cupids and other figures -introduced. Dawkins was found guilty of counterfeiting, and begged to be -hanged rather than suffer the imprisonment to which he had been -condemned. Whether or not his request was granted we do not know. - -That the heraldry on some of these American book-plates should be -startling, is only to be expected. Take, for instance, the very -interesting book-plate of Robert Dinwiddie, Deputy-Governor of Virginia -from 1751-58, which was probably engraved a few years before the earlier -date. Here we have the shield divided fesse-fashion, and in the upper -and lower divisions landscapes,--the first introducing an Indian archer -shooting at a stag, and the lower a fort or castle with a ship at sea -sailing towards it. Dinwiddie was a good servant to the English Crown -both in Barbadoes and Virginia, and is said, like most successful people -of his day, to be descended from an ancient family, though his immediate -ancestors were Glasgow merchants. We are, however, not asked to believe, -and we should not, if we were, that the arms are more ancient than -Governor Dinwiddie himself, or that they _originated_ elsewhere than in -his mercantile brain, though they may have been legally _granted_ by the -Scotch College of Arms. The plate looks 'Scotch'--it is 'Chippendale,' -and, I suspect, was engraved in the mother-country by a Scotch engraver. -We may date it about 1750. - -There are, of course, some American book-plates specially interesting -from their possessors, and foremost amongst them is that of George -Washington. For its description I cannot do better than quote Mr. Allen: -'The arms are displayed upon a shield of the usual shell-like form, and -the sprays and rose-branches of this style [Chippendale] are used in the -ornamentation of the sides of the escutcheon. The motto, _Exitus acta -probat_, is given upon its ribbon at the base of the shield, and the -name is engraved, in script, on the bracket at the bottom of the design. -In general appearance the plate is like scores of Chippendale plates of -the period.' I am sorry to take, somewhat, from the interest which -attaches to this book-plate, by saying that, as I look more closely into -it and study the details of its ornamentation and its execution, I am -convinced it was engraved in England and not in America; it must -therefore be of an earlier date than that attributed to it. I do not -think it is subsequent to 1760. Of course there is a forgery of this -plate, though it was prepared, not because of the value of the -book-plate, but to sell a number of books which were said to have -belonged to George Washington himself, and to have been captured in -Virginia. The fraud was, however, discovered. No doubt these forgeries -are now palmed off as the great man's book-plate. Mr. Lichtenstein's -words about the real book-plate and the sham are therefore important:-- - -'Original examples are noticeable for their sharp black impressions on -dampened plate paper of a buff colour mellowed by age. Those of the -imitation are printed from a plate which has the appearance of having -seen considerable wear; besides being printed on a dry paper of a thin -quality, and a bluish colour; by its modern appearance it is easily -recognised, the engraving of the name being poorly done.' - -I do not know if a series of 'Presidents'' book-plates could be shown to -exist, but Washington's successor, John Adams, certainly used one, -introducing into it a certain number of national emblems. The American -eagle with outspread wings overshadows the whole design. - -Of American women, in the early days of independence, only one is known -to have used a book-plate. This lady was Elizabeth Græme, the youngest -child of Dr. Thomas Græme, member of the Provincial Council, and in -other ways a distinguished and wealthy citizen, who owned Græme Park, an -estate lying some twenty miles from Philadelphia. Elizabeth was born in -1737. At seventeen she was engaged to be married, but her engagement was -suddenly--why, we learn not--broken off. To divert her mind, she set to -work to translate _Télémaque_. She carried out the task, but it was -never published, and lies to-day, as she wrote it, in the Philadelphia -Museum. Her next engagement was to a man ten years her junior--a Mr. -Ferguson; him she married, but, her husband taking the Crown's part, -they separated. By the time of her death, in 1801, she had grown needy, -despite the fact that she received money from her literary productions, -which were numerous. Though evidently a staunch Republican, she was the -bearer of the famous letter from the Rev. Jacob Duché to Washington, in -which the writer begged his correspondent to return 'to his allegiance -to the King.' The book-plate, which is, in every way, curious and -interesting, is Armorial. - -An interesting point about American book-plates--which illustrates a -distinctive feature in social life there--is the existence of a large -number belonging to Friendly Societies, Mutual Improvement Societies, -and institutions akin to them; for the books forming the libraries of -these bodies contain some of the most curious and characteristic -American book-plates. Amongst the number may be mentioned those of the -New York Society Library, the Farmington Library, the Hasty Pudding -Society and the Porcellian Club in Harvard College, the Linonian Society -and the Brothers of Unity in Yale, and the Social Friends in Dartmouth -College. - -None of these are particularly early, indeed the majority must be dated -after the establishment of independence, but they are well worthy of -study. Allegory runs wild in the book-plates--there are three mentioned -by Mr. Dexter Allen--of the first-named Society, and Minerva is -prominent in all. Let me endeavour to describe two, both the work of -Maverick. In one she hands a volume of the Society's Library to an -Indian, whose attitude in receiving it suggests that he had never seen a -book before; in which case its contents cannot have done him much good. -In the other she has just descended from Olympus, entered the library, -and seized a volume from the book-shelf, which she presents to an -apparently more appreciative red-skin. I say appreciative, for in return -he hands the goddess his tomahawk. Minerva with a tomahawk! Can anything -be more delightfully absurd? - -One might go on with many pages of these descriptions, but enough has -been said to show the burlesque spirit in which allegory is treated, -doubtless quite unintentionally, on American Society book-plates. In -that fact lies much of their interest. More happy in conception and -execution is the homelier design appearing on the book-plate of the -Village Library in Farmington, which, if not a beautiful piece of -engraving, is at least free from grotesqueness. - -'In this,' says Mr. Allen, 'we see the interior of a room in which a -young lady patron of the library is storing her mind with those choice -axioms which, if put in practice, far exceed the attractiveness of mere -personal beauty; so says the couplet beneath the picture:-- - - 'Beauties in vain, their pretty eyes may roll; - Charms strike the sense, but merit wins the soul. - -A writer in the _Ex Libris Journal_ points out that, after the -Revolution, till about the year 1810, there were scarcely any American -armorial book-plates. Perhaps one of the earliest is that of 'Samuel -Elam, Rhode Island,' which appears to have been engraved about 1800. It -is 'Pictorial' in style, and shows a shield, bearing arms, resting -against a tree-stump, with a landscape background. The majority of -American book-plate possessors, from 1810 until the fashion of using a -book-plate became common some little time back, seem to have been -members of the legal profession. - -During the last few years many American book-plates have been as wild -and meaningless in design as the majority of those recently produced in -England; although, as Mr. Allen's illustrations show us, a few truly -artistic and appropriate examples have appeared. One modern book-plate -from across the Atlantic is sure to attract English eyes; for the -owner's works are read as eagerly, and appreciated as fully, here as in -the States,--I mean that of 'Oliver Wendell Holmes.' This, too, is -appropriate for the man, consisting simply of a motto-scroll, on which -is written _Per Ampliora ad Altiora_, and a nautilus--'the ship of -pearl,' as he calls it; 'the venturous bark that flings - - 'On the sweet summer winds its purpled wings - In gulfs enchanted where the siren sings, - And coral reefs lie bare, - Where the cold sea maids rise to sun their streaming hair.' - -FOOTNOTES: - -[11] _American Book-Plates._ By Charles Dexter Allen. Bell and Son, -1895. - -[12] The same remark applies to other book-plates bearing colonial -addresses, such as that of 'Isaac Royall, Esq., of Antigua.' - -[13] It may be remarked as curious that William Penn does not, on his -book-plate, impale the arms of Hannah Callowhill, to whom he was married -in 1695. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -INSCRIPTIONS ON BOOK-PLATES IN CONDEMNATION OF BOOK-STEALING OR -BOOK-SPOILING, AND IN PRAISE OF STUDY - - -I PROPOSE now to speak about the inscriptions on book-plates, and I will -divide them as follows:--(1) Sentiments in condemnation of book-stealing -or book-spoiling; (2) sentiments in praise of books or of study; and (3) -personal particulars of the owner of the book-plate, which last class -shall receive attention in a separate chapter. In all three cases -illustrations may be appropriately drawn both from English and foreign -examples. - -Let me begin by calling the reader's attention to the fact, which I -commented upon in my first chapter, that in nearly all inscriptions on -book-plates it is the volume in which the book-plate is placed, and not -the book-plate itself, that is spokesman. Take the inscription on one of -the earliest examples: 'Liber Bilibaldi Pirckheimer, Sibi et amicis.' -Bilibald Pirckheimer's book for himself and his friends! Here is an -amiable intention; but the plan did not work, and we do not find the -sentiment often repeated. In the good jurist's day printed books were -not numerous, and they were costly. Then might a man be reasonably -regarded as a dog in the manger, who shut the door of his bookcase -against those anxious to benefit by the work of the printing-press; then -mankind at large had not demonstrated the fact that general morality -does not extend to returning borrowed books. Hence, I say, it was that -on this early book-plate we have the expression 'Sibi et amicis.' - -School-boys--and I dare say, if one could only learn the truth in such -matters, school-girls too--have a habit of inscribing their school-books -with verses, denouncing in decidedly forcible language the school-fellow -who steals--_i.e._ borrows and forgets to return--any particular volume, -and at the end of these verses is depicted a gallows from which hangs -the lifeless body of the thief. When did school-boys first thus protect -their possessions? Few school-books survive for use by many successive -generations, so we have no means of answering the question -satisfactorily; but in a book--not a school-book--published in 1540, -there are written (so a correspondent of _Notes and Queries_ informs -us), in writing more than three centuries old, these lines below the -owner's signature:-- - - 'My Master's name above you se, - Take heede therefore you steale not mee; - For if you doe, without delay - Your necke . . . for me shall pay. - Looke doune below and you shal see - The picture of the gallowstree; - Take heede therefore of thys in time, - Lest on this tree you highly clime.' - [Drawing of the gallows.] - -So the school-boy's doggerel is at least founded on an ancient model, -which we have quoted, though not actually appearing on a book-plate, -because it was clearly intended to do duty as one. - -Of exactly the same date is a very pompous declaration, on a German -book-plate, of a donor's intention that certain volumes given by him -should remain for ever in the library to which they are presented. The -owner of the book-plate was John Faber, Bishop of Vienna, who died in -1541, and who, in the previous year, presented his books to the College -of St. Nicholas in that city. Here is a translation given by Lord De -Tabley, in which mark how in kingly fashion the bishop refers to himself -as 'we':-- - -'This book was bought by us, Dr. John Faber, Bishop of Vienna, and -assistant in the Government of the New State, both as councillor and -confessor to the most glorious, clement, and pious Ferdinand, King of -the Romans, Hungary, and Bohemia, and Archduke of Austria. And since, -indeed, that money (which purchased this volume) did not arise from the -revenues and properties of our diocese, but from our own most honest -labours in other directions. And therefore it is free to us to give or -bequeath the book to whomsoever we please. We accordingly present it to -our College of St. Nicholas. And we ordain that this volume shall remain -there for ever for the use of the students, according to our order and -decree. Done in our Episcopal Court at Vienna, on the first day of -September in the year of Grace 1540.' - -[Illustration] - -Dr. Faber was famous for his orthodoxy and his fervour in enforcing it; -so much so, that he earned for himself the title _Malleus hereticorum_. -He does not trust himself to express his opinion of the too eager -student who should take to himself a volume from amongst these books; -which is perhaps well. - -More polite than the English verses of 1540, and therefore not half so -serviceable, are those printed on an actual book-plate, by which Andrew -Hedio, a Königsberg professor of philosophy, who lived about the middle -of the seventeenth century, sought to insure the safe return to his -library of any volume which was out on loan. The arms of Hedio--the head -and shoulders of an old bearded man in a fish-tailed nightcap--appear on -the book-plate, and below, supposed to be spoken by the volume, are -Latin verses, which in free translation may be rendered:-- - - 'By him who bought me for his own, - I'm lent for reading leaf by leaf; - If honest, you'll return the loan, - If you retain me, you're a thief.' - -If you turn back to p. 123 and look at the book-plate of Speratus, you -will see that he had expressed very much this sentiment more than a -century before. - -It is not till the beginning of the eighteenth century that we find any -decided expression of possession on an English book-plate. Then it -occurs on that of John Reilly (described on p. 53). At the very bottom -of the design is printed: 'Clamabunt omnes te, liber, esse meum.' Here -you see it is John Reilly himself and not his book that speaks. It is a -mild and decidedly gentlemanly way of expressing ownership, free from -threats for not returning the volume; indeed, hardly contemplating the -possibility of so dishonest an act. - -About the same date as Reilly's book-plate is a very graceful German -one, executed for Michael Lilienthal (figured on p. 165). It shows us a -group of growing lilies, around which bees are hovering or tasting their -sweetness, and below-- - - 'Use the book, but let no one misuse it; - The bee does not stain the lilies, but only touches them.' - -From this graceful book-plate and the pleasantry of its inscription, we -turn to a heavy declamatory sentence, devised, _circa_ 1730, by the -librarian of the Benedictine monastery of Wessenbrun, in Bavaria, for -the books in his charge to speak when a theft had been actually -committed or was in contemplation: 'I am the rightful possession of the -Cloister of Wessenbrun. Ho there! Restore me to my master, so right -demands!' - -Sherlock Willis, whose book-plate--a decided 'Chippendale'--is dated in -1756, flies to Scripture for his aid against immoral borrowers, and -places on his book-plate the familiar quotation from the 37th Psalm: -'The ungodly borroweth, and payeth not again.' Various other English -book-plates bear the same quotation, or some other taken from the Bible. -On that in use at the Parochial Library of Tadcaster, which shows us St. -John in the isle of Patmos receiving from the angel the book which he -was to eat, we read: 'Accipe librum et devora illum' (Rev. x. 9); advice -which it was not, we may presume, intended that the borrower should -follow literally. - -There is something very businesslike and to the point about the -inscription on the book-plate of Charles Ferdinand Hommeau, which is -dated six years after that of Sherlock Willis. The inscription reads in -translation: 'If you do not return the loan within fourteen days, or do -not keep it carefully, on another occasion [when you ask to borrow it or -some other book] I shall say I have not got it.' So M. Hommeau will not -mind telling a lie to protect his library; and what is more, does not -mind telling the world of his intention to do so. Truly he was an honest -liar. - -David Garrick (whose book-plate is figured opposite) selected as an -appropriate quotation for his book-plate the following, taken from the -fourth volume of _Menagiana_:--'La première chose qu'on doit faire quand -on a emprunté un livre, c'est de le lire afin de pouvoir le rendre -plutôt.' Very good advice, no doubt; but I wonder if 'Davy' was careful -enough to confine his loans to those who would follow it? This reminds -me of a very nicely put passage of Lord De Tabley's, _à propos_ of the -subject of book-borrowing in general:-- - -[Illustration] - -'Now this batch of mottoes raises the point, whether valuable books -should be lent to persons who treat volumes like coal scuttles; who -perpetrate such atrocities as moistening their thumbs to turn a page -over; who hold a fine binding before a roaring fire? who, _horribile -dictu_, read at breakfast, and use, as a book-marker, the butter-knife. -Ought Garrick to have lent the cream of his Shakespeare quartos to -slovenly and mole-eyed Samuel Johnson? We think emphatically not! Many -full-grown folks have no more idea of handling a book than has a -school-boy.' - -So far the 'caveats' on book-plates have been either original -compositions or quotations, specially selected by the owner; but, as -time went on, people did not trouble to compose their own verses or -inscriptions, or to hunt up appropriate quotations. The same lines or -words appear fastened beneath, or printed upon, the book-plates of many -different persons; in the latter case the book-plate is generally little -more than a name ticket. Here is one, composed early in this century, -which could be bought of C. Talbot, at 174 Tooley Street, and on it the -purchaser could write his name before affixing it in his volumes:-- - - 'THIS BOOK - BELONGS TO - . . . . . . . . - If thou art borrowed by a friend, - Right welcome shall he be - To read, to study, not to lend, - But to return to me. - - Not that imparted knowledge doth - Diminish learning's store; - But Books, I find, if often lent, - Return to me no more. - - Read slowly, Pause frequently, - Think seriously, - Keep cleanly, return duly, - With the corners of the leaves not turned down.' - -Of about the same date is another little effusion, which clearly does -not contemplate the purchaser being the possessor of a _unique_ volume, -or of one for any cause irreplaceable, if lost:-- - - 'THIS BOOK BELONGS TO - - . . . . . . . . . . - - Neither blemish this book, nor the leaves double down, - Nor lend it to each idle friend in the town; - Return it when read, or, if lost, please supply - Another as good to the mind and the eye.' - -In these last quoted examples are certainly many stipulations, but they -are as nought when compared with what we find on the book-plate of the -Cavalier Francesco Vargas Macciucca, who was in the habit of pasting on -the fly-leaf of the book, opposite his book-plate, _fifteen_ rules, -written in Latin, to be observed by those who borrowed books from his -library. If he enforced them, he can have been seldom troubled with a -borrower! - -On the face of them,--since most of them have a blank space left for the -owner's name, etc.,--these poetic or prosaic threats against -book-stealers and the ill-usage of books do not pretend to be the -compositions of those that used them. Jones or Brown went to the nearest -stationer or bookseller, and purchased his admonitions all ready -composed. But even after the introduction of ready-made admonitions, we -find the man of independent mind rebelling against saving his library -from spoliation by anybody's words save his own. Such a person was Mr. -Charles Clark, of Great Totham Hall, near Witham, in Essex, who can at -least claim originality for his composition, which, if lengthy, has -occasional gleams of humour. Here it is:-- - - 'A PLEADER TO THE NEEDER WHEN - A READER - - As all, my friend, through wily knaves, full often suffer wrongs, - Forget not, pray, when it you've read, to whom this book belongs. - Than one Charles Clark, of Totham Hall, none to 't a right hath better, - A _wight_, that same, more _read_ than some in the lore of old _black_ - letter; - And as C. C. in _Essex_ dwells--a shire at which all laugh-- - His books must sure less fit seem drest, if they're not bound in - _calf_! - Care take, my friend, this book you ne'er with grease or dirt besmear - it; - While none but awkward _puppies_ will continue to "dog's-ear" it! - And o'er my books, when book-"worms" "grub," I'd have them understand, - No marks the margin must de-_face_ from any busy "_hand_"! - Marks, as re-marks, in books of Clark's, whene'er some critic spy - leaves, - It always him so _waspish_ makes though they're but on the _fly_-leaves! - Yes, if so they're used, he'd not de-_fer_ to _deal_ a fate most meet-- - He'd have the soiler of his _quires_ do penance in a _sheet_! - The Ettrick _Hogg_--ne'er deem'd a _bore_--his candid mind revealing, - Declares, to beg a _copy_ now's a mere pre-_text_ for stealing! - So, as some knave to grant the loan of this my book may wish me, - I thus my book-_plate_ here display lest some such _fry_ should _dish_ - me! - But hold!--though I again declare with-holding I'll not brook, - And "a _sea_ of trouble" still shall take to bring book-worms to "book." - 'C. C.' - -A certain Cheshire clergyman, who died not very long since, sought -euphony in a string of commands to intending borrowers, which he had -printed on his book-plate; 'Borrow bravely; Keep carefully; Peruse -patiently; Return righteously.' What a pity he did not spell 'carefully' -with a 'k' whilst he was about it! - -The Plymouth architect and author, George Wightwick, or, as he evidently -pronounced it, _Witick_, used to affix in his books:-- - - 'To whomsoever this book I _lend_ - I _give_ one word--no more; - They who to _borrow_ condescend - Should graciously _restore_. - And whosoe'er this book should find - (Be't trunk-maker or critick), - I'll thank him if he'll bear in mind - That it is mine, - GEORGE WIGHTWICK.' - -See, too, how a certain Mr. Charles Woodward protected, or thought he -protected, the volumes which good nature may have prompted him to lend. -His plate shows an opened volume, on one page of which is written: -'Narrative--promising to send me home at the appointed time. Finis.' -Evidently Mr. Woodward, like the honest liar before mentioned, was not a -man to lend his volumes for an indefinite period. - -Having quoted various recent English examples of this kind, we are in -duty bound to cite some from other component parts of the United -Kingdom. - -Under the name 'H. Macdonald' we find: - - 'Tear not, nor soil not; - Read all, but spoil not.' - - 'A good book is a good friend; he who would injure the - one deserves not the respect of the other.' - -There is something almost pathetic in the exclamation which Mr. John -Marks makes his volumes utter: 'Gentle reader, take me home; I belong to -John Marks, 20 Cook Street, Cork'; and then the evil-minded borrower is -reminded of the scriptural condemnation of his kind by reference to -'Psalm xxxvii. ver. 21.' Before this comes-- - - 'ADVICE FOR THE MILLION - - Neither a borrower or a lender be, - For loan oft loses both itself and friend, - And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry. - True for you, Mr. Shakespeare! - - MORAL - - Of all books and chattels that ever I lent, - I never got back five-and-twenty per cent. - Fac, my Bredern!' - -We may presume from this that Mr. John Marks tried to be funny, and from -his composition getting into print he may flatter himself that he -succeeded. - -One more example of these warnings to borrowers and we have done with -the subject. Lord De Tabley fixes the date of it as 1820, but surely it -must be the composition of some eleventh century reprobate, who on his -death-bed richly endowed a neighbouring monastery, and threatened any -one who should ever disturb his endowment. The words appear on the -book-plate of O. M[oore], and they read in translation: 'If any one -steals this book, and with furtive hand carries it off, let him go to -the foul waves of Acheron, never to return.' - -Now, let us look at some of the eulogies of books or of study which are -found on book-plates. These do not appear until a much later date. The -text on Pirckheimer's book-plate, '_The fear of the Lord is the -beginning of wisdom_,' can hardly be called one in praise of study, -though it is a wholesome truth that should be borne in mind by every -student. Indeed, we have to pass over more than two centuries after the -invention of book-plates before one which, in the inscription upon it, -yields an example of the kind now under consideration. This appears at -last in 1697, in a sentiment expressed by an Austrian lawyer, John -Seyringer by name. Here it is: - - 'He that would learn without the aid of books - Draws water in a sieve from running brooks.' - -We have again to pass over many years for our next example. Peter de -Maridat, who was, he tells us, a senator in the Great Council of Louis -XIV. of France, used for a book-plate, which may therefore be dated -before 1715, the figure of a negro, who stands with one hand resting on -a shield of arms, and holds in the other a pair of scales. The arms on -the shield are azure, a cross argent, and below is written: - - 'Inde cruce hinc trutina armatus regique deoque - Milito, Disco meis hæc duo nempe libris,' - -which may be construed: 'Armed on one side with the cross [the cross on -the shield], and on the other with the pair of scales, I fight for my -king and for my God. These two things I indeed learn from my books,' -_libris_; but _libris_ may also be translated 'balances,' and herein is -the pun! - -Taking them chronologically, our next examples are on English -book-plates; one is dated 1730, and the other evidently belongs to the -same period. On the first, the Rev. John Lloyd writes: 'Animus si æquus, -quod petis hic est'; and on the other, Thomas Robinson, a Fellow of -Merton, quotes from Cicero: 'Delectant domi non impediunt foris.' -Perhaps 'Herbert Jacob, Esq. of St. Stephen's, in Kent,' had a generally -troublesome wife, who did not penetrate the sacred region of his -library; however it may have been, he placed on his book-plate, _circa_ -1740: 'Otium cum libris,' a sentiment expressed in a great variety of -ways on later book-plates. - -Some ten years later than the last example is the book-plate of a German -cleric, Gottfried Balthazar Scharff, Archdeacon of Schweidnitz, a town -in Prussian Silesia, on which his books are praised in some not -ungraceful verses; in these the owner asks divine help in understanding -aright the teaching of his volumes. - -On the Flemish book-plate of Lewis Bosch (spoken of elsewhere in this -volume, p. 218), we read beneath the representation of the prelate's -library, in which he is shown hard at work among his books: 'A hunt in -such a forest never wearies.' The allusion to a forest of books recalls -the motto on the much later English book-plate of Mary Berry. On this is -depicted a wild strawberry plant, its fruit half hidden by leaves, and -below is written, 'Inter folia fructus.' Probably Miss Berry, besides -alluding to the fruit of knowledge which she found amongst the leaves of -her books, intended a mild play upon the strawberry and her own family -name. - -Besides these, a host of further mottoes in praise of books or about -books are to be met with. Some recommend the collection of as large a -library as possible; others point out that the mind is distracted by a -multitude of books; some advocate the careful handling of a volume, even -at the expense of not getting so well acquainted with its contents; -whilst others tell us that well-thumbed books are monuments of the -owner's industry and constant study. Nor are the consoling powers of -books forgotten. On a very pretty rustic vignette, executed by Bonner -after Bewick, 'W. B. Chorley of Liverpool' has the words: 'My books, the -silent friends of joy and woe.' - - - - -CHAPTER X - -PERSONAL PARTICULARS ON BOOK-PLATES - - -HOW much more communicative, in the matter of personal particulars, are -some people, upon their book-plate, than others! What a contrast, for -instance, between the inscription on Walpole's book-plate--'Mr. Horatio -Walpole'--and that on one of Pepys's, on which he styles himself -'Esquire,' and states that he is of Brampton in Huntingtonshire, -'Secretary of the Admiralty of his Mat^{y} King Charles the Second,' and -'Descended of y^{e} ancient family of Pepys of Cottenham in -Cambridgeshire.' - -Of course Sam Pepys was a vain man--that we all know; but the difference -between the two inscriptions has more to do with the fashion of the time -than with the characteristics of the two men. In enlarging on his -pedigree, social position, and secretaryship to the Admiralty, Pepys was -only following the custom of his day. There are many examples of similar -inscriptions on book-plates contemporary with Pepys's:--'Charles -Pitfeild of Hoxton, in the Parish of St. Leonards, Shoreditch, in -Middlesex, Esq^{r.,} descended of the ancient family of the Pitfeilds of -Symsbury in Dorsetshire, and is now married to Winifred, one of the -daughters and Coeheyrs of John Adderley, of Coton in Stafordshire, -Esq^{r.}' And again:--'S^{r}. Henry Hunloke of Wingerworth, in -Derbyshire, Bart. In y^{e} escocheon of pretence is y^{e} Armes of -Katherine his Lady, who was sole daughter and heyre of Francis Tyrwhit -of Kettleby, in Lincolnshire, Esq^{e}, y^{e} last of y^{e} Eldest branch -of y^{t} great and ancient family.' Equally proud of his ancestry is -'Thomas Windham of Sale in Devonshire, Esq^{r.,} one of the Grooms of -his Majesties Bed-chamber, third son of S^{r} Edmund Windham of -Cathanger in Somersetshire, Kt., Marshall of his Majesties most -Hon^{ble} household,' who concludes the inscription on his book-plate by -telling us that he was 'lineally descended from the antient family of -the Windhams of Crown-Thorpe, in the County of Norfolk.' - -But this habit of expressing pride in ancestry, though it became less -frequent, certainly survived Pepys's time. Mr. J. Paul Rylands, F.S.A., -has a copy of the _Eikon Basilike_, printed in 1649, on the title-page -of which is written, 'Dan. Mercator.' Within the book is an armorial -book-plate engraved in the Jacobean style, and, since it belonged to a -man born in 1640, one of the early examples of that style. The owner was -the eminent mathematician, Nicholas Mercator, who was born at Holstein, -and afterwards settled in England, where his mathematical ability was -recognised by his election as a Fellow of the Royal Society. Nicholas -was proud of his ancestors' efforts in the cause of Protestantism, and -also wished his English friends to be aware of them; he therefore -inscribes his book-plate, 'Nicholas Mercator, a Descendant of the -Kauffmans of Prague, in Bohemia, Coadjutors with Luther in the -Reformation.' - -On the Continent, lengthy eulogies of ancestors are common, and they -commence at an early date. Here is one, which is also a sigh for the -purity of nobility in ages past. It is uttered, in 1565, by John Giles -Knöringen, who writes, below his shield of arms, given in colour:-- - - 'These are the famed insignia of my sires, - Which in their proper colour you may see; - Not bribes, as is the fashion in these days, - But virtue, raised them to nobility.' - -It is, however, most frequently in an enumeration of his offices or -degrees that the owner of a book-plate allows himself to get wordy. Let -us take, for instance, the already mentioned book-plate of Sir Edward -Dering (see pp. 31, 32), which bears date 1630, and displays a shield of -twenty coats of arms; it has a proportionately impressive description of -Sir Edward's many offices--Lieutenant of Dover Castle, Vice-Chancellor, -and Vice-Admiral of the Cinque Ports, etc. Sir Robert Southwell, Knight, -tells us that he is 'one of the Clerkes attending His Majesty King -Charles the Second in his most Honourable Privy Councell, etc.' - -William Wharton, who was killed in a duel, in 1689, calls himself -'fourth son to the Right Honourable Philip Lord Wharton of Wharton, in -Westmoreland, by Ann, Daughter to William Carr, of Fernihast, in -Scotland, Esq^{r.,} one of the Groome (_sic_) of the Bedchamber to King -James'; whilst Randolph Egerton, in the inscription on his book-plate, -recalls the time when the unhappy Duke of Monmouth was yet a trusted -officer in the royal army: 'Randolph Egerton of Betley, in Staford -Shire, Esquire, Lieutenant of his Majestyes own Troop of Guard, under -the comand of his Grace James Duke of Monmouth, etc.' - -The book-plates of Thomas, Earl of Wentworth, contain a curiously -lengthy enumeration of the offices enjoyed by that distinguished soldier -and diplomatist, who, at a critical time, steered his country through a -great many difficulties. The first is dated in 1698, and on it the owner -describes himself as 'The Right Honourable Thomas Wentworth, Baron of -Raby, and Colonell of his Maiesties owne Royall Reg^{mt} of Dragoons, -1698.' In 1703 Wentworth was sent as envoy to Berlin, and two years -later was advanced to the post of ambassador. On this appointment he had -a second book-plate engraved, bearing the following inscription:--'His -Excellency The R^{t} Hon^{ble} Tho. Wentworth, Lord Raby, Peer of -England, Coll^{o} of her Ma^{tys} Royal Reg^{t} of Dragoons, Lieu^{t} -General of all her Ma^{tys} Forces & her Ma^{tys} Embassador Extra^{ry} -to y^{e} King of Prussia, 1705;'--size 4 × 3. On the face of it, this is -foreign work, and the expression 'Peer of England' could hardly have -been put on it by an English engraver. - -Wentworth's later diplomatic post has been made famous by Swift's -allusion to it, in reference to his being associated with Mat Prior. -'Wentworth,' says the Dean, 'is as proud as hell, and how he will bear -one of Prior's mean birth on an equal character with him I know not.' -Proud as hell, was he? Well, he certainly was proud of his advance in -title and his many high offices, all of which he sets out in his third -and last book-plate, also, I think, foreign work, dated in 1712. Here is -the inscription: 'His Excellency the Right Honourable Thomas Earl of -Strafford, Viscount Wentworth of Wentworth Woodhouse, and of -Stainborough, Baron of Raby, Newmarch, and Oversley, Her Majesty's -Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the States General of -y^{e} United Provinces, and also at the Congress of Utrecht; Colonel of -Her Majesty's own Royal Regiment of Dragoons, Lieutenant-General of all -Her Forces; First Lord of the Admiraltry (_sic_) of Great Britain and -Ireland; one of the Lords of Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy -Council; and Knight of the Most Noble Order of y^{e} Garter.' On the -accession of George I., an attempt was made to impeach this busy Lord, -but it failed, and he retired into private life for the rest of his -days. His memoirs, published a few years back by Mr. Cartwright, F.S.A., -give an excellent picture of life at the time he lived. - -Some book-plate owners, not boastful of their titles, let us into their -confidences as to their place of birth, age, and the like. The German -book-plate, dated in 1618, of John Vennitzer, a knife-smith or cutler by -trade, tells us that he was born at Nuremberg, at 22 minutes past 5 in -the afternoon on the 14th day of May, 1565. Vennitzer made money by his -trade, and founded the Library of St. Lawrence in his native city; -perhaps the date on the book-plate is that of the foundation of the -library. No doubt, as Lord De Tabley remarks, the cutler conscientiously -believed that the condition of his whole life depended on the particular -moment at which he entered the world; for he was probably well versed in -the mysteries of horoscopy. - -'John Collet' makes us really quite familiar with all his relations, and -with his own religious feelings. His book-plate--it is only a printed -label--reads: 'Johannes Collet filius Thomæ Collet. Pater Thomæ, -Gulielmi, ac Johannis, omnium superstes. Natus quarto junii, 1633. -Denasciturus quando Deo visum fuerit; interim hujus proprietarius John -(_sic_) Collet.' - -Even more obliging is 'Thomas Tertius Okey, medicinæ Professor, 1697.' -He was, he tells us, 'great grandson to William Okey (usually cal'd -Okely) of Church Norton, betwixt Gloucester and Tewxsbury, gentelman; -grandson to Thomas Primus Okey of Church Norton, the Devizes and -Taunton, Professor of Theology; eldest son to Thomas Secundus Okey, of -the Devizes and London, Professor of Physick, and father to Thomas -Quartus Okey, of London, gentelman. The above mentioned Thomas Tertius -Okey, Professor of Physick, now liveth in London near the Bodys of his -deceased relations.' Before such details as these, even John Collet -seems reticent. - -Sir Philip Sydenham--whose peculiarities in the matter of book-plates -are elsewhere commented upon--in one of his first examples, dated in -1699, tells us his age: 'Sir Philip Sydenham, Bart., of Brympton in -Somerset, and M.A. of the University of Cambridge, Æta. Suæ 23.' Richard -Towneley in 1702 does the same. The inscription on his book-plate reads, -as we see by the frontispiece: - - 'Ex libris Bibliothecæ Domesticæ Richardi Towneley de - Towneley In Agro Lancastrensi Armigeri Anno {Ætatis: 73 - {Domini: 1702.' - -One cannot help wondering why Mr. Towneley--the owner, and in a great -part the collector, of the vast library with which the family name is -connected--should have waited till he was seventy-three years of age to -have a book-plate engraved. Some of the volumes in that library had a -curious stamp in silver of the Towneley arms, with the date 1603 on -their bindings, but there does not seem to have been an earlier -book-plate. Richard Towneley died at York in 1707. Besides being an -astronomer and a mathematician, he was a keen antiquary; and Thoresby, -the historian of Leeds, tells us of the pride with which he showed him a -wondrous and just completed pedigree of the Towneley family, on the -occasion of their meeting during the year in which the book-plate was -engraved. - -'John Fenwick of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Attorney at Law,' leaves us in -ignorance as to his age at the time his book-plate was engraved, because -he does not date it; but he states that he was 'born at Hexham, 14th -April 1787,' and 'married at Alnwick, 9th June 1814.' - -One lady--and only one--lets us into what, with those of her sex, is -usually a secret. Isabel de Menezes inscribes her book-plate by -Bartolozzi (see p. 94), 'Ætatis 71 anno 1798.' - -I have given, in this chapter, no foreign examples of book-plates on -which minute personal particulars appear; but some of the examples of -which I have spoken elsewhere--notably the Flemish book-plate of Count -vander Noot--will show that they exist. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -LADIES' BOOK-PLATES - - -THERE seem to be really several good and logical reasons why we should -separate, for consideration by themselves, the book-plates which have -been used by ladies. To mention two: there are certain differences (such -as the shape of the shield in which the arms are borne) which, by the -rigid laws of heraldry, ought to appear on these book-plates when -belonging to a maid or widow; moreover, ladies' book-plates, though -sometimes mere printed labels, are generally more fanciful in design -than the majority of those owned by the sterner sex. - -The whole subject of ladies' book-plates has been so exhaustively -treated by Miss Norna Labouchere that it need not take up much space in -the present chapter. When, however, in this work, Miss Labouchere asks -where are book-plates of the English feminine bibliophiles of the -fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth centuries--Dame Juliana Berners, -Margaret Roper, Lady Jane Grey, Mary Stuart, and the ladies of Little -Gidding--the answer, I am afraid, is: they had none. Had they possessed -them, they would, in this book-plate-spying age, have been discovered. - -[Illustration: LADY BATH'S BOOK-PLATE.] - -But, be it said to the credit of the ladies, some of the earliest -dated English book-plates belonged to them. It is true these are merely -name-tickets, such as that of Elizabeth Pindar, 1608, in the Bagford -Collection, kindly pointed out to me by Mr. W. Y. Fletcher; but the fact -of their existence deserves notice, because it shows the readiness of -the fair sex to lay hold of a new fashion; and having a book-plate in -the early years of the seventeenth century was a new fashion, at least -in England. - -The first Armorial ladies' book-plate is that of the Countess-Dowager of -Bath, already very fully described. I will only add that readers who -refer back to what I have said about her matrimonial arrangements -(_vide_ p. 38), will see that she is heraldically accurate in not -bearing her arms in a lozenge. The laws of heraldry do not allow ladies, -while married, to place their arms in lozenge-shaped shields; and this -fact enables some feminine book-plate owners to demonstrate the -possession of a virtue which women are often taxed with -lacking--economy. Ladies frequently made the same designs do duty as -their own book-plates which had served for their husbands. But, -according to Miss Labouchere, the husband sometimes used his wife's -book-plate; for the book-plates--identical, save for the -inscriptions--of the Duke and Duchess of Beaufort, Lord and Lady Roos, -and some others, show, on examination, that the words indicative of -ownership by the lady have been erased, and over-engraved by those -indicative of possession by her lord. - -The lozenge really looks very well on a book-plate; and lends itself -readily to the decoration usually bestowed upon it. Take, for instance, -that of Dame Anne Margaretta Mason, dated in 1701. Her maiden name was -Long, and the shield shows us Mason impaling Long. Lady Mason's is a -fair sample of a lady's book-plate of that date. The arms are contained -in a lozenge, set in a Jacobean frame, which is lined with scale work, -and adorned with ribbons and leafy sprays. There is no motto-scroll, but -the name bracket comes up close to the base of the design (see also p. -52). - -Indeed it may be said that the Jacobean style of ornamentation is that -best suited to ladies' book-plates, especially when the arms are -depicted on a lozenge-shaped shield. The book-plate of the 'Hon. Anne -North,' by Simon Gribelin, is another instance to prove this. I do not -think that Chippendale decoration suits them at all, and, in the use of -ornaments of that style, Englishwomen were as immoderate as Englishmen. -Lady Lombe's book-plate, designed in the later days of Chippendalism, is -quite appalling from its over-ornamentation. The wreath of ribbon, or -festoon, style of the close of the last century is more suitable for -ladies' book-plates, and some very charming examples are known; equally -suitable, it seems to me, would have been the picture or landscape -style--the style in which, at the close of the last century, Bewick, and -some few other English artists, were working with conspicuous success, -and it seems strange that the ladies of Great Britain did not adopt it -more extensively. - -When we come to modern times we find ladies have run as wild as their -lords over book-plates; there is the same peculiarity, the same -mysticism, the same inappropriateness for book-plates in the designs of -many book-plates of _fin de siècle_ English ladies. The few really -artistic and appropriate book-plates stand out in marked contrast in -Miss Labouchere's excellent little book, and amongst them may be noted -Lady Mayo's, designed in 1894 by Mr. Anning Bell, which shows us a -musician and a songstress within a frame composed of spring flowers and -the national emblem of Ireland. - -But let us go back a little in date, and look at a ladies' book-plate -designed in the Allegoric style; what more striking example could be -found than that furnished by George Vertue's charming piece of work -engraved for Lady Oxford? - -[Illustration] - -It represents the interior of the library either at Brampton or Welbeck, -probably the latter, which was Lady Oxford's own inheritance. Through a -doorway, flanked by Corinthian columns, the curtain in front of which is -drawn back, we obtain a view of a country house standing back in a -well-kept park; a river crossed by a three-arched bridge meanders -through this. But it is the occupants of the room that call for most -attention. The prominent figure is that of Minerva, who has laid aside -her arms, and stands sandalled and helmeted. She is busily engaged in -instructing six cupids, who appear to be industriously following her -injunctions. One of these is painting in oils, with an easel before -him and a palette on his thumb; the goddess with her left hand points -out some defect in his work, and apparently explains how it may be -remedied. Another cupid plays the harp; two more sit on the frame of the -design, weaving flowing festoons; another, also on the frame, near a -celestial globe, copies the picture of a flute-playing satyr which a -sixth cupid holds in position. - -On the frame which surrounds the picture sit two figures--one of which -is Mercury, with caduceus and winged hat--who act as supporters to a -medallion bearing Lady Oxford's monogram; above is an urn, and from the -sides fall bunches of grapes. Below the design is engraved 'Henrietta -Cavendish Holles, Oxford and Mortimer. Given me by'--and then the -donor's name and last two figures of the date, filled in by Lady Oxford -herself. - -Lady Oxford was the sole heiress of John Holles, last Duke of Newcastle -of the Holles family, and was the wife of Edward, second Earl of Oxford, -son of Queen Anne's minister, and the continuator and completor of the -Harleian collections. Vertue's love of studying all kinds of antiquities -brought him, at an early date, into contact with Lord Oxford, who proved -one of his warmest patrons. The artist himself speaks of 'the Earl's -generous and unparalleled encouragement of my undertakings.' Harley -would take his friend with him on his various 'hunting' tours in -England, getting him to sketch the numerous objects of interest that -they came across. No wonder that the Earl's death, in 1741, was a heavy -loss, in every way, to George Vertue. - -It is noteworthy that there is no trace of heraldry in this remarkable -book-plate. Book-plates free from anything armorial were not the rule in -England in 1730, and Vertue was certainly proficient in heraldic -engraving, or ought to have been so, since his earliest task in life was -engraving coats of arms on plate, and his second engagement was with -Michael Vandergucht, who, we know, executed a good deal of armorial -work. It is probable, therefore, that the idea of the book-plate was -Lady Oxford's own. - -From this delightful specimen of a lady's book-plate in which heraldry -is entirely absent, we may appropriately turn our attention to two -examples which combine heraldry with a fanciful design--the book-plates -of Lady Pomfret and the Honourable Mrs. Damer. The first of these is -that which 'S. W.,' probably Samuel Wale, the Royal Academician, -engraved for 'The R^{t} Hon^{ble} Henrietta Louisa Jeffreys, Countess of -Pomfret, Lady of the Bed-chamber to Queen Caroline,' and is a very -unusual piece of work, both in shape, design, and heraldry. There is a -clear indication of 'Chippendaleism' about the shield and sprays of -flowers and leaves, which is certainly curious in view of what we must -consider the approximate date of the book-plate; but the arms are in a -Jacobean frame, which stands in a garden. On one side we have a cupid -bearing aloft the lady's family crest, and on the other the husband's -crest and helmet, situated just within the opening of a tent. Lady -Pomfret was the granddaughter of James II.'s infamous Lord Chancellor. -She married Lord Pomfret in 1720, and was Lady of the Bed-chamber to -Queen Caroline from 1713 to 1737, so that we are enabled to fix the date -of this plate within seventeen years, indeed, probably within four -years, for she had a less ambitious, and no doubt earlier, book-plate -engraved for her, which bears the date 1733. - -As might be expected, the book-plate of 'Selina, Countess of -Huntingdon,' forms a striking contrast to that last described. Here we -have a plain representation of a coat of arms in a lozenge, and -supported in the orthodox manner. No cupids or other vanities intrude -themselves into this sombre and coarsely executed work, which may be -dated, after the owner became a widow, in 1746, and therefore, after her -'call'--which is, I believe, the correct expression for a sudden -conversion to the form of religion she embraced. - -Probably of about the same date as Lady Huntingdon's book-plate is that -of another famous woman of her day, Lady Betty Germain, about whom Swift -has plenty to say in his _Journal to Stella_. On this book-plate a -somewhat funereal effect is produced by the dark background, against -which is the lozenge containing the arms Berkeley impaling Germain; but -the ornamentation of the lozenge, of the name-scroll, and of the frame -enclosing the design, is light and elegant. Poor Lady Betty! she had a -good deal to live down: her girlhood had not been so moral as it might -have been, and the Duchess of Marlborough did her best to make her -friend's misfortunes as public as possible. But for all that, Elizabeth -Berkeley made a good match in point of money, marrying--as his second -wife--Sir John Germain, a soldier of fortune and repute. He left her a -widow in 1718, with Drayton as her home and a vast fortune. Her -widowhood lasted very nearly fifty years, during which she gave away -large sums in charity, as well as spending them on amassing curios: -these, in 1763, Walpole went to look at, and admired. - -But we have been digressing, and have not yet spoken about the second of -the two book-plates just now mentioned, that of the Hon. Mrs. Damer, -which, in design and execution, certainly surpasses any ladies' -book-plate yet noticed; it is really a beautiful picture. First let me -speak of Mrs. Damer and her surroundings; her book-plate becomes the -more interesting as we call these to mind. The daughter of Field-Marshal -Henry Seymour Conway, she made for herself, at an early age, a name, -both in England and Italy, as an accomplished sculptress. From -infancy--she was born in 1749--she was the pet of Horace Walpole, and -throughout her life his intimate friend, living, after her husband's[14] -suicide, close to him at Strawberry Hill, which he bequeathed to her by -his will, and where, by the way, the work of her artistic fingers might -be seen in profusion. Friends of herself and of Walpole were Robert -Berry and his daughters Mary and Agnes--'my twin wives,' Walpole calls -them. Mrs. Damer's book-plate is the work of the latter of these two -ladies--Walpole's 'sweet lamb, Agnes.' It shows us a kneeling female -figure, pointing to a newly-cut inscription on a block of stone, 'Anna -Damer';[15] above is a shield bearing the arms of Damer, with those of -Seymour-Conway on an escutcheon of pretence, and on the right and left -of this are elegantly drawn dogs. The work was engraved by Francis -Legat, and is dated '1793.' Miss Mary Berry's book-plate has been -already spoken of (p. 177). - -As an illustration to this chapter on ladies' book-plates, I have taken -one which is both artistic and interesting, from the fact that it shows -us--in the figure contemplating the bust--what is presumably a picture -of the owner. I fear, however, that proof of its authenticity as a -likeness sufficient to allow of its incorporation as a 'Portrait' -book-plate (see pp. 216-220) will not be forthcoming; but whether it is -one or not, it is certainly a pleasing book-plate. Frances Anne Acland, -the owner, was born in 1736, became the wife of Richard Hoare of Barne -Elms in 1761 and thus stepmother to Richard Colt Hoare, the future -antiquary and the historian of Wiltshire; she died in the year 1800, and -was buried at Beckenham. - -[Illustration] - -But all that has been said, so far, concerns the book-plates of English -women. Foreign dames of various nationalities, and our feminine -cousins across the Atlantic (see p. 150), have made a very generous use -of these marks of book-possession. French women of the eighteenth -century have, as the reader of Miss Labouchere's interesting pages on -this part of her subject will see, for the most part, used book-stamps, -many of the most beautiful French bindings gaining an additional -interest and beauty from the coats of arms of their fair owners -impressed upon them. There are, however, a fairly large number of -book-plates known which have belonged to French women, or, at all -events, to women resident in France, and amongst them one to which -attaches pathetic interest from the tragic fate of its owner. I mean -that of the Princesse de Lamballe, who fell a victim to her attachment -to the reigning house of France during the revolting massacres of 1792. - -There are such things as 'joint' book-plates--book-plates which have -belonged both to husbands and wives. We meet with some such in England, -though not at a very early date; but in Germany they exist as far back -as 1605. In England the first example, only a printed label, is in -1737--'Mr. Thomas and Mrs. Anne Pain.' Examples of this dual ownership -occur frequently in modern book-plates. - -For other points of interest in and about ladies' book-plates the reader -must consult Miss Labouchere's work; all I will do, in concluding my -remarks upon them, is to say that--as might perhaps be expected--in -phrases of book-possession ladies are even more outspoken than -gentlemen; few, however, are so much so as Lady Dorothy Nevill, who -protects her books with the words 'stolen from' placed before her name: -surely she can be no more troubled by borrowers than was the Cavalier -Macciucca (_vide_ p. 171). - -FOOTNOTES: - -[14] She married, in 1767, the Hon. John Damer, a son of Lord Milton. - -[15] A variety of this book-plate exists on which the inscription reads: -'Anna Seymour-Damer.' - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -THE MORE PROMINENT ENGRAVERS OF ENGLISH BOOK-PLATES - - -WILLIAM MARSHALL heads our list of engravers of English book-plates. We -know of but one specimen of his work, but it is exceedingly fine--the -anonymous plate of the Lyttelton family, described on p. 32. Marshall's -works are dated between 1591 and 1646. Next after him comes the -well-known engraver of portraits, William Faithorne (b. 1633; d. 1691), -whose Portrait book-plate of Bishop Hacket is figured opposite. David -Loggan, the engraver of the Isham book-plates in 1676, is the artist -next on our roll. How many book-plates he designed and engraved I do not -know, but there are two or three early English examples which, in their -arrangement and touch, resemble somewhat closely his work for Isham. - -[Illustration] - -About this same date Michael Burghers was engraving book-plates in -England; he appears to have left Holland in 1672, and to have settled in -Oxford. The earliest book-plate of his that I have seen is that of -Thomas Gore, already described; perhaps he found the allegory with which -he embellished it was not popular with Englishmen, and his other -book-plates--we know of two or three--are in the 'Simple Armorial' style -usual in English book-plates of the period. Lord De Tabley suggests that -Christopher Sartorius, who worked at Nuremberg between 1674 and 1737, -may be connected with the James Sartor who signed a fine English -'Jacobean' book-plate at the opening of the eighteenth century; of this -James we know nothing except this piece of work, which is certainly -good. After Sartor comes John Pine, whose pompous book-plate, engraved -about the year 1736, to commemorate George I.'s gift of books to the -University of Cambridge, has been described and figured (p. 75). He was -born in 1690, and died in 1756. His engravings of the Tapestry in the -House of Commons became so popular, that he was the subject of a special -Act of Parliament securing to him the emoluments arising from the sale -of the work. Pine, as we have seen, engraved other book-plates later on -in the century. - -Michael Vandergucht, the famous Antwerp engraver, was also working in -England before the close of the seventeenth century, but his first -book-plate is dated in 1716. This was engraved for Sir William Fleming, -of Rydal, and is in many respects a striking piece of work. The style is -quite English of the period: heavy mantling descends to the base of the -shield; but the inscription--'The Paternal Arms of Sir William Fleming -of Rydal in the county of Westmoreland, Baronet,' with a description of -the heraldry--savours much of being the work of a foreigner. It should -be mentioned of this artist that he was pupil of one of the many Boutats -who were active as engravers of foreign book-plates. He (Vandergucht) -died in Bloomsbury in 1725. - -After him we may appropriately mention his principal pupil--George -Vertue. His most conspicuous book-plate is certainly that of Lady -Oxford, which is already familiar to the reader. - -Simon Gribelin is well known as a book-illustrator, and finds frequent -mention by Walpole. He was born at Blois in 1661, came to England when -nineteen, and worked here till his death in 1733. Perhaps the earliest -book-plate he engraved is that of Sir Philip Sydenham, which shows us -the shield and crest encircled with snakes and other ornaments,--a -book-plate decidedly foreign in appearance, though Gribelin must have -been nearly twenty years in England when it was engraved. He did two -other book-plates for Sir Philip. He also engraved some of the Parochial -Library plates described later on (pp. 225-227), and some others. - -[Illustration] - -Though 'J. Skinner'[16] (see pp. 81-86), an engraver who worked at Bath, -does not find mention in any dictionary of engravers, yet he deserves -notice from the student of book-plates for the great quantity of his -work in that field--nearly all dated, and some really very excellent. Of -Skinner, Lord De Tabley writes:--'I would gladly learn some biographical -details'; but he failed to find any, and I have been equally -unfortunate. At the British Museum there is no Bath newspaper or -directory sufficiently early to contain either an advertisement by -Skinner or a mention of his place of residence; in the _Bath Directory_ -of 1812 the name is represented by two grocers, a publican, a gardener, -and one private resident--a Miss Skinner who lived at 3 St. James's -Parade. Sir Wollaston Franks tells me that, amongst the engravers who -vouched for the perfection of _Sympson's New Book of Cypher_--'the most -perfect and neatest drawn of any performance of the kind hitherto -extant'--was one Jacob Skinner, and it is very likely this was our -friend the engraver of book-plates, who laboured at Bath from 1739 to -1753. He worked in three successive styles of English book-plate -engraving--the Armorial, the Jacobean, and the Chippendale; a fact which -renders his plates of special interest to collectors, since it enables -them to see how the same hand treats the succeeding styles when fully -developed, and during their gradual change from one style into the -other. His earliest dated book-plate that we know is that for the -library of Sir Christopher Musgrave (figured opposite), and the next, -five years later, that of 'John Conyers of Walthamstow in Essex, Esq.' -Here the ornamentation is quite Jacobean; the shield is oval, with -wing-like excrescences at the top and on either side--that at the top -forming a background to the helmet which supports the crest. Next year -(1738) Skinner produced the book-plate of 'Francis Carington, Esq., of -Wotton, Warwickshire'--in appearance even earlier than that of Musgrave. -Some of this early appearance is perhaps due to an absence of indication -of the tinctures on the shield--a habit which, as we shall presently -see, Skinner followed in one or two other instances. A slight mantling -falls from an esquire's helmet and descends a little way down the shield -till it joins the Jacobean scroll-work, and the owner's name and -description are upon a fringed cloth. But the feature to note in this -book-plate is the monogrammatic form of the engraver's signature: -'[Illustration: JS symbol].' It is the first time he uses it, and in his -subsequent dated work he appears always to have adopted some similar -form, this being the most frequent:--'[Illustration: JS symbol]kin^{r}.' - -[Illustration] - -I have spoken of J. Skinner as a Bath engraver, but the reader will -observe that none of the book-owners, whose book-plates by him I have as -yet named, are specially connected with Bath, and on none has the -engraver mentioned it as his place of residence; but insomuch as -then--in the palmy days of the reign of King Nash--all roads led to -Bath, it is probable that, at the fashionable season, the Cumberland -baronet, as well as the Essex and Warwickshire squires, found his way -thither, and followed the fashion by having a book-plate engraved, just -as he would follow it, during his sojourn in the ancient city, by -squandering his time and injuring his digestion with late hours and a -surfeit of generally unwholesome gaiety. The next dated book-plate by -Skinner bears this out; on this, engraved in 1739, he gives Bath as his -place of abode; but this book-plate is that of Francis Massy of Rixton, -Lancashire; it is similar in design to the Carington just mentioned and -figured. - -But earlier in style than any of Skinner's work yet mentioned is the -book-plate of 'William Hillary, M.D.,' dated in 1743; here the mantling -descends nearly to the base of the shield, quite in the 'Armorial' -style. This seems to be his latest work in early fashion. In 1741 he had -designed a book-plate for 'John William Fuhr,' in which there are clear -indications of Chippendale ornamentation. This is indeed a transitional -book-plate; it has a Jacobean shield, which the artist has adorned with -Chippendale ornament; the tinctures are only partially expressed and the -shield remains symmetrical, though the floral sprays and shell-work give -it, at first sight, the appearance of not being so. Identical, almost, -with this book-plate is that done by Skinner for 'Henry Pennant,' and -dated in 1742; and like it, but weaker, is that of 'Tho^{s.} Haviland, -Bath,' dated in the same year. - -[Illustration] - -Skinner's next book-plates are those of 'Charles Delafaye, Esq., of -Wichbury, Wilts' (1743); 'Johnson Robinson' (1744); 'John Hughes of -Brecon, Esq^{re.}'; and 'Benja: Adamson' (1745); 'Hen. Toye Bridgeman, -Esq., of Princknash, Gloucestershire' (1746); 'Henry Walters, Esq.,' and -'John Wodroofe' (1747), and 'Tho^{s.} Fitzherbert, Esq.,' (1749). All -these last-named book-plates are much on a level as regards artistic -merit, and that level is not a high one; Benjamin Adamson's book-plate, -figured on p. 209, is a fair example of it, though it is not so good as -the Bridgeman book-plate of the same year. In 1750, however, we find a -more noteworthy specimen of Skinner's work in the book-plate of 'Francis -Fleming.' There is a Scotch look about this, which suggests that the -owner, and not the engraver, was responsible for its design; the shield -is oddly shaped and is on a medallion, whilst musical instruments of -various kinds are figured beneath; Sir Wollaston Franks points out to me -that the Fleming coat of arms here represented is borne only by the -family of the Earls of Wigtown. The same year (1750) Skinner did an -ordinary Chippendale book-plate for Dr. Robert Gusthart, whose name -appears in the _Bath Guide_ as a doctor in practice there in 1773. - -In 1751 Skinner engraved a pleasing Chippendale book-plate for William -Oliver, a son of his more famous namesake, whose book-plate, also by -Skinner, has been already described in these pages (p. 85). Young -Oliver's plate shows a remarkable fineness of touch, and is altogether -in very good taste--not over-ornamented. Two years later we have the -latest known example of Skinner's work: the book-plate of 'The Rev^{d} -I. Dobson, A.M.,' which is coarse in execution, and suggests that the -artist's skill as an engraver was diminishing. - -[Illustration] - -Of the twenty-two known book-plates by Skinner only two are undated, -Dr. Oliver's, already described (p. 85), and that of Sir John Smyth, -Bart., LL.D. This last he must have executed early in his career. The -shield bearing the arms stands upon a platform, and is Jacobean in shape -and ornamentation; the background is shaded. Clumsily drawn and clumsily -posed female figures, partly draped, stand upon bracket-like -excrescences that spring from the shield, whilst cupids recline below it -and hold it aloft. - -What happened to Skinner after 1753 I have failed to discover. He is -certainly an interesting person from a book-plate collector's point of -view, and it is to be hoped something more about him may some day be -brought to light. In considering his identity it is worth remembering -that a little after his disappearance, viz. in 1755, another West of -England engraver named Skinner--Matthew Skinner of Exeter, is found -working on book-plates. He signs three examples, all designed in the -Chippendale style--'Jean Eli Jaquéri de Moudon en Suisse, Né en 1732'; -'S^{r} Edm^{d} Thomas, Bart.,' and 'Peregrine Fra^{s} Thorne.' The two -first are ordinary Chippendale examples, but in the third many -implements of the soldier's art are introduced. - -Another very prolific engraver of book-plates--unknown except in that -capacity--was 'Robert Mountaine.' His book-plates are frequently dated, -but the dates are placed in the most obscure positions, and in the -smallest of figures, so it needs a careful study of the engravings to -discover them. He laboured wholly in the Chippendale style; his touch -is peculiar, and his treatment graceful. Roughly speaking, he worked -from 1740 to 1755. His signature varies--sometimes it is 'R.M.,' -sometimes 'Mountaine.' - -The following are a few of his book-plates:-- - - Henry Bowles. - W. Harrison, D.D., Fellow of C. C. C. Oxon. - R. C. Cobbe. - S. J. Collins. - C. Blackstone. - Ed. Gore, Kiddington, Oxon. - John Duthy. - John Hoadly, LL.D. [This is Dr. Hoadly, the versatile - author of oratorios and comedies.] - Sophia Penn. - Jos. Portal. - C. S. Powlet, Itchen. - Geo. Powlet, Esq. - John Sturgis. - -A list of nearly sixty book-plates by Mountaine is given in the _Ex -Libris Journal_, ii. p. 46. - -Hogarth's book-plates have been already described in this volume. The -'W. H.' who signs certain examples, once wrongly ascribed to Hogarth, -was a certain William Hibbart, who, like Skinner, was a Bath artist, and -etched portraits after the manner of Worlidge. Lord De Tabley mentions -that Worlidge himself executed a book-plate--that of the Honourable -Henrietta Knight--which he signs in full. Worlidge was certainly a -distinguished engraver; his etchings after Rembrandt are excellent and -highly prized. He died in 1766. - -The work of Sir Robert Strange as a book-plate engraver has been already -referred to. Both Lumisden's and Dr. Drummond's book-plates were -probably executed after Strange's departure from England, and therefore -after 1745. His continental visit was rendered necessary, or at least -expedient, by the manner in which he had identified himself with the -Stuart cause during the then recent troubles. He had joined the Jacobite -Life-Guards, and employed his artistic ability in designing pay-notes -for the Jacobite soldiers. After studying some time in Paris under Le -Bas, he returned to England, where he remained till 1760. He then went -back to the Continent, where his ability was freely appreciated, and -where he was loaded with decorations at Rome and Florence. England at -length recognised his merit, and in 1787 the King conferred upon him a -knighthood, which he lived for five years to enjoy. His devotion to the -House of Stuart never altered; the inscription beneath one of his most -celebrated portraits reads 'Charles James Edward Stuart, _called_ the -Young Pretender.' - -After the days of Strange, an innumerable number of artists sign their -names to English book-plates; yet, with three exceptions, the names of -none are known to fame till we come to those of a comparatively recent -date. The exceptions are Francis Bartolozzi, John Keys Sherwin, and -Thomas Bewick. Bartolozzi, the man of whom Sir Robert Strange displayed -such ill-concealed jealousy, began to work in England about four years -after the accession of George III., though it was some years before his -worth was appreciated by the people with whom he came to reside. None of -his book-plates belong to a date prior to 1770 or 1780. He removed to -Lisbon in 1802 to take charge of the National Academy, and while there, -it will be remembered, engraved an Englishman's book-plate in 1805 (see -p. 95). His death took place at Lisbon in 1815. Sherwin was born in -poverty, and, owing largely to his own folly, died in it, after having -at one time amassed a considerable sum of money. He was a pupil of -Bartolozzi, gained the Royal Academy gold medal in 1772, and was -appointed Engraver to the King in or about 1785. His book-plate work is -referred to at p. 72. - -Thomas Bewick, who, as we have seen (pp. 108-13), was the most prolific -of any English engraver of book-plates, was born at Cherry Burn, in -Northumberland, in 1753, and died in 1828. The incidents in his history -are too well known to need repetition here, and his work upon -book-plates has been already mentioned. It may be, however, noticed that -his earliest book-plate is dated in 1797, the year in which he published -the first volume of his _British Birds_. - -FOOTNOTE: - -[16] See Article in _Bibliographica_, vol. ii. p. 422. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -ODDS AND ENDS - - -ODDS and ends! The compiler of a volume of this sort is sure to find -plenty of these,--scraps worth putting in somewhere, yet not coming -precisely under any particular head. In the first place, 'Portrait' -book-plates claim attention. We have seen that they exist, but, alas! -that they are so few; for, to any reasonable person, members of the -Heralds' College, of course, excepted, a man's features are certainly -more interesting than his armorial bearings. In England, Sam. Pepys -adopted the style, which was not then unknown on the Continent. -Pirckheimer perhaps originated it, by placing, as I have already said, a -portrait of himself at the end of the volumes, which contained his now -familiar book-plate by Dürer on the front cover; and there are many -other early foreign examples. One of the most conspicuous is the -bust-portrait of John Vennitzer, of Nuremberg, engraved by Pfann, and -dated in 1618, to which I have already alluded (p. 140). Pepys used to -place the small variety of his portrait book-plate--that figured -opposite--at the commencement of many of his books, and that showing his -interwoven initials ('the little plate for my books') at the end. Both -his portrait book-plates are by White. I have failed to find any -allusion in his _Diary_ to the engraving of these book-plates, though, -as we have seen, he refers to the preparation of another (see p. 8). He -very likely took the idea of a 'Portrait' book-plate from that which -Faithorne, either in or soon after 1670, prepared to place in the -volumes left by good Bishop Hacket to Cambridge (see p. 201). - -[Illustration] - -It is possible that we have a portrait in the figure on the book-plate, -already noticed, of Louis Bosch, a clergyman of Tamise, near Antwerp; -but the head is too small to afford an interesting likeness. The priest -sits at a table in his study, the walls of which are lined with volumes, -and beneath him is written in Latin: 'A hunt in such a forest never -wearies,'--the 'forest being,' as Lord De Tabley observes, 'the rows and -ranks of his reverence's books.' In France the 'Portrait' book-plate is -not uncommon; that of a French clergyman, Francis Perrault, figured -opposite, is a nice piece of work, and bears the date 1764; but -portraits, possibly or indeed probably, of the owners occur on French -book-plates at an earlier date. In Italy there is an example in 1760, -the book-plate of Filippo Linarti. - -[Illustration] - -An instance of the use of the 'Portrait' book-plate in England during -the last century is afforded by that of 'Jacobus Gibbs, Architectus, -1736,' which is found in the architectural books bequeathed by the -possessor to the Radcliffe Library at Oxford, a building which he -designed. James Gibbs was born at Aberdeen in 1674, but came south early -in his career, and Londoners may see examples of his work in the -churches of St. Martin-in-the-Fields and St. Mary le Strand. He also -built the Senate House at Cambridge. He died in 1754. On his book-plate, -which is oblong in shape and might well form the head-piece to a -preface, the portrait appears in a medallion, surrounded by shell and -scroll-work. The engraver, who signs his initials B. B., was Bernard -Baron, a Frenchman, who came to England in 1736 and engraved Hogarth's -portrait of Gibbs. - -The resuscitator of 'Portrait' book-plates in England in recent times -was the late Mr. Thoms. That veteran antiquary tells, in a letter to the -_Athenæum_, how he came to use, as a book-plate, a photograph of himself -taken by Dr. Diamond in the very early days of photography. Beneath this -he placed an inscription setting forth that the volume in which it was -fastened was for the use of himself and his friends--a repetition of the -sentiment on one of the Pirckheimer book-plates, 'Sibi et amicis.' We do -not, of course, know how far Pirckheimer meant what he said; but we do -know, any of us who ever asked the loan of a volume from Mr. Thoms, that -the sentiment was by him really meant. No worthy book-borrower ever met -with refusal from that ever courteous literary enthusiast. - -After considering 'Portrait' book-plates, the collector may turn his -attention to the study of the book-plates that have belonged to -interesting men. I have spoken of many of these in reaching this point -in my volume, but to the names already mentioned may be added some more: -Charles, Earl of Dorset and Middlesex, who, as Lord Buckhurst, was a -prominent figure at the dull court of Dutch William, saved Dryden from -ruin and introduced Mat Prior to society. Then there is Robert -Harley--great minister, great statesman, and underminer of the Whig -power; founder of the collection of books and manuscripts which now -bears his name. The inscription on his book-plate reads: 'Robert Harley -of Brampton Castle in the county of Hereford, Esq^{re}'; it is found in -two sizes--one for folio volumes, and another for those of smaller size. -Its date may be fixed at the very close of the seventeenth century. - -Then we have the book-plate of Sir Thomas Hanmer, the Speaker, a bold -piece of work, in the 'Simple Armorial' style, dated 1707. Hanmer was -born in 1676, so that his book-plate was executed when he was in his -thirty-first year--that is, six years prior to his first entry of the -House of Commons, and probably before he had made much use of the -library with which his name was afterwards associated, when towards the -close of his life he ceased to be a man of politics and became a man of -letters. He died in 1746, leaving, completed, his edition of -Shakespeare's works in half a dozen volumes. - -With the book-plate of Sir Thomas Hanmer we may, appropriately, -consider that of Sir Paul Methuen, the soldier and minister of Anne and -George I., with whom Hanmer must have been frequently brought in -contact. Methuen's book-plate is altogether more exceptional in style -than Hanmer's; the mantling, after being blown about by a strong wind, -ends regularly in tassels; curious creatures figure in the design, and -the bracket, on which rests the shield, is upheld by a male and a female -angel. - -Methuen's book-plate was engraved about 1720. Five years later we find -that of John, Lord Boyle, who, though by means of the quarrel with his -father he was robbed of the Boyle library, had, whilst yet a young man, -a sufficient stock of volumes of his own to necessitate the use of a -distinguishing mark for them. His book-plate is by John Hulett, an -indifferent engraver. - -Matthew Prior's book-plate now claims attention; indeed, if these -book-plates of celebrities were taken in strictly chronological order, -it should have been considered before that of Sir Paul Methuen. In style -it is early Jacobean, so that we may date it at, say, 1718, though there -is nothing in the inscription--'Matthew Prior, Esq.'--to show to what -particular period in the 'thin hollow-looked' man's life it belongs. But -it is tempting to place it at the close of his career as a diplomatist, -when he was settling down on the small country property that Harley had -bought for him, and was rich on the proceeds of the subscription to his -huge volume of _Occasional Poems_. - -After Prior's book-plate we do not meet with another of a celebrity for -a considerable number of years. One appears at last in that -engraved--probably by a Scotch engraver, about the year 1740--for the -luckless Lord Lovat, who lost his head on Tower Hill after the second -Scotch rebellion. The inscription deserves consideration, because it is -characteristic of the man: 'The Right Honourable Simon Lord Fraser of -Lovat, Chief of the Ancient Clan of the Frasers, Governor of Inverness,' -etc. Mark the way in which he emphasises his headship of the clan! Can -he, in those early days, have heard whisperings of a story that he had -an elder brother who was in hiding lest the law should mete out to him -its penalty for murder? Anyhow, it is a fine bold book-plate, more in -the style of English book-plates of a dozen years earlier; a heavy -ermine-lined mantle of estate falls from the back of the helmet and -encloses both shield and supporters. - -John Wilkes had three book-plates, and what is remarkable, they all make -display of the Wilkes armorial bearings. One would fancy that the great -demagogue would, at least in the decoration of the shield, display -bombs, kegs of gunpowder, Phrygian caps, or other emblems of the -manifestation and enjoyment of liberty; but it is not so. Lawrence -Sterne's book-plate is certainly more appropriate. Here we have the bust -of a young man, whom Lord de Tabley considers to be either Juvenal or -Martial, placed on a slab, on either side of which are closed volumes, -one inscribed, 'Alas! poor Yorick,' and the other, 'Tristram Shandy.' No -doubt this book-plate was engraved in or about the year 1761, when -Sterne had bought--as he told a correspondent--seven hundred books, 'dog -cheap, and many good,' which he was then busy arranging in the 'best -room at Coxwould.' Samuel Rogers's book-plate is in the 'wreath and -ribbon' style. William Cowper's is a little later, and shows us a plain -shield without the festoon-decoration. His must become a scarce -book-plate, for he had but few books--only 177 at his death, and the -book-plate does not appear in all; perhaps he began to insert it, but -was stopped by loss of reason. Mr. Bolton suggests that the book-plate -may be the work of Thomas Park, an engraver who, he reminds us, offered -to do anything for Cowper in the way of his art as a labour of love, so -much did he appreciate the poet's writings. Byron's book-plate, alluded -to elsewhere, is without one remarkable feature; whether or not it is -that sent him by the fair admirer already referred to (p. 16) one cannot -say. Thomas Carlyle's book-plate was engraved, in 1853, by H. P. Walker. - -One might extend a list of celebrities who have used book-plates _ad -infinitum_; but there is no need to attempt that process here, though it -might be as well to point out that certain book-plates, inscribed with -the names of celebrities, which have induced collectors to speak of -them as the book-plates of these distinguished persons, cannot really -have been made for them. There is, for instance, an early Chippendale -book-plate inscribed 'William Wilberforce,' which is, or perhaps I -should say, used to be, constantly spoken of as the book-plate of the -famous man who was bold enough to suggest that England's colonies could -get on very well without the presence of slavery. Now this book-plate is -very little, if any, later than 1750, and the great emancipator was not -born till 1759; as a matter of fact it was probably engraved for his -grandfather, William Wilberforce of Hull. A great many specimens bear -his signature written at the top of the book-plate. Then, to give one -more instance, there is the book-plate inscribed 'Capt. Cook,' and in -this you are told to see the mark of ownership which the once popular -hero placed in the volumes that composed his library; but, so far as the -evidence of this book-plate goes, Captain Cook may never have had a -library at all. It bears arms highly appropriate to a navigator; but -they were not granted to the Cook family till 1785, and, as every reader -of travel knows, Captain Cook was murdered in 1779. In all probability -this book-plate was engraved for the navigator's son, James Cook, who, -in 1793, attained to the rank of commander in the Navy; 1793, be it -said, is--to judge from its style and decoration--about the date of the -book-plate. - -Book-plates of English parish libraries and institutions deserve some -notice for several reasons. In these days, when enthusiasm for the -erection of free libraries is so great, it is curious to be reminded of -the past and long-forgotten efforts of our ancestors to civilise their -neighbours by the use of books. Gloomy affairs most of these 'parish' -libraries are now! You still sometimes find them locked in a damp -vestry, or in a country vicarage, where their existence is a secret to -the parishioners, and, indeed, to most other people. The book-plates of -some of them are interesting. There is a neat design in the Jacobean -style, which shows us the shield divided, and contains on the sinister -side two crossed keys, and on the dexter two crossed swords. This is -inscribed 'Swaffham Library. T. Dalton, F. Rayner, churchwardens, 1737.' -At least two designs for these parish book-plates are by Simon Gribelin. -In one, we have St. John in the isle of Patmos; and in the other, an -unidentifiable figure kneeling in prayer. To each the artist has placed -his initials, 'S. G.,' and both belong to about the same date--1723. - -A great many of these parochial libraries were founded early in the last -century by Dr. Thomas Bray, during his lifetime, and by a body calling -themselves the 'Associates of Dr. Bray,' after his death. It was at -Bray's instance that the Act of 7 Anne, 'for the better Preservation of -Parochial Libraries,' was passed by Parliament. One of the earliest of -the foundations under it was in 1720. - -It is probable that the 'Associates' issued book-plates for placing in -the volumes of the different libraries established; for there is, in -the design, a space left blank for the insertion, with pen and ink, of -the name of the particular library using the book-plate. These -book-plates generally bear texts or some appropriate words, such as, -'Accipe librum et devora illum' (Rev. x. 9), the scene depicted being -St. John, in the isle of Patmos, receiving the book from the angel; or -sometimes a reminder to the borrower that he needs to do more than -borrow the volume in order to profit by its contents, such as _Tolle, -Lege_, which appears on the book-plate of the parish library of Weobley! - -Grotesque heraldry is not often met with in England on genuine -book-plates. We have seen that on many examples the decorative -accessories of the shield have a certain appropriateness to the owner; -besides this, the arms borne have frequently a direct reference to the -bearer's name. But grotesque heraldry, such as that which Hogarth was so -fond of designing, is certainly rare in engravings prepared for -book-plates. There is, however, one example of such heraldry on an -English book-plate, which is worth referring to--I mean the very -interesting example figured on p. 229. This belonged to the -shoemaker-poet, Robert Bloomfield, and certainly the arms upon it are -both grotesque and appropriate to the owner, since they commemorate his -only really successful literary effort, _The Farmer's Boy_. Look for a -moment at the details, for they repay inspection. A figure on cow-back -holding a shoe on the end of a stick, does duty as a crest, two -ploughmen act as supporters, whilst the bearings on the shield represent -every variety of agricultural implement, every occupant of a farm-yard -ordinarily met with, and various tools connected with the owner's craft; -besides, on the sinister half of the shield, is a cobbler in an attitude -suggestive of his having done full justice to a feast in honour of St. -Crispin--not conducted on total abstinence principles. The quarterings -also include three open volumes, and across the pages of one is printed -'Farmer's Boy.' The whole--even to its motto, 'A fig for the -Heralds'--is most characteristic of Bloomfield, and was engraved for -him, in 1813--ten years before his death--by a Cheapside engraver. - -[Illustration] - - * * * * * - -With this gathering together of scraps and clippings I will bring my -volume to a close. Most of what I have said, and a very great deal -besides, is well known to the students of book-plates; but to them, I -fancy, this work is not intended to appeal. It is meant for the public -at large, to the majority of whom book-plates are unconsidered trifles. -To promote wholesale book-plate _collecting_ in albums and portfolios is -certainly not my intention. If it were, it would be a very undesirable -intention, for so far as it succeeded it would unquestionably lead to -the wholesale disfigurement and destruction of books, without regard to -their value. What I have aimed at is to awaken a wider interest in -book-plates, and a wider observation of them in their abiding places, by -those who either possess them already, or acquire them hereafter. If I -have succeeded in doing this, my work will, I am vain enough to believe, -be not altogether unsuccessful; for book-plates possess really an -artistic and general interest, which will be heightened the more our -stock of knowledge concerning them is increased. - - - - -INDEX - - - ACLAND, FRANCES ANNE, 196. - Adams, John, 157. - Adamson, Benjamin, 208, 210. - Adderley, John, 178. - Adramytteum, Suffragan-Bishop of, 127. - Æsculapius, represented on a book-plate, 84, 128. - Affleck, J. H., 112. - Allegory, in English book-plates, 34, 36, 72, 97, 190, 200. - ----, wildness of on French book-plates, 142. - ----, ---- on American book-plates, 159, 160. - Allen, ---- 107. - ---- Charles Dexter, 150, 156, 159, 160. - ---- George, 106. - American book-plates, 150-161. - Amman, Jost, 124, 125, 126. - Ancestry, pride in, expressed on book-plates, 179. - Anderson, 154. - ---- John, 112. - Anson, Thomas, 91. - Apthorpe, East, 60. - 'Armorial style,' the, 52. - Atkinson, Buddle, 112. - Avranches, Bishop of, 138. - - B., B., 220. - Bacon, Sir Francis, 26. - Bacon, Sir Nicholas, 26-28, 135. - Bagford, John, his collections, 2, 26, 28, 188. - Bailey, J. E., 23. - Baldrey, John, 76. - Barber, Joseph, 12-14. - Barlow, Charles, 57. - Baron, Bernard, 220. - Barberini, Maffeo, 148. - Bartolozzi, F., 15, 72, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 112, 214, 215. - ---- his receipt for engraving Lady Bessborough's book-plate, 94. - Bath, Countess-Dowager of, 28, 38, 39, 188. - ---- Earl of, 38. - ---- book-plate engravers at, 203-212. - 'Bath Oliver' biscuits, 86. - Bavaria, Ducal, library of, at Munich, 132. - Beaufort, Duke and Duchess of, 188. - Beilby, Ralph, 109. - Bell, Anning, 190. - ---- Thomas, 109. - Bengough, James, 52. - Bennet, R. H. Alexander, 88. - Bentley, engraver, 106. - Berry, Agnes, 96, 196. - ---- Mary, 177, 196. - ---- Robert, 196. - Bessborough, Earl of, 92. - Bessborough, Lady, 92. - Bewick, Thomas, 108-113, 177, 189, 214, 215. - ---- book-plates engraved on copper by, 112. - Bielke, Thure, 146. - Bigges, Mr., 112. - Birnie of Broomhill, 70. - Bisse, Dr. Philip, 59. - Blackstone, C., 213. - Blazon, heraldic, method of representing, 22-24. - ----, ---- expressed by initials, 40. - ----, ---- verbal, 30. - Bloomfield, Robert, 227-228. - Blosséville, Viscomte de, 136. - Boetius, 128. - Bolton, William, 224. - Bonner, engraver, 177. - Book-plate, antiquity of the name, 6. - ---- appropriateness of the name, 5. - ---- collecting, early days of, 1-5. - ---- ----, morality of, 54. - ---- the largest English, 50. - Book-plates, dates on, 42-47. - ---- the earliest, 17. - ---- ---- English, 18. - ---- ---- French, 18 - ---- ---- Italian, 18. - ---- ---- Swedish, 18. - ---- ---- Swiss, 18. - ---- early use of in England, 20-47. - ---- necessity for the use of, 17. - ---- sizes of, 19, 121. - ---- where to be sought for in a volume, 18. - ---- English, prominent engravers of, 200-215. - ---- first used in Germany, 114. - ---- of famous people, 221-228. - Book-stealing or spoiling, condemned on book-plates, 162-175. - Books represented in book-plates, 99-102. - Borbon-Busset, Viscount de, 141. - Bosch, Lewis, 177, 218. - Boston Public Library, the, 153. - Bosworth, Dr. John, 70. - Bouchart, A., 136. - Bouchot, Henri, 23, 144. - Bouttats family, the, 148, 203. - Bowles, Henry, 213. - Boyle, John, Lord, 222. - Brackstone, John, 62. - Bradshaw, Henry, 76. - Brampton, 190. - Brand, the Antiquary, 109. - Brandenburg family, arms of, 114. - ---- Hildebrande, 114. - Bransby, J. H., 107, 108. - Bray, Dr. Thomas, 226. - Bree, Martin, 46. - Breiner, Count M. L., 122. - Bridgeman, Henry Toye, 208, 210. - Brownlowe, Dame Alice, 50. - ---- Sir William, 50. - Brydges, the Hon. James, 50. - Burghers, Michael, 34, 73, 74, 200. - Burke, Sir Bernard, 2, _note_. - Burnet, Bishop, 3, 5. - ---- John, 155. - Burton, Dr. John, 78. - Buxheim, 116. - Byron, Lord, 16. - Byrd, William, 152. - Bysshe, Sir Edward, 31, 33. - - CAIRNES, SIR ALEXANDER, 73. - ---- Lady, 73. - Callot, the works of, 6. - Callowhill, Hannah, 152, _note_. - Callendar, an American book-plate engraver, 154. - Cambridge University, 26, 75. - ---- George I.'s gift to, 75, 202. - Carew, Sir Nicholas, 11. - Carington, Francis, 206, 208. - Carlander, Herr, 146. - Carlyle, Thomas, 224. - Carr, Anne, 181. - ---- Thomas, 112. - ---- William, 181. - Cassano-Serra, Duke of, 148. - Carter, Thomas, 43. - Castle, Egerton, 143. - ---- Hedingham, 104. - Cartwright, J. J., 182. - Caryer, Richard, 65. - 'Celestial' style, the, 68. - Ceys, A. T., 143. - Charles I., statue of, at Charing Cross, 12. - Charles XIII., book-plate of, 147. - 'Charlie, Prince,' 87. - Charlton, Charles, 110. - Chetwynd, Walter, 40. - Chinese Mandarin, figured on a book-plate, 143. - Chippendale style, the, 59-65. - Chodowiecki, D. N., 127. - Chorley, W. B., 177. - Cipriani, 90, 92. - Clapham, A., 112. - Clark, Charles, 172. - Clayton, Sir Robert, 44. - Clonfert, Bishop of, 57. - Cobbe, R. C., 213. - College book-plates, 54, 57. - Collet, John, 183. - ---- Thomas, 183. - ---- William, 183. - Collins, S. J., 213. - Colonial book-plates, 151. - Columbine, Francis, 52. - Conway, Field-Marshal, 195. - Conyers, John, 204. - Cook, Captain, 225. - ---- James, 225. - Cornwallis, Lord, 52. - Cotes, Rev. H., 110. - Courtney, William, 30. - Cowper, William, 214. - Cranach, Lucas, 124, 125. - Crewe, Nathanael, Bishop of Durham, 52. - Cunliffe, Foster, 91. - ---- Sir Foster, 90, 91. - ---- Sir Robert H., 90, 99. - Cunningham, Allan, 82. - Currer, Danson Richardson, 88. - ---- John, 88. - Custos, Dominick, 127. - - DALTON, T., 226. - Damer, Anne Seymour, 96, 193, 195, 196. - ---- Hon. John, 195, _note_. - Dawkins, Henry, 154. - Darlington, view of, 106. - Dartmouth College, 159. - Dasent, Sir George, 148. - Dates on book-plates, 42-47. - De Fleurieu, Chevalier, 143. - Delafaye, Charles, 64, 208. - Delphin edition, the, 138. - De La Colombière, Vulsson, 23. - De La Vallée, Melchior, 136. - De Malherbe, Francis, 23, 140, 142. - De Maridat, Peter, 175. - De Menezes, Isabel, 94, 185. - Derby, James, Earl of, 49-50. - Dering, Sir Edward, 31, 180. - ---- Thomas, 154, 155. - De Sales, Charles, 137. - De Tabley, Lord, 1, 7, 48, 54, 60, 74, 75, 86, 88, 128, 131, 137, 148, - 164, 168, 174, 183, 202, 203, 213, 218, 224. - Diamond, Dr., 220. - Dickens, Fr., 46. - Dinwiddie, Robert, 155, 156. - Dobson, Rev. I., 210. - Doctors of Medicine, represented on a book-plate, 84. - Doeg, Alexander, 112. - Doolittle, Amos, 154. - Dorset and Middlesex, Charles, Earl of, 221. - Douglas, Dr., 15. - Drummond, Dr. Thomas, 87, 214. - Dual ownership of book-plates, 198. - Dubarry, Countess, 140. - Duché, Rev. Jacob, 158. - Du Guernier, Louis, 73, 74. - Duick, John, 86. - Dürer, Albert, 17, 117, 118, 121. - Duthy, John, 213. - - EBNER, HIERONIMUS, 117. - Edinburgh, book-plate engravers at, 69. - Egerton, Randolph, 40, 181. - Elliston, Robert, 152. - Elton, C. I., 117. - Emmanuel College, Cambridge, 57. - Erasmus, 121. - Eve, C., 65. - _Ex Libris_ Society, the, 1. - ---- appropriateness of the words for book-plates, 6-8. - Eynes or Haynes, 34. - - FABER, JOHN, Bishop of Vienna, 164. - Faithorne, William, 36, 200, 218. - 'Farmer's Boy,' the, 227, 228. - Farmington Library, the, 159, 160. - Fenwick, John, 184, 185. - 'Festoon Style,' the, 65. - Fincham, H. W., 2, 102. - Fitzherbert, Thomas, 208. - Fleming, Francis, 210. - ---- Sir William, 202. - Flemish book-plates, 148-149. - Fletcher, W. Y., 188. - Foote, Benjamin Hatley, 65. - Ford, H., engraver, 90. - Fox, Charles James, 15, 44-46. - ---- Sir Stephen, 15. - Franks, Sir A. Wollaston, 30, 46, 79, 106, 118, 121, 124, 136, 148, - 204, 210. - French book-plates, 97, 135-146. - ---- their chief interest, 138-139. - ---- styles in, 141-142. - ---- Revolution, effects of the, displayed on French book-plates, 141. - Froben's press, 121. - Fuhr, John William, 208. - Fust, Sir Francis, 43. - - G., S., 226. - Gage, Sir Thomas, 95. - Gainsborough, anecdote of, 82. - Garrick, David, 168-170. - Gascoigne, T., 88, 90. - Gaultier, Léonard, 136. - George I., his gift to Cambridge University, 76, 202. - George III., arms of, by Bartolozzi, 91. - Germain, Lady Betty, 194. - ---- Sir William, 194. - German book-plates, 114-134. - Gibbs, James, 218, 219. - Gift book-plates, 26, 28, 30, 36, 38, 39. - Godfrey, John, 52. - Goodford, Samuel, 59. - Gore, Edward, 213. - ---- Thomas, 34, 73, 200. - Gosden, Thomas, 103. - Gould, Sir Nathaniel, 73. - Græme, Elizabeth, 157-8. - ---- Dr. Thomas, 157. - Gravelot, 78. - Gray's Inn Library, the, 100. - Greene, John, 33. - ---- T. W., 104. - Gribelin, Simon, 189, 203, 226. - Gricourt, Abbé de, 143. - Grimston, Sir Samuel, 39. - Grotesque heraldry on book-plates, 227. - Gueullette, Thomas, 143. - Gusthart, Dr. Robert, 210. - - H., W., 79, 143, 213. - Hacket, Bishop, 36, 200, 218. - Haistwell, Edward, 59. - Hamilton, Walter, 22, 141, 144. - Hanmer, Sir Thomas, 221. - Hanover, House of, Oxford's suspected disloyalty to, 78. - Hare, Sir Thomas, 59. - Harington, Gostlet, 52. - Harleian Collections, the, 192. - Harley, Robert, 221, 222. - Harrewyn, J., 149. - Harrison, W., 213. - Harrold, Countess of, 58. - Harvard College, 153, 154, 159. - Hasty Pudding Society, the, 159. - Haviland, Thomas, 208. - Haynes or Eynes, 34. - Hedio, Andrew, 166. - Hénault, M., 142. - Henshaw, the engraver, 96. - Hesketh family, arms of, 50. - Hewer, William, 100. - Hibbart, William, 79, 213. - Hibbins, Lucius Henry, 59. - Hillary, William, 208. - Hoadly, Dr. John, 213. - Hoare, arms of, 95. - ---- Frances Ann, 196. - ---- Richard, 95, 196. - ---- Sir Richard Colt, 95, 196. - Hogarth, William, 6, 14, 56, 75, 79, 92, 112, 213, 220, 227. - Holbein, drawings by, 91. - Holcombe, John, 68. - Holland, John, 79. - Hollar's armorial work, 33. - Holles, Henrietta Cavendish, 192. - Holmes, Oliver Wendell, 161. - Holzschuher family, 125, 126. - Hommeau, C. F., 168. - Howard, Dr. Jackson, 2, 30, 32. - Huet, Dr. P. D., 138. - Hughes, John, 208. - Hulett, John, 222. - Hungerford, Sir George, 36. - Hunloke, Sir Henry, 40. - ---- Henry, 179. - Huntingdon, Selina, Countess of, 194. - Hurd, Nathaniel, 154. - Hustler, James, 59. - ---- Sir William, 52. - - I'ANSON, Sir T. B., 68. - Ingold, Father, 136. - Ireland, John, 6. - Irish book-plates, 69-70. - Isham, Sir Charles, 11. - ---- Sir Thomas, 8-11, 200. - Italian MSS., heraldic decoration of, 16. - ---- book-plates, 147-8, 218. - - JACOB, HERBERT, 176. - Jacobean style, the, 53-59. - Jacobite Life-guards, the, 214. - Jaquéri, Jean Eli, 212. - James II., statue of, at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 12. - Jeffreys, Henrietta Louisa, Countess of Pomfret, 193. - Jenkins, Miss, 2. - Jesus College, 57. - Jodrell, Paul, 50. - Johnson, engraver, 154. - Jones, G. L., Bishop of Kilmore, 66. - - KENDRICK, DR., 106. - Kennett, White, Bishop of Peterborough, 102. - Kent, Henry, Duke of, 58. - Kerrich, Dr. Samuel, 14. - Kilian, Lucas, 127. - ---- Wolffgang, 124, 127. - Kilmore, Bishop of, 66. - Kirby Hall, 104. - Knatchbull, Thomas, 49. - Knight, Hon. Henrietta, 213. - Knöringen, John Giles, 180. - Koler, Susanna, 127. - Kressenstain, J. W., 126. - - LABOUCHERE, MISS NORNA, 186, 188, 190, 198. - Ladies' book-plates, 186-199. - Lamballe, Princess de, 198. - Lambart, George, 6, 79. - Landscape book-plates, 103. - Larson, William, 12. - Le Bas, engraver, 214. - 'Legacy' book-plates, 28. - Legh, Gerard, 23. - Le Grand, engraver, 140. - Leicester Warren, Hon. J. B., _see_ De Tabley, Lord. - Le Mercier, Father, 141. - Lethieullier, John, 59. - 'Library Interiors,' 99, 100, 144, 146. - Libraries, Public, 99. - Lichfield Cathedral, view of, 106. - Lilienthal, Michael, 167. - Linarti, Filippo, 218. - Liverpool Library, the, 99, 100. - Lloyd, Rev. John, 176. - Locker, Capt. William, 103. - Loggan, David, 8-11, 200. - Lombe, Lady, 189. - Lovat, Lord, 223. - Lulin, Amadeus, 146. - Lumisden, Andrew, 11, 87, 214. - Lynch, Philip, 58. - Lyttelton book-plate, 200. - ---- Sir Edward, 32. - - M., R., 213. - Macciucca, Francesco Vargas, 171, 199. - Macdonald, H., 174. - Malassis, _see_ Poulet-Malassis. - Manchester Circulating Library, the, 99. - ---- Subscription Library, the, 99. - Mantling, style of, 52. - Marks, John, 174. - Marlborough, Duchess of, 195. - Marriott book-plate, the, 36. - Marshall, William, 32, 200. - Marsham, John, 33. - Mason, Dame Anna Margaretta, 58, 189. - Massie, Richard, 59. - Massy, Francis, 208. - Maury, Cardinal, 140. - Mavericks, the, engravers, 154. - Mayo, Lady, 190. - Mercator, Daniel, 179. - ---- Nicholas, 179, 180. - Methuen, Sir Paul, 222. - Middlesex, Lionel, Earl of, ill-treatment of his wife, by, 38. - Minerva, presented with a tomahawk, 159. - Mitford, John, 96. - Moises, Edward, 112. - Monmouth, James, Duke of, 181. - Moore, Bishop, library of, 75. - ---- O, 175. - Morghen, Raphael, 147, 148. - Mottoes, punning, 176. - ---- repeated in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew, 120. - Moule, Thomas, 6, 12. - Mountaine, Robert, 212-213. - Muilman, Peter, 104. - Musgrave, Sir Christopher, 204. - Myller, Sebastian, 127. - Mynde, H., 103. - - NACK, J. B., 7, 8. - 'Name Tickets,' 40, 134. - ---- used in France, 135. - ---- ---- Germany, 135. - Nash, 'Beau,' 206. - Neptune, figured on a book-plate, 96. - Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 12. - ---- St. Michael's Church, view of, 109. - New College, Oxford, 58. - Newdigate, Richard, 52. - New England Library, the, 153. - Newport, Lady, 38. - New York Society Library, 159. - Nevill, Lady Dorothy, 199. - Nicholson, Gilbert, 43. - Nicholson, ----, an attorney at Lichfield, 106. - North, Hon. Anne, 189. - Nott, Fettiplace, 40. - Nuremberg, Library of St. Laurence at, 183. - - OKEY, family book-plate, 183. - Oliver, Dr. William, 84, 86, 212. - ---- William, 210. - Ord, John, 64. - Oringen, 125. - Orr, J., 70, _note_. - Oxford, Earl of, 192, 193. - ---- Henrietta, Countess of, 14, 79, 81, 190, 193, 203. - Oxford, suspected disloyalty of, to the House of Hanover, 78. - - PAGIT, JUSTINIAN, 40. - Pain, Anne, 198. - ---- Thomas, 198. - Paper, its ancient scarcity, 116. - Park, Thomas, 224. - Parlington, library at, 88. - Parochial Libraries, 167, 168, 203, 225, 226, 227. - Parsons, Daniel, 21. - Paynter, David, 44. - Pembroke College, 57. - Penn, Sophia, 213. - ---- Thomas, 151. - ---- William, 151, 152, _note_. - Pennant, Henry, 208. - Penny, Nicholas, 52. - Pepys, Samuel, 8, 18, 40, 100, 178, 216-218. - Pereira, Rev. H. W., 121. - Perrault, Francis, 218. - Personal particulars on book-plates, 178. - Petrarca, Giuseppe, 122. - - Petra-Sancta, Father, his system of expressing metals and tinctures in - heraldry, 23. - Pfann, engraver, 216. - Physicians, College of, 15. - Picart, Bernard, 144. - 'Picture' book-plates, 98-113. - Pindar, Elizabeth, 188. - Pine, John, 75, 76, 78, 79, 100, 202. - Pirckheimer, Bilibald, 7, 17, 18, 117, 118, 162, 175, 220. - Pitfield, Charles, 40, 178. - Pocklington, Joseph, 65. - Polish book-plates, 149. - Pollard, engraver, 96. - Pollen, Rev. George, 68. - Pömer, Hector, 118, 120, 121. - Pomfret, Lady, 193, 194. - Pompadour, La, 140. - Ponsonby, Hon. Gerald, 94. - Pope, figured on a book-plate, 81. - Porcellian Club, the, 159. - Portal, Joseph, 213. - Portrait book-plates, 36, 98, 196, 200, 216-220. - Poulet-Malassis, M., 1, 7, 97, 135, 136, 141, 142. - Powlet, C. S., 213. - ---- George, 213. - Priestley, Joseph, 107. - Prince Library, the, 153. - ---- Thomas, 153. - Prior, Matthew, 182, 222. - Punning Heraldry, instances of, upon book-plates, 125. - Pye, engraver, 104, 106. - - QUEENS' COLLEGE, CAMB., 57. - - RABY, LORD, 181. - Radcliffe Library, J. Gibbs's gift to, 218. - Raigniauld, engraver, 136. - Rayner, F., 226. - Red-skins figured on book-plates, 159. - Reilly, John, 53, 166, 167. - Restoration, increase in number of book-plates, after the, 33. - Revere, engraver, 154. - Rieterin, Margretha, 118. - Roberts-Brown, J., 2. - Robinson, John, 59. - ---- Johnson, 208. - ---- Thomas, 176. - ---- Sir William, 46. - Rochdale Circulating Library, the, 99. - 'Rococo' style, the, 142, 147. - Roe, engraver, 96. - Rogers, Samuel, 224. - Roos, Lady, 50, 188. - ---- Lord, 50, 52. - Rosenberg, Count of, 127, 130, 131. - Ross, T., 81. - Rowney, Thomas, 52. - Royal Society, Library of, 118. - Royall, Isaac, 151, _note_. - Rushout, Sir John, 59. - Russian book-plates, 149. - Rylands, J. Paul, 43, 100, 179. - - SADELER, GILES, 124, 127, 132. - ---- Joseph, 124. - St. Albans Grammar School, 39. - St. David's, Bishop of, 59. - St. Frances de Sales, 137. - St. John figured on a book-plate, 167, 226, 227. - St. John's College, Camb., 57. - St. Paul figured on a book-plate, 124, 125. - St. Peter figured on a book-plate, 125. - St. Quintin, Sir William, 43. - St. Thomas's Hospital, 59. - Sartor, James, 202. - Sartorius, Christopher, 202. - Sayer, John, 52. - Scharff, Gottfried Balthazar, 176. - Schintz, Dr. C. S., 128. - Scotch book-plates, 69-70. - ---- rebellion, the second, 12. - Scripture, quoted in condemnation of book-stealing, 167. - Scroope, Simon, 50. - Seyringer, John, 175. - Shakespeare represented on a book-plate, 81. - Shelburne, Lord, his quarrel with Priestley, 107. - Sheraton, Thomas, 66. - Sherwin, John Keys, 72, 90, 96, 214, 215. - Sibmacher, Hans, 126. - Signeira, drawing by, 95. - Sinton, engraving by, 137. - Sion College Library, 102. - Skeleton, one represented on a book-plate, 129. - Skinner, J. [Jacob?], 64, 81, 84, 203-212. - ---- Matthew, 212. - Skorina, F., 124. - Sloane, Sir Hans, 12. - Smyth, Sir John, 212. - Southey, Robert, 209-210. - Southwell (anon.), 34. - ---- Sir Robert, 40, 180. - ---- Hon. R. H., 103. - Spanish book-plates, 148. - Speratus, Paulus, 122, 166. - Stanley, Sir Edward, 50. - Stapylton, Sir Bryan, 46. - ---- Martin, 46. - Stearne, Bishop John, 7. - Stephens, William, 14. - Sterne, Laurence, 223, 224. - Stirling-Maxwell, Sir William, 19. - Stourhead, 95. - Strafford, Earl of, 182. - Strange, Sir Robert, 11, 87, 214, 215. - Strawberry Hill, 103, 106, 195. - Study, praise of, on book-plate, 175-177. - Sturgis, John, 213. - Surgeons, College of, 15. - Surtees, Robert, 68. - Swaffham, parish library of, 226. - Swedish book-plates, 146-147. - Swift, Jonathan, 194. - Swiss book-plates, 147. - Sydenham, Sir Philip, 102, 184, 203. - Sydney Sussex College, 30. - Symons, John, 66. - - TADCASTER LIBRARY, 167. - Talbot, Col. John, 30. - ---- C., 170. - Tapestry in the House of Commons, 202. - Terry, engraver, 104. - Thomas, Sir Edmund, 212. - Thompson, William, 52. - Thoms, Mr., 220. - Thoresby, the historian of Leeds, 184. - Thorne, Peregrine Francis, 212. - Titles, English, a stumbling-block to foreigners, 74. - 'Tombstone Style,' the, 59. - Tommins, Jean, 90. - Tower of London, library of the Public Record Office in, 103, 104. - Towneley, Richard, 184. - Trémouille, Charlotte, Countess of Derby, 49. - Tresham, Sir Francis, 28. - ---- Sir Lewis, 28. - ---- Sir Thomas, 28, 30. - Trinity Hall, 57. - Troschel, Hans, 124, 126. - Turner, engraver, 154. - Twemlow, William, 44. - Tynemouth Priory, view of ruins of, 110. - Tyneside, the, Bewick's sketching ground, 110-112. - Tyrwhit, Francis, 179. - - URBAN VIII., book-plate of, 148. - - VANDERGUCHT, MICHAEL, 193, 202-203. - Vander Noot, Count, 149, 185. - Vennitzer, John, 183, 216. - Venus figured on a book-plate, 92. - Versailles, library at, 140. - Vertue, George, 14, 56, 79, 192-193, 203. - Vicars, Sir Arthur, 98, 146. - Vienna, College of St. Nicholas at, 164. - Von Hagenau, Ferdinand, 127. - Von Zell, William, 116. - - WADD, WILLIAM, 15. - Wakefield, Gilbert, 107. - Wale, Samuel, 193. - ---- T., 87. - Walker, H. P., 224. - Walpole, Horace, 14, 15, 103, 106, 178, 195, 196, 203. - Walters, Henry, 208. - Wanly, Humphrey, 31. - Warnecke, Herr, 16. - Warrington, local volunteers, picture of one, 107. - Warrington, view of, 106. - Washington, George, 156, 157, 158. - Way, G. L., 108. - Welbeck, 190. - Wentworth, Sir John, 50. - ---- Thomas, Earl of, 181, 182. - Weobley Parish Library, 227. - Wernerin, designer, 128. - Wessenbrun, monastery of, 167. - Westmoreland, Francis Fane, Earl of, 38. - Wharton, Philip, Lord, 180. - ---- William, 40, 180. - Wheatley, Henry, 106. - White, engraver, 218. - Wightwick, George, 173. - Wigtown, Earl of, 210. - Wilberforce, William, 225. - Wilkes, John, 223. - Willcox, Rev. F., 39. - William III., effect of his invasion upon English fashions, 74. - Williams, Rev. John, 153. - Willis, Sherlock, 167, 168. - Willmer, William, 30. - Wiltshire, John, 81, 82, 86. - Windham, Sir Edmund, 179. - ---- Thomas, 179. - Winnington, Francis, 59. - Wodroofe, John, 208. - Wolsey, Cardinal, 18, 24. - Woodward, Charles, 173. - Worlidge, 213. - 'Wreath and Ribbon Style,' the, 65. - Wren, Sir Christopher, 12. - Wyndham, Wadham, 78. - - YALE COLLEGE, 159. - Yates, engraving by, 91. - ---- James, 107. - - - Printed by T. and A. CONSTABLE, Printers to her Majesty - at the Edinburgh University Press - - * * * * * - -Transcriber's Notes: - -Obvious punctuation errors repaired. - -Page xv, "Bromhill" changed to "Broomhill" (BIRNIE OF BROOMHILL) - -Page 144, "th" changed to "the" (perhaps the most gloomy) - -Page 150, missing marker "1" added to footnote. - -Page 184, the inscription on Sir Philip Sydenham's book was moved out of -the end of the paragraph to allow the - - {Ætatis: 73 - {Domini: 1702.' - -to be lined up at the end as they are in the original text. - -Page 184, "mathematican" changed to "mathematician" (astronomer and a -mathematician) - -Page 195, "y" changed to "yet" (and have not yet) - -Index: - -Page 233, "Chadowiecki" changed to "Chodowiecki" and moved to new -alphabetical position (Chodowiecki, D. N., 127.) - -Page 233, "Maridal" changed to "Maridat" (De Maridat, Peter) - -Page 235, "Henault" changed to "Hénault" (Hénault, M.) - -Page 235, "I'ANSON" changed to "I'ANSON" (I'ANSON, Sir T. B.) - -Page 236, this text uses both Jaquéri in the text once and Jacquéri in -the index once. The index was changed to reflect what was in the text, -but the reader should be aware that the name appears both ways in other -texts and often with "Elie" instead of "Eli." - -Page 235, "Kaler" changed to "Koler" and move to new alphabetical -position (Koler, Susanna) - -Page 236, "Linasti" changed to "Linarti" (Linarti, Filippo) - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Book-Plates, by William J. 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