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Mr. URBAN,

T

March 23.

HE inclosed inscription from a pew at Totness, Devon (Plate II. fig. 1.), is sent for explanation.

The Church at Harlington, in the county of Middlesex, has already been engraved for the inspection of your readers; see vol. LXXVIII. p. 385. To the notices already given, please to add the following. Ou the steps leading to the Chancel, on the North side, is a monument (see fig. 2.), to the memory of Gregory Lovell, esq. lord of the manor, and patron of the Church, who married Anne, daughter of David Bellingham, esq. and died 1545. It consists of an altar-tomb placed under a flat arch, with the usual or naments of quatrefoils and pointed arches. The effigies of brass of himself and family, inserted originally in the wall and on the surface of the tomb, have been entirely removed.

Arms: Quarterly, 1 and 4, Barry nebuly of six, Or and Gules, a canton Ermine, Lovell; 2 and 3, a lion ranpant Gules, crowned Or; over all a bend Sable bezanty: impaling, quar terly, 1 and 4, Argent, a bugie-hora Sable, stringed Or, Bellingham; 2 and 3, Argent, three bends Gules; on a canton of the second a lion ram pant of the first; Burneshide.

Mr. URBAN,

M.

Sapcote, Jan. 19.

2

FIG. 3. is an exact representation of a curious monumental relick found in the church-yard of Sapcote, in the county of Leicester, on Saturday Jan. 18, 1812, about 18 inches below the surface of the earth. It is of calcareous stone, the length 4 feet 9 inches, the breadth, at the greater end, 16 inches, at the lesser end 12 inches, and the depth at the side 3 inches and a half. It rises gradually from each side to the middle of the upper surface, and terminates in a sort of relievo as in the figure. It is highly probable that this stone was a sepulchral covering to one of the ancient family of the Bassets, formerly owners of this parish, and founders of the parish-church, as a small human skeleton, with part of an oak coffin, were found immediately beneath it.: It is rather extraordinary that this was placed in a position different from what monumental stones are usually done, its direction being from Southwest to North-east. There is no inGENT. MAG. August, 1812.

scription or ornament upon it, except what appears in the figure. A stone, nearly of a similar description, was found in this church-yard in the year 1788; for an account of which, byMr. John Ward, of Hinckley, see Gent. Mag. vol. LVIII. p. 1071, and vol. LIX. p. 100. W. SPENCER.

THE ROXBURGAE SALE.
O Sale of Books ever engrossed a

larger share of public attention than the extensive and valuable Library of the late JoHN Duke of ROXBURGHE. The Catalogue was ju diciously compiled by Messrs. G. and W. Nicol, and the Books were sold by Mr. Robert Evans of Pall-mall, who for that especial purpose commenced Book Auctioneer, and has given sufficient proof of his skill in that situation, to convince us that he must, in a short time, be excelled by none of his brethren.

The Library was sold at his Grace's late residence in St. James's Square ; and so numerous and valuable were: the lots, that the Sale lasted 45 days, commencing on the 18th May, and closing on the 8th July. The total produce of the Library (which it is believed did not cost its late noble Owner more than 50001.), was about 23,3417.

Preâxed to the Catalogue is a very intelligent Preface; from which we shall select a few extracts; more particularly as the Catalogue itself is not now to be purchased.

"It would be endless, and to the intelligent unnecessary, to point out all the very rare books that will be found in branches of Literature in which the Posthis Catalogue; particularly in those sessor took delight. He idolized the tacollected every thing that could illuslents of Shakspeare and Cervantes, and trate their works. Early English Literature, and the Table Ronde, were there. fore great objects of his research; of the former, there are in this Library, not only the rarest, but, in point of condition, the most beautiful specimens that exist: and every one knows the extreme difficulty of finding early English books in clean condition.

"In the poetical part of this class the Library is very rich. Few English Libraries possess both the editions of the

said to be written by Roy, or two diffecelebrated Satire on Cardinal Wolsey, Devises both England's Helicon, and rent editions of the Paradise of Dainty Parnassus

Parnassus or both Webbe's and Puttenham's Art of Poetry. The most curious article in the Lyrical class of Poetry, however, is certainly the very large Collection of Ancient Ballads, in 3 volumes, folio.

"As to the Duke's Collection of the Table Ronde, his Grace was not satisfied with the printed editions, some of which are uncommonly rare; he also collected many of them in MS. in magnificent volumes, on vellum, illustrated with beautiful illuminations. Among these curious MSS. are several translated by the celebrated Walter de Mapes, for the entertainment of his Sovereign Henry II. These literary labours, of so eminent a scholar of his day, are not mentioned by our own literary historians, Leland, Bale, or Tanner, who enumerate his works; nor by Wolfius, Fabricius, or Leyserus, who speak much of him, and preserve some of his poems; particularly Wolfius, in his curious work, which he calls Lectiones Memorabiles, in two large volumes folio. This literary anecdote, however, is established by Rusticien de Pise, who lived soon after Walter de Mapes, and who translated several of the Romances in these Collections of MSS. by order of Henry III.

"Among them there is one, Le Roman de Tristan de Leonnoys, translated from a MS. preserved at Salisbury by Luce, de Chatel du Gat.

"Among the Books printed by Caxton in this Collection, which, in point of condition and cleanness, are unparalleled in any Library in the world, there is another instance with what attention his Grace looked into his books. In the first book printed by Caxton with a date, the Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye, fol. 1471, which is also the first book. printed in the English Language, there is a sheet (to use the technical expression of a printing-office) transposed, by which means the pages, not the leaves, are misplaced. This the Duke has distinctly noted with his own hand, in the book. In the same book is a very curious note, written on vellum, in an antient hand, and modernized by the Duke, which shews that this copy belonged to Elizabeth Grey, Queen to Edward the Fourth. It begins thus: "This Boke is mine, Quene Elizabet, late Wiffe unto the most noble King Edwarde the forthe." This lady was sister-in-law to Margaret Duchess of Burgundy, at whose command, and under whose patronage, Caxton says, this book was translated and printed. It is therefore not surprizing, that Caxton presented so fine a copy of this book to his Queen, and the sister-in-law of bis Patroness.

"The Copy of the Scottish Acts of Parliament of the first five James and Queen Mary, 1566, in this Library, is invaluable. It contains, among other things, the original edition of Queen Mary's Acts, printed by Likprevik, 1565.

"In the class of Italian Poets and Novellists, there are many very rare articles; among the Novellists is the first edition of IL DECAMERONI DI BOC

CACCIO, 1471. This is certainly one of the scarcest, if not the very scarcest book that exists. It has now for upwards of 300 years preserved its uniquity, if that term is allowable. Of the same class of rare books may be mentioned Morlini Novella, small 4to. The only copy known to be publicly sold, was at M. Gaignat's sale, where it was bought by the Duke de Valieri for 1121 livres, at a time when scarce books sold cheap.

"When Literature was deprived of one of its warmest admirers, by the death of the Duke of Roxburghe, his Grace was in full pursuit of collecting our Dramatick Authors. And, when his collection of English Plays is examined, and the reader is informed that he had only turned his mind to this class of literature for a few years, his indefatigable industry will be readily admitted. But what makes most of his old plays invaluable, is the beauty of their condition.

"Of the French Dramatick Writers there are some very curious specimens in Mysteries and Moralities; particularly one MS. in two volumes, folio, intituled La Vengeance de Notre S. J. C. beautifully written on vellum, and illustrated with a great number of exquisite drawings representing the various scenes of the piece.

"There are also some scarce modern Latin Plays in the Library, among which is a volume that contains, along with another tragedy by the same author, Incendia seu Pyrgopolinices, Tragedia, Thoma Naogeorgo Authore. This piece, though much in the style of collecting in France, is so very rare, that De Bure confesses he never saw it. The other piece of Naogeorgus in this vo lume, viz. Mercator, &c. is also scarce, but not so scarce as the French translation by Jean Crespir, especially when it is accompanied with another piece, intituled La Comedie du Pape Malade et tirant à la fin. The Duke's copy not only contains both these pieces, but another of the same class, by Theodore Beza, called Tragédie Françoise du Sacrifice d'Abraham. This last piece was unknown to De Bure, and does not appear in Gaignat's, the Duke de Valiere's, or any other known collection.