Note 151 — The Cabinet.

Barthelemy, Mercier de St. Leger, died in the year 1800, and in the sixty-sixth of his age, full of reputation, and deeply regretted by those who knew the delightful qualities of his head and heart. It is not my intention to enumerate all his publications, the titles of which may be found in the Siécles Littéraires, vol. iv., p. 350: but, in the present place, I will only observe that his "Supplement à l'Histoire de l'Imprimerie, par P. Marchand," was first published in 1773, and afterwards in 1775, 4to., a rare and curious work; but little known in this country. His Bibliothéque des Romans, traduit de Grec, was published in 1796, 12 vols. 12mo. His letter concerning De Bure's work, 1763, 8vo., betrayed some severe animadversions upon the Bibliogr. Instruct.: but he got a similar flagellation in return, from the Abbé Rive, in his Chasse aux Bibliographes—who held him and De Bure, and all the bibliographical tribe, in sovereign contempt. His letter to Heinecken upon the rare editions of the 15th century, 1783, 8vo., and his other works, I never saw in any collection. The imperial library at Paris purchased his copy of Du Verdier's and La Croix du Maine's Bibliothéques, covered with his marginal annotations, as well as his copy of Clement's Bibl. Curieuse. Le Blond, member of the Institute, obtained his copy of De Bure's Bibliographie Instructive, also enriched with MS. notes. Mr. Ochéda, Lord Spencer's librarian, who knew well the Abbé de St. Leger, informed me that he left behind him ample materials for a History of Printing, in a new edition of his Supplement to Marchand's work, which he projected publishing, and which had received from him innumerable additions and corrections. "He was a man," says Mr. Ochéda, "the most conversant with editions of books of all kinds, and with every thing connected with typography and bibliography, that I ever conversed with." The reader may consult Peignot's Dict. de Bibliologie, vol. i., p. 452, vol. iii., p. 212.