Note 397 — The Drawing Room. (continued 4)

A Catalogue of the Library of John Henderson, Esq. (late of Covent Garden Theatre), &c. Sold by auction by T. and J. Egerton, on February, 1786, 8vo. Do not let the lover of curious books in general imagine that Henderson's collection was entirely dramatical. A glance at the contents of page 12 to page 22, inclusively, will shew that this library contained some very first-rate rarities. When the dramatic collector enters upon page 23, (to the end of the volume, p. 71) I will allow him to indulge in all the mania of this department of literature, "withouten ony grudgynge." He may also ring as many peals as it pleaseth him, upon discovering that he possesses all the copies of a dramatic author, ycleped George Peele, that are notified at nos. 923-4! Henderson's library was, without doubt, an extraordinary one. As we are upon Dramatic Libraries, let us, for fear Lysander should forget it, notice the following, though a little out of chronological order. "A Catalogue, &c., of the late Mr. James William Dodd, of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, &c. Sold by auction by Leigh and Sotheby, Jan. 19, 1797, 8vo., 2435 lots." There was more of the Drama in this than in Henderson's collection. Mr. Kemble purchased the dearest volume, which was "Whetstone's Promos and Cassandra," 1578, 4to. (no. 2396) for 7l. 10s. Mr. George Nicol (for the late Duke of Roxburgh) kept up a tremendous fire at this sale! Akin to Dodd's, was the "Curious and Valuable Library of George Smyth, Esq.—sold by Leigh and Sotheby, June 2, 1797, 8vo." There were many uncommon books in this collection, exclusively of those appertaining to the Drama; and when I mention, in this latter department—Hughes's Misfortunes of Prince Arthur, &c., printed by Robinson, 1587, 4to. (no. 1376; 16l. 15s.), both the parts of Shakespeare's Henry the Fourth (1599-1600, 4to., nos. 1436-7; 18l. 18s.), his Much Ado about Nothing, 1600, 4to., (no. 1438; 7l. 10s.)—I say enough to sharpen the collector's appetite to obtain, if he have it not, possession of this curious but barbarously printed catalogue. To these, let me add the "Catalogue of a portion of the Library of William Fillingham, Esq., consisting of old quarto plays, early English Poetry, and a few scarce Tracts, &c., sold by Leigh and Sotheby, April 1805, 8vo." The arrangement of this small catalogue is excellent. Many of the books in it are of the rarest occurrence; and, to my knowledge, were in the finest preservation. The collector is no more! He died in India; cut off in the prime of life, and in the midst of his intellectual and book-collecting ardour! He was a man of exceedingly gentlemanlike manners, and amiable disposition; and his taste was, upon the whole, well cultivated and correct. Many a pleasant, and many a profitable, hour have I spent in his "delightsome" library!!!