Library of Ely.

The Library of the Dean and Chapter of Ely is contained in a commodious and well lighted apartment, formed by the enclosure of the east aisle of the Cathedral for that purpose in 1814.

The books are all placed upon open shelves, and are chiefly attired in the dusky garb of former years, with paper labels on their backs, and are protected from damp by the heat of a stove.

This Collection is placed under the care of the Rev. George Millers, one of the Minor Canons of the Cathedral, whose diligence is attested by a printed Catalogue, under the following title: “Catalogus Librorum qui in Bibliothecâ Cathedralis Eliensis adservantur. 1815.”

In this volume the books are briefly, yet correctly enumerated under the several departments of knowledge to which they relate. That of Theology is, as might naturally be expected, the most copious, occupying 69 pages, out of the 138 of which the entire volume is composed. With this important feature in the Library, I will commence my account of its contents, giving precedence to the impressions of the Sacred Volume, the most remarkable of which are

Walton’s Polyglott, with Castell’s Lexicon.

Kennicott’s Hebrew Bible.

Vetus Testamentum Gr. è Codice Alexandrino, curâ Grabe. Oxonii, 1707-19, 2 vols. folio.

Vetus Testamentum Gr. LXX, ed. Holmes, &c. Oxon. 1804, &c. 6 vols. folio.

Novum Testamentum, è Th. Beza. Cantab. 1642, folio.

Novum Testamentum, Millii. Oxonii, 1707, folio.

Novum Testamentum, Westeinii. Amst. 1751, 2 vols. folio.

Novum Testamentum, è Codice Alexandrino, curâ Woide. Lond. 1786, folio.

Biblia Latina, Castalionis. Basil. 1551, folio.

Biblia Latina, Tremellii & Junii. Hanov. 1624, fol.

with several English versions of the Bible, of little note, and none earlier than 1607.

I must not however omit to mention the Acta Apostolorum Gr. et Lat. literis majusculis è Codice Laudiano, edente Thoma Hearne, Oxonii, 1715, roy. 8vo. Of Biblical Commentators, the number is very great; but the names of Le Clerc, Erasmus, Prideaux, Kidder, Patrick, Lowth, Whitby, Pococke, Michaelis, Pearce, Stanhope, and Macknight, may be selected as fit representations of the crowd from which they have been taken. The Critici Sacri and Pole’s Synopsis are of course included in this department.

Of Concordances it may be sufficient to mention those of Buxtorf, Stephens, and Taylor; and of Liturgies there are several examples, from the Romish Ritual to the English Common Prayer.

Of the Fathers of the Church, this Library may boast of a copious and valuable selection, including the Works of SS. Ambrose, Athanasius, Augustine, Basil, Benedict, Bernard, Chrysostom, Clement, Cyprian, Cyril, Epiphanius, Eusebius, the Gregories, Jerome, Irenæus, Isidore, and Justin Martyr, together with those of Lactantius, Origen, Philo Judæus, Tertullian, and Theodoret. To which may be added,

Cotelerii, SS. Patrum Apostolicorum Opera, edente Clerico. Amst. 1724, 2 vols. folio.

Grabii Spicilegium, SS. Patrum, &c. Oxon. 1699, 8vo.

Wake’s Epistles of the Apostolical Fathers. Lond. 1710, 8vo.

Cave’s Lives of the Primitive Fathers, &c. Lond. 1683-4, in 3 vols. folio.

Of Theological Writers during the later ages, the Works contained in this Library are so numerous, and many of the names of so little note, that I will not fatigue the reader by attempting to recount them.

Among the Latin Authors, I may mention Thomas Aquinas, Bellarmine, Bochart, Bull, Calvin, Grotius, Limborch, and Pearson; and among the Works of English Divines, may give precedence to those of Barrow, Bingham, Bramhall, Chillingworth, Clarke, Fleetwood, Hall, Hammond, Jackson, Jewell, Leslie, Lightfoot, Mede, Jeremy Taylor, and Tillotson. Of the other Theological Works, I may adduce those of Addison, Allix, Balguy, Bentley, Boyle, Burnet, Butler, Conybeare, Hervey, Hoadley, Hooker, Hooper, Jewel, Kettlewell, Leland, Lowth, Patrick, Sherlock, Stillingfleet, Usher, and Warburton, as a fair specimen of the whole. In conclusion, a few French Works on Divinity, and a formidable phalanx of Sermons by various authors, bring up the rear of this section of the Library.

In this place it may be right to mention the Synopsis Canonum of Howel, and Beveregii Pandectæ Canonum, together with the Concilia Generalia of Labbe, &c. the Concilia Britannica of Spelman, and the Concilia Magnæ Britanniæ et Hiberniæ of Wilkins. These three last-mentioned Works naturally lead us to the Works connected with Ecclesiastical History, which are found in this Collection. Among these I may enumerate

Baronii Annales Ecclesiastici. Paris. 1609-59, 12 vols. folio.

Bedæ Historia Ecclesiastica Anglicana. Cantab. 1722, folio.

Eusebii Historia Ecclesiastica. Paris. 1678, folio.

Gibson’s Codex Juris Ecclesiastici. Lond. 1713, 2 vols. folio.

Godwin de Præsulibus Angliæ. Cantab. 1743, fol.

Josephi Opera Omnia. Genevæ, 1611, folio.

Le Neve, Fasti Ecclesiæ Anglicanæ. Lond. 1716, fol.

Parker de Antiquitate Ecclesiæ Britannicæ. Lond. 1729, folio.

Usserii Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates. Lond. 1687, folio.

Whartoni Anglia Sacra. Lond. 1691, 2 vols. folio.

Stillingfleet, Origines Britannicæ. Lond. 1685, fol.

Burnet’s History of the Reformation. Lond. 1679-1715, 3 vols. folio.

Strype’s Annals of the Reformation. Lond. 1709-25, 2 vols. folio. And

Fox’s Acts and Monuments of the Church. Lond. 1684, 3 vols. folio. Which with

The Church History of Britain by Cressy, Collier, Fuller, Inett, and Lloyd; the Ecclesiastical Histories of Du Pin, Echard, Milner, and Mosheim, together with Spotiswood’s History of the Church of Scotland, form the principal features of this department.

In Works of General History this Collection is not rich. It possesses, however, Heylyn’s Cosmography, the History of the World by Howell, and Raleigh, the Ancient and Modern Universal History, Mitford’s History of Greece, the Roman Histories of Hooke and Ferguson, Maurice’s Hindostan, and Indian Antiquities, Du Halde’s China, and the Turkish History by Knolles and Rycaut.

As helps to History, I may notice the Chronology of Newton, and Playfair, and the Geography of Cellarius, Cluverius, Strabo, and Wells, together with the travels of Chandler, Pennant, Ray, and Spon.

As important adjuncts to History, I may also mention several works of Antiquities, but none of sufficient importance to merit particular enumeration, and a few Numismatic Works, including Arbuthnot’s Tables of Coins, and Fleetwood’s Chronicon Preciosum; also the following Biographical Works:—Strype’s Lives; Kippis’s Biographia Britannica; Walton’s Lives; Fuller’s Worthies; Holland’s Heröologia Anglica; Wood’s Athenæ Oxoniensis; Wordsworth’s Ecclesiastical Biography; Bowers’s Lives of the Popes; and the General Biographical Dictionary.

In Works relating to the History and Antiquities of England, this Library is fortunate in possessing the Histories of England by Milton, Kennett, Rapin, Hume, Smollett, and Adolphus, Rushworth’s Historical Collections; Whitelocke’s Memorials; Clarendon’s Rebellion; Baker’s Chronicle; Lyttelton’s Henry II.; Herbert’s Henry VIII.; Carleton’s Letters; Davies’s Celtic Researches; Triveti Annales Sex, curâ Hall, Oxon. 1719, 8vo.; Matthæi Westmonasteriensis Flores Historiarum, Francof. 1601, folio.; Matthæi Paris Historia Anglicana, edente Wats, Lond. 1684; Gale and Fell, Historiæ Anglicanæ Scriptores XV. Oxon. 1684-91, 3 vols. folio; Sheringham de Anglorum gentis origine, Cantabr. 1670, 8vo.; Bates, Elenchus Motuum, Lond. 1663, 8vo.; and the Fructus Temporum, with the Chronycles of Englonde, Imprynted at London by Wynkyn de Worde, 1520, folio; together with the following valuable Pieces, edited by the indefatigable Thomas Hearne:—

Gulielmi Neubrigensis Chronica Rerum Anglicarum. Oxon. 1719, 3 vols. 8vo.

Hearne’s Textus Roffensis. Oxonii, 1720, 8vo.

Roberti de Avesbury, Historia Edvardi III. Oxon. 1720, 8vo.

Thomæ Sprotti Chronica. Oxonii, 1719, 8vo.

Joannis de Fordun. Scoti Chronicon. Oxonii, 1722, in 5 vols. 8vo. upon large paper.

Titi Livii Foro-Judiensis Vita Henrici V. Oxon. 1726, 8vo.

To which may be added all the works published under the authority of the Record Commission, which are presented as they appear to every Cathedral Library.

Among the Works relating to British Antiquities, those most deserving of notice are, Verstegan’s Restitution of decayed Intelligence; Hearne’s Discourses, Oxford, 1720, 8vo.; Willis’s Mitred Abbies and Cathedral Churches; Tanner’s Notitia Monastica by Nasmith, 1744; Dugdale’s Monasticon Anglicanum, Lond. 1755-61-73, in 3 vols. folio; Camdeni Britannica by Gibson; Sammes’s Antiquities of Ancient Britain; Stukeley’s Palæographia Britannica; Battely’s Antiquitates Rutupinæ; Stow’s London; Morton’s Northamptonshire; Gunton’s Peterborough Cathedral; Dart’s Canterbury Cathedral; Bentham’s Ely, both editions: Millers’ Ely Cathedral, both editions; Masters’s Corpus Christi College, Cambridge; Lewis’s Isle of Tenet; and Borlase’s Cornwall.

In English Literature this Collection does not present anything worthy of notice. It contains, however, the Works of Pope, Swift, Addison, and Goldsmith, the series of British Essayists in 12mo. the Plays of Shakespeare, Beaumont and Fletcher, Congreve and Dryden, the Poems of Chaucer, Cowley, Milton, Prior, Spenser and Waller, and Butler’s Hudibras.

Of Classical Literature, however, the Collection is much more copious, embracing all the most esteemed authors, though it can boast none of the first, and few of the best editions, unless Hierocles, Gr. & Lat. Curterii, Plinii Historia Naturalis Harduini, Athenæus Casauboni, Demosthenes Taylori, Stanley’s Æschylus, Barnes’s Euripides, & Potter’s Lycophron, be considered as exceptions to the latter part of the above remark.

Of the principal Works in Classic Literature, the following seem to me chiefly deserving of notice.

Antoninus, Gatakeri. Cant. 1652, 4to.

Aristotelis Opera, Du Valli. Paris. 1629, 2 vols. fol.

Ciceronis Opera, Lambini. Lutet. 1572-8, 8 v. 8vo.

Ammianus Marcellinus, Gronovii. Lugd. Bat. 1693, 4to.

Homeri Opera, cum Comment. Eustathii. Basil. 1559, 3 vols. fol.

Demosthenes, Æschines et Isocrates, Wolfii. Francof. 1604, & 1593, folio.

Longinus, Toupii & Ruhnkenii. Oxonii, 1778, 4to.

Platonis Opera, Serrani. Paris. 1578, 3 vols. folio.

Thucydides, Hudsoni. Oxonii, 1696, folio.

Sallustius Historiæ à Waffe. Cantab. 1710, 4to.

Poetæ Græci Principes à Stephano. Paris. 1566, fol.

Corpus Poetarum Latinorum à Maittaire. Lond. 1713, 2 vols. folio; and a considerable number of the Delphin Classics.

Of Etymological Works, so closely connected with the preceding department, this Collection contains Buxtorf’s Hebrew Lexicon, the Greek Lexica of Scapula, Hederic, Hesychius and Suidas, Stephani Thesaurus utriusque Linguæ, Hickes’s Thesaurus Septentrionalis, the Glossary of Du Fresne, Cotgrave’s French and English Dictionary, Lluyd’s Archæologia Britannica. Oxon. 1707, folio; Spelmanni Glossarium Archæologium, Lond. 1664, folio; Skinneri, Etymologicum Anglicanum, Lond. 1671, folio; with several Grammars of various languages.

In conclusion, I may remark that a few Works on Mathematical Science, and Moral Philosophy, several Works of Jurisprudence, including the Statutes at large, with a few Works on Bibliography, including Fabricii Bibliotheca Græca et Latina, and a fair proportion of miscellaneous authors, make up the complement of the Library attached to the Cathedral of Ely.

It will be seen, therefore, from the foregoing remarks, that this Collection is chiefly of a Theological character, and that it also contains many valuable Historical Works, particularly such as relate to English History, and a fair proportion of Classics; though the fastidious Bibliomaniacs will here look in vain for any Editiones Principes, or for any other of the earlier efforts of the Press.