Library of Wells.

The Library of the Dean and Chapter of Wells is kept in a very dry and sufficiently commodious apartment over that side of the cloisters which immediately adjoins the Cathedral. For many years it was very much neglected; and the office of Librarian remained in abeyance for the last fifty years, when it was recently revived in the person of Mr. Aldrit, the Master of the Collegiate Chapter Grammar School.

The books consisting of about 5000 volumes are arranged upon open shelves in projecting cases, with ample desks below each for the convenience of students. The chains they once wore are now thrown aside, though the rings whereby they were attached still remain upon many of the volumes. It cannot be denied that where the preservation of the binding is of any consequence, these manacles must do mischief; and when a Collection is kept under proper regulation, this injurious mode of protection may very well be dispensed with.

There is only one Catalogue in manuscript of this Library, written apparently about a century ago, in which the books are enumerated in alphabetical order, with a tolerably particular description of each book, and though the dates, imprints, and sizes of books are most unpardonably omitted, occasionally the contents of such Collections as Wharton’s Anglia Sacra are specified separately. This Catalogue is contained in two folio volumes, in vellum covers, with this common title: Catalogus Librorum in Bibliothecâ Wellensi.

The additions made to the Library since this Catalogue was written are neither numerous nor important, consisting chiefly of the ponderous volumes issued under the authority of the Record Commission. But a new Catalogue is now preparing by Mr. Aldrit, who has recently cleansed all the books from the accumulated dust of the last half century.

The first volumes which attracted my attention were a very fine set of Walton’s Polyglott Bible, with the Republican Preface, ruled with red lines, and bound in blue morocco, full charged with gilt tooling on the back, and bearing this superscription, “E dono Thomæ Hole, Eccl. Wellensis Cancellarii et Canonici.” The rings, by which the chains were formerly fastened, remain attached to these portly volumes.

Beside these stood Castell’s Lexicon in calf, and the Biblia Polyglotta Philippica per Ariam Montanum, in 8 volumes, folio, bound in calf; and of the other impressions of the sacred volume I noticed the Biblia Hebraica Wolfii, and per Joannem Leusden; Buxtorf’s Hebrew Bible, in a vellum cover; the Septuagint Version issued under the authority of Pope Sixtus V. and that printed at London, juxta exemplar Vaticanum, in 1543, 4to., together with that edited by Grabe in 4 volumes, folio, printed at Oxford in 1720. Biblia Latina Vulgata, Parisiis, 1545 and 1552, both in 4to.; the English Bible, London, by J. Bill, 1633, folio, with the Common Prayer of 1569, uniform in red morocco; Evangelia Gothica et Anglo-Saxonica; Novum Testamentum Græcum et Latinum Erasmi, Basil. 1539, and Græcum Millii, Oxon. 2 vols. folio, and Græcum Cantabrigiæ, 1632; Nov. Test. Hebr. Arab. et Syriac.; the Holie Bible, printed at Doway in 1609, in 2 vols. 4to; the New Testament, Antwerp, 1600, 4to.; to which I may add the impressions of the Common Prayer, in English, of 1552 and 1669; and in Welch and in Scotch, with the Processionale ad usum Ecclesiæ Sarum.

Works of Divinity form a large portion of this Library; the most important of which are the Works of S. Ambrose, S. Anselm, S. Athanasius, Thomas Aquinas, Atterbury, Allix, Allen, Andrewes, Abbot, S. Basil, Barrow, Beveridge, Bingham, Bossuet, Boyle, Bramhall, Burnet, Martin Bucer, Edmund Campion, Samuel Clarke, S. Cyril, 6 vols. folio; S. Cyprian, edited by Fell; Erasmus, Duns Scotus, Grotius, Fleetwood, Geddes, Gregory Nazianzen, Hooper, 1757; S. Hilary, Horne, Hammond, in 4 vols. folio; Irenæus, Lightfoot, Lactantius, Lowth, Patrick, Mede, Melancthon, Newton, Origen, Paley, Philo Judæus, Prideaux, Sancroft, Sherlock, Spanheim, South, Stillingfleet, Jeremy Taylor, Tillotson, with his Life by Birch; Tertullian, and Tennison. I also remarked the Commentaries of Abarbanal, Alexandri Alensis Universæ Theologiæ Summa, in 4 tom. folio; Augustini Opera, per Erasmum, in 10 vols. folio; Bellarmini Disputationum de Controversiis fidei Christianæ, tom. iv. folio; Bochart’s Geographia Sacra, and Hierozoicon; Bulli Opera, per Grabe; Bythneri Lyra Prophetica; Butler’s Analogy; Calvin’s Institutions; Casaubon’s Annotations and Commentaries; Chillingworth’s Religion of Protestants; Chrysostomi Opera, per Savile, 8 vols. folio; and in 13 vols. folio, in old calf; Clementis Alexandrini Opera, Gr. & Lat. per Heinsium et Sylburgium; Comber on the Liturgy; Newman’s and various other Concordances; Calmet’s Dictionary of the Bible, in dark old calf; Critici Sacri per Cornelium Bezam, in 9 vols. folio; Pole’s Synopsis; Jewel’s Apology; Davenant, Prælectiones Theologicæ; Doleman’s Conversions, Book the Third; Epiphanii Opera, per Petavium, 2 vols. folio; Farmer on the Demoniacs of the New Testament; Southey’s Book of the Church; Eusebii Hist. Ecclesiastica; Præparatio et Demonstratio Evangelica; Jortin’s Sermons; Boyle’s Lecture Sermons, 3 vols. folio, in calf; Hey’s Theological Lectures, 4 vols. 8vo. Justini Martyris Opera, Gr. & Lat. Sylburgii; Justiniani Institutiones, curâ Harris; Kett on the Prophecies; Bishop Ken’s Sermons and Tracts, with his Life; Lardner’s Testimonies and other Works; Leslie’s Theological Works, in 2 vols. folio; Leland on Deism and the Christian Revelation; Leigh’s Critica Sacra; Lloyd’s Church Government; Sanderson’s Sermons, and other Works; Bartholomæi de Saxoferrato Commentarii; Scott’s Christian Life and Sermons; Simon, Hist. Crit. Vet. Test.; Sleidan, Commentarii de statu Religionis et Reipublicæ; Bibliotheca Patrum, a fine set in calf; Calasio Concordantiæ Hebreæ, 4 vols. folio, in calf; Newcome’s Harmony and Minor Prophets; Tostati Opera Theologica, Venetiis, 1596, 13 vols. folio; Petavii Opera Theologica, Parisiis, 1550, 5 vols. folio, in old calf; Chamieri Controversiæ; Petri Martyris Loci Communes; Pearson on the Creed; Hooper’s Works, in old calf, gilt; Joannis Damasceni Opera, 2 vols. folio, in old calf; Clerici Comm. in Hagiographa, et Prophetas, &c.; Vitringæ Comm. in Iesaiam; Gale’s Court of the Gentiles; Bishop Kidder on the Pentateuch; Pococke on Malachi, Micah, Joel, and Hosea, 4 vols. folio, old calf; Cotelerii Patres Apostolici, curâ Joannis Clerici, Amstelod, 1724, 2 vols. folio, in calf; Petavii de doctrinâ temporum, Antverpiæ, 1703, in 3 vols. folio, in calf; Usher’s Annales Vet. Test. and other Tracts; Twysden’s Vindication of the Church of England from Schism, &c.; Wall on Infant Baptism; Warner’s Illustrations of Common Prayer; Warburton’s Divine Legation, 1765, 5 vols.; Zanchii Miscellanea Theologica; Suiceri Thesaurus Ecclesiasticus; and Hodius de Bibliorum Textibus, 4 vols. folio.

Of Ecclesiastical History, the principal Works which I noticed were the Constitutiones Legatinæ; Regionis Anglicanæ; Scripture Atlas, 1812; Othonis et Othoboni, cum annotationibus Joannis de Athona; Cave’s Lives of the Primitive Fathers; Baronii Annalium tomus primus, et Martyrologium Romanum, cum ejusdem Annalibus in Epitomen redactis, per Spondanum, 1639; Bedæ Historia Ecclesiastica; Bower’s History of the Popes; Usser de Antiq. Eccl. Britt. with his Life by Parr and Smith; Burnet’s Reformation; Concilia Generalia Ecclesiæ Catholicæ; Quick’s Synodicon in Galliâ Reformatâ; Sacrosancta Concilia per Labbe et Cossard, in 17 vols. folio, in old calf; Ecton’s Thesaurus; Fox’s Martyrs, in 3 vols. folio; Godwin’s English Bishops; Gothofredi Comment. in Codicem Theodosianum, in 4 vols. folio; Historia Ecclesiastica, per Magdeburgenses; Hooker’s Ecclesiastical Polity; Howell’s Synopsis Canonum, in 2 vols. folio; Jenning’s Jewish Antiquities; Josephus’ History of the Jews, translated by Lodge; Josephus Havercampi, 2 vols. folio, and Hudsoni, 1720, in 2 vols. folio; Basnage, History of the Jews; Spencer de Legibus Hebræorum; Jortin’s Ecclesiastical History; Corpus Juris Canonici, Paris, 1618; Codex Justiniani; Lyndewode’s Provinciale seu Constitutiones Angliæ; Annales Ordinis Benedictin. per Mabillon, Parisiis, 1703, 5 vols. folio, in French calf; Strype’s Memorials, Lives, and Annals; Tornielli Annales; Wharton’s Anglia Sacra; Wilkins’ Concilia Magnæ Britannicæ, in 4 vols. folio; and Saliani Annal. Eccles. V. T. Paris. 1641, folio.

It will be seen from the foregoing enumeration, however brief, that a very large portion of this Library is theological; indeed no less than thirteen pages of the Catalogue are occupied by Tracts on the Popish Controversy, four by the subject of Toleration, and three by that of Transubstantiation. There are also many other Tracts relating to the Reformation and the Revolution, and also to the Quakers.

This Collection also contains the Alcoranus Muhammedis, Arabicè, 1694, and Sale’s Koran.

Of General History I noticed but few works, the chief of which were Alstedii Thesaurus Chronologiæ; Baudrand, Lexicon Geographicum; Davila’s Civil Wars of France; Dodwell’s Dissertations; D’Anville’s Geography, 1812; the Collections of Grævius, in old calf; Corpus Juris Civilis Gothofredi; Lipsii Politicorum Libri VI.; Mezeray’s History of France; Heylin’s Cosmography; Howell’s History of the World, in old calf; Pococke’s Description of the East, 2 vols. folio; Potter’s Greece; Puffendorf’s Law of Nations; Robertson’s America, and Charles V.; Roscoe’s Lorenzo di Medici; Rycaut’s History of the Turks and of the Ottoman Empire; Scaliger de Emendatione Temporum; & Chronicon, Amstel. 1758, fol. calf; Simpson’s Chronicon Catholicon; Thuani Historia sui temporis, folio; the Universal History, in 21 vols. 8vo.; Wheler’s Greece; Shaw and Pococke’s Travels; Foster’s, Cook’s, and Hawkesworth’s Voyages; Browne’s Travels in Hungary and Germany; Park’s Travels; Wilson’s Pelew Islands; Webb’s Historical Essay upon China; Ximenes, Archiep. Tolet. Historia Arabum. Lugd. Bat. 1625; Zosimus, Historia Novorum, libri duo; and Gillies’ Greece.

Of English History and Antiquities, the list is rather more copious, as the following selection will testify: Adam’s Index Villaris; Rerum Anglicarum Scriptores Decem à Twysden; and the first volume only of Gale and Fell’s Collection; Bates’ Elenchus Motuum; Commentarii de Rebellione Anglica, 1640-85, per R. Manilium, Eq. Aurat.; Sir Robert Atkyns’s Historical Tracts; Baker’s Chronicle, folio; Chandler’s Life of Bishop Beckington; Bentham’s Ely; Boswell’s Johnson; Brady’s English History, and Introduction to the same; Britannia Rediviva; Epicedia Acad. Oxon. in obitum Henrici ducis Gloucestrensis; Notitia Academiæ Oxoniensis; Buchanan, Historia Scotorum; Camden’s Britannia, the first edition as well as that by Gibson; Somner’s Canterbury; Charlton’s Chorea Gigantum, 1663; Webb’s Vindication of Stonehenge restored; Inigo Jones’s Stonehenge; Clarendon’s Rebellion, 3 vols. folio; Daniel’s History of England; Drayton’s Polyolbion; Davies’ Celtic Researches; Dugdale’s Baronage; Origines Judiciales, Summons; Catalogue of the Lord Chancellors, and Troubles, Warwickshire, edited by Thomas, with an Epitome of his Monasticon Anglicanum, edited by Stevens; Aikin’s Elizabeth and James I.; Rymer’s Fœdera, a fine set of the original edition in old calf; Gibson’s Codex, and Chronicon Saxonicum; Guillim’s Heraldry; Kennett’s Parochial Antiquities; Langhorne, Elenchus Antiquitatum Albionensium; Heylin’s Life of Laud; Lyttelton’s Henry II.; Loggan, Oxonia et Cantabrigia Illustrata; Mackenzie’s Royal Line of Scotland; Cox’s Memoirs of Marlborough, in 6 vols. 8vo. with the Atlas in 4to.; Matthæi Paris Historia Anglicana; Matthæi Westmonasteriensis Flores Historiarum; Milton’s Defensio pro Populo Anglicano; Musgrave, Antiquitates Britanno-Belgicæ præcipuè Romanæ, 4 vols. 8vo.; the Harleian Miscellany, 8vo. in calf; Lord Herbert’s Life of Henry VIII.; Holinshed’s Chronicle, with Vowell’s Continuation; Hume’s History of England; Hutchin’s Dorset, the first edition; Journals of the Lords and Commons; Records, and Population Returns; Maitland’s London; Nalson’s Collections; Guil. Neubrigensis de Rebus Anglicanis; Plott’s Oxfordshire; Prynne’s Concordia Discors; Rushworth’s Historical Collections; Rerum nuper in Scotiâ Gestarum Historia, 1641; Viscount Tarbet’s Acts of Scotland, from 1685 to 1702, 4 vols. with many other Tracts relating to the History of the Scottish Nation and Church; Spotswode’s Church of Scotland; Sheringham, Disceptatio de Gentis Anglorum origine; Spelman’s Concilia, and Life of Alfred, with the Reliquiæ Spelmannianæ by Gibson; State Trials, by Cobbett, 11 vols. 8vo.; the Statutes at large; Cromwell’s Memoirs of Oliver Cromwell, 2 vols. 8vo.; Madox, Baronia Anglica, Firma Burgi, Formulare Anglicanum, and History of the Exchequer; Scriptores post Bedam, edente Savile; Tanner’s Notitia Monastica; Sir Wm. Temple’s Memoirs; Speed’s History of Great Britain; Polydore Vergil; Urbinas, Archidiaconus Wellensis, Historia Anglicana, Libris XXVII. with his other Works; Verstegan’s Restitution of Decayed Intelligence relative to English Antiquities; Cox’s Memoirs of Walpole; Walton’s Lives of Hooker and Sanderson; Whitelocke’s Memorials; Vita Guil. de Wickham Episc. Winton; Wood’s Athenæ, et Antiquitates Oxonienses; Maittaire, Marmora Oxoniensia, Londini, 1732, folio, in calf; and Francisci Wise, Nummorum Antiq. Bodl. Catalogus; to which may be added a Genealogical Chart of the House of Stuart, 1779, which hangs upon the wall of this Library.

Of Law Books, the chief appeared to be Blackstone’s Commentaries; Coke’s Reports in Law French; Dalton’s Country Justice; Durandi Speculum Juris; Coke upon Littleton; Fitzherbert, Natura Brevium; Blackstone’s Magna Charta, Oxford, 1759; Bracton de Legibus Angliæ, Londini, per Ricardum Tottel, 1569, folio; and Robinson’s Admiralty Cases, 1806, &c. 6 vols. 8vo. with the Statutes at large.

Of Etymology, this Collection comprehends Baxter’s Account of Llhuyd’s Archæologia; Du Cange, Glossary; Buxtorf’s Hebrew Lexicon; Cole’s English Dictionary; Cooper’s Thesaurus; Cotgrave’s French and English Dictionary; Harris’ Hermes; Hickes’ Thesaurus Septentrionalis, cum Wanleii Hist. Lit. Septentr. Oxon. 1705, 2 vols. folio; Giggeus, Thesaurus Arabicus; Golii Lexicon Arabicum; Hoffmanni Lexicon Universale; Junii Glossarium Gothicum, Dordraci, 1665, and his Etymologicum Anglicanum, 1743, folio; Llhuyd’s Archæologia; Scapulæ et Schrevelii Lexica; Skinner’s Etymologicum Linguæ Anglicanæ; Somneri Dictionarium Saxonico-Latino-Anglicanum, and his Glossary; Spelman’s Glossary; Stephani Thesaurus, in 4 vols. folio; Suidæ Lexicon, Kusteri, Cantabr. in 3 vols. folio; Vossius, Etymol. Ling. Lat. to which may be added several Greek, Latin, Italian, French, and English Dictionaries not requiring particular specification.

I now come to the great Authors of Antiquity, and shall be as concise as possible in my account of them, begging “the thorough-bred Bibliomaniac” to imagine the pleasure I felt in discovering a beautiful copy of the Aldine Aristotle, the first edition of the Works of that great philosopher in his own tongue, as sound and immaculate as when it first issued from the press at Venice. The five volumes have been rebound in the dark calf of the preceding century, with red lettering pieces; and within four of them is pasted the well known autograph of the celebrated Erasmus, “Sum Erasmi Roterodami,” from which we may reasonably conclude that this very set of books once appertained to that eminent scholar: a supposition which is strengthened by the circumstance of the donor of this Work having written in the third volume, immediately beneath the autograph just quoted, the following commemorative distich:

the altitude of these volumes is rather more than twelve inches, by eight inches and a quarter. “The ruler-carrying Bibliomaniacs” will thank me for being thus particular.

The other editions of the Classics being of lesser note, the names of the authors shall be succinctly given in alphabetical order: Æneas Tacticus Gr. Casauboni; Alciati Paradox. Lib. VI.; Athenagoras, Historia Augustæ Scriptores VI.; Aristophanes; Cæsar, Delphini, Catullus, Cicero, Lambini, Geneva, 1624, 4 vols. folio; Dares, Phrygius et Dictys Cretensis; Demosthenes, Dionysius Halicarnass. Ælius Lampridius Rom. Imp. Hist.; Hierocles Facetiæ & Versus Aurei; Herodiani lib. VIII. per Angelum Politianum; Homer, by Barnes; Horace, by Bond; Isocrates Stephani, 1604; Juvenalis Farnabii; Livius Gelenii et Thomæ Hearne; Longinus, Manilii Astronomicon; Macrobius Pontani; Martialis Raderi; Photius, Bibliotheca Hœschelii, Rothomagi, 1563, et ejusdem Epistolæ per Ricardum Montacutium, 1651, folio, in a vellum wrapper; Plinii Hist. Nat. Dalecampii; Plautus Lambini; Philostrati Opera Omnia, Lipsiæ, 1709, folio, in calf; Poetæ Minores Græci; Julii Pollucis Onomasticon; Polybius Casauboni; Procopius Hœschelii; Propertius; Quintilianus Gibsoni; Seneca Lipsii; Ælias, Spartianus; Strabo Casauboni; Suetonius Casauboni; Tacitus Lipsii; Tibullus, &c. Opera Cantabr., Theophrastus, Virgil, Minellii & Cantabr. 1701; & Baskerville’s edition; Flavii Vopisci Rom. Imp. & H. Boxhornii, to which I may add the Cambridge editions of Horace, Catullus, Tibullus, Propertius, Terence, & Virgil, 1701, 4to.; and Didymus in Homerum, accurante Schrevelio, Amstelod. ap. Elzevir, 4to.

Here I may also mention Lloyd, Dictionarium Histor. Geograph. et Poeticum à Stephano, Oxonii, 1671, folio; Allwood’s Literary Antiquities of Greece, London, 1779, 4to.; Middleton’s Cicero, Melmoth’s Pliny; Gesneri Bibliothecæ Epitome per Simlerum, Plutarch’s Lives, by North; Spence’s Polymetis; Salmasii Exercitationes Plinianæ; Ovid’s Metamorphoses, by Banier, illustrated by Picart, Amsterdam, 1732, folio, in old russia; Vossius de Historicis Græcis et Latinis.

Of Bibliography indeed, the Works I found here are so few, that I am almost ashamed to record merely the Acta Eruditorum, Lipsiæ, 1682; Blount’s Censura Literaria; Cave’s Scriptor. Eccles. Hist. Literar.; Du Pin’s Ecclesiastical Writers; Hyde’s Catalogue of the Bodleian Library; Nicolson’s Historical Library; Catalogus Libror. MSS. Angl. et Hibern. Oxonii, 1697; and “a Catalogue of such unlawful books as were found in the study of John Stowe of London, 1568.”

It only remains for me to notice such miscellaneous works as met my eye, in roving about the antique gallery in which they are deposited. To begin with the most obsolete, I may mention Petrus de Albano Heptameron, seu Elementa Magica; Agrippa de occultâ Philosophiâ; Blome’s Gentleman’s Recreation; Thomæ Mori Opera Latina; Johnstoni Historia Naturalis de Quadrupedibus, &c. 2 vols. folio; Jovii Illustrium Virorum Vitæ, in 2 vols. folio; Joannis Sarisburiensis Polycraticus et Metalogicus, and the Theory of the Earth, by Woodward and Burnet; Thomæ Willis, M. D. Opera Omnia, 2 vols. folio; and Wiseman’s Chirurgical Treatises.

In English Literature I remarked Chaucer’s Works, by Urry; Bacon’s Works, 1730, &c. in 4 vols. 4to.; Blacklock’s Poems; Beattie on Truth; Sir Thomas Browne’s Works; Sir Robert Cotton’s Works; Chambers’ Dictionary; Cowley’s Works; Evelyn on Medals; Grew’s Anatomy of Plants; Butler’s Hudibras, edited by Grey; Locke’s Works; Maundrell’s Journey; Milton’s Poems, edited by Newton; Harrington’s Oceana; Herbert’s Steps to the Temple; Humboldt’s Works, 8vo. calf; Orrery’s Letters; the Philosophical Transactions, in 4 volumes; Prior’s Poems; Pope’s Works, by Warburton, in 9 vols. 8vo.; some Tracts by Selden; Algernon Sydney’s Discourse concerning Government; Smollett’s Travels; Spenser’s Faery Queen; Stewart’s Political Economy; the Asiatic Researches, 12 vols. 8vo. very neatly bound in calf; Pennant’s British Zoology; Sullivan’s View of Nature, 6 vols. 8vo.; and Hartley on Man.

I may add what is very deserving of imitation in other places, that a tabular index of the contents of each case is hung at the end thereof, the books being specified exactly in the order in which they are placed on the shelves: a method which affords great facilities both to the casual visitor and the professed students.

The books are generally in excellent preservation, and chiefly in the sombre calf of the two last centuries, with some in vellum covers. And there is very properly a small book for the names of books borrowed from the Library, to be entered by those who have occasion for them.

Of the manuscripts formerly attached to this foundation I have made no mention, because they have chiefly perished through the united agency of time and neglect.

I may however cite, as an exception, an ancient Vulgate Bible, presented to the Cathedral by one of its Bishops, and add that a Chinese Manuscript is also extant, though the curiosity of strangers has greatly impaired both its integrity and appearance.