An additional volume of Sermons, by the Rev. Samuel Davies, some time President of New Jersey College, has been announced in America as printing from the Author's manuscript. Proposals have been issued in Charlstown, (S. C.) for publishing the life, character, and secret History of Macbeth, King of Scotland; from authentic manuscripts, in the possession of the noble family of the Howards, and from original characters, papers, and deeds, now in the hands of one of the most ancient families in North Britain, the family of Cummin, now Cummin of Atlyne; with the original laws and statutes of Kenethus the Second, and a true copy of the oration delivered by the venerable Thane of Argyle, at the Coronation of Malcolm, at Scoon. Mr. Nightingale's interesting portraiture of Methodism is reprinting in America. The French, in the last campaign, made great additions to that immense Collection of the valuable Works of Art which they formerly possessed. Among those which have reached Paris are mentioned Twenty-four ancient busts, the most of which are Portraits by the first Sculptors of antiquity. Fifty statues, almost all of exquisite workmanship, and in perfect preservation. Among the most remarkable is one of Antinous, which may be justly esteemed one of the finest morsels existing; and another of Minerva, little, if at all, inferior to the Pallas of Velletri. There is likewise a fine figure of a young man in bronze, which was found at Herculaneum: two statues of Vertumbus and Theseus, of large proportions, and great chastity of style, and a complete collection of the Muses. Among the Pictures there is not one either of the Florentine or Roman schools. There are about forty of the Venetian, Lombard, and Neapolitan schools, but none of them very capital, and the rest are either Flemish, Dutch, or German, with the exception of four Poussins. Among the most remarkable are mentioned A Christ carried to the Tomb, by Bassano. Hercules between Virtue and Vice, by Annibal Carracci. A Scene between Quacks, by Michael Angelo. A Judgment of Midas, by Palma. A Judgment of Paris and Jupiter and Leda, by Alexander Veronese. A Judgment of Paris, and a Rape of the Sabines, by Luca Giordano. A Christ crowned with Thorns, and a composition in which John the Baptist and John the Evangelist appear together, by Van Dyke. A Profile Portrait of a Young Woman, a Portrait of a Warrior in complete Armour, a Sampson betrayed by Dalila, and a Picture of Jacob blessing the Sons of Joseph, by Rembrandt. The Four Seasons, by Vander-Werff. The Entry of Louis XIV. into a Conquered Town, a Coach and Six, with a Number of Horsemen, by Vunder-Meulen. Le Roi boit, and a Satyr, and Peasant, by Jordaens. The Temptation of St. Anthony, a Village Festival, a Chemist's Laboratory, and the Shop of a Village Surgeon, by Teniers. SOME ACCOUNT OF THE SALE OF THE LATE THE public have been so long acquainted with the name and literary character of Mr. REED, that it seems unnecessary to make any apology for the following somewhat minute account of the sale of his library. Not that we ought to attach importance to books from the prices which they bring--but that, on the contrary, we ought to form our opinions of collectors from the utility of their collections. At the present day, it may be necessary to intrude a little upon the reader's attention, by a few preliminary bibliographical remarks. And first, it is absoJutely 6 lutely necessary to caution the young collector against being delighted with the whistling of a name.` To possess a book, merely because a celebrated literary character was its former possessor, may be gratifying to us from what is called 'Association of Ideas;' but can never justify our paying three times the sum of its intrinsic worth. The value of Mr. Reed's books is not to be estimated by this criterion: they lay claim to merit of a higher class. At the same time, we are ready to believe that his name will add to the many which now render copies covetted by collectors; and that an Exemplar Reedianum' wil hereafter vie with an Exemplar Farmerianum,' or 'Steevensianum.' Secondly, let it be premised that curious or scarce or unique books constitute not the value of a collection. It was triumphantly said, when Mr. Reed's books were first inspected, that they were neither so curious nor so interesting as the late Mr. Brand's; and that they would not, in consequence, produce so much money at the sale. The result of the sale has proved this latter observation to be erroneous; and as to the former, we humbly conceive that the superiority of a library consists in the propriety of its classifications into various departments of knowledge, and that the more useful and interesting works there are in Theology, History, Poetry, Biography, the Drama, and the Belles Lettres, the greater will be the praise due to the collector of them. If Mr. Reed's books be estimated according to this method of computation, the judicious bibliographer will probably grant them a superiority over those of his late black-letter Rival. Thirdly-the mention of black-letter reminds us that it is our duty also to caution the young collector against the fascination of little, worm-eaten, ragged-leaved, and jaundiced-tinted volumes, the pages of which are thickly besprinkled with the BLACK LEtter. Mr. Brand's books, to be sure, will be 'renowned in story' for their excellence in this particular; and we fear that, on this score, Mr. Reed's must, however reluctantly, accede to them the palm of superiority. We hope, however, that sense is not the less acceptable for being conveyed in the vehicle of white, or in other words, of the roman letter: for gothic and black are synonymous terms. So much for preliminary observations; which we entreat the good-humoured reader to peruse or not-as he thinks fit. We shall now come to the subject matter. The extensive library of the late ISAAC REED was classed in a Sale Catalogue of more than 400 pages, containing 8,957 articles (upwards of 20,000 volumes) inclusive of about 300 articles comprehending MANUSCRIPTS, and PRINTS. They produced the sum of 4,4001 and strange to tell, the possessorof them was never, at any one period of his life, in the receipt of more than 3001. per ann.! But the Age of Collecting, like Burke's “ Age of Chivalry,”is gone! The Catalogue is, upon the whole, well arranged; indeed it was occasionally submitted to the correction of a Gentleman, of all others one of the best calculated for the undertaking, and the most zealous to do justice to the memory of his departed friend. Trifling errors aud mistakes it may have in no inconsiderable degree--but the almost unprecedented extent of the collection, and its utility, from being alphabetically arranged under distinct departments of literature, renders it an indispensable book for the collector's library. Twelve copies only were struck off on fine paper in ROYAL OCTAVO. An Advertisement is prefixed, which was written by the Gentleman above mentioned: The following is too interesting to be withheld from the reader. "Mr. Reed had been a judicious collector more than forty years; and few days passed, in which he was free from illness, that did not witness, within that period, some curious addition to the literary history of his country. Of his ingenuity and judgment, the world has received abundant proof in his notes on the republished Old Plays, which Doddesley had first collected, as well as in those of Shakspeare; and the useful occupation of his time will be further exemplified, not only by these notices in printed books, but also by the contents of a few MSS. in the present collection. And, while he thus employed himself, he was at the same time never more happy than in encouraging the literary pursuits of others." "To Mr. REED no man ever applied in vain for the information which he could give; and no man retired from an interview of this nature, without confessing himself, if not gratified by the immediate acquisition of the knowledge he required, at least improved by the uncommon erudition of the critic, and delighted with the frank and friendly temper of the man. He was, indeed, a most friendly man; endeared to all who knew him by his unassuming manners, his instructive conversation, and his honest heart. He was stern, and justly stern, only when he detected in others the violation of truth, and observed sophistry assuming the place of argument. With an independent spirit, he displayed also a truly modest and retired disposition: surrounded with books, and content with a very moderate income, to him, as Prospero says, Towards the conclusion of our account of this sale, we shall make some observations on this elegant and just tribute of respect to the memory of Mr. Reed. It is not our intention to give an account of the price for which each curious and rare book was sold;-but only of those articles, or sets of works, which are not only rare, but interesting. N° 1572. Biographia Britannica, 7 vol. enriched with many portraits, and 1779. Blacke Booke, 4to. Lond. 1604 called the) frontispiece, very scarce, 4to. 1612 1784. Bryskett's (Lord) Discourse of Civil Life DE FOE's Works; in Octavo. 1931. Secret History of the White Staff, 1714 1935. Use and Abuse of the Marriage Bed, 1727 1938. Tour through Great Britain, 3 vol. 1724 1. s. d. 00 24 0 4 4 7 12 0 1 10 0 1947. History of Addresses, 1709 0 3 6 0 2 6 990009 6 1948. Appeal to Honour and Justice, or Account of his Life, with 1949. Life of; in a Dialogue between him, Robinson Crusoe, and 1953. Robinson Crusoe, first edition, 1719, imperfect. Serious Reflections in Life of do. 1720 THOS. DEKKER'S Pieces; in Quarto. 1963. Knight's Conjuring done in earnest, and discovered in jest, Printed by T. C. 4 5 0 This was purchased for the new British Biography, to be edited by Mr. Malkin. 64 LITERARY AND MICSELLANEOUS INFORMATION. [Jan. 1984. Wonderful Yeare, 1603, wherein is shewed the Picture of 1986. Seven deadly Sinnes of London, bl. 1606 2 77 2 1987. Newes from Hell, brought by the Divell's Carrier, 1606 1988. O per se O, or a new Cryer of Lanthorne and Candle-Lights, 1612 1989. Rod for Run-awayes, with the Run-awayes Answer. Curious frontisp. 1625 1990. English Villanies seven several times pressed to death by the Printers, bl. printed by M. Parsons, 1638 ROBERT GREENE's* Pieces; in Quarto. 2172. Tullie's Love, 1628 2173. Ghost-haunting Conie-catchers, 1602 2174. Metamorphosis, 1617 2175. Farewell to Follie, 1617 2176. Arcadia or Menaphon, 1616 6 730 0 0 2177. Never too late--two imperfect copies 2179. Pandesto, or Triumph of Time in the History of Dorastus and Facinia. Imperfect. 1609 2180. Philomela, the Lady Fitzwalter's Nightingale. 2439. Pasquill and Murforio, 1589 2441. The same. 2443. Wonderfull, strange, and miraculous Astrologicall Prognos- 2444. Four Letters and certaine Sonnets, especially touching Robt. Greene. Pr. by John Wolfe Do. 1593 2445. Pierce's Supererogation, or a new Prayse of the old Asse. 2446. New Letter of notable Contents. Do. 2447. Returne of the Knight of the Poste from Hell. Printed for J. Werdot. 1606. 2448. Christ's Teares over Jarusalem. Pr. by T. Thorpe, 1613 · 63 6 3 10 In Mr. Beloe's Anecdotes of Literature and Scarce Books, vol. ii. 168 to 196. will be found the most amusing account of Greene and of his pieces (for the above are very few of them) that has yet been before the public. + See the same work, vol. i. p. 260 to 274 for a similar amusing account of this writer's pieces. (To be continued.) ༣ MONTHLY LIST OF NEW PUBLICATIONS. AGRICULTURY. The Agricultural Magazine, or the Farmer's Monthly Journal of Husbandry and Rural Affairs, embellished with descriptive plates. Conducted by W. Dickson, M. D. author of Practical Agriculture, and honorary Member of the Board of Agriculture; assisted by several eminent practical Farmers. No. 5. 18. 6d. The Profitable Planter. By W. Pontey. A new edition, 8vo. 6s. boards, The Forest Pruner and Timber Owner's Assistant. By William Pon tey, Nurseryman, Planter, and Pruner to the Duke of Bedford. A new edition. 8vo. 12s. boards. Communications to the Board of Agriculture, on subjects relative to the Husbandry and Internal Improvement of the Country. Vol V. part 2, 4to. 10s. boards. Practical Observations on Gypsum, or Plaister of Paris, as a Manure. By Richard Parkinson. 12mo. 9s, sewed. Letters and Papers on Agriculture, Planting, &c. selected from the Correspondence of the Bath and West of England Society, for the Encouragement of Agriculture, Arts, &e. Vol. 11, 8vo. 7s. 6d. boards. ANTIQUITIES, Britton's "Architectural ANTIQUITIES of GREAT BRITAIN," Part XI. containing Six Engravings of HENRY the SEVENTH'S CHAPEL at Westminster; representing an highly-finished Ground Plan; an Elevation of the East End; a Turret and Buttress restored; an enlarged View of the Lower Window at the East End; Ditto of the Upper Window, and the great Bras Doors. In the next Par, which will be published on the first of April, the Author promises to finish the illustration with a copious History of this magnificent Chapel. In the three parts of this work which are devoted to that structure, will be com prised a complete Architectural and Picturesque Display, in Eighteen Prints, of this most elaborate and highly decorated specimen of English Ecclesiastical Architecture. The history of the building will be copious and particular, and will develope some curious documents. ARCHITECTURE, A Series of Designs for Villas and Country Houses; adapted with economy to the comforts and to the elegancies of modern life; with plans and explanations to each. To which is prefixed, an Essay or Modern Architectural Taste. By C. A. Busby, Architect. Royal 4to. 11. 5s. boards. A Collection of Designs for Modern Embellishments, suitable to Parlours, Dining and Drawing-rooms, Folding-doors, Chimney-pieces, Varandas,. Frizes, &c. By C. A. Busby, Architect. Royal 4to. 1l. 11s. 6d. Architectural Reliques; or, the present State of the most celebrated Remains of ancient Architecture and Sculpture in Great Britain. Part I. containing eight Plates of Views and Detail, with a Historical Description of the Cathedral Church of Llandaff, Glamorganshire. By George Cooper, Architect. Part I. imp. 4to. 12s. 6d. sewed. ARTS, FINE. A familiar Treatise on Perspective, designed for Ladies, and those who are quacquainted with the principles of Optics and Geometry; whereby, in a few days, sufficient of this useful science may be learned to enable any person, accustomed to the use of the pencil, to draw landscapes, and the simple objects of art, with perspective accuracy. By W. Daniel. 5s. half-bound. BIBLIOGRAPHY. An Introduction to the Knowledge of Rare and Valuable Editions of the Greek and Latin Classics, including an Account of Polyglot Bibles; the best Greek, and Greek and Latin Editions of the Septuagint and New Testament; VOL, III, K the |