THE LIBRARY OF HIS EXCELLENCY SIR GEORGE GREY, K.C.B., PRESENTED BY HIM TO THE SOUTH AFRICAN PUBLIC LIBRARY. wwwww MANUSCRIPTS AND INCUNABLES www VOL. III.-PART I. TRÜBNER AND Co., 60, PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON PREFACE. The first instalment of the valuable present given by Sir George Grey to the South African Public Library contains manuscripts and books of high value and interest. The description of a few of these is here republished from the columns of the Cape Monthly Magazine for 1862, vol. XI., No. 63, March, pp. 163–171; No. 64, April, pp. 235-239; No. 65, May, pp. 315-319; No. 66, June, pp. 385-389. For obvious reasons this description did not begin with the choicest part of that portion which has already arrived; but it is my intention to give, as soon as possible, a full descriptive account of all that is of particular value in this Library. A cursory glance can, however, even now be thrown on the contents of the portion of the Library already received. We have here principally manuscripts on vellum ranging from the tenth to the fifteenth century. Amongst the oldest of them is a folio volume, with curious stamped binding, giving St. Jerome's Critical Edition of the Psalter in Latin (No. 11., fol. 194), two ponderous folio volumes of Lives of the Saints and Legends of the Early Church (No. 12., fol. 156, and No. 13., fol. 188), and three large quarto volumes containing sermons, amongst which there are several by the Venerable Bede in one of these volumes (No. 14., fol. 208). Another (No. 15., fol. 295) contains the collection of sermons of Benedict the Priest; and the third (No. 16., fol. 177) miscellaneous sermons. In glancing through the different manuscripts, according to their chronological sequence, the gradual development of the art of illumination and the adoption of certain styles can clearly be perceived, and hereby alone the century, nay even the decennium, in which they were written can generally be fixed. This can clearly be seen, if we compare with the above manuscripts of the tenth century the large-lettered Psalter manuscripts in quarto of the twelfth (No. 17., fol. 144) and fourteenth (No. 18., fol. 199, besides some leaves of earlier date) century, which were evidently intended for the purpose of being read in churches, or chanted, as they are accompanied by notes. For any one who takes an interest in the history of music they will be interesting also on this account. To such |
