PRICELESS MANUSCRIPTS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1265, 28 May 1896, Page 12

PRICELESS MANUSCRIPTS.

THE ASTOR LIBRARY IN NEW YORK HAS j 540,000 WORTH OF THEM. There are i! 10,000 worth of ancient manuscripts in the Astor Library, but the oldest of thosd is tlio Evaugelisteriuni, which is said to have been expressly executed for Charles tho Bald,- tho grandson of Charlemagne, lie v.'as a p.ltron of thd line arts, and was especially fond of eiribcllished manuscripts. This rare arid precious manuscript, which few people are award xa possessed by our city, is written on fine vellum, and is an oblong quarto of 4-00 pages. The first four pages have splendid full-length miniatures of tho four Evangelists, profusely illuminated with liquid gold and emerald green, shaded with rod and white on an empurpled ground, the pictures covering the entire pago. St. Matthew is represented as a beardless youth inclined on a lecturn, upon which there is a book with tho first words of his Gospel inscribed on it. St. Mark

is reprosen tod as boarded and sitting upright oil a throne, holding in his left hand a Closed book with the first words of his Gospel inscribed or! its back - . On the third page is the picture of St. Luke, looking more hgod than his Companions. Ho is sllowil with an ink-horn in one hand, writing his Gospels. St. John is shown on a throne holding an open scroll in his hand, Upon which many words are discernible, Tho fifth page of this volume contains the emblems of the 1 four Evangelists, viz., the four living creatures that the prophet Ezekiel beheld in a vision surrounding tlid throne of God. Matthew has for his symbol a creature with a human head, Mark tho lion head, John tho eagle, while Luke is represented by tho winged bullheaded figure. The ninth pago is a magnificent specimen of interlaced capitals peculiar to manuscripts of tho Carlovingian era. This highly illuminated sheet forms the title page of the book. It has only 15 letters, but a closer examination reveals the marks for hidden letters. Tho words are “ Logendum per Anni Curriculum.” One page of this precious volume is equally emblazoned with brilliant gold and colours and has the word Dominus inscribed on it. There are several other pages equally embellished with multiplied interlacing and leafy shadowings. Tho services for the principal festivals are marvellously executed and tho seventeen pages for Easter aro magnificent. I can give no adequate description of this precious relic of the ancient art now in Now York. A comparison with modern specimens shows that we havo but little advanced over tho monk artists of tho ninth century. 'Jr Frederick Sanders, tho venerable librarian of tho Astor Library, justly calls this manuscript an “ unrivalled beauty.” This superb manuscript was secured somo fifteen years ago by tho late Mr Astor from the famous London bibliophile, Bernard Quartrich, who catalogued it in 1880 at AIOOO. There are more costly manuscripts in tho Astor Library—for instance, tho Antiphonairo of Charles X., for which I am assured tho late Mr J. J. Astor paid £200(). But this old manuscript of Charles the Bald has, as an antique, no rival.

Tho Astor Library also possesses somo immensely valuable “ first editions.” Among them are tho first edition of Homer, printed at Florence in MSS ; tho first edition of the Bible, printed on vellum in 1402; tho first letter of Christopher Columbus, printed at Rome in 141)3, tho year after ho discovered America; the first, second and fourth editions of Shakespeare, and the famous bull of Pope Loo 111. against Martin Luther and his followers, printed at Romo in 1520.