2. The second cause of the absolute scarcity of books is, when they have been very rigorously sup pressed. However we may regret any restrictions on the liberty of the press as unfavourable to the evolu tion of the human powers, and the progress of liberal knowledge, we must at least allow it to be natural for every government, to oppose the promulgation of any doctrines or principles which appear to have even the remotest tendency to undermine its civil or reli gious institutions. In our own country, works so directly subversive of every thing sound in policy, and sacred in religion, are published under the shel ter of the freedom of the press, that we arc sometimes tempted to wish for the interposition of the civil go vernment to repress this licentiousness, till we are re minded, by the example of other nations, how fatally such interposition might tend to repress at the same time all free inquiry, and, instead of promoting the influence of morality or of genuine philosophy, to be perverted into the instrument of public oppression, or of private revenge. In the Indices E.zpurgatarii of Roman Catholic countries we see many books con demned, which contain such treasures of learning, and exhibit so enlightened and liberal views of every subject which they discuss, as command the admira tion of all the unbiassed and judicious. Who can hear, without emotion, that the works of such men as Lin nmus, and our coi;:aryman Principal Robertson, men not more remarkable for the vigour of their genius, and the amplitude of their attainments, than for their sacred regard to religion, are prohibited on the con tinent, as dangerous in their tendency ? The slightest appearance of contradiction, even though unintended, to the absurdities of a prevailing superstition, has often drawn down the weightiest vengeance on the unfortunate authors. A printer was beheaded in 1542, for the publication of a Dutch Bible. Papc brock, a learned Jesuit of Antwerp, was condemned by the Inquisition of Madrid, for advancing three he terodox assertiorts ; first, that the Carmelite, or bare footed monks, were not descended from the prophet Elias ; secondly, that the image of our Saviour was not impressed on the sacred handkerchiefs, and that doubts might be entertained whether there was ac tually a Saint Veronica ; and, lastly, that the church of Antweri5 was not, as it pretended, in possession of that corporeal evidence which proved the circumci sion of Jesus Christ. After these examples of into lerance, we cannot be surprised that the truly excep tic:triable works of Voltaire should have been con demned and suppressed immediately on their publica lion that the Emile of Rousseau was torn and burnt by the bands of the common -executioners at Paris and Geneva ; and that the same sentence was passed against the Christianisme DevoiMe of Boulanger by the French parliament in 1770, and against the History of the East and West Indies by the Abbe Raynal in 1781. Even in the literary history of our own coun try, many instances occur of persecution equally un justifiable against authors, whose publications have been offensive to church or state. William Prynne, the celebrated author of Histriomastis, a work level led against the licentious amusements and practices which prevailed in the court of Charles I., was com initted to the Tower of London in 1633, the year after its publication, and sentenced by the Star Cham ber to pay a fine of £5000 to the king; to be ex pelled from the university of Oxford, and the Temple in Lincoln's Inn • to be degraded and disabled from practising his profession as a lawyer ; to stand on the pillory ; there to lose part of his ears ; to have his book burnt before his face; and to be imprisoned for life. The execution of this severe sentence did not deter him from again exposing himself to the vengeance of the court, by the publication of another work, entitled Vcws from Ipswich, which made its appearance in 1637. He was a second time senten ced by the Star Chamber to pay a heavy fine, to lose the remainder of his ears on the pillory, to be brand ed on both cheeks with the letters S. L. (Schisma tical Libeller,) and to be perpetually imprisoned. This sentence was enforced in all its rigour ; but when the government was overturned by the revolu tionists, he was relieved by an order of the House of Commons in 1640; and twenty years after was himself elected a member of parliament. Neither prosperous nor adverse fortune, however, could check his pro pensity to expose and inveigh against what he con ceived to be abuses ; and he now published some re flections against the House ; for which he was com pelled to apologise. Woolston, the author of seve ral controversial works in theology, was prosecuted in the Court of King's Bench, for the publication of the Moderator and Apostate, with two Supplements. At the solicitation of Mr Whiston, the attorney ge neral then desisted from the prosecution. But when he published his Six Discourses on the Miracles of Christ, a new prosecution was commenced against him, and he 'was fined in oe100, and sentenced to one year's imprisonment. Coward's Thoughts or the Human Soul, published at London in 1702, were condemned by parliament to be burnt by the hands of the common executioner, as containing doctrines hostile to the Christian religion ; and the famous John Wilkes was expelled from parliament, in consequence of the publication of his North Briton, and Essay on Women. While the question of the expediency of a union between England and Scotland was keenly agitated, Atwood, an English lawyer, imprudently revived the obsolete dispute concerning the superiori ty of England over this kingdom. A treatise which
he wrote on this invidious subject, was communicated to the Scottish parliament, who, with becoming in dignation, condemned it to be burnt in Edinburgh by the common executioner. Works suppressed from such causes as these, often excite an interest which leads in time to their. extensive circulation ; but at all events, the original editions of them neces sarily continue exceedingly rare • and when a portion of them has been destroyed, the scarcity must al ways remain. In some instances, the most rigorous suppression becomes not only justifiable, but indis pensibly necessary, as in the case of works directly immoral, or of malicious libels calculated to ruin the character and the peace of individuals. Yet such is the perverseness of human nature, that such works are frequently read with an avidity exactly propor tioned to the severity with which they are prohibit ed. Two volumes by Pasquill, published at Rome in 1544, are now very eagerly sought after, and bear an extraordinary price. They contain a number of epigrams in verse, and dialogues in 'prose, inveighing with much asperity against the government, and the conduct of private persons.
3. The next cause of the scarcity of books is, when, by particular accidents, they have been almost wholly destroyed. It is owing to a cause of this nature, that the 'iltlanticu of Olaus Rudbeck can scarcely be ob tained complete; and had not some copies of the se cond part of the Machina Ccelestis of Hevelius been given to the author's friends, it would have been to tally lost in the flames which consumed his house. A similar accident destroyed most of the large paper copies of Wakefield's Lucretius de Natura Reruns; in consequence of which those which were preserved are valued at sixty guineas each.
4. A fourth cause of the absolute scarcity of books is, when only part of them has been printed, the rest re maining unfinished. Cases of this kind too frequently occur, to require or to permit any particular enume ration. It necessarily happens when an author or editor, for want of encouragement, is, unable to pro ceed with his work; and as none but an amateur of rarities would take the trouble of rescuing such frag -' meats from total destruction, these unfinished pro ductions become, of course, the scarcest of books.
5. The next class of books which are absolutely scarce are, those which are printed on very large pa . per, or on vellum paper. The copies of a work printed on paper of this description, are in general very few, and their great expense would at any rate prevent them from becoming common. Strength and beauty of paper, and ample extent of margins, are qualities so much valued by some curious collectors, that they will scruple at no price to obtain them. A stern philosopher will be disposed to ridicule that taste which prizes a book merely for the blank space which it contains, and the size of the type, or the stiffness of the paper ; and will be contented to enoy the accuracy of a Grenville Homer for thirty s.l il lings, leaving more wealthy or more passionate ama teurs to pay 100 guineas for its greater magnitude, and more splendid dress. We should be little dis posed, for our own parts, to regret or to censure this passion for royal paper, and wide margins, had it not become so fashionable among booksellers to publish every new work in this expensive manner, as if they wished those days return when reading was the exclusive privilege of the opulent, and the reposito ries of learning remained shut against all who did not possess the golden key.
- 6. The next cause which we shall mention of the absolute scarcity of books is, their being printed on vellum, or any other substance besides paper. We have already mentioned some of the other materials employed for writing previous 'to the invention of printing, or in modern nations where the invention is unknown. Books formed of such materials must al ways be highly prized by the curious bibliographer, both for their great rarity and singular texture. Next. to these in value, as well as in scarcity, are books printed in vellum, the expense of which is so great, that very few vellum copies of any work have ever been prepared. So far as we know, there is not a single instance of a whole impression of any work having. been printed on this beautiful but costly Hence books on vellum have generally been esteemed as the most precious treasures of a library; and there are instances of their being transmitted to successive generations, as one of the most important articles in a family property. One of the most beautiful speci mens of vellum printing is a Roman breviary print ed at Venice in 1478. It is a large folio volume, consisting of 401 leaves. The vellum is of the finest quality, thin and remarkably white, and the typogra phy so smooth and well defined as to vie with the most beautiful impression from copperplate. It is, printed in black and red ink, and decorated with splendid illuminations in gold, and different vivid co lours; and with paintings of different animals. Whole pages occur in red ink, which has no gloss; but the black ink is extremely deep, and shines as if varnish A few months ago, the Faculty of Advocates purchased a copy of this breviary for 100 guineas. Another very elegant work, of a similar description, entitled Heuresa l'usage de Rome, was printed on vellum in 1507, or 1527. It is a small folio, consist ing of 115 leaves, each page encircled by engravings.