As early as 1615 Sir Robert Cotton's intimaay with Carr, earl of Somerset, laid him under suspicion with the court of having unto knowledge of the circumstances of Sir Thomas Overbury's death. Ile was even committed to the custody of an alderman of London ; nor although nothing could be proved against him, was he released inane this confinement till the end of five months, during which time ho appears to have been interdicted the use of his library. The perfidy of Gondomar, the Spanish ambassador, about the same time, drew upon him another imputation, his name having been, without founda tion, inserted in a list suffered to go abroad of persons who had secretly received gratuities from the Spanish ambassador for sinister purposes. From this however his honour was perfectly viudicated.
Being a member of the first parliament of Charles I., Sir Robert Cotton joined in complaining of the grievance which the nation was said in 1623 to groan under; but he was always for mild remedica, and zealous for the honour and safety of the king. Iu the next year an occnrrence took place, the consequences of which shortened hie days. A tract was handed about in manuscript, entitled A l'roject how a Prince may make himself an absolute Tyrant.' The inquiries that were immediately made for the author of so pernicious a per formance led at length to the Cottonian Library. Sir Robert, perfectly conscious of his innocence, made strict inquiry into the transaction, and soon found that a copy of this tract, written at Florence in 1613 by Robert Dudley, duke of Northumberland, under the lees exception able title of Propositions for his Majesty's Service to bridle the limper tinency of Parliaments,' had, unknown to him, found its way into his library, and that, equally without his knowledge, his librarian or amanuensis, as was suspected, for a pecuniary consideration, hind suffered one or more copies of it to be taken, under the former of these titles. Although Sir Robert Cotton completely vindicated his inuocence of having written or disseminated this tract, so destructive to the liberties of the people, yet under the renewed pretence that his library was not of a nature to be exposed to public inspection, it was again put in sequestration, and himself once more excluded from all access to it. He died at his house in Westminster, May 6, 1631. A short time before his death ho requested Sir Henry Spelman to signify to the Lord Privy Seal, and the rest of the lords of the council, that their so long detaining of his books from him, without rendering any reason for the same, had been the cause of his mortal malady. From this, as well as other circumstances, it appears that his library was never restored to his possession. He was buried on the south side of the church of Connington, where a suitable monument was erected to his memory.
By his will Sir Robert Cotton directed that his library should not be sold, but should pass entire to his heirs; and it was much aug mented by his son, Sir Thomas Cotton, and his grandson, Sir John Cotton. In 1700 an act of parliament passed for the better securing and preserving this library in the name and family of the Cottons, for the benefit of the public; the mansion house, in which the library was contained, to be preserved for the use of the descendants of Sir Robert Cotton, the founder, for ever, and the library to be made publicly accessible; and to be vested after Sir John Cotton's death in trustees.
Sir John Cotton died in 1702. Another act of parliament was then framed, which passed in 1700, by which the purchase of the house was effected for the sum of 4500/., and that and the library vested thence forth in the queen, her heirs, and successors for ever: the management of the library being still settled iu trustees. Whether it was for the purpose of erecting a new building for the reception of the library on the site of the said house—which indeed was directed by the last mentioned act—or for what other reason, does not at present appear ; hut we aro informed in a subsequent report of a committee of the House of Commons, that the library was in the year 1712 removed to Essex House, in Essex-street, Strand, where it continued to tho year 1730, when It was conveyed back to Westminster, and deposited iu a house in Little Dean's Yard, purchased by the crown of the Earl of Ashburnham. Here, shortly after, on the 23rd of October 1731, a fire broke out, iu which 111 manuscripts (many of them of the 'created interest) were lost, burnt, or entirely defaood, and 99 rendered Imperfect. It had indeed nearly proved fatal to the whole library.
What remained were removed, by permission of the dean and chapter, into a new building designed for the dormitory of Westminster school. In 1753, when the legislature was induced by the will of Sir Hans Sloane to found the British Museum, tho Cottonian library was included in the act under which that institution was founded, and wail transferred to the British Museum in 1757. The act directed that two trustees, to be nominated in succession by the representatives of the Cotton family, should be for ever added to those appointed by the ulna act for the general execution of its purposes.
Besides the library of manuscripts, the Cottoninn collection con tained a considerable number of valuable coins, chiefly Saxon and old English, and several antiquities Roman and English, all of which are now incorporated in the collection of the British Museum.
A catalogue of this library, in a thiu folio volume, compiled by Dr. Thomas Smith, was printed at Oxford in 1696; and a more ample one, accompanied by a copious index, compiled by the late Joseph Planta, Esq., was published under the orders and at the expense of the Commissioners upon the Public Records, folio, 1802.
Sir Robert Cotton was liberal in communicating materials out of his collections in his life-time. Speed's ' History of England' is said to owe most of its valve and ornaments to it; and Camden acknowledges that he received the etas in the 'Britannia' from his collection. To finolles, the author of the Turkish History,' he communicated authentic letters of the Knights of Rhodes, and the despatches of Edward Barton, ambassador from queen Elizabeth to the Porte. Sir Walter 'Weigh, Lord Bacon, Selden, and Lord Herbert, were all indebted to Sir Robert Cotton's library for materials. Almost every recent work of importance connected with English history, is a proof that its treasures continue at this day unexhausted.