Dibdin, Thomas Frognall; Spencer, George John [Bearb.]: Bibliotheca Spenceriana: or a descriptive catalogue of the books printed in the fifteenth century, and of many valuable first editions, in the library of George John Earl Spencer (Band 2) (London, 1814) [Cicognara, 4650-2]

Strasbourg ; 1498.]

HORACE.

93

The preceding embellishments are sufficient, T trust, to justify the
compliment paid to them by the compiler of the Harleian Catalogue :
a compliment, expressed, it must be confessed, with more zeal in the
cause of bibliography, than elegance or even correctness of language.
It is probable that, in the estimation of some collectors, I may have
failed to present the reader with the most interesting specimens from
this curious volume; but on this score I throw myself upon his candor
as well as taste : being conscious of having done much, where before
nothing of the kind had been executed. I should mention that the
present copy contains, in general, but very indifferent impressions of
these cuts: nor must it also be concealed that the greater number
of them will be found in succeeding early editions of Virgil and
Horace. They are, however, yet interesting, as presenting us with
the costume of the times, and as being among the earliest efforts to
illustrate the text of so popular a poet.

Between the lines of the text of Horace, there are explanatory
words, printed in a small Gothic type: and to the right and left are
the annotations ; executed in a small neat Roman letter. The text is
uniformly printed in a comparatively large Roman type. On the re-