Dibdin, Thomas Frognall; Spencer, George John [Oth.]: 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 3) (London, 1814) [Cicognara, 4650-3]

74

GRAMMARS AND LEXICONS. siWithout Dale.

commences the correspondence of Braulio and Isidore; and to each
chapter of the work is a prefix in the small Roman letter.

In the ixth book are two folded wood-cuts. The first is circular;
having, in the middle, VOX FILII. SEXVS VTRIVSQVE: the
circular explanations are in small rude Gothic. The other cut is, what
we call, A Family Tree. At the bottom, upon a sci’oll, we read
‘ st)cc cst arBor ®on3ansuittC!tati0the branches are filled by circles,
within which are rude Gothic inscriptions; and in the middle is a
small human head. On the reverse of this print is another genealo-
gieal tree; inscribed at bottom, ‘ Stroor aGtmtatt0.’ On the recto of
fol. 261, and last, we read the ensuing coloplion:

Deo Gracias.

Isidori iunioris hispalensis episcopi. Ethimologiarum libri
numero viginti. finiunt foeliciter. Per Gintherum ^ainer ex
Reutlingen prtegenitum. literis impressi ahenis. Anno
ab incarnatione domini. Millesimo Quadringentesimo
Septuagesimo secundo. Decimanona die. Mensis. nouebris.

The reverse is blank. There are neither signatures, numerals, nor
catchwords ; and a full page contains 38 lines. This is a beautiful
copy of one of the most desirable volumes in the library. It is bound
in blue morocco.

561. Isidorus. Etymologiarum Libri XX.
('Supposed to have heen Printed hy Mentelin.)
Without Place or Date. Folio.

It will be necessary to make the following preliminary observation,
chiessy from Panzer. ‘ The type with which this impression is executed
may be ealled semi-Gothic, and is rather Roman than Gothic. The
capital letters are decidedly Roman, and similar to those in the Speculum
Vincent. Bellovacens.; but, the lower-case letters are by no means so. They
are also different srom the characters which we observe in the Terence,
Valerius Maximus, and Virgil, and in the Ars Predicandi of St.
Austin.’ * The fount of letter seems new, and is a mixture of that

* Panzer classes several books under one order, as being printed in tbe same type, and
attributable to Mentelin. Ile resers also to bis Annals of German Typography, p. 101-3,
wbere tbere is a long and particular account of the ancient Gennan poems of Wolfram
( Wolsrams von Eschenbach Heldengedicht vom Parzival. 1477, folio), wbich are executed in
tbe same tvpe.