Identifier: bibliographicala02dibd (find matches)
Title: A bibliographical, antiquarian and picturesque tour in France and Germany
Year: 1821 (1820s)
Authors: Dibdin, Thomas Frognall, 1776-1847
Subjects: Libraries Libraries Bibliography Literary journeys Literary journeys
Publisher: London : Shakespeare Press
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Internet Archive

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ort of triumphant chuckle, that he once hadsuch a treasure of this kind I What might it havebeen? A superb missal—for which a goldsmith hadoffered him twelve sous for each initial letter upon agold ground — but which he had parted with, for 100francs, to the library of a Benedictin monastery—nowdestroyed. It had cost him twelve sous. But see,Sir, (continued he) is not this curious ? It is a merereprint, (replied I) of what was first published threehundred years ago. No matter—buy it, and read it—it will amuse you—and it costs only five sous. Ipurchased two copies—for I thought the title wouldbe something to provoke the perusal of the work, byour excellent friend Prospero. I send you here the VOL. II. L L 542 PARIS TO STRASBOURG. title and the frontispiece. Le Dragon Rouge, ouVart de commander les Esprits Celestes, Aeriens, Ter-restres, Infernauoc. Avec le vrai Secret defaire parlerles Morts; de gagner toutes les fois qiion met auxLotteries; de decouvrir les Tr^sors, S^c.
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The bookseller told me that he sold hundreds of copiesof the work, and that the country people yet believedin the efficacy of its contents. Thus, you see, thathuman nature is the same every where. I was toldthat it was in this very town, that a copy of the firstLatin Bible, called the Mazarine, was picked up forsome half dozen francs !—and conveyed to the public NANCY. 543 library at Munich. I shall know the truth of this byand by. Towards the evening-, I visited the pul)licJibrary byappointment. Indeed I had casually met the publiclibrarian at the first Bouquinistes ; and he fixed thehour of half-past six. Previously, however, withoutknowing each other, I heard my own name pro-nounced in a manner, from which, if I had been a lady,I should have drawn a veil over my face : but, as agentleman, I pulled off my hat, and made obeisance.The stranger then spoke aloud, and even eloquently,in commendation of Lord Spencers library—and said, before he died, he hoped to make a pilgrimage toEn

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