to the King, and to the Royal Library; and a more respectable house, or a more ancient firm, is probably not to be found in Europe.  Messrs. Debure are as straight-forward, obliging, and correct, in their transactions, as they are knowing in the value, and upright in the sale, of their stock in trade.  No bookseller in Paris possesses a more judicious stock, or can point to so many rare and curious books.  A young collector may rely with perfect safety upon them; and accumulate, for a few hundred pounds, a very respectable stock of Editiones principes or rarissimae.  I do not say that such young collector would find them cheaper there, or so cheap as in Pall-Mall; but I do say that he may rest assured that Messieurs Debure would never, knowingly, sell him an imperfect book.  Of the Debure, there are two brothers:  of whom the elder hath a most gallant propensity to portrait-collecting—­and is even rich in portraits relating to our history.  Of course the chief strength lies in French history; and I should think that Monsieur Debure l’aine shewed me almost as many portraits of Louis XIV. as there are editions of the various works of Cicero in the fifteenth century.[123] But my attention was more particularly directed to a certain boudoir, up one pair of stairs, in which Madame Debure, their venerable and excellent mother, chooses to deposit some few very choice copies of works in almost every department of knowledge.  There was about one of the best editions in each department:  and whether it were the Bible, or the History of the Bucaineers—­whether a lyrical poet of the reign of Louis XIV. or the ballad metres of that of Francois Premier ... there you found it!—­bound by Padaloup, or Deseuille, or De Rome.  What think you, among these “choice copies,” of the Cancionero Generale printed at Toledo in 1527, in the black letter, double columned, in folio?  Enough to madden even our poet-laureat—­for life!  I should add, that these books are not thus carefully kept together for the sake of shew:  for their owner is a fair good linguist, and can read the Spanish with tolerable fluency.  Long may she yet read it.[124]

The Debure had the selling, by auction, of the far-famed M’CARTHY LIBRARY; and I saw upon their shelves some of the remains of that splendid membranaceous collection.  Indeed I bought several desirable specimens of it:  among them, a fine copy of Vindelin de Spira’s edition (1471) of St. Cyprians Epistles, UPON VELLUM.[125] Like their leading brethren in the neighbourhood, Messieurs Debure keep their country house, and there pass the Sabbath.