drawings by Moreau, with many of the plates.[131] He seems in high spirits about the success of it, and leans with confidence upon the strength of a host of subscribers.  Nor does a rival edition, just struggling into day, cause him to entertain less sanguine expectations of final success.  This enterprising bookseller is now also busily occupied about a Descriptive Catalogue of his own library, in which he means to indulge himself in sundry gossipping notes, critical disquisitions, and piquant anecdotes.  I look forward with pleasure to its appearance; and turn a deaf ear to the whispers which have reached me of an intended brush at the Decameron.[132]

M. Renouard has allowed me free access to his library; which also contains some very beautiful copies of books printed in the fifteenth century.  Among these latter, his VELLUM VALDARFER is of course considered, by himself and his friends, as the keimelion of the collection.  It is the edition of the Orations of Cicero, printed by Valdarfer, at Venice, in 1471, folio:  a most exquisite book—­which may be fairly considered as perfect throughout.  It is in its second binding, but that may be as old as the time of Francis I.:  perhaps about the middle of the sixteenth century.  This copy measures thirteen inches in height, by eight inches and seven-eighths in width:—­almost, I conceive, in its original state of amplitude.  I will frankly own that I turned over the leaves of this precious book, again and again—­“sighed and looked, &c.”  “But would no price tempt the owner to part with it?” “None.  It is reserved as the bijou of my catalogue, and departs not from hence.”  Severe, but just decree!  There is only one other known copy of it upon vellum, which is in the Royal Library[133]—­but which wants a leaf of the table; an imperfection, not belonging to the present copy.

The other “great guns,” as VELLUM BOOKS, in the collection of M. Renouard, are what is called the Familiar Epistles of Cicero printed by Aldus in 1502, 12mo:  and the Petrarch of 1514, 8vo. also printed by Aldus.  Of these, the latter is by much the preferable volume.  It is almost as large as it can well be:  but badly bound in red morocco.[134] The Cicero is short and sallow-looking.  It was on the occasion of his son starting for the first time on a bibliographical tour, and, on crossing the Rhine, and finding this Cicero and the almost equally rare Aldine Virgil of 1505, that a relation of this “fortunate youth” invoked his muse in some few verses, which he printed and gave to me.[135] These are little “plaisanteries” which give a relish to our favourite pursuits; and which may at some future day make the son transcend the father in bibliographical renown.  Perhaps the father has already preferred a prayer upon the subject, as thus: 

  [Greek:  Zeu, alloi te Theoi, dote de kai tonde genesthai
  Paid emon os kai ego per, ....]