“Mr. Andrew Hay, you being upon your departure towards France and Italy by my noble Lord’s order, I give you this commission, not now expecting that you can execute every part of it in this journey, but yet hoping that you will dispatch those articles which are of the greatest importance, and put the others into a proper posture against the time of your next return thither.

Marl.  MS., Harl.  M.S., vol. 5911, f. 2.

“In Paris Fr. Bernard Montfaucon has some Coptic, Syriac, and other MSS. worth the buying.  Among them is an old leaf of the Greek Septuagint, written in uncial or capital letters.  Buy these and the leaden book he gave to Cardinal Bouillon if he can procure it for you or direct you to it.  In the archives of the Cistercian monastery of Clervaulx, I am told there are some original letters or epistles written by the hand of St. Hierome upon phylira or bark.  One or more of these will be acceptable if not too outrageously valued.  The Duke of Savoy has many Greek MSS., as also the Egyptian board or table of Isis, adorned with hieroglyphics, being those which have been explained by Pignorius, Richerus, etc.  Let me have some account of these.

“At Venice buy a set of the Greek liturgical books printed there—­I mean a set of the first edition if they may be had; if not let us have the other.  Buy also Thomassini Bibliothecae Venetae in 40.  Get a catalogue of Mr. Smith’s MSS. there, and inquire how matters go about Giustiniani’s Greek MSS.  In the bookseller’s shops, etc., you may frequently pick up Greek MSS., which the Greeks bring from the Morea and other parts of the Levant.  Remember to get the fragments of Greek MSS. you left with the bookseller who bought Maffeo’s library.  The family of Moscardi at Verona have many valuable antiquities, and among the rest four instruments of the Emperor Theodosius, junior [now imperfect] written upon phylira.  These must be bought, and especial care taken of them, etc.  The first begins ‘dem relectis’; the second ‘ius vir in ast’; the third ‘ius vir in’; the fourth ‘ni Siciliensis.’  At Florence, the Dominicans or Franciscans have a large collection of Greek MSS.  You may see them and get a catalogue of them if you can.  Buy Ernstius or some other catalogue of the Grand Duke’s MSS.

“At Milan in the Ambrosian Library is a very ancient Catullus, part of Josephus in Latin, written upon bark; a Samaritan Pentateuch in octavo, part of the Syriac Bible in the ancient or Estrangele characters; divers Greek MSS. in capital letters, being parts of the Bible, with other books of great antiquity, both Greek and Latin.  You may look upon them and send me some account.

“At Monza [about ten miles from Milan] is an imperfect Antiphonarium Gregorii Papae.  It is all written upon purplecoloured parchment, with capital letters of gold.  Buy this if you can.

“The family of Septata at Milan have a Latin writing upon bark.  Buy this if it will be parted with.