Viscount Cholmondeley—James Loch of Drylaw—William Pitt of Binfield.

MR. G. F. BARWICK, to whom the Mercator ex libris belongs, has kindly sent me the following:—

“Nicholas Mercator was born at Cismar, Holstein, about 1620, and after completing his studies in Copenhagen he continued to reside there until 1660, when he came to England. His fame as a mathematician was already well established, and he was almost immediately elected a member of the Royal Society, which had recently been founded. Some years later he entered the service of Louis XIV., and superintended the construction of the fountains at Versailles. For this work, however, he could not obtain payment, in consequence of his refusal to become a Catholic, and the trouble which it caused him is said to have shortened his life. He wrote a number of

small treatises and contributed to the Philosophical Transactions, but his fame chiefly rests upon his Logarithmotechnia, London, 1668-74, 4to, in which he developed the well-known formula which bears his name. A portrait of him was formerly in the possession of Mr. T. D. F. Tatham of Althorne, Essex, a collateral descendant of the Mercators, and passed at his death into the possession of his nephew, Mr. W. Tatham-Hughes of Chelsea Hospital.”

A bookplate with fine mantling and supporters is that of “The Right Honourable Hugh Lord Viscount Cholmondeley.” It occurs in a copy of “The causes of the Decay of Christian Piety ... London, Printed by R. Norton for T. Garthwait, in S. Bartholomew’s Hospital, near Smithfield, 1667.” This copy—it belongs to Mr. E. F. Coates—has been finely bound, probably by Charles Mearne. Hugh, first Earl of Cholmondeley, succeeded his father, Viscount Cholmondeley, in 1681. Objecting to the arbitrary measures of James II., he was soon honoured by William and Mary, who, in 1689, created him Lord Cholmondeley of Nantwich. In 1706 Queen Anne made him Viscount Malpas and Earl of Cholmondeley. Later he held the appointments of Comptroller and Treasurer of Her Majesty’s household. The book has underneath one another, both in old but different hands, two signatures—“Elizabeth Cholmondeley.” It has also an inscription—“Wm. Lemon, 1855”; since then it has travelled far, as it has twice inscribed on it “W. A. Rebello, Sylvan Lodge, Simla. October, 1864.”

“John Stansfeld,” an armorial plate with mantling. The arms are sable, three goats trippant argent. Crest a demi-lion rampant argent. An ancient family settled in Yorkshire at the Conquest. This modern plate is in a fine copy, belonging to Mr. E. F. Coates, of The Yorkshire Library, by William Boyne, 1869. I think that this John Stansfeld, Esq., was a collector of fine books, and especially about Yorkshire.

A nice plate here illustrated is that of Prescott Pepper.

A plate with good mantling is that of “James Loch of Drylaw.” Given by Burke as arms or, a saltire engraded sable, between two swans naiant in fesse proper. Crest, a swan with wings endorsed, devouring a perch, both proper. Motto, “Assiduate non desidia.” This is in a copy of A Short Introduction to Moral Philosophy ... Glasgow, Printed by Robert & Andrew Foulis, printers to the University. 1764. James

Loch of Drylaw, born in 1612, was treasurer of Edinburgh, and in 1851 his descendant was James Loch of Drylaw, M.P., son of George Loch of Drylaw, and his wife a daughter of John Adam of Blair Adam. The arms were confirmed in 1673 by Sir Charles Erskine of Cambo, Knight, Lyon King-of-Arms.

“William Pitt of Binfield, Berks Esq?—” here reproduced, has very full mantling and no crest, unless the Satyr-looking head in the top of the mantling be meant for a crest. This plate is taken from a copy of a 1648 edition of Eikon Basilike.

A good Scotch ex libris with mantling, and engraved by Lizars, is that of “Brown of Waterhaughs,” evidently connected with some scion of the clan Campbell. The crest is a lion holding a fleur-de-lis. The motto is “Tandem licet sero.” This is in a copy of a scarce little volume, Baxter’s Anacreon—“Londini AugustÆ Imprimetatur Impensis MatthÆi Hawkins, prostatque venalis ad Angelum in Are PaulinÂ.” 1710. The “errata” note at the end contains some facetious expressions—in English thus: “Correct if you please, friendly reader, those heavy printers errors, which were printed when we were off our guard, and fell out when we were intent on blackberries.”

A plate with fine mantling is that of Richard Boycott. It is altogether a good plate. In an ornamental frame below the shield of arms is the engraved inscription: “Pro Rege et Religione / Richard Boycott.”

Gules, on a chief argent, three grenadoes proper, and the motto, “Pro Rege et Religione,” are of peculiar interest. These arms were granted by Charles II., in 1663, to Sylvanus Boycott of Hinton, and Francis Boycott of Byldwas, sons of William Boycott of Byldwas. The father had furnished Charles I. with grenadoes and other supplies. The sons had aided Charles II. when a fugitive wanderer. The family claim to descend from the ancient Norman house of Bygod. This worthy plate is in a rich red morocco bound copy of Sermons, by George Stanhope, D.D., preached at the Boyle Lectures in 1701.

A bookplate with rather curious mantling is that of “Rowland W. D. Collett.” The arms seem to be intended for those borne by Collett, who was Lord Mayor of London in 1486,—Sable, on a chevron between three hinds trippant argent, as many annulets of the first. The motto is “virtutis prÆmium honor.”

An armorial plate with heavy mantling—“Thomas Maitland, Dundrennan.” Burke’s

Armorial gives quarterly, first and fourth or, a lion rampant, dÉchaussÉ, within a bordure embattled gules; second and third argent, the ruins of an old abbey on a mound proper. Crest a demi-monk vested grey, holding in the dexter hand a crucifix argent, in the sinister a rosary proper. The motto is “Esse quam videri.”

In the same volume, the round armorial plate “Johannis Whitefoord Mackenzie Armigeri.”

It is most fitting that the book holding these Scottish bookplates is a fine copy of the first edition of the great Montrose’s Book, the book which the canting Covenanters hung round that hero’s neck as he proudly trod the bloody scaffold. It is clothed in fine contemporary morocco, richly gilt.

A modern bookplate with nice mantling is that of “Charles Lilburn.” The family hails from the county of Durham. The arms argent, three water-bougets sable. Crest, a dexter arm in armour proper, holding a truncheon or. The motto is “Vis viri fragilis.”

This is in a copy of Montrose Redivivus, or the Portraicture of James, late Marquess of Montrose, ... London: Printed for Jo. Ridley at the Castle in Fleet Street, near Ram-alley, 1652. The water-bouget was a mediÆval vessel for carrying water, and was made of two leather pouches appended to a yoke or crossbar.

The “Hampson” plate is, in its way, as good a bookplate as one need wish to see. The clearly cut mantling is tastefully decked with light sprigs of evergreen. The arms are argent, three hemp-brakes sable. The crest is out of a mural crown argent, a greyhound’s head sable collared of the first, rimmed or. Motto: “Nunc aut nunquam.”

Thomas Hampson, the son of Sir Robert Hampson, Knight, and Alderman of the City of London, was created a baronet on June 3rd, 1642. He died in 1655, leaving four sons and five daughters.

The hempbrake, or hackle, was an instrument used for bruising hemp.

The royal plate of Charles I. needs some explanation, as it is not a bookplate. It occupies the first leaf in the full-sized octavo issues in 1649 of Eikon Basilike. In photographing the Throckmorton bookplate the photographer, seeing this also at the beginning of the book, not unnaturally thought that it was a bookplate, and to be illustrated. This need not be regretted. It is a characteristic copy of an Eikon. The surrounding lines are old red ink, and the old ownership signature—

is as true and perfect an ex libris as the finest draughtsman and engraver could ever produce.

The very fine armorial plate of Sir Robert Throckmorton, Bart.—“Virtus sola nobilitas”—is here reproduced from the above-named 1649 copy of Eikon Basilike.

The armorial plate, with supporters, of Sir James Stewart Denholm, Bart., of Coltness and Westshiel, is here illustrated.

I do not know the history of the plate with the two oval shields here illustrated. The motto, “Mors sola resolvit,” seems rather to suggest a funeral hatchment.

The illustration here given of the plate of “Tho?. Beckwith, of York Painter & F.A.S.” is, of course, a piece of his own workmanship, and is inserted in a small, thick volume of manuscript genealogies, no doubt the work of T. Beckwith, and now in the library of Mr. Edward F. Coates. Thomas Beckwith was of an ancient, if not distinguished, Yorkshire family. He was born at Rothwell in 1730, “and served his time to George Fleming, an ingenious man and house painter, from whom he acquired his skill in drawing and painting, and imbibed a love for antiquities.” By means of his great knowledge of genealogies he composed manuscript pedigrees for some of the leading families of the North of England. He was not only an unwearied collector, but very generous in imparting information. He died at York on February 17th, 1786.