[23] [Several years have elapsed since I have received a letter from Mons.
Le Bret. Is he alive? If he be living, let him be assured of my
unalterable and respectful attachment: and that I have unfeigned
pleasure in annexing a fac-simile of his AUTOGRAPH--from a letter to
me of the date of June 8th 1819: a letter, which I received on the
17th of the same month following--the very day of our _Roxburghe
Anniversary Dinner_. Singularly enough, this letter begins in the
following strain of bibliographical jocoseness: "_Monsieur, et très
reverend Frère de Boocace l'Immortel!_"]

[Illustration: Signature--f.c. Lebret]

[24] The predominant religion is the Protestant. Indeed I may say that the
number of Catholics is exceedingly limited: perhaps, not an eighth
part of the population of the town.

[25] I presume this to be the earliest date which any of his books exhibit.
His brother GUNTHER, or GINTHER (for the name is spelt both ways in
his colophons) began to print in 1468. Lord Spencer possesses a
beautiful copy (which I obtained from the library of St. Peter's
Monastery, at Salzbourg) of _Bonaventure's Meditations upon the Life
of Christ_, of the date of 1468, printed by G. Zainer, or (Zeiner)
at Augsbourg; and considered to be the first effort of his press.

[26] The note, above mentioned, was written in Latin: the Professor telling
me that he preferred that language to the French, as he thought he
could write it more grammatically. A _Latin note_ must be rather
a curiosity to my readers: which, as it is purely bibliographical, and
in other respects highly characteristic of the _bon-hommie_ of
the writer, shall receive a place here. After mentioning the books