estimate of the importance and value of his collection, and by
studying one species at a time, to become thoroughly conversant with
what it can teach him. When he has, so to speak, burnt his fingers
once or twice, he will find himself able to distinguish at sight
what no amount of teaching by word of mouth or by writing could ever
possibly impart to any advantage.

One thing I should like if possible to impress very strongly upon
the reader. That is the fact that a MS. which is not absolutely
perfect, if it is in a genuine state, is of much more value than one
which has been made perfect by the skill of a modern restorer. The
more skilful he is, that is to say the better he can forge the style
of the original, the more worthless he renders the volume.

Printing seems to have superseded the art of the illuminator more
promptly and completely in England than on the Continent. The dames
galantes of Brantome's memoirs took pleasure in illuminated Books of
Hours, suited to the nature of their devotions. As late as the time
of Louis XIV., Bussy Rabutin had a volume of the same kind,
illuminated with portraits of "saints," of his own canonisation.
The most famous of these modern examples of costly MSS. was "La
Guirlande de Julie," a collection of madrigals by various courtly
hands, presented to the illustrious Julie, daughter of the Marquise
de Rambouillet, most distinguished of the Precieuses, and wife of
the Duc de Montausier, the supposed original of Moliere's Alceste.
The MS. was copied on vellum by Nicholas Jarry, the great calligraph
of his time. The flowers on the margin were painted by Robert. Not
long ago a French amateur was so lucky as to discover the MS. book
of prayers of Julie's noble mother, the Marquise de Rambouillet.
The Marquise wrote these prayers for her own devotions, and Jarry,