Excerpt from A Descriptive Catalogue of the Manuscripts in the Fitzwilliam Museum: With Introduction and Indices This book has been written with two main purposes. In the first place, it is meant to be a complete guide to a particular set of manuscripts, those in the Fitzwilliam Museum: in the second place, it is meant to serve as a manual for those who wish to make a study of illuminated manuscripts in general. In order to help such students, I have added to this Preface a series of very elementary hints on the description and collation of manuscripts: and to these hints I venture to direct their attention. At present, I have to say something about the history of the Fitzwilliam collection, and the principle on which this Catalogue has been written. In the year 1816 Richard Fitzwilliam, Viscount Fitzwilliam, bequeathed to the University the whole of his artistic collections and the sum of one hundred thousand pounds to be applied in housing, arranging, and adding to them. Of this gift, which rivals any ever bestowed upon either University, a number of illuminated manuscripts forms part; and it is one object of the present volume to furnish students with a full description of them, and of the additions which have been made to our Founder's original bequest in this department Lord Fitzwilliam seems to have formed the whole of his collection of manuscripts between the years 1789 and 1815. One volume (no. 34) had descended to him by inheritance, and he has inscribed in it the date (1768) of its coming into his possession. The rest of his manuscripts he either bought or received as presents. In no case has he recorded the occasion of a purchase, though notes of the price paid remain here and there. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.