Abbotsford Club > Historical memoirs of the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots, and a portion of the reign of King James the Sixth
(36) Page xxvi
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xxvi PREFATORY NOTICE.
period, but has not hitlierto succeeded in obtaining any addi-
tional intbrniation on this subject.
While, on the one hand, it appears to be clear that a consider-
able part of the Librar}-, MSS., and furniture of the Scots College
were burnt or plundered, yet the above letter from an eye-witness
would lead us naturally to inter, that if" the most valuable MSS.
were sold by the quintal," a very considerable portion of these
documents must still be somewhere extant in France, Holland,
or the Low Countries. ]\Iany of them are likely to have long
since found their way to Great Britain, where the most obvious
and readiest market existed for the sale of such Documents,
shortly after or during the French Revolution; and it is not im-
probable that some of these purchasers "by the quintal" may have
been wise enough to make offer of their Avares to the British
Museum. But, on the other hand, it must be admitted, if the
seller did not happen to be in this country with his MSS. at
the time the offer was made, it is possible that he may have
lost his life during the tumults of that imhappy time ; and if
so, his MSS. having fallen into the hands of ignorant persons,
the secret of their value would most probably have perished
with him.
After having searched many of the voluminous collections of
the Revolutionary JMemoirs, without finding any special mention^
made of the Scotish Colleges of Douay and Paris, the Editor, in
the meantime, feels perfectly satisfied that, ahhoill^h there ap-
pears to him to be a very strong probability that nearly all the
MS. collections of the former establishment have been irre-
trievably lost, or perished during the French Revolution, yet
that a very considerable portion of the latter do still exist; and
he confidently hopes that eventually they may be made a\ail-
able to the public.
period, but has not hitlierto succeeded in obtaining any addi-
tional intbrniation on this subject.
While, on the one hand, it appears to be clear that a consider-
able part of the Librar}-, MSS., and furniture of the Scots College
were burnt or plundered, yet the above letter from an eye-witness
would lead us naturally to inter, that if" the most valuable MSS.
were sold by the quintal," a very considerable portion of these
documents must still be somewhere extant in France, Holland,
or the Low Countries. ]\Iany of them are likely to have long
since found their way to Great Britain, where the most obvious
and readiest market existed for the sale of such Documents,
shortly after or during the French Revolution; and it is not im-
probable that some of these purchasers "by the quintal" may have
been wise enough to make offer of their Avares to the British
Museum. But, on the other hand, it must be admitted, if the
seller did not happen to be in this country with his MSS. at
the time the offer was made, it is possible that he may have
lost his life during the tumults of that imhappy time ; and if
so, his MSS. having fallen into the hands of ignorant persons,
the secret of their value would most probably have perished
with him.
After having searched many of the voluminous collections of
the Revolutionary JMemoirs, without finding any special mention^
made of the Scotish Colleges of Douay and Paris, the Editor, in
the meantime, feels perfectly satisfied that, ahhoill^h there ap-
pears to him to be a very strong probability that nearly all the
MS. collections of the former establishment have been irre-
trievably lost, or perished during the French Revolution, yet
that a very considerable portion of the latter do still exist; and
he confidently hopes that eventually they may be made a\ail-
able to the public.
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Publications by Scottish clubs > Abbotsford Club > Historical memoirs of the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots, and a portion of the reign of King James the Sixth > (36) Page xxvi |
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