COTTON (Sir Robert), a most eminent English antiquarian, descended from an ancient family, was born in 1570. In his 18th year he began to collect ancient records, charters, and other MSS. Camden, Selden, and Speed, acknowledged their obligations to him in their respective works. He was highly distinguished by queen Elizabeth, and by James I. who created him a baronet. He wrote many things himself; but our principal obligations to him are for his valuable library, consisting of curious manuscripts, &c. which he was forty years in collecting. At his death in 1631, he left the property of it to his family, though designed for public use. A large accession was made to this library by private benefactions before the death of the founder, and afterwards by the purchases of his heirs, and donations of others, who added to it a great number of books, chiefly relating to the history and antiquities of our own nation. An act of parliament was obtained, at the request of Sir John Cotton, in 1700, for preserving it after his decease, under the above denomination, for public use. It is now fixed in the British Museum. For statutes relating