an edifice or apartment destined for holding a considerable number of books placed regularly on shelves; or the books themselves lodged in it.

Some authors refer the origin of libraries to the Hebrews; and observe, that the care they took for the preservation of their sacred books, and the memory of what concerned the actions of their ancestors, became an example to other nations, particularly to the Egyptians. Ofmandusas, king of Egypt, is said to have taken the hint first; who, according to Diodorus, had a library built in his palace, with this inscription over the door, ὑπὸ Χείρας Ἀπολλώνιος. Nor were the Ptolemies, who reigned in the same country, less curious and magnificent in books.

The scripture also speaks of a library of the kings of Persia, Ezra v. 17. vi. 1, which some imagine to have consisted of the historians of that nation, and of memoirs of the affairs of state; but, in effect, it appears rather to have been a depository of laws, charters, and ordinances of the kings. The Hebrew text calls it the house of treasures, and afterwards the house of the rolls, where the treasures were laid up. We may, with more justice, call that a library, mentioned in the second of Esdras to have been built by Nehemiah, and in which were preserved the books of the prophets, and of David, and the letters of their kings.

The first who erected a library at Athens, was the tyrant Pisistratus; and yet Strabo refers the honour of it to Aristotle. That of Pisistratus was transported by Xerxes into Persia, and was afterwards brought back by Seleucus Nicanor to Athens. Long after, it was plundered by Sylla, and re-established by Hadrian. Plutarch says, that under Eumenes there was a library at Pergamus, containing 200,000 books. Tyrannian, a celebrated grammarian, contemporary with Pompey, had a library of 30,000 volumes. That of Ptolemy Philadelphus, according to A. Gellius, contained 700,000, all in rolls, burnt by Caesar's soldiers.

Constantine, and his successors, erected a magnificent one at Constantinople; which in the eighth century contained 300,000 volumes, all burnt by order of Leo I.aurus; and, among the rest, one wherein the Iliad and Odyssey were written in letters of gold, on the guts of a serpent.

The most celebrated libraries of ancient Rome, were the Ulpian, and the Palatine. They also boast much of the libraries of Paulus Æmilius, who conquered Perseus; of Lucilius Lucullus, of Asinius Pollio, Atticus, Julius Severus, Domitius, Serenus, Pamphilus Martyr, and the emperors Gordian and Trajan.

Anciently, every large church had its library; as appears by the writings of St Jerome, Anastasius, and others. Pope Nicholas laid the first foundation of Library, that of the Vatican, in 1450. It was destroyed by the constable Bourbon, in the sacking of Rome, and restored by Pope Sixtus V. and has been considerably enriched with the ruins of that of Heidelberg; plundered by Count Tilly in 1622. One of the most complete libraries in Europe, was said to be that erected at Florence by Cosmo de Medicis, over the gate whereof is written, LABOR ABSQUE LABORE; though it is now exceeded by that of the French king, begun by Francis I., augmented by Cardinal Richelieu, and completed by M. Colbert.

The emperor's library at Vienna, according to Lambein, consists of 80,000 volumes, and 15,940 curious medals.

The Bodleian library at Oxford, built on the foundation of that of Duke Humphry, exceeds that of any university in Europe, and even those of all the sovereigns of Europe, except the emperor's and French king's, which are each of them older by 100 years. It was first opened in 1602, and has since found a great number of benefactors; particularly Sir Robert Cotton, Sir H. Savil, Archbishop Laud, Sir Kenelm Digby, Mr Allen, Dr Pococke, Mr Selden, and others. The Vatican, the Medicean, that of Bessarion at Venice, and those just mentioned, exceed the Bodleian in Greek manuscripts; which yet outdoes them all in Oriental manuscripts.

As to printed books, the Ambrosian at Milan, and that of Wolfenbuttle, are two of the most famous, and yet both inferior to the Bodleian.

King's Library, at St James's, was founded by Henry, eldest son of James I. and made up partly of books, and partly of manuscripts, with many other curiosities, for the advancement of learning. It has received many additions from the libraries of Isaac Casaubon and others.

Cottonian Library, originally consisted of 958 volumes of original charters, grants, instruments, letters of sovereign princes, transactions between this and other kingdoms and states, genealogies, histories, regifters of monasteries, remains of Saxon laws, the book of Genesis, thought to be the most ancient Greek copy extant, and said to have been written by Origen in the second century, and the curious Alexandrian copy or manuscript in Greek capitals. This library is kept in the British Museum, with the large and valuable library of Sir Hans Sloane, amounting to upwards of 42,000 volumes, &c. There are many public libraries belonging to the several colleges at Oxford and Cambridge, and the universities in North Britain. The principal public libraries in London, beside that of the Museum, are those of the college of heralds, of the college of physicians, of Doctors Commons, to which every bishop, at the time of his consecration, gives at least 20l. sometimes 50l. for the purchase of books; those of the Gray's Inn, Lincoln's Inn, Inner Temple, and Middle Temple; that of Lambeth, founded by Archbishop Bancroft in 1610, for the use of succeeding archbishops of Canterbury, and increased by the benefactions of Archbishops Abbot, Sheldon, and Tennison, and said to consist of at least 15,000 printed books, and 617 volumes in manuscript; that of Red-Crofs street, founded by Dr Daniel Williams, a Presbyterian divine, and since enriched by many private benefactions; that of the Royal Society, called the Arundelian or Norfolk library, because the principal part of the collection formerly belonged to the family of Arundel, and was given to the society by Henry Howard, afterwards duke of Norfolk, in 1666, which library has been increased by the valuable collection of Francis Aston, Esq.; in 1715, and is continually increasing by the numerous benefactions of the works of its learned members, and others: that of St Paul's, of Sion college; the queen's library, erected by Queen Caroline in 1737; and the surgeon's library, kept in their hall in the Old Bailey, &c.

In Edinburgh there is a good library belonging to the university, well furnished with books; which are kept in good order. There is also a noble library of books and manuscripts belonging to the faculty of advocates. See Advocate.