Manuscripts of John Selden | Manuscripts and Archives at Oxford University

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Description

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Title

Manuscripts of John Selden

Shelfmark

MSS. Arch. Selden A. 1-4, 6-29, 31-48, 50-71, 72 (1)-(6), 73 (1)-(2), 74-74*, 75-76; Arch. Selden B. 3-58, 62b; Selden Superius 1-14, 14a, 15-122; Selden Supra 1-36, 36*, 37-102, 105, 107; Marsh 241; Michael 600; Part of AA. 1. Med. Selden (plus 3212a, 3228-3231, 3266, 3438 Oriental items)

Summary

Manuscripts of John Selden

Date

8th-18th century

Language

Irish

Church Slavic

Portuguese

Italian

English

Old English (ca. 450-1100)

Hebrew

French

Arabic

Russian

Latin

Ancient Greek (to 1453)

Spanish

German

Modern Greek (1453-)

Physical extent

40.48 Linear metres

368 boxes

Custodial history

The great library of MSS. and printed books amassed by Selden is not mentioned in his will dated June 11, 1653, and would by it have passed to his four executors as residuary legatees; but in a codicil annexed to the will and of the same date, he clearly intended to bequeath his non-medical Oriental MSS., his Greek MSS., MS. Arch. Selden B. 16 (Latin), and all such (printed) Talmudical and Rabbinical books as were not already in the Library, proximately or ultimately to the Bodleian; and his Greek marbles, with AA.1. Med. Seld (a Chinese map), to the University. But by some extraordinary accident of drafting or transcription the name of the Bodleian and of the University is (in the only accessible copy of the codicil, in Selden's Opera, 1726, i, p. lv) entirely omitted! As a consequence, the part intended for the Bodleian passed to the executors, who are throughout the subsequent negotiations invariably treated as having absolute control over the disposal of it.

In the latter part of 1655 and again in 1656 Barlow was in London 'about Mr. Selden's library', and on Oct. 31, 1656, Congregation addressed a letter to the executors beseeching them to present it to the Bodleian, where the new West End was ready to receive it. At last the executors gave way, and as soon as the University had (on June 18, 1659) accepted their proposals (printed in the Life of Anthony à Wood, 1772, pp. 132-4) the volumes, exceeding 8,000 in number, arrived. So much, however, had to be expended on the conveyance, binding, and chaining, and on the new Selden Archives, that on Dec. 16 in that year Convocation authorized a special tax to meet the difficulty, ranging from ros. from Heads of Houses to is. from undergraduates.

In Macray's Annals of the Bodleian, 2nd ed. (1890), pp. 110-20, will be found a full account of the supposed conduct of Selden and his executors in this matter, the truth about which is not easily discoverable. It is unfortunate that Selden's Latin MSS. were not allowed to follow his Oriental and Greek collections, for we learn that the great fire in the Temple (on Jan. 26, 1679/80 ?) destroyed, of his books, 'eight chests full of the registers of abbeys and other manuscripts relating to the history of England, tho' most of his law-books are still safe in Lincoln's Inn' (quoted in Macray's Annals, p. 121 n).

The Selden marbles presented by his executors were moved, together with the Arundel marbles, to the University Galleries in 1888.

Acquisition

The collection was acquired by the Library in 1659, except for MS. Arch. Selden B. 62B, which was purchased by the Library in 1725 and therefore no part of the original collection.

Number 3331 was recorded as "Printed Book" (Old Selden mark = B.1) in the Summary Catalogue at the time of cataloguing and is therefore not identifiable.