DONORS.
The Library was formed almost entirely by donations, principally from
local residents, including bishops, deans, and other clergy, magistrates,
merchants and tradesmen. The donations from the inception of the Library
in 1608 to 1737 are enumerated in the Vellum Book provided for the
purpose in 1659, to which reference is made on page 46. The first
donation was a gift of fifteen volumes from Sir John Pettus who was Mayor
during the year of the foundation of the Library, viz., Severinus Binius'
"Concilia generalia et provincialia," 4 vols. in 5, (Cologne, 1606),
"Centuriones Magdeburgh," 7 vols., (Basel), and Bellarmine's
"Disputationes de controversiis Christianae Fidei," 3 vols., (Paris,
1608). His gift was followed by one in the same year from Susannah
Downing, wife of Alderman George Downing, who had been Mayor in the
previous year. She gave Hieronymus Zanchius' "Opera theologica," 8 vols.
in 3, 1605 (Excudebat Stephanus Gamonetus). In the following year Thomas
Corye, merchant, gave Luther's Works in 7 vols. and three volumes of
Ludwig Lavater's Commentaries, (Zurich); Sir Thomas Hirne, the Mayor,
gave ten volumes of Calvin's works, and a polyglot Bible--Biblia Sacra,
Hebraice, Graece, et Latine (1599), 2 vols.
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