Stamped in gold at the bottom of the spine of this French translation of the Satires of Persius (1771) are the initials "J.B.", for Josephine, vicomtesse de Beauharnais, later consort of Napoleon Bonaparte and empress of France.

Elaborate gold-tooled mottled-calf binding from a three volume edition of Bonaventura van Overbeke's Reliquiae antiquae urbis Romae (1708) bearing the arms of Queen Anne, with her crowned monogram at each corner of the panel. The work was dedicated to her.

Born in Grantham, John Newcome gained his MA from St John's in 1708, his BD in 1715 and his DD in 1725. He was a Fellow of the College from 1707 to 1728, and Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity from 1727 to 1765. He served as Master of St John's for thirty years (1735-65), and although his Whiggish sympathies initially put him at odds with the prevailing Toryism at St John's, his period of tenure was one of consolidation rather than dramatic incident.

Ferrari was born in Naples in 1685. He held the degree of LL.D. and appears to have practiced for a time as an advocate. In Naples Ferrari met Thomas Hobart, who induced him to abandon Catholicism for the Anglican Church. Hobart also introduced Ferrari to Thomas Coke, later Viscount Coke of Holkham and Earl of Leicester, who made Ferrari his librarian. In 1710 Ferrari was incorporated at Cambridge and he appears to have stayed at St John’s. In the summer of that year he acted as a guide to Zacharias Conrad von Uffenbach during his visit to Cambridge.

One of the most substantial collections of early printed books left to the Library was given by Thomas Baker, nonjuring clergyman and antiquary, who gained his BA from John's in 1678, MA in 1681, and became Ashton Fellow in 1680. From the age of seventeen he lived most of his life in the College, except for a brief period as rector of Long Newton in the diocese of Durham, which living he had to relinquish in 1690 when he refused to swear the oaths of loyalty required by the recently installed William III.

Roger Kay gained his BA from St John's in 1688, his MA in 1691, and became a Fellow. He was Rector of Fittleton in Wiltshire and Prebendary of Sarum until his death, while also founding the Grammar School in his native town of Bury, Lancashire.

Kay's bequest to the Library

Robert Grove gained his BA at St John's in 1691/2, and proceeded MA in 1695. He became a Fellow in 1694 and remained so until his death. He was Principal Academic Registrar from 1701.

Grove's gift to the Library

Matthew Prior took to poetry at an early age, translating Horace for the entertainment of the Earl of Dorset in his uncle's tavern. He attended Westminster School, and later studied at St John's, gaining his BA in 1687. After spending some years as a Fellow of the College, and continuing to write poetry, he became secretary to the British ambassador to the Hague, where he was eventually to become involved in drawing up the Treaty of Ryswick at the end of the Nine Years War (1697).

Richard Berry matriculated from St John's, and became BA (1667-8), MA (1671) and LLD (1679). He was a Fellow from 1674.

Berry's gift to the Library

Berry apparently gave "a large number of law books" to the Library, and there are around twelve volumes on Roman law in the Library which bear his mark, nearly all from the 17th century.

Provenance markings

The volumes given by Berry bear a spine label with the name "Dr Berry" in gilt.

Robert Jenkin graduated BA at St John's in 1678, became a Fellow in 1680, and proceeded MA in 1681. He then took holy orders and became vicar of Waterbeach in Cambridgeshire, as well as chaplain to John Lake, Bishop of Chichester. His mentor was to be placed in the Tower for his opposition to James II's ecclesiastical policy, and Jenkin was to publish an attack on the King's Roman Catholicism in support.