the love affairs of a bibliomaniac-第23节

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rked　that　he　did　not　consider　himself　a　witty　poet。　　‘‘Indeed；''　quoth　he；　‘‘I　don't　think　I　ever　was　witty　but　once　in　my　life。''

His　friends　urged　him　to　tell　them　about　it。　　After　some　hesitation；　he　said：　　‘‘Well；　I　will　tell　you。　　I　was　standing　some　time　ago　at　the　entrance　of　Rydal　Mount。　　A　man　accosted　me　with　the　question：　　‘Pray；　sir；　have　you　seen　my　wife　pass　by？'　　Whereupon　I　retorted；　‘Why；　my　good　friend；　I　didn't　know　till　this　moment　that　you　had　a　wife。'　''

Illustrative　of　Wordsworth's　vanity；　it　is　told　that　when　it　was　reported　that　the　next　Waverley　novel　was　to　be　‘‘Rob　Roy；''　the　poet　took　down　his　‘‘Ballads''　and　read　to　the　company　‘‘Rob　Roy's　Grave。''　　Then　he　said　gravely：　　‘‘I　do　not　know　what　more　Mr。　Scott　can　have　to　say　on　the　subject。''

Wordsworth　and　Dickens　disliked　each　other　cordially。　　Having　been　asked　his　opinion　of　the　young　novelist；　Wordsworth　answered：　　‘‘Why；　I'm　not　much　given　to　turn　critic　on　people　I　meet；　but；　as　you　ask　me；　I　will　cordially　avow　that　I　thought　him　a　very　talkative　young　personbut　I　dare　say　he　may　be　very　clever。　　Mind；　I　don't　want　to　say　a　word　against　him；　for　I　have　never　read　a　line　he　has　written。''

The　same　inquirer　subsequently　asked　Dickens　how　he　liked　Wordsworth。

‘‘Like　him！''　roared　Dickens；　‘‘not　at　all；　he　is　a　dreadful　Old　Ass！''





　XIX

OUR　DEBT　TO　MONKISH　MEN

Where　one　has　the　time　and　the　money　to　devote　to　the　collection　of　missals　and　illuminated　books；　the　avocation　must　be　a　very　delightful　one。　　I　never　look　upon　a　missal　or　upon　a　bit　of　antique　illumination　that　I　do　not　invest　that　object　with　a　certain　poetic　romance；　and　I　picture　to　myself　long　lines　of　monkish　men　bending　over　their　tasks；　and　applying　themselves　with　pious　enthusiasm　thereto。　　We　should　not　flatter　ourselves　that　the　enjoyment　of　the　delights　of　bibliomania　was　reserved　to　one　time　and　generation；　a　greater　than　any　of　us　lived　many　centuries　ago；　and　went　his　bibliomaniacal　way；　gathering　together　treasures　from　every　quarter；　and　diffusing　every　where　a　veneration　and　love　for　books。　

Richard　de　Bury　was　the　king；　if　not　the　father；　of　bibliomaniacs；　his　immortal　work　reveals　to　us　that　long　before　the　invention　of　printing　men　were　tormented　and　enraptured　by　those　very　same　desires；　envies；　jealousies；　greeds；　enthusiasms；　and　passions　which　possess　and　control　bibliomaniacs　at　the　present　time。　　That　vanity　was　sometimes　the　controlling　passion　with　the　early　collectors　is　evidenced　in　a　passage　in　Barclay's　satire；　‘‘The　Ship　of　Fools''；　there　are　the　stanzas　which　apply　so　neatly　to　certain　people　I　know　that　sometimes　I　actually　suspect　that　Barclay's　prophetic　eye　must　have　had　these　nineteenth…century　charlatans　in　view。

　　But　yet　I　have　them　in　great　reverence　　　　　　　And　honor；　saving　them　from　filth　and　ordure　　　By　often　brushing　and　much　diligence。　　　　　　　Full　goodly　bound　in　pleasant　coverture　　　　　　　Of　damask；　satin；　or　else　of　velvet　pure；　　　I　keep　them　sure；　fearing　lest　they　should　be　lost；　　　For　in　them　is　the　cunning　wherein　I　me　boast。

　　But　if　it　fortune　that　any　learned　man　　　　　　　Within　my　house　fall　to　disputation；　　　I　draw　the　curtains　to　show　my　books　them；　　　　　　　　That　they　of　my　cunning　should　make　probation；　　　　　　　I　love　not　to　fall　into　altercation；　　　And　while　they　come；　my　books　I　turn　and　wind；　　　For　all　is　in　them；　and　nothing　in　my　mind。


Richard　de　Bury　had　exceptional　opportunities　for　gratifying　his　bibliomaniac　passions。　　He　was　chancellor　and　treasurer　of　Edward　III。；　and　his　official　position　gained　him　access　to　public　and　private　libraries　and　to　the　society　of　literary　men。　　Moreover；　when　it　became　known　that　he　was　fond　of　such　things；　people　from　every　quarter　sent　him　and　brought　him　old　books；　it　may　be　that　they　hoped　in　this　wise　to　court　his　official　favor；　or　perhaps　they　were　prompted　by　the　less　selfish　motive　of　gladdening　the　bibliomaniac　soul。

‘‘The　flying　fame　of　our　love；''　says　de　Bury；　‘‘had　already　spread　in　all　directions；　and　it　was　reported　not　only　that　we　had　a　longing　desire　for　books；　and　especially　for　old　ones；　but　that　any　one　could　more　easily　obtain　our　favors　by　quartos　than　by　money。　　Wherefore；　when　supported　by　the　bounty　of　the　aforesaid　prince　of　worthy　memory；　we　were　enabled　to　oppose　or　advance；　to　appoint　or　to　discharge；　crazy　quartos　and　tottering　folios；　precious　however　in　our　sight　as　in　our　affections；　flowed　in　most　rapidly　from　the　great　and　the　small；　instead　of　new　year's　gifts　and　remunerations；　and　instead　of　presents　and　jewels。　　Then　the　cabinets　of　the　most　noble　monasteries　were　opened；　cases　were　unlocked；　caskets　were　unclasped；　and　sleeping　volumes　which　had　slumbered　for　long　ages　in　their　sepulchres　were　roused　up；　and　those　that　lay　hid　in　dark　places　were　overwhelmed　with　the　rays　of　a　new　light。　　Among　these；　as　time　served；　we　sat　down　more　voluptuously　than　the　delicate　physician　could　do　amidst　his　stores　of　aromatics；　and　where　we　found　an　object　of　love　we　found　also　an　assuagement。''

‘‘If；''　says　de　Bury；　‘‘we　would　have　amassed　cups　of　gold　and　silver；　excellent　horses；　or　no　mean　sums　of　money；　we　could　in　those　days　have　laid　up　abundance　of　wealth　for　ourselves。　　But　we　regarded　books；　not　pounds；　and　valued　codices　more　than　florins；　and　preferred　paltry　pamphlets　to　pampered　palfreys。　　On　tedious　embassies　and　in　perilous　times；　we　carried　　about　with　us　that　fondness　for　books　which　many　waters　could　not　extinguish。''

And　what　books　they　were　in　those　old　days！　　What　tall　folios！　　What　stout　quartos！　　How　magnificent　were　the　bindings；　wrought　often　in　silver　devices；　sometimes　in　gold；　and　not　infrequently　in　silver　and　gold；　with　splendid　jewels　and　precious　stones　to　add　their　value　to　that　of　the　precious　volume　which　they　adorned。　　The　works　of　Justin；　Seneca；　Martial；　Terence；　and　Claudian　were　highly　popular　with　the　bibliophiles　of　early　times；　and　the　writings　of　Ovid；　Tully；　Horace；　Cato；　Aristotle；　Sallust；　Hippocrates；　Macrobius；　Augustine；　Bede；　Gregory；　Origen；　etc。　　But　for　the　veneration　and　love　for　books　which　the　monks　of　the　mediaeval　ages　had；　what　would　have　been　preserved　to　us　of　the　classics　of　the　Greeks　and　the　Romans？

The　same　auspicious　fate　that　prompted　those　bibliomaniacal　monks　to　hide　away　manuscript　treasures　in　the　cellars　of　their　monasteries；　inspired　Poggio　Bracciolini　several　centuries　later　to　hunt　out　and　invade　those　sacred　hiding…places；　and　these　quests　　were　rewarded　with　finds　whose　value　cannot　be　overestimated。　　All　that　we　have　of　the　histories　of　Livy　come　to　us　through　Poggio's　industry　as　a　manuscript…hunter；　this　same　worthy　found　and　brought　away　from　different　monasteries　a　perfect　copy　of　Quintilian；　a　Cicero's　oration　for　Caecina；　a　complete　Tertullian；　a　Petronius　Arbiter；　and　fifteen　or　twenty　other　classics　almost　as　valuable　as　those　I　have　named。　　From　German　monasteries；　Poggio's　friend；　Nicolas　of　Treves；　brought　away　twelve　comedies　of　Plautus　and　a　fragment　of　Aulus　Gellius。

Dear　as　their　pagan　books　were　to　the　monkish　collectors；　it　was　upon　their　Bibles；　their　psalters；　and　their　other　religious　books　that　these　mediaeval　bibliomaniacs　expended　their　choicest　art　and　their　most　loving　care。　　St。　Cuthbert's　‘‘Gospels；''　preserved　in　the　British　Museum；　was　written　by　Egfrith；　a　monk；　circa　720；　Aethelwald　bound　the　book　in　gold　and　precious　stones；　and　Bilfrid；　a　hermit；　illuminated　it　by　prefixing　to　each　gospel　a　beautiful　painting　representing　one　of　the　Evangelists；　and　a　tessellated　cross；　executed　in　a　most　elaborate　　manner。　　Bilfrid　also　illuminated　the　large　capital　letters　at　the　beginning　of　the　gospels。　　This　precious　volume　was　still　further　enriched　by　Aldred　of　Durham；　who　interlined　it　with　a　Saxon　Gloss；　or　version　of　the　Latin　text　of　St。　Jerome。

‘‘Of　the　exact　pecuniary　value　of　books　during　the　middle　ages；''　says　Merryweather；　‘‘we　have　no　means　of　judging。　　The　few　instances　that　have　accidentally　been　recorded　are　totally　inadequate　to　enable　us　to　form　an　opinion。　　The　extravagant　estimate　given　by　some　as　to　the　value　of　books　in　those　days　is　merely　conjectural；　as　it　necessarily　must　be　when　we　remember　that　the　price　was　guided　by　the　accuracy　of　the　transcription；　the　splendor　of　the　binding　（which　was　often　gorgeous　to　excess）；　and　by　the　beauty　and　richness　of　the　illuminations。　　Many　of　the　manuscripts　of　the　middle　ages　are　magnificent　in　the　extreme；　sometimes　inscribed　in　liquid　gold　on　parchment　of　the　richest　purple；　and　adorned　with　illuminations　of　exquisite　workmanship。''

With　such　a　veneration　and　love　for　books　obtaining　in　the　cloister　and　at　the　fireside；　　what　pathos　is　revealed　to　us　in　the　supplication　which　invited　God's　blessing　upon　the　beloved　tomes：　　‘‘O　Lord；　send　the　virtue　of　thy　Holy　Spirit　upon　these　our　books；　that　cleansing　them　from　all　earthly　things；　by　thy　holy　blessing；　they　may　mercifully　enlighten　our　hearts　and　give　us　true　understanding；　and　grant　that　by　thy　teachings　they　may　brightly　preserve　and　make　full　an　abundance　of　good　works　according　to　thy　will。''

And　what　inspiration　and　cheer　does　every　book…lover　find　in　the　letter　which　that　grand　old　bibliom