letters on literature-第13节

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American　books　that　are　likely　to　rise　in　value。　　I　would　try；　were

I　you；　to　collect　first　editions　of　Longfellow；　Bryant；　Whittier；

Poe；　and　Hawthorne。



As　to　Poe；　you　probably　will　never　have　a　chance。　　Outside　of　the

British　Museum；　where　they　have　the　〃Tamerlane〃　of　1827；　I　have　only

seen　one　early　example　of　Poe's　poems。　　It　is　〃Al　Aaraaf；　Tamerlane；

and　Minor　Poems；　by　Edgar　A。　Poe。　　Baltimore：　　Hatch　and　Dunning；

1829；　8vo；　pp。　71。〃　　The　book　〃came　to　Mr。　Locker　（Mr。　Frederick

Locker…Lampson）；　through　Mr。　R。　H。　Stoddard；　the　American　poet。〃　　So

says　Mr。　Locker…Lampson's　Catalogue。　　He　also　has　the　New　York

edition　of　1831。



These　books　are　extraordinarily　rare；　you　are　more　likely　to　find

them　in　some　collection　of　twopenny　rubbish　than　to　buy　them　in　the

regular　market。　　Bryant's　〃Poems〃　（Cambridge；　1821）　must　also　be

very　rare；　and　Emerson's　of　1847；　and　Dr。　Oliver　Wendell　Holmes's　of

1836；　and　Longfellow's　〃Voices　of　the　Night；〃　1839；　and　Mr。　Lowell's

〃A　Year's　Life；〃　none　of　these　can　be　common；　and　all　are　desirable；

as　are　Mr。　Whittier's　〃Legends　of　New　England　（1831）；　and　〃Poems〃

（1838）。



Perhaps　you　may　never　be　lucky　enough　to　come　across　them　cheap；　no

doubt　they　are　greatly　sought　for　by　amateurs。　　Indeed；　all　American

books　of　a　certain　age　or　of　a　special　interest　are　exorbitantly

dear。　　Men　like　Mr。　James　Lenox　used　to　keep　the　market　up。　　One

cannot　get　the　Jesuit　〃Relations〃shabby　little　missionary　reports

from　Canada；　in　dirty　vellum。



Cartier；　Perrot；　Champlain；　and　the　other　early　explorers'　books　are

beyond　the　means　of　a　working　student　who　needs　them。　　May　you　come

across　them　in　a　garret　of　a　farmhouse；　or　in　some　dusty　lane　of　the

city。　　Why　are　they　not　reprinted；　as　Mr。　Arber　has　reprinted

〃Captain　John　Smith's　Voyages；　and　Reports　on　Virginia〃？　　The　very

reprints；　when　they　have　been　made；　are　rare　and　hard　to　come　by。



There　are　certain　modern　books；　new　books；　that　〃go　up〃　rapidly　in

value　and　interest。　　Mr。　Swinburne's　〃Atalanta〃　of　1865；　the　quarto

in　white　cloth；　is　valued　at　twenty　dollars。　　Twenty　years　ago　one

dollar　would　have　purchased　it。　　Mr。　Austin　Dobson's　〃Proverbs　in

Porcelain〃　is　also　in　demand　among　the　curious。　　Nay；　even　I　may　say

about　the　first　edition　of　〃Ballades　in　Blue　China〃　（1880）；　as

Gibbon　said　of　his　〃Essay　on　the　Study　of　Literature：〃　〃The

primitive　value　of　half　a　crown　has　risen　to　the　fanciful　price　of　a

guinea　or　thirty　shillings；〃　or　even　more。　　I　wish　I　had　a　copy

myself；　for　old　sake's　sake。



Certain　modern　books；　〃on　large　paper；〃　are　safe　investments。　　The

〃Badminton　Library；〃　an　English　series　of　books　on　sport；　is　at　a

huge　premium　already；　when　on　〃large　paper。〃　　But　one　should　never

buy　the　book　unless；　as　in　the　case　of　Dr。　John　Hill　Burton's　〃Book…

Hunter〃　（first　edition）；　it　is　not　only　on　large　paper；　and　not　only

rare　（twenty…five　copies）；　but　also　readable　and　interesting。　｛7｝　　A

collector　should　have　the　taste　to　see　when　a　new　book　is　in　itself

valuable　and　charming；　and　when　its　author　is　likely　to　succeed；　so

that　his　early　attempts　（as　in　the　case　of　Mr。　Matthew　Arnold；　Lord

Tennyson；　and　a　few　others　of　the　moderns）　are　certain　to　become

things　of　curious　interest。



You　can　hardly　ever　get　a　novel　of　Jane　Austen's　in　the　first

edition。　　She　is　rarer　than　Fielding　or　Smollett。　　Some　day　it　may

be　the　same　in　Miss　Broughton's　case。　　Cling　to　the　fair　and　witty

Jane；　if　you　get　a　chance。　　Beware　of　illustrated　modern　books　in

which　〃processes〃　are　employed。　　Amateurs　will　never　really　value

mechanical　reproductions；　which　can　be　copied　to　any　extent。　　The

old　French　copper…plate　engravings　and　the　best　English　mezzo…tints

are　so　valuable　because　good　impressions　are　necessarily　so　rare。



One　more　piece　of　advice。　　Never　（or　〃hardly　ever〃）　buy　an　imperfect

book。　　It　is　a　constant　source　of　regret；　an　eyesore。　　Here　have　I

Lovelace's　〃Lucasta；〃　1649；　without　the　engraving。　　It　is

deplorable；　but　I　never　had　a　chance　of　another　〃Lucasta。〃　　This　is

not　a　case　of　invenies　aliam。　　However　you　fare；　you　will　have　the

pleasure　of　Hope　and　the　consolation　of　books　quietem　inveniendam　in

abditis　recessibus　et　libellulis。







ROCHEFOUCAULD







To　the　Lady　Violet　Lebas。



Dear　Lady　Violet；I　am　not　sure　that　I　agree　with　you　in　your

admiration　of　Rochefoucauldof　the　Reflexions；　ou　Sentences　et

Maximes　Morales；　I　mean。　　At　least；　I　hardly　agree　when　I　have　read

many　of　them　at　a　stretch。　　It　is　not　fair　to　read　them　in　that　way；

of　course；　for　there　are　more　than　five　hundred　pensees；　and　so　much

esprit　becomes　fatiguing。　　I　doubt　if　people　study　them　much。　　Five

or　six　of　them　have　become　known　even　to　writers　in　the　newspapers；

and　we　all　copy　them　from　each　other。



Rochefoucauld　says　that　a　man　may　be　too　dull　to　be　duped　by　a　very

clever　person。　　He　himself　was　so　clever　that　he　was　often　duped；

first　by　the　general　honest　dulness　of　mankind；　and　then　by　his　own

acuteness。　　He　thought　he　saw　more　than　he　did　see；　and　he　said　even

more　than　he　thought　he　saw。　　If　the　true　motive　of　all　our　actions

is　self…love；　or　vanity；　no　man　is　a　better　proof　of　the　truth　than

the　great　maxim…maker。　　His　self…love　took　the　shape　of　a　brilliancy

that　is　sometimes　false。　　He　is　tricked　out　in　paste　for　diamonds；

now　and　then；　like　a　vain；　provincial　beauty　at　a　ball。　　〃A　clever

man　would　frequently　be　much　at　a　loss；〃　he　says；　〃in　stupid

company。〃　　One　has　seen　this　embarrassment　of　a　wit　in　a　company　of

dullards。　　It　is　Rochefoucauld's　own　position　in　this　world　of　men

and　women。　　We　are　all；　in　the　mass；　dullards　compared　with　his

cleverness；　and　so　he　fails　to　understand　us；　is　much　at　a　loss

among　us。　　〃People　only　praise　others　in　hopes　of　being　praised　in

turn；〃　he　says。　　Mankind　is　not　such　a　company　of　〃log…rollers〃　as

he　avers。



There　is　more　truth　in　a　line　of　Tennyson's　about





〃The　praise　of　those　we　love；

Dearer　to　true　young　hearts　than　their　own　praise。〃





I　venture　to　think　we　need　not　be　young　to　prefer　to　hear　the　praise

of　others　rather　than　our　own。　　It　is　not　embarrassing　in　the　first

place；　as　all　praise　of　ourselves　must　be。　　I　doubt　if　any　man　or

woman　can　flatter　so　discreetly　as　not　to　make　us　uncomfortable。

Besides；　if　our　own　performances　be　lauded；　we　are　uneasy　as　to

whether　the　honour　is　deserved。　　An　artist　has　usually　his　own

doubts　about　his　own　doings；　or　rather　he　has　his　own　certainties。

About　our　friends'　work　we　need　have　no　such　misgivings。　　And　our

self…love　is　more　delicately　caressed　by　the　success　of　our　friends

than　by　our　own。　　It　is　still　self…love；　but　it　is　filtered；　so　to

speak；　through　our　affection　for　another。



What　are　human　motives；　according　to　Rochefoucauld？　　Temperament；

vanity；　fear；　indolence；　self…love；　and　a　grain　of　natural

perversity；　which　somehow　delights　in　evil　for　itself。　　He　neglects

that　other　element；　a　grain　of　natural　worth；　which　somehow　delights

in　good　for　itself。　　This　taste；　I　think；　is　quite　as　innate；　and　as

active　in　us；　as　that　other　taste　for　evil　which　causes　there　to　be

something　not　wholly　displeasing　in　the　misfortunes　of　our　friends。



There　is　a　story　which　always　appears　to　me　a　touching　proof　of　this

grain　of　goodness；　as　involuntary；　as　fatal　as　its　opposite。　　I　do

not　remember　in　what　book　of　travels　I　found　this　trait　of　native

excellence。　　The　black　fellows　of　Australia　are　very　fond　of　sugar；

and　no　wonder；　if　it　be　true　that　it　has　on　them　an　intoxicating

effect。　　Well；　a　certain　black　fellow　had　a　small　parcel　of　brown

sugar　which　was　pilfered　from　his　lair　in　the　camp。　　He　detected　the

thief；　who　was　condemned　to　be　punished　according　to　tribal　law；

that　is　to　say；　the　injured　man　was　allowed　to　have　a　whack　at　his

enemy's　head　with　a　waddy；　a　short　club　of　heavy　hard　wood。　　The

whack　was　duly　given；　and　then　the　black　who　had　suffered　the　loss

threw　down　his　club；　burst　into　tears；　embraced　the　thief　and

displayed　every　sign　of　a　lively　regret　for　his　revenge。



That　seems　to　me　an　example　of　the　human　touch　that　Rochefoucauld

never　allows　for；　the　natural　goodness；　pity；　kindness；　which　can

assert　itself　in　contempt　of　the　love　of　self；　and　the　love　of

revenge。　　This　is　that　true　clemency　which　is　a　real　virtue；　and　not

〃the　child　of　Vanity；　Fear；　Indolence；　or　of　all　three　together。〃

Nor　is　it　so　true　that　〃we　have　all　fortitude　enough　to　endure　the

misfortunes　of　others。〃　　Everybody　has　witnessed　another's　grief

that　came　as　near　him　as　his　own。



How　much　more　true；　and　how　greatly　poetical　is　that　famous　maxim：

〃Death　and　the　Sun　are　two　things　not　to　be　looked　on　with　a　steady

eye。〃　　This　version　is　from　the　earliest　English　translation　of

1698。　　The　Maximes　were　first　published　in　Paris　in　1665。　｛8｝　　〃Our

tardy　apish　nation〃　took　thirty…three　years　in　finding　them　out　and

appropriating