the surprising adventures of baron munchausen-第2节

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ve　been　obscured；　and　Bürger　might　still　have　been　credited　with　a　work　which　has　proved　a　better　protection　against　oblivion　than　〃Lenore；〃　had　it　not　been　for　the　officious　sensitiveness　of　his　self…appointed　biographer；　Karl　von　Reinhard。　Reinhard；　in　an　answer　to　an　attack　made　upon　his　hero　for　bringing　out　Munchausen　as　a　pot…boiler　in　German　and　English　simultaneously；　definitely　stated　in　the　/Berlin　Gesellschafters/　of　November　1824；　that　the　real　author　of　the　original　work　was　that　disreputable　genius；　Rudolph　Erich　Raspe；　and　that　the　German　work　was　merely　a　free　translation　made　by　Bürger　from　the　fifth　edition　of　the　English　work。　Bürger；　he　stated；　was　well　aware　of；　but　was　too　high…　minded　to　disclose　the　real　authorship。

Taking　Reinhard's　solemn　asseveration　in　conjunction　with　the　ascertained　facts　of　Raspe's　career；　his　undoubted　acquaintance　with　the　Baron　Munchausen　of　real　life　and　the　first　appearance　of　the　work　in　1785；　when　Raspe　was　certainly　in　England；　there　seems　to　be　little　difficulty　in　accepting　his　authorship　as　a　positive　fact。　There　is　no　difficulty　whatever；　in　crediting　Raspe　with　a　sufficient　mastery　of　English　idiom　to　have　written　the　book　without　assistance；　for　as　early　as　January　1780　（since　which　date　Raspe　had　resided　uninterruptedly　in　this　country）　Walpole　wrote　to　his　friend　Mason　that　〃Raspe　writes　English　much　above　ill　and　speaks　it　as　readily　as　French；〃　and　shortly　afterwards　he　remarked　that　he　wrote　English　〃surprisingly　well。〃　In　the　next　year；　1781；　Raspe's　absolute　command　of　the　two　languages　encouraged　him　to　publish　two　moderately　good　prose…translations；　one　of　Lessing's　〃Nathan　the　Wise；〃　and　the　other　of　Zachariae's　Mock…heroic；　〃Tabby　in　Elysium。〃　The　erratic　character　of　the　punctuation　may　be　said；　with　perfect　impartiality；　to　be　the　only　distinguishing　feature　of　the　style　of　the　original　edition　of　〃Munchausen。〃

Curious　as　is　this　long　history　of　literary　misappropriation；　the　chequered　career　of　the　rightful　author；　Rudolph　Erich　Raspe；　offers　a　chapter　in　biography　which　has　quite　as　many　points　of　singularity。

Born　in　Hanover　in　1737；　Raspe　studied　at　the　Universities　of　G？ttingen　and　Leipsic。　He　is　stated　also　to　have　rendered　some　assistance　to　a　young　nobleman　in　sowing　his　wild　oats；　a　sequel　to　his　university　course　which　may　possibly　help　to　explain　his　subsequent　aberrations。　The　connection　cannot　have　lasted　long；　as　in　1762；　having　already　obtained　reputation　as　a　student　of　natural　history　and　antiquities；　he　obtained　a　post　as　one　of　the　clerks　in　the　University　Library　at　Hanover。

No　later　than　the　following　year　contributions　written　in　elegant　Latin　are　to　be　found　attached　to　his　name　in　the　Leipsic　/Nova　Acta　Eruditorum/。　In　1764　he　alluded　gracefully　to　the　connection　between　Hanover　and　England　in　a　piece　upon　the　birthday　of　Queen　Charlotte；　and　having　been　promoted　secretary　of　the　University　Library　at　G？ttingen；　the　young　savant　commenced　a　translation　of　Leibniz's　philosophical　works　which　was　issued　in　Latin　and　French　after　the　original　MSS。　in　the　Royal　Library　at　Hanover；　with　a　preface　by　Raspe's　old　college　friend　K？stner　（G？ttingen；　1765）。　At　once　a　courtier；　an　antiquary；　and　a　philosopher；　Raspe　next　sought　to　display　his　vocation　for　polite　letters；　by　publishing　an　ambitious　allegorical　poem　of　the　age　of　chivalry；　entitled　〃Hermin　and　Gunilde；〃　which　was　not　only　exceedingly　well　reviewed；　but　received　the　honour　of　a　parody　entitled　〃Harlequin　and　Columbine。〃　He　also　wrote　translations　of　several　of　the　poems　of　Ossian；　and　a　disquisition　upon　their　genuineness；　and　then　with　better　inspiration　he　wrote　a　considerable　treatise　on　〃Percy's　Reliques　of　Ancient　Poetry；〃　with　metrical　translations；　being　thus　the　first　to　call　the　attention　of　Germany　to　these　admirable　poems；　which　were　afterwards　so　successfully　ransacked　by　Bürger；　Herder；　and　other　early　German　romanticists。

In　1767　Raspe　was　again　advanced　by　being　appointed　Professor　at　the　Collegium　Carolinum　in　Cassel；　and　keeper　of　the　landgrave　of　Hesse's　rich　and　curious　collection　of　antique　gems　and　medals。　He　was　shortly　afterwards　appointed　Librarian　in　the　same　city；　and　in　1771　he　married。　He　continued　writing　on　natural　history；　mineralogy；　and　arch？ology；　and　in　1769　a　paper　in　the　59th　volume　of　the　Philosophical　Transactions；　on　the　bones　and　teeth　of　elephants　and　other　animals　found　in　North　America　and　various　boreal　regions　of　the　world；　procured　his　election　as　an　honorary　member　of　the　Royal　Society　of　London。　His　conclusion　in　this　paper　that　large　elephants　or　mammoths　must　have　previously　existed　in　boreal　regions　has；　of　course；　been　abundantly　justified　by　later　investigations。　When　it　is　added　that　Raspe　during　this　part　of　his　life　also　wrote　papers　on　lithography　and　upon　musical　instruments；　and　translated　Algarotti's　Treatise　on　〃Architecture；　Painting；　and　Opera　Music；〃　enough　will　have　been　said　to　make　manifest　his　very　remarkable　and　somewhat　prolix　versatility。　In　1773　he　made　a　tour　in　Westphalia　in　quest　of　MSS。；　and　on　his　return；　by　way　of　completing　his　education；　he　turned　journalist；　and　commenced　a　periodical　called　the　/Cassel　Spectator/；　with　Mauvillon　as　his　co…editor。　In　1775　he　was　travelling　in　Italy　on　a　commission　to　collect　articles　of　vertu　for　the　landgrave；　and　it　was　apparently　soon　after　his　return　that　he　began　appropriating　to　his　own　use　valuable　coins　abstracted　from　the　cabinets　entrusted　to　his　care。　He　had　no　difficulty　in　finding　a　market　for　the　antiques　which　he　wished　to　dispose　of；　and　which；　it　has　been　charitably　suggested；　he　had　every　intention　of　replacing　whenever　opportunity　should　serve。　His　consequent　procedure　was；　it　is　true；　scarcely　that　of　a　hardened　criminal。　Having　obtained　the　permission　of　the　landgrave　to　visit　Berlin；　he　sent　the　keys　of　his　cabinet　back　to　the　authorities　at　Casseland　disappeared。　His　thefts；　to　the　amount　of　two　thousand　rixdollars；　were　promptly　discovered；　and　advertisements　were　issued　for　the　arrest　of　the　Councillor　Raspe；　described　without　suspicion　of　flattery　as　a　long…faced　man；　with　small　eyes；　crooked　nose；　red　hair　under　a　stumpy　periwig；　and　a　jerky　gait。　The　necessities　that　prompted　him　to　commit　a　felony　are　possibly　indicated　by　the　addition　that　he　usually　appeared　in　a　scarlet　dress　embroidered　with　gold；　but　sometimes　in　black；　blue；　or　grey　clothes。　He　was　seized　when　he　had　got　no　farther　than　Klausthal；　in　the　Hartz　mountains；　but　he　lost　no　time　in　escaping　from　the　clutches　of　the　police；　and　made　his　way　to　England。　He　never　again　set　foot　on　the　continent。

He　was　already　an　excellent　English　scholar；　so　that　when　he　reached　London　it　was　not　unnatural　that　he　should　look　to　authorship　for　support。　Without　loss　of　time；　he　published　in　London　in　1776　a　volume　on　some　German　Volcanoes　and　their　productions；　in　1777　he　translated　the　then　highly　esteemed　mineralogical　travels　of　Ferber　in　Italy　and　Hungary。　In　1780　we　have　an　interesting　account　of　him　from　Horace　Walpole；　who　wrote　to　his　friend；　the　Rev。　William　Mason：　〃There　is　a　Dutch　s？avant　come　over　who　is　author　of　several　pieces　so　learned　that　I　do　not　even　know　their　titles：　but　he　has　made　a　discovery　in　my　way　which　you　may　be　sure　I　believe；　for　it　proves　what　I　expected　and　hinted　in　my　'Anecdotes　of　Painting；'　that　the　use　of　oil　colours　was　known　long　before　Van　Eyck。〃　Raspe；　he　went　on　to　say；　had　discovered　a　MS。　of　Theophilus；　a　German　monk　in　the　fourth　century；　who　gave　receipts　for　preparing　the　colours；　and　had　thereby　convicted　Vasari　of　error。　〃Raspe　is　poor；　and　I　shall　try　and　get　subscriptions　to　enable　him　to　print　his　work；　which　is　sensible；　clear；　and　unpretending。〃　Three　months　later　it　was；　〃Poor　Raspe　is　arrested　by　his　/tailor/。　I　have　sent　him　a　little　money；　and　he　hopes　to　recover　his　liberty；　but　I　question　whether　he　will　be　able　to　struggle　on　here。〃　His　〃Essay　on　the　Origin　of　Oil　Painting〃　was　actually　published　through　Walpole's　good　service　in　April　1781。　He　seems　to　have　had　plans　of　going　to　America　and　of　excavating　antiquities　in　Egypt；　where　he　might　have　done　good　service；　but　the　bad　name　that　he　had　earned　dogged　him　to　London。　The　Royal　Society　struck　him　off　its　rolls；　and　in　revenge　he　is　said　to　have　threatened　to　publish　a　travesty　of　their　transactions。　He　was　doubtless　often　hard　put　to　it　for　a　living；　but　the　variety　of　his　attainments　served　him　in　good　stead。　He　possessed　or　gained　some　reputation　as　a　mining　expert；　and　making　his　way　down　into　Cornwall；　he　seems　for　some　years　subsequent　to　1782　to　have　been　assay…master　and　storekeeper　of　some　mines　at　Dolcoath。　While　still　at　Dolcoath；　it　is　very　probable　that　he　put　together　the　little　pamphlet　which　appeared　in　London　at　the　close　of　1785；　with　the　title　〃Baron　Munchausen's　Narrative　of　his　Marvellous　Travels　and　Campaigns　in　Russia；〃　and　having　given　his　/jeu　d'esprit/　to　the　world；　and　possibly　earned　a　few　guineas　by　it；　it　is　not　likely　that　he　gave　much　further　thought　to　the　matter。　In　the　course　of　1785　or　1786；　he　entered　upon　a　task　of　much　greater　magnitude　and　immediate　importance；　namely；　a　descriptive　catalogue　of　the　Collection　of　Pastes　a