the library-第12节

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　chosen　for　illumination。

A　knowledge　of　the　styles　of　writing　can　be　acquired　at　second　hand　in　a　book　lately　published　by　Mr。　Charles　Trice　Martin；　F。S。A。；　being　a　new　edition　of　〃Astle's　Progress　of　Writing。〃　　Still　better；　of　course；　is　the　actual　inspection　and　comparison　of　books　to　which　a　date　can　be　with　some　degree　of　certainty　assigned。

It　is　very　common　for　the　age　of　a　book　to　be　misstated　in　the　catalogues　of　sales；　for　the　simple　reason　that　the　older　the　writing；　the　plainer；　in　all　probability；　it　is。　　Let　the　student　compare　writing　of　the　twelfth　century　with　that　of　the　sixteenth；　and　he　will　be　able　to　judge　at　once　of　the　truth　of　this　assertion。　I　had　once　the　good　fortune　to　〃pick　up〃　a　small　Testament　of　the　early　part　of　the　twelfth　century；　if　not　older；　which　was　catalogued　as　belonging　to　the　fifteenth；　a　date　which　would　have　made　it　of　very　moderate　value。

With　regard　to　the　second　point；　the　collation　of　MSS。；　I　fear　there　is　no　royal　road　to　knowing　whether　a　book　is　perfect　or　imperfect。　In　some　cases　the　catchwords　remain　at　the　foot　of　the　pages。　　It　is　then　of　course　easy　to　see　if　a　page　is　lost；　but　where　no　such　clue　is　given　the　student's　only　chance　is　to　be　fully　acquainted　with　what　a　book　OUGHT　to　contain。　　He　can　only　do　this　when　he　has　a　knowledge　of　the　different　kinds　of　service…books　which　were　in　use；　and　of　their　most　usual　contents。

I　am　indebted　to　a　paper；　read　by　the　late　Sir　William　Tite　at　a　meeting　of　the　Society　of　Antiquaries；　for　the　collation　of　〃Books　of　Hours；〃　but　there　are　many　kinds　of　MSS。　besides　these；　and　it　is　well　to　know　something　of　them。　　The　Horae；　or　Books　of　Hours；　were　the　latest　development　of　the　service…books　used　at　an　earlier　period。　　They　cannot；　in　fact；　be　strictly　called　service…books；　being　intended　only　for　private　devotion。　　But　in　the　thirteenth　century　and　before　it；　Psalters　were　in　use　for　this　purpose；　and　the　collation　of　a　Psalter　is　in　truth　more　important　than　that　of　a　Book　of　Hours。　　It　will　be　well　for　a　student；　therefore；　to　begin　with　Psalters；　as　he　can　then　get　up　the　Hours　in　their　elementary　form。　　I　subjoin　a　bibliographical　account　of　both　kinds　of　MSS。　　In　the　famous　Exhibition　at　the　Burlington　Club　in　1874；　a　number　of　volumes　was　arranged　to　show　how　persistent　one　type　of　the　age　could　be。　　The　form　of　the　decorations；　and　the　arrangement　of　the　figures　in　borders；　once　invented；　was　fixed　for　generations。　　In　a　Psalter　of　the　thirteenth　century　there　was；　under　the　month　of　January　in　the　calendar；　a　picture　of　a　grotesque　little　figure　warming　himself　at　a　stove。　　The　hearth　below；　the　chimney…pot　above；　on　which　a　stork　was　feeding　her　brood；　with　the　intermediate　chimney　shaft　used　as　a　border；　looked　like　a　scientific　preparation　from　the　interior　anatomy　of　a　house　of　the　period。　　In　one　of　the　latest　of　the　MSS。　exhibited　on　that　occasion　was　the　self…same　design　again。　　The　little　man　was　no　longer　a　grotesque；　and　the　picture　had　all　the　high　finish　and　completeness　in　drawing　that　we　might　expect　in　the　workmanship　of　a　contemporary　of　Van　Eyck。　There　was　a　full　series　of　intermediate　books；　showing　the　gradual　growth　of　the　picture。

With　regard　to　chronology；　it　may　be　roughly　asserted　that　the　earliest　books　which　occur　are　Psalters　of　the　thirteenth　century。　Next　to　them　come　Bibles；　of　which　an　enormous　issue　took　place　before　the　middle　of　the　fourteenth　century。　　These　are　followed　by　an　endless　series　of　books　of　Hours；　which；　as　the　sixteenth　century　is　reached；　appear　in　several　vernacular　languages。　　Those　in　English；　being　both　very　rare　and　of　great　importance　in　liturgical　history；　are　of　a　value　altogether　out　of　proportion　to　the　beauty　of　their　illuminations。　　Side　by　side　with　this　succession　are　the　Evangelistina；　which；　like　the　example　mentioned　above；　are　of　the　highest　merit；　beauty；　and　value；　followed　by　sermons　and　homilies；　and　the　Breviary；　which　itself　shows　signs　of　growth　as　the　years　go　on。　　The　real　Missal；　with　which　all　illuminated　books　used　to　be　confounded；　is　of　rare　occurrence；　but　I　have　given　a　collation　of　it　also。　　Besides　these　devotional　or　religious　books；　I　must　mention　chronicles　and　romances；　and　the　semi…religious　and　moral　allegories；　such　as　the　〃Pelerinage　de　l'Ame；〃　which　is　said　to　have　given　Bunyan　the　machinery　of　the　〃Pilgrim's　Progress。〃　　Chaucer's　and　Gower's　poetry　exists　in　many　MSS。；　as　does　the　〃Polychronicon〃　of　Higden；　but；　as　a　rule；　the　mediaeval　chronicles　are　of　single　origin；　and　were　not　copied。　　To　collate　MSS。　of　these　kinds　is　quite　impossible；　unless　by　carefully　reading　them；　and　seeing　that　the　pages　run　on　without　break。

I　should　advise　the　young　collector　who　wishes　to　make　sure　of　success　not　to　be　too　catholic　in　his　tastes　at　first；　but　to　confine　his　attention　to　a　single　period　and　a　single　school。　　I　should　also　advise　him　to　make　from　time　to　time　a　careful　catalogue　of　what　he　buys；　and　to　preserve　it　even　after　he　has　weeded　out　certain　items。　　He　will　then　be　able　to　make　a　clear　comparative　estimate　of　the　importance　and　value　of　his　collection；　and　by　studying　one　species　at　a　time；　to　become　thoroughly　conversant　with　what　it　can　teach　him。　　When　he　has；　so　to　speak；　burnt　his　fingers　once　or　twice；　he　will　find　himself　able　to　distinguish　at　sight　what　no　amount　of　teaching　by　word　of　mouth　or　by　writing　could　ever　possibly　impart　to　any　advantage。

One　thing　I　should　like　if　possible　to　impress　very　strongly　upon　the　reader。　　That　is　the　fact　that　a　MS。　which　is　not　absolutely　perfect；　if　it　is　in　a　genuine　state；　is　of　much　more　value　than　one　which　has　been　made　perfect　by　the　skill　of　a　modern　restorer。　　The　more　skilful　he　is；　that　is　to　say　the　better　he　can　forge　the　style　of　the　original；　the　more　worthless　he　renders　the　volume。

Printing　seems　to　have　superseded　the　art　of　the　illuminator　more　promptly　and　completely　in　England　than　on　the　Continent。　　The　dames　galantes　of　Brantome's　memoirs　took　pleasure　in　illuminated　Books　of　Hours；　suited　to　the　nature　of　their　devotions。　　As　late　as　the　time　of　Louis　XIV。；　Bussy　Rabutin　had　a　volume　of　the　same　kind；　illuminated　with　portraits　of　〃saints；〃　of　his　own　canonisation。　The　most　famous　of　these　modern　examples　of　costly　MSS。　was　〃La　Guirlande　de　Julie；〃　a　collection　of　madrigals　by　various　courtly　hands；　presented　to　the　illustrious　Julie；　daughter　of　the　Marquise　de　Rambouillet；　most　distinguished　of　the　Precieuses；　and　wife　of　the　Duc　de　Montausier；　the　supposed　original　of　Moliere's　Alceste。　The　MS。　was　copied　on　vellum　by　Nicholas　Jarry；　the　great　calligraph　of　his　time。　　The　flowers　on　the　margin　were　painted　by　Robert。　　Not　long　ago　a　French　amateur　was　so　lucky　as　to　discover　the　MS。　book　of　prayers　of　Julie's　noble　mother；　the　Marquise　de　Rambouillet。　The　Marquise　wrote　these　prayers　for　her　own　devotions；　and　Jarry；　the　illuminator；　declared　that　he　found　them　most　edifying；　and　delightful　to　study。　　The　manuscript　is　written　on　vellum　by　the　famous　Jarry；　contains　a　portrait　of　the　fair　Julie　herself；　and　is　bound　in　morocco　by　Le　Gascon。　　The　happy　collector　who　possesses　the　volume　now；　heard　vaguely　that　a　manuscript　of　some　interest　was　being　exposed　for　sale　at　a　trifling　price　in　the　shop　of　a　country　bookseller。　　The　description　of　the　book；　casual　as　it　was；　made　mention　of　the　monogram　on　the　cover。　　This　was　enough　for　the　amateur。　　He　rushed　to　a　railway　station；　travelled　some　three　hundred　miles；　reached　the　country　town；　hastened　to　the　bookseller's　shop；　and　found　that　the　book　had　been　withdrawn　by　its　owner。　　Happily　the　possessor；　unconscious　of　his　bliss；　was　at　home。　　The　amateur　sought　him　out；　paid　the　small　sum　demanded；　and　returned　to　Paris　in　triumph。　　Thus；　even　in　the　region　of　manuscript…collecting；　there　are　extraordinary　prizes　for　the　intelligent　collector。


TO　KNOW　IF　A　MANUSCRIPT　IS　PERFECT


If　the　manuscript　is　of　English　or　French　writing　of　the　twelfth；　thirteenth；　fourteenth；　or　fifteenth　centuries；　it　is　probably　either（1）　a　Bible；　（2）　a　Psalter；　（3）　a　book　of　Hours；　or　（4）；　but　rarely；　a　Missal。　　It　is　not　worth　while　to　give　the　collation　of　a　gradual；　or　a　hymnal；　or　a　processional；　or　a　breviary；　or　any　of　the　fifty　different　kinds　of　service…books　which　are　occasionally　met　with；　but　which　are　never　twice　the　same。

To　collate　one　of　them；　the　reader　must　go　carefully　through　the　book；　seeing　that　the　catch…words；　if　there　are　any；　answer　to　the　head　lines；　and　if　there　are　〃signatures；〃　that　is；　if　the　foot　of　the　leaves　of　a　sheet　of　parchment　has　any　mark　for　enabling　the　binder　to　〃gather〃　them　correctly；　going　through　them；　and　seeing　that　each　signed　leaf　has　its　corresponding　〃blank。〃

1。　　To　collate　a　Bible；　it　will　be　necessary　first　to　go　through　the　catch…words；　if　any；　and　signatures；　as　above；　then　to　notice　the　contents。　　The　first　page　should　contain　the　Epistle　of　St。　Jerome　to　the　reader。　　It　will　be　observed　that　there　is　nothing　of　the　nature　of　a　title…page；　but　I　have　often　seen　title…pages　supplied　by　some　ignorant　imitator　in　the　last　century；　with　the　idea　that　the　book　was　imperfect　without　one。　　The　books　of　the　Bible　follow　in　orderbut　the　order　n