ponkapog papers-第15节

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y　member　of　The　Kalamazoo　International　Literary　Associa…　tion。　　Possibly　the　honor　does　not　take　away　your　respiration；　but　you　are　bound　by　courtesy　to　make　an　acknowledgment；　and　you　express　your　insincere　thanks　to　the　obliging　secretary　of　a　literary　organization　which　does　not　exist　anywhere　on　earth。　　　　　　A　scheme　of　lighter　creative　touch　is　that　of　the　correspondent　who　advises　you　that　he　is　replenishing　his　library　and　desires　a　detailed　list　of　your　works；　with　the　respective　dates　of　their　first　issue；　price；　style　of　binding；　etc。　　A　bibliophile；　you　say　to　yourself。　　These　inter…　rogations　should　of　course　have　been　addressed　to　your　publisher；　but　they　are　addressed　to　you；　with　the　stereotyped　〃thanks　in　advance。〃　The　natural　inference　is　that　the　correspondent；　who　writes　in　a　brisk　commercial　vein；　wishes　to　fill　out　his　collection　of　your　books；　or；　pos…　sibly；　to　treat　himself　to　a　complete　set　in　full　crushed　Levant。　　Eight　or　ten　months　later　this　individual；　having　forgotten　（or　hoping　you　will　not　remember）　that　he　has　already　de…　manded　a　chronological　list　of　your　writings；　forwards　another　application　couched　in　the　self…same　words。　　The　length　of　time　it　takes　him　to　〃replenish〃　his　library　（with　your　books）　strikes　you　as　pathetic。　　You　cannot　control　your　emotions　sufficiently　to　pen　a　reply。　　From　a　purely　literary　point　of　view　this　gentleman　cares　nothing　whatever　for　your　holograph；　from　a　mercantile　point　of　view　he　cares　greatly　and　likes　to　obtain　duplicate　specimens；　which　he　disposes　of　to　dealers　in　such　frail　merchandise。　　　　　　The　pseudo…journalist　who　is　engaged　in　preparing　a　critical　and　biographical　sketch　of　you；　and　wants　to　incorporate；　if　possible；　some　slight　hitherto　unnoted　event　in　your　lifea　signed　photograph　and　a　copy　of　your　book…　plate　are　here　in　orderis　also　a　character　which　periodically　appears　upon　the　scene。　　In　this　little　Comedy　of　Deceptions　there　are　as　many　players　as　men　have　fancies。　　　　　　A　brother　slave…of…the…lamp　permits　me　to　transfer　this　leaf　from　the　book　of　his　experi…　ence：　〃Not　long　ago　the　postman　brought　me　a　letter　of　a　rather　touching　kind。　　The　unknown　writer；　lately　a　widow；　and　plainly　a　woman　of　refinement；　had　just　suffered　a　new　affliction　in　the　loss　of　her　little　girl。　　My　correspondent　asked　me　to　copy　for　her　ten　or　a　dozen　lines　from　a　poem　which　I　had　written　years　before　on　the　death　of　a　child。　　The　request　was　so　shrinkingly　put；　with　such　an　appealing　air　of　doubt　as　to　its　being　heeded；　that　I　immediately　transcribed　the　entire　poem；　a　matter　of　a　hun…　dred　lines　or　so；　and　sent　it　to　her。　　I　am　unable　to　this　day　to　decide　whether　I　was　wholly　hurt　or　wholly　amused　when；　two　months　afterward；　I　stumbled　over　my　manuscript；　with　a　neat　price　attached　to　it；　in　a　second…hand　book…　shop。〃　　　　　　Perhaps　the　most　distressing　feature　of　the　whole　business　is　the　very　poor　health　which　seems　to　prevail　among　autograph　hunters。　　No　other　class　of　persons　in　the　community　shows　so　large　a　percentage　of　confirmed　invalids。　There　certainly　is　some　mysterious　connection　between　incipient　spinal　trouble　and　the　col…　lecting　of　autographs。　　Which　superinduces　the　other　is　a　question　for　pathology。　　It　is　a　fact　that　one　out　of　every　eight　applicants　for　a　specimen　of　penmanship　bases　his　or　her　claim　upon　the　possession　of　some　vertebral　disability　which　leaves　him　or　her　incapable　of　doing　anything　but　write　to　authors　for　their　auto…　graph。　　Why　this　particular　diversion　should　be　the　sole　resource　remains　undisclosed。　　But　so　it　appears　to　be；　and　the　appeal　to　one's　sympa…　thy　is　most　direct　and　persuasive。　　Personally；　however；　I　have　my　suspicions；　suspicions　that　are　shared　by　several　men　of　letters；　who　have　come　to　regard　this　plea　of　invalidism；　in　the　majority　of　cases；　as　simply　the　variation　of　a　very　old　and　familiar　tune。　　I　firmly　believe　that　the　health　of　autograph　hunters；　as　a　class；　is　excellent。




ROBERT　HERRICK

I

A　LITTLE　over　three　hundred　years　ago　England　had　given　to　her　a　poet　of　the　very　rarest　lyrical　quality；　but　she　did　not　dis…　cover　the　fact　for　more　than　a　hundred　and　fifty　years　afterward。　　The　poet　himself　was　aware　of　the　fact　at　once；　and　stated　it；　perhaps　not　too　modestly；　in　countless　quatrains　and　couplets；　which　were　not　read；　or；　if　read；　were　not　much　regarded　at　the　moment。　　It　has　al…　ways　been　an　incredulous　world　in　this　matter。　So　many　poets　have　announced　their　arrival；　and　not　arrived！　　　　　　Robert　Herrick　was　descended　in　a　direct　line　from　an　ancient　family　in　Lincolnshire；　the　Eyricks；　a　mentionable　representative　of　which　was　John　Eyrick　of　Leicester；　the　poet's　grand…　father；　admitted　freeman　in　1535；　and　afterward　twice　made　mayor　of　the　town。　　John　Eyrick　or　Heyrickehe　spelled　his　name　recklessly　had　five　sons；　the　second　of　which　sought　a　career　in　London；　where　he　became　a　gold…　smith；　and　in　December；　1582；　married　Julian　Stone；　spinster；　of　Bedfordshire；　a　sister　to　Anne；　Lady　Soame；　the　wife　of　Sir　Stephen　Soame。　　One　of　the　many　children　of　this　mar…　riage　was　Robert　Herrick。　　　　　　It　is　the　common　misfortune　of　the　poet's　biographers；　though　it　was　the　poet's　own　great　good　fortune；　that　the　personal　interviewer　was　an　unknown　quantity　at　the　period　when　Her…　rick　played　his　part　on　the　stage　of　life。　　Of　that　performance；　in　its　intimate　aspects；　we　have　only　the　slightest　record。　　　　　　Robert　Herrick　was　born　in　Wood　street；　Cheapside；　London；　in　1591；　and　baptized　at　St。　Vedast's；　Foster　Lane；　on　August　24　of　that　year。　　He　had　several　brothers　and　sisters；　with　whom　we　shall　not　concern　ourselves。　　It　would　be　idle　to　add　the　little　we　know　about　these　persons　to　the　little　we　know　about　Herrick　himself。　　He　is　a　sufficient　problem　without　dragging　in　the　rest　of　the　family。　　　　　　When　the　future　lyrist　was　fifteen　months　old　his　father；　Nicholas　Herrick；　made　his　will；　and　immediately　fell　out　of　an　upper　win…　dow。　　Whether　or　not　this　fall　was　an　intended　sequence　to　the　will；　the　high　almoner；　Dr。　Fletcher；　Bishop　of　Bristol；　promptly　put　in　his　claim　to　the　estate；　〃all　goods　and　chattels　of　suicides〃　becoming　his　by　law。　　The　cir…　cumstances　were　suspicious；　though　not　conclu…　sive；　and　the　good　bishop；　after　long　litigation；　consented　to　refer　the　case　to　arbitrators；　who　awarded　him　two　hundred　and　twenty　pounds；　thus　leaving　the　question　at　issuewhether　or　not　Herrick's　death　had　been　his　own　premedi…　tated　actstill　wrapped　in　its　original　mystery。　This　singular　law；　which　had　the　possible　effect　of　inducing　high　almoners　to　encourage　suicide　among　well…to…do　persons　of　the　lower　and　middle　classes；　was　afterward　rescinded。　　　　　　Nicholas　Herrick　did　not　leave　his　household　destitute；　for　his　estate　amounted　to　five　thousand　pounds；　that　is　to　say；　twenty…five　thousand　pounds　in　to…day's　money；　but　there　were　many　mouths　to　feed。　　The　poet's　two　uncles；　Robert　Herrick　and　William　Herrick　of　Beaumanor；　the　latter　subsequently　knighted　　for　his　useful…　ness　as　jeweller　and　money…lender　to　James　I。；　were　appointed　guardians　to　the　children。　　　　　　Young　Robert　appears　to　have　attended　school　in　Westminster　until　his　fifteenth　year；　when　he　was　apprenticed　to　Sir　William；　who　had　learned　the　gentle　art　of　goldsmith　from　his　nephew's　father。　　Though　Robert's　indentures

　　　　　　Dr。　Grosart；　in　his　interesting　and　valuable　Memorial…Intro…　duction　to　Herrick's　poems；　quotes　this　curious　item　from　Win…　wood's　Manorials　of　Affairs　of　State：　〃On　Easter　Tuesday　＇1605＇；　one　Mr。　William　Herrick；　a　goldsmith　in　Cheapside；　was　Knighted　for　making　a　Hole　in　the　great　Diamond　the　King　cloth　wear。　　The　party　little　expected　the　honour；　but　he　did　his　work　so　well　as　won　the　King　to　an　extraordinary　liking　of　it。〃　bound　him　for　ten　years；　Sir　William　is　sup…　posed　to　have　offered　no　remonstrance　when　he　was　asked；　long　before　that　term　expired；　to　cancel　the　engagement　and　allow　Robert　to　enter　Cambridge；　which　he　did　as　fellow…commoner　at　St。　John's　College。　　At　the　end　of　two　years　he　transferred　himself　to　Trinity　Hall；　with　a　view　to　economy　and　the　pursuit　of　the　law　the　two　frequently　go　together。　　He　received　his　degree　of　B。　A。　in　1617；　and　his　M。　A。　in　1620；　having　relinquished　the　law　for　the　arts。　　　　　　During　this　time　he　was　assumed　to　be　in　receipt　of　a　quarterly　allowance　of　ten　pounds　a　not　illiberal　provision；　the　pound　being　then　five　times　its　present　value；　but　as　the　payments　were　eccentric；　the　master　of　arts　was　in　recur…　rent　distress。　　If　this　money　came　from　his　own　share　of　his　father's　estate；　as　seems　likely；　Herrick　had　cause　for　complaint；　if　otherwise；　the　pith　is　taken　out　of　his　grievance。　　　　　　The　Iliad　of　his　financial　woes　at　this　juncture　is　told　in　a　few　chance…preserved　letters　written　to　his　〃most　careful　uncle；〃　as　he　calls　that　evidently　thrifty　person。　　In　one　of　these　mono…　tonous　and　dreary　epistles；　which　are　signed　〃R。　Hearick；〃　the　writer　says：　〃The　essence　of　my　writing　is　（as　heretofore）　to　entreat　you　to　paye　for　my　use　to　Mr。　Arthour　Johnson；　bookseller；　in　Paule's　Churchyarde；　the　ordi…　narie　sume　of　tenn　pounds；　and　that　with　as　much　sceleritie　as　you　maye。〃　　He　also　indulges　in　the　natural　wish　that　his　college　bills　〃h