These are pretty lines, and have a melodious flow; but Ronsard, in his 8 and 9 feet metres, is one of the most fascinating of the old French poets. The subject, above alluded to by Lysander, may be yet more strongly illustrated: for thus speaks Spizelius upon it. 'Solent viri multijugæ lectionis, qui avidè, quos possunt versant libros, ut in mentis ventrem trajicere eos velle, totosque devorare videantur, elegantis proverbii salivâ Librorum Helluones nuncupari; ipso quidem Tullio prælucente, qui avidos lectores librorum, ac propemodum insiatiables Helluones dixit, siquidem vastissima volumina percurrant, et quicquid boni succi exprimere possunt, propriis et alienis impendant emolumentis." Again: "Maxima cum sit eorum Literarum stoliditas, qui, quod nocte somniarunt, continuo edunt in lucem, neque ipsa virium imbecillitate suarum, ab arduo scribendi munere et onere, sese revocari patiuntur," &c. Infelix Literatus; pp. 295, 447. Morof is worth our notice upon this subject: "Veniamus ad Bibliothecas ipsas, quales vel privatæ sunt, vel publicæ. Illæ, quanquam in molem tantam non excrescant ut publicæ; sunt tamen etiam inter privatos viri illustres et opulenti qui in libris omnis generis coemendis nullis parcunt sumptibus. Quorum βιβλιομανίαν reprehendit Seneca Ep. 2. 45, et de Tranquil. animi c. 9, ridet Lucianus in libello πρὸς ἀπαίδευτον και πὁλλὰ βιβλἰα ᾽ωνουμενον; et Auson. epigr. 43. Sunt ita animati nonnulli, ut
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magno de flumine malint Quam de fonticulo tantundem sumere; |
cum vastioris Bibliothecæ minor interdum usus sit, quam ejus quæ selectis paucioribus libris constat." Polyhist. Literar. vol. i., p. 21. He goes on in a very amusing manner; but this note may be thought already too long.
Belin. Well; we live in a marvellous book-collecting and book-reading age—yet a word more:
Alman. I crave your pardon, Belinda; but I have a thought which must be now imparted, or the consequence may be serious.
Lysand. I wait both your commands.
Alman. My thought—or rather the subject which now occupies my mind—is this: You have told us of the symptoms of the Disease of Book-Madness, now pray inform us, as a tender-hearted physician, what are the means of its cure?
Belin. The very question I was about to put to our bibliomaniacal physician. Pray inform us what are the means of cure in this disorder?
Lysand. You should say Probable Means of Cure, as I verily believe there are no certain and correct remedies.
Belin. Well, Sir, probable means—if it must be so. Discourse largely and distinctly upon these.