[205] Singularis eius ac propensi, in iuvandam eruditionem studii insigne imprimis monumentum exstat, Bibliotheca instructissima, sacrarium bonæ menti dicatum, in quo omne, quod transmitti ad posteritatem meretur, copiose reconditum est. e Orig. et Increment. Typog. Lipsiens. Lips. An. Typog. sec. iii., sign. 3.
Phil. But does he atone for his sad error by being liberal in the loan of his volumes?
"Most completely so, Philemon. This is the 'pars melior' of every book collector, and it is indeed the better part with Atticus. The learned and curious, whether rich or poor, have always free access to his library—
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His volumes, open as his heart, Delight, amusement, science, art, To every ear and eye impart. |
His books, therefore, are not a stagnant reservoir of unprofitable water, as are those of Pontevallo's; but like a thousand rills, which run down from the lake on Snowdon's summit, after a plentiful fall of rain, they serve to fertilize and adorn every thing to which they extend. In consequence, he sees himself reflected in a thousand mirrors: and has a right to be vain of the numerous dedications to him, and of the richly ornamented robes in which he is attired by his grateful friends."
Lis. Long life to Atticus, and to all such book heroes! Now pray inform me who is yonder gentleman, of majestic mien and shape?—and who strikes a stranger with as much interest as Agamemnon did Priam—when the Grecian troops passed at a distance in order of review, while the Trojan monarch and Helen were gossipping with each other on the battlements of Troy!
"That gentleman, Lisardo, is Hortensius; who, you see is in close conversation with an intimate friend and fellow-bibliomaniac—that ycleped is Ulpian. They are both honourable members of an honourable profession; and although they have formerly sworn to purchase no old book but Machlinia's first edition of Littleton's Tenures, yet they cannot resist, now and then, the delicious impulse of becoming masters of a black-letter chronicle or romance. Taste and talent of various kind they both possess; and 'tis truly pleasant to see gentlemen and scholars, engaged in a laborious profession, in which, comparatively, 'little vegetation quickens, and few salutary plants take root,' finding 'a pleasant grove for their wits to walk in' amidst rows of beautifully bound, and intrinsically precious, volumes. They feel it delectable, 'from the loop-holes of such a retreat,' to peep at the multifarious pursuits of their brethren; and while they discover some busied in a perversion of book-taste, and others preferring the short-lived pleasures of sensual gratifications—which must 'not be named' among good bibliomaniacs—they can sit comfortably by their fire-sides; and, pointing to a well-furnished library, say to their wives—who heartily sympathize in the sentiment—
This gives us health, or adds to life a day!"[206]
[206] Braithwaite's Arcadian Princesse: lib. 4, p. 15, edit. 1635. The two immediately following verses, which are worthy of Dryden, may quietly creep in here:
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Or helps decayed beauty, or repairs Our chop-fall'n cheeks, or winter-molted hairs. |