The Library-第14章

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rities　on　manners　and　costume。　　But　the　attitudes　of　the　figures　are　too　often　stiff　and　ungainly；　while　the　position　is　frequently　left　to　chance。　　England　could　show　nothing　much　better　than　Ogilby's　translations　of　Homer；　illustrated　with　big　florid　engravings　in　sham　antique　style。　　The　years　between　1730　and　1820；　saw　the　French　〃little　masters〃　in　their　perfection。　　The　dress　of　the　middle　of　the　eighteenth　century；　of　the　age　of　Watteau；　was　precisely　suited　to　the　gay　and　graceful　pencils　of　Gravelot；　Moreau；　Eisen；　Boucher；　Cochin；　Marillier；　and　Choffard。　　To　understand　their　merits；　and　the　limits　of　their　art；　it　is　enough　to　glance　through　a　series　of　the　designs　for　Voltaire；　Corneille；　or　Moliere。　　The　drawings　of　society　are　almost　invariably　dainty　and　pleasing；　the　serious　scenes　of　tragedy　leave　the　spectator　quite　unmoved。　　Thus　it　is　but　natural　that　these　artists　should　have　shone　most　in　the　illustration　of　airy　trifles　like　Dorat's　〃Baisers；〃　or　tales　like　Manon　Lescaut；　or　in　designing　tailpieces　for　translations　of　the　Greek　idyllic　poets；　such　as　Moschus　and　Bion。　　In　some　of　his　illustrations　of　books；　especially；　perhaps；　in　the　designs　for　〃La　Physiologie　de　Gout〃　（Jouaust；　Paris；　1879）；　M。　Lalauze　has　shown　himself　the　worthy　rival　of　Eisen　and　Cochin。　Perhaps　it　is　unnecessary　to　add　that　the　beauty　and　value　of　all　such　engravings　depends　almost　entirely　on　their　〃state。〃　　The　earlier　proofs　are　much　more　brilliant　than　those　drawn　later；　and　etchings　on　fine　papers　are　justly　preferred。　　For　example；　M。　Lalauze's　engravings　on　〃Whatman　paper；〃　have　a　beauty　which　could　scarcely　be　guessed　by　people　who　have　only　seen　specimens　on　〃papier　verge。〃　　Every　collector　of　the　old　French　vigtes；　should　possess　himself　of　the　〃Guide　de　l'amateur；〃　by　M。　Henry　Cohen　（Rouquette；　Paris；　1880）。　　Among　English　illustrated　books；　various　tastes　prefer　the　imaginative　works　of　William　Blake；　the　etchings　of　Cruikshank；　and　the　woodcuts　of　Bewick。　　The　whole　of　the　last　chapter　of　this　sketch　is　devoted；　by　Mr。　Austin　Dobson；　to　the　topic　of　English　illustrated　books。　　Here　it　may　be　said；　in　passing；　that　an　early　copy　of　William　Blake's　〃Songs　of　Innocence；〃　written；　illustrated；　printed；　coloured；　and　boarded　by　the　author's　own　hand；　is　one　of　the　most　charming　objects　that　a　bibliophile　can　hope　to　possess。　　The　verses　of　Blake；　in　a　framework　of　birds；　and　flowers；　and　plumes；　all　softly　and　magically　tinted；　seem　like　some　book　out　of　King　Oberon's　library　in　fairyland；　rather　than　the　productions　of　a　mortal　press。　　The　pictures　in　Blake's　〃prophetic　books；〃　and　even　his　illustrations　to　〃Job；〃　show　an　imagination　more　heavily　weighted　by　the　technical　difficulties　of　drawing。

The　next　class　of　rare　books　is　posed　of　works　from　the　famous　presses　of　the　Aldi　and　the　Elzevirs。　　Other　presses　have；　perhaps；　done　work　as　good；　but　Estienne；　the　Giunta；　and　Plantin；　are　paratively　neglected；　while　the　taste　for　the　performances　of　Baskerville　and　Foulis　is　not　very　eager。　　A　safe　judgment　about　Aldines　and　Elzevirs　is　the　gift　of　years　and　of　long　experience。　In　this　place　it　is　only　possible　to　say　a　few　words　on　a　wide　subject。　　The　founder　of　the　Aldine　press；　Aldus　Pius　Manutius；　was　born　about　1450；　and　died　at　Venice　in　1514。　　He　was　a　man　of　careful　and　profound　learning；　and　was　deeply　interested　in　Greek　studies；　then　encouraged　by　the　arrival　in　Italy　of　many　educated　Greeks　and　Cretans。　　Only　four　Greek　authors　had　as　yet　been　printed　in　Italy；　when　（1495）　Aldus　established　his　press　at　Venice。　Theocritus；　Homer；　AEsop；　and　Isocrates；　probably　in　very　limited　editions；　were　in　the　hands　of　students。　　The　purpose　of　Aldus　was　to　put　Greek　and　Latin　works；　beautifully　printed　in　a　convenient　shape；　within　the　reach　of　all　the　world。　　His　reform　was　the　introduction　of　books　at　once　cheap；　studiously　correct；　and　convenient　in　actual　use。　　It　was　in　1498　that　he　first　adopted　the　small　octavo　size；　and　in　his　〃Virgil〃　of　1501；　he　introduced　the　type　called　Aldine　or　Italic。　　The　letters　were　united　as　in　writing；　and　the　type　is　said　to　have　been　cut　by　Francesco　da　Bologna；　better　known　as　Francia；　in　imitation　of　the　hand　of　Petrarch。　　For　full　information　about　Aldus　and　his　descendants　and　successors；　the　work　of　M。　Firmin　Didot；　（〃Alde　Manuce　et　l'Hellenisme　a　Venise：　　Paris　1875）；〃　and　the　Aldine　annals　of　Renouard；　must　be　consulted。　　These　two　works　are　necessary　to　the　collector；　who　will　otherwise　be　deceived　by　the　misleading　assertions　of　the　booksellers。　　As　a　rule；　the　volumes　published　in　the　lifetime　of　Aldus　Manutius　are　the　most　esteemed；　and　of　these　the　Aristotle；　the　first　Homer；　the　Virgil；　and　the　Ovid；　are　perhaps　most　in　demand。　　The　earlier　Aldines　are　consulted　almost　as　studiously　as　MSS。　by　modern　editors　of　the　classics。

Just　as　the　house　of　Aldus　waned　and　expired；　that　of　the　great　Dutch　printers；　the　Elzevirs；　began　obscurely　enough　at　Leyden　in　1583。　　The　Elzevirs　were　not；　like　Aldus；　ripe　scholars　and　men　of　devotion　to　learning。　　Aldus　laboured　for　the　love　of　noble　studies；　the　Elzevirs　were　acute；　and　too　often　〃smart〃　men　of　business。　　The　founder　of　the　family　was　Louis　（born　at　Louvain；　1540；　died　1617）。　But　it　was　in　the　second　and　third　generations　that　Bonaventura　and　Abraham　Elzevir　began　to　publish　at　Leyden；　their　editions　in　small　duodecimo。　　Like　Aldus；　these　Elzevirs　aimed　at　producing　books　at　once　handy；　cheap；　correct；　and　beautiful　in　execution。　　Their　adventure　was　a　plete　success。　　The　Elzevirs　did　not；　like　Aldus；　surround　themselves　with　the　most　learned　scholars　of　their　time。　Their　famous　literary　adviser；　Heinsius；　was　full　of　literary　jealousies；　and　kept　students　of　his　own　calibre　at　a　distance。　　The　classical　editions　of　the　Elzevirs；　beautiful；　but　too　small　in　type　for　modern　eyes；　are　anything　but　exquisitely　correct。　　Their　editions　of　the　contemporary。　　French　authors；　now　classics　themselves；　are　lovely　examples　of　skill　in　practical　enterprise。　The　Elzevirs　treated　the　French　authors　much　as　American　publishers　treat　Englishmen。　　They　stole　right　and　left；　but　no　one　plained　much　in　these　times　of　slack　copyright；　and；　at　all　events；　the　piratic　larcenous　publications　of　the　Dutch　printers　were　pretty；　and　so　far　satisfactory。　　They　themselves；　in　turn；　were　the　victims　of　fraudulent　and　untradesmanlike　imitations。　　It　is　for　this；　among　other　reasons；　that　the　collector　of　Elzevirs　must　make　M。　Willems's　book　（〃Les　Elzevier；〃　Brussels　and　Paris；　1880）　his　constant　study。　Differences　so　minute　that　they　escape　the　unpractised　eye；　denote　editions　of　most　various　value。　　In　Elzevirs　a　line's　breadth　of　margin　is　often　worth　a　hundred　pounds；　and　a　misprint　is　quoted　at　no　less　a　sum。　　The　fantastic　caprice　of　bibliophiles　has　revelled　in　the　bibliography　of　these　Dutch　editions。　　They　are　at　present　very　scarce　in　England；　where　a　change　in　fashion　some　years　ago　had　made　them　mon　enough。　　No　Elzevir　is　valuable　unless　it　be　clean　and　large　in　the　margins。　　When　these　conditions　are　satisfied　the　question　of　rarity　es　in；　and　Remy　Belleau's　Macaronic　poem；　or　〃Le　Pastissier　Francais；〃　may　rise　to　the　price　of　four　or　five　hundred　pounds。　　A　Rabelais；　Moliere；　or　Corneille；　of　a　〃good〃　edition；　is　now　more　in　request　than　the　once　adored　〃Imitatio　Christi〃　（dateless）；　or　the　〃Virgil〃'　of　1646；　which　is　full　of　gross　errors　of　the　press；　but　is　esteemed　for　red　characters　in　the　letter　to　Augustus；　and　another　passage　at　page　92。　　The　ordinary　marks　of　the　Elzevirs　were　the　sphere；　the　old　hermit；　the　Athena；　the　eagle；　and　the　burning　faggot。　　But　all　little　old　books　marked　with　spheres　are　not　Elzevirs；　as　many　booksellers　suppose。　　Other　printers　also　stole　the　designs　for　the　tops　of　chapters；　the　Aegipan；　the　Siren；　the　head　of　Medusa；　the　crossed　sceptres；　and　the　rest。　　In　some　cases　the　Elzevirs　published　their　books；　especially　when　they　were　piracies；　anonymously。　　When　they　published　for　the　Jansenists；　they　allowed　their　clients　to　put　fantastic　pseudonyms　on　the　title　pages。　　But；　except　in　four　cases；　they　had　only　two　pseudonyms　used　on　the　titles　of　books　published　by　and　for　themselves。　　These　disguises　are　〃Jean　Sambix〃　for　Jean　and　Daniel　Elzevir；　at　Leyden；　and　for　the　Elzevirs　of　Amsterdam；　〃Jacques　le　Jeune。〃　　The　last　of　the　great　representatives　of　the　house；　Daniel；　died　at　Amsterdam；　1680。　　Abraham；　an　unworthy　scion；　struggled　on　at　Leyden　till　1712。　　The　family　still　prospers；　but　no　longer　prints；　in　Holland。　　It　is　mon　to　add　duodecimos　of　Foppens；　Wolfgang；　and　other　printers；　to　the　collections　of　the　Elzevirs。　　The　books　of　Wolfgang　have　the　sign　of　the　fox　robbing　a　wild　bee's　nest；　with　the　motto　Quaerendo。

Curious　and　singular　books　are　the　next　in　our　classification。　　The　category　is　too　large。　　The　books　that　be　〃curious〃　（not　in　the　booksellers'　sense　of　〃prurient〃　and　〃disgusting；〃）　are　innumerable。　All　suppressed　and　condemned　books；　from　〃Les　Fleurs　du　Mal〃　to　Vanini's　〃Amphitheatrum；〃　or　the　English　translation　of　Bruno's　〃Spaccia　della　Bestia　Trionfante；〃　are　more　or　less　rare；　and　more　or　less　curious。　　Wild　books；　like　William　Postel's　〃Three　Marvellous　Triumphs　of　Women；〃　are　〃curious。〃　　Freakish　books；　like　macaronic　poetry；　written　in　a　medley　of　languages；　are　curious。　Books　from　private　presses　are　singular。　　The　old　English　poets　and　satirists　turned　out　many　a　book　curious　to　the　last　degree；　and　priced　at　a　fantastic　value。　　Such　are　〃Jordan's　Jewels　of　Ingenuity；〃　〃Microcynicon；　six　Snarling　Satyres〃　（1599）；　and　the　〃Treatize　made　of　a　Galaunt；〃　printed　by　Wynkyn　de　Worde；　and　found　pasted　into　the　flyleaf；　on　the　oakboard　binding　of　an　imperfect　volume　of　Pynson's　〃Statutes。〃　　All　our　early　English　poems　and　miscellanies　are　curious；　and；　as　relics　of　delightful　singers；　are　most　charming　possessions。　　Such　are　the　〃Songes　and　Sontes　of　Surrey〃　（1557）；　the　〃Paradyce　of　daynty　Deuices〃　（1576）；　the　〃Small　Handful　of　Fragrant　Flowers；〃　and　〃The　Handful　of　Dainty　Delights；　gathered　out　of　the　lovely　Garden　of　Sacred　Scripture；　fit　for　any　worshipful　Gentlewoman　to　smell　unto；〃　（1584）。　　〃The　Teares　of　Ireland〃　（1642）；　are　said；　though　one　would　not　expect　it；　to　be　〃extremely　rare；〃　an