The Auction Room. CHARACTER OF ORLANDO. OF ANCIENT PRICES OF BOOKS, AND BOOK-BINDING. enumerating the various foreign and domestic writers upon Bibliography, with his occasionally animated eulogies upon some favourite author had quite inflamed the sanguine mind of Lisardo; who had already, in anticipation, fancied himself in possession of every book which he had heard described. Like Homer's high-bred courser, who -ere he starts, a thousand steps are lost our young bibliomaniac began to count up his volumes, arrange his shelves, bespeak his binder, and revel in the luxury of a splendid and nearly matchless collection. The distance from my house to the scene of action being thirteen miles, Lisardo, during the first six, had pretty nearly exhausted himself in describing the delightful pictures which his ardent fancy had formed; and finding the conversation beginning to flag, Philemon, with his usual good-nature and judgment, promised to make a pleasing digression from the dry subject of book-catalogues, by an episode with which the reader shall be presently gratified. Having promised to assist them both, when we arrived at Messrs. L. and S., in the Strand, with some information relating to the prices of such books as they stood in need of, and to the various book collectors who attended public sales, Lisardo expressed himself highly obliged by the promise; and, sinking quietly into a corner of the chaise, he declared that he was now in a most apt mood to listen attentively to Philemon's digressive chat: who accordingly thus began. "Lord Coke,"-exclaimed PHILEMON, in a mirthful strain-" before he ventured upon The Jurisdiction of the Courts of the Forest,' wished to 'recreate himself' with Virgil's description of Dido's Doe of the Forest ;'* in order that he might proceed the more cheerfully' with the task he had undertaken; and thus exchange somewhat of the precise and technical language of the lawyer for that glowing tone of description which woodland scenes and hunting gaieties seldom fail to produce. Even so, my good friends (pursued Philemon), I shall make a little digression from the confined subject to * The quaint language of Lord Coke is well worth quotation: "And seeing we are to treat of matters of game, and hunting, let us (to the end we may proceed the more chearfully) recreate ourselves with the excellent description of Dido's Doe of the Forest wounded with a deadly arrow sticken in her, and not impertinent to our purpose: Uritur infœlix Dido, totaque vagatur And in another place, using again the word (Sylva) and describing a forest saith: Ibat in antiquam sylvam stabula alta ferarum.” Institutes, pt. iv., p. 289, ed. 1669. Thus pleasantly could our sage expounder of the laws of the realm illustrate the dry subject of which he treated! which our attentions have been so long directed by taking you with me, in imagination, to the delightful abode of ORLANDO." LIS. I have heard of him a very "Helluo Librorum!" Thus we only change sides-from things to men; from books to book-collectors. Is this digressive? Is this an episode? PHIL. Why this abrupt interruption? If I did not know you and myself, too, Lisardo, I should observe an obstinate silence during the remainder of the journey. An episode, though it suspend the main action for a while, partakes of the nature of the subject of the work. It is an appropriate digression. Do pray read Dr. Blair* upon the subject—and now only listen. Orlando (continued Philemon) had from his boyhood loved books and book-reading. His fortune was rather limited; but he made shift-after bringing up three children, whom he lost from the ages of nineteen to twenty-four, and which have been recently followed to their graves by the mother that gave them birth—he made shift, notwithstanding the expenses of their college education, and keeping up the reputation of a truly hospitable table, to collect, from year to year, a certain number of volumes, according to a certain sum of money appropriated for the purchase of them; generally making himself master of the principal contents of the first year's purchase, before the ensuing one was placed upon his shelves. He lives in a large ancestral house; and his library is most advantageously situated and delightfully fitted up. Disliking such a wintry residence as Thomson has described +- although fond t *Lecture XLII., vol. iii. "In the wild depth of Winter, while without of solemn Winter. One would like a situation somewhat more sheltered, when "The ceaseless winds blow ice!" retirement, and of Cowper's "boundless contiguity of shade," he has suffered the rules of common sense always to mingle themselves in his plans of domestic comfort; and, from the bow-windowed extremity of his library, he sees realized, at the distance of four hundred yards, Cæsar's gently-flowing river Arar,* in a stream which loses itself behind some low shrubs; above which is a softly-undulating hill, covered with hazel, and birch, and oak. To the left is an open country, intersected with meadows and corn fields, and terminated by the blue mountains of Malvern at the distance of thirteen miles. Yet more to the left, but within one hundred and fifty yards of the house, and forming something of a foreground to the landscape, are a few large and lofty elm trees, under which many a swain has rested from his toil; many a tender vow has been breathed; many a sabbath-afternoon † innocently kept; and many a village-wake cordially celebrated! Some of these things yet bless the aged eyes of ORLANDO! I have slightly noticed the comfortable interior of his library. "Flumen est Arar, quod per fines Eduorum et Sequanorum in Rhodanum fluit, incredibili lenitate, ita ut oculis, in utram partem fluat, judicari nos possit.' De Bell. Gall., lib. i., § x. Philemon might as happily have compared Orlando's quiet stream to "the silent river" -quæ Liris quieta Mordet aqua which Horace has so exquisitely described, in contrast with -obliquis laborat Lympha fugax trepidare rivo. Carm., lib. i., Od. xxxi., lib. ii., Od. ii. Yet let us not forget Collin's lovely little bit of landscape "Where slowly winds the stealing wave. " There is a curious proclamation by Q. Elizabeth, relating to some Sabbath recreations or games, inserted in Hearne's preface to his edition of Camden's Annals, p. xxviii. It is a little too long to be given entire; but the reader may here be informed that "shooting with the standard, shooting with the broad arrow, shooting at the twelve score prick, shooting at the Turk, leaping for men, running for men, wrestling, throwing the sledge, and pitching the bar," were suffered to be exhibited, on several Sundays, for the benefit of one John Seconton Powlter, dwelling within the parish of St. Clements Danes, being a poor man, having four small children, and fallen to decay." 66 LIS. You spoke of a bow-windowed extremityPHIL. Yes, in this bow-window-the glass of which was furnished full two hundred and fifty years ago, and which has recently been put into a sensible modern framework-thereby affording two hours longer light to the inhabitant-in this bow-window, you will see a great quantity of stained glass of the different arms of his own, and of his wife's, family; with other appropriate embellishments.* And when when the evening sun-beams throw a chequered light throughout the room, 'tis pleasant to observe how Orlando enjoys the opening of an Aldine Greek Classic-the ample-margined leaves of which receive a mellower tint from the soft lustre that pervades the library. Every book, whether opened or closed, is benefited by this due portion of light; so that the eye, in wandering over the numerous shelves, is neither hurt by morning glare nor evening gloom. Of colours, in his furniture, he is very sparing: he considers white shelves, picked out with gold, as heretical-mahogany, wainscot, black, and red, are, what he calls, orthodox colours. He has a few busts and vases; and as his room is very lofty, he admits above, in black and gold frames, a few portraits of eminent literary characters; and whenever he gets a genuine Vandyke, or Velasquez, he congratulates himself exceedingly upon his good fortune. Lis. All this bespeaks a pretty correct taste. But I wish to know something of the man. PHIL. You shall, presently; and, in hearing what I am about to relate, only let us both strive, good Lisardo, so to regulate our studies and feelings that our old age may be like unto Orlando's. Last year I went with my uncle to pay him our annual visit. He appeared quite altered and shaken from the recent misfortune of losing his wife; who had survived *The reader, who is partial to the lucubrations of Thomas Hearne, may peruse a long gossipping note of his upon the importance of stained glass windows -in his account of Godstow nunnery. See his Guil. Neubrig., vol. ii., 768. |