the love affairs of a bibliomaniac(藏书癖者的爱情)-第15节
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Halleck； the poet； who； speaking of the Scottish streams and their
legendary associations； insisted that the American rivers were not
susceptible of like poetic treatment。 Dana thought otherwise； and to
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make his position good produced three days after this poem。''
It may be that Saunders wrote the name Drake； for it was James
Rodman Drake who did ‘‘The Culprit Fay。'' Perhaps it was the printer's
fault that the poem is accredited to Dana。 Perhaps Mr。 Saunders writes
so legible a hand that the printers are careless with his manuscript。
‘‘There is；'' says Wheatley； ‘‘there is a popular notion among authors
that it is not wise to write a clear hand。 Menage was one of the first to
express it。 He wrote： ‘If you desire that no mistake shall appear in
the works which you publish； never send well…written copy to the printer；
for in that case the manuscript is given to young apprentices； who make a
thousand errors； while； on the other hand； that which is difficult to read is
dealt with by the master… printers。' ''
The most distressing blunder I ever read in print was made at the time
of the burial of the famous antiquary and litterateur； John Payne Collier。
In the London newspapers of Sept。 21； 1883； it was reported that ‘‘the
remains of the late Mr。 John Payne Collier were interred yesterday in Bray
churchyard； near Maidenhead； in the presence of a large number of
spectators。'' Thereupon the Eastern daily press published the following
remarkable perversion： ‘‘The Bray Colliery Disaster。 The remains of
the late John Payne； collier； were interred yesterday afternoon in the Bray
churchyard in the presence of a large number of friends and spectators。''
Far be it from the book…lover and the book…collector to rail at blunders；
for not unfrequently these very blunders make books valuable。 Who
cares for a Pine's Horace that does not contain the ‘‘potest'' error？ The
genuine first edition of Hawthorne's ‘‘Scarlet Letter'' is to be determined
by the presence of a certain typographical slip in the introduction。 The
first edition of the English Scriptures printed in Ireland （1716） is much
desired by collectors； and simply because of an error。 Isaiah bids us ‘‘sin
no more；'' but the Belfast printer； by some means or another； transposed
the letters in such wise as to make the injunction read ‘‘sin on more。''
The so…called Wicked Bible is a book that is seldom met with； and；
therefore； in great demand。 It was printed in the time of Charles I。； and it
is notorious because it omits the adverb ‘‘not'' in its version of the seventh
commandment； the printers were fined a large sum for this gross error。
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Six copies of the Wicked Bible are known to be in existence。 At one time
the late James Lenox had two copies； in his interesting memoirs Henry
Stevens tells how he picked up one copy in Paris for fifty guineas。
Rabelais' printer got the satirical doctor into deep water for printing
asne for ame； the council of the Sorbonne took the matter up and asked
Francis I。 to prosecute Rabelais for heresy； this the king declined to do；
and Rabelais proceeded forthwith to torment the council for having
founded a charge of heresy upon a printer's blunder。
Once upon a time the Foulis printing establishment at Glasgow
determined to print a perfect Horace； accordingly the proof sheets were
hung up at the gates of the university； and a sum of money was paid for
every error detected。
Notwithstanding these precautions the edition had six uncorrected
errors in it when it was finally published。 Disraeli says that the so…called
Pearl Bible had six thousand errata！ The works of Picus of Mirandula；
Strasburg； 1507； gave a list of errata covering fifteen folio pages； and a
worse case is that of ‘‘Missae ac Missalis Anatomia'' （1561）； a volume of
one hundred and seventy…two pages； fifteen of which are devoted to the
errata。 The author of the Missae felt so deeply aggrieved by this array of
blunders that he made a public explanation to the effect that the devil
himself stole the manuscript； tampered with it； and then actually
compelled the printer to misread it。
I am not sure that this ingenious explanation did not give origin to the
term of ‘‘printer's devil。''
It is frightful to think What nonsense sometimes
They make of one's sense And； what's worse； of one's rhymes。
It was only last week； In my ode upon spring； Which I
meant to have made A most beautiful thing；
When I talked of the dewdrops From freshly blown roses；
The nasty things made it From freshly blown noses。
We can fancy Richard Porson's rage （for Porson was of violent
temper） when； having written the statement that ‘‘the crowd rent the air
with their shouts；'' his printer made the line read ‘‘the crowd rent the air
with their snouts。'' However； this error was a natural one； since it occurs
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in the ‘‘Catechism of the Swinish Multitude。 ‘‘Royalty only are
privileged when it comes to the matter of blundering。 When Louis XIV。
was a boy he one day spoke of ‘‘un carosse''； he should have said ‘‘une
carosse；'' but he was king； and having changed the gender of carosse the
change was accepted； and unto this day carosse is masculine。
That errors should occur in newspapers is not remarkable； for much of
the work in a newspaper office is done hastily。 Yet some of these errors
are very amusing。 I remember to have read in a Berlin newspaper a
number of years ago that ‘‘Prince Bismarck is trying to keep up honest
and straightforward relations with all the girls'' （madchen）。
This statement seemed incomprehensible until it transpired that the
word ‘‘madchen'' was in this instance a misprint for ‘‘machten；'' a word
meaning all the European powers。
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X
WHEN FANCHONETTE BEWITCHED ME
The garden in which I am straying has so many diversions to catch my
eye； to engage my attention and to inspire reminiscence that I find it hard
to treat of its beauties methodically。 I find myself wandering up and
down； hither and thither； in so irresponsible a fashion that I marvel you
have not abandoned me as the most irrational of madmen。
Yet how could it be otherwise？ All around me I see those things that
draw me from the pathway I set out to pursue： like a heedless butterfly I
flit from this sweet unto that； glorying and revelling in the sunshine and
the posies。 There is little that is selfish in a love like this； and herein we
have another reason why the passion for books is beneficial。 He who
loves women must and should love some one woman above the rest； and
he has her to his keeping； which I esteem to be one kind of selfishness。
But he who truly loves books loves all books alike； and not only this；
but it grieves him that all other men do not share with him this noble
passion。 Verily； this is the most unselfish of loves！
To return now to the matter of booksellers； I would fain impress you
with the excellences of the craft； for I know their virtues。 My association
with them has covered so long a period and has been so intimate that even
in a vast multitude of people I have no difficulty in determining
