the love affairs of a bibliomaniac-第20章

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ng　the　volume　and　anticipating　the　joy　of　the　duke　upon　its　arrival。　　What　did　the　duke　say？　　‘‘What？''　he　cried。　　‘‘Ah；　another　　big　square　book；　eh？''

It　is　the　fashion　nowadays　to　harp　upon　the　degeneracy　of　humanity；　to　insist　that　taste　is　corrupted；　and　that　the　faculty　of　appreciation　is　dead。　　We　seem　incapable　of　realizing　that　this　is　the　golden　age　of　authors；　if　not　the　golden　age　of　authorship。

In　the　good　old　days　authors　were　in　fact　a　despised　and　neglected　class。　　The　Greeks　put　them　to　death；　as　the　humor　seized　them。　　For　a　hundred　years　after　his　death　Shakespeare　was　practically　unknown　to　his　countrymen；　except　Suckling　and　his　coterie：　during　his　life　he　was　roundly　assailed　by　his　contemporaries；　one　of　the　latter　going　to　the　extreme　of　denouncing　him　as　a　daw　that　strutted　in　borrowed　plumage。　　Milton　was　accused　of　plagiarism；　and　one　of　his　critics　devoted　many　years　to　compiling　　from　every　quarter　passages　in　ancient　works　which　bore　a　similarity　to　the　blind　poet's　verses。　　Even　Samuel　Johnson's　satire　of　‘‘London''　was　pronounced　a　plagiarism。

The　good　old　days　were　the　days；　seemingly；　when　the　critics　had　their　way　and　ran　things　with　a　high　hand；　they　made　or　unmade　books　and　authors。　　They　killed　Chatterton；　just　as；　some　years　later；　they　hastened　the　death　of　Keats。　　For　a　time　they　were　all…powerful。　　It　was　not　until　the　end　of　the　eighteenth　century　that　these　professional　tyrants　began　to　lose　their　grip；　and　when　Byron　took　up　the　lance　against　them　their　doom　was　practically　sealed。

Who　would　care　a　picayune　in　these　degenerate　days　what　Dr。　Warburton　said　pro　or　con　a　book？　　It　was　Warburton　（then　Bishop　of　Gloucester）　who　remarked　of　Granger's　‘‘Biographical　History　of　England''　that　it　was　‘‘an　odd　one。''　　This　was　as　high　a　compliment　as　he　ever　paid　a　book；　those　which　he　did　not　like　he　called　sad　books；　and　those　which　he　fancied　he　called　odd　ones。

The　truth　seems　to　be　that　through　the　　diffusion　of　knowledge　and　the　multiplicity　and　cheapness　of　books　people　generally　have　reached　the　point　in　intelligence　where　they　feel　warranted　in　asserting　their　ability　to　judge　for　themselves。　　So　the　occupation　of　the　critic；　as　interpreted　and　practised　of　old；　is　gone。

Reverting　to　the　practice　of　lamenting　the　degeneracy　of　humanity；　I　should　say　that　the　fashion　is　by　no　means　a　new　one。　　Search　the　records　of　the　ancients　and　you　will　find　the　same　harping　upon　the　one　string　of　present　decay　and　former　virtue。　　Herodotus；　Sallust；　Caesar；　Cicero；　and　Pliny　take　up　and　repeat　the　lugubrious　tale　in　turn。

Upon　earth　there　are　three　distinct　classes　of　men：　　Those　who　contemplate　the　past；　those　who　contemplate　the　present；　those　who　contemplate　the　future。　　I　am　of　those　who　believe　that　humanity　progresses；　and　it　is　my　theory　that　the　best　works　of　the　past　have　survived　and　come　down　to　us　in　these　books　which　are　our　dearest　legacies；　our　proudest　possessions；　and　our　best…beloved　companions。　




XV

A　BOOK　THAT　BRINGS　SOLACE　AND　CHEER

One　of　my　friends　had　a　mania　for　Bunyan　once　upon　a　time；　and；　although　he　has　now　abandoned　that　fad　for　the　more　fashionable　passion　of　Napoleonana；　he　still　exhibits　with　evident　pride　the　many　editions　of　the　‘‘Pilgrim's　Progress''　he　gathered　together　years　ago。　　I　have　frequently　besought　him　to　give　me　one　of　his　copies；　which　has　a　curious　frontispiece　illustrating　the　dangers　besetting　the　traveller　from　the　City　of　Destruction　to　the　Celestial　City。　　This　frontispiece；　which　is　prettily　illuminated；　occurs　in　Virtue's　edition　of　the　‘‘Pilgrim's　Progress''；　the　book　itself　is　not　rare；　but　it　is　hardly　procurable　in　perfect　condition；　for　the　reason　that　the　colored　plate　is　so　pleasing　to　the　eye　that　few　have　been　able　to　resist　the　temptation　to　make　away　with　it。　

For　similar　reasons　it　is　seldom　that　we　meet　with　a　perfect　edition　of　Quarles'　‘‘Emblems''；　indeed；　an　‘‘Emblems''　of　early　publication　that　does　not　lack　the　title…page　is　a　great　rarity。　　In　the　‘‘good　old　days；''　when　juvenile　books　were　few；　the　works　of　Bunyan　and　of　Quarles　were　vastly　popular　with　the　little　folk；　and　little　fingers　wrought　sad　havoc　with　the　title…pages　and　the　pictures　that　with　their　extravagant　and　vivid　suggestions　appealed　so　directly　and　powerfully　to　the　youthful　fancy。

Coleridge　says　of　the　‘‘Pilgrim's　Progress''　that　it　is　the　best　summary　of　evangelical　Christianity　ever　produced　by　a　writer　not　miraculously　inspired。　　Froude　declares　that　it　has　for　two　centuries　affected　the　spiritual　opinions　of　the　English　race　in　every　part　of　the　world　more　powerfully　than　any　other　book；　except　the　Bible。　　‘‘It　is；''　says　Macaulay；　‘‘perhaps　the　only　book　about　which；　after　the　lapse　of　a　hundred　years；　the　educated　minority　has　come　over　to　the　opinion　of　the　common　people。''

Whether　or　not　Bunyan　is；　as　D'Israeli　has　called　him；　the　Spenser　of　the　people；　and　　whether　or　not　his　work　is　the　poetry　of　Puritanism；　the　best　evidence　of　the　merit　of　the　‘‘Pilgrim's　Progress''　appears；　as　Dr。　Johnson　has　shrewdly　pointed　out；　in　the　general　and　continued　approbation　of　mankind。　　Southey　has　critically　observed　that　to　his　natural　style　Bunyan　is　in　some　degree　beholden　for　his　general　popularity；　his　language　being　everywhere　level　to　the　most　ignorant　reader　and　to　the　meanest　capacity；　‘‘there　is　a　homely　reality　about　ita　nursery　tale　is　not　more　intelligible；　in　its　manner　of　narration；　to　a　child。''

Another　cause　of　his　popularity；　says　Southey；　is　that　he　taxes　the　imagination　as　little　as　the　understanding。　　‘‘The　vividness　of　his　own；　which；　as　history　shows；　sometimes　could　not　distinguish　ideal　impressions　from　actual　ones；　occasioned　this。　　He　saw　the　things　of　which　he　was　writing　as　distinctly　with　his　mind's　eye　as　if　they　were；　indeed；　passing　before　him　in　a　dream。''

It　is　clear　to　me　that　in　his　youth　Bunyan　would　have　endeared　himself　to　me　had　I　lived　at　that　time；　for　his　fancy　was　of　that　kind　and　of　such　intensity　as　I　delight　to　find　in　youth。　　‘‘My　sins；''　he　tells　us；　‘‘did　so　offend　the　Lord　that　even　in　my　childhood　He　did　scare　and　affright　me　with　fearful　dreams　and　did　terrify　me　with　dreadful　visions。　　I　have　been　in　my　bed　greatly　afflicted；　while　asleep；　with　apprehensions　of　devils　and　wicked　spirits；　who　still；　as　I　then　thought；　labored　to　draw　me　away　with　them；　of　which　I　could　never　be　rid。''

It　is　quite　likely　that　Bunyan　overestimated　his　viciousness。　　One　of　his　ardent；　intense　temperament　having　once　been　touched　of　the　saving　grace　could　hardly　help　recognizing　in　himself　the　most　miserable　of　sinners。　　It　is　related　that　upon　one　occasion　he　was　going　somewhere　disguised　as　a　wagoner；　when　he　was　overtaken　by　a　constable　who　had　a　warrant　for　his　arrest。

‘‘Do　you　know　that　devil　of　a　fellow　Bunyan？''　asked　the　constable。

‘‘Know　him？''　cried　Bunyan。　　''You　might　call　him　a　devil　indeed；　if　you　knew　him　as　well　as　I　once　did！''

This　was　not　the　only　time　his　wit　served　him　to　good　purpose。　　On　another　occasion　a　certain　Cambridge　student；　who　was　filled　　with　a　sense　of　his　own　importance；　undertook　to　prove　to　him　what　a　divine　thing　reason　was；　and　he　capped　his　argument　with　the　declaration　that　reason　was　the　chief　glory　of　man　which　distinguished　him　from　a　beast。　　To　this　Bunyan　calmly　made　answer：　　‘‘Sin　distinguishes　man　from　beast；　is　sin　divine？''

Frederick　Saunders　observes　that；　like　Milton　in　his　blindness；　Bunyan　in　his　imprisonment　had　his　spiritual　perception　made　all　the　brighter　by　his　exclusion　from　the　glare　of　the　outside　world。　　And　of　the　great　debt　of　gratitude　we　all　owe　to　‘‘the　wicked　tinker　of　Elstow''　Dean　Stanley　has　spoken　so　truly　that　I　am　fain　to　quote　his　words：　　‘‘We　all　need　to　be　cheered　by　the　help　of　Greatheart　and　Standfast　and　Valiant…for…the…Truth；　and　good　old　Honesty！　　Some　of　us　have　been　in　Doubting　Castle；　some　in　the　Slough　of　Despond。　　Some　have　experienced　the　temptations　of　Vanity　Fair；　all　of　us　have　to　climb　the　Hill　of　Difficulty；　all　of　us　need　to　be　instructed　by　the　Interpreter　in　the　House　Beautiful；　all　of　us　bear　the　same　burden；　all　of　us　need　the　same　armor　in　our　fight　with　Apollyon；　all　o