the library-第8章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！




〃But　had　I　kenn'd；　Tamlane；〃　she　says；　〃A　lady　wad　borrowed　thee；　I　wad　ta'en　out　thy　twa　gray　een；　Put　in　twa　een　o'　tree！

〃Had　I　but　kenn'd；　Tamlane；〃　she　says；　〃Before　ye　came　frae　hame；　I　wad　ta'en　out　your　heart　o'　flesh；　Put　in　a　heart　o'　stane！〃


Above　the　lintel　of　his　library　door；　Pixerecourt　had　this　couplet　carved　…


〃Tel　est　le　triste　sort　de　tout　livre　prete；　Souvent　il　est　perdu；　toujours　il　est　gate。〃


M。　Paul　Lacroix　says　he　would　not　have　lent　a　book　to　his　own　daughter。　　Once　Lacroix　asked　for　the　loan　of　a　work　of　little　value。　　Pixerecourt　frowned；　and　led　his　friend　beneath　the　doorway；　pointing　to　the　motto。　　〃Yes；〃　said　M。　Lacroix；　〃but　I　thought　that　verse　applied　to　every　one　but　me。〃　　So　Pixerecourt　made　him　a　present　of　the　volume。

We　cannot　all　imitate　this　〃immense〃　but　unamiable　amateur。　Therefore；　bibliophiles　have　consoled　themselves　with　the　inventions　of　book…plates；　quaint　representations；　perhaps　heraldic；　perhaps　fanciful；　of　their　claims　to　the　possession　of　their　own　dear　volumes。　　Mr。　Leicester　Warren　and　M。　Poulet　Malassis　have　written　the　history　of　these　slender　works　of　art；　and　each　bibliophile　may　have　his　own　engraved；　and　may　formulate　his　own　anathemas　on　people　who　borrow　and　restore　not　again。　　The　process　is　futile；　but　may　comfort　the　heart；　like　the　curses　against　thieves　which　the　Greeks　were　wont　to　scratch　on　leaden　tablets；　and　deposit　in　the　temple　of　Demeter。　　Each　amateur　can　exercise　his　own　taste　in　the　design　of　a　book…plate；　and　for　such　as　love　and　collect　rare　editions　of　〃Homer；〃　I　venture　to　suggest　this　motto；　which　may　move　the　heart　of　the　borrower　to　send　back　an　Aldine　copy　of　the　epic　…


＇Greek　text＇　｛3｝


Mr。　William　Blades；　in　his　pleasant　volume；　〃The　Enemies　of　Books〃　（Trubner）；　makes　no　account　of　the　book…thief　or　biblioklept。　　〃If　they　injure　the　owners；〃　says　Mr。　Blades；　with　real　tolerance；　〃they　do　no　harm　to　the　books　themselves；　by　merely　transferring　them　from　one　set　of　book…shelves　to　another。〃　　This　sentence　has　naturally　caused　us　to　reflect　on　the　ethical　character　of　the　biblioklept。　He　is　not　always　a　bad　man。　　In　old　times；　when　language　had　its　delicacies；　and　moralists　were　not　devoid　of　sensibility；　the　French　did　not　say　〃un　voleur　de　livres；〃　but　〃un　chipeur　de　livres；〃　as　the　papers　call　lady　shoplifters　〃kleptomaniacs。〃　　There　are　distinctions。　　M。　Jules　Janin　mentions　a　great　Parisian　bookseller　who　had　an　amiable　weakness。　　He　was　a　bibliokleptomaniac。　　His　first　motion　when　he　saw　a　book　within　reach　was　to　put　it　in　his　pocket。　　Every　one　knew　his　habit；　and　when　a　volume　was　lost　at　a　sale　the　auctioneer　duly　announced　it；　and　knocked　it　down　to　the　enthusiast；　who　regularly　paid　the　price。　　When　he　went　to　a　private　view　of　books　about　to　be　sold；　the　officials　at　the　door　would　ask　him；　as　he　was　going　out；　if　he　did　not　happen　to　have　an　Elzevir　Horace　or　an　Aldine　Ovid　in　his　pocket。　　Then　he　would　search　those　receptacles　and　exclaim；　〃Yes；　yes；　here　it　is；　so　much　obliged　to　you；　I　am　so　absent。〃　　M。　Janin　mentions　an　English　noble；　a　〃Sir　Fitzgerald；〃　who　had　the　same　tastes；　but　who　unluckily　fell　into　the　hands　of　the　police。　　Yet　M。　Janin　has　a　tenderness　for　the　book…stealer；　who；　after　all；　is　a　lover　of　books。　　The　moral　position　of　the　malefactor　is　so　delicate　and　difficult　that　we　shall　attempt　to　treat　of　it　in　the　severe；　though　rococo；　manner　of　Aristotle's　〃Ethics。〃　　Here　follows　an　extract　from　the　lost　Aristotelian　treatise　〃Concerning　Books〃：…

〃Among　the　contemplative　virtues　we　reckon　the　love　of　books。　　Now　this　virtue；　like　courage　or　liberality；　has　its　mean；　its　excess；　and　its　defect。　　The　defect　is　indifference；　and　the　man　who　is　defective　as　to　the　love　of　books　has　no　name　in　common　parlance。　Therefore；　we　may　call　him　the　Robustious　Philistine。　　This　man　will　cut　the　leaves　of　his　own　or　his　friend's　volumes　with　the　butter…　knife　at　breakfast。　　Also　he　is　just　the　person　wilfully　to　mistake　the　double　sense　of　the　term　'fly…leaves；'　and　to　stick　the　'fly…　leaves'　of　his　volumes　full　of　fly…hooks。　　He　also　loves　dogs'…ears；　and　marks　his　place　with　his　pipe　when　he　shuts　a　book　in　a　hurry；　or　he　will　set　the　leg　of　his　chair　on　a　page　to　keep　it　open。　　He　praises　those　who　tear　off　margins　for　pipe…lights；　and　he　makes　cigarettes　with　the　tissue…paper　that　covers　engravings。　　When　his　books　are　bound；　he　sees　that　the　margin　is　cut　to　the　quick。　　He　tells　you　too；　that　'HE　buys　books　to　read　them。'　But　he　does　not　say　why　he　thinks　it　needful　to　spoil　them。　　Also　he　will　drag　off　bindingsor　should　we　perhaps　call　this　crime　＇Greek　text＇；　or　brutality；　rather　than　mere　vice？　for　vice　is　essentially　human；　but　to　tear　off　bindings　is　bestial。　　Thus　they　still　speak　of　a　certain　monster　who　lived　during　the　French　Revolution；　and　who；　having　purchased　volumes　attired　in　morocco；　and　stamped　with　the　devices　of　the　oligarchs；　would　rip　off　the　leather　or　vellum；　and　throw　them　into　the　fire　or　out　of　the　window；　saying　that　'now　he　could　read　with　unwashed　hands　at　his　ease。'　　Such　a　person；　then；　is　the　man　indifferent　to　books；　and　he　sins　by　way　of　defect；　being　deficient　in　the　contemplative　virtue　of　book…loving。　　As　to　the　man　who　is　exactly　in　the　right　mean；　we　call　him　the　book…lover。　　His　happiness　consists　not　in　reading；　which　is　an　active　virtue；　but　in　the　contemplation　of　bindings；　and　illustrations；　and　title…pages。　Thus　his　felicity　partakes　of　the　nature　of　the　bliss　we　attribute　to　the　gods；　for　that　also　is　contemplative；　and　we　call　the　book…　lover　'happy；'　and　even　'blessed；'　but　within　the　limits　of　mortal　happiness。　　But；　just　as　in　the　matter　of　absence　of　fear　there　is　a　mean　which　we　call　courage；　and　a　defect　which　we　call　cowardice；　and　an　excess　which　is　known　as　foolhardiness；　so　it　is　in　the　case　of　the　love　of　books。　　As　to　the　mean；　we　have　seen　that　it　is　the　virtue　of　the　true　book…lover；　while　the　defect　constitutes　the　sin　of　the　Robustious　Philistine。　　But　the　extreme　is　found　in　covetousness；　and　the　covetous　man　who　is　in　the　extreme　state　of　book…loving；　is　the　biblioklept；　or　book…stealer。　　Now　his　vice　shows　itself；　not　in　contemplation　（for　of　contemplation　there　can　be　no　excess）；　but　in　action。　　For　books　are　procured；　as　we　say；　by　purchase；　or　by　barter；　and　these　are　voluntary　exchanges；　both　the　seller　and　the　buyer　being　willing　to　deal。　　But　books　are；　again；　procured　in　another　way；　by　involuntary　contractthat　is；　when　the　owner　of　the　book　is　unwilling　to　part　with　it；　but　he　whose　own　the　book　is　not　is　determined　to　take　it。　　The　book…stealer　is　such　a　man　as　this；　and　he　possesses　himself　of　books　with　which　the　owner　does　not　intend　to　part；　by　virtue　of　a　series　of　involuntary　contracts。　　Again；　the　question　may　be　raised；　whether　is　the　Robustious　Philistine　who　despises　books；　or　the　biblioklept　who　adores　them　out　of　measure　and　excessively；　the　worse　citizen？　　Now；　if　we　are　to　look　to　the　consequences　of　actions　only　（as　the　followers　of　Bentham　advise）；　clearly　the　Robustious　Philistine　is　the　worse　citizen；　for　he　mangles；　and　dirties；　and　destroys　books　which　it　is　the　interest　of　the　State　to　preserve。　　But　the　biblioklept　treasures　and　adorns　the　books　he　has　acquired；　and　when　he　dies；　or　goes　to　prison；　the　State　receives　the　benefit　at　his　sale。　　Thus　Libri；　who　was　the　greatest　of　biblioklepts；　rescued　many　of　the　books　he　stole　from　dirt　and　misuse；　and　had　them　bound　royally　in　purple　and　gold。　　Also；　it　may　be　argued　that　books　naturally　belong　to　him　who　can　appreciate　them；　and　if　good　books　are　in　a　dull　or　indifferent　man's　keeping；　this　is　the　sort　of　slavery　which　we　call　〃unnatural〃　in　our　POLITICS；　and　which　is　not　to　be　endured。　　Shall　we　say；　then；　that　the　Robustious　Philistine　is　the　worse　citizen；　while　the　Biblioklept　is　the　worse　man？　　But　this　is　perhaps　matter　for　a　separate　disquisition。〃

This　fragment　of　the　lost　Aristotelian　treatise　〃Concerning　Books；〃　shows　what　a　difficulty　the　Stagirite　had　in　determining　the　precise　nature　of　the　moral　offence　of　the　biblioklept。　　Indeed；　both　as　a　collector　and　as　an　intuitive　moralist；　Aristotle　must　have　found　it　rather　difficu