Oldalképek
PDF
ePub

five hundred, this raised universal astonishment; and still more when he produced copies as fast as they were wanted, and even lowered (1) his price. The uniformity of the copies increased the wonder. Informations (2) were given the magistrates against him as a magician; and in searching his lodgings a great number of copies were found. The red ink (and Fust's red ink is peculiarly brilliant) which embellished his copies was said to be his blood; and it was solemnly adjudged that he was in league with the Devil. Fust was at length obliged, in order to save himself from fire (3), to reveal (4) his art to the Parliament of Paris, who discharged him from all prosecution, in consideration of this useful invention.

ERRATA.

A printer's wife in Germany, while a new edition of the Bible was printing at her house, one night took an opportunity of going into the office, to alter that sentence of subjection (5) to her husband, pronounced against Eve in Genesis, chap. 5, V. 16. She took out the two first letters of the word HERR, and substituted NA in their place, thus altering the sentence from "and he shall be thy Lord" (Herr), to" and he shall be thy FOOL" (NARR). It is said that her life paid for this

(1) To lower, baisser.

(2) Informations, dénonciations.
(3) From fire, d'être brûlé.
(4) To reveal, communiquer.
(5) Subjection, soumission.

ORIGIN OF THE MATERIALS FOR WRITING,

124

intentional erratum; and that some secreted copies of this edition have been bought up (1) at enormous prices.

ORIGIN OF THE MATERIALS FOR WRITING.

Before the use of parchment and paper passed to the Romans, they employed the thin peel (2) found between the wood and the bark (3) of trees. This skinny (4) substance they called liber, whence the Latin word liber, a book, and library and librarian, and their derivatives in the European languages; but we of the North derive our word book, from the Danish bog, the beech-tree (5), because that being the most plentiful in Denmark, was used to engrave on. Anciently, instead of folding this bark, parchment, or paper, as we fold ours, they rolled it as they wrote on it; and the Latin name which they gave these rolls, has passed into our languages as well as the others. We say a volume, or volumes, although our books are composed of pages, cut and bound together. The books of the ancients on the shelves of their libraries were rolled up on a pin (6) and placed erect, titled on the outside, in red letters, or rubrics, and appeared like a number of small pillars (7) on the shelves.

(1) Bought up, passé de to buy up, acheter, accaparer. (2) Peel,

écorce.

(3) Bark, écorce extérieure.

(4) Skinny, mince, maigre, de skin, peau.

(5) Beech-tree, hêtre.

(6) Pin, cheville, quille, morceau de bois rond.

(7) Pillars, colonnes.

ABSTRACTION OF MIND.

Poggius relates of Dante, that he indulged his meditations more strongly than any man he ever knew; whenever he read, he was only alive to (1) what was passing in his mind; to all human concerns he was as if they had not been. Dante went one day to see a great public procession; he entered the shop of a bookseller to be a spectator of the passing show. He found a book which greatly interested him; he devoured it in silence, and plunged into an abyss of thought. On his return he declared that he had neither seen nor heard the slightest occurrence of the public exhibition which had passed before him.

ROYALTY A BURDEN.

A great Polish monarch having quitted his companions when he was hunting, his courtiers found him a few days after in a market-place, disguised as a porter (2), and lending out (5) the use of his shoulders for a few pence.

At this they were much surprised, and they were doubtful at first whether the porter could be his majesty. At length (4) they ventured to express their astonishment and complaints, that so great a personage should de

(1) To be alive to, être sensible à.

(2) A porter, un porte-faix.
(3) To lend out, louer, prêter.
(4) At length, enfin.

TREACHERY REWARDED BY PROVIDENCE.

[ocr errors]

125

base (1) himself by so vile an employ. His majesty, having heard them, answered them: "Upon my honour, gentlemen, the load which I quitted, is by far heavier than the one you see me carry here even the weightiest (2) is but a straw compared to that world. under which I laboured. I have slept more in the four nights since I have quitted royalty, than I have during all my reign. I begin to live, and to be king of myself. Elect whom you will. For me, who am so well, it would be madness (3) to return to court. Another Polish king who succeeded this philosophical monarch and porter, when they placed the sceptre in his hand, exclaimed:" I had rather manage (4) an oar! " The vacillating fortunes of the Polish monarchy present several of these anecdotes; their monarchs appear to have frequently been philosophers; and in the actual state of the world, an excellent philosopher proves but an indifferent king.

[ocr errors]

TREACHERY REWARDED BY PROVIDENCE.

In the year 1552, the Lithuanians invaded Poland. Casimir III. was then upon the throne; he put himself at the head of his brave troops, and marched to repel the invaders. The Poles arrived in face of their

(1) To debase, dégrader.

(2) The weightiest, le plus lourd; les adjectifs qui sont terminés au positif par un précédé d'une consonne, changent ley en i avant de prendre le signe du superlatif, est.

(3) Madness, folie.

(4) To manage, manier.

enemies, stopped their march, and prepared for a decisive battle. All was ready for the attack, when a traitor of the Polish army informed the enemy of the plan, told him how to avoid the engagement, and advised him to direct his march towards the capital, which had been left almost defenceless (1). He indicated the roads by which the Lithuanians might advance without danger, and even promised to drive stakes (2) into the banks of the Vistula at a spot where it was fordable (3). The stakes were driven, the enemy received notice of it, and prepared to cross the river that night. Some fishermen passing soon after observed the stakes, and suspecting something wrong (4), removed them a short distance to a part of the river that was very deep. As soon as it was dark, the Lithuanians began their march, the traitor accompanied them; they arrive at the river, the first ranks enter and are immediately swallowed up (5), men and horses. The commander Lubartus, thinking that he himself was betrayed, and fearing to fall into ambuscade, ordered the traitor's head to be immediately cut off, and hastily evacuated Poland.

(Historical.)

TURKISH JUSTICE AND HUMANITY.

The Aga of Boli, in Asia Minor, having made some

(1) Defenceless, sans défense; en ajoutant le privatif less aux noms, ils deviennent adjectifs.

(2) Stakes, des pieux, poteaux.

(3) Fordable, quéable.

(4) Wrong, mal, tort.

(5) Swallowed up, englouti,

« ElőzőTovább »