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قراءة كتاب Bibliomania; or Book-Madness A Bibliographical Romance
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Bibliomania; or Book-Madness A Bibliographical Romance
href="@public@vhost@g@gutenberg@html@files@28540@[email protected]#Page_103" class="pginternal" tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">p. 103-139.
 LUTHER. |
 MELANCTHON. |
PUBLISHED BY THE PROPRIETOR (FOR THE NEW EDITION) OF THE REV. Dr. DIBDINS BIBLIOMANIA, 1840.
The Bibliomania.
MY DEAR SIR,
When the poetical Epistle of Dr. Ferriar, under the popular title of "The Bibliomania," was announced for publication, I honestly confess that, in common with many of my book-loving acquaintance, a strong sensation of fear and of hope possessed me: of fear, that I might have been accused, however indirectly, of having contributed towards the increase of this Mania; and of hope, that the true object of book-collecting, and literary pursuits, might have been fully and fairly developed. The perusal of this elegant epistle dissipated alike my fears and my hopes; for, instead of caustic verses, and satirical notes,[3] I found a smooth, melodious, and persuasive panegyric; unmixed, however, with any rules for the choice of books, or the regulation of study.
[3] There are, nevertheless, some satirical allusions which one could have wished had been suppressed. For instance:
| He turns where Pybus rears his atlas-head, Or Madoc's mass conceals its veins of lead; |
What has Mr. Pybus's gorgeous book in praise of the late Russian Emperor Paul I. (which some have called the chef-d'œuvre of Bensley's press[A]) to do with Mr. Southey's fine Poem of Madoc?—in which, if there are "veins of lead," there are not a few "of silver and gold." Of the extraordinary talents of Mr. Southey, the indefatigable student in ancient lore, and especially in all that regards Spanish Literature and Old English Romances, this is not the place to make mention. His "Remains of Henry Kirk White," the sweetest specimen of modern biography, has sunk into every heart, and received an eulogy from every tongue. Yet is his own life
"The more endearing song."
Dr. Ferriar's next satirical verses are levelled at Mr. Thomas Hope.
| "The lettered fop now takes a larger scope, With classic furniture, design'd by Hope. (Hope, whom upholsterers eye with mute despair, The doughty pedant of an elbow chair.") |
It has appeared to me that Mr. Hope's magnificent volume on "Household Furniture" has been generally misunderstood, and, in a few instances, criticised upon false principles.—The first question is, does the subject admit of illustration? and if so, has Mr. Hope illustrated it properly? I believe there is no canon of criticism which forbids the treating of such a subject; and, while we are amused with archæological discussions on Roman tiles and tesselated pavements, there seems to be no absurdity in making the decorations of our sitting rooms, including something more than the floor we walk upon, a subject at least of temperate and classical disquisition. Suppose we had found such a treatise in the volumes of Gronovius and Montfaucon? (and are there not a few, apparently, as unimportant and confined in these rich volumes of the Treasures of Antiquity?) or suppose something similar to Mr. Hope's work had been found among the ruins of Herculaneum? Or, lastly, let us suppose the author had printed it only as a private book, to be circulated as a present! In each of these instances, should we have heard the harsh censures which have been thrown out against it? On the contrary, is it not very probable that a wish might have been expressed that "so valuable a work ought to be made public."
Upon what principle, a priori, are we to ridicule