第 16 节
作者:这就是结局      更新:2021-02-19 18:29      字数:9322
  illustrious     Julie;   daughter      of   the   Marquise       de   Rambouillet;       most
  distinguished   of   the   Precieuses;   and   wife   of   the   Duc   de   Montausier;   the
  supposed original of Moliere's Alceste。 The MS。 was copied on vellum by
  Nicholas      Jarry;  the   great  calligraph     of  his  time。    The    flowers    on   the
  margin were painted by Robert。              Not long ago a French amateur was so
  lucky as to discover the MS。 book of prayers of Julie's noble mother; the
  Marquise de Rambouillet。 The Marquise wrote these prayers for her own
  devotions;   and   Jarry;   the   illuminator;   declared   that   he   found   them   most
  edifying; and delightful to study。          The manuscript is written on vellum by
  the famous Jarry; contains a portrait of the fair Julie herself; and is bound
  in   morocco      by   Le   Gascon。     The     happy    collector    who    possesses     the
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  volume now; heard vaguely that a manuscript of some interest was being
  exposed   for   sale   at   a   trifling   price   in   the   shop   of   a   country   bookseller。
  The    description     of  the  book;    casual   as  it  was;   made    mention     of  the
  monogram on the cover。            This was enough for the amateur。             He rushed
  to   a  railway   station;   travelled    some    three  hundred     miles;   reached    the
  country town; hastened to the bookseller's shop; and found that the book
  had been withdrawn by its owner。             Happily the possessor; unconscious of
  his bliss; was at home。        The amateur sought him out; paid the small sum
  demanded; and returned to Paris in triumph。               Thus; even in the region of
  manuscript…collecting;        there   are  extraordinary     prizes   for  the  intelligent
  collector。
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  TO KNOW IF A MANUSCRIPT IS
  PERFECT
  If   the   manuscript   is   of   English   or   French   writing   of   the   twelfth;
  thirteenth;   fourteenth;   or   fifteenth   centuries;   it   is   probably   either(1)   a
  Bible; (2) a Psalter; (3) a book of Hours; or (4); but rarely; a Missal。                 It is
  not   worth   while   to   give   the   collation   of   a   gradual;   or   a   hymnal;   or   a
  processional; or a breviary; or any of the fifty different kinds of service…
  books   which   are   occasionally   met   with;   but   which   are   never   twice   the
  same。
  To collate one of them; the reader must go carefully through the book;
  seeing that the catch…words; if there are any; answer to the head lines; and
  if   there   are   〃signatures;〃   that   is;   if   the   foot   of   the   leaves   of   a   sheet   of
  parchment has any mark for enabling the binder to 〃gather〃 them correctly;
  going through them; and seeing that each signed leaf has its corresponding
  〃blank。〃
  1。    To   collate   a   Bible;   it   will   be   necessary   first   to   go   through   the
  catch…words; if any; and signatures; as above; then to notice the contents。
  The first page should contain the Epistle of St。 Jerome to the reader。                      It
  will be observed that there is nothing of the nature of a title…page; but   I
  have often seen title…pages supplied by some ignorant imitator in the last
  century;   with   the   idea   that   the   book   was   imperfect   without   one。      The
  books of the Bible follow in orderbut the order not only differs from ours;
  but    differs   in  different    copies。     The     Apocryphal       books    are   always
  included。      The   New   Testament   usually   follows   on   the   Old   without   any
  break;   and   the   book   concludes   with   an   index   of   the   Hebrew   names   and
  their   signification   in   Latin;   intended   to   help   preachers   to   the   figurative
  meaning   of   the   biblical   types   and   parables。     The   last   line   of   the   Bible
  itself   usually   contains   a   colophon;   in   which   sometimes   the   name   of   the
  writer is given; sometimes the length of time it has taken him to write; and
  sometimes merely the 〃Explicit。 Laus Deo;〃 which has found its way into
  many modern books。            This colophon; which comes as a rule immediately
  before     the  index;   often   contains    curious    notes;   hexameters      giving    the
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  names   of   all   the   books;   biographical   or   local   memoranda;   and   should
  always be looked for by the collector。            One such line occurs to me。          It is
  in a Bible written in Italy in the thirteenth century …
  〃Qui scripsit scribat。     Vergilius spe domini vivat。〃
  Vergilius was; no doubt; in this case the scribe。             The Latin and the
  writing are often equally crabbed。            In the Bodleian there is a Bible with
  this colophon …
  〃Finito   libro   referemus     gratias  Christo    m。lxv。    indict。  viij。  Ego
  Lafracus de Pacis de Cmoa scriptor scripsi。〃
  This   was   also   written   in   Italy。 English   colophons   are   often   very
  quaint〃Qui      scripsit   hunc   librum    fiat  collocatus    in  Paradisum;〃     is  an
  example。      The following gives us the name of one Master Gerard; who;
  in the fourteenth century; thus poetically described his ownership:…
  〃Si Ge ponaturet rar simul associatur … Et dus reddaturcui pertinet
  ita vocatur。〃
  In a Bible written in England; in the British Museum; there is a long
  colophon;   in   which;   after   the   name   of   the   writer〃hunc   librum   scripsit
  Wills de Hales;〃there is a prayer for Ralph of Nebham; who had called
  Hales to the writing of the book; followed by a date… …〃Fes。 fuit liber anno
  M。i。   quarto   ab   incarnatione   domini。〃      In   this   Bible   the   books   of   the
  New Testament were in the following order:… the Evangelists; the Acts; the
  Epistles of S。 Peter; S。 James; and S。 John; the Epistles of S。 Paul; and the
  Apocalypse。       In a Bible at Brussels I found the colophon after the index:…
  〃Hic expliciunt interpretationes Hebrayorum nominum Do gris qui potens
  est   p。  sup。   omia。〃    Some      of  these   Bibles    are  of  marvellously      small
  dimensions。       The    smallest    I  ever  saw    was   at  Ghent;   but   it  was  very
  imperfect。      I have one in which there are thirteen lines of writing in an
  inch   of   the   column。    The   order   of   the   books   of   the   New   Testament   in
  Bibles of the thirteenth century is usually according to one or other of the
  three following arrangements:…
  (1。)   The Evangelists; Romans to Hebrews; Acts; Epistles of S。 Peter;
  S。 James; and S。 John; Apocalypse。
  (2。)   The Evangelists; Acts; Epistles of S。 Peter; S。 James; and S。 John;
  Epistles of S。 Paul; Apocalypse。          This is the most common。
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  (3。)    The Evangelists; Acts; Epistles of S。 Peter; S。 James; and S。 John;
  Apocalypse; and Epistles of S。 Paul。
  On   the   fly   leaves   of   these   old   Bibles   there   are   often   very   curious
  inscriptions。       In   one    I  have    this:…  〃Haec     biblia   emi    Haquinas      prior
  monasterii Hatharbiensis de dono domini regis Norwegie。〃                      Who was this
  King of Norway who; in 1310; gave the Prior of Hatherby money to buy a
  Bible;     which     was    probably     written    at   Canterbury?        And     who     was
  Haquinas?        His   name   has   a   Norwegian   sound;   and   reminds   us   of   St。
  Thomas of that surname。            In another manuscript I have seen
  〃Articula Fidei:… Nascitur; abluitur; patitur; descendit at ima Surgit et
  ascendit; veniens discernere cuncta。〃
  In another this:…
  〃Sacramenta   ecclesiae:…   Abluo;   fumo;   cibo;   piget;   ordinat;   uxor   et
  ungit。〃
  I  will   conclude      these   notes    on   MS。     Bibles    with   the   following
  colophon from a copy written in Italy in the fifteenth century:…
  〃Finito    libro   vivamus     semper     in   Christo    …  Si  semper     in  Christo
  carebimus       ultimo     leto。   Explicit    Deo    gratias;    Amen。       Stephanus       de
  Tantaldis scripsit in pergamo。〃
  2。   The 〃Psalter〃 of the thirteenth century is usually to be considered
  a   forerunner   of   the   〃Book   of   Hours。〃      It   always   contains;   and   usually
  commences w