MICO-COSMOGRAPHIE, 1628.
The squire4 receives great sympathy and support in his antiquated5 humours from the parson, of whom I made some mention on my former visit to the Hall, and who acts as a kind of family chaplain. He has been cherished by the squire almost constantly since the time that they were fellow-students at Oxford6; for it is one of the peculiar7 advantages of these great universities that they often link the poor scholar to the rich patron, by early and heartfelt ties, that last through life, without the usual humiliations of dependence8 and patronage9. Under the fostering protection of the squire, therefore, the little parson has pursued his studies in peace. Having lived almost entirely10 among books, and those, too, old books, he is quite ignorant of the world, and his mind is as antiquated as the garden at the Hall, where the flowers are all arranged in formal beds, and the yew-trees clipped into urns11 and peacocks.
His taste for literary antiquities12 was first imbibed13 in the Bodleian Library at Oxford; where, when a student, he passed many an hour foraging14 among the old manuscripts. He has since, at different times, visited most of the curious libraries in England, and has ransacked15 many of the cathedrals. With all his quaint16 and curious learning, he has nothing of arrogance17 or pedantry18; but that unaffected earnestness and guileless simplicity20 which seem to belong to the literary antiquary.
He is a dark, mouldy little man, and rather dry in his manner: yet, on his favourite theme, he kindles21 up, and at times is even eloquent22. No fox-hunter, recounting his last day's sport, could be more animated23 than I have seen the worthy24 parson, when relating his search after a curious document, which he had traced from library to library, until he fairly unearthed25 it in the dusty chapter-house of a cathedral. When, too, he describes some venerable manuscript, with its rich illuminations, its thick creamy vellum, its glossy26 ink, and the odour of the cloisters27 that seemed to exhale28 from it he rivals the enthusiasm of a Parisian epicure29, expatiating30 on the merits of a Perigord pie, or a Pâté de Strasbourg.
His brain seems absolutely haunted with love-sick dreams about gorgeous old works in "silk linings31, triple gold bands, and tinted32 leather, locked up in wire cases, and secured from the vulgar hands of the mere33 reader;" and, to continue the happy expression of an ingenious writer, "dazzling one's eyes, like eastern beauties peering through their jealousies34."
He has a great desire, however, to read such works in the old libraries and chapter-houses to which they belong; for he thinks a black-letter volume reads best in one of those venerable chambers35 where the light struggles through dusty lancet windows and painted glass; and that it loses half its zest37 if taken away from the neighbourhood of the quaintly38 carved oaken book-case and Gothic reading-desk. At his suggestion, the squire has had the library furnished in this antique taste, and several of the windows glazed39 with painted glass, that they may throw a properly tempered light upon the pages of their favourite old authors.
The parson, I am told, has been for some time meditating40 a commentary on Strutt, Brand, and Douce, in which he means to detect them in sundry41 dangerous errors in respect to popular games and superstitions42; a work to which the squire looks forward with great interest. He is also a casual contributor to that long-established repository of national customs and antiquities, the Gentleman's Magazine, and is one of those that every now and then make an inquiry43 concerning some obsolete44 customs or rare legend; nay45, it is said that several of his communications have been at least six inches in length. He frequently receives parcels by coach from different parts of the kingdom, containing mouldy volumes and almost illegible46 manuscripts; for it is singular what an active correspondence is kept up among literary antiquaries, and how soon the fame of any rare volume, or unique copy, just discovered among the rubbish of a library, is circulated among them. The parson is more busy than common just now, being a little flurried by an advertisement of a work, said to be preparing for the press, on the mythology47 of the middle ages. The little man has long been gathering48 together all the hobgoblin tales he could collect, illustrative of the superstitions of former times; and he is in a complete fever lest this formidable rival should take the field before him.
A Bookworm
Shortly after my arrival at the Hall, I called at the parsonage, in company with Mr. Bracebridge and the general. The parson had not been seen for several days, which was a matter of some surprise, as he was an almost daily visitor at the Hall. We found him in his study, a small, dusky chamber36, lighted by a lattice window that looked into the churchyard, and was overshadowed by a yew-tree. His chair was surrounded by folios and quartos, piled upon the floor, and his table was covered with books and manuscripts. The cause of his seclusion49 was a work which he had recently received, and with which he had retired50 in rapture51 from the world, and shut himself up to enjoy a literary honeymoon52 undisturbed. Never did boarding-school girl devour53 the pages of a sentimental54 novel, or Don Quixote a chivalrous55 romance, with more intense delight than did the little man banquet on the pages of this delicious work. It was Dibdin's Bibliographical56 Tour; a work calculated to have as intoxicating57 an effect on the imaginations of literary antiquaries, as the adventures of the heroes of the Round Table on all true knights58; or the tales of the early American voyagers on the ardent59 spirits of the age, filling them with dreams of Mexican and Peruvian mines, and of the golden realm of El Dorado.
The good parson had looked forward to this bibliographical expedition as of far greater importance than those to Africa, or the North Pole. With what eagerness had he seized upon the history of the enterprise! With what interest had he followed the redoubtable60 bibliographer61 and his graphical squire in their adventurous62 roamings among Norman castles and cathedrals, and French libraries, and German convents and universities; penetrating63 into the prison-houses of vellum manuscripts and exquisitely64 illuminated66 missals, and revealing their beauties to the world!
When the parson had finished a rapturous eulogy67 on this most curious and entertaining work, he drew forth68 from a little drawer a manuscript lately received from a correspondent, which perplexed69 him sadly. It was written in Norman-French in very ancient characters, and so faded and mouldered70 away as to be almost illegible. It was apparently71 an old Norman drinking song, that might have been brought over by one of William the Conqueror's carousing72 followers73. The writing was just legible enough to keep a keen antiquity74 hunter on a doubtful chase; here and there he would be completely thrown out, and then there would be a few words so plainly written as to put him on the scent75 again. In this way he had been led on for a whole day, until he had found himself completely at fault.
The squire endeavoured to assist him, but was equally baffled. The old general listened for some time to the discussion, and then asked the parson if he had read Captain Morris's or George Stephens's or Anacreon Moore's bacchanalian76 songs; on the other replying in the negative, "Oh, then," said the general, with a sagacious nod, "if you want a drinking song, I can furnish you with the latest collection—I did not know you had a turn for those kind of things; and I can lend you the Encyclopaedia77 of Wit into the bargain. I never travel without them; they're excellent reading at an inn."
It would not be easy to describe the odd look of surprise and perplexity of the parson at this proposal; or the difficulty the squire had in making the general comprehend, that though a jovial78 song of the present day was but a foolish sound in the ears of wisdom, and beneath the notice of a learned man, yet a trowl written by a tosspot several hundred years since was a matter worthy of the gravest research, and enough to set whole colleges by the ears.
I have since pondered much on this matter, and have figured to myself what may be the fate of our current literature, when retrieved79 piecemeal80 by future antiquaries, from among the rubbish of ages. What a Magnus Apollo, for instance, will Moore become among sober divines and dusty schoolmen! Even his festive81 and amatory songs, which are now the mere quickeners of our social moments, or the delights of our drawing-rooms, will then become matters of laborious82 research and painful collation83. How many a grave professor will then waste his midnight oil, or worry his brain through a long morning, endeavouring to restore the pure text, or illustrate84 the biographical hints of "Come tell me, says Rosa, as kissing and kissed;" and how many an arid85 old book-worm, like the worthy little parson, will give up in despair, after vainly striving to fill up some fatal hiatus in "Fanny of Timmol!"
Nor is it merely such exquisite65 authors as Moore that are doomed86 to consume the oil of future antiquaries. Many a poor scribbler, who is now apparently sent to oblivion by pastry-cooks and cheesemongers, will then rise again in fragments, and flourish in learned immortality87.
After all, thought I, time is not such an invariable destroyer as he is represented. If he pulls down, he likewise builds up; if he impoverishes88 one, he enriches another; his very dilapidations furnish matter for new works of controversy89, and his rust90 is more precious than the most costly91 gilding92. Under his plastic hand trifles rise into importance; the nonsense of one age becomes the wisdom of another; the levity93 of the wit gravitates into the learning of the pedant19, and an ancient farthing moulders94 into infinitely95 more value than a modern guinea.
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1 everlastingly | |
永久地,持久地 | |
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2 parenthesis | |
n.圆括号,插入语,插曲,间歇,停歇 | |
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3 syllable | |
n.音节;vt.分音节 | |
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4 squire | |
n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅 | |
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5 antiquated | |
adj.陈旧的,过时的 | |
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6 Oxford | |
n.牛津(英国城市) | |
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7 peculiar | |
adj.古怪的,异常的;特殊的,特有的 | |
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8 dependence | |
n.依靠,依赖;信任,信赖;隶属 | |
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9 patronage | |
n.赞助,支援,援助;光顾,捧场 | |
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10 entirely | |
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
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11 urns | |
n.壶( urn的名词复数 );瓮;缸;骨灰瓮 | |
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12 antiquities | |
n.古老( antiquity的名词复数 );古迹;古人们;古代的风俗习惯 | |
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13 imbibed | |
v.吸收( imbibe的过去式和过去分词 );喝;吸取;吸气 | |
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14 foraging | |
v.搜寻(食物),尤指动物觅(食)( forage的现在分词 );(尤指用手)搜寻(东西) | |
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15 ransacked | |
v.彻底搜查( ransack的过去式和过去分词 );抢劫,掠夺 | |
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16 quaint | |
adj.古雅的,离奇有趣的,奇怪的 | |
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17 arrogance | |
n.傲慢,自大 | |
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18 pedantry | |
n.迂腐,卖弄学问 | |
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19 pedant | |
n.迂儒;卖弄学问的人 | |
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20 simplicity | |
n.简单,简易;朴素;直率,单纯 | |
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21 kindles | |
(使某物)燃烧,着火( kindle的第三人称单数 ); 激起(感情等); 发亮,放光 | |
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22 eloquent | |
adj.雄辩的,口才流利的;明白显示出的 | |
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23 animated | |
adj.生气勃勃的,活跃的,愉快的 | |
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24 worthy | |
adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的 | |
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25 unearthed | |
出土的(考古) | |
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26 glossy | |
adj.平滑的;有光泽的 | |
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27 cloisters | |
n.(学院、修道院、教堂等建筑的)走廊( cloister的名词复数 );回廊;修道院的生活;隐居v.隐退,使与世隔绝( cloister的第三人称单数 ) | |
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28 exhale | |
v.呼气,散出,吐出,蒸发 | |
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29 epicure | |
n.行家,美食家 | |
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30 expatiating | |
v.详述,细说( expatiate的现在分词 ) | |
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31 linings | |
n.衬里( lining的名词复数 );里子;衬料;组织 | |
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32 tinted | |
adj. 带色彩的 动词tint的过去式和过去分词 | |
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33 mere | |
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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34 jealousies | |
n.妒忌( jealousy的名词复数 );妒羡 | |
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35 chambers | |
n.房间( chamber的名词复数 );(议会的)议院;卧室;会议厅 | |
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36 chamber | |
n.房间,寝室;会议厅;议院;会所 | |
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37 zest | |
n.乐趣;滋味,风味;兴趣 | |
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38 quaintly | |
adv.古怪离奇地 | |
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39 glazed | |
adj.光滑的,像玻璃的;上过釉的;呆滞无神的v.装玻璃( glaze的过去式);上釉于,上光;(目光)变得呆滞无神 | |
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40 meditating | |
a.沉思的,冥想的 | |
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41 sundry | |
adj.各式各样的,种种的 | |
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42 superstitions | |
迷信,迷信行为( superstition的名词复数 ) | |
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43 inquiry | |
n.打听,询问,调查,查问 | |
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44 obsolete | |
adj.已废弃的,过时的 | |
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45 nay | |
adv.不;n.反对票,投反对票者 | |
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46 illegible | |
adj.难以辨认的,字迹模糊的 | |
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47 mythology | |
n.神话,神话学,神话集 | |
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48 gathering | |
n.集会,聚会,聚集 | |
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49 seclusion | |
n.隐遁,隔离 | |
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50 retired | |
adj.隐退的,退休的,退役的 | |
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51 rapture | |
n.狂喜;全神贯注;着迷;v.使狂喜 | |
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52 honeymoon | |
n.蜜月(假期);vi.度蜜月 | |
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53 devour | |
v.吞没;贪婪地注视或谛听,贪读;使着迷 | |
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54 sentimental | |
adj.多愁善感的,感伤的 | |
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55 chivalrous | |
adj.武士精神的;对女人彬彬有礼的 | |
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56 bibliographical | |
书籍解题的,著书目录的 | |
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57 intoxicating | |
a. 醉人的,使人兴奋的 | |
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58 knights | |
骑士; (中古时代的)武士( knight的名词复数 ); 骑士; 爵士; (国际象棋中)马 | |
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59 ardent | |
adj.热情的,热烈的,强烈的,烈性的 | |
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60 redoubtable | |
adj.可敬的;可怕的 | |
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61 bibliographer | |
书志学家,书目提要编著人 | |
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62 adventurous | |
adj.爱冒险的;惊心动魄的,惊险的,刺激的 | |
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63 penetrating | |
adj.(声音)响亮的,尖锐的adj.(气味)刺激的adj.(思想)敏锐的,有洞察力的 | |
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64 exquisitely | |
adv.精致地;强烈地;剧烈地;异常地 | |
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65 exquisite | |
adj.精美的;敏锐的;剧烈的,感觉强烈的 | |
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66 illuminated | |
adj.被照明的;受启迪的 | |
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67 eulogy | |
n.颂词;颂扬 | |
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68 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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69 perplexed | |
adj.不知所措的 | |
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70 mouldered | |
v.腐朽( moulder的过去式和过去分词 );腐烂,崩塌 | |
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71 apparently | |
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎 | |
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72 carousing | |
v.痛饮,闹饮欢宴( carouse的现在分词 ) | |
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73 followers | |
追随者( follower的名词复数 ); 用户; 契据的附面; 从动件 | |
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74 antiquity | |
n.古老;高龄;古物,古迹 | |
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75 scent | |
n.气味,香味,香水,线索,嗅觉;v.嗅,发觉 | |
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76 bacchanalian | |
adj.闹酒狂饮的;n.发酒疯的人 | |
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77 encyclopaedia | |
n.百科全书 | |
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78 jovial | |
adj.快乐的,好交际的 | |
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79 retrieved | |
v.取回( retrieve的过去式和过去分词 );恢复;寻回;检索(储存的信息) | |
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80 piecemeal | |
adj.零碎的;n.片,块;adv.逐渐地;v.弄成碎块 | |
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81 festive | |
adj.欢宴的,节日的 | |
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82 laborious | |
adj.吃力的,努力的,不流畅 | |
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83 collation | |
n.便餐;整理 | |
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84 illustrate | |
v.举例说明,阐明;图解,加插图 | |
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85 arid | |
adj.干旱的;(土地)贫瘠的 | |
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86 doomed | |
命定的 | |
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87 immortality | |
n.不死,不朽 | |
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88 impoverishes | |
v.使(某人)贫穷( impoverish的第三人称单数 );使(某物)贫瘠或恶化 | |
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89 controversy | |
n.争论,辩论,争吵 | |
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90 rust | |
n.锈;v.生锈;(脑子)衰退 | |
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91 costly | |
adj.昂贵的,价值高的,豪华的 | |
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92 gilding | |
n.贴金箔,镀金 | |
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93 levity | |
n.轻率,轻浮,不稳定,多变 | |
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94 moulders | |
v.腐朽( moulder的第三人称单数 );腐烂,崩塌 | |
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95 infinitely | |
adv.无限地,无穷地 | |
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