Books and Authors Part 8

And who was Mrs. Southey?--who but she who was so long known, and so great a favourite, as Caroline Bowles; transformed by the gallantry of the laureate, and the grace of the parson, into her matrimonial appellation. Southey, so long ago as the 21st of February, 1829, prefaced his most amatory poem of _All for Love_, with a tender address, that is now, perhaps, worth reprinting:--

"TO CAROLINE BOWLES.

"Could I look forward to a distant day, With hope of building some elaborate lay, Then would I wait till worthier strains of mine, Might have inscribed thy name, O Caroline!

For I would, while my voice is heard on earth, Bear witness to thy genius and thy worth.

But we have been both taught to feel with fear, How frail the tenure of existence here; What unforeseen calamities prevent, Alas! how oft, the best resolved intent; And, therefore, this poor volume I address To thee, dear friend, and sister poetess!

"_Keswick, Feb. 21, 1829._ "ROBERT SOUTHEY."

The laureate had his wish; for in duty, he was bound to say, that worthier strains than his bore inscribed the name of Caroline connected with his own--and, moreover, she was something more than a dear friend and sister poetess.

"The laureate," observes a writer in _Fraser's Magazine_, "is a fortunate man; his queen supplies him with _b.u.t.ts_ (alluding to the laureates.h.i.+p), and his lady with Bowls: then may his cup of good fortune be overflowing."

DEVOTION TO SCIENCE.

M. Aga.s.siz, the celebrated palaeontologist, is known to have relinquished pursuits from which he might have been in the receipt of a considerable income, and all for the sake of science. Dr. Buckland knew him, when engaged in this arduous career, with the revenue of only 100_l._: and of this he paid fifty pounds to artists for drawings, thirty pounds for books, and lived himself on the remaining twenty pounds a year! Thus did he raise himself to an elevated European rank; and, in his abode, _au troisieme_, was the companion and friend of princes, amba.s.sadors, and men of the highest rank and talent of every country.

DISADVANTAGEOUS CORRECTION.

Lord North had little reason to congratulate himself when he ventured on an interruption with Burke. In a debate on some economical question, Burke was guilty of a false quant.i.ty--"_Magnum vect[)i]gal est parsimonia._" "_Vect[=i]gal_," said the minister, in an audible under-tone. "I thank the n.o.ble lord for his correction," resumed the orator, "since it gives me the opportunity of repeating the inestimable adage--"_Magnum vect[=i]gal est parsimonia._" (Parsimony is a great revenue.)

PATRONAGE OF LITERATURE.

When Victor Hugo was an aspirant for the honours of the French Academy, and called on M. Royer Collard to ask his vote, the st.u.r.dy veteran professed entire ignorance of his name. "I am the author of _Notre Dame de Paris_, _Les Derniers Jours d'un Cond.a.m.ne_, _Bug-Jargal_, _Marian Delorme_, &c." "I never heard of any of them," said Collard. "Will you do me the honour of accepting a copy of my works?" said Victor Hugo. "I never read new books," was the cutting reply.

DR. JOHNSON'S WIGS.

Dr. Johnson's wigs were in general very shabby, and their fore-parts were burned away by the near approach of the candle, which his short-sightedness rendered necessary in reading. At Streatham, Mr.

Thrale's butler always had a wig ready; and as Johnson pa.s.sed from the drawing-room, when dinner was announced, the servant would remove the ordinary wig, and replace it with the newer one; and this ludicrous ceremony was performed every day.--_Croker._

SHERIDAN'S "PIZARRO."

Mr. Pitt was accustomed to relate very pleasantly an amusing anecdote of a total breach of memory in some Mrs. Lloyd, a lady, or nominal housekeeper, of Kensington Palace. "Being in company," he said, "with Mr. Sheridan, without recollecting him, while _Pizarro_ was the topic of discussion, she said to him, 'And so this fine _Pizarro_ is printed?'

'Yes, so I hear,' said Sherry. 'And did you ever in your life read such stuff?' cried she. 'Why I believe it's bad enough,' quoth Sherry; 'but at least, madam, you must allow it's very loyal.' 'Ah!' cried she, shaking her head--'loyal? you don't know its author as well as I do.'"

DR. JOHNSON IN LONDON.

The following were Dr. Johnson's several places of residence in and near London:--

1. Exeter-street, off Catherine-street, Strand. (1737.) 2. Greenwich. (1737.) 3. Woodstock-street, near Hanover-square. (1737.) 4. Castle-court, Cavendish-square, No. 6. (1738.) 5. Boswell-court.

6. Strand.

7. Strand, again.

8. Bow-street.

9. Holborn.

10. Fetter-lane.

11. Holborn again; at the Golden Anchor, Holborn Bars. (1748.) 12. Gough-square. (1748.) 13. Staple Inn. (1758.) 14. Gray's Inn.

15. Inner Temple-lane, No. 1. (1760.) 16. Johnson's court, Fleet-street, No. 5. (1765.) 17. Bolt-court, Fleet-street, No. 8. (1776.)

REGALITY OF GENIUS.

Gibbon, when speaking of his own genealogy, refers to the fact of Fielding being of the same family as the Earl of Denbigh, who, in common with the Imperial family of Austria, is descended from the celebrated Rodolph, of Hapsburgh. "While the one branch," he says, "have contented themselves with being sheriffs of Leicesters.h.i.+re, and justices of the peace, the others have been emperors of Germany and kings of Spain; but the magnificent romance of _Tom Jones_ will be read with pleasure, when the palace of the Escurial is in ruins, and the Imperial Eagle of Austria is rolling in the dust."

FIELDING'S "TOM JONES."

Fielding having finished the ma.n.u.script of _Tom Jones_, and being at the time hard pressed for money took it to a second-rate publisher, with the view of selling it for what it would fetch at the moment. He left it with the trader, and called upon him next day for his decision. The bookseller hesitated, and requested another day for consideration; and at parting, Fielding offered him the MS. for 25_l._

On his way home, Fielding met Thomson, the poet, whom he told of the negotiation for the sale of the MS.; when Thomson, knowing the high merit of the work, conjured him to be off the bargain, and offered to find a better purchaser.

Next morning, Fielding hastened to his appointment, with as much apprehension lest the bookseller should stick to his bargain as he had felt the day before lest he should altogether decline it. To the author's great joy, the ignorant trafficker in literature declined, and returned the MS. to Fielding. He next set off, with a light heart, to his friend Thomson; and the novelist and the poet then went to Andrew Millar, the great publisher of the day. Millar, as was his practice with works of light reading, handed the MS. to his wife, who, having read it, advised him by no means to let it slip through his fingers.

Millar now invited the two friends to meet him at a coffee-house in the Strand, where, after dinner, the bookseller, with great caution, offered Fielding 200_l._ for the MS. The novelist was amazed at the largeness of the offer. "Then, my good sir," said Fielding, recovering himself from his unexpected stroke of good fortune, "give me your hand--the book is yours. And, waiter," continued he, "bring a couple of bottles of your best port."

Before Millar died, he had cleared eighteen thousand pounds by _Tom Jones_, out of which he generously made Fielding various presents, to the amount of 2000_l._; and he closed his life by bequeathing a handsome legacy to each of Fielding's sons.

VOLTAIRE AND FERNEY.

The showman's work is very profitable at the country-house of Voltaire, at Ferney, near Geneva. A Genevese, an excellent calculator, as are all his countrymen, many years ago valued as follows the yearly profit derived by the above functionary from his situation:--

Francs.

8000 busts of Voltaire, made with earth of Ferney, at a franc a-piece 8,000 1200 autograph letters, at 20 francs 24,000 500 walking canes of Voltaire, at 50 francs each 25,000 300 veritable wigs of Voltaire, at 100 francs 30,000 ------ In all 87,000