LIBRARY.

(Reflections on the fate of that of Ancillon.)

The estate, which M. Ancillon, a French Protestant divine of great eminence in the seventeenth century, gained by his marriage, having put him in a condition of gratifying his favourite passion, he bought all the capital books, which may be called the pillars of a great library; such as the most curious bibles, either for the editions or notes; several dictionaries; the most excellent commentaries on the scriptures; the works of the fathers; collections of councils; ecclesiastical histories; and several others of the like nature; all of the best editions. He observed this maxim ever after, and gave good reasons for it. An account of which would be too tedious; however, the substance of them, in few words, is this. He said, that the less the eye is fatigued in reading a book, the more at liberty the mind is to judge of it. That, as the beauties and faults of it are more easily perceived, when it is printed, than in manuscript; so the same beauties and faults are more clearly seen, when it is printed in a fair character, and upon good paper, than when it is printed on bad paper, or with a bad letter. Having thus laid a good foundation for a library, he increased it with all the good books, which came out afterwards. He had the pleasure of reading all the new books; for his friends in Paris, Holland, England, Germany, Switzerland, and Geneva, with whom he kept a strict correspondence, sent them to him as soon as they were exposed to sale. The opinion of those, who say, that the first editions are the least valuable, because they are of no use, but to make the works of an author appear in a fairer character, did not abate his curiosity. He was not ignorant, that the famous M. Menage, Dean of St Peter’s, at Angers, in his epistle dedicatory to

his Etymologies of the French Tongue, speaking to Mr Du Puy, tells him, that he had formerly learned from him, that Mr Loysel, a famous advocate in the parliament of Paris, used to say of first editions, that they only serve to make the works of an author appear in a fairer character; that it was very probable this judicious gentleman said so of all sorts of books, but that it was more true of Dictionaries, than of any other kind of works. He knew very well, that others were of opinion, that the first editions of books were only to be looked upon as imperfect essays, which authors propose to the learned, to have their opinion of them. But this was no restraint to his eagerness; and, the event teaching him afterwards, that he ran no great risk, he did not discontinue it.

Mr Ancillon’s Library was very curious and large; he increased it, daily, with all that appeared new and valuable in the republic of letters; insomuch, that, at last, it became one of the finest of any private man’s in the kingdom. Foreigners of curiosity did not fail to see it, as they went through the city of Metz; it being the greatest rarity of that town. As soon as he saw the catalogue of the pretended heretical books, drawn up by the archbishop of Paris, in the year 1685, he selected all the books, which were ordered to be suppressed, which made up his Library in foreign countries; his own having been, as it were, given up to be plundered, after the revocation of the edict of Nantes. None would have remained, if those, which he concealed, had not escaped the greediness, with which the rest were carried away.—The monks, and the clergy of Metz, and the adjacent towns, had long coveted Mr Ancilion’s Library; his forced and hasty departure supplied them with a fair pretence to appropriate it to themselves. Some proposed to buy it in the gross; others would have it sold by retail; but neither of

them intended to pay for it; they only desired to get it into their possession. The last expedient was followed, as being more proper to favour this unjust design: a crowd of ecclesiastics of all orders came in, from all parts, to this noble and rich Library; which had been forty-four years in collecting, with pleasure and choice; and which consisted only of rare books, and worthy of the curiosity of the most learned men: they made several parcels of them, and, going away, they gave money to a young girl, of about twelve or thirteen years of age, who was looking upon them, that they might say they had paid the price of them. In this manner Mr Ancillon saw his precious collection dispersed, which he had made, and on which he had set his affections, and, as we may say, his very heart.

The loss of this Library was attended with the loss of a vast number of letters, which were designed for the press, and which Mr Ancillon had received from many learned men. He designed chiefly to print those, which Mr Daillé, his intimate friend, had written to him. What a loss was this! and what a copious matter for reflexion: for is it hot a deplorable consideration to think, that a single day may undo, what has been completed with a thousand cares, and, at a vast expence, during many years? is it not a melancholy fate, to be exposed to lose, in a moment, what has been a long time purchasing, by innocent means, and been treasured up, as a perpetual source of every lawful pleasure, and honest instruction? To be deprived, in a moment, of a vast number of volumes, which have been so carefully collected, and so much our delight, is it not a hard and cruel destiny? If the flames had devoured them, we could more easily bear the loss; but, without a special grace of God, we cannot support, that they should become the prey of an unjust possessor, who is at no other trouble, than that of

transporting them to his own house. The Triumvirate, which dispossessed of their lands, those, who had cub tivated them, during their whole life, and gave them to others, who had contributed nothing towards their improvement, did not occasion so sensible a grief, as that of the learned, who have seen their libraries plundered, and fallen into the hands of a persecutor, worthy of hatred, if he acted against his conscience, and deserving of pity, if his false devotion persuaded him, that it was a thing acceptable to God.

Impius hæc tam culta novalia miles habebit,
Barbarus has segetes?
Virgil, Ecl. 1 ver. 71.

Did we for these Barbarians plant, and sow?
On these, on these, our happy fields bestow?
Dryden.

This was the complaint of those good people of Italy, who found themselves obliged to surrender their patrimony to the soldier of the Triumvirate.

- - - - enj! queis consevimus agros!
Insere nunc, Melibœe pyros, pone ordine vîtes.
Virgil. Ecl. i. ver 21.

Now let me graft my pears, and prune my vine;
The fruit is theirs, the labour only mine.
Dryden.

Mr Ancillon, and many others might have adapted most of these expressions to their fortune. Perhaps it were better to have no affections, than to set them on a Library; when, perhaps we may be reduced to address it in this manner:

Nuper sollicitum quæ mihi tædium,
Nunc desiderium, curaque non levis.
Horat. Od. 14. lib. i. ver. 17.

O! lately, thou, my anxious fear,
Now my sad loss, and heavy care!

But, if possible, let us forget the unhappy and fatal

revocation of the edict of Nantes, which was attended with so many acts of injustice. Let us rather cast our eyes on objects, which do not raise the passions into a ferment. Let us praise the good taste of this able divine. He was for having the first editions of books, though it was very probable they would be reprinted, with additions and corrections. This was to understand things; this we may call love of books, and eagerness after instruction; but they, who can rest satisfied without a book, till it be reprinted, make it appear, that they are satisfied with their ignorance, and that they had rather save a few pistoles, than acquire instruction. I speak of those, (and the number of them is very great) who are persuaded, on the one side, that a new book will afford them much information; and who, though they are able to purchase it, defer the buying of it, because they are told, that there will be published better, or cheaper editions. This delay cannot be sufficiently blamed: it is a shameful neglect of learning. Mr Bigot told me, one day, that a man of Rouen, who applied himself to the study of genealogies, would willingly have improved by the works of father Anselm; and yet he did not purchase them; but waited for the second edition, which never came out; thus he died without satisfying his curiosity. Mr Bigot represented to him, several times, that it was better to have two editions of a book, than to deprive ourselves of the advantage, which might accrue by reading the first; and that a man judges wrong of the value of things, who prefers three or four crowns to such a profit. They, who can afford it, ought to provide themselves with the first editions. I confess the foreign editions of books are not so expensive: but are they faithful? Is there nothing altered in, or added to them? Did not the Abbot de la Roque publicly complain, that the printers of Holland had corrupted his book? I have been assured, but a few days ago, that the history of Davila, and that of Strada, printed in the Netherlands, are not exactly the same with the Italian editions; the booksellers of Flanders, having suppressed, or altered, some things, out of complaisance to some illustrious families. I may be told, that the author often corrects his faults in the second edition; I own it: but they are not always real faults; they are alterations, which he sacrifices to prudential reasons, to his repose, and to the injustice of his too powerful censurers. The second edition, which Mezerai published, of his Chronological Abridgment, is the most correct; for he left out some mistakes, but he omitted likewise some truths, which were ungrateful; and, for this reason, the curious endeavour to get the edition in quarto, which is the first; and pay a great price for it. I say nothing of the advantage of comparing editions. It is so great, when an able writer has carefully revised his work, that bis first essay deserves to be kept. All this proves, that Mr Ancillon knew very well what belonged to a Library. Bayle argues very ingeniously on this subject, and doubtless in the laborious undertakings of the authors of his own, and the preceding age, a delay of purchase until a second edition, must have been highly injurious. Modern scribes get over these difficulties very easily.—Ed. ⁶⁹

Art. Ancillon.