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He took down a Greek Lexicon finely bound in calf； and spread it
open。
Do you see that Hedericus ？ I had Greek dictionaries enough and to
spare； but I saw that noble quarto lying in the midst of an ignoble
crowd of cheap books； and marked with a price which I felt to be an
insult to scholarship； to the memory of Homer； sir； and the awful
shade of AEschylus。 I paid the mean price asked for it； and I wanted
to double it； but I suppose it would have been a foolish sacrifice of
coin to sentiment： I love that book for its looks and behavior。 None
of your 〃half…calf 〃 economies in that volume； sir！ And see how it
lies open anywhere！ There is n't a book in my library that has such
a generous way of laying its treasures before you。 From Alpha to
Omega； calm； assured rest at any page that your choice or accident
may light on。 No lifting of a rebellious leaf like an upstart
servant that does not know his place and can never be taught manners；
but tranquil； well…bred repose。 A book may be a perfect gentleman in
its aspect and demeanor； and this book would be good company for
personages like Roger Ascham and his pupils the Lady Elizabeth and
the Lady Jane Grey。
The Master was evidently riding a hobby； and what I wanted to know
was the plan on which he had formed his library。 So I brought him
back to the point by asking him the question in so many words。
Yes；he said；I have a kind of notion of the way in which a library
ought to be put togetherno； I don't mean that； I mean ought to
grow。 I don't pretend to say that mine is a model； but it serves my
turn well enough； and it represents me pretty accurately。 A scholar
must shape his own shell； secrete it one might almost say； for
secretion is only separation； you know； of certain elements derived
from the materials of the world about us。 And a scholar's study；
with the books lining its walls； is his shell。 It is n't a mollusk's
shell； either； it 's a caddice…worm's shell。 You know about the
caddice…worm？
More or less； less rather than more；was my humble reply。
Well； sir； the caddice…worm is the larva of a fly； and he makes a
case for himself out of all sorts of bits of everything that happen
to suit his particular fancy； dead or alive； sticks and stones and
small shells with their owners in 'em； living as comfortable as ever。
Every one of these caddice…worms has his special fancy as to what he
will pick up and glue together； with a kind of natural cement he
provides himself； to make his case out of。 In it he lives； sticking
his head and shoulders out once in a while； that is all。 Don't you
see that a student in his library is a caddice…worm in his case？
I've told you that I take an interest in pretty much everything； and
don't mean to fence out any human interests from the private grounds
of my intelligence。 Then； again； there is a subject； perhaps I may
say there is more than one； that I want to exhaust； to know to the
very bottom。 And besides； of course I must have my literary harem；
my pare aux cerfs； where my favorites await my moments of leisure and
pleasure；my scarce and precious editions； my luxurious
typographical masterpieces； my Delilahs； that take my head in their
lap： the pleasant story…tellers and the like； the books I love
because they are fair to look upon； prized by collectors； endeared by
old associations； secret treasures that nobody else knows anything
about； books； in short； that I like for insufficient reasons it may
be； but peremptorily； and mean to like and to love and to cherish
till death us do part。
Don't you see I have given you a key to the way my library is made
up； so that you can apriorize the plan according to which I have
filled my bookcases？ I will tell you how it is carried out。
In the first place； you see； I have four extensive cyclopaedias。 Out
of these I can get information enough to serve my immediate purpose
on almost any subject。 These； of course； are supplemented by
geographical； biographical； bibliographical； and other dictionaries；
including of course lexicons to all the languages I ever meddle with。
Next to these come the works relating to my one or two specialties；
and these collections I make as perfect as I can。 Every library
should try to be complete on something； if it were only on the
history of pin…heads。 I don't mean that I buy all the trashy
compilations on my special subjects； but I try to have all the works
of any real importance relating to them； old as well as new。 In the
following compartment you will find the great authors in all the
languages I have mastered； from Homer and Hesiod downward to the last
great English name。
This division； you see； you can make almost as extensive or as
limited as you choose。 You can crowd the great representative
writers into a small compass； or you can make a library consisting
only of the different editions of Horace； if you have space and money
enough。 Then comes the Harem； the shelf or the bookcase of Delilahs；
that you have paid wicked prices for； that you love without
pretending to be reasonable about it； and would bag in case of fire
before all the rest； just as Mr。 Townley took the Clytie to his
carriage when the anti…Catholic mob threatened his house in 1780。 As
for the foundlings like my Hedericus； they go among their peers； it
is a pleasure to take them； from the dusty stall where they were
elbowed by plebeian school…books and battered odd volumes； and give
them Alduses and Elzevirs for companions。
Nothing remains but the Infirmary。 The most painful subjects are the
unfortunates that have lost a cover。 Bound a hundred years ago；
perhaps； and one of the rich old browned covers gonewhat a pity！
Do you know what to do about it？ I 'll tell you；no； I 'll show
you。 Look at this volume。 M。 T。 Ciceronis Opera；a dozen of 'em；
one of 'em minus half his cover； a poor one…legged cripple； six
months ago；now see him。
He looked very respectably indeed； both covers dark； ancient； very
decently matched； one would hardly notice the fact that they were not
twins。
…I 'll tell you what I did。 You poor devil； said I； you are a
disgrace to your family。 We must send you to a surgeon and have some
kind of a Taliacotian operation performed on you。 （You remember the
operation as described in Hudibras； of course。） The first thing was
to find a subject of similar age and aspect ready to part with one of
his members。 So I went to Quidlibet's；you know Quidlibet and that
hieroglyphic sign of his with the omniscient…looking eye as its most
prominent feature；and laid my case before him。 I want you； said I；
to look up an old book of mighty little value；one of your ten…cent
vagabonds would be the sort of thing；but an old beggar； with a
cover like this； and lay it by for me。
And Quidlibet； who is a pleasant body to deal with；only he has
insulted one or two gentlemanly books by selling them to me at very
low…bred and shamefully insufficient prices；Quidlibet； I say； laid
by three old books for me to help myself from； and did n't take the
trouble even to make me pay the thirty cents for 'em。 Well； said I
to myself； let us look at our three books that have undergone the
last insult short of the trunkmaker's or the paper…mills； and see
what they are。 There may be something worth looking at in one or the
other of 'em。
Now do you know it was with a kind of a tremor that I untied the
package and looked at these three unfortunates； too humble for the
companionable dime to recognize as its equal in value。 The same sort
of feeling you know if you ever tried the Bible…and…key； or the
Sortes Virgiliance。 I think you will like to know what the three
books were which had been bestowed upon me gratis； that I might tear
away one of the covers of the one that best matched my Cicero； and
give it to the binder to cobble my crippled volume with。
The Master took the three books from a cupboard and continued。
No。 I。 An odd volume of The Adventurer。 It has many interesting
things enough； but is made precious by containing Simon Browne's
famous Dedication to the Queen of his Answer to Tindal's
〃Christianity as old as the Creation。〃 Simon Browne was the Man
without a Soul。 An excellent person； a most worthy dissenting
minister； but lying under a strange delusion。
Here is a paragraph from his Dedication：
〃He was once a man； and of some little name； but of no worth； as his
present unparalleled case makes but too manifest； for by the
immediate hand of an avenging GOD； his very thinking substance has；
for more than seven years； been continually wasting away； till it is
wholly perished out of him； if it be not utterly come to nothing。
None； no； not the least remembrance of its very ruins； remains； not
the shadow of an idea is left； nor any sense that so much as one
single one； perfect or imperfect； whole or diminished； ever did
appear to a mind within him； or was perceived by it。〃
Think of this as the Dedication of a book 〃universally allowed to be
the best which that controversy produced；〃 and what a flood of light
it pours on the insanities of those self…analyzing diarists whose
morbid reveries have been so often mistaken for piety！ No。 I。 had