Part 7 (1/2)
Another son of Robert Stephens, named Henry, was one of those scholars who have ruined themselves by their love of literature, devoting their lives and their fortunes to the production of volumes on some special branch of study in which only a few learned readers are interested.
Hence, while they earn the grat.i.tude of scholars and enrich the world of literature by their knowledge, the sale of their books is limited, and they fail to enrich themselves. The _Thesaurus Linguae Graecae_ cost poor Henry Stephens ten years of labour and nearly all his fortune. This is a very valuable work, and has proved of immense service to subsequent generations of scholars. A second edition was published in London in 1815 in seven folio volumes, and recently another edition has appeared in Paris.
One of his works aroused the indignation of the Parisian authorities. It was ent.i.tled _Introduction au Traite des Merveilles anciennes avec les modernes, ou Traite preparatif a l'Apologie pour Herodote, par Henri Estienne_ (1566, in-8). This work was supposed to contain insidious attacks upon the monks and priests and Roman Catholic faith, comparing the fables of Herodotus with the teaching of Catholicism, and holding up the latter to ridicule. At any rate, the book was condemned and its author burnt in effigy. M. Peignot a.s.serts in his _Dictionnaire Critique, Litteraire, et Bibliographique_ that it was this Henry Stephens who uttered the _bon mot_ with regard to his never feeling so cold as when his effigy was being burnt and he himself was in the snowy mountains of the Auvergne. Other authorities attribute the saying to his father, as we have already narrated.
n.o.ble martyrs Literature has had, men who have sacrificed ease, comfort, and every earthly advantage for her sake, and who have shared with Henry Stephens the direst straits of poverty brought about by the ardour of their love. Such an one was a learned divine, Simon Ockley, Vicar of Swavesey in 1705, and Professor of Arabic at Cambridge in 1711, who devoted his life to Asiatic researches. This study did not prove remunerative; having been seized for debt, he was confined in Cambridge Castle, and there finished his great work, _The History of the Saracens_. His martyrdom was lifelong, as he died in dest.i.tution, having always (to use his own words) given the possession of wisdom the preference to that of riches. Floyer Sydenham, who died in a debtors'
prison in 1788, and incurred his hard fate through devoting his life to a translation of the _Dialogues_ of Plato, was another martyr; from whose ashes arose the Royal Literary Fund, which has prevented many struggling authors from sharing his fate. Seventeen long years of labour, besides a handsome fortune, did Edmund Castell spend on his _Lexicon Heptaglotton_; but a thankless and ungrateful public refused to relieve him of the copies of this learned work, which ruined his health while it dissipated his fortune. These are only a few names which might be mentioned out of the many. What a n.o.ble army of martyrs Literature could boast, if a roll-call were sounded!
Amongst our booksellers we must not omit the name of Page, who suffered with John Stubbs in the market-place at Westminster on account of the latter's work ent.i.tled _The Discoverie of a Gaping Gulf whereinto England is like to be swallowed by another French marriage, if the Lord forbid not the banes by letting her Majestie see the sin and punishment thereof_ (1579). Both author and publisher were condemned to the barbarous penalty of having their right hands cut off, as we have already recorded. [Footnote: Cf. page 129.]
”St.u.r.dy John,” as the people called John Lilburne of Commonwealth fame, was another purveyor of books who suffered severely at the hands of both Royalists and Roundheads. At the early age of eighteen he began the circulation of the books of Prynne and Bastwick, and for this enormity he was whipped from the Fleet to Westminster, set in the pillory, gagged, fined, and imprisoned. At a later stage in his career we find him imprisoned in the Tower by Cromwell, for his _Just Reproof to Haberdashers' Hall_, and fined 1,000; and his bitter attack on the Protector, ent.i.tled _England's New Chains Discovered_, caused him to pay another visit to the Tower and to be tried for high treason, of which he was subsequently acquitted. To a.s.sail the ”powers that be” seemed ever to be the constant occupation of ”St.u.r.dy John” Lilburne. From the above example, and from many others which might be mentioned, it is quite evident that Roundheads, when they held the power, could be quite as severe critics of publications obnoxious to them as the Royalists, and troublesome authors fared little better under Puritan regime than they did under the Stuart monarchs.
Another learned French printer was Etienne Dolet, who was burned to death at Paris on account of his books in 1546. He lived and worked at Lyons, and, after the manner of the Stephens, published many of his own writings as well as those of other learned men. He applied his energies to reform the Latin style, and in addition to his theological and linguistical works cultivated the art of poetry. Bayle says that his Latin and French verses ”are not amiss.” In the opinion of Gruterus they are worthy of a place in the _Deliciae Poetarum Gallorum_; but the impa.s.sioned and scurrilous Scaliger, who hated Dolet, declares that ”Dolet may be called the Muse's Canker, or Imposthume; he wildly affects to be absolute in Poetry without the least pretence to wit, and endeavours to make his own base copper pa.s.s by mixing with it Virgil's gold. A driveller, who with some sc.r.a.ps of Cicero has tagged together something, which he calls Orations, but which men of learning rather judge to be Latrations. Whilst he sung the fate of that great and good King Francis, his name found its own evil fate, and the Atheist suffered the punishment of the flames, which both he and his verses so richly merited. But the flames could not purify him, but were by him rather made impure. Why should I mention his Epigrams, which are but a common sink or sh.o.r.e of dull, cold, unmeaning trash, full of that thoughtless arrogance that braves the Almighty, and that denies His Being?” The conclusion of this scathing criticism is hardly meet for polite ears. A private wrong had made the censorious Scaliger more bitter than usual.
In spite of the protection of Castellan, a learned prelate, Dolet at length suffered in the flames, but whether the charge of Atheism was well grounded has never been clearly ascertained.
Certainly the pious prayer which he uttered, when the f.a.ggots were piled around him, would seem to exonerate him from such a charge: ”My G.o.d, whom I have so often offended, be merciful to me; and I beseech you, O Virgin Mother, and you, divine Stephen, to intercede with G.o.d for me a sinner.” The Parliament of Paris condemned his works as containing ”d.a.m.nable, pernicious, and heretical doctrines.” The Faculty of Theology censured very severely Dolet's translation of one of the _Dialogues_ of Plato, ent.i.tled _Axiochus_, and especially the pa.s.sage ”Apres la mort, tu ne seras rien,” which Dolet rendered, ”Apres la mort, tu ne seras _plus_ rien _du tout_.” The additional words were supposed to convict Dolet of heresy. He certainly disliked the monks, as the following epigram plainly declares:--
_Ad Nicolaum Fabricium Valesium De cucullatis._
”Incurvicervic.u.m cucullatorum habet Grex id subinde in ore, se esse mortuum Mundo: tamen edit eximie pecus, bibit Non pessime, stert.i.t sepultum c.r.a.pula, Operam veneri dat, et voluptatum a.s.secla Est omnium. Idne est mortuum esse mundo?
Aliter interpretare. Mortui sunt Hercule Mundo cucullati, quod inors tense sunt onus, Ad rem utiles nullam, nisi ad scelus et vitium.”
Amongst the works published and written by Dolet may be mentioned:--
_Summaire des faits et gestes de Francois I., tant contre l'Empereur que ses sujets, et autres nations etrangeres, composes d'abord en latin par Dolet, puis translates en francais par lui-meme. Lyon, Etienne Dolet, 1540, in-4_.
_Stephani Doleti Carminum, Libri IV. Lugduni, 1538, in-4_.
_Brief Discours de la republique francoyse, desirant la lecture des livres de l'Ecriture saincte luy estre loisable en sa langue vulgaire.
Etienne Dolet, 1544, in-16_.
_La fontaine de vie, in-16_.
Several translations into French of the writings of Erasmus and Melanchthon may also be remembered, and the Geneva Bible, which was printed by Dolet.
One of the few remaining copies of _Cymbalum mundi, en francais, contenant quatre Dialogues poetiques, antiques, joyeux, et facetieux, par Thomas Duclevier (Bonaventure Desperiers, Valet de chambre de la Reyne de Navarre_) (Paris, Jehan Morin, 1537, in-8) reveals the fact that the printer, Jean Morin, was imprisoned on account of this work.
Therein it is recorded that he presented the copy to the Chancellor with the request that he might be released from prison, where he had been placed on account of this work. The reasons given for its condemnation are various. Some state that the author, a friend of Clement Marot, intended to preach by the use of allegories the Reformed religion.
Others say that it was directed against the manners and conduct of some members of the Court. Whether Morin's request was granted I know not, nor whether Desperiers shared his imprisonment. At any rate, the author died in 1544 from an attack of frenzy.
Another famous printer at Paris in the sixteenth century was Christian Wechel, who published a large number of works. He was persecuted for publis.h.i.+ng a book of Erasmus ent.i.tled _De esu interdicto carnium_, and some declare that he fell into grievous poverty, being cursed by G.o.d for printing an impious book. Thus one writer says that ”in the year 1530 arose this abortive child of h.e.l.l, who wrote a book against the Divine Justice in favour of infants dying without baptism, and several have wisely observed that the ruin of Christian Wechel and his labours fell out as a punishment for his presses and characters being employed in such an infamous work.” However, there is reason to believe that the book was not so ”impious,” expressing only the pious hope that the souls of such infants might not be lost, and also that no great ”curse” fell upon the printer, and that his poverty was apocryphal. At any rate, his son Andrew was a very flouris.h.i.+ng printer; but he too was persecuted for his religious opinions, and narrowly escaped destruction in the Ma.s.sacre of St. Bartholomew. He ran in great danger on that eventful night, and states that he would have been slaughtered but for the kindness of Hubert Languet, who lodged in his house. Andrew Wechel fled to Frankfort, where he continued to ply his trade in safety; and when more favourable times came re-established his presses at Paris. He had the reputation of being one of the most able printers and booksellers of his time.
The Revolutionary period in France was not a safe time for either authors or booksellers. Jacques Froulle was condemned to death in 1793 for publis.h.i.+ng the lists of names of those who pa.s.sed sentence on their King, Louis XVI., and doomed him to death. This work was ent.i.tled _Liste comparative des cinq appels nominaux sur le proces et jugement de Louis XVI., avec les declarations que les Deputes ont faites a chacune des seances_ (Paris, Froulle, 1793, in-8). He gives the names of the deputies who voted on each of the five appeals, until at length the terrible sentence was p.r.o.nounced, 310 voting for the reprieve and 380 for the execution of their monarch. The deputies were so ashamed of their work that they doomed the recorder of their infamous deed to share the punishment of their sovereign.
We have few instances of the ill.u.s.trators of books sharing the misfortunes of authors and publishers, but we have met with one such example. Nicolas G.o.donesche made the engravings for a work by Jean Laurent Boursier, a doctor of the Sorbonne, ent.i.tled _Explication abregee des princ.i.p.ales questions qui ont rapport aux affaires presentes_ (1731, in-12), and found that work fatal to him. This book was one of many published by Boursier concerning the unhappy contentions which for a long time agitated the Church of France. G.o.donesche, who engraved pictures for the work, was sent to the Bastille, and the author banished.
In all ages complaints are heard of the prolific writers who have been seized by the scribbling demon, and made to pour forth page after page which the public decline to read, and bring grief to the publishers.
Pasquier's _Letters_ contains the following pa.s.sage, which applies perhaps quite as forcibly to the present age as to his own time: ”I cannot forbear complaining at this time of the calamity of this age which has produced such a plenty of reputed or untimely authors. Any pitiful scribbler will have his first thoughts to come to light; lest, being too long shut up, they should grow musty. Good G.o.d! how apposite are these verses of Jodelle:--