The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1851-11-06
From Arvine's Cycltpadia Of Aneedotss.
Habits of Authors In Composing aAd Cor
recting.

lsoCRATks, VIRGIL, q CAsslUS.-lne an
clients were peninacious in their corrections.
Isocrates, it is said, was employed FOR ten
years on one of his works; and, 10 appear
natural, studied with the most refined art
After labor of eleven years, Virgil pro-
nounced his Eaeid imperfect.
Dio GASEOUS divo,ed twelve years TO the
composition of his history, and Diodorus
Sioulus, thirty.
There is a middle between velocity and
torpdity. The Italians say, il is not neces-
sary to be stag, but we ought not 10 be
tovtoise.
Nor so BAD FAULT.-An old French wri-
ter, more remarkable. fervr 3Sigiasiiy of
thought than for grace Of style, WAS once
reproached by a friend with the frequent
repetitions 10 be found in his works.-"Name
them to me,' said the author.-The critic,
with obligng precision, mentioned all the
ideas which had most frequently required in
the book. 81 arm satisfied" replied the hon
est author; "you remember my ideas.
repeated them SO often on purpose to pre-.
vent you from forgetting them, Without nay
repetIions, should never have succeededr
SALMAsIUs HoBBEs'-Salmasiu used 10
read and write in the company of his wife,
and amidst the noise OF his children without
Inconvenience.
Hobbies was accustomed TO shut himself
up in profound quieiness
HoBBEs's LEvIATHAN,-Aubrey has min-
utely preserved for US the manner IN which
Hobbies composed his Leviathan. 1t is very
curious for literary students. "He walked
much ard contemplated; and he had in the
head OF his cane pen and inkhorn, and
carried always note book in his pocket;
and as soon as a thought darted, he present.
ly entered it into his book, or otherwise he
might have lost it. He had drawn the design
of the book into chapters, &C., and he knew
Whereabouts il would come in. Thus that
book was made.
ENrRlcITffs-Among literary mon,
some have been eccentric in their method of
composing and studying.
Des Cartes used TO lie IN bed, very fre.
quently for twelve or fourteen hours in the
day, with the curtains drawn.
Thompson sometime spent the whole day
in bed.
Rousseau and Pope procured soRe Of their
best thoughts in bed.
Mezerai, the historian, always composed
BY candle light.
Much Of this is folly Nature has consti-
tuted human beings so similarly, that what
is CONSISTENT with common sense, and suita-
Bile for one man, would be found adapted
for all, if they would but accusom them
selves 10 it. Excentricitiss are not only pro-
ductive of no advantages, but they are fire.
quenily the occasion of awkwardness and
unpleasantness.
PASCAL, MILTON, SHEFFIELD, THUANUs, AND
NEwToS.-Pascal subjected his letters TO the
inspection of the members of his college,
and every advantageous alteration that was
suggested was introduced. This method oc-
casions much correctness, but it destroys the
originality of the authors thoughts and style
Sometimes Milton would dictate "a certain
number of lines, and then reduce them to
Que half the quantity.
Sheffield, Duke of Buckingham, wrote an
essay OH satire, which was altered and a.
mended so much, that at last like the sock
ing of Aristotle, it became new thing.
The commencement of the History OF
Thuanus ia said to have cost the author an
immense deal of labor
Sir Isaac Newton informed Bishop Pearce
that he had written his Chronology of An
cient kingdoms sixteen times.
PAscAL.-When Pascal became warm in
his celebrated controversy, he applied him
sell with incredible labor to the compost
tion of his Provincial Letters. lie was fre-
quenily occupied twenty days on a single
letter. He recommended some above sew.
en- or eight times, and by this means obtain
ed that perfection which has made his work,
as Voltaire says, one ofthe best books ever
published in France.
The Quintus Curtns of vangelas, occu-
pied him thirty years generally every Pc
Rod was translated in the mrgna five or six
several ways. Chapelain and Consar:, who
took the pains 10 review this work critically,
were many times perplexed 10 the choice OF
passages they generally liked best that
which had been first composed.
BossUEr.-Wheneve Bossuet, Bishop Of
Meaux, had TO compose d funeral sermon,
he read Homer in the original Greek, to
raise his style of composition to the due ele.
vaiion of his subject. "and light my lamp,
said he, "wiih the rays of the sum-"
BALzAc.-Balzac, the first writer 10 French
prose who gave majesty and harmony TO a
period, it is safe, did moi grudge to bestow a
week on page, and was never satisfied
with his first thoughts.
Malebranche, Hobbies, Thomas, and Buff
fo1.-Some profound thinkers could no, pur-
sue the operators Of their mind In the des-
traction of light and noise. Malebranche,
Hobbies, Thomas, and others closed their
curtains 10 concentrate their thoughts, as
Milton says of The mind, Tin the spacious
circuits of her musing" A secluded and
naked apartment, with nothing but desk, a
chair, and single sheet OF paper, wac for
fifty years the study Of Button the single
ornament was print Of Newton placed be-
fore his eyes; nothing broke into the unity
of his reveries.