The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-12-09

flatos eyes fairly glistened. ~
But, my dear young lady, they will be a
great deal of trouble to you'L- z
Oh, no indeed love to attend to how-
ers, and, besides, need occupation, to keep my
thoughts busy now that p-she paused and
glanced at her father" now that won are
going away, and my studies diseontinued.'
And this arrangement being thus satisfac
torily perfected, Plato packed himself up, paid
his parting visits, preached his farewell ser
mon, and removed, bag and baggage, to the
city. Here he rented furnished lodgings, large
enough to accommodate his books and himself
and settled down forthwith, entertaining the de-
hberate attention of preparing for the press
his long-contemplated and deeply.pondered
work, Additions and lamentations to Her
mans DE lhetris with an Excursus upon errors
In the received opinions in regard to the Di.
gamma, and how far it is to be traced in the
Homeric POEMS" What and is all this study,
this diving deeper than ever plummet sound
ed INTO antiquity, but preparatory to such a
result, to something that hath not life enough
IN 1t to breathe one slightest dew -drop upon
the most Insignificant eorner. of that mighty
mirror, humanity? Why not? Read what
the poet says
That low man seeks a little thing 10 do
Sees II, and does it;
This high man, with great thing pursue,
mn DIES ere he knows IT,
That low man goes adding one to one
His hundreds soon hil
ih's , hlgh man. aiming at a million,
Let him go on, then, telling us how to read
-Atreidhs te Fdnar, etc., and the philosophy
thereof in quietness; he has found something
to do, and he dOeth IT," Go thou, and men
| shall not blame thee if thou dost likewise.
But Mr.. Classics money bothered him. He
had some few thousand dollars remaining to
him from the sale of his farm, and he did not
know how to dispose of it. Doubtless his great
work would pay him handsome income, when
it came out; but the day of publication was
| yet uncertain, and he must have money in the
interim: So he would invest it, and in stocks,
by which method he would probably be able to
add to the sum; perhaps even double it. The
poor innocent Into what a great spider web
did he then venture his weak wings Such
as Plato should be hedged within some com
pound of books, from whence it shall be alto
gether impossible to leap out, as farmers fence
out their scarlet-hating bulls in rutting time,
! lest they do harm to themselves or to Others
Well, Plato placed his dollars in the hands of
broker, and receiving in return certain we'll
engraved certificates of stock in an unprece-
dentedly prosperous Mexican mining company,
| sat down In great content to his work This
progressed slowly, but surely, said he, " and slow
and sure is the only way for the genuine scholar
to work" Then he wanted some more books,
and his balance of ready money went to paw for
them. Somehow, in a few months, his debts
had grown more rapidly than his mldgEunl opus ;
he was improvident; his booksellers bill was
large, and so was his landlords. Doubtless,
by this time, the prophesied rise had taken
place in the mining stock so he offered a share
or two for sale, expecting to receive enough
| Ia ad val ua 10 II Iolt.
and then to reinvest the balance. Alas! his
scrip was only so much waste paper. He was
penniless. Why prolong the tale? Thunder
struck at first, he recovered hope as be thought
of his book. few days, and he would com
Plete the first volume. The publisher would
jump at such a work, so learned, so clear so
elegant in its display of critical acumen But
no one would even look at his MSS. One pub
Usher informed him that the style would not
suit the public. Had he any popular sermons
that could be put together under some taking
title, as |" Balm for Bruised Hearts" The Dew
of Hermon Series of Sermons of Consolation, ("
&C., &C.? Plato remembered his recent bitter
experience. Popular Sermons He shook his
head sadly. Religious memoirs, then? death
bed scenes of Cody youth, of sainted female
spirits? Such things were all the go now and
would pay him well, if he could catch the proper
vein. But Plato knew naught of humanity,
save through the medium of books, and he felt
that it was beyond his power to compass the
religio-sentimenta style. He was in desperate
strait. The bookseller wanted his paw The
landlord could not afford to wait longer. What
to do? Everybody suggested his books. The
landlord got an auctioneer to appraise them
privily, and continually dinned in his ears the
| Ito him. enormous valuation set upon them
| The bookseller offered to guarantee him large
| Al 4
advance, if he would authorize their sale But
that was impossible. Sooner his life blood than
his books. And he delved away more industri-
ously than ever at his work, trusting to find a
market for it somewhere, and finally relieve
himself Meantime he hoped to supply his
present necessities by reviewing for certain
learned journals to which he intended making
application. But this did not suit his creditors
Magnum opus was myth in their eyes, and
they much questioned whether revew-writing
would be responsible for more than tea and
crackers. So, while he worked, they also be-
stirred themselves They put their bills in court,
Judgment went against him by default execu-
tons were gotten out, and our poor biblomanac
awaked one fine morning to find his darling
books in the Sheriff7s hands, and advertised for
public sale on a certain. day.
A more miserable man than Plato Classic
now was could not easily have been found. His
books were wife and children, bread and meat,
to him. He had parted with his flowers but
how could he tear himself from these dearer be-
cause more constant companions? His very
blood would dry up into dust, if he had to live
debarred Of their familiar presence. But what
was to be done He wandered about the streets
like one lost, asking himself that question con-
tinually, and finding no practicable answer Even
the magnum opus was laid aside for the present,
and the wretched bibliomaniac, almost a real
maniac now, puzzled his distracted brain with
vainest considerations in regard to the question
of ways and means
Only one day more, and his darlings were to
be torn away from him were to be exposed be-
fore vulgar, inappreciative mob to be rudely
thumbed by dirty hands to be cried and tested
upon by coarse, vulgar, auctioneer. Seated
at his desk, poor Plato was engaged in an at
tempt to draw up a list of those he wished to
have spared a most difficult and painful task
for him who loved them all 50 well ; and he was
so deeply absorbed that he did not hear the door
open, nor the rustic of female garments, until a
clear, beautifully -modnlated voice accosted
him:
:" Do interrupt you, Mr.. Classc?"
Then he turned, and beheld stately lady in
his room-a very stately, handsome lady-who
held out her hand to him, and before whom he
bowed humbly, exclaiming, with embarrass-
ment:
This is an unexpected pleasure, indeed, Mrs
Fleming"
After few words of commonplace, Jasper's
mother drew from her card-case strip Of paper,
and, handing it to Mr.. Classic, asked him if that
did not refer to him ?
Poor Platoi The tears came into his eyes
as he read the dvertisement-" Sheriff sale
of valuable books +" and he humbly answered
in the affirmative.