The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1871-04-20
Odd Titles of BOOks.

the house for a few months until his
work was completed. He had also on
the first dny prepared q bottle of ink,
the last drop of which was finished with
the last line. This gave him the idea OF
naming the book "The Contents of
Bottle of Ink" which, however, he did
not carry out, considering the title he
had already chosen more to the purpose.
Some years after, his friend Alphonse
Karr, who thought the idea a charming
one, begged it of him, and published
under this name several novels-among
Others, his masterpiece of wit and emo
ton, Genevieve." D..
In every age it has been q matter of
great consideration with authors as to
the title under which they shall issue
their works; publishers agree with them
in the importance they attach to this
point, as the public are easily attracted
by taking title. Pliny remarks that
the Greeks showed admirable taste in
this way; some called them "a Hive"
by which their readers were to under
stand that they would enjoy rich piece
of honey-comb; Others, 1.-THE Horn of
Abundance;" or the "Meadow," the
"Picture," the "violet;" while the Lat
ins, in their vulgarity, were content
with the ordinary names of "Antiqui-
ties" Examples or "Arts.' The more
witty gave the title of Lucubrations,"
as did the author who called himself
Bibaculus, and who passed the night in
drinking. Varro named his satire "a
Movable Picture;" while Diodorus,
among the Greeks, disdaining these pu-
erilities, entitled his work "The Libra
ry." Aulus Gellius tells us that it was
during the long winter nights in the
country of Attica that he amused him
self in writing his work, which he there
fore denominated "The Attic Nights"
The Oriental and Jewish nations, on
the contrary, sought for the most OBJ
scure and ridiculous titles. Who could
imagine that "The Heart of Aaron"
was commentary on the prophets; or
"The Bones of Joseph" an introduction
to the Talmud "The Garden of Nuts
and The Golden Apples" are theologi-
cal works. ritual is the Pomegranate
in Flower and catalogue of rabbini-
cal writings passes under the name of
1.-The Lips of the Sleepers," alluding to
a passage in Solomon's Song. There is
also "The Royal Wardrobe, divided into
Ten Coats" by Mardocheus; "The Book
OF the Druggist" by Eleazar, a work
which is nothing more nor less than
treatise on the love of God; and The
Two Hands," the hand of the poor and
the hand of the king, each section being
divided into five fingers. "The Per-
fume of Damascus Roses is the poetical
title of the history of some of Moham-
med's companions, who lived to the age
OF hundred and twenty years. 1.-The
Spring-time of the just" by Zamakhi-
chari, is collection of farces and there
are two works on law by the celebrated
Turkish jurisconsult Ibrahim, entitled
"Precious Stones" and "The Conhu-
ence of the Seas"
When we reach the Middle Ages, au-
thors in the West seem to have adopted
the Eastern fashion, and tried to make
their titles as enigmatical and fantastic
as those of the East. Sometimes they
are SO long as to be a sort of prospectus
of the whole work, as, for instance, the
following: "The Great Shipwreck of
Fools, who are in the Hold of Ignorance,
swimming in the Sea of the World;
Book OF great Effect, Profit, Utility,
Value, Honor, and Moral Virtue, for the
Instruction of Every Body; which Book
is adorned with a great number of Fig
ures, the better to demonstrate the folly
of the World" Or this "The Blazon
OF Dances, where may be seen the Mis-
fortunes and Ruin arising from Dances;
from which no Man ever returns the
Wiser, or Woman the more Modest"
1t would seem as if the writers of
works of devotion had particular pref
erence for strange titles-perhaps to
counteract the unattractive dryness of
their subject-matter. A priest taking
for his meditations the anthems which
are sung in Advent and before Christ
mas, entities them, "The Sweet Marrow
and Tasty Sauce of the Savory Bones of
the Saints in Advent" A canon of Riez,
in Provence, writes, "The Royal Post to
Paradise, very useful to those who wish
to go there: Collection of the Works
OF Pious Doctors who have curiously
treated the Subject" In it there is a
chapter on the post established by Satan
to go to hell and another to reach pur-
gatory, which is the suburb of heaven,
and the outer court of paradise. An as
cetic gives us "The Scraper of Vanity:
Spiritual Pillow necessary to extirpate
Vice and to plant Virtue "a strange
use for pillow, certainly. Philip Bos-
quier, Flemish monk, published ira
gedy entitled "The Little Razor of
Worldly Ornaments" We have 1.-THE
Spiritual Snuff-box, to lead devoted
Souls to Christ" and "The Spiritual Sc
ringa, for Souls stepped in Devotion" in
which the author thus strongly apostro-
phizes those of the fair sex who are ad-
dicted to painting their cheeks: "Vile
carcasses, masses of infamy, have you no
shame in turning yourselves round in
the furnace of love, and blushing like
boiled lobsters, to secure for yourselves
admirers z"
In the sixteenth century we find the
greatest extravaganza displayed in the
titles of books. These may be taken as
examples: "The Pious Lark, with its
Trill-the little Body and Feathers of
our Lark are Spiritual Songs" by Father
Autome de la Cauchie; Bread Cooked
on the Ashes, brought by an Angel to
the Prophet Elijah, to comfort the Dy-
ing;" "The School of the Eucharist, es-
tablished on the miraculous Respect that
the Beasts, Birds, and Insects have shown
on different Occasions to the Holy Sacra-
ment of the Altar" "The Lamp of
Saint Augustine, and the Flies that fit
around it," "The Silver Bell, the Sound
of which will, by the Grace of God, make
OF a Usurer perfect Christian" work
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