New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-05-14
raE PRlNCEPs WILLOW.

Eu+ .irays force the adverse strong truIn p'nano'
raE PRINCEPs WILLOW.
The sad story of a Bibliomnniac.
I am Corridor A. Ward X, Room n7e'
Don't mention it. You must nave seen Me,
the little old man VINO wears olue MOROCCO"
slippers and long nankeen dressing goTu'
stnnns in his shoulders, meagre, epectacles
above nose, snuff under it-yOu must nave
seen for am the oldest inhabitant, jacques
Goniat-but don't mention it. have some
odd WAYS, have always been little droli, l
think. hut am not insane. came here
becauee it was expedient Tor me to assume
to be lunatic to escape the punishment
which my crimes-for mlsfortunes are
crimes-properly nerited But please 90
not mention this, whatever you GO. ~ 10 .
dead secret. l have been here hard upon
twentv.tiye wears; administrations have
changed, but have not; doctors have DIED
and their sops succeeded them; the build
ines have been rebuilt, repaired, restored,
while have continued always the same; no
signs of decay even in my top story, which,
of course settles the question OF lunacy AZ
versely to the dcctOrs-but you neeont
mention this. They are gentry whom II
ia proper to let down easy. They mean
we'll, and, besides, they have saved me from
much inconvenience.
| have survived my own generation, Due
the people of Louis Phillippe's time remem-
Der lne-eyen the citizen king himself has
done me the honor to rest his umbrella
against my stall and take pinch from my
tabatiere.
on, I assure you, Bibliophile Jacques
was we'll kno wn in those times, and my lit
tie book stall on the Qaai voltalre was
pace of high resort. Parole dhonnenr;
/ have seen three members of the Academy
touching elbows at my shelves, every one
with spoct acles on nose, with rose at button
hole, entertained, absorbed, delighted. An,
those gentlemen have the faculty of appre-
citation. They know rare book when they
zee it. They have appraised the value OF
literary treasures. l was always uneasy
when they came to look at nay rare books.
They might inadvertently put them into
their pockets or forget to lay them down
such habits of profound mental abstraction
long INDUCED. Don't mention this.
You see, was a sort of bibliomaDiac, and
knew how to find rare books. The only
trouble had was in parting with my lite
rary treasures after got them. l am fond
of money; may say am something of
miser, but there are-eXcuse the indefinite
phrase-there are more possibilities IN a
rare book than in money. When You have
got hold of a perfect copy of some editio
princeps, when probably there are not more
than SIX other copies OF the edition extant,
and of these four permanently locked up in
the libraries of Vienna the British Museum,
the National and the Mazarin-then you
may be said to have "corner" in your rare
book, and you are safe to ask what price
you please for it, and to get it, too, when
the right customer comes on. But you must
wait till the right one comes, and he must
have bOOk-craze that is accordant to the
chord your rarity strikes. This is q trade
secret-don't cetray it.
The Duke of ST. Emilion was one Of my
best patrons. He was rich. he had an in.
come of SOC, 900 livres. he had his chateau
OF PreigDac. he had biz vineyard that pro-
duced hundred tons of white wines every
year, he had his friends, his family. his
library. Twice q year the Duke came to
Paris for week, and. l had always to walk
the stalls with him, help him find the novel
ties. and dine with him at COutures's old
restaurant in the Latin Quarter, where we
knew how to relieve the cellar of three
bottles of the best wine 10 Paris. Once
mouth the Duke wrote me formal letter.
sealed with his crest. announcing the aGdi-
tons made to the library of Preignac. and
sent to the Duke my Bulletin Bibli0graph.
iqns, printed for private circulation only.
In the summer of lSi9 NJ. Saint Emlion
sent me formal invitation to come and
spend week with him at Preignac. help
him arrange his library and view his
treasures. l went l left the railroad at
Nilletranche, where the Duke met nae with
his coach-and-four-a liveried driver and
two footmen-quite in the style of the
aneien regime. l do assure you. Every
body we met touched hats to the Duke,
and to me, because was the Dukes friend.
assure you it made me feel a sentiment
Ola sort Of-je ne sails qstOi, but most
agreeable. The Duke was most handsome.
ABOVE sixty, erect, square, military figure,
close cut white fair, forid face, clean
shaved, except for large white mOstache,
small blue eye, aquillne nose-he sat erect
IN the carriage as if he were on horseback
IN the van OF twelve battalions, dressed IN
neat blue, and with stock about his neck
to helc up his COLLAR. We arrived at the
chateau, and he introduced me to the
Duchess and the four infants. Heavens.
such youth, grace, lOvelineee. The Duchess
was not over thirty. and the loveliest OF her
sex. the children angels.
How shall describe the library, when I
nave already exhausted nv store of adj
Jectives! Ten thousand volumes, and not
a book. not print, but had it's history. Old
chronic Les, In vellum, editiOnes princiues.
their original bindings carefully restored.
artlstprOof engravings from BURNS whose
touch Is cOneecratiOn-it was q treasurv
And such lovely family And a cellar
1uli OF such wine as appeared on the table
at dinner! ''''o
Duke, you are a happy man." cried.
as inc duchess handed me q cup of coffee,
when l could take no more wine. Lsfitta
though it was. The Duke sighed. AL
most, NJ. Goujst." said the Duchess. lauph.
ing; put one thing more is needed to com
pete the happiness of NJ. Saint Emilion-v
ana that Is" "A CODY of the nripcena
e %ueS OF Francois Villon," said the
duchess. laughing. II assure YOU. BibIi.
opnlie Jacques. my FRIEND" said the Duke.
rousing out OF his abstraction, 81 do not
need anything more to put the capstone to
my happiness, but If only could recover
pllnoePs 'illon-you will see have all the
Iost, marof, Ronsard, the chroniclers, the
19nl1sssllsts, the rOmancers-the absence of
snion does beyond doubt make q void
T ont, as you see, l am happy go long "a
madame the Duchess and the chiliren~
Out stu will give you q thousand crowns
ana all expenses paid if you will but ra.
cover tor me the long lost Villonr' NY
dear Duke" cried, "Isdedicate mvself ~
tnat work. You can count on me- with az
surance. 1t may be six month";. IL NAV he
q year; but l will surely find a Wilton. {"
The Duke gratefully pressed nv hand. the
Duchess pinned q rosebud upon nv coat
and eaid was gallant man. "a sbe IaG
the way 70 the drawing room.
When my visit was at an end put Para.
Qise 0enmd me and returned to Paris, after
wfiung Two sonnets, expressive of my SEN
e'monts' IN the album upon Madame the