New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-03-21
4 FIMOUS Ms.
r..on, Tie Pill Mil Gn-elle.

D,0Ip The IfU van Gazette
An interesting little fac-simile Just punished 81
4Lo outograph manuscript Of the " DE Imltatl0ne"
will not be widely read. separate course OF sluhv
would be necessary to master Inc chal"ctci IA "uch
if Is written. The writing OF thomas htinpis Is
Inv no means particularly Icglblc. but II - inferior
IN cearncss and beauty TO the letter lScu py many
of his contemporaries, eslccialll III we n5'in vi
Furope The difficulties attending ihe WORK nave
been very great IL has been necessary 10 transfer
the COPY of the manuscript to plates ny dOu1ic
process and the task has been rendered heavier Nv
accident Various misiOrtuncs have beiallen the
material and the work has had 10 be done several
times over but the result IS slihc'cht reward Tor
the labor. The facsimile Is preceded ny an csay Nv
NJ C. Rueleus. keeper of the Department or
Manuscripts in the Royal Library nj brussels,
giving history of the manuscript. ~ forms part
~ Volume containing several trcailsrs be sides the
"De Imitationep This volume. which Is all un-
donbiedlv i'm he handwriting of Il kcmpis, ami was
finished in 1441. was saved from tue runs OF hls
monastery of -. Agnes on the NcincI'hhcfg, de-
stroved during The revolt of the Netherands The
sayiour was Johannes LatOmus. Prior of the Mon
astery of the Throne. who an the "oiId thIs
Bv Laiomus the manuscript was carried TO Ant
werp and left at his death 10 friend Jean Belerc.
This man, though not churchma1' vas man OF
letters who understood the worth OF the Request,
and il believed 10 have translated the " DE lmlta-
tione" in 1865 into French. II So 1t was from
another manuscript. or else Iatomus obtained
nosscssion of 1t years before the date gwen bv VI.
Rneeus On the death of Jean Belierc, III 1895.
his sons who were Jesuits became poS'csSed 81 the
treasure which thereby fell INTO the hands OF Their
II.
Bnrgnndan Library at Brussels. Beyond rs anti
ouarian interest. the manuscript ~ believed by VI.
Rnelcns to possess still higher value. as settling
the vexed question Of the authorship Of tue " DE
JmitatloneS II is well known that the clam Of
Thomas Kempis 10 tins honor has been vigorously
dispnted Many scholars have attributed II to other
writers and though the monk Of Mount st. Agnes
has not wanted defenders, the question mas never
been definitely settled. - -
NJ Rurl.us relying on n discovery OF DR.. {.
Uirscbe. believes that 1T Is no longer matter of
doubt. The discovery II the existence IA ms man
doubled works of Thomas kempis and peculiar to
HIM the object of which is 10 divide the work INTO
INV fh,nical periods. These marks NJ RuccfLs
says. are as follows The fnll-stop followed by a
small capital the mll-stop followed by large CAPT
itaI the colon followed by a small letter. the usual
sign of Interrogation. and lastly an unusual sign,
the CHRIS or deJa used the musical notation OF the
perlod" We are told that when the Latin Is read
with due attention TO these marks distinct melody
il nerceptibc II may be douted whether the oppo-
neuts of the claim of Thomas will allow THAI this
settles the question. The practice OF Whiting ryth-
mical prose was not uncommon, and lie may have
uscd his own system Of punctuation IN q more copy
of another mans work In any case. the resources
Of criticism many"