The Osceola times., 1881-01-15
LITERARY FORGERIES.
Exploits OF bogus Literary Fellows in this
Direction.
London News.


Direction.
London News.
Among the accomplishments OF Vivian
GREY was that Of forging autographs. He
would decorate ladys album with the
signatures of Sir Walter Scott and Lord
Byron, and throw in that of Mr.. Dis
rael. By such arts, and by his knowl-
edge of the recipe for catching the aroma
of green tea, young MIR. Grey won the
hearts of the fair and of our country's
aristocracy. BY precisely similar arts VI.
Nrain Lucas got 10000 francs, or, in
round numbers, about E6OOO, out of NJ.
Michel Chasles. not many years ago. Ii
will be remembered that VI. Chasles pur-
chased from NJ. Lucas a collection of
autograph letters by VI. Rabelais, Pascal
and other famous authors. OF course all
these, if real, would have been of the
highest value. The autographs of the
great French writers are very rare. NJ.
Lucas has Just got three months impris-
onment for presenting himself without
authority in Paris. On the whole, then,
it NAV be doubted whether he has put
his acknowledged talents TO the best
employment The signature of many
a mere Philistine of u merchant or bank
er could be counterfeited with more lu-
crative result than that of Montalgne or
Corneille. The risk Of detection, too, is
not much greater The history of liter
ary forgeries is almost incXhaustible.
Onomacritus was an early practitioner,
and tampcred with the text of oracles.
Soon, too, il suspected of having inter
poated for political purposes, some lines
in the Illiad That first edition Of He
siods works, which Pausianias saw at
Ascra. inscribed on tablets of lead, was it
genuine or forgery? When the rival
dynasties of Alexandria and of Seleucia
began emulously 10 collect rare books it
is reported that the Greeks freely forged
early sopies of Homer, llesiod and the
dramatists. Indeed, Mr.. Paley's llomerc
theory, if we have succeeded in under
standing it, is that our Homer is liter
arv swindle. When Iactantius was eager
to purchase an Odyssey that came into
the market, and seemed to be as old ~
lIomer's time, he was on this theory, no
more than the creduous Michel Chasles
of his period. As to the later forgeries
of the Greeks, they are not TO be num-
bered. The letters of Plato, the letters
of Phalaris, many Of the later oraclcs
the Orphic verses, the epistle in which
Agbarus describes our Lord, the works
of Dionysius the Areopagite-all these
and hundred others we owe to the NM
Nrain Lucas Of antiquity. But we need
not 90 so far as to believe, with a recent
critic that the learned Poggio was the
the author of the ANNALS of Tacitus.p
The French have not been far behind
the cogging Greeks in literary forgeries.
Even the acute PiXcrccourt we believe,
had acquired two Ms. letters Of Marie
Antoinette SO exactly similar that he had
TO shut his eyes, shuttle the pair and burn
one at random, thereby securing the
uniqueness of the other. Poor VI. Sole
viol, who bought theatrical portraits and
autographs, was irightiully swlndled.
Some rogue got hold ofhim and sold him
at intervals contemporary sketches and
letters of all the famed old comedians
MOliere, IaGrangc, Hardy, MOnttleury,
and the rest VI. SoleyiOl published a
history Of Molicre's troupe, with cngrav-
ings from these designs, which can only
be accepted by true believers and in the
spirit of faith. One can not resist lin
gering suspicion that VI. Arsene Hous-
saye's singular etchings, after previously
unpublished portraits Of Moliere's act
resses came from some unholy modern
mandatory. Not, of course, that VI.
lIoussaye himself would play such a
trick on the public, but is it impossible
that some one played II trick on VI.
lloussaye? The poems of Clotildc de
Suryillc are another example Of French
ingenuity, as were the verses, pretending
to be by a young lady with which a
French lawyer dupcd Noltaire and all
-. l..
We have II sort of industrious persons
who write autographs Of the great in old
books. \ gentleman lately wanted to
purchase an old Latin theological work.
The bookseller pointed out that it con-
tanned an autograph signature Of Luther,
and on this score he asked long price.
But his customer replied that he did not
care twOpcnce for luthor's signature On
hearing Of this the tradesman let the
book 60 at its natural price, eXclaiming
with a sigh: The Protestant business is
played out" When asked to explain
this despairing cry he said that there
had lately flourished an old gentleman
who collected theological works enriched
with the autographs of the rcformcrs,
Wyclif, Iluss, Luther, Melancthon, Eras.
mus, all came alike to him. And the
demand begetting supply, a firm Of art
ful persons had lived by preparing these
interesting relics and disposing of them
at high price to the worthy collector.
With his lamented dccease the trade
came To an end. Buyers should always
be careful when they are asked to give a
higher price for book because it CON
tains an ilustrious autograph. The
thing can be produced with some pale
ink and a quill pen. Let us remember
THE Bad Samaritan" an Oxford pro-
fessor of Oriental tongues, who purchased
what he believed to be Samaritan Ms;
but the document turned out not to be
written in that language, which was II
cause of ribald merrmcnt. We can not
all have the luck of NJ. Tenant Latour,
who bought for half frame Rousseau's
own copy Of the "lmitatio Christi" with
the philosophe's autograph and his favor
lite flower, II periwiHkle, pressed between
the leaves. In fact, it is safest not to buy
a book with an autograph for a higher
price than one would give for the book
without that charm of association.
Nursing an Orang- -Outang.
The London correspondent of the Liv-