St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1884-11-27
An Old Book.

of so many of those shOps-in second
hand books. There | saw an old book
dated 1852, which the shopkeeper al
most gave me, so anxiOus was he to ge
rid of it. The book is little one bu
contains in very fine type the whole o
Horace and full comments, together
with a modern translation. 1t cost me-
twelve cents.
For the next week | used my spare
time i'll mousing around in the dingy
old stores aud blowing the dust of ages
from equally dingy old books. Moth.
ing satisfied me till L was at last in
possession of a veritabIe incunaJnla
i. e., a book printed previous to the
year 1900. 1t was difficult to find one
small enough to suit me, and cheap
enough. The one found is worthy
of short description.
The authors name is Anthony Ram
pigoles and the title is "Aurea Biblia
sen RepertOrium aureum Bibliorum. y
1t was printed ut Nuremberg by "Tri-
dericum Crussner," Tor Creusner). The
date is "Anno dOmini millesimoquad-
observation-disclosures" the
translation of which is A. ID. I4SI.
The title page and six leaves of the
table of contents are lacking, other
wise the book is well preserved
though there are no covers. The loss
of the title page is not serious, for in
those days the title, authors and prin-
ter's names, and date of publication,
were placed at the end. The type is
gothic and quite irregular. The pages
are not umbered and punctuation
marks are rare, except the period which
occurs often and is above the line
Authorizations are very frequent. In
fifteen lines over fifty words are thus
shortened. Having given the title it
is hardly necessary to say that the
book is Latin. The style, however,
and grammar too, shows great dete-
rioration from that Of the classical
writer's when Cicero was writing phil
osophical essays and delivering elo-
quent OrationS.
This Golden Register of the Bible"
labors to find out some moral principle
in every anecdote related in the Bible
and to collect i'll one paragraph those
whose teaching appears to be similar.
1t can easily be imagined that the col
location is very artificial and some in
ferences so far from the sober truth as
to be occasionally ludicrous. A speci-
men of the Latin would be interesting
but it is to be hoped that the printer
has no such type in his cases as would
illustrate the peculiarities of the prin-
ter's art four hundred years ago. A
few words will suffice: "dnO" stands
for "DOmino,n "xpin for ''christi :"
''p" may mean "prB,"" ""pro" or "per"
''plm" is of course "populum." Final
IN is seldom written, but indicated by
IA mark over the vowel preceding; but
the same mark may mean "A variety of
things.
Opening at random translate few
lines. The arrangement on the page
is peculiar but not easy to reproduce
Concerning the church or temple.
The material church is; to he built
without slothfulness ; to he dedicated
with greatest joyfulness where muir
der is not to be committed where I'M
cleanness is to be avoided to he at
tended for the performance of ones
duty where the vices of the people
are to be preached. Chap. XLII.
A church ought to be built by the
faithful with all care and fervor.
Therefore Solomon had greater ankle
ty in building the temple of God than
in building his own house, for he be-
gan and finished the temple before his
own house, and (fnishedD the temple
in seven years bnt his own house in
thirteen
And so it goes on, referring to the
ApOcrypha even more frequently than
to the rest of the Bible as it then stood.
Another chapter begins thus "Wo-
men are eager for doing what is for
hidden; for the advancement of their
sons; for the acquisition of glory for
the betrayal of secrets; for vengeance
upon their enemies for narrating their
joys"
70 prove his first statement, son
this account the first woman is not said
to have been satisfied with the fruit
allowed her to eat, nor to have desired
it, but she desired the forbidden fruit
alone, and gave it to her husband
to eat. Lots wife wanted to look
around and became "a pillar of SALT
To prove the last. he uses the follow
ing argument: ''Women are desirous
to express the secret joys of their heart
and reveal them to others. When Re-
becca was asked if she wished to go
with Abraham's servant to Isaac her
husband, wishing to show her joy, she
did not say If 1T is pleasing to you,
but joyfully said Il will go.' Gen. "a.
The damsel named RhUda on account
of her JOY did not open the door to
Peter as he came from prison, but joy
fully announced to those within that
Peter was there" The poor women
are charged with the whole list of
crimes and it is seemingly sufficient to
prove an act wicked to say that wo-
man did it.
The whole book is veritable non
sc Sc, bat all the more amusing on