The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1888-09-15
Literary Discoveries.

To the merest accident have we been
indebted says the London Spectator, for
the preservation of volumes which are
Justly considered to rank among the
most precious relics of literature, and
not less remarkable than the discoveries
themselves is the fact that they have oft
en- been made IT time when further de-
lay would have made them impossible.
This has been particularly noticeable in
regard to the remains of classical litera-
allure. In adungeon IN monastery of
Coll Poggo found, corroded with damp
and covered with filth, the great work
OF Quintillian. In Westphalia a monk
stumbled accidentally upon the old man
uscript Of st. Taeitus, and TO that acct
dent we owe the writings of a historian
who has more influence, perhaps, upon
modern prose literature than any
ancient writer, with the solitary eXcep-
tons of Cicero. The poe ms Of Proper
titus, one of the most vigorous and origi-
nal o. the Roman poets, were found I'M
der the casks OF Il wine cellar.
In a few months the manuscript would
have crumbled to pieces and become IL
leglble. Parts of Homer have come TO
light in the most extraordinary way. A
considerable portion o. the "Iliad." for
instance, was found in the hand of a
mummy The best of the Greek ro-
mances, THE Ethiopics of Heliodurus, 3"
which was such avorite with Mr.
Browning, was rescued by common
soldier, who found it kicking about the
streets OF "A town i'll Hungary. To turn,
however. to more modern times, every
one knows how Sir Robert Cotton res
cued the original manuscript of Magma
Charta from the hands of common
t,,l b.. 80 -
ures. The valuable Thurioe state papers
were brought to light by the tumbling
in of the ceiling of some chambers in
Lincoln Inn. The charming letters OF
Lady Mary Montague, which have long
taken their place among English class
les, were found in the false bottom of an
old trunk and in the secret drawer OF a
chest the curious manuscripts of Dr.
LIE lurked unsupported for years. One
o. the most singular discoveries of this
kind was the recovery of that delightful
volume, ''Luther's Table Talk"
\ gentleman in 1926 had occasion to
build upon the foundation of a house.
When the WORKING II were engaged in
digging they found, lying IN deep,
obscure hole, wrapped in strong linen
cloth, which was waxed all over with
beeswaX, within and without" this in
tefestlhg WORK, NHlch hilu beeH con-
cealed ever since its suppression by
Pope Gregory Mi. We are told that
one of the cantos of Dante's Paradise"
which had long been mislaid, was drawn
rom It's lurking place ut had slipped
beneath window slid, in consequence
of an lntimation received in a dream
One OF the most Interesting of Mllton's
prose Works-the essay on the doctrines
OF chrIstlanIty-Was unearthed from the
midst of bundle of dispatches by a
Mr.. Lemon. deputy keeper of the state
paper in 1923. As years ron on and cu-
riosity is more and more awakened,
such discoveries must become rarer; but
many precious documents are still Turk
ing in unsupported corners, and not a
few literary discoveries nmain even
now 10 be made, which win, when made,
innmortalize the fortunate discoverer.