Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-13

true. Rosebery has not sold anything, but
M, Morssn was successful In securing as
autograph copies OF Burns poems, tnclud-
ing the original OF the familiar song Aud
Lang Syne." which has probably been sung
more often and by more people than any
song except Home, Sweet Home"
Millions Paradise Lost
Mr.. Morgan paid $4,000 for the original
Of the manuscript OF Milton's Paradise
Lost, which Is considered one Of the most
valuable In existence. although 1t is not In
the handwriting OF the poet. who had been
totally blind for fourteen years before he
composed that great work. 1t Is q popular
tradition that this poem was dictated to
Millions youngest daughter, but as q mat
ter of fact his nephew and biographer. Ed
ward Phillips, acted as his amanuensts,
many years, Is described in several biogra-
plies OF Milton. works on autographs and
others. and has been preserved all these
years with the greatest care.
Attached to Ii Is a letter written by Jacob
Tonson to Mr. Baker, the original owner OF
the manuscript, under the date of February
8. 17Sl, giving some interesting Information
about 1t. This letter was called out by the
publication Of DR.. Richard Bentley's edi-
ton Of Paradise Lost which contained
some rather disagreeable reflections upon
the poet.
In the preface to his edition Of paradise
Lost" Bentley described Milton as poor,
frtendless and, what Is worst OF all, blind
with guita serena" and gives some other
gossip about him. In commenting upon
this, Jacob Tonsoh declares that Milton
was not poor and friendless. and that he
did not have to peddle his manuscript
around trying to get publisher.
AS for Symonds, the person to whom
Milton sold the copy" writes Mr.. Tonson,
he was not poor bookseller, as the D. r.
says. I remember him, and he was looked
upon as an able and substantial printer,
and, take 1t. his father was printer be-
fore him and strict dissenter. He lived
near Aldersgate and Milton in Jewin street,
pretty near him, and they might be OF &C
quaintance and perhaps Ii the former eol-
ton of Millions books were seen he might
have been employed by him before, but
that Is only conjecture. I think Mr.. Mertyn
printed his History of England ana that II
came out before Paradise Regained; ana
Starkey printed that, and they were most
likely to employ another printer they were
used to and Symonds might be dead. Mil
tons employing printer so near his own
house Is to be an argument that ne oio not
trust wholly to the printer
The original agreement by which Jonn
Milton gentleman" sold the copyright OF
"a Poem Intituled Paradist Lost, to Samuel
Symons, Printer for five pounds sterling,
is preserved in the British Museum mis-
however, was not the total amount ne re-
ceived for that, the greatest of English
verse Symons paid him SIS 600 as roy
atty from the sale of subsequent eoltiohs'
making his total compensation Sloo.
Millions Bible, containing the family rec
ords of births. marriages and deaths, por-
ton of them In his own handwriting, is also
preserved In the British Museum, and IN the
same case Is the original draft OF rope >
TRANSACTIONS Of the Had and Odyssey. He
must have been very hard up for paper
at that time because nearly the entire
translation Is written upon the backs of let
ters and bills addressed to himself
Other Literary Treasures.
Beside it are other notable literary treas
.ures including the original manuscript OF
Grays "Elegy in Churchyard, poems by
Goethe and Schiller, manuscript music by
Handel Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven.
and autograph letters written by Martin
Luther, John Calvin, Melancthon, Sir wal,
ter Raleigh, Sir Thomas More. Michael
Gailileo. Lord Bacon, Sir Isaac Newton.
Moliere, Dryden Swift, Addison, Pope,
Goldsmith, Stern, DR.. Johnson and many
other literary men of equal fame
In the same room at the British Museum
are autographs Of almost all the English
sovereigns. including very Significant let
tiers exchanged between Henry VIZ ana
Cardinal Wolsey, whom he called "myne
awne good cardinall. written in 1913, When
Woolsey was at the height Of his power
Close beside them Is a pathetic letter. dateu
March o. 1880. by the cardinal after his rail-
It was addressed to the bishop OF Winches-
ter, but was intended Tor the KING, anu
says:
II trust vt wole now pleas His Majestic to
shewe hys petty, compassion and Down
tuouse goodness towardes me without suf-
fering me any longr to I've langwythng and
consuming awey throwth this my extreme
sorrowe and hevynes.
He was a great statesman, but poor
speller.
There are also letters from Catharine of
Aragon and from Anne Boelyn to Cardinal
Wolsey. Anne writes concerning the ar
VIII and thanks the cardinal for the inter-
est he has taken in promoting her ambition
to be Queen of England, for the great
Pawn and Travel that Your Grace hath
taken in stewdying by your wysdome and
eret dylygense howe to bryng to pass hon
erably the gretyst welbeing that Is possible
TO come to any LIVING creatour, and she
promises that If he will ask her any favor
in return you shall fynd me the gladdyst
woman in We woreld to do vt
There are large number of letters which
passed between oliver Cromwell and other
persons of Importance in his time; several
written by Lady Jane Grey from the Tower
of London. which are very pathetic and are
signed Jane the Queen" There are sew
eral autographs of Mary Queen OF Scots
and Queen Elizabeth. who writes In long,
thin sprawling characters.
The collection OF historical documents IN
the British Museum Is the largest, the most
important and the most interesting ever
gathered. The earliest letters on exhibition
were written by Alfred the Great In the
same case are the remains of the Magma
Charter, granted by King John, which was
partially burned by fire In the museum in
1880 1t Is the most precious piece OF paper
In ENGLAND