The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1913-04-02
FOUND IN ODD PLACES
ROSTER OF HISTORIC TREASURES
SAVED BY CHANCE.
In the List Is Recorded the Priceless
Parchment on Which tire Magma
Chsrta Was Inscribed--Now
in British Museum.

Not infrequentls manuscripts of lit.
| erary treasures. long deemed to have
| been LOST forever, turn up in most UNI
likely places and by most unlikely
means. These recoyeries form an in.
teresting and romantic chapter in the
history of literature.
1t is said that the Oldest known
! Greek manuscript OF the New Tesla,
! ment, now the chief treasure of a mu.
scum at St Petersburg, was about to
be burnt together with other and ap-
| parently valueless manuscripts. by the
monks of a Syrian monastery. when
by a lucky chance 'rischendorf inter.
| fered In time 10 save it.
A page of another valuable Greek
| manuscript came to the Bishop OF
| Uganto In a startling way II was
wrapped round fish and brought into
| the bishops presence; when, by the
merest chance, he examined it and
| found II to be a part of treatise
| thought for many centuries to be lost
The good man J ,stened to the stall of
fish had been bought just in time to
save the remaining pages Of the treas
| nre
Quite as lucky as this was the
chance that led to the preservation of
the Magma Charta from destruction
The story runs that Sir Robert Cotton
had one day entered his talor's shop
precisely at the moment when the
tailor was about to cut up. for pat
terms, an ancient looking document
whereto were attached many large and
imposing seals. Sir Robert arrested
the hand of the tailor even though he
did not Immediately recognize the
value OF the document which he pur-
chased for few cents. Today the
priceless manuscript is in glass case
at the British Museum, most carefully
guarded
Another valuable manuscript that
was about To be destroyed. after being
smothered In dust for over two cen
turtles In moth-eaten Golfer, was the
lannon's Journal of his Italian Travels
written by Montague This is now
looked upon as one of the greatest of
French literary treasures
A decorator at work in room of
Lincoln's Inn in London was one day
preparing to repaint the ceiling. when
bundle of the state papers of Thur
low fell out from a false panel.
For over two hundred years Milton's
Commonplace Book wherein were en-
tered the rough notes and plans of all
his poems. was lost; but finally it turn
ed up in TIE garrett of neglected
house in London
One Of the most highly priced manu-.
scripts OF recent times was rescued
lust In time from a cupboard in
house where the poet had for some
time lived as a bachelor. This was
the manuscript Of In Memoriam,"
and il was TO the poet himself that
The recovery was due; for he remem-
bertd that the book wherein he had
transcribed the original draft had
been hastily thrust into the cupboard.
where Tennyson also had been accus
tomed 10 keep his pickles and Jams
when the friends sent by the poet to
recover the manuscript arrived on
the scene, the contents of the cup
board had been removed by the land |
lady, who was just then engaged In
her task of house cleaning. and tartly |
advised her visitors that they had |
would that day have burnt all the |
"trash" she had found.-The Sunday |
Magazine