ished　in　very　limited　editions　by　French　booksellers；　like　MM。　Lemerre　and　Jouaust。　　Already　their　reprints　of　Rochefoucauld's　first　edition；　of　Beaumarchais；　of　La　Fontaine；　of　the　lyrics　attributed　to　Moliere；　and　other　volumes；　are　exhausted；　and　fetch　high　prices　in　the　market。　　By　a　singular　caprice；　the　little　volumes　of　Mr。　Thackeray's　miscellaneous　writings；　in　yellow　paper　wrappers　（when　they　are　first　editions）；　have　become　objects　of　desire；　and　their　old　modest　price　is　increased　twenty　fold。　　It　is　not　always　easy　to　account　for　these　freaks　of　fashion；　but　even　in　book…collecting　there　are　certain　definite　laws。　　〃Why　do　you　pay　a　large　price　for　a　dingy；　old　book；〃　outsiders　ask；　〃when　a　clean　modern　reprint　can　be　procured　for　two　or　three　shillings？〃　　To　this　question　the　collector　has　several　replies；　which　he；　at　least；　finds　satisfactory。　　In　the　first　place；　early　editions；　published　during　a　great　author's　lifetime；　and　under　his　supervision；　have　authentic　texts。　　The　changes　in　them　are　the　changes　that　Prior　or　La　Bruyere　themselves　made　and　approved。　　You　can　study；　in　these　old　editions；　the　alterations　in　their　taste；　the　history　of　their　minds。　　The　case　is　the　same　even　with　contemporary　authors。　　One　likes　to　have　Mr。　Tennyson's　〃Poems；　chiefly　Lyrical〃　（London：　　Effingham　Wilson；　Royal　Exchange；　Cornhill；　1830）。　　It　is　fifty　years　old；　this　little　book　of　one　hundred　and　fifty…four　pages；　this　first　fruit　of　a　stately　tree。　　In　half　a　century　the　poet　has　altered　much；　and　withdrawn　much；　but　already；　in　1830；　he　had　found　his　distinctive　note；　and　his　〃Mariana〃　is　a　masterpiece。　　〃Mariana〃　is　in　all　the　collections；　but　pieces　of　which　the　execution　is　less　certain　must　be　sought　only　in　the　old　volume　of　1830。　　In　the　same　way　〃The　Strayed　Reveller；　and　other　poems；　by　A。〃　　（London：　　B。　Fellowes；　Ludgate　Street；　1849）　contains　much　that　Mr。　Matthew　Arnold　has　altered；　and　this　volume；　like　the　suppressed　〃Empedocles　on　Etna；　and　other　Poems；　by　A。〃　（1852）；　appeals　more　to　the　collector　than　do　the　new　editions　which　all　the　world　may　possess。　　There　are　verses；　curious　in　their　way；　in　Mr。　Clough's　〃Ambarvalia〃　（1849）；　which　you　will　not　find　in　his　posthumous　edition；　but　which　〃repay　perusal。〃　　These　minutiae　of　literary　history　become　infinitely　more　important　in　the　early　editions　of　the　great　classical　writers；　and　the　book…collector　may　regard　his　taste　as　a　kind　of　handmaid　of　critical　science。　　The　preservation　of　rare　books；　and　the　collection　of　materials　for　criticism；　are　the　useful　functions；　then；　of　book…collecting。　　But　it　is　not　to　be　denied　that　the　sentimental　side　of　the　pursuit　gives　it　most　of　its　charm。　　Old　books　are　often　literary　relics；　and　as　dear　and　sacred　to　the　lover　of　literature　as　are　relics　of　another　sort　to　the　religious　devotee。　　The　amateur　likes　to　see　the　book　in　its　form　as　the　author　knew　it。　　He　takes　a　pious　pleasure　in　the　first　edition　of　〃Les　Precieuses　Ridicules；〃　（M。DC。LX。）　just　as　Moliere　saw　it；　when　he　was　fresh　in　the　business　of　authorship；　and　wrote　〃Mon　Dieu；　qu'un　Autheur　est　neuf；　la　premiere　fois　qu'on　l'imprime。〃　　All　editions　published　during　a　great　man's　life　have　this　attraction；　and　seem　to　bring　us　closer　to　his　spirit。　　Other　volumes　are　relics；　as　we　shall　see　later；　of　some　famed　collector；　and　there　is　a　certain　piety　in　the　care　we　give　to　books　once　dear　to　Longepierre；　or　Harley；　or　d'Hoym；　or　Buckle；　to　Madame　de　Maintenon；　or　Walpole；　to　Grolier；　or　Askew；　or　De　Thou；　or　Heber。　Such　copies　should　be　handed　down　from　worthy　owners　to　owners　not　unworthy；　such　servants　of　literature　should　never　have　careless　masters。　　A　man　may　prefer　to　read　for　pleasure　in　a　good　clear　reprint。　　M。　Charpentier's　〃Montaigne〃　serves　the　turn；　but　it　is　natural　to　treasure　more　〃Les　Essais　de　Michel　Seigneur　de　Montaigne；〃　that　were　printed　by　Francoise　le　Febre；　of　Lyon；　in　1595。　　It　is　not　a　beautiful　book；　the　type　is　small；　and　rather　blunt；　but　William　Drummond　of　Hawthornden　has　written　on　the　title…　page　his　name　and　his　device；　Cipresso　e　Palma。　　There　are　a　dozen　modern　editions　of　Moliere　more　easily　read　than　the　four　little　volumes　of　Wetstein　（Amsterdam；　1698）；　but　these　contain　reduced　copies　of　the　original　illustrations；　and　here　you　see　Arnolphe　and　Agnes　in　their　habits　as　they　lived；　Moliere　and　Mdlle。　de　Brie　as　the　public　of　Paris　beheld　them　more　than　two　hundred　years　ago。　Suckling's　〃Fragmenta　Aurea〃　contain　a　good　deal　of　dross；　and　most　of　the　gold　has　been　gathered　into　Miscellanies；　but　the　original　edition　of　1646；　〃after　his　own　copies；〃　with　the　portrait　of　the　jolly　cavalier　who　died　aetatis　suae　28；　has　its　own　allurement。　Theocritus　is　more　easily　read；　perhaps；　in　Wordsworth's　edition；　or　Ziegler's；　but　that　which　Zacharias　Calliergi　printed　in　Rome　（1516）；　with　an　excommunication　from　Leo　X。　against　infringement　of　copyright；　will　always　be　a　beautiful　and　desirable　book；　especially　when　bound　by　Derome。　　The　gist　of　the　pious　Prince　Conti's　strictures　on　the　wickedness　of　comedy　may　be　read　in　various　literary　histories；　but　it　is　natural　to　like　his　〃Traite　de　la　Comedie　selon　la　tradition　de　l'Eglise；　Tiree　des　Conciles　et　des　saints　Peres；〃　published　by　Lovys　Billaine　in　1660；　especially　when　the　tract　is　a　clean　copy；　arrayed　in　a　decorous　black　morocco。
  These　are　but　a　few　common　examples；　chosen　from　a　meagre　little　library；　a　〃twopenny　treasure…house；〃　but　they　illustrate；　on　a　minute　scale；　the　nature　of　the　collector's　passion；the　character　of　his　innocent　pleasures。　　He　occasionally　lights　on　other　literary　relics　of　a　more　personal　character　than　mere　first　editions。　　A　lucky　collector　lately　bought　Shelley's　copy　of　Ossian；　with　the　poet's　signature　on　the　title…page；　in　Booksellers'　Row。　　Another　possesses　a　copy　of　Foppens's　rare　edition　of　Petrarch's　〃Le　Sage　Resolu　contre　l'une　et　l'autre　Fortune；〃　which　once　belonged　to　Sir　Hudson　Lowe；　the　gaoler　of　Napoleon；　and　may　have　fortified；　by　its　stoical　maxims；　the　soul　of　one　who　knew　the　extremes　of　either　fortune；　the　captive　of　St。　Helena。　　But　the　best　example　of　a　book；　which　is　also　a　relic；　is　the　〃Imitatio　Christi；〃　which　belonged　to　J。　J。　Rousseau。　　Let　M。　Tenant　de　Latour；　lately　the　happy　owner　of　this　possession；　tell　his　own　story　of　his　treasure：　　It　was　in　1827　that　M。　de　Latour　was　walking　on　the　quai　of　the　Louvre。　　Among　the　volumes　in　a　shop；　he　noticed　a　shabby　little　copy　of　the　〃Imitatio　Christi。〃　　M。　de　Latour；　like　other　bibliophiles；　was　not　in　the　habit　of　examining　stray　copies　of　this　work；　except　when　they　were　of　the　Elzevir　size；　for　the　Elzevirs　published　a　famous　undated　copy　of　the　〃Imitatio；〃　a　book　which　brings　considerable　prices。　However；　by　some　lucky　chance；　some　Socratic　daemon　whispering；　may　be；　in　his　ear；　he　picked　up　the　little　dingy　volume　of　the　last　century。　　It　was　of　a　Paris　edition；　1751；　but　what　was　the　name　on　the　fly…leaf。　　M。　de　Latour　read　a　J。　J。　Rousseau。　　There　was　no　mistake　about　it；　the　good　bibliophile　knew　Rousseau's　handwriting　perfectly　well；　to　make　still　more　sure　he　paid　his　seventy…five　centimes　for　the　book；　and　walked　across　the　Pont　des　Arts；　to　his　bookbinder's；　where　he　had　a　copy　of　Rousseau's　works；　with　a　facsimile　of　his　handwriting。　　As　he　walked；　M。　de　Latour　read　in　his　book；　and　found　notes　of　Rousseau's　on　the　margin。　　The　facsimile　proved　that　the　inscription　was　genuine。　　The　happy　de　Latour　now　made　for　the　public　office　in　which　he　was　a　functionary；　and　rushed　into　the　bureau　of　his　friend　the　Marquis　de　V。　　The　Marquis；　a　man　of　great　strength　of　character；　recognised　the　signature　of　Rousseau　with　but　little　display　of　emotion。　　M。　de　Latour　now　noticed　some　withered　flowers　among　the　sacred　pages；　but　it　was　reserved　for　a　friend　to　discover　in　the　faded　petals　Rousseau's　favourite　flower；　the　periwinkle。　　Like　a　true　Frenchman；　like　Rousseau　himself　in　his　younger　days；　M。　de　Latour　had　not　recognised　the　periwinkle　when　he　saw　it。　　That　night；　so　excited　was　M。　de　Latour；　he　never　closed　an　eye！　　What　puzzled　him　was　that　he　could　not　remember；　in　all　Rousseau's　works；　a　single　allusion　to　the　〃Imitatio　Christi。〃　　Time　went　on；　the　old　book　was　not　rebound；　but　kept　piously　in　a　case　of　Russia　leather。　　M。　de　Latour　did　not　suppose　that　〃dans　ce　bas　monde　it　fut　permis　aux　joies　du　bibliophile　d'aller　encore　plus　loin。〃　　He　imagined　that　the　delights　of　the　amateur　could　only　go　further；　in　heaven。　　It　chanced；　however；　one　day　that　he　was　turning　over　the　〃Oeuvres　Inedites〃　of　Rousseau；　when　he　found　a　letter；　in　which　Jean　Jacques；　writing　in　1763；　asked　Motiers…Travers　to　send　him　the　〃Imitatio　Christi。〃　　Now　the　date　1764　is　memorable；　in　Rousseau's　〃Confessions；〃　for　a　burst　of　sentiment　over　a　periwinkle；　the　first　he　had　noticed　particularly　since　his　residence　at　Les　Charmettes；　where　the　flower　had　been　remarked　by　Madame　de　Warens。　　Thus　M。　Tenant　de　Latour　had　recovered　the　very　identical　periwinkle；　which　caused　the　tear　of　sensibility　to　moisten　the　fine　eyes　of　Jean　Jacques　Rousseau。
  We　cannot　all　be　adorers　of　Rousseau。　　But　M。　de　Latour　was　an　enthusiast；　and　this　little　anecdote　of　his　explains　the　sentimental　side　of　the　bibliophil