ounce of blood in his veins.
Phlebotomy is his "dear delight." He is always complaining, and yet expects
to be always free from complaint. But Madame will have it so, and Monsieur
is consenting. He lives on the floor just above the entresol, and his two
or three small apartments are gaily furnished with books. The interior is
very interesting; for his chief treasures are locked up within glazed
cabinets, which display many a rich and rare article. These cabinets are
beautifully ornamented: and I do assure you that it is but justice to their
owner to say, that they contain many an article which does credit to his
taste.

This taste consists principally in a love of ornamented MSS. and printed
books UPON VELLUM, in general very richly bound.[143] It is scarcely seven
years ago since M. Chardin published an octavo catalogue, of nearly two
hundred pages, of MSS. and printed books ... all upon vellum. He has been
long noted for rarities of this kind. "Il n'y a que des livres rares" is
his constant exclamation--as you open his glazed doors, and stretch forth
your hand to take down his treasures. He is the EDWARDS of France, but upon
a smaller scale of action. Nor does he push his _wares_, although he does
his _prices_. You may buy or not, but you must _pay_ for what you _do_ buy.
There is another oddity about this courteous and venerable bibliopolist. He
has a great passion for making his _Alduses_ perfect by means of
_manuscript_; and I must say, that, supposing this plan to be a good one,
he has carried it into execution in a surprisingly perfect manner: for you
can scarcely, by candle-light, detect the difference between what is
printed and what is executed with a pen. I think it was the whole of the
_Scholia_ attached to the Aldine _Discorides_, in folio, and a great number
of leaves in the _Grammatical Institutes of Urbanus_, of 1497, 4to. with
several other smaller volumes, which I saw thus rendered perfect: How any
scribe can be sufficiently paid for such toil, is to me inconceivable: and
how it can answer the purpose of any bookseller so to complete his copies,
is also equally unaccountable: for be it known, that good M. Chardin leaves
_you_ to make the _discovery_ of the MS. portion; and when you _have_ made
it,--he innocently subjoins--"Oui, Monsieur, n'est il pas beau?" In a sort
of passage, between his principal shew-room and his bed room, is contained
a very large collection of tracts and printed volumes relating