as a great curiosity in manuscript; but when it came to
be printed, sundry gross errours appeared: he was obliged to take out
several leaves in correcting the press. The edition was very
expensive, and the work, at last, would have been rather more
acceptable to the public, if the author had not written it from
memory. Love of the wonderful must yield to esteem for the useful.

The effect which all this erudition had upon the Abbe de Longuerue's
taste, judgment, and imagination, is worth our attention. Some of his
opinions speak sufficiently for our purpose. He was of opinion that
the English have never done any good,[43] since they renounced the
study of Greek and Arabic, for Geometry and Physics. He was of
opinion, that two antiquarian books upon Homer, viz. _Antiquitates
Homericae_ and _Homeri Gnomologia_, are preferable to Homer himself. He
would rather have them, he declared, because with these he had all
that was useful in the poet, without being obliged to go through long
stories, which put him to sleep. "As for that madman Ariosto," said
he, "I sometimes divert myself with him." One odd volume of Racine was
the only French book to be found in his library. His erudition died
with him, and the world has not profited much by his surprising
memory.

The librarian Magliabechi was no less famous than M. de Longuerue for
his memory, and he was yet more strongly affected by the mania for
books. His appetite for them was so voracious, that he acquired the
name of the glutton of literature.[44] Before he died, he had
_swallowed_ six large rooms full of books. Whether he had time to
digest any of them we do not know, but we are sure that he wished it;
for the only line of his own composition which he has left for the
instruction of posterity, is round a medal. The medal represents him
sitting with a book in his hand, and with a great number of books
scattered on the floor round him. The candid inscription signifies,
that to become learned it is not sufficient to read much, if we read
without reflection. The names of Franklin and of Shakespeare are known
wherever literature is cultivated, to all who have any pretensions to
science or to genius; yet they were neither of them men of
extraordinary erudition, nor from their works should we judge that
memory was their predominant faculty. It may be said, that a superior
degree of memory was essential to the exercise of their judgment and
invention; that without having treasure