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FACSIMILE OF A LETTER FROM THE

PRINCESS ELIZABETH ( AFTERWARDS QUEEN)

in iiF-p BPOTHER KING EDWARD VI

I- lEMERCIP.Rac«PARJS,

A GUIDE TO THE COLLECTOR

OF

HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS

LITERARY MANUSCRIPTS

AND

I^utograp^ ^effers etc.

WITH

AN INDEX OF VALUABLE BOOKS OF REFERENCE, WHERE SEVERAL THOUSAND

FACSIMILES OF HANDWRITING MAY BE FOUND FOR THE

VERIFICATION OF MSS. AND AUTOGRAPH LETTERS

ALSO

^4 New Edition of II 'right's Court-Hand Restored

WITH AN INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER FOR THE USE OF STUDENTS AND FACSIMILES OF WATERMARKS

BY

Rev. Dr. SCOTT & SAMUEL DAVEY F.R.S.L.

LONDON

S. J. DAVEY

THE ARCHIVIST OFFICE 47 GREAT RUSSELL STREET

OPPOSITE THE BRITISH MUSEUM MDCCCXCI

DRVDEN PRESS: J. DAVY AND SONS, 137, LONG ACRE, LONDON.

SRLF

urn.

^^'■

1830334

DEDICATED

TO THE LOVING MEMORY OF SAMUEL JOHN DAVEY

WHO DIED DECEMBER 8th 1890 AGED 27 YEARS

QUIS non revereatur, si rex suimanu descriptam mittat epistolam ? Quomodo autem exosculamur, quoties ab amicis aut eruditis viris literas accipimus ipsorum articulis depictas ! Turn demun ipsos coram audire, coram intueri videmur. Epistola digitis alienis scripta vix epistote nomen promeretur. Multa de suoaddunt amanuenses. Et si dictes ad verbum, tamen abest illud secretum, et quadam aliter pronuntias, nonnulla supprimis, ne conscium habeas quern nolis. Non est igitur hoc liberum cum amico colloquium.

(Erasmi Dialogus de recta Latini Gracique sermonis pronunciatione, Ed. de Leyde, 1643, P- 54)-

Who would not be struck with reverence if a King were to send him a letter written by his own hand? But how do we rapturously prize the letters we receive from friends or sages, traced by their very hands ! Then indeed we seem to hear them and to behold them standing in our presence. When written by another hand a letter is scarcely worthy the name of a letter: amanuenses add so much of their own. Even when dictated word for word there is still wanting that inestimable secrecy, for things are so differently expressed or even suppressed when a third unwelcome person is taken into confidence. In one word, there is none of that free intercourse of friend with friend.

CONTENTS.

Abbreviations used in Catalogues,

28, ct scq. Addison, Launcelot, 9 Addison, Joseph, 9 Addison, J., writing peculiarities of,

49 Alba Amicorum, 10, et seq. Albums, early, 10, et seq. Albums, how to fasten letters in,

73, et seq. Albums in the British Museum, 1 1 Amanuenses, letters written by, 31 Anne Boleyn, public feeling against,

7

Apostolic letters, 2

Ashmole, Elias, antiquarian, 20

Autographs, fluctuation in the \alue of, 40, ct seq.

Autographs, forged, 88, et seq.

Autograph letters which will de- crease in value, 4i, et seq.

Autograph letters which will in- crease in value, 41, et seq.

Autograph sales, 36, 144, et seq.

Autograph sales advertised, 36

Autographs should be guaranteed before purchased, 35

Bacon, Lord, 8

Bad writing, &c., 48

Beaufort papers, 118

Begging letters for autographs, no value, 32

Bible, the old family registers in, 16 Bodley, Thomas, 21 Books, how to Grangerise, 84 Boswell, J., reference to, 91 Bronte, Charlotte, letters of, 43 Burton, Dr. T. Hill, humourous

travesty of the Grangerite and

his work, 80 Byron, forgeries, 1 1 5 Byron, Lord, writing peculiarities of,

49

Carlyle's History of Cromwell, 25

Cautions on purchasing letters, 35

Cecil Papers, 128

Characteristics of a forged docu- ment, 99

Charlemagne, unable to write dis- proved, 27

Chasles, M., a great purchaser of forged letters, 1 1 1

Churchill, John, mistaken for letters of the Duke of Marlborough, 33

Cicero as a letter writer, 2

Cist Collection, 145

Classification of autographs, 72, et seq.

Cohn, Alexander Meyer, collection,

143 Coleridge,writing peculiarities of, 50 Collecting, the pleasure of, 55, et

seq. Collection, how to form a, 28, et seq.

via

CONTENTS.

Collectors, modern, 132 Collectors, early English, 7 Correspondence, diplomatic, value

of, 6 Cotton, Sir Robert, 18 Courtenay, Edward, Correspon- dence, 7 Courtezans, French, value of letters

of, 32 Crabbe, 9

Cromwell, Sir Oliver, letters some- times mistaken for Cromwell the Protector, 23 David's letter to Joab, 2 Destruction of valuable letters, 38 Dickens, Charles, peculiar flourish

of, 47 Dickens, value of letters of, 32, 41, 43 Divorce of Queen Catherine, 7 Documents, signed, value of, 29 Drummond, notes of, S Dugdale, antiquarian, 21 Early English CoiTespondence, 3 Early history and preservation of

letters, i, ct seq. Early writing materials, 57, et seq. Edward VI., his confession of his

religion, 129 Eglinton papers, 1 19 Eliot, George, letters of, 43 Elizabeth, 8

Envelopes, when first used, 62 Extracts from letters in the Morri- son collection, 133, et seq. Fastolf, Sir John, reference to, 6 Fathers, letters of the early, 3 Fluctuation in the valuation of auto- graphs, 40, et seq. Foolscap, why named, 60 Forger, the forger at work, 94, et seq. Forger, the ink used by, 96 Forger official in the time of Louis XIV., 30

Forgeries, early, of Pythagoras, So- phocles, Xenophon and Euri- pides, 2 F'orgeries, the Ireland, 88, gi Francis I., his words after the battle

of Pavia, 27 French Revolution, destruction of

MSS., 22, (•/ seq. Garrick, life of, Grangerised by

Mr. Wright, 83 Gentlemen with ladies' names, 33. Good writing, etc., 48 Granger, Rev. James, originator of

extra-illustrating books, 79 Grangerised works, principal, 81,

et seq. Grangerising, 79, ct seq. Grangerising, simple method of, 87 Guide to the verification of manu- scripts, 159 Handwriting, study of, 46, et seq. Harley, Earl of Oxford, 21. Henry IV, album, 14. Historians, letters an aid to, 24, et

seq. Historical Manuscripts Commis- sion, 116 Histor)', David Hume, 25 Holograph letters, meaning of, 28 Homer's Iliad, "The sealed Tab- lets," 2 Hume, David, 25

Idiosyncracies of collectors of au- tographs, 44, et seq. Ink, varieties of, 57, et seq. Jewish calendars, how kept, 1 5 Jonson, Ben, conversations of, 8 Knyphausen, value of letters of, 33 Ladies with masculine names, 33 Laing, D., conversations of Ben

Jonson, 8 Landon's, Miss, writing, 49 Leland, John, 18

CONTENTS.

IX

Letters, cautions in purchasing, 35

Fathers, early, 3

Cyprian, 3

Basil, 3

Augustine, 3

Jerome, 3

Anselm, 3

Middle Ages, 3

Henry V, the earliest, 3

St Bernard, 4

Abelard, Peter, 4

eminent churchmen, 3

danger of destroying, in clean- ing, 76

earliest reference to, 2

forged, of Alexander the Great,

Attila, Julius Caesar, Herod to Lazarus, Pontius Pilate, etc., 113

forged, of Burns, Sir Walter

Scott, Byron, Shelley, Thackeray, &c., 114

how copied, 95

how to restore, 76, et seq.

how to restore when injured

by fire, 77

in the third person, 30

of the Sydneys, 8

unsigned, how to verify, 53,

et seq.

value of early, 5

Paston, 5

various values, 32

Luther, Martin, value of letter, 32

Maintenon, ^Ladame de, letters written by her secretary, 31

Manuscripts, study of, 47

Marlborough, Duke of, secret mo- ney, 27

Mary, Queen of Scots, 48

Mary Tudor, 8

Materials, early writing, 57, et seq.

Michelet, historian, 25

Monastic records, 3

" Monasticon Anglicanum," 21

Monasteries, spoliation of, 19

Montaigne, love of possessing let- ters, 23

Morrison collection described, 132

Motley, J. L., on the value of letters, 24

Murdin, State papers, 25

Napoleon, facsimiles of his writing, 158

Newton, Sir Isaac, forged letters of, 107, et seq.

Nichols, J. J., work on albums, 10

Night Thoughts, author of, g

Old handwriting, how to read, 148

Paper, gilt-edged,when first used, 63

Paper, hand-made, 61

Paper, machine-made, 61

Paper, varieties of, 59, et seq.

Parafe, the, 30

Parker, Archbishop, care of MSS., 18

Pascal, forged letters of, 107, et seq.

Paste, how to make for fastening letters in albums, 74

Peculiarities of writing, Sidney Smith, Gladstone, &c., 49, et seq.

Penredd, T., reference to, 90

Pliny's letters, 2

Pope, A., spite against Lady Mary Wortley Montague, cause of, 26

Portraits, value in collections of autographs, 70

Preservation and arranging auto- graphs, 6S-78

Psalmanazer, reference to, 89

Reference index for fac-similes, 167

Registers, Parish, origin of, 8

Reports, 117

Reveillon's house burned, the cause revealed, 26

Richelieu, Cardinal, destruction of his papers, 22

CONTENTS.

Rutland papers, 122

Sacred records, letters in, 2

Schiller forgeries, 103

Scott, Sir Walter, sale of his manu- scripts, 146

Scott, Sir Walter, writing peculi- arities of, 49

Seals, various forms of, 64, et scq.

Seneca as a letter writer, 2

Sign Manuals, 46

Signatures, mere, valueless, 31

Signers of the declaration of Inde- pendence

Shakespeare, 8

Simonides, the Greek forger, 89

Sorel, Agnes, letters, 30

Speed, John, antiquarian, 20

Stewart, Gilbert, history of Scot- land, 24

Stowe, John, antiquarian, 20

Stuart, Marie, collection of her letters, 122

Thackeray, value of letters of, 32,

41,43

Thackeray, W. M., writing, pecu- liarities of, 49

Third person, value of letters in, 30

Thoresby, Ralph, 21

Tilt forgery, 114

Tonson, Jacob, letters in the pos- session of Mr. W R. Baker of Bayfordbury, 122

Tredwell, Mr. D., method of inlaying prints and letters, 85, et scq.

Tristram Shandy, author of, 9

Turner, Dawson, sale, 145

United States, Declaration of Inde- pendence, signers of, 45

Unsigned letters, how to verify, 53, et scq.

Venetian and Italian correspond- ence, 7

Vrain-Lucas, forgeries by, 114

Wafers, when first used, 67

W^alpole, Horace, 21

Warwick, Earl of, rare letter of, 1 23

Watermarks, 60, and Appendix

Watts, Isaac, 80

Wellington, Duke of, writing pecu- liarities of, 49

Works containing facsimiles of au- tograph letters, &c., 160

Wright's Courthand, introductory chapter, 148

Wright's extra illustrated Life of Garrick, 83

Life of Dickens, 83

Writing, bad, 48

Writing, good, 48

Writing in the time of Elizabeth, 148

Writing, peculiarities of, 49, et seq.

Young, John, collection of auto- graphs, 68

Facsimiles of the autographs of the Sovereigns of England and other Royal personages, from Richard II. to Her Majesty Queen Victoria.

Facsimiles of the handwritings of English celebrities.

APPENDICES.

A new edition of Wright's " Court- Hand Restored."

Facsimiles of watermarks from the collection formed by the late Mr. R. Lemon, of the State Record Office, with illustrations from the earliest known examples.

PREFACE.

N presenting this book to the pubHc, a few words are necessary as to its aim and object. The collecting of Historical Documents and Autograph Letters has become a favourite pursuit of late years, and no work published in this country or Ame- rica adequately deals with the subject. Our chief aim is, therefore, to supply this deficiency, and to stimulate the study and appreciation of autograph letters and historical manuscripts. In addition to an historical survey of our subject, we have endeavoured to furnish such practical suggestions as shall guide the beginner, and point out the best means of obtaining, and after- wards of arranging and displaying his treasures. Full details are also given (with illustrative examples) of the methods employed by the forger and his confederates to entrap the unwary, and the manner in which these machinations can be detected and avoided.

So many excellent works have been published with engraved facsimiles of hand-writing, that we think it unnecessary to give an exhaustive number of illustrations, and have therefore confined our efforts to those English names likely to be of service to most modern collectors.

Xll PREFACE.

But in order to make the guide for the verification of autographs as complete as possible, we have specially compiled a large index of valuable books of reference where any required facsimiles may be found.

The work moreover contains an improved edition of " Wright's Court- Hand Restored," and also a remarkable series of water-marks, collected by the late R. Lemon, Esq., of the State Record Office ; now published for the first time. We therefore trust that the result will not only form a text-book for the Collector of Autographs, but also prove serviceable to the Archivist and the Student of History.

In compiling this volume we are conscious of many shortcomings, and shall heartily welcome any suggestions which our readers may kindly give, to aid us in adding to the scope and utility of our next edition.

It is with deep sorrow that we have to record, as this work is passing through the press, the death of Mr. Samuel John Davey, who was closely associated with his father in the preparation and compiling of a portion of this volume ; and to whose liberal and enterprising interest in everything connected with the study and preservation of writings this work is due.

INTRODUCTION.

HE penchant for collecting autograph letters and manuscripts of celebrated persons is not, as many suppose, merely a product of modern refinement and culture, for as far as we can discover it has been one of the earliest predilections of human curiosity. Among the ancient Greeks, the manuscripts of their chief poets and historians were esteemed of the greatest value and carefully preserved. As an example of this we read, that the third Ptolemy refused to supply the starving Athenians with wheat, unless he was allowed to borrow the original MSS. of yEschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, in order to have them transcribed. Ptolemy promised faithfully to return them in good condition and deposited fifteen talents as security. He had them exactly copied, retained the originals, and returned the transcripts, and thus forfeited the amount he had deposited. It is recorded by Pliny, the elder, in his thirteenth book, "that Mucianus, who was three times Consul of Rome, has stated that he had recently read, while Governor of Lycia, a letter

xiv INTRODUCTION.

written upon paper (papyrus) and preserved in a temple there, which had been written from Troy by Sarpedon." This exhibition of a forged letter in a temple, shows the interest taken in the handwriting of eminent men at an early period. Pliny relates also in the same chapter, that " we have memorials preserved in the ancient handwriting of Tiberius and Caius Gracchus, which I have seen in the possession of Pomponius Secundus, the poet, almost two hundred years since those characters were penned," and he adds " as for the writings of Cicero, Augustus and Virgil, we frequently see and handle them at the present day." Ouintillian tells us also, that he had inspected some of the original manuscripts of Cicero, Virgil, and Cato the Censor. Aulus Gellius professed to have seen a manuscript of the " Georgics," with the author's corrections, also that of the Second Book of the " .^neid," which formerly belonged to Virgil's family. Suetonius, in his " Lives of the Caesars" in narrating the biography of Nero, says that he had in his possession several little pocket books and loose sheets of Nero's poems, written in his own hand, and he enters with all the minuteness of a modern expert into the marks and signs of their genuineness. That there were enthusiastic collectors of autograph letters and manuscripts in ancient times, we have abundant evidence. Among them we mieht mention Cicero, who collected, with other curiosities, manuscripts and letters of eminent persons. Addressing

INTRODUCTION. XV

his friend Atticus in one of his letters, he says " in the name of friendship, suffer nothing to escape you of whatever you find curious and rare." Lil<e a true collector he speaks of "saving his rents" in order to pur- chase some scarce and valuable manuscripts. Libanius, the Sophist, was another eminent and enthusiastic col- lector, it is said that he purchased in Athens a copy of the " Odyssey," which was supposed to have been contemporary with Homer. Strabo mentions a cele- brated stealer of letters called Apellicon of Teios, a Peripatetic Philosopher and a bibliomaniac so ardent, that he robbed an Athenian temple of the originals of several documents, for which offence he was obliged to fly, and when his extensive library was carried to Rome by Sylla, among the valuable books, it is said, was found an original MS. of Aristotle's.

One of the largest collections of autographs which may be found in antiquity, is that of the Consul Mucianus. Tacitus informs us, in his ''Dialogues of celebrated Orators',' that this Mucianus collected four- teen volumes, three of which contained letters, and eleven ' Acta : ' (a series of ancient and curious cases from the law courts.) We have also a glimpse given by the younger Pliny of an autograph negotiation ; for he states in one of his letters, that his uncle might have sold his numerous portfolios, filled with MSS., to Largius Licinius for 400,000 sesterces (^3,000), a respectable sum which has not often been surpassed.

XVI

INTRODUCTION.

The foregoing examples will suffice for our purpose, in showing that letters and manuscripts have been treasured from the earliest times, and we believe that their appreciation in the future will grow in the same ratio as men progress in cultivation and intelligence.

CHAPTER I.

The Early History and Preservation of Autograph

Letters, etc.

iTHOUT referring to any of the works of the ancient poets and sages — how pre- cious is the information suppHed by the few documents and letters which appear like rays of light amid the gloom of the ancient world. Of these, besides the Egyptian hieroglyphs, we have several interesting papyri, written in legible Greek, of the time of the Ptolemies, which carry us back at once into the everyday life of the bustling world of Alexandria, and other large cities, of that period. There are conveyances of land with the usual covenants and conditions ; advertisements concerning things lost, and runaway slaves, those of the latter being similar to those seen in the newspapers of the Southern States of America before the late war. The museums of Paris and London are rich in these papyri. One dated June loth, 146 B.C., offers a reward to anyone

B

2 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

who shall find two slaves gone off from Alexandria. It contains minute descriptions of the runaways and the articles they carried with them.

In tracing the history and origin of letter-writing we mio-ht mention that the earliest reference to letters in the Sacred Records occurs in 2 Samuel, chap, nth, where David wrote a letter to Joab concerning Uriah. But this and other letters afterwards mentioned in the Scriptures were, more properly speaking, mandates or despatches, rather than what we understand by the familiar intercourse of correspondence. In Homer's "Iliad," Book 6, we read of the "sealed tablets" which were given by Prsetus to Bellerophon, containing his own death warrant ; what these sealed tablets were has been a subject of controversy from time immemorial. Nearly all the early Greek letters which have the names of celebrated men attached to them are forgeries, such as the Epistles of Pythagoras, Socrates, Xenophon, Euri- pides, &c., and according to Dr. Bentley it had been a practise as old as literature to forge and counterfeit letters, and he refers to a passage in Galen to confirm his opinion.

Among the Latin writers Cicero will bear the palm as a familiar correspondent. Seneca's letters, though they give admirable descriptions of his time, are mere essays, and Pliny's, though elegant, are too studied and laboured ; and since Pliny, no Latin writer is found whose letters have influenced modern style.

Epistolary correspondence abounded in the time of the Apostles, but the apostolic letters were (for the most part) catholic, and not addressed to individuals. Coming to a later period, we have the priceless annals of the

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. 3

Fathers of ecclesiastical history : written apparently as memoranda, jotted down from time to time by these virtuosi, who also collected what letters and documents they could obtain relating to the transactions of their own era. Added to these we have the rich store of letters of eminent church-men — Cyprian, Basil, Augus- tine, and Jerome — which contain all that can be found to fill the gaps between ancient and modern history. To this succeed the monastic records, the only data of passing events during the darkest period of the middle ages until the most reliable of all documentary evidence, private letters, began to circulate in the reign of our Henry V. " Letters before that time," remarks Sir H. Ellis, "were usually written in French or Latin, and were the productions of the great and learned. Those of the former, who employed scribes, from their formality, frequently resemble legal instruments : those of the latter were verbose treatises, mostly on express subjects. We have nothing earlier than the fifteenth century which can be called a familiar letter in our native tongue." Still, "some of the letters of the middle ages are of priceless value, several being full of the state of manners in France, Italy and England, during the eleventh and twelfth centuries. For instance, there are the letters of the two Bishops of Chartres, in the eleventh century — Fulbert and Ivo, and subsequently those of Stephen, Bishop of Tournay. For Italy we have Gerbert's letters (Pope Silvestre II), at the close of the tenth century, and also Cardinal Damiani's. Then we have Anselm's three books of letters, which give us details of Normandy and England pretty fully in the time of William the Conqueror and William Rufus ; John of Salisbury's

B 2

Ar;T^*APR coul;

rv

f

1

\\l\o nIiiiII find two '>ire3 o-'-- - -' vNMUiiiuM minute df. .optic <\\'\w\vH tliuy carried ^ th ;-

In ti-iicinjf the hislryand - >n!i;l\l inciilion that tb earliest S>uT«'il Ivfcords occiB in 2 S^,,, l\uiil wrote a letterto Joab co this and otlicr ^;ttrs aftenvan Sori|>tiir(;s were, mot pre

vlosjutches, rather tan -

tumiliar intercourse ■>{ c

" lli,\il," liook 6, we 2ad

\\vrt\i;ivcii l)y l'ra;tu!to E

Ot\uh warrant ; whathese

a siihjeot of contro\'<;- ''

all the early Grcd:

ivlohrated men att.u

the I'ipislles of Pyih

pides, i*<:o,, and accoi-(

IM-aetLso as old as 1

hMters, niul he refers >

opinion.

Anu.n^ 1 1,0 Latin v

■' ' i"^i'i u' correspf

AUTOGRAPH

Fathers of ecclesiastical histon memoranda, jotted doTiii from t:— virtuosi, who also collected wfaa: they could obtain relating tr " OAvn era. Added to these v letters of eminent church-mc- tine, and Jerome — which co- fill the gaps between an: this succeed the mon passing events during ages until the most r^ private letters, be: Henry V. "Let H. Ellis, "were were the pro'^ of the form' frequently latter w< We ha^ can be Still. pric in tv t' I

as, of

n letters id senti- lenetrate into the the real It is impossi- character of

J which he was ch extraordi- d as the true enes, and the aled, rectified ^ find a single t Dok ; the cor- n int individual ic of history, or cii amstances so

ictorj 3 the circum-

icriod f confidential

ire in lie celebrated

volumes of

furnishing a

1 seve; ical vail during t :tracted

letters we he better c

past century, icious details though (iscure portion in the Replution of the Eniilish

ave

ises of each ool-boy, the i tious maiden.

ij

4 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

correspondence continues it to a later period — the reign of Henry II., which, however, is more perfectly illustrated by that most entertaining of letter-writers, Peter of Blois, Archdeacon of London. The enormous collection of St. Bernard's letters may be said to illustrate especially the condition of France, although it throws considerable light on other parts of Europe. The small collection of Peter Abelard's letters is of inestimable value in showing us the state of learning and education at this same epoch. All these letters are for the most part full of gossiping matter and just like those of more modern times, they show us how our ancestors ate and drank and clothed themselves, what they talked about and how their domestic details were performed : they even go into some of the scandalous mysteries of horse dealing." * Still, precious and interesting as these letters undoubtedly are, they fall far short in importance as contributions to history when compared to modern correspondence. Neither they nor the annals of the monks of the tenth and eleventh centuries contain the slightest hint regarding popular feeling ; and, until we reach the time of private letters, we never catch a real glimpse at the living men and women of the age. Written at a time when the language had become moulded into its present form, so admirable for the poet and the orator, our earliest letters in the vernacular are almost contemporaneous with our earliest native poetry, with Wickliffe's translation of the Bible and the invention of printing.

Before that era, letter writing was almost wholly practised by the aristocracy, clergy and professional scribes, and limited to legal and official communications, * ''Quart: Rev:"

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. 5

from which everything like intimate confidence was, of course, wholly excluded.

Until, therefore, we arrive at the period when letters began to be filled with the secret thoughts and senti- ments of the writers, and we are enabled to penetrate beneath the mere surface of passing events into the circumstances which caused them, and to learn the real opinion of the people who witnessed them, it is impossi- ble to judge with confidence as to the true character of any historical individual, or the motives by which he was actuated. This is what makes letters of such extraordi- nary value, and why they should be treasured as the true source of history, since dates, motives, scenes, and the various other details of the past are revealed, rectified and explained by them. Thus we often find a single letter telling us far more than a great book ; the cor- respondence of even an obscure and ignorant individual frequently throwing light upon some fact of history, or furnishinCT details of manners and circumstances so precious in establishing truth.

No less extraordinary than satisfactory is the circum- stance, that of this, the earliest period of confidential correspondence, we have a rich store in the celebrated " Paston letters," which consist of several volumes of intimate letters of infinite historical value, furnishing a mine of raw material from which, during the past century, our historical explorers have extracted precious details concerning that most interesting though obscure portion of our history; the wars ending in the Revolution ot the fifteenth century. In these letters we have English characters of all kinds, " the better classes of each period of life. The Eton school-boy, the anxious maiden,

6 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

the match-making mother, the resolute woman of busi- ness, the poor cousin, the family counsellor, the chief of the house himself full of party politics, but fuller still of plans of pecuniary gain and personal aggrandisement. All the Paston family are deeply engaged in lawsuits, and the progress of these suits, the hopes and discourage- ments of the parties, present a constant store of family communication. Sir John Fastolf figures largely in the correspondence, and there are innumerable other details precious to the historian." — {Edinb. Rev.)

Many of our noblest mansions were built during this stirring period of the Wars of the Roses, and some of them doubtless contain manuscript treasures quite as interesting as the Paston letters. Of the succeeding century, every day is bringing to light letters and memoirs which serve to give additional information about the Reformation, the intrigues around King Edward VI., the Marian persecution, and the splendid reign of Elizabeth.

Next, and scarcely inferior to these in historical interest, comes the Diplomatic Correspondence of our Ambassadors in various European Courts, and that of those accredited to our Court by foreign powers. Here we have unfolded, often with photographic minuteness and fidelity, the important events which passed under the observations of the acutest minds of the age, given with that plainness of speech which inviolable secrecy permitted, and which makes the value of the communi- cations superlatively precious. To gain a clear insight into the characters of our Henrys VH and VHI, Car- dinal Wolsey (of whom there is a most highly finished description), and the reign of Philip and Mary, we must consult the archives of Spain and Venice, and the diplo-

AUTOGRAri-I COLLECTING. 7

matic correspondence of that period in our Public Record Office. The " Calendar of State Papers and Manuscripts relating to English Affairs, existing in the Archives and Collections of Venice and Northern Italy, edited by Mr. Rawdon Brown, Vol. I, from 1202 to 1509," will show the importance of these documents. The very earliest intimation of any hint of Queen Catherine's divorce will be found here given by Sanuto, the Roman ambassador, in 1 5 10, who successfully guesses at her successor. He also tells us afterwards that the divorce was never satis- factory to public feeling in England, and that a mob of 7000 women marched out of London for the purpose of killing Anne Boleyn in a summer-house on the Thames, from which she escaped with difficulty.

It is surprising to modern ideas how the ecclesiastical spirit predominated during the Mediaeval period. The Pope meddled in everything and seemed to be the chief object round which all circumstances revolved. Mr. Rawdon Brown has also edited the " Diaries and Despatches of the Venetian Embassy at the Court of James the First!'

From the correspondence of Edward Courtenay, who died at Padua in 1556, we have again most vivid details of Queen Mary's reign ; and the Spanish archives at Simancas, near Valladolid, contain 587 large bundles of papers concerning the affairs of England during the reign of Philip and Mary and Elizabeth, which illuminate the history of that interesting period in a most brilliant manner.

There is, fortunately for us, a bright gleam of light cast from these and other various sources, on the important and interesting transactions of England during the six-

8 AUTOGRAni COLLECTING.

tecnth century, which leaves little doubt or obscurity about the chief persons and events of that momentous time. Until, however, we reach the religious persecution of Mary, the notice of private individuals had been ex- tremely meagre, and the history of events limited almost entirely to the king and his court ; but, with the reigns of Mary and Elizabeth, individuals of inferior rank come forth into prominence, and we have not only distinguished courtiers and warriors, but statesmen, orators, poets, writers, actors, merchants, seamen, and citizens of every rank of society, whose biographies would henceforth be honoured and prized by their countrymen ; and of many of these we possess autographic mementos.

Thus we have many fme letters among the corres- pondence of the Sydneys, under Elizabeth, and many quaint strong-minded epistles of Lord Bacon's mother, besides those of Lord Bacon himself, so full of agreeable matter though stilted in style ; and if, as yet, no letters have been found of Shakespeare, the discovery by the greatest literary antiquary of Scotland, Mr. David Laing, of the " Conversations of Ben Jonson," gives us hope that even yet some relics of our great poet may be brought to light. It was known that Drummond of Hawthornden took notes of the conversations of Ben Jonson in 1619; and, in 171 1, an abstract polluted by interpolations was printed. But, in 1842, Mr. David Laing published the full texts which his persevering diligence had unearthed.

To the reign of Elizabeth belongs the origin of the Parish Registers, preserved in our churches, a unique collection for which the genealogist cannot be too grateful. lu these are recorded some particulars of

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. 9

twelve generations of our forefathers, and the lover of autographs may gladden his heart by inspecting the signatures of some of our most illustrious countrymen. Important particulars of almost every Englishman for the past three centuries are contained in those interesting volumes ; and, where celebrated clergymen have been the parish priests, there are, of course, many pages of their handwriting, and few pleasures can surpass that which the amateur will experience in making excursions to the various churches where those in- teresting autographs may be seen. We notice, especially, Milston, Wilts, once the abode of Launcelot Addison ; and where his more celebrated son, Joseph, passed his youth. Sutton Coxwould and Stillington, Yorkshire, where the author of " Tristram Shandy " passed many years. Welwyn, Herts, the residence of the author of " Night Thoughts." Aldborough, where Crabbe, the poet, was incumbent, etc., etc.

Although, in its largest sense, we include in the col- lecting of autographs the preservation of all manuscripts, yet, in its more limited and usual acceptation, we specially signify those letters or documents, which are either in the handwriting or bear the signature of the person from whom they emanated.

lO AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

CHAPTER II.

The Alba Amicorum.

We are greatly indebted to Mr. John Gough Nichols's scarce work,* published in 1829, for the following infor- mation respecting the early use of autograph Albums.

"The earliest collections of autographs as mementos of celebrated persons, or tokens of regard, date from the fourteenth century, and were contained in Albums, closely resembling some of those in modern use. It is, however, probable that a book has been used by all civilized nations, from the earliest times, for the preser- vation of specimens of handwriting, either of illustrious persons or valued acquaintances, or else for the insertion of family memoranda. Even the word Album was familiar to antiquity, and was originally used to describe a kind of white table or register, wherein the names of certain magistrates, public transactions, &c. were written. The chief priests also entered the principal events of each year into an Album, which was hung up in their houses for public reference. In the Middle Ages there arose a custom (probably in Germany) for the learned to have a little book, octavo size, bound length- wise, called the Album Amicorum, which they kept with them in their travels, and at home. It was usual for esteemed acquaintances to write their names in it with a

* "Autographs of Remarkable Personages conspicuous in English History."

»

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. II

motto or some kind of sentiment as a memento of friend- ship. A remarkable incident in the Hfc of Sir Henry Wotton was the result of a sentence, which he wrote in one of these books ; and his biographer, Izaak Walton, in relating the story defines an 'Albo' to be 'a white paper book which the German gentry usually carry about them for the purpose of requesting eminent characters to write something in.' In Humfrey Waniey's catalogue of the Harleian MSS., we find a more full descrip- tion. No. 933 of that collection is "a paper book in octavo, bound long-wise (this was the usual form), being one of those which the Germans call Albums, and are much used by the young travellers of that nation, who commonly ask a new acquaintance (even at the first meeting) to write some sentence therein, with a compli- ment to the owner's learning, good sense, &c. — which done, the names gotten are laid before the next new face, and the young man upon all occasions, especially at his return, by these hands demonstrates what good company he has kept."

There are seven Albums in the British Museum, the earliest being dated 1554 (Egerton MSS., 11 78), and 1579 (No. 851, Sloane MSS.) The latter commences with the motto and signature of the Due d'Alengon, the suitor of Queen Bess. He has attempted to sketch something like a fire, under which is written : " Fovet et disqutit Francoys ; " underneath is another inscription : "Me servir quy mestre. Farnagues;" and in the opposite page the Emperor has written: " 1579, Amat Victoria Curam. Matthias." The book ajDpears to have been filled in the course of a year or two ; principally by French scribblers, by whom there are many chansons

12 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

inserted. That in the Sloane MSS., 3416, retains its original appearance, and is bound in green velvet. The arms of the writers are beautifully emblazoned ; and there are the arms of England ready for an autograph, which was never written. On a page, with his arms splendidly sketched within the garter, the Duke of Hoist, brother-in-law to our James I. has left his name. At the top is a monogram, with the date 1609 and the motto : " Par mer and par terre wiwe la Guerre ; " at the bottom he has signed : " Ulrich Heritier de Norwegen, Due de Sleswick Holstein, and Chewayllir du tres-noble Ordre de la Jartiere." The family of Brunswick Lunen- burgh have numerously contributed to this volume. Another Album (in Sloane MSS., 3415) belonged to Charles de Bousy. It commenced, before some pages were misplaced, with the mottoes and signatures of the young Princes of England, Henry and Charles, and the Princess Elizabeth, written 1609. The Princes have given those mottoes, which are found in several other places as having been used by them ; Henry, that of " Fax mentis honestse gloria, Henricus P." ; and the Duke of York and Albany " Si vis omnia subjicere subjice te rationi. Ebor Albaniae D." Elizabeth has written : " 1609, Giunta mi piace honesta con leggiadria. Elizabeth P." In a subsequent page, the Duke of Hoist has written the same as before, with the date 1 6 1 3 ; and further on we find a page full of the mottoes of Edward Sackville, who slew Lord Bruce, and was afterwards Earl of Dorset. He gives a verse of seven lines, composed in six languages. The same volume has several drawings of figures, highly curious as specimens of costume, particularly as they give the colours. At

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. 13

p. 223, Opposite an autograph, but not very legible, is a very curious drawing representing a procession of ten figures, consisting of a lady carried in an easy chair by four men in yellow liveries, trimmed with silver, three before and the fourth behind. Two Serjeants with hal- berds walk before, and another servant with a long umbrella behind ; and in personal attendance on the lady are two gentlemen dressed in white and red. In page 205 are a lady and a gentleman drawn in a most sin- gularly-shaped gaudy sledge by one horse, the driver holding the reins standing behind them. At page 234 are two figures in the splendid costumes of some eccle- siastical offices, each with a cross on his breast, and the robe of the first, which is black, is ornamented with the emblems of the Crucifixion. Another (Sloane MSS., 2035) was formed of vellum and bound in red velvet, in 161 5, for Sir Philibert Vernatti. It contains a sentence signed by the Princess Elizabeth, then Queen of Bohemia, also an excellent specimen of writing of Christian the Fourth, King of Denmark, with a very curious parafe. There are also mottoes and sentences by the Duke of Hoist and Maurice of Nassau. This Album came into the possession of George Willingham (a correspondent of Prynne and Bastwick), who has inserted in it several autograph letters and a great number of signatures cut out of documents, some very rare.

Other Albums are more modest in manufacture and contents, those (in Sloane MSS., 2360 and 2597) are of paper with leathern binding. The Album in the Harleian MSS. belonged to John Hassfurter, a young man, native of Amberg, in the Upper Palatinate ; who practised physic at Blandford, in Dorsetshire, 1627-8. It is sur-

14 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

prising how many foreigners appeared to have visited him there. He was a slovenly fellow and allowed his Album, in which his friends had left so many testimonies of their regard, to degenerate into a dirty memorandum book.

Thoresby had two Albums in his museum, and Mr. Upcott a large number of these books of all shapes and sizes. The oldest being a small quarto of i8o leaves of paper, the pages of which are ornamented with a border printed from moveable types. On the binding is impressed the date 1591. In others, bearing severally the dates, 1600, 1636, 1644 and 1660, are several royal names and some beautiful drawings. Few, if any, English names occur in these volumes. But in one small Album of an exiled foreigner, resident in England, and after- wards obtained by Mr. Upcott, there are the signatures of many Englishmen, as Archbishop Usher, Sir Theodore Mayerne, Dr. Donne, Sir Henry Wotton, etc.

Ten Albums, dating from 1575 to 1650, were sold at the Dawson Turner sale in 1859 ; these contained autographs, inscriptions, &c., of many of the most celebrated men of that century, from Beza and Hugo Grotius to Hervey, the discoverer of the circulation of the blood. Two of these volumes contained entries of the divines who attended the synod of Dort.

M. Feuillet de Conches, among his many interesting anecdotes of autographs, says " I have held in my hand, the Album of the young family of Henri IV. the binding of which in blue morocco, is loaded on the back and sides with fleurs-de-lis ; the pages contain the first attempts at writing of Elizabeth, who was afterwards Queen of Spain; of the Dauphin, who became Louis XHI., and

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. I 5

of Henrietta Maria, who married Charles I. (of England). There were also rhymes and compliments to Mamma-Ga, their governess, with some sage couplets to the King and Queen, and caricatures of the Countess."

The Album of Sebastian Bourdon is worthy of notice, being filled with notes and sketches taken from the life, at the Court of that extraordinary character Queen Christina of Sweden, daughter of Gustavus Adolphus. The work, though incomplete and now much torn, is very curious. It was sold by its late possessor, an Italian, to the old minister of Sweden, Count Gustavus de Loeven- hielm, for an enormous sum.

The late Queen Dowager Marie of Saxony and Dr. Wellesley, of Westminster, had fine collections of rare Albums ; but that of Monsieur Frederic Campe, merchant of Nuremberg, was especially rich and complete. From these interesting materials a splendid book could be made of extracts from the choicest of these treasures.

We must also notice the Album of the celebrated quack, Baron de Burkana, the precursor of Cagliostro, described in the " Cmiseries d'tm CuTieiix." It contained 3,532 testimonials of esteem and gratitude, written by the most illustrious men of his day. Amongst others were those of Montesquieu, Voltaire, Crebillon, Muratori, Metastasio, Haller, Gesner, &c. The Baron died at Vienna in 1 766, and this Album fell into the hands of Goethe, but its present possessor is unknown.

Besides the Album there has existed, from time imme- morial, a kind of calendar, in which were noted the chief annals of the family. With the Jews to keep this was a sacred duty, in order to preserve their connection with their tribes and people. Similar records were kept

1 6 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

by the Greeks and Romans, and doubtless by every other people possessing a written language. In the sixteenth century we find books published especially for such family records, in which one half of each page was printed with memoranda respecting the months and days, and the other half left blank for writing. There is one, bearing the date 1561, called the Eph^m^rides de Beuthier, in which Dr. Payen has discovered the records of Mon- taigne's family, written either by Montaigne himself or by his daughter Elenora.

The usual book, however, used for this purpose, was and is the old family Bible, on the blank leaves of which, in numberless instances, may be seen the quaint state- ments of the births, deaths and marriages of several generations of the family, with, now and then, texts of scripture or medical recipes.

.V,

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. I 7

CHAPTER III.

Early English Collectors, etc.

Although we have abundant evidence that the hand- writing of friends and celebrities was treasured in the sixteenth century as a precious object to recall their memory, yet it is strange that we have none to show that original letters were often purposely preserved, either as specimens of handwriting, for any intrinsic interest they possessed, or as mementos of eminent persons ; still, happily, a great number of valuable autographs have been handed down to us from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries ; and some rare and illustrious exceptions are found to this general apathy. For example the adopted daughter of Montaigne, Marie de Jars (Demoiselle de Gournay) left a large collection of papers and autograph letters which emanated from all the illustrious men of her time, and which passed into the hands of La Mothe de Vayer, historiographer to the King of France (Louis XIV).

If the appreciation of autographs only arose at a later date, the spirit of general antiquarian research was awakened by the Reformation and naturally gave rise to that appreciation. The progress of classical learning, during the sixteenth century, which the investigation of Holy Writ naturally encouraged, caused manuscripts (especially Greek) to be in great demand, and conse- quently they were sought for throughout Europe. Then

c

1 8 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

historians began to arise of a better order than the ballad- maker and the romancer, and who called in the assistance of the antiquary ; but, in many instances, the materials for exact history had long perished ; in others, they lay hid in old parchments, so long neglected amid dust and damp and rubbish, that they were difficult to decipher.

To John Leland must be given the honour of founding our antiquarianism. In his day Mediaeval MSS. were still scattered plentifully over the country, and he gave im- portance to them. Leland was librarian to Henry VIII.; and, before the dissolution of monasteries was contem- plated, he obtained a commission from the king to visit the monastic libraries in search of historical documents. Finding these places in a state of neglect and ruin, he secured the extensive and valuable collections, which are now preserved in the old "King's Library" of the British Museum, and from his rough notes, since pub- lished under the title of his " Collectanea," we have the satisfaction of believing that he did not meet with many MSS. of value which are not still extant.

During the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and under the fostering care of Archbishop Parker, the taste for historical antiquities became so general as to give a character even to the ballads which were hawked about. Parker himself, and afterwards Sir Robert Cotton, gathered together large quantities of MSS. of all kinds, which are still preserved at Cambridge and the British Museum, especially Anglo-Saxon documents. The im- pulse now given to these researches extended to collections of coins and other antiquities, the works of Holinshed and Gildas were published, and the first Literar)^ Societies formed under the auspices of Parker.

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. 1 9

We are deeply indebted to the antiquaries of the sixteenth century, for the preservation of nearly all the remains of our mediaeval MSS. Had it not been for the interest taken in them by Leland and the first Reformers, and for the active co-operation of Parker and Cotton and the numerous minor collectors, all would have perished. The mass of mediaeval literature, which is actually lost, disappeared in one way or other during the ages which produced it — much by accidents or inattention, and the ignorance of the caretakers. The real loss, however, is far less than generally supposed, as writing was confined to so few. It is often asserted that the bookbinders were in all ages the great destroyers of MSS., since they used vellum MSS., which had become obsolete, to line the sides and the backs of books. All our old libraries are full of volumes bound in this manner, and an examination of them will show that the MSS. allowed to be sacrificed in this way were not always the common run of heavy theology that formed so large a proportion of monastic libraries.

" The spoliation of the monasteries was by no means an unmitigated evil. The libraries, as we have seen, were neglected, and the stirring up of things, caused by the Reformation, led to the unearthing of literary treasures. It is difficult to see how the prodigious outburst of intellectual activity, which characterised the Elizabethan age, could have been possible, without some such violent clearing out as actually occurred, and the deliverance of men's minds from the monastic system, which buried knowledge and cramped the intellect. They who set themselves to seek for original authorities

c 2

20 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

in the manuscript documents, which had been cast aside and forgotten, found to their surprise that there were rich mines of information in our historical records, which had been hidden away for ages, but which, now that they were brought to hght, would explain and decide many questions which had hitherto been dark and inexplicable.

"John Speed and John Stowe (both learned tailors strange to say) now (15 71) arose, fitted with every quality for ferreting and rummaging among musty deeds. They soon opened out such new and neglected fields of research to the recently awakened curiosity of their contemporaries, that it seemed like the discovery of another world to them. Robert Beale, clerk of the council, and an accomplished linguist, gave impulse to the growing taste by bringing home the MSS. which he purchased abroad, during several diplomatic missions which he fulfilled with conspicuous ability. He gathered together a magnificent library, containing a vast collec- tion of MSS., which has now descended to Lord Calthorpe. Sir Robert Cotton, too, was accumulating that glorious collection of documents of every kind which still bears his name and has become the property of the nation.

" All through the twenty years of tearing down things venerable, which immediately preceded the accession of Charles 1 1 — those fearful years so terrible to the antiquary — Aubrey was taking notes, collecting letters and tra- ditions of bygone men and things, and preserving what he could of the memories of the past. Elias Ashmole, too, was making that vast assemblage of miscellanies, the bare fragments of which alone have survived, in his

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. 21

famous museum at Oxford. Dugdale was writing his ' History of Warwickshire,' and heaping up those written treasures to be given to the world by-and-by in that wonderful book, the ' Monasticon Anglicanum.' All these great collectors, to which may be joined Sir Thomas Bodley, and Harley, Earl of Oxford, brought together an immense number of manuscripts, not as specimens of handwriting, but on account of their historical value."*

The first men of modern days who sought out autographs, with the view of forming a collection of letters written by celebrated men, were the well-known antiquaries Ralph Thoresby, who died in 1725 aged 67, Peter le Neve, and the Rev. John Ives, who came after him. In France, at the beginning of the eigh- teenth century, there were two well-known but very eccentric physicians, named Guy Patin and Salins, who were indefatigable hunters of autographs. Then there were the brothers Du Puy, who are said to have added to the Bibliotheque-Royale, in 1734, 958 volumes of letters and documents of the rarest value ; and to these succeeded a crowd of others. Perhaps our Horace Walpole, who may have acquired the taste in France, gave the principal impetus to collecting autographs to our countrymen, as he gave the taste for modern Gothic architecture, and many other pursuits which became fashionable. From his time amateurs of autographs have been increasing, and, letters being eagerly sought after, soon began to realise considerable sums. Increased communication introduced different manners, the abolition of many aristocratic privileges * " Edinb. Review^

2 2 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

broke down the barriers between the ranks ; and, consequently, vast quantities of letters and documents, which had been lying hidden in the archives of the noble houses, were brought to light and sold. The vandalism of the French revolutionists, that spared nothing, scattered MSS. of the most precious kind everywhere about, and soon there were eager hands ready to gather up the choicest of autographs, though to be an appreciator of writings was so dangerous, that some lives were lost througli it. When the French armies afterwards swept through Europe, no archives were sacred to the rude hands of the soldiers, among whom were many quite capable of appreciating the value of rare documents. The archives of the Vatican, and those of the conquered capitals of Europe, were brought to Paris, and collectors freely helped themselves to the choicest morsels. Whole cart-loads of papal bulls, papal letters, and autographs of kings, fell into the hands of grocers and shopkeepers. No wonder the taste for autographs soon increased with such treasures ready at hand to pick and choose from. From 1792 to 1830, letters of inestimable value were often found wrapped round articles sold by shopkeepers, or offered as cigar lights by the tobacconists. Anecdotes, sufficient to fill a volume, might be related about the discovery of some of the most precious letters extant in this way. In 1801, the papers of Richelieu were offered for sale, but no one would make a bid for them. The Marquis of Villevicille (Voltaire's friend) would have purchased them afterwards, but, unluckily, a grocer |

offered a higher price and the treasures were scattered. The facility thus offered to the autograph collector

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. 23

gradually introduced that spirit of intelligent inquiry, which developed into the curiosity seeker, gleaning in all directions, amongst the remains and relics of feudal Europe, the treasures which the French Revolution had strewed to the winds. And this quite explains why so many almost priceless autographs often appear in the market. Of course long ago, when such things were little regarded, there were several isolated antiquaries, like Oldys, who devoted themselves to collecting written documents, and who used their opportunities so well, that their treasures have formed the foundation of the various national and large private collections of Europe. But the pursuit at that time, though honoured by adepts of the first rank, was regarded by the world at large with indifference, or as a harmless eccentricity not undeserving of ridicule. Montaigne, when taxed with this weakness, arrested the derision, by frankly avowing his delight, if it were a weakness, to be surrounded with those objects which would always remind him of friends. " I keep their letters," he said, " their writing, their signatures, before me — anything indeed specially belong- ing to them — I keep these as a memento of the love I bear them." A pursuit possessing qualities so amiable, useful and touching, though it might occasionally become extravagant in its admiration for ancestry and men of renown, and puerile in the contents of its albums, could no longer be looked upon with contempt, and the spirit of curiosity once thoroughly aroused, has ever since been increasing in vigour and spreading in every direction and in every country. There is scarcely a nook or corner of the civilized world, at the present moment, where men are not searching after every paper of interest.

24 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

CHAPTER IV.

Autograph Collecting as an Aid to the Historian.

Having given a slight sketch of the history of autograph collecting, we shall, in a short parenthetical chapter, en- deavour to show the peculiar value of autograph letters as an aid to the historian. Mr. J. L. Motley wrote in one of his private letters : " The great value of such intimate correspondence is, that one finds often character sketches, indications of motives, and very often dramatic incidents and scenes. Absolutely unknown facts are not often discovered, but you get behind the scenes, and can see very often the wigs and the paint, and the tinsel, which make up so much of the stage delusions of history. Personages tell the truth sometimes when writing intim- ately to one another, who are sure to indulge in the most magnificent lies in their public documents and speeches." Men are ceasing to be astonished at the light which may be thrown by one or two familiar letters (or even by a few lines reinstated in their proper place in a carefully collated MS.) across the darkest spots in history.

The neglect of patient researches into these old wit- nesses of secret history has brought misfortune to several historians. According to D' Israeli, the mode of compo- sition of the history of Scoriand by Gilbert Stewart, in opposition to Robertson, is an instance. He was recom- mended to consult some volumes of unedited autograph letters when composing his History of Scotland ; he

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. 25

objected on the grounds that " what was already printed was more than he was able to read."

David Hume also little troubled himself about deep research before writing his history. As custodian of the Advocates' Library, he had books at discretion and wil- lingly contented himself. When he composed, he placed in a circle upon his sofa those volumes he believed he needed, and which still bear the marks of his hand, and very rarely took the trouble to get up to verify a research ; still less would he derange himself to go outside to disturb autograph documents. During a fortnight he announced himself to be at the State Paper Office, where the most precious historical materials awaited him in vain. What followed ? The publication of authentic documents and autographs gave him more than one rude contra- diction. The " State Papers " of Murdin appeared at the very moment David Hume had in the press one of the passages, the most delicate of his history. Nothing can be more pleasant and instructive than the letter which he wrote on that occasion to his rival. Dr. Robert- son. " Ah ! " cried he, " we are all in error." He ran to his printer and stopped the publication, in order to say the very opposite of that he had written in the easy chair.

Michelet prostituted his talent and jeopardised his fame through judging Marie Antoinette by the foul libels and pamphlets of the Revolution, instead of por- traying her character by the authentic letters, correspon- dence, etc., which he ought to have used.

Many attempted to portray Cromwell, — Mark Noble, Thurloe, Whitelock, etc., — but, until Carlyle collected his letters, the true character of the man was never properly

26 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

presented, and every day furnishes examples of the eminent superiority of history drawn from these authentic sources over that Avritten in any other way.

Some of the most obscure and disputed points of history are often determined by the discovery of a few lines of writing. Louis Blanc accidentally turned up an important certificate of Tallien's, which clears up the doubt as to who fired the pistol at Robespierre ; and the late Mr. Croker, in his evidence before the Museum Commission, in 1849, said : "One of the first and most mysterious preludes to the French Revolution was what was called the ' Affaire Reveillon,' the sack of a great manufacturer's house in Paris. The owner was a very good man ; gave bread to thousands ; a most respectable person, and what would be called liberal in politics. Nobody could make out why M. Rdveillon's house was sacked and burnt. That, however, is explained by a little bit of paper strangely brought to light, which was the draft of a balloting list for the members of the new assembly. The Revolutionists had put out their list, and the Court list was made up of what they called moderate men, and at the head of that list was M. Reveillon. Someone got hold of this rough draft, while, to ensure the success of the Republican list, it was necessary to make an example, and they made an example of M. Reveillon."

Pope's sustained spite against Lady Mary Wortley Montague was never explained, until a letter revealed the cause. She sent back the sheets nnwas/ied, which Pope had lent her when they were neighbours at Twickenham, and hence the offence never to be forgiven.

The sole proof of the Duke of Marlborough's sending

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. 27

over secret money to the Pretender rests in a single letter, found amongst the Stuart Papers, and dated Sep- tember 25th, 1 715. In it King James was secretly named " Raiicourtl' and Marlborough " Maldratickc."

A letter from James II. to his daughter Mary, dated just a year before the landing of William, published for the first time by the Countess Bentinck, singularly attests the correctness of Burnet.

A passage from a private letter of B. C. Roberts, a student of Christ Church, O.xford, explains Sir Robert Walpole's animosity against Swift.

From Lord Auckland's letters we learn that Pitt was at one time deeply attached to Miss Eleanor Eden, a fact never hinted at elsewhere.

It is said that Francis I., after the loss of the battle of Pavia, wrote to his mother these memorable words : — - " All is lost save honour." Is the statement authentic or apocryphal ? It has been questioned and disputed, but M. Champollion has succeeded in producing the letter which is published by Figeac in his " Documents inedits sur I'histoire de France," and the true sentence runs thus : — " Of all things nought remains to me but honor and life, which are saved."

The statement so generally received that Charlemagne was unable to write, and signed documents with the pommel of his sword, is disproved by the production of documents with his signature.

28 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

CHAPTER V.

How TO Form a Collection.

The amateur, who has a real penchant for collecting letters and documents, will soon discover various ways and means by which his object may be gained.

Be his condition what it may, at the present time he can have the satisfaction of knowing that, by care and diligence and a guarded outlay of money, he will readily get together an interesting collection of writings which is sure to become more valuable every day, and at length will give a substantial reward for all the thought and labour bestowed upon it. Autographs, which might have been purchased for a small sum at the beginning of this century, would, if sold at the present time, realise a fortune; and there can be no doubt that the future rise in price will, at least, equal that of the past. We have known amateurs of only twenty years' standing who have disposed of their collections at a profit so consider- able that they themselves were astonished at it. There are a few simple preliminary details necessary to be borne in mind by the amateur, in the study of autograph letters and their different values.

The following abbreviations are generally used in auction catalogues, &c. : —

A. L. S. = Autograph Letter Signed.* A. D. S. = Autograph Document Signed. L. S. = Letter Signed. D. S. = Document Signed.

* Some collectors use the word Holograph in preference to A. L. S.

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. 29

A. N. S. = Autograph Note Signed. N. D. = Not dated.

A. L. = An Autograph Letter, but without signature. L. S. and S. = A letter signed and subscribed, viz. : a Letter written by a secretary or amanuensis, but the .Signature and Subscription in the autograph of the sender. The abbreviations used to distinguish the size of the letter or document, are as follows : — Fol. = Foho. 4to = Quarto. 8vo = Octavo. i2mo = Duodecimo. 2 pp. = Two Pages, &c. The A. L. S., of course, is of greatest value, and the chief aim of the collector should be to acquire the best possible specimens of each individual, viz : — those containing interesting details regarding himself or his walk in life, since as Lord Beaconsfield well observed, " A man is never so interesting as when speaking of himself;" just as in a person's biography, those letters are introduced which carry on his story, so, it is clear, they are the most valuable which contain incidents of his career, or reflections regarding his pursuits.

It should be understood that letters and documents which are only signed are not so valuable as those entirely autograph. When the stibscription or a post- script, in addition to the signature, is written by the signer, the value is enhanced. The most valuable letters of all are those familiar communications of exalted personages when they are signed, which is seldom the case in intimate correspondence. Very old documents are usually written by an official scribe and simply signed by the persons whose names they bear. William the Conqueror signed with across, and most of our kings,

30 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

until James the First, made the sign manual, and a peculiar flourish called a parafe either as their signature or after it. Some of these parafes are elaborate and beautiful. It will be remembered that the epistles of St. Paul were written by an amanuensis, and their authenticity guaranteed by a peculiar sign written by the apostle at the end, as we read in 2 Thessalonians, c. Ill, V. 17, "The token in every epistle so I write."

Baron de Tremont gives an instance by which the increased value of a rare letter may be judged when a few words are added. The first letter of Agnes Sorel which was offered for sale was wholly in another 'hand save the signature Agnes, this letter realised ']'] francs; at another sale a similar letter had, in addition to the signature, the words "Voire bonne atnie" to Agnes ; this was sold for iii francs. A receipt signed 'Agnes' only gained 53 francs, since receipts are adjudged to be of less value than letters.

Letters written in the tJiird person are also of less value than letters signed. Care is necessary in many cases, especially in old letters and documents of the Cromwellian period, to distinguish between holograph pieces and those only signed ; also between persons of the same name : and a caution must likewise be observed with regard to the correspondence of the French Court, of the time of Louis XIV. and afterwards till the Revolution, since the letters of the monarchs were written by an official called the Secretaire de la main, whose duty it was to acquire, by careful practice, the power of exactly imitating the royal hand. At the Court of Louis XIV. this " official forger," SiS St. Simon terms him, was named President Rose, who, for fifty years,

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. 3 1

had the King's pen. " To hold the pen is to be an official forger, and to counterfeit so exactly the King's writing that the true cannot be distinguished from the false" (St. Simon, vol. ii, p. i8). The letters of Madame de Maintenon were likewise frequently written by her secretary, Mdlle. d'Aumale ; and those of Marie An- toinette by her preceptor and confidential adviser, the Abbe de Vermond, who never left her for twenty years. His imitation of her writing was most perfect. This custom happily seems to have been entirely limited to the French Court. We must, however, bear in mind the number of letters, bearing the names of men of celebrity, which were wholly written and signed by amanuenses — a clerk, a wife, a sister, a son, &c. Many of Thackeray's are of this kind ; some, also, of Charles Dickens'. During the latter years of Thomas Carlyle a niece wrote his correspondence. Such specimens possess considerably less value than a complete auto- graph letter.

The beginner must, however, cast aside many erro- neous ideas concerning autographs, some of which are very common and have been long sanctioned by fashion. In the first place, he must learn to regard as valueless mere signatures of individuals cut out from letters or docu- ments ; for, with few and rare exceptions, such are never admitted into the portfolio of the collector. In the next place, specimens of least valtie are those written in answer to requests for autographs, and those penned expressly for the scrap-book — the latter often consisting of a mere sentence, verse or motto, with the signature — since it is evident that such things contain nothing whatever of individual character or interest, and even

32 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

the writing is usually stiff and formal ; indeed, there is a total absence of everything for which autographs are prized. The practice of writing begging letters to celebrities for their autographs is strongly to be con- demned. In the first place, such requests frequently cause great inconvenience and annoyance, and secondly, the replies in most cases are short and worthless. It is seldom that the best class of dealers catalogues letters of living persons, and we venture to hope that the traffic in private letters of living personages will shortly cease. Nor must it be imagined that any special interest is attached to the letters of individuals who happen to be rich, such as peers, or titled personages : for any accidental circumstances of that nature can give no value to autographs.

The value of letters of the same individual varies greatly according to the interest of their contents. Thus in sales it is often seen that an ordinary common- place letter of a personage will be sold at a moderate sum, when four or five times as much (and even more) will be given for one of special interest. This has recently been seen in the extraordinary prices given for certain letters of Charles Dickens and Thackeray. Let- ters of Martin Luther vary from ^^25. to ^100. ; Mary Stuart from ^50. upwards ; as much as .1^350. having been given for the letter she wrote just before her execution, which sum would now be much exceeded were the letter again to be offered for sale. In France no autographs are more highly prized than those of cele- brated courtezans^ — of Agnes Sorel, Madame Pompadour, Gabrielle d'Estr^es, &c. This may be explained by the vast influence they have exercised on the history of

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. 33

France and the romantic incidents of their career. When celebrated savants and distinguished literary men of the past two centuries wrote letters, they, evidently, took pains with them, knowing that the public would be eager to read them, and they would consequently be circulated and also immediately copied. There are many of these old copies in circulation, which sometimes get into sales, when collectors, who are not well acquainted with the handwriting of the originals, pur- chase them. Letters of Balzac, Huet, &c., have thus been sold. Not unfrequently two persons of the same christian and surname flourished about the same period. Thus care must be taken not to mistake the signature of Sir Oliver Cromwell with that of his nephew, Oliver Cromwell, the Protector ; or that of Sir Henry Vane, the elder, with that of his famous son, Sir Harry Vane, the younger. Then, again, there is another John Churchill, who wrote a somewhat similar hand to the great Duke of Marlborough, and his letters might be mistaken by an inexperienced collector. The letters of Knyphausen, the Commander of the Hessian Troops during the first American War, are considered of special rarity, and realise prices from ;^5. and upwards. There is, how- ever, another Knyphausen, who visited England about the same period on diplomatic business, but whose letters are not so highly prized as his namesake. We might also mention here that ladies during the Tudor period often bore masculine names, as Richard, &c., and vice versa., as Anne de Montmorency, the famous Constable of France, &c. It was common to give the same christian names to two children successively ; and every unmarried lady was called mistress till the time of

D

34 AUTOGRAPH COLLKCTING.

George I., and occasionally after. In Richardson's novels young servant girls are thus designated.

There are accidental resemblances in the writing of various persons, sometimes so close as to require a little study to discern those certain differences which distinguish them. This is often the case with members of the same family, and scholars taught at the same school. But in all these instances sufficient difference will be discovered by attentive examination of the style of the writing, slope of the letters, the regularity of the lines, the various little errors of punctuation, etc., all of which reveal distinct characteristics. Perhaps nothing affords greater scope for diversity than the mode of punctuation. Some persons are careless about stops, others make an elabor- ate use of them, and the manner in which these are formed, well deserve notice. Then too, the space left between the words, the loops of the long letters, and the infinite variety shown in the shape of each particular letter will give all necessary evidence as to the individual authorship. But we repeat that it is well to avoid purchasing any specimen which does not possess, in a thoroughly satisfactory degree, full characteristic and abundant evidence of genuineness.

The great practical question for consideration is, of course, how to obtain a collection worthy of the name — which some authorities place as high as 20,000 speci- mens. Our opinion, however, is that from 5,000 to 10,000 good autographs may represent an excellent assortment. Difficult as this undoubtedly is at the present moment, it is certain to become more and more so every year. To the rich there are many facilities for procuring choice pieces, besides the royal

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. 35

road of purchase ; still, if wealth has its manifest advantages, there are yet prizes to be won by foresight and diligence.

The greatest caution must be observed in purchasing, especially at the present time, when forged specimens are being manufactured with unprecedented daring, through the encouragement given by the simple and unwary, who are deluded into purchasing by advertisements and other unorthodox channels, instead of choosing the safe and regular plan of buying from well-known and respectable dealers. All cases where a forgery succeeds must be deplored, since they give great stimulus to the fraud, for every effort will of course be used, and the utmost ingenuity be employed, so long as there is a chance of obtaining large sums of money so easily, and forgeries will only cease, when people are not to be found reckless enough to part with their money to strangers, for what in almost every case turns out to be worthless or spurious. A slight study of the subject, a little knowledge easily acquired, and some ordinary prudence, would at once prevent anyone from being thus vic- timized.

There are, just now especially, a great number of markets for the sale of autographs ; often letters bearing distinguished names are displayed in windows, or in catalogues of second-hand booksellers, in advertisements which appear in periodicals, &c. But these must be regarded with great caution, if not suspicion, and purchasers may soon convince themselves, that the only safe markets (for the beginner at least) are the well known dealers, ivJio guarantee the gemiineness of every autograph they sell. Indeed it may be taken for

D 2

&

36 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

granted, that the most respectable dealers are also the cheapest ; for those who manage to sell forged pieces, generally get exorbitant prices for them. There are several establishments in London, which may be thoroughly relied on, but care should be taken to see that the genuineness of every specimen is guaranteed on the catalogues, for without this it might be difficult to obtain redress in cases of fraud. With regard to advertised pieces, no purchases should be made before they have been submitted to the inspection of an expert. There are autograph sales by auction at frequent intervals, in England,* France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Italy, Austria, and America. The same caution must be observed in purchasing at auctions, with regard to specimens being guaranteed, for forgeries occasionally appear there. As a rule, it will be advisable for the beginner to make his purchases of a respectable dealer, but should he require any special lot which is advertised for public sale, he should employ an ex- perienced commission-agent, who might be relied upon as to the price and genuineness of the purchase. By enlisting the active interest of all our acquaintances, it is not very difficult usually to procure letters of modern celebrities, but those of former times, of course, are much more difficult to obtain, and that is why some amateurs, of limited time and means, collect the auto- graphs of some special class of persons, either of states- men, warriors, men of literature, scientists, artists, etc., according to the opportunities they possess of com-

* The principal sales of autograph letters, etc., in this country, are always advertised in The Times, The Athencenm and The Academy. They commence about October, and continue until the end of July.

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. 37

municating with either of these classes. From those engaged in the diplomatic service, even in distant parts of the world, very interesting and important letters may often be obtained. Fine letters have thus been secured in Persia, in Morocco, Lima, &c., since correspondence from distinguished individuals has been found lying un- valued in the archives of the courts of these places, and which could be had almost for the asking. In halls and manor-houses, letters from Pennant, Dugdale, and other early writers, who sought information on local antiquities, are not unfrequently found. Among title-deeds, letters from eminent ministers and royal princes are some- times carefully treasured; in other instances we may find correspondence of Wesley and Whitfield respecting quarters for themselves or others, while preaching on circuit. Between the leaves of old books, in ancient bureaus, and oaken chests ; especially in clock cases, which have stood in the same spot for centuries, papers of the stirring times of Cromwell, James II., William III. and Queen Anne, have often been secreted — The " Gentleman's Magazine " gives instances of interesting discoveries from these sources. Scarcely anything can be more interesting than a hunt amid the holes and corners of certain old mansions possessing secret chambers, only to be seen by raising the ceiling, or removing the back of the grate, or sliding away panels. There are plenty of successful examples to stimulate research, and unexplored regions may yet be found in Lincolnshire, Essex, Kent, Cornwall, Devon, Wales, Cumberland, Northumberland, &c. A friend of the writer's recently lighted on a chest of Cromwellian letters and papers, near Ulveston. Mr. Henry Saxe Wyndham

38 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

in the "Archivist" (No. i, p. 8), describes how lie discovered rich treasure trove, in a Welsh Village near Llangollen, consisting of papers of Queen Anne's reign, signed by the Earl of Oxford, several letters of Addison's, Matt Prior's, a dozen letters of Godolphin's, and one of Mordaunt, Earl of Peterborough's. Another correspondent (Archivist, No. 2), says : " A few years ago an old cupboard was discovered in these premises, containing, besides other papers, two large white leathern sacks, crammed full of documents, some dating back to the reign of Richard III." At Belvoir Castle, a most precious series of MSS. of the age of Elizabeth, was lighted on a short time since, in a loft over a stable ; and quite recently some historical papers, of the highest value, were found in a cobbler's shop, in the North of London, and numberless other instances might be given. At humble sales, in rural villages, as well as at country mansions, friends of the auctioneers should be desired to secure any packets of old letters, pamphlets, &c., which are often disposed of as mere rubbish. A few months since some almost priceless letters of Swift and Addison, &c., were sold for a few shillings by a local auctioneer in a small village in the South of England, where they had been catalogued under " Miscellaneous Effects." The second-hand dealers in small towns would also submit such things to one's inspection when they fell in their way, if their interests were enlisted by a little liberality ; and this would secure the earliest inspection of everything of this kind. Then there are the dealers in old parchments and jDaj^er deeds, who frequently have fine autograph signatures on important documents for sale, some bearing beautiful seals ; and the intelligent

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. 39

explorer should visit even the humblest of these shops, where he would be permitted to overhaul the contents at his leisure and select what he desired. Some of the chief prizes in all our principal collections have been obtained in ways similar to those above mentioned. Men accustomed to the pursuit of autograph collecting, and who are always on the qtd vive, sometimes meet with extraordinary success, and numberless examples might be instanced to stimulate the amateur ; in fact, a most interesting volume might be written about the adventures and successes of autograph hunters.

D'Israeli gives many instances of such unexpected dis- coveries in his "Curiosities of Literature." Mr. Robert Cole, in 1858, bought three sacks of waste paper for a trifle, which contained fifteen fine letters of Dr. Johnson's, several of Cave, the proprietor of " The Gentleman's Magazine," also of Dr. James, the inventor of the fever powder, and various other celebrated persons. Shop- keepers used to be the best sources from which to obtain stray manuscripts of value ; but, as the price of new paper has now become so very moderate, most establishments have discarded waste paper. About 1790 there was a great and sudden rise in the price of all kinds of paper. Lackington, the bookseller, in his amusing " Auto- biography," well describes how it affected the publishing trade. Numerous works, he says, were cut up and sold to shopkeepers, and no doubt this was a principal cause of clearing the country of all kinds of old letters, papers, etc.

40 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

CHAPTER VI.

How TO Form a Collection {continued).

Fluctuation in the Value of Autographs.

There is nothing more curious than to see how persons, without experience, either grossly overvalue or under- value their autographs — ^the mistake being quite as common in one direction as the other. If they have something really valuable, they often sell it for a mere trifle, or exchange it for a worthless object ; and, on the other hand, a commonplace letter, dear at five shillings, is regarded as worth five or ten pounds.

We are, of course, not now discussing the question of ^r&?,&rw\ng fajuily papers as heirlooms, which will become more and more interesting to each after generation ; the matter now under consideration is quite different — viz., how to get together an interesting variety of autographs of celebrated people for enjoyment and study, and also, if desired, for profit.

The great problem for the beginner to solve is the mysterious reason why certain letters command a far greater price than others. When, therefore, by a careful study of the great names of the past hundred years, he can comprehend the causes which influence public taste in the selection of its permanent favourites, then he will have mastered one of the great difficulties of the craft, and may begin to gather together, by friendship, research or money, those letters of the present or past generation

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. 4 1

which his instinct tells him will rapidly rise in public estimation. Unfortunately, there has been a dearth of eminent men in almost every walk in life during the last twenty years ; the giants of art, literature and science, seem to have departed, leaving no successors behind them. Still, there are some names amongst us which posterity will gladly remember, and the generation pre- ceding this was singularly rich in men of genius whose letters will find a place among the best of old.

It may be safely predicted that the autograph letters of Swift, Pope, Addison, Steele, Sterne, Hume, Dr. Johnson, &c., &c., and also those of more recent times, such as Burns, Scott, Byron, Shelley, Wordsworth, Dickens, Thackeray, and many others, will steadily increase in value ; while some who enjoyed great popu- larity twenty or thirty years ago may probably be less appreciated in future, as their works will be less read by the next generation.

Almost every year popular effervescence causes some men to rise to the surface, and their names for awhile are repeated everywhere — everything concerning them interests the public ; but after a time this popularity fades away, and they sink back into their old obscurity, and are neglected and forgotten. It is evident that it would be a mistake to spend money on the autographs of such creatures of a day as these, since, during the time of their brief eminence, everything belonging to them is difficult to obtain, and, after it has departed, it becomes valueless. Baron de Tremont well remarks : — " During the time when a person excites a high degree of public attention, his autographs are much sought after, and command a price which is by no means sustained

42 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

when fashion has turned her glances from that to some other object."

Everyone knows how authors may enjoy the greatest appreciation for a few years and then they rapidly decline in public estimation, and their works henceforth remain unread and unnoticed. How few at the present day read the poetry of Miss Seward, though edited by Sir Walter Scott ; or the works of Hannah More, of Mrs. Barbauld, Mrs. Trimmer, or a host of others, who, in their time and generation, were read and admired by everyone ; and whose autographs, consequently, would have been sought after and become the chief ornaments in many collections, though now their value would be little appreciated }

The same remarks apply to many popular preachers, statesmen, orators, actors, &c. It is, of course, as well to accept letters of every noted person when given as presents or sold at nominal prices, as they occupy so small a space, and there is always a chance of their becoming accidentally interesting in the course of years ; but it is not worth while to expend money in filling portfolios, unless upon a system more likely to produce satisfactory results.

The first step to be taken towards this end is to procure as many auction catalogues, and those of the most respectable dealers, as possible, of present and by-gone dates; and, from their careful study, try to understand the principle which has regulated the steady rise in value of certain classes of autographs, while that of others, instead of advancing, has remained stationary or even receded. Why, for example, does a letter of Lord Beaconsfield's command more than double the price

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. 43

of one of Lord Lytton's ? How can the difference be explained in the value of autographs of Charles Dickens and Charlotte Bronte's, of Thackeray's and George Eliot's, or those of Carlyle's and Lord Brougham's, or Lord Nelson's and the Duke of Wellington's. It cannot be wholly ascribed to rarity, for the mass of letters left behind by Carlyle is enormous (those to Jeffrey alone amounting to several thousand), and yet scarcely any of our contemporaries command so high a price ; nor to antiquity or literary celebrity, for who was more renowned than Muratori in the seventeenth century, or whose letters are more beautiful ? Yet they sell for the smallest sums 1 Close attention to catalogues of the last thirty years will reveal the secret of the world's appreciation of the memory of certain individuals in preference to others. That, notwithstanding the confused and disjointed state of society in this our day and generation, and the too frequent success of the charlatan and pretender, and the easy popularity awarded to noisy inferiority, though withheld from deserving genius ; notwithstanding the indulgence society often extends to vice and the ridicule it casts on virtue ; yet, when public sentiment is tested by the money value (the only real and crucial test after all) which it will give for the possession of mementos of those held in highest esteem, that ap- preciation will usually be found elevated and just and true. The fullest admiration is awarded to the poet who has reached the highest heaven of invention — as Shakespeare, Milton, PojDe, Gray, Burns, Schiller, Goethe, Keats, Byron, &c.— and to those geniuses who have filled the world with noble thoughts and senti- ments. Next comes the great Musical Composers, and

44 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

Dramatists; then the brilHant Warriors, who pass Hke meteors from nation to nation, and change the destinies of men, especially those whose careers, like Napoleon's, Nelson's, Sir John Moore's, Wolfe's, &c., are replete with romantic incidents, so dear to the human mind. Indeed, it appears as if a certain proportion of the poetic or romantic element is absolutely necessary for an enduring hold on the admiration of mankind. A mere prosaic life, however eminent and useful, will never awaken that public interest in its every detail which seems to be specially reserved for that tinctured with romance. It appears, moreover, as if incidents which inflame the imagination — extraordinary vicissitudes, romantic strug- gles, unlocked for successes, brilliant flashes of genius, heroic deaths at the moment of victory — instead of fading in interest with the lapse of time, actually gain a deeper seat in the hearts of men. Now, if this hint be borne in mind, it will, to some extent, explain the apparent capriciousness of public taste, regarding its preference for certain autographs to those of others.

In every pursuit followed by a large number of people, wholly uncontrolled by any consideration save their own caprice, there will, of course, be seen peculiar and extrava- gant idiosyncrasies and, in autograph collecting, there is ample scope for these. There are some collectors who only care for the letters of peers, others for bishops and clergy, others, again, for dissenting ministers. Some get together letters of persons of a certain name, or natives of a particular town. There are those who collect the autographs of celebrated musical characters, or actors ; some choose Franks. Several collections have been formed of the letters of all the men who signed

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. 45

the Declaration of Independence of the United States. Indeed, it would be almost impossible to specify the multiform directions in which men display their apprecia- tion of autographs. But though a great deal of pleasure may undoubtedly be derived from making collections of special or peculiar autographs, yet it is by no means to be recommended as it presents serious difficulties, since the collection must be complete to be of value, and this of course makes it far more expensive, for, in order to obtain a specimen to complete a series, one may have to wait for years, or to give an enormous price for it. The interest in a special collection is not usually shared to the same extent by others as the collector himself, whereas, by making a general collection, acquisitions may be gained in every direction, and the variety is pleasing in itself and will be appreciated by everyone.

46 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

CHAPTER VII.

How TO Form a Collection {continued.) The Study of Handwritings.

" By my life, this is my lady's hand ; these be her very Cs, her Us and her Ts ; and thus makes she her great Ps. It is in contempt of question her hand." — T^mlfth Night, Aci II, Scene V.

The importance of an intimate acquaintance with all these particulars will be apparent from our preceding remarks. Then, too, there are peculiarities necessary to be studied respecting the form and style of letters appertaining to each age, peculiarities of spelling, quaint words being used, and certain other words never used at certain periods. Closer attention again would reveal idiosyncrasies in the writing and expression of each individual writer, as easy to be recognised as the features in a portrait. A great deal of character and distinctive- ness are especially contained in the signature and parafe or flourish, since the rapidity produced by long-continued practice gives a certain clear distinctness to these manipu- lations of the pen, never attained by another without a great number of repetitions, and not even then with perfect exactitude. In old writing the flourish was often an elaborate work of art. Many of our monarchs, until after Henry VIII., frequently signed documents with a sign manual or monogram of their initials instead of their full name. In our own time some writers

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. 47

might be mentioned whose pecuHar flourish could not be easily imitated, such as that of Charles Dickens. Among the Spanish races the flourish is of greater importance than the signature itself, and no legal in- strument is considered as complete without it. The amateur should, as soon as possible, begin the deliberate study of all the autographs within his reach. In London the resources of the British Museum would, of course, serve his purpose for a life time. There the choicest letters of the Tudor, Stuart and succeeding periods, are at his command, and will afford every variety of writing and epistolatory correspondence — every example of paper, water-mark, letter-folding, seal- ing and address, that he may have occasion to see. Such advantages are too obvious to need comment. But, even in provincial towns, libraries containing manuscriiots of great variety and interest are now generally to be found ; and, even where the student is deprived of these oppor- tunities, the resources of lithography and photography sufficiently supply all that is needed for an intimate acquaintance with the handwriting of the chief celebrities of all ages and all countries. A mere superficial examination of an autograph, however, will teach little or nothing; the writing must be so scrutinized and dwelt on, that every loeculiarity, not only of the form of the letters, but also the mode of expression, the paper, ink, the folds and seals, shall all become familiar so as to be recognised (or their absence detected) in a moment. During the quiet and leisure hours of study the letters or lithographs may be conveniently spread around, within reach of the hand; and, at first perhaps, they should be rapidly passed in review until the names of the writers

48 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING,

are immediately known by a mere glance at the writing ; and, when this general acquaintance (which will always be most useful) is acquired, the letters should then be more slowly and painstakingly studied until every trick of the pen and everything noticeable in loop, dot, letter, figure or flourish, is seized upon, and engraved upon the memory for future use.

Good writing has, doubtless, its charm. It is a sincere pleasure to look on the beautifully-formed characters of many old as well as modern epistles. Those of the Tudor and Cromwellian periods might be instanced, especially Darnley's (the husband of Mary Queen of Scots), Lady Jane Grey's, &c., and, of later date, we have the beautiful writing of the poet Gray, Mrs. Piozzi, Sou they, and many others. It is much more rare now to see such specimens of caligraphy.

"If our ancestors were deficient in orthography they were masters of the pen, they appear to have become care- less in their penmanship about the time when they began to pay strict attention to their spelling. In particular, they invariably made a point of signing their names clearly and distinctly, in marked contrast to the modern fashion, which often renders it impossible to do more than a guess at the identity of a correspondent. In the round robin addressed to Dr. Johnson on the subject of Goldsmith's epitaph, the names of the most distinguished malcontents — Gibbon, Burke, Sheridan, Colman, Joseph Warton, Reynolds, &c., although afiixed at the dinner table, bear no marks of haste and slovenliness ; and, amongst the French authors of the eighteenth century, the two most remarkable for the excellence of their handwriting were Voltaire and Rousseau. The press of public business

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. 49

may be alleged as some excuse for statesmen ; whilst the hurry and flutter of composition may account for the bad writing of poets and authors of the imaginative class." *

Some handwritings have characteristics so well marked that there is no difficulty in recognising them. It is impossible to mistake the slope of Addison's long strokes, the peculiar curve at the end of certain letters, or the mathematical precision with which the strokes are made parallel with each other ; the writing of Thackeray is remarkable for its distinctness and neatness. His earlier style made the letters slope, the long letters, except the fs, were written without loops, and most of the capitals were printed. In the later style, the letters are vertical, the capital Is are mere strokes, the writing is somewhat smaller, while the signature, in both styles, is extremely well written \_see facsimile.'] That of the Duke of Wellington may be distinguished by the slight curve of the long strokes (which are somewhat unwieldy), the capital Ws and Ds, bear the evidence of haste. When Napoleon first attained power his signature was of the orthodox length and character ; it gradually shrank to the first three letters (Nap.), and later in his career it consisted of a dash or scrawl intended for an N.

Byron latterly wrote a sad scrawl. Miss Landon's writing (L. E. L.'s) varies greatly at different periods ; this is also the case with that of Sir Walter Scott's (especially of his signature), which, though at the begin- ning of his career, until about 1803, is distinct and plain, becomes afterwards more and more hurried, until at last the words are so joined together, and the letters so indis- tinctly formed, that his sentences are very difficult to read.

* Hayward. E

go AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

The same may be said of the writings of Coleridge, of Sydney Smith, of Gladstone and many others. With Robert Burns the last strokes in the ms, ns, hs and ps are peculiarly formed, and the rs should be noticed. On the contrary, Dr. Johnson's handwriting scarcely varied after he was i6 years of age.

Charles Dickens in his writings uses the phrase " as though " very frequently until he arrives at the middle of "Nicholas Nickleby," when he substituted "as if," and in his later compositions, seldom uses the former words. His spelling, too, is peculiar — pony is spelt poney, height hcighth, etc., and the letter u is omitted in labour, ardour, endeavour, etc.

An illegible scrawl can give no pleasure to anyone, unless from associations connected with the writer. Isaac D'Israeli having had access to a part of the corres- pondence of Sir John Eliot, while engaged with his " Commentaries on the life of Charles the First," gives this as his painful experience : " The autographs of Sir John proved too hard for my deciphering — days, weeks and months passed, and I was still painfully conning the redundant flourishes and tortuous alphabets, till the volume was often closed in all the agony of baffled patience ;" and Sydney Smith wrote to Jeffrey on receipt of one of his ill-written epistles : " Mrs. Smith and I have endeavoured to read it like Hebrew from risfht to left, and like English from left to right, like Chinese from the top to the bottom, and like a modern young lady's style diagonally from one corner to the other, but we are obliged to confess we can make nothing of it." On another occasion he says : " I beg you very seriously to take a little pains with your handwriting ; if you will

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. 5 I

be resolute about it for a month, you will improve immensely, at present your writing is, literally speaking, illegible, and I have not now read one half of your letter."

Sydney Smith's own hand was latterly almost as bad as Jeffrey's. " A family council was often held over his directions — once so entirely without success that, after many endeavours on the part of the family to decipher them, as they seemed urgent, my mother at last cut out the passage and enclosed it to him ; he returned it, saying ' he must decline ever reading his own handwriting four- and-twenty hours after he had written it.' He was so aware of the badness of his hand that, in a letter to Mr. Travers, who wished to see one of his sermons, he says : ' I would send it to you with pleasure, but my writing is as if a swarm of ants, escaping from an ink bottle, had walked over a sheet of paper without wiping their legs.' " *

The handwriting of Archdeacon Coxe (the eminent biographer of the Duke of Marlborough, &c.) was not the least striking of his peculiarities. It was a cypher of which few, even among those accustomed to it, were wholly masters. His correspondents, who valued all his words (for they were those of wisdom and kindness), were sometimes tantalized by the total impossibility of extricating them from the tangled black skein that ran along his paper. Mr. Melmoth, Jacob Bryant, Bishop Barrington and others remonstrated w'ith him about his inscrutable writing, but in vain.

Dr. Parr's writing is also most difficult to read ; so is

much of Lord Brougham's and Lord Lytton's. All these

prove the apt observation of Locke's : " The quicker a

man writes, the slower others read what he has written."

* Lady Holland.

E 2

52 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

We take the opportunity of pointing out some few other peculiarities respecting certain personages, which will serve to show the value of obtaining such bio- graphical hints to assist the researches of the amateur. George III. had the methodical practice of always dating his letters by hours and minutes, as well as the day. His correspondence shows in every line want of education, that spelling and diction were strangely neglected, and the writing itself a queer scrawl when he did not take extraordinary pains. Some of his care- fully studied letters are, however, correct enough ; still the most carelessly written epistle never fails to convey the precise meaning of the thing in the clearest manner.

The letters of Queen Mary, and her sister Anne, also give many indications, both in spelling and grammar of deficiency of education, but those of Queen Mary are always expressed with kindly and refined sentiments, while Queen Anne's are sometimes extremely coarse and unfeeling ; Anne's letters to her sister in the Ben- tinck Aldenbourg Archives, at Middachten, are coarse and cruel, and bear evidence as to her rage and passion.

Reubens wrote most of his letters in Italian, though some are written in Flemish and French and a few in Latin. Those written in the first three langfuaees are all signed " Pietro Paulo Rubens " those in the latter " Petrus Paullo Rubenius," or sometimes " P. P. Reubens," " P. Reubens " only occurs once. No French or Flemish signature occurs.

Of Poussin, for a long time there was only a single letter known to exist, but, about thirty years ago, an Englishman found eighteen among his family papers. Two of these were sold in Paris at £b. each.

AUTOGRAril COLLIXTING. 53

There is only one letter known to exist of Rabelais. Only one of the famous Earl of Shrewsbury (Talbot), (though there are more than one of his signatures), and only one known of William Tynclall, the first translator of our present Bible.

" Letters, the most intimate and confidential, which contain the real sentiments and emotions of the heart of the writer, and hence, of course, the most interesting and curious to the historian, are frequently unsigned, or else subscribed by one of those phrases, like the M.D. of Swift, known only to the correspondents. How, then, are we able to recognize the authors with certainty ? Deprived of the signature of the names, curiosity would have languished before many charming collections of ladies' epistles, while the mystery, when once penetrated, renders the agitations of love, intrigue, and devotion, more piquaiii. Numbers of political letters of the greatest importance were naturally left unsigned, and one could not at the first glance establish the authenticity of that brilliant correspondence of Voltaire's, rarely signed, but which contains all the man, and all his age, with their good and bad passions -the puerile trifles of pride, the impetuous movements of sentiments (or rather of sensations), and the sovereignty of good sense united to sensibility of talent ; the rage to please, to serve, to fashion^ — the courtier-like servility by the side of mocking contempt of all authority; the cynicism in belief and in words ; the decrying of all decency asso- ciated with a generous philosophy ; with bursts of pure eloquence, charms of grace, and the idolatrous worship of every delicacy of the tongue."*

* (Causeries d'un Curicux).

54 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

To verify, then, unsigned letters often requires much time and patience. The contents may afford a clue to the exact period, to the events occurring, and to the indivi- duals concerned ; thus, by limiting the area of search within narrow bounds, the handwriting may be compared with that of known personages whose style and manner of composition is the same, and perseverance will soon be rewarded by a clue, which, if followed up, will end in success. To become familiar with the handwriting of a great number of persons, especially of preceding genera- tions, is by no means a difficult task, and, as we have previously stated, is one of the most necessary and most useful accomplishments of the amateur. Although a letter be unsigned, yet nearly all writers end their epistles in a manner peculiar to themselves. The endear- ing expression to an intimate friend, the arrangement of the concluding lines, the words chosen, are all of them characteristic.

From all the preceding observations it will be seen that, just as a person having an extensive correspondence is able to recognise at once the hand-writing of any of his numerous friends, so should the collector make him- self thoroughly acquainted with the autographs of as large a number as possible of the most distinguished people of past and present times ; this, which must be a labour of love to the true amateur, presents no difficulties that may not be readily overcome by attention and patience; and, as we have already remarked, where large collections of genuine autographs are not accessible for study there are excellent facsimiles of all kinds ; to supply the place of which, a small assortment suited to the requirements of the ordinary collector will be found in this volum.e.

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. 55

Let US now for a moment picture to ourselves the suc- cessful collector, seated in his study, surrounded with all the trophies of his labour — those rare autographs and choice engravings which have cost so many years of patient research to amass, and which are now the silent companions and delight of his leisure hour; turn by turn his eye dwells on his teeming portfolios recalling the varied, pleasing adventures by which he secured his richest prizes, and at the same time speak eloquently concerning the strange mutability of human affairs, through the career of all the brilliant men and women whose most intimate and secret correspondence lies open before him. What delight, let us ask, can compare to the reflective mind, with that of being alone in the cosy sanctum with body and mind at ease, or perhaps with a few intimate and kindred spirits where he can give free scope to imagination, and by his written spells, call up at will the spirits of the mighty dead ! Then can he hear through those walls of paper and of parchment, amid the stir and tumult of past centuries, the voices of those truthful witnesses which tell their secrets to him, though deaf to all the world besides. How does he delight in the fervent syllables which reveal the emotion that once thrilled through the hearts of heroes and heroines whose names shall live for ever ! There are the accents of patriotism, of genius, and the sweet expressions of love, with the hopes and aspirations uttered in the rude struggles of right against wrong, all pent up in those faded leaves, and ready to come forth when bidden. There, too, are thoughts and names embalmed and crys- tallized in writing, of those who have consecrated their lives to the common weal, in the senate and on the battle

56 AUTOGRAFH COLLECTING.

field, and of those who, in deep retirement, have swayed the world with the sounds of their divine harmony, or the lofty grandeur of their verse. To pass these in affectionate review and scrutinize each stroke which the hand traced, each syllable which the lip uttered centuries ago, and to linger over the paper, the seal and the signature of a princess, or a poet, a minister of state, or one of the noble army of martyrs, is a pleasure which no one can realize without its experience.

Autographs thus become the objects of love, and their possessor soon learns to recognise their varied hand- writing as unerringly as a mother the voice of her child ; there being no more chance of imposing on him a spurious specimen of any of his well-known characters, than there would be to deceive a naturalist about an animal, or a botanist about a plant. Like all other passions, possession in this case only increases the desire for more, and the true collector is never satisfied in getting, but eagerly embraces every opportunity of adding to his stores.

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. 57

CHAPTER VIII.

Early Writing Materials.

The delight in the contemplation of autographs and their careful study, would almost necessarily proceed step by step with the growth of the collection. But, besides the most persevering scrutiny which must be bestowed on the handwriting itself, a great deal should be learnt about the subject of ink, paper, seals, &c., by which the approximate age of documents may be discovered.

Ink. The colour of the ink of all old writing is a most weighty matter, since it is nearly impossible to imitate the appearance of this to a skilled eye. The ink used before our present material was invented, was composed of lampblack and a solution of gum, which, though so excellent in appearance, retaining its glossy black color for ages in MSS. volumes, would neither flow with sufficient readiness from the pen, nor penetrate sufficiently deep into the substance of the parchment or paper for legal writings, and it could be easily washed, or even rubbed off. In the eleventh century a chemical ink, of greater durability, consisting of a decoction of nutgalls, in which sulphate of iron and a little gum or glue were dissolved, was introduced, and this has continued in use ever since ; so that, for all practical purposes concerning autographs, one kind of ink need only be considered. It has, however, been erroneously supposed that, owing to the deeper colour

58 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

of old writings, a small portion of carbon must have been added to the ink before the time of the Common- wealth, but Astle has disproved this, by showing that the ink on these writings would wholly disappear, by treating it with either of the mineral acids. The darker colour results, probably, from the more careful manu- facture of parchment and paper in the olden time, and the greater quantity of astringent matter possessed by them than since ; perhaps, also, it is owing to animal glue having been employed instead of gum which formed a kind of varnish that prevented oxidation. What we, therefore, are concerned in knowing is, that the ink has "substantially" always been the same, and the action of time has slowly changed its colour to the tint of iron rust, a peculiar yellowish red, that no art can exactly imitate, unless by means easy of detection, and which will be explained in the remarks on Forgery.

It is well to note that on some ancient writing minute scales, having a metallic gleam like that of silver, may be observed — an almost certain sign of age.

The ink of almost every writer will, on close obser- vation, show a distinct shade peculiar to itself. This is very important to notice. Let anyone write a sentence from ink in three different houses at about the same time, and a variation may be observed in each. Thus old writing, if written in separate places, will vary, unless, as was often the case, the writing apparatus was carried about; but, where people wrote a great deal of their correspondence at home, the colour of the ink will be singularly uniform, and this is a test to be frequently relied on as to the genuineness of the autograph. The colour of Cromwell's writing, and that of John Wesley's,

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. 59

Southey's, Lord Byron's, and many otliers that could be mentioned are as a rule all peculiar, and differ in a very remarkable way from that of others.

Paper. The art of making paper from rags, passed from Spain to France about the year 1260. Paper was first made in Germany in 13 12.

It is variously stated that the first English paper mill was established at Dartford in Kent, and at Ware in Hertfordshire ; but it is clear that the first was set up at Hertford, for the earliest mention of an English paper mill occurs in a book, printed by Caxton about 1470, the paper of which was made by John Tate, of Seele Mill, Hertford, whose works were considered so important as to attract a visit from Henry VH. The large mill at Dartford was opened in 1588, by John Spielman, a German, jeweller to Queen Elizabeth, and who was knighted by her. At first the native paper was usually of a very inferior quality, and recourse was had to Holland, Belgium and France, for that used in writing and printing important books. Fuller, writing in 1662, said that the paper partook of the character of the countrymen by whom it was made. " Venetian being neat, subtle and courtlike ; the French, light and slender and slight ; the Dutch, thick, corpulent and gross, not to say sometimes also bibulous, sucking up the ink with the sponginess thereof."

An examination of MSS. and old Bibles, from the reign of Henry VHI. to Elizabeth, discovers that the paper was of a beautifully white colour, with a parch- ment like texture, an even smooth surface, with the almost perfect absence of small hard knots and other particles., and which would compare favourably with the

6o AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

best paper of to-day. Many of these early sheets contain no laatermarks, other early foreign papers contain an almost infinite variety of them : such as the Virgin and Child, which was common in the Spanish Netherlands ; and the ladder in a circle surmounted with a star, found in Italian paper. All the drawings of the Raphael Sketch Book are on paper thus marked. A good deal of the F"rench paper at the beginning of the si.xteenth century is without any special wire-mark. In some of the early Bibles, from 1540 to 1549, several marks may be seen, chiefly of grotesque animals.

The watermark of John Tate, supposed to have been the original paper maker of this country, is a star with eight points within a dotcble circle. The device of his successor, John Tate, Junr., was a wheel, and his paper is remarkably fine and good. The first book printed on English paper, is entitled " bartholomeus DE PROPRiETATis RERUM " and was published in 1495, and the paper supplied by John Tate, Junr. The open hand is a very ancient mark that gave its name to a variety of paper still in use, though its size and texture is altered. Pot paper (about 1624) was marked with various kinds of drinking vessels : this j^aper retains its size according to its early issue, but the mark is now exchanged for the arms of England. The fleur-de-lis in a shield, surmounted by a crown, about 1657, the peculiar mark of demy, most probably originated in France. The wire marks of a postman s horji crowned may be seen bearing the date 1679. Fools-cap paper was originally marked with a crown, which Cromwell ex- changed to the fool's cap, and Charles II., by an over- sight, continued to the legal sheets, which still bear

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. 6 1

the name, though the device is now altered to the figure of Britannia within an oval. Various other paper marks were in use, adopted, most likely, at the will or caprice of the manufacturers. Thus we have the unicorn and other nondescript quadrupeds, the bunch of grapes, serpent, and ox head, surmounted with a star, which was very common : the cross, crown and globe, and the initials of the manufacturers' names : and, at the conclusion of the seventeenth and the beginning of the eighteenth centuries, arms appear in escutcheons with supporters. For further examples we refer our readers to the facsimiles collected by the late Mr. R. Lemon, given towards the end of this volume.

It is important to know that, before the middle ot the last century, the paper was hand-made, and since that time it has been machine-made. It is, likewise, of great consequence to be able to distinguish the appearance and texture of the various kinds of papers belonging to each century, it being almost impossible to obtain blank sheets suitable for forging ancient writing unless from the fly-leaves of old books, and these are usually of an inferior quality to the paper used for writing. Hand-made paper is not so uniform in thick- ness as that made by machinery : if held up to the light this and other differences will become apparent. In the discrimination of paper, a principal point to be kept in view is that it was first bleached by chlorine in 1814, since we can tell at a glance whether the paper has been made Avith or without that agent. Another important date is 1830, when the machine was invented to strain away all the rough, hard knots and particles found in paper before that period. Since 1851 the size has been made

62 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

to penetrate deeper into paper, and, consequently, writing over erasures since that time does not run as before.

An examination of the fibre of paper will often, when studied with care, give the date of MSS. and autograph letters, and even tell of the country from whence they came ; but, for this, it needs the piercing eye of an adept. These few hints will, however, suffice to show the scope and importance of the research which may be imported into this subject. A visit to a paper-mill, where an infinite number of hints may be gathered respecting every kind of paper, ancient as well as modern, from those well acquainted with every detail of the manufac- ture, would be of the utmost service to the amateur, and certainly prevent his being victimized, like the unwary wight mentioned by Mr. Sims in his useful " Hand-book to Autographs," who gave forty guineas for a spurious letter of Henry VII I. 's, which first saw light in a chamber au sixieme of an obscure corner in Paris.

Besides the texture of the paper the size of the sheets must be noticed, since the fly-leaves of old books are seldom or never of the true size of any variety of paper used for writing.

The etiquette of the olden time required folio sheets to be used. The letter was written on the first leaf, a large space being left between the heading and the body of the letter, and a similar large space between the last line and the signature. The folding and securing the letter were weighty matters, and deserve some study. WrapjDers were rarely used before the beginning of the present century, and envelopes were introduced for letters in 1839. In the sixteenth and early in the seventeenth centuries, it was the custom of the various Courts and the

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. 63

nobility to fold the sheet lengthwise several times, so as to form a kind of band, which was then double-folded in the other direction, and a ligature of strong floss-silk wound round the oblong square packet in each direction, so that the silk was crossed in the centre above and below. This was secured with a large strong seal of wax on both sides. The address was written on the upper surface of the letter, partly on either side of the seal, and on the lower left hand corner were some quaint directions to the courier, thus :—

" Ride varlet ride. For thy life ! for thy hfe ! for thy life !"

The letter was opened by severing the silk ligature. This custom was used by the French Court until the Revolution, and some Courts continue the practice at the present day.

Gilt-edged paper was commonly used throughout the whole of the eighteenth century, and rough copies were generally made before the letter itself was carefully written. This should be borne in mind, as both the rough copy and the letter are produced sometimes, when one of them may be wrongly supposed to be forged.

The modern method of folding letters, so as to place one end within the other, and securing them with the seal, only reaches back to monkish times. The more ancient plan of piercing the letters, after folding and securing them with threads, is still practised in the cabinets of European Chancellories for the private correspondence of sovereigns ; the silk employed being of the national colours — blue for France, red for England, &c. The small two-edged dagger-like knives used in the per- forating may be seen in museums.

64 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

Even the creases made by the folds of the paper, the discolorations from age, and the accidental stains are all worthy of notice, for there is a marked distinction between these and the smudges produced by artifice. At the spot where the seal or wafer had been placed, the paper will often be much discoloured, and this will extend through one or more folds if they have been pressed upon the seal for any considerable time.

Sea/s. These will be of importance chiefly in the study of ancient signed documents. The substance used for seals duringf the eleventh and twelfth centuries was crude yellow wax, the white appearance it now presents being due to the effect of time ; and, where the seals appear red, it is owing to colour having been applied superficially. Mr. R. Sims has a good deal on this subject in his useful " Manual fo7^ the Genealogist" but a few particulars will suffice for our purpose.

Towards the end of the twelfth century green wax became common, and by far the most perfect early seals are the green. Blue wax was never used until much later. After the thirteenth century, wax, coloured red, was more generally employed. The composition known as sealing-wax, or Spanish- wax, was, according to Beckmann, invented in France about 1643, but was known in Germany much earlier. This afforded far better security against fraud than common wax.

It is much to be lamented that John Fenn, in the Paston letters, when he gives an account of the size and shape of the seals, does not inform us of what substance they were composed. Respecting a letter of the year 1455, he says only : " The seal is of red wax."

The oldest mention of sealing-wax is in the work of

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. 65

Garcia ab Orto, printed in 1563 (Beckmann). Dugdale says that Edward the Confessor was the first to put his seal to a charter, but Mr. Sims proves this to be incorrect.

Arms began to be generally used in seals on the return of Richard I. from Palestine. In the history of Battle Abbey, we read that Richard Lucy, Chief Justice (temp. Henry II.), blamed a mean subject for using a private seal, as he said that privilege pertained solely to the king and nobility. At that early period men's own effigies were engraved on their seals, with counterfeits, covered with a long coat over their armour. After this, gentlemen of the better sort took up the fashion, and, because all were not warriors, they used seals of their general coats of arms.

In the time of Edward I. seals were so general, that the statute of Exon. ordains the coroner's jury to certify with their respective seals. In the reign of Edward II. every-one seems to have used these with almost every kind of device, including the initial letters of their own names. In old seals, the shield of arms, or device, is most frequently encircled in a label or garter, inscribed with the name of the knight or lady sealing the deed, and sometimes these have the additional names of the husband or father. Ancient charters were only sealed, not signed. That custom continued in Scotland till 1540, when James V. ordered all evidence to be sub- scribed and sealed.

In Nesbitt's Heraldry it is stated that a statute enacts that every freeholder should have his proper seal of arms.

The form of seals is very varied. The round form was adopted by kings, princes and knights, whilst the oval (or icthoid) was used by prelates, abbejs, clergy, and often by women. The shape of seals used by

66 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

secular persons during the eleventh and twelfth centuries was generally circular. Triangular ones belong to the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, but during the thirteenth century the shape was generally oval and more or less acute. So ordinary was this that anyone, having to arrange a mass of unsorted deeds, might easily pick out those anterior to the year 1300, by merely observing the shape of the seals.

The earliest example of a secretum-, or privy seal, on the back is at the close of the twelfth century. After that period, it is of ordinary occurrence on baronial and knightly seals. The devices of personal seals of the eleventh and twelfth centuries are entirely arbitrary. Barons and knights used representations of a horseman, armed, with falcon on the wrist. Others had birds (eagles or falcons), animals, (commonly lions or varieties of dragons) ; conventional flowers, stars, crescents, the Agnus Dei, &c.

In the thirteenth century seals became more numerous, engraved with monograms or symbols of handicraft. In the fourteenth century grotesque figures predominated. It was during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries that mediaeval seals attained their highest artistic excellence. After this, personal seals, not of armorial character, declined, and merchants marks became common, both on seals and signet rings, during the fifteenth and early in the sixteenth centuries. They were composed of a private cypher, with initials of owner's name (staple marks). Yeomen often used the simple expedient of making an impression with their thumbs. The seals of females, married or single, from 1400 to 1500, bore their efifigies in costume of the time. Some are depicted on horse-

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTINC. 67

back bearing a falcon on the wrist. Antique intaglios were frequently used as personal seals during the middle ages, from the twelfth to the fifteenth centuries. Leigh Hunt and many others have used these in our days.

JVafcrs. Without referring to the mention of wafers or analagous articles in ancient times, it will suffice to say that the first mention of wafers, as we know them, occurred in 1707, when Evelyn, who was then travelling in Genoa, alludes to the admirable security they gave as a fastening to letters without adding to the weight* They were certainly not known in France when Labat published his Voyages d'Espagne et Italic in 1731. " The first wafers were used in the Chancery at Bay- reuth, according to an expense account, in the year 1705. In 1716 they were forbidden to be used in legal papers in the Duchy of Weimar" (Beckmann.) W^e must not expect, therefore, to find any English letters sealed with wafers before 1710.

* We have letters of Evelyn's, however, fastened by wafers eighteen years earlier.

F 2

68 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

CHAPTER IX.

The Preservation and Arranging of Autographs.

The subject of the preservation and best mode of arranging autographs is worthy of some consideration. There are, of course, many different plans advocated, and various amateurs adopt methods of their own, some of which should be avoided, while others are worthy of imitation. Certain large collectors frame their choicest specimens, and thus adorn the walls of their rooms with them, accompanied with choice engravings. At the Imperial Library of St. Petersburg, the Baron de Korff, the late curator, followed this plan, and covered the walls of a vast hall with autograph letters of illustrious personages, accompanied with their portraits.

The splendid collection of the late Mr. John Young, of Blackheath (who died about two years since), was also displayed in this manner. M. Feuillet de Conches says of this collection : " It is the best arranged I have seen, and the portraits, which are all choice ones, selected critically and regardless of cost, add an interest and inexpressible charm to this magnificent collection. The residence of Mr. Young, near Vanbrugh's Bastile House, Blackheath- — a plain one-story building — is like a sanc- tuary dedicated to autographs, as is apparent directly you enter the vestibule. The door opens and immediately you perceive the portrait, surrounded by autographs, of

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. 69

the architect and dramatist, Sir J. Vanbriigh, the builder of the house, who has given his name to the locahty. As we proceed, the walls of each room are seen to be covered with portraits, accompanied with letters, of the distinguished in every department of human great- ness, and the interest of the autographs increases until the brightest q-ems of the whole are found in the study, which by its glorious assemblage crowns the whole."

The advantage of this plan is, that the eye can be always delighted with these objects of love and vener- ation, and they are guarded from injury by clumsy hands, but they are less portable, and are liable to various accidents, as fire, theft, &c. ; they probably fade and decay more rapidly when exposed to light, and, unless they are placed within the line of sight, cannot be read with that ease and convenience (especially by near-sighted or weak-sighted persons) which is afforded by auto- graphs preserved in portfolios. It is also difficult to frame letters consisting of more than one sheet, or where each side of the sheet is closely written over.

If the desire of the collector is limited to a few very rare and beautiful autographs, they may doubtless be advantageously arranged in frames by the side of fine engravings, when care can be taken to shield them from the destructive rays of the sun ; but, with a large miscellaneous assortment, we believe that better means may be employed.

We would premise, however, by way of caution, that letters should never be pasted on cards, &c. If it is decided to secure them in any way, either in albums or volumes, the best plan to effect this without injury is

70

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

by pasting somewhat broad slips of paper, either on a con- venient margin, or the fold of the Autograph, and this strip of paper may then be sewn or pasted without affecting the letter. Amateurs must never trim or clip, or otherwise manipulate their treasures, as they are sure to spoil them by such attempts ; but, if the specimen is torn, or too fragile to handle, small strips of thin, trans- parent, tissue-paper, prepared for such purposes, may be carefully pasted over the weakest parts of the fractures, so as to repair them.

A good portrait — and the best should always be procured — is an indispensable accompaniment of every autograph. The first completes the latter, for one of the most natural and earnest desires of man is to endeavour to know the features of personages interesting to him. If, therefore, the autograph be carefully laid between a folded sheet of stout cartridge paper, it can be safely handled and read without risk of damage, and a good portrait (or more than one) can be placed beside it, and a book-plate, a coat of arms, any pictures of the locality, or other interesting additions, can be procured, they should also be included, together with newspaper notices connected with the writer of the autograph, if such exist; and a short sketch of the life, either written by a type-writer, or cut out of a popular biography. Some lithographed facsimiles of the writing are also interesting for purposes of comparison and study; for the handwriting of every individual varies considerably at different periods of life; and it is therefore well to obtain as many specimens of it as possible.

In this manner the collection may not only be se- cured in portfolios in a most convenient form, but be

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. 71

rendered interesting and instructive; and the autographs may afterwards be arranged chronologically, alpha- betically, or according to the career in life of the writers — their dignity, their state or condition — or in any other way most agreeable to their possessor. Where there are large seals with fine impressions, they should be protected from injury by sticking a circle of cardboard of the same thickness around them, and perhaps another card of lesser thickness on the back; but if the impression be wholly obliterated, and only a rough mass of wax remains, the bulk had better be carefully removed, by slicing it away with a thin-bladed knife, made sufficiently hot to cut the wax easily.

M. De Lescure observes: "It will be borne in mind that the general aim of all classification is to facilitate researches among objects of similar kind. Therefore, with that end in view, it seems that autographs can only admit of two methods of classification, viz., either alphabetically, according to the names of the writers, or chronologically, according to the dates of the pieces. But to render these classifications as convenient as useful, it will be necessary to accomjoany each with a table — the alphabetical method with a chronological table, and the chronological with an alphabetical one. By this means, whichever plan is adopted, the collec- tion is rendered a kind of historical cabinet, in which may be found instantly whatever is desired. This, however, only applies to ordinary collections where all the pieces are written in the same tongue, but if the autographs take a wider range and include celebrities of different nations, and are written in various languages, it will then be necessary to divide the whole into as

72 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

many portions as there are languages, and then, after- wards, each of these divisions should be classed according to one of the first-mentioned methods."

Sometimes autographs are classed according to the dignity, state, condition, &c., of the writers. The chief objections to this arrangement are the gaps, which must occur in the series of events, and the confusion as to epochs and dates.

It would appear, however, that the classification according to the rank, quality, or profession of the personages may be made to unite all the advantages of the alphabetical and chronological arrangements, by means of the tables before mentioned. In this way the possessor can direct his attention at will to the bright or dark aspects of history ; he can invoke kings, queens, statesmen, warriors, writers, and so vary his meditations by instantaneously changing the class of the individuals whose writings he selects.

All collectors have some peculiar predilection for certain autographs, some preferring statesmen or writers, others physicians or poets, while others, again, seek after letters concerning certain historical events, or those of a special century. For such a particular series the alpha- betical arrangement is most suitable.

The chronological order is only advisable where the collection has been procured to illustrate certain periods or events of history, where the aim has been rather to establish facts than to give prominence to the individuals who have brought them about. On the whole it will be found, that the most agreeable and useful method of arranging a large collection, is that according to the rank and career of the writers. This system has been

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. "J T)

followed by most of the chief amateurs. Baron Tremont remarks on this subject : " With a collection of about 5000 autographs, of tvhich every day I examine several, it was very necessary for me to discover a classification, which would afford the means of instantly placing my hand upon the letter I wanted to see. I tried first of all the alphabetical order, which is generally adopted by catalogues for public sales. But those catalogues rarely contain more than about 600 numbers, and I found it became unsuitable when the numbers amount to many thousands, for a confusion is produced with several similar names, when those explanatory details must be added, necessary for the sale room, but out of place in a private collection.

" The method most clear and simple appears to me to be the classification according to the career or functions oi the writers. I have divided these into ten classes, and these again I have sub-divided as many times as have been necessary in order to simplify my researches. The alphabetical order has been followed in each of these sub-divisions.

Each autograph, for its preservation, is guarded by a wrapper, on the back of which is inscribed the age to which it belongs, the division in which it is classed, the date of birth and death, and also a brief notice of the principal points of the career of the individual. Added to this there are a portrait and cuttings from a biography, and also from newspapers when they can be obtained."

Where the collection is kept in albums, by far the best method for ordinary letters and documents is the use of the linen or paper guard. A narrow strip of thin paper is folded in half and on the outer margin the edge of the

74

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

document is secured with paste, whilst the under part of the guard is pasted to the album. The specimen thus rests upon a hinge, and can, of course, be examined on all four sides {see illustration).

In cases where the letter is very closely written, even to the edges of the page, great care must be taken not to paste over any portion of the writing, and some col- lectors prefer to make a guard of a special kind of trans- parent paper, so that none of the words can be possibly lost sight of. Ordinary gum or paste should never be used, but the best preparation for the purpose is made as follows : Take a table-spoonful of Glenfield's Patent Starch, and mix with a little cold water in an ordinary jam pot, then fill up with boiling water ; when cool it will be ready for use, and should be applied with a small paste brush. Documents thus secured can afterwards be removed from the guards with little difficulty, if the edges are placed between sheets of damp blotting paper.

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. 75

Another method of securing autograph letters in albums is by the use of Lovvthime's registered corners. These consist of paper neatly folded into corners of various sizes with gummed backs ; they can be so secured to the album, that the corners of the autographs can be inserted without the specimens being touched with paste of any kind ; but the obvious disadvantage of this plan is, that heavy paper or vellum documents are apt to slip out, when the leaves of the album are turned rapidly over, and, also, only one side of the letter can be seen, unless the specimen is removed from the corners, and then there is not unfrequently some difficulty in replacing it in its former folds. With very choice autographs, " inlaying " is certainly to be recommended, and for further information respecting this process, we must refer our readers to the chapter on " Grangerising." In most old-fashioned collections, the autographs are found to be firmly gummed at the back to the leaves of the album, and sometimes it becomes a difficult task for the amateur to remove the documents without injury. Usually we have found the following to be the best method of pro- ceeding. A thick layer of damp blotting paper is placed at the back of the album leaf, and also over the front of the autograph, and kept pressed down in this position for about half an hour. The specimen can then be peeled off, and it should be laid face downwards on a marble slab, and every trace of gum or paste carefully removed with a clean sponge, the back should then be pressed over with clean dry blotting paper, so as to remove all superfluous moisture, when the specimen may then be placed between two sheets of white cardboard under a press, but care should be taken not to injure the seals. The blotting

76 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

paper used must be white and perfectly clean. It must, however, be remembered that, in certain exceptional cases, the above process should never be employed ; for in- stance, in modern letters, the ink will frequently run when moisture is applied, and many fine letters of Charles Dickens, written in his well-known blue ink, have been completely spoiled by the application of damp. Where it is necessary to remove a specimen of special value, we should strongly advise the employment of a prac- tised hand. The mere fact that a letter is perhaps worth ^50., will often cause an amateur to feel nervous in removing it, and thus a feeling of over-anxiety may cause him to commit some blunder, by which the letter may be damaged. A good plan for removing letters, &c. of small value, is to place them bodily in a zinc bath of cold water; this is a rapid method, and as a general rule the specimens are not injured by it ; but, in our early days of collecting, we have a vivid recol- lection of seeing a beautiful specimen apparently fall to pieces under our eyes for, without our knowledge, it had been previously repaired with a peculiar gelatine substance, so that it presented a complete and undamaged appearance, but directly it became saturated with the water, it fell into its former fragments. Professional experts, employed in the British Museum and other archives, are sometimes able to restore the most damaged documents, so as almost to defy detection by the naked eye. The special process they employ is a long and tedious one ; in some cases these experts will spend a fortnight over the restoration of one small document.

Faded ink on old documents, papers, parchments, &c..

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. 77

may be restored so as to render the writing perfectly legible. The process consists in moistening the docu- ment with water, and then passing over the lines a brush which has been wetted with a solution of sulphide of ammonium, when the writing will immediately appear quite dark in colour, and this colour, in the case of parchment, will be preserved. On paper, however, the colour will gradually fade again ; but on a fresh applica- tion of the sulphide of ammonium it will reappear. Writing, executed in ordinary ink, which has been ren- dered illegible by age, may be restored by carefully moistening it with an infusion of galls, or a solution of ferrocyanide of potassium slightly acidulated with hydro- chloric acid ; but care must be taken to apply the liquid so as to prevent the ink from spreading.

The following process, we are told, is employed by the British Museum authorities with regard to decayed paper documents. The MS. is dipped in a very diluted solution of gelatine and then hung up to dry. This preserves and strengthens the paper.

M. Rathelot, an ofificer of the Paris Law Courts, suc- ceeded by an ingenious plan in transcribing a number of the registers which were burnt during the Commune. These registers had remained so long in the fire that each of them seemed to have become a homogeneous block, more like a slab of charcoal than anything else ; and when an attempt was made to detach a leaf it fell away into powder. His method was this: — "He first cut off the back of the book, then steeped the book in water, and afterwards exposed it, all wet as it was, to the heat at the mouth of a warming pipe (calorifere) ; the water as it evaporated raised the leaves

78 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

one by one, and they could be separated, but with extra- ordinary precaution. Each sheet was then deciphered and transcribed. The appearance of the pages was very curious — the writing appeared of a dull black, while the paper was of a lustrous black, something like velvet decorations on a black satin ground, so that the entries were not difficult to decipher."

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CHAPTER X.

Grangerising.

The originator of the unique practice of extra-illustrating and extending books was the Rev. James Granger, Vicar of Shiplake, Oxfordshire, who pubHshed in 1 769 a " Bio- graphical History of England" in two volumes quarto, to which he afterwards added a supplement. A portion of the first edition was printed on one side of the paper only, so as to allow the insertion of portraits, prints or any work of art which, directly or indirectly, illustrated the text. According to the original advertisement, the work is described as "A Catalogue and description of above 4000 heads of engraved portraits and extra- ordinary persons from Egbert to George IV

designed as a help to British History and Biography, and to supply the defect of English Medals," &c. The author collected a number of " heads " and inserted them in his own copy. Others soon followed his example, and in a short time what is now called " Grangerising " became very popular. The success of Granger's book gave a great impetus to the collecting and preserving of autograph letters, &c,, which would otherwise have been destroyed. This practice of extra illustrating and ex- tending books is more English than French. Nodier knew nothing of it, not so Dibdin, who poured out the vials of his wrath upon all who followed the pursuit. The bibliophile, of course, exhausts his vocabulary of

8o AUTOGRAPH COLLFXTING.

anathemas upon the Grangerite and his work, and brings the gravest charges against him of slaughtering a book for a few prints, and compares him to the epicure who had a sheep killed regularly for the sake of the sweetbread. Dr. J. Hill Burton in his interesting work, " The Book- hunter," gives the following humorous travesty of the Grangerite and his works. " The piece of literature to be illustrated is as follows : —

" How doth the little busy bee Improve each shining hour ? And gather honey all the day From every opening flower ? "

" The first thing to be done is to collect every engraved portrait of the author, Isaac Watts. The next, to get hold of any engravings of the house in which he was born, or houses in which he lived. Then will come all kinds of views of Southampton — of its Gothic Gate, &c. Any scrap connected with the inauguration of the Watts' Statue must, of course, be scrupulously^ gathered. To go but a step beyond such common-places there is a

traditional story about the boyhood of Watts

The illustrator will, therefore, require to get a picture of it for his own special use, and will add immensely to the value of his treasure, while he gives scope to the genius of a Cruikshank or a Doyle.

We are yet, it will be observed, only on the threshold. We have next to illustrate the substance of the poetry. All kinds of engravings of bees, Attic and other, and of bee-hives, will be appropriate, and will be followed by portraits of Huber and other great writers on bees, and views of Mount Hybla and other honey districts.

Some Scripture prints illustrative of the history of

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. 8 1

Samson, who had to do with honey and bees, will be appropriate, as well as any illustrations of the fable of the Bear and the Bees, or of the Roman story of the Sic vos noil vobis. A still more appropriate form of illustration may, however, be drawn upon by remembering that a periodical called The Bee was edited by Dr. Anderson. Portraits, then, of Dr. Anderson, and any engraving's that can be connected with himself and his pursuits, will have a place in the collection. Dr. Ander- son was the grandfather of Sir James Outram, &c.," and so he goes on ad infinitum.

We shall briefly notice a few of these colossal works. The most elaborate example is that of Sutherland's illustrated " Clarendon " and " Burnet." Mr. Sutherland was a Russian merchant, who, about 1795, began to devote his life and fortune to fill the above works with engravings, to the great dissatisfaction of his wife.

" A rebuff, and some official rudeness (real or fancied) at the British Museum in the days when contributors were chilled and repelled, and an accidental visit to the better behaved Bodleian at Oxford, led Mr. Sutherland to exclaim " Here my books shall repose ! " Yet he bequeathed his collection to his wife, warning her with his last breath that if she broke it up he would haunt her. The widow, accordingly, pursued the completion of this " national work " with the ardour of her husband, until it finally swelled, after a growth of twenty-three years, and an expense of upwards of ^12,000., into sixty- three folio volumes, bursting with eighteen thousand seven hundred and forty-two prints and drawings. Then having herself prepared the ponderous catalogue, she consigned the russia-bound regiment to the Bodleian."

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82 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

The fact that there are 713 portraits of Charles I. and 352 of Cromwell, 518 of Charles II., 273 of James II. and 420 of William II., will give an idea of the per- severing industry by which portraits have been sought out.

Of course, the collector of this colossal work is called a madman, although that opprobrious epithet is not applied to the man who spends half his life in hunting, racing, gambling or any ignoble pursuits. It was an intellectual and harmless mania, and the hunting of old book-stalls, printshops, &c., must have been a pleasure with which Charles Lamb might have sympathised and shared.

Another stupendous work, which is now in the British Museum, is Pennant's " London " illustrated by Mr. Crowle : an exhaustless work to illustrate, as prints of London streets and buildings are to be found in great abundance. Croker's edition of " Boswell's Life of Johnson," in five octavo volumes, was extended to sixteen volumes folio by Mr. Harvey of St. James's Street, and illustrated with 982 prints, 20 of which were portraits, and the supplement, a single volume, was extended to six volumes, with original MSS. of Johnson, including his famous letter to Macpherson, the draft of the plan of his Dictionary, and water-colour drawings by Pyne and others.

In " Boswell " there are so many allusions to persons and places, that one of the chief difficulties a collector meets with, is to obtain portraits and autograph letters of obscure men : e. g. reference is made to a malefactor named Rann, known as Sixteen-string Jack, and also to Johnson, a well-known circus rider. There are some paltry sketches of these notabilities which realise

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. 83

high prices, as no Grangerised "Boswell" would be complete without them.

" One of the most complete and valuable of these Grangerised works," says an American writer, " is in the possession of Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet of New York City. It is " The Biographies of the Signers of the De- claration of Independence," published in nine volumes and Grangerised to twenty volumes folio, with over 3000 autograph letters, 2000 portraits, a number of prints and drawings, and 14 water-colours of American scenery, made by artists who came with the British troops to quell the rebellion. Every signer of the Declaration of Independence is represented in Dr. Emmet's monument by his picture and autograph letters."

Mr. Wright, the well-known collector in this depart- ment, is now preparing an illustrated copy of the " Life of Garrick," by Percy Fitzgerald, and also Forster's " Life of Dickens," which, it is said, will eclipse any other productions of the same kind.

Another great extra-illustrated American work is in the possession of Curtis Guild, Esq., of Boston, editor and proprietor of the Coinvicrcial Bulletin. He is owner of the celebrated " Irving's Washington," illustrated by Thomas H. Morell, in ten volumes quarto, by the insertion of 1 100 prints, including 145 portraits of Washington and 50 autographs. Mr. Guild is making extensive and valuable additions to this magnificent work.

We must not forget to mention a Life of Edmund Kean, which was sold by Messrs. Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge in January, 1885. This book was extra-illustrated with nearly 600 portraits, character-prints, play-bills,

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84 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

autograph letters and other interesting additions, and was bought by Henry Irving, for ^115.

Whatever objections are made to Grangerising do not apply to those collectors (and there are many) who Grangerise their works with autograph letters and portraits only, and who make the latter but a secondary part of their pursuit. What can be more interesting than a work illustrated in this manner ? The portraits required are nearly in every case published separately, and need not be torn from valuable and scarce books ; and such separate impressions are generally early, or on India paper, and so the more valuable.

The books that should be chosen for extra-illustrating with autographs and portraits are biographies. Some of the best and most popular works for the purpose are " Pepys's Diary," Clarendon's " History of the Rebellion," Burnet's " History of the Reformation," Cunningham's "Story of Nell Gwynne," Walton's "Complete Angler," Boswell's " Life of Johnson," Fitzgerald's " Life of Garrick," Campbell's " Life of Mrs. Siddons," Dr. Doran's " Her Majesty's Servants," Irving's " Life of Washington," Motley's " Rise of the Dutch Republic," Maclise's " Portrait Gallery," Henry Crabb Robinson's " Diary." Topographical histories of counties and large towns, especially " Pennant's London," are likewise admirably adapted for extra-illustrating.

When the Grangerite has settled upon the book he intends to illustrate, he begins to search for autograph letters, portraits and prints of persons and places to illustrate his text. The process of inlaying the texts and prints has been briefly described by Mr. Daniel Tredwell, of Brooklyn, as follows : " First is the selection of paper

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. 85

of the proper quality, and the size to which the book is to be extended. The leaves of the book being of uniform size, the inlaying of it (that is the text) is, of course, a simple repetition of the operation as many times as there are leaves in the volume. Not so, however, with prints ; no two are probably of the same shape and size — square, oblong, round, oval, and some irregular — thus every print requires its especial treatment. After the prints have been neatly cut down to their required shapes, the outer edges are bevelled, the bevel extend- ing about one quarter of an inch upon the margin of the print. This is performed with a knife made for the purpose. An opening is then cut into the sheet, of the size and shape of the print, making an allowance for a quarter of an inch lap on the inside, which is also bevelled to conform with the print. These outer edges are then fastened together with paste, made of rice flour. Rice paste is considered more desirable, for the reason that it retains its whiteness when dry. They are then placed under gentle pressure until re- quired for use." Before the prints, &c., are inserted they must go through the process of cleaning, and restoring if damaged.

" The safest and most effective method practised by professional cleaners," says Mr. Andrew Tuer, is as follows : " a stout common deal frame, without a back, is provided, and over it is stretched a piece of thin muslin, secured at the sides by tacks. The engraving to be operated upon is laid face upwards on the muslin, and the frame is placed over a copper filled nearly to the brim with boiling water. The hot steam penetrates through the muslin to the engraving, and the stains and

86 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

dirt gradually disappear. The removal of the more obstinate stains may be expedited by pouring boiling water on the face of the print while it is undergoing its steaming. When a thorough cleaning has been effected — a matter sometimes of several hours — the frame and print are removed bodily, placed on one side, and left until thoroughly dry. The final operation consists in passing the print through a press, which renders it perfectly flat."

Many prints and documents which would seem to be hopelessly damaged, can be restored by experts. If the print, &c., is merely torn, the edges are brought together, and joined so skilfully as to almost defy detection. When a piece has been torn out of a valuable print the restoration is effected by procuring an inferior print of the same subject, and the corresponding piece cut out and fitted in accurately from behind. Some- times when an inferior piece cannot be obtained, the blank space is filled up, by fitting in a plain piece of paper of similiar age and colour, and the lines of the engraving imitated by using a very fine steel pen; and the same thing is done in restoring written docu- ments injured in this manner. Where there is printing at the back of the portrait, and it must be erased by splitting the paper, the method best adapted for this purpose, is to paste linen at back and front, and then tear asunder, one half adheres to each side. The subsequent operation of removing the thin film of paper from its linen support is one requiring care — a piece of blotting paper can be used to support the film while the linen is being removed. The inlaying of letters and prints is, however, the work of an expert, and there are

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. 87

book-binders like Zaehnsdorf, who give special attention to the work of building up, extending, inlaying, making- up and cutting down the volume to the size desired.

A correspondent, Mr. T. B. Morris, in Notes and Queries, March 2, 18S9, gave the following simple instructions for privately illustrating books : " I have Grangerised several books, especially a history of my native county, Sussex, extending the two volumes to nine, by the addition of about three thousand views and portraits. The plan I have adopted is to get sheets of paper about one inch larger than the book, folding them to form two leaves ; if the engraving to be inserted is not large enough I inlay it, that is, I cut clean out of the leaf an opening about an inch on all sides smaller than the picture ; I then paste the edges only, and having laid the engraving over the opening in the paper, put it into a press, taking the precaution to place plain paper between each engraving ; after a few hours it may be removed, being perfectly flat. It takes some extra trouble, which is amply compensated for by the neat appearance of the engraving. If the prints, etc., are pasted on to the paper they are certain to pucker, and the effect is most unsatisfactory."

h

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88 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

CHAPTER XI.

Forged Autographs and how to detect them.

" If his botany," said Lord Kilkee, laughing, " be only as authentic as the autographs he gave Mrs. Mac Dermot, all of which he wrote himself, in my dressing room, in half an hour. Napoleon's was the only difficult one of the number." — Harry Lorrequer.

The subject of Forged Autographs is of vital importance to the collector. Forgery may be deemed the disease of autographs, which, though certainly malignant, is happily not incurable. It is, nevertheless, sometimes sufficiently severe to chill the energy of the beginner, especially when his dear friends suggest with a smile the possibility of his choicest specimen being a counterfeit. But reflection, backed by experience, will quickly dissipate those uneasy ideas, which rest mainly on apocryphal stories — the offspring of ignorance. Could forgeries, for- sooth, be perpetrated with such success as to deceive the skilled eye and the matured judgment — could they betray proper care and circumspection, then the great securities of society, of law and commerce, would at once disappear and a feeling of general insecurity supervene. When the fabulous forger arises who can manufacture documents at pleasure, which no one can detect, he will not only upset the present system of business, not only exhaust the revenues of all the museums, but his wealth will be bound- less, and his power like that of an enchanter. But no man in his senses believes in such a genius. The demand

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. 89

for autographs at this moment cannot be supplied ; and bankers transact their business, undisturbed by any fear of possible ruin by means of false cheques.

The amateur, therefore, need not be unduly alarmed ; the methods of detecting forgeries are, for the most part, simple ; and, where sight and judgment would be at fault, science steps in and lends all necessary assistance. Though forgery has been practised for thousands of years, almost as long indeed as writing itself, yet it may be affirmed, that no one has hitherto succeeded in de- frauding the world by means of it for any considerable length of time. When Dr. Dodd forged the signature of Lord Chesterfield, and Hatfield that of the Honorable A. A. Hope, detection followed immediately, and yet Dr. Dodd was the tutor of Lord Chesterfield, and must have been intimately acquainted with his writing, and Hatfield was noted for his skilful and dexterous penman- ship. Again, in the recent case of Pigott, we find his career collapsed when a keen and critical inquiry was applied to his productions. And Chatterton, Psalma- nazar,* William Henry Ireland, t Simonides.J and the Byron Forger, § had, after all, but a very limited run of success.

It may be broadly stated that, until recent times, forgery was scarcely regarded as a crime, and even now it is astonishing how readily the autograph fabricator tries to excuse himself, by asserting that he is not conscious of doing wrong in his efforts to earn an honest livelihood. The fact of the crime not being expressly forbidden in

* See Archivist, No. 8, page 57.

t „ ,) I) 3> i> ^'

+ )) )i » 7i >> 3"*

8 II 11 II 4i II 2.

go AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

the decalogue, may have something to do with this bkmt- ness of moral perception, still it is certainly curious that the world should have existed for so long a period before any severe penal enactments were framed against forgery. In the reign of Henry VIII., Sir Robert Wingfield, far from being ashamed, actually took credit to himself in acknowledging that he had opened and read a letter addressed to a man named Pace, and when he wished to obtain payment of a sum of money, for which acquit- tances, signed both by Pace and himself, were necessary, he counterfeited Pace's seal and signature. All this was well known to the king and Cardinal Wolsey, but to neither of these did it occur that any reprimand was called for.

In the year 1570, one Timothy Penredd was found guilty of counterfeiting the seal, and of forging and sealing some of the Court of Queen's Bench writs, and attempting to impose them upon the sheriffs of London, so that two persons might be arrested. Though, in our eyes, this crime is very heinous, yet it was not so then, and the punishment awarded was exceedingly light. Penredd was pilloried on two successive market days in Cheap- side, and his ears slit {Pikes History of Crime). Lord Saville, in Charles the First's time, forged an engagement, in the name of some prominent men in England, to join the Scots, if they came South. When the fraud was discovered fully to the king, it did not appear at all to lessen Saville in his eyes, and he after- wards trusted him and advanced him to be Earl of Sussex (see Burnet, p. 17).

In accounting for successful literary hoaxes, we must remember the extraordinary manner in which people —

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. 9 1

even intelligent and clever people — are so often deceived by the shallowest artifices ; for that which one wishes to believe, one easily believes. What was ever more absurd than the readiness with which the public accepted the fabrications of young Ireland ? What could possibly be more ridiculous than the sight of dear, clever, old Boswell reverently kissing, on his bended knees, the pseudo- Shakespeare writings which the young clerk had just manufactured, while he ecstatically uttered the Njchc Diuiittis ! No forgery was ever more clumsily done. The writing not only bore no resemblance to Shake- speare's, but was unlike any style of writing whatever, and would never have deceived anyone who had calmly examined it. But Avho could exercise cool judgment whilst gazing at what he believed to be the newly dis- covered autographs of Shakespeare ? The very name of Shakespeare is a spell to cast glamour over the senses of Englishmen, and to get any further particulars concern- ing that genius, of whom we know so little, what would not be sacrificed ? The very thought of seeing those lines, traced by Shakesjaeare's hand, would make the hearts of enthusiasts palpitate, and their brains reel with rapture ; and thus men lost their reason, were incapable of reflection, and accepted whatever Ireland offered them. Old Boswell's extravagant action was only the outward and visible display of what many felt. It was in vain that a few persons of sober judgment pointed out, by the clearest evidence, that the writing could not possibly be Shakespeare's, for such heresy was not listened to with patience by those who were eager to believe. This is the explanation of those extraordinary cases of forgery which are reported to have occurred, and which stagger

92 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

the faith in autographs of men who have not studied the subject. But even these quasi-successful frauds, if ex- amined critically by judicious minds, will be found to have been so exaggerated that all apprehension respecting them will at once disappear. With some collectors the desire to obtain real treasures, we know, becomes so intense that they are ready to swallow any bait, if it be only presented in a form sufficiently tempting, and in this, as in many other phases of the human mind, facts far outstrip fictions ; and actual occurrences prove the exis- tence of an amount of credulity, which would be altogether inconceivable if it were not well attested. Who, for instance, could be induced to believe that any human being in his senses would spend a fortune in purchasing autograph letters of Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, Judas Iscariot, Mary Magdalene, etc., written in modern French, on paper bearing the fleiir-de-lys water mark, which showed it had been recently manufactured at Angouleme } What then must be thought when we find an autograph collector of thirty years' experience, who, moreover, was a member of the French Academy, and bore a European reputation as a profound mathe- matician, doing this ! After such a fact need one be astonished at anything ?

If, however, credulity be carried to excess, jealousy often leads suspicion into errors quite as foolish in the opposite direction. The most unfounded charges are often raised against specimens that are particularly rare and fine. Envy exists everywhere, even amongst auto- graph collectors ; some of whom cannot see without pain a scarce specimen in another's hand, and hence the judgment is warped and the cry oi forgery arises ! It is

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

93

easy enough to excite suspicion and so damage the value of even the choicest autograph.

But coolness and collectedness of mind are the sole requisites to prevent one's being carried away, either by enthusiasm or clamour. A well balanced and dis- passionate judgment, capable of sifting the evidence, is alone necessary. With this, there is little to be feared, either from the dangers of inordinate credulity or sus- picion. But all this will become apparent as we proceed, and especially so from those instructive examples, pur- posely selected, that will hereafter be given.

But we shall now endeavour to approach the more prac- tical details of this subject, and to supply the beginner with such information as shall, when combined with some experience, effectually remove all serious apprehension regarding spurious autographs.

In order to do this thoroughly, we must follow the forger into his haunts, watch him at work, observe his modus operandi, and thus learn the secrets of his nefarious art, when we shall soon be convinced that the detection of his tricks is no very formidable task, and that the panics which have arisen from time to time among collectors — notably in 1846, when it was stated that bands of forgers in Paris were ready to execute any orders at command, and whose skill was able to deceive competent judges — were altogether groundless. A cer- tain M. Betbeder, of 221, Rue Saint Antoine; a Polish artist, M. Pilinski, of 31, Rue des Noyers, and M. Bellot amongst others, were instances. In London profes- sional forgers were to be found in St. Martin's Lane, Charing Cross and elsewhere ; but, after the most alarming and exaggerated reports had been circulated,

94 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

it was soon discovered that these individuals could pro- duce nothing to deceive the scrutiny of an expert.

As it is almost impossible to compose an interesting letter of value, containing incidents, etc., in the style of any well known or eminent personage, the forger, if he be a skilful penman, acquires by practice a certain facility in imitating the handwriting of one or two such individuals and then concocts his fabrications from quotations out of their works. Thus />se7t do-letters of Dr. Johnson's have been made up from sentences from " The Rambler," " Idler," etc., and the Lord Byron forgeries,* which caused a momentary excitement some years ago, were mainly composed from " Moore's Life of the Poet." But people are now so well acquainted with literature that this scheme cannot long escape detection.

The more usual method of forging autographs is to copy genuine letters. This is done, either with tracing paper or by means of a glass easel ; the latter consisting of a sheet of glass of suitable size, and sufficiently strong to bear firm pressure of the hand, which is fixed on a table, at a convenient, desk-like slope, so that a lamp, placed behind it, may shine through and cause the writing laid on it to be plainly seen when covered with a sheet of blank paper.

Let us now suppose the forger to be engaged in copying a valuable letter of the seventeenth century. He must first of all obtain suitable paper, either without watermark, or with that of the proper period. The usual resorts for this are the blank leaves of old books. He next tries to prepare suitable ink, and one of two plans must be followed ; either a kind of paint mixed to the * For an example of one of these forgeries, see facsimile plate.

AUTOGRAPH COLLFXTING. 95

proper tint (sepia and Indian red, or diluted archil being most frequently employed), or else the old fashioned decoction of galls with sulphate of iron (sometimes an excess of sulphate of iron being added, to give it a kind of rusty appearance). If the letter is to be traced, the most transparent tracing paper will be procured, laid over the genuine letter and then the writing carefully copied, either with a soft pencil or crow-quill pen, after which a piece of chamois leather, made into a smooth " dabber," is slightly coated with plumbago (?'. e. the common black lead used for grates), which is rubbed over the under- side of the tracing paper until a slight but uniform black lead coating is given it. It would then be gently dusted over to remove the superfluous lead, and laid on the sheet of old blank paper intended to receive the forgery, and the whole placed on some hard smooth surface, such as a sheet of tin or a polished mahogany table. If an ivory point, or a sharp pencil, or a hard-nibbed steel pen be now carefullj' passed over the letters, which have been traced from the original writing, the plumbago underneath will mark on the blank sheet of paper exactly where the point has been pressed, and a good pencil copy thus be furnished, which needs only be inked over to produce the most artful forgery that can be produced. The lead marks are easily removed with bread.

The other plan, with the glass easel, is to lay the genuine letter on the sheet of glass, and the suitable piece of blank paper over that, securing them together with a pin or two to prevent shifting, if then a brilliant light is placed, so that the written characters can be well seen on the blank paper, they may be carefully traced with a pen and ink. This plan, though simpler, becomes

96 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

difficult when the paper is thick, else it is easy enough. Instead of the glass easel and lamp, a window in a strong light will suffice.

The next thing is to add the stains, creases, signs of wear-and-tear, to the paper, then the seals and water- marks, and to give an antique appearance to the ink.

To make the ink assume the requisite rusty, ancient hue, it may be washed over, either wMth a weak solution of muriatic-acid, oxalic-acid, or binoxolate of potash (salts of sorrel) If the paper requires brown or dark tints, they may be given by carefully holding it, as soon as the acid wash is dry, before a clear fire. This, however, requires some care and practice. The smudges, creases and signs of wear, are given by rubbing it with a dirty duster. The edges are often singed with a hot iron (the creases as well) so as to give the autograph an ancient tattered appearance, which is increased by care- fully repairing it by pasting strips of transparent paper where seemingly necessary. The water-mark is imitated by copying the required design with a pointed stick, dipped in either of the following preparations : spermaceti and linseed-oil, equal parts, melted together in a water bath and then stirred until cold ; or equal quantities of turpentine and Canada-balsam, well shaken together till dissolved ; or the megilp used by artists. If the water- mark design be carefully drawn on the paper with a pointed stick, smeared with either of these substances, something like the proper, transparent appearance will be produced. It is, of course, needless to say how easy of detection all these manoeuvres are. If the paper be slightly moistened, the forged water-mark will disappear, whereas the genuine one becomes more evident, and

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. 97

close observation will soon discover artificial smudees, stains and water-marks.

The seal may be exactly copied, if of Spanish wax and entire, by laying it on a solid and firm block of wood and placing over it a piece of lead of suitable shape and size, and then, by striking the lead one smart blow with a hammer, the most exact impression will be taken while the seal will remain uninjured. If the seal to be copied is, however, damaged or of soft wax, the old- fashioned school-boy's plan is the best, viz. : — a small portion of bread, slightly moistened with milk and kneaded in the hand until it is as soft and tenacious as putty, is pressed slowly and firmly on the seal and left there for a day or two until hard ; then it is removed and a good impression found, the edges should be trimmed round with a knife, when the mould is ready for use.* Another method anciently employed was to heat the wax slightly and then separate it from the letter by a horse hair, and when the letter had been read and folded up again the seal was dexterously re-fastened ; but the introduction of Spanish wax stopped this method. Ireland adopted the plan of removing old seals by slicing them off with a hot thin-bladed knife. He then melted some wax of proper colour and stuck the old seal on the top of it. Common bottle wax, which can be bought at the chemist's or dry- salter's, is that usually employed for very old letters and documents ; or a mixture of yellow wax, shellac and resin, with any suitable pigment to give it the proper tint, are melted together, stirring the while.

* Charles Lever states that : " The art of electrot)'ping was known and used for the purpose of imitating and fabricating the seals of various writers, whose letters the French opened in Prussia after the battle of Jena, many years before the discovery became generally known in Europe."

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98 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

Such are the common processes for manufacturing auto- graphs. Far beyond these, however, lithography and pliotography carry the perfection of forgery. The most skilful eye may, for the moment, be deceived by a faint photograph or lithograph being thrown on suitable paper and afterwards carefully inked over by a dexterous hand.

Photography has, indeed, produced marvels of imitative art. But if the eye be deceived, science has its resources to enable the true to be easily recognized from the false. One drop of diluted muriatic acid, carefully applied on the stroke of a letter, will make the ink disappear, while the photographic or lithographic colour remains unaffected. Thus the detection of this manoeuvre is prompt and easy.

It would be well for the amateur to go through the before-mentioned processes himself, perhaps more than once, by which he will accustom his eye to the character- istics incidental to the peculiar tint of the prepared inks, the ragged, shaky strokes of the writing, the indications of the tracing, etc., and thus more readily detect them.

Some writing is so exquisitely beautiful that we naturally feel there is little danger of its being imitated, though, in reality, there is just the same difficulty in producing an exact facsimile of one kind of writing as another. The letters of contemporaries are not imitated as a rule, simply because, with few exceptions, they are of small value and so numerous that means of comparison are easily found. Autographs, indeed, of less value than two or three pounds are not often forged. Short scraps of writing of eminent persons should always excite caution. 1 1 is like- wise suspicious when seeming old letters are enclosed in wrappers. The forger is obliged to resort to this plan,

AUTOGRAPH COLLFXTING. 99

because he cannot make the old blank leaves taken out of books fold into the proper letter size.

To scrutinize properly a suspicious specimen, the ama- teur must provide himself with the following articles : — a large and powerful lens, a few test-tubes, some litmus- paper, some bottles containing, severally, lime-water, diluted muriatic acid, a solution of nitrate of silver in distilled water (lo grains to the ounce), one or two camel's-hair pencils, and a few sheets of blotting paper. Thus armed he may proceed with his investigation.

We have now before us a forged specimen of Oliver Cromwell's writing, and will proceed to demonstrate the various points worthy of note in detecting the fraud, and which will serve equally well for any other forgery. The paper has evidently been taken out of a book of the seventeenth century, small-folio size, and it is not exactly tJic size of that nsed for writing, and hence the proper broad margins are much diminished. Its quality is very inferior to that of the writing-paper of the period, its texture being thick in some places, and so thin in others as to be difficult to handle without tearing ; it is hzA\y glazed, so that, by careful examination, the ink here and there may be seen to have rmi in it, a thing which most rarely occurs on genuine writing-paper of old times. On three edges, the paper presents the ragged and worn appearance common to books, but the fourth side is altogether in better order ; moreover, it may be seen, that the genuine stains of age correspond to those parts of the book from which it was taken, which were most thumbed, used, and exposed, and the cleanest portions to those more inside and protected. Though creases and smudges of dirt have been artfully intro-

H 2

lOO AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

duced, yet their modern look may be seen to contrast with those due to time. If the writing be now ex- amined with the lens, small crystals of sulphate of iron will be visible, especially in the thick strokes, which certainly would not be present in old brown-coloured ink. A further scrutiny will show the peculiar shaky appear- ance— a trembling and hesitation of the strokes, especially in the flourishes, almost always present and so characteristic of forgery. Though it is impossible to describe this precisely, yet when once understood (and a little practice will reveal it) it can never be mistaken. We say nothing about the shape of the letters, stops, slope of writing and all the minute idiosyncrasies peculiar to each individual handwriting, because if, as in this instance, the autograph be traced, they would all be found present ; and, if not, we may take it for granted that the amateur would be quite capable of exercising his sight and judgment to that extent without assistance. We may perhaps mention, in passing, the late Charles Chabot's work on " The Hand- writing of funins Professionally Investigated',' which will give many other valuable hints. The peculiar colour of the writing should next be noted — a sharp eye will at once see the difference between any artificial colour, and that produced by the slow oxidation of centuries. Then, too, the extraordinary difference of the colour in certain places will be remarked. Where the strokes are thickest they are darkest, some being almost black ; whereas all the thin strokes are pale, so that the depth of colour is in proportion to the quantity of ink. As acid has been employed this is just what would be expected, since it only acts superficially. But, if the paper be now turned over, a strange thing is revealed, the ink has so

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. lOI

far sunk into the paper (owing to the inferior quality of the latter) that it is very plainly seen on this the reverse side — far more so, indeed, than would ever be the case with such old letters as this professes to be ; but the remarkable point is, that the writing appears blacker behind than on the front of the letter — a conclusive evidence of forgery. If we now take a camel's-hair pencil and wash a little of the writing over with warm water (N.B. If it h& paint instead of ink it will, of course, be removed) and apply litmus-paper to it, the presence of acid will be shown ; and, if a drop or two of this water be poured from the paper into a test tube, and a little distilled water added with one or two drops of the nitrate of silver solution, a white thick precipitate will instantly be seen if muriatic acid has been used ; if not, pour another drop of the water which has been washed over the writing into a second test tube, add a little distilled water and a few drops of lime-water, and then the previously indicated result will occur, if either oxalic acid or binoxalate of potash has been employed. Usually it will suffice merely to place the tip of the tongue against a thick stroke of the writing to perceive a distinctly acid taste. Washing the forged letters with water often makes the ink become darker, when acid has been used to tamper with it.

If a seal or wafer be present, carefully note whether the paper underneath and around it is discoloured. If the letter is genuine the stain of the seal will have certainly penetrated through the first leaf, and through more if others have been laid upon it for any length of time. In the letter under examination before us, the seal — a shape- less blot of wax — has produced no discolouration whatever, showing that it has not been on the paper ten jears.

I02 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

Often, however, the seal is cut away and the place well dirtied over, though in a very artificial manner.

All this, it must be evident, is most simple, presenting no difficulty whatever. Indeed, anyone who has given attention to the subject laughs at the idea of successful forgery. Let the amateur make the most careful and painstaking copy in his power of any autograph, and the product will be so poor an affair that he must regard it with contempt, feeling sure that it ought not to deceive any person of the slightest experience.

There are, yet, one or two other cautions necessary to be observed. To genuine autograph letters words are sometimes added, either to make the piece more valuable, interesting or important, thus the signature is often forged. This has frequently been done for purposes of legal fraud. In the great " Craiuford Peerage Case" Mr. Crawford discovered that "many family papers and letters remained in an old cabinet, which, during a fire, had been deposited in an outhouse and forgotten. To these papers he procured access, and among them he found a rare prize, many letters written by James Lindsay Crawford to various members of his family after his disappearance from Scotland. Crawford had some accomplices who aided him in fabricating additions which suited his story. These letters were written on the first and third pages ; and now the blank second pages were filled up in imitation of the old hand, with matter so cleverly and artfully contrived as to give the most direct and satisfactory evidence in the pretender's favour." — (Sir B. Btu-ke). Care must therefore be taken to scrutinize every line of an autograph, and especially the signature, before purchasing of unreliable persons.

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. 103

Another nefarious expedient is sometimes resorted to. A quantity of old writings are purchased for a trifle, and these are carefully compared with the autographs of eminent personages, and if any be found to resemble the latter, they are sold as the genuine autographs of those personages. The utmost circumspection is there- fore necessary to avoid that snare.

We also now-a-days see books frequently advertised as containing very rare autographs, which are often spurious. Ben Jonson's, Dr. Johnson's, Boswell's and Wordsworth's are among those usually chosen.

The above hints, we trust, may suffice to put collectors on their guard. It is impossible, of course, to mention every trick which the resources of roguery may employ, but those quoted above are fair examples by which others may be recognized. We purpose now, at some length, to give a few selected and instructive cases of autograph forgeries, which will afford some useful and practical lessons.

A rare autograph is that of Schiller's; but sometime ago, all at once, a considerable number of his letters were offered for sale at Weimar. They were of course, most precious and costly, not only on account of their rarity, but also of the fame and eminence of the great poet. Some suspicion having arisen about them they were shown to Schiller's daughter, who at once, and unhesitatingly, certified as to their genuineness. In this case the letters, though bearing widely different dates, were all written on the same kind of paper, whereas, strange as it seems, though the fact is well known, Schiller varied his paper in almost every year of his life. That used by him during his youth was of

I04 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

Stuttgart make, afterwards he successively used that of Leipzig, Dresden, Jena, and lastly of Weimar. The paper employed by the forger was, moreover, peculiarly strong and of much later date than the poet's, and was rendered yellowish-brown by steeping it in coffee, which gave it a truly venerable appearance; but Schiller's real letters were quite unlike this. It was also of unac- customed form, and of no precise size like that of the various kinds of writing-paper, showing that it was taken out of old books. Then, too, the ink was observed to be in some places of a reddish-brown colour. The writing had therefore evidently been washed over with acid, which gave here and there a peculiar bhieish gleam, and in other portions the unmistakeable reddish-brown tint. Moreover the letters offered some objectionable points : the x's were quite unlike Schiller's ; during his youth the poet never signed otherwise than with his initials, and, where Latin quotations were introduced, he always employed Italian instead of Gothic letters; all quite different to the forged specimens.

Now, although the forged autographs were prepared with all that consummate skill and care which German patience and chemical knowledge can command (for a regular autograph manufactory was established at Wei- mar), and although Schiller's own daughter certified to the truth of these clever imitations, which we may suppose were the ne plus ultra of the forger's art, yet it is apparent with what ease even such facsimiles may be detected with ordinary care and knowledge. Surely then with this evi- dence the minds of amateurs may be comforted. Indeed the question was sometime ago proposed to the French Academy — Is it possible to successfully forge letters and

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. IO5

documents so as to defy detection? This was debated during a long period and with great dehberation, and the decision arrived at was that it is impossible to exactly imitate old ink and old writing, and that it is easier to detect forged autographs than false money.

The celebrated case of the Byron and Shelley forgeries, as given in the Archivist, Vol. I, No. 4, is well worthy of consideration, as it affords many instructive phases.

In 1835, M. le Marquis de Biencourt paid 80 francs for a letter of Henry IV., of a single page ; it was stuck upon paste-board. He took it to M. Charon to detach it when this expert discovered that it was merely a clever tracing on thin transparent paper which had been stuck upon a piece of paper of the time of Henry IV. (Baron de Trdmont).

The letters of Andre Chenier are rare and dear. M. Moore had one unsigned ; he sold it, but later (in 1839) it was offered for sale, ivith the signature added, in order to increase its value. M. Charon, who had previously seen the autograph, denounced the addition {Ibid.)

The extraordinary case, termed by M. E. Charavay the " Affair of Vrain-Lucas," merits the closest attention, for it is probably unique amongst forgeries. The following are the leading facts taken from the full report of the case by M. E. Charavay.

This strange affair having created the greatest stir, not only amongst autograph collectors, but the French Academy of Sciences and the learned world generally, for more than two years, ended by becoming a canse cMebre of the law courts. On the 8th of July, 1867, the distinguished mathematician, M. Chasles, delighted the Academy of Sciences by a present of two letters of Rotrou

I06 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

to Cardinal Richelieu, concerning the foundation of the Academy. This donation was duly commemorated in the archives, but with a note mentioning the peculiarity of style of the letters.

The rarity of autographs of Rotrou was so great that no private collection possessed one, and the author of the Isographie could not procure an original letter of this poet's to reproduce in facsimile. Though the style was singular, yet, after all, there was nothing impossible about it, and none offered any objection to those two letters, which M. Chasles took from his extensive collection of autographs to present to the Academy. Before this, however, M. Chasles had presented to the Belgian Aca- demy two letters of Charles V. addressed to Rabelais. M. Qu6telet had accepted them with gratitude, and they were published. But the text of these letters ought at once to have shown that they were false. Before their publication there was no knowledge whatever of any correspondence between Charles V. and Rabelais. Still, this did not prevent them from being generally received as genuine. We ought though to state that M. Gachard, the archivist of the Belgian Government, doubted their authenticity; and M. Rathery, the well known 'editor of the best edition of Rabelais, and whose authority on this question is undoubted, remarked that the single expres- sion of Maitre given to Rabelais in place of that of Frere, which was the proper one, condemned the letters as forgeries. Besides, but this did not transpire till later, one of the pretended autographs bore an endorsement in the hand of Rabelais : " Letti-e de l' Empereur— Charles Qmntr Now, during his lifetime, Charles was never designated otherwise than L' Empereur, and it is only in

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. I07

history that we find him styled Charles the Fifth. That simple fact clearly showed the forgery ; still it all passed unnoticed by the world.

M. Chasles had long been occupied with an important work, which attempted to prove that the discovery of gravitation, attributed till then to Newton, was really due to Blaise Pascal. The attention of savants consequently became excited on the question, and the President of the Academy requested, in the same stance as that in which the letters were presented (July 8th, 1 867), that M. Chasles would give some particulars of that interesting question. Accordingly, on the 15th July, M. Chasles acceded to this desire, and brought with him to the Academy two letters of Pascal addressed to Boyle, together with various notes of that great man, all of which were inserted in the archives. But on the Monday following, July 22nd, M. Duhamel defended Newton, and raised doubts as to the authenticity of the documents on which the theory of M. Chasles was founded. The latter then responded by producing new pieces, and, among others, a corres- pondence of Pascal with Newton, ivhen the latter was a student at Grantham and scarcely eleven years of age ! This latter document, as may well be supposed, gave rise to a murmur of incredulity — a child of eleven years corresponding with Blaise Pascal respecting one of the most difficult problems of geometry was, to say the least, most extraordinary ! If we consult the biography of Newton, we shall learn that his taste for science was by no means developed at an early period of his life. Sir David Brewster, who was also a member of the Acadhnie des Sciences, and had read the statement of INI. Chasles, was naturally astonished at the style of the

Io8 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

pretended letters ; accordingly, he wrote, on Aug. 6th, to the President denouncing the correspondence of Pascal with Newton as a forgery.

M. Chasles then laid before the Academy some letters from Newton to the sister of Pascal (Madame Porter), also to Rohault, Saint-Evremond, Desmaizeaux and Male- branche, which supported his allegations. But in addition to Sir David Brewster, M. Prosper Faugere (whose works on Pascal enjoy great reputation), declared these letters to be spurious, showing, in the first place, that the handwriting was quite different from the MS. of the Pensees, at the Bibliothcqiie Impiriale, and then, passing to the scientific question : " I need," he said, " only limit myself to observing that it would have been very strange that Pascal, who had discovered and affirmed the law of gravitation, should not even have admitted as demon- strated the movement of the earth around the sun ! " and he added : " If I cannot go further in the domain of science, let me for a moment be permitted to enter into that of anecdotic history, in order to catch tripping the clever and unscrupulous fabricator of so many MSS. bear- ing illustrious names. In one of the letters, which Pascal is supposed to have written to Boyle in 1652, it is stated, as an effect of attractive power, that the light bubbles which float in a cup of coffee are carried with evident attraction towards the edge of the vessel, etc. Now such an observation supposes that coffee was used in France at the time of Pascal, but it was seven years after the death of Pascal (in 1669) that Soliman Aga, the Turkish Ambassador under Louis XIV., first introduced coffee to Parisian society ! "

This most singular fact proved the fraud in this instance

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. IO9

to demonstration. But M. Faugere had his best play on the question of style : " How inimitable is the style of Pascal," he observed, " that clear substantial and pure emanation of thought and of sentiment, expressed with a power and an originality always so animated ! " Then, after having examined the letter which Pascal is supposed to have written to Newton, he points out various ex- pressions which Pascal would never have used.

Very soon Mr. Grant, the director of the Glasgow University, and M. Govi, came to the assistance of Sir D, Brewster and M. Faugere, when M. Chasles brought Galileo into the debate by producing a con- siderable number of autograph-letters of the great astronomer ; but M. Theodore- Henri Martin, deacon of the faculty of letters of Rennes, denounced these documents on two grounds, viz : — that Galileo could not write French, and that he was blind at the date which they bore. One letter, however, was written in Italian (the only one in all the collection of M. Chasles not written in French). This was sent to the Academy of Florence, who pronounced it spurious by the appearance of the first word "Avrei" (I should have) which, in Galileo's time was written " H avrei." M. Chasles, however, produced a second example of the same letter, explaining that the former was a copy. In this the first word was written " H avrei." But the Academy observed that the orthography of this word formerly was " Haverei" and consequently the second letter was equally false. A third example which bore " Haverei " was now furnished by M. Chasles, but the Academy of Florence declined any further discussion on the matter.

no AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

Public opinion had now determined the question, and M. Faugere pubHshed a pamphlet on the forged letters of Pascal, Newton, Galileo, &c., which left no room for doubt. He reproduced, in facsimile, an authentic letter of Pascal's, with other specimens of his writing at different times, side by side with those of M. Chasles, and the proof was complete, the forgery being gross and pal- pable, and one glance of the eye sufficient to settle the matter. He likewise traced the sentences in the fabri- cations to their various sources in different books. One of them was made up by extracts from the " Eulogy on Descartes" by Thomas. The word " mystification" often repeated, was unknown at the time of Pascal. Some of the Newton letters were composed of passages extracted from " L Histoire des Philosophies Modernesl' by Sav^rien, the Engineer.

But, notwithstanding this severe exposS, M. Chasles was supported by several eminent men, including M. Thiers, who were eager, at any cost, to obtain for France the honour of the discovery of gravitation. He declined to state the source from whence he had obtained his autographs, stating that his collection contained hundreds of letters of Rabelais, La Bruyere, Shakespeare, Montes- quieu, &c., indeed, of all the great names of human genius, including Moliere. He confessed that the letters of Shakespeare were all in French ! As absurdity could scarcely be carried further, M. Chasles at length yielded to the insistance of his friends, and revealed that he had obtained these extraordinary autographs from a certain individual named Vrain- Lucas, well-known as a most assiduous frequenter of the Bibliothcqne Impdriale, though the bearer of an evil reputation. This man was at once

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. HI

arrested. M. Chasles then stated to the Academy, that he had, in his collection, letters of Julius Caesar, Mary- Magdalen, Judas Iscariot, &c. Two experts were ap- pointed to inspect the whole, consisting of 27,000 pieces. These gentlemen discovered that, out of the whole, not one hundred were genuine pieces ; all the others had been fabricated by Vrain-Lucas. This individual not only admitted his fraud but boasted of it, declaring that it should entitle him to be rated as a genius. He was brought before the Tribunal Correctionnel of Paris, in Feb. 16, 1870, and is described as a native of Chateaudun, aged 52, of vulgar aspect, with eyes sunken and over- shaded with bushy eye-brows, nose almost buried between his large cheeks, head nearly bald — a most vulgar type of man altogether.

He had succeeded, in many instances, in borrowing genuine autographs of value, which he never returned, and tried to dispose of his forgeries to several persons without success. It was, however, satisfactory to learn, during the trial, that none of his fabrications were scattered about, save one or two Avhich got into other hands than M. Chasles, whose strange infatuation led him to eagerly purchase all that Vrain-Lucas could manufacture, to the number of 27,000 pieces, at the cost of 140,000 fr. (;^5,6oo). The forger in his defence pretended that he had done no wrong to anyone, to M. Chasles especially, since the autographs, spurious as they were, were well worth the money paid for them. Indeed, he had only employed stratagem to excite curiosity and attention, to bring before the public historic facts, important to the glory of France, which had been lost sight of and forgotten by the learned world. His object had been to instruct and amuse ; and,

I I 2 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

if he had not acted wisely, he had, at least, shown his integrity and patriotism ! He had composed more than 27,000 autographs between 1861 & 1869, and had received 140,000 fr., besides large amounts as loans, commissions, etc., amounting to 3,880 fr. more. M. Chasles deposed : " That for more than eight years M. Lucas had called at his house, being a fellow-townsman of his own, on the pretence that he was employed by an autograph collector to dispose of a large quantity of MSS. and books, and particu- larly letters of great value. The first specimen he brought was a letter of Moliere's, for which 500 fr. was paid ; then followed one of Rabelais' and of Racine's at 200 fr. each. Lucas stated that the collection had been formed by Comte de Boisjourdain, who emigrated in 1791 for America, and perished by shipwreck, but his collection had been saved, a part only having been damaged by water." M. Chasles, in continuation, said that since his first purchase he had refused nothing which Lucas brought him : " Sometimes I exchanged autographs • — ■ genuine for false. He often brought letters by hundreds at a time ■ — -duplicates, triplicates, and quadruplicates. I showed these to all my friends, who never suspected them. Once, after giving him some valuable books to sell for me on commission, I had great difficulty in obtaining the money, and my suspicion was aroused, but this he allayed by saying that, if I were not satisfied with my bargain, he would gladly receive back the autographs and return me the money I had given for them."

The forger stated that he had no accomplices. He invented a suitable ink and gave an antique appearance to the paper by scorching it with a lamp ; and he must have done this with great skill, as several experts who

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. I I 3

tried the process failed to produce the same appearance

of age. Perhaps he previously washed the paper with y

dilute muriatic acid, which would aid the effect.

When the list of famous autographs was read in court, immense shouts of laughter pealed forth at each great name, and the audience asked whether the list were not an absurd fiction ? There were five letters and a poem by Abelard, five letters of Alcibiades, 181 of Alcuin, the learned friend of Charlemagne, six of Alexander the Great to Aristotle, one of Attila, a Gaulish general, one of Belisarius, one of Julius Caesar, one of Cicero, ten of Charles Martel, three of Clovis, three of Cleopatra to Cato, one of Groemius Julius to Jesus Christ, one of Herod to Lazarus, twelve of Joan of Arc to her family, one of Judas Iscariot to Mary Magdalene, one of Lazarus after his resurrection, one of Mahomet to the King of France, one of Pontius Pilate to Tiberius, and one of Sappho, and numerous others of Anacreon, Pliny, Plutarch, Saint Jerome, Diocletian, Juvenal, Pompey, Socrates, Shakespeare, and of almost every other name of great celebrity down to Voltaire !

The exquisite absurdity of Archimedes, Alexander the Great, Cleopatra, Lazarus and St. Mary Magdalene, writing on paper and in the French language was, as M. Charavay states, just as gross as to represent the heroes of Homer talking of railways.

Let us not forget, moreover, that M. Chasles was the first Geometrician of France if not of the world, and had received that distinction, rarely awarded to strangers, the medal of honour of the Royal Society of London. He was by no means an abstruse and retired student, un- acquainted with every day life ; on the contrary, as the

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Historian of Geometry, he had passed his life in inti- mate relationship with all the learned of the day, mixing freely with choice society, always being regarded as shrewd and observant. Added to this, he had been an ardent autograph collector for many years, and at one time his cabinet rivalled that of M. Feuillet de Conches. Such was the man duped by this common-place forger. Vrain- Lucas was sentenced to two years' imprisonment and 500 francs fine and the costs of the suit.

This is a most instructive case. Superficially ex- amined the world would say : If such a man as M. Chasles were deceived who could be safe? For the work written by him, on the supposition that the forged letters of Newton and Galileo were genuine, is full of acute reasoning, the proof of sound understanding — yet, when the particulars of this extraordinary fraud are unfolded, no one would feel at all uneasy at being exposed to the rascality of even so able and industrious a scoundrel as Vrain-Lucas.

The few preceding cases will serve to show the prin- cipal difficulties to be overcome by the collector, and by carefully studying these and all other possible instances, a practical acquaintance with the details of the art of the expert will be gained ; there are, indeed, but few real difficulties to be overcome to enable one to decide as to the genuineness and value of a specimen, and everything will yield to experience and unbiassed judgments.

Of late years many forged specimens of Burns, Shelley, Thackeray, etc., have been offered for sale. Of Sir Walter Scott, besides other more clumsy productions, there is the well-known " Tilt forgery." This is merely

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING. I I 5

a lithograph of a letter from Sir Walter Scott to Tilt, executed on paper bearing the watermark 1830, and with a facsimile in wax of Sir Walter's seal. The famous letter of Lord Byron addressed to Galignani, con- cerning the Vampire, is also frequently lithographed on old paper, and offered by ignorant or unscruplous per- sons as an authentic autograph. Forgeries of Burns and Shelley are less palpable, and we need hardly warn our readers further against those works of art produced by the person who described himself as Lord Byron's natural son. As we have before pointed out, his atten- tion seemed chiefly directed to Byron and Shelley, and even now examples of his skill not unfrequently turn up.

The authenticity of letters and documents is, for the most part, at once apparent to the practised eye at the first glance. The impress of truth may be recognised like the face of an honest man. Still nothing is more dangerous than to jtimp at conchcsions. Never decide positivel)- loitJioiit time and deliberation — two or three days (some say a week) should be required in order to verify the decision.

Practice and prudence are the great essentials and, whenever there is the slightest doubt, the piece must be pitilessly rejected, for it is far better to be without the most coveted treasure than to taint the collection with suspicion; and history should rather be deprived of a document than error be propagated.

,l6 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING.

CHAPTER XII.

Historical Manuscripts Commission.

In 1869 a Commission was appointed under a Royal Sign Manual, constituting William Baliol, Baron Esher ; Schomberg Henry, Marquess of Lothian; Robert Arthur Talbot, Marquess of Salisbury ; John Alexander, Mar- quess of Bath ; Archibald Philip, Earl of Rosebery ; Henry Howard Molyneux, Earl of Carnarvon ; Edmund George Petty Fitz-Maurice ; William, Bishop of Chester ; Charles, Bishop of Limerick, Ardfert and Aghadoe ; John Emerich Edward, Baron Acton; Chichester Samuel, Baron Carlingford ; Sir George Webb Dasent ; Sir William Hardy ; and Henry Churchill Maxwell Lyte, in order to make inquiry as to the places in which Documents Illustrative of History, or of General Public Interest, belonging to private persons, are deposited ; and to consider whether, with the consent of the Owners, means might not be taken to render such Documents available for public reference,