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TO THE GENTLE READER.

"A French writer (whom I love well) fpeaks of three kinds of companions, men, women and books."-SIR JOHN DAVYS.'

Three kinds of companions, men, women and books,
Were enough, faid the elderly Sage, for his ends.

And the women we deem that he chofe for their looks,

And the men for their cellars: the books were his friends : "Man delights me not," often, "nor woman," but books Are the best of good comrades in loneliest nooks.

For man will be wrangling-for woman will fret
About anything infinitefimal fmall:

cr

Like the Sage in our Plato, I'm "anxious to get
On the fide" -on the funnier fide—" of a wall."
Let the wind of the world tofs the nations like rooks
If only you'll leave me at peace with my Books.

And which are my books? why, 'tis much as you please,
For, given 'tis a book, it can hardly be wrong,
And Bradshaw himself I can study with ease,
Though for choice I might call for a Sermon or Song;
And Locker on London, and Sala on Cooks,

And "Tom Brown," and Plotinus, they're all of them Books.

1 I never read Sir John Davys, though doubtless he is a very nice writer, and the motto is at second hand. It was quoted by Mr. Richard Stoddard, of America ("Ballads of Books chosen by Brander Matthews." New York, 1887).

There's Fielding to lap one in currents of mirth;
There's Herrick to fing of a flower or a fay;
Or good Maitre Françoys to bring one to earth,
If Shelley or Coleridge babe fnatched one away;
There's Müller on Speech, there is Gurney on Spooks
There is Tylor on Totems, there's all forts of Books.

There's roaming in regions where everyone's been,
Encounters where no one was ever before,

There's "Leaves" from the Highlands we owe to the Queen,
There's Holly's and Leo's Adventures in Kôr;

There's Tanner, who dwelt with Pawnees and Chinooks,
You can cover a great deal of country in Books.

There are books, highly thought of, that nobody reads,
There is Geufius' dearly delectable tome

On the Cannibal—he on his neighbour who feeds—
And in blood-red morocco 'tis bound, by Derome ;
There's Montaigne bere (a Foppens),there's Roberts (on Flukes),
There's Elzevirs, Aldines, and Gryphius' Books.

There's Bunyan, there's Walton, in early editions,
There's many a quarto uncommonly rare;
There's quaint old Quevedo adream with his visions,
There's Fonfon the portly, and Burton the spare;
There's Bofton of Ettrick, who preached of the " Crooks
In the Lots" of us mortals, who bargain for Books.

There's Ruskin to keep one exclaiming "What next ?”
There's Browning to puzzle and Gilbert to chaff,
And "Marcus Aurelius" to foothe one if vexed,
And good MAR (VS TVAINUS to lend you a laugh;
And there's capital tomes that are filled with fly-books,
And I've frequently found them the best kind of Books.

ANDREW LANG.

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