Jerome at Paris, which came
out of the palace at Buda and was acquired by the nation from the Duc de
la Valliere. A traveller named Brassicanus visited Hungary in the reign
of King Louis. He was enraptured with the grand palace by the river, the
tall library buildings and their stately porticoes. He passes the
galleries under review, and tells us of the huge gold and silver globes,
the instruments of science on the walls, and an innumerable crowd of
well-favoured and well-clad books. He felt, he assures us, as if he were
in 'Jupiter's bosom,' looking down upon that 'heavenly scene.' He wished
that he had brought away some picture or minute record; but we have his
account of the books which he handled, the Greek orations that are now
lost for ever, the history of Salvian saved by the King's good nature in
presenting the book to his admiring visitor. The palace and library were
destroyed when Buda was taken by the Turks. The Pasha in command refused
an enormous sum subscribed for the rescue of the books. The janissaries
tore off the metal coverings from the rarer MSS., and tossed the others
aside; the only known copy of Heliodorus, from which all our editions of
the tale of Chariclea are derived, was found in an open gutter. Some
books were burned and others hacked and maimed, or trodden under foot;
many were carried away into the neighbouring villages. About four hundred
were piled up in a deserted tower, and were protected against all
intrusion by the seal of the Grand Vizier.
Pages:
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89