Jean Baptiste Cotton des Houssayes

“ To him is intrusted, as a duty, the important mission of maintaining, and even of increasing, if that be possible, and as far as his ability will admit,—of increasing, I repeat, your brilliant reputation whenever a stranger, illustrious by birth or his scientific merit, or doubly illustrious, perhaps, by both of these titles, comes to the Sorbonne with a curious, a learned, or even with a jealous eye, to examine the precious theological and literary treasures of your library, and to draw from it wherewith to increase his own riches. ”

“ It is impossible to give to his version a more graceful or original turn, or to render with more delicacy the grand and ingenious thoughts of the librarian of the Sorbonne.
La Bruyère has said: "Scarcely ever till now has a masterpiece of the intellect been seen which has been the work of several people; collaborated work and translations have never revoked this condemnation. Indeed, genius demands unity, great minds understand alone their own thoughts, alone they possess the admirable secret of expressing them in an unparalleled manner. ”

“ Thus the superintendent of a library, whatever be its character, should be no stranger to any department of learning: sacred and profane literature, the fine arts, the exact sciences, all should be familiar to him. A diligent and indefatigable student, ardently devoted to letters, his sole and abiding aim should be to make sure their advancement. ”

“ Men would love to find in him, not that vain and imperfect bibliographical knowledge that attaches itself merely to the surface, much less the narrow preferences inspired by the spirit of party, or those exclusive predilections that border upon mania; but an erudition at once ample and considerate, which has solely in view the advancement of knowledge, and which is ever able to distinguish, with equal taste and accuracy, original works that are worthy to be proposed as models, from those equivocal productions justly condemned to forgetfulness for their mediocrity. ”

“ He will therefore not admit indiscriminately every book into his collection, but will select such only as are of genuine merit and of well-approved utility; and his acquisitions, guided by the principles of an enlightened economy, will be rendered still more valuable by the substantial merits of an able classification. It is impossible, in fact, to attach too much importance to the advantages resulting from an intelligent and methodical order in the arrangement of a library. ”

“ Wherefore this complete arsenal of science, if the arms it keeps in reserve are not within reach of those who would wield them? And if, as is said, books are the medicine of the soul, what avail these intellectual pharmacopoeias, if the remedies which they contain are not disposed in order and labelled with care? ”

“ Neither cold nor heat, nor his multiplied occupations, will ever be to him a pretext for evading the obligation he has contracted to be a friendly and intelligent guide to all the scholars who may visit him. Forgetting himself, on the contrary, and laying aside all occupations, he will lead them forward with a cheerful interest, taking pleasure in introducing them to his library ”

“ The custodian of a literary deposit should especially guard himself against that unfortunate disposition which would render him, like the dragon in the fable, jealous of the treasures entrusted to his keeping, and lead him to conceal from the inspection of the public riches which had been brought together solely with the view of being placed at its disposition. ”

“ Should a particular book appear to be even of passing interest to one of his guests, he will quickly seize the occasion, and obligingly place it at his service; he will even, moreover, have the delicate attention to lay open before him all the books relating to the same subject, in order to make his researches easier and more complete. ”

“ When parting from the stranger whom he has just received, he will not fail to thank him for his visit, and to assure him that the institution will always feel honoured by the presence of a man whose labours cannot but contribute to its renown. ”

“ While our chief debt of gratitude must always be due to Duplessis for his perpetuation of so valuable a contribution to library literature, which otherwise might have been lost to us, we are under no small obligation to the editor of "The Philobiblion, a Monthly Bibliographical Journal," published by George P. Philes & Co., of New York (vol. ii, March, 1863 [number 15] ) , for a translation of the "Discours" as it appeared in the "Bulletin du Bouquiniste." ”

“ We will add nothing to this praise. Mr. G.-Duplessis still continues to live with us; we all remember his affability, and no one in the republic of letters can fail to know that he was as much a man of intellect as a man of courage. ”

“ Quirini, or rather Querini, was born at Venice, March 30, 1680, and died January 6, 1759. His eulogy, by Lebeau, may be found in volume xxvii of "Memoires de l'Academie des Inscriptions."
Passionei (Dominick) —born December 2, 1682, deceased July 5, 1761—succeeded Querini in the office of librarian of the Vatican. He was a man passionately devoted to letters, and somewhat vehement in character. At the conclave of 1758, he was on the point of being elected Pope: he had obtained eighteen votes; but the fears inspired by the inequality of his temper caused him to be set aside. ”

“ The learned bibliophile, Pierre Alexander Gratet Duplessis, recognizing the value of the paper, and desiring a larger audience for it, translated it into French, and gave it to Jacques Joseph Techener for the "Bulletin du Bibliophile, Petite Revue d'ancien Livres," where it appeared in the number for January, 1839 (No. 11, 3e série) . ”