upon his catalogue?

"You point to my friend BERNARDO. He is thus anxious, because an
original fragment of the fair lady's work, which you have just
mentioned, is coming under the hammer; and powerful indeed must be the
object to draw his attention another way. The demure prioress of
Sopewell abbey is his ancient sweetheart; and he is about introducing
her to his friends, by a union with her as close and as honourable as
that of wedlock. Engaged in a laborious profession (the duties of
which are faithfully performed by him) Bernardo devotes his few
leisure hours to the investigation of old works; thinking with the
ancient poet, quoted by Ashmole, that

'----out of old fields as men saythe
Cometh all this new corne fro yeare to yeare;
And out of olde Bokes in good faythe
Cometh all this scyence that men leare:'

or, with Ashmole himself; that 'old words have strong emphasis: others
may look upon them as rubbish or trifles, but they are grossly
mistaken: for what some light brains may esteem as foolish toys,
deeper judgments can and will value as sound and serious matter.[191]'

[Footnote 191: _Theatrum Chemicum_: proleg. sign. A. 3.
rev.: B. 4. rect. The charms of ancient phraseology had been
before not less eloquently described by Wolfius: "Habet hoc
jucundi priscorum quorundam obsoleta dictio, ac suo quodam
modo rudius comta oratio, ut ex ea plus intelligamus quam
dicitur; plus significetur quam effertur." _Lect. Memorab.
Epist. Ded._ fol. xiv. rev. Of Wolfius, and of this his
work, the reader will find some mention at page 110, ante.]

"If you ask me whether Bernardo be always successful in his labours, I
should answer you, as I have told him, No: for the profit and applause
attendant upon them are not commensurate with his exertions. Moreover,
I do verily think that, in some few instances, he sacrifices his
judgment to another's whim; by a reluctance to put out the strength of
his own powers. He is also, I had almost said, the admiring slave of
Ritsonian fastidiousness; and will cry 'pish' if a _u_ be put for a
_v_, or a _single e_ for a _double one_: but take him fairly as he is,
and place him firmly in the bibliographical scale, and you will
acknowledge that his weight is far from being inconsiderable. He is a
respectable, and every way a praise-worthy man: and although he is
continually walking in a thick forest of black letter, and would
prefer a