book.' Why
such an incident should have set Heber on his terrible career history
telleth not. Under the name of 'Atticus,' Dibdin, who knew Heber well,
has described him in this fashion: 'Atticus unites all the activity of
De Witt and Lomenie, with the retentiveness of Magliabechi, and the
learning of Le Long. . . . Yet Atticus doth sometimes sadly err. He has
now and then an ungovernable passion to possess more copies of a book
than there were ever parties to a deed or stamina to a plant;
and therefore, I cannot call him a "duplicate" or a triplicate
collector. . . . But he atones for this by being liberal in the loan of
his volumes. The learned and curious, whether rich or poor, have always
free access to his library.' Heber's own explanation of this plurality
of purchase was cast somewhat in this fashion: 'Why, you see, sir, no
man can comfortably do without _three_ copies of a book. One he must
have for his show copy, and he will probably keep it at his country
house. Another he will require for his own use and reference; and unless
he is inclined to part with this, which is very inconvenient, or risk
the injury of his best copy, he must needs have a third at the service
of his friends.' The late Mr. Edward Solly was also a pluralist in the
matter of books, and had even six or seven copies of a large number of
works. He justified himself on the plea that he liked to have one to
read, one to make notes in, another with notes by a previous owner, one
in a choice binding, a 'tall' copy, a short ditto, and so forth. So far,
however, as Heber is concerned, no one could be more generous than he in
lending books. This might be proved from a dozen different sources,
including the lengthy introduction 'To Richard Heber, Esq.,' to the
sixth canto of Scott's 'Marmion':

'But why such instances to you,
Who, in an instant, can renew
Your treasured hoards of various lore,
And furnish twenty thousand more?
Hoards, not like theirs whose volumes rest
Like treasures in the Franch'mont chest,
While gripple owners still refuse
To others what they cannot use:
Give them the priest's whole century,
They shall not spell you letters three;
Their pleasure in the books the same
The magpie takes in pilfer'd gem.
Thy volumes, open as thy heart,
Delight, amusement, science, art,
To every ear and eye impart;
Yet who of all who thus employ them,