Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - Sidor ...
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
Doc. 287.] MS. SAVED FROM FIRE. 713
consequently as the most serious loss which had befallen him.
But his search was in vain ; neither desk nor book was to be
found. Soon after, one of the neighbours (Mr. William Yarnold,
a coal merchant, of No. 16 Soho Square,) informed Mr.
Peckitt, that he had picked up several books in the street in
course of the preceding night , and had taken them to his
own house, in order to preserve them in safety. Entertaining
a faint hope, that the Latin manuscript was among the books
so preserved, Mr. Peckitt immediately accompanied him to
his house, where he actually found the very volume in question,
which did not appear to have sustained the smallest injury.
On inquiry it was ascertained, that one of the firemen, in the
midst of the general confusion, finding the desk too heavy to
be easily removed, had opened it, and thrown its contents at
random into the street, where the manuscript was taken up,
as before observed.
"These particulars I had from Mr. Peckitt himself, who
communicated the information in a very affecting manner. The
Society was holding its usual meeting in the Temple a few
evenings after the fire, and conversing on the calamity, which
had been permitted to fall on one of the worthiest members
of its body, when Mr. Peckitt entered the room with the lost
and recovered volume under his arm, and throwing it on the
table, burst into a flood of tears, being unable for a few
moments to give any other kind of utterance to his feelings.
When restored to his self-possession , "There,’ said he, "the
greatest treasure which I had in my house is preserved in
safety; and for the sake of that, I willingly submit to my great
loss.’ He then gave the particulars as above related . His
library consisted of many thousand volumes in every branch
of science, which had been accumulating for some years;
besides a rare collection of mystical books, to which he was
known to be very partial , before his acquaintance with the
writings of Swedenborg. But these latter had already consid
erably weakened his attachment to the mystic authors ; and
the loss which he now sustained by the fire had the happy
effect of weaning his mind still more from their abstruse and
erroneous sentiments. The books consumed on this occasion
could not have been less, it is said, than a full waggon-load."
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
