two poets-第1章

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Two　Poets

by　Honore　de　Balzac

Translated　by　Ellen　Marriage



DEDICATION

　　To　Monsieur　Victor　Hugo；

　　It　was　your　birthright　to　be；　like　a　Rafael　or　a　Pitt；　a　great　　　poet　at　an　age　when　other　men　are　children；　it　was　your　fate；　the　　　fate　of　Chateaubriand　and　of　every　man　of　genius；　to　struggle　　　against　jealousy　skulking　behind　the　columns　of　a　newspaper；　or　　　crouching　in　the　subterranean　places　of　journalism。　For　this　　　reason　I　desired　that　your　victorious　name　should　help　to　win　a　　　victory　for　this　work　that　I　inscribe　to　you；　a　work　which；　if　　　some　persons　are　to　be　believed；　is　an　act　of　courage　as　well　as　a　　　veracious　history。　If　there　had　been　journalists　in　the　time　of　　　Moliere；　who　can　doubt　but　that　they；　like　marquises；　financiers；　　　doctors；　and　lawyers；　would　have　been　within　the　province　of　the　　　writer　of　plays？　And　why　should　Comedy；　qui　castigat　ridendo　　　mores；　make　an　exception　in　favor　of　one　power；　when　the　Parisian　　　press　spares　none？　I　am　happy；　monsieur；　in　this　opportunity　of　　　subscribing　myself　your　sincere　admirer　and　friend；

DE　BALZAC。




TWO　POETS



At　the　time　when　this　story　opens；　the　Stanhope　press　and　the　ink…　distributing　roller　were　not　as　yet　in　general　use　in　small　provincial　printing　establishments。　Even　at　Angouleme；　so　closely　connected　through　its　paper…mills　with　the　art　of　typography　in　Paris；　the　only　machinery　in　use　was　the　primitive　wooden　invention　to　which　the　language　owes　a　figure　of　speech〃the　press　groans〃　was　no　mere　rhetorical　expression　in　those　days。　Leather　ink…balls　were　still　used　in　old…fashioned　printing　houses；　the　pressman　dabbed　the　ink　by　hand　on　the　characters；　and　the　movable　table　on　which　the　form　of　type　was　placed　in　readiness　for　the　sheet　of　paper；　being　made　of　marble；　literally　deserved　its　name　of　〃impression…stone。〃　Modern　machinery　has　swept　all　this　old…world　mechanism　into　oblivion；　the　wooden　press　which；　with　all　its　imperfections；　turned　out　such　beautiful　work　for　the　Elzevirs；　Plantin；　Aldus；　and　Didot　is　so　completely　forgotten；　that　something　must　be　said　as　to　the　obsolete　gear　on　which　Jerome…　Nicolas　Sechard　set　an　almost　superstitious　affection；　for　it　plays　a　part　in　this　chronicle　of　great　small　things。

Sechard　had　been　in　his　time　a　journeyman　pressman；　a　〃bear〃　in　compositors'　slang。　The　continued　pacing　to　and　fro　of　the　pressman　from　ink…table　to　press；　from　press　to　ink…table；　no　doubt　suggested　the　nickname。　The　〃bears；〃　however；　make　matters　even　by　calling　the　compositors　monkeys；　on　account　of　the　nimble　industry　displayed　by　those　gentlemen　in　picking　out　the　type　from　the　hundred　and　fifty…two　compartments　of　the　cases。

In　the　disastrous　year　1793；　Sechard；　being　fifty　years　old　and　a　married　man；　escaped　the　great　Requisition　which　swept　the　bulk　of　French　workmen　into　the　army。　The　old　pressman　was　the　only　hand　left　in　the　printing…house；　and　when　the　master　（otherwise　the　〃gaffer〃）　died；　leaving　a　widow；　but　no　children；　the　business　seemed　to　be　on　the　verge　of　extinction；　for　the　solitary　〃bear〃　was　quite　incapable　of　the　feat　of　transformation　into　a　〃monkey；〃　and　in　his　quality　of　pressman　had　never　learned　to　read　or　write。　Just　then；　however；　a　Representative　of　the　People　being　in　a　mighty　hurry　to　publish　the　Decrees　of　the　Convention；　bestowed　a　master　printer's　license　on　Sechard；　and　requisitioned　the　establishment。　Citizen　Sechard　accepted　the　dangerous　patent；　bought　the　business　of　his　master's　widow　with　his　wife's　savings；　and　took　over　the　plant　at　half　its　value。　But　he　was　not　even　at　the　beginning。　He　was　bound　to　print　the　Decrees　of　the　Republic　without　mistakes　and　without　delay。

In　this　strait　Jerome…Nicolas　Sechard　had　the　luck　to　discover　a　noble　Marseillais　who　had　no　mind　to　emigrate　and　lose　his　lands；　nor　yet　to　show　himself　openly　and　lose　his　head；　and　consequently　was　fain　to　earn　a　living　by　some　lawful　industry。　A　bargain　was　struck。　M。　le　Comte　de　Maucombe；　disguised　in　a　provincial　printer's　jacket；　set　up；　read；　and　corrected　the　decrees　which　forbade　citizens　to　harbor　aristocrats　under　pain　of　death；　while　the　〃bear；〃　now　a　〃gaffer；〃　printed　the　copies　and　duly　posted　them；　and　the　pair　remained　safe　and　sound。

In　1795；　when　the　squall　of　the　Terror　had　passed　over；　Nicolas　Sechard　was　obliged　to　look　out　for　another　jack…of…all…trades　to　be　compositor；　reader；　and　foreman　in　one；　and　an　Abbe　who　declined　the　oath　succeeded　the　Comte　de　Maucombe　as　soon　as　the　First　Consul　restored　public　worship。　The　Abbe　became　a　Bishop　at　the　Restoration；　and　in　after　days　the　Count　and　the　Abbe　met　and　sat　together　on　the　same　bench　of　the　House　of　Peers。

In　1795　Jerome…Nicolas　had　not　known　how　to　read　or　write；　in　1802　he　had　made　no　progress　in　either　art；　but　by　allowing　a　handsome　margin　for　〃wear　and　tear〃　in　his　estimates；　he　managed　to　pay　a　foreman's　wages。　The　once　easy…going　journeyman　was　a　terror　to　his　〃bears〃　and　〃monkeys。〃　Where　poverty　ceases；　avarice　begins。　From　the　day　when　Sechard　first　caught　a　glimpse　of　the　possibility　of　making　a　fortune；　a　growing　covetousness　developed　and　sharpened　in　him　a　certain　practical　faculty　for　businessgreedy；　suspicious；　and　keen…eyed。　He　carried　on　his　craft　in　disdain　of　theory。　In　course　of　time　he　had　learned　to　estimate　at　a　glance　the　cost　of　printing　per　page　or　per　sheet　in　every　kind　of　type。　He　proved　to　unlettered　customers　that　large　type　costs　more　to　move；　or；　if　small　type　was　under　discussion；　that　it　was　more　difficult　to　handle。　The　setting…up　of　the　type　was　the　one　part　of　his　craft　of　which　he　knew　nothing；　and　so　great　was　his　terror　lest　he　should　not　charge　enough；　that　he　always　made　a　heavy　profit。　He　never　took　his　eyes　off　his　compositors　while　they　were　paid　by　the　hour。　If　he　knew　that　a　paper　manufacturer　was　in　difficulties；　he　would　buy　up　his　stock　at　a　cheap　rate　and　warehouse　the　paper。　So　from　this　time　forward　he　was　his　own　landlord；　and　owned　the　old　house　which　had　been　a　printing　office　from　time　immemorial。

He　had　every　sort　of　luck。　He　was　left　a　widower　with　but　one　son。　The　boy　he　sent　to　the　grammar　school；　he　must　be　educated；　not　so　much　for　his　own　sake　as　to　train　a　successor　to　the　business；　and　Sechard　treated　the　lad　harshly　so　as　to　prolong　the　time　of　parental　rule；　making　him　work　at　case　on　holidays；　telling　him　that　he　must　learn　to　earn　his　own　living；　so　as　to　recompense　his　poor　old　father；　who　was　slaving　his　life　out　to　give　him　an　education。

Then　the　Abbe　went；　and　Sechard　promoted　one　of　his　four　compositors　to　be　foreman；　making　his　choice　on　the　future　bishop's　recommendation　of　the　man　as　an　honest　and　intelligent　workman。　In　these　ways　the　worthy　printer　thought　to　tide　over　the　time　until　his　son　could　take　a　business　which　was　sure　to　extend　in　young　and　clever　hands。

David　Sechard's　school　career　was　a　brilliant　one。　Old　Sechard；　as　a　〃bear〃　who　had　succeeded　in　life　without　any　education；　entertained　a　very　considerable　contempt　for　attainments　in　book　learning；　and　when　he　sent　his　son　to　Paris　to　study　the　higher　branches　of　typography；　he　recommended　the　lad　so　earnestly　to　save　a　good　round　sum　in　the　〃working　man's　paradise〃　（as　he　was　pleased　to　call　the　city）；　and　so　distinctly　gave　the　boy　to　understand　that　he　was　not　to　draw　upon　the　paternal　purse；　that　it　seemed　as　if　old　Sechard　saw　some　way　of　gaining　private　ends　of　his　own　by　that　sojourn　in　the　Land　of　Sapience。　So　David　learned　his　trade；　and　completed　his　education　at　the　same　time；　and　Didot's　foreman　became　a　scholar；　and　yet　when　he　left　Paris　at　the　end　of　1819；　summoned　home　by　his　father　to　take　the　helm　of　business；　he　had　not　cost　his　parent　a　farthing。

Now　Nicolas　Sechard's　establishment　hitherto　had　enjoyed　a　monopoly　of　all　the　official　printing　in　the　department；　besides　the　work　of　the　prefecture　and　the　diocesethree　connections　which　should　prove　mighty　profitable　to　an　active　young　printer；　but　precisely　at　this　juncture　the　firm　of　Cointet　Brothers；　paper　manufacturers；　applied　to　the　authorities　for　the　second　printer's　license　in　Angouleme。　Hitherto　old　Sechard　had　contrived　to　reduce　this　license　to　a　dead　letter；　thanks　to　the　war　crisis　of　the　Empire；　and　consequent　atrophy　of　commercial　enterprise；　but　he　had　neglected　to　buy　up　the　right　himself；　and　this　piece　of　parsimony　was　the　ruin　of　the　old　business。　Sechard　thought　joyfully　when　he　heard　the　news　that　the　coming　struggle　with　the　Cointets　would　be　fought　out　by　his　son　and　not　by　himself。

〃I　should　have　gone　to　the　wall；〃　he　thought；　〃but　a　young　fellow　from　the　Didots　will　pull　through。〃

The　septuagenarian　sighed　for　the　time　when　he　could　live　at　ease　in　his　own　fashion。　If　his　knowledge　of　the　higher　branches　of　the　craft　of　printing　was　scanty；　on　the　other　hand；　he　was　supposed　to　be　past　master　of　an　art　which　workmen　pleasantly　call　〃tipple…ography；〃　an　art　held　in　high　esteem　by　the　divine　author　of　Pantagruel；　though　of　late；　by　reason　of　the　persecution　of　societies　yclept　of　Temperance；　the　cult　has　fallen；　day　by　day；　into　disuse。

Jerome…Nicolas　Sechard；　bound　by　the　laws　of　etymology　to　be　a　dry　subject；　suffered　from　an　inextinguishable　thirst。　His　wife；　during　her　lifetime；　managed　to　control　within　reasonable　bounds　the　passion　for　the　juice　of　the　grape；　a　taste　so　natural　to　the　bear　that　M。　de　Chateaubriand　remarked　it　among　the　ursine　tribes　of　the　New　World。　But　philosophers　inform　us　that　old　age　is　apt　to　revert　to　the　habits　of　youth；　and　Sechard　senior　is　a　case　in　pointthe　older　he　grew；　the　better　he　loved　to　drink。　The　master…passion　had　given　a　stamp　of　originality　to　an　ursine　physiognomy；　his　nose　had　developed　till　it　reached　the　proportions　of　a　double　great…canon　A；　his　veined　cheeks　looked　like　vine…leaves；　covered；　as　they　were；　with　bloated　patches　of　purple；　madder　red；　and　often　mottled　hues；　till　altogether；　the　countenance　suggested　a　huge　truffle　clasped　about　by　autumn　vine　tendrils。　The　little　gray　eyes；　peering　out　from　beneath　thick　eyebrows　like　bushes　covered　with　snow；　were　agleam　with　the　cunning　of　avarice　that　had　extinguished　everything　else　in　the　man；　down　to　the　very　instinct　of　fatherhood。　Those　eyes　never　lost　their　cunning　even　when　disguised　in　drink。　Sechard　put　you　in　mind　of　one　of　La　Fontaine's　Franciscan　friars；　with　the　fringe　of　grizzled　hair　still　curling　about　his　bald　pate。　He　was　short　and　corpulent；　like　one　of　the　old…fashioned　lamps　for　illumination；　that　burn　a　vast　deal　of　oil　to　a　very　small　piece　of　wick；　for　excess　of　any　sort　confirms　the　habit　of　body；　and　drunkenness；　like　much　study；　makes　the　fat　man　stouter；　and　the　lean　man　leaner　still。

For　thirty　years　Jerome…Nicolas…Sechard　had　worn　the　famous　municipal　three…cornered　hat；　which　you　may　still　see　here　and　there　on　the　head　of　the　towncrier　in　out…of…the…way　places。　His　breeches　and　waistcoat　were　of　greenish　velveteen；　and　he　wore　an　old…fashioned　brown　greatcoat；　gray　cotton　stockings；　and　shoes　with　silver　buckles　to　them。　This　costume；　in　which　the　workman　shone　through　the　burgess；　was　so　thoroughly　in　keeping　with　the　man's　character；　defects；　and　way　of　life；　that　he　might　have　come　ready　dressed　into　the　world。　Yo