Pro quibus officiis, haeres abeuntis amici, Accipe fortunae munera parva meae. Non mihi sunt Baccho colles, oleisque virentes, Praediave Aemiliis conspicienda jugis. Tu veterum dulces scriptorum sume libellos, Attritos manibus quos juvat esse meis. Invenies etiam viridi quae lusimus aevo, Dum studiis aetas mollibus apta fuit. Illa velim rapidis sic uras carmina flammis Ut vatem ipse suis ignibus jussit Amor." LOMEIER: _de Bibliothecis_, p. 288.] "So spake Orlando," said Philemon, with tears in his eyes, who, upon looking at Lisardo and myself, found our faces covered with our handkerchiefs, and unable to utter a word. The deliberate manner in which this recital was made--the broken periods, and frequent pauses--filled up a great measure of our journey; and we found that St. Paul's dome was increasing upon us in size and distinctness, and that we had not more than three miles to travel, when Lisardo, wishing to give a different turn to the discourse, asked Philemon what was the cause of such extravagant sums being now given at book-sales for certain curious and uncommon--but certainly not highly intrinsically-valuable--publications; and whether our ancestors, in the time of Hen. VIII. and Elizabeth, paid in proportion for the volumes of _their_ Libraries? Upon Philemon's declaring himself unable to gratify his friend's curiosity, but intimating that some assistance might probably be derived from myself, I took up the discourse by observing that--