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- which--for mere prudential reasons, if nothing more--should always mark
the hand of illustrious men. His heart thrilled with sympathetic anguish
for posterity, which would be certain to stand hopelessly perplexed
before so many contradictory signatures of one supereminent name. Alas!
posterity would be sure to conclude that they were forgeries all; that
no chirographic relic of the sublime poet Glendinning survived to their
miserable times.
From the proprietors of the Magazines whose pages were honored by his
effusions, he received very pressing epistolary solicitations for the
loan of his portrait in oil, in order to take an engraving therefrom,
for a frontispiece to their periodicals. But here again the most
melancholy considerations obtruded. It had always been one of the lesser
ambitions of Pierre, to sport a flowing beard, which he deemed the most
noble corporeal badge of the man, not to speak of the illustrious
author. But as yet he was beardless; and no cunning compound of Rowland
and Son could force a beard which should arrive at maturity in any
reasonable time for the frontispiece. Besides, his boyish features and
whole expression were daily changing. Would he lend his authority to
this unprincipled imposture upon Posterity? Honor forbade.
These epistolary petitions were generally couched in an elaborately
respectful style; thereby intimating with what deep reverence his
portrait would be handled, while unavoidably subjected to the discipline
indispensable to obtain from it the engraved copy they prayed for. But
one or two of the persons who made occasional oral requisitions upon him
in this matter of his engraved portrait, seemed less regardful of the
inherent respect due to every man's portrait, much more, to that of a
genius so celebrated as Pierre. They did not even seem to remember that
the portrait of any man generally receives, and indeed is entitled to
more reverence than the original man himself; since one may freely clap
a celebrated friend on the shoulder, yet would by no means tweak his
nose in his portrait. The reason whereof may be this: that the portrait
is better entitled to reverence than the man; inasmuch as nothing
belittling can be imagined concerning the portrait, whereas many
unavoidably belittling things can be fancied as touching the man.
Upon one occasion, happening suddenly to encounter a literary
acquaintance--a joint editor of the "Captain Kidd Monthly"--who suddenly
popped upon him round a corner, Pierre was startled by a
rapid--"Good-morning, good-morning;--just the man I wanted:--come, step
round now with me, and have your Daguerreotype taken;--get it engraved
then in no time;--want it for the next issue."
So saying, this chief mate of Captain Kidd seized Pierre's arm, and in
the most vigorous manner was walking him off, like an officer a
pickpocket, when Pierre civilly said--"Pray, sir, hold, if you please, I
shall do no such thing."--"Pooh, pooh--must have it--public
property--come along--only a door or two now."--"Public property!"
rejoined Pierre, "that may do very well for the 'Captain Kidd
Monthly;'--it's very Captain Kiddish to say so. But I beg to repeat that
I do not intend to accede."--"Don't? Really?" cried the other, amazedly
staring Pierre full in the countenance;--"why bless your soul, _my_
portrait is published--long ago published!"--"Can't help that,
sir"--said Pierre. "Oh! come along, come along," and the chief mate
seized him again with the most uncompunctious familiarity by the arm.
Though the sweetest-tempered youth in the world when but decently
treated, Pierre had an ugly devil in him sometimes, very apt to be
evoked by the personal profaneness of gentlemen of the Captain Kidd
school of literature. "Look you, my good fellow," said he, submitting to
his impartial inspection a determinately double fist,--"drop my arm
now--or I'll drop you. To the devil with you and your Daguerreotype!"
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