654 WILLIAM BOWER TAYLOR. 



compensation for the public press, not wishing, as he said, to be in the 

 category of "penny-a-liners/' 



He was an erudite classical scholar, and his very latest reading was 

 in old Latin tomes. But while he enjoyed communion withthe scholars 

 of antiquity, he was also thoroughly acquainted with the scientific 

 discoveries of the present day, diligently perusing the transactions of 

 learned societies and leading periodicals from all parts of the world as 

 they reached the Smithsonian Institution, which is distinguished as 

 being the repository of more of this class of literature than any library 

 in the country. He kept well informed as to public questions and the 

 discussions of political economy and of general current topics. 



He was a great lover of poetry, and made a large collection of the 

 lives and works of poets, among whom Shelley seems to have been his 

 favorite. He also wrote numerous notes and comments on poetical 

 works. 



One of bis literary amusements was the preparation of a story of 

 " The wars of the angels," found scattered through Milton's Paradise 

 Lost. Mr. Taylor cut up copies of the work, and selecting all references 

 to this phase of the poem, he neatly pasted them on loose pages, thus 

 making an interesting narrative, which he named " The wars of the 

 angels," and which he thought of publishing, with critical notes and 

 comments, but the plan, beyond the work referred to, was never carried 

 out. 



He was a great reader and spent most of his leisure in his library, 

 which was unusually large and valuable. While mainly scientific in 

 character, it contained special collections of much value and extent on 

 ecclesiastical history, translations of and commentaries on the Bible, 

 the Sabbath, myths, creeds, spiritualism, fine arts, besides a very large 

 number of grammars and dictionaries. 



Among his specialties he had a complete collection of editions of 

 Reynard the Fox, another of Ornamental Alphabets, another of 

 tl Facetise," and many thousands of engravings and photographs. He 

 spared no pains or expense to make the specialties in which he was 

 interested as complete as possible. 



Mr. Taylor's life, apart from his scientific and literary work, was 

 unusually quiet, serene, and uneventful. He seemed wholly destitute 

 of personal ambition, and was always content to receive but never to 

 seek preferment. His motto seems ever to have been " I serve." He 

 was truly a slave to routine duty, and the bright light of his intellect 

 was hidden by the bushel of official exactions. In feelings and opinions 

 he was a decided conservative; while sympathizing with advance move- 

 ments in social progress, his tastes and acquaintance with the past led 

 him to be cautious of novelties or radical changes in the established 

 order of things. He had no patience with demagogues and no sympathy 

 with socialists. He never mingled in public affairs, never voted, and 

 took no part in or even attended public gatherings for the promotion 



