WELL might the time of Anne be called the Augustan age of literature. The writers of that day have lived till ours, and will live, and be quoted as models of purity of style, as long as, and wherever, the English language is spoken. In what other age can such a wealth of literary names be found as Addison, Steele, Swift, Pope, Warburton, Gay, Prior, Parnell, Defoe, Vanbrugh, Congreve, Rowe! It was the grand awakening of letters; and, having good food provided for them, the people appreciated it, and it undoubtedly laid the foundation of the present reading age. Before this time there had been no books, i.e. adapted to the general public, to read. Truly, there were scholars here and there, and the Universities were ever fountains of learning; but literature had not entered into every-day life, and we have to thank Steele and Addison, who charmed the public taste by their social and moral essays, into becoming first a reading, and then a thinking, people.

There were men who loved their books--veritable bibliophiles-and what choice editions they must have possessed ! Look at the huge volumes of title-pages which Bagford collected

We learn from Misson the state of our public libraries. He says: 'At present I know but three publick ones in this City; those of the Chapter at Westminster, and Sion College (which are very much neglected, and in a sorry Condition in all Respects) and that which Dr. Tenison, Archbishop of Canterbury, has lately founded. The two former are going to Decay, and the latter is not yet quite form'd. Neither the one nor the other are much frequented. The King's Library at St. James's is also in a miserable state; I am told, that Dr. Bentley, who has the keeping of it, in the room of Mr. Instel, does all he can to restore it; but his Endeavours will be to no purpose, unless the Master of it has Leisure and Will to have an Eye to it himself. There have been Books in Pawn in the Hands of the Binders I know not how many Years. King Charles II. did but laugh at it. It is, nevertheless, a Pity that so many good Books, and so well bound, should be given up to the Mould and Moisture of the Air, to Moths and to Dust. The Library of Sir Robert Cotton is particularly famous for Manuscripts. The Royal Society have begun to Collect a pretty good one: the late Duke of Norfolk, who was of it, left them his. There are a great many Noble men in England that love Books, and have good Collections of them.'

A literary curiosity of this reign deserves to be, and must be, noticed. It is George Psalmanazar, the impostor who, for a while, deceived the majority of the English literati. He seems to have been born in France in , and to have .

The hack writers of the time are thus humorously described in the Guardian (No. 58): 'According as my necessities suggest it to me, I hereby provide for my being. The last summer I paid a large debt for brandy and tobacco, by a wonderful description of a fiery dragon, and lived for ten days together upon a whale and a mermaid. When winter draws near, I generally conjure up my spirits, and have my apparition ready against long dark evenings. From November last to January I lived solely upon murders; and have, since that time, had a comfortable subsistence from a plague and a famine. I made the Pope pay for my Beef and Mutton last Lent, out of pure spite to the Romish Religion; and at present my good friend the King of Sweden finds me in clean linen, and the Mufti gets me credit at the Tavern.'

Literary men had their money troubles then as nowprobably not more so-as many a melancholy tale of modern Grub Street could tell. Swift's society did some good. Take his Journal to Stella, Feb. 12 and 13, , as an example: 'I gave an account of Sixty guineas I had collected, and am to give them away to two Authors to-morrow, and lord Treasurer has promised me a hundred pounds to reward some others. ... I found a letter on my table last night to tell me that poor little Harrison . . . was ill, and desired to see me at night. ... I went in the morning, and found him mighty ill, and got thirty guineas for him from Lord Bolin-

Other troubles they had, and perhaps not the least of them was the fear of personal violence. They hit hard in those days, and people did not always take their castigation meekly. Sometimes they took the law into their own hands, and then woe be to the unfortunate author. Samuel Johnson (author of Julian) in Charles the Second's reign was not only publicly whipped, but was nearly murdered in his own house. Tutchin, too, who wrote a poem on the death of James II., was waylaid, and so frightfully beaten that he died from its effects. Defoe also frequently mentions attempts to injure him. So Swift wrote to Stella,[2]  'No, no, I'll walk late no more; I ought to venture it less than other people, and so I was told.'

In what condition was the press of that day ? Let Pope's bitter pen answer-

Next plunged a feeble, but a desperate, pack,

With each a sickly brother at his back;

Sons of a day; just buoyant on the flood,

Then numbered with the puppies in the mud.

Ask ye their names? I could as soon disclose

The names of these blind puppies as of those.

And monumental brass this record bears,

These are-ah-no-these were-the gazetteers.Dunciad.

When Anne succeeded to the throne on March 8, I702, the following newspapers were in existence: The London Post, English Post, Postman, Postboy, Flying Post, London Gazette, Post Angel, New State of Europe, and Dawks's and Dyer's News Letter (the former of which was printed in script letters, to look as much as possible like writing). The whole of these were issued three times a week; but three days after Anne's accession came out the first daily paper in

My wound is great, because it is so small.

Then were it greater, were it none at all.

The other papers born in this reign, including the Satirical and Essay papers, are The Observator, Gazette de Londres, Monthly Register, Letter Writer, Whitehall, Rehearsal, Diverting Post, A Weekly Review of the Affairs of France, by Daniel De Foe, Whipping Post, News Letter, General Remarks on Trade, Mercurius Politicus, St. James's, Kensington, Evening Post, A Review of the State of the British Nation, The Weekly Comedy, Generous Advertiser, Humours of a Coffee House, The British Apollo, Tatler, Athenian News, Examiner, Medley, Moderator, Evening Courant, British Mercury. Protestant Postboy, Hermit, Useful Intelligencer, Night Post, Spectator, Plain Dealer, Guardian, The Reconciler, The Mercator, Englishman, Britain, The Lover, The Patriot, Controller, Weekly Packet, Monitor.

It would be a waste of time to follow the fortunes of all these papers; suffice it to say, that the majority of them had but a brief existence, and let us note only a few of the prominent ones. First of all the London Gazette, of which Misson says 'it is the truest and most Cautious of all the Gazettes that I know. It inserts no news but what is Certain, and often waits for the Confirmation of it, before it publishes it.' It was first published on Feb. 1, , and still continues to this day as the official newspaper. It was first printed by Thomas Newcomb, of the Savoy, then by Edward Jones, who died in . From Feb. 18 of that year to Feb. 26, , it was printed by his widow, M. Jones. At the latter date, it appears as printed by J. Tonson, at Gray's Inn Gate, who, although he moved into the Strand, continued to print it during the remainder of the reign. It was somewhat smaller than the other papers, and its normal price was 1d., but, if of extra size, owing to addresses

When Samuel Buckley took the Daily Courant in hand, he at once filled it with advertisements. He then lived at the Dolphin, in Little Britain; afterwards at Amen Corner. Either he sold the Courant, or gave up printing it, for on Sept. , , it was 'Printed by S. Gray, sold by Ferd. Burleigh in Amen Corner.' Perhaps he could not attend to two papers at once, for, on the copy of the London Gazette for Sept. 25/28, , in the British Museum, is written 'first Gazette by Mr. Buckley.' Dunton[5]  says of him: 'He was Originally a Bookseller, but follows Printing. He is an excellent Linguist, understands the Latin, French, Dutch and Italian Tongues; and is Master of a great Deal of Wit. He prints The Dayly Courant and Monthly Register (which, I hear, he Translates out of the Foreign Papers himself).' Its usual price was 1d., but there was a special edition published. 'The News of every Post Day's Courant, is Constantly Printed with the News of the Day before, on a Sheet of Writing Paper, a Blank being left for the Conveniency of sending it by the Post. And may be had for 2d.' [6] 

Dunton thought the Postboy was the best for English and Spanish news, but the Postman was the best for everything. A French Protestant, named Fonvive, wrote the latter, and in the early part of Anne's reign the Postboy was written by Thomas, afterwards by Boyer, also a foreigner, who had

In the early days of the reign both these papers had manuscript postscripts, or supplements, when any fresh news arrived that was not in their last edition, they being published thrice weekly. 'This is to give Notice, that the Post Boy, with a Written Postscript, containing all the Domestick Occurrences, with the Translations of the Foreign News that arrives after the Printing of the said Post Boy, is to be had only of Mr. John Shank, at Nandoe's Coffee house, between the two Temple Gates; and at Mr. Abel Roper's at the Black Boy, over against St. Dunstan's Church in Fleet Street.' 'The Author of this Paper having several times declared in Print that he is no ways directly nor indirectly concerned in the Written Postscripts to the Post Man, nor any other News but what is printed therein; he thinks he has reason to complain of several People, who write to him from the Country about faults and mistakes contained in those Written Postscripts, putting him thereby to unnecessary Charges. He desires those Persons to forbear the same for the future, but if they are not satisfied with their written News (seeing they are not Contented with what is Printed), they may be furnished with written Postscripts at Tom's Coffee House in St. Martin's Lane, by a Person, who the Author hopes, will give them entire satisfaction.'

Later on in the century they printed these postscripts, but they were not safe even then. 'There being a Sham Postscript published last night, with an Advertisement, intending to impose the same upon people as a Postscript to the Postman, We think fit to desire again our Readers to buy no Postscripts to the Postman, but from the Hawkers they know, as the only means to stop that Villanous practice; and when there is any material New, we shall take care to publish a Postscript, provided it be a Post Day, and not too Late.' The Post Boy had two rough woodcuts, one on each side of the title: one of a Post boy on horseback, blowing his horn;

The proprietor of the other news-letter, Dyer, got into trouble more than once. In he was summoned before the Parliament, and reprimanded by the Speaker 'for his great presumption' in printing the proceedings of the House. And once again, in , he was ordered to attend the House to answer for his presuming to misrepresent the proceedings. He did not attend, and the attorney-general was instructed 'to find out and prosecute him.'

In No. 18 of the Tatler, the joint production of Steele and Addison, is an excellent resume of the foregoing newspapers. 'There is another sort of gentlemen whom I am much more concerned for, and that is the ingenious fraternity of which I

The Evening Post came out in Aug. , and was 'Published by John Morphew near Stationers' Hall.' It seems to have been then a failure, but it was started again in . The Evening Courant, which started July , seems also to have had a very brief existence, as did also the Night Post, which was born the same year; but this latter seems to have had a longer life than its sister the Courant.

The domestic news in them was nearly nil- principally of the sailing of ships or bringing in of prizes. Foreign news was taken bodily from the foreign papers, as we see in the Daily Courant, in the Appendix; and the home news was left to take care of itself. The Gazette generally had the Queen's Speech to Parliament, and sometimes the other newspapers would also have it, if on very special occasions, say on June 6, , when the Queen communicated to Parliament the terms on which a peace might be made; yet the only reference the Flying Post of June 5/7 has on the subject is, 'Yesterday Her Majesty went to the House of Peers, and made a long speech to both Houses.'

In fact, in all the twelve years of this reign, I only remember meeting with one long account of any piece of home news, and I cannot help thinking that was manufactured, as it is decidedly of the catchpenny and chapbook order. It was 'An

'Esq: Thomas Burnet (S-n of that vertuous, orthodox, pious, forgiving, impartial, sincere, never wav-ri-g (always standing to his T-x-t) modest, conscientious Di-ne, and by the Gr- of G-d in the fere of the L-d) was on Saturday last taken up, and carried to the Lord Viscount Bolinbroke's Office, for being the Author of that seditious and scandalous Pamphlet, call'd A certain Information of a certain Discourse, &c. (of which Libel Mr. Baker the Publisher lately swore he was the Author) and gave Sureties to appear the last Day of this Term; his Bail were Guy Neville and Geo Trenchard Esqs: What's bred in the B-ne will never be out of the Fl-sh.'

Talk about the amenities of the press! Here are one or two samples:-

Titus detected the Tory Popish Plot, and Abel's inveterating a Whiggish One.

Titus was afoul Mouth Slanderer,-so is Abel.

Titus openly traduced the next Heir to this Crown-So has Abel.

Abel Roper, who then conducted the Post Boy.

Titus deserv'd to be Hang'd-So does Abel.

Titus was low in Stature, but of Outrageous Principles-So is Abel.

Titus was protected in his Impudence-So is Abel.

But the Time's coming to change, Titus was call'd to Account for it

so will Abel.

Titus was flogg'd and Pilloried-So will Abel.

Titus was despis'd by both Parties-So will Abel.

Titus died unpittied;--So will Abel.

In fine,-Titus was both Knave and Dunce ;-So is Abel. 1 Protestant Post Boy, Jan. 15/17, 1712.

One would imagine that after this flagellation Roper would not be the first to assault a brother journalist, but he fell foul of Ridpath, who conducted the Flying Post, and this is how he did it: 'Yesterday, one George Ridpath, a Cameronian, who formerly (as it is credibly reported) was banished Scotland, for putting on Lawn Sleves, and administering -- to a Dog, in derision of the Church and Bishops, was committed to Newgate for several scandalous Reflections writ by him in a Paper formerly publish'd call'd the Observator; and for being the Author of several notorious Falshoods and scandalous Reflections on the Queen and Government, in a paper call'd The Flying Post.' [10] 

Ridpath,[11]  of whom Dunton says ' His Humility and His Honesty have establish'd his Reputation,' hit back by means of an anonymous correspondent in the Flying Post:-

'Lynn Regis in Norfolk, Sep. 22.

' Sir,

'Having observ'd the false Account which that Scandalous Wretch Abel Roper gave some time ago in his Post Boy, about the Reception of Mr. Walpole here; This is to inform you 'tis a notorious Lye; for that worthy Gentleman had a very honourable Reception, answerable to the just Esteem which this Corporation has for him.'

A notice of one more sparring match must close this subject-the same two papers. Says friend Abel [12] : 'In the Flying Post of last Tuesday, we have a very unusual Specimen of the Author's Modesty, in Owning and Recanting the Lye he had so impudently fix'd on Dr. S 1 in his

After this, who can wonder if some editors had rather a rough time of it, especially Roper. He gives us[13]  one glimpse of his condition: 'Last night William Thompson Esq., came to the Proprietor of this Paper, and told him, That if he did not insert the following Paragraph in his Paper of this Day, God Damn him, he would cut his Throat, and he had a Penknife in his Pocket for that purpose; for which the Proprietor of this Paper designs to prosecute him according to Law, but thought fit to publish this, that the Nation may be Judges, whether a Person of such a Character is proper to be employ'd in his Station in the Law? or, Whether our Constitution ought to be entrusted in such Hands as will not scruple to commit Murder when ever it may serve their Purpose.'

In the House of Commons took umbrage at some remarks which John Tutchin, the conductor of the Observator, had made on some mismanagement of public affairs (and they were undoubted libels), and cited him, the printer, and publisher before their Bar, to be brought in custody of the Sergeant-at-Arms. Tutchin gave bail for his appearance; and his trial came on on Nov. 4, . [2 ]  He got off somehow, and was never tried again. Earlier in life he had been tried at the Bloody Assizes, where he had the brutal Jeffreys for his judge, and he was sentenced 'to be imprisoned for Seven Years; that once every year he should be whipt through all the Market Towns in Dorsetshire; that he should pay a fine of one hundred marks to the King, and find security for his good behaviour during life. . . . Upon passing the Sentence, the Clerk of the Arraigns stood up, and said, My lord, there are a great many market towns in this County; the sentence reaches to a whipping about once a fortnight, and he is a

His friends tried to buy him a pardon, but Jeffreys frustrated all their efforts. At length Tutchin fell ill of the smallpox, and nearly died of it, being only tended by his fellow-prisoners. During his illness his mother bought his pardon of Jeffreys 1; then she fell sick of the smallpox, and died.

Of Tutchin's trial in we have the following contemporary evidence from Luttrell: ' 8 May. Mr. Tutchin, author of the Observator, against whom a proclamation was out at the desire of the House of Commons, has given £. bail to answer what shal be objected against him'; and on May 29 he gave fresh bail. His trial began, as we know, on Nov. 4, and he was found guilty, but sentence was deferred. On the 14th we hear 'Yesterday, Mr. Tutchin, found guilty of publishing the Observator, appeared at the Queen's bench Court, when his council inform'd the Court of an error in the information, and the Attorney General desiring time to consider of it, Tutchin is to attend again on Saturday.' The point was the false dating of the wait; and he attended on the 20th and 23rd, when it was argued; and on Nov. 28 judgment was given in Tutchin's favour, 'the Attorney General at liberty to try him again,' which he never did.

This trial is interesting, as it furnishes us with evidence as to the pay of an editor, or rather author (for Tutchin wrote the whole paper), of that time. John How was the proprietor of the paper, which appeared first on April 1, . In his evidence is the following:-

A scandalous practice then in vogue. 'Mr. Tutchin hereupon endeavoured to get a pardon from the people who had grants of lives, many of them 500, some , more or less as they had interest with the King.' Again: 'For it was usual at that time for one Courtier to get a pardon of the King for half a Score, and then by the assistance of Jeffreys to augment the sum to fourscore or a hundred.' In these 'Bloody Assizes' 300 persons were condemned to death, and nearly sold as slaves to the West Indian plantations.

How. About the latter end of March, 1702,

I treated with Mr. Tutchin about writing an Observator, to be published weekly:

the first of which was published in April 1702.

And all that have been printed since,

I had from him to this year.

Att. Gen. You looked on these papers here: were those printed by the direction of Mr. Tutchin ?

How. To the best of my knowledge, they were. They were always brought from him to me.

Att. Gen. Was there any agreement made between you about the writing of it ?

How. Yes, it was agreed at first to write once a week;

and I was to give him half a guinea for it.1Howell's State Papers, ed. 1812, pp. 1105-6. . . .

Sir T. Powis. Did you pay him for the Preface ?

How. Yes, and for the Index.Ibid. p. 1108. . . .

L. C. Justice. What did you give him for that Preface and Index?

How. I think it was ten shillings.

At the same time there were other libels afloat. ' 30 May . Yesterday came out a proclamation by her Majestie for discovering and apprehending the author, printer, and publisher of a scandalous libel, intituled, Legions Humble Addresse to the Lords; offering the reward of £ 100 for the author thereof, and fifty pounds for the printer thereof.' [16] 

Was not Steele turned out of Parliament for libel ? Resolved that Richard Steele, Esquire, for his offence in writing and publishing the said scandalous and seditious libels, be expelled the House;'[17]  and the resolution was adopted by 245 votes against 152.

In Luttrell tells us: '15 Oct. The Authors of the Review and Female Tatler were presented by the grand jury as scandalous and a publick nuisance, and were ordered to be prosecuted. 1 Nov. This day the printer and publisher of the New Atlantis were examined touching the author Mrs. Manley; they were discharged, but she remains in custody. 5 Nov. One Ball is taken up for writing scandalous papers on persons of quality; but Mrs. Manley, the author of the New Atlantis, is admitted to Bayl.'

Few would be inclined to pity the profligate Mrs. Manley for any punishment she might have received for her scandalous libels in both the Female Tatler and the New Atlantis;

The Tatler commenced the series of Essay papers. Steele is almost apologetic, in its first number, for having to make any charge. He elaborately calls attention to the expenses incurred in getting up such a paper, and adds 'these considerations will I hope make all persons willing to comply with my humble request (when my gratis stock is exhausted) of a penny a piece.' And an advertisement at the end of No. 4 says, 'Upon the humble petition of Running Stationers &c., this Paper may be had of them, for the future, at the price of one penny.' But there was a more expensive edition, whole-sheet Tatlers, having a double quantity of paper, with one half-sheet blank 'to write business on, and for the convenience of the post,' and they, of course, were more expensive. The Tatler, Spectator, and Guardian were all of Steele's creation ; they were born, and died, at his discretion; and the Spectator, at least, was always laid on the Royal breakfast table. Their imitators were numerous, but shortlived; in fact, the imposition of a halfpenny stamp massacred the innocents of the press in a wholesale manner.

This tax was evidently in contemplation some time before it became law. Swift writes to Stella, Jan. 31, : 'They are here intending to tax all little printed penny papers a halfpenny every half sheet, which will utterly ruin Grub Street, and I am endeavouring to prevent it.' It slept for a little, but it was smuggled at last into the 10th Anne,1[18]  cap. 19,

The Spectator does not chuckle over the fall of its humbler brethren. Addison says1: 'This is the Day on which many eminent Authors will probably Publish their Last Words. I am afraid that few of our Weekly Historians, who are Men that above others delight in War, will be able to subsist under the Weight of a Stamp, and an approaching Peace. A Sheet of Blank Paper that must have this new Imprimatur clapt upon it, before it is qualified to Communicate any thing to the Publick, will make its Way in the World but very heavily. In short, the Necessity of carrying a Stamp, and the Improbability of Notifying a Bloody Battel, will, I am afraid, both concur to the sinking of those thin Folios, which have every other Day retailed to us the History of Europe for several Years last past. A Facetious Friend of mine who

All the papers, except the Spectator, rose their price just the value of the stamps; but that 'Society Journal' charged 1d. extra-a fact which caused no little grumbling-and which made Addison put forth all his powers of special pleading to vindicate (see No. 488).

The imposition of 1s. duty on advertisements had no deterrent effect upon them; this 'backbone of the paper' continued as before. There is nothing that I have found to guide us as to the prices of advertisements, except in one case-and I hardly think that can be called a representative one. It is that of a short-lived paper called 'THE GENE- ROUS ADVERTISER OR Weekly Information of TRADE and BUSINESS. To be published every Tuesday, and Friday, and of them always carefully Distributed and Given away Gratis each Day, in and about the City's of London and Westminster.' It enjoyed its brief existence in . The terms were not excessive under the circumstances: 'Advertisements . . . will be taken by the Men who carry this PAPER about; Who will take them in very Carefully and Cheap viz. after the Rate of 3d. for every Fifty letters.'

Advertisements, with the exception of those of quack doctors and their medicines, were very much as now. Booksellers, public amusements, things lost, things for sale, etc., give those old sheets a strange similarity to those we are so familiar with.

Even the poor almanacs were taxed. The Protestant Post Boy, Nov. 15/17, , says, 'Whereas, by an Act made last Sessions of Parliament, a Duty was laid on all Almanacks, and a Penalty of Ten Pounds is for any one that shall Sell any Almanacks without being first Stampt as the Law directs; and whereas the said Tax &c. has made a great Attraction in the Price, this is to give Notice to all Retale Buyers, or others that the Prices are as follows.

'An Almanack Bound in Red Leather, with Paper to Write on, of any Sort. Ninepence.

'An Almanack of any Sort Sticht. Six Pence.

'Any Sheet Almanack Four Pence.'

It is hardly worth while to give an exhaustive list of the almanacs then in vogue. One advertisement[20]  will be ample for the purpose: 'On Thursday next (15 Nov.) will be published the following Almanacks for the Year . viz. Andrews, Chapman, Coley, Dove, Gadbury, Ladies Diary, Moor, Partridge, Pond, Poor Robin, Salmon, Saunders, Tanner, Wing, Colepepper, Dade, Fly, Fowl, Perkins, Rose, Swallow, Trigge, Turner, White, Woodhouse.'

Out of which, that by Francis Moore, physician, the 'Vox Stellarum,' is still published. Doubts have been thrown on the reality of this gentleman, but it is certain that he did live, and Lysons speaks of him as having lived in Calcotts Alley, High Street (then called Back Lane), Lambeth, where he practised the combined professions of astrologer, physician, and schoolmaster. He also lived in Southwark and in Westminster. There is an engraving of him extant, evidently done in Queen Anne's reign, by Drapentier, who also engraved the portrait of Dr. Burgess. Moore is represented as a fat-faced man in a full-bottomed wig. The legend is 'Francis Moore, born in Bridgenorth, in the County of Salop, the 29th of January /7.' His almanac was first published in .

The Ladies' Diary, which commenced in , was only suspended in , when it was incorporated in the Gentleman's Diary.

'Poor Robin, an ALMANACK of the Old and New Fashion; or an EPHEMERIS of the best and newest Edition; wherein the Reader may find (that is to say if he reads over the Almanack) many most excellent remarkable things worthy his and others choicest Observation. Containing a Two-fold Calendar. viz, The Old, Honest, Julian, or English Account, and the Round head's, Whimzey heads, Maggot heads, Paperscull'd, Slender-witted, Muggletonian, or Fanatick Account, with their several Saints Days, and Observations upon every Month. Being the BISSEXTILE or Leap Year. Written by POOR ROBIN Knight of the Burnt Island, a Well-wisher to the Mathematicks.'

THE TWO AND FORTIETH IMPRESSION.

Reader, this is the two and Fortieth Year,

Since first our Book did to the World appear:

And we do think 'tis stored with more knacks

Than may be found in other Almanacks.

Laugh if you will, but yet this always mind,

If you your Eyes laugh out, you will be blind.

London: Printed by W. Bowyer for the Company of Stationers. 1704.

Such is a title-page of this almanac, which, when first started, is thought to have been written by Herrick. It only ceased its publication in . As this was a genuinely humorous book, in a time when pure fun was hardly understood, a very brief description may be permitted. It had a comic chronology, such as:-

And every month had its appropriate poem, thus :-

This is the merry Month of May,

When as the Fields are fresh and gay;

And in each Place where 'ere you go

Are people walking to and fro.

On every Place you cast your Eye,

Hundreds of people you may Spy,

The Fields bestrewed all about,

Some pacing home, some passing out;

Some woo their Lovers in the Shadows,

Some stragling to and fro the Meadows.

Some of this Chat, some of that Talk,

Some Coacht, some horst, some afoot Walk.

Some by Thames Bank their Pleasure taking,

Some Silabubs 'mong Milkmaids making;

With Musick some on Waters rowing;

Some to the adjoining Towns are going.

To Hogsdon, Islington, Totenham Court,

For Cakes and Cream is great Resort, &c.

Also each month has its appropriate prose.

'Observations on January. Now a good Fire, and a Glass of brisk Canary is as Comfortable as the thing called Matrimony. Cold Weather makes hungry Stomachs, so that now a piece of powder'd Beef lin'd with Brews, [21]  vociferating Veal, and a Neat's Tongue, that never told a Lye, is excellent good food; but to feed on hope, is but a poor Dish of Meat to dine and sup with after a two Days Fast. If thou art minded to go a Wooing this Cold Weather, do it with Discretion, for he that doth make a Goddess of a Puppet, merits no Recompense but mere Contempt.'

Besides these, there was plenty of proverbial philosophy, interspersed with divers merry tales, and eccentric receipts, the whole going to form a compilation perfectly unique for its time.

Perhaps the chief among the serious astrological, and predicting, almanacs was 'Merlinus Liberatus, by JOHN PAR- TRIDGE, Student in Physick and Astrology, at the Blue Ball in Salisbury Street, in the Strand, London.' Not, perhaps, that he would have lived in story, much more than his fellows, had it not have been for the fun that Swift, Steele,

From that moment Partridge was dead. It was no use his publicly stating that he was alive. The wits had decreed his fate, and dead he was. His elegy and epitaph were printed, in the grisly manner common to those productions. They are too long for reproduction, but are too good not to quote from.

WELL, 'tis as Bickerstaff has guest,

Tho' we all took it for a Jest;

Patrige is Dead, nay more, he dy'd

E'er he could prove the good Squire ly'd.

Strange, an Astrologer should Die,

Without one Wonder in the Sky;

Not one of all his Crony Stars,

To pay their Duty at his Hearse !

No Meteor, no Eclipse appear'd !

No Comet with a flaming Beard !

The Sun has rose, and gone to Bed,

Just as if Patrige were not Dead;

Not hid himself behind the Moon,

To make a dreadful Night at Noon:

He at fit Periods walks through Aries,

Howe'er our Earthly Motion varies,

And twice a Year he'll cut th' AEquator,

As if there had been no such Matter.

Some Wits have wondered what Analogy

There is 'twixt Cobling and Astrology;

How Patrige made his Opticks rise,

From a Shoe Sole to reach the Skies

Besides, that slow pac'd Sign Bootes

As 'tis miscall'd, we know not who 'tis;

But Patrige ended all Disputes,

He knew his Trade, and call'd it Boots.

The Horned Moon which heretofore

Upon their Shoes the Romans wore,

Whose Wideness kept their Toes from Corns,

And whence we claim our Shoeing horns,

Shews how the Art of Cobling bears

A near Resemblance to the Spheres, &c.

THE EPITAPH.

HERE Five Foot deep lyes on his Back

A Cobler, Starmonger, and Quack,

Who to the Stars in pure Good will,

Does to his best look upward still.

Weep all you Customers that use

His Pills, his Almanacks, or Shoes.

And you that did your Fortunes seek,

Step to this Grave but once a Week,

This Earth which bears his Body's Print,

You'll find has so much Virtue in't,

That I durst Pawn my Ears, 'twill tell

What 'eer concerns you full as well,

In Physick, Stolen Goods, or Love,

As he himself could, when above. Harl. MSS. 5931-85.

Congreve, or Rowe, took up cudgels for the poor man, and wrote and published 'Squire Bickerstaff detected, or the astrological impostor convicted, by JOHN PARTRIDGE, student in Physick, and Astrology.' What was the use ? Not only were the above squibs being sold about the streets for a halfpenny, but Swift had to annihilate his opponents by his 'Vindication of Isaac Bickerstaff Esq. against what is objected to him by Mr. Partridge, in his Almanack for the present year, .'

Steele, even in the very first Tatler, could not forbear poking fun at Partridge. 'I have, in another place, and in a paper by itself, sufficiently convinced this man that he is

As an almanac writer he, in fact, did die in , for that was the last he really published-although an almanac is still sold bearing the same title. He really, and corporeally, died in , and was buried in Mortlake Churchyard, where, on a flat black marble stone, was the following inscription:-

'Johannes Partridge Astrologus,

et Medicine Doctor.

Natus est apud East Sheen,

in Comitatu Surrey,

18 Januarii, 1641,

et mortuus est Londini 24 Junii, 1715.

Medicinam fecit duobus regibus, unaeque Reginae;

Carolo scilicet secundo, Willielmo Tertio,

Reginaeque Mariae.

Creatus est Medicinae Doctor

Luguduni Batavorum.'

The almanac stamps seem to have prompted crime and forgery, owing to their price; for the London Gazette, Feb. 7/10, has, 'Whereas divers Almanacks, or Papers serving the purpose of an Almanack, with false Stamps, have been lately Printed and Sold in several Parts of England, contraryto a late Act of Parliament, and prejudicial to Her Majesty's Revenue; and others, tho' with the true Stamps, have been Printed and Sold Contrary to the Right of the Company of Stationers, for which divers Persons are now under Prosecution, and all others will be Prosecuted when discover'd: This notice is given to prevent all Persons incurring the like Trouble and Penalties.'

It seems strange, and somewhat in advance of the time, to hear of an amateur magazine being started-but, at all

[1] The Duke of Marlborough's collection, sold 1882

[2] Journal, June 30, 1711.

[4] See Appendix.

[5] The Life and Errors of John Dunton, Lond. 1705.

[6] Daily Courant, Sept. 21, 1705.

[7] The name of a principal character in the Duke of Buckingham's comedy of The Rehearsal.

[10] Post Boy, Sept. 6/9, 1712.

[11] Ridpath invented a manifold writer, which would take six or more copies at once.

[12] Post Boy, Mar. 3o/April 1, 1714.

[13] Postboy, Sept. 12/15, 1713.

[2 ] Howell's State Trials, ed. 1812, v. 14.

[16] Luttrell.

[17] Journals of the House of Commons, vol. xvii. p. 514.

[18] The part of this Act specially bearing upon newspapers was a stamp duty for thirty-two years from August 1, 1712 : 'And be it Enacted by the Authority aforesaid, that there shall be Raised, Levied, Collected and Paid, to and for the Use of her Majesty, her Heirs and Successors, for and upon all Books or Papers Commonly called Pamphlets, and for and upon all News Papers, or Papers containing Publick News, Intelligence or Occurrences, which shall, at any time or times within or during the Term last mentioned, be Printed in Great Britain to be Dispersed and made Publick, and for and upon such Advertisements as are herein after mentioned the respective Duties following; That is to say, ' For every such Pamphlet or Paper contained in Half a Sheet or any lesser Piece of Paper, so Printed, the sum of One half penny. ' For every such Pamphlet or Paper (being larger than Half a Sheet, not exceeding one Whole Sheet) so Printed, a Duty after the Rate of One Peny Sterling for every Printed Copy thereof. 'And for every such Pamphlet or Paper, being larger than One Whole Sheet, and not exceeding Six Sheets in Octavo, or in a Lesser Page, or not exceeding Twelve Sheets in Quarto, or Twenty Sheets in Folio, so Printed, a Duty after the Rate of Two Shillings Sterling for every Sheet of any kind of Paper which shall be Contained in One Printed Copy thereof. ' And for every Advertisement to be Contained in the London Gazette or any other printed Paper, such Paper being Dispersed or made publick Weekly, or oftner, the Sum of Twelve Pen e Sterling.' Acts of Parliament were exempt.

[19] No. 445, July 31, 1712.

[20] Daily Courant, Nov. 10, 1705.

[21] Broth.

[23] Daily Courant, June 23, 1707.