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THE MANNERS OF A BOOKSELLER.

To the Earl of BURLINGTON.

MY LORD,

IF your Mare could fpeak, fhe would give an account of what extraordinary company the had on the road; which fince the cannot do, I will.

It was the enterprifing Mr. Lintot, the redoubtable rival of Mr. Tonfon, who, mounted on a stonehorfe (no difagreeable companion to your Lordship's mare), overtook me in Windfor-forest. He faid, he heard I defigned for Oxford, the feat of the Mufes; and would, as my bookfeller, by all means, accompany me thither.

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I afked him where he got his horfe? He anfwered, he got it of his Publisher: "For that rogue my Printer (faid he) difappointed me: I hoped to put him in good humour by a treat at the tavern, "of a brown fricaffee of rabits, which cost two fhillings, with two quarts of wine, befides my "converfation. I thought myfelf cock-fure of his horfe, which he readily promifed me, but faid that Mr. Tonfon had just fuch another defign of "going to Cambridge, expecting there the copy of a new kind of Horace from Dr. ; and if Mr. "Tonfon went, he was pre-engaged to attend him, "being to have the printing of the faid copy.

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་་ So,

"So, in fhort, I borrowed this stone-horse of my "Publisher, which he had of Mr. Oldmixon for a debt; he lent me, too, the pretty boy you fee after

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me: he was a smutty dog yesterday, and coft me near two hours to wash the ink off his face: but the Devil is a fair-conditioned Devil, and very "forward in his Catechife: if you have any more bags, he fhall carry them."

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I thought Mr. Lintot's civility not to be neglected; fo gave the boy a fmall bag, containing three fhirts, and an Elzevir Virgil'; and mounting in an inftant, proceeded on the road, with my man before, my courteous ftationer befide, and the aforefaid devil behind.

Mr. Lintot began in this manner :: "Now, damnthem! what if they fhould put it in the news"paper how you and I went together to Oxford?? "what, would I care? If I fhould go down into

Suffex, they would fay I was gone to the Speaker: But what of that? If my fon were but big enough, "to go on with the bufinefs, by G-d I would keep as good company as old Jacob.".

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Hereupon Lenquired of his fon..

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The lad

(fays he) has fine parts, but is fomewhat fickly; much as you are--I fpare for nothing in his "education at Westminster. Pray don't you think. Westminster to be the best school in England? "Moft of the late Miniftry came out of it, so did. "" many

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** many of this Miniftry; I hope the boy will make *his fortune."

Don't you defign to let him pafs a year at Oxford? "To what purpose? (faid he) the Univerfities do "but make Pedants, and I intend to breed him a & man of bufinefs."

As Mr. Lintot was talking, I obferved he fat uneafy on his faddle, for which I expreffed fome folicitude: Nothing, fays he, I can bear it well enough; but fince we have the day before us, methinks it would be very pleasant for you to rest a-while under the woods. When we were alighted," See, here, "what a mighty pretty kind of Horace I have in "my pocket! what if you amufed yourfelf in turn"ing an ode, till we mount again? Lord! if you "pleafed, what a clever Mifcellany might you "make at your leifure hours!" Perhaps I may, faid I, if we ride on; the motion is an aid to my fancy; a round trot very much awakens my fpirits: then jog on apace, and I'll think as hard as I can.

Silence enfued for a full hour: after which Mr. Lintot lugg'd the reins, ftopp'd short, and broke out, "Well, Sir, how far have you gone?" I answered, Seven miles. "Z-ds! Sir, faid Lintot, I thought "you had done feven ftanzas. Oldfworth, in a "ramble round Wimbleton-hill, would tranflate a "whole ode in half this time. I'll fay that for Oldsworth (though I loft by his Timothy's), he

"tranflates

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tranflates an ode of Horace the quickeft of any

man in England. I remember Dr. King would "write verfes in a tavern three hours after he could

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not speak: and there's Sir Richard, in that rum

bling old chariot of his, between Fleet-ditch and "St. Giles's pound, fhall make you half a Job.”

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Pray, Mr. Lintot (faid I) now you talk of Tranflators, what is your method of managing them? "Sir, (replied he) thofe are the faddeft pack of rogues in the world; in a hungry fit, they'll "fwear they understand all the languages in the " univerfe: I have known one of them take down a Greek book upon my counter, and cry, Ay, "this is Hebrew, I must read it from the latter end., By G-d, I can never be sure in these fellows for "I neither understand Greek, Latin, French; nor "Italian, myfelf. But this is my way; I agree with "them for ten fhillings per fheet, with a provifo,' "that I will have their doings corrected by whom I

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pleafe: fo by one or other they are led at last to! "the true fenfe of an author; my judgement giving "the negative to all my tranflators." But how are you fecure thofe correctors may not impofe upon. you?" Why, I get any civil gentleman, (efpeci-s

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ally any Scotchman) that comes into my shop, ' "to read the original to me in English; by this I "know whether my tranflator be deficient, and "whether my corrector merits his money or not.

"I'll tell you what happened to me last month: "I bargained with S- for a new version of Lu"cretius,

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cretius, to publish against Tonfon's; agreeing to pay the author fo many fhillings at his producing "fo many lines. He made a great progrefs in a very fhort time, and I gave it to the corrector "to compare with the Latin; but he went directly "to Creech's tranflation, and found it the fame, "word for word, all but the first page. Now, "what d'ye think I did? I arrefted the tranflator "for a cheat; nay, and I ftopped the corector's pay too, upon this proof that he had made ufe "of Creech instead of the original."

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Pray tell me next how you deal with the Critics. "Sir, (faid he) nothing more eafy. I can filence "the most formidable of them: the rich ones with

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a fheet a piece of the blotted manufcript, which cots me nothing; they'll go about with it to their acquaintance, and fay they had it from the "author, who fubmitted to their correction: this "has given fome of them fuch an air, that in "time they come to be confulted with, and dedi"cated to, as the top Critics of the town.-As "for the poor Critics, I'll give you one inftance "of my management, by which you may guess at "the reft. A lean man, that looked like a very

good fcholar, came to me t'other day; he turned <6 over your Homer, fhook his head, fhrugged up his shoulders and pished at every line of it: One "would wonder (fays he) at the ftrange prefump-.

tion of fome men; Homer is no fuch easy task, "that every stripling, every verfifier-He was going on, when my wife called to dinner: Sir,

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"faid

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