604
HISTORY OF PRINTING.
164d. Mereumu AntuBritaimictu.
1645, Oct. 15. The iBngdom't Weekly Poet. (according to order.)
1646. The Citiet Weekly Pot.
1645, Oct. 30. A Packet of Letters from Sir Thomtu Fairfax hit Qaarten, with Papers inter- cepted ameeming the Designs of the King's Forces.
1645, Nov. 26— Dec. 2. The Kingdom's Scout.
1646. A Diary, or an exact Journal of the most remarkaUe proceedings of both houses of Parliament.
1646. Perfect Postages of each Day's Proceed- ingt, 8tc.
1646. Perfect Occurrences of Parliament, the chief Collections of Letters for the Army.
1646. News from the King's Bath. Bristol!. 4to.
1646. Neicesfrom Smith the Oxford Jailor.
1646, April 3. Died, Thomas Lydut, an eminent cluronologer and astronomer. While confined in the king's bench for debt, he wrote his Annotations on the Parian Chronicle, which were liist published by dean Prideaux, in 1676. Thomas Lydiat was that learned scholar whom Dr. Johnson alludes to; an allusion not known to Boswell and others. He was born in 1672.
1646. An almanack was printed at Waterford, in Ireland, and one at London, each containing an epitome of Irish affairs; the latter was en- titlea Uie Bloody Irish Almanack.
1646, Oct. 9. The order of bishops abolished by parliament. I refer the reader, says D'lsraeli, to Selden's Table Talk, for many admirable ideas on bishops. That enlightened genius, who was no friend to the ecclesiastical temporal power, acknowledges the absolute necessity for this order in a great government. The preservers of our literature and our morals they ought to be, and many hare been. When the political re- formers ejected the bishops out of the house, what did they gain? A mere vnlgar prating race, but even more lordly. Selden says, " the bishops being out of the house, whom will they lay the fault upon now? When the dog is beat out of the room, where will they lay the stink?"
1646. Nearly thirty years having elapsed since the publication of the last folio edition of the Swedish bible, the queen Christina,* rendered so famous in history by her literary attainments, her renunciation of the Protestant religion, and her abdication of the crown of Sweden, caused
- born at Stockholm, December 8, 1628, uid was the
only child of Gostavus Adolphas, whom she succeeded at the a^ of six yeara, in 1633. She invited to her conit the most learned men in Europe, partictilarly Grotius, whom she sent ambassador to France; Salmasius, Des- cartes, Bochart, Haet, Voasius, and Meibomius. In ISM she resigrned the crown to her conain Charles Oosta- VDS, and removed to liomc, but after residing there some time, she went to France, where she was well received by Lewis XIV. But the nnaccoontable mnrder of her master of the horse, Monaldeschl, whom she caused to be put to death in her own house, for having: betrayed some con- fidential secrets, gave general disgust, and she applied to Cromwell for leave to visit England, which was refbsed. On this she returned to Rome. On the death of Charles Gustavus. in 1660, she returned to Sweden, with a view of regaining the throne, bat her subjects were diafusted with the change of her religion; and to preserve her in- come she was obliged to make a second renunciation of the crown. t$he returned to Rome,where she died in 1689.
a new edition to be printed at Stockholm, in folio, by Henry Kayser, senr. which has obtained the designation of Queim Christina's Bible.
1646, Jon. 14. England's Remembrancer, No. 1 .
1646, Jan. 28. Mercurius Candidut, No. 1.
1646. January's Account; ^ving a full and true Relation of all the Remarkablp I^issages of that Month this present Year.
1646, Feb. 2. Mereuritu Academieui.
1646, Jan. ^—Feb. 3. The Moderate Met- senger. No. 1.
1646, Feb. 11. England's Remembrancer cf London's Integrity, No. 2.
1646, Jan. I— Feb. 16. An exact and true Collection of WeeUy Passages, to shew the Error of the Weekly Pamphlets, by Authority, to be enumerated irom month to month.
1646, Feb. 16 — March 2. An exact and true Collection of the most remarkable Proceedings of Parliaments and Armies.
1646, May 6. General News from all Part* of Christendom, No. 1.
1646, Oct. 13—20. The Millitary Actions cf Europe, collected weekly for the Tuesday's Post.
1646, Nov. 20. Mercurius Candidut, No. 1.
1646, Nov. 25 — Dec. 2. Diutinus Britannieus, Collector of the affairs of Great Britain, and Martial Proceedings in Europe, No. 1. In No. 5, dated Dec. 8, 1646, the tiue was changed to Mercurius Diutinus.
1646. Papers from the Scots Quarters, No. 1.
1646, Dec. 31. The London Post, No. 1.
1647. During the reign of Charles I. and the Commonwealth, the most curious and singular titles of books were adopted; and as a subject of literary curiosity, some amusement vaHj be gathered from a glance at what has been (ioing in the world concerning this important portion of every book. Goldsmith says that " titles and mottos to books are like escutcheons and dignities in the hands of a king. The wise sometimes condescended to accept them; but none but a fool would imagine them of any real importance. We ought to depend upon intrinsic merit, and not to 3ie slender hopes of the title." D'lsraeli remarks, that " it is too often with the titles of books, as with those painted representations ex- hibited by the keepers of wild beasts; where, in general, the picture itself is made more striking and inviting to the eye, than the enclosed animal is always found to be." The copious mind of Johnson could not discover an appropriate title, and indeed in the first Idler, acknowledged his despair. The Rambler was so little understood, at the time of its appearance, that u French journalist has translated it Le Chevalier Errant; and when it was corrected to L' Errant, a foreigner drank Johnson's health one day, by innocently addressing him by the appellation of Mr. " Vaga- bond!" Were it inquired of an ingenious writer what page of his work had occasioned him the most perplexity, he would often point to the title-page.
The Jewish and many oriental authors were fond of allegorical titles, which alwaysJnffTilgi the most puerile age of taste. The titles woe
