EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.
595
1709. Centura Temporum; the good or ill tendencies of Books, Sermons, Pamphlets, &c. impartially considered, in a dialogue between Eubulus and Sophronius. 3 vols. 4to. Printed by H. Clements. Published monthly.
1709, Nov. Monthly Amutement, by Hughes.*
1709. Re-Tatler, Tory Taller, CondoUr, Tell Tale, and WhUperer, by Mrs. Jenny Bickerstaff.
1710, Feb. 1. Amongst the records of the town council of Edinburgh is an act of this date, " authorising Mr. Daniel De Foe to prent the Edinburgh Courant, in the place of the deceased Adam Bog," and prohibiting any other person from printing news under the name of the same paper. We nave no means of ascertaining how long the independent minded De Foe continued to perform the duties of the editorship of this paper ; but there is reason to believe, nowever, that his active mind was soon wearied of this slavish sort of work. He had been sent down to Edinburgh, at the expense of the government, to negoUate the union oi Scotland with England, and he appears to have accounted his services on this occasion among the most important he had been enabled to render his country; and probably few individuals of that day saw so clearly the advantages of the arrangement which thus converted the two nations into one people.
1710, Charles Hildebrand, baion de Can- stein, established a printing-office at Halle, in Germany, which is called the Canstein or Bible Imtitution, for the purpose of printing and sell- ing bibles and new testaments at a moderate price, in order to secure a more general circula- tion of the scriptures ; and in which it proved so successful, that in 1805, above 3,000,000 copies of the entire bible and new testament had issued from the press of the institution. In the thirty-fourth edition of the bible, printed by this institution, an error occurred in one of the commandments, similar to that in the English bible, printed by Barker and Lucas, in the year 1632. (See page 484, ante.) By the omission of the word not, the commandment read, "Thou shalt commit adultery." The edition was conse- quently confiscated, and judiciously prevented from being circulated. A copy is in the library of Wolfenbuttle, which, on account of its great nuity, cost fifty dollars. Interesting accounts of this establishment will be found in professor Franck's Pietat Halkatit, or Abstract of the marvellous footsteps of Divine Providence. — Second Report of the British and Foreign Bible Society, App. No. 9, &c.
1710, March 22. John Barber succeeded Mr. Samuel Roycrofl as city printer. He was admitted to be printer to the honourable city of London, for which he then paid for fees twelve guineas to the lord mayor, and six to the cham- berlain. His fee was £6 a-year for two suits of clothes; the one for summer, the oUier for winter
- John Haches, poet, dramatic author, and naaylit,
wa« born at Marlborough, in Wiltshire, January 39, 1S77, and died at London, Feb. 17, 17SO. He was the author of Damamnu, a tragedy, which long kept posKssion of the stage. Several papers in the TaMn-, Spectator, and Guariiau, were written by him.
1710, March 27. Britith J(fercury.-This paper was established by the projectors of the Sun Fire Office ; who appear to have then lately purchased the interest 01 a preceding office which had been managed by Mr. Povey. — " In a few days," they state, " the company's policies will be ready, and delivered gratis to all persons who had subscribed to the Exchange-House Fire-office, and continue to insure their nouses or goods from loss by fire with the company of London insurers, they only paying their quarterage as usual." The top of the paper is ornamented with a bold Sun, re- sembling the present badg^ of the Sun Fite office. — At No. 38, they added the figure of Mercury. The earliest insurance-office mis been noticed page 560 ante.
1710, April 28. Died, Thomas Betterton, a famous actor in Shakspeare's principal charac- ters, as Hamlet, Othello, Brutus, and Hotspur. He was born at Westminster, August 1 1, 1635, served his apprenticeship to a bookseller, and then took to the stage. In 1656, he made his first appearance in the company of sir William Darenant In 1695 he opened a new playhouse in Lincoln's Inn Fields, but his scheme did not answer. He was the author of some dramatic pieces. His death was occasioned by taking im. proper means to repel the gout from his feet. He was buried in Westminster abbey.
1710, JfarcA. Tit for Tat, by John Partridge.
1710, April 1. Northern Tatler, No. 1. The arbitraiT injunction of the town council of the city of Edinburgh, with regard to newspapers, already noticed, did not prevent other news- mongers from starting up. The Northern Tatler was printed by John Reid for Samuel Colvil, and published on Mondays and Fridays.
1710, May 22. Moderator, No. 1.
1710, Aug. 3. Examiner, or Remarks upon Papers and Occurrences, No. 1.
1710, Aug. 21. Vinom of Sir Heitter RyUy.
1710, Sept. 2. The Examiner, No. 1. This was another newspaper from the busy press of James Watson at Edinburgh. It was issued weekly, and after the two first numbers had ap- peared, it was transferred to London, but con- tinued to be printed in Edinburgh, by Watson, until the year 1715, when it was stopped. The Examiner was entirely different in its character from that of any other newspaper that had be- fore been seen in Britain or elsewhere. Each number consisted solely of a political essay or commentary, in which are displayed a minute acquaintance with the political condition and cotemporaneous literature of Europe, all which are discussed with great freedom and boldness.
1710, Sept. 14. Whig Examiner, No. 1.
1710, Oct. 5. Medley, in a Letter to the Whig Examiner, by Mr. Oldmixon,* No. 1.
1710. The Tatler, anonymous.
1710. Annotadtnuon the Taller, by W. Wag- staff. [Oldisworth.]
- John Oldmtzon, a poUUcal writer and historian, was
bom near Bridgewater in Somcrsetahire, and died July 9, 174a. He wrote a Hittmy of the Steuarli, folio, a Volume 0/ Poenu, 8T0., th« Lt/i 0/ Queat Anne, and other works.
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