EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.
627
ventured to take advantage of my liberty, pre- suming that be would not dare to produce the new contract. It was undoubtedly dishonour- able to aviul myself of this circumstance, and I reckon this action as one of the fiist errors of my life ; but I was little capable of estimating it at its true value, imbittered as my mind had been by the recollection of the blows I had received. ffxclusTvely of his passionate treatment of me, my brother was by no means a man uf an ill temper, and perhaps my manners had too much impertinence not to afford it a very natural pre- text. When he knew it was my determination to quit him, he wished to prevent my finding employment elsewhere. He went to all the printing-houses in the town, and prejudiced the masters against me ; who accordingly refused to employ me. The idea suggested itself to me of going to New York,the nearest town in which there was a printing-office. Farther reflection confirmed me in the design of leaving Boston, where I had already rendered myself an object of suspicion to the governing party. It was probable, from the arbitrary proceedings of the assembly in the affair of my brother, that by remaining, I should soon have been exposed to difficulties, which I had the greater reason to apprehend, as, from my indiscreet disputes upon the subject of religion, I began to be regarded by pious souls with horror, either as an apostate or an atheist. I came therefore to a resolution ; but my father, siding with my brother, I presumed that if I attempted to depart openly, measures would be taken to prevent me. My friend Collins under- took to favour my flight. He agreed for my passage with the captain of a New York sloop, to whom he represented me as a young man of his acquaintance, who had an affair with a girl of bad character, whose parents wished to com- pel me to marry her, and of consequence I could neither make my appearance, nor go off publicly. I sold part of my books to procure a small sum of money, and went privately on board the sloop. By favour of a good wind, I found myself in three days at New York, nearly three hundred miles from my home, at the age of seventeen years, without knowing an individual in the place, and with very little money in my pocket From New York he proceeded to Phi- ladelphia, where he obtained employment.
After the breaking up of the New England Courant, in 1727, nothing is known of James Franklin till 1732, in which year he removed his press and types to Newport, chief town of the state of Rhoae Island, being the first in that place. He set up his press at Newport, in a luom under the town school house ; and after doing some little business in various ways, died in 1735, leaving the establishment to his widow and family, who continued it successfully for several years.
\72l. Colo's Letlen. These letters, or essays, on liberty, civil and religious, were published periodically in the Lrnidon, and afterwards in the BritUh Journal. They were continued very sncccssfuUy for nearly three ycurs,and were then
collected into four volumes, I2mo. They were the effusions of John Trenchard and Tboinas Gordon. For the period these letters were published, they are singularly impartial. The language is clear and nervous, though sometimes coarse ; and the principles of liberty are sup- ported with a bola and manly spirit, and with no subserviency to faction ur cabal.
1722, June 29. Died, Richard Mount, an eminent stationer on Tower hill. His death was caused by the kick of a cart horse, as he was riding over London bridge. H e died in a few hours after the operation of amputation, being about seventy years of age. Dunton says, Mr. Mount " is not only a moderate, but has a natural an- tipathy to excess; he hates hoarding either money or goods, s^d being a charitable man, values nothing but by the use of it, and has a great and tender love for truth. He deals chiefly in paper and sea books, and is a hearty friend to the present government." He was master of the stationers' company for three years, 1717-19, and gave the clock in the court.
1722, July 2. Samuel Redmayne fined £300, and sentenced to suffer one year's imprison- ment, for printing a libel, called the Advantages of the Hanover Succession. Richard Phillips, sen., fined and imprisoned in the like manner, for printing the second part of the above.
1722, Sept. 24. IHed, James Watson, author of the History of Printing in Scotland, and already noticed as the promoter of many news- papers in Edinburgh. He was born at Aber- deen, and served his apprenticeship to the print- ing business. In 1695 he removed to Edin- burgh, where he carried on business with great reputation; though he was often reduced to many hardships, beiuff frequently presented before the privy council of Scotland, Tor print- ing in opposition to the patent granted to Mr. Anderson. In 1711, however, Mr. Watson, in conjunction with Mr. Freebaim, obtained a patent from queen Anne, and being now at liberty to pursue his calling unmolested, gave to the world many learned works; some of which were printed on very elegant types, particularly a bible, in crown 8vo., 1715, a matchless beauty, and another in 4to. Mr. Chalmers, in his Biographical Dictionary, states that the father of Mr. Watson was an eminent merchant at Aber- deen ; but Dr. Cotton says that his father was a " popish printer," and printed for king James, in Uolyrood house. See page 569, ante.
1722, Jan. 31. St. James's Post, No. 1099. The success that the Daily Journal has met with, obliges the publisher of this paper to discontinue it ; nor will any of them come out after this day. T. Warner, the publisher of this paper, will for the future publish the Daily Journal.
1722, Jan. 31. Freeholder's Journal, No. 1. 1722, Feb. 23. Fairy Taller, No. 9. 1722. Methoirs of Literature, second edition, 8 vols. 8vo. This work begau In 1709, and was continued to 1714. ^
1722, May'i. St. James's .fimniat, irith Me- moirs nf Literature; to be continued weekly.
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