616
HISTORY OF PRINTING.
1717. Hittorieal Register for the Year 1716, published at the expense of the Sun fire office. The regular publication having taken up the history of public affairs only from the 9th Janu- ary, 1717, two volumes were printed together in 1724, containing an account of events from the last day of July, 1714, up to that date, being the first seventeen months of the reign of George I. With these introductory volumes, therefore, the Historical Register forms a chronicle of the affairs of this and other countries of Europe, from the accession of the house of Hanover. The compilers, to use their own words, confine themselves to mere "matters of fact, without making any descant thereon either of com- mendation or reprehension." This work also, about the year 1737, began to appear in monthly numbers. The change was probably a dying effort, as the volume for 1738 was, we believe, the last that appeared. The Historical Register was printed and sold by G. Meere in the Old Bailey. The price, while it was published quar- terly, was one shilling each part.
In Strype's continuation of Stow's Survey, is the following notice respecting the Sun Fire Office. "All persons taking out policies for insurance, must pay two shillings and sixpence per quarter; and besides their insurance, shall liave a book called the Historical Register, left every quarter at their house."
One of the managing persons of this societv was named Povey, who having a scheming bead, a plausible tongue, and a ready pen, prevailed on his fellow-members to undertake the above publication, foreign as it was to the nature of their institution. Mr. Povey was also a great improver of the penny post.
1717, Nov. 6. Entertainer, No. 1.
1717, Nov.Ha. Reprisal, No. 1.
1718, Feh. 5. Died, Thomas Roycroft, for- merly law patentee and city printer. In 1675, he was master of the stationers' company, and in 1677, hegave to them two silver mugs, weight 27ozs. Sdwts. On the left side of the altar, at St. Bartholomew's the Great, is this epitaph :
M. 8. Hie juzta situs est Thomas RoTCBorr, Armiger, linpuifl Orientalibus Typograpbus Regius, placidissimis, nulbiis et autiqaa probitate memorandos. quorum gr^ia optiml civis famam Jure mei-lto adeptos eat, militiae ctvicie Vicctribunus. Ncc minus apod exteros notos ob Ubros clegantissimos suis typis editos. inter quos sanctissimum ilium Bibliorum Polyglottorum, apud ^nem niazime eminet. Obiit .. die Augusti, anno Repuatte Balutis 1626, postquam 56 setatis annum implevisMt. Farenti optime merito, Sahoil RovcRorr, fillus onicus, hoc monomentom posuit.
Mr. Roycroft died of an apoplexy, at his house, in Bartholomew close.
1718. It appears that printing was practised in Shrewsbury, for the Welsh name, 3fy<A^, or Mwythig, occurs in some books printed there.
1718, My 9. Theophilus Cater, of the parish of Christ Church, London, gave £1000 to the company of stationers, on condition of their paying him an annuity of £50 for his own life; and after his death, £40 to be thus dis- posed of: — To the minister of St. Martin's,
Ludgate, for a sermon, £1 10*.; to the reader, 6s.; to the clerk and sexton, 2s. M. each, 5«.; t«» fourteen poor freemen of the company, JG14.; to ten poor men of St. Martin's, £10.; and to t£n poor men of Christ Church, £1 each ; the re- mainder (being £4) towards a dinner for the master, wardens, and assistants. [Mr. Cater received the annuity to Christmas, 1719.]
1718. John Lilly, who had filled die office of clerk to the company of stationers, from 1673 to 1681, when he resigned, gave to the companj. in 1718, £20 for a piece of plate, which was laid out in a Monteith and collar, to match with o^ given in 1666. They weigh 76 oz. 5 dwts.
1718, July. Nathaniel Mist, the printer, pub- lished the following queries in his journal, on the Spanish war. " Who are you going to fight for? What have we to do in that quarrel ? What will be the consequences ? Whether the French will not run away with your trade ?" &c. For this offence his house was searched, and hb journeymen and apprentices taken into custody.
1718. De Typographic ExeeUenHa Carmem, in French and Latin. 8vo. By Clandii Liado- vici. Paris. Claude-Louis Thibonst was prister to the university of Paris, where he executed some good editions of the classics. His poen on printing is reprinted at the end of Achard's Cours Elementaire Bihliographique, without the notes which accompany the origmal work. The mechanism of the art is described in 120 tolerably flowing hexameters. It is justly characterized by Foumier as being a declamation rather than an instruction in the art. — Man Typog. torn. i.
1718, Dec. 6. Died, Nicholas Rowe, poet- laureate to George I., and the friend of Addi- son, who is now less known as a miscellaneous poet than as a tragic dramatist. His chief works are the tragedies called the Ambitious Step, mother ; Tamerlane; the Fair Penitent; Ulysses; the Royal Convent; Jane Shore; Lady Jane Grey ; and a comedy called the Biter. He wrote also several poems upon different subjects, and gave the public an edition of Shakspean^ plays, to which he prefixed an account of that great mau's life. See page 593, a>i<e. But the most considerable of Mr. Rowe's performances was a translation of Lucan't Pharsalia. Mr. Rowe was born in the year 1673. The laureate- ship was given to the Rev. Lawrence Eusden.
1718, Dec. 22. Died, Sir Joshua SHARPE,aB eminent stationer of London, who is thus noticed by John Dunton: — ^ The next I dealt with was Mr. Sharpe, (brother to the archbishop* of that
- Dr. John Sharpe, archbishop of Yoric, was born at
BradTord, in Yorkshire, Feb. 10, 1644, and edncated at Cambridge. He w&s a man of great learning and piety, and a bright ornament of the choich of England. Be died at Bath, Feb. s, 1714, and was buried in the catfaedial at Yorlc, where a handsome monoment is erected to Ikis memory. The archbishop had three brothers, of irtuo Joshua, above-mentioned, was the youngest.
The llbiary of archbishop Sharpe, amon^ other vahalile boolcs, contained a very curious collection of tracts and pamptilets, chiefly historical and controversial, during s period of more than thirty years. They descended to Jdi ■ BOD, Dr. John Sharpe, who was archdeacon of Noftbnm- bei-Iand, and a prebendary of Doiham. He died April i^ 1792, a^ed 68 years.
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