EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.
620
who endeavoured to give a quarto edition of it ; but just before it was completed, it was seized by John Kent, messenger of the press, and Wil- liam Squire, messenger in ordinary, on the 29th of May, 1723, at the instance uf Dr. Gibson, bishop of London, and burnt, a very few copies excepted. It contains the first account of the circulation of the blood, above 70 years before the immortal Harvey published his discovery.'"
Dr. Sigmond wrote a work entitled Utmottced Theoriet of Senetui, a Diiterlation addrettd to the Medical Society of Stockholm. By George Sigmond, M.D., late of Jesus' college, Cam- bridge, and formerly president of the Royal Ph^ical Society of Edinburgh. London, 1826. This work is scarce, in consequence of having been suppressed or withdrawn from publication. It remains further to be observed respecting Servetus, that according to Dr. Sigmond, another of his theories was, that " in the blood is the life." His notions "on vegetable and animal life," are in his work De Tritutatit Errorihui, libri vii. 12mo. 1531. This book appears in the Bibliotheea Parriana, by Mr. Bonn, with the following manuscript remarks on it by Dr. Parr: " Liber rariuimut. I gave two guineas for this book." S.P. "Servetus was burnt for this book. He might be a heretic, but he was not an infidel. I have his life, in Latin, written by Allwoerden, which should be read by all scholars and true Christians." S. P.
1723, Sept. 23. Died, Simon Becklev, clerk of the stationers' company, and deputy of the ward of Farringdon Within. He held the former office from 1697.
1723, Oct, 26. Died, RooER Norton, of Little Britain, printer of Latin, Greek, and Hebrew to his majesty, and one of the patentees in the office of king's printer. He was master of the sta- tioners' company in 1684.
1723, Jan. Paiquin, No. 1.
1 723, Feb. 1 8. Northampton [Weekly] Mercury, No. 147, by R. Raikes and W. Dicey.
1723, F«i. 28. Newt Journal, in English and French, No. 1.
1723, June 3. True Briton, No. 1. Of this publication, which was written in opposition to the administration, and in defence ot Atterbury, bishop of Rochester, the profligate duke of Wharton* was the author. It displays abilities which might have been rendered serviceable to his country, but which debauchery, and want of all principle, either stifled or directed into a wrong channel. It was published twice a week, and had a very large sale ; having reached the seventy-fourth number, closed Feb. 17, 1724.
1723, June 6. Stamford Mercury, vol. xxi. No. 23.
1723, June 18. Vidtor, No. I.
1723, July 8. Reading Mercury, No. 1.
1723, Dec. 11. Universal Journal, No. 1.
1723. The Norwich Journal, No. 1.
• Philip dnke of Wbuton, a mwt eccentric ehancter, bom iSgSi went to Fnnce and engaged In the pretender't interest, tat wMrh he was attainted of hich treason, but died at Teragone, in Spain, MaySl, 1731.
1724, Died, Joseph Collier, printer, and treasurer to the stationers' company from 1702 till 1724. Dunton says, "He was my fellow- apprentice for many years, and I shall say nothing of him but what I know to be tme. He has a great deal of learning, a discerning judg- ment, is pleasant in his conversation, and sin- cere in his piety. He writes an excellent hand, is an accurate accomptant, and justly merits the honour the company of stationers did him in choosing him their treasurer."
1724, April 24. Owing to the different editions of the bible that had been printed by the patentees both at Cambridge and at London, being so full of errors, with a defective type, on bad paper, and sold at such an exorbitant price, his majesty George I. issued the following order to the patentees, dated this day from Whitehall : " 1. That all bibles printed by them hereafter, shall be printed upon as good paper, at least, as the specimens they had exhibitea.
" 2. That they forthwith deliver four copies of the said specimens to be deposited and kept in the two secretaries' offices, and in the public registries of the archbishop of Canterbury and the bishop of London, to the end recourse may be had to them.
" 3. That they shall employ such correctors of the press, and allow them such salaries, and shall be approved from time to time, br the arch- bishop of Canterbury and bishop of London for the time being.
"4. That the said patentees for printing bibles, &c., do print in the title-page of each book, the exact price at which such books are by them to be sold to the booksellers."
In the following month, his majesty appointed a professor of modern histonr in each university, of the degree, at least, ot master of arts, or bachelor of law, with a stipend of J6400 per annum. The two first professors were Mr. Gregoiy, of Christ church, Oxford, and Mr. Samuel Harris, fellow of Peter house, Cam- bridge. For a further encouragement to the universities, the king ordered that his almoner should choose, out of the members of Oxford and Cambridge, twenty-four preachers to offici ate alternately in the chapel at Whitehall, with a salary of thirty pounds a-year each.
1724, April. Lord Carteret, afterwards earl Granville, lord lieutenant of Ireland, issued a proclamatiou offering a reward of j£300 for the discovery of the author of Drapier't fourth letter. Mr. Harding, the printer of these letters, was thrown into prison, and a prosecution directed against him at the instance of the crown. It is stated that while Harding was in jail, Swift actually visited him in the disguise of an Irish country clown, or tpalpeen. Some of the printer's family or friends, who chanced to visit him at the same time, were urging him to earn his own release by informing against the author of the Drapier't Lettert. Harding replied steadily, that he would rather perish in jail before he would be guilty of such treachery and baseness. All this passed in Swift's presence, who sat
VjOOQ IC
