EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.
printer, Richard FranoUin. Mr. Fnncklin, in printing the Crafunnant often experienced the ministerial vengeance by being prosecuted by the crown, and several times confined in the king's bench. It is true, indeed, that several noblemen and gentlemen subscribed the sum of £60 each, as a compensation to Francklin for his losses ; but it is as true that no more than three paid their money, of whom Mr. Pulteney was one. It was by the advice of the latter gentle- man, that Mr. Francklin was induced to edu- cate his son* for the church, with a promise of being provided for by Pulteney, who afterwards forgot nis undertaking.
1742, May 22. Died, John Baskjet, printer to his majesty. He was master of the company of stationers in 1714, and again in 1715. Mr. Basket had the patent of king's printer assigned over to him by the executors of Newcomb and Hills, and havmg purchased Tooke and Barber's term of thirty years, obtained a further renewal of thirty years, which gave him a total of sixty years, the last thirty of which were conveyed for the sum of £10,000 to Charles Eyre, esq.
1742, /toM 27. Died, Nathan Bailey, author of a very useful Dictionary, and editor uf several classics and school books. He died at Stepney.
1742, March 20. The Wettmituter JournM; or, New Weekly MiieeUany, No. 17, by Thomas Touchet, of Spring.«ardens, esq.
1742, March 6. the Kendal Weekly Mercury, No. 427. This paper must have commenced so far back as the rear 1733. It was printed and published by Thomas Ashbumer, m the Fish Market, post folio, price one penny. Mr. Ash- bumer succeeded a Mr. Cotton in business.
1743, Feb. 23. Dr. Johnson relinquishes his office of composer of the debaUt of parliament, and was succeeded by Dr. Hawksworth. " John- son's portion of the parliamentary debates was collected into two octavo volumes ; to which the editor substituted the real for the fictitious meakers ; and these debates, like the orations of Cicero and Demosthenes, ought to be studied by the British youth, as specimens of splendid elo- quence, nervous argument, and parliamentary aecomm."
1743, Dee. 14. "Received of Mr. Ed. Cave the sum of fifteen guineas in full, for compiling and writing 7^ Ltfe of Richard Savage, £iq.^
- Thomu FnmckllD, D. D. wu born In London, abont
1730, »nd educated at Westmlnater and Cambridge. Be was choaen profenor of Greek In that anlvetaity. In 17M lie obtained the vicarage of Ware, to which waa afterwards addedtherector]rofBairsted,tn Kent. He waa alio chaplain In ordinarr to the king. He died Hardi is, 1784. Dr. Francklin tranalated Phatarit, Sophoela, and Lucian, into itngH«h ; and wrote three plays, the Sari of Warwick and MtttUia, tragedies, and the Conirast, a comedy. He also pablished a volnnie of Sermons, and permitted his name to be prefixed to a translation of Voltaire's works.
t Richard Savage was the natural aonofthe conntesa of Macclesfield, by eari Rivers, and born January I6, 1697. TUs nnnatoral woman caosed him to be bronghtnp with- oat a knowledge of his origin, and fkamed a story of his death, to pterent Ills father from leaving him a legacy. By the death of his norse he foond some papers which dis- closed the secret of his birth and parentage ; bat every effort to gain his mother's favour waa ineffectoaJ ; upon this be wrote his best poem, entitled the Batard. Having
deceased; and in full for all materials thereto applied, and not found by the said Edward Cave, I say, received by me, Sam Johnson ; Deo. 14, 1743." Walter Harte, the poet and historian, was one of Johnson's earliest admirers. Soon after the Life of Savage was published, Harte, dining with Cave, at St. John's-gate, took occa- sion to speak very handsomely of the work, which was anonymous. Cave, the next time they met, told Harte that he made a man very happy the other day at his house, by the encomi- ums he bestowed on the author of Savage's Life. "How could that be?" said Harte, " none were present but you and I." Cave re- plied, "You might have observed, I sent a plate of victuab behind the screen : there skulked the biographer, one Johnson, whose dress was so shabby that he durst not make his appearance. He overheard our conversation ; ana vour ap- plauding his performance delighted him ex- ceedingly."
1743,ilfarcA 2. The Boston Weekly Magazine. This was the third periodical in North America, and it only reachM its fourth week. It was printed on a half sheet of 8vo.
1743. The Chrittian Hittory. This was the second magazine issued at Boston, and originated by the revival under Whitfield and his associates : it was published weekly, half sheet 8ro, till 1735.
1743. The American Magazine and Historical Chronicle, edited by Jeremy Gridley. This was also published at Boston, and issued monthly for four years. It consisted of fiity 8vo. pages.
1743. TTie Merchant's Magazine i or, Faetor't Guide. By R. B. merchant, London : published by Mr. Meadows, price three shillings.
1743, Ai. Old England ; or, the Constitutional Jourmd. This paper was written to oppose the ministry which succeeded to the long reign of sir Robert Walpole. It had manycontributois, the principal of whom was William Guthrie; and lord Chesterfield lent his assistance in the early part of its progress. It was issued weekly for several years, and the dispersers of it were often taken into custody, and punished.
1743. Died, Thomas Osborne a respectable bookseller of London. It is said that Famela, the first work in which Mr. Richardson had an opportunity of displaying his original talents, arose out of a scheme proposed to nim by Mr.
the misfortune to kill ano&er man in a drunken quarrel, bis mother devised every means she could to get him ex- ecuted ; and when he was condemned she endeavoured to prevent his reraiviug a royal pardon. However his friends procured him a revere ; and lord Tyroonnel took him into his fkmily, to whom Savage dedicated his poem of the WoMierer. But the temper and conduct of Savage were most nnfbrtunate. He quarrelled with his patnm and waa discarded. Queen Caroline allowed him a pension of jff50, which he lost at her death, and was reduced to great diatreas. He died In prison at Bristol, where he was confined for a trifling debt, August t, 1743. Savage had a consider- able genius, but it was unciiltivated. Johnson was almost the only person who had not alienated himself firom this unfortunate son of the muses, and he has embalmed the memory of the companion of his midnight rambles with the most masterly piece of biograidiy in the Engliah language. Of the Life of Smage, it Is said, that Johnson wrote forty-eight Svo. pages In one day 1 but that day in- cluded the night, for he sat up all night to do it.
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