14 The Newspaper World. sion, its diminutive size doubtless enabling it to pass as a pamphlet. It was not long before a rival newspaper appeared, and the title-pages of these two early eighteenth century journals will give a good idea of the newspaper enterprise of the period. They run as follows : — Numb. I. The Exeler Mercury : or, WEEKLY INTELLIGENCE of NEWS being A FAITHFUL ABSTRACT of all the News Papers of Note : Containing the Material Occurrences FOREIGN and DOMESTICK With a Particular Account of what BOOKS and PAMPHLETS are Publish'd in Great Britain, France, Holland, ^c. N. B. Advertisements are taken in at the usual Prices. Friday, September 24, 1714. Exon : Printed by Philip Bishop at his Printing-Ofiice in St Peter's- Churchyard, 1714. To be continued Weekly. Price Three Half- Pence. Numb. IV. The Protestant Mercury : or, the EXETER POST- BOY with NEWS FOREIGN and DOMESTICK being The most Remarkable Occurrences, impartially collected, as Occasion offers, frovciXhe Evening-Post, Gazette, Votes, Flying Post, Weekly Pacqttet , Dormer's Letter, Postcript to the Post- Man, ^c. So that no other can pretend to have a better Collection. Publish'd every TUESDAY and FRIDAY. Price, seal'd for the Country loj. per Annum. And for the Convenience of those that will take the same but Once a Week, it is so order'd that every Friday's Paper will contain three Posts, or the whole Weeks News. Advertisements will be incerted at Reasonable Pates. This paper circulates Forty Miles round, and several Hundreds dispers'd every Week. Friday, October the 7th, 171 5. Printed by JOS BLISS at his New Printing-House near the Ijondon-lnn without East-Gate. It IS not proposed to relate here the early history of the Times^ the centenary of which so recently took place, but its prospectus on changing its title from that of the Universal Register, on JaLnuary ist, 1788, is so quaintly humorous, and affords so good an insight into the char- acter of the metropolitan Press enterprise t)f the century, that it may be reproduced here by way of completing the contrast between newspaper work then and now. This initial number of the Times was without leading articles and had but fifty-seven advertisements. This is how the new journal was introduced to the public : — The Times ! What a monstrous name. Granted — for the Times is a many-headed monster that speaks with a hundred tongues, and
