Resuming our notices of eminent bibliopoles, the next name we find in the order of date is that of John Dunton (temp. 1659-1733). Of his literary performances, his Life and Errors is the best known. His critical acumen, or good fortune, were certainly not much at fault; for it is recorded, that of the 600 works which he published, only seven proved unsuccessful.

Chiswell, styled for pre-eminence the metropolitan bookseller of England, and whose shrewdness and wit stood the test so admirably, that he is reported never to have issued a bad book, was also, at about the same period, an author of some consideration. Contemporary with him, we find the name of the learned linguist and bibliopolist Samuel Smith, the appointed bookseller to the Royal Society; and Thomas Guy, the founder of "Guy's Hospital" (whose munificence and philanthropy have immortalised his name, and often invoked the blessing of suffering humanity), was originally, it will be remembered, a bookseller.

John Bagford, an industrious antiquarian bookseller, who lived to the early part of the eighteenth century, was the author of the Collectanea, bearing his name, contained in the Harleian MSS. of the British Museum.

The Tonsons were a race of booksellers who did honour to their profession for integrity, and by their encouragement of authors. Malone published several letters from Dryden to Tonson, and Tonson to Dryden. Tonson displays the tradesman, acknowledging the receipt of the Translations of Ovid, which he had received for the third Miscellany, with which he was pleased, but not with the price, having only one thousand four hundred and forty-six lines for fifty guineas, when he expected to have had one thousand five hundred and eighteen lines for forty guineas; adding that he had a better bargain with Juvenal, which is reckoned not so easy to translate as Ovid. Most of the other letters relate to the translation of Virgil, and contain repeated acknowledgments of Tonson's kind attentions. "I thank you heartily," he says, " for the sherry; it was the best of the kind I ever drank." The current coin

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was at that period wretchedly debased. In one letter Dryden says, "I expect forty pounds in good silver, not such as I had formerly. I am not obliged to take gold, neither will I, nor stay for it above four-and-twenty hours after it is due." In 1698, when Dryden published his Fables, Tonson agreed to give him two hundred and sixty-eight pounds for ten thousand verses; and to complete the full number of lines stipulated, he gave the bookseller the Epistle to his Cousin, and the celebrated Ode.

Lintot, Pope's publisher, was also an author: not to speak of Miller, Evans, Griersson, Motte, and Ruddiman, the lastnamed a man of profound attainments as a grammarian and critic; or Richardson, the author of "Sir Charles Grandison," and other popular works, which have procured for him the title of the English Rousseau ;-and Alexander Cruden, the renowned compiler of the "Concordance to the Sacred Scriptures," whose stupendous labours turned him mad. A curious anecdote is related of him; one evening, having prepared an excellent supper for some friends, whom he had invited to partake of a favourite dish of roast turkey, no sooner had Mr. Cruden arrived and made his appearance in the room, heated with walking, than before the covers could be removed, while his guests were eagerly anticipating their pleasurable repast, up walked the distinguished host, and advancing to the smoking joint in question, sans cérémonie pushed back his wig, and with . both hands plunged in the gravy, began to wash his head and face over the bird, to the horror and dismay of the astonished group!

John Buckley, who lived to about 1746, was a learned linguist; and Paterson, his contemporary, was also author of many works, as well as a book-auctioneer; he was indeed one of the most prominent bibliopoles of his age.

About the same date, we meet with the name of Harris, the author of Lexicon Technicum. Chambers' Cyclopædia was the basis of Dr. Rees' voluminous work, which extended to forty volumes, quarto. This celebrated work was styled “the pride of booksellers, and the honour of the English nation." Rees is

represented as a man equally indefatigable, perspicacious, and observant. He was a Quaker, a member of Gray's Inn, and at his demise, which occurred at Canonbury House, Islington, a relic of the times of Elizabeth, he was interred within the cloisters of Westminster Abbey.

Hutton, of Birmingham, who has been not inaptly styled the English Franklin, from the very depths of obscurity and poverty, fought his way single-handed to wealth and literary eminence. His "History of Birmingham" was followed by other productions, including his interesting autobiography. His literary labours were concluded in 1811, by a "Trip to Coatham," a watering-place in Yorkshire, written in his eightysixth year, in which he thus takes leave of his readers: "As it is perhaps the last time I shall appear before the world as an author, I may be allowed the liberty of exhibiting my performances in that character. I took up my pen, and that with fear and trembling, at the advanced age of fifty-six, a period when most would lay it down. I drove the quill thirty years, during which time I wrote and published fourteen books."

We might refer to the names of Rushton, of Liverpool, M'Creery, Debrett, Allan Ramsay, the poet, Hansard, Bulmer, Boydell, Griffiths, Harrison, and many others we stay not to enumerate. Worrall, of Bell Yard, who died 1771, was a wellknown author-bookseller, as well as the eccentric Andrew Brice, of Exeter, and Sir James Hodges, who lived at the sign of the Looking-Glass on London Bridge. The names should not be omitted of Faulkner, Gent, Goadby, and also Smellie, the first edition of whose work on philosophy yielded him one thousand guineas, and a revenue of fame. Thomas Osborne, of Gray's Inn, was also a very eminent bookseller, although, if we are to decide with Dr. Dibdin, not eminent in philological attainments. Boswell relates an amusing circumstance connected with the professional career of this worthy bibliopole, who, it is said, was inclined to assume an authoritative air in his business intercourse. One day Johnson happening to encounter a similar exhibition of temper, the doctor became so exasperated, that he actually knocked Osborne down in his shop with a folio,

and put his foot upon his neck; and when remonstrated with on such summary proceeding, he coolly replied, "Sir, he was impertinent to me, and I beat him.”

Paternoster Row, the great literary emporium of the world, did not assume any importance till the reign of Queen Anne, when the booksellers began to forsake their former principal mart, Little Britain,* which had become the resort of all the bibliopoles about the time of the renowned John Day, terminating with the equally celebrated Ballard. In earlier times Paternoster Row seems to have been more noted for mercers, lacemen, and haberdashers, for a newspaper periodical of 1707 adds to the list, "the sempstresses of Paternoster Row." We find, however, the record of a solitary member of the craft, one Denham, who lived then and there, at the sign of the Star, as early as 1564, and whose significant motto ran as follows:

"Os homini sublime dedit."

There also dwelt turners of beads, and they were called Paternoster makers, from which, of course, this noted place originally derived its name. It is also worthy of notice, that the parish of St. Bride has been, from the days of Pynson, in 1500, down to the days of Strahan, the location of the "King's Printer;" while the number of those carrying on the profession in this vicinity are singularly numerous, and far beyond the average of any other parish in England, or perhaps the world; the site seems to have become, from its first introduction, the Alma Mater of the printers. Alex. Hogg, called the king of Puffers, was moreover reputed a man of considerable learning. He published numerous standard works in the serial form, and was the first to introduce that convenient, and, for the spread of literature, important mode of publication. He seems to have exhausted the vocabularies of superlatives,

*Anciently Breton Street, from the mansion of the Duke of Bretagne on that spot, in more modern times became the "Paternoster Row" of the booksellers; and a newspaper of 1664 states them to have published here, within four years, 464 pamphlets. Here lived Rawlinson ("Tom Folio" of The Tatler, No. 158), who stuffed four chambers in Gray's Inn so full, that his bed was removed into the passage.

to express the beauty, elegance, and magnificence of his editions. He also was reputed to possess singular tact in revivifying a dull book by re-christening it, and otherwise metamorphosing its contents when its sale, under its original condition, had ceased.

Among our notices of eminent bibliopolists we must not omit the name of Andrew Millar, or the laconic missives that passed between him and Dr. Johnson-although the incident may be already familiar to the reader.

The great lexicographer having wearied the expectation of the trade for his long promised work, and no less the patience of his publisher, who had already advanced him, in various sums, the amount of £1500, he was induced, on receipt of the concluding sheet of his Dictionary, to send to the doctor the following:-" A. Millar sends his compliments to Mr. Samuel Johnson, with money for the last sheet of copy of Dictionary, and thanks God he has done with him." To which our author replied, "Samuel Johnson returns compliments to Mr. Andrew Millar, and is very glad to find (as he does by his note), that Mr. A. M. has the grace to thank God for anything."

Honourable mention also should be made, of a name which has never, perhaps, been eclipsed in the annals of book-craft. We refer to that of Nicholls, whose "Literary Anecdotes," as well as his numerous other works, will link his memory to many a distant year, and whose otherwise immense industry and labours, as printer, compiler, and publisher, would scarce require the aid of "Sylvanus Urban " to immortalise his name. The mantle of the sire has descended upon the son, who has published several historical works, and, among others, an "Account of the Guildhall, London," historical notices of Fonthill Abbey," &c. Sotheby, the celebrated book-auctioneer of London, whose establishment, originally founded by Baker (his great uncle), in 1744, was one of the earliest that ever existed in London. He was a man of extensive learning and literary acquirements, and had been many years occupied in collecting materials for an elaborate work on the "Early History of Printing." He is favourably known to the literary