474
HISTORY OF PRINTING.
scenes in their original purity to the world. But from some cause or other, which it is not our present business to explore, each of these editors, in his turn, has disappointed the just expectations of the public; and, with an in- version of nature's general rule, the little men have finally prevailed against the great. The blockheads have hooted the wits from the field ; and attaching themselves to the mighty body of Sbakspeare, like barnacles to the hull of a proud man of war, they are prepared to plough with him the vast ocean of time ; and thus, by the only means in their power, to snatch themselves from that oblivion to which nature had devoted them. — Symmons.*
Dr. Johnson remarks, that from the year 1623 to 1664, that is forty-one years, only two editions
- Perhaps there is no work la the English langraagre
which has risen so rapldlr in value as the Irst edition of car Eieat natural poet. The players, Heminge and Con- dell, poUished the first edition at ^1. At the sale of Philip Splldt, esq., 18U, the following prices were ob- tained:—
First edition, title-page reprinted, and Martin Droa- hoQt's portrait inserted, bound in mssia by R. Payne, Idas, .*37 IBs. , ^ _ _. .
Second edition, bound in russia by R. Payne, loss, ifl3 «s. 6d.
Third edition, and unto this impression is added seven plays, never befbre printed, in lolio, blue morocco, l(Mk. tSlt IBs.
Mr. Beloe says, " I can remember a very fine copy of the first edition of Slialispeare to have been sold for five guineas. 1 could once have purchased a superb one for nine guineas." At the sale of Dr. Monro's books it was purchased for thirteen guineas; and I was once present when thirty-six guineas were demanded for a copy.
Dr AAew had a fine copy of the first edition of this book, with the autograph of CSiarles 1. Mr. Steevens purcliased it at Dr. Askew's sale for j£'6 lOs. In this book Charles 1. had written these words : Ddh sriao spxao, C. B. and sir Henry Herbert, to whom the king presented it the night before his execution, had also written, " Kx dono serenissimi Regis Car. Servo suo Humiliss. T. Herberts."
At the sale of the Kemble library, Mr. Boswell gave
- «lls 7<. for a copy of the fblio ediUon. It had no doubt
cost Mr. Kemble three times tliat sum in the illustrations.
Mr. Ford, a liookseller of Manchester, about 1800, sold a copy of the original edition of Vemu tmd Admit for ^SO.
At the sale at Craven Ord, esq., 1830, a ctvy of the first edition, tiUe reprint. Colonel Stanley's copy, was sold for jffSS 6s. (id. At the same sale, the following prices were obtained :
Shake-Sptar^t Somutt, never before imprinted, ex. tremely tare. From the libraries of George Steevens and the duke of Roxburghe, l6og. i^l lOs. Sd. It sold at the duke of Rozburghe's sale tot ^n, and a copy of the same edition sold at Mr. Sotheby's, Jane, 1836, for ^40 igs.
ttuelk Ado about Nothing, first edition, 1800. 4to. j^ll. Mr. Bindley's copy sold for te\7 17s., and Mr. Steevens's forifSS los.
Hittorp ttf Me Uerchant of Venice, first edition. 4to. |60S. ^10 5s.
Richard It. second edition, 1608, 4to. ^7 I7s. 6d.
Bmntr. Fart the First. Second edition, ligg. 4to. £i I8S. fid. The White Knights' copy sold fo; ^is I7s. 6d.
Romeo and Juliet, newly corrected, augmented and amended, second edition. Steveens's copy. 1599, 4to. iCV I6s. 6d.
Rape of Luereee, I6l4, 4to. Bindley's sale, ie» Bs.
Sonnett. Printed by G. Eld, for T. T., and are to be sold by William Aspley, 1609. 4to. Sold at the sale of Dr. Farmer's library for rfs ) at Mr. Steevens's for j« 19s.i at the duke of Rozburghe's for tti\ idt White Knight's for jM7 ; at Mr. Boswell's for jf 38 ISs. i and at Sotheby's, June, 18S6, for je'40 19s.
Poeme. Written by William Shakespeare, Gent. Printed by Thomas Cotes, and are to be sold by John Benson, 1040. Small Svo.. with a portrait of Sbakspeare, by Marshall. Sold at Bindley's sale for dtt ts. ; at Sir Mark Syke's for £7,
of the works of Sbakspeare were printed, which probably did not altogether make 1000 oopiei.
1623, Nov. 9. Died, William CAMnEK, a learned antiquary and historian. He was boni May 2, 1661, in the Old Bailey, London, of humble parents, and owed his education to charity. He received the rudiments of his education at Christ's hospital, London, and was afterwards of Magdalen college, Oxford, in 1665. In 1673 he took the degree of B.A., and in 1576 was appointed second master of Westminstet school. In 1686 he published in Latin, the HUtorji of the Ancient Inhabitants of Britain, their Origin, Mannert, and Laws; a third edition of this work appeared iu 1690, at which time he had a prebend in Salisbury cathedral, but with- out being in orders. In 1693 he became he«d master of Westminster school, and next y«r published an enlarged edition of his Brilaimit. In 1697 he printed his Greek grammar, for the use of Westminster school ; and the same year was made clarencieux king at arms. In 1600 came out his Catalogue of the Monumentt m Wettmiruter Abbey, and a new impression of his Britannia. In 1603 he published at Frankfort a collection of our ancient historians, in Latio; and in the year following appeared his Semaiu concerning Britain, in 4to. In 1616 he printed his AnnaU of Queen Elizabeth. But such wis the literary despotism, that men of genius in this country were either suffering the vigorous limbs of their productions to be shamefully mutilated in public, or voluntarily committed a litem; suicide on thtax own manuscripts. Camden de- clared that he was not suCFered to print all his Elizabeth, and sent those passages over to De Thou, the French historian, who printed his history faithfully two years after Camden's first edition, 1616. "He died at Chiselhurst, inKeat, and his remains were interred with great so- lemnity in Westminster abbey. He founded a history professorship at Oxford, and bequeatlwd all his books and papers to sir Robert Cotton.
William Camden was a man of singular mo- desty and integrity, profoundly learned in the history and antiquities of this kingdom, and a judicious and conscientiouB historian. He was reverenced and esteemed by the literati of all nations, and will be ever remembered as an honour to the age and country wherein he lived.
1623. From a passage in the Deri/'t iaw Case, a drama by John Webster, first published in this year, it is very evident that gold omamenU had been long familiarly known as applied to velloia binding, at that period. He says —
There's in my closet A prayer book that is covered with gilt seUmi ; Fetch it.
1623. The following curious English book was printed at Toumay, in I2mo., entitled, Tke image of bothe Churches, Hierusalem and Bthd, unitie and confusion, obedience and sedition, b; P. D. M. (i. e. Matthew Patison) ; for some ac- count of which consult Wood's Athena Chami- ensit, and the Censura literaria, vol. vi. p. 246.
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