566
HISTORY OF PRINTING.
the clamour, he assumed the cold sobriety of an historian ; and has bequeathed no mean legacy to the literary world, in thirty-nix small volumes of criticism, closed in 1687. These were con- tinued by Bernard, with inferior skill ; and by Basnage more successfully in his Hittoire det Oavrages det Sfavatu. Voltaire has said that Bayle confessed he would not have made his dictionary exceed a folio volume, had he written only for himself, and not for the booksellers. This dictionary, with all its human faults, is a stupendous work, which must last with Utera- ture itself.
1684, Oct. 13. The charter of the company of stationers was again exemplified, at the request of Roger Norton, then master, and Henry Hills and James Cotteral, wardens of the company.
1684, Nov. The music feast on St. Cecilia's day was held at stationers' hall. In the wardens' accompts from the 5th day of July, 1684, to the 24th of July, 1685, is the following entry under the head of charge : " Received, the 25th of November, 1684, for the music feast kept in the hall, £2. The price paid br the stewards of this feast for the use of the half, till 1694, was only £2 ; in 1694 and 1695, £4 ; in 1698, £5 ; and in 1700 six guineas was paid. — For some curious particulars, see Malone's Life of Dryden, vol. i.
1684, July 26. The OhteraUor Reformed, No. 104. It is announced in one of the numbers of this paper, that advertisements of eight lines are inserted for one shilling.
1684, Nov. 26. Account of the Proceedings against Nathaniel Thompson, upon his Trial at the Kbig't Bench Bar, Westminster.
1665. Feb. 6. Died, Charles II., king of England, whose characterit is difficult to describe with any certainty.* With graceful manners and a pleasing address, he possessed various talents, and a fund of ready wit. Some historians have defined him according to their own peculiar principles and prejudices ; all allow that he was sifted with sense and judgment, and all agree in representing him to have been trifling, ca- pricious, and extravagant ; addicted to voluptu- ous pleasures, and incapable of serious attention. His afiability was such, that he always treated others as gentlemen, but was himself deficient of kingly dignity. His natural indolence induced him to follow the advice of otheis, rather than take the trouble to think for himself; his sensu- ality rendered him heartiess and ungrateful ; and he wanted energy to be generous, or he could not have allowed the author of Hudibras (a work from which the royal cause derived great advantages, and the monarch a continual source of amusement) to live in obscurity, and die in
- Kvelf n in hia Diary of Febnury 8, mya, "The king
died. I can nerer forget the Inezpreaaible luxury and pio- fueneaa, gaming, and all dlaaolatenesa, and, as It were, total fbrgetftlnesa of Ood, (it being Sonday erening,) which thii day sCnnlght I was witness of. 'Hie UnK slt- Unc and toying with nls coneablae* Poitsinontli, Cleav- land, and Mazarine, &c. and a French boy slngiiig lore songs; whilst aliove twenty of the great eoortiers and other dluolute persons were at basset round a large table, with a bank of at least SMM in gold before them."
distress; and the pathetic Otway* to expire fim hunger. With respect to religion, he wanted the real principle of virtue; and while in Ute eniay- ment of hodth, felt careless as to the appeazaace of it ; but having been eariy initiated in the Catholic faith, he fled to its sanctuary in the bh- ment of expecting dissolution.
Of the writers of this reign there were soaie of considerable reputation. Four of the poets were of the rank of earls, the earl of Rochei- ter,t celebrated for his profligacy and wit; the earl of Roscommon^ wha was a smooth sad elegant versifier; the earl of Halifax^ an emineat historical personage; and the earl of Doraetjj who remains as the only worthy poeucal petsoa- age of this list. The nautical ballad. To all you ladies now on land, by this noblemaa, re- mains as the only worthy poetical memorial of a very amiable nobleman, and munificent patroa of poets.
"nie wits of Charies found easier ways to fiune Nor wisb'd for JoDSon's art or Shakspeare's flame. Thefflselves they studied, as they felt they witt ; Intrigue was plot, obscenity was wit. Vice always found a sympi^etic friend ; They pleased their age, and did not aim to mend- Yet buds like these aspired to lasting pnOaa, And proudly hoped to pimp in fatore days.
Of the writers of this period WordswortL gives the following character.
Great men hare been among ns; hands that pinned
And tongues that uttered wisdom, better aaae :
The latter Sidney, Marvel, Harrington,
Young Vane, and others who called Hilton meod.
These Moralists could act and comprehend :
They knew how genuine glory was pat on :
Taught us how rightf nUy a nation shone
In splendour : what strength was, that would not bend
But in magnanimous meekness. Fiance, tis atraag^
Hath brought forth no such souls as we had then.
Perpetual emptiness I unceasing change <
Ko single volume paramount, no code,
No master spirit, no determined road;
But equally a want of books and men 1
1685. CountvGentleman's Courant, published by Morphey. The editor remarks that, "sedng promotion of trade is a matter that ought to be encouraged, the price of advertisements is ad- vanced to twopence per line."
1686. Joseph Moxon published his t^rpo- graphical work, entitied Mechanical Exercises, a work which has commanded respect to the present day, and though it may yield in extent
- Thomas Otway was born at Trotting, Maidi 3, iCil;
he was the son of a clergyman, and by ^ofession a ptaycr and a poet, though nnsncceasftal in both capacities. Alts a life spent in the atmost poverty, degradatian, sM wretchedness, be is said to have died in eoaaeqacBce of eating, when almost famished, a roll which had been ginn him in charity. Out of ten plays, vnitten by this nnfots- nate author, two only are now in repute, Vatlei Pn- served and Uie OrpAm; and upon the appearance cf tkc former, in 1683, it took such hold of the sta^ that ereato this day it has not been diminished. Otway died Aftl 14tli, loss, and was buried in St. dement Danes, Laado.
t John Wllmot, earl of Hochester, the inseparable eoB- panion of Charles II., died July aC, 1880.
t Wentworth, earl of Roscommon, died Jan. 17, iMi.
i Charles Montague, earl of Halitix. was bora Afiil 17, 1880, and died 171i.
I Charles SackvUle, earl of Dorset, was bora ia If97i and died in 1708.
VjOOQ IC
