576
HISTORY OF PRINTING.
bar, was arraigned, and pleaded not guilty, and made it his request, that he might have a copy of his indictment; but it would not be granted. The crime laid to his charge was, the compos- ing, printing, and publishing, two malicious, treasonable libels : the first entitled. Remark* upon the present Confederacy and late Revolution in England; the second, A French Conquest, neither desirable nor practicable.
The principal evidence against the prisoner was Robert Stephens,* the messenger of the press, who made oath, that coming to Scuda- more's house, where the prisoner lodged, and asking what lodgers they had, he saw the pri- soner's mother in the yard, who crying out murder, the prisoner came out of the house, and fell upon him; and that at the time of Mr. An- derton's apprehension, he did in words disown the goTemmeot, and called king William Hook- nose, not submitting himself: that he took at the said bouse an old trunk filled with seditious papers and pamphlets, and that be had seen the trunk formerly, and knew it to be Mr. An- derton's, and that he also found a desk, and took out of the said desk forty or fifty of a sort of the Remarks and French Conquest, and that he saw the prisoner shove up a bed, which run upon wheels, behind which was a door, which
• Robot Stephens. And it is Ht Robin sitoiild bring up tbs rear of the inters, u he is " messenger to the press," as well as a printer, and orders those irregular thin^t as well as they their own hearts of letter. I know Robin has many enemies, that grwit at him, and, perhaps, they have reason for it; and if I will praise the bridge that I went over, I must say he never did me the least Injury; for if I printed a book that had no licence, I took such care to daxxlt liis eyes that he could not see it, and Robin will be u tine to his friend (when there is a fellow-feeling in the case) as any man in the world, which is a rare quality in a man wlK) lives by mformtng; and as Robin knows how to be just and kind to those that deserve it from him, so were 1 put to my oath, I could not swear but Robin Ste- phens and ids brother messenger, John OettUrrandf axe both very honest quiet men, — I mean as to me; and when the world has b«ieved this, 1 will endeavour to find out their other virtues; for, as to Gellibrand, I never heard liis ho- nesty questioned; and as to Stephens, he is as much a saint as the world thinks him, and that is as liigh as I can go in his praise; for if he alone is a wise man, who hath a clear and certain knowledge of things, then I am ex- cluded, for I mistake every thing, when I weigh the cha- racter of men (whether friends or enemies) if 1 come near them, 1 am within a circle and straightwaysas If conjured from giving a true verdict; yea, when I had outlawed a a person, as one altogether unworthy of protection (and perhaps have thought him as black as *' the Obeervaior** has made Stephens) yet how hath the tender of some few qualities been ready to make me reverse It! hath not only stopped my mouth (as is seen in my character of Robin Stephens^ but muddied my sounder Judgment of him, so that now I have had enough to do to see the fault thiongh my Mend. My very judging faculty hath been somewhat bribed to spare the sin, lest I should fall too foul upon the subject of it, and how have I found out a weak brain, a strong temptation, or something or other to extenuate the oSlmcel yea. an intent of getting a place myself, and some possibility of arriving to Robin's height, hath been such a powder mine, that I have been well nigh blown up in my own trenches, and my affections have been like a navy in a storm at sea, hardly kept together, so that you see, reader, if I have given Stephens too loud a character. It is so naturally the effect of those conniving favours I have received from him that to have hoped in his praise would have been very ungrateful i and for snch who think I have mistook his virtues, or said too little in his com- mendation, I would have them consider that Robin has been a kind and honest messenger to me, and that is all I know of the matter.— J>im<ofi.
he opened, and there found a printing press, letters, and other materials proper for that trade; that he also found an errata, with an &c. sei in the press, the very same which he believed were the book, called ilemarks upon the present Con- federacy. Hooper, the beaale of stationers' ball, seconded the aforesaid testimony, as also the con- stable and his beadle; they also alledged fortv or fifty of the French Conquest to be there. iBe- sides Stephens, the constable, and the beadles, there were also two printers sworn, viz. Roberts* and Snowden,t (a dissenter to whom Anderton was some time an apprentice) the substance of whose evidence was, that they had seen the characters in the hall, together with the &c., and that they did believe it was the letter that printed that book, (t. e. the book then shewed m court,) as also, that the two books were printed with one and the same letter or cha- racter. Anotherawitness made oath, that abont three quarters of a year before, he had sold the prisoner paper, by the name of Williamson.
In summing up the evidence, two or three old, musty, impertinent precedents were brought in, which had not seen the sun for many ages, the chief of which was that of sir John Oldcastle, lord Cobham, and he might as well have urged the case of the Man-in-the-Moon : for what was my lord Cobham's case to printing? That famous Wicklivite lived in the reign of Richard II., some scores of years before printing was thought on, which came not into England till the reign of Henry VII.; and the prisoner had very well observed, that it was not expressed in the statute, 23 Edward III., (and it is impos- sible printing should be expressed there,) is barred from being any ways adjudged, or in- terpreted treason, by U»e statute 1 Mary. In short, in summing up the evidence to the jury, every thing was aggravated to the utmost, every little punctilio was made use of, which was thought might be any thing serviceable to beget in the jury an hard opinion of the prisoner; the bed with wheels was not let alone : every little trifle was fetched in, with all the witty malice imaginable; nay, the very soul of the man was looked into, and the jury told what was within him; he was an ill-minded man, a disaffected person; he was no lover of the government; and that printing was an overt-act; so the jury were sent out to consider of their verdict.
After two hours debate, the greater part of
- He was master over himself; when he had a storm in
his heart, he made all fair weather in his face. He would look bi^, but I never found he was passionate, proud, or vain; however, he had this particular in him, that he never broke his word to a bookseller. In twenty books that he printed for me, he never disappointed me once, or exacted twopence, so that what he left to his widow win wear weU, for it was every penny honeaUy gotten.— DunUm.
t He was my very dear and intimate Mend for many years, a man of very great industry, and composed moch himself. He was a great admirer of Mr. Ix)tt. His widow follows the same trade; and though 1 was pretty dc^y indebted to her husband, yet she has not once a^ied me for it, which I take as a very great and noble kindnrss, and BO soon as I can possibly compass money to discharge my debts, she, to be sure, shall not lose a futhing.— Dunton.
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