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HISTORY OF PRINTING.

1638. Newtt and Strange Newes from St. Christophers of a tempestuous spirit, which is called by the Indians a Hurry-caru) or whirl- wind ; whereunto is added, the true and last rela- tions (in verse) of the dreadful accident which happened at Witticombe in Devonshire, 21 Oct. 1638. London, 13mo. with a wood-cut. Sold at the Goidonston sale for £1 18s. Ingliss, £1 Ss.

1639. At the commencement of the great civil war, each army carried with it its own printer; expecting either to convince by its reasoning, or delude by its falsehood. King Charles I. carried Robert Barker with him to Newcastle-upon- TrNE, this year, and there published a news- paper, which was the first provincial one in the kingdom; and the same year was printed a book entitled, Lawes and ordinances of Warre, for the better government of his majestie's army royall, in the present expedition for the Northern parts. See." Imprinted at Newcastle, by Robert Barker, printer to his majesty, &c. a small 4to. of 27 pag^s. Barker did not remain long at Newcastle, but returned to London.

1640. Miles Flesher printed the following curious work, entitled the Belman of London bringing to Light the most notorious Villanies that are now practised in the Kingdome. Profit- able for gentlemen, lawyers, merchants, citizens, farmers, masters of households, and all sorts of servants to mak, and delightfull for all men to read.

Lege, perlege, relege.

The fifth impression with new editions.

Of this book Warton observes, that it was called by a cotemporary writer, the most witty, elegant, and eloquent display of the vices of London then extant. Scarce as this book now is, and few are more scarce, it went through a prodigious number of editions. This is almost the first book which professes to give any account of the canting language of thieves and vagabonds.

John Busby printed the Lanthom ond Candle Light : or, the Bell-Mans Second Nights Walke. In which he brings to light a brood of more strange villanies than ever were till this yeare discovered.

Decet novUse malum, fcclsse ne&ndum.

The second edition, newly corrected and amended.

This appears to be a continuation of the for- mer work, and certainly is no less curious. It is inscribed " To the verry worthy Gentleman, Francis Musician of Peckam."

M. Pabsoks printed English Villanies seven severall Times prest to Death by the Printers, but sUU reviving, are now the eighth time (as at the first) xliscovered by Lantliomeand Candle Light, and the helpe of a new cryer, called

O-per-se-O. Whose loud vovce proclaimes to all that will heare him, another conspiracy of abuses lately plotting together to hurt the peace of this king- dome: which the Bell-man, because he then went stumbling in the dark, could never see till

now. And because a company of rog^ues, cna- ning, canting gypsies, and all the scumme <rf a nation fight here under their tattered coloms. At the end is a canting dictionary to teach their language, with canting songs. A booke to make gentlemen merry, citizens warie, countnmen carefull. Fit for all justices to reade over, because it is a pilot by whom they may make strange discoveries.*

1640. Thomas Cotes printed the Tragedy tf Messalina, the Roman Empresse, as it bath \ieeat acted with generall applause, divers times, by the company of his majesties revells. Written by Nathaniel Richards.

OpttmoB hie et formoslsslmns idem Geotis Pati'itise rapitur miser eztinpueiidas Messallinae ocuUs.— Juonu;. Sat. 10.

For Daniel Frere, at the sign of the Red Bull, in Little Brittaine.

To this play a portrait of the author is pre- fixed, with this inscription round the border : — " Semite supera non Terrestria, suspice ccelum, despice mundum, respice finem."

1640. The School of AB0,t the capital of Swedish Finland, having been raised to the dignity of an university by queen Christina, in this year, its directors; unwilling that the academical acts should continue to be printed at Stockholm or Dorpt, as had previously been customary, established at Abo in 1642 or 1643, as their own printer, Peter Waldius, who had before ezercise<l the art at Upsal and at the Westeras. Printing continued to be exercised at Abo until the year 1713, at which time, on account of the troubles of war, the press was removed for security to Stockholm, where it was still remaining in the year 1722, when Alnander wrote his history of Swedish typography.

• The following is the flret worli in which anj t

or description can be found of the cant langua^ of tlueTts and pickpockets. It Is in black letter, and has this titic:— A Caveat for Common CttrsetorM. vulgaretjf called V«f«. bonetf set forth bg Thomaa Harmon. EaqvUr, for tW utilitt and prqffj/t of *j/» nataralt Countrtf, nrm^ img- menled and imprinted Anna Domini, 1597. Finre^ o. amined. and allowfd according unto the Queene Ifiij'i rfpn injunctiom. Imprinted at London, in Fletestret, at the signe of the Faulcon, by Wylliam GrylHth, and are to be sold at his Bhoppe in Saynt Dunstones Chuiche Yarde in the West.

In the title page is a wood engraving, which represests two vagabonds tied at the cart's tail, and the execvtioaa in the act of flogging them.

It is thus inscribed :— " To the Right HonorKtile and ny singular good Lady Eliiabelh Countes of Shrewsborr, Thomas Harman wisheth all Joye and pertite felicice heit and in the world to come.*'

It seems singular enough to Inscribe a book of this kind to a woman of exalted rank. It contains a mlnate *.. scription of the tricks and terms of the DotDiioQs riUaiu of the day.

t On the 7th of September, 1817, the town of Abo w almost wholly destroyed by a conflagration, when it is said that only eight hundred volumes of the pabUc Hbnrr escaped destruction ; and, what ia worse, that nearly one hundred persons perished in the flames. Fortia. in his TraccU in SKcden, speaks of a Mittale Aioente, piiatcdat Lubeck, in i JS8, a very rare book, only two cofrfes being known to exist, one of which is in the nnirerstty llbtuy of Abo, and the other in that of the univenity of ITpaali this latter, however, is impetfect.— roMon.

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