Page:A dictionary of printers and printing.djvu/539

 530

HISTORY OF PRINTING.

the metnbeis were dispersed about London, they renewed their meetings first at a tavern, then at a private house; and when the society became too great to be called a club, they assembled in " the parlour" of Gresham college, which itself had been raised by the munificence of a citizen, who endowed it liberally, and presented a noble example of the individuals now assembled under its roof. The society afterwards derived its title 6om a sort of accident The warm loyalty of Evelyn in the first hopeful days of the Restora- tion, in his dedicatory epistle of Naude's Trea- tiie on Librariei, called tnat philosophical meet- ing The Royal Societv. These learned men immediately voted their thanks to Evelyn for the happy designation, which was so grateful to Charles II. who was himself a virtuoso of the day, that the charter was soon granted: the king, declaring himself their founder, "sent them a mace of silver gilt, of the same fashion and bigness as those carried before his majesty, to be borne before the president on meeting days." Were the origin of the Royal Society inquired into, it might be justly dated a century before its existence; the real founder was lord Bacon, who planned the ideal inttituHon in his philosophical romance of the New Atlantu!

1661, March 13. Evelyn notes, " This after- noon, prince Rupert showed me the new way of Graving, called mezzotinto, which afterwards, by his permission, I published in my Hittory of Chalcography : this set so many artists on work, that they soon arrived to that perfection it is since come to, emulating the tenderest minia- tures." The history was presented to the royal society, in a dedication to Boyle, on the 10th of June, 1603.

1661. The following observations by Fuller,* are curious, respecting the paper of his times: — "Paper participates in some sort of the charac- ters of the country which make it; the Venetian being neat, subtile, and court-like; the French, light, slight, and slender; and the Dutch, thick, corpulent, and gross, sucking up the ink with the sponginess thereof." He complains that the paper manufactories were not then sufficiently encouraged, considering the vast sums of money expended in our land for paper, out of Italy, France, and Germany, whicn might be lessened were it made in our nation. "Tosuch who object

bora at Aldwlocle, in NorthamptoDshire, in lOos, and (da- cat«d at Cambridge. He adhered •trenaoasly to the n>7al eaiue, and on the rain of the Uog** allUn, he vnu chown lectturer of St. Bride's, neet-street, London, and about I(l48, be obtained the nctory of Waltham in Essex. At the reiteration be wumadechaplain ezttaordinary to ^e king, restored to his piebend, and created D. D. He pablished a great number of works, the principal of which were the HiMtm of the W»rtMe$ of Englimd, foUo, the CAurch HUtorf 0/ Britain, folio, the History o/ the Holy War, folio, Uie Bolf Slate, foUo i AM Redieieut, or the Lita of Kmtntmt XNi>Me«,qaattO| Sermont, Tract; &c. He Is said to bave bad so stronga memorr as to teU, in their exact order, the names of the signs then placed over every trades- man's door, after a walk ftom Temple-bar to the Boyal Kxebaoge. His style is exceedingly qnaint, and he is too fond of punning. The following line is bis cftt^h :
 * Thomas Fuller, ■ cdelinted historian and divine, was

!!■■■ LIU Fvuaa's iakth.

that we can never equal the perfection of Vaaa paper, I return, neither can we match the paiiii of Venice glasses; and yet many great omi at blown in Sussex, profitable to the makeis, iW convenient to the usen. Our home-iptm fifir might be found beneficial."

1661, /on. 7. The Kingdom'i InuUigeum^ the Affain now in Agilatvm in England, Sal- land, and Ireland; together with Foreign /•■ telligence. To prevent falte Newt. PiMiJuihj authority, Ko. 1.

1661, Jan. 8. Mereuriut Caledonim : am- priiing the Affrnrt in Agitation, im Scetlmi, with a Survey of foreign Intelligence, No. I.

This was the first newspaper which wu of Scottish manufacture, and was printed hj i Society of StaHonen, at Edinburs'h, and jmb- lished once a week, in small 4to. of dght pages. The editor of this first Scottish newspaper, ra Thomas Sydserfe, son of the bishop of Orioer, " who thought," says Mr. Chalmers, " that k had the wit to amuse, the knowledge to instncL and the address to captivate, the lovers of nenc in Scotland; but he was only able, with iH )a powers, to extend his publication to ten nomben, which were very loyal, very illiterate, and rcn affected." The last paper, No. 10, was dttnl from March 22, to March 26, 1661.

1661, Jan. 10. Mereuriut Publictu, No. 1.

1661. Strange Newt from the Wett, btiitga account of teveral miraculout tightt teen m tk air, weitward, hy divert pertont of credit, ttai- ing upon London Bridge. Two great armia \ marching forth of two cloudt and encomUentf each other, after a tharp dispute they tuiiaif vanithed. Ire. 4to.

1662. Miles Flesher, esq., having lately find for alderman of Loudon, earnestly morei tbl he might not be exposed to election for mista of the stationers' company; but his desire ins overruled.

1662. The Book of Common Prayer w«s b- vised by authority, when commissiooen Foe appointed who were to execute the work. Ther accordingly took a folio Prayer Book, printed ii this year, and with a pen they made such tltn- ations as seemed to them expedient. This copy was lodged in the tower, and at the sane dm they marked the same alterations in a certsii number of other copies, one of which wu to be deposited in every cathedral. This is knows I7 the name of the tealed book, because everfOifj had appended to it, as a mark of authority, ai impression of the great seal of England.

1662, July 9. A very extraordinary qnestim arose, about preventing the publication of the debates of the Irish parliament in the Englsh newspaper called The Intelligencer; and 1 letta was wntten from the speaker to sir Edw^ Nicholas, the English secretary of state, to ^ vent such publications in those diumaU,iiV^ called them.

1662. Hill and Field printed aneditimo' the Holy Bible, 12mo. with Canne's refereac* Canne, the author of the notes, was a firovulA and pastor of a congregation in HoUud. His

VjOOQ IC