Page:A history of booksellers, the old and the new.djvu/338

298 298 THE RIVINGTONS, THE PARKERS, remote country diocese, had preached a sermon so acceptable to his parishioners, that they begged him to have it printed, and, full of the honour conferred and the greater honours about to come, the clergyman at once started for London, was recommended to Rivington, to whom he triumphantly related the object of his journey. Rivington agreed to his pro- posals, and asked how many copies he would like struck off. " Why, sir," replied the clergyman, " I have calculated that there are in the kingdom ten thousand parishes, and that each parish will, at least, take one and others more, so that I think we may ven- ture to print thirty-five or thirty-six thousand copies." Rivington remonstrated, the author insisted, and the matter was settled. With great self-denial, the clergyman waited at home for nearly two months in silence, but at length the hope of fame and riches so tormented him that he could hold out no longer, and he wrote to Rivington desiring him to send in the debtor and creditor account at once, but adding liberally that the remittance might be forwarded at his own convenience. What, then, was his astonish- ment, anguish, and tribulation, when the following account was received : The Revd. Dr. * * * To C. Rivington, Dr. s. d. To Printing and Paper, 35,000 Copies of Sermons - - 785 5 6 By sale of 1 7 'Copies of said Sermon - - - - 156 Balance due to C. Rivington .784 o o In a day or two he received a letter from Rivington to the following purport : " REV. SIR, I beg pardon for innocently amusing