Page:A history of booksellers, the old and the new.djvu/52

34 34 THE BOOKSELLERS OF OLDEN TIME. 1712, April 9. To a Lady presenting Voiture upon Silence s. d. to the author of a Poem called Successio ... ... 3 16 6 1712-13, Feb. 23. Windsor Forest 32 5 o 1713, July 22. Ode on St. Cecilia's Day 15 o o 1714, Feb. 20. Additions to the Rape 15 o o 1715, Feb. i. Temple of Fame 32 5 o 1715, April 31. Key to the Lock 10 15 o 1716, July 17. Essay on Criticism ... ... ... ... 15 o o In 1712 Pope, mindful of Dryden's success, com- menced his translation of Homer, and in 1714 Lin- tot, equally mindful probably of the profits Tonson had derived from Virgil, made a splendid offer for its publication. He agreed to provide at his own ex- pense all the subscription and presentation copies, and in addition to pay the author two hundred pounds per volume. The Homer was to consist of six quarto volumes, to be delivered to subscribers, as completed, at a guinea a volume, and through the unremitting labours of the poet's literary and political friends, six hundred and fifty-four copies were delivered at the original rate, and Pope realized altogether the munifi- cent sum of five thousand, three hundred and twenty pounds, four shillings. It was probably just after the publication of the first volume, in August, 1714, that Pope wrote his exquisitely humorous letter to th.e Earl of Burling- ton, describing a journey to Oxford, made in com- pany with Lintot. " My lord, if your mare could speak, she would give an account of what extraordi- nary company she had on the road ; which since she cannot do, I will." Lintot had heard that Pope was " designed for Oxford, the seat of the Muses, and would, as my bookseller, by all means accompany me thither .... Mr. Lintot began in this manner : ' Now,