Page:The battle of the books - Guthkelch - 1908.djvu/255

Rh that it was not collated. That I called then at the bookseller's shop, I believe may be true: for having business to despatch in St Paul's Churchyard, and some friends there to take leave of, before I began my journey, I took that occasion to call upon this bookseller, and to mind him of his engagement to restore the book on Saturday evening; but that I stayed there till his messenger returned from the collator, I do not remember. But suppose that I did stay; what then? the message he says was brought at noon, that the book was not then collated: but the bookseller well knows that I did not require the book till the evening, nor was it returned before. The collator indeed might be behind-hand at noon, and as I might suppose, want about two or three pages. But must I needs think him still behind-hand at nine a clock at night? That's a sort of consequence that I am not used to make; for if he had not done one page of the book at noon, yet he had time more than enough to have finished it by the evening. For, as I said before, it is as legible as print, being written in a modern hand, and without abbreviations; and wants one-and-twenty Epistles that are extant in the printed copies,