Page:The battle of the books - Guthkelch - 1908.djvu/267

 the bookseller himself is my witness: for if it had not been true, he would never have let it be printed, without contradicting it. Now, how is it credible that I should use a man so "civilly," and yet so "scurvily" too? A man must be dosed with Humty Dumty, that could talk so inconsistently. And how could I abuse a young gentleman whom I had never heard of before, without any provocation, in a public place, and before his own friends? I dare appeal to any that ever was acquainted with me, if he think me capable of doing so.

All the discourse, then, that the Doctor overheard, had relation only to the bookseller. Mr Boyle was sure of the MS. which I had promised before. But I had a mind to make the bookseller sensible of his ill manners in denying justice to the King's Library, at the same time that he asked favours. And I do further declare, that I was but in jest when I told him that he should give a book to the Royal Library, to recompense for the use of the MS. And I had no design in't, but to mortify him a little for his pertness about going to law. For when the time came that I could lend him the MS. he had it freely, without giving to the