To the modern reader, with an abundance of periodicals of all sorts and upon all subjects at hand, it seems hardly possible that this wealth of ephemeral literature was virtually developed within the past two centuries. It offers such a rational means for the dissemination of the latest scientific and literary news that the mind undeceived by facts would naturally place the origin of the periodical near the invention of printing itself. Apart from certain sporadic manifestations of what is termed, by courtesy, periodical literature, the real beginning of that important department of letters was in the innumerable _Mercurii_ that flourished in London after the outbreak of the Civil War. Although the _British Museum Catalogue_ presents a long list of these curious messengers and news-carriers, the only one that could be of interest in the present connection is the _Mercurius Librarius; or a Catalogue of Books Printed and Published at London_[A] (1668-70), the contents of which simply fulfilled the promise of its title. Literary journals in England were, however, not a native development, but were copied, like the fashions and artistic norms of that period, from the French. The famous and long-lived _Journal des Sçavans_ was begun at Paris in 1665 by M. Denis de Sallo, who has been called, since the time of Voltaire, the "inventor" of literary journals. In 1684 Pierre Bayle began at Amsterdam the publication of _Nouvelles de la République des Lettres_, which continued under various hands until 1718. These French periodicals were the acknowledged inspiration for similar ventures in England, beginning in 1682 with the _Weekly Memorial for the Ingenious: or an Account of Books lately set forth in Several Languages, with some other Curious Novelties relating to Arts and Sciences_. The preface stated the intention of the publishers to notice foreign as well as domestic works, and to transcribe the "curious novelties" from the _Journal des Sçavans_. Fifty weekly numbers appeared (1682-83), consisting principally of translations of the best articles in the French journal.