Then in his hand another piece he takes, And in its praise a long harangue he makes; And tells them that ’tis writ in lofty verse, One that is out of print and very scarce: Then with high language, and a stately look, He sets a lofty price upon the book; ‘Five pound, four pound, three pound,’ he cries aloud, And holds it up to expose it to the crowd, With arm erect,--the bidders to provoke To raise the price before the impending stroke; This in the throng does emulation breed, And makes ’em strive each other to outbid; While he descants upon their learned heats, And his facetious dialect repeats: For none like him, for certain, knew so well (By way of auction) any goods to sell. ’Tis endless to express the wayes he had To sell their good, and to put off their bad. But ah! in vain I strive his fame to spread; The great, the wise, the knowing man is dead. And you in painting skill’d, his loss bewail; He’s dead!--that did expose your works to sale. Can you forget how he for you did bawl, ‘Come, put it in?--a fine original, Done by a curious hand:--What strokes are here, Drawn to the life? How fine it does appear! O lovely piece!--Ten pound,--five pound;--for shame, You do not bid the value of the frame.’ How many pretty stories would he tell To enhance the price, and make the picture sell! But now he’s gone!--ah! the sad loss deplore; Great Millington!--alas! he is no more. And you, the Muses’ darlings, too, rehearse Your sorrows for the loss of him in verse: Mourn! mourn! together, for that tyrant death Has robb’d the famous auctioneer of breath.” THE EPITAPH. Underneath this marble stone Lies the famous Millington; A man who through the world did steer I’ th’ station of an auctioneer; A man with wondrous sense and wisdom blest, Whose qualities are not to be exprest. We have given so much space to Millington, because it is interesting to see how similar were the practices of auctioneers at the first institution of the business to what they are at the present time, and also because Millington seems to have been considered the most famous of auctioneers, until James Christie arose to take his place as chief representative of the profession. It may be added to his honour that he was a friend of Milton, who lodged in his house. Richard Chiswell (1639-1711) was more of a bookseller than an auctioneer, but his name must be mentioned here. He was one of the four who issued the fourth folio edition of Shakespeare’s Plays, and he was the official publisher of the Votes of the House. Dunton describes him as “the metropolitan bookseller of England, if not of all the world,” and says that he never printed a bad book, or one on bad paper.