Rambles in an Old City: comprising antiquarian, historical, biographical and political associationsMadders, Susan Swain
History
Rambles in an Old City: comprising antiquarian, historical, biographical and political associations
Madders, Susan Swain
Norwich (England)
This department of the paper is headed “The Accurate Intelligencer,” and
in its columns are sundry other rather peculiar interrogatories, such as—
“Mr. Crossgrove,
Pray tell me where Moses was buried, and you will very much oblige
your constant customer, B. S.”
Answer.
“Mr. B. S.
_He tells you himself_ that no man knew it, even when he could not
have been long buried; as you may see in the last chapter of
Deuteronomy; from whence, Sir, you may infer, that if it was a secret
so early, ’tis certainly so still. Your humble servant, H. C.”
Another rich specimen runs—
Lynn, May 18, 1709.
“Mr. Crossgrove,
Did the Apostles use notes when they preached? I have sent this
Query twice before, and if I do not find it answered in your next
paper, I shall conclude you either cannot or durst not answer it.
Yours unknown, &c.”
Answer
“Sir,
I have a bushel of letters by me that came all to the same tune with
this of yours, viz. _You cannot or durst not answer it_; but
sometimes they see I dare do it, tho’ I neglect other letters more
pertinent through want of room: I have a dozen letters come in a
week, all post haste for an answer, and seldom room to insert more
than one at a time, so that many must of necessity lye by. But now
for your dreadful puzzling question, Did the Apostles use notes? and
to this I answer positively _No_, nor Bibles neither to hide their
notes in; take notice of that; nor had they pulpits to stand in as
ever I heard of, and we may observe from their sermons they took no
texts: and what then? What would you infer from all this? The
Apostles also never studied their sermons, for they had an
extraordinary gift of preaching, as well as of speaking. But I shall
say no more to your designing question than this—That those divines
who read their sermons know how to improve their time much better
than in getting them like schoolboys by heart; and that a good polite
discourse well read, is more worthy than a Bundle of what comes
uppermost tumbled out Head and Heels.
Yours, H. C.”
Well done, Mr. Crossgrove! say we.
In 1714, a “Courant” was established, small folio size: at the end of one
occurs this notice—
“Note. An Accident happening, the reader is desired to pardon all
_literal_ errors, as it is not corrected.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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