The English Rogue: Continued in the Life of Meriton Latroon, and Other Extravagants: The Second PartHead, Richard
General
The English Rogue: Continued in the Life of Meriton Latroon, and Other Extravagants: The Second Part
Head, Richard
Rogues and vagabonds -- England -- Fiction
Testaments, Psalters, _&c._ and putting them out to print, they often
print so many over-numbers, that shall serve them as long as they live.
In particular, there is no Trade that I ever heard of, that gets so much
by their Commodity for whatever they print, if it sels, they get eight
pence in the shilling: and for those that deal with Country-Chapmen,
they put off the bad well enough at one time or another; and if they are
very bad, then a new title is printed as if it were a new book; and what
with this and changing, they march off in time.
There was one preacher in _London_ that my Master was much respective
to, for he had gained much money by printing several of his books (and
though my Master in outward appearance seems a Saint, yet he hath his
freaks, and will be merry with his friends, and be prophane enough.) One
Sunday my master having been rambling in the fields, entred the City in
the afternoon just as sermon was done, and seeing this parson going
before him, he stept forwards, and overtaking him, salutes him thus,
Sir, I am glad to see you so well, indeed Sir, you have this day taken a
great deal of pains, and we are all beholden to you for your Soul-saving
Sermon: how say you, said the Parson, what do you mean? Why Sir, I thank
you for your Sermon you preached this afternoon: Nay, now Sir, said the
Parson, I see you are mistaken, for I have not preached this day, my
master hearing this, was wonderfully surprized, not knowing what to say,
but left the Parson and came home discontented at his error. We having
several Country-Chapmen, some whereof owed my master considerable sums
of mony, he took occasion to go into the Countrey, and to be sure, he
would make it worth his Journeys for at every considerable Town he would
buy some books, and sell them at the next, or send them up to _London_,
and sometimes whole Libraries; and he did take order with all his
Chapmen to acquaint him with all Libraries or parcels of books that were
to be sold, which if worth the buying he would have. He would also
frequent the Schools, and by drinking with the School-masters, and
discoursing of books and learned men, he would get their custome to
serve them with School-books. There was one famous Country-Parson whom
he much desired to be acquainted with, and to him he rid, telling him he
was troubled in mind, and desired him to satisfie him in a case of
Conscience, the which he did; and then for his satisfaction, and to
oblige him, he prayed and courted him to see him when he came to
_London_, the which he did, and all this was to get the printing of his
books. If a Customer comes into our Shop to buy a book, he hath such
ways of preferring and recommending of it, that they seldom go and not
buy, for he will open the book, and if it be Divinity, shew them one
place or another, out of which he will preach to them, and tell them,
that very saying or discourse is worth all the money in the world and if
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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