Waverley; or, 'Tis sixty years since — Volume 1Scott, Walter
History
Waverley; or, 'Tis sixty years since — Volume 1
Scott, Walter
Historical fiction; Jacobite Rebellion, 1745-1746 -- Fiction; Scotland -- History -- 18th century -- Fiction
The man of books with a much more composed air proceeded to
examine the manuscripts. The title of the first was 'A Dissent
from Dissenters, or the Comprehension confuted; showing the
Impossibility of any Composition between the Church and Puritans,
Presbyterians, or Sectaries of any Description; illustrated from
the Scriptures, the Fathers of the Church, and the soundest
Controversial Divines.' To this work the bookseller positively
demurred. 'Well meant,' he said, 'and learned, doubtless; but the
time had gone by. Printed on small-pica it would run to eight
hundred pages, and could never pay. Begged therefore to be
excused. Loved and honoured the true church from his soul, and,
had it been a sermon on the martyrdom, or any twelve-penny touch--
why, I would venture something for the honour of the cloth. But
come, let's see the other. "Right Hereditary righted!"--Ah!
there's some sense in this. Hum--hum--hum--pages so many, paper so
much, letter-press--Ah--I'll tell you, though, Doctor, you must
knock out some of the Latin and Greek; heavy, Doctor, damn'd
heavy--(beg your pardon) and if you throw in a few grains more
pepper--I am he that never preached my author. I have published for
Drake and Charlwood Lawton, and poor Amhurst [Footnote: See Note
4.]--Ah, Caleb! Caleb! Well, it was a shame to let poor Caleb
starve, and so many fat rectors and squires among us. I gave him a
dinner once a week; but, Lord love you, what's once a week, when a
man does not know where to go the other six days? Well, but I must
show the manuscript to little Tom Alibi the solicitor, who manages
all my law affairs--must keep on the windy side; the mob were very
uncivil the last time I mounted in Old Palace Yard--all Whigs and
Roundheads every man of them, Williamites and Hanover rats.'
The next day Mr. Pembroke again called on the publisher, but found
Tom Alibi's advice had determined him against undertaking the
work. 'Not but what I would go to--(what was I going to say?) to
the Plantations for the church with pleasure--but, dear Doctor, I
have a wife and family; but, to show my zeal, I'll recommend the
job to my neighbour Trimmel--he is a bachelor, and leaving off
business, so a voyage in a western barge would not inconvenience
him.' But Mr. Trimmel was also obdurate, and Mr. Pembroke,
fortunately perchance for himself, was compelled to return to
Waverley-Honour with his treatise in vindication of the real
fundamental principles of church and state safely packed in his
saddle-bags.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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