Part 6 (1/2)
_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.”
Papers of somewhat later date afford samples almost as quaint:-Advertis.e.m.e.nt. ”James Hardy acquaints his friends, that he has lately had a large quant.i.ty of preserves. I shall be very happy to supply any gentleman with coals.” ”Notice is hereby given that on Thursday and Friday next, being sixth and seventh of June, 1734, a coach and horses will set out for London, from Mr. Thomas Bateman's, St. Giles, and perform the same in three days. Note, the coach will go either by Newmarket or Ipswich, as the pa.s.sengers shall agree.” They certainly had _one_ advantage over railway travellers of the present day-that they could choose their own route.
Another specimen runs-”Whereas Mrs. Cooke at the pastry shop near the three steps has charged Mrs. Havers with embezzling to the quant.i.ty of two yards of padashway, out of her suit of clothes turned upside down two years since, and made at first for a much less person; the clothes having been viewed by several mantua makers, the same appears to be a most malicious slander,” &c.
Specimens might be multiplied, but these may suffice to place beside the elaborate and ornate productions of this present year 1853, to see what a century has done in orthography, etymology, syntax, and prosody.
It must have been rather more than twenty years after the first establishment of a local newspaper, that the Rev. Francis Blomefield, the great historian of the county, first commenced printing his elaborate ”Topographical Essay,” a work of five volumes folio, the materials for which he is said to have begun to collect when only fifteen years of age.
Many beyond the limits of the locality more especially intended to profit by this laborious undertaking, may feel interested in the facts connected with its progress, contributing so much as they do to give a correct idea of the difficulties attending the path of an author little more than a century ago.
Blomefield was rector of the parish of Fersfield, in which also he was born; in the summer months he was in the habit of making excursions in search of materials for his work, and to test the accuracy of information he had gained, by a method he had adopted, in furtherance of his object, of distributing ”queries,” to be filled up with answers concerning any historical or antiquarian subjects that may be known to the parties applied to. In reference to this plan, he says himself, in a letter to a friend, ”It is impossible to tell you what great helps have come in by my queries: sometimes having twenty or thirty sheets, besides books, letters, records and papers for a single hundred;” (alluding to the divisions of the county into hundreds).
It was after one of his collating rambles that he finally determined to issue proposals for printing his work; and meeting with much encouragement, he speedily looked about for a suitable printing establishment. In a letter to Mr. Chase, a printer who lived next door to ”John o' all sorts,” c.o.c.key Lane, Norwich, on the 1st of July, 1733, he says, ”I have endeavoured to procure a set of Saxon types, but cannot do it; and upon looking over my book find a good number of Greek inscriptions, some Hebrew words, and some Gothic. So that I must print it in London; it being impossible to have those types any where in the country (!). I wish heartily I could have done it with you; for I like your terms, and could have been glad to have corrected the press myself, which I then could easily have done.”
Eventually he decided upon printing the work upon his own premises, and engaged a good workman, at a salary of 40 a year, bought a press for 7, and fitted up a printing office with all the requisite materials. The account in the papers of the ”Archaeological Society,” goes on to say, ”At that time, distance and difficulties of intercourse made any want of punctuality most annoying, and the plan of printing at home involved the necessity of a great variety of type and other materials. Meanwhile type founders, stationers, and engravers, were but too much given to weary him with delay, or to disgust him with fraud. Beginning a correspondence with frankness and civility, he often had to continue it, urging and reiterating entreaties of attention-alternately coaxing compliance with 'half a piece' to drink his health and success to his work, or with 'promise of making amends,' or a 'fowl at Christmas,' or rebuking with reluctant severity, resulting more from devotedness to his object, than anger or bitterness. A facetious engraver, who was introduced to him, and invited to his house to a.s.sist him, after remaining there three weeks, agreed for a large portion of the work, and cut several of the things, all which he ran away with. Other vexations sprang out of the patronage and a.s.sistance he most valued; but, after many interruptions, the first edition of a part of the book was brought out in 1736.”
In the midst of his labours, however, he was cut off by that virulent enemy, the small pox, on the 15th January, 1751, at the age of forty-six.
His work was continued by the Rev. Charles Parkens, of whom a curious anecdote is related;-its accuracy we do not pretend to vouch; the tale runs that Mr. Parkens had a tame magpie, which had access to her master's study, and seeing him busily employed in folding and unfolding the packets that lay before him on his desk, she thought it no harm to be busy too, until from time to time she flew away _with the __whole borough of Yarmouth_. Many of the parcels, it is added, were recovered, but others irrecoverably lost.
”I know not how the truth may be, But tell the tale as 'twas told to me.”
With this cursory glance at the work of the great historian of the district, we close our chapter on the subjects suggested by the ”Old Market-place.” The sketches have been necessarily superficial, but they afford proof that its chronicles include a variety of matter and incident that may interest almost every cla.s.s of mind.
CHAPTER V.
GUILDHALL.