_He proceeds in the discovery of his Masters ways in cheating, in
preferring some Copies, and other ways of getting Copies._
My Master having now had some experience in this way of printing, was
resolved to play above board, and get some Copy or Copies to print, that
he might own; which in short time he did, and glad was he to see his
name in print, supposing himself now to be some body: but these things
did him but little good, and sold but easily, he not having the way of
preferring books, and sending them to some Country Chapmen, and the rest
of the booksellers, who endeavor to crush any beginner, and will not
sell his books, unless they may have them at their own rate, would not
sell any of them for him? and besides, now he gave Mony for his Copies,
the other costing him nothing: and though a book be never so good, they
will not sell with some men, for the others will undervalue and spoil
it: as for example, If my Master had printed at that time the best book
of Chirurgery, Husbandry, Cookery, or the like in the World, and though
the book had been famous enough, so that every one desired it, and asked
at any booksellers shop for it, they would have said to their Customers,
Truly Sir, there is such a book, but in regard it is a foolish idle
thing, and of no weight, I have not any of them, I will not trouble my
shop with them; but Sir, here is another of the same Subject, that is
much better, and in great esteem with ingenious and knowing men: If the
Customer replies he would have only that book and no other, for that it
was recommended to him for an ingenious well-writ piece, then will he
reply, Truly Sir, I never heard any of your judgement before, till now I
was never asked for them; but since you speak so well of it, I will
procure you one: and then it may be, for all this Discourse he will shew
you one, as if left by chance, or else send to his neighbour-bookseller
for one. Thus will he disparage other mens books, and prize his own, and
many times put off some of his own, the buyer being so civil as to
believe him: and this is a general Maxime, That they will not offer, or
prefer a book of any mans printing except their own, unless they have it
either in exchange or at a low rate; and this is the cause that there
are some books as considerable, and good as any in _England_, that did
not sell at first for little better than wast paper, till some of the
Grand ones of the Company get them all into their hands, and then they
sell for three times the price they did. But to leave this Discourse and
proceed, my Master having now printed two or three things, did look upon
himself as somebody; and though he had not such good success in his last
undertakings as before, yet he made a shift to get what they cost him
for paper and print, and had many of them still by him to sell when he
would, or exchange; but he having but two or three sorts of books, could
not do much good upon that: he seeing this, and observing what books
sold best, it being at the beginning of these late Wars, found that
factious Sermons, and such like things would do the business; he
thereupon bestirs himself, and gets acquainted with most of the factious
Priests about Town, by often hearing them and frequenting their
Companies, and having learned to write short-hand, took notes of their
Sermons, which he collected together, and now and then he would get them
to revise one of them, and print it; by this means spending much time
and mony amongst them, he grew very intimate, and was become the general
publisher of most of their Sermons and Controversies. This was that
which brought him great gain, in a short time he could vie with the
best, what he sold not for mony, he exchanged for books: and now he
could command any book in all the Company without mony, upon account, as
is the Custome. His Shop being well furnished, he gets a Ware-house,
where he bestowed his books in quires; and being thus furnished, he was
first spoken to by some Country booksellers, and then writ to by them
and other, for severall books, so that any thing that he printed he
could sell off well enough; for having good hap to print some very good
selling books, they helped away the other that were not so good, and
still were thrust into the parcel among the rest: and now having some
good Authors, he would not accept of every one; and as he formerly had
sought for, and courted Authors to write books for him, now they
(knowing his way of preferring and selling of books) followed, and
courted him to print their books. If a stranger came with a Copy to him,
though never so good, he would tell them he had books enough already;
but however, if they would give him so much money, he would do it, and
they should have two, or three, or six books for themselves and friends:
many a one did he thus perswade out of their mony, being desirous to be
in print. If he had a desire to have any thing writ in History, Poetry,
or any other Science or Faculty, he had his several Authors, who for a
glass of Wine, and now and then a meals Meat and half a Crown, were his
humble servants; having no other hire but that, and six or twelve of
their books, which they presented to friends or persons of Quality; nay,
and when they have had success, if they wanted any more books, they must
pay for them: further I have known some of our Trade, that when a poor
Author hath written a book, and being acquainted with some Person or
persons of Quality whereto he Dedicates and presents it, the Book-seller
will go snips and have half shares of what is so given him. My Master
being now gotten to the height of his Trade, was soon called on to be
one of the Livery of his Company, which though it be somewhat chargeable
at first, yet it soon brings in profit, there being many conveniences
therein; for they have liberty to put in a sum of money into the publike
Stock, and so great is their profit, that they have seldome less then
twenty _per cent_, and then when, they come to be Stock-keepers or
Warden they have the disposing of the Stock-books, such as are
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
they do not like it when they have read it over, he will take it again:
and so many of our Trade will promise, but you shall hardly ever get
your money again, you may chance to have them exchange it for some other
book, which they will be willing to do if there be money stirring in the
case. My Master having had a book written for him by a Poet, the Author
(not having the wit to make his bargain, and know what he should have
beforehand) when he had finished it, desired payment for his pains: Nay,
said my master, you ought rather to pay me for printing it, and making
you famous in print. Well then, said the Author, if you will not give me
money, I hope you will give me some books. How, said my master, give you
books, what will you have me forswear my Trade, and be a book-giver? I
am a book-seller, and to you I will sell them as soon as to another, if
you will give me money, paper and print costs money, and this was all
the Author could have for his pains. My Master is now one of the
Grandees of the Company, and that besides the ordinary way gets him
something. Not long since, he and others went a searching, and finding
an impression of unlicensed books, seized them, but instead of
suppressing and turning them to wast paper, they divided the greatest
part of them amongst themselves, and immediately my Master sent some of
them away to all his Chapmen, and the rest we sell in the Shop. It so
fell out lately; that a book being to be Printed, my Master repaired to
the Author to get the Copy, but another of the same Trade had been there
before, to whom it was in part promised; but however (out of respect to
my Master) the other being sent for, it was agreed that they should have
the printing of it between them; whereupon one printer was imployed by
them both to do the work. My Master soon after sent for the Printer, and
tells him, You must do me a kindness: Yes Sir, said the printer. It is
this, said my Master, I am to give away to the Authour some Books,
wherefore I would have you to print 200 for me above the number, and do
not tell my Partner, and I will pay you: Yes, said the Printer, and so
he did, and was paid for them accordingly. But the Printer seeing the
knavery of his imployers (for the other had been with him; and engaged
him to print the same number of 200 over, pretending some private use he
had for them) he likewise printed 400 over for his own use, and
publiquely sold them; and neither of them could or would complain of him
to the other, because they knew themselves guilty of the same crime.
One of the greatest pieces of profit the whole Company hath, is the
printing of Almanacks, for by that, I believe, they clear above 1000_l._
_per annum_: but a knavish Printer lately outwitted them, for he printed
a great number of Almanacks, and though he printed but two sorts, yet
they served for all the other sorts, only altering the Title page, at
the beginning, and the last sheet which we call the _Prog_, or
_Prognostication_; and these Almanacks he affording cheaper then
ordinary, as indeed well he might, he sold off a good number of them,
which was to his gain and their great hinderance; but he is lately
discovered, and how they will deal with him I know not.
In the late times of Liberty, when every one printed what they pleased,
if one Bookseller printed a book that sold, another would get it printed
in a lesser Character, and so the book being less in bulk, though the
same in matter, would sell it for a great deal less price, and so
undersell one another: and of late there hath been hardly a good book
but it is epitomized, and for the most part spoiled, only for a little
gain: so that few books that are good, are now printed, only Collections
and patches out of several books; and Booksellers employing the meaner
sort of Authors in spoiling anothers Copies by such Epitomies.
A young man being lately to set up, was a suiter to my Master to speak
to the Company to lend him 50_l._ for a certain time without interest,
as is customary: for there are several sums of money left the Company so
to be disposed of, for the benefit of young beginners. My Master knowing
his power in general, particularly promised to effect his desires,
provided that the young man would agree to lay out his money when
received with him; telling him, he would use him well therein: but
whether he did or no, you may guess, for he kept not open shop above six
moneths before he broke, and is now gone for a Souldier, and the Company
in general likely to loose the money. This, replied I, is one of the
worst acts I have yet heard of, if it were intentionally done, for it is
an abuse of the Donors will; but I see it is not material with some men,
if they get money, how they come by it: but I pray, let me hear the rest
of your story. That you shall, said the Bookseller, but first let us
drink; which he having done, and I pledged, he proceeded, as you may
hear in this following Chapter.
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