_The Book-sellers Prentice having discovered his Masters way of
Cheating, now discovers his own._
Thus, said the Bookseller, have I given you a summary account of the
most part of my Masters dealing, and the main way how he gained his
Estate; for at this time he hath a shop very well furnished with all
sorts of bound Books, and two or three Warehouses full of Books in
quires; he hath above 1000_l._ owing him by Country-Chapmen; some Estate
he hath in Land and Houses, and a very good Stock in the Hall, and all
this is acquired in six years time out of nothing; and in this account
of my Masters dealing, I have acquainted you with the greatest mysteries
of our Trade: but, said I to him, I must confess you have told me those
things I was not only ignorant of, but what I could not have believed
could have been done, and so great an Estate could have been gained by
the bookselling Trade, especially from so small a beginning as an _A B
C_: but all this while the mystery is not disclosed; for though you have
told me how your Master gets money, yet I hear nothing of your gains,
neither indeed can I as yet conjecture how you should be furnished with
money; for I suppose you keep an account of what you receive and pay,
and that your Master takes care to look into his accounts, that no great
matter can be gained that way. 'Tis very true, replied the Bookseller,
he does so; and as he is of a false knavish temper himself, so he is
suspitious of me, and very vigilant and watchful over me: but do you
think, that I who have observed all his ways and crafty dealing, cannot
find a way to be even with him, and put money into my own pocket? and
indeed he does allow of my knavery and craftiness in over-reaching of
others; for he in general is accounted the fittest servant of our Trade,
that can out-wit and over-reach his brother-Bookseller; for it is not so
much our keeping Shop, and selling a few Books to Scholars, Parsons,
Gentlemen, nor sending to Country-Chapmen, for in that we use a constant
price, and there is not much wit or craft to be used therein; but the
craftiest part of our profession consisteth in making an Exchange-note
with other Booksellers to the best advantage; and there is our greatest
prize: for if any of our Chapmen send to us for Books, such as we do not
print, and such as we are not at present furnished withal, then away we
go to that Bookseller who is best furnished with them, and desire to
make a Note with him, which he (being desirous to sort himself with some
of our Books) willingly consents to; then do we commonly pretend least
use for those Books we most want, otherwise we should be sure to go
without them, unless we took many of other sorts, that were little
better then waft paper; and so we, by telling our brother Bookseller
that of such a Book they are almost gone, and the like, we put off the
greatest number of our worst Books, and the fewest of our best; and
being indifferent of taking any quantity of those we most need, we
commonly have most put upon us; and so are furnished with what we
desire: and in this way of exchanging Books for Books, we have the most
occasion of exercising our wits, and many times receive commendations
from our Masters for so doing; and when we meet with one another, the
business being over, triumph over those we have thus outwitted.
This business of Exchanging brings us Prentices acquainted with each
other more then any thing else, for that this matter is commonly left to
our management; and on this acquaintance depends the greatest part of
our profit: for though we can sometimes when we take money in the Shop
put up half a Crown or a Crown for a Book that our Master knows not of,
yet that is but seldome, and little Money is given us, unless it be by
the better sort of Customers, whose Books we carry home, and then
perhaps we may have a shilling or two bestowed on us; but this is
nothing in respect of our other profit, which I shall now tell you of.
We trading for a great deal to Chapmen into the Country, do print very
much, and sometimes one Book is printed very often, and a number of 25
or 50 cannot be so discovered: sometimes we are in fee with the Printer,
procure him to print such a number over for us, which he consents to,
that he may do as many for himself: and then for the manner of our
selling of them, it is by Combination, Confederacy, and Correspondency,
which some of us Apprentices have with each other; for we have our
Warehouse as well as our Master, and are furnished with much variety;
every one of the Combination bringing some quantity to this joynt-Stock,
of what his Master printeth; and then as occasion serveth we furnish
each other: but the chiefest way of making money of these, is by three
or four young Booksellers, who being newly set up do buy them of us, it
may be two pence in the shilling cheaper then they can buy them of our
Masters: we have ready money, or at furthest when they have sold them;
and to this end we have commonly one of these Booksellers in every
considerable place of Trading about Town, and sometimes we employ a
rambling Bookseller to go a Birding, and offer them at places, and
oftentimes our Masters buy some of their own Books of this
Ubiquitarian-Bookseller; and one or two being intrusted with management
of the Stock, gives account to all the rest; and so we divide the
profit; at other times we being employed by our Masters to get in Books
for our Country-Chapmen, we inform them that the Book being out of print
we cannot have it without ready money, and then we being ordered to get
them, (for our Customers must be served) we have them out of our own
Stock, and put the ready money into our pockets. Sometimes I have gotten
fourty or fifty shillings by being partners with one of the young
Booksellers in printing a Pamphlet; and if it be an unlicensed thing, we
sell them privately to Customers in the Shop; if a factious thing, we
have our factious Customers; if obscene or wanton, we accordingly are
provided with those that buy them: and thus with these ways, and some
others which are too long to relate at this time, I can make a shift to
spend fourty or fifty pound a year, to keep my suit of private cloaths,
and to allow my Wench eight shillings a week, to whom I constantly pay
that Portion; and I think my share of the Stock at present may amount to
fourty pound. And thus you see, that though so many thousands go through
the Scriveners hands, and so few through mine, yet I can make a shift to
get some money out of our paper, as well as he out of his parchment; and
I doubt not, but when I come out of my time, to do as well as the best
of our trade; for having learnt so much in this Art, I question not but
I shall put it in practice to my advantage.
Thus did he put an end to his Discourse; and drinking a Pot or two more
of Beer, having had some other merry discourse about the Scriveners
Wench, and such like other matters, we parted; he, to go meet with some
of his brother Booksellers, to take account of their private Stock; and
I, to my Masters about my ordinary Imployments, still ruminating in my
mind of all the passages that these two Blades the Scrivener and
Bookseller had related to me; and from thence did conclude, that I
should find all the rest of our Clubbing-brethren stored with the same
Discourses; and now I meditated on nothing more then how I might get
money enough, for that was the only thing that made crooked things
straight; and if a man have enough of that, he may defie all men. It can
make knees bow, and tongues speak against the native genius of the
groaning heart; it supples more then oyl or fomentations, and can
stiffen beyond the Summers Sun, or the Winters white-bearded cold. In
this we differ from the ancient Heathen; they made _Jupiter_ their chief
God, and we have crowned _Pluto_. He is Master of the _Muses_, and can
buy their Voyce; the _Graces_ wait on him, _Mercury_ is his Messenger,
_Mars_ comes to him for pay, _Venus_ is his prostitute; he can make
_Vesta_ break her vow, he can have _Bacchus_ be merry with him, and
_Ceres_ feast him when he lists; he is the sick mans _Æsculapius_, and
the _Pallas_ of an empty brain; nor can _Cupid_ cause Love, but by his
Golden-headed Arrow. Money is a general man, and without doubt
excellently parted: _Petronius_ describes his Qualities.
_Quisquis habet nummos, secura naviget aura:
Fortunamque suo temperet arbitrio.
Vxorem ducat Danaen, ipsumque licebit
Acrisium jubeat credere quod Danaen:
Carmina componat, declamat, concrepat, omnes
Et peragat Causas, fitque Catone prior.
Jurisconsultus, paret, non paret: habeto;
Atque esto, quicquid Servius aut Labeo
Multo loquar: quidvis nummis præsentibus opta,
Et veniet: clausum possidet Arca Jovem._
_The Monyed-man can safely sayl all Seas,
And make his fortune as himself shall please:
He can wed_ Danae, _and command that now_
Acrisius _self that fatal Match allow:
He can declaim, chide, censure, Verses write,
And do all things better then_ Cato _might.
He knows the Law, and rules it, hath and is
Whole_ Servius, _and what_ Labeo _could possess.
In brief, let rich men wish whatsoere they love,
'Twill come, they in a lock’d Chest keep a_ Jove.
And to conclude, as it commands Gods and Goddesses, so all sorts of men
and women are obedient to him that has the command of this God Money;
and therefore I was resolved to put in for a share of it.
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