quaint you with it; and if you have any queries about it, he begs you would write to him; he intending to visit it to-morrow sen'night. With my service to all friends, I am, Sir, "Your obliged humble servant, To A. C. DUCAREL, Esq. FRAN. WISE." "DEAR SIR, Trinity College, Oct. 17, 1738. "Our friend Mr. Vertue, in his last letter to me, informed me that you was glad to hear of my design of publishing a pamphlet about the White Horse, which I formerly mentioned to you; and that you desired to know particularly in what manner you could be serviceable to me in the publication; for which I am very much obliged to you. "I believe I told you formerly that I discovered the Horse to be a trophy of King Alfred's, set up by him after gaining the battle of Ashdown, in 871. My friends have prevailed with me to draw up a full account of it in writing, which has cost me a good deal of time and pains, and no inconsiderable expence; and my desire is only to make myself whole by the impression, for a bookseller will give me hardly above five guineas for my copy, which will be but a trifle to what I have expended. In my journies into Berkshire and Wiltshire upon this account, it has cost me above 221. and in the drawings which are necessary to illustrate it near 51. more. I have computed the charge of paper and printing, which upon a modest computation will be 201. more, to print a large number; so that the whole will stand me in 50l. within a trifle; a sum that will take a long time in raising by sixpences and shillings, for I propose to make it a pamphlet of eighteen-pence price. I have wrote it in English, so that it will be every body's reading; and my friends here give me hopes that, by the assistance of my acquaintance, I may put off seven or eight hundred, which will sufficiently reimburse me. If my circumstances would permit me to be so great a loser, a bookseller should have the advantage, and I would give my friends no trouble; but a private scholar without preferment of any value, you are sensible, cannot afford to be so great a loser by obliging the publick, as I hope to do by this account of the White Horse, and other Antiquities in the neighbourhood of it. Lord Craven has promised to be at the expence of engraving a plate, a view of the Horse; and there is another remarkable drawing of the monument of the Danish King, killed in the battle, which, if I cannot find a Patron for it, the world must go without. I mentioned to Mr. Vertue the Antiquary Society's engraving it for me; but have altered my mind since, and desire to give neither him nor you any trouble in soliciting upon that account. "What I desire of you is, that you will give me leave to lodge with you two or three hundred copies of the pamphlet, when printed, to be dispersed among such friends and others who will be pleased to encourage the sale of it; for unless I can put off four hundred or more in the Metropolis, I am sensible I must be a loser. I am persuaded that it will have no good effect, without some friend in the Antiquary Society will undertake this trouble for me; and if you will be so good as to do it, I shall be very much obliged to you. If you think it too much, and your affairs will not permit you to do it, I must look out for another. "My brother desires his service to you, which with mine to all friends, concludes, dear Sir, "Your obedient humble servant, "DEAR SIR, FRANCIS WISE." Trinity College, Nov 2, 1738. "I received your very obliging letter just after I had wrote one to Mr. Vertue on Tuesday; but Lord Oxford's being here has hitherto hindered me from returning my thanks, which I hope it will not be too late to desire you to accept. The occasion of my writing to Mr. Vertue was, a report of Lord Craven's being like to die, who, as he promised to be at the expence of the engraving, might possibly leave me in the lurch by his death; and therefore I wrote to stop the engraving. That Lord is in a very bad way, but may hold out six weeks or two months longer, as I have been since informed; and if I could get the engraving finished by that time, I should run no risque. Be so good as to enquire of Mr. Vertue whether he thinks it can be done by that time. It is my misfortune that he has so much business upon his hands at this time, as Lord Oxford informs me he has; but, as mine is a case of extreme necessity, perhaps he may be prevailed with to do it. Till I know this, I must be so rude as to decline accepting your kind offer, for I purpose to defer the publication for a year longer, and stick to my work of Medals, which has been much retarded by this affair of the Horse. "My friends are uneasy at my putting it off, but œconomy will not allow me to be at any more expence immediately; and without the plate of the Horse, my Dissertation will be in a manner useless. If Mr. Vertue could forward it, by getting other hands to help him, and do only the nicest part himself, I shall not be uneasy. If I should find encouragement to go on, I shall very readily embrace your offer, and send you an account in my next where I would have it paid. But, whether I proceed or not, I assure you that you may command a draught of the thing you desire (which I have some hopes will be engraved at Dr. Mead's expense); and as soon as Green is at leisure, which will be as soon as the Visitation of the Library is over next week, I will have a copy taken, and send it up to you, with a great deal of pleasure. In the mean time believe me, dear Sir, "Your obliged humble servant, "DEAR SIR, FRANCIS WISE." Wroxton, near Banbury, Dec. 17, 1738. "The last sheet of my book* is now printing off; and I find the copy exceeds the number of sheets I at first intended, by a "A Letter to Dr. Mead concerning some Antiquities in Berkshire, 1738," 4to. sheet and a half, which, though it be an additional expence of near 41. to me, yet I do not intend to alter the price, viz. 1s. 6d. I am advised likewise to throw away three guineas or more in advertising it, which, added to the other sums, will make above 581. which I have spent in, this affair (without reckoning the plates given me by Lord Craven and Dr. Mead), a sum vastly too great for a private scholar to expend upon a public work. My friends therefore must excuse me if I give them trouble in endeavouring to make myself whole, though indeed I despair of ever doing that; and if I can raise 401. from the sale of the book, I shall be very well content. As you have been so good as to offer me your service in this affair, I will take the liberty of sending up to you 400 copies, which I hope some friends or other will take off your hands by dozens, in order to disperse them more effectually. What cannot be disposed of, must be returned to me again. Perhaps Mr. Beauprè Bell, if you would ask him (for it must not be done in my name), could find some way of disposing of 100 at Cambridge: this would mightily facilitate the dispersion. If they were put into a bookseller's hands there, he might sell them for 2s. apiece but booksellers are persons whom I would not willingly have dealings with; and if Mr. Bell had some friend there to disperse them at 1s. 6d. I should like it much better. Like other Authors who are prejudiced in favour of their own works, I flatter myself that it will be a pamphlet that will afford entertainment enough, especially to adepts in the study of Antiquity; but there is a necessity for expedition in dispersing the copies, for I am sensible, when the sale of them begins to flag, it will never recover itself, and the remaining copies must become waste paper. But I have great confidence in the zeal and activity of my friends, and therefore shall trouble you with nothing more at present, than that I am, dear Sir, "Your obliged humble servant, "DEAR SIR, FRANCIS WISE." Jan. 22, 1738-9. "I have packed up, and shall send this day to Godfrey's, 100 copies, which are all that I shall trouble you with, since you think they will be more than you shall be able to dispose of. I shall make another venture, at the other end of the town, of the same number of copies, but am very doubtful of the success. I am sorry I am not likely to put off a greater number at London, because I had pitched upon that as my chief mart. I hope to dispose of 200 in the Vale of White Horse; but must sell between 600 and 700 to make myself quite whole. My friends seem to be zealous, and I am quite indifferent about the issue. However, I shall not be wanting to myself in pushing the sale to the utmost; and advertising shall be called in as the last resort. I am determined to set fire to the remaining cargo, to prevent its falling into the pirates' hands, for waste paper. "I have printed a few upon a better sort of paper, as presents for particular friends, and beg your acceptance of one, which I send with the parcel, as likewise one for Mr. West, and another, which I must beg you to send to Mortlake to Mr. Anstis. You may be sparing of mentioning the persons to whom I send these presents, because perhaps I may have other friends that I have 1 forgot, who may think themselves slighted; and I would willingly avoid giving offence as much as possible. The thing itself has cost me pains enough, and I need not make myself enemies by it. Wishing you good luck in disposing of your cargo, I am, dear Sir, your obliged and obedient humble servant, F. WISE. "Mem. The price is 2s. each copy." "DEAR SIR, Feb. 21, 1738-9. "Not having heard from you lately, I presume to trouble you once more, and to enquire what success you have met with in disposing of the pamphlets. I have had here as good luck as I could well expect from the taste of the place, which you are sensible is not much turned to Antiquities. However, I have disposed of above one hundred; and if I could hear of the same success among my friends who have taken this trouble upon them, I should begin to be pretty easy; though I fear it will be a difficult matter to get off 600, as I at first proposed. However, I still keep my resolution of making a bonfire of the remaining copies, after I have used my utmost efforts for the sale of them. I think it is time to advertise; and if you are of the same opinion, I should be glad to know so much. I beg to hear from you, though I am forced to subscribe abruptly, yours, &c. FRAN. WISE." "DEAR SIR, May 17, 1739. "I received your compliments by Mr. Bach, but am sorry we shall be disappointed of your company at Oxford, as you once proposed. You will oblige me if at your leisure you will send me an account of what success you have had in the sale of my pamphlets. I fear it is not so great as my friends gave me hopes of at first. I must own I expected more zeal from some of them, viz. Mr. West, Lord Oxford, Lord Craven, &c. neither of whom, as far as I can learn, has put off one copy for me. All my ambition was to put off 600 if possible, which would have reimbursed me all my expences; but I have not sold much above half that number, even supposing yourself to have disposed of 50. The run of the sale is quite over; and this ill success is a sensible mortification, and makes me more out of humour with my performance than perhaps it deserved. I had better let a bookseller have had it at any rate; for now I shall scarce pay for the drawings, printing, and bookbinder's bill, without any hopes of repaying myself my expences in journies, &c. However, I intend to make the book as good a bargain as I can to those who have purchased it, by lessening the number of the copies, and have begun by destroying one large parcel, containing the latter part of the impression, where one of the plates was a little worn, reserving at last one hundred to myself, to give away from time to time among my friends. I now intend to stick close to my work of Medals, and wish I may be able to finish it by the time I once proposed. "I am, dear Sir, your obliged humble servant, FRAN. WISE." DEAR "DEAR SIR, Trinity College, June 18, 1739. "I received the favour of yours yesterday, and return thanks for your trouble in my affairs; but cannot prevail with myself to recede from my former resolution, by selling the copies at an under-rate to the booksellers. I have reduced the number to a much less compass than you think of, and perhaps may want hereafter some to make presents of to my friends. I should be glad to know what number remains in your hands, and desire you to send them down by Godfrey's waggon, for I will give my friends no further trouble in soliciting to dispose of them. I received a kind letter lately from Lord Craven, who has heard of my being a sufferer by it, desiring to know in what manner he might be serviceable to me, and whether particularly by recommending the pamphlet to the gentlemen in the neighbourhood of the White Horse; so that I expect a call for a good number from that quarter. I cannot say that I have repented much of publishing it; but perhaps may have cause hereafter, if it be true what a friend lately whispered to me, that there is a person who has undertaken to answer it, and who sets the antiquity of the Horse much higher than I do.' If he writes like a gentleman and a scholar, I shall be satisfied, though he should prove me to be in the wrong; for I am not bigoted to an opinion in defiance of truth. This piece of news you need not mention as from me. Innys, though he pretended ignorance, knew very well the price, for he had applied before to my Printer; and I could have disposed of a great number upon the same terms to the booksellers of Oxford. Pray be so good, since you will not permit me to wait upon you at Oxford, as to let me hear from you as soon as conveniently you can. In the mean time believe me, dear Sir, "Your obliged humble humble servant, FRAN. WISE." "SIR, To Mr. JOSEPH AMES. Trinity College, Oxon, Oct. 9, 1740. "I received your letter, with another inclosed from Mr. Ducarel, together with your List of Printers enlarged, and which I had received before from Mr. Hunt. I wish I could add any names of Printers to it, or be otherwise assistant to you in your work; but I have consulted my papers, and find nothing but what has been taken notice of before by Dr. Middleton and others; only I think I once met with, in my reading, the name of one of our oldest Printers amongst others, who was said to have set up printing at St. Alban's, and whom at the time of reading I took to be the Schoolmaster; and, if I remember right, it was different from Hertford, who I think is the only one mentioned by you. I did not make a memoradum of this; but it was in some English book, and perhaps has not escaped your notice. We give up the point concerning the antiquity of Rufinus; but if you compare the types of that book and Ægidius Romanus,' with those of Theodoric Roode, you will find them very different, and of a printer predecessor to Roode at Oxford, and who this should be, unless Frederick Corsellis, I cannot tell. I think there is a gentle man's |
