202 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[2»'» S. X. Sept. 15. '60. 



"After -which, 



"The Gentleman Usher of the Black Eod being called 

 upon, gave the House an account, ' That in pursuance of 

 their Lordships' Order, he had caused all the Books found 

 at Mr. Curll's to be seized, and believed there might be 

 near Five Hundred.' 



" Ordered, That the matter of the said Complaint be 

 referred to the Consideration of the Lords following, 

 (videlicet) : 



D. Bolton. E. Fitzwalter. 



D. AthoU. V. Say and Sele. 



D. Ancaster, L.G.C. V. Tadcaster. 



D. Newcastle. L. Bp. Hereford, 



D. Portland. L. B. Sarum. 



D. Bridgewater. L. B. Norwich. 



E. Pembroke. L. B. Bangor. 

 E. Northampton. L. B. Glocester. 

 E. Warwick. L. B. Bristol. 

 E. Winchilsea. Ld. Delawarr. 



E. Chesterfield. L. Willoughby, Par. 



E. Cardigan. L. Lovelace. 



, E. Shaftesburj'. L. Cornwallis. 



E. Scarborough. L. Cathcart. 



E. Albemarle. L. Boyle. 



E. Coventry. L. Montjo3\ 



E. Craufurd. L. Masham. 



E. Morton. L. Foley. 



E, Balcarris. L. Batburst. 



E. Ilav. L. Onslow. 



E. Oxford. L. Ducie. 



E. Strafford. L. Hobart. 



E. Aylesford. L. Monson. 



E. Cowper. L. Hardwicke. 



" Their Lordships, or any Five of them, to meet To- 

 morrow, at the usual time and Place, and to adjourn as 

 they please ; and that E. Curll, for whom the said Literary 

 Correspondence is mentioned to be printed, do attend the 

 said Committee ; and that the Gentleman Usher of the 

 Black Rod do produce before their Lordships some of the 

 printed Copies of that Book." 



The trickery of which Curll had hitherto been 

 the sole victim was now to be played off upon the 

 very body who were called upon to punish the 

 unlucky bookseller. Curll had advertised, as di- 

 rected by P. T., that the volume contained Letters 

 to certain noble Lords — the publication of which 

 was a breach of privilege — and Lord Islay, as 

 will be seen, told the committee that " he had one 

 of the books at home which was bought at Mr. 

 Curll's, and that on the 117th page there was a 

 letter to Mr. Jervas, which contained (as he ap- 

 prehended) an abuse of the Earl of Burlington." 

 But what are the real facts, as exhibited in the 

 following authentic extract from the record of the 

 proceedings of the Committee? Why, that the 

 volume did not contain " any letter of any Lord 

 in it," and neither was the passage at p. 117. 

 which Lord Islay had in his book at home to be 

 found in any of the copies which had been sup- 

 plied to Curll, and been seized by order of the 

 House, and produced before the Committee : — 



" Die Mercurij, 14° Maij, 1735. 

 " Complt. of Advertisemt. touching the publisho. a collec- 

 tion of letters by E. Curll. — L^. Delawarrin the Chair. 

 " The Order of Reference Read. 

 " The Black Rod laid before the Committee some of 



the Books which he had seized at Mr. Curll's pursuant 

 to the Ord"-" of the House. 



" After Debate in relation to the Method of Proceeding, 



" The Earl of Hay acquainted the Com" that he had 

 one of the Books at home which was bought at Mr. 

 Curll's, and that on the 117 page there was a Letter to 

 Mr. Jervas, which contain'd (as he apprehended) an 

 Abuse of the Earl of Burlington, and his Lordship desired 

 that the Book laid before the Committee might be look'd 

 into for that letter ; but the said books being in Sheets, 

 and the Pages not to be easily turn'd to, Mr. Curll was 

 called in, and directed to take the said Sheets and fold 

 one intire Book, which he having done accordingly, he 

 brought the same and deliver'd it to the Lord in the 

 Chair, And then he withdrew. 



" Then the said Book was look'd into, but the above- 

 mention'd Letter to Mr. Jervas could not be found in it. 



" Then the Black Rod was ask'd, whether the said 

 Book Avas one of those which he seized at Mr. Curll's, 

 and says it was. 



" And after further Debate in relation to the Method 

 of Proceeding, 



" It was proposed to call Mr. Curll in again, and ask 

 him how he came to publish the Advertisement. 



" And he being called in, and Ask'd accordinglj', says, 

 The Advertisem' was sent to him, he was to take a Copy 

 of it and put it into the Papers, he do's not know from 

 whom it came, but the Person who sent it Subscribed 

 himself P. T. 



" Saj's he wrote to Mr. Pope to acquaint him that a 

 Gentleman whom he had dis-obliged, who signed himself 

 P. T., had offer'd him a large collection of his (Pope's) 

 Letters to Print. That Mr. Pope did not send him any 

 answer to his letter, but put an Advertisem' in The Daily 

 Post Boy, that he had received such a letter from E. C. 

 That he knew no such Person as P. T. That he believ'd 

 nobody had such a collection of letters, but that it was a 

 Forgery, and that he should not trouble himself about it ; 

 And then read an Advertisem' which he put into The 

 Post Boy in answer to the said Advertisem' of Mr. Pope. 



"He is directed to look on the Book which was 

 delivered to the Com*'", and asked whether that Book 

 contain'd the whole of what he publish'd, and sold in 

 pursuance of the Advertisem'. 



" Says, This Book was more than those he published, 

 for this has a Preface and Title Page, which he never 

 saw before he came to the Com«^ There were two par- 

 cels sent to him, the first he received himself, the other 

 parcel was left at his House with his Wife, when he was 

 not at home, which he had not opened when they were 

 seized ; those that he sold had not the title and preface. 



" Notice taken to him that the Advertisement mentions 

 that the original Letters (of which Affidavit is made) may 

 be seen at his House, and he was asked whether he has 

 the Originals of all the letters contained in the Book, and 

 how he came by 'em. 



" Says he has not the Originals of all the letters, he has 

 the Original letters of the Correspondence with H. C, he 

 had 'em from Mrs. Thomas, for which he paid her a sum 

 of Money, and being ask'd what sum, he says Ten Guineas, 

 and says he is willing to produce those Letters if their 

 Lordships please. 



"Ask'd who made the Affidavit. Says he made it, and 

 that the purport of it was, that he believed the said Letters 

 to be original Letters, he knowing Mr. Pope's Handwrit- 

 ing, and several of 'em having the Post Mark upon 'em. 



" He is again shew'd the Book, and asked whether he 

 takes upon him to say, that is the Book and the only 

 Book which he published and Sold in pursuance of the 

 Advertisement. 



" He says. Yes it is the only Book excepting the title 

 and Preface. 



