402 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[2nd s. No 47„ Nov. 22. '5(5. 



liis Deputy or Deputies, forthwith to attach the 

 body of the said S. Popping for printing and pub- 

 lishing the said Paper in breach of a Standing 

 Order of the House." 



Sir William Oldes, then the Gentleman Usher, 

 informed the House on the following day " that 

 S. Popping is taken into Custody, but is so ill that 

 she is not in a condition to be brought to the Bar, 

 and that a person is attending at the Door who 

 can give an account concerning the said Paper." 

 Whereupon Elizabeth Cape was called in and ex- 

 amined upon oath, at the bar, touching the said 

 paper. 



Unfortunately no particulars of what Eliza- 

 beth Cape told the House have been recorded: 

 but she told them enough to implicate poor Curll 

 and his brother bookseller, John Pemberton ; for 

 the result of her examination was, that the House 

 ordered the Gentleman Usher to " forthwith at- 

 tach the bodies of John Pemberton and Edmund 

 Curll, Booksellers in Fleet Street, for being con- 

 cerned in printing and publishing the said Paper," 

 and to " keep them in safe Custody until further 

 Order." 



On Tuesday, the 17th April, Sarah Popping pre- 

 sented to the House a petition, of which the fol- 

 lowing is a copy : 



"To the Right Hon^'io The Lords Spirituall andTemporall 

 in Parliament assembled. 



" The humble Petition of Sarah Popping, 



« Sheweth, 



" That your Petitioner is heartilj' sorry to have in- 

 curred Your Lordships displeasure, but hopes from Your 

 Lordships known Justice to obteyne your generous pardon 

 when Your Lordships are acquainted with her case, which 

 is as follows : 



" Your Lordships Petitioner knew nothing of her name 

 being put to the Lord Wintoun's Trial, which has justly 

 offended Your Lordships, nor knew of its being sent to be 

 published by her untill after it was brouglit to her 

 house. 



" That being ill at the time it came, your Petitioner's 

 sister, who is not acquainted with such things, had pub- 

 lished it before your Petitioner knew anything of it. 



" Your Lordships Petitioner and her Sister liave fully 

 declared all they know about the Booksellers concerned in 

 it, and it being usual in such cases to discharge the pub- 

 lisher upon the discovery of the Bookseller, 



"Your Petitioner most humbly begs Your Lordships 

 favor that shee may be discharged without fees. Her con- 

 dition and the protitts shee has by publication not being 

 able to bear it. 



" And y^ Pef shall pray, &c. 



" Sarah Poppixg." 



This petition having been read, and the House 

 being informed that Curll and Pemberton were 

 also in custody, ordered them all three to be 

 brought to the bar at one o'clock on the following 

 day. The business was, however, adjourned from 

 day to day until Thursday the 26th April, when 

 we find the following entry on the Journals : 



" Sarah Popping, a Publisher, and John Pemberton and 

 Edmund Curll, Booksellers, were (according to Order) 



brought to the Bar, and severally examined touching the 

 printed Paper, intituled, 'An Account of the Trial of the 

 Earl of Winton.' 



" As was also Elizabeth Cape examined upon Oath, in 

 relation to the same Matter. 



"And, they being withdrawn, the following Orders 

 were made : 



" Ordered, That the said Sarah Popping and John Pem- 

 berton be forthwith discharged out of Custody, without 

 paying any Fees ; and that the said Edmund Curll be 

 continued in the Custody he is now in. 



" Ordered, That Daniel Bridge, a Printer, in Pater- 

 noster Row, do attend this House to-morrow, to give an 

 Account concerning the printing of the aforementioned 

 Paper." 



On Wednesday the 2nd of May, Daniel Bridge, 

 a printer in Paternoster Row, attending (accord- 

 ing to order), was called in and examined touch- 

 ing the printing of the Earl of Wintoun's trial, 

 and having acquainted the House " That he re- 

 ceived the Copy tliereof from Edmund Curll, a 

 Bookseller in Fleet Street, and owned he printed 

 the same," he was forthwith oi'dered into the 

 custody of Black Rod. 



On Tuesday the 8th May, Curll and Bridge 

 presented to the House a petition, of which the 

 following is a copy : 



" To the Right Honi'io the Lords Spiritual and Temporal 

 in Parliament Assembled. 



"The humble Petition of Edmund Curll and Daniel 

 Bridge. 



« Humbly Sheweth, 

 " That your Petitioners are in the Custody of the 

 Black Rod, by Order from your Lordships, for Printing 

 and Publishing a Paper intituled, ' An Account of the 

 Tryal of the Earl of VVinton,' which j'our Petitioners are 

 now sensible is contrary to a Standing Order of this 

 Most Honourable House. 



" That j'our Petitioners not knowing there was any 

 such order, did inadvertenth' cause the same to be printed, 

 and have thereby justly incurred your Lordships dis- 

 pleasure. 



" Your Petitioners for their offence are heartily sorry, 

 and for the future do promise to be more Circumspect, and 

 resolve never again to offend j'our Lordships: and in re- 

 gard your Petitioners have PVimilies, which must inevita- 

 bly be Ruined unless your Lordships have compassion on 

 them. They humbly Beg that j^our Lordships will bo 

 pleased to order them to be discharged from their con- 

 finement. 



"And your Petitioners as in Duty bound shall ever 

 Pray. 



"Edjiund Cup.i.i,. 

 Dakiel Bridge." 



This petition was ordered to lie on the tabic 

 until the following morning. It was not, how- 

 ever, finally taken into consideration until the 

 Friday, when — 



" Edmund Curll and Daniel Bridge, in Custody of the 

 Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, for printing and 

 publishing a paper intituled ' An Account of the Trial of 

 the Earl of Winton,' in breach of a Standing Order of 

 this House, were (this day), according to Order, brought 

 to the Bar; where the}', on their Knees, receiving a Re- 

 primand from the Lord Chancellor for their said Offence, 

 were ordered to be discharged, paying their Fees." 



