Aug. 11. 1855.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



99- 



No crab more active, in the dirty dance 

 Downward to climb, and backward to advance, 

 He brinajs up half the bottom on his head, 

 And boldly claims the Journals and the Lead." 

 In the first variorum edition, the " Dod," 4to., 

 J729 (Ed. F.) this passage is thus amplified : 



^' Not Welsted so ; drawn endlong by his skull, 

 Furious he sinks, precipitately dull. 

 Whirlpools and storms his circling arm invest 

 With all the Might of gravitation blest. 

 No crab more active in the dirty dance, 

 Downward to climb, and backward to advance, 

 He brings up half the bottom on his head. 

 And boldly claims the Journals and the Lead." 



In the edition however without date, probably 

 of 1736 (Edition L.), and in both of the edi- 

 tions bearin;^ that date (viz. Editions M. & N.), 

 Welsted is deposed, and the name of Arnall sub- 

 stituted, 



" Not so bold Arnall," &c. 

 and in a note appended to this line we are told 

 his history. We quote this note, however, from 

 Warburton's edition (1751), Works, vol. v. p. 1G4., 

 as it is there rather fuller : 



" WiLijAM ARNA1.L, bred an attorney, was a perfect 

 genius at this sort of work. He began under twenty 

 with furious party-papers: then succeeded Concanen in 

 the British Journal. At the first publication of The 

 Dunciad he prevailed on the author not to give him his 

 due place in it, by a letter professing his detestation of 

 such practices as his predecessor's. But since by the 

 most unexampled insolence and personal abuse of several 

 great men, the poet's particular friends, he most amply 

 deserved a niche in the Temple of Infamy: Witness a 

 paper called the Free Briton : a Dedication intituled ' To 

 the Genuine Blunderer,' 1732, and many others. He writ 

 for hire and valued himself upon it ; not indeed without 

 cause, it appearing by the aforesaid Report that he re- 

 ceived ' for Free Britons and other writings, in the space 

 of four years, no less than ten thousand nine hundred and 

 ninety -seven pounds six shillings and eight-pence out of the 

 Treasury.' But frequently through his fury or foil}', he 

 exceeded all the bounds of his commission, and obliged 

 his honorable Patron to disavow his scurrilities." 



The Report here alluded to is that of the Secret 

 Committee for inquiring into the conduct of 

 Robert Earl of Orford, from which it appears, as 

 stated in a previous note, 



" That no less than fift;/ thousand seventy -seven pounds 

 eighteen shillings were paid to authors and printers of 

 newspapers, such as Free Britons, Daily Courants, Corn- 

 Cutters' Journals, Gazetteers, and other political papers 

 between Feb. 10, 1731, and Feb. 10, 1741." 



The documents to which I have referred furnish 

 curious illustrations of this existing connexion 

 between the party writers and the government of 

 the day. 



The first, which is endorsed — 



" Acco* of the Free Briton for Printing and Writing 

 that Paper, from the l#i» of October, 1731, to the 13"> of 

 January following : 



« £ 568 16s. 8d. 



" ^ me W. Arnali," 

 gives an account of the expenses of printing and 

 No. 302.] 



writing that journal for a period of three months ; 

 and is as follows : 



£ s. d. 



" For printing Nine Single Papers, entitled 

 the Free Briton, at the common Charge 

 of Gl. 13s. 4d per Paper - - - 63 



For printing the Free Briton of November 

 the 4«h against the Common Council 

 of London ; a Double Paper, of which 

 5000 copies were distributed - - 83 6 8 



For printing the Free Briton of November 

 the 18"' on the same affair, a Double 

 Paper, of which 4000 copies were dis- 

 tributed 66 13 4 



For printing the Free Briton of Dec. le"', 

 on the election of a New Common Coun- 

 cil, a Single Paper, of which 4000 copies 

 were distributed - - - - -33 68 



For printing the Free Briton of January 

 the 13"', in Defence of the late Inform- 

 ation against the Publisher of the Crafts- 

 man, of which 1500 copies were distri- 

 buted, a Single Paper - - - - 12 10 



For printing a Pamphlet called the Cap 

 of Opposition stated between the Crafts- 

 man and the People, occasioned by his 

 Paper of Dec. the 4"S of which 4000 

 copies were distributed _ - - 200 



For Writing the Free Briton, from the 14"> 

 of October 1731 to the 13"» of January 

 following - - 100 



For Writing the Papers in relation to the 



Common Council of London - - 60 



For Writing the Pamphlet called the Cap 

 of Opposition stated - - - - 50 



£568 16 8 



« January 13*i', 1731. 

 " Delivered, 



" Per me, W. Arnall." 

 The second is endorsed simply "Mr. Peele," 

 and shows how the Post Office was employed ia 

 the circulation of the Paper : 



" Account of Free Britons delivered to Joseph Bell, Esq^'^, 

 Comptroller of his Majesty's Post Office, by Order of 

 the Right Hon^^<^ Sir liobcrt Walpole. 



£ s. d. 



" By Bill delivered for June, Julv, August, 



1733 ' - - 97 10 



By Ditto „ Sept., Oct., Nov. - 211 13 4 



Bv Ditto „ Dec, Jan., Feb. - 205 16 8 



By Ditto „ March, April, May, 



1734 - 221 13 4 



By Ditto „ June - - - 68 6 8 



By Ditto „ Julv, August, Sept. 230 



Bv Ditto „ Oct., Nov., Dec. - 238 6 8 



'Jan. 2, 1734-5 "^ 



9, » 

 16. „ >2200 each Day - 91 13 4 



23, „ 



30, „ J 



Feb. 6, „ ^ 



^' " V2200 each Day - 73 6 8 



27', 

 March 6, 



^^' " ^2200 each Day - 73 6 

 27' 



27, „ J 



6, „ -) 



10, „ r- 



17, „ J 



