Dec. 11. 1852.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



551 



TWO CUEIOU8 AUTHORS : H. A., GEST., AND H. W., 

 GENT. 



The lover of curious books is often at a loss to 

 adjudge a category to the oddities which fall in 

 his way. Such is my perplexity at this moment 

 in regard to a pair of authors, or " Gents," as they 

 style themselves. The first has contributed to our 

 poetical stock — 



" The Court Convert : or, a sincere Sorrow for Sin, 

 faithfully travers'd ; expressing the Dignity of a true 

 Penitent. Drawn in little by one whose manifold 

 Misfortunes abroad have rendered him necessitated to 

 seek for Shelter here ; by dedicating himself and this 

 said small Poem. By H. A., Gent." 12mo. pp. 32. 

 Printed for the Author, n. d. (circa 1700.) 



Although this piece was noticed at length in 

 MestiMa, vol. ii. p. 481., there was no light thrown 

 upon its author, or its bibliographical peculiarities. 

 It is to these, therefore, and not the subject, or its 

 treatment — in which there is no merit — that I 

 would make a remark or two. 



The book, then, commences with an address 

 ^' To the Honoured," — followed by a vacant space, 

 which is filled up in my copy, in fair black-letter 

 caligraphy, " S'' John Pestaville, Bart.," and un- 

 dersigned " Henry Anderson." In this the poet, 

 thus obscurely as to his history, and humbly as to 

 his merits, seeks to conciliate his patron : 



" The Author's condition being at present on a level, 

 and the basis of his former fortune overthrown, to get 

 clear of the dilemma, and prevent his future interment 

 in the ruins, humbly takes leave to dedicate this small 

 poem (the offspring of a penny-less Muse) to your kind 

 acceptance : having nothing in this iron age, wherewith 

 to support him, but a feeble quill. He knows it is not 

 practicable to trade for wealth in the poet's territories ; 

 he might as well depend on the wheel of Fortune for 

 a benefit, which only turns to the advantage of her 

 favourites, than fish for pearl in the Muse's Helicon, 

 where are only wrecks, and no riches ; he has only play'd 

 a little about the brink ; which, if not well done, is 

 submitted to correction : but, believing the spirit of 

 goodness and true humility resides in your generous 

 breast, as a rich gemm in a noble cascate, he is en- 

 courag'd to lay this the aforesaid brat at your hos- 

 pitable gate," &c. 



Did this description of my copy fully represent 

 all those extant, it would be hardly worth a Note; 

 but it seems the worthy author, taking advantage 

 of the convertible " H. A." on his title, was in the 

 habit of varying the signature to the address, — 

 carrying, apparently, a pocket-press with him, and 

 imprinting " Henry Anderson " or " Henry Aud- 

 ley," as his fancy or his interest might suggest. 

 Thei-e are, indeed, other varieties, such as an 

 Edinburgh imprint, and an appeal to his patrons 

 on behalf of his " brat," totally difierent to that 

 from which I have quoted. So much for the 

 Court Convert. 



The other " Gent." I would draw attention to 

 is not less mythical. One of his performances, 

 now before me, is a dusty little quarto, yclept 



" The Divine or Hypostatical Union : being a small 

 Poem upon the Life and Death of the Blessed Jesus ; 

 beginning with the Advent. By H. W., Gent." 

 Pp. 39. Edinburgh : printed in the year 1707, 



As I never take up one of the foregoing books 

 without being reminded of the other, I may note 

 wherein I think they bear a family resemblance. 

 As in the first, so in this, the book commences with 

 an address " To the Honoured," with a like blank 

 — wide enough, in this example, to contain the 

 lord provost and his town council — filled up in a 

 coarse hand-type, with the name of " Sir James 

 Car-Michael." 



" Where business is wanted by those that love not to 

 be idle," says the logical dedicator, " it's better to per- 

 forme things indifferent than to sit still and do nothing. 

 Action is the alpha and omega of man, for were there 

 not a general activity in nature, all must return to it's 

 primitive nothing, and the world would die. 'Tis this, 

 and the account receiv'd of your excellent character, 

 which thus imboldens my unmannerly Muse to make 

 an offering of this to your judicious contemplation ; 

 believing that nothing can be more advantageous to 

 ourselves than to meditate on the life of God, because 

 we all would live; nor more to the disadvantage of our 

 cupidities than to reflect upon His death, because we all 

 must die," &c. 



Besides this precious production, " H. W.," or, 

 as he extends it in his dedication, " Henry Waring," 

 was the author of two other nondescript pieces 

 which have come under my notice : the first a 

 dry specimen, The Rule of Charity : Lond., printed 

 for the Autlior, 1695, — a prosy afiiiir upon the 

 text " Cast thy bread upon the waters," &c., and 

 inscribed in a corresponding strain, and at his 

 " Private Press," to " Dr. Hance Sloane ; " the 

 other, the oddest of the lot, rejoices in the follow- 

 ing title : The Sighfs Retreat : a Poem, by H. W., 

 Gent. This title, with its dedication to " Dr. 

 Sloane," is in the rudest style of the aforesaid 

 locomotive press, and is additionally curious from 

 its throwing more light upon the condition of its 

 author than any of the preceding. 



" The ensuing poem, entitled the Sight's Retreat^ 

 being," says he, "the offspring of an obscure Muse, is 

 with all deference dedicated by the author himself to 

 your discreet compassion, who being of late almost 

 overwhelm'd with darkness, and his candle at present 

 quite extinguish'd, humbly takes leave, on a just con- 

 sideration of your manifold virtues and perfections, to 

 illuminate the same, and light it again at your honour's 

 altar, who am, with all due submission, your honour's 

 unfortunate but dark and dutiful servant, Henky 



WAttlNG." 



The Sight's Retreat is on the charity of " their 

 Honours," and in ringing the changes upon this 



