Dix — First Printing of the New Testament in English at Dublin. 181 



Eliphal Dobson, Jacob Milner, and Eobert Thornton, three of the members 

 at the meeting, were Booksellers and Stationers. 



Lately, however, while checking over the MS. Catalogue or Index to the 

 original MSS. in Marsh's Library, Mr. J. E. Scott, b.a., the new Assistant 

 Librarian there, noticed an original paper, in contemporary writing, dealing 

 with this very matter, and at once drew my attention to it, and through the 

 kindness of the Eev. Dr. White, the Librarian, I have been permitted to 

 have a copy of the " Paper " made, to submit to the Academy. 



The " Paper " is a Petition or Statement drawn up foa', and presumably 

 presented to. the Privy Council, though it .may neyer have reached them; and, 

 while confirming in the clearest manner the actua,l printing of the New 

 Testament, it also gives a wholly different version of the whole matter, and 

 throws light on Dublin printing at the time that is of much interest. There 

 is no date to the paper itself ; but internal references, coupled with the Minute 

 of the Guild meeting, fix the date sufficiently. 



Though I annex a full copy of the paper as an appendix (B), I will here 

 detail its substance with such references and additional information as seem 

 necessary. 



The paper is headed and endorsed — 



" The State of the case of Thos. Somervell Merchant." 



Somervell describes himself as a " Merchant"; but as his " Goods " were in part 

 " Schoolbooks," he may fairly be given as a "Bookseller," and perhaps 

 " Publisher." He says he was a Freeman also. He states he imported from 

 London quantities of Schoolbooks ; but, owing to the heavy tax laid on paper 

 and printing in 1696, such importatioii became miprofitable ; and he joined 

 with Thomas Simpson, Merchant, and James Malon[e], Bookseller, to have 

 such books printed here, and sold them much cheaper than the imported ones, 

 besides giving local employment, and keeping money in the CQimtry. 



At the end of 1697 he had a quantity of fine Genoa paper which fell to 

 half its value ; and to retrieve the loss he proposed to print on it a Xew 

 Testament, and agreed with Cornelius Carter, a Dublin printer, to print 400 

 copies, and gave him a copy of a London-printed Testament bought from a 

 " Protestant " bookseller. Carter proceeded with the work, and, when nearly 

 finished, Somervell offered to Simpson and Malon[e] to take the book in 

 partnership at what it cost him, and they agreed. (Malone had been Stationer 

 to James II. when that Monarch was reigning in Dublin, and was a Eoman 

 Catholic.) 



Several of the other Dublin booksellers, however, finding Somervell's project 

 was ahnost perfected, bought twelve of the Testaments in sheets, and proceeded 

 to note any defects in them. They found some undoubtedly, though Somervell 



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