Page images
PDF
EPUB

self the delicious flavours of all other fruits commingled by the fiat of Omnipotence in every atom.

This noble instrument can bring the range of man's thought from afar, like the telescope; thought! the noblest part of man's self is at once laid under its all grasping controul, or aided in its diffusion by its untiring energies. Wondrous, incomprehensible thought! an attribute, although a feeble one, of the heavenly and beneficent Deity; and oh, with awe be it written, that part of us, for which we are all to answer, whether for weal or for wo.

This delightful implement, composed of many arts, assists in the diffusion of this otherwise (so far as it is connected with our sojourn here,) fleeting, but glorious faculty.

"How fleet is the glance of the mind,
Compared with the speed of its flight?
The tempest itself lags behind,

And the swift winged coursers of light."

The productions of this universal implement, whose never ending impressions can be as portably and, let us hope, as profitably used as the handy microscope; and as that wonderful and pleasing instrument brings to man's inquisitive eye many hidden treasures, and innumerable beauties of nature's wonders, so can this present to the same most important organ, and through that to his mind another, the most valuable, and until about that period, a nearly hidden treasure, God's holy word! teaching him wisdom, inspiring him with hope, counselling him in difficulties, and with the sweetest arguments persuading him to piety, charity, and benevolence; and, by these means, the most amiable and affectionate of all others, civilizing and socializing the otherwise obdurate and corrupted heart.

This pleasant and ingenious stranger, who might have been turned to much good, as a useful and dutiful servant, came to them before their intellects had been sufficiently refined for them to know how to turn him to his most profitable and amusing account; but let us hope, profiting by their errors, a better era is beginning to dawn upon mankind. And let us all, from the most humble of us, to the highest gifted, implore God's grace, to use it with all the glowing zeal with which we may be embued in glorifying him, and in charity and justice to all men.

This will be found in future to be much better than

"By setting brother against brother,
To claw and curry one another,"
Or, "Diurnals writ for regulation,

Of lying to inform the nation." HUDIBRAS.

NEWSPAPERS.

"The French have a maxim, he lies like a funeral sermon ;'

6

The English have one, he lies like an English newspaper.'" HANWAY.

IT has been conjectured the name originated from the junction of the letters of the cardinal

N

points, which imports, bringing information from W-+-E all parts.

S

In the year 1621, King James sent forth a proclamation against "lavish and licentious talking on matters of state, either at home or abroad," which, he said, "the common people knew not how to understand." "At that time there

was printed every week, for a short period, a sort of' Corante,' with all manner of news, and as strange stuffe as any we have from Amsterdam."* Ben Jonson ridiculed this paper, calling it "news from the moon. ""

But "Surly Ben was a courtier, and had ample reasons (but not the most honourable,) for thus employing his satire. The more honest, and far more amiable Cowper, spoke of them in the following pleasant manner:

"The folio sheet of four pages, happy work,

Which not ev'n critics criticize."

Our forefathers were not permitted then, as now, to sit in taverns,

"Inhaling, as the news I read,

The fragrance of the Indian weed."

This pedantic king had as great an objection to newspapers as he had to tobacco, against both he handled the quill and spoiled paper. In his "Counterblast to Tobacco," 1603, he says: "it is a custom loathsome to the eye, hateful to the nose, harmful to the braine, dangerous to the lungs, and the black stinking fume thereof, is the nearest resemblance to the horrible Stygian smoke of the pit that is bottomless." Yet, notwithstanding this royal denunciation, it was still extensively used, and the following verses were published in its praise, in the "Marrow of Compliment," written 1654:

"Much meat doth gluttony procure,

To feed men fat like swine;

But he's a frugal man indeed,
That on a leaf can dine,

Abraham Verhoven, a printer, published at Anvers, a Courant in Flemish, 1550, with the epigraph, "Den tyd sal leeren ;" it contained articles upon politics, commerce, shipping arrivals, and literary announcements.

He wants no napkin for his hands,
His fingers' ends to wipe;
That hath his kitchen in a box,

His roast meat in a pipe."

But the following pretty parody, (on some lines by Ambrose Phillips,) by Hawkins Brown, Esq., will, I trust, be relished by all pipe smokers:

"Little tube of mighty power, charmer of an idle hour:

Object of my warm desire, lip of wax and eye of fire;

And thy snowy taper waist, with my finger gently brac'd."

Perhaps the most inveterate smoker was the Rev. William Breedon, vicar of Thornton, Bucks; in the "History of Lilly's Life and Times," it is mentioned, on the authority of Lilly, that he was "a profound divine, but absolutely the most polite person for nativities in that age;" and also such a smoker, that "when he had no tobacco, (and I suppose too much drink,) he would cut the bell ropes, and smoke them."

[ocr errors]

The reader will, I hope, excuse this digression, having been led into it by a king, but it "shows the living manners,” though they have died.

From the "Year Book," it appears that from 1588 to 1622, there were but few newspapers; the thirty years' war of Gustavus Aldolphus excited much curiosity, and there was then a weekly paper, called "News of the Present Week," by N. Butler, 1622; one was continued till 1626, under the title of "Mercurius Britannicus," that was succeeded by the "German Intelligencer," 1630, also the "Sweedish Intelligencer," 1631, compiled by William Watts, of Caius College. There was a newspaper, in 1644, under the title of " Mercurius Fumigosus," or Smoking Nocturnal; luckily King James was dead, or this would have killed him.

The wood cut (next page) gives a representation of the interior of the House of Commons, given as an embellishment to a newspaper, which began with the long parliament, and was continued from the third of November, 1640, to the same time, 1641. There was more than one hundred with different titles, between this date to the death of the king, and upwards of eighty from thence to the restoration of Charles II., at first weekly, then *CIGARS.-It appears from the subjoined advertisement, copied from an old Boston newspaper, that cigars first came into fashion there, about the year 1769:

"Brought from Havana, a box of cigars, a very rare article! The best of tobacco rolled up to the size of a small finger, and of about five inches in length-for smoking They are preferred by the Spanish Dons to the pipe. Those who wish to enjoy such a luxury, will please call and try them.

Oct. 16, 1769.

WM. STOCKTON,

[graphic][subsumed][subsumed]

two or three a week, in 1642; after which they came out daily, and were sent to all parts, even to Scotland. Spelding. The number of them for twenty years to the restoration, was not less than 30,000, which is from four to five new ones every day.

"The Public Intelligencer," published by Sir Roger L'Estrange, appeared 1661. The first daily, after the revolution, 1688, was the "Orange Intelligencer." From an advertise

ment in the "Athenian Gazette," 1696, coffee-houses had then the exclusive votes of parliament, and nine newspapers every week, but there seems to have been but one, although nine were occasionally issued. In 1709, there were eighteen, one daily, the "London Courant;" in 1724, there were three daily, six weekly, and two evening, three times a week.

In 1681, votes of parliament were first printed, (but the parliamentary proceedings were prohibited after the restoration,) published as a pamphlet, by Burton, who says: "If any read nowadays, it is a play book or pamphlet of news." Year Book.

The first Gazette was printed 7th November, 1665, at Oxford; the court being there in consequence of the plague being in London this paper is official, and is still continued.

The following is a humourous description of a quidnunc : "A newsmonger is a retailer of rumours that he takes upon trust, and sells as cheap as he buys; he deals in a commodity that will not keep, for if it be stale it lies upon his hands, and will yield nothing, true or false, it is all one to him; for novelty being the grace of both, a truth grows stale as soon as a lie, and as a slight suit will last as well as a better while the fashion holds, a lie serves as well as truth, till new ones come up. He is little concerned whether it is good or bad, for that does not make it more or less news, and if there be any difference, he would willingly bear his share in any public calamity, to have the pleasure of hearing and telling it. He is deeply read in "Diurnals,” and can give as good an account of Rowland Pepin if need be as any man; he tells news as men do money -with their fingers-for he assures them it comes from very good hands. The whole business of his life is like that of a setter dog, viz., to fetch and carry, and when he does it well he is daft on the back and fed for it, until he has eaten it out, for he does not take it altogether like a gentleman for his pleasure, but when he lights upon a considerable parcel of news, he knows where to put it for a dinner, and quarter himself upon it until he has eaten it out, and by this means he drives a trade by retrieving the first news, to truck it out for the first meat in season; and, like the luxurious Roman, ransacks all seas and lands to please his pallate, for he imports his narrative from all parts within the geography of his diurnal, and he eats as well upon the Russ and Polander, as the English and Dutch. By this means his belly is provided for, and nothing lies upon his hands but his back, which takes other courses to maintain itself by waifs and stray silver spoons, straggling hoods and scarfs, pimpings, and sets de l'ombre." Hudibras.

There have been provincial newspapers of longer standing than any of the London ones, if I except the Gazette.

« PreviousContinue »