compofitors obferved the types, they told me that about a third of them never had been adjusted; then James himself was set to adjust them. After this, I made a whole fheet of a Bible, and impreffions were taken from both type and plate; when Thomas James brought a quire of fine paper, and was prefent at the impreffion taken from the type, and placed his, feal on the middle of each sheet. Seeing his eagerness to catch advantages, I went for a quire of the fame kind of paper, and defired him to be witnefs to the impreffion from my plates; and having ftamped my feal likewise on each fheet of mine, both impreffions were fhewn to Samuel Palmer and his brother, who were fatisfied with the perform ance. This was fomewhat grating to Thomas James. The next malicious ftratagem he fell upon (being witnefs to the taking of thefe impreffions) was, to acquaint his brother with the defect of the impreffions in the corner of one of the sheets, which he had picked out on purpofe, which defect was owing to the platten's being patched with paper; but as his was first caft off, there were more of them injured in that particular place than of mine; which fhewing his brother, and convincing him of his malice to the undertaking, he confented that he should have no farther concern, or be allowed to come to our meetings, which occafioned the delay of our contract, and confequently of the transference, not knowing whether he was to be any more a partner. Then we got compofitors, and fet to work about a Bible and two Prayer-books on that letter brought from Holland; two Prayer-books upon a Brevier letter, which we had from Thomas James, which were laid afide after four sheets were made in plates; and likewife an octavo Prayer-book, whereof nine fheets were made, and likewife thrown afide, which afterwards, when I left them, they completed in the common way. I made likewife plates for a Grammar, when my partners made choice of an overfeer who did not underftand the Rudiments. At this time we had about a dozen compofitors, and finished two Prayer-books, without taking an impreffion of one fheet; being obliged to make two plates for each page (and very often a greater number, till he was fatisfied that he had got two fufficient for the work): this learned overfeer was made judge, to break down what he thought convenient to be caft over again; but his judgment fhewed itself in breaking the best, which I frequently discovered, and fhewed him the plates after broke, to give him reason to be convinced of his error; though all the excufe he made for himself was, that there were faults in the compofing, which fhould have been his bufinefs to have known before they were brought to me. Having obferved this practice fo frequently, I made my complaint to Mr Fenner, that impreffions might. be taken of the whole work, to fee how far we had been impofed on: Fenner not feeming to agree to it, furprised me much, my demand being fo juft. A little after I came to discover there was an understanding between Fenner and this overfeer, who was likewife clerk to the disbursements, of which John James bore the far greater fhare, without ever taking receipts or clearing accompts with Fenner, who had his game to play with this clerk in making up the accompts; as he told me afterwards that he had a promise of fifty pounds from Fenner, to make up the accompts as he fhould direct, and to continue him in his favour; and he added, that it was then in his power to discover to me, how far Fenner defigned to trick and play the rogue both against John James and me. But having in due acquainted Mr James with my obfervations and fufpicions of this overfeer, we determined to employ a more proper man, to whom we would allow double the wages. that the other had. Accordingly another another was got, who feeing the former's performance, and efpecially that on the grammar, he let us fee, there was like twenty errors in every page, and all the reft of his work fhewed he had no judgment in the matter. Our new overfeer immediately propofed to get Dutch preffmen, and we immediately fent him to Holland to fetch them over; and in the mean time our old overfeer was continued till the other's return; and, knowing he was to be no longer employed, he committed rather greater blunders than, formerly: but before our new overfeer went away, being acquainted with the king's printers, informed them of the advantageous offers we had made him, and his errand to Holland; whereupon they debauched him likewife, and told him, that if he gave us his tools (as he had promiled to do on our paying for them,) he would throw himfe f out of bread; and that the univerfi. ry's leafe would not be worth an half. penny to us, because they were to lead an injunction against it. It evidently appeared he was in concert with the king's printers, by the people he brought over with him; one of whom was a fuperannuated failor, who ingenioufy confeffed his ignorance: and, after eight days ftay with us, went home again, although he was under contract for a year at weekly wages. Another of them, to excule his ignorance, told us he was bred a baker, aod had been but two years at the prefs. The other two were father and fon; the father was a little old man between fixty and feventy years of age, and both fo weakly, that they took four pills at the prefs inftead of two that the English made, who mocking them for their practice in their bafinefs, the fen, being ashamed, ran away from us in two months. Our new overfeer, being along with them at Cambridge, and having nɔ other plates to work upon, but the former un correct ones (which he him. felt had condemned) cauled caft. off a fheet, which he fent up to London, and which met with approbation;. having done his utmoft to fave his, own reputation, and conceal the ignorante of thofe he had brought from Holland. After this, my partners. ufed their preffing inftances to perfuade me to go down to Cambridge, which I refufed till the contracts fhould be figned, and the transference made. But telling me, that would take a time, and that the people would be out of work, they gave me an holograph writ of John James, figned by him and Fenner, wherein they confirmed to me 100l. to be paid yearly, or quarterly, for the use of my family; thirty fhillings a week for my own fubfiftence; and likewife obliged themfelves to confirm to me one fourth of the profits that should arife from the work, and to extend their obligation in form with all expedition, which, by their verbal promife, was to have been done within fix weeks thereafter: having complained of their former payments, they affured me I fhould be paid punctually for the future. But after feven weeks ftay at Cambridge (Fenner having fent down his brother to be cashier,) I had no greater payments made me than at the rate of ten fhillings per week; having made preffing demands in terms of our agreement, this Fenner told me, that if I were not fatisfied with what he gave, 1 might go about my bulinefs, for they could do the work without me. By this time having got a fheet of a Bible made by the direction of this new overfeer, which appeared more beautiful than any hitherto done, Fenner, hearing me fo much commend it, pretended to have a curiofity to look at it, but lifeing it up from the place where it lay to a better light, dropt it; obferving this, I ran to take up what might be unhurt, but he knocked even what remained whole to pieces, which fhewed 'twas not an accident, but real defign. I foon after difcovered their plot: for, having placed all my tools and inftruments inftruments in order at Cambridge, Our overfeer having now left us, agreed on by our minutes. Then Mr Fenner applied to Mr Mount and Mr Page, who had a confiderable mortgage on Mr Basket's privilege of printing; Mr Basket being to receive 11,000l. due to him by the Government, with which he defigned to pay off that mortgage: Fenner hearing of this, conjecturing this a proper time, made proposals to conjoin Mr Mount and Mr Page with him in the univerfity's leafe, which he had fill in his own name. Thereafter he came to Cambridge, where I acquainted him how haughtily I had been ufed by his brother as is above related; and told him, I would go to London to fee John James, and provide proper perfons to carry on the work, and have our contracts figned, which ought to have been done three months before that time. He told me, I fhould get no more papers figned than what were already, for John James would advance no more money, and would be no longer concerned; but that he had taken care of himself, and was to take in Mr Mount and Mr Page for fharers. I then told him, I had his figned obligation for a fourth fhare, and would go to London to let Mr James know his defign, who had already laid out fo much money on that affair.— Finding me obftinate, he begged me to stay fourteen days, and make the Calendar of a Prayer book, that he might have one of them bound in order to fhew it to Mr James, and that he would endeavour to get him to continue his concern, and to bring him to Cambridge in that time; which they failing to do, I went to London; but before I fet out, I thought it fit to remove part of my tools, at least fo many of them as fhould disappoint him, or any other, in the discovery of any part of my invention. I like wife carried with me fpecimens of most of the fheets caft off, to compare them with what Mr James might have got fent him from Fenner. Mr James took out of his pocket thofe theets 1 fent fent him by Fenner from Cambridge; tools, to be more attentive to my per formance for th. discovery of the my-fiery, and then to fhuffle me entirely out of the bufinefs. In the twenty-fix weeks time they expected 1 would finish the half of a Bible, and the half of an Oc‹vo Prayer-book. Itold them I faw through their aim, and parted, with them. Then Fenner went a fecond time to Cambridge, and practifed for two months with as little fuccefs as before :» at his return, he called us to another meeting; and I carried along with me a countryman of mine, a member of parliament, to whom they offered a fheet of clean paper, to fill up what articles he thought fit for my advantage, if I would return to Cambridge. This gentleman answered, that I had a friend in the place who understood. matters of that kind better than he, and defired them to appoint an hour, and place; but accidentally dropping his name, was known to Mr Fenner, having heard him plead a caufe in the. Exchequer in Scotland: when the defendant was feemingly to have loft his caufe, this gentleman recovered it to Fenner's great furprize, which made. him believe that gentleman would be too many for him to meet with on my.. affair. The appointment, however,. was made, but neither he ror Jameskept it. Some days after, my friend the member of parliament and I met with them in another place, where were the two James's and Fenner. Thomas James, being the intimate of Mr Mount and M Page, was inform-. ed by them, how far Fenner had been bargaining with them for the privilege of the univerfity; which John James hearing, told Fenner that he was a knave and a rogue, and had all along picked his pocket, but that he would ftrip him to the fhirt for his money. After this, my friend and I gave over hopes of getting matters accommodated; but he went to my Lord flay (by whofe affiftance we had obtained the leafe, which was granted. granted folely for the encouragement of my plate-way), to folicit his Lordfhip to intercede with the gentlemen, of the university for redrefs of my bad treatment. But this vifit was unluckily timed; for one Mr Page an attor ney (his Lordship's doer at London, and likewife for Fenner) being prefent, and hearing application made to his lordship in my behalf, faid, I had been fufficiently rewarded for what I had done; that I hid got L. 700 of their money, and that I was old and blind, and that my partners could perform my undertaking to better purpose than I could do myfelf. After this, my friend and I made it our bufinefs to meet with this attorney, when I had my accounts drawn up, to thew him how far he had been milinformed., But he would by no means meet with us, faying, Did we imagine to feduce him from his client's intereft? and that he would affront my friend, if we gave him any further trouble. My friend being obliged to go for Scotland, I never had an opportunity to give my Lord Ify any farther account of my misfortunes. I went afterwards to Cambridge, to look after household furniture, and the remainder of my tools that I left behind me; but Fenner pretended to detain both furniture and tools for what of the latter I had carried off before, though at the fame time my partners were debtor unto me in L.240 by their engagements to me, befides my share of the plates and profits arifing from them. I could by no means prevail with Fenner to let me have my furniture, tools, or my cabi net where my papers lay. When I came back to London, another friend of mine and I met with Fenner, to whom we proposed to submit our dit ference to the determination of two gentlemen, to be chofen by each of my us; to which he anfwered, that he was content, provided I would find bail for what demands he might have on me; to which my friend replied, that I fhould find bail for L. 5000 yeɛ, L. 10,000 if he would do the fame but. for L.2000. But Fenner, hearing this frank offer of my friend and me, declined the fubmiffion; upon which a fubftantial neighbour of his being prefent, told him, that certainly his caufe must be bad, that he would not truft to the arbitration of two honest men. Before I left Cambridge laft, I was informed by one of my countrymen who wrought in the house, that they had printed off 20,000 copics of a finall Prayer-book of one line, 10,000 of another Prayer book of two columns, from my plates made from the fame type; and 10,000 more of an octavo Prayer-bok of a larger letter, the one half whereof from plates, and the other from types; befides 10,000 Bibles in manner of this lait mentioned Prayer-book, which when working in the common way, one third of thefe types were picked out, Thomas James having anderfized them when he undertook to aljaft them, though I had all along wrought my plates from thefe unfiz d types. After all, I took counfel f Commiary Graves at Cambridg and Mr Peters counfellor at Londo, whom Jolin James had likewife advuet with; and both agreed that we fhouli join in profecuting Fenner; which Mr James confented to, but fifted me off fo often that I could not wait longer at London: and thas. I was obliged to leave my affair in the fame fituation, and come home o Scotland, without ever having been able ever fince, to get redre ́s or fatiffiction for the injuries do e me by my partners. 3 M 2 W. Ger. The |