Creatus  est  Medicinas  Doctor

Luguduni  Batavorum.'

The  almanac  stamps  seem  to  have  prompted  crime  and  for-
gery, owing  to  their  price  ;  for  the  London  Gazelle,  Feb.  7/10,  1713
has,  '  Whereas  divers  Almanacks,  or  Papers  serving  the  purpose
of  an  Almanack,  with  false  Stamps,  have  been  lately  Printed  and
Sold  in  several  Parts  of  England,  contrary  to  a  late  Act  of  Parlia-
ment, and  prejudicial  to  Her  Majesty's  Revenue ;  and  others,  tho'

»  Harl.  MSS.  3931-85


LITERATURE,    THE  PRESS,  etc.  313

with  the  true  Stamps,  have  been  Printed  and  Sold  Contrary  to  the
Right  of  the  Company  of  Stationers,  for  which  Divers  Persons  are
now  under  Prosecution,  and  all  others  will  be  Prosecuted  when
discover'd :  This  notice  is  given  to  prevent  all  Persons  incurring
the  like  Trouble  and  Penalties.'

It  seems  strange,  and  somewhat  in  advance  of  the  time,  to  hear
of  an  amateur  magazine  being  started— but,  at  all  events,  such  a
thing  was  proposed.  '  Any  Gentleman  or  Lady  that  is  desirous  of
having  any  short  Poem,  Epigram,  Satyr  &c.  (published  ?)  if  they
please  to  communicate  the  Subjects  to  the  Authors  of  the  Divert-
ing Muse,  or  the  Universal  Medley,  now  in  the  Press  and  will  be
continued  Monthly ;  or,  if  they  have  any  Song  or  other  Poem  of
their  own  that  is  New  and  Entertaining,  if  they  please  to  direct
them  for  Mr.  George  Daggastaff,  to  be  left  at  Mr.  Hogarth's  Coffee
House  in  St.  John's  Gateway  near  Clerkenwell,  the  former  shall  be
done  Gratis,  and  inserted  in  the  Miscellany  abovemention'd,  as
also  the  latter,  both  paying  the  Postage  or  Messenger.' '  This
liberal  offer  does  not  seem  to  have  met  with  the  anticipated
response,  for  I  have  looked  in  vain,  in  the  Catalogues  of  the
British  Museum  and  elsewhere,  and  can  find  no  mention  of  the
•  Diverting  Muse.'


CHAPTER  XXX.
