Book trade references in the Lapthorne-Coffin correspondence 1683-1697
edited by Michael Treadwell and Ian Maxted.
Letters, 1687
[Sat., 10 December 1687]
Sr
I perceive you are displeased for my buying Pancerols Not. Dign.
Rom. [P04]without Comission - ye loss shall not be yrs - for
one Mr Southerby a gent of quallity & yt lives in Hatton
garden was my competitor for yt booke. I must
confess its deare, (viz) 15s. odd pence but I hope
hee will take it off my hands. you seeme to hint
in yor letter as if you conceived some practice here because
yor not receiving yor catalogues in time - Now if any
practice I know not how it can bee but I must bee
a party - I must confess I may comitt errors - but
I suppose you canot justly charge me with any
palpable untruths since you have bin pleased to
intrust meE, & I therefore I doe againe averr yt
both Catalogues [C16]were delivered to ye respective
lodgings
Carriers / according to my Letters yt made mencion
of them, one of them I delivered to ye Booke-
Keeper with my own hands ye other was
delivered to ye warehouse keeper by ye porter
I always imploy who is an honest man -
now because the first miscarried I directed yr
second to Mr Parsons at ye New Inn
but I am apt to think ye occasion of ye
miscarriage is yt the Bookeeper & ware-
housekeeper forgott to deliver ym to ye
carrier till a second returne, Sr
I recd my bill from ye Aucon but this day
Where I finde these books bought for you,
miss. fol. N.46 Musius de orig. Germ. 0li-4s-0 [M85]
N.51 Claverius 3.15.0. [C30] N 53 Veterum Script. 0 8 0 [V10]
N 61 Olaus magn. 0-9.0 [O20] N 92 Bergam de clar mul. 0 3.6 [B32]
Quart - N.67 Pat. Just. de curand, 0 1.3. [J40] N:125
Claver 0-4-8 [C28] N.127 Boxhorns Hist 0 6-6 [B52] - Some
books unbought went at such excessive rates yt I left
them. - There is another booke yt is not in my note (viz)
N.26 Salmat. Epist. [S04] wch a minister bought in
my absence as I take it at 5s wch upon my
request he granted mee & I ordered them to put in
my name insted of his but in this note yt comes
to mee by ye penny post its not but I hope
to recover it Munday. These books yt are
bought I think are cheape enough considering
[continued in left margin]
how deare books were sold at yt Aucton Yor Letter comes time enough for the manuscripts & I intend
[to] use my best care in buying them. I think I wrote you formerly yt I had bought ye Antiquities of
Rutlandshire. [...]
[4 lines]
[...]Inclosed are the Gazettes [...]
Hatton Garden 10 Dec 1687
[undated, but prob. c. Sat., 17 December 1687]
The manuscripts being sold this weeke there [is got for]
you only The Vissitation for Devonshire [C38] don by [ ? ]
they say a man of fame. it cost 30s. [ ? ]
A Dorstshire gent bid 28s. ye manuscripts [went at ?]
an excessive rate there being a throng [ ? ]
of quallity to buy. I bid 51s. for Norden [ ? ], [N60]
a thin booke wch as I take it went [at ?]
5li. There was amongst ym & I wond[er you]
tooke no notice of them a great ra[rity]
wch was much prized viz. 4 [books ? ]
of the works of Wickcliffe, [W72] bought [by the]
Earle of Kent at 21li od mony. I could [have]
almost wished I had bought them my[self?]
at yt price but I veryly beleive [the]
Lord would have bought them [if he had]
given 50li for them. I hope err these [come]
to yor hands you have ye acct of ye bookes
bought at the former auction. Yisterday [was]
published a booke penned by the Bishop
of Oxford being ye reasons for taking
away ye Test [P08] price 1s. 6d. wch I have
bought for you. ye Impression is sp[eedily]
catcht up. [...]
[15 lines]
[...] Inclosed are ye Gazettes from yr faithfull [...]
[Sat., 24 December 1687]
Sr [left hand margin damaged]
I recd yrs yesterday wth the inclosed note for yr Ladys
Garden seeds. as to both I will endeavour to
answer expectacion & send speedily a box I heare of
[ano]ther Catalogue of Mr Scotts books [S20] wch I intend
[to] send inclosed are the Gazetts its Christmas Eve &
[very ?] late at night we have but little news. The
Bishop of Oxfords booke [P08] causes a great deale of
chatt here and its sayd hee is to bee Archbp.
of York. I wish you a happy Christmas I am yr faithfull servant [...]
Hatton Garden
[24] Dec 1687
[Sat., 31 December 1687]
Its Christmas & but litle news sterring & but litle of
busnes wth us & therefore I cutt short in writing
I have ordered yor books bought at ye Auction to [bee ?]
collated & hope by next Satturday to send yor box.
[2 lines]
[...] Inclosed are ye Gazetts from Sr [...] New Years Eve 1687
[2 line PS]
[First letter of 1688]
This page last updated 10 Mar 2002
© Michael Treadwell, Ian Maxted, 2001.
