XLVII.

benry Clinton,

EARL OF LINCOLN.

ENRY CLINTON, seventh Earl of Lincoln, was born 1684, and succeeded his father in the title before he was ten years of age. He took his seat in the House of Peers March 25th, 1708; and was one of the gentlemen of the bedchamber to Prince George of Denmark, in which capacity he attended at his funeral in November following.

His Lordship married, May 16th, 1717, Lucy, sister to Thomas Holles Pelham, Duke of Newcastle, by whom he had three sons: George, his successor; Henry, who succeeded his uncle in the dukedom of Newcastle; and Thomas, who died in infancy. Also five daughters, who all died young: to Lady Caroline, the last, Queen Caroline stood godmother.

His Lordship departed this life on November 7th, 1728, leaving his Countess surviving, who died at Weybridge, on July 20th, 1736.

XLVIII.

Jacob Tonson.

ACOB TONSON, the subject of the present notice, was apprenticed June 5th, 1670, to Thomas Basset, bookseller; and having been admitted a freeman of the Company of Stationers, December 20th, 1677, commenced business, as his brother Richard had done twelve months before. At this period his finances could have been in no very flourishing state; for it is recorded of him that he was unable to pay twenty pounds for the first play he published of Dryden's (The Spanish Friar, 1681), and so was compelled to admit. another bookseller to a share in the transaction. The success of this piece afforded him the means of purchasing those which followed. To this circumstance, added to the lucky bargain he made for the copyright of "Paradise Lost," may be referred the origin of Tonson's subsequent

popularity and good fortune. It has been generally sup-
posed that Jacob obtained from Milton himself the
property of this immortal poem; but such was not the
case. It was partially sold by the author, in 1667, to one
Samuel Simmons, for an immediate payment of five
pounds, with a stipulation to receive five pounds more
when thirteen hundred should be sold of the first edition;
again, five after the circulation of the same number of the
second edition; and another five after the same sale of the
third. None of the impressions were to exceed fifteen
hundred copies. Milton claimed the second payment, as
appears by his receipt of it, still extant, April 26th, 1669.
The third edition did not appear until 1678, when the
widow of our immortal poet assigned over her entire
property in it to the said Samuel Simmons, who trans-
ferred it to Brabason Aylmer, for twenty-five pounds. It
was afterwards sold to Jacob Tonson, in two distinct
portions: half on 16th August, 1688, and the rest on
24th March, 1690, at a considerable advance of price.
Being a secretary of the Kit-Cat Club made him an
excellent butt for the arrows of the satirist, who vented
his spleen against him in the following lines:-

"Now the assembly to adjourn prepared,
When Bibliopolo from behind appeared,
As well described by the old satiric bard