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Show Totl-eRrA D E I! . ever, thought proper to !top advertiiing in the Pa-pers. 1 . I then intended to think no more of the Matter; and gave myfelf no far ther trouble about it ; t ill by Chance turning over fame fpare Leaves at the End of a Book, which lay in a Friend's ·window, filled, as is common, wi th Advertifements of new Books, I obferved my little Piece again adver tifed '" publilhed by two eminent Bookfelkrs, to whom I had given no more Title to print it, than I had before to M r. Read. This, I own, vexed me, For I thought here was like to be no End of the Difgrace I mull: fulfe r, wit hom any F a~lt of my own, and for the Gain of People whom l knew nothing of. I went therefore to thofe Gentlemen, to afk ofthemfome Account of the Matter. T hey told me, they had bought of Read the Copy-right, (which he had not to fell.) I afkeJ them, whether they did not think I was ill ufed by Read. They owned, I was : but faid, in their own D efence, for tbeir concern with it, that they had no Reafon to doubt Read's T itle to the Piece, as it had been publicly advertifed,and never challenged. I anfwered, that they had Reafon to doubt any thing, that luch a Peden faid. N or was there any Difficulty in inform ing themfclves whether R ead hJd any Right in the Piece, by applying to Mr. Freer, fur whom my firfl: T raCt was publilhed, who would have fatisfied them at once, that he had none. I do not pretend to judge of the Principles of Book.fellers. But I know what would infl:antly have appeared to me to be my Duty, and the Right of the Cafe ; I m<"an, to refiorc~, w ithout Hefitation, to the true Owner his undoubted Property. For Men of Principle arealways more afraid of doing than fulfering Wrong. I Wili ix I was the more furprifed at their rcfuong me Red refs, bec.tufe, by their own Account, the Money they had g.ivcn Read for the Copy-right was not above T tu Pounds between them both. They informed me, that they had jufi: printed off a new Edition of fifteen hundred. I altered to take the ImprcJlion off their Hands, paying their Expenccs of Paper and Print. But they inli!led, that I !hould pay the Copy Mo ney be odes. I anfwered, I had heard of Authors being paid by Bookfellers for writing ; but lud never heard of any Author's paying a BookteJ:er Copy-money for his own Copy. A, [ did not choofe to he thought qualified for Bedlam, [ delired to be excufed throwing Ten Pcunds a way fu very fuolilhly. I confulted a VLry worthy Gentleman, k-.1Tned in the Law, Iince dead , who, to my bell: Remembrance, told me, 1 might l(::ize my O\h n Property wherever I found it : And that the CircumHance of my not ha,·ing orllt:rcd 1he Copy to be entered at Stationers H all, was, in Equity, no J ufl:i fication of any Perfon~ s prin ting ic in <1 furreptitious Manner without my Coufenr, any more than my leaving my Door oro:n wuuld excufc a ~r h iePs coming i,1, and robbing Ill)' [1 ntfc ; and that whoever htys out l\tloney upon J Purcbafe of any kind, is to fee to it, thatthe Scll~:r's Right ~le gw1d ; tor tlut the original Proprietor may rcco\·c~ his own from any one, into whofe Hands it is, by any iniquitoul i\'leans, fa llen. I diU not build much upon this Opinion, though I doubt not but it was judicious, having no great Stomach to Law. And that f might terminate the ll utincls amicably, 1 myfclf made the Bookfellcrs fomc Pro1>ofJL, which [ am amncd they could have the Face to rc ufc. What I offered was, T hat tbe full Copy Right lhoulu he given them by me, |