It would not be unreasonable to infer that the writer was Bartholomew Green, the printer of the "News-Letter" from April 24, 1704, to November 7, 1707, and again from October 8, 1711, to December 28, 1732, on which day he died. Green's own signature, however, attached to his will (dated 1732) is apparently different from that in the note. On the other hand, a comparison of the writing with the original of Sewall's Diary shows almost conclusively that the note given above was written by Sewall. Yet why, it may be asked, should Sewall be so minute in entering this particular birth? An explanation is not far to seek. In his Diary (II. 363) for 1712 occur these entries: Octob! 4. Satterday, About 4 p.m. Cousin Green is brought to Bed of a Son. Sam. Kneeland told me of it, to whom I gave a shilling. Octob! 5. Mr. Pemberton baptiseth this little son, whom his Father named Samuel. It seems probable that the child was named after Sewall, and it is certain that the child's mother was a relative of his. On June 16, 1710, Bartholomew Green married for his second wife Jane Tappan; and the marriage ceremony was performed by Judge Sewall. Jane Tappan was no doubt the daughter of Sewall's sister Hannah and her husband Jacob Tappan (or Toppan), of Newbury. Hence the bride was a niece of the Judge. It is needless to point out that in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the word "cousin" meant almost any relationship, but more especially indicated a nephew or niece. But whoever owned the volume, its chief interest lies in the documents that are bound in with the newspapers. Dr. Green described six such documents in the volume owned by the New York Historical Society. The Boston Athenæum volume has no fewer than fourteen, and once had fifteen. In a communication to this Society made in October, 1864, on "Catalogues of Harvard University," Sibley, speaking of the Triennial Catalogues, said: "A few years since, I found an excellent copy of the one for 1715, bound near the middle of a volume of the Boston News Letter' of that year, which is in the Library of the Boston Athenæum. Being of the same size as the newspaper, it had till then escaped observation." This catalogue is no longer in the volume. As such documents are sometimes 1 Boston Record Commissioners' Reports, xxviii. 45. 21 Proceedings, viii. 31. mistaken for supplements, perhaps I may be allowed to repeat a remark recently written elsewhere: The matter of supplements raises another difficult point. Many files of newspapers were formed years or even generations ago, and bound in with the newspapers themselves are copies of proclamations, declarations, poems, elegies, satirical skits, political pieces, and other documents of various kinds. Valuable and sometimes unique copies of documents have been preserved in this unexpected manner. But such documents are not supplements. It may be laid down as a safe rule that every genuine supplement of a newspaper has a heading or an imprint by which its identity can be established. This heading is sometimes, but by no means always, followed by a number which generally (though not always) corresponds with the number of the main issue of the same date.1 A description of the documents bound in the Boston Athenæum volume follows: I. After the issue of August 11, 1712, is a broadside containing a Latin poem in thirty-three lines headed "Martij 27. 1712." They are addressed to Sewall, are signed " Ñ. Hobart," -the Rev. Nehemiah Hobart (H. C. 1667), and are followed by two Latin lines signed "S. S." II. After the issue of November 30, 1713, is a broadside, at the top of which is an elaborate "engraved head, or mourning piece." The description of this given by William R. Deane in the "New England Historical and Genealogical Register" (XXII. 140, 141) for April, 1868, need not be repeated here. Then follow the lines: An ELEGY in Memory of the Worshipful | Major Thomas Leonard Esq. Of Taunton in New England; Who departed this Life on the 24th. Day of November, | Anno Domini 1713. In the 73d. Year of his Age. This elegy, printed in two columns, was written by the Rev. Samuel Danforth (H. C. 1683) of Taunton. The poem was alluded to in 1794 by the Rev. Peres Fobes as "an eulogy," 2 and was reprinted by Deane from the original in the volume under discussion. There is no imprint. 1 Publications of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, ix. 404, 405, III. After the issue of December 7, 1713, is a broadside having at the top an "engraved head, or mourning piece" closely resembling that of No. II. Then come the lines: On the DEATH of the very Learned, Pious and Excelling | Gershom Bulkley Esq. M.D. Who had his Mortality swallowed up of Life, December the Second 1713. Etatis Sua 78. | Sanctus erat Quanquam Lucas, Medicusque Sepulchri, | Jura subit, factus Victima dira necis: | A Saint tho' Luke, and a Physician too, | Struck Sail to Death, as other Mortals do. The text is printed in two columns, the first containing three stanzas. The top of the second column has, unfortunately, been cut out. Then comes the word "Aliter" followed by two stanzas, and then these lines: Sic mihi contingat vivere sicque Mori Brookfield Decemb. 7. 1713. Johannes Jamesíus LONDINENSIS. New-London: Printed by T. Green, 1714. Timothy Green, the brother, not the nephew, as commonly stated, of Bartholomew Green, removed from Boston to New London on August 10, 1714 (Sewall's Diary, III. 14). Hence this broadside is an early New London imprint. - IV. After the issue of February 22, 1713-14, is a broadside containing two Resolves of the General Court, one dated October 14, 1713, the other February 10, 1713[-14], - relating to "Five Town-ships allowed at present. . . in the County of York, in the late Province of Mayne." The imprint reads: "BOSTON: Printed by B. Green, Printer to His Excellency the GOV. & COUNCIL. 1713." V. After the issue of September 20, 1714, is a copy of "The London Gazette. Published by Authority. From Saturday July 31. to Tuesday August 3. 1714," No. 5247. This is a sheet printed on both sides. VI. The "News-Letter" of October 4 and 11, 1714, each contained an advertisement (p. 2/2) stating that "the Subscribers in the Partnership for Circulating Bills or Notes, Founded on Land-Security, . are desired to meet on Tuesday the 19th Currant, . . . at the Exchange Tavern in Kings-Street Boston." After the issue of October 25, 1714, is a very small sheet headed “Advertisement," and ending with these words: These are to give Notice, That the said | Meeting is Deferr'd unto Monday the First | Day of November next Ensuing, at the said | Time and Place. | Dated, Boston, October 16th. 1714. VII. After the issue of October 25, 1714, is a badly mutilated broadside containing "A Proclamation" by Governor Dudley "Requiring all Persons being in Office of Authority or Government at the Decease] of the late Queen, to proceed in the Execution of their respective O[ffices]." The date of the Proclamation was, according to Mr. Worthington C. Ford, October 27, 1714.1 VIII. After the issue of December, 6, 1714, is a broadside printed in two columns signed "J. C." and headed: Upon the DEATH of that Aged, Pious, Sincere-hearted CHRISTIAN | JOHN ALDEN ESQ: | Late MAGISTRATE of New-Plimouth Colony, who dyed Sept 12th. 1687. | being about eighty uine years of age. The author was doubtless the Rev. John Cotton (H. C. 1657) of Plymouth, a son of the Rev. John Cotton of Boston.2 IX. and X. After the issue of February 14, 1714-15, are two documents, each a single sheet printed on both sides. One is headed: My son, fear thou the Lord, and the King: and meddle not with them that are given | to change, Proverbs Chap. 24. Verse 21. The other is headed: A DIALOGUE | Between a Boston Man and a Country Man. It ends with the words: "PRINTED FOR A PUBLICK GOOD. 1714." 1 2 Proceedings, xv. 337. 2 The lines were printed, though not from the broadside, in "Pilgrim Alden," edited by Augustine E. Alden, 1902, pp. 110-114. The broadside is reproduced, with facsimile, in "The Mayflower Descendant" (ix. 193-196) for October, 1907. Both documents relate to the proposed incorporation of Boston in or about 1714, and have been printed by Mr. Worthington C. Ford in the "Publications of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts," X. 345–352. XI. After the issue of February 21, 1714-15, is a document in four pages headed: THE CASE Of His Excellency the GOVERNOUR and Council Of the Province of the Massachusetts-Bay in New-England, truly Stated. At the bottom of page 4 is written in ink in Judge Sewall's hand: "This was Printed by Thomas Fleet at Boston March, 14th 1714/15." The document was printed by Mr. Worthington C. Ford in the Proceedings (2d series, XV. 356-362) of this Society for December, 1901. XII. After the issue of March 28, 1715, is a document in eight pages headed: Samuel Mulford's | SPEECH | TO THE | ASSEMBLY at NEWYORK, April the Second, 1714. The attention of Mr. Wilberforce Eames was called to this document by Mr. Worthington C. Ford, and on November 12, 1901, Mr. Eames wrote Mr. Ford as follows: I thank you for your note of the 11th inst, enclosing title of Mulford's Speech, which is one of the New York Bradford imprints that Mr. Hildeburn was not able to locate, though he included it in his check list under the year 1714. XIII. and XIV. After the issue April 11, 1715, are two broadsides. One is headed : COPY Of the Fifth & Sixth ARTICLES of the Treaty of Neutrality in America, between England and France, in the Year 1686. late sent in Orders to His Majesty's Frigots attending the Government of this Province, to be put in Execution to | Effect. The imprint reads: "BOSTON: Printed by B. Green, Printer to his Excellency the GOV. & COUNCIL. 1715." The other is headed with the Royal Arms and is a Proclamation by Governor Dudley dated March 29, 1715, "Against & Commerce & Trade with the French of Canada, Cape Breton, &c.," and has the same imprint as No. XIII. |