146 were During the period of the industry, coast- on Milford commerce did not last quite two centuries. It crashed with the big failure of Miles, Strong and Miles, in 1821. Among her early traders and merchants was John Maltbee, 1670; Mungo Nesbitt, enrolled a citizen and given the freedom of the town in 1696; Edward Allen, shipbuilder and importer, 1700. There were also the two great merchants of French extraction, Peter Pierett, who built the town wharf in 1730; and Louis Lyron, 1640. (The stones in the old cemetery record their virtues and attest their wealth.) In the middle of the last century, trade with Holland was carried on by John Gibbs. But a short way up the street from the "Oh, for a book and a shadie nooke With the green leaves whispering overhead Both of the newe and old, AN HISTORIC BIBLE. BY JOSEPHINE R. BAKER. T came about through various agencies that in the year of our Lord, 1586, a copy in black letter of "The Book of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments," was printed in London with a handsome title page and sundry embellishments. At about the same time John Wolf for the "Assigns of Richard Day" printed a book of "Psalms and Hymns by Sternhold, John Hopkins and others." Two years thereafter, in 1588, "The Deputies of Christopher Barker imprinted a large black letter Bible, including the Apocrypha and Commentary, Cum gratis and privilegio Regis Maiestatio." NO. I. PAGE 25. These three books were then bound together in one heavy square volume, the Book of Common Prayer leading, as was perhaps fitting, the Scriptures and Commentary following, with Sternhold and Hopkins guarding the rear. And after more than three hundred years, this bible so buttressed, unique in its brave black letter and quaint orthography, remained intact and as legible as when it left the printer's hand. From 1588 to 1888 is a far cry. Generation after generation came, wrought and passed away. At the beginning of this long interval, men and women stirred by reading the Word of God in their mother tongue, and persecuted therefor, fled to Holland, and thence across the Atlantic to make in New England a home wherein to read the word in peace, and worship according to the dictates of conscience; all unaware that they were planting and husbanding the seed of a mighty nation yet to be. The busy years went on, and this old bible, old even then, had been carried from England to Delft-haven and across the Atlantic more than once, and (if gifted with speech) could have told stirring tales of toilsome days and watchful nights and desperate battles fought and won. In 1888 it came into the possession of Mr. Charles M. Taintor of Manchester, Conn., a young man with a penchant for collecting, in a desultory way, odd books, and especially old bibles. The subtle sympathy existing between men of similar tastes brought this young man the acquaintance of Mr. S. W. Cowles, of Hartford, a middle-aged gentleman, who also in the spare moments of a busy life, pleased himself in building up an amateur collection of Indian relics, manuscripts, autographs and rare old books that came in his way. Mr. Taintor frequently dropped into Mr. Cowles' office and the two men compared notes, talked 148 of their "finds" exchanged duplicates, and swapped and traded after the fashion of boys of lesser growth. At this time-1888-Mr. Cowles had, among other somewhat rare books, a fine copy in two volumes of Peter Parley's "Recollections of a Life Time," which Mr. Taintor coveted, and for which he offered in exchange any one of five bibles were produced, and the dicker began. One of the five bibles proved to be a large square volume bound with a Prayer and Psalm Book, whose fly leaves and margins were much scribbled upon, but otherwise unblemished and entire. This bible, Mr. Taintor considered worth twelve dollars, and at length they traded: Mr. Cowles taking the square bible and Nos. 2 Pages 29 333 6 34 curious old bibles, then in his possession. Mr. Cowles hesitated, for he was fond of his Peter Parley. It was a good copy of a good book, and he liked nothing better than to fill a leisure hour with the bright gossip and quaint philosophy of its pages. Said he, "I read my Peter Parley more than any other book in my collection." Mr. Taintor, however, was persistent-the Mr. Taintor the Peter Parley and four dollars to boot. Mr. Cowles then locked the old bible in his book case with many other odd volumes, and thought no more about it till, some months later, an article appeared in The Hartford Daily Times, directing attention to a curious old bible owned by Mr. Horace Johnson, printed in 1574, or The Times article reminded Mr. Cowles of the old bible bought of Mr. Taintor, printed in 1588, and going to his book case he found that this bible was also a Breeches Bible and although not quite so old as the Breeches Bible owned by Mr. Horace Johnson it had some marginal notes which he had never taken the trouble to decipher, but thought rather curious, so he took it to the Times office. Then came the great discovery. Mr. Burr, an experienced antiquarian, conversant with the early history of New England, saw at once from the various entries (scribblings) on fly leaves and margins, that this bible was what neither Mr. Cowles nor Mr. Taintor had sus pected, a Mayflower bible, and of great value, in fact the greatest "find" in the state. This fact Mr.Burr communicated to Mr. Cowles Nos. 9 Pages 37 whose interest was instantly aroused, and he went at once to Manchester to see Mr. Taintor in order to ascertain when, and how, and where this bible came into his posssession, only to be assured that he came too late, for the young man, never in vigorous health, had recently died, and the secret of the bible, so far as he knew it, had died with him. Mr. Charles M. Taintor, the father of the young man, Charles M. Taintor, knew nothing of the history of his son's books, and was sure that his son could not have been aware of the value of this bibleotherwise he would not have offered it in exchange for the Peter Parley, nor indeed have parted with it for any consideration. Mr. Cowles remembered that at the time of the exchange Mr. Taintor had spoken of "some scribblings" on the fly leaves and margins, which he seemed to regard as blemishes. Evidently he had not taken the time or trouble to trace and put together the faded ink entries. The old bible here takes on a new lease of life, for up to the present time, neither |