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illness, and having feen me tranquil and ferene when on the very point of death, he formed a favourable conclufion that I too must be an honest man, as I had so quiet a confcience at such an awful period. Having retained these ideas of me after my recovery, and being perfectly well acquainted with my circumstances, he one day offered to become a partner in my bufinefs, and to advance money in proportion to my ftock. confidential offer I foon accepted; early in 1778 he became partner; and we very foon laid out his money in fecond-hand books, which increased the stock at once to double.

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I foon after this propofed printing a fale catalogue, to which, after making a few objections, Mr. Denis confented. This catalogue of twelve thousand volumes (fuch as they were) was published in 1779. My partner's name was not in the title-page, the addrefs was only "J. LACKINGTON and Co. This our first No. 46, Chifwell-street." publication produced very oppofite effects on those who perufed it; in fome it excited much

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much mirth, in others an equal proportion of anger. The major part of it was written by me, but Mr. Denis wrote many pages of it; and as his own private library confifted of fcarce old myftical and alchymical books, printed above a century ago, many of them were in bad condition; this led him to infert neat in the catalogue to many articles, which were only neat when compared with fuch as were in very bad condition; fo that when we produced fuch books as were called neat in our catalogue, we often got ourselves laughed at, and fometimes our neat articles were heartily damned. We had also a deal of trouble on another score; Mr. Denis inferted a number of articles without the authors names, and affured me that the books were well known, and to mention the authors was often ufelefs. The fact was, Mr. Denis knew who wrote thofe articles; but was foon convinced that many others did not, as we were often obliged to produce them merely to let our customers see who were the authors; we however took twenty pounds the first week the books were on

fale,

fale, which we thought a large fum. The increase of our ftock augmented our cuftomers in proportion; fo that Mr. Denis, finding that his money turned to a better account in bookfelling than in the funds, very foon lent the ftock near two hundred pounds, which I ftill turned to a good account. We went on very friendly and profperously for a little more than two years; when one night Mr. Denis hinted that he thought I was making purchases too faft, on which I grew warm, and reminded him of an article in our partnership agreement, by which I was to be fole purchaser, and was at liberty to make what purchases I fhould judge proper. I alfo reminded him of the profits which my purchases produced, and he reminded me of his having more money in the trade than I had. We were indeed both very warm; and on my faying, that if he was difpleafed with any part of my conduct, he was at liberty to quit the partnership; he in great warmth replied that he would. The above paffed at Mr. Denis's houfe in Hoxton-fquare; I then bade him

good

good night. When Mr. Denis called at the shop the next day, he asked me if I continued in the fame mind I was in the preceding night? 1 affured him that I did. He then demanded of me whether I infifted on his keeping his word to quit the partnership? I replied, I did not infift on it, as I had taken him a partner for three years, nearly one third part of which time was unexpired; but, I added, that, as I had always found him ftrictly a man of his word, I fuppofed he would prove himself fo in the present inftance, and not affert one thing at night and another in the morning. On which he obferved, that as he was not provided with a shop, he must take fome time to look for one. I told him that he might take as long a time as he thought neceffary. This was in March 1780. He appointed the twentieth of May following. On that day we accordingly diffolved the partnership; and, as he had more money in the trade than myself, he took my notes for what I was deficient, which was a great favour done to me. parted in great friendship, which continued

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to the day of his death; he generally called every morning to fee us, and learn our concerns, and we conftantly informed him of all that had paffed the preceding day; as how much cash we had taken, what were the profits, what purchases we had made, what bills we had to pay, &c. and he fometimes lent me money to help to pay them.

At his death he left behind him in his private library the best collection of scarce valuable mystical, and alchymical books, that ever was collected by one perfon. In his lifetime he prized these kind of books above every thing; in collecting them he never cared what price he paid for them. This led him to think, after he became a bookfeller, that other book-collectors fhould pay their money as freely as he had done his, which was often a subject of debate between him and me, as I was for felling every thing cheap, in order to fecure those customers already obtained, as well as increase their numbers.

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