While in Edinburgh on Sunday 15 August 1773 Samuel Johnson,
engaging in what Boswell described as "some animated dialogue," touched,
upon other matters, on Thomas Cooke, "who translated Hesiod, and lived
twenty years on a translation of Plautus, for which he was always taking
subscribers" (Life, ed., Hill-Powell, V. 37). The
Hesiod was published by subscription in 1728; one volume
of
the Plautus, containing the translation of the
Amphitruo, in 1746, an interval of some eighteen years.
During
this period Cooke, although all his life impecunious, turned out a sizeable
body of hackwork so that Johnson's remark need not be taken literally.
Cooke incurred Pope's displeasure and so won a very minor place in the
Dunciad (B ii 138), but that is another story. The fullest
account
of Cooke is by Sir Joseph Mawbey in the Gentleman's
Magazine,[1] but Sir Joseph
evidently was unaware that two of Cooke's letters had been
published in the December 1791 European Magazine (pp.
406-407).[2] There they are preceded
by a headnote which states, among other things, that "he is said, in the
Biographia Dramatica [1782], to have been singularly skilful in the art of
procuring subscriptions to his publications, particularly of a translation of
Plautus, of which only one volume was printed in 1746. The following
letters from him to Mr. Mackercher and Mr. Annesley, are printed from
the originals in his own hand writing, now lying before us." Nothing is said
in the Biographia Dramatica biographical sketch of Cooke
about
his skill in getting subscriptions, but in the account of his translation of the
Amphitruo the editor, Isaac Reed (almost surely responsible
for
the letters in the European Magazine of which he was editor
in
everything but name), repaired that omission:
Mr. Cooke is said to have been better versed in the art of collecting
money by subscription, than any of his contemporaries. He always procured
the earliest intelligence of a young nobleman returned from his travels, an
heir lately come of age, or a rich Creole newly landed. On the receipt of
such information, he conducted his attack as follows:
He first waited on my Lord, Sir John, or the Esquire, and solicited
and received the single subscription of perhaps a guinea. Soon after, he
paid a second visit to the same person, pretending to have been but recently
informed of his uncommon genius and his zeal to promote the interests of
learning, and therefore intreated the honour of dedicating his work to him,
which was to be done at the expence of five guineas more. Having obtained
this permission, and the cash, his dernier resort was to call on his patron
a third time, representing the necessity of prefixing a copper-plate with his
arms to the intended dedication. For this piece of service his usual tax was
ten additional guineas. By such contrivances he was known to have picked
up no inconsiderable sums, especially as he practised the same stratagem
on many people, without the least design of inscribing a work to any of
them, or even publishing the piece advertised in his proposals. (1782. II.
15)
With this as background, the letters, dated March 24, 1744, take on
added interest and relevance. I quote them in their entirety; the first was to
Mr. Mackercher.
Sir
You have my thanks for your subscription to my Plautus, and
particularly for your favour in doing it without any solicitation; and I shall
look on myself as the person obliged, if you will be so kind as to accept of
my volume of original pieces, and some smaller things of mine, one of
which is a play, which was acted this winter at Drury-lane Playhouse[*]. I will soon do myself the honour
to wait
on you, to encourage you to visit my small but pleasant habitation. I have
sent to Mr. Annesley by the same messenger, making a request to him, the
compliance with which. I believe, will not be to his dishonour or
disinterest; and my extraordinary regard to his peculiar fate makes me
desirous of his compliance with my request.
I am Sir, Your obliged, and most obedient Servant, THOMAS
COOKE. South Lambeth, March 24,
1744.
P.S. I have inclosed in my letter to Mr. Annesley the preface to my
Plautus, which I believe will not be disagreeable to you to look over.
The second letter was to Mr. Annesley.
Sir,
After returning you and Mr. Mackercher thanks for the favour of
your subscriptions to my Plautus, I beg leave to submit a request to you,
which nothing but my very sincere wishes for your future success and
felicity should induce me to make. Having prepared the ten volumes of my
edition and translation of Plautus's Comedies, I am determined to pay a
public mark of respect to ten persons, with very disinterested views; by
addressing a volume to each of them, and without the usual aims of
addresses of that sort, being resolved to admit of no return, in whatever
manner offered. All that I intreat is, that those persons will be so good, as
promoters of the work, towards embellishing it, to favour me with their
contributions for a set of copper-plates for each respective volume, for
which I have agreed with an eminent engraver for five guineas a set. What
I propose by this method is, to defray the expences of my copper-plates,
and at the same time to indulge the pleasure, which will
be a great one to me, of paying a peculiar tribute of regard to ten persons
who I think deserve those tributes. Eight persons (among whom are the
Earls of Chesterfield and Godolphin, and Admiral Vernon) have been so
kind, on the first application,
as to favour me with their contributions for a set of copper-plates each; and
I assure you, that it will give me a singular pleasure, to raise a monument
of my regard to you, before a volume of an edition and translation of one
of the finest ancient authors, and for the reasons which I have given in my
address to you, which I have enclosed that you may see what I propose to
print; and I make this request to you with the less reserve, as I scorn the
expectation of any future advantage from it; and I assure you, that I should
with great pleasure do any offices of regard to you in my power. I beg your
acceptance of a Prologue and Epilogue of mine on Shakespeare and his
writings, which were spoke last winter
[†], and of a Play of mine which
was
acted last December. I have enclosed my preface to my Plautus, that you
may see at what vast expence of time, trouble, and charge I have been in
this work; and I beg the return of the preface because it is part of
a set on ordinary paper. When business will permit, and the days shall be
tempting, I should be proud to see you and Mr. Mackercher here. I have
enclosed a receipt to you for a set of copper-plates; and the favour of your
contribution by my servant, shall meet with such returns as I believe will
not be disagreeable to you, from Sir,
Your obliged, and most humble, and most obedient Servant,
THOMAS COOKE. South Lambeth, March 24,
1744.
P.S. I shall be glad to print the dedication to the Earl of Anglesea,
which I should rejoice to have confirmed time enough for my
volume.
I have little doubt that the two editorial notes are Reed's. It will be noted
that the copper-plate ploy appears in both accounts, although the price
varies. But what is of greater interest is the fact that Cooke is linking
Daniel Mackercher and James Annesley with the Earls of Chesterfield and
Godolphin and Admiral Vernon in his quest for subscribers to the
copper-plates. Cooke claims to have eight of the ten dignitaries subscribing
for the copperplates, one for each of the contemplated ten volumes of the
Plautus; Mackercher and Annesley would round out the
number.
Daniel Mackercher was involved in the ultimately unsuccessful attempt of
James Annesley to establish his legitimacy as son of Lord Altham and hence
the inheritor of his father's title and estates.
One hundred and seventy persons subscribed to the
Hesiod; seven hundred and eleven, to the
Plautus.
The subscription list to the latter reads like a list of the peerage and the
eccesiastical hierarchy, with a sprinkling of military men, members of the
theatrical and musical world, and foreign celebrities. Among the new
subscribers were William Beckford, the Reverend Mr. Thomas Birch,
Edward Cave, "Colley Cibber, Esq.", Peter Collinson, Dr. Conybeare,
Matthew Concannen, "Mr. Dodsley," Henry Fielding, George and James
Fox, David Garrick, George Frederic Handel, John James Heidegger, Dr.
Benjamin Hoadley and the Reverend Mr. John Hoadley, Daniel
Mac-Kercher (of course), Charles Macklin, Dr. Richard Mead, Edward
Moore, Richard Nash (2 sets), Ambrose Philips, William Popple, Samuel
Richardson, Jacob Tonson, Jonathan Tyers, Vice Admiral Vernon, Paul and
William
Whitehead, Charles Hanbury Williams, and "Mrs. [Peg] Woffington."
Cooke had spread his net far and wide in eighteen years.
