University of Virginia Library

II

Thomas Parkhurst was bound apprentice to John Clark II on 24 June 1645 and became a freeman of the stationers' company on 3 July 1654.[10] He was active as a publisher from 1655 to 1711, issuing under his imprint from the Golden Bible on London Bridge and the Bible and Three Crowns in Cheapside close to a thousand titles of a predominantly theological character. That he should have been approached by Heywood to publish Heart Treasure was primarily, it can be assumed, the result of religious affinity. John Dunton, who had served his apprenticeship under Parkhurst, speaks of him as "the most eminent Presbyterian Bookseller, in the Three King-doms"—John Laurence, another ex-apprentice, being the second—and as "Scrupulously Honest in all his Dealings" (Life, p. 281).

Heywood seems to have been generally contented with Parkhurst, his only stated causes of complaint being irregularities in delivery. In a letter to his son of 25 April 1693, he complained "he hath printed Parents advice—sent down 100 but by Tom-long-carrier J.P. cannot find them, tho he and I haue notice of them, but no mention of carriers name: I partly chide Mr Park. yet will not leaue him, as Dr. Sampson Adviseth, we are well, my wife longs to see you" (IV, 172). Heywood's characteristically erratic punctuation fails to clarify whether Dr [Henry] Sampson's advice referred to Parkhurst (and if so whether favorably or unfavorably) or to the state of health of the elder Heywoods; however it may be significant that Heywood gave Job's Appeal (1695) to Brabazon Aylmer—characterised by Dunton (Life, p. 282) as "a very just and Religious Man"—and Heavenly Converse (1697) to John Back, though also continuing to publish with Parkhurst. At an earlier period, Heywood entered an irritated memorandum regarding a consignment of his brother's Christ Displayed made up with eight volumes "not of the right sort"—viz "1. Medes Ast Christian, 2 glorious Lovers in verse, 3 Mr Corbets book of Chts Kingdom 4, 4 Glimpses of Eternity 2."[11] On the other hand,

the parcel also contained an additional eight free copies of "glimpse of eternity," and in 1701 there was a gift of "aboue twenty books" on devotional subjects from Parkhurst to his by now well-known author (IV, 262). It is highly probable that on his visits to London Heywood was a purchaser of books other than his own though the only reference of this kind in the memoranda is to "2 dozen of Prot Catich" received from Parkhurst on 28 June 1673 (III, 73). On 12 February 1671, he purchased a ream of paper from Parkhurst for 6/4d (III, 17).

Although the terms of publication were, as we have seen, calculated to protect the publisher against loss, it is clear that even when Heywood had become an established author Parkhurst still had to approve a manuscript and that Heywood did not regard such approval as being automatic. In the letter of 25 April 1693, he mentions, apparently with reference to Advice to an Only Child, "another letter from Mr. Parkhurst who is willing to print it, only would see it first." Two months earlier, on 7 February 1692/3, he had recorded an unfavorable response from a bookseller who was probably not Parkhurst (under whose imprint both titles mentioned were to appear during 1693):[12]

Turner's edition of the manuscripts and Vint's Works include a number of unpublished treatises which may have been similarly submitted and rejected. Indeed, Heywood's review of his actions during 1696 records the completion of six treatises "but none printed, except Job's Appeal in 95" (III, 267). In November 1676, he had described himself as "busy about preparing my book of louetoken for the presse" (III, 148)—but without success. The "Last Diary," (IV, 184-305) running from October 1699 to 29 April 1702—five days before his death—records work on more than twenty treatises and lives, only two of which achieved contemporary publication. Several of these, however, were contributions to Sampson's projected account of non-conformist ministers (subsequently incorporated into Calamy's) while others appear to have been intended from the start for private distribution in manuscript.

On one occasion recorded among Heywood's "Experiments" we see Parkhurst acting as a censor. The episode is worth quoting at length as an illustration both of the hazards attending the publication of non-conformist divinity and the pleasantly unhurried relationship of the London bookseller and his north-country author:

Heywood refers to the cause of offence as a passage in which he had written "that a law was made to thrust out 2000 ministers Aug 24 1662" (III, 336) which was open to condemnation as a "complaining of the laws." The reference seems to be the following passage on A2r: The preface, which is dated two days before the twentieth anniversary of the "Black Bartholomew" of 1662, goes on to identify the fate of the Israelites in bondage with that of the ejected ministers with a boldness suggesting that Heywood in his Yorkshire isolation had totally misgauged the strength of the nation's swing towards Toryism during the preceding year. It seems likely that without Parkhurst's intervention the repercussions would have been quite as serious as Heywood feared. The hint that Parkhurst circulated the manuscript to London clerics acting as publisher's readers is an interesting one and seems to reflect a regular practice. In a letter to Ralph Thoresby of 25 November 1695, Heywood (Works, I, 435) complains of the London ministers having "expunged" material from the extracts from John Angier's diaries included as a postscript to The Holy Life and Happy Death. Parkhurst's advisers will almost certainly have included the celebrated John Howe of whom he is described by Dunton (Life, p. 281) as "a great Admirer, and constant Hearer" and who with John Starkey supplied a laudatory preface to Heywood's A Family-Altar in 1693. Heywood appears also to have circulated his works among Northern ministers before sending them to London, launching "A Scriptural Fast," which was to remain unpublished, with the comment to Thoresby "I have lately written a Treatise on a Scriptural Fast, being desired to do it. My son John hath it. If I have any encouragement, [I] shall send it to the press."[13] He was himself in his later years the recipient of a steady flow of manuscripts for comment and "encouragement" (Works, I, 428-442 passim).

While the relationship, financial and otherwise, between Heywood and Parkhurst was to some extent conditioned by geographical and sectarian factors, the picture it presents of an author writing explicitly and voluminously for the edification of his flock, distributing large numbers of copies at his own expense, advising other authors on their manuscripts, maintaining a substantial private lending library of devotional works, and in effect acting as an energetic unpaid publicist for the productions of the London book trade is unlikely to have been unique and may even have been typical of a substantial body among the 1800 ejected clergy who maintained an active ministry, and of a significant though probably smaller proportion of conformists. The question that arises is whether the country clergyman may not have been an even more important force in the distribution of books outside London than the country bookseller. And what bookseller can we imagine declaring with the fervency of Heywood in the Dedication to Heart Treasure: "Blessed be God for good Books" (A2[=A3]v)?