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IV
Important for the history of franking during the eighteenth century is the single impression emerging from the foregoing evidence; namely, that notable, law-abiding citizens, despite the illegality, could openly and regularly use franks for private purposes and be supported in the practice by those who were officially accorded the privilege. Such common and casual usage suggests that the practice was universally accepted, even expected. In several instances, it appears that franks were passed about openly, much like modern grocer coupons. Certainly the writers of these letters do not seem to imagine themselves guilty of anything untoward, for none of their allusions to the acquisition or use of franks hints of conscious covert or fraudulent behavior. The origin of the franks was readily acknowledged, the letters were posted in the usual manner, and those to Dodsley sent directly to his shop, not to some intermediate place to cover the trail. Significantly, all of the correspondents were respectable and respected gentlemen: four of them were clergymen, one a professor, and one a future bishop of London. Dodsley himself enjoyed an enviable reputation as a major London bookseller.
By extension, it seems reasonable to assume that the liberal use of franks by this coterie of literary personalities was reflected in the practice of society as a whole. Surely other booksellers and their authors indulged in the practice. In fact, one cannot imagine Dodsley's having skirted the law unless he had felt supported by the custom of common usage. Likewise there is no reason to limit the observation to relations between booksellers and their authors. Surely the world of politics, for instance, with its vested interest in outlying constituencies, swelled the ranks of likely users. The full story, however, remains to be told. Study of other collections of extant holograph letters from the period would doubtless afford additional evidence. The interpretation of the evidence, however, will probably depend on conquering the uncatalogued resources of the British Post Office archives.
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