no fooner acquainted, that the gentleman was a new author, and that his first piece was to be published in a few days, but he drew his fword upon him; and had not my fervant luckily catched him by the sleeve, I might have loft one author upon the spot, and another the next feffions.

Upon recollecting all these circumstances, Mr. Lin. tot was entirely of opinion, that he had been mad for fome time; and I doubt not, but this whole narrative must fufficiently convince the world of the excess of his frenzy. It now remains, that I give the reasons which obliged me, in my own vindication, to publish this whole unfortunate tranfaction.

In the first place, Mr. John Dennis had industriously caused to be reported, that I entered into his room, vi et armis, either out of a defign to deprive him of his life, or of a new play called Coriolanus, which he has had ready for the stage these four years.

Secondly, He hath given out, about Fleet-street and the Temple, that I was an accomplice with his bookfeller, who visited him with intent to take away divers valuable manufcripts, without paying him copy-money.

Thirdly, He hath told others, that I am no graduate physician, and that he had seen me upon a mountebank stage in Moorfields, when he had lodgings in the college there.

Fourthly, Knowing that I had much practice in the city, he reported at the Royal Exchange, Custom

house,

house, and other places adjacent, that I was a foreign fpy, employed by the French King to convey him into France; that I bound him hand and foot; and that, if his friend had not burst from his confinement to his relief, he had been at this hour in the Bastile.

All which feveral affertions of his are fo very extravagant, as well as inconfiftent, that I appeal to all mankind, whether this perfon be not out of his fenfes. I fhall not decline giving and producing fur. ther proofs of this truth in open court, if he drives the matter fo far. In the mean time I heartily forgive him, and pray that the Lord may restore him to the full enjoyment of his understanding: fo wifheth, as becometh a Christian,

ROBERT NORRIS, M. D.

From my houfe in Snow-hill,
July the 30th, 1713.

God Save the Queen.

A full and true ACCOUNT of a horrid and barbarous REVENGE BY POISON, on the body of MR. EDMUND CURLL, bookfeller.

With a faithful copy of his Laft Will and Teftament.

H ISTORY furnifheth us with examples of many fatirical authors who have fallen facrifices to revenge, but not of any bookfellers, that I know of, except the unfortunate subject of the following paper; I mean Mr. Edmund Curll, at the Bible and Dial in Fleet-street, who was yesterday poisoned by Mr. Pope, after having lived many years an inftance of the mild temper of the British nation.

Every body knows, that the faid Mr. Edmund Curll, on Monday the 26th instant, published a fatirical piece, intitled, Court-poems, in the preface whereof they were attributed to a lady of quality, Mr. Pope, or Gay; by which indifcreet method, though he had escaped one revenge, there were still two behind in reserve.

Now, on the Wednesday enfuing, between the hours of ten and eleven, Mr. Lintot, a neighbouring bookfeller, defired a conference with Mr. Curll, about fettling a title-page, inviting him at the fame time to take a whet together. Mr. Pope, who is not the only instance how perfons of bright parts may be carried

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ried away by the instigation of the devil, found means to convey himself into the fame room, under pretence of business with Mr. Lintot, who, it seems, is the printer of his Homer. This gentleman, with a feeming coolness, reprimanded Mr. Curll for wrongfully afcribing to him the aforefaid poems: he excufed himself by declaring, that one of his authors (Mr. Oldmixon by name) gave the copies to the press, and wrote the preface. Upon this Mr. Pope, being to all appearance reconciled, very civilly drank a glass of fack to Mr. Curll, which he as civilly pledged; and though the liquor, in colour and tafte, differed not from common fack, yet was it plain, by the pangs this unhappy ftationer felt foon after, that some poisonous drug had been secretly infused therein.

About eleven a-clock he went home, where his wife obferving his colour changed, said, “Are you not fick, my dear?" He replied, "Bloody fick;" and incontinently fell a vomiting and straining in an uncommon and unnatural manner, the contents of his vomiting being as green as grafs. His wife had been just reading a book of her husband's printing concerning Jane Wenham, the famous witch of Hertford, and her mind misgave her, that he was bewitched; but he foon let her know, that he fufpected poifon, and recounted to her, between the intervals of his yawnings and retchings, every circumftance of his interview with Mr. Pope.

į

Mr.