s_ and the _imperfections_ will
be sent; and believe of P. T. what I hope he believes of me.

"For the Rev. Mr. SMITH."

The reader observes that Curll talks of a great number of _books not
received_, and of _the few_ which he has received, as _imperfect_. The
fact is, the whole bubble is on the point of breaking. He, masked in
the initial letters, and he, who wore the masquerade dress of a
clergyman's gown with a lawyer's band, suddenly picked a quarrel with
the duped bibliopolist: they now accuse him of a design he had of
betraying them to the Lords!

The tantalized and provoked Curll then addressed the following letter
to "The Rev. Mr. Smith," which, both as a specimen of this celebrated
personage's "prose," in which he thought himself "a match for Pope,"
and exhibiting some traits of his character, will entertain the
curious reader.

_Friday, 16 May, 1735._

"SIR,--1st, I am falsely accused. 2. I value not any man's change
of temper; I will never change my VERACITY for falsehood, in
owning a fact of which I am innocent. 3. I did not own the books
came from _across the water_, nor ever _named you_; all I said
was, that the books came _by water_. 4. When the books were
seized, I sent my son to convey a letter to you; and as you told
me everybody knew you in Southwark, I bid him make a strict
inquiry, as I am sure you would have done in such an exigency. 5.
Sir, _I have acted justly_ in this affair, and that is what I
shall always think wisely. 6. I will be kept no longer in the
dark; P. T. is _Will o' the Wisp_; all the books I have had are
imperfect; the first fifty had no titles nor prefaces; the last
five bundles seized by the Lords contained but thirty-eight in
each bundle, which amounts to one hundred and ninety, and fifty,
is in all but two hundred and forty books. 7. As to the loss of a
future copy, I despise it, nor will I be concerned with any more
such dark suspicious dealers. But now, sir, I'll tell you what I
will do: when I have the _books perfected_ which I have already
received, and _the rest of the impression_, I will pay you for
them. But what do you call this usage? First take a note for a
month, and then want it to be changed for one of Sir Richard
Hoare's. My note is as good, for any sum I give it, as the Bank,
and shall be as punctually paid. I always say, _gold is better
than paper_. But if this dark converse goes on, I will instantly