d setting off (more than hinting
at a painted face, though she were a Puritan), wanted plays and romances
and "Books of Gallantry." He adds:

"But she was a good Customer to me. Whilst I took her money I
humoured her pride, and paid her (I blush to say it) a mighty
observance."

He speaks plainly too of the men book-buyers. One Mr. Gouge, who was
also "a Secret Friend to the Fair Sex," bought to give away two hundred
copies of a book written by Parson Gouge, his father. Another "young
beau who boasts more Villany than he ever committed bought a many of
books;" hence Dunton tolerated the "Young Spark's" demoralizing
acquaintance. Mr. Thorncomb, another book-dealer from London, also
bought of him, and, with the ever prevailing luck was "Acceptable to the
Fair Sex, so extremely charming as makes 'em fond of being in his
Company. However he is a virtuous person and deserved all the Respect
they shewed him." Nor can I doubt, from the pervasive spirit of his
books, that Dunton too found favor with the fair.

Though he spoke so warmly of individual purchasers and so positively of
the wealth of his ilk in Boston, his own venture was not vastly
prosperous. He took back to England but L400. He gave the Boston
Yankees, too, rather a bad name in commercial transactions, saying:

"There is no trading for a stranger with them but with a Grecian
Faith which is not to part with your own ware without ready Money;
for they are generally very backward in their payments; great
censors about other Mens manner but Extremely Careless about their
own. When you are dealing with 'em you must look upon 'em as at
cross purposes and read 'em like Hebrew backward; for they seldom
speak & mean the same thing but like the Watermen Look one way &
row another."

Josselyn gave them no better name, saying:

"Their leading men are damnable rich, inexplicably covetous and
proud; like Ethiopians, white in the teeth only; full of
ludification and injurious dealing."

Of Dunton's patrons the majority were ministers, and I hope all the
reverend gentlemen were as prompt payers as they were liberal
purchasers. Since Dunton called ministers "the greatest benefactors to
Booksellers," I think they were not included in his black list. Surely
Cotton Mather was not, for he gave away one thousand books in one year,
and I know he paid for them too. One Boston schoolmaster, however,
bought L200