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FOULIS, ROBERT and ANDREW,
eminent printers in the eighteenth century, were natives of Glasgow, and
were born, the elder brother on the 20th of April, 1707, and the younger on
the 23d of November, 1712. Their mother, who seems to have possessed
shrewdness and intelligence beyond her station, educated them at first under
her own care, and had not Robert’s talents attracted attention, they would
probably never have proceeded farther in the acquisition of knowledge. At an
early age Robert was sent an apprentice to a barber; it would even seem that
he afterwards practised the art on his own account for some time. While thus
humbly employed, he came under the notice of the celebrated Dr Francis
Hutcheson, then professor of moral philosophy in Glasgow university. This
acute observer discovered his talents,— inflamed his desire for
knowledge,—and suggested to him the idea of becoming a bookseller and
printer. Foulis did not, however, receive a complete university education,
although he attended his patron’s lectures for several years, and his name
is so enrolled in the matriculation book. Andrew, who seems to have been
designed for the church, entered the university in 1727, and probably went
through a regular course of study.
For some years after they had
determined to follow a literary life, the brothers were engaged in teaching
the languages during the winter, and in making short tours into England and
to the continent in summer. These excursions were of great advantage to
them; they brought them into contact with eminent men, enabled them to form
connexions in their business, and extended their knowledge of books. On some
of these occasions they made considerable collections, which they sold at
home to good account. Thus prepared, the elder brother began business in
Glasgow as a bookseller about the end of 1739, and in the following year
published several works. Three years afterwards his connexion with the
university commenced. In March, 1743, he was appointed their printer, under
condition "that he shall not use the designation of university printer
without allowance from the university meeting in any books excepting those
of ancient authors." [The date at which Andrew joined him in business is
uncertain.] The first productions of his press, which were issued in 1742,
were almost exclusively of a religious nature, many of them relating to the
well known George Whitefield. In 1742, he published Demetrius Phalereus de
Elocutione, apparently the first Greek work printed in Glasgow, although we
are certain that there existed a fount of Greek letters there nearly a
century before. It would be tedious to notice each work, as it appeared: the
immaculate edition of Horace, an edition of Cicero’s works in twenty
volumes, Caesar’s Commentaries in folio, Callimachus in the same size, with
engravings executed at their academy, form but a small part of the splendid
catalogue of their classics.
The success which had
attended their exertions as printers, induced the elder Foulis to
attempt the establishment of an academy for the cultivation of the
fine arts, a scheme for which Scotland was but ill prepared by the
dissensions which had followed the union, and which had been succeeded by
the rebellions of 1715 and 1745. In 1751, he went abroad, partly with the
view of extending his commercial connexions, but principally with the
intention of arranging for the establishment of this institution. After
remaining on the continent for about two years, and sending home several
artists whom he had engaged in his service, he returned to Scotland in 1753.
His design was considered romantic; many of his friends exerted all their
eloquence to persuade him to desist. But Foulis, who possessed a degree of
determination which might perhaps not unjustly be termed obstinacy, was
fixed in his "high resolve," and although he must have observed with
mortification, that (to use his own expression) "there seemed to be a pretty
general emulation who should run the scheme most down," he established his
academy in the course of the same year. He soon found that he had embarked
in an undertaking of no common difficulty. From a letter in the Scots
Magazine for 1759, it appears that the selection of proper teachers had cost
him much trouble and anxiety. He had to contend, besides, with the national
prejudices in favour of the works of foreign artists; and after amassing a
considerable collection, he found it extremely difficult to dispose of it to
advantage. In the same year it was proposed, that such persons as were
willing to support the institution should advance certain sums yearly, for
which they should be entitled to select prints, designs, paintings, &c. to
the amount of their subscriptions.
In the meantime, the
operations of their press went on with increasing rigour. If we may judge
from the catalogue of their books, the period between 1750 and 1757, seems
to have been the most flourishing era in their trade. During that time
"Proposals for publishing [As a curious estimate of the expense of classical
reading in these days, we extract the first article in the proposals. "I. In
nine volumes in quarto, of which the Greek in six volumes and the Latin
translation with the notes in three. The price to subscribers, one penny
sterling per sheet. The whole will be contained in about 500 sheets, so the
price will be about 2 pounds, 1s. 8d. in quires, on a fair paper. A number
will be printed on a fine large paper at twopence sterling per sheet."] by
subscription the whole works of Plato" were issued, and considerable
progress made in collating MSS. in the Vatican and national libraries. But
the embarrassments occasioned by the ill-fated academy seem to have
prevented the publication of this as well as many other works, which might
have added much both to their fame and their wealth. Yet while we condemn
the obstinacy with which this institution was carried on, when it was a
daily source of anxiety and pecuniary difficulties, it should be remembered,
that it was the means of bringing forward the "Scottish Hogarth," David
Allan, and Tassie the medalist. The latter of these, while a stone mason,
acquired a relish for the arts in visiting the academy on a holiday, when
the pictures were generally exhibited gratis.
It would be foreign to the
purpose of the present work to notice the various books which issued from
the Foulis press at this and subsequent periods. It may be sufficient to
say, that in the latter part of their history the brothers seem to have lost
much of their original energy, and the celebrity of their press may be
considered as expiring with their folio edition of Milton, published in
1770. They continued, indeed, to print till the death of Andrew, which took
place suddenly on the 18th of September, 1775; but many of the works
published at that period were of inferior workmanship.
We shall close the history of
these remarkable but unfortunate men in a few words. After the death of the
younger brother, it was determined to expose the works belonging to the
academy to public sale. For this purpose Robert, accompanied by a
confidential workman, went to London about the month of April, 1776.
Contrary to the advice of the auctioneer, and at a period when the market
was glutted by yearly importations of pictures from Paris, his collection
was sold off,—and, as the reader may have anticipated, greatly under their
supposed value. Irritated at the failure of this his last hope, and with a
constitution exhausted by calamities, he left London and reached Edinburgh
on his way homeward. On the morning on which he intended setting out for
Glasgow he expired almost instantaneously, in the 69th year of his age.
Robert Foulis was twice
married. From his second marriage with a daughter of Mr Boutcher, a seedsman
in Edinburgh, was descended the late Andrew Foulis, who died at Edinburgh,
in great poverty, in 1829. He had, besides, by his first marriage with
Elizabeth Moor, a sister of the celebrated Grecian, five daughters; all of
whom are now dead.
Of the Scottish works
produced at the Foulis press the greater number were ballads, some of them
original, and all of them since published in the collections of bishop
Percy, Ritson, Cromek, &c. The "Memorials and Letters relating to the
History of Britain" in the reigns of James I. and Charles I., published by
Lord Hailes, principally from the Denmylne MSS. in the Advocates’ Library,
were also published at Glasgow. But the greatest service that they could
have performed for Scottish history, would have been the publication of
Calderwood’s MS. history. This they undoubtedly had in view. It appears from
the records of the university of Glasgow that they got permission to borrow
their MS. [It is not, however, the original MS.] in September,
1768. They did not, however, accomplish their patriotic purpose, and this
valuable work still remains accessible only to the historian and the
antiquary. Let us hope that the period is not far distant, when some of the
clubs of the present day shall immortalize themselves by laying it before
the public. [Abridged from a volume entitled, "Notices and Documents
Illustrative of the Literary History of Glasgow," presented by Richard
Duncan, Esq., to the Maitland Club.] |
