A Letter from the Lord Bishop of London, to the Clergy and People of London and Westminster, On Occasion of the Late Earthquakes

London: Vertue and Goadby, Stationers at the Royal Exchange. Good. Wrappers. 1750. 1st edition. One of several editions published in the year of the quake, 1750 (priority unknown.) 12mo, 16 pp. Unbound, as issued. Stitched at left margin, but stitches mostly pulled. ##### In 1750 a series of five earthquakes rocked London. This sermon by Thomas Sherlock warns of a merciful God to a sinful people and lays part of Godâ €™s wrath at the feet of a sinful press: "Have not all the Abomin ations of the publick Stews been open to view by lewd Pictures ex posed to Sale at Noon-day? Have not Histories or Romances of the vilest Prostitutes been published, intended merely to display the most execrable scenes of Lewdness; Lewdness represented without Disguise, and nothng omitted that might inflame the corrupt Passi ons of the Youth of the Nation! ... While I was writing this I ca st my Eye upon a News Paper of the Day, and counted no less than fifteen Advertisements for Plays, Operas, Musick, and Dancing, fo r Meetings at Gardens, for Cock-fighting, Prize-Fighting, &c ..." . . om and right margins of front page, otherwise a remarkably clean copy with no foxing. Right margin of front page frayed; this page also shorter than others, possibly trimmed. Inked and penciled n umbers [catalog] at bottom. .