The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-11-27
JOE MILLER AND HIS JOKES.
Responsible for but Few of the Jests
 Credited to Him.

From the London Chronicle.
 Among men who have had regulations thrust upon them, Joe Miller takes prominent place. He is perhaps the best known jester in the world. His name is inseparably connected with the jokes that like the regents marines" have done their duty, and are ready to do it again. But it is certain that Joe Mill Ter had no foresight of the immortality that was to be his. He was an actor; and an actors reputation generally dies with him. In 1709 he appeared at Drury Lane, and, with brief interval at Good mans Fields, he seems to have spent his working life at the Lane. winnng repute as a competent actor and a facetious fell low
 From his dwelling in Clare Market he would go to the Black Jack, in Ports mouth street, or to the Bulls Head, in Spring Gardens, for his glass, being of convivial disposition. Here he would meet, among others, Hogarth. Probably he cracked joke between glasses; but there are scores of actors who do the same today at the Green Room Club with no hope of immortality to follow. No doubt he shared the uncertainty of posterity as to whether he was christen- ed Joseph or Josias; for he could neither read nor write, and married in order to have a wife capable of reading hs parts to him. On August 16 173S, he died at the age of 54, and this would have been the end of Joe Miller had not one Read, a publisher, commissioned John Motley to make a collection of jests. This was after Millers death. So that when, in 17S9. Joe Miler's Jests' appeared there was apparently no warrant for the use of the dead comedians name. But from that moment the actor acquired a new reputa- tion which grew with the years as the collection of jests grew with the success sive editions. and Joe Miller became the ancertor of chestnut" By 1745 the jokes amounted to 5s7, and New York, in 1865, produced 12S6. all called by the inn mortal name. But the first edition con- tained but 247 and copy of it. rare enough to be valuable, has recently fall en into my hands. dug from the recesses of a forgotten lumber room.
 It is thus entitled-nO modern font could reproduce the printers vagaries: Zoe Miller's Jests Or the Wits wade mecum. Being a Collection of the most Brilliant Jests; the Politest Repartees; the most Elegant Bon Mots. and %iost pleasant short Stories in the English Language. First carefully collected in the Company and many of them tran
 
 Gentleman whose Name they bear; and now set forth and published by his la mentable Friend and formed Companion Elijah Jenkins, Esq The "lamentabIe friend,' who accidentally hit on the right word, was, of course, Motley Joe Miller himself appears only thrice in the seres, and then in circumstances which do little credit to his conduct as a mar ried man or his wit as a raconteur. In- deed, large proportion of the 'politest repartees," many of them attributed to the ladies of high degree, have nothing but their courseness to recommend them. And one is astonished that. with the latitude permitted, nothing more amus- ing could have been accomplished. But among the more printable jests we find many that are still to be found in the funny corner of the local paper and still remain fresh to those who have not heard them before. For, of course. the