Chapter XVI: Prologue: Of Jean De Vignay to His French Translation (a.d. 1360) of (3)

[15] An account of this discovery may be found interesting, showing strongly the importance of examining the covers of old books before rejecting them. In the summer of 1858 I inspected the old library in the Grammar School attached to the Abbey of St. Albans. I found a few valuable books all contained in an old deal cupboard, upon which the leakage from the roof had dripped apparently for years. It must have been long since any one had touched a book there, and the amount of dust and decay was certainly enough to deter even a bibliomaniac from so doing. After examining a few interesting books I pulled out one which was lying flat upon the top of others. It was in a most deplorable state, covered thickly with a damp sticky dust, and with a considerable portion of the back rotted away by wet. The white decay fell in lumps on the floor as the unappreciated volume was opened. It proved to be Geoffrey Chaucer’s English translation of “Boecius de Consolatione Philosophiæ,” printed by Caxton, in the original binding, as issued from Caxton’s workshop, and uncut!! On examining the amount of damage it had sustained, I found that the wet, which had injured the book, had also, by separating the layers of paper of which the covers were composed, revealed the interesting fact that several fragments, on which Caxton’s types appeared, had been used in their manufacture. After vexatious opposition and repeated delays the Acting Trustees were induced to allow the book, which they now prized highly, to be deposited in the care of Mr. J. Winter Jones, of the British Museum, for the purpose of rebinding. On dissecting the covers they were found to be composed entirely of waste sheets from Caxton’s press, two or three being printed on one side only. The two covers yielded no less than fifty-six half-sheets of printed paper, proving the existence of three works from Caxton’s press quite unknown before. The following is the list of the fragments, all genuine specimens of England’s first printer, though unfortunately mostly in very poor condition:--

1. The English “Jason,” ten leaves.
2. “Dictes,” three leaves.
3. “Chronicles,” six leaves.
4. “Description of Britain,” eight leaves.
5. “Curia Sapientiæ” (extremely rare), two leaves.
6. “Tulle,” seven leaves.
7. Lydgate’s “Life of our Lady,” two leaves.
8. “Temple of Brass,” fourteen leaves.
9. “The Chorle and the Bird,” two leaves.
10. “The Horse, the Sheep, and the Goose,” four leaves.
11. “Horæ beatæ Virginis” (unique), four leaves.
12. “Pica Sarum” (unique), eight leaves.
13. “An Indulgence of Pope Sixtus IV,” two slips of parchment (unique).

A DESCRIPTION OF BOOKS PRINTED IN

TYPE No. 3.

_BOOKS PRINTED IN TYPE No. 3._

35. An Advertisement 1477-78?

36. Directorium. First Version 1477-78?

37. Horæ. Second Edition 1480?

38. Psalterium, &c. 1480-83?

BOOKS PRINTED IN TYPE No. 3.

NO. 35.--AN ADVERTISEMENT. _Long Octavo. Westminster. No Date.
(About 1477-78.)_

TYPOGRAPHICAL PARTICULARS.--The type is all No. 3, the whole advertisement being comprised in seven lines, unevenly spaced, the longest measuring five inches. The verso is blank.

~Jf it plese ony man spirituel or temporel to bye ony
pyes of two and thre comemoracios of salisburi vse
enpryntid after the forme of this preset lettre whiche
ben wel and truly correct ⸝ late hym come to westmo-
nester in to the almonesrye at the reed pale and he shal
haue them good chepe.·.·~

~Supplico stet cedula~

REMARKS.--This is an interesting relic, not only as giving us the name of the house inhabited by our first printer--the Red-pale (“reed” was commonly used by Caxton for “red”)--but also as a specimen of advertisements in the fifteenth century. Although small in size, it may also be considered as the earliest instance known of a “broadside” printed in this country.

Our printer was not alone in advertising his books, although, from the fugitive nature of such productions, specimens are very rarely to be found. An interesting list of books printed by Coburger, at Nuremberg, in the fifteenth century, is in the British Museum (C. 18. e. 2. 27), to which is attached the following heading:--“Cupientes emere libros infra notatos venient ad hospicium subnotatum Venditorem habituri largissimum,” &c.

The “Pye”[16] was a collection of rules to show the priest how to deal (under every possible variation in Easter) with the concurrence of more than one office on the same day. In reading Caxton’s Advertisement the question arises,--In what respect did the “pyes of two and three commemorations of Salisbury use” differ from the ordinary pyes of Salisbury use? The Very Reverend Canon Rock, D.D., has kindly placed at my disposal an explanation which confines the “pye of two commemorations” to the rules for Easter and Whitsuntide, and the “pye of three commemorations” to the rules for Easter, Whitsuntide, and Trinity.[17] Caxton’s Advertisement, therefore, refers to separately published portions of the common “Directorium seu Pica Sarum,” applicable, perhaps, to the current year only. In the succeeding article is described a “Pica,” which, in some particulars, agrees entirely with Caxton’s description.

A poor copy is among the Doucé fragments in the Bodleian; and a good one, formerly in Dr. Farmer’s library, at Althorpe.

It has been suggested that the first line being very short, the syllable _co_ has accidentally dropped out, and that the text should read “to buy any _co_pies,” &c.; but the word “copy,” in that sense, was unknown in the fifteenth century.

NO. 36.--DIRECTORIUM, SEU PICA SARUM. _First Version. Quarto. Sine
ullâ notâ. (About 1477-8.)_

No perfect copy of this book being known, the COLLATION is necessarily omitted. The four fragments from the covers of the St. Alban’s “Boethius” are four separate half sheets in quarto, making a total of sixteen pages.

TYPOGRAPHICAL PARTICULARS.--Only one type, No. 3, is used in these fragments. The lines are not spaced out to one length. The longest measure 3⅝ inches. A full page has 22 lines. Without signatures, or catchwords, or printed folios to the leaves. There are no initial letters, nor is there any space left for them. The whole is in very contracted Latin.

REMARKS.--There can be no doubt that this was the product of Caxton’s press, as all the circumstances connected with it tend to prove. It was extracted from the covers of a book which was evidently bound in Caxton’s workshop, and for the binding of which he had used waste sheets from the press (see _ante_, page 215). The fragments belonging to known books were all printed by Caxton before 1481; while the “Advertisement” and “Directorium,” reasoning from the measurement of the lines and their uneven length, were certainly printed before 1480, and probably about the same time as the later set of quarto poetic pieces, _i.e._, about 1478.

This “Directorium” is not the same version as that printed by Caxton, about 1486, in type No. 5, and a second edition of which was issued a few years later in type No. 6. These last are the text revised for Bishop Rotherham, founded upon an earlier version, of which latter the leaves under notice appear to be a portion.

Formerly in the library of the St. Alban’s Grammar School; they are now in the British Museum.

NO. 37.--HORÆ AD USUM SARUM. _Second Edition. Quarto. (1480-83.)_

No perfect copy being known, the COLLATION is of necessity omitted. The following remarks are made from three fragments rescued from the St. Alban’s “Boethius,” already noticed.

TYPOGRAPHICAL PARTICULARS.--The only type used, judging from these fragments, was No. 3. The lines are spaced out, and measure 3⅜ inches. A full page has 20 lines. The initials and paragraph marks are not inserted.

The first fragment, a quarto leaf printed on both sides, but very defective, contains part of the “Suffragia of the Three Kings,” which are among the additions to the first part of the “Primer;” and in an early edition by Wynken de Worde, immediately precede the Latin “Fifteen Oes.”

The second fragment is also but one leaf, and contains the commencement of Part II of the “Horæ,” the “Ne Reminiscaris” being the anthem belonging to the Seven Penitential Psalms.

The third fragment consists of two pages of prayers, containing the first of the “Fifteen Oes” in Latin, and some prayers near the end of the Litany.

REMARKS.--As all the “Fifteen Oes” and the Litany, as well as other prayers, intervene between the two pages of the third fragment, it is evident they were not intended to be printed on one sheet; this, added to the fact that the paper is printed only on one side, makes it clear that these are proof pages.

This edition of “Horæ” is entirely unknown to any of our bibliographers, and was doubtless a second edition of that already noticed at p. 191.

These fragments, now in the British Museum, were purchased in 1874. They were formerly in the library of King Edward VI Grammar School, St. Alban’s.

NO. 38.--PSALTERIUM, ETC. _Quarto. Sine ullâ notâ. (1480-83?)_

COLLATION.--~a b c d e f g h i k l m n o p q r s t u x y~ are 4ns, with ~a~ 1 blank; but as only one copy is known to be in existence, and that imperfect, no complete collation can be given.

TYPOGRAPHICAL PARTICULARS.--There is only one type, No. 3, used throughout the work, excepting for the signatures, where the Arabic numerals belong to type No. 2. The lines, which are spaced out, measure 3⅜ inches, and a full page has 20. Without printed folios or catchwords. Space for the insertion of 2 to 4-line initials, generally without director, is left at the beginning of paragraphs. The signatures are in letters and Arabic numerals, a mode of signing used by Caxton only between the years 1480 and 1483.

The book doubtless commenced with a blank leaf for ~a~ 1, which is wanting in this copy.

The Text begins at the head of ~a~ 2 recto, thus:--

~Jheronimus de laude dei super
psalterium~
~Jchil enim est in hac vita
~n~ mortali in quo possumus fa-
miliarius inherere deo q’ di-
uinis laudibus. Nullus e’m mor-~

“Jheronimus super Psalterium” ends on ~a~ 6 recto, and is followed by two prayers and a metrical hymn.

The Psalter finishes on sig. ~t~ 3 recto, and is followed by the Canticles, Te Deum, Athanasian Creed, a general Litany, including most of the prayers now in use, and ends imperfectly on sig. ~y~ 7 verso. There is an eighth leaf, which at first sight is very defective, seeming to be ~y~ 8; in fact it is an intercallary leaf, consisting of two pages accidentally omitted between ~r~ 7 and ~x~ 8, and bound up wrongly after ~y~ 7, the real ~y~ 8 being absent.

As these typographical blunders suggest that the compositor worked from a printed and not a manuscript copy, we may well believe that this is not the first edition of the work.

The only copy at present known is in the British Museum, having formed a portion of the old Royal Library. It has the initials M. R. (Queen Mary I.) on the back of the volume, and was recognised as being printed with Caxton’s types by Mr. Bullen of the British Museum, through whose hands it passed for re-cataloguing.

FOOTNOTES:

[16] The _Pica_ type of printers is commonly supposed to derive its name from having been used for printing the early “Pica seu Directorium.” I have searched in vain among the earliest editions of the Directorium for a copy printed in types approaching the size of _Pica_. They are mostly the size of modern Brevier.

[17] “Easter being a moveable feast, and ruling the time for Septuagesima, Sexagesima, and Quinquagesima Sundays, and the beginning of Lent, as well as the Sundays for Whitsuntide and the beginning of Trinity, makes great and ever-recurring alterations in the Service of the Calendar on Saints’ days. Hence was it to show the Cleric at a glance how to commemorate the Saints’ days that came in the everchanging times of Lent, Easter, Whitsuntide; and the Octave of the Trinity, the _Pica_ began by giving a table of the Dominical letters, which make the keys of all the rest of the _Pica_; and after such a way no matter what month or week Easter might fall on, the manner of commemorating the Saints’ days happening then, or of putting them off till another time, was accurately described for all variations. But as the chief variations in keeping the Saints’ days happened at Easter and its following week--at Whitsuntide and its week or Octave--and at Trinity and its Octave; and, as during these three great feasts, with their Octaves, the occurring feast itself was chiefly celebrated with mere mention, or Collect, or Commemoration; and as people in Caxton’s days had not printed but handwritten Breviaries without the _Pica_ or _Pye_ in them, Caxton printed, to supply their want, ‘pyes of two and three commemorations,’--that is to say, directions for saying the whole office of _two_ Octaves or Commemorations, say of Easter and Whitsuntide, and of _three_ Octaves, Easter, Whitsuntide, and Trinity. It should be borne in mind, as I have pointed out in _t._ 4, _p._ 139 of ‘The Church of our Fathers,’ that the Laity as well as the Clergy used to say the Breviary. Hence Caxton’s invitation to buy his ‘pyes’ to the Laity too.”--_Extract from a letter to J. F. Goulding, Esq., from the Very Rev. Canon Rock, D.D. February, 1862._

A DESCRIPTION OF BOOKS PRINTED IN

TYPE No. 4.

_BOOKS PRINTED IN TYPES No. 4 AND 4*._

39. Chronicles. First Edition Type 4 1480
40. Description of Britain Type 4 1480
41. Curia Sapientiæ Type 4 1481?
42. Godfrey of Boloyne Type 4 1481
43. Indulgence. First Edition Type 4 1481
44. Ditto Second Edition Type 4 1481
45. Chronicles. Second Edition Type 4 1482
46. Polychronicon Type 4 1482
47. Pilgrimage of the Soul Type 4 1483
48. A Vocabulary Type 4 1483?
49. The Festial. First Edition Type 4* 1483
50. Four Sermons Type 4* 1483?
51. Servitium de Visitatione Type 4 1483?
52. Sex Epistolæ Type 4 and 4* 1483?
53. Confessio Amantis Type 4 and 4* 1484
54. The Knight of the Tower Type 4 and 4* 1484?
55. Caton Type 4* 1484
56. Golden Legend. First Edition Type 4 and 4* 1484
57. Death-bed Prayers Type 4* 1484?
58. Æsop Type 4* 1484
59. Order of Chivalrye Type 4* 1483-85
60. Canterbury Tales. Second Edition Type 4* 1484?
61. Book of Fame Type 4* 1484?
62. The Curial Type 4* 1484?
63. Troilus and Cresside Type 4* 1484?
64. Life of our Lady Type 4* 1484?
65. St. Winifred Type 4* 1485?
66. King Arthur Type 4* 1485
67. Charles the Great Type 4* 1485
68. Paris and Vienne Type 4* 1485
69. The Golden Legend. Second Edition Type 4* 1487

BOOKS PRINTED IN TYPE No. 4.

NO. 39.--THE CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND. _Folio. “Emprynted by me William
Caxton in thabbey of Westmynstre.” June 10th, 1480. First
Edition, with short commas._

COLLATION.--Prologue and table a 4n, signed ~ij~, ~iij~, and ~iiij~, the first leaf being blank, ~a~ (~a j~ blank) ~b c d e f g h i k l m n o p q r s t u x~ are 4ns; ~y~ is a 3n. Total 182 leaves, of which two are blank.

TYPOGRAPHICAL PARTICULARS.--There is no title-page. Type No. 4 only is used. There are forty lines to a full page. The lines are spaced out to an even length, and measure 4¾ inches. The signatures are in lower-case letters and Arabic numerals. Spaces left for the insertion of initials. Without folios or catchwords. The short comma (~⸝~) only is used.

Commencing with a blank leaf, the prologue follows on sig. ~ij~ recto, the Text beginning, with a space for a 5-line initial,

~N the yere of thyncarnacion of our lord Jhu crist M.
CCCC . lxxx . And in the xx . yere of the Regne of
~J~ kyng Edward the fourthe ⸝ Atte requeste of dyuerce
gentilmen I haue endeueurd me to enprinte the cro-
nicles of Englond as in this booke shall by the suf-
fraunce of god folowe ⸝ And to thende that euery mon may
see and~

The Chronicle ends on the sixth recto of sig. ~y~, the verso being blank,

~Thus endeth this present booke of the cronicles of
englond ⸝ enp’n | ted by me william Caxton In thabbey of
westmynstre by london | Fynysshid and accomplisshid
the x . day of Juyn the yere of thin- | carnacion of our lord
god M . CCCC . lxxx . And in the xx . yere of | the regne
of kyng Edward the fourth~

REMARKS.--The use of short commas, which characterises the early state of this type, would induce us to give priority to this edition over the other, in which the long commas are used, independently of any printed date.

The history here printed by Caxton differs but little from the “Cronicle of Brute,” one of the most popular of the fifteenth and sixteenth century books. It is, however, carried further than any manuscript chronicle I have seen, and it appears probable that, as any writer who felt competent made his own additions in transcribing, so Caxton added more or less to his copy, and brought the history down, as he acknowledges having done in “Polycronicon,” to the battle of Towton. The old “Cronicle of Brute” was so called from the opening chapter which describes the settlement of Brutus, the descendant of Æneas, in Britain. The respective parts due to Nennius, Douglas of Glastonbury, and Geoffrey of Monmouth, are probably too obscure to determine. The St. Alban’s Chronicle, printed two or three years later, and in types somewhat resembling those of Caxton, is the same text, interpolated throughout with a history of the Popes and ecclesiastical matters. This, and the edition of Machlinia (Caxton’s text), about the same date, are not unfrequently catalogued erroneously as from Caxton’s press.

One of the most rare books from the early Dutch Press is a reprint of Caxton’s text by Gerard Leeu.

This work is often called “Caxton’s Chronicle” by old writers, probably from the publicity he gave it both as editor and printer, and he is often blamed for its inaccuracies, although, with the exception of the last few pages, he had nothing to do with its compilation; nor indeed does he in any way lay claim to it.

Of this edition with the short commas there are copies at Cambridge, Bodleian (2), St. John’s, Oxford, Hunterian Museum, Glasgow, and Lambeth Palace. Six are in private hands.

NO. 40.--THE DESCRIPTION OF BRITAIN. _Folio. “Fynyshed by me William
Caxton.” No Place. 18th August, 1480._

COLLATION.--Three 4ns and one 3n, unsigned. Thirty leaves, the last being blank.

TYPOGRAPHICAL PARTICULARS.--There is no title-page. Type No. 4 only is used. There are forty lines to a full page. The lines are spaced out to an even length, and measure 4¾ inches. Spaces left for the insertion of initials. Without signatures, folios, or catchwords. The signatures were probably omitted on account of the limited extent of the work.

The Text begins, on the verso of the first leaf, thus:--

~Hit is so that in many and diuerse places the comyn
cronicles | of englond ben had and also now late enprinted
at westmynstre |~

and ends on the 29th recto,

~lated the book of Policronicon into englissh ⸝ Fynysshed
by me | william Caxton the xviij . day of August the yere of
our lord god | M. CCCC. lxxx . and the xx . yere of the
regne of kyng Edward | the fourthe .~

REMARKS.--“The Description of Britain” is one of the chapters out of Ralph Higden’s “Polycronicon.” Caxton printed it as a supplement to the Chronicles, and evidently intended it to follow on after the termination of that work. The blank leaf at the end instead of the beginning favours this idea.

It is improbable that a second edition of “The Description of Britain” was issued, as no copy with the long commas (/) has yet been found.

Copies are in British Museum, Cambridge, Oxford (3), St. John’s, Oxford, Lambeth, Glasgow, and four in private libraries.

NO. 41.--CURIA SAPIENTIÆ; OR THE COURT OF SAPIENCE. _Folio. Without
Printer’s Name, Place, or Date. (1481?)_

COLLATION.--~a b c d~ are 4ns, ~e~ is a 3n = 38 leaves, of which the first is blank.

TYPOGRAPHICAL PARTICULARS.--There is no title-page. The type is No. 4 throughout. The whole work is in “Balad Royal,” or stanzas of seven lines, of which there are five to each page. Without folios or catchwords. Space is left for the insertion of 3-line initials.

After a blank the Text begins on ~a ij~ recto, with space for a 3-line initial, with director,

~He laberoꝰ & ye most merueyloꝰ werkes
Of sapience syn firste regned nature
~t~ My purpos is to tell as writen clerkes
And specyally her moost notable cure~

The Text ends half-way down the second column, on the sixth verso of signature ~e~,

~lyuyng ⸝ nedeful werkes ⸝ and
dredeful dedes of ioye and of
peyne~

REMARKS.--The only manuscript copy of this poem is preserved in the library of Trinity College, Cambridge. It belonged formerly to John Stow, who has noted several omissions in the text, as compared with some other copy, probably the printed edition; and who has written over the top, “By John Lydgate.” The poem itself is headed “Here beginneth a brief compiled treatise called by the Author thereof _Curia Sapientiæ_.”

The following description by Oldys is taken from _Bib. Harl._ Vol. III, No. 3313: “Though neither the author’s nor printer’s name appears to this poem, it was visibly enough printed by Caxton and composed by Lidgate, had we not the authority of John Stowe for it, in the catalogue of his writings. The author tells us it was written at the command of his Sovereign (perhaps King Hen. V), and it seems to be one of the scarcest of his pieces extant. There seems to be more invention in it and variety of matter than in most other poems of his composition, displaying, after a copious debate between Mercy and Truth, Justice and Peace, a distinct survey throughout the palace and domains of Sapience, of all the products of nature, in distinct chapters, and of arts and sciences; with his further reference, at the end of each, to the authors who have written on them.” Ames says (_Typ. Ant._, page 67), after quoting the whole of the “Prohemium,” “I take Caxton to be the poet or author, by the above verses.” This opinion was perhaps too readily adopted. Although there is a curious parallel between the poet’s statement of his rude and corrupt speech, and the apology of Caxton in his additions to “The Recuyell” for his “vnperfightness” in English, owing to his having been educated where was “spoken as brode and rude englissh as is in ony place of englond;” and although we know that Caxton could put together a few verses, as in the instance of the last two stanzas of “Moral Proverbs;” yet, judging from the literary ability of his known works and translations, we should hardly be justified in ascribing the authorship of “Curia Sapientiæ” to him. The plan of this work, in which theology, geography, natural history, horticulture, grammar, rhetoric, arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy are all in turn described, was certainly too high a flight for our printer.

The titles given to this book, “The werke of Sapience” and “Tractatus de Fide et Cantus famule sue,” adopted by Ames and other bibliographers, were taken from the first and last lines of the poem. The proper title, “Curia Sapientiæ,” appears at the end of “Liber Primus.”

Caxton’s edition is very scarce. St. John’s, Oxford, and Earl Spencer, have copies, and fragments are in the Bodleian and the British Museum. This last library is inaccurately stated by Dibdin to possess a perfect copy.

NO. 42.--THE HISTORY OF GODFREY OF BOLOYNE; OR THE CONQUEST OF
JERUSALEM. _Folio. Printed the 20th November, in the Abbey of
Westminster, by William Caxton, 1481._

COLLATION.--~a~ is a 3n with ~a j~ blank; ~b~ a 2n, ~b~ 1 being blank; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16 are all 4ns, 17 is a 3n = 144 leaves, of which two are blank. Excepting the first two gatherings, the signatures are entirely in Arabic numerals. Dibdin corrects Ames, and says he counted 146 leaves, but Ames was right.

TYPOGRAPHICAL PARTICULARS.--There is no title-page. The type is entirely No. 4. A full page has forty lines, which are of an even length, and measure 4¾ inches. Without folios or catchwords. Space at the commencement of chapters is left for the insertion of 3 to 7-line initials.

The volume commences with a blank leaf, after which follows the prologue, the Text beginning on ~a~ 2, with a space for a 4-line initial,

~He hye couragyous faytes / And valyaunt actes of
~t~ noble Jllustrous and vertuous personnes ben digne
to be recounted ⸝ put in memorye ⸝ and wreton. to thende
that ther may be gyuen to them name Jnmortal by so-
uerayn laude and preysyng. And also for to moeue and
tenflaw |~

ending half-way down the recto of the sixth folio of sig. 17, the verso being blank,

~myng . whiche boook J began in marche the xij daye and
fynys- | shyd the vij day of Juyn ⸝ the yere of our lord ·
M . CCCC · lxxxj | & the the xxj yere of the regne of our
sayd sauerayn lord kyng Ed | ward the fourth . & in this
maner sette in forme & enprynted the | xx day of nouem-
bre the yere a forsayd in thabbay of westmester | by the
said wylliam Caxton~

In the British Museum is a splendid manuscript of this work, a large folio, on vellum, fifteenth century, with numerous illuminations. The character of the writing is very similar to the large type of Colard Mansion, and it begins “Les anciennes histoires dīet que eracles fut moult bon x’pien et gouuerneur de lempire de romme.” The text is without doubt the original of Caxton’s translation, with which it agrees chapter for chapter, but is carried much further than the death of Godfrey, with which Caxton concludes. The author appears to be unknown.

An edition was printed at Paris, in 1500, with the title “Les faits et Gestes de preux Godefroy de Bovillon et de ses chevalereux freres Baudouin et Eustache.”

Copies are in the British Museum, Cambridge (2), Imperial Library, Vienna, Hunterian College, Glasgow, Bristol, Göttingen, besides four in private libraries. The copy belonging to S. Holford, Esq., is specially interesting; it is in its original vellum cover, and contains the following interesting notice:--“This was king Edw. y^e fourth Booke.” Also the autographs, “p’tinet Rogero Thorney,” and “Rob^t Wellborne.” The former of these names is worth a comment, because it throws some doubt upon the accuracy of the previous notice. Roger Thorney, like other literary mercers of his time, was probably a friend and supporter of Caxton: he certainly patronised his successor, Wynken de Worde, as the following lines from the “Polychronicon” of 1495, show:--

“--------this boke of Policronicon
“Whiche Roger Thorney Mercer hath exhorted
“Wynken de Worde of vertuous entent
“Well to correcte, and gretely hym comforted,
“This specyal boke to make and sette in prente.”

How then did Roger Thorney become possessed of the copy of “The History of Godefroy of Bulloyn,” belonging to his king? On the inside cover is also the book-plate of Sir John Dolben, Bart., of Finedon, in Northamptonshire. This volume was sold among the books of Secondary Smyth, in 1682, and passed into the library of the Earl of Peterborough. It was afterwards in the Vernon collection, which is now included in that of Mr. Holford.

NO. 43.--LETTERS OF INDULGENCE FROM JOHANNES DE GIGLIIS, ALIAS DE
LILIIS, ISSUED IN 1481 ON THE AUTHORITY OF POPE SIXTUS IV, FOR
ASSISTANCE AGAINST THE TURKS. _On Parchment._ 1481.

This indulgence is represented by two slips of parchment, extracted from the St. Alban’s “Boethius.” (See _ante_, page 215.)

Originally in one, the document was cut in two pieces by Caxton’s binder, who used them for strengthening the back of the book. They were pasted, one at the beginning and one at the end, down the whole length, inside the boards. When the volume was dissected they were, unfortunately, subjected to the usual soaking in water. This has entirely changed their original appearance, as the print has necessarily participated in the shrinking of the parchment. From personal examination, while the fragments were in the original state, the following particulars are obtained:--

TYPOGRAPHICAL PARTICULARS.--The Type is all No. 4. The lines, which are spaced to an even length, measured nine inches. The complete document, apparently, contained 13 lines.

The second slip containing the date, is as follows:--

~mutare libere et licite . . . . . | . et singuloru fide pre-
sentes sigilli ꝯmissionis indulgeciaru et dispensacionu
sancte cruciate qu . . | mus et fecimus appensione com
. . ixi / Datum die mensis |
CCCC. lxxxj . Ac pontificatus prefati sanctissimi domini
nostri do . ini Sixti pape . .~

The two slips, now measuring each 7¼ × 1 inches, were originally about 11 × 2 inches. They are now in the British Museum.

NO. 44.--LETTERS OF INDULGENCE ISSUED IN 1481, ON THE AUTHORITY OF
POPE SIXTUS IV, FOR ASSISTANCE AGAINST THE TURKS. _Second
Edition. On Parchment. 1481._

The type is all No. 4. The lines are spaced to an even length. The whole document is printed on one side of a slip of paper.

The only two copies known are pasted inside the “Royal Book” printed by Caxton, and now in the Bedford Library, Bedford. They measure 8 × 6 inches. A slip of parchment containing four lines of the same Indulgence was discovered by Mr. Bradshaw in the Library of King’s College, Cambridge.

NO. 45.--THE CHRONICLES OF ENGLAND. _Folio. “Emprynted by me william
Caxton In thabbey of westmestre” October 8th, 1482. Second
Edition, with long commas._

COLLATION.--Prologue and title a 4n, signed ~ij~, ~iij~, and ~iiij~, the first leaf being blank, ~a~ (~a j~ blank) ~b c d e f g h i k l m n o p q r s t u x~ are 4ns; ~y~ is a 3. Total 182 leaves, of which two are blank.

TYPOGRAPHICAL PARTICULARS.--There is no title-page. Type No. 4 only is used. There are forty lines to a full page. The lines are spaced out to an even length, and measure 4¾ inches. The signatures are in lower-case letters and Arabic numerals. Spaces left for the insertion of initials. Without folios or catchwords.

The above collation and particulars are identical with those of the first edition, described at page 247, _ante_.

Commencing with a blank leaf, the prologue follows on sig. ~ij~ recto, the Text beginning with space for a 4-line initial,

~N the yere of thyncarnacyon of our lord Jhu crist M
CCCC / lxxx / And in the xx yere of the Regne of
~i~ kyng Edward the fourth / Atte request of dyuerse gen
tylmen J haue endeuyryd me to enprynte the Cro-
nycles of Englond / as in this book shal by the suffraunce
of god~

The Text ends on the sixth recto of sig. ~y~, the verso being blank,

~Thus endeth this present book of the Cronycles of
Englond / Enprynted by me William Caxton Jn thabbey
of westmestre by london / Fynysshed / and accomplysshyd
the / viij / day of Octobre / The yere of the Incarnacyon of
our lord God / M / CCCC / lxxxij And in the xxij yere of
the regne of kyng Edward the fourth~

Copies are in the British Museum (2) and Oxford, with three in private libraries.

NO. 46.--POLYCRONICON. _Folio. “Imprinted and set in forme by me
William Caxton.” Without Place or Date. Translation ended 2nd
July, 1482._

COLLATION.--~a b~ are 4ns, with the first leaf of ~a~ blank; ~C~ is a 2n; sigs. 1 to 28 are 4ns, the first and 5th leaves of sig. 1 being blank; sig. 28 is followed by an unsigned single sheet, of which but one leaf is printed, the other being blank; 29 to 48 are 4ns; 49 a 2n; 50 to 55 are 4ns, with the last leaf of 55 blank; sig. 50 is followed by 52, sig. 51 being accidentally omitted = 450 leaves, of which five are blank.

TYPOGRAPHICAL PARTICULARS.--There is no title-page. The type is all No. 4. The lines, which measure 4¾ inches, are fully spaced out, and forty make a full page. Space is left at the beginning of the chapters for the insertion of initials. The first gatherings have the signatures in Roman numerals, but all the rest are signed with Arabic numerals. After the introductory matter folios are introduced, although with many errors.

The Text, preceded by a blank, begins on sig. ~a~ 2 recto, with space for a 4-line initial,

~Prohemye~

~g~ ~Rete thankynges lawde & honoure we merytoryous-
ly ben bounde to yelde and offre vnto wryters of hys-
toryes / whiche gretely haue prouffyted oure mortal
lyf / that shewe vnto the reders and herers by the
ensamples of thynges passyd / what thynge is to be desyred /~

The Text ends on the recto of 55-7; the verso and 55-8 being blank.

~wrytynge / Ended the second day of Juyll the xxij yere
of the regne of kynge Edwardthe fourth & of the Jncar-
nacion of oure lord a thousand four honderd foure score
and tweyne /~
~Fynysshed per Caxton~

REMARKS.--Few of Caxton’s books have excited more interest and research than the “Polycronicon.” It appears to have had its origin with Roger, Monk of St. Werberg, in Chester, who, about the beginning of the fourteenth century, made an extensive compilation in Latin from several of the old chronicles and works on natural history then in existence. Ralph Higden, of the same monastery, who died before 1360, amplified this compilation, entitling his work, “Polycronicon;” and this, judging from the numerous copies still extant, had a very extended popularity. In 1387 Trevisa, chaplain to the Earl of Berkeley, translated the Latin of Higden into English prose. An account of Trevisa, with a history of his works, is given by Dr. Dibdin, in _Typ. Ant._ vol. i., page 140, who, however, has not included in his list Trevisa’s English translation of the Gospel of Nicodemus (_Addit. MS._ 16165). Trevisa’s translation of the Bible is expressly mentioned by Caxton in his prologue. Nearly a century later, Caxton “a little embellished” the antiquated text of Trevisa, which, together with a continuation of the history to the year 1460, was finished on July 2nd, 1482, and printed soon after: he entitled his continuation “Liber ultimus,” and it is most interesting as being the only original work of any magnitude from our printer’s pen.

Caxton tells us very little of the sources of his information. He mentions two little works, “Fasciculus temporum” and “Aureus de Vniverso,” from which, however, he certainly obtained but little material for his “Liber ultimus,” which treats almost entirely of English matters.

As a specimen of the alteration made by our printer, when he “a lytyl embellyshed” the text as rendered by Trevisa, the following quotation is given, in which the consequences of Man’s fall are graphically described. The embellishment chiefly consists in modernising the old English, although here and there Caxton added sentences to the text.

TREVISA’S TEXT, 1387.

(Harleian MS., No 1900, fol. 94_b_).

From that day forthward ye body y^t is corrupt by syne greuey y^e
soule / Ye flesche couetiy azenꝰ ye soule / and mānes wittes torney
& assentith liztlich to euel A mānes owne meynal wittes bey his owne
enemyes ℂ So y^t al a mānes lif is temptacion while he lyuey here in
erye Also man is eū failynge and aweyward . he may nouzt stidfastlich
abide he falliy liztliche bot he may nouzt lightlich arise . P’fite
is of birye sorrowe & care ī lyuyng/ and man mot nedes deye And thouz
alle oy^e yat bey made haue schelles · ryndes · skynnes · wolle.
heer. bristels · fethers · wynges other skales · man is y bore wiyout
eny helyng / naked & bar . anone at his birye he gyney forto wepe
atte bygynyng liche to a best . but his lymes failey hym & may nouzt
help hymself . But he is febler yan any oy^r beste · he kan noon
helpe · he may nouzt do of hymself but wepe wiy al his myzte. No best
hay lif more brutel and vnsiker. Noon hay sekenesse more greuous ·
noon more likynge to do oy^rwise than he sholde / noon is more cruwel
Also oy^r bestes louey eūeche oye of ye same kynde & woney to gedres
& bey nouzt cruwel but to bestes of other kynde y^t ben contrairie to
hem But man torney y^t maner doyng vpsodoū & is contr’ie to hym self
& cruel to oy^r men

CAXTON’S TEXT, 1483.

(Sig, 10 4 verso).

Fro that day forth the body that is corrupt by synne greueth the
soule The flesshe coueyteth ayenste the soule and mannes wyttes torne
and assente lightly to euyl A mannes oune meynal wyttes / be his owne
enemyes / so that al mannes lyf is in temptacion whyle he lyueth here
in erthe . & the disposipon of the soule ruleth meynteneth / helpeth
and conforteth the body / But ayeinward the wretched disposicion
of the bodye distourbeth the soule · Also man is euer fayllyng and
wayward he may not stydfastly abyde / he falleth lightly but he may
not lightly aryse / Profyt of byrth is sorow and care in lyuyng and
man must nedes dye And thaugh oll other that be made haue shelles
ryndes skynnes . wolle heer bristels feders wynges owther skals /
Man is born withoute ony helyng or keueryng nakede and bare / anone
at his birth . he gynneth for to wepe atte begynnyng lyke a beest
but his lymmes fayllen hym and maye not helpe hym self · but he is
febler than ony other beeste / he can noon helpe / he may nought doo
of hym self but wepe with al his myght No beest hath lyf more brutyl
& vnseker / None hath sekenesse more greuous noon more lykyng to do
otherwyse than he shuld . none is more cruel Also other bestes loue
eueryche other of the same kynde . and dwell to gyder and be not
cruel / but to beestes of other kynde that be contrary to hem / But
man torneth that maner doyng vp so downe and is contrary to hymself
and cruel to other men /

This is one of the most common of Caxton’s works, at least thirty copies being known, of which half are in various public libraries.

NO. 47.--THE PILGRIMAGE OF THE SOUL. _“Emprynted at westmestre by
william Caxton, and fynysshed the sixth day of June,” 1483._

COLLATION.--An unsigned 2n, with the first leaf blank; ~a b c d e f g h i k l m n~ are 4ns, with ~a j~ blank; ~o~ is a 3n, with the last two leaves blank. Total 114 leaves, of which four are blank.

TYPOGRAPHICAL PARTICULARS.--There is no title-page. The type throughout is No. 4. The lines are of an equal length, and measure 4⅞ inches. A full page has forty lines. There is a running head to the pages, and the leaves have printed folios, numbered very carelessly. Space has been left for the insertion of 2, 3, and 6-line initials. Commencing with a blank, the title and table follow on folio ~ij~, which is unsigned.

The Text begins, on the second leaf, thus:--

~Folio ij~

~This book is intytled the pylgremage of the sowle / trans-
lated ‖ oute of Frensshe in to Englysshe / whiche book is
ful of deuonte ‖ maters touchyng the sowle / and many ques-
tyons assoyled to cau ‖ se a man to lyue the better in this
world / And it conteyneth fyue ‖ bookes / as it appereth her-
after by Chapytres~

The Text ends on the fourth leaf of sig. ~o~, and the verso of folio ~Cx~,

~Here endeth the dreme of pylgremage of the soule trans-
latid ‖ out of Frensshe in to Englysshe with somwhat of
addicions / the yere of our lord / M.CCCC / & thyrten /
and endeth in the Uigy ‖ le of seynt Bartholomew~

~Emprynted at westmestre by William Caxton / And
fynysshed ‖ the sixth day of Juyn / the yere of our lord /
M.CCCC ⸝ lxxxiij ‖ And the first yere of the regne of
kynge Edward the fyfthe / ‖~

This is the only book from the press of Caxton having the name of Edward V in the colophon.

REMARKS.--The common custom among preachers of the Middle Ages of engaging the attention of their hearers by _spiritualising_ tales and even jests current among the people is well known. This practice seems to have suggested to a monk named Guillaume de Deguilleville the idea of _moralising_ the celebrated “Roman de la Rose.” His poem was divided into three parts, and completed about 1335. It contains more than 36,000 lines, and its title is “Le Romant des trois Pelerinages.” These three pilgrimages are “Le pelerinage de la vie humaine;” “Le pelerinage de l’Ame;” and “Le pelerinage du Jesus Christ.” Brit. Mus. _Addit. MS._ 22937 contains the three parts complete. None of these appear to have been printed. Not satisfied, however, with the result of his labours, Guillaume again set to work and recast the whole poem, with many amplifications and additional verses. This, which was finished about 1350, and of which a manuscript copy is in the _Bib. Imp. Paris_, 6988^2, is the text of which several editions were issued from the early French press.

Nearly a century passed when another monk, Jehan de Gallopes, transposed the rhymes of Deguilleville into French prose. This was with the object of modernising the old language, or, as he says, “pour esclaircir et entendre la matiere la contenue.” Gallopes, however, apparently extended his labours no further than “The Pelerinage de l’Ame,” and here we find the text used by the translator of “The Pylgremage of the Sowle,” printed in 1483 by our William Caxton. Manuscripts of the prose “Pelerinage de l’Ame” are very scarce, but a perfect copy is in _Bib. Imp. Paris_, No. 7086.

Of the author and translators mentioned above, but little can be said. Guillaume de Deguilleville was monk, and afterwards prior, of the Abbey of Chalis; and this seems all that is known of him. His name appears in the later manuscripts as Guillaume de Guilleville, and is mostly so printed, but is spelt correctly in some of the early French printed editions. In a fourteenth century manuscript, already noticed, the name appears “de Deguilleville,” and that this is the true orthography is placed beyond question by an acrostic, consisting of two “chansons” in the French text. Here the author has veiled himself in the initial letters of each line, and by putting these together we obtain his real name, “Guillaume de Deguilleville.”

“Jean de Gallopes, dit le Galoys,” as we learn from the prologue to his French prose version, was the “humble chapellain” to John, Duke of Bedford and Regent of France, for whom the translation was undertaken. It was, therefore, executed before the death of the Regent, in 1435, and there seems reason to suppose that its author was an Englishman. In the Imperial Library, Paris, is a manuscript, mentioned by M. Paris (_Les Msc. Franç._, vol. v, page 132), entitled “Vie de Jesus Christ,” which is attributed also to Gallopes, but which appears to be a different work from the third “Pilgrimage” of Deguilleville.

To John Lydgate, monk, of Bury, is generally attributed the English version of “The Pylgremage of the Sowle,” and probably with truth, as some of the additional poems found here form a part also of Lydgate’s well-known poem “The Life of our lady.” He is also supposed, from internal evidence of style, to be the author of “The Pilgrimage of man” (_Cotton MSS._, Vitel. C. XII), an English metrical translation of Deguilleville’s “Pelerinage de la vie humaine.”

The numerous copies of the “Pilgrimages” still extant in our old libraries prove that they must have attained a considerable amount of popularity. In France there were several printed editions, but in England, probably owing to the growth of the Reformation, “The Pylgremage of the Sowle,” printed by Caxton, is the only known edition.

Copies are in the British Museum, St. John’s, Oxford, and Sion College, London; also in the Althorpe and Britwell Libraries.

There is no connection whatever between this work and Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress.” Caxton’s book treats of the journey and trial of the soul _after_ death, the only point in common being that both are supposed to happen in a dream. “The Pilgrimage of man” is nearer in idea, but equally distinct in treatment.

NO. 48.--A VOCABULARY IN FRENCH AND ENGLISH. _Folio. Sine ullâ notâ.
1483?_

COLLATION.--Two 4ns, and one 5n, unsigned = 26 leaves, the first being, doubtless, blank.

TYPOGRAPHICAL PARTICULARS.--There is no title of any sort. The type is No. 4 throughout. 42 lines in double column (84 lines) make a full page, and the long lines measure 2⅞ inches. The words “Frensshe” and “Englissh” appear as head-lines to every page. Without folios, catchwords, or initials.

The Text begins, in double column, on the 2nd recto, thus:--

~Frensshe Englissh~

~Cy commence la table Hier begynneth the table
De cest prouffytable doctrine Of this prouffytable lernynge
Pour trouuer tout par ordene For to fynde all by ordre
Ce que on vouldra aprendre That whiche wen wylle lerne~

The Text ends, with seven lines on the 26th recto, thus:--

~Frensshe Englissh~

~La Grace de sainct esperit The grace of the holy ghoost
Ueul enluminer les cures Wylle enlyghte the hertes
De ceulx qui le aprendront Of them that shall lerne it
Et nous doinst perseuerance And vs gyue perseueraunce
En bonnes operacions Jn good werkes
Et apres ceste vie transitorie And after this lyf transitorie
La pardurable ioye & glorie The euerlastyng ioye and glorie~

“A Book for Travellers” is the title given to this work in _Typ. Ant._ vol. i, page 315, but as there is no especial suitability in it for the use of travellers, and as from its composition it appears to have been formed with a scholastic aim, it has been thought advisable to change so evident a misnomer.

No manuscript of this compilation in French or English is known to exist, nor is there any clue to the author.

A copy is in each of the four following libraries--Ripon Cathedral, Bamborough Castle, Earl Spencer, and Duke of Devonshire.

NO. 49.--THE FESTIAL (LIBER FESTIALIS). _First Edition. Folio.
“Emprynted at Westmynster by Wyllyam Caxton the laste day of
Juyn, 1483.”_

COLLATION.--~a b c d e f g h i k l m n~ are 4ns, ~a j~ being blank; ~o~ and ~p~ are 3ns = 116 leaves, of which one is blank.

TYPOGRAPHICAL PARTICULARS.--There is no title of any sort. The type is entirely No. 4*, which here appears for the first time. The lines, which are fully spaced out, measure 5 inches. A full page has 38 lines. Without folios or catchwords. Space left for the insertion of 3 to 5-line initials, with director.

Commencing with a blank leaf, the sermon for the First Sunday in Advent follows on sig. ~a ij~, space being left for the insertion of a 5-line initial.

The Text begins thus:--

~His day is callyd the first sonday of aduent / that
is the sonday in cristys comyng / Therfore holy
~t~ chirche this day maketh mencion of ij comynges
The first comyng was to bye mankynde out of bon
dage of the deuyll and to brynge mannys sowle to
blysse / And this other comyng shal be at the day of dome~

The Text ends on the sixth recto of sig. ~p~,

~vs that for vs deyed on the rood tree / Qui cum deo patre &
spū ‖ sancto viuit et regnat deus AMEN /~

~Explicit~

~Enprynted at Westmynster by wyllyam Caxton the laste
day of Juyn Anno domini M CCCC Lxxxiij~

The compiler of “The Festial,” John Mirkus, was a canon of the Monastery of Lilleshul, an old foundation in Shropshire, as we learn from a MS. copy of his work in the Cottonian Library. He says that, finding many priests, from incapacity, were, like himself, unable to teach their parishioners properly, he had taken pains to compile sermons for all the principal feasts of the year, which he had extracted chiefly from the “Golden Legend.” The omission of the prologue, by Caxton, as well as the final sermons on the Paternoster and Burial of the dead, makes us suspect that our printer had a copy imperfect at beginning and end. The subject of nearly every chapter in “The Festial” may also be found in the “Golden Legend;” but, taking the two books, as printed by Caxton, for comparison, it will be seen that the sermons for the Moveable Feasts, with which each work commences, have nothing in common but their subject, and that the histories of the saints are treated very differently, and often disagree even in their supposed historical facts. The “Gesta Romanorum” furnished many stories for the “Golden Legends,” but in “The Festial” that mine of anecdotes has contributed still more largely to the illustration and enforcement of the preacher’s remarks. “The Festial” is yet further removed from our Book of Common Prayer, with which it has been associated by some writers. With the exception of the names in the calendar there is nothing in common between them.

Although in Caxton’s edition of this work it is entirely without a name, there seems no reason for giving it the Latin title by which it is generally known, “Liber Festivalis.” John Mirkus, its compiler, who wrote it in English, says, “I will and pray that it be called a Festial;” and, accordingly, it was so called by Wynken de Worde in several editions, by Rood of Oxford, and by other early printers.

Copies are at the British Museum, Bodleian, Lambeth, and Althorpe.

NO. 50.--FOUR SERMONS, ETC. (QUATUOR SERMONES, ETC.) _First Edition.
Folio. “Enprynted by Wylliam Caxton at Westmestre.” Without
Date. (1483?)_

COLLATION.--~a b c~ are 4ns, ~d a~ 3n = 30 leaves. No blanks.

TYPOGRAPHICAL PARTICULARS.--There is no title. The type is entirely No. 4*. The lines are fully spaced out, and measure 5 inches. A full page has 38 lines. Without folios or catchwords. In this book we find, for the first time, the paragraph mark ℂ used--a mark which never appears in the early state of this type.

The Text begins on sig. ~a j~, with space for a 3-line initial, without director,

~He mayster of sentence in the second booc and the
first ‖ dystynction / sayth that the souerayn cause /
why god made ‖ al creatures in henen erthe or water /
was his oune good- ‖ nes / by the whiche he wold that some of~

On sig. ~d iij.~ recto,

ℂ ~The Generalle Sentence.~

~Ood men and wymmen J do you to vnderstonde that
~g~ We that haue cure of your sowlys be commaumdyd of
our ordenaries and by the coystytucions and the laWe
of holy chirche to shewe to you foure tymes by the yere
in eche a quarter of the yere onys when the peple is most~

The Text ends on the sixth verso of sig. ~d~,

~resurrectionis gloria inter sanctos et electos tuos resussitati
respi ‖ rent / per xpristum dominm nostrum Amen /~

~Enprynted by wylliam Caxton at westmestre /~

REMARKS.--The name of the writer of these homilies is not known, nor do they appear attached to any of the manuscripts of the Festial above noticed. That they were, however, printed by Caxton at the same time as the Festial appears evident from the identity of their typographical arrangements, strengthened by the fact of their being, in several instances, under the same cover. That Caxton also intended to allow their separate use may, nevertheless, be deduced from the first gathering having ~a~ for its signature, and from the existence of some copies unaccompanied by the Festial. In the Lambeth copy the sermons precede the Festial.

The four sermons are thus apportioned:--

1. On the Paternoster, the Creed, and the Ten Commandments.

2. The Seven Sacraments, the Seven Deeds of Mercy, and the Seven Deadly Sins.

3. A continuation of the subject of Deadly Sins.

4. On Contrition, Confession, and Satisfaction.

After the sermons are “The General Sentence or Comminacion,” and two forms of bidding prayer, called “The Bedes on Sondaye.”

Every priest was obliged by the Canon Law to read the “Modus Fulminandi,” or Commination, and to preach at least one sermon every three months. These homilies appear to have been written for this purpose, and would probably meet with a good sale among the preaching orders of the clergy.

Nine copies are known, of which two only are in private hands.

NO. 51.--SERVITIUM DE VISITATIONE B. MARIÆ VIRGINIS. _Quarto. Sine
ullâ notâ. (1481-3)._

COLLATION.--One 4n = 8 leaves, of which the last is blank.

TYPOGRAPHICAL PARTICULARS.--The type is entirely No. 4. The lines, which are fully spaced out, measure 3¼ inches in length; there are 26 lines to a full page. Without signatures, folios, or catchwords.