PUBLISHERS’ NOTE.

The present reproduction of Linacre’s translation of two treatises by Galen is issued as a specimen of early typography, being the sixth in order of the seven books printed by John Siberch, the first Cambridge printer, in 1521. Besides these seven, one appeared in 1522, after which date no book is known to have been printed in Cambridge till 1584. The books printed by Siberch are all very scarce; of one but a single copy is known, and of three of the books there is not a single specimen in Cambridge. In 1878, the publishers of the present volume proposed to issue the whole of the eight books, and the following are now ready, and will shortly be published:

1. Bullock, Henry. Oratio habita Cantabrigiae. 1521.

2. Cujusdam fidelis Christiani Epistola ad Christianos omnes. Subsequitur et Divi Augustini de miseria … vitæ sermo. 1521.

8. Papyrii Gemini Eleatis Hermathena, seu de Eloquentiae victoria. 1522.

Mr Bradshaw, University Librarian, has compared the eight books side by side, and has thus been able to determine their relative order. He kindly allows his notes to be printed, and they will be issued with the first of the above three volumes.

The Publishers are desirous of gaining information about the printer, John Siberch, before 1521, when he commenced to print in Cambridge, and after 1522 when he discontinued printing there. Herbert suggests that he may be the John Sibert, who was printing at Lyons in 1498, and mentions a book of that date being in the Cambridge University Library. But this book, Henrici Bouhic Distinctiones super libros quinque Decretalium, consists of two large folio volumes, and the printer calls himself ‘Magister Johannes Siberti;’ both of which facts make it unreasonable to identify him with the plain Johannes Siberch who printed little books at Cambridge so many years afterwards.

Cambridge, July 1, 1881.