Part 2 — SECTION I. WORKS WRITTEN OR ANNOTATED BY TORY. (continued 2)

I shall continue to be, if it so please you, in your good favour, and I will pray to Our Lord that he will give you his love according to your noble and estimable desire.

From Paris this Wednesday, the fifth day of July, M. D. XXXI.

Following this document, which fills three leaves, comes an epistle from Geofroy Tory of Bourges to 'studious and worthy readers,' by way of preface. It fills two leaves. The eighth leaf is entirely blank. On the ninth, the 'Economic Xenophon' begins, and extends from b to i 4; the fifth and sixth leaves of i contain an 'Epistle from Seigneur Elisee Calense, native of Amphrates, which he sent to Rufinius, guardian of the Emperor Arcadius, replying to him touching the matter of managing his family and of keeping in order his domestic goods and chattels, translated from Latin into French by maistre Geofroy Tory de Bourges.'

On the last leaf but one appears a 'duplicate of the license granted to maistre Geofroy Tory de Bourges, by the King our Sire, for this present book and others named in this said license,' in these words:—

Francoys, by the grace of God King of France, to the Provost of Paris, Bailly of Rouen, Seneschal of Lyon, and to all other our justiciars and officials or their deputies, greeting. Our dear well-beloved maistre Geofroy Tory of Bourges, bookseller, dwelling in our city of Paris, hath caused it to be made known to us that he hath of late made and composed in the Latin tongue a certain book entitled; 'Ædiloquium et Erotica'[237]; likewise, that he hath translated from Greek and Latin into French the 'Economic Xenophon'; which books he would fain print, or cause to be printed, if it should be our pleasure to permit him so to do, at the same time causing all tradesmen, booksellers, printers, and other persons whomsoever, to be forbidden to print or to expose for sale in any manner the said books; and that, if any should be brought hither by foreigners, other than those of the said Tory's printing, they may not be sold within our realm during the period of the four years reckoned from the date of the printing of said books, with an extension for a like period for certain other books, illustrations, and vignettes to be printed in the 'Heures et Office de Nostre Dame' mentioned in two licenses heretofore granted to him by our favour.[238] Wherefore, having regard and consideration for the time and toil which it hath cost the said Tory to compile and translate the said books, and for such expense as it shall be his pleasure to incur in printing the same,—for these reasons we have given and granted to him permission to print or cause to be printed and to offer for sale the said books above mentioned for four years following and succeeding the printing thereof. And so we command you, that by virtue of this our present favour, warrant and permission, you do allow the said petitioner to use and enjoy the same, and do forbid in our name all tradesmen, printers, booksellers, to print or cause to be printed, or to expose for sale in any manner the said books during four years, on pain of twenty-five silver marcs to be paid to us, and confiscation of the books as to which they shall have been guilty; for such is our pleasure. Given at Vannes, the XVIII day of June in the year of grace one thousand five hundred thirty-one, and of our reign the seventeenth.—Signed, Heruoet.

On the last page: 'The printing of this present book was finished by maistre Geofroy Tory of Bourges Wednesday the fifth day of July in the year M. D. XXXI. And it is for sale at Paris, opposite the "Escu de Basle," Rue Sainct Iaques, and opposite the Church of La Magdeleine, at the sign of the ("a leeseigne [sic] du") Pot Casse.'

The description we have given is that of the very complete copy owned by M. Ambroise Didot. M. Chedeau, an attorney at Saumur, owned a copy the title-page of which is different. It reads thus:—

ECONOMIC DE: XENOPHON, CEST A DIRE: DOMESTIQUES INSTITUTIONS ET ENSEIGNEMENS POUR BIEN REGIR SA FAMILLE ET AUGMENTER SON BIEN PARTICULIER. IADIS COMPOSE EN GREC PAR LANCIEN AUTHEUR XENOPHON, ET TRANSLATE DE GREC ET LATIN EN LANGAIGE FRANÇOIS PAR MAISTRE TORY DE BOURGES. [Here the Pot Cassé.] Imprimees a Paris, a lenseigne du Pot Casse, par ledict maistre Geofroy Tory, marchant libraire et imprimeur du roy.—Avec privilege.

This title-page has the same border and the same form of the Pot Cassé as the other copy; but it has not on the verso the little list of other publications which we find on the latter, and which we have reproduced above. As the first signature (A) of M. Chedeau's copy lacks four leaves, we cannot say whether there are other differences in that signature; but as to the other signatures, B to I, they are identical in the two copies. Thus we find in both the error to which we called attention above in the word 'enseigne' [printed 'eeseigne'], in the final note; better still, this error has been corrected by hand, in the same way, in both copies, probably by Tory himself. Which of the two is the earlier? I should not venture to say; however, it seems to me that the additional matter on the verso of the title-page of M. Didot's copy tends to prove that it is the later of the two. In any event, the interval between the two impressions cannot have been a long one. If I interpret rightly certain circumstances, the first signature, which had been kept in type (as is proved by a number of typographical defects which appear in both copies), was reprinted at the same time with the last signature. Tory's dedicatory epistle, in M. Didot's copy, is dated July 5, the day when the printing of the book was finished according to the final note. Now, to make it possible for him to affix this date to his preliminary epistle, we must concede that it had been kept in type until the book was finished. But may it not be that no date was affixed on the first signature of the first impression? That is a question that I am unable to answer, in view of the imperfect state of M. Chedeau's copy. It may be, too, that the first signature was reprinted in order to announce Tory's new address, he having very recently installed his printing establishment in the famous old Halle au Blé de Beauce, on Rue de la Juiverie, opposite the Church of La Madeleine. For it will be observed that this address does not appear on the title-page of M. Chedeau's copy, although we do find it in the note on the last page.

This volume is printed in the 'Champ fleury' type.

16

POLITIQUES DE PLUTARCHE, CEST A DIRE: CIVILES INSTITUTIONS ET ENSEIGNEMENS POUR BIEN REGIR LA CHOSE PU[BLIQUE], IADIS COMPOSEES EN GREC PAR PLUTARCHE, ET DEPUIS TRANSLATEES DE GREC EN LATIN PAR LE SEIGNEUR NICOLE SAGUNDIN, ET A PRESENT DE LANGUE GRECQUE ET LATINE EN LANGAIGE FRANÇOIS PAR MAISTRE GEOFROY TORY DE BOURGES.—Dediees par le dit autheur a lempereur Trajan, et par le translateur en langaige françois a tresilustre et plain de bon espoir en toute heureuse vertu, son seigneur, François de Vallois, Daulphin de France. [Here the Pot Cassé, no. 4.] Imprimees en Paris, a lenseigne de Pot Casse, par maistre Geofroy Tory de Bourges, marchant libraire et imprimeur du Roy.—Avec privilege tresample.[239]

Octavo, of 8 preliminary unnumbered leaves, and 67 numbered leaves of text (signatures A to Iij). The pages have no borders. There are marginal remarks. The type and the ornamental letters are the same as in 'Champ fleury.'

On the second leaf is the following dedicatory epistle:—

Geofroy Tory de Bourges to his most debonair lord, François de Vallois, Daulphin de France, doth say and proffer most humble greeting.

My lord, while translating this little book, I have oftentimes reflected to whom of all my good friends I should the sooner dedicate it, or whether I should dedicate it (as I have heretofore done with certain other books which I have composed and translated into the French tongue) to all studious and genuine lovers of excellent reading and worthy pastime. But in fine, knowing thy virtuous nature, likewise the mirror of all goodness and perfect nobility wherein thou dost abundantly excel, and art ever disposed for every blessed and goodly enterprise, I have considered that before all other living men, of what state soever they may be, it is to thy glorious lordship that I ought and am in duty bounden to consecrate it, since it is thou under whom the public, not of France alone, but of all Christendom, has its hope of living hereafter in all felicity. I dedicate it to thee, not forgetting that thou hast thy noble father the King, who, as Philip of Macedon did of yore to his son Alexander, doth set before thee noble and goodly instruction and examples of upright living; but also to the end that thou mayst by times amuse thyself and read the excellent tales and teachings which are marshalled herein as in a well-chosen library; and also that, following thy noble and generous example, the studiously inclined may, by reading the same, worthily profit thereby. Thou mayst find herein many excellent passages, which will sometimes help to comfort thee, and will be in some degree the means whereby thou and thy Realm, with the grace of God, wilt ever prosper more and more.

Paris, this XIIII day of June, M. D. XXXII.

On the verso of the last leaf: 'The printing of this present book was finished Saturday the XV day of June, M. D. XXXII, by maistre Geofroy Tory of Bourges, bookseller and king's printer, living in Paris, opposite the church of La Magdeleine, at the sign of the Pot Casse.' [Here the Pot Cassé, no. 9.]

I have seen two copies of this book, one in M. Didot's library, the other in M. Alkan's.

Another edition was published at Lyon, in 1534, in 16mo, by Guillaume Boulle (or Boullé, for the name, in accordance with the custom of the time, has no accent on the e). This is undoubtedly the one mentioned by Duverdier[240] as having been printed at Paris, in octavo, in 1530, by Guillaume Boullé. In this statement there are as many errors as there are words. Guillaume Boullé's edition was not printed in Paris, it was not an octavo, and it cannot be dated 1530, as the first edition did not appear until 1532. Unfortunately La Caille did not take the trouble to verify Duverdier's statement, and he makes Guillaume Boullé a bookseller-printer of Paris.[241] Lottin, in his 'Catalogue des Libraries et Imprimeurs de Paris,'[242] has not failed to copy La Caille, and to mention, under the year 1530, a Guillaume Boullé, bookseller and printer in Paris, side by side with Jean Boullé, bookseller. Was this Jean, whom La Caille calls simply Boulle, and whom he places in 1543, a kinsman of Guillaume? I cannot answer. However that may be, here is a full description of the edition of the 'Politiques' published by the latter. It is a 16mo volume containing 8 leaves of front matter and 104 of text. On the title-page, which is embellished by a roughly executed border, are these words:—

'Politiques ou Civiles Institutions pour bien regir la Chose publ., iadis composees en grec par Plutarche, et despuys translatees en francoys par maistre Geofroy Tory, et dediees par ledict translateur a tres illustre prince et plein de bon espoir en toute heureuse vertu, Francoys de Valloys, Daulphin de France.

'Disputation de Phavorin, philosophe, nouvellement y a este adioustee. Item chapitre demonstrant combien sont destatz de la Chose publ.

'On les vend a Lyon, en la rue Merciere, a la boutique de Guillaume Boulle, libraire, a la fleur de lys d'or.—Avec privilege. 1534.'

On the verso of the title-page is an engraving representing Justice, with this inscription: 'Justitia in sese virtutes continet omnes.'

On the following leaf is the dedication to the Dauphin.

At the end of the volume is the mark of Guillaume Boullé, or Boulle.

There is a copy of this little book at the Arsenal, and also one in the Bibliothèque Nationale. The latter lacks the final leaf bearing the bookseller's mark, which some collector (!) has cut out, to enrich his collection.

17

LA MOUCHE DE LUCIAN, ET LA MANIERE DE PARLER ET SE TAIRE [de Volaterran]. [Pot Cassé, no. 6.] LA MOUSCHE EST TRANSLATEE DE GREC ET DE LATIN EN LANGAIGE FRANÇOIS. LA MANIERE DE PARLER ET SE TAIRE EST TRANSLATEE SEULLEMENT DE LATIN EN FRANÇOIS. Le tout par maistre Geofroy Tory de Bourges, imprimeur du Roy et libraire juré en l'université de Paris.—On les vend a Paris devant l'eglise de la Magdeleine, a l'enseigne du Pot Cassé.

Eight octavo leaves, without date of printing or license. This pamphlet was undoubtedly printed by Tory himself, subsequent to February 22, 1533; for he assumes the title of bookseller to the University, which he did not obtain until that date. Moreover, the acute accent, the apostrophe and the cedilla are used therein, and he did not make use of those marks until 1533. Lucian's 'La Mouche' [The Fly] fills 11 pages; the 'Maniere de Parler' (an extract from the eighteenth book of Volaterran's 'Philosophy') 3 pages. The first leaf has the title, and, on the verso, a note 'aux lecteurs.' The type used is the same as in 'Champ fleury.'

18

LES REIGLES GENERALES DE LORTHOGRAPHE DU LANGAIGE FRANCOYS.

Such is the title of a book written by Tory, of which no trace remains. We do not know even whether it was printed, although it is included in the license of the first edition of the 'Sommaire de Chroniques' of Egnasius, dated September 28, 1529. (See page 88.) Doubtless it was the complement of 'Champ fleury,' from a grammatical standpoint.

19

TRANSLATION OF THE HIEROGLYPHS OF ORUS APOLLO; a manuscript given by Tory to 'a noble and excellent friend' of his.[243]

It is not known whether this translation was printed. There are in existence several old translations of Orus Apollo, but they do not bear Tory's name.