A DESCRIPTION OF BOOKS PRINTED IN TYPE No. 4. (continued 2)
Reading edition
Only two copies are known; one is in the British Museum, and the other at Althorpe.
No. 63.—Troylus and Creside. Folio. Without Printer’s Name, Place, or Date. (1484?)
Collation.—a b c d e f g are 4ns, the first leaf of a being blank; h a 5n; i k l m n o are 4ns; p a 3n, with the last two leaves blank. In all 120 leaves, of which 3 are blank.
Typographical Particulars.—There is no title-page. The type throughout is No. 4*. Each page contains five stanzas of seven lines each, with a blank line between each stanza. Without folios or catchwords.
Commencing with a blank leaf, the poem follows on sig. a ij recto, beginning thus:—
t
He double sorow of Troylus to telle Kyng Pryamus sone of Troye Jn louyng / how hys auentures felle From woo to wele / and after out of Joye My purpos is / or that J parte froye
Book I ends on sig. b 8 verso; Book II on f j recto; Book III on h 10 recto; Book IV on m j recto; Book V on p 4 recto. On sig. p 4 recto is also Chaucer’s dedicatory stanza to the “Moral Gower.”
The Text ends on the same page,
So make vs Jhesu for thy mercy dygne For loue of mayden / & moder thyn benygne
Here endeth Troylus / as touchyng Cresede
Explicit per Caxton
Remarks.—A good account of the source of this poem, and a comparison between it and Shakspere’s “Troilus and Creside,” with which, however, it appears to have had little connection, will be found in Bell’s edition of Chaucer’s works.
Two copies are in the British Museum, one at St. John’s, Oxford, and one at Althorp.
No. 64.—The Life of our Lady.—Folio. “Empryntyd by Wyllyam Caxton.” Without Place or Date. (1484?)
Collation.—Two unsigned leaves; a b c d e f g h i k l are 4ns; m a 3n, the last leaf being blank. In all 96 leaves, of which one is blank.
Typographical Particulars.—There is no title-page. The type is entirely No. 4*. A page has five stanzas of seven lines each, the space of one line being left between each stanza. The lines in the prose part measure almost 5 inches. Without catchwords or folios. Space left for the insertion of initials of one to three lines deep, with directors.
The Text begins, with a space for a 3-line initial, on the recto of the first leaf,
t
His book was compyled by dan John lydgate monke of burye / at the excitacion and styryng of the nohle and victoryous prynce / Kyng harry the fyfthe / in thonoure glorye & reuerence of the byrthe of our moste blessyd lady / mayde ‖ wyf / and moder of our lord Jhesu cryst / chapytred as foloweth ‖ by this table
The table follows immediately, finishing with nine lines on the verso of the second leaf.
The poem commences on sig. a j recto, with space for a 2-line initial,
o
Thougtful herte plungyd in distresse With slo’bre of slouth this long wynters nyght
On the lower-half of the fourth verso of sig. m,
Here endeth the book of the lyf of our lady made by dan John lydgate monke of bury / at thynstaunce of the moste crysten kynge / kyng harry the fyfth
Goo lityl book and submytte the Unto al them / that the shal rede Or here / prayeng hem for charite To pardon me of the rudehede Of myn enpryntyng / not takyng hede And yf ought be doon to theyr plesyng Say they thyse balades folowyng
The Text ends on the fifth recto of sig. m,
Blessid be the swettest name of our lord Jhesu crist / and most glorious marie His blessyd moder / with eternal accord More than euer / tendure in glorye And with hir meke sone for memorye Blesse vs marie / the most holy virgyne That we regne in heuen with the ordres nyne
Enpryntyd by Wyllyam Caxton
A blank leaf completes the volume.
Remarks.—This poem appears to have enjoyed, for a long period, a considerable popularity. It was composed, as the manuscripts and printed edition both tell us, by John Lydgate, at the excitation of King Henry V. The envoy commencing “Goo lytyl booke,” is doubtless a specimen of Caxton’s own powers of versification, as perhaps are also the two ballads which follow it. Although the division of the poem into chapters by Caxton does not agree with any of the known manuscripts, yet he probably had a copy so divided, for, as we have seen, the original poem was not chaptered at all, and later scribes would divide it after their own judgment.
It would have surprised our worthy printer could he have foreseen the grave charges of carelessness to be brought against him in future ages, with reference to this production. Ames gives a very slight account of “The Lyf of oure Ladye,” but so far as it goes, it is correct. Herbert enlarged Ames’s article, but unfortunately wrote his description from a copy deficient eight leaves in the middle of the poem, an imperfection which, notwithstanding the consequent irregularity of signature, he ascribes to carelessness on the part of Caxton; and, worse still, makes Caxton himself confess that he was aware of the blunder he had made before the conclusion of the printing, but thought that to ask the reader’s pardon was sufficient reparation; a conclusion drawn from the deprecatory stanzas quoted above, beginning, “Goo lityl book”—a style of “envoy” very common to all writers of that age. Then follows Dr. Dibdin, who, as usual, did not make an independent examination, but was content with reprinting his predecessor’s remarks. The paragraph reads thus:—“This [the omission of several chapters] must be attributed to carelessness, which Mr. Caxton himself ingenuously acknowledges in one of the concluding stanzas.”—Typ. Ant. vol. i, page 340, and Bib. Spenc. vol. iv. page 333.
Both Herbert and Dibdin give the heads of all the chapters in this poem, excepting, of course, those contained in the eight missing leaves of their copy. These are, therefore, supplied here from the table, which differs slightly from the heads in the body of the work.
How the chyef temple of rome fyl the nyght of crystes byrthe / and other wonderful tokenes capitulo L
How the nyght of cristes byrthe a welle in rome ranne oyle capitulo Lj
How the senatours of rome wolden haue holden Octauyan theyr emperour as for her god capitulo Lij Liij
How the romayns whan they had domynacion ouer alle the world made an ymage & callyd hit theyr god capitulo Liiij
How wyse sybyle tolde to the senate of rome the byrthe of cryst capitulo Lv
How the prophetes prophecyed the byrthe of cryst capitulo Lvi
A questyon assoyled whiche is worthyest of kyng wyne or woman capitulo Lvij
Existing Copies:—British Museum, Bodleian, Exeter College, Oxford, Glasgow, and four in private hands.
No. 65.—The Life of the holy and blessed Virgin Saint Winifred. Folio. Without Printer’s Name, Date, or Place. “Reduced in to Englysshe by me William Caxton.” (1485?)
Collation.—a and b are 4ns = 16 leaves, of which the first is blank.
Typographical Particulars.—There is no title-page. The type is entirely No. 4*. There are 38 or 39 lines to a full page, and they are spaced to an even length. Without folios or catchwords.
Commencing with a blank leaf, the Text follows on sig. a ij,
ℂ Here begynneth the lyf of the holy & blessid vyrgyn saynt ‖ Wenefryde /
On sig. b 6 recto,
ℂ Thus endeth the decollacion / the lyf after / and the transla- ‖ cion of saynte Wenefrede virgyn and martir / whiche was rey ‖ sed after that her hede had be smyton of the space of xv yere ‖ reduced in to Englysshe by me William Caxton /
The Text ends, with ten lines on the recto of sig. b 8, the verso being blank,
celebramus translacionem / cunctorum adipisci mereamur pec- ‖ catorum remissionem / Per dominum nostrum ⸝ et cetera /
Remarks.—Caxton’s translation gives all the particulars of the birth, parentage, dedication to God, decollation by Prince Caradoc, restoration to life “after her head had been smyton off the space of xv year,” and subsequent canonisation of St. Winifred; followed by the service in Latin for her “commemoration.”
The earliest existing notice of this saint is found in Cotton MS. Claud. A. v, which begins “Incipit Vita sancte Wenefrede virginis et martyris.” The character of the writing is of the twelfth century, but the Holy Well in Flintshire, dedicated to her, as well as the existence of chapels and other places in Wales bearing her name, prove her fame to have been spread for some centuries earlier. The Cotton MS. itself was probably copied from a much older original. Historians have therefore agreed to consider her as having lived in the seventh century. Being a Welsh saint, her name does not at first seem to have been received with any great veneration outside her own country, and this may account for the entire absence of all notice of her in the early historians. The Cotton MS. has a memorandum in a more modern hand, stating it to be the composition of St. Elerius. For this, however, there appears to be no other reason than the mention of this saint as St. Winifred’s confessor. It has, however, been adopted by Leland, Bale, Pits, and other writers. A second life of St. Winifred was undertaken in the year 1140 by Robert, a Welsh monk of Shrewsbury, who compiled his account from MSS. then extant, with the addition of all the floating details which, in the course of centuries, the legend had developed. The fame of the saint at that time was rapidly increasing, partly owing to the grand ceremonial with which her relics had been, in 1138, translated to the Benedictine Abbey in Shrewsbury. The variations in these two accounts, especially as to the length of time she lived after her decollation, has induced a belief that they are independent productions. Had the second history been shorter and less miraculous than the first, there might be some reason for the opinion.
In “Liber Festivalis,” and in the “Golden Legend,” both printed by Caxton, are short notices of St. Winifred; but in 1484 Caxton himself set about “reducing into English” her Life. It is unfortunate that he makes no mention of the language in which his original was written. There is no reason to suppose that Caxton understood Welsh, or else doubtless he could have obtained several MSS.[20] Again, it is very improbable that Caxton translated from his usual source, the French, as the saint was unknown across the Channel. It is therefore most probable that the Latin account of Robert, already noticed, was Caxton’s original, a probability we are not able to verify by collation, as no manuscript appears to be known.
Caxton’s edition has the Latin commemoration of the saint at the end, which was ordained with great ceremony by Arundel, Archbishop of Canterbury, in 1391, who, at the same time, removed the day from June 24th to November 3rd. This shows how the fame of St. Winifred had increased. All the old legends state that on the spot where Prince Caradoc decapitated the Virgin, there immediately sprung up an impetuous stream of healing water. The famous Holy Well is on this spot, and thence flows “St. Wenefrede’s Stream,” which empties itself at the mouth of the Dee. The fame of wonderful cures effected by these waters spread all over England, and greatly enhanced the shrine of St. Winifred, until Holywell became the most favoured goal of pilgrims to the north. Caxton could not perhaps have chosen a more popular life when he undertook his translation. Henry VII built an octagonal well over the source of the stream, with conveniences for using the waters, and over this a beautiful chapel.
The shrine was plundered at the dissolution of the monasteries, and a portion of the ruins was, in 1811, and is probably, still used as a free grammar school.
In Caxton’s “Polycronicon,” in the metrical account of Wales, there are twenty-two lines of curious matter concerning the Holy Well, and the awful fate which befell the descendants of Prince Caradoc.
Only three copies of this edition are known. There is a fair specimen in the King’s Library, British Museum, a poor one at Lambeth, and a good one at Ham House, Surrey.
No. 66.—The noble Histories of King Arthur and of certain of his Knights. Folio. “Emprynted in thabbey westmestre, the last day of Juyl the yere of our Lord M CCCC lxxxv.”
Collation.—The prologue and table take up a 4n and 5n; the first leaf in the 4n is blank, the next 3 are signed ij, iij, iiij; the first four leaves only of the 5n are signed v, vj, vij, viij; a b c d e f g h i k l m n o p q r s t u x y z & A B C D E F G H J K L M N O P Q R S T U X Y Z aa bb cc dd are 4ns; ee is a 3n. In all 432 leaves, of which one is blank.
Note.—Sig. S iij is printed R iij and T ij is printed S ij.
Typographical Particulars.—There is no title-page. The type throughout is No. 4*. The lines are spaced out to an even length of 4⅝ inches, and 38 make a full page. Without folios, head-lines, or catchwords. Initials in wood of three to five lines in depth.
Commencing with a blank leaf, Caxton’s prologue follows on sig. ij, with a 3-line initial in wood. The Text begins thus:—
A
Fter that J had accomplysshed and fynysshed dyuers hystoryes as wel of contemplacyon as of other hysto ryal and worldly actes of grete conquerours & pryn ces / and also certeyn bookes of ensaumples and doctryne /
The Text ends on the recto of the sixth leaf of sig. ee, the verso being blank.
ℂ Thus endeth thys noble and Joyous book entytled le morte ‖ Darthur / Notwythstondyng it treateth of the byrth / lyf / and ‖ actes of the sayd kyng Arthur / of his noble knyghtes of the ‖ rounde table / theyr meruayllous enquestes and aduentures / ‖ thachyeuyng of the sangreal / & in thende the dolorous deth & ‖ departyng out of thys world of them al / whiche book was re ‖ duced in to englysshe by syr Thomas Malory knyght as afore ‖ is sayd / and by me deuyded in to xxj bookes chapytred and ‖ enprynted / and fynysshed in thabbey westmestre the last day ‖ of Juyl the yere of our lord / M / CCCC / lxxxv /
ℂ Caxton me fieri fecit
Remarks.—There does not appear to be any trace in the collections of the British Museum, or elsewhere, of a manuscript of Sir Thomas Malory’s text. Of Sir Thomas himself, all we know is contained in the last sentence of his own book: “This book was ended the ninth year of the reign of King Edward the fourth by Sir Thomas Malory, Knight;” that is about 1470. Caxton tells us in his prologue, that Sir Thomas had “reduced it from certain books in French.” These books, judging from the conduct of the story, were the celebrated romances of Merlin, Launcelot, Tristram, the Quest du S. Graal, and Mort Artus, on the origin of which romances very little appears to be known, though much has been written. Manuscript copies of all of them are in the British Museum. Caxton’s edition was reprinted several times, the last being the well-known 4to. volume, edited by Robert Southey, who has prefixed a learned dissertation on the rise and development of the story. A very interesting essay upon the character, epoch, and authors of the various romances of the Round Table is contained in Les Msc. Franç., par M. Paris, vol. i. page 160. See also the introduction of Thomas Wright to his reprint of the 1634 edition, entitled The History of King Arthur, 3 vols. London, 1858. Also Les Romans de la Table Ronde et les Contes des anciens Bretons, par M. le Vicomte Hersart de la Villemarqué. 8vo. Paris, 1860.
The only perfect copy known is in the library of Earl Jersey; Earl Spencer has an imperfect copy, and a fragment is in the British Museum. There is not a copy at Lichfield, as stated by Mr. Botfield.
No. 67.—The Life of the noble and Christian Prince, Charles the Great. Folio. “Explicit per William Caxton.” Without Place. “Enprynted the fyrst day of decembre / M CCCC lxxxv.”
Collation.—a b c d e f g h i k l m are 4ns. In all 96 leaves, of which a j and m 8 appear to have been blank. The last leaf, however, may have had the device.
Typographical Particulars.—There is no title-page. The type is all No. 4*. The pages have two columns, with 39 lines to a column. The lines, which are spaced to one length, measure 2⅜ inches. Without folios or catchwords. Woodcut initials three lines deep.
Commencing with a blank leaf, the prologue of the French translator follows, on sig a ij, with a 3-line printed initial. The Text begins thus:—
S Aynt Poul doctour of veryte sayth to vs that al thynges that ben re- duced by wrytyng / ben wryton ‖ * * * * * somme werkes haultayne doon ‖ & comysed by their grete strength ‖ & ryght ar- daunt courage / to the ‖ ex- altacyon of the crysten fayth * * * * *
This preface finishes with five lines down the first column of the verso, and is followed by Caxton’s prologue, in the same column, which is finished on the 26th line of the opposite column.
T Henne / for as moche J late had fynysshed in enpryntye the book of the noble & ‖ vyctoryous kyng Arthur fyrst ‖
The Text ends with the following colophon,
Whyche werke was fy- nysshed ‖ in the reducyng of hit in to en-‖glysshe the xviij day of Juyn the ‖ second yere of kyng Rychard ‖ the thyrd / And the yere of our ‖ lord M CCCC lxxxv / And ‖ enprynted the fyrst day of de- ‖ cembre the same yere of our lord ‖ & the fyrst yere of kyng Harry ‖ the seuenth /‖ ℂ Explicit p william Caxton
Remarks.—Histories and romances of “Karlemaine,” in French and in Latin, in prose and in verse, existed so early as the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. These became incorporated later in the general histories, such as the “Speculum Historiale,” the “Fleur des Histoires,” &c. The compilation of the romance under notice is recounted by the anonymous Author himself in his preface and envoye. From these we learn that Henry Bolomyer, Canon of Lausaune, regretting the existence of several “disjoined” accounts of Charles the Great, “excited” our anonymous Author to compile a continuous history of the first Christian King of France. This he did, and the sources of his narration, as well as the contents, cannot be described better than in his own words, thus translated by Caxton (sig. m, 7 recto), “it is so that at the requeste of the sayd venerable man to fore named Maister henry bolonnyer chanonne of lausaune J haue been Incyted to translate & reduce into Frensshe the mater tofore reduced. As moche as toucheth the fyrst & the thyrd book/ J haue taken & drawen oute of a book named myrrour hystoryal for the moost parte / & the second book J haue onely reduced it out of an olde romaūce in frensshe.”
On comparing the first and last books of the text under notice with the chapters devoted to Charlemagne, in Verard’s edition of the Speculum Historiale (vol. iv, book 25), it is evident that the compiler did not confine himself to the account of Vincent de Beauvais. The Second Book, he tells us, was taken from an old romance in French; perhaps the same as is still extant in Royal MS. 4 C. XI. 10, or the manuscript in the Imperial Library, Paris, No. 6795.
It is the French compilation made for Henry Bolomyer which Caxton was requested by “some persons of noble estate and degree”—“my good singular lords and special masters” as he calls them—to reduce into English. Among these his good friend Master William Daubeny, treasurer of the king’s jewels, who is the only one mentioned by name, seems to have most influenced him.
The only Existing Copy at present known is in the British Museum, King’s Library (C. 10. b. 9). It is perfect, wanting only the two blank leaves, and is in excellent preservation.
No. 68.—The knight Paris and the Fair Vienne. Folio. “Explicit per Caxton. Westminster. December 19th, 1485.”
Collation.—a b c are 4ns, d and e 3ns = 36 leaves, of which the last only is blank.
Note.—d j is misprinted c i.
Typographical Particulars.—There is no title-page. The type is all No. 4*; in double columns, the lines being spaced to an even length, and measuring 2⅜ inches; 39 lines to a column. Without folios or catchwords. Woodcut initials.
The Text begins on sig. a j recto,
ℂ Here begynneth thystorye of ‖ the noble ryght valyaunt & wor- ‖ thy knyght Parys / and of the ‖ fayr Uyene / the daulphyns dou- ‖ ghter of vyennoys / the whyche ‖ suffred many aduersytees by- ‖ cause of theyr true loue or ‖ they coude enioye the effect therof of ‖ eche other / may or ought to haue / The sayd ‖ daulphyn thenne and this noble ‖ lady dyane were vij yere to gy- ‖ dre wythoute yssue that moche ‖ they de- syred to haue / and prayed ‖ our lord bothe nyght & day that ‖ they myght haue chyl dren play ‖ saunt and redy to hys deuyne ‖ seruyce / and our lord thorugh ‖
The Text ends thus, on sig. e 5 recto, with sixteen lines in the first column,
may accompanye them in the per ‖ durable glorye of heuen Amen / ℂ Thus endeth thystorye of the ‖ noble and valyaunt knyght pa-‖rys / and the fayr vyenne dough ‖ ter of the doulphyn of Uyen- ‖ noys / translated out of frensshe ‖ in to englysshe by wylliam Cax- ‖ ton at westmestre fynysshed the ‖ last day of August the yere of ‖ our lord M CCCC lxxxv / and ‖ enprynted the xix day of decem- ‖ bre the same yere / and the fyrst ‖ yere of the regne of kyng Harry ‖ the seuenth / ℂ Explicit p Caxton
Remarks.—Although frequently copied in manuscript, and often printed in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, there are few romances so rare as “Paris and Vienne.” Translated into the “langage provençal,” from the original composition, which was in “Catalane,” it was turned into Latin, French, Italian, Flemish, and English. The French, which was the translation Caxton used, was accomplished about the beginning of the fifteenth century, by Pierre de la Sippade, of Marseilles. The first printed edition was in Italian, at Trévise, 1482; the second, Caxton’s, 1485. G. Leeu, at Antwerp, 1487, brought out two impressions, one in German and one in French. Wynken de Worde made an early reprint of Caxton’s edition. The admiration which Jean de Pins, Bishop of Rieux, one of the most elegant scholars of his age, conceived for this romance, induced him to turn it into Latin, for the instruction of the children of his friend the Chancellor Duprat. It was printed in 1516. The Jesuit Charron, in his Memoirs of Jean de Pins (Avignon, 8vo, 1748), speaks thus of this romance: “As for children, it would be impossible to find a work more fitted to imbue the mind with correct taste and elegance of style, to influence their characters by the wisdom of its reflections, or to forearm their hearts against those assaults of passion which blindly precipitate the young into the abysses of misery. The work is truly admirable. The situations are so interesting and the dénoûment so happy, that their conception would reflect honour on the best writers of the most renowned ages.” (See Histoire du Chevalier Paris, et de la belle Vienne, 8vo, Paris, 1835.)
In the Utterson Library was an extremely rare printed edition of the French version, from which Caxton translated, entitled “l’Hystoire du vaillant and noble cheualier paris: and de la belle Viene fille du dauphin de Vienoys.” 4to. Paris. Jehan Bonfons. c. 1500.
The only Existing Copy is in the British Museum. It was formerly in Ames’s possession, but after the issue of “The Typographical Antiquities,” passed into the library of Sir Hans Sloane, and thence into the King’s Library, St. James’s.
A reprint of this copy has been edited, with a Preface, Glossary, and Notes, by W. C. Hazlitt, for the subscribers to the Roxburghe Library. London, 4to. 1868.
No. 69.—The Golden Legend. Largest Folio. Second Edition. Small Head-lines. (1487?)
Collation.—The same exactly as the first edition, with the exception of sigs. X and Y, in which appears the following variation:—
FIRST EDITION. sig. X, 6 leaves ⎫ ⎪ ⎬ ⎪ ⎭ = 9 leaves sig. Y, 2 ” unsigned 1 ” SECOND EDITION. sig. X = 8 leaves. signed to X iiij, and followed by sig. aa.
In order to get the matter of the two signatures into one, the sixteen pages of X in the second edition are all made a line longer than in the first. This arrangement was evidently considered as an improvement, and therefore was later in point of time than the edition in which it does not occur.
Typographical Particulars.—These in the main are identical with the edition already described, the chief peculiarity being that the head-lines of the pages and the head-lines of the various lives, which in the first edition are all in type No. 3, are in the second edition all in type No. 5. We must also notice that in places (e.g. sig. X j recto) the large capital letters, used in type No. 6, make an accidental appearance in the head-lines, where they were occasionally used instead of quadrats. This evinces a much later period for the impression than the first edition.
Remarks.—The absence of any complete copy, or indeed of any copy having prologues or colophon, suggests the idea that certain sheets only may, for some reason, have been reprinted to supply deficiencies; if so, the reprint is so extensive, that, for the sake of accuracy, it is better to look upon it as a separate edition.
Existing Copies.—In the British Museum is a copy, of which by far the larger portion belongs to the second edition, sigs. x to 9 and sigs. G to aa being of the first edition. In the Douce Library at Oxford is a copy, of which by far the larger portion belongs to the first edition, the part belonging to the second edition being just that which is wanting in the British Museum copy; so that if an exchange could be made, the British Museum might have a perfect second edition and the Bodleian a perfect first edition.
Portions of the second edition are in the University Library, Cambridge, and the library of the Duke of Devonshire at Chatsworth.