The Story of Books Part 6

Caxton, according to Mr Blades, used six different founts of Gothic type, but Mr E. Gordon Duff, in his _Early English Printing_, credits him with eight founts. His books are all printed on paper, with the exception of a copy of the _Speculum Vitae Christi_ in the British Museum, and one of the _Doctrinal of Sapyence_, in the Royal Library at Windsor Castle.

The well-known device of Caxton was not used by him till 1487. It is usually understood to stand for W.C. 74, but its exact meaning is not known. Blades believes that it refers to the date of printing of _The Recuyell_, the first product of Caxton's typographical skill.

[Ill.u.s.tration: CAXTON'S DEVICE.]

In 1480, three or four years after Caxton had settled at Westminster, John Lettou, a foreigner of whom little is known, established the first London printing-press.[4] His workmans.h.i.+p was particularly good, and he was the first in this country to print two columns to the page. He subsequently took into partners.h.i.+p William de Machlinia, and according to the colophon of their _Tenores Novelli_ the office of these two printers was located in the Church of All Saints', but this piece of information is too vague to a.s.sist in the identification of the spot.

Machlinia is afterwards found working alone in an office near the Flete Bridge. His later books were printed in Holborn.

[4] It is hardly necessary to remind the reader that at this period Westminster was quite distinct from London.

A well-known name is that of Wynkyn de Worde, a native of Holland, and at one time a.s.sistant to Caxton. At Caxton's death he became master of the Red Pale, and issued a number of books "from Caxton's house in Westminster," including reprints of several of Caxton's publications. He made use of some modified forms of Caxton's device, but he also had a device of his own, which first appears in the _Book of Courtesye_ printed some time before 1493. He printed, among other works, the _Golden Legend_, the _Book of Courtesye_, Bonaventura's _Speculum Vitae Christi_, Higden's _Polychronicon_, which appeared in 1495 and is the first English book with printed musical notes; Bartholomaeus' _De Proprietatibus Rerum_, which appeared about 1495 and is the first book printed on English-made paper, and which has already been noticed as the authority for supposing that Caxton learned printing at Cologne; the _Boke of St Albans_, the _Chronicles of England_, _Morte D'Arthur_, _The Canterbury Tales_, etc., etc. He also issued a host of sermons, almanacs, and other minor works.

[Ill.u.s.tration: TYPE OF WYNKYN DE WORDE'S HIGDEN'S POLYCHRONICON, LONDON, 1495 (_exact size._)]

In 1500 Wynkyn de Worde moved from Caxton's house in Westminster to the Sign of the Sun, in Fleet Street, and presently opened another place of business at the Sign of Our Lady of Pity, in St Paul's Churchyard.

About a year after Caxton had established himself at the Red Pale, and had issued the _Dictes or Sayengis_, and two years before the city of London had attained to the dignity of a printing-press, typography began to be practised at Oxford, but by whom is not known, though very possibly by Theodore Rood of Cologne. The first Oxford book was the _Exposicio in Simbolum Apostolorum_ of St Jerome, a work which happens to be dated 1468, and has thereby led some to a.s.sign to Oxford the credit of having printed the first book in this country. But that date is now acknowledged to be a printer's error for 1478. A similar misprint led to a similar error as to the first book printed in Venice. The _Decor Puellarum_, executed by Nicolas Jenson, purports to have appeared in 1461, and thus was at one time supposed to be the first book printed in Venice, but the date is now recognised as a misprint for 1471, which leaves John of Spires the first Venetian printer and his _Epistolae familiares_ of Cicero, 1469, the first Venetian printed book.

Cambridge was more than forty years later than Oxford in providing herself with a printing-press.

In the same year that London began to print appeared the first books from the press at the Abbey of St Albans, namely, _Augustini Dacti elegancie_, and the _Nova Rhetorica_ of Saona. As both were printed in 1480 it is uncertain which is the earlier. This press was probably started in 1479, but of the printer nothing is known, except that when Wynkyn de Worde reprinted the _Chronicles of England_ from a copy printed at St Albans, he refers to him as the St Albans "scole mayster."

The famous _Bokys of Haukyng and Huntyng, and also of Cootarmuris_, commonly known as the Book of St Albans, written by the accomplished Juliana Berners, prioress of the neighbouring nunnery of Sopwell, was printed at the monastery in 1486, and reprinted ten years later by Wynkyn de Worde.

CHAPTER XII

EARLY PRINTING IN SCOTLAND

Scotland was one of the last of the countries of Europe to appreciate the advantages of typography so far as to possess herself of a printing-press. She was also, as we have pointed out in a previous chapter, the only one, save England, and possibly Holland, to have the art of printing brought to her by one of her own sons and not by a foreigner.

The first Scottish printer was Andrew Myllar, an Edinburgh bookseller, who imported books from England and from France, and who, in the latter country, learned how to print. Two books are extant which were printed for him on the continent, probably at Rouen by Laurence Hostingue, and these are worth noticing. The first may speak for itself, through its colophon, of which the following is a translation:--"The Book of certain 'Words Equivocal,' in alphabetical order, along with an interpretation in the English tongue, has been happily finished. Which Andrew Myllar, a Scotsman, has been solicitous should be printed, with admirable art and corrected with diligent care, both in orthographic style, according to the ability available, and cleared from obscurity. In the year of the Christian Redemption, One thousand five hundred and fifth." The second book is an _Expositio Sequentiarum_, or Book of Sequences, of the Salisbury use, printed in 1506.

[Ill.u.s.tration: MYLLAR'S DEVICE.]

In 1507 Myllar was taken into partners.h.i.+p by Walter Chepman, and fortified by a royal privilege these two set up the first Scottish printing-press, with plant and types and workmen brought by Myllar from France. Chepman furnished the capital and Myllar the knowledge. Their press was situated at the foot of Blackfriars Wynd in the Southgate in Edinburgh. The privilege sets forth that Myllar and Chepman have "at our instance and request, for our plesour, the honour and proffit of our Realme and Liegis, takin on thame to furnis and bring hame ane prent, with all stuff belangand tharto, and expert men to use the sammyn for imprenting within our Realme the bukis of our Lawis, actis of parliament, cronicles, mess bukis," etc.

It is believed that the favour and encouragement shown to Myllar and Chepman by the King was the result of the influence of William Elphinstone, Bishop of Aberdeen, who had prepared a Breviary, _Breviarum Aberdonense_, which he wished to be used by his countrymen to the exclusion of the Salisbury Missal, and that the real purpose of the promotion of the first printing-press in Scotland was the printing of this work. For the privilege goes on to say: "And alis it is divisit and thocht expedient be us and our consall, that in tyme c.u.ming mess bukis, efter our awin scottis use, and with legendis of Scottis sanctis, as is now gaderit and ekit be ane Reverend fader in G.o.d, and our traist consalour Williame bischope of abirdene and utheris, be usit generaly within al our Realme alssone as the sammyn may be imprent.i.t and providet, and that na maner of sic bukis of Salusbery use be brocht to be sauld within our Realme in tym c.u.ming." Anyone infringing this decree was to be punished and the books forfeited.

But the earliest work of the Southgate press consisted of literature of a lighter sort, and, when dated at all, is dated 1508, while the Breviary did not make its appearance till later. These early productions, which survive only in fragments, included _The Porteous of n.o.blenes_, _The Knightly Tale of Golagros and Gawane_, _Sir Eglamoure of Artoys_, _The Maying or Disport_ of Chaucer, and several others. _The Maying or Disport_ of Chaucer is the most perfect specimen remaining, and its exact date can be ascertained from its colophon, which reads as follows:--

Heir endis the maying and disport of Chaucer. Imprent.i.t in the southgait of Edinburgh be Walter chepman and Androw myllar the fourth day of aprile the yhere of G.o.d M.CCCCC. and viii yheris.

The _Maying and Disport_ is better known as the _Complaynt of a Lover's Life_, or the _Complaynt of the Black Knight_.

Strange to say, we hear no more of Myllar after this. But Chepman comes forward again in connection with the Breviary (though it is uncertain whether he was its printer), and probably printed some other books which have been lost. The Breviary is a small octavo in two volumes, the first of which appeared in 1509 and the other in 1510. It is printed in red and black Gothic characters. The conclusion of the Latin colophon to the second volume may be rendered as follows:--

"Printed in the town of Edinburgh, by the command and at the charge of the honourable gentleman Walter Chepman, merchant in the said town, on the fourth day of June in the year of our Lord 1510."

The next Scottish printer, so far as is known, was a certain John Story, though only an _Office of Our Lady of Pity_, accompanied by a legend on the subject of the relics of St Andrew, remains to testify to us of his existence. It was printed "by command of Charles Steele," and Dr d.i.c.kson dates it at (perhaps) about 1520.

Rather more than twenty years later, Thomas Davidson became King's Printer in Edinburgh. His only dated work was _The Nevv Actis And Const.i.tvtionis of Parliament Maid Be The Rycht Excellent Prince Iames The Fift Kyng of Scottis 1540_. The t.i.tle-page of this book consists of a large woodcut of the Scottish arms, above which is the t.i.tle in four lines printed in Roman capitals. This book also displays all three forms of type--black letter, Roman, and Italic. Its colophon, which is printed in Italics, is as follows:--

_Imprent.i.t in Edinburgh, be Thomas Davidson, dweling abone the nether bow, on the north syde of the gait, the aucht day of Februarii, the zeir of G.o.d. 1541. zeris._

But there is some of Davidson's undated work which is earlier than this, though it is not known for certain when he began to print. Of these undated publications, _Ad Serenissimum Scotorum Regem Iacob.u.m Quintum de suscepto Regni Regimine a diis feliciter ominato Strena_ is notable as affording the earliest example of the use of Roman type by a Scottish printer, for its t.i.tle is printed in these characters. Only one copy is known, and that is in the British Museum. Opinions differ as to its date, but the majority a.s.sign it to the year 1528.

Davidson's most important production, however, was his beautiful folio edition of b.e.l.l.e.n.den's translation of Hector Boece's work, _The hystory and croniklis of Scotland_. This, says Dr d.i.c.kson, is "an almost unrivalled specimen of early British typography. It is one of those gems which the earlier period of the art so frequently produced, but which no future efforts of the press have surpa.s.sed or even equalled." It has a t.i.tle-page similar to that of the _Nevv Actis_, but the t.i.tle itself is printed in handsome red Gothic characters. Dr d.i.c.kson, to whose learned _Annals of Scottish Printing_ (completed, on account of the author's ill-health, by Mr J. P. Edmond) I am indebted for the details of early Scottish typography given above, a.s.signs this book to the year 1542.

Having seen the printing-press fairly set to work in Scotland, it will not be necessary here to notice its later productions. But before closing the chapter it will be interesting to observe that Edinburgh was the place of publication of the first work printed in the Gaelic language. This was Bishop Carswell's translation of the Scottish Prayer-Book, which was printed in 1567 by Roibeard (Robert) Lekprevik.

It is in the form of Gaelic common at that time to both Scotland and Ireland, and therefore as regards language it forestalls the _Irish Alphabet and Catechism_, Dublin, 1571, to which reference is made below.

The type of Carswell's Prayer-Book, however, is Roman. The following is a translation of its t.i.tle-page, made by Dr M'Lauchlan:--

FORMS OF Prayer and

administration of the sacraments and catechism of the Christian faith, here below. According as they are practised in the churches of Scotland which have loved and accepted the faithful gospel of G.o.d, on having put away the false faith, turned from the Latin and English into Gaelic by Mr John Carswell Minister of the Church of G.o.d in the bounds of Argyll, whose other name is Bishop of the Isles.

No other foundation can any man lay save that which is laid even Jesus Christ.

1 Cor. 3.

Printed in dun Edin whose other name is Dun monaidh the 24th day of April 1567,

By Roibeard Lekprevik.

Lekprevik, whose first work, so far as is known, was produced in 1561, printed not only in Edinburgh, but also in Stirling and St Andrews, at different times.

CHAPTER XIII

EARLY PRINTING IN IRELAND

In heading a chapter "Early Printing in Ireland," one is somewhat reminded of the celebrated chapter on snakes. As a matter of fact, however, there is no real a.n.a.logy. Ireland was very slow to adopt the printing-press, and made little use of it when she did adopt it, yet it would not be quite accurate to say that there was no early printing in Ireland. But it can truthfully be said that Ireland's early printing was late--late, that is, compared with that of other countries.

The first typographical work known to have been produced in Ireland is the Book of Common Prayer--the First Prayer-Book of Edward VI.--which was printed in Dublin in 1551 by Humfrey Powell. Powell was a printer in Holborn Conduit in 1548, and in 1551 went to Dublin and set up as King's Printer. A "Proclamation ... against the rebels of the O'Conors....

Imprynted at Dublyn, by Humfrey Powell, 16th August, 1564," seems to be the only other known specimen of his Dublin printing.

The colophon of the first book printed on Irish ground is as follows:--

Imprinted by Humfrey Powell, Printer to the Kynges Maiestie, in his hyghnesse realme of Ireland, dwellyng in the citee of Dublin in the great toure by the Crane.

_c.u.m priuilegio ad imprimendum solum_ Anno Domini M.D.LI.