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.
[Illustration: MYLLAR'S DEVICE.]
In 1507 Myllar was taken into partnership 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 cuming mess bukis,
efter our awin scottis use, and with legendis of Scottis sanctis, as is
now gaderit and ekit be ane Reverend fader in God, and our traist
consalour Williame bischope of abirdene and utheris, be usit generaly
within al our Realme alssone as the sammyn may be imprentit and
providet, and that na maner of sic bukis of Salusbery use be brocht to
be sauld within our Realme in tym cuming." 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
Noblenes_, _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. Imprentit in the
southgait of Edinburgh be Walter chepman and Androw myllar the
fourth day of aprile the yhere of God 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 Dickson
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
Constitvtionis of Parliament Maid Be The Rycht Excellent Prince Iames
The Fift Kyng of Scottis 1540_. The title-page of this book consists of
a large woodcut of the Scottish arms, above which is the title 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:--
_Imprentit 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 God. 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 Iacobum 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 title 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 assign it to the year 1528.
Davidson's most important production, however, was his beautiful folio
edition of Bellenden's translation of Hector Boece's work, _The hystory
and croniklis of Scotland_. This, says Dr Dickson, 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 surpassed or even equalled." It has a
title-page similar to that of the _Nevv Actis_, but the title itself is
printed in handsome red Gothic characters. Dr Dickson, 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, assigns 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 title-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 God, on having put
away the false faith, turned from the Latin and English into Gaelic by
Mr John Carswell Minister of the Church of God 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 dún Edin whose other name is Dún 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.