fresh impetus to printing, and presses were set up in three new towns,
Ipswich, Worcester, and Canterbury. For some years previous to this no
book had been printed outside London, and with the religious opinions
changing from day to day, even the London printers themselves hardly
knew what they might or might not issue without fear of prosecution.
Numbers of persons who had fled abroad returned, and with them came an
immense number of foreigners seeking refuge from their own religious
persecutions abroad. As might be expected, the three new presses were
mainly devoted to printing books on the religious questions then
occupying the attention of the public.
At Ipswich, some years before printing was introduced there, we find
a book issued by a publisher. This was an edition of the _Historia
Evangelica_ of Juvencus, and its imprint stated that it was to be sold
at Ipswich in 1534 by Reginald Oliver. A copy occurred in the first
part of Heber’s sale and was bought by Thorpe, the bookseller, but
since then all trace of it has disappeared. The edition was probably
that printed by Joannes Graphaeus at Antwerp with Oliver’s imprint
added to a certain number of copies, and this is rendered more likely
by the fact that the same printer issued in the same year an edition of
the _Rudimenta-Grammatices_, a school-book which had been prescribed in
1528 by Cardinal Wolsey for use in the school which he had just founded
at Ipswich. Wolsey prescribed the use of this book and others, not only
for the use of his special school at Ipswich, but throughout England,
and we find a number of editions printed at Antwerp to be sent over
to England for sale. Juvencus was one of the authors whose book was
recommended for use.
Of Reginald Oliver we hear nothing more. He took out letters of
denization in 1535 in which he is described as “of Phrisia,” and is
perhaps the Reynold Oliver who translated a tract about an earthquake
in Mechlin in 1546 printed by Richard Lant.
As a stationer Oliver would be also a bookbinder, and perhaps the
panel stamp may be assigned to him signed with the initials R. O. and
a trade-mark. The panel is divided by a vertical line into two halves
each filled by a large medallion. That on the right contains the Tudor
rose, the left the Royal arms. In the left-hand upper corner is a
shield with the cross of St George, in the right the binder’s mark.
If he had been a London binder, this would have contained the city
arms. There is nothing to connect this binding with Oliver except the
initials, but these are uncommon, and no other stationer with them is
known.
The first person to begin printing at Ipswich was a certain Anthony
Scoloker, whom most writers have considered to be a foreigner, but
who is definitely spoken of in the Subsidy Rolls as an Englishman. He
was an educated man, printing translations of his own from French and
German, and it is not improbable that he had left England on account
of religious persecutions, and had returned under the milder rule
of Edward. His settlement in Ipswich for a few months may perhaps
be traced to the influence of Richard Argentine, a schoolmaster and
physician of that town, who was a vigorous reformer in the reign
of Edward, a violent Catholic in the time of Mary, and a penitent
Protestant again under Elizabeth, dying in 1568 as rector of St Helen’s
in Ipswich.
Of the seven books printed by Scoloker at Ipswich, three were
translations by himself, three by Argentine, while the seventh was
translated by Richard Rice, Abbot of Conway. The first book issued
was _The just reckoning of the whole number of years to 1547_
translated by Scoloker from the German; of this an imperfect copy is
in the University Library. His two other translations were _A Godly
disputation between a shoemaker and a parson_, of which there is a copy
in a private library, and _The Ordinary for all faithful Christians_.
Of this there is a copy in the Rylands Library. Argentine’s three
translations are Luther’s _Sermon upon John xx. and the true use of the
keys_, Ochino’s _Sermons_, and Ulrich Zwingli’s _Certain precepts_.
Copies of these three books are not uncommon. The book translated by
Rice was Hermann’s _Right Institution of Baptism_.
The _Just Reckoning_ was translated by July 6, 1547, and, we may
presume, printed shortly afterwards, but the remaining six books
were all printed in the first five months of 1548. The dates of the
translations of the three books by Argentine are January 28, January
30, and February 13. At the end of Zwingli’s _Certain precepts_,
the earliest of Argentine’s translations, occurs Scoloker’s device,
a hand reaching from the clouds and holding a coin to a touchstone
inscribed “Verbum Dei.” From the clouds in the left-hand corner a face,
representing the Holy Spirit, blows upon the stone. Below is printed
the text, “Prove the spirits whether they be of God.”
Scoloker’s residence in Ipswich was a short one, probably because he
did not meet with sufficient encouragement, and by June 1548 he was
settled in London, for a book by John Frith, dated June 30, was issued
by Anthony Scoloker and William Seres, dwelling without Aldersgate.
This was printed by Scoloker and has his device on the last leaf. At
London he continued in business until at least 1550.
The next printer to be noticed is John Overton, if indeed he ever
existed, for it may be stated at once that nothing is known of him but
his name. This is found in the colophon of Bale’s _Catalogue of British
Writers_ from the time of Japhet, son of the most holy Noah, up to the
year 1548, which states explicitly that the book was printed at Ipswich
in England by John Overton on July 31, 1548. On the other hand we find
on the title-page of a number of copies a no less definite statement
that the book was printed at Wesel by Theodoricus Plateanus on July 31,
1548. One thing is clear from an examination of the book itself, and
that is that it was certainly printed abroad, and Bale himself, in the
introduction which he wrote to John Leland’s little book, entitled _The
laborious journey and search of John Leland_, writes, “Since I returned
home again from Germany where as I both collected and emprinted my
simple work _De Scriptoribus Britannicis_.” Most writers have tried
to make the two statements agree by suggesting that the main body of
the book was printed abroad and brought over in sheets, and that it
was completed after its arrival with two sheets printed by Overton at
Ipswich. But these sheets unfortunately are in exactly the same type as
the rest of the book. The Ipswich colophon occurs in all copies of the
book, but the Wesel imprint only in some. A possible explanation may be
found in the legal restrictions regarding the importation of foreign
books. As regards copies sold abroad it would not matter where they
were printed, but imported copies might meet with difficulties. Hence
perhaps the Ipswich colophon and the suppression of the Wesel imprint.
The suspicion which gathered round the book and its imprints naturally
spread to the printer himself, Theodoricus Plateanus. Was he a real
person or not? Like John Overton, his name was only known from its
occurrence in this book, and it was often assumed to be fictitious.
A recent fortunate discovery made by Mr Murray of Trinity has proved
that he was a genuine printer. Fragments of several books in Latin and
German were found used in the binding of an English law-book, and
on one of these was a colophon, dated 1548, the same date as Bale’s
_De Scriptoribus_, “Drück tho Wesel by Dirick van der straten,” and
leaves of Bale’s book were among the fragments. The discovery is
particularly fortunate, not only as supplying the printer’s real name,
which may enable us to trace him further, but also as showing us new
founts of type undoubtedly used by him, and which were used also in
several foreign printed English books which up to now could only be
conjecturally assigned to certain towns or presses. Besides the _De
Scriptoribus Britannicis_ several other of Bale’s works can now be
definitely assigned to him.
The last of the three Ipswich printers and the most important was
John Oswen, perhaps from his name and later connexion with Wales, a
Welshman. He printed in the town apparently only during the latter half
of 1548, but in that period issued ten if not more books. These are
all without exception works of the reformers, Calvin, Oecolampadius,
Melanchthon, and others. Calvin is represented by two books, _A brief
declaration of the feigned sacrament_, and _A treatise on what a
faithful man ought to do dwelling among the papists_. Of the latter
book there is a copy in the University Library, of the former no copy
is at present known.
Melanchthon’s book _Of the true authoritie of the Church_, and
Oecolampadius’ _Epistle, that there ought to be no respect of
personages of the poor_, are both quoted by Herbert though no copies
seem to be known at present.
Of the remaining six books, there are copies of two in the University
Library, bequeathed by Mr Sandars. These are: _A new book containing
an exhortation to the sick_, of which another copy is in the British
Museum, and a curious little 16mo volume, _An invectyve agaynst
dronkennes_, of which the Cambridge copy is the only one known. Several
bibliographies speak of it as a fragment, but though not in good
condition it wants only the last leaf which would have been blank, or
contained a device: all the text is complete.
There are copies of two other books in the library of Clare College,
Peter Moone’s _Short treatise of certain things abused in the Popish
church long used_, and John Ramsey’s _Plaister for a galled horse_.
Both these books are rhyming attacks on the Catholics. There is another
copy of the first in the British Museum, but the two leaves in the
University Library which were supposed to belong to this edition are
really from the press of William Copland in London. Of Ramsey’s book
the copy at Clare is the only one known, but another edition was
printed at London by Raynalde in the same year. The next book is a
translation of Anthony Marcourt’s work, entitled, _A declaration of
the Mass_; of this there is a copy in the Bodleian, and finally there
is another issue of Hegendorff’s _Domestical or household sermons_, of
which there is a copy in the British Museum.
[Illustration: TITLE-PAGE OF THE EXHORTATION TO THE SICK, PRINTED AT
IPSWICH BY JOHN OSWEN IN 1548.]
Oswen and Scoloker between them printed within a year at least eighteen
books at Ipswich, all of them expounding the religious views of the
reformers, and examples of fourteen are known. Though there may have
been other inducements which caused these printers to settle in that
town, no doubt one of the chief reasons was its accessibility to the
Continent. Numbers of English people who had fled abroad during the
religious troubles of Henry’s reign were pouring back into the country,
and many would pass through Ipswich, and would purchase to carry with
them for their own use and for their friends copies of the books
which set forth the religious views for which they had undergone such
hardships, but which seemed at last to be on the winning side. Again
Ipswich, while easy to get to, was equally easy to get away from, so
that perhaps discretion caused the printers to wait and see how their
books were received before they definitely settled in an inland town.
Oswen, though he continued in business a few months longer than
Scoloker, seems also to have found Ipswich an unremunerative centre
for his work, and towards the end of 1548, crossing with his material
from the east to the west of England, settled at Worcester. On January
6, 2 Edward VI., that is at the beginning of 1549, Oswen obtained a
privilege from the King to print “every kind of book or books set forth
by us concerning the service to be used in churches, ministration of
the sacraments, and instruction of our subjects of the Principality of
Wales and marches thereunto belonging for seven years, prohibiting all
other persons whatsoever from printing the same.” What this privilege
definitely meant, or what use Oswen made of it, is not clear. He
certainly printed nothing concerning the service of the church, or for
the instruction of the subjects, specially adapted to the Principality
of Wales. He printed editions of the Prayer-book and New Testament,
but they were in English and varied in no respect from the editions
put forth by the authorised printers, Whitchurch and Grafton. The
three or four Welsh books issued in the vernacular during the period
in which his privilege was in force, Salisbury’s Dictionary in English
and Welsh and Introduction to Welsh pronunciation, extracts from the
laws of Hoel, and the Epistles and Gospels in Welsh, books both for the
instruction of the subject and the service of the Church, were printed
by other printers. For these, or some of them, at any rate, privileges
had been obtained from Henry VIII. By the beginning of 1549 Oswen was
settled in Worcester in the High Street, issuing a book as early as
January 30. Besides his printing office in Worcester he appears to have
had another shop absolutely on the Welsh border, for at the end of some
of his colophons are the words: “They be also to sell at Shrewsbury.”
Oswen’s four editions of the New Testament, from 1548 to 1550, as given
by Herbert, seem to resolve themselves into one quarto edition dated
January 12, 1550. Of the Prayer-book there were certainly three issues.
The first is a quarto dated May 24, 1549. It contains an injunction
which “streightly chargeth and commaundeth that no maner of person do
sell this present boke unbounde, above the price of II Shillinges and
two pence ye piece. And the same bound in paste or in boordes, not
above the pryce of thre shillynges and eyght pence the piece.” The next
edition, a folio, dated July 30, 1549, has a similar injunction fixing
the price at two shillings and sixpence unbound, and four shillings
bound. It will be noticed that His Highness’s Council in their wisdom
decreed that the cost of binding a quarto and a folio should be exactly
the same, namely eighteen pence. The last issue, the rarest of all, was
a folio printed in 1552. Apart from Prayer-books and Testaments we
know of seventeen books printed by Oswen in the four years between 1549
and 1553. Seven in 1549, five in 1550, three in 1551, and two in 1553.
The first book issued in 1549 was Henry Hart’s _Consultorie for all
Christians_. This is dated January 30, but is probably 1549 rather than
1550, since the printer has printed at the beginning his newly-granted
privilege in full.
Six other books are dated 1549. Of these three, Hegendorff’s _Household
Sermons, The Dialogue between the seditious anabaptist and the true
Christian_, translated by John Veron, and the _Spiritual Matrimony
between Christ and the Church_, are given by Herbert, but he had
apparently never seen copies and none are at present known. Of
_Certeyne sermons appointed by the King’s majesty to be read_, there
are two copies in the British Museum. Herbert quotes _A message from
King Edward VI., concerning obedience to religion_, as printed by Oswen
at Worcester, August 5, 1549. This is apparently another edition of the
message “to certain of his people assembled in Devonshire” printed by
Grafton in July, but addressed to the people of Wales.
The last of the year’s books was a _Psalter_ printed in red and black
and issued on September 1, of which there is a copy in the British
Museum.
For the year 1550 there are four books, and of these one St Ambrose,
_Of opression_, said to be translated by Oswen himself, is known only
from the entry in Herbert, derived from Maunsell’s catalogue. The other
three, Zwingli’s _Short pathway to the Scriptures_, _The godly sayings
of the old, ancient faithful fathers_ translated by John Veron, and
Gribald’s _Notable and marvellous epistle_, are known, the first two
from copies in the University Library and elsewhere, the last from a
copy in the Bodleian. To the end of this year we may ascribe a very
rare little octavo, _Almanack and prognostication for the year of our
Lord_ 1551. _Practised by Simon Heringius and Lodowyke Boyard_. In
April 1551 a new edition was issued of Bullinger’s _Dialogue between
the rebel Anabaptist and the true Christian_, which is known from
copies in the Bodleian and Brasenose College Library. Herbert had
quoted an earlier edition of 1549, of which no copy is known and which
is perhaps due to some confusion with the present edition. Bullinger’s
_Most sure and strong defence of the baptism of children_, translated
by John Veron, was also issued this year, and a copy is in the
Bodleian. The third and last book of 1551 was issued in May, Hooper’s
_Godly and most necessary annotations in the XIII. chapter to the
Romans_, of which there is a copy in the University Library.
From May 1551 until May 1553, exactly two years, no dated book is known
from Oswen’s Worcester press, except the folio Prayer-book of 1552. Nor
is there any undated book to be ascribed to these years, for Oswen’s
books, so far as we know, are all dated. This is another of those
unaccountable gaps that we so often find in the career of a printer.
The last two Worcester books were issued in 1553, a _Homily to be read
in time of pestilence_, written by Bishop Hooper and dated May 18, and
the _Statutes of the seventh year of Edward VI._ A copy of the _Homily_
is in the University Library. It is a handsomely printed thin quarto,
and has on the title-page besides four border-pieces, a woodcut of the
Royal arms with supporters, and another of the youthful king seated on
his throne. The _Statutes_ are described by Herbert from a copy in his
own possession, but where it is at present is not known.
Oswen printed altogether at Worcester some twenty-one books, so that it
heads the list of provincial presses as regards numbers. The press is
also noticeable for the comparative excellence of the printing and the
variety of good border-pieces and initial letters, very much superior
to the material used by most of the contemporary printers. From the
class of books he issued we can well understand the cessation of his
press as soon as Mary succeeded to the throne.
There remain three books to be noticed which appear to be connected
with Oswen. These are John Sawtry’s _Defence of the marriage of
priests_, another book with a similar title by Philip Melanchthon, and
lastly a _Treatise of baptism and the Lord’s Supper_. The colophon of
the first runs: “Printed at Awryk by Jan Troost, 1541 in August,” that
of the second, “Printed at Lipse by Ubryght Hoff,” while the title-page
says, “Translated out of latyne into englisshe by Lewes Beuchame in the
yere of the Lorde 1541 in August.” The colophon of the last runs: “At
Grunning 1541 April 27.” The three books are obviously from the same
press; initials, borders, type, all agree, and copies are in some cases
bound together. They are no less obviously printed in England, but by
whom? The only clue so far is an initial M which appears identical with
one used by Oswen, while on the other hand the borders do not occur
in any of Oswen’s books though he uses a large selection. Again, why
should all three books be dated 1541 which, if they were the work of
Oswen, must be a false date. Though admitting the clue which connects
them with Oswen, it would be safer for the present until more evidence
is forthcoming to class them under “printer unidentified.”
At present, though a good start has been made in the Catalogue of Early
English Books in the University Library, a very great deal remains to
be done, and if done at all to be done very carefully, on the subject
of books with fictitious imprints or with none at all. Hitherto if
there was anything the least strange in the appearance of a book, or if
its subject were of a controversial nature, it was promptly docketed
“printed at a secret press on the Continent.” That many such books were
printed at Continental presses is quite clear, but in the majority of
cases any danger in connexion with such books was not to the printer,
but to the person who introduced them into this country. In consequence
the foreign printers rarely tried to deceive, and once their types are
properly identified, it is not difficult to ascribe foreign printed
books to their right printers. But on the other hand, I suspect that
a considerable number of books now generally ascribed to Continental
presses were really produced in this country. The wording of various
enactments against seditious books makes it clear that the authorities
of the period at any rate considered that numbers were printed in this
country, and if that is so we must look for them outside the ordinary
and known productions of our regular printers. If we take away all
the unsigned books which may be clearly ascribed to foreign presses,
a very large number will still remain about which we know, for the
present at any rate, little or nothing.
Canterbury was the last of the provincial towns to start a press, and
its first book was an edition of the _Psalter_ printed in 1549. One or
two early writers, however, quoted a book printed there about 1525. The
title runs: _A goodly narration how St Augustine the Apostle of England
raysed two dead bodies at Longcompton, collected out of divers authors,
translated by John Lidgate, Monke of Bury_. Printed at St Austens at
Canterburie in 4to. No copy of the book is at present known, but it is
conjectured that, like another book connected with Canterbury, _The
history of King Boccus and Sydracke_, it may have been printed by a
London printer, “at the coste and charge of Dan Robert Saltwoode, monke
of St Austen’s at Cantorbery.”
John Mychell, the first printer, seems to have begun his career in
London, where he printed two books, the _Life of St Margaret_ and the
_Life of St Gregory’s mother_, at a printing office with a long and
interesting history, _The long shop in the Poultry_. He probably worked
there between the tenancies of Richard Kele, who left it in 1546, and
his apprentice Alde, who worked there later. Mr Allnutt, in an article
on Provincial Presses, asserts that he quitted Canterbury for London in
the reign of Queen Mary and quotes these two books as proof, but that
would mean that he came to London after 1555, in which case we might
expect to find some mention of him in the Stationers’ Registers, and at
that time, too, the long shop in the Poultry was occupied by another
printer. I think it may be taken for certain that he went from London
to Canterbury.
Mychell’s first Canterbury book, the _Psalter or psalms of David after
the translation of the great Bible_, printed in 1549, is an extremely
rare book. The only copy quoted by bibliographers is one which was in
Dr Lort’s sale in 1791. This copy passed to Lord Spencer and is now in
the Rylands Library. It was reissued again in 1550 and a copy is in
the University Library. The only known copy of the other book issued
in 1550, John Lamberd’s _Treatise of predestination_, is also in the
University Library. In 1552 and 1553 there were at least three issues
of a _Breviat Chronicle_ compiled or at any rate edited by Mychell
himself.
The nine undated books which he issued were mainly theological and
controversial. One of these, entitled _Newes from Rome concerning the
blasphemous sacrifice of the papisticall Masse_, was printed for E.
Campion. It is curious, considering the title of the book, that this
E. Campion was in all probability the London bookseller of the time,
Edmund Campion, the father of the celebrated Jesuit martyr.
Two others are quoted by Herbert, _A short epistle to all such as
do contempne the marriage of us poor preestes_ and _The spirituall
matrimonye betweene Chryste, and the Soul_, no copies of either being
at present known, though a title-page of the second is among the
Bagford fragments.
Mychell printed also an edition of Stanbridge’s _Accidence_, of
Lidgate’s _Churl and Bird_, and of Robert Saltwood’s _Comparison
between four birds_. Saltwood was keeper of the chapel of the Virgin
Mary at Canterbury when on December 4, 1539, he signed the surrender.
His name is not found after this nor does he appear in the list of
pensioners. He seems to have taken an interest in poetry, and it was
for him that the _Boccus and Sydracke_ was printed, so perhaps we may
trace to his instigation the separate works of Lidgate which Mychell
printed. In the colophon to his own book Saltwood is described only as
monk, with no mention of Canterbury, and the place of printing is not
stated, so that it may have been issued by Mychell at London.