[Footnote 56: The second volume is undoubtedly the rarest of the
two. The industrious Langbaine does not appear to have seen it, as
in the _Account of the English Dramatic Poets_, 1691, he refers
more than once to the originals for stories contained in that
volume.]
*The Pallace* | *of Pleasure Beautified,* | _adorned and wel
furnished with_ | Pleasaunt Historyes and excellent | Nouelles,
selected out of diuers | *good and commendable Authours.* | ¶ By
William Painter Clarke | of the Ordinaunce and | Armarie. | 1569. |
_Jmprinted at London in_ | Fletestreate neare to S. Dunstones |
*Church by Thomas Marshe.*--4to. Extends to K k. viij, & is folded
in eights.
The title is in the compartment frequently used by Marsh, having the
stationers’ arms at the top, his own initials at the bottom, and
pedestals of a Satyr and Diana, surmounted with flowers and snakes, on
the sides. It is a reprint of the first volume without alteration,
except closer types. The introduction concludes on the recto of the
eleventh leaf, and on the reverse of fo. 264 is the colophon. _Jmprinted
at London in Flete_ | _streate neare unto Sainct Dunstones_ | Churche by
Thomas Marshe | _Anno Domini._ 1569.[57]
[Footnote 57: Dr. Farmer’s copy was Vol. I. 1569, and Vol. II.
1567. Purchased at the sale by Mr. Payne for fifteen guineas.
[Bibl. Farm. No. 5993.] The opinion Dr. Farmer entertained of
their rarity may be given in his own words: “The _Two Tomes_,
which Tom Rawlinson would have called _justa volumina_, are almost
annihilated. Mr. Ames, who searched after books of this sort with
the utmost avidity, most certainly had not seen them, when he
published his _Typographical Antiquities_, as appears from his
blunders about them: and possibly I myself might have remained in
the same predicament, had I not been favoured with a copy by my
generous friend, Mr. Lort.” _Essay on the learning of
Shakespeare._]
THE PALACE | of Pleasure Beautified | *adorned and well furnished* |
with pleasaunt Histories and | *excellent Nouels, selected out* |
*of diuers good and commendable Authors. By William Painter Clarke*
| of the Ordinaunce | and Armarie. | Eftsones perused corrected |
and augmented. | 1575. | Imprinted at London | _by Thomas
Marshe._--4to. Extends to signature O o, iiij. and is folded in
eights.[58]
[Footnote 58: Hence Tanner and others have been erroneously
supposed to describe an edition in Octavo, and I have seen copies
where the margin, cropped by the intolerable plough of the binder,
might have been shown in proof of the conjecture.]
Title in same compartment as the last. The introduction is given in nine
leaves, and the novels commence the folio, and end at 279. The arguments
of every novel, transposed from the beginning, continue for three leaves
to reverse of O o iiij, having for colophon,
Imprinted at London by | *Thomas Marshe*.
Seven novels were added to the former number, and the language improved.
THE SECOND | Tome of the Palace of | *Pleasure contayning store of
goodlye* | *Histories, Tragical matters, & other* | Morall
argumentes, very requi- | site for delight and | *profyte.* | Chosē
and selected out | _of diuers good and commendable au-_ | _thors,
and now once agayn correc-_ | ted and encreased. | By Wiliam
Painter, Clerke of the | _Ordinance and Armarie_. | Imprinted at
_L_ondon | In Fleatstrete by Thomas | MARSHE.--4to. Has signature
Z z 4, and is folded in eights.
Title in the compartment last described. The introduction has seven
leaves, and the “conclusion” is at fo. 360.[59] The summary of nouels,
which stand as part of the introduction in the former edition, follows,
making four leaves after discontinuing the folio. There is no printer’s
colophon, and the type throughout is smaller than any used before. The
translator added one historic tale, and made material alterations in the
text.
[Footnote 59: Folios 225 and 6 are repeated, and several others
are erroneously numbered.]
With respect to the date the year 1582 has been several times given, and
it is doubtful if I have discovered the source of the authority. Oldys,
among the manuscript notes upon Langbaine, registers “W. Painter’s
Palace of Pleasure, &c. 4to. 1569, and in 2 vols. 1575, and 1582:” and
Mr. Bindley, whose friendly assistance it is always gratifying to
record, pointed out to my attention the catalogue of the library of the
Honorable Bryan Fairfax,[60] where the volumes are increased in number,
and with only a single date. It stands thus, Lot “336, Painter’s Palace
of Pleasure, 3 vols.[61] B.L. 1582:” again in the Osterley catalogue,
p. 87, is No. “26, Palace of Pleasure, 1582.”[62] To decide positively
on such an unexpected repetition of the date made it desirable to obtain
a sight of the copy.[63] That, with some difficulty, has been effected.
On visiting Osterley, strange as it may appear, I found the two volumes
bound in one, the same editions as those now printed from, and both
wanting title pages!!
[Footnote 60: Prepared for sale by auction by Mr. Prestage, of
Savile Row, in April, 1756, and sold by private contract to Mr.
Child. It forms the principal part of the library at Osterley
Park.]
[Footnote 61: It might be expected that the third volume was
formed by adding the inferior performance of George Pettie, who
imitated our author’s title; but that was the article in the
succeeding lot. Pettie’s work is called: A petite Pallace | of
Pettie his Pleasure: | contayning many pretie Histories | by him
set foorth in comely colours | and most delightfully dis-coursed.
| _Omne tulit punctum_, | _qui miscuit vtile dulci_. | Col.
Printed at London, by R[ichard] W[atkins]. n.d. but entered in
the Stationers’ books 1576. Again by Wolfe, n.d. and other
editions 1598, 1608, and 1613. The contents of the volume are
described in an article by Mr. Utterson in the _British
Bibliographer_, Vol. II. p. 392. For an Account of the author see
Wood’s _Ath. Oxon._ by Bliss, 1813, Vol. I. col. 552.]
[Footnote 62: Class (or rather case, the library not being
classed) IX.; division 2; shelf 7; book 26. This explains the
numerals used in the Osterley Cat.]
[Footnote 63: To the unequalled store of bibliography, possessed
by the Rev. T. F. Dibdin there has lately been added a copy of the
Fairfax catalogue, priced according to the private valuation.
There may be found Caxton’s Prince Arthur rated at only fifty-five
shillings, and lot 336 (the P. of Pleasure) at _four guineas_:
undoubtedly, from the above description in the catalogue, the copy
was supposed UNIQUE.]
There is not much temerity in decisively pronouncing that there never
was an edition in three volumes; that the date of 1582 was intended by
Oldys to be only applied to the second volume; and that that date was
founded on an erroneous conjecture. Two of these points are already
disposed of, and the last can require but few words. The translation of
the tale of Sultan Soliman, from the circumstance of the dedication to
Sir William Cobham, as shewn in a former page, must have been finished
about 1557-8, and Painter, on the reprinting, mentions that fact as
“twenty-two yeares past or thereabouts,” which decides that the printing
the above volume could not be later than 1580.
The Palace of Pleasure, as enlarged by the Translator, is now reprinted.
The text of the latest edition of each volume has been carefully
preserved; except that, instead of numberless abbreviations, every word
is given at length. The character of the work did not require such
minuteness, being followed for authority; and the rejecting what might
seem a disfigurement of the page, it is hoped, will obtain the sanction
of the reader: and it may be observed, that in the later editions many
words are contracted which were first printed at length, and others
given at length which were before contracted.
In the punctuation some slight alterations have been made, where the
sense or uniformity materially required it.
From Earl Spencer, with that marked attention which always distinguishes
the interest his Lordship takes in every literary undertaking,
I received the unsolicited offer of the use of the copy belonging to the
library at Althorpe. As there was the first edition of the second
volume, it proved a needful and valuable acquisition, and from that
source several obscure passages have been corrected, and whole sentences
restored, which, in the last edition, appear to have been negligently
omitted in the hurry of the press.
For the purpose of collation, Sir Mark Masterman Sykes, Bart. obligingly
assisted me with his copy, purchased at the Roxburghe sale; and has
since also favoured me with the first edition, to perfect the
Bibliographical Notices.
Of an hundred and one novels, the whole number, the larger portion have
been traced, as supposed, to their respective originals. In attempting
this task, I have derived material assistance from the extensive
researches made in that class of literature by Mr. Weber, who, though
personally unknown, most promptly supplied the wanted information. The
ingenious conjecture as to the origin of the story of Gismonde and
Guiscardo, is by Mr. Singer.
It is probable that many of the stories were appropriated as soon as
published by the dramatic writers to the purposes of the English
Stage.[64] To the instances discovered by the indefatigable Langbaine I
have made some addition.
[Footnote 64: Malone, in a note on the _Historical Account of the
English Stage_, has the following extract from Gosson’s _Plays
confuted in five Actions_, printed about the year 1580. “I may
boldly say it (says Gosson) because I have seene it, that The
_Palace of Pleasure_, _The Golden Asse_, _The Æthiopian Historie_,
_Amadis of Fraunce_, _The Round Table_, bawdie comedies in Latin,
French, Italian and Spanish, have beene _thoroughly ransackt_ to
furnish the playe-houses in London.”--_Reed’s Shakespeare,_ Vol.
III. p. 40.]
From the application of Mr. Freeling to Mr. Crewe, I obtained an
inspection of the earliest records preserved in the Ordnance Office; and
the research was further facilitated by the assistance of Mr. Banovin.
Sir Egerton Brydges, with his accustomed ardency to promote literary
investigation, aided my endeavours to discover some trace of the
translator as master of the school at Sevenoaks.
To Mr. George Chalmers and Mr. Utterson, I am indebted for some
bibliographical communications, and also to the Rev. T. F. Dibdin for
long extracts made from the work by Herbert, preparatory to a new
edition of the _Typographical Antiquities_.
When the present edition was announced, it was intended to consist of
only one hundred and fifty copies. In order, however, to meet the common
hazard of the press, seven quires of each sheet were printed, making
about one hundred and sixty-five saleable copies; seven were also taken
off on vellum.