of the colophon of one book, but probably, like some early stationers,
he was not always strictly truthful and said “printed by” when he
meant “printed for.” However, in the Bodleian Library there is an
edition of the _Gradus comparationum_ whose colophon runs, “Imprinted
at London in Poules chyrche yard, at the sygne of saynte Nycolas by me
John Toye. The yere of our lorde God M.D.XXXI, the XXX day of May.”
But the book ends with the device of the printer John Skot, and it is
probable that he really printed it. In 1534 Toy had an edition of the
_Shorter Accidence_ of Stanbridge printed for him at Antwerp by Martin
de Keyser, and of this there is a copy in the Cambridge University
Library. In 1534 Leonard Cox wrote a letter to “The Goodman Toy at the
sign of St Nicholas in Pauls Churchyard” relating to the printing of
some translations of portions of the Paraphrase of Erasmus, perhaps
the Epistle to Titus which appeared some time later. Toy, like many in
his business appears to have married the widow of another stationer
Nicholas Sutton. Toy died in 1535 and his will is preserved in the
Prerogative Court of Canterbury.
Richard Bankes, who began to print in 1523, was the first of a series
of printers who lived at “The long shop in the Poultry beside St
Mildred’s church door at the stocks,” and the first book he issued was
a collection of stories which he called “goodly and right pleasant,”
though they hardly merit that description, entitled _The IX Drunkardes_.
This very curious little book, of which the only copy known is in the
Bodleian, sets forth the evils of drink as exemplified by various
Scriptural characters. It is a translation from the Dutch and is
illustrated with a number of foreign woodcuts and borders.
From 1523 to 1526 Bankes printed five dated books and then ceased to
work for thirteen years, though he had one book printed for him by
Robert Copland in 1528. When he next appears as a printer in 1539 he
was living next the White Hart in Fleet Street and was apparently
subsidised to print the works of Richard Taverner, an ardent reformer,
a religious writer, and M.P. for Liverpool.
In 1540 immediately after Cromwell’s death a series of ballads
attacking and defending him were written by Thomas Smyth, clerk of the
Queen’s Council, and William Gray, a servant of Cromwell’s. These came
before the notice of the Privy Council and the two authors together
with Richard Bankes the printer were summoned to appear at eight
o’clock in the morning on Sunday, 3rd January 1541. The notice of this
trial brings up a new point of great interest to bibliographers.
Copies of these ballads are still extant in the library of the
Society of Antiquaries, several with Bankes’s full imprint, and in
the indictment he is spoken of as “noted to be the printer.” When the
case came on however Bankes absolutely denied that he had printed
them and laid the blame on Robert Redman lately deceased, and Richard
Grafton, who confessed he had printed some of them. On January 4 Smyth,
Gray and Grafton were committed to the Fleet. This account shows that
the colophons of the early printers, especially in the case of small
fugitive pieces, are not to be implicitly trusted, and emphasizes the
necessity of a careful study of type. Such a study also often shows
that some of the smaller printers were probably not printers at all,
but had their books printed for them.
Bankes last appears in 1545, when he issued with Richard Lant the Booke
of Cookery, of which there is a copy in the Hunterian Museum at Glasgow.
Lawrence Andrewe, who printed in Fleet Street near Fleet Bridge at the
sign of the Golden Cross, was a native of Calais and seems to have had
some connexion with John of Doesborch, the Antwerp printer, for whom he
translated several Dutch books into English, among them the _Valuation
of gold and silver_, and a book called _The wonderful shape and nature
that our Saviour Christ Jesu hath created in beasts, serpents, fowls_,
etc. He only issued two books with a date, two editions of Jerome of
Brunswick’s _Boke of Distillacyon_; and not only were they printed in
the same year, but they were finished on two consecutive days, the 17th
and 18th of April. These two editions vary throughout, and the reason
for the double issue seems inexplicable. His undated books comprise
editions of Aesop’s _Fables_, and the _Mirror of the World_, in folio,
the latter being ornamented with a profusion of miscellaneous woodcuts
obtained from various sources; and the _Directory of the conscience_
and the _Debate and stryfe betwene Somer and Wynter_ in quarto. The
_Debate_ was to be sold “at the signe of seynt John Evangelyst in saynt
Martyns parysshe besyde Charynge crosse” presumably by Robert Wyer
and may therefore be dated about 1530. In 1529 Andrewe was apparently
associated with Peter Treveris in the production of the _Grete
Herball_, for some copies contain his device. This device consisted of
his mark on a large shield within a frame of pillars and festoons of
very florid work. In some of the initials in his books his mark will be
found, showing that they were specially engraved for him. About 1534 a
certain printer named Leonard Andrewe, who may have been a relation,
was an assistant to John Rastell.
Though about all these early printers we have but meagre information,
the career of Thomas Godfray is particularly obscure. His name is
found in over thirty books; only two contain an address, in each
different, and only one a date. The dated book is the _Chaucer_ of
1532 printed at London by Thomas Godfray, itself a curious puzzle. It
was edited by William Thynne and had a preface by Sir Brian Tuke, and
a copy discovered by Henry Bradshaw in the library of Clare College,
Cambridge, has the inscription “This preface I sir Bryan Tuke knight
wrot at the request of Mr Clarke of the Kechyn then being, tarying for
the tyde at Grenewich.” Now Leland, the antiquary, distinctly states
that this edition was issued by Thomas Berthelet, and as he was a
contemporary of Godfray and Berthelet his words cannot be lightly
passed over. The title-page border used by Godfray in the _Chaucer_
and the _Gift of Constantine_ [1534] was used by Berthelet as early as
1535; and he used in the same year another border frame which Godfray
employed in the _Introductorie for to lerne French_ by Giles Dewes and
which was cracked during the printing of that book. Though we have no
direct evidence of the fact it would seem as though Godfray’s press
was subsidized by Berthelet, to a great extent, perhaps, owing to the
latter’s occupation with official work. Another point to be noticed
is that Godfray never mentions any sign, and this is nearly always
found to be the case with printers who worked for others and not for
themselves. Two of Godfray’s books can be dated from outside evidence.
_The Gift of Constantine_ was issued early in 1534, for on April 1
Marshall, at whose expense it was published, wrote to Cromwell, “I
send you two books now finished of the Gift of Constantine. I think
there was none ever better set forth for defacing of the pope of Rome.”
He also writes, “On the book of Constantine I have laid out all the
money I can make, and for lack of it cannot fetch the books from the
printers.” The second book is Christopher Saint-Germain’s _Answer to
a Letter_ which cannot be earlier than 1535, a date found in the book
itself. Godfray worked at one time in the Old Bailey and at another,
probably later, at Temple Bar, where he would be close to Berthelet. He
made no use of any device.
LECTURE VI.
RICHARD PYNSON AND THE LEARNED PRINTERS.
Having treated in my last lecture of Wynkyn de Worde and his followers
who represent the popular printers of the time, I come to-day to
Richard Pynson and his school, who represent the more learned press.
We have Haukins and Redman, Pynson’s successors; William Faques who
preceded and Thomas Berthelet who succeeded him as printer to the King;
and the two Rastells, John and William, brother-in-law and nephew to
Sir Thomas More, distinguished in the law.
Pynson, who had learned to print in Normandy, came to England some
time before 1492 and started as a printer outside Temple Bar, near the
church of St Clement Danes, where he continued up to 1500. In 1500,
while still living there he along with his servants were the victims
of a murderous attack from a riotous gathering headed by one Henry
Squire. In his evidence before the Star-Chamber Pynson stated that his
servants were so terrified by frequent threats and attacks that they
had left him, and his business was suffering in consequence. This is
quite likely to have been the cause of his moving, since he would be
much safer and better protected within the City. The move was not a
distant one for it was to a house which had belonged to the College
of St Stephen in Westminster with the sign of the George next to St
Dunstan’s Church in Fleet Street, at the corner where Chancery Lane
runs into it. He was still but a few doors from Temple Bar, but this
time on the right side of it. The year 1500 was also an important
one to Pynson, for in that year Cardinal Morton died, who had been a
valuable patron, and at whose cost the beautiful Sarum _Missal_ of 1500
had been produced.
The first book issued by Pynson at his new address was an edition of
the Sarum _Directorium Sacerdotum_, of which there is a perfect copy
at Ripon, and an imperfect one in the British Museum, which belonged
to Cranmer. The colophon sets forth that it was printed “intra barram
novi templi” in 1501, so that the date of Pynson’s move to St Dunstan’s
parish is clearly defined as between the publication of the _Book of
Cookery_ in 1500 and this _Directorium_ in 1501.
The only other book issued this year was a small tract describing the
escort and reception to be accorded to Katherine of Aragon.
Before speaking further of Pynson I should like to refer to a point
which I emphasized when speaking of De Worde and Notary, that is,
the method he followed in dating his books. In my former lectures I
asserted that he probably began his year on January 1, and for this
reason. The beautiful _Missal_ printed at the expense of Cardinal
Morton was finished on January 10, 1500, and the Cardinal died in
September of that year. If Pynson meant by his January 10, 1500, what
we should call 1501, then the book would have been issued after the
Cardinal’s death, and though the colophon tells us that the book was
printed at his command and expense, it has no mention of his being dead.
The book called the _Rule of St Benet_ has sometimes been pointed
out as a proof of Pynson beginning his year on March 25. The words
in the preface run, “We have ... caused it to be emprinted by our
wel beloved Rycharde Pynson of London printer. The XXII. day of the
monethe of January, the yere of oure Lorde M.CCCCC.XVI. and the VIII.
yere of the reigne of oure soverayne lorde kynge Henry the VIII.” In
this case January 22, 1516, is clearly what we should call 1517, but
then the words are not those of the printer but of the author, and it
is noteworthy that the printer in his colophon gives no date at all.
Doubtless a detailed examination of all books printed between January
1, and March 25, would settle the question, but such an examination is
at the present time very difficult. To perform such work exactly a very
large number of minute tests have to be formulated and applied, and
library after library visited, frequently three or four times as new
developments are discovered. When the day comes that our best libraries
have adequate photographic facilities these questions will be nearer
solution. In 1502 Pynson printed nine books, mostly of a liturgical or
scholastic nature, the only one deserving of particular notice being
the Sarum _Processional_ issued in November. Of this book one copy is
known printed upon vellum, which is now in the library of St John’s
College, Oxford.
In 1503 Pynson printed three books, the first English translation of
the _Imitatio Christi_, a new edition of the _Directorium Sacerdotum_,
and an edition of the _Mirror of the Life of Christ_. This last book
I can only give on the authority of the catalogue of Edwards the
bookseller, in 1794, for I do not know where any perfect copy is
preserved. A slightly imperfect copy however presumably of this edition
was sent to me to examine a few years ago. In 1504 the only dated book
is a very fine Sarum _Missal_, of which there is a copy in Emmanuel
College and a copy on vellum, slightly imperfect, in Manchester. A
curious work on natural philosophy by Hieronymus de Sancto Marcho
issued in 1505 has Pynson’s device on the title, though it seems
probable that he was not the printer. The printer, whoever he was,
had not a full supply of numerals, and in place of the two 5’s in the
date he has printed two small black-letter h’s as the nearest approach
in type to the numeral. The remaining books of this year are of small
interest.
In 1506 Pynson issued an edition of the _Principia_ of Peregrinus de
Lugo for the Oxford bookseller George Castellain. The imprint runs
“per Ricardum Pinson cum Solerti cura ac diligentia honestissimi
juvenis ac prudentissimi Hugonis Meslier.” Nothing whatever is known
of this assistant of Pynson’s, whose name occurs only in this book. In
this same year was issued an edition of the _Kalendar of Shephardes_,
which has a curious preface referring to the earlier edition of 1503,
which was translated from the French into the Scottish language and
printed at Paris by Antoine Verard; and also a Sarum _Manual_ of which
there are two copies on vellum, one in the library of Corpus Christi
College, Cambridge, the other at Stonyhurst. In 1507 two noteworthy
books were issued, an edition of the _Golden Legend_, of which the
unique (and happily quite perfect) copy is at Lambeth, and a Sarum
_Breviary_, of which two copies are known, both printed on vellum and
not quite perfect. The copy in the Rylands Library, the one described
by successive bibliographers, was in the collections of Ratcliffe and
Count MacCarthy but the date had been cut out of the colophon and the
book was usually ascribed to 1508. However, four years ago another copy
appeared for sale in an auction and was bought by a private collector.
In it the colophon was quite perfect and gave the exact date, August
25, 1507.
Some time after May, 1508, on the death of William Faques, Pynson
succeeded to the office of Printer to the King; so that he was not as
usually stated appointed by Henry VIII. At first an annuity of two
pounds was paid him and in 1515 the sum was raised to four pounds. The
office of King’s Printer though in many ways lucrative was not without
its drawbacks. Though he obtained all Government work he was compelled
to lay aside his other work until it was finished, which must sometimes
have been inconvenient.
The stirring events of 1509 seem to have had no effect on Pynson’s
work, and while W. de Worde issued some thirty dated books he contented
himself with five, and only one was of any importance from a literary
point of view. This was Alexander Barclay’s translation of Brant’s
_Ship of Fools_. This fine folio is printed in black-letter and roman
type and contains a number of excellent woodcuts. It also contains
the full-page cut of Pynson’s arms here used for the first time, and
probably only lately granted to him on his appointment as King’s
Printer, which carried with it the title of Esquire. A small work of
Savonarola issued on the eighth of September this year is interesting
as being the first dated work issued in England printed entirely in
Roman letter, though it is not improbable that the undated oration of
Peter Gryphus also issued this year may be a month or two earlier.
It is quite evident on examining the various accounts paid to Pynson
by the King that a great deal of his official work has absolutely
disappeared. In the many cases where definite proclamations, statutes,
or similar productions are quoted, hardly any evidence of their
existence is now to be found. Of course having once served their
purpose they would become obsolete and mere waste, but as many were
printed on vellum--in one case we find 400 skins printed, in another
450--it seems impossible that all could have been entirely destroyed.
Numbers no doubt found their way into the hands of the bookbinders and
were used to line bindings, for which purpose, having one side blank,
they were very suitable; and it is from old bindings that the greater
number of those extant have been recovered.
In 1511 he issued the _Pylgrymage of Sir Richard Guylforde_, a most
interesting book to read, as it gives a vivid description of a journey
to the Holy Land and of the death and burial of Sir Richard while there.
Among the books of 1513 was an edition of Lidgate’s _Sege and
Destruccyon of Troye_, of which he printed several copies on vellum,
one of which is in Pepys’s collection, as he did also of the _Statutes
of War_, which appeared in the same year, though no copies are now
known. Another lost book of this year would have had peculiar interest.
Ammonius wrote to Erasmus, shortly after Flodden, “Petrus Carmelianus
has just published an epitaph on the King of Scots, stuffed full of
womanly abuse, which you may soon read printed in Pynson’s type.” For
the next few years there is little of interest to chronicle in his work.
In 1521 was issued Henry VIII’s book the _Assertio septem
sacramentorum_. As might be expected many copies were printed on
vellum and sent round as presents to the princes of Europe, generally
containing an inscription in the King’s hand. Four copies at least are
now in existence, two being in the Vatican. About this book there is a
curious story. Montaigne in the journal of his voyage to Italy in 1581
said, “I saw the original of the book that the King of England composed
against Luther which he sent about fifty years since to Pope Leo X
subscribed of his proper hand with this beautiful Latin distich, also
of his hand,
Anglorum rex Henricus, Leo decime, mittit
Hoc opus, et fidei testem et amicitiae.
Unfortunately there is still extant among the State papers a letter
from Cardinal Wolsey to Henry in which the Cardinal writes, “I do send
also unto your highnes the choyse of certyne versis to be written in
the booke to be sent to the pope of your owne hande.” So much for the
royal author.
Between 1522 and 1525 the first edition of Froissart was issued
in two folio volumes, and it is one of those books that puzzle
the bibliographer as there are many variations and cancels in the
different copies. In 1522 appeared Tunstall’s _De arte supputandi_,
generally described as the first English printed book on arithmetic. A
presentation copy on vellum is in the University Library and another
imperfect vellum copy in Christ’s College. In 1526 appeared an edition
of Chaucer to which I think proper attention has not been paid. It is
generally described as consisting only of the _Canterbury Tales_, but
this is not the case. The book was issued in various parts of which
the _Canterbury Tales_ is one, and other works were issued in other
parts though no library contains a complete set. How many parts really
existed I do not know, but it looks as if the intention had been to
issue the complete works. In 1526 and 1527 editions of Henry’s VIII
letters against Martin Luther were issued, but unlike the _Assertio_ no
copies seem to have been printed on vellum.
Beyond the issue of three small law-books in 1528 Pynson seems to have
issued nothing up to his death in 1530, and there is no obvious reason
to account for this. There is something rather mysterious about the
relations between Pynson and Robert Redman, who will be noticed later,
for all the books printed by the latter between 1528 and the death of
Pynson, when he succeeded to his shop, bear no address, and it is just
possible that some arrangement had been made between them. The bindings
produced by Pynson are of very rare occurrence. He used two panels of
a small size. One contains his mark within a broad border and is very
similar in design to his device. The other contains the Tudor rose in
the centre with a border of foliage and flowers and vine-leaves in the
corners. There is an example in the British Museum.
Pynson died at the beginning of the year 1530 and his will dated
November 1529 was proved on the 18th of February following. He left
property in Chancery Lane and Tottenham but there is little of interest
in the will itself. He left bequests to his two apprentices John Snowe
and Richard Withers on condition of their faithfully serving out their
apprenticeships. At the time of his death he had only one child alive,
his daughter Margaret, who had married first a certain William Campion,
probably a stationer, by whom she had two daughters, Amye and Joane,
and secondly a man named Warde. Pynson’s son Richard is described as
lately deceased, but he had left a daughter Joan who was old enough to
be married in 1537. It is almost certainly this son Richard, and not
as usually asserted his father, who took out letters of denization in
1513, for Richard Pynson the elder could never have risen to be King’s
Printer and to have the right to bear arms without having been made a
denizen. Everything points to the fact that he was not only denizened
but naturalised, but the son who from his age must have been born
abroad would require letters of denization also.
After Pynson’s death at the beginning of 1530 a certain John Haukins
completed and issued the curious book on which Pynson had been at
work for some time, _L’Eclarcissement de la langue Française_ by John
Palsgrave. The history of this book is somewhat mysterious. At the end
of 1523 an indenture was made out between John Palsgrave and Pynson
for the printing of 60 reams of paper at six and eightpence a ream.
Another indenture of the same year was for printing 750 copies of
_Lesclarcissement de la lange Francoys_, containing three sundry books.
Pynson engaged to print daily a sheet on both sides [that is four
pages] and Palsgrave agreed not to keep him waiting for copy.