Few persons having a common object in view, and equally desirous of its
attainment, fail in carrying it into effect. The object of "The Caxton
Memorial" is obviously to do honour to the first English printer; and if
a man's best monument be his own works, it will be necessary to
ascertain of what they consist. It is well known that most of the works
printed by Caxton were translated from the French, many doubtless by
himself. The Prefaces were evidently his own, and the continuation of
the _Polychronicon_ was confessedly written by himself. The most
valuable contribution to "The Caxton Coffer" would be a list of the
works which it is proposed to publish as those of Caxton, with some
calculation of their probable extent and cost of production. The
originals being in many cases of extreme rarity, it would be necessary
to transcribe fairly each work, and to collate it with the original in
its progress through the press. The following enumeration of the
Translations alone will give some idea of the work to be undertaken:
_The Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye._ (1471.)
_The Game and playe of the Chesse._ 1474.
_Thymage, or Myrrour of the World._ (1481.)
_The Historye of Reynart the foxe._ 1481.
_The laste siege and conqueste of Jherusalem._ 1481.
_The Golden Legende._ 1483.
_The Book called Cathon._ 1483.
_The Book of the techynge of the Knyght of the Toure._ (1484.)
_The Fables of Esope, Avian, Alfonce, and Poge._ 1484.
_The Booke of the ordre of Chyvalry or knyghthode._ (1484.)
_The Lyf of Prince Charles the Grete._ 1485.
_The Ryal Book, or Book for a kyng._ 1485.
_Thystorye of the noble knyght Parys_. (1485.)
_The Doctrinal of Sapience._ 1489.
_The Book of fayttee of armes and of Chyvalrye._ 1489.
_A lityl treatise of the arte to knowe well to dye._ 1490.
_The Boke of Eneydos compyled by Vyrgyle._ 1490.
_The Curial of Maystre Alain Charretier._ n. d.
_The Lyf of the holy Vyrgyn Saynt Wenefryde._ n. d.; and, lastly,
_The Vitas Patrum_, which was translated by Caxton in 1486, but printed
by Wynkyn de Worde in 1495.
Such are some of the materials for the "Memorial" suggested by MR.
BOLTON CORNEY; and if the original subscribers to a Monument should
consent to such an appropriation of their funds, it will be necessary to
apportion the number of copies to be distributed to each subscriber,
according to the amount of the original contribution. It is to be
presumed that the work will be strictly limited to subscribers, and
that no copies will be printed for sale, the object being, to do honour
to Caxton, and produce a lasting Memorial of that industrious printer.
The form of the work is of importance, with reference to the cost of its
production: and if a new life of the first English printer should
perchance be found necessary, "The Caxton Coffer" will require to be
considerably replenished before the literary undertaking can be carried
into effect.