Like so many other of the early printers, Richard Jugge, 1548-77, whose
shop was at the sign of the Bible at the north door of St. Paul’s, was a
University man, having studied at King’s College, Cambridge. “He had a
license from Government to print the New Testament in English, dated
January, 1550; and no printer ever equalled him in the richness of the
initial letters and general disposition of the text which are displayed
therein.” On the accession of Elizabeth to the throne, he printed the
proclamation, November 17, 1558. About seventy books are catalogued as
coming from his press. His elegant Mark consists of a massive
architectural panel, adorned with wreaths of fruit, and bearing in the
centre an oval within which is a pelican feeding her young, surrounded
by the mottoes, “Love kepyth the Lawe, obeyeth the Kynge, and is good to
the commen welthe,” and “Pro Rege Lege et Grege.” On the left of the
oval stands a female figure having a serpent twined round her right arm,
with the word “Prudentia” underneath, whilst the second female figure,
with a balance and a sword, is called “Justicia”; in the bottom centre
in a small cartouche panel is the name R. Jugge in the form of a
monogram. This Mark was also used by J. Windet and by Alexander
Arbuthnot, of Edinburgh, of which we give the example of the last named.
Hugh Singleton, 1548-82, appears to have earned as much notoriety among
his contemporaries for his “rather loose” principles as for the books
which he printed. He was often in conflict with the authorities, and
very narrowly escaped severe punishment for printing one of Stubbs’
outbursts, for which the author and Page the publisher had their right
hands cut off with a butcher’s knife and a mallet in 1581; Singleton was
pardoned. His Mark, of which there are variations, is sufficiently
self-explanatory, although it may be mentioned that for a time he dwelt
at the Golden Tun in Creed Lane. Walter Lynne, 1547-50, who was a
scholar and an author, had a shop at “Sommer’s Key near Billingsgate”
and printed about twenty sermons and other religious tracts in octavo,
employed the device given as an initial to the present chapter. John
Wyghte, or Wight, resembled Singleton somewhat in his facility for
running his head against established customs, and was on one occasion
fined for keeping his shop open on St. Luke’s Day, and on another for
selling pirated books. His shop was at the sign of the Rose, St. Paul’s
Churchyard, and his books--beginning with an edition of the Bible--range
from the year 1551 to 1596. His device was a portrait of himself, which
varies considerably both in size and in other respects. Perhaps the most
curious and interesting work which he published was “A Booke of the arte
and manner how to plant and graffe all sortes of trees,” 1586,
translated from the French by Leonard Mascall, and dedicated to Sir John
Paulet.
[Illustration: A. ARBUTHNOT.
ALEXANDER ARBVTHNET
LOVE KEPYTH THE LAWE OBEYETH THE KYNGE
AND IS GOOD TO THE COMMEN WELTHE
PRO LEGE REGE, ET GREGE
PRVDENCIA IVSTICIA]
[Illustration: HUGH SINGLETON.