commencing on a ii (the first leaf having been left blank), very fine and perfect copy, with exception of a vi in List of Contents which is a facsimile, a few other leaves most skilfully restored, brown morocco extra, gilt edges, by F. Bedford, EXTREMELY RARE, £125.

Emprentyd by me Richarde de Pynson, 1493

This was the first book printed by Pynson with a date, and appears to be the copy which sold for £50 in Wilks's sale in 1847, and for the same sum in Stevens's in 1857. According to Lowndes, it had been supposed that the book should contain a final leaf with Pynson's device, but he also mentions that the fact had been expressly denied. I have seen it stated that a copy is known having a final leaf of that sort, but it has also been supposed that the notion of its existence originated in the words of Ames (whose description was transcribed by Dibdin in its integrity), which I cite as follows: "The copy before me has only seven [leaves in the last sheet]; probably the eighth had his device or . . . had the cut on the title-page repeated." That in Lord Spencer's library has not any such leaf; and besides his copy, only three others are known.

The author of this curious work was Henry Parker, of Doncaster, a Carmelite. He preached against the pomp of the priesthood and reproved the prelates for the possession of wealth and their modes of living, which he contrasted with the utter poverty of which Christ had given example. He was compelled to do public penance and ask pardon for his scandalous statements; but the winged words had gone forth; and Pynson printed them in 1493 with the title of Dives and Pauper; followed in 1496 by Wynkin de Worde.

The book is full of curious and suggestive matter, historical allusions, and racy proverbial phrases. The style of the Dialogue appears in the following specimens:

"Dives. Thou art the more fole. But it is a comon proverbe A foles bolte is sone shotte. Abyde and aunswere, and I wol ley an hundryd pounde that I shalle preve thee by gode argumentes that he is but a fole whiche wyl nat bisye him to be riche."

"It felle late in this londe that a Scott appelyd an Englissh man of high tresone, whane he shudd fighte bifore a Juge in their cause, the Juge as the maner is, putt them bothe to their othe. Whāne the Scott shulde swere he said to the Juge, Lorde I came nat hyder to swere, I came to fight, for my chalenge was to fight, and therto I am redy, but swere wol I nat for I made no chalenge to swere."

21874 BRANDT (Sebastian). This present Boke named the SHYP OF FOLYS OF THE WORLDE . . translated I the College of saynt mary Otery in the counte of Devonshyre: out of Laten, Frenche, and Doche into

21874*

Englysshe tongue by Alexander Barclay Preste, small folio, BLACK LETTER, with fine woodcuts, a fine large copy, complete in every respect, and bound in brown morocco extra, by BEDFord, £120.

...

...

Inprentyd. in Fletestre (sic). By Rycharde Pynson, 1509 facsimiles of folio 274, the last leaf, 21s (1509-1883) Barclay translated probably from a copy of the Paris edition of 1495, but his version is so free and so diffuse that he may be said to have made the work his own, and transformed it into a satire upon his own people. The woodcuts are close copies of those in the original. The Latin text is given as well as the English paraphrase. Amongst the additional matter scattered throughout the text by Barclay is a panegyric upon James IV, whom he designates the arm, and upon Henry VII, whom he proposes as the head, of a new crusade against the Turks. A reference to America is found on the reverse of folio cxxxix, where the new discoveries made for King Ferdinand in the west, and other discoveries possibly yet to be made, are pointed out as showing the folly of map-makers.

21875 TUNSTAL (Bishop). DE ARTE SVPPVTANDI libri qvattvor Cvtheberti Tonstalli, small 4to. singularly large copy, with numerous uncut leaves, olive morocco extra, gilt edges, by Riviere, £30.

Londini in aedibvs Richardi Pynsoni, 1522

The first book on Arithmetic printed in England. Most copies have not the additional leaf of Errata which is found in this copy, and which seems to have been printed for Bishop Tunstal after the publication of the book. That leaf has besides a distinct value as containing the Register for collation of the book. An extra leaf of paper precedes it, with further errata in MS., which is stated to be in the handwriting of the bishop himself, and which would therefore prove that this was his own copy.

In the preliminary epistle to Sir Thomas More, Tunstal gives a curious account of the origin of this work. It seems that in his dealings with certain goldsmiths, or silversmiths, he suspected that the accounts were fraudulently prepared, and therefore he made a special study of the forgotten science of his boyhood-arithmetic-in order to be able to check the figures. The result of his labours was a book for his own use, which, on being appointed Bishop of London, he thought no longer necessary to his new station, but probably worthy of being printed for the use of others.

21876 FROISSART. Here begynneth the first volum of sir Johan Froyssart of the cronycles of Englande | Fraunce Spayne | Portyngale | Scotlande | Bre

tayne Flauders and other places adioyninge. Translated. . . . by Johan Bourchier knight lorde Berners, 2 vols. folio, BLACK LETTER, title and A vi in the first volume in facsimile, and the margins of a few leaves restored, fine copy, russia extra, gilt edges, by Bedford, £63. Richarde Pynson, 1523-25 Copies having both volumes of Pynson's printing are extremely rare.

21877 FROISSART. Here begynneth the fyrst volum of Syr Johan Froyssart: of the Cronycles of Englande, Fraunce, Spayne, Portyngale, Scotlaude (sic), Bretayne, Flaunders, and other places adioynynge. Translated. . . . by Johan Bouchier knyght lorde Berners, 2 vols. folio, BLACK LETTER, very fine large copy, scarlet morocco, gilt edges, by Riviere, £70.

(Vol. I:) Wyllyam Myddylton, n. d. (Vol. II:) Rycharde Pynson, 1525

Very rare. Perkins' copy sold for £96; Corser's for £95. 21878 LYDGATE. HERE BEGYNNETH THE BOKE OF JOHAN BOCHAS, DISCRYUING THE FALL OF PRICES, PRINCESSES, AND OTHER NOBLES: Translated in to Englysshe by John Lydgate (in Verse), folio, woodcuts, a small piece on the last leaf made up in facsimile, but, all things considered, a fine copy in morocco extra, gilt edges, by Bedford, EXTREMELY RARE, £55.

Richarde Pynson, 1527

A charming volume, equally desirable under several aspects; as a book of great rarity, as a production of one of England's earliest printers, as a specimen of ancient wood engraving in this country, and as containing the text of an old English poem. On folio A ii, in the prologue of the translator, we find the following stanza :

My maister Chaucer with his fressh commedies
Is deed alas! chefe poete of Bretayne

That somtyme made full pitous tragedies

The fall of princes he did also complayne

As he that was of makyng soverayne

Whom all this lande of right ought preferre

Sithe of our language he was the lode sterre.

The judgment of Lydgate concerning Chaucer, as well as the words in which he expresses it, is noteworthy. He calls him "of making sovereign," .e. the King of Poetry; showing thus that the original sense of the word poet was not forgotten in its English equivalent.

Julian Notary (1495-1520).

21879 [VORAGINE (Jacobus de)] THE GOLDEN LEGENDE, conteynynge the Lyves and Hystoryes taken out of the Byble, and Legendes of the Saintes, 2 parts in 1, small folio, with engravings, wOODCUTS, fine large copy, but wanting 6 leaves in the second part (folios 40, 41, 42, 43, 111, and 258 containing colophon), splendidly bound in morocco super extra, gilt edges, tooled in the antique style, by Hayday, £115. Emprynted at Tempell Barre by me Julyan Notary, 1503 Only two other copies known; one of which is in the British Museum and the other in the Hunterian Museum at Glasgow.

This copy belonged to Herbert and bears his autograph. The description given by him is reprinted by Dibdin in the Typog. Ant. without alteration, as the latter had not been able to find a copy to refer to.

This translation was made by Caxton, and it has been remarked that he made use of the word "breeches " (made from fig-leaves) in Genesis iii. 7, thus anticipating by about eighty years the Genevan Bible to which that word has been applied as a distinguishing epithet.

21880 ALANUS AB INSULIS. Parabolarum Alani cum commentario (sic), smallest 4to. curious woodcut on title, of the author seated before his desk and his books; red morocco extra, gilt edges, by Bedford, £15.

London. Per.. Julianum Notary In tempellbarre

1505

VERY RARE; this edition by Julian Notary being quite unknown, although the impression by Winkin de Worde in 1508 was only a reprint of it.

Colophon: Here

21881 [CAXTON'S CHRONICLE]-Colophon :

endeth this present Cronycle of Englonde with the fruyte of tymes, compyled in A booke, small folio, several woodcuts, including large ones on title and on reverse of third leaf, portion of leaf 80 supplied in facsimile, old calf, £40.

Julyan Notary dwellynge in powlys chyrche yarde, 1515

Only three or four copies are in existence. Lowndes says that the Description of England is annexed to the Chronicle, or at least that it was so in some instances.

21882 KALENDER OF SHEPARDES: small folio, ninety-seven leaves, wanting the title and sig. E 6, front margin of six leaves cropped,

very curious woodcuts representing the Planets, Signs of the Zodiac, the torments of Hell, etc. vellum, £7. 10s

Julian Notary (ca. 1515)

A very rare edition which, according to the description of Julian Notary's in Dibdin's Typographical Antiquities, Vol. III, p. 590, may be attributed to that printer. This though not agreeing exactly with that description is evidently from the same press. The woodcuts are those used by Pynson.

This is apparently a translation into English of the famous "Compost et Kalendriers des Bergiers," a work once of the greatest popularity, as is attested by the numerous editions of it, all of which are now of the greatest rarity. The work is written in prose and verse, and besides an Almanack, Directions for finding Easter and other movable Feasts, the Eclipses, Descriptions of the Months, etc., contains several curious Pieces, amongst which are most remarkable "the Tree of Vices" (in verse); "the Pains of Hell" (in prose, with woodcuts showing the torments of the damned); "the Garden of Virtues" (in prose); the Lord's Prayer, Belief, Decalogue, Ballad of the Wise Man, Ballad of the Woman Shepheard, Song of Death, Ten Commandments of the Devil (in verse), the Phisnomy of Mans Body, Shepheards Physick and Regiment of Health (in prose and verse), Shepheards Astrology, Saying of a Dead Man (in verse), the Horner (in verse), Signes of the Zodiacke, ancient Proverbs (in verse), etc.

III. POETIC AND DRAMATIC LITERATURE. 1. Manuscripts.

21883 ROLLE (Richard) OF HAMPOLE, PRICK OF CONSCIENCE. Explicit tractatus Stimulus Consciencie nōinat' Incipit liber Rici Hampole que fect. uni Anachorita, Anglice, 4to. English Manuscript on VELLUM, bound in vellum, gilt edges, £63.

Saec. XIV-XV

These works, both written in English by Richard Rolle Hermit of Hampole, are valuable as specimens of English versification and prose in the XIVth century. The Treatise written for a Hermit, in prose, seems to be very scarce and almost unknown. It begins thus-"In euereche synful man or womman yt is bounden in dedli synne beth thre wrecchidnesses. In the list of Rolle's works given by Tanner, there are two with which it might be identified: the Treatise on active life and contemplative life; and that addressed "to an anchoresse."

The MS. was written by a South-English scribe probably in the reign of Richard II, and is in excellent condition. The writing is clear and good, and the text offers variants which are not without interest. As a small instance, I note on line 48 "in fele kyndes," where Mr. Morris's edition has sere (which he glosses "several") instead of fele (many). In the orthography we find uche for each, fulth for filth, etc.

The book belonged to Dame Alice Burton, and her cousin Margaret, in the early part of the fifteenth century.