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MONOGRAMS AND DEVICES OF ANTIENT PRINTERS (No. VI.-English.)

provide, for one year, printers, compositors, &c. together with papers, ink, presses, &c. at reasonable rates and prices.

There was a Richard Grafton, a grocer, member of parliament for the city of London, 1553 and 1554; and again, 1556 and 1557, who might probably be our printer. February 5, 1557, Grafton was joined with others to examine a matter against Walter Rawley, a burgess, complained on out of the Admiralty Court, by Dr. Cook's letter. March 9, 1562, the bill for paving of Kent-street, in the borough of Southwark, was brought in by Grafton, who that year served for the city of Coventry, in Warwickshire, as appears by the journals of the House of Commons. In 1563, he brought in a bill to assize the weight of barrels, &c.

7. The device of John Reynes, who was a printer, bookseller, and binder, at the sign of St. George, in St. Paul's Church-Yard, in 1527, if not earlier. Books printed by or for him occur from 1527 to 1544 according to Ames, there is a considerable number of books which bear his marks, and have pretty devices on their covers, as the arms and supporters of Jesus Christ, with the motto Redemptoris Mundi Arma.

8. The mark of Lawrence Andrew, a native of Calais, who translated the works of several authors previously to his learning the art of printing; which he is supposed to have acquired from John of Doesborowe and Peter Treveris. He afterwards practised it in Fleet-street, at the sign of the Golden Cross, by Fleet Bridge.

Explanation of the annexed Monograms, &c.-No. VI.

1. Is the device of John Bedel, or Byddle, stationer and printer; who appears to have sold books in the year 1533, if not earlier, and is conjectured to have served his apprenticeship to Wynkyn de Worde. He first opened a shop at the "sygne of Our Lady of Pytie, next to Flete-Bridge," whence he afterwards removed to Wynkyn de Worde's house, and was one of his executors, as appears by De Worde's will.

2. The mark of Edward Whitchurch, who has already been mentioned in connexion with Richard Grafton (pp. xxxiii. xxxiv.supra). He was originally educated for the mercantile profession, and was joined in the same patent with Grafton, for the office of King's printer. Fox states, in his acts and monuments, that he was brought into trouble with Grafton, in the year 1554, concerning the six articles, being suspected not to have been confessed. They continued in friendship and partnership together for many years, though Whitchurch dwelt separate, and kept shop at several places in London. In the year 1554, there was a general pardon proclaimed within the Abbey, at the time of Queen Mary's coronation, out of which proclamation, the prisoners of the Tower and of the Fleet were excepted, and sixty-two more; whereof Whitchurch and Grafton were two. Whitchurch afterwards married the widow of Archbishop Cranmer, and continued printing until the year 1554. 3. The device of Thomas Petit, Petyt, or Petyte, whom Ames conjectures to have been related to the celebrated Parisian printer John Petit (or Johannes Parvus). He printed between 1538 and

1554.

4. That of Reinold, or Reginold Wolfe, a native of Switzerland: he was probably related to the Wolfes, eminent printers at Basil, and was bred to the profession of a printer. Wolfe settled in St. Paul's Church-Yard, in a house which he built on the scite of a dissolved chantry. His first work is dated in 1542, and his last in 1573. During this period, he printed most of Archbishop Cranmer's pieces, and other books appointed for public use in the church; and enjoyed the favour of Henry VIII. and the principal nobility of his time. Wolfe was the first who had a patent for being printer to the King in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. By this instrument, dated April 19th, 1547, the 1st year of Edward VI. he was authorized to be his Majesty's bookseller and stationer, and to print books of every kind in those languages, as well as Greek and Latin grammars, although intermixed with English, together with maps, charts, &c. which might at any time be useful and necessary. He was further permitted to exercise this office, either himself or by his sufficient deputies; and was to receive, during his life, an annuity of twenty-six shillings and eight-pence, besides all other profits and advantages that might accrue from his office. Wolfe, however, has other claims to notice, independently of his typographical skill: being a man of learning, and fond of antiquarian pursuits, he collected the materials for the chronicles, afterwards digested and published by Holinshed. His widow, Joan Wolfe, printed from 1574 to 1580.

5. The device of John Day, a man of great learning, who printed from 1549 to 1584. He was the first who printed in Saxon cha racters, and greatly improved the Greek, Italic, and other characters; and, as no work of his appeared during the reign of Queen Mary, Ames conjectures that he was employed in bringing his art to perfection. Among other works executed by him, were the voluminous Acts and Monuments of John Fox, the martyrolo gist, beside numerous publications written in favour of religion and against the Romish church. His motto, Arise: for it is Day, referred to the night of ignorance, newly dispersed: tradition, indeed, ascribes it to a different origin, and states that Day was accustomed to awake his apprentices, when they had prolonged their slumbers beyond the usual hour, by the wholesome application of a scourge, and the summons-Arise! It is Day. There does not, however, appear to be any foundation for this tradition. Richard Day, a son of our printer, was associated in a patent with his father, in 1577, for printing the Psalms in metre, &c. He was a man of learning, had graduated at Cambridge, and printed from that year until 1584.

6. The device of William Seres, who was concerned as a partner with John Day, in the publication of several pieces; but Day's name always stands first. According to Strype, Seres was a servant to Sir William Cecil, principal Secretary of State to Edward VI.; who procured for him a licence to print "all manner of private prayers, called primers, as should be agreeable to the common prayer established in the court of parliament, and that none else should print the same." Strype further adds, that Seres had a privilege for printing psalters, primers (English or Latin), and prayer-books; which was taken away from him by Queen Mary, but restored, through Cecil's interest, in the reign of Elizabeth, with an extension of the grant to him and his son, during the life of the longest liver. Seres continued to print from 1544 to 1576.

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MONOGRAMS AND DEVICES OF ANTIENT PRINTERS. (No. VII.-English.)

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