FIFTEENTH CENTURY.
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lelfiwmple, rude, and ygnorant, wherfor I hum- bly heteche my tayd lord chamberlayn to par- dmute me of this rude and simple translaciun. How be it, I ley e for myne excuse, that I haue, to my power, followed my copie, and as nyqhe as to me is possible I haue made it so playn, that every num resonable may understonde it, i^he aduysedbf and ententyfly rede or here it. And yf ther be fatdte in meswryng of the firmament, sonne, mone, or of therthe, or in any other meruaylles herein eorieyned, I beseeche you not tarette the defaulte in me, but in hym that made my copye; whiche book I began first to translate the second day of Janyuer, in the yer of our Lord meccclxxx, and fiymsshed the viii day of Marche the same yere. MM the xxi yere of the regne of the most christen hfng, kynge Edward the fourth, under the sha- Mw of whos noble protection I haue emmysed and jynysshed this sayd lytil werke ana Soke, heseching almyghty god to be his protector and defendour agayn alle his enemyes, and gyue hym grace to suidue them, and tnespeeiall them that haue late enterprysed agayn right and reson to make warn wythm his royamme, and also to pre- serue and mayntene hym in longe lyf and pros- perous helthe, and after this short and transitorye lyf he brynge hym and t» into his celestyal blysse m heuene. Amen. Caxton me fieri fecit."
It appears that Caxton printed two editions of the above, the first being upon the best paper, with blaaks for the initial capitals; it contains one hundred leaves, and has twenty-niQe lines in a page. The second is printed with the same type, and capital initials; it contains eigh^-four leaves, with thirty-one lines in a page, and con- cludes with the addition " Caxtonme fieri fecit." His large device is on a separate leaf at the end. This is said to have been the first work in which he used signatures; but it appears that he first adopted them in the second editJon of the Dictes.
This work is copiously described by Mr. Uib- din, in his Typographical Antiquities, with' fac- similies of the engravings, which he observes are the first known engravings, with a date, produced in England. The duke of Roxburghe's copy produced the sum of j£3dl ld«. A copy of the second edition, with two leaves of the table, and a portion of two other leaves supplied by manu- script, was offered in a trade catalogue for £50.
14S1. The Historye of Reynart the Foxe, ire. Which was in dutche, and by me, willm Caxton trtaulated in to this rude and symple englyssh in thabbey of Westmestre fynysshed the rj day of Juyn the yere of our lord m.cccc.lxxxj and the xxi yere of the regne of kynge Edward the iiijth.
This curious and exceedingly scarce volume is called a quarto by some, and a folio by others; the copy in his Majesty's library is said to be the only one known in this country. Heame called this work " an admirable thing, and the design Tety good; viz. to represent a wise and politic gorenunent." Mr. Douce thinks this "cele- brated and interesting romance" was composed long before the twelfth century. The name of the original Dutch author has not yet been brought to light.
1481. TTie Soke of Tulle of old age 4-c Em. prynted bt) me tytnple persone William Caxton into Englysshe at the playsir solace and reverence of men growing into olds age the xij day of Au- gust the yere of our lord m.cccclxxxj. To which are added,
Tullius his Book of Friendship; and the De- claracyon, shewing wherein Honoure shM teste. Printed by the same: in the same year.
Oldys observes, respecting the above, that " this threefold work is sufficiently explained in the prefaces and conclusions of its several parts." After eiglit leaves of contents, it closes thus —
" Tlius endelh the boke of Tulle nf Olde Age, translated out of iMtifn into Frenshe by Laurence de prima Facto, at the comaundement of the noble prynce Lowys, due of Burbon, and enprynted by me symple persone, William Caxton, into Eng- lysshe, at the playsir, solace, and reverence of men growyng into old age, the 12 day of August, the yere of our Lorde 1481."
Caxton has not given us the name of the translator of the foregoing. Leland attributes it to Tiptoit: but Mr. Anstis informs us, that it was done by Wyllyam de Wyrcestre, alias Botaner, and presented by him to Wyllyam Waynflate, bisnup of Winchester. This is cod- firme<l by a Latin memorandum in the manu- script library of Bennet college, thus entitled — " Itinerarium Will Worcester de Bristoll ad Montem S. Michaelis in An Christi 1478" — " The 20th day of August I presented to Wyl- lyam Waynflete, bishop of Wmchester, the boke of Tully of Old Age, translated by me into English."*
1 hen follows the declarations of Publius Cor- nelius Scipio and Gayus Flamyneus, competi- tors for the love of Lucresse, explaining wherein true honour and nobleness consists; the former placing it in blood, riches, and the worshipful deeds of his ancestors, without urging any thing of his own life or manners; the latter insisting, that nobleness cannot be derived from the glory or merits of another man, or from the flattering goods of fortune, but must rest in a man's own proper virtue and glory. These orations, with the argument or introduction, take up nine- teen leaves: — ^and afterwards Caxton ados (what has been overlooked by Herbert,) " This little Volume, a thin 4*. / have emprised t'imprint un- der the Umbre aTid shadow of the noble protection of OUT most dread sovereign, and most christian king, Edward the fourth; whom I most humbly besought to receive the said book of me, William Caxton, his most humble subject and little ser-
• "ThU William Wyicestre," says Lewis, " wa» an an- tiquarr and pbjrsidan, and perhaps on that account had the name of Botaner, or herbalist; and an astronomer of great abilities for the age he lived in. He was born in the city of Bristol, in the year 1415, and ■ sometyme sernaontc and Boget withe his rcnerent master John Fastolf cheva- lier, and exercised bi the werres above 44 ycrcs,' and in so (treat favoar with Sir John, that he left him one of the executors of bis last wiU. He wrote a particular treatise of sir John's life, but whether in Latin or English is alto- gether uncertain. But, however, this English translation , by whomsoever made, is not from the original Latin, bnt, as Mr. Ca-tton has acquainted us, from the French, ftc."
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