Page:A dictionary of printers and printing.djvu/494

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SEVENTEENTH CENTURY.

485

mirably that learned man amused himself with this " assembly of divines !" They were discus- sing the distance between Jerusalem and Jericho, with a perfect ignorance of sacred or of ancient geog^phy ; one said it was twenty miles, another ten, and at last it was concluded to be only seven, for this strange reason, that fish was brought from Jericho to Jerusalem market ! Selden observed, that " possibly the fish in ques- tion was salted," and silenced these acute dis- putants. At length, owing to the numerous complaints of the gross errors in the scriptures, the printing of bibles was a privilege granted to William Bentley ; but he was opposed by Hills and Field ; and a paper war arose, in which they mutually recriminated on each other, with equal truth. See the year 1659, pott. 1632. In this year a patent was granted to the university of OxJTord, empowering them to have three printers, with a licence to print all manner of books not forbidden by law.

1632. Novum Tettammtum Gr tecum, was printed at Cambridge, by Mr. Buck, and has ever been admired for the perspicuity of its type, as well as for the accuracy of its typography. But it is by no means generally known, that the types were borrowed from the sister university of Oxford. Lord Pembroke* was the chancellor of the university of Cambridge, and there is said to be a letter in existence from his lordship to the curators of the university of Oxford, entreating from them the loan of their Greek tj-pes, as they made no use of them themselves.

1632. John Norton printed the following ly. The Fatal Dowry, a tragedy, as it hath ene often noted at the private house in Black Friers, by his majesties servants. Written by P. M. and N. F. London : printed by John Norton for Francis Constable, and are to be sold at his shop, at the Crane, in Paul's church yard. P. M. is Philip Massinger, and N. F. is Na- thaniel Field. The play is said to be a very good one.

1632. Mark Wyon, a printer of Douay, ex- ecuted the following English work entitled, the Wiietitone of nproof ; being a reply to sir Hum- phrey Linde's Safe icay; by T. T. Sacristan and Catholike Roman, 12mo. which bears for imprint Catuapoli apud viduam Marci Wyonis. Thus it it appears that Catuapolis is another name for Douay. When Wyon died is unknown, but his widow continued to reside in that town at the sign of the Golden Phtenix, until the year 1640, in which year she was thepublisher of a Ditpu- tatumof the Church, by E. S.F. 2 vols. 12mo.

  • William, esri of Pembroke, was the son of the lUns-

trious Blary Sidney, who united in himself the exquisite virtues of his mother, with the manners, accomplish- ments, and character of a tnte English gentleman ; be- loved by every good man, and by all the muses of the age. He was bora at Wilton, February 8, 1S80, and died at Baynard*9 castle, April 10, 1630, and was burled in Salis- bury cathedral. He was the first who wore knit stock- logs in England, which were introduced in this reign. They were presented to him by William Rider, an apprentice, near London bridge, who happened to see a pair from Mantua, at an Italian merctiant*s, in the dty, and made a pair exactly like them.

1632. The Poetical Garland or Julia. Huet has given a charming description of a pre- sent made by a lover to his mistress ; a gift which romance has seldom equalled for its gallantry, ingenuity, and novelty. It was called the Garland of Julia. To understand the nature of this gift, it will be necessary to give the history of the parties. The beautiful Julia d'Angennes was in the flower of her youth and fame, when the cele- brated Gustavus, king of Sweden, was making war in Germany with the most splendid success. Julia expressed her warm admiration of this hero. She had his portrait placed on her toilette, and took pleasure in declaring that she would have no other lover than Gustavus. The duke de Montausier was, however, her avowed and ardent admirer. A short time aAer the death of Gustavus,* he sent her, as a new-year's gift, the poetical garland, of which the following is a description.

The most beautiful flowers were painted in miniature by an eminent artist, one Kobert, on pieces of vellum, all of equal dimensions. Under every flower a space was left open for a madrigal on the subject of the flower there painted. The duke solicited the wits of the time to assist in the composition of these little poems, reserving a considerable number for the efi'usions of his own amorous muse. Under every flower he had its madrigal written by N. du Jarry, celebrated for his beautiful caligraphy. A decorated frontispiece offers a splendid gar- land, composed of all these twenty-nine flowers; and on turning the page a cupid is painted to the life. These were magnificently bound, and enclosed in a bag of rich Spanish leather. When Julia awoke on new-year's day, she found this lover's gift lying on her toilette ; it was one quite to her taste, and successful to the donor's hopes.

Of this Poetical Garland, thus formed by the hands of Wit and Love, Huet says, " As I had long heard of it, I frequently expressed a wish to see it : at length the duchess of Uzzez gpiati- fied me with the sight. She locked me in her cabinet one afternoon with this garland: she then went to the queen, and at the close of the evening liberated me. I never passed a more agreeable afternoon."

One of the prettiest inscriptions of these flowers is the following, composed

ON THE VIOLET.

" Modeste en ma coulenr, modeste en mon sejoor, Francbe d'ambition, je me cache sous Tberbe; Mais si sur votte front Je puis me voir nn Jour, La plus humble des Aenrs sera la plus superbe."

Modest my colour, modest is my place, Pleas'd in the grass my lowly form to liide ;

But, "mid your garland might I twine with grace. The humblest flower would feel the loftiest pride.

At the sale of the library of the duke de la Valliere, in 1784, it was actually sold for the extravagant sum of 14,510 livres! though in 1770, at Gaignat's sale, it only cost 780 livres.

  • Gustavus Adolphus, king of Sweden, was born at

Stockhohn, December 9, IMM, and was killed at the battle of Lntzen, November t, 1632, (o. s.)

VjOOQ IC