490
HISTORY OF PRINTING.
of Scotland at this period were William Drum- raond, sir Robert Ayton,* William Alexander earl of Stirling, Alexander Hume,t and Robert Kerr, earl of Ancrum. When James I. visited Scotland in 1617, he was addressed, wherever he went, in excellent Latin verse, sometimes the composition of persons in the middle ranks of society. — Chambert.
1637, Juli/ 11. A decree of the star chamber contains theioUowing oppressive clause, "Where- as there is an agreement betwixt sir Thomas Bodley, knight, founder of the university library, at Oxford, and the master, wardens and assistants of the company of stationers, viz.: — that every book of every sort, that is now print- ed, or reprinted with additions, be sent to the universitie at Oxford, for the use of the public librarie there. The court doth hereby order and declare, that every printer shall reserve one book new printed, or reprinted by him with additions ; and shall, before any publique visiting of the said books, bring it to the common hall of the companie of stationers, and deliver it to the officer thereof, to be sent to the librarie at Ox- ford accordingly, upon pain of imprisonment, and such further order and direction therein, as to this court, or the high commission court respec- tively,as the several! causes shall be thought fit."
This delivery of a single copy to the Bodleian library originating out of a private transaction, became a serious matter of obligation : it seems not to have been very willingly complied with.
1637, Jul}/ II. Archbishop Laud procured a decree to be passed in the $tar chamber, by which it was ordered, " that the master printers should be reduced to twenty in number; and that if any other should secretly, or openly, pursue the trade of printing, he should be set in the pillory, or whipped through the streets, and suffer such other punishment as the court should inflict upon him ; that none of the master printers should print any book or books of divinity, law, physic, philosophy, or poetry, till the said books, together with the titles, epistles, prefaces, tables, or commendatory verses, should be lawfully licensed, on pain of losing the exercise of his art, and being proceeded against in the star chamber, Ike. ; that no person should reprint any book without a new license; that every mer- chant, bookseller, &c., who should import any book or books, should present a catalogue of them to the archbishop or bishop, &c., before they were delivered, or exposed to sale, who should view them, with power to seize those that were schismatical ; and, that no merchant, &c., should print, or cause to be printed abroad, any book, or books, which either entirely, or for the
• Sir Robert Ayton, in emlneat Scottish poet, wa» born in the year 1370. and educated at St. Andrews. He was employed, both at home and abroad, in the service of James I. and Chaxleu I., and was acquainted, says Aubiey, " with aU the wits of his time in England." He died at London, March, 1638, and was buried In Westminster abbey, under a handsome monument of black marble. He was the first Scotchman who wrote in the English lan- guaf^e with any decree of elegance or purity.
f Alexander Hume, minister of Logie, born about ISCO, and died Kiop.
most part, were written in the English tongue, nor knowingly import any such books, upon pain of being proceeded against in the star cbsmber, or high commission court."* The allowed print- ers by this decree were, Felix Kingstone, Adam Islip, Thomas Purfoot, Miles Flesher, Thomu Harper, John Beale, John Legat, Robert Young, John Haviland, George Miller, Richard Badger, Thomas Cotes. Bernard Alsop, Richard Bishop, Edward Griffin, Thomas Purslow, Richard John Raworth, Marmaduke Hodkinsonne, John Dav- son, John Parsons : and the letter founders were, at the same time, restricted to four, whose names were, John Grismand, Arthur Nichols, Thomu Wright, and Alexander Fifeild, under the fol- lowing regulations :
" That there shall be four founders of letters for printing, and no more.
" That the archbishop of Canterbury, or the bishop of London, with six other high commis- sioners, shall supply the places of those four as they shall become void.
" That no master founder shall keep above two apprentices at one time.
"That all jounieymen founders be emolo^ed by the masters of the trade; and that all idle journeymen be compelled to work upon pain of imprisonment, and such other punishment as the court shall think fit.
" That no master founder of letters shall em- ploy any other person in any work belonging to casting and founding of letters than freemen and apprentices to the trade, save only in putting off the knots of metal hanging at the end of the letters when they are first cast; iu which work every master founder may employ one boy only, not bound to the trade."
1637. Jacob Marcus, a printer at Lqiden, executed an 8vo. edition of the Swedith Bibk, in 1633, 1634, 1635, 1636, and 1637; but all the copies of the edition of 1637 were lost b; shipwreck of the vessel which was conveying them to the place cff their destination. The printing of the bible in this portable size, lie privilege of which was granted to Marcus by the king, Gustavus Adolphus, a little before be death at the battle of Lutzen, 1632, was de- signed by that prince for the use of the aimv, and for the greater convenience of the cidzens in their private perusal. Marcus had printed an edition of the Swedish New Testament, in 1633, 4to., with the privilege of his Swedish majestr.
In 1622, Samuel Jauchen, a printer at Ln- beck, had printed an edition of the Stceduli Bible, in 4to., but it was so disfigured by typo- gr.iphical errors and transpositions, that it was suppressed by order of the king.
Alder also notices an edition of the bible, in 8vo. printed by Wallian, at Upsal, in 1636.
- The latter part of this decree was specially dtxigai
to prevent the Importatiou of the Genevan bible from Hoi- land, where it had been printed with the objectiontlite notes, and where some had been seized by the care 01 BoBwell, the British resident at the Hague, who had slv received intimation of a new impression designed ftv England, but which probably was prevented being so^ by the decree now noticed.
