he was the printer, as well as compiler, of ‘Christian Prayers and Meditations in English, French, Italian, Spanish, Greeke, and Latine,’ 4to. The text of this handsome volume is in black letter and is surrounded with a woodcut border by a German artist representing the Dance of Death and scriptural subjects, in imitation of the French books of hours. It is known as the first edition of ‘Queen Elizabeth's Prayer-Book.’ A copy at Lambeth Palace is the only one recorded. It differs both in letterpress and illustrations from the editions of 1578 [see Day, Richard], 1581, 1590, 1608, &c. (W. K. Clay, Private Prayers during the Reign of Q. Elizabeth, Parker Soc. 1851, pp. xvi–xxiii).
Day found a powerful patron in Archbishop Parker, who edited the edition of Ælfric's ‘Homily’ in Anglo-Saxon type, cut by Day, then used for the first time in England, and published by him in 1567 as ‘A testimonie of antiquitie.’ The type was used in Lambard's ‘Archaionomia,’ 1568, ‘The Gospels of the fower Evangelistes,’ 1571, and Asser's life of Alfred published with the ‘Ypodigma Neustriæ,’ 1574. Astle is of opinion that ‘Daye's Saxon types far excel in neatness and beauty any which have since been made, not excepting the neat types cast for F. Junius at Dort, which were given by him to the university of Oxford’ (Origin of Writing, 1803, p. 224). ‘The Saxon fount, as will be seen by the facsimile,’ says Reed, ‘is an English in body, very clear and bold. … The accuracy and regularity with which this fount was cut and cast is highly creditable to Day's excellence as a founder. He subsequently cut a smaller size of Saxon on pica body’ (Old English Letters Foundries, p. 96). He issued the first English translation of Euclid in 1570. About this time he presented a number of books to Eton College library (Harwood, Alumni Eton. 1797, p. 184).
In 1572, finding his place of business in Aldersgate too cramped for a stock valued at between 2,000l. and 3,000l., he procured ‘a lease of a little shop to be set up in St. Paul's Churchyard. Whereupon he got framed a neat, handsome shop. It was but little and low, and flat-roofed, and leaded like a terrace, railed and posted, fit for men to stand upon in any triumph or show’ (Life of Parker, ii. 525–6). This was opposed by the mayor and aldermen, but the archbishop interceded with Burghley, and Day was permitted to continue in ‘his long shop at the north-west dore of Paules,’ mentioned on the imprint of four books in 1578, and none other. Day is supposed to have been the workman who printed at Lambeth ‘De Antiquitate Britannicæ Ecclesiæ,’ 1572, with a preface by Parker, whose name is usually given as that of the author. This was the first book in England privately printed, and only fifty copies are supposed to have been struck off. About one half (all of which differ somewhat) can now be traced. The text, says Dibdin, is ‘a full-sized, close, but flowing italic letter’ (Typogr. Antiq. iv. 126). Before Day's time Roman and italic type were not usually mixed, and were not cut to range. He, however, cut them uniformly. Writing to Burghley, 13 Dec. 1572, Parker mentioned that he had engaged Dr. Clerke to answer Nich. Sanders, ‘to the better accomplishment of this worke and other that shall followe, I have spoken to Daie the printer to caste a new Italian letter, which he is doinge, and it will cost him xl. marks; and loth he is and other printers be to printe any lattin booke, because they will not heare be uttered, and for that books printed in England be in suspition abroade’ (ap. ARBER, i. 454). The ‘Fidelis Servi Responsio’ of Clerke was printed by Day in 1573, in a handsome Roman type. In ‘Io. Iuelli vita authore L. Humfredo,’ issued by him in the same year, there are some Hebrew verses in characters from wooden types. Parker informed Burghley, 13 Nov. 1573, that the lives of Day and his wife had been threatened by one Asplin, ‘a printer to Cartwrighte's booke.’ Day and Toy, the binder, had been zealous in searching out the obnoxious books proclaimed 11 June previous.
In the famous representation made about August 1577 to Elizabeth, on the part of the stationers and printers, complaining of ‘priuilidges granted to privatt persons,’ Day is stated to have ‘the printinge of A B C; and catechismes, with the sole selling of them by the collour of a commission. These bookes weare the onelie relief of the porest sort of that companie’ (ib. i. 111). He held the license for the Psalms in metre and A B C from the Earl of Leicester. The privileges were found so irksome that certain printers combined to produce and circulate some popular books, and Roger Ward proceeded to print ten thousand copies of the A B C with Day's mark. From this arose the Star-chamber case of Day v. Ward, 7 Feb. to 10 July 1582 (ib. ii. 19, 753–69). In his report, December 1582, on the printing patents of 1558–82, Christopher Barker [q. v.] complains of the abridgment of his own patent by those of Day and Seres, and states that the former has license for the ‘Psalmes in meeter … which, being a parcel of the church service, properly belongeth to me. … The small catechisme … belongeth to me also, which Master Jugge solde to Master Daye’ (ib. i. 115–16).
