Sir Thomas Littleton. thentic character, as the painter was fortu nately familiar with the presentations at Frankley and Halesowen. An engraving of the Halesowen portrait is given in the 2d edition (1619) of "Coke's Institutes," part I. From the author we turn to his work. Coke tells us that it was not published till after the death both of the writer and his son Richard, the latter event taking place in 1518. The reason given is, that it is not cited as an authority earlier than 1534, when Sir Anthony Fitzherbert cites it in his "Natura Brcvium," and if it had been pub lished earlier it would have been cited in the various reports and in St. Jermyn's " Doctor and Student." Coke, therefore, thinks it was first printed about 1533. Modern re searches into the history of printing have shown that Coke was in error in his attempt to date the first publication of " Tenures." It is clear from existing copies that the book was printed twice in London in the year 1528. Coke himself mentions an edition published "at Roan, in France, by William de Tailier (for that it was written in French) ad instantiam Richardi Pinson." Now this pub lication was, though undated, from internal evidence very much earlier than 1533. In deed, it is conjecturally placed as early as 1495, and Pynson published about the same time another edition in London, still extant. There are, however, at least two earlier edi tions than these. The earliest known edition is the undated one produced by J. Letton and William de Machlinia, which Ur. Middleton, in " His Account of Printing in Eng land," thinks was printed about 1481, or seven years after Caxton introduced the art into England. The colophon of this edition is as follows : " Expliciunt Tenores novelli imprcsse per nos Jahcm Letton et Williem de Machlinia in civitate Londonaritim juxta exclesiam omnium sanctorum." The writer of the article on Littleton in the " National Dictionary of Biography," thinks there is no data to support this conjecture. There is
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however, more evidence than might be ex pected. The period when Letton and Mach linia worked together is approximately known (Circa, 1481); the kind of typeused in these early years is well known. "The Chronicle of the Duchy of Nor mandy," dated 1487, and printed by Letton and Machlinia, gives us a still closer ap proximation. We may, in fact, date the book as not earlier than 1481 and not later than 1483. The next early edition we get was printed by Machlinia alone when he was " living near Fleet Bridge." The colo phon is as follows : " Expliciunt Tenores novelli impressi per me Wilhelmum de Machlinia in opulentissima civitate Londonarium juxta Pontem qui vulgaritar dicitur Flete brigge." It is less rudely printed, and abbreviations are more rare, and modern black letter is used. The vast usefulness of the "Tenures" was at once recognized by the legal profession, and some twenty suc cessive editions were published of the work during the sixteenth century. In more re cent times many editions have been pro duced including, of course, Sir Edward Coke's monumental commentary on the work, published in 1628. It was not, how ever, until 1841 that Mr. T. E. Tomlins printed an authoritative edition collated from the various manuscripts and printed texts. The earliest manuscript extant (now at Cambridge) seems to have been in circu lation as early as 1480. A note on the first page states: " Iste liber emptus fuit in coemetcrio Sti Pauli, London, 27th die Julii, anno régis 'E. 4ti. 2omo. ios. 6d." In other words, this paper MS. was sold in St. Paul's churchyard on the 27th of July. There is also a vellum MS. of the book at Cambridge. This treatise on Tenures was written by Littleton for the use of his son Richard, the lawyer (the ancestor of Lord Hatherton). It contains, we are told, " a full and clear account of the several estates and tenures then known to English law, with their pecu
