156
HISTORY OF PRINTING.
Corial of Alain CharUer CNodate.]
Dictus of the PbiloBoptaen U77
DeFide and Canto, ftc [No date.]
Directorimn Sacerdotnm Do.
Doctrinal of Sapience usg
Bdwaid the Confessor. qur
Godfrey of Boologne 1481
Golden Legend U83
Gower'B Conlesslo Amantis US3
Hone [Nodate.l
Jason U7»
Inftmda Salvatoris [No date.]
Katheiine of Sienne Do.
Knigbt of the Tower 1484
Uber Festivalis 1483
LlfeofourLadr [Nodate.]
Saint Wenefrid Do.
Lombardy, Hlitorjr of qu?
Lnddaiy [Nodate.]
Lyndewood qaf
Mirror of tbeWoild 1481
Ovid's Metamorphoses 1480
Paris and Vienne 148S
Pilgrimage of the Soul 1483
Polyduronlcoa 1483
Proverbs of Pisa 1478
Reynard the Fox 1481
Royal Book I484
Rossel, Oration of. [Nodate.]
Siege of Rhodes Do.
Speculum Vlte Christ! Do.
Statutes Do.
Troy, Receuildes Histoires Do.
Histories of 1471
Tully of Old Age, &c 1481
Virgil's jEneid 1400
Woric of Sapience* [No date.]
1474, March 31. The Game and Playe of the Chesse: Translated out of the French, and im- printed by William Caxton. Fynmhed the last day of Marclte, the yerof our Lord God a thou- sand foure lumdred Ixxiiij.
This book, upon the authority of Mr. Bug- ford, in which opinion Mr. Lewis concurs, is considered the first work printed in England. The former says, "Caxton's first book in tJie abbey was the Game of Chess; a book, in those times, much in use with all sorts of people, and iu all likelihood first desired by the abbot, and the rest of his friends and masters. It under- went two impressions if not more." " At all
•This list of the books printed by Caxton cannot, perhaps, be better closed than by the following anecdote from Her- bert: " At my flrst setting oat (says hej in this arduous undertaking, I entertained hopes of beinj; able to give a more correct and certain account of Mr. Caxton's works having been informed that there were still existing coml plete copies of most, if not all, of Caxton's books, collected and preserved by the late Mr. Chcswell, a very eminent bookseller of the last age, and that they were then in the possession of a gentleman, who, no doubt, would favour me with the perusal of them, and be;;lad of the oppor- tunity of communicating raat«1als so curious, and neces- sary to illustrate and authenticate the memoirs of our flret printer. Without delay I waited on the gentleman, who very politely promised me the use of them, but said they were sent over to Amsterdam, for the inspection of a friend there, but that he would write for them the flist opportunity. A short thne after, I took the Uberty to write to him that I would with pleasure wait on him, in order to take extracts from his Caxtons, In such a manner as should be most agreeable to him. In a few days I was Indulged with an answer, informing me ' he had received from HoUand the very disagreeable intelligence, that all his fine Caxtons had met with the unfortunate accident (Heu lammtahtt dictu!) of being burnt, and totally de- stroyed, as he understood, by the ncRlect of a servant in his master's absence, throwing down from a shelf a larce bottle of aquafortis into the box where the said books were, and neglecting them in his fright, so that more mischief was done in the room." "1 am very much afraid " concludes Herbert, •• that my friend received but a Flemi'th account of bis Caxtons."
events," observes Mr. Dibdin, " it is incontro- vertible that the present work is the first wo^ printed by Caxton to which the date of the im- print is affixed; and is in consequence, a great curiosity." The work opens with the following dedication to George duke of Clarence, the eldest surviving brower of Edward IV.
" To the right noble,right excellent and tertium prince George, due of Clarence, erle of Warvick and Salisburye, grete chamberlayn of Englmde and lieutenant of Ireland, Mat brother m kmg Edward, by the grace of God kynge of Engumd and of Fraunee, your most Attmft/e tervaitt WU- liam Caxton, amonge other of your servrntes, imit unto you peas, helthe, joye, and victorye upon your enemeys, right high puyssant and redoubted princt. For as much as I have understand and knowe, that ye are enclined unto the comyn wele of the kynge, our said soveryn lord, and his nobles, lories and comyn peple of his noble royame of England, and that ye sawe gladly the inhabitant of the same \»- formed in good, vertuous, prouffitable and hnmtte manors, in whiche your noble persone, tritguydpf ofyoure hous, haboundeih, gynyng lyght and en- sample unto all other. Therefore I have put nu in aevoyr to translate a lityll booke late comyn into mynhandes,out of Frensheinto Englishe,inv;k%ck I fynde thautorities, dictes of auncient doetoun, philosophers, poetes, and of other wt/se mm, vkiek ben recounted and applyed unto the moralitie of the publi^pie wele, as well of the nobles as of At comyn peple, after the game and playe of the Ckeite, whiche booke, right puyssand and redoubtid lord,I have made in the name, and under the shadtw 0/ your noble protection, not presumyng to correcte or enpoigne any thynge agenst your noblesse •,fot God be thanked, your excellent renome shyneth as well in straunge regions, as within the royame of Eng- lond, gloriously to your hortour and lande, vhy^ God midteplye andencrese. But to thentent that of what estate and egrese they stand in, may ue in this said lityll booke, that they governed Aenuelf as they ought to doo; whereforfor my right dert redoubted lord, I requyr and supply your good grace not to desdaygne to reteyve this sayd lytiil booke ingree and uumke, as u<ell of me your ktan- ble and unknowen servant, as of a better and greater man than I am, for the right good wylle that I have had to make this lityll worke in the best icise I can, ought to be reputed for the fuai and dede: and for more clerely to precede in this tayd booke, I have ordyned that the chapiters been tete in the beginning, to thende that ye may see more playnly the matter whereof the booke treteth."
The contents begin thus: —
" TVjt* booke conteyneth Hi traytees, the first traytee is of the invencion of this play of the chesse, and conteyneth Hi chapiters," &c. — and ends thus: " And tlierefore, my right undoubted lord, I pray Almighty God to save the kynge our snverain lord, and to give hym grace to yssue as a kynge, and tahounde in all vertues, anil to be as- sisted with all other his lordes, in such wyse, that his noble royame of England may prosper, aiut habounde in rertues, and that sumte may bf eschetcid, justice kept, the royame defended, good
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