196
HISTORY OF PRINTING.
London at this time; and is imagined to be ftrack from his punches. He is the first printer who introduced the Roman letter into England, which he made use of to distinguish any thing remarkable. His letter is di£rent from most other printers, and is cast so true, and stands so well in line, as not to be since excelled. Upon the whole, he was a very curious, labori- ous, and indefatigable printer.
Most of his books now remaining were printed in Fleet-street, London, in St. Bride's parish, at the sign of the Sun.* We have observed no sign of his while at Westminster, unless he had the same cipher which his master, William Cax- ton, used for a sign, in memoir of the year when he brought printing first into £ngland. He was a stationer by company, but we cannot find any charter granted them before that of Philip and Mary, in 1666, which will be inserted under that year.
Four hundred and eig^t books are known to have been printed by him, ^d they are remarka- ble for their neatness and elegance. We shall not have space to describe the whole of them, but such as are deserving of particular notice will be found under their respective dates. His edition of the Polyehronicon is deemed uncom- monly well executed. Dr. Dibdin calls it " one of the most beautiful folio volumes of that skil- ful artist:" its date is 1495. Several gramma- rians of repute, Stanbridge, Oarlandea, Whittin- ton. Holt, and Lilye, lived at the period of the introduction of printing into England; and Wynkyn de Woroe, who appears to nave been a man oi good education as well as talents, printed some of their works. He printed the Accidence of Stanbridge, " in Cazton s house in Westmin- ster." The date unknown. His Vocabulary, in 1600. This De Worde continued to repub- lish till 1632. The Midtorum Vocabulontm Equivocorum Interpretatio, by Garlandea, was
Erinted in 1600, by De Worde, and at least as ite as I6I7. He alsojprinted repeatedly the grammatical works of Wnittinton. Holt's Lac Pverorum, or Milk for Children, was printed by him in 4to., without date. No impression of the grammar of Lilye (but which, in reality, was
- It may be difficult at this time to detennlne the exact
sltnatioa of bla lesideoce in Fleet-street, which Is usually said to have been " over against the conduit." A map of Ix>ndon of the date of queen Elizabeth, shows the conduit to have been at the south end of Shoe-lime, in Fleet-street. It was founded by sir William Eastfieid, who was mayor of London, about 1471 1 and was decorated by images, chimes, tec, wlilch went by water, alwat 1478. Though rebnllt in ISBS, this conduit, with all the rest, gave way to the laying on of water from the New RiTer; and their n- mains were quite eflkcedby the great Are of London. Soi- blere describes them as little, mean-loolUng, square build- ings, resembling small towers, baring an archway or door in the centre where the water ran. — Bagfoid, In mentioning the establishment of Wynkyn de Wotde, in Fleet- street, says, " over aeainst U>e conduit, and there set up at the sign of the Qolden Sun, which I do suppose is that which is now the Qlobe Tavern at the end of Shoe-lane; which had been a large timber-house, and let for his pur- pose for a printtng-house."— Stow is not a whit more precise : and Pennant lodges him rather nearer to St. Bride's church.— In one of his colophons he describes himself ai "dwellynge in flete strcte at the sygne of the Sonne agaynst the condyth."
1 up by several persons,) by De Worde, or lyes lifetime, has been discovered. The
drawn ' in Lilye'E
first Greek letters used in England ate found in a grammatical treatise of Whitdnton, by De Worde, in 1619 : they are cut out of wood. We have gone into this detailed mention of those works chiefly in order to show the assistance which the press was already giving, in its ear- liest days, to elementary education. Accidenett, Lucidariet, Orchardt of Wordt, Promptuariet for Little Children, were published in great numbers.
Richard Pinson, or Pynson, was brought up under Caxton, as well as Wynkyn de Worde; and having become a good proficient in the busi- ness, went and set up a press of his own at Tem- ple-bar, as the inscription on his first works shew. The friendship which he had contracted with De Worde, whilst these two wrought under Caxton, was so far ih>m being disturbed by any emulation or rivalship, that it continued to their death. He is said to have been born in Nor- mandy, and appears to have been an early ser- vant to our first printer, Caxton, whom he calls, in his edition of Chaucer's CaMerhmy Talet, (without a date, and imagined to be his liiBt printed book,) his "worshipful master;" and tells the reader, that this book had been dili- gently overseen, and duly examined by his poli- tic reason and oversight. He was in such esteem with the lady Margaret, king Henry Vllth's mother, and other great personages, that he printed for them all his days. He styled him- self king's printer ; but it is doubtful whether he had any patent. Pinson's known productions are two hundred and ten ; and his types are clear and good; but his press-work is hardly equal to that of De Worde. Most of the worWs he printed are of a higher character for merit and usefiiluess than those either of William Caxton or Wynkyn De Worde. In 1499, the fiist edition of the Pnmptorius Peuroriwn came from Pynson's press. He used a new cat English letter, " equalling, if not excelling, in beauty, any produced by modern foundnes." He had a correspondence with, and employed William Tailleur, a printer at Rouen, to print some pieces of law ; the laws being, a little be- fore that time, till the beginning of Hennr Vlltb's reign, made in the Norman French tongue. And probably the reason why he sent them over to be printed was, that they, under- standing the language better, might be capable of priutmg it more correctly. However, he had such helps afterwards, that*all statutes, &c. were printed here at home. He printed many books, which were also printed by his friend and fellow servant, Wynkyn de Worde, who survived him about six years. He caused many pretty devices to be stamped on the covers of his books.
149!). The first book printed by Pynson, with a date, was — Diue* and Pauper, fynittked the V. day of Juyl. the yere of oure lorde god. m.eeec.bexxxiit. Emprentyi by me Richarde Pynton at the Temph-barre. of london. Den gracitt*. Folio. — In this work we find the fol-
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