HISTORY OF PRINTING.
\688,Feb. 13. A proclamation against certaine seditious and schismatical bookes and lihels, &c. was published, shewing that they were slander- ous to the state, and to the ecclesiastical govern- ment, established by law, &c. That they should immediately be brought in and destroyed, and that no autnor, printer, or desperser, should dare to offend herein, under the pain of her majesties displeasure , and being prosecuted with severity. A broadside. Printed by the deputies of Chritto- pher Barker.
1688. Died, Robert Crowley, CROLEDs,or Crolb, a scholar, preacher, and printer of the ci^ of London. He was a native of Gloucester- shire, was a student of the university of Oxford in 1534, and soon after becames demy of Mag- dalen college. In 1 553, being bachelor of arts, he was made probationary fellow of the said house, by the name of Robert Crole. In the reign of Edward VI. he lived in Ely Rents, Holbom, where he printed and sold books, and likewise preached in the city ; on the accession of queen Mary, he fled to Frankfort, with several English protestants. He returned at her decease, and had several benefices bestowed on him, among which was St Giles's, Cripplegate, of which he wrote himself vicar in 1566. He was admitted a member of the stationers' company (gratit) in 1578. Having lived to a good old age, he was buried in the above church, and the following inscription was engraven on a brass plate on his tombstone :
BBRB MBTH THB BODY OF BOBBBT CKOITLEr, CLXRI,
LATB TICAB O? THIS FABISH, WHO DErARTKD
TBIS LIFB TBB 18TB OF JVNB, 1588.
The poverty of his widow, in 1593, induced the company of stationers to allow her a noble per quarter. Eighteen works bear his imprint, and many of his works were printed for him by others. In 1050, he printed a work in metre, with this title : —
PUaaure and pain. Heaven and hell, Remen^ier thett four, and all shall be well.
A new yeres gyfle, wherein is taught the know- ledge of ourself, and the fear of God ; worthy to be geven and thankfullye recyed of all christen men ; m dxlix, the last day of December. — Authore eodem Roberto Croleo. 12mo.
Robert Crowley's confutation of Nicholas Shax- ton, bishop ofSarum ; his recantation of thirteen articles, at the burning of Mrs. Anne Askew. London, imprinted by John Day, 1548. 8vo.
1588, June. Died, Timothy Ryder, printer, and beadle to the stationers' company. He was the son of John Ryder, of Wedenbet, in the county of Northampton ; and was instructed in the typographic art by Richard Lynel, to whom he was bound apprentice in 1563, for the term of seven years from the Purification. He was made free on the 3Ist of March, 1570, but he is supposed to have been unsuccessful, as he re- ceived aid from his company, and was ultimately appointed their beadle; in which .situation, in July, 1580, his salary was raised " from xlt. to
vi/." In July, 1582,' the court of assistants rave him the copy of The Paradyce of Daintie Devyses, which had belonged to Henry Disley ; and in 1584, they granted him the copy of The widowes treasorer, which had likewise been the property of Disley; but he had not the power to dispose of this copy without the leave of the court, which also appointed that Ro. Walgrave should print for him 7%e booke that amcemeth phitike and chirwrgerie. In Dec. 1586, he entered a ballad entitled How make batis abused a man and hys wife : but was excused the 4d. entrance money. The April following, by reason of his infirmities, which rendered him incapable to execute the business of his office, he was obliged to resign, and John Wolf was chosen to do the duty, ' to have xl. s. with the availes, and on his good behaviour to have the preference in case of death.' In July, Wolf was fully appointed, with the stipend of vi. {. a year ; Rider to continue in his dwelling, in the hall, till Midsummer next; and on his good behaviour to have iv. 1. yearly, as a free gift. The poor man, however, died before the time limited him to quit his dwelling ; for on the 25 June, 1588, it was agreed by the court that Mis. Rider shall have xl. s. yerely during her widow- hood, and that she shall avoid out of the hall at Michaelmas next, and then John Wolf to enter upon it. I have never (continues Herbert) seen either of the above-mentioned books printed by or for him; but an edition of the former is mentioned by Mr. Warton, {Hist. £rtgl. Poet. vol. iii. p. 285, note i.) as printed in 1585, which very probably was. printed for him. I have not met with any account of the others. The only book of Ryder's now extant, is entitled The Prac- tice of the Diuell, printed without date, in 4to.
1588, July. It is really very curious to trace back to their origin many of our laws, institu- tions and privileges. As little could it have been conjectured, at the period of the threatened invasion of England by the Spanish Armada, that that circumstance would lead to the intro- duction of newspapers into this country', and the subsequent freedom of the pre?* and establish- ment of our civil liberties, as that the dispute between Heniy VIII. and pope Clement VII. respecting a divorce, should be the cause of the reformation ; yet such was the fact.
The history of newspapers is so interwoven with the historical annals of our country, and so truly exemplifies the progress of literature and science, that whatever tends to elucidate their origin and progress, must at least add something to our knowledge, and throw light upon the state of society, or the philosophy of the times in which they were published ; lor they appear to have represented the times when, and the people among whom they originated. It is curious to take a retrospective view from the time of their origin, and to observe the gradual development of the mind of the mass of the people, their desire for information, and the con- sequent improvement of newspapers, and their influence upon society. Englishmen may indeed
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