Mr. Pollard, who regards the procedure contemplated by the Injunctions as 'impossible', believes that in practice the Stationers' Company, in ordinary cases, itself acted as a licensing authority.[1] Certainly this is the testimony, as regards the period 1576-86, of a note of Sir John Lambe, Dean of the Arches, in 1636, which is based wholly or in part upon information derived from Felix Kingston, then Master of the Company.[2] Kingston added the detail that in the case of a divinity book of importance the opinion of theological experts was taken. Mr. Pollard expresses a doubt whether Lambe or Kingston had much evidence before them other than the registers of the Company which are still extant, and to these we are in a position to turn for confirmation or qualification of their statements.[3] Unfortunately, the ordinances or constitutions under which the master and wardens acted from the time of the incorporation have not been preserved, and any additions made to these by the Court of Assistants before the Restoration have not been printed.[4] We have some revised ordinances of 1678-82, and these help us by recording as of 'ancient usage' a practice of entering all publications, other than those under letters patent, in 'the register-book of this company'.[5]till the Starre-chamber Decree 28^o Elizabeth [1586], many were licensed by the Master and Wardens, some few by the Master alone, and some by the Archbishop and more by the Bishop of London. The like was in the former parte of the Quene Elizabeth's time. They were made a corporacon but by P. and M. Master Kingston, y^e now master, sayth that before the Decree the master and wardens licensed all, and that when they had any Divinity booke of muche importance they would take the advise of some 2 or 3 ministers of this towne'.]*
- ↑ Pollard, Sh. F. 15; F. and Q. 4. Mr. Pollard stresses the difficulty of obtaining the hands of six Privy Councillors. Perhaps this is somewhat exaggerated. Six was the ordinary quorum of that body, which sat several times a week, while many of its members resided in court, were available for signing documents daily, and did in fact sign, in sixes, many, such as warrants to the Treasurer of the Chamber, of no greater moment than licences (cf. ch. ii). The signatures were of course ministerial, and would be given to a licence on the report of an expert reader. In any case the Injunction provides alternatives.
- ↑ Arber, iii. 690; Pollard, Sh. F. 23, 'From 19^o Elizabethe [1576-7
- ↑ The references in the following notes, unless otherwise specified, are to the vols. and pages of Arber's Transcript.
- ↑ i. 106; ii. 879.
- ↑ i. 17, 'No member or members of this Company shall hereafter knowingly imprint or cause to be imprinted any book, pamphlet, portraicture, picture or paper whereunto the law requires a license, without such license as by the law is directed for the imprinting of the same (1678)'; 22, 'By ancient usage of this company, when any book or copy is duly entred in the register book of this company, to any member or members of this company, such person to whom such entry is made, is,
