popularity of his publications. That you may judge whether I speak without book,' observe in what a bold and almost original manner he introduces his capital letters! Did you ever see such an I and L?* They are fit for a volume of the amplest Brobdignagian dimensions! While I am upon the subject of ornaments, let me, before I lay before you the device of Verard, make you acquainted with the style of art in the Engravings usually introduced within the volumes of his printing. The following are among the more curious and elaborate specimens; taken from La Mer des Histoires.

The type of Verard is uniformly gothic, of a secretary cast; and has a strong family resemblance to the types of the generality of the Parisian printers of this period. It is of three different founts; and the largest, when struck off UPON VELLUM, which is not unfrequently the case, has a most

Lanceloto Tristano reliquisque errabundis Equitibus, quos Amor et laudis cupido varios casus volvere, catenatos labores adire impulerat.' Annal. Typog. vol. i. p. 36. From the same authority (p. 405) and Denis (no. 837) it seems pretty certain that Verard executed three works in the year 1480.

when upon vellum.] From the testimony of La Caille it should seem that VELLUM VERARDs are not very rare. In our own country, or perhaps in any country, the Mirroir Spirituel et Historial of Vincent Beauvais, in 5 folio volumes, 1495, is probably the noblest existing vellum monument of Verard. The British

imposing aspect. His productions are almost innumerable: but now for his device! You have it here with exact fidelity.

DOPROVOCOVER INTEGRAT MIZERI

THE DEVICE OF ANTHONY VERARD.

Museum is enriched with a copy of this magnificent set of books, which had formerly belonged to Henry VII. The Duke of Devonshire possesses La Mer des Histoires, and the Hafod library boasts of the Chroniques de St. Denis and the Prophecies de Merlin (both from the Paris Collection, and most luxuriantly described in the catalogue of it; nos. 575, 543,) all upon vellum. But it is in the Royal library at Paris that the vellum-Verard-loving collector must expect to find the fairest and most highly-adorned specimens. More than one book-case

This induces me to proceed without delay to a selection of some other similar ornaments used by the more popular printers of the day. Come forward, then, ye MARNEFS,* DU PRES, MARCHANTS, MITTELHUSES, PIGOUCHETS, LE VOSTRES, LE ROUGES, LE NOIRS, REMBOLDTS, ROCHES, EUSTACES, BOCARDS, PETITS, KERVERS, GOURMONTS!LISARDO. I crave you mercy! One at a time, dear Lysander.

LYSANDER. No; they must be grouped in masses: and then, I believe, they must only

'Come like shadows, so depart.'

Proceed we therefore to select the Devices of some of these renowned printers; for the Annals of the Parisian Press,

is reserved there for these tempting treasures; and therefore, however my friend Mr. Hibbert may justly plume himself upon the spirit and taste which prompted him to possess Mr. Goldsmid's fine copy of the first Arthur and Lancelot, of 1488, printed by the said Verard—and obtained at a price proportionably joyous—yet let him read Brunet's notice of TWO VELLUM COPIES of the Lancelot of 1494, in the Manuel du Libraire, vol. ii. p. 220-1 (edit. 1814), and let him—not despairbut exclaim, my first edition upon paper is better than the second upon vellum!' It is questionable whether Verard did not strike off a vellum copy of every work which he printed: at least I understand the shelves of the royal collection, just mentioned, almost groan beneath the weight of vellum folios from the press of that truly eminent typographical artist. The Bodleian and British Museum collections also contain very numerous vellum treasures from the same quarter.

Come forward then, ye MARNEFS.] It is rather probable, than possible, that the reader might like a sort of sketchy detail of the typographical feats of the more celebrated printers, including those above mentioned, which, since the dissolution of the partnership of Gering, Crantz, and Friburger, distinguished the early annals of the Paris press. Some reader, perhaps, of a volatile and aery temperament, may prefer plunging at once amidst the ornaments or devices of printers; as exhibited in the subsequent pages by Lysander—without condescending to wade through the previous typographical notices. Let him do so, if it please him. The better way, I submit, will be to cast an occasional or prospective glance upon such devices of printers as happen to be here discoursed of.' Not that all the devices are displayed.

The MARNEFS and DU PRES(or DE PRATIS) commenced their career in the year 1481. There were three brothers of the former: George, Enguilbert, and John.

towards the close of the xvth century, if fully detailed, might occupy some good 500 pages of a quarto volume; Chevillier having embraced the literary as well as the typographical history of the same press. Panzer, if I remember rightly, devotes nearly 100 pages, pretty closely filled, to his annals of the Parisian press during the last thirty years of the Fifteenth Century-and in this list, satisfactory upon the whole as it undoubtedly is, not only several curious books are of necessity omitted, but many, absolutely described, require a yet more extended description. Indeed I greatly wish that some ingenious French bibliographer would furnish us only with an octavo manual relating to the works even of the printers already described; to which, no doubt, many other names of equal celebrity may be advantageously added: but I despair of the appearance of such a bibliographical desideratum. ..

LORENZO. Wherefore?

LYSANDER. Because the French bibliographers have

George printed a treatise of Montfiquet upon the Presence, in the Sacrament,' in folio, in 1481: referred to by Maittaire, vol. i. p. 427, and Panzer, vol. ii. p. 283, no. 76: a copy of which, according to the latter, is in the Royal Collection at Paris. The names of both Enguilbert and George, with their device, (see p. 35 post) appear in the treatise of Isidore, de summo bono,' 1491, 8vo.: while in the Terence of 1492, printed by Wolf for Pigouchet and Euguilbert de Marnef, the Christian name of George does not appear. See Panzer, vol. ii. p. 297, no. 231; p. 300, no. *254. John de Marnef did not probably begin to print before the year 1500: when Le Coutumier de Poitou' came out at this time, printed however at Paris, for John, who lived at Poictiers. Hinc (says Maittaire) constat Iohannem de Marnef Librariæ mercaturæ operam dedisse anno 1500.' Annal. Typog. vol. i. p. 736, note 8. In fact, the names of John and Enguilbert de Marnef, as printers at Poictiers, appear as late as the year 1538, in Le Traversuer's treatise entitled Le Iugement poetic de l'honneur feminin et seiour des illustres claires et honnestes Dames,' 4to. On the recto of fol. xcvi. and last, at bottom, in italics, we read Imprimé à Poitiers le premier d'Auril M.D.XXXVIII. par Iehan & Enguilbert de Marnef Freres;' having, on the reverse, the following device — borrowed from, but improved upon, what is given at