lulum huius nouelli federis decus, vtilitatem prestaciam que rimari, quatenus nec inanis aut supuacua militariu collegiorum reputetur inuēcio. Habeant que fideles amborum principū vnde peculiarius debeant gtulari. Nam si res ab nostra memoria propter vetustatem remotas, ex litterarum monimentis repetere curavemus, Plerasque firmissias societates, multas sanctissias amicicias, ligas, cōcordias, quibus huane sepenumero nacōnes, vltro citoque adiute relevate que fuerint, Cora i mediu affere fas foret, tanta siquidē historiaru copia ut ipas ānumerates facilius tempore qua multitudine careremū, tot em ab exordio nascenciu populoru extitere cause principes federādi, tot occasiones hominem homini cōsiliandi, tot denique necessitates, ecia diversaru linguaru gentes ad vnius animi motum cōsonancia que reducendi Qd si hac cōsuetudine spreta singuli suorū sensuū procerima duceretur, alter que alterius quod absit consorciu amicia ve horreret, quid aliud quin ipm denuo tempus, de quo Cicero i rethoricis comemorat rediisse putaremus, qñ homines tectis silvestribus abditi sparsim ī agris bestiarū more vagabātur, et sibi victu ferino vitā inhumanit ppagabant. Sed tande subintravit melioris racōis vsus, dum homo se animal sociale plasmatu quandā inter ommes cognacōem, qua hominē homini insidiari nephas sit natura ipsa constitută intelligens, quodā mutue associationis desiderio indies vehement afficitur. Ex quo igitur socialis nature fonte, omnis ordo, omnis religio, omnis vnanimis cetus scaturiit; ab inde que processit, vt qu plurimi militares viri quoru natura vt plurimū ferox esse solet, modestiam, obediencia que pene religiosam profitentis diuinis aliquociens rebus cultu et habitu, orado, obsecrado, offerendo mira celebritate inseruiauit taliter quidē dupliciu officiorū vicissitudinem moderantes vt et in pliis strenuitate, in teplo vera deuotione ac pietate quoslibet antecellant. Et ne nimis longe huius pcellentis obseruantie queramus exēpla, post ipsam rotunde tabule fraternitate, in qua temporibus victoriosissimi regis arthuri, tot reges, tot principes, ac barones militaribus insigniti cingulis cōuiuebant duo seorsū egregia militanciù collegia decencius honorificentius que stabilita sunt, vnū ab illustrissimo Edwardo tercio illius noie angloru rege, Alterum ab excellentissimo genitore tuo Philippo duce, Duobus siquidem principibus sempiterna recordatione dignis, Que nimirum collegia sicuti iam diu maioris prestancioris que fame inter cetera computari meruerant, Ita et rebus ipsis ac personaru meritis alioru quorumlibet apparatuum pompam quinimo et omne similem ornatu seculi superare creduntur, Nec vllis unquã temporibus aut hunc aut illum ordine celebracōnem fuisse credimus, quam presenti etate nostra in qua vtrique principi moderno beneplacitū esse videmus Alterius se se mutuo suorum ordinum decorare insigniis, vt qui in uno presidet, in altero quodāmodo se summittat, sicque suum carum habeat vt et reliquum ad quem applicari voluit pariter honorabile ipso suo facto ostendere nō detractet. Hec sunt magnifice princeps et tua et regis mei in eternū recolenda preconia, Hec fortissima fraternitatis vincula verissima dilectione signa, Iam em nostri gloriosissimi Edwardi regium collum velleris aurei torque circumdatur. Et iam potentissimi ducis principis procul dubio, iusticia, fide, veritate, ac omnium rerum ordine probatissimi et insignis Generosum genu spectabilis garterij cingulo accingetur Ille vero rex noster tuarum dignitatum zelator feruentissimus, ordinem tuum sincerum colit et veneratur. Tua sublimitas amplexabitur viscerose observabit que suum. Ille tuus confrater in ordine tuo, tu illius consors in ordine suo. Et ecce res nova maxima vtriusque subditorum gratulatione digna, quando duo tanti principes semel sororis contubernio fratres effecti iam, iam iterum atque tercio in aliud legitimu genus fraternitatis coincidunt. Nam quis non speret individue Trinitatis opus existere, sua que opitulante gracia divisionem capere non debere. Hanc triformis trinitatis plantacionem novam meo arbitrio quis inuidet aut aliter videt. Hec est plantatio celestis Hec est plantatio celestis que non eradicabitur, quoniam vt sapiētis dicto fidem habeamus. Funiculus triplex difficile rumpitur. Eya ergo Inuictissime princeps suscipiat ia libens illa seculo nostro vince spectata magnificencia tua xpianissimi bellatoris Georgii sancti religionem, accingere cingulo milicie societatis eius, Induere clamidem ordinis quasi armaturam fidei ipsius, honoret amodo vniuersum collegium tue singularis psone meritum singulare, vt qui hactenus in virtute crucis piissimi andree maximoru hos tium tociens incredibilis victor euaseras, De cetero glorioso isto martire nouo accumulato patrono, valeat tua in eum sancta devotio simul et in ipsius viuifico signo ubi res expostulauerit egregie triuphare ad dei laudem et exaltationem fidei xpiane, nostrique serenissimi regis robur solacium revelationem que, et gloriam plebis sue. amen. This Oration of nearly five quarto pages and a half (22 lines to a full page) forms the whole of the production under discussion; which is printed with a fine black ink on excellent paper, and exhibits one of the most elegant specimens extant of Caxton's press. It has a small star or cross occasionally by way of full stop, and an oblique stroke uniformly instead of the comma. It begins on the reverse of the first leaf, and ends on the recto of the fourth. The Marquis of Blandford obtained this unique copy from the first part of the library, sold by auction, belonging to the late Mr. Brand, Secretary of the Society of Antiquaries; who had thus remarked on a fly leaf: "nearly at the end of this book is a singular curiosity; 5 pages and a half are printed from very early types or blocks." It was wholly unknown to Lewis, Oldys, Ames, and Herbert. * This book, with the exception of the above printed oration, is filled with MS. partly written on vellum and partly on paper: containing about 140 leaves. "It seems to have been a common place book of some literary scribe at the infancy of printing." Cens. Literar. ibid. According to Mr. Douce, the weight of whose authority on these subjects is sufficiently attested, these MS. extracts contain 1. Some pieces by Richard hermit of Hampole, on the Canticles. 2. A Life of St. Catharine. 3. An account of the last Supper, and an amplified description of the passion of Christ, and of his crucifixion; divided into hours, apparently for the service of the Romish Church. 4. Some wretched but pious lines including the Virgin's lamentation for the death of her Son; the burden of which is," She sobbed, that her Son was bobbed, and of his life robbed." 5. Vision of St. Brigit. 6. Six virtuous questions and answers by some holy and wise clerks at Rome. 7. Story of St. Jerome and his Lion, from the Vitus Patrum. 8. Augustinus de laude psalmorum. 9. De Jejunio. 10. Legend of Archbishop Sampson, 11. English Verses on the Virgin Mary. 12. Extract from the testament of the xii patriarchs; a work translated out of the Greek into Latin by Robert Grosteste, Bishop of Lincoln 13. Account of the authors of the various books in the Bible, and of the language in which the Gospels and other parts of the New Testament were written. 1242. 3. HERE begynneth the volume intituled and named * On the back of this title, which is printed in red ink, commences the following prologue: this I shall give in its ancient form, as a specimen of the orthography of the age. "Whan I remembre that euery man is bounden by the comandement & counceyll of the wyse man to eschewe slouthe and ydlenes whyche is moder and nourysshar of vyces and ought to put my self vnto vertuous occupacion and besynesse, Than I hauynge no grete * "The date mentioned in the title page indicates only the time of beginning and ending the translation. However no doubt it was printed soon after the translation was finishif not in the same year, early in the next, and at Cologne." ed; HERBERT'S Additions, p. 1765. charge or occupacion followyng the sayd counceyl toke a frensshe booke and redde therin many straunge meruellous historyes where in I had great pleasyr and delyte, as well for the nouelte of the same as for the fayr langage of the frensshe whyche was in prose so well and compendiously sette and wreton, me thought I vnderstood the sentence and substance of euery mater, And for so moche as this booke was newe and late maad and drawen in to frensshe and neuer had seen hit in oure englissh tonge, I thought in my self hit shold be a good besynes to translate hyt into oure englissh, to thende that hyt myght be had as well in the royame of Englond as in other landes, and also for to passe therewyth the tyme and thus concluded in my self to begynne this sayd werke, and forthwith toke penne and ynke and began boldly to renne forth as blynde bayard in thys presente werke whiche is named the recuyel of the troyan historyes And afterwarde whan I rememberyd my self of my symplenes and vnperfightnes that I had in bothe langages, that is to wete in frensshe and in englisshe for in france was I neuer, and was born and lerned myn englissh in kente in the weald * where I doubte not is spoken as brode and rude englissh as is in ony place of Englond and have contynued by the space of .xxx.† yere for the most parte in the contres of Braband. flandres holand and zeland and thus whan alle thyse thynges cam to fore me aftyr that y had made and wretyn a fyve or six quayers' y fyll in dispayr of thys werke and purposid no more to * This might occasion T. Creed, who printed the third edition of the said Troy History, in 4to. 1607, to address his Readers thus; " And whereas, before time the translator, "William Caxton, being (as it seemeth) no Englishman, had left very many words mere "French, and sentences so improperly Englished, that it was hard to understand, we have "caused them to be made plainer English, &c." HERBERT. p. 6. note o. +"Query, whether these xxx years were accomplished when he began to translate the Recuyel, or when he printed? As this is mentioned in his prologue, which doubtless was not written till after the translation was finished, the probability seems rather to incline to the latter." Ibid. The solution of the question is of little importance. A year or two only is gained either way: but I incline to the former circumstance—the translating, and not the printing. |