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finita Anno Domini M.CCCC.lxviij. xvij-die Decembris. As the date of this book was fair, and bore no appearance of fraud, it, at once, robbed Caxton of the fame which had so long been attached to his memory, and created a strong doubt of his being justly considered as the father of printing in England. His partizans, however, soon raised objections, one of which was, that this exposition was antedated, either by accident or carelessness, by the omission of an X; which, added, would make it 1478, the period which had ever been assigned to the establishment of the first press at Oxford. As there are many proofs that mistakes like this had occurred, the fame of Caxton began to revive; but in 1664, Richard Atkyns, esq. who claimed some exclusive privilege in printing, under the royal patents, and who had then, as appears, a law suit with the company of stationers, respecting a book, to of which he had a patent right ;-published a pamphlet, intitled, "The Original and Growth of Printing, collected out of History, and the Recordes of the Kingdome, wherein it is demonstrated that Printing appertaineth to the Prerogative Royal, and is a Flower of the Crown of England." The design of this pamphlet was to give the right and title of Printing to the crown; and, by that mean, to ascertain the validity of the patents granted by the crown. To support this argument, it was stated that an ancient manuscript record was discovered at Lambeth House, in the registry of the see of Canterbury, the purport of which is as follows, viz. -That," as soon as the art of Printing made some noise in Europe, Thomas Bourchier, archbishop of

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Canterbury, moved king Henry VI, to use all possible means for procuring a " Printing Mould," for so it was then called, to be brought to England. The king taking advice how to effect his design, concluded it could not be brought about, without great secresy, and a considerable sum of money given to some person who should draw off some of the workmen from Haerlem, in Holland, where it was invented. The king furnished Robert Turnour, then master of the robes, with a thousand marks, and Turnour took to his assistance William Caxton, a citizen of good abilities, who traded much to Holland, and, on that account, formed a good pretence for going and tarrying in the Low Countries to attain the art. Turnour was in disguise had his beard shaven off, &c. but Caxton appeared in public, being known. They went to Amsterdam, then to Leyden, not daring to enter Haerlem itself; for the town was very jealous, and had imprisoned divers persons who came from other parts with the same intention. They spent all their money, and the king sent them five hundred marks more. At length, a bargain was struck between Caxton and Tourner and two Hollanders, for bringing off one of the under workmen, named Frederick Corseillis, who, late one night, stole from` his fellows, in disguise, into a vessel prepared for his reception-and he arrived safe in London. By means of the archbishop, who was appointed chancellor of the university, Corseillis was carried by a guard to Oxford, it being thought imprudent to set him to work in London; which guard constantly watched to prevent Corseillis from any possible es

cape till he had made good his promise in teaching them how to print. So that, at Oxford, Printing was first set up in England, before there was any printing in France,* Spain, Italy or Germany, except the city of Mentz, which claims the priority in printing even over Haerlem itself, calling her city Urbem Moguntinam artis typographica inventricam primum; though it is known to be otherwise, that city having received the art by the brother of one of the workmen of Haerlem, who had learned it at home of his brother, and afterward set up for himself at Mentz."

The pamphlet then goes on to state that, "This Oxon press was at least ten years before there was any printing in Europe, except at Haerlem, and at Mentz, where it was but new born. This press at Oxford was afterward found inconvenient to be the sole printing press of England, as being too far from London and the sea; wherefore, the king set up a press at St. Albans, and another at Westminster, where they printed books of divinity and physic, as the king, for reasons best known to himself and council, permitted, then, no law book to be printed; nor did any printer exercise that art, but only such as were the king's sworn servants; the king himself having the price and emolument for printing books. By these means the art grew so famous that anno primo Richard 3. c. 9, when an act of parliament

* This is an error, for before what is supposed to be the spurious date of the book printed at Oxford [1468] there was a press at Boulogne. It was established there as early as 1462; there was also one at Paris in 1464, and another in Rome in 1466, &c.

was made for restraining aliens from using any handicrafts here, except as servants to natives, a special proviso was inserted, that strangers might bring in printed or written books to sell at their pleasure, and exercise the arts of Printing, illuminating and writing, notwithstanding the acts-so that in the space of fifty years, by the indulgence of Edward 4th, Edward 5th, Richard 3d, Henry 7th, and king Henry the 8th, the English proved so good proficients in Printing, and grew so numerous, as to furnish the kingdom with books; and so skilful as to print them, as well as any beyond the seas; as appears by the act of 25 Henry 8th, cap. 15, which abrogates said proviso for that reason; and it was enacted in said statute, that if any person bought foreign books, bound, he should pay 6s. 8d. per book; and further, if any printer or seller of books were unreasonable in their prices, they should be moderated by the lord chancellor, lord treasurer, the two lords justices, or any two of them, who also had power to fine them 3s. 4d. for every book the price whereof should be enhanced; but when they were by charter incorporated with bookbinders, booksellers, and founders of types, and called the Company of Stationers; they kickt against the power that gave them life, &c. Queen Elizabeth gave the sole privilege of printing all books that touch the law, or concern the common law of England, to Tottel, a servant to her majesty; and after his death, Yest Weirt, another servant to her majesty; and after them, king James granted the same privilege to More, of the signet, which grant continues to this day," &c. &c.

The year following, 1465, the house of commons thought proper to inquire into the right of the king's prerogative respecting Printing; at which time, it is said, the Lambeth House record was examined by a committee of the house, appointed to draw up a bill relating to the exercise of the art; and that this committee borrowed the record for that purpose, but did not make use of it, and never returned it; and, the record has not been seen or heard of since. The advocates for the authenticity of the record observe, that as sir John Berkenhead, whom they mention as the borrower of it for the use of the committee, did not return it to its proper keeper, it was probably destroyed in 1666, in the great fire which consumed upwards of 13,000 houses in the city of London, and an almost infinite number of literary productions.

The late discoveries of the learned Meerman, in his researches after ancient Printing, were published at Amsterdam in 1762. He established beyond controversy the claim of Haerlem to the discovery of Printing by Laurentius; and he, as well as some other good writers on the subject, are decidedly of opinion that the Oxford press was the first set up in England; and that, at this press, wooden types were used. They allow Caxton to be the first who printed with metal types; and, as the full discovery of the art should be dated from the invention of those types, Caxton may be called "the first English printer." Those, in the opposition, will not allow there was any press in the kingdom till Caxton established his, and most of the best English writers on Printing, appear to be of that opinion. [d]

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