there have been destroyed in the lapse of time, just as the early books printed in other places have disappeared.

Caxton, in the year 1464, was entrusted by King Edward the Fourth, who then usurped the Crown, to negotiate a treaty of commerce with the Duke of Burgundy. The Duke's wife was King Edward's sister, and Caxton afterwards entered into her service. Knowing his love of learning, she seems to have urged him to translate some French book into English, and he selected Le Fevre's History of Troy. He commenced the translation on the 1st of March 1468, at Bruges, and finished it in 1471 at Cologne. Several of the workmen who had been driven from Mentz by the sacking of that city, were living in Cologne at this time, and amongst them were Wynkyn de Worde, Theodore Roode, and Thomas Hunt, an Englishman. Caxton, by their aid, got his book printed, and it is generally understood in a printing-office of his own. Certain it is, that he had acquired the art previously to the printing of the book; for at the end of it, he says so. "Thus end I this book, and forasmuch as in writing the same, my pen is worn, my hand weary, and my eyes dimmed with overmuch looking on the white paper, and that age creepeth on me daily—and also because I have promised to divers gentlemen and to my friends to address to them as hastily as I might this said book, therefore I have practised and learned, at my great charge

and expense, to ordain this book in print, after the manner and form as you may here see, and is not written with pen and ink, as other books have been, to the end that every man may have them at once, for all the books of this story, named the Recule of the Historys of Troys, thus printed as you see here, were begun in one day, and finished in one day."

The last statement requires explanation, because it may create the mistaken notion that books were printed more rapidly in Caxton's days even than in our own. Supposing several written copies of a book had to be made, the writer would finish one before he commenced another, just as we write our letters, one by one; but the plan of printing a book is entirely different. A printed book is formed by a number of sheets of paper stitched and bound together, each sheet printed with the same number of pages—say, for example, 16. Now whether 100, or 1,000, or 10,000 copies of a book are to be printed, the first sheets of all of them—that is, all the 10,000 copies of the first sheet of 16 pages are printed; then all the copies of the second sheet of 16 pages are printed; then the third sheet, and likewise all the rest, until the work is completed—so that the whole of the copies of the book are begun at one time, and completed at one time; or, as Caxton says of the copies of his books, "begun in one day, and finished in one day.

Caxton returned to England and commenced the trade of a printer in the year 1474. He found a patron in Mulling, Abbot of Westminster, afterwards Bishop of Hereford, who gave him an old chapel in the Abbey for a printing-office. The spot now forms part of the site of Henry the Seventh's chapel. Caxton announced his vocation by placards, one of which is still preserved at Oxford. It says: "If it please any man, spiritual or temporal, to buy any pyes of two and three commemorations of Salisbury use, printed after the form of this present letter, let him come to Westminster into the Almonry, at the rede pale, and he shall have them good and cheap. The Pye was a book of rules for regulating the Church service. The first book printed by Caxton in England was the "Book of Chess," a title which sufficiently describes the nature of the work. He used metal types; and probably from this originated the idea that Caxton was the first printer in England; just as Guttenberg was pronounced the inventor of printing, because he was the inventor of metal types. The runaway Dutchman, Corsellis, had used wooden types. Caxton's first types were of a sort called secretary, a name now unknown amongst printers. In 1482, he added another sort which showed much improvement; and in 1490 another sort which was still better. Caxton, indeed, made great improvements in the shape of the Gothic

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black letter; and viewing it simply as an imitation of ancient writing, it has never been surpassed. These are specimens of it.

In 1483 there were only four printers in England—Caxton, at Westminster, Roode and Hunt at Oxford, De Machlinia in London, and a fourth, name unknown, at St. Albans. De Machlinia, it has been said, printed in England even before Caxton. The unknown printer at St. Albans may have been Corsellis or his successor, since Atkins says, that the printing press set up at Oxford was removed thither for the sake of convenience. Caxton seems, however, to have been the greatest printer of his time. He produced no less than 62 books; ten of them related to theology, and the remainder to chivalry, plain and romantic history, and manners and customs. The printing of the Bible, which occupied the foreign printers so generally at this period, was forbidden in England. Caxton deserves respect not only as a printer, but as an author. He

worked with his pen, as well as with his types; translating many books from the French, and thus spreading new ideas amongst his countrymen. He was apparently an honest and modest man, a character which he preserved until the end of his life, though the novelty of his art brought the temptations of high patronage and of riches. Kings and nobles were amongst his employers; and it has been asserted that, as the King's sworn servant, he paid a share of the profits of the art to His Majesty.

Caxton died about the year 1491. He was succeeded in his business by Wynkyn de Worde and Richard Pynsent. The first, who had accompanied Caxton from Cologne, was a most accomplished man, and he excelled his master in the art. He introduced the Roman letter into England, and the shape of his types was retained by the printers for two centuries afterwards. The punches and matrices he used in casting his types were in existence as late as 1758. The art grew famous in England as years rolled on; and to encourage it, extraordinary privileges were conferred upon printers. Thus Richard the Third interdicted foreigners from using any handicraft in England, except as servants to natives, but he expressly excepted printing. This privilege was, however, taken away by Henry the Eighth, because it had become unnecessary, the English having outstripped their foreign competitors in excellence.