Page:A litil boke the whiche traytied and reherced many gode thinges necessaries for the infirmite a grete sekeness called Pestilence.djvu/29

 in English, but specially interesting on account of sundry pieces of English verse that are scattered through the volume. The colophon gives the book also a bibliographical importance, and on that account deserves to be cited in full. To quote it from the John Rylands copy: "Iste Libellus imp͏͛ssus est ī opulentissima Ciuitate Londoniaꝝ ꝑ me willelmū de Machlinia ad instanciam necnon expensas Henrici Vrankenbergh mercatoris."

From the "Descriptive Catalogue of Ancient Deeds in the Public Record Office" we glean a little information about the merchant at whose expense this work was printed. No. C. 1058 of vol. 1 (1890) is a "Demise by John Michell, steward of the lands and tenements belonging to Edward … heir of George Darell, knight, within the city of London and the suburbs thereof, with the consent of Dame Jane Darell, to Henry Franckenbergk and Barnard van Stondo, merchants of printed books, of an alley in St. Clement's Lane called 'St. Marcke's Aley', with houses, &c., in the same, reserving a right of way to Giles van Gaunt, master of the 'Currours'. 10 May, 1482."

The position of foreigners engaged in the production, or sale, of books was assured by an Act of Parliament passed in 1484, which expressly gave them permission to bring into this country, or to sell here, any books, written or printed, as well as to print them. Of this Act, which remained in force for fifty years until 1534, many foreign printers and stationers took advantage to establish businesses in London. One of them, Peter Actors,