Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 09.djvu/392

 tals, and otherwise resembles the third fount. The sixth and last fount, in use from 1489 to 1491, is not unlike the first fount. Caxton's books have no title-pages, but prologues and colophons are not uncommon. Some of the books, especially poetry and Latin works, have no punctuation at all; in others the full point or colon is used exclusively; in one (‘Paris and Vienne’) only the long comma (|). The sign or a coloured capital often indicates the beginning of a new sentence. The semicolon was unknown to Caxton, and commas are only represented by short (short comma) or long lines (|). The pages were never numbered, but bore at the bottom a signature, a j, a i j, and so on. The binding usually consisted of a stiff piece of parchment with the edges turned in, and often filled out with waste proof sheets. Caxton first introduced woodcuts into the third edition of the ‘Parvus et Magnus Catho’ about 1481, and woodcut initials appear first in the ‘Fables of Æsop,’ 1484. The same woodcut is often used in different books, and to illustrate different subject-matter. It is evident that Caxton employed several artists. Sure signs of a genuine Caxton are the absence (1) of title-pages, (2) of Roman or italic type, (3) of ordinary commas, (4) of catchwords at the foot of the page. The British Museum has no less than eighty-three Caxtons, but of these twenty-five are duplicates. Lord Spencer has fifty-seven separate works at Althorp. The Cambridge University Library has forty-two separate works, many of them unique, the Bodleian thirty-four, and the Duke of Devonshire twenty-five. Thirty-eight of the 102 works or editions known to have been printed by Caxton are extant only in fragments.

Many fragments of Caxton's work have been found in the bindings of old books in old libraries. Mr. Blades records a remarkable discovery of the fragments of thirteen books printed by Caxton in the binding of a copy of Caxton's Chaucer's ‘Boethius,’ found in 1858 in the library of St. Albans grammar school. Mr. Henry Bradshaw was on many occasions equally fortunate, and to his bibliographical genius the Cambridge University Library owes the possession of its many unique Caxtons and unique Caxton fragments.

In 1877 the four hundredth anniversary of the publication of the first English-printed book in England was celebrated by a festival service in St. Paul's Cathedral (19 June), and by an exhibition of Caxton's books and early printing appliances (June to September) at South Kensington (, Cat. of Loan Collection, London, 1877).

The following is a list of the books printed by Caxton. Asterisks imply that a copy of the work is in the British Museum; notes of interrogation after the dates and places of publication denote that no mention is made of them in the book, and that they have been ascertained approximately by internal evidence; the numbers enclosed in brackets at the close of each entry stand for the approximate number of copies of the work now known to be extant; a dagger (†) shows that Caxton mentions in the book that he was its printer: 1.* ‘The Recuyell of the Histories of Troy,’ fol. Bruges? (Mansion & Caxton), 1474? [6]. 2. ‘The Game and Play of the Chess Moralized,’ translated by Caxton from Jean de Vignay's French version of J. de Cessolis's ‘Ludus Scacchorum,’ folio, 1st edition,* Bruges? 1474–5 [10]; 2nd edition,* with sixteen woodcuts,† Westminster? 1481? [13]. The second edition was reproduced in facsimile by Vincent Figgins in 1860. 3. ‘The Dictes and Sayings of the Philosophers,’ folio, 1st edition,*† Westminster, 18 Nov. 1477 [13], translated by Earl Rivers and revised by Caxton; 2nd edition,*† Westminster, 1480? [4]; 3rd edition,* Westminster, 1490? [6]. The first edition was reproduced from Mr. Christie Miller's perfect copy by Mr. W. Blades in 1857. 4.* ‘The History of Jason,’ translated by Caxton, Westminster? 1477? [7]. 5. ‘Horæ [ad usum Sarum],’ 1st edition, 4to, Westminster? 1478? unique fragment in Bodleian; 2nd edition,* 4to, unique fragment, 1483?; 3rd edition,* 8vo, 1488, unique fragment; 4th edition,* 8vo, 1490? unique fragment. 6.* ‘Chaucer's Canterbury Tales,’ folio, 1st edition, Westminster? 1478? [9]; 2nd edition, Westminster? 1484? with woodcuts [8]. A few leaves were facsimiled for private distribution by Mr. W. Blades (, Caxton Reproductions, p. 16). 7. ‘The Moral Proverbs of Christyne de Pise,’ translated by Earl Rivers, folio,† Westminster, February 1478 [3]. Reproduced for private distribution by Mr. Blades in 1859. 8. ‘Propositio Johannis Russell,’ 4to [a speech delivered by John Russell, bishop of Lincoln, when investing the Duke of Burgundy with the order of the Garter in February 1469–70], Westminster? 1478? [2]. 9. Lydgate's ‘Stans Puer ad Mensam,’ translated from Sulpitius's ‘Carmen Juvenile de moribus puerorum,’ with ‘Moral distichs’ and ‘Salve Regina,’ 4to [unique copy in Cambridge University Library], Westminster? 1477? 10. ‘Parvus Catho: Magnus Catho,’ a translation of Cato's distiches by Benedict Burgh [q. v.], undertaken in behalf of William Bourchier, son of Earl of Essex, 1st edition, 4to, Westminster? ante 1479? [unique in Cambridge University Library]; 2nd edition, 4to, Westminster? ante 1479? [unique at Chatsworth]; 3rd edition, folio,