Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 4.djvu/437

 9* 8. iv. DEC. 9,-99.] NOTES AND QUERIES. 473 3. " 58. The Brute Chronicle (usually called Cax- ton's Chronicle). Small folio, 231 leaves (out of 238), 33 lines to the page; the largest and finest copy known, in gilt ruasia, with the bookplate of George Wilbrahani. S.n. (printed by William of Mechelm in London in 1484-5). 22W. The Spencer-Rylands copy is perfect, but in very poor condition. No other known copy is perfect; and no copy is known which can compare with the one above described, in regard to size and condition. Such it was in Dibdiu's time, and such it remains still. The height is 10 "/ie in., the breadth is 7 15/i« in. It may be confidently stated that no such other exists." 4. "61. Geoffrey Chaucer, about 1338-1400. The Canterbury Tales. Small folio MS. on vellum ; in the original oak boards covered with stamped leather, and bearing the initials I C and B I E, said to indicate the ownership of the Congreve family in the seventeenth century, from Lord Ashburnham's collection. About 1440-50. 24W." 5. "62. Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, sm. folio, MS. on vellum, 214 leaves, 38 lines to the page, wanting beginning and end, with numerous decorative initials; oound in old russia. Harleian gold tooling. About 1430. 2501. This codex is said to have be- longed once to the Austin Canons at South wick or Porchester in Hampshire. The name of Thomasine, Lady Stourton, is written on a couple of the leaves ('Tomysyne lady Stourton'), from which we may infer either that she was a patroness of the monks at Southwick, or that she owned the book (about 1490)." 6. "63. Chaucer(Geoffrey). The Canterbury Tales, First Edition. Small folio, a perfect copy (10 13/ioin. by 7| in.), having the first and sixth leaves supplied in facsimile; large and sound, in an old russia binding, enclosed in a red morocco case [William Caxton, about 14781. 2,500<. First Edition of the First Great English Poet, printed by the First ol English Printers. It is not only one of Caxton's earliest and rarest books; it is emphatically the chief production of his press Our Chaucer would, in Mr. Blades's opinion, be the fifth book printed by Caxton When Mr. Blades wrote his book he was aware of nine copies : two perfect and seven imper feet. His two perfect copies were, one in the British Museum, one at Merton College, Oxford Of his seven imperfect, one was in the British Museum, and six in private hands: Lord Spencer Earl Fitzwilliam, Lord Dysart, Mr. Huth, and Lore Ashburnham (two very bad copies). To the number we must now add the above - described example (having two leaves in facsimile); and also the magnificent copy which 1 bought at Sotheby's in February, 1896, wanting seventeen leaves (which is now in America)." 7. "72. John Gower(died 1402). Confessio Amantis in Englysshe Verse. Folio, manuscript on vellum written for Henry, Earl of Derby, afterwards calle< Duke of Hereford and Henry IV.; 179 leaves, in double columns, 49 lines to the column, ornamentec with a miniature and several floriated borders, a. well as numerous initials illuminated in gold anc colours; calf, gib edges, from the jibraries sue cessively of John, Earl of Loudon, with his book plate, and the Marquis of Hastings. About 139f 24W. The present MS. contains the earlier recer sion of the work, which came out in the time o Rieha'd the Second, and comprises the compli mentary verses concerning Cnaucer, which fo some reason were omitted in the second issue, ded cated to Henry of Lancaster, when Gower cancelle hi-, eulogy on King Richard." 8. " 73. Gower. Confessio Amantis. Caxton's Edition. Enprynted at Westmestre by me-Willyam Caxton and fynysshed the ij day of Septombre the yrst yere of the regne of Kyng Richard the thyrd, the ere of our lord a thousand cccclxxxxiij (sic for 1483). mall folio, wanting forty-seven leaves, and having he first eight leaves and the last leaf in facsimile; live morocco extra, gilt edges, by Zaehnsdorf. laxton, 1483. 18W. This is the second recension of tower." 9. "78. John Lydgate (about 1375 to 1460). John tachas, The Falle of Princes. Folio, MS. on vellum, "W leaves, written in double columns in a beautiful mall angular (charter) hand, with floriated initials: n russia binding, from the libraries of Heber and Sir Thomas Phillipps. About 1440. 1157. Of the luthor's own time, and is supposed to be one of the finest existing copies of Lydgate's most famous work. At the end of the first book there is a note in the landwriting of Richard Reeds recording his pos- session, and that the book had cost him fifty shillings (about 1540-50)." 10. " 86. North English Miracle Plays about 1450. The Towneley Mysteries. A famous unique volume of Early English Mysteries or Miracle Plays, sup- >osed to have been written at Woodkirk, in York- ihire, in the Cell of Augustinian or Black Canons, 'or the study of persons intending to take part in Folio, MS. on vellum, written in a bold hand with Initial Letters ornamented with the Pen, having the Speeches separated by lines of red ink: olive morocco extra, good tooling, tooled leather joints, gilt edges, by C.Lewis. About 1450. 70W." 11. "92. Anthony Woodville, Lord Rivers, 1442- little wormed towards the end, and having a hole in the middle of two leaves, but every leaf genuine; gilt russia, by C. Heriiig. 1477. 1,5001. A perfect and large copy (Hi in. by7Jin.). No more than five perfect copies are recorded by Blades. Three of them are locked up in public institutions. This is the fourth, the copy atBritwell is the fifth. Even imperfect copies are very rare. Blades only men- tions six." 12. "115. MilesCoverdale, 1487-1567. Bible, Cover- dale's First Edition. Small folio, having leaf 2 in facsimile by the first Harrisse, the initial I of Genesis and the few words behind it also in fac- simile, a little portion of the ma)) and a small corner bit of the twentieth leaf repaired by facsimile; otherwise a perfect copy of the first English Bible, bound in blue morocco by Charles Lewis. (Zurich ?) 1535. 1.05W. This copy, formerly belonging to Lea - Wilson, afterwards to Dunn Gardiner, and lastly to Lord Ashburnham, is superior to any other known copy except the Leicester and the Osterley copies." The bibliographical notes alone are worthy of preservation in ' N. & Q.,' and this not- withstanding the na'ive remark once made to me by a local bookseller that " when you see a note appended to a book in a catalogue you may be sure the bookseller has special reasons for getting it off his shelves." This may be more or less true of the rank and file, but Mr. Quaritch's notes are not puffs,
 * hose pageants at Wakefield, or at Woodkirk Fair.