Page:The Life of William Morris.djvu/704

ÆT. 60] been thought to be the original of the fourteenth-century prose treatise translated and printed by Caxton. It is dated 24th of February, 1893. The translation had first been made in prose by Ellis. But Morris one day suddenly remembered the fact that the Press, like the firm of thirty years back, "kept a poet of its own," and turned him on for the purpose. Finally, to make up the production of that remarkable winter, appeared Cavendish's "Life of Wolsey," dated 30th March; and the reprint of Caxton's "Godefrey of Boloyne" of 1481, dated 27th April. In the "Order of Chivalry," and in parts of the "Historyes of Troye," the smaller Gothic type which had been cut and cast for the Chaucer made its first appearance. After this continuous torrent of production the Press for a time slackened off a little. Morris was advised that this rapid output of his books would depreciate the value of those already issued, and might end in the new books becoming unsaleable at their fair value. But for these warnings he did not greatly care: "the Kelmscott Press is humming" was his exultant comment, and he felt sure that his work was good enough to command a market. "I shall print that Froissart" was all his reply to an argument that it could only be printed as he designed it at a heavy loss. But the Froissart, which was to have taken the next place after the Chaucer among his most rich and elaborate productions, was little more than begun when the Press ceased after the death of its founder.

By the end of 1892 Morris had made up his mind to add the trade of a publisher to that of a printer. "There is really no risk in it," he said in summing up the situation: "I shall get more money; and the public will have to pay less." The reprint of Caxton's