Froissart describes a volume which he presented to King Richard II. "I presented it to him," says this writer, "in his chamber; for I had it with me, and laid it on his bed: he opened it, and looked into it with much pleasure. He ought to have been pleased, for it was handsomely written and illuminated, and bound in crimson velvet, with ten silver gilt studs, and roses of the same in the middle with two large clasps of silver gilt, richly worked with roses in the centre.

"The King asked me what the book treated of; I replied, 'Of love:' He was pleased with the answer; and dipped into several places, reading parts aloud; for he read and spoke French perfectly well; and then gave it to one of his knights called Sir Richard Credon, to carry to his oratory, and made me many acknowledgements for it."

"Before printing was," says an antient author, "there was book-binding; for what MSS. were then in being were made public, by transcribing them by certain clerks writing a good hand, and made livelihood thereof. The written books were conveyed to the binder, who bound them after what manner the owner directed him.

"As authors and books increased, so did his profit by his trade, insomuch that some of these binders grew rich, and purchased so many MSS. as to furnish a shop indifferently according to those times, and, dying, left their sons well stocked;

but

but printing coming in, broke the neck of the writing-clerks, but yet gave a considerable lift to the rising book-binder, who not only bound for others but himself, and printing his own copies, had work enough to do to bind his own books. Thus he became a bookseller, and transferred binding to others."

"The Boke, named the Governour," written by Sir Thomas Elyot, contains a passage, which demonstrates that carelessness and a bad education had produced a custom of innovating on our language before the time of Henry VIII. "It shal be expedient, that a noble mans son, in his infancy," observes Sir Thomas, "have with him continually only such as may accustom him by little and little to speak pure and elegant Latin. Semblably the nurses and other women about him, if it be possible to do the same; or, at the least way, that they speak none English, but that which is clean, polite, perfectly, and articularly pronounced, omitting no letter or syllable, as foolish women oftentimes do of a wantonness, whereby divers noblemen, and gentlemen's children (as I do at this day know) have attained corrupt and foul pronunciation."

Persons were to be found in the reign of Henry VIII. who thought very differently from Sir Thomas, and those he thus notices: "These persons that so much contemn learning, that they would

would that gentlemens children should have no
part or very little thereof, but rather should spend
their youth alway (I say, not only in hunting and
hawking, which, moderately used, as solaces ought
to be, I intend not to dispraise), but in those idle.
pastimes, which, for the use that is therein, the
commandment of the prince, and the universal
consent of the people, expressed in statutes and
laws, do prohibit; I mean, playing at dice and
other
named unlawful.
games

"These persons, I say, I would should remember, or else now learn, if they never else heard it, that the noble Philip, King of Macedonia, who subdued all Greece, above all the good fortunes that ever he had, most rejoiced, that his son Alexander was born in the time that Aristotle the philosopher flourished, by whose instruction he might attain to most excellent learning."

"Good Lord!" exclaims Sir Thomas, "how many good and clean wits of children be now a days perished by ignorant schoolmasters? How little substantial doctrine is apprehended by the fewness of good grammarians? Notwithstanding I know, that there be some well learned which have taught, and also do teach; but God knoweth a few, and they with small effect, having thereto no comfort.

"Their aptest and most proper scholars, after they be well instructed in speaking Latin, and under

standing

standing some poets, being taken from their school by their parents, and either be brought to the court and made lacqueys or pages, or else are bounden prentices, whereby the worship that the master above any reward coveteth to have by the praise of his scholar is utterly drowned, whereof I have heard schoolmasters very well learned of good right complain,"

The same author speaks severely of the pretenders to learning, who taught for a trifling recompence, which was in truth caused by the disinclination of the opulent to reward the truly excellent teacher. "Undoubtedly," he adds, " there be in this realm many well learned, which, if the name of a schoolmaster were not so much had in contempt, and also if their labours, with abundant salaries, might be requited, were right sufficient and able to induce their hearers to excellent learning, so they be not plucked away green, and ere they be in doctrine sufficiently rooted.

But now a days, if to a bachelor or master of arts study of philosophy waxeth tedious, if he have a spoonful of Latin, he will shew forth a hogshead, without any learning, and offer to teach grammar, and expound noble writers; and to be in the room of a master, he will, for a small salary, set a false colour of learning on proper wits, which will be washed away with one shower of rain.” Were we to form our conclusions from the observations

VOL. III.

I

observations of this excellent author, it might not bè altogether incorrect to imagine, that the majority of the youths of antient families were rather deficient in the acquirements then and now thought necessary for their appearance in polished life. Vast numbers of exceptions could be made, however, no doubt, and multitudes of persons might be cited as examples of the learning and knowledge extant in the reigns immediately preceding that of Elizabeth.

The incalculable advantages which England has derived from the art of printing, now a firmly established custom with nine-tenths of its inhabitants in some way or other, makes it necessary as well as pleasant to give some particulars of William Caxton, and his endeavours to benefit his countrymen.

John Lewis, minister of Margate, in Kent, says, in his life of that printer, he was a native of the above county. His mother, it seems, taught him to read and write, which was something remarkable for her situation in life and residence in the Wealds. A mercer, named Robert Large, who died in 1441, received Caxton as an apprentice, employed him after the expiration of his term, and left him a legacy of 34 marks. Subsequently he went to the Continent, and resided there near 30 years, principally in Holland, Flanders, and Brabant, it is supposed in the character of agent

to