Dibdin, Thomas Frognall; Spencer, George John [Oth.]: Bibliotheca Spenceriana: or a descriptive catalogue of the books printed in the fifteenth century, and of many valuable first editions, in the library of George John Earl Spencer (Band 4) (London, 1815) [Cicognara, 4650-4]

1483 and 1493.] WILLIAM CAXTON.

269

the History of Godfrey of Boulogne, were the earliest efforts of Caxton’s
press. Such an imperfection affords too just cause of regret.

The text of the work is however complete. It begins with the
* Advent of our Lord, ’ on the recto of a j, numbered ‘ Folio j ’—and
continues to k k v, third alphabet; or to folio CCCC xliiii regularly
numbered throughout from a j. On the recto of the last leaf, second
column, we observe the colophon ; which, after a recapitulation of the
contents of the volume, concludes thus :

.iuijiclfic toctlfte

% fjauc accompIifff)cb at ttje cornmatttt//
bcmcntc aitb rcquc^tc of ttjc ttoblc attb
gupffattnte ctfc/ anb mp fpcciat goob
lorb JtEtpHpam crfc of aronbel/ % tjauc
fpnpffttcb it at tuc0tmc,0trc tfje tbjctttp
bap of noucmbrc/ ttjc pcrc of our iorb
0$ / €€€€ i toriij/ ttjc fnr0t pcrc
of tijc rcpgnc of iHpng ftpcfjatb ttjc
tijprb

93)5 mc h)j>U m ©aaTon

With the foregoing exception, this may be considered a very desir-
able copy, and is bound in russia. The Duke of Devonshire possesses
a large but imperfect copy.

859. The Golden Legende. 1493. Folio.

I have before stated my reasons* for supposing the body, or text, of
the present volume to have been printed by Caxton; and the colophon
to have been added by Wynkyn de Worde. Upon a reconsideration of
that opinion, and a careful examination of the type of this impression,
I own that I feel rather doubts upon the subject. In the first place,
the large lower-case letter is clearly from the fount of W. de Worde;
but the body of the text, if we except the capital and the small A, i*

Typog. Antiq, vol. i. p. 194-5.