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]

Boofas iprinteti t)j>

WBpnkpn tie Wotfje.

900. Scala Pehfectionis. Printedin 1494. Folio.

This is probably the second book executed by W. de Worde; the
Festival of 1493 being considered the first. There is an extended account
of this impression in the Typog. Antiq,* vol. ii. p. 36, 40; but that
account having been taken from an imperfect copy, it cannot be con-
sidered as bibliographically complete. Herbert had never seen a perfect
copy of it. The present, which has been recently perfected from one in
the possession of Mr. J.M. Gutch, pre3ents us, on the recto of the first
leaf, with a most barbarously-executed wood-cut of the Virgin (repeated
in the Dives and Pauper of 1496, post) suckling the infant Jesus in
her lap: a man to the left, intended for Josepli, is kneeling. There are
four lines of inscription beneath—cut upon the same block upon which
the embellishment was executed; but they are too barbarous for
transcription. The whole is enelosed in an ornamental frame-work of
better taste. Beneath, we read,

perteottig

The reverse is blank. A table of the chapters occupies the next
3 leaves. On b i, recto, the text begins. The signatures, to q, inclu-

* This account is confined chiefly to specimens of the text; which are certainly very
curious.