John Paston's Books

VI.

The Inventory off Englysshe Boks off John . . . . . . . . . . .
     made y^e v daye of Novembr A^o. RR E iiij . . . . . . . . . . .

1   A Boke had off myn Ostesse at y^e George . . . . . . . . . . .
           off y^e Dethe off Arthr begynyng at Cassab . . . . . . . . . . .
     Warwyk Kyng Ri cur de lyon a Cronic . . . . . . . . . . .
     to Edwarde y^e iij. prec. . . . . . . . . . . .

2   It’m a Boke off Troylus whyche Will’m Bra . . . . . . . . . . .
     hathe hadde neer x yer and lent it to Dame . . . . . . . . . . .
     Wyngfelde and ibi ego vidi. valet . . . . . . . . . . .

3.  It’ a blak Boke w^t the Legende off Lad . . . . . . . . . . .
     saunce m’cye ye Parlement off Byrd . . . . . . . . . . .
     Glasse Palatyse and Scitacus the me . . . . . . . . . . .
     the Greene Knyght valet . . . . . . . . . . .

4   It’ a Boke in preente off the Pleye off y^e . . . . . . . . . . .

5   It’ a Boke lent Midēlton and therin is Bele Da . . . . . . . . . . .
     mercy y^e P’lement off Byrds Balade . . . . . . . . . . .
     off Guy and Colbronde off the goos y^e . . . . . . . . . . .
      ye Dysputsen bytwyen Hope and Dyspeyr . . . . . . . . . . .
      Marchaunts y^e Lyffe off Seynt Cry . . . . . . . . . . .

6  A reede Boke y^t P’cyvall Robsart gaff m . . . . . . . . . . .
      off y^e medis off y^e masse y^e Lamentacon . . . . . . . . . . .
      off Chylde Ypotis a preyer to y^e vernyclr . . . . . . . . . . .
      callyd the Abbeye off y^e Holy Goost . . . . . . . . . . .

7  It’ in q[SYM]ers. Tully de Senectute in . . . . . . . . . . .
      wheroff ther is no mor cleer wretyn . . . . . . . . . . .

8  It’ in quayers Tully or cypio de Ami . . . . . . . . . . .
      leffte w^t Will’m Worcest’ valet . . . . . . . . . . .

9    It’, in qwayers a Boke off y^e Polecye of Iv . . . . . . . . . . .

10  It’ in qwayers a Boke de Sapiencia . . . . . . . . . . .
      wherin y^c ij parson is liknyd to Sapi . . . . . . . . . . .

11  It’ a Boke de Othea text and glose valet . . . . . . . . . . .
      in quayers.

                 Paper Mark,
      A Unicorn. Pl. XII. N^o 23.
         N. B. A part of it only remains,
             the paper being one half of a sheet
             cut down the middle.

      M^d. myn olde Boke off Blasonyngs off a . . . . . . . . . . .
      It’ the nywe Boke portrayed and blafoned.
      It’ a Copy off Blasonyngs off Armys and th . . . . . . . . . . .
      names to be fownde by lett’.
      It’ a Boke w^t Armys portrayed in paper . . . . . . . . . . .
      M^d. my Boke off Knyghthod and the man . . . . . . . . . . .
      off makyng off Kyghts, off Justs off Tor . . . . . . . . . . .
     ffyghtyng in Lystys paces holden by So . . . . . . . . . . .
    and chalengs, Statuts off Weer and de regim . . . . . . . . . . .
    valet                                                                   . . . . . . . . . . .
    It’ a Boke off nyw Statuts ffrom Edward the iiij.

           5 ½ by 17.

            5th of November, E. IV.

We are here furnished with a curious, though imperfect, Catalogue of the Library of a
Gentleman in the reign of Edward IV.

     It is written on a strip of paper about seventeen inches long, and has been rolled up,
by which means one end having been damp, is entirely decayed, so that the Names of
some of the Books are imperfect, and the then price or value of all of them is not now to
be discovered, that having been uniformly written at the end, which is now destroyed.

     It contained an Account of all the Books he had, as it mentions those which were lent
out at the time the Catalogue was made; and though the Name of the Owner is gone,
yet by comparing the List with the Account of William Ebesham, in Letter XXIV.
it sixes it to the Library of John Paston.

      It contained only one Book in print, the rest being Manuscripts, and appear to have
been bound together, as numbered 1, 2, 3, &c. in the Inventory.

     An Account of most of the Books mentioned is to be found in Mr. Warton’s “His-
tory of English Poetry,” and some of them, when afterwards printed in Mr. Her-
bert’s improved Edition of Ames’s “History of Printing;” to these therefore I refer the
Reader.

     I have given the Arabic Figures as here represented, at Pl. VI. N^o 31, the forms of
3, 4, 5 and 7, varying from those now used.

VI.

The Inventory of English Books, of John Paston, made the 5th day of
           November, in the . . . . . . . . . . . year of the reign of Edward IV.

1.  A Book had of my Hostess at the George,
            of the Death of Arthur, beginning at Cassibelan
     Guy Earl of Warwick
     King Richard Cœur de Lyon
     a Chronicle to Edward the III. price.

2.  Item, a Book of Troilus, which William Br . . . . . . . . . . .
     hath had near ten years, and lent it to Dame . . . . . . . . . . .
     Wyngfeld, and there I saw it . . . . . . . . . . . worth

3.  Item, a black Book, with the Legend of
     Lady sans Mercy.
     The Parliament of Birds.
     The Temple of Glass
     Palatyse and Scitacus.
     The Meditations of . . . . . . . . . . .
     The Green Knight . . . . . . . . . . . worth

4.  Item, a Book in print of the Play of . . . . . . . . . . .

5.  Item, a Book lent Midelton, and therein is
     Belle Dame sans Mercy.
     The Parliament of Birds.
     Ballad of Guy and Colbrond,
      . . . . . . . . . . . the Goose the . . . . . . . . . . .
      The Disputing between Hope and Despair.
      . . . . . . . . . . . Merchants.
      The Life of Saint Cry . . . . . . . . . . .

6.   A red Book that Percival Robsart gave me;
      of the Meeds of the Mass.
      The Lamentation of Child Ipotis.
      A Prayer to the Vernicle,
      called the Abbey of the Holy Ghost.

7.   Item, in quires Tully de Senectute in diverse
      whereof there is no more clear writing.

8.   Item, in quires Tully or Cypio (Cicero) de Amicitia,
      left with William Worcester . . . . . . . . . . . worth

9.   Item, in quires, a Book of the Policy of I . . . . . . . . . . .

10. Item, in quires, a Book de Sapientiâ.
      wherein the second person is likened to Sapience.

11. Item, a Book de Othea (on Wisdom) text and gloss, worth
      in quires . . . . . . . . . . .

Paper Mark,
      A Unicorn. Pl. XII. N^o 23.
         N. B. A part of it only remains,
             the paper being one half of a sheet
             cut down the middle.

      Memorandum; mine old Book of Blazonings of Arms.
      Item, the new Book portrayed and blazoned.
      Item, a Copy of Blazonings of Arms, and the
      names to be found by Letter, (alphabetically)
      Item, a Book wih Arms portrayed in paper.
      Memorandum; my Book of Knighthood; and the manner
      of making of Knights; of Justs, of Tournaments;
      fighting in Lists; paces holden by Soldiers;
      Challenges; Statutes of War; and de Regimine
      Principum . . . . . . . . . . . worth
      Item, a Book of new Statutes from Edward the IV.

5 ½ by 17.

            5th of November, E. IV.

We are here furnished with a curious, though imperfect, Catalogue of the Library of a
Gentleman in the reign of Edward IV.

     It is written on a strip of paper about seventeen inches long, and has been rolled up,
by which means one end having been damp, is entirely decayed, so that the Names of
some of the Books are imperfect, and the then price or value of all of them is not now to
be discovered, that having been uniformly written at the end, which is now destroyed.

     It contained an Account of all the Books he had, as it mentions those which were lent
out at the time the Catalogue was made; and though the Name of the Owner is gone,
yet by comparing the List with the Account of William Ebesham, in Letter XXIV.
it sixes it to the Library of John Paston.

      It contained only one Book in print, the rest being Manuscripts, and appear to have
been bound together, as numbered 1, 2, 3, &c. in the Inventory.

     An Account of most of the Books mentioned is to be found in Mr. Warton’s “His-
tory of English Poetry,” and some of them, when afterwards printed in Mr. Her-
bert’s improved Edition of Ames’s “History of Printing;” to these therefore I refer the
Reader.

     I have given the Arabic Figures as here represented, at Pl. VI. N^o 31, the forms of
3, 4, 5 and 7, varying from those now used.

987

JOHN PASTON’S BOOKS²

The Inventory off Englysshe Boks off John ...................... made
     the v. daye of Novembre, anno regni Regis E. iiij. ......................

     1. A boke had off myn ostesse at the George ......................
off the Dethe off Arthr begynyng at Cassab[elaun, Guy Earl of]
Warwyk, Kyng Ri. Cur de Lyon, a Cronic[le] ......................
to Edwarde the iij., prec. ......................

     2. Item, a Boke of Troylus whyche William Bra ......................
...................... hath hadde neer x. yer, and lent it to Dame ......................
Wyngfelde, and ibi ego vidi; valet ......................

     3. Item, a blak Boke with the Legende off Lad[ies, la Belle
Dame] saunce Mercye, the Parlement off Byrd[es, the Temple of]

Glasse, Palatyse and Scitacus, the Me[ditations of ...................... ]
the Greene Knyght; valet,—

     4. Item, a Boke in preente off the Pleye off the [Chess].

     5. Item, a Boke lent Midelton, and therin is Bele Da[me sans]
Mercy the Parlement of Byrds, Balade ...................... off
Guy and Colbronde, off the Goos th ......................, the
Dysputson bytwyen Hope and Dyspeyr, ...................... Mare-
haunts, the Lyffe of Seynt Cry[stofer].

     6. A reede Boke that Percyvall Robsart gaff m[e] ......................
...................... off the medis off the Masse, the Lamentacion
...................... off Chylde Tpotis, a Preyer to the
Vernyclr ...................... callyd the Abbeye off the
Holy Goost, ......................

     7. Item, in quayers:—Tully de Senectute in ......................
...................... wheroff ther is no mor cleer wretyn ......................
......................

     8. Item, in quayers:—Tully, or Cypio,¹ de Ami[citia]²
leffte with William Worcester; valet ......................

     9. Item, in qwayers, a Boke of the Polecye of In ......................
......................

     10. Item, in qwayers, a Boke de Sapiencia ......................
wherin the ij. parson is liknyd to Sapi[ence] ......................

     11. Item, a Boke de Othea,³ text and glose, valet ......................
...................... in quayers.

     Memorandum,⁴ myn olde Boke off Blasonyngs off a[rms].
     Item, the nywe Boke portrayed and blasoned.
     Item, a copy off Blasonyngs off armys and th ......................
names to be fownde by letter.
     Item, a Boke with armys portrayed in paper ......................
     Memorandum, my Boke of Knyghthod and the man[er]
off makyng off Knyghts, off Justs, off Tor[neaments] ffyghtyng
in lystys, paces holden by so[ldiers] ...................... and
chalenges, statuts off weer, and de Regim[ine Principum], valet
......................

     Item, a Boke off nyw Statuts ffrom Edward the iiij.

     ² [From Fenn, ii. 300.] This is a catalogue of the books either of John Paston
the younger or of John Paston, Knight, most probably the former, drawn up in the
reign of Edward IV., but owing to the decay of the original MS. we cannot tell in what
year. It certainly could not have been earlier than 1475, when The Game and Play of
the Chess was first printed by Caxton. It is in itself a remarkable thing that the
expression ‘in print’ should have got into use even during the reign of Edward IV.;
but one may suppose that such an expression could hardly have been current for at
least a year or two after the first printed book appeared. We therefore, without
deciding the year, place the paper at the end of King Edward’s reign.

     ¹ Quære, if Cypio is not a mistake from ‘Somnium Scipionis,’ a piece which is
usually printed with the ‘de Amicitia,’ and probably accompanied it in this manuscript.
—F.

     ² It is a curious circumstance that this book should be here mentioned as left with
William Worcester, who with the assistance of John Tiptoft, Earl of Worcester, and
John Phrea or Free, a monk of Bristol, translated it.—F.

     ³ See vol. v. p. 3, Note 1.

     ⁴ These further memoranda seem to have been added at a later period, probably
in the reign of Henry VII., as the last entry is of ‘a book of new statutes from
Edward IV.’