From December 1517 to February “1519” (1519
20?) a printing press is found in work at Oxford in St. John’s Street near Merton College, connected in 1518 with the name of Johannes Scolar and in the last book with the name of Carolus Kyrfoth. Both of these appear to be foreigners, but nothing certain has yet been discovered about them or the causes of the establishment and cessation of the press^[14]. In 1524 none of these names occurs among the inhabitants of Oxford paying taxes (Oxf. Hist. Soc., City Documents, ed. by J. E. T. Rogers, 1891, p. 5): nor are they otherwise known in Oxford as booksellers or stationers. Although Scolar uses the arms of the University (their earliest occurrence in print), yet the Registers of the University almost entirely ignore the fact that for the second time the greatest literary invention since speech and writing were known, was silently at work in its midst. Three of the books were however issued “Cum Privilegio.” It is peculiar that whereas theology claimed a fair proportion of the first press, it is entirely absent from the second; grammar, logic, arithmetic, natural science, and the Ethics of Aristotle being alone represented, except that one broadside consists of a Prognostication, which Dorne’s lists in 1520 show to have been a popular form of literature in Oxford at that time. All are in small quarto, and similar in the types used, namely an English and Brevier black-letter, with a Great Primer for titles. Not only at Oxford but also at Cambridge, York, Tavistock, and Abingdon, in all of which there was an early 16th cent. press, printing entirely ceases for nearly the central forty years of that century.

1. Burley on Aristotle (1517, see p. 5).

Oxford—Bodleian.

Oxford—St. John’s College.

The titlepage is reproduced in plate VI. The Royal Arms on the penultimate page of this treatise, and also in the 1518 Burley’s Principia, are a wood engraving which belonged to Winkin de Worde, as I am informed by Mr. E. G. Duff.

On the title is the woodcut mark of John Scolar engraved in Berjeau’s Printers’ Marks (Lond. 1866) no. 81, and his Bookworm (Lond. 1868), no. 32, p. 126: see also the Corrections and Additions to Chandler’s Catalogue of editions of Aristotle’s Ethics (Oxf. 1868), p. 7.

London—British Museum, bought at the Crawford sale, 1891, lot 932. The last leaf with colophon is also in MS. Harl. 5929, fol. 41.

Oxford—Corpus Christi College, wanting titlepage.

Oxford—Jesus College (two copies).

Cambridge—University Library: which has also a fragment containing the greater part of pp. 1–12, 14–17.

Edinburgh—University Library (wants 4 leaves, sign. I 3–6).

King’s Norton Parish Library.

A copy was in the Inglis sale, 1826.

3. De Luce (1518, June 5: see p. 6).

Oxford—Bodleian.

Oxford—Jesus College.

Cambridge—University Library.

4. Burley’s Principia (1518, June 7: see p. 5).

Oxford—Bodleian.

Oxford—Jesus College.

Cambridge—University Library, wanting D 4.

The titlepage is reproduced in plate VII. See note on the 1517 Burley, p. 263.

5. Whittington (1518, June 27: see p. 7, where in l. 3 protouatis is a misprint for prothouatis. The square brackets in the title may now be removed).

Oxford—Bodleian (imperfect).

Oxford—Jesus College.

Cambridge—University Library.

Cambridge—Pembroke College (six copies).

John Rylands Library.

Ham House.

6. Laet (1518?: see p. 6).

The title is now known to be “Prenostica” simply. The parts known are (1) from the Cambridge copy, from the top a head line and 34 lines, from the bottom 33 lines of small type and 5 of larger type: (2) from the Oxford copy, 22 lines from the top, and 22–24 from the bottom. At present the intervening space, which must be small, is unknown. The type is 8¼ in. broad, and red ink is used.

Oxford—Corpus Christi College (28 fragments of the upper and lower parts).

Cambridge—University Library (two fragments).

7. Compotus (1519: see p. 7).

Beneath the title is a woodcut, 5¾ × 4⅜ in., representing a master at his desk, with a birch in his left hand and a book in his right: above him and on each side are other volumes, and before him five students on a bench with their books. Two windows are in the background. On A 2^r is a diagram of the open hand (5 × 3⅝ in.), for purposes of computation: and different diagrams of the hand or part of it are on A 2^v, A 4^r, A 4^v.

Cambridge—University Library.