The Roxburghe Club
PRIVATELY printed books are of two kinds. The first are those printed by the budding poet and essayist, or by a private individual for his own immediate circle of intimate friends. These are mostly of little importance, though some often contain items of historical and social interest. The other category contains books printed by the bibliophile, or learned institute or club, who possess unique works or manuscripts; and who depute a scholar of eminence to edit them. They are then distributed in very limited numbers to a few institu- tions or to the members of a literary club, many of whom take no _ interest in reading or studying them. One outstanding example occurs to me. It is a -hundred years old but will serve as well as any other. A French work, entitled Negociations de M. le Comte d'Araux en Irlande, 1689-90, was brought out in 1830 at the expense of the Foreign Office. Though the work was of historical importance, only ten copies were printed. It has prac- tically disappeared from view and historians have been at serious inconvenience when they _needed it for their study. None of the ten copies has, as: far AS can be ascertained, ever been sold. Family histories, illustrated catalogues of great collections, genealogical memoirs and works of hist,ory are printed in this way and are consequently difficult to obtain for reference. Of all the recent Roxburghe publications, the one of most interest to the general reader is, without doubt, the reprint of the Vulgaria of Horman, first printed by Pynson in 1519.
William Horman, although for a short time Head-Master of Winchester, spent the greater part of his life at Eton, where he was successively Head-Master and Vice-Provost, and where, while still in office, he died in 1535. The Vulgaria, which he framed for the use of the school, contains a multiplicity of phrases on various subjects, domestic, scholastic, philosophic, and so forth, coupled with their Latin equivalents. Whatever its value as a specimen of early Tudor Latinity, it is rather as a rich treasury of the English of our forefathers that Horman's class-book will be enjoyed to-day. If at first sight the absence of a glossary appears a serious omission, the loss is soon repaired by reference to the accompanying Latin sentences, and our boyhood's friend, the lexicon, quickly enlightens us on many obscurities.
Thus, if slightly mystified by the assertion that " The cranys in the myddys of our cloyster : fetche madde chases," swift illumination is afforded by " Grues in peristylio," while the picture is conjured up of cranes' nests clustering amid the stonework of the cloisters and their denizens flying freely to and fro. Or, again, the baffling " Let us pyke us hens " is resolved into the injunction : " Let us go hence " with the help of the context.
With all matters pertaining to good housekeeping and entertainment the worthy Head is much concerned, showing a knowledge of cookery, of wines, of the details of table ware and napery that would do credit to a house- wife of experienee. We learn that red herrings, sprats, and " lopsters " figured on the scholastic menu ; tripe was esteemed, also forcemeat and black puddings; in addition to all kinds of meats and poultry. Besides native cheeses- we come on " parmeson," and for dessert exotic fruits such as dates and pomegranates.
On philosophic or judiCial points Horman coined not a few sturdy, upstanding aphorisms. In a day when torture was the ready instrument of the Law he was not afraid to affirm that •" Confession gote by turmentynge : is nat ever to be beleuedde," and he speaks as from personal observation when, under the heading -" De Fortuna Irata," he remarks that " He is in duresse for dette, and • yet he spareth not to spend."
The comparatively stationary character of Latin again comes to the rescue in the case of " A werisshe felowe made al this besynes," which, being interpreted by means of " insulsus homo," would signify " a bungler." Such examples might be cited ad infinitum, but these will suffice to • show the scope and purpose of this highly -interesting reprint, which gains greatly by the admirable introduction contributed by Dr. Montague Rhodes James, Provost of Eton, and the suggestive foreword of the donor, Lord Crawfurd and Balcarres. It is, as he is well -justified in affirming, " a volume which is a rare survival in itself but still more valuable as living evidence of secular thought and style and manners in 1519."
The wonderful book presented to the Roxburghe Club by Mr. Pierpont Morgan is a book of reproductions of Old Testament illustrations of the middle of the thirteenth century. The illustrations are described by Mr. Sydney C. Cockerell and there is a learned introduction by Dr. Montagu R. James which consists " with relevant additions " of- his Sandars lecture on bibliography 'at Cambridge in 1928. The subjects illustrated cover the period from the Creation to David, and end with the death of the Queen of Sheba. The book was entrusted in September, 1604, by a Polish Cardinal to the members of a Pope's Mission to Shah Abbas the Great, King of Persia in 1587, and was intended as a gift to that monarch. :The Mission reached Ispahan in 1608, when they presented their letters and gifts, including the Bible history. Much of its subsequent history is conjecture. No one knows when it started on its homeward journey, but at last it found its way to. Messrs. Sotheby. The illustrations, ten of which are coloured, are most beautifully reproduced. The book is one of the most magnificent gifts- the club has ever received,
C, HACBERG WRIGHT.
Previous page
