Foi-m Bo.— 1-'05— 125,000— Eagle. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2015 https://archive.org/details/thomasbertheletrOOdave The Puhlication Committee of the Caxton Club certify that this is one of an edition of two hundred and fifty-two copies printed on hand-made paper, of which two hundred and twenty-eight are for sale, and three copies printed on Japanese vellum. The printing was done from type which has been distributed. THOMAS BERTHELET V THOMAS BBRTHELET ROYAL PRINTER AND BOOKBINDER TO HENRY VIII. KING OF ENGLAND WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO HIS BOOKBINDINGS BY CYRIL DAVENPORT, F. S. A. OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM AUTHOR OF THE ENGLISH REGALIA, ROYAL ENGLISH BOOKBINDINGS, ENGLISH EMBROIDERED BOOKBINDINGS, CANTOR LECTURES ON BOOKBINDING, CAMEOS, ETC. CHICAGO PUBLISHED BY THE CAXTON CLUB MDCCCCI COPYEIGHT BY THE CAXTON CLUB NINETEEN HUNDEED AND ONE TABLE OF CONTENTS. CHAPTEfl PAGE I. English Bookbinding up to the Time of Henry VIII. . , 13 II. Documentary Evidence Concerning Berthelet and his Work 29 III. The Bookbindings of Thomas Berthelet, with Detailed De- scriptions OF Some Typical Examples .... 57 Index 99 ( LIST OF ILI/USTEATIONS. PLATE NO. PAGE I. Calf Binding of Bembo's " Historicae Venetae. Libri XII. Venice, 1551." Made for Edward VI. . . Frontispiece II. Title-Page of John Gower's Confessio Amantis. London, 1532 10 III. Berthelet's Device of Lucretia Stabbing Herself . . 16 IV. Legend Written on the Edges of a Volume of Sixteenth- Century Tracts, Bound in Red Satin for Henry VIII. . 20 V. Calf Binding of "Galteri Deloeni Libellus de Tribus Hierarchiis." a MS. Dedicated to Henry VIIL, and Bound for Him 24 VI. Calf Binding of a Copy of the Works of St. Chrysostom, Printed at Basle in 1530. Made for Henry VIII. . . 30 VII. White Leather Binding of a MS. Entitled "La Science DE Geometrie" 36 VIIL Upper Cover of the Calf Binding of Vol. I. of a Bible Printed at Antwerp in 1534. Made for Henry VIII. AND Queen Anne Boleyn 42 IX. Satin Binding of a Collection of Sixteenth -Century Tracts. Made for Henry VIII 46 X. Calf Binding of "Jul. Claud Iguini Oratio ad Hen. VHL" Made for the King 52 XL Velvet Binding of a Bible Printed at Zurich in 1543. Made for Henry VIII 58 10 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE XII. Calf Binding of "Trogus Pompeius. Chorographica, 1546. " Made for Prince Edward 62 XIII. Calf Binding of a MS. Commentary on the Campaign of THE Emperor Charles V. against the French in 1544. Made for Henry VIII., to Whom the MS. is Addressed 68 XIV. Calf Binding of "La Cyropedie de Xenophon. Paris, 1547. " Made for Edward VI. 74 XV. White Leather Binding of "Joannes a Lasco. Brevis de Sacramentis Ecc. Christi Tractatio. London, 1552." . 78 XVI. White Leather Binding of "D. Aurelii Augustini Hip- poNENSis Ep. Tam in Vetus Quam in Novum Test. Com- mentarii. Bas., 1542." Made for Queen Mary . . 82 XVII. Calf Binding of Queen Mary's Prayer-Book. MS. on Vellum. Bound for the Queen 84 XVIII. Calf Binding of "Epitome Omnium Operum Divi Aurelii Augustini. Col., 1549." Made for Queen Mary . . 90 CHAPTER 1. ENGLISH BOOKBINDING UP TO THE TIME OF HENRY VIII. CHAPTER I. ENGLISH BOOKBINDING UP TO THE TIME OF HENRY VHI. Such English bookbindings of an early date as still exist are, as a rule, bound in dark brown goatskin or brown sheepskin. The earliest notices about bookbindings are to be found in some of the wardrobe accounts of Edward IV., but of the many bindings which were made for that king, the only remaining sign now left is a loose cover in the library of Westminster Abbey; it is ornamented with a panel stamp bearing the king's arms, with supporters. In Mediaeval times, books, mostly religious, were generally writ- ten, copied, illuminated, and bound in the monasteries themselves, and were frequently of large size. After the date at which printing was introduced into Europe, about the middle of the fifteenth cen- tury, books became commoner, and very soon, as a general rule, smaller, the printer, binder, and publisher usually combining in his own person the functions hitherto performed by separate artists and artificers, — the illuminators, scribes, silversmiths, goldsmiths, jewel- lers, enamellers, and workers in leather, wood, or ivory. In short, the art of producing books became in every way a less ornamental and a commoner one. It is disappointing that no single specimen of the rich Mediae- val style of bookbinding exists of English workmanship. Such bindings were undoubtedly made here, and numerous drawings of them are to be seen in contemporary manuscript. It is certain that the intrinsic value of these covers attracted the attention of some of our sovereigns, especially the early Tudors, and whenever they 13 14 THOMAS BERTHELET. were of any value at all, the crucible accounts for their disappear- ance. Luckily the manuscripts themselves, now infinitely more val- uable than the gold and silver which formerly covered them, have in innumerable instances been carefully preserved unhurt. But it is some comfort to know that much beautiful work of the kind we have so unfortunately lost here can be seen and studied in Dublin, at the Royal Irish Academy and other institutions. In that city are to be seen noble specimens of the old book shrines, or covers, which protected the valuable manuscripts, illuminated sometimes by the ancient Irish scribes in such richness that they have never been excelled in beauty. These covers are in all probability nearly the same as the English ones were; they bear ornamentation of a simi- lar Gothic character, nearly analogous to the Anglo-Saxon styles, and the jewels are cut and set in the same way as is found in old English jewellers' work. The ''cumdach," or cover, of Molaise's Gospels, that of the Stowe missal and "Dimma's book," are all beautiful examples. The Irish jewellers were justly celebrated work- men ; they migrated largely to the Continent, and traces of their skill often show on Byzantine bindings made from about the ninth to the eleventh centuries. The older part of the magnificent cover of the Gospels of Lindau is Irish work. This was shown in 1891 at the Burlington Fine Art Club, and until lately was the property of the Earl of Ashburnham. It is one of the most gorgeous book- bindings in existence. In some Eastern countries bordering on Europe, especially the north of Africa and parts of Asia, books were bound in leather and ornamented with gold at a very early date. Signs of such work are found on bindings of the twelfth century onwards, but it is always rare, and only sparingly used. The manner of working the gold differs considerably from the way it is treated now. Persian, THOMAS BERTHELET. 15 Arabian, and Egyptian work of this sort is of great interest, and well deserves more attention and examination than it has yet received. It even seems that some kind of gilding on books was practised in England as early as 1480, as appears from one of the accounts of Piers Courteys, keeper of the King's Great Wardrobe in the City of London; but there is not enough information given to enable us to say what sort of gilding this was, neither do the existing specimens throw any definite light on this particular point. The account in which this reference to gilding on books occurs is one of the entries referring to the Privy Purse Expenses of Eliza- beth of York, daughter of Edward IV., and afterwards wife to Henry VII.; the words are as follows: — "Piers Bauduyn stacioner for bynding gilding and dressing of a booke called Titus Livius XXs ; for binding gilding and dressing of a booke of The Holy Trinite XVjs; for binding gilding and dressing of a booke called The Bible XVjs ; for binding gilding and dressing of a booke called Le Gouvernment of Kings and Princes XVj ; . . . and for binding and gilding and dressing of a booke called The Bible Historial XXs." It is, I think, probable that these bindings were ornamented with panel stamps, which were simply gilded all over, and that the process referred to was not that which is now generally understood as gold-tooling. During the Middle Ages Venice was the most important Euro- pean centre of trade with Eastern countries, and so it naturally comes about that the first European gold-tooling on leather comes from that great art centre, and occurs in Italian bindings of the fifteenth century. Not only does gold-tooling first appear in Vene- tian work, but there also it reached its highest development, several of the early bindings tooled in gold on dark leathers being quite 16 THOMAS BERTHELET. unsurpassed for delicacy and originality of design, as well as for beauty of workmanship. In several of these bindings the direct inspiration that has been afforded by the study of Oriental originals is very apparent. Innumerable also are the methods the Italian artists followed with regard to their management of gold leaf, or gold foil ; sometimes a whole design is picked out with minute gold dots, sometimes back- grounds are flatly gilded all over, leaving the design on the leather, and sometimes the method of working closely resembles that fol- lowed at the present day. The early Venetian bookbinders, as well as some of the Oriental gilders, knew some way of gilding a line drawn on leather by means of a style. This is a difficult thing to do, but effective in competent hands; and if it could be done with any degree of safety, such a process would now open up an entirely new field for decorative bookbinders, who are at present much bound down by the limitations forced upon them in consequence of chiefly using set stamps specially cut for each curve and bend and detail. Of course such lines are easy to execute in blind, but it is when the gilding begins that the difficulties increase. The essential point in gold-tooling on leather, as we know it, consists in the fixation of gold leaf by means of albumen. The design is marked in blind on leather and painted over with glair of egg, the gold leaf then being carefully laid over it; the marks of the blind-tooling show clearly through the gold, and each of these impressions is steadily reim- pressed with the same tools in the same places over the gold. The tools are heated to a point just sufficient to harden the albumen without burning the leather. If necessary, this process can be repeated again and again, until in the finest specimens of such work the gold looks as if wires of the solid burnished metal were actually inlaid on the leather. The albumen protected by the gold Jlf •IT' )/iiii.'i/.'i> / ' ' ■' as well art for rigs the direct ental originals ♦"n'?on-ed 08 n is a d. u to do, but piATF iji ^* ^^^^'^ ^^^^ ^'^^^ safet ' T now o| i ectirely new BEKTIIKLKTS \)\-:\WK OK LICKETIA STAHI!1.\(, I lEKSI-:^.;. boUnd See |iii.i.';f '[y ll. the I point in ition of ■jlind on I lien being ' clearly ue . such tal were the gold THOMAS BEKTHELET. 17 makes such a strong surface that frequently the gilded letters, or designs, which were of course originally in intaglio, are found in relief, the explanation being that the surrounding leather, being unprotected, has worn or powdered away all around. The use of albu- men is, however, not entirely without a drawback, as it is a favourite food for some small grub, so that sometimes, instead of a beautiful gilded line, there is only a small trench following the same track, all the gold and all the albumen having been eaten away, leaving the design as it was, but in a different colour. As a matter of fact, the earliest English binding now existing on which gold occurs is in the Bodlein Library at Oxford, but it would hardly come under the heading of gold-tooling. It is on a manuscript written by Eobert Witinton about 1516, and was given by him to Cardinal Wolsey. The binding is in brown sheepskin, and is decorated with block impressions from panel stamps, three on each side, the centre one representing St. George and the dragon, and the side ones bearing the Tudor emblems, portcullis, pomegran- ate, and double rose. These stamps are well and boldly cut, and the impressions are gilded, but I think it would be difficult to say positively whether they were simply overlaid with gold leaf after being made on the leather, or whether the gold was fixed by the operation of stamping. I rather expect the latter method was used ; but the volume is a very curious and interesting one even if such is not the case, and to some extent may explain the gilding men- tioned in Piers Courteys's account. In England during the fifteenth century the printing, bind- ing, and publishing of printed books generally vested in the same individual, but by degrees these processes became specialized, and towards the end of the sixteenth century they were carried out by different persons. Now and then, among the earlier specimens of 18 THOMAS BERTHELET. Berthelet's work, designs of a similar kind occur on the outside of the binding in gold, and inside the book printed in black. The occurrence of such a peculiarity would point strongly to the proba- bility of the printer having also been the binder, or at all events that the control of both processes was in the hands of the same master. Although no Mediaeval English bindings of the richer sort are now left, several of the simpler kind bound in leather still remain. Most of these are ornamented with impressions from small cameo stamps impressed in blind, — that is to say, without gold. Most of such bindings are bound in dark brown leather, either goatskin, corresponding to our morocco, or sheepskin, corresponding to our roan. Each of these old leathers is sound and fine in colour, and always brown; colour dyes for leather, except red, being a later, and probably hurtful, innovation. The boards of these bindings, like those of the decorated kind, are of wood, sometimes thick, sometimes thin. The thick boards were made heavy, because many of the manuscripts were written on vellum, which is very curly, and the weight of the covers was useful in counteracting this defect. The thin boards were very carefully chosen, and must have been well seasoned, as they are very rarely indeed warped at all. In many instances stamps of the monasteries at which they were made are impressed on these boards, and this is a sign of the careful manner in which even the smallest details concerning books was superintended. Berthelet's boards are always of cardboard or its equivalent, and although wooden boards are often found at a subsequent time to this, they may as a rule be considered to have gone out of universal use here about the end of the fifteenth century. The reputed oldest specimen of all the English bookbindings is bound in red leather, possibly deerskin; it is known as "St. THOMAS BERTHELET. 19 Cuthbert's Gospels," and was found, A. D. 1105, in the tomb of St. Cuthbert when it was opened. St. Cuthbert died A. D. 687, and the book is supposed to have been buried with him. It contains the Gospel of St. John, written on vellum, and is now treasured at Stonyhurst College. The volume is in such a remarkable state of preservation, both outside and inside, that a certain amount of dis- credit attaches to the legend of its great antiquity. It is bound in thin boards of limewood, covered with red leather, curiously worked and coloured. The upper cover bears a decorative rectangular panel, the central portion of which, nearly square, has a symmetrical foli- ated curve of double-S form, repousse, and showing slight traces of colour; above and below this are two long panels in which are drawn free-hand scrolls of Anglo-Saxon character, deeply lined. These scrolls are painted blue and yellow. The under side is simply orna- mented with fillets. The design of this binding is unquestionably very old, and may fittingly be referred to about the date of St. Cuthbert's death. Mr. E. Gordon Duff, however, inclines to the view that it is not actually the original binding, but is a copy of about the twelfth or thirteenth century. Even if it were made at the latest date attributed to it, it is still the earliest existing English book bound in red leather, as well as the only one decorated in the true style of Anglo-Saxon art. Another early English book of great interest is a Latin Psalter of the eleventh century, in its original binding of thick oaken boards covered with brown leather. On each side is a sunk panel, and in one of these is a copper gilt figure of our Lord in the attitude of the crucifixion. The corners and clasp are of thin brass stamped with patterns, and are most likely of later date than the rest of the binding. A very interesting point about this book is, that it was used as the official coronation oath-book by all the English 20 THOMAS BERTHELET. sovereigns from Henry I. to Henry VH.; it formerly belonged to the Exchequer, and was subsequently the property of the Marquis of Buckingham, who kept it in his beautiful library at Stowe; it is now in the British Museum. With the exception of these two instances, all the English books bound in leather before the time of Thomas Berthelet are orna- mented, if at all, with blind-stamped work only. In the cutting of stamps for this form of decoration, as well as in the designing of them, English artists in the twelfth century particularly are con- sidered to have been superexcellent. The subject has been most ably and lucidly considered by Mr. James Weale, lately Art Librarian at the South Kensington Museum. He finds that such work was produced especially at Durham, Winchester, Oxford, and London, from the twelfth to the fifteenth centuries, after which there was such a marked irruption of foreign binders and foreign stamps that the English work became obscured, and on its recovery was of an entirely different character. But it is now generally conceded that these early English blind-tooled leather bindings are indeed the finest of the kind made anywhere. The Winchester Domesday Book of the twelfth century, now belonging to the Society of Antiquaries of London, is a charming and typical specimen of this work; it is bound in dark brown goat- skin, and ornamented with impressions in blind from beautifully cut small cameo stamps. The main scheme of the decoration is two large circles, one above the other, enclosed within a rectangular panel. The circles as well as the lines of the panel are curiously made up of successive impressions of small stamps. Those used in the circles are cut in such a manner that they can be used either separately or in combination. Used together, of course, certain stamps will only combine properly to form a circle of a particular >ET. ^^nnerly belongeu ^ the Marquis "^U^we; it is books •3 , , , « work was ,^ ^" London, h there was s that PLATE IV. of an ij-;(;K\i) WKi r-rKx ox ihk kix.k.s.of a .\ik of six i kkn m ( |.,\. ^ t^8,t TL'Hv riiAtTs. I'.oi xi) IX saiix kok' hkxkv \ [n 1 the now ming • u n ^.iiier certain [Particular THOMAS BERTHELET. 21 circumference, as they are designed in short segments of circles, drop shaped, or in lozenge shapes, smaller at the base than at the top. It must be noted that the use of stamps cut in such a man- ner as to combine easily in circular forms is a characteristic of early English work. This circle, differently produced, however, will pres- ently be seen again in Berthelet's designs, and it reappeared also in the seventeenth century on much of the remarkable work done on leather as well as on velvet, at the very interesting establish- ment founded at Little Gidding in Huntingdonshire by Nicholas Ferrar. Parts of circles are sometimes, but not often, found on the bindings made for Jean Grolier during the first half of the sixteenth century, but it is very seldom that the circle itself occurs as an integral part of the design on bookbindings. The circle as originally used in the artistic ornamentation of sculptures, goldsmiths' work, and the arts generally was probably a sun-sign. I fear bookbind- ing is not old enough to come under this ancient art influence very strongly ; but it is just possible that the artists who designed the ornamentation of the leather covers of several of the splendid bindings made in England in Mediaeval times, based largely upon the circle, and who cut their stamps so as easily to produce circles, may have been unconsciously following out the lines of thought inherited by them from artistic ancestors imbued with the ancient traditions. Crosses as well as circles are found sometimes on early leather bindings, but not in English work, and with these two ex- ceptions I do not think any of the ancient symbols are represented in this particular line of art. On the introduction of printing into England in the fifteenth century, the rich Mediaeval bindings very rapidly became things of the past. The gap between them and the simple blind-stamped leather which rapidly superseded them was, however, filled to some 22 THOMAS BERTHELET. extent by the production of very ornamental bindings in velvet and satin. These covers are mounted with bosses and clasps of precious metals and enamels, or embroidered in gold and orna- mented with pearls. Several references and notes concerning such bindings occur in contemporary official documents, but no actual specimens now exist earlier than the time of Henry YIL, but that king has left us several splendid examples. Until Henry VHI. had his own royal binders, it is likely that all the early printers bound only their own work ; but naturally a printer and binder holding an appointment as royal binder would be sometimes expected to bind other miscellaneous books, and in- stances of this are not only found in Berthelet's account, given below, but amongst the books bound by him there are some which were printed abroad and others which are collections of tracts, etc., all of which were bound for King Henry VHI. or his immediate successors. The royal heraldry at the time Berth elet made his bindings was simple and dignified; first and fourth were the three fleurs-de- lys of France ; second and third, the three lions of England. From William the Conqueror until Henry H., the royal coat of England probably consisted of two lions passant guardant in pale. Henry H., however, on his marriage with Eleanor, daughter of William V., Duke of Aquitaine and Guienne, incorporated the coat of that potentate, a single leopard, with his own, but as he probably considered the conjunction of this animal with those already on his coat might not be conducive to peace, he turned the leopard into a similar lion and added it to the others, and from that time the coat of arms of England has been "gules, three lions passant guardant in pale, or." The coat of France, "azure, seme de fleurs-de-lys, or," was adopted by Edward HI., in the fourteenth year of his reign, together with the title of King of France, asserting his right to the coat and the title by virtue THOMAS BERTHELET. 23 of his mother, Isabel, daughter of Philip IV. At first Edward placed the French coat in the second and third places of his shield, but presently gave it the places of honour, first and fourth, in consequence of a remonstrance from the French king. Edward's grandson, Rich- ard II., married, as his second wife, Isabel, daughter of Charles YI. of France, who changed his coat, "seme de fleurs-de-lys," to one hav- ing only three fleurs-de-lys. Richard altered the French coat on his shield in accordance with this change, and this became the royal coat of arms of England until the accession of J ames I. With regard to the supporters which are found on some of Berthelet's bindings, they are only the dragon and the greyhound. The dragon is the red dragon of the last of the British kings, Cadwallader, from whom Henry VII. claimed descent, and in remembrance of whom he bore it as a supporter, as did all our Tudor sovereigns. This, however, is only one explanation, as it appears that a very similar badge was previously borne by Henry III., Edward I., and Edward III. The greyhound was also one of Henry VII. 's supporters, and is found on several of his bindings; it was used by Henry VIII. until about 1528, when he substituted a lion and changed the sides. This greyhound was borne by Henry VII. by a double right, partly by reason of his own descent from the Earls of Somerset, whose badge it was, and also by right of his wife through the Nevilles. The badges found on Berthelet's bindings are the portcullis, used by all the Tudors in remembrance of the castle of the Beauforts in Anjou, where Henry VII. 's maternal grandfather was born; the double rose, red and white, used first by the Lancastrian Henry VII. on his marriage with Elizabeth of York, as a symbol of the union of the two rival houses; the fleur-de-lys, doubtless taken as one of the bearings from the French coat of arms; and the daisy, borne in remembrance of Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry YII. All these 24 THOMAS BERTHELET. are found on bindings made by Bertlielet, sometimes singly and some- times in combination on one binding. Henry VH. was the first English king who attempted to form a library of his own, and besides manuscripts, he possessed a very fine collection of splendid volumes printed by Antoine Verard at Paris. These books are now part of the old Royal Library in the British Museum, and since they have been there they have all been rebound in velvet, which may probably be taken as some sign that they were originally bound in that material ; and this is likely enough, as all the bindings still existing that belonged to this king are bound in it. Some of these beautiful bindings are now in the library at Westminster Abbey, but the finest example of any of them is in the British Museum. During the reign of Henry Yin. some large heraldic panel stamps bearing the royal coat of arms were made here, probably by Dutch workmen, as they have characteristics of foreign workman- ship. These stamps are often considered royal, but it is doubtful whether they ever were so. Two of them bear the royal coat of arms as used by Henry VH. and Henry YHI. One shows the royal coat, crowned, with supporters, stars, and a few flowers, and at the top the sun in glory and a half-moon with a face in profile, the arms of the City of London, and the cross of St. George; the other, a handsomer design, has likewise the royal coat of arms, crowned, with supporters, but at the top there are two angels carrying scrolls, and having between them a large double rose, while below are two port- cullises, depending from the lower edge of the shield by chains. Two other panel stamps belonging to this series show the coats of arms of Queen Katharine of Aragon and Queen Anne Boleyn, and these have large shields, crowned, and supported by angels, with a ground on which are several flower sprays. TITELET. iliielet, soiiietimes smgly and so binding. iiemy V ix English iiu u d to iuiin brary ' ' 'a very tine c» " at III. some hrj(; j^U' a corvoi' riii; wojsks of si-. t niivsot^roM. phi\ im;i> A'l' iVasLK I\ MADF. FOlt IIFXRY VlW. '''' *■"* " * SiH- |ia^'' 7 1 . s of h lyuingt me reforit re sov >ae welle are dyuers lentie of printed ge, but in our maternall '8, some in U^hor. and some in te, wherby ]; : hauing ate of • to be had. tore ial and 't assembled, lade the fyrst I the feaste of the hp' kynges iltie THOMAS BERTHELET. 31 natiuitie of our lorde god next commynge shalbe voyde and of none effecte. And further be it enacted by the auctorite afore sayde, that no person or persons, resiant or inhabitant within this realme after the sayd feast of Christmas next comyng shal bie to sel ageyne any printed bokes brought from any parties out of the kynges obeysance, redye bouden in bordes, lether, or parchement, uppon peyne to lose and forfayte for everye boke bounde oute of the sayde kynges obey- sance, and brought into this realme, and bought by any person or persons within the same to sell agayne, contrarie to this act, syxe shyllynge eyghte pence. "And be it further enacted by the auctorite afore-sayde, that no persone or persones inhabytant or resiante within this realme, after the saide feast of Christmas, shall bye within this realmes, of any stranger, borne oute of the kynges obedience other then of denizens, any manner of printed bokes, brought from any the parties beyond the see, except onely by engrose and not by retayle : upon peine of forfaiture of Vis Vllld for every boke so bought by retayle, contrarie to the fourme and effect of this estatute, the said forfaytures, to be always leuied of the byers of any suche bookes, contrarie to this act ; etc. Provided alwaye, etc." This act, stringent though it seems, was not of much effect, as presently appears by a study of the transcripts of the Stationers Company, most usefully reprinted by Mr. Edward Arber, amongst which will be found several rules and ordinations concerning the • foreign bookbinders. These men, undoubtedly skilful in their trade, ultimately settled here in considerable numbers, and not only became naturalized Englishmen, but in all probability eventually benefited our styles and methods by the introduction of new ideas and a high standard of technical workmanship. A second great irrup- tion of foreign workiiien, binders among them, took place in England 32 THOMAS BERTHELET. in 1685, on the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. On this occasion, also, it is probable that our native styles and methods ultimately benefited considerably by the importation of new blood. Nothing is known about Thomas Berthelet until he became connected with the state printing under Henry VHI. He succeeded Richard Pynson as royal printer and binder in 1530, and received his appointment to this position by means of a royal patent. This patent is the earliest of the kind known, for although Pjnison called himself "Printer unto the King's noble grace," his official authority for doing so is not forthcoming. Berthelet's is, however, extant, and reads as follows: — "Rex omnibus ad quos praesentes, ac, salutem. Sciatis quod nos de gratia nostra speciali, ac ex certa scientia, & mero motu nostris dedimus & concessimus, ac per praesentes damns et consedi- mus dilecto servienti nostro Thomae Barthelet impressori nostro quandam annuitatem, sive quendam annualem redditum quatuor librarum sterlingorum, habendum & annuatim percipiendum proedic- tam annuitatem sive annualem redditum quatuor librarum eidem Thomae Barthelet, a festo Paschae, anno regni nostro vicesimo primo, durante vita sua de thesauri nostro ad receptam scaccarii nostri per manus thesaurarum & camerarii nostrorum ibidem pro tempore existendo ad festa sancti Michaelis archangeli & Paschae per equales portiones &c., quod expressamentio &c. In cujus, &c. testimonium rei apud Westmonasteriensem, vicesimo secundo die Februarii, anno regni Henrici VIII., vicesimo primo. Per breve privato sigillo." It will be seen that by virtue of this document Berthelet enjoyed a life income of four pounds sterling annually, the same sum that had been given to Richard Pynson in September, 1515. There is also a note to this effect among the Patent Rolls. (21 Hen. YIIL, Pt. II. m. 17, dated York Place 13th Feby 21 Hen. VIII.) THOMAS BERTHELET. 33 Not only was he thus marked for the king's favour, but he also enjoyed what in those days was considered a high honour; he was granted a coat of arms by Glarenceulx, king of arms, on September 1, 1549. This grant exists in the College of Arms in London, and the arms are thus described : — "The armes and creste of Thomas Bertheletof London, esquyer, gentillman; he bereth asure on a cheveron flore contre flore argent, betwene three doves of the same, thre trefiles vert, per chrest. upon his helm, out of a crounall silver two serpents endorsed asure ventred gold open mouthed, langued and eyed geules, there tailes comyng up in saulre under thire throtes, the endes of the tailes entering into their eres, langued and armed geules manteled geules, doubled silver, as more plainly apperith depicted in this margent ; graunted and given by me Thomas Hawley alias Glarenceulx, Kyng of armes, the first day of September in the thirde yere of the reygne of our soverange lorde Kynge Edward the VI etc." Pynson used heraldic emblems with the helmet of an esquire on some of his bindings; but he appears to have assumed the dig- nity without ofiicial warrant. Berthelet's continued presence in England was also considered of sufficient importance to justify a special exemption in his favour from sei'ving the king abroad in his wars in France. (Patent EoU. 36 Hen. VHL, Pt. H.) In the state papers preserved in the Record Office in London are several notices referring to the official printing work done by Thomas Berthelet. These testify to the importance and confidential nature of the work intrusted to him, and show how he was sometimes, on particularly urgent or secret occasions, ordered to set up the tj^e himself, and also was obliged to take an oath of secrecy. Misprints were evidently a thorn in his side, more than one entry referring to 34 THOMAS BERTHELET. such difficulties, of which doubtless numbers escaped official notice. From these entries I have chosen a few for quotation. Treasurer of the Chamber's Accounts. Oct 22nd 1530. To Thos Bartlet (Berthelet) for printing 1600 papers and books of proclamation for ordering and punishing sun- dry beggars and vacabundes, and dampnyng of books containing certain errors, at Id per leaf. £8 6s 8d. (Trevelyan Papers. Record Office. Letters and Papers Hen. Sth Vol. 5. p. 322.) Richard Croke to Cromwell 17tii Septr. 1532. After I left, Bartelot, the printer, told me that Goodrycke requested him to advertise the King of certain errors in "The Glasse off Truthe," which Bartelot refused, saying he had moved the King in such matters beforetime, and his Grace was not content with it. Though this was told Croke secretly, thinks it his duty to make it known to Cromwell, and that he should get out by policy from Goodricke what errors he notes. Thinks that Bartelot will speak of it to others. (Letters and Papers Hen. 8th Vol. 5. No. 1320. p. 572.) Cromwell to Sir Thomas Audeley, Lord Chancellor, llth Novr- 1534. It is necessary to have some copies of the proclamation printed to night, that they may be sent to sundry parts with the books of answer. Desires him to send a true copy by the bearer. Will then send for Bartelet the printer, swear him and cause him to have them printed to-night. The Rolls, 11 Nov. Asks him to have the proclamations written and sealed, and THOMAS BERTHELET. 35 bring them to-morrow at 10 o'clock. The duke of Norfolk and he will tarry dinner till he comes. Below is Audeley's answer. Will have 20 proclamations written as Cromwell wishes. Has commanded Crooke to deliver one true original to Bartelott with orders to set the print himself to-night, and make speed. Will be with Cromwell to-morrow at the hour appointed. (Letters and Papers Hen. 8th Vol. 7. p. 535. No. 1415.) The most important as well as the most interesting document concerning Berthelet is a long bill of his, giving details of books supplied by him to King Henry VIII., between the dates 1541-1543. This bill is written on twelve leaves of paper, and with it a warrant on vellum, signed by the king, ordering the payment to be made. Berthelet' s autograph receipt is also appended. This document was purchased by the British Museum in 1870, and although it does not seem that any of the items mentioned in it can positively be identi- fied, there are many instances in which it is likely enough that in the same museum are some of the actual books referred to. (Add. MS. 28. 196.) Several of the entries in this bill are of great interest. We find that many of the bindings were bound back to back; none now remain that were made at so early a date, but several instances of this curious method of binding that were made during the seven- teenth century, bound both in leather and in satin, still exist. White leather "gorgiously gilted on the leather" is mentioned more than once, and velvet, purple, and black were occasionally used, but the style of the decoration of it is left entirely to the imagination. 36 THOMAS BERTHELET. Again, "Crymosyn satin" only is mentioned, without any word of embroidery or other ornamentation, while leather, probably brown calf, is here and there described as being "gorgiously gilte," and also "bounde after the Italian" or "Yenecian fascion." The prices in this bill should be multiplied by about twelve to bring them into line with our present currency. The bill is worded as follows: — We wolle and commaunde you that of suche our Treausour as in your handes remayneth ye doe ymedyatly upon the sighte herof pay or doe to be paide unto our trustie servaunte Thomas Berthelett our prynter the somme of one hundred seventene pounds sixepence and one halfepeny sterlyng. The whiche is due and owyng by us unto hym for certeyne parcelles delyvered by the seid Thomas unto us and other at our commandement as in this booke, whereunto this our present warraunte is annexed particularly dothe appere. And these our lettres signed with our hande shalbe unto you a suffycient war- raunte and discharge for the same. Yoven under our Signemanuell, at our Manour of Wodstooke, the xxiiijti of September, the xxxv yere of our reigne. To our right trustie and righte welbeloved Sr. Edward Northe, Knyghte, treausourer of thaugmentaciouns of the Revenues of our Crowne. without any .vn-d TTobably brow n gilte," and t welve to currency. ni.TK l.KATllKR 1UN1.1N(; OF A MS. KNTITLKD ■ 1. \ S( IKNi h DK iie bighte herof pay ; homas Bertlielett our uc pounds sixeixjnce and due and owyng by us unto ' aeid Thomas unto us ^ " whereunto this our ,c appere. And these iLo you a suffycient war- « under oi i ' " niemanuell, ■ f ^otv the XXXV ■v^ V vard Northe, venues of our THOMAS BERTHELET. 37 Receyved of sir Edward North, Knight, treasourer of the Aug- mentations, the sayd summe of one hundred seventene poundes vj. d. oh. according to the tenour of this warrant, the 29 day September, ao regni regis Henrici viij, xxxv. Anno Domini 1541, et anno regni serenissimi et invictissimi Regis Henrici Octavi, Dei gratia Anglie Francie et Hibernie Regis, fidei Defensoris, et in terra Ecclesie Anglicane et Hibernice Supremi Capitis, tricesimo tercio. In primis, delyvered to my Lorde Chaumcellour, the ixth day of December, xxtj Proclamacons, made for the enlargyng of Hatfeld Chace, printed in fyne velyme, at vjd the pece. Summa, 10s. Item delyvered to the Kinges hyghnes, the xxx day of December, a Newe Testament in englisshe and latyn, of the largest volume, price 3s. Item delyvered to the Kinges hyghnes, the vj day of Jan- uary, a Psalter in englisshe and latj^e, covered with crimoysyn satyne, 2 s. Item delyvered the same tyme, a Psalter, the Proverbes of Salomon, and other smalle bookes bounde together, price 16d. Item delyvered to the Kinges hygnes, for a little Psalter, takyng out of one booke and settyng in an other in the same place, and for gorgious byndyng of the same booke, xijd and to the Goldesmythe, for taking of the claspes and corner, and for settyng on the same ageyne xvjd Summa 2s. 4d. 38 THOMAS BERTHELET. Item delyvered unto the Kinges hyghnes, the xv day of Janu- ary, a New Testament in latyne, and a Psalter englisshe and latyne, bounde backe to backe, in white leather, gorgiously gilted on the leather; the bookescame to ijS. the byndyng and arabaske drawyng in golde on the transfile, iiijs Summa 6s. Item delyvered to the Kinges hyghnes, the xviij day of January, a booke called Enarraciones Evangeliorum Dominicalium, bounde in crymosyn satyne; the price 3s. 4d. Item delyvered to the Kinges hig(h)nes, the xxiij day of Janu- ary, a booke of the Psalter in englisshe and latyne, the price viijd ; and a booke entiteled Enarraciones Evangeliorum Dominicalium, the price xijd ; and for the gorgious byndyng of them, backe to backe, iijs iiijd Summa 5s. Item delyvered to Maister Hynwisshe, to the Kinges use, a paper booke of vj queres royall, gorgiously bounde in leather 7s. 6d. Item delyvered to my Lorde Chauncellour, the xxv day of Janu- ary vj? Proclamacions concernyng the Kinges stile; eche of them conteynyng one leafe of bastarde paper, at jd the pece. Summa 50? Item delyvered to my Lorde Chauncellour, the iiij day of Feb- ruary, vj? Proclamacions concernyng eatyng of whyte meates; eche of them conteyning one hole leafe of Jene paper, at ob. the pece, 25? - Item delyvered the xxvth day of February, to the Kinges hyghnes, Amhrosius super epistolas sancti Pauli xx4 Item one Psalter in englisshe, in viijo xxd. Item ij litle Psalters, xvjd Summa 4s. 8d. Item delyvered to the Kinges hyghnes, the laste day of Feb- ruary, xij bookes intitled Summaria (in) Evangelia et Epistolas ut leguntur, ij bounde in paper hordes at viijd the pece, and x in for- relles, at vjd the pece, 6s. 4d. Item delyvered to the Kinges hyghnes, the iij day of Marche, THOMAS BERTHELET. 39 one Smnmaria in Evangelia et Epistolas, gorgiously bounde, and gilte on the leather, price 2s. Item delyvered the same day, ij bookes, intitled Conciliaciones locorum AUhemeri, price 4s. Item delyvered to the Kinges hyghnes, the same day, one Opus Zmaragdi, price 4s. 8d. Item delyvered to the Kinges hyghnes, the vth day of Marche, one Novum Testarmntum, bounde with a Summaria, price 2s. Item delyvered to the Kinges hyghnes, the ix day of Marche, one Novum Testamentum, in latyne, bounde with a Summaria super Epistolas et Evangelia, 2s. Item delyvered to the Kinges hyghnes, the xijt day of Marche, one Authoritas allegahiles sacre scripture, with one Summaria in Evangelia et Epistolas, gorgiously bounde in whyte, and gilte on the lether, iiij Item, Sedulius in Paulum atiijs. Item, Petrus Lumberdus in Epistolas sancti Pauli, at iijs iiijd. Item, Homelie ven. Bede in Epistolas Dominicalis, at xvj at ? of brasse, in conteynyng one ama 41s. 8d. witchecraftes sorcery, holle leafe of iie, debar- leaves of i icyae Stat- of bastarde 1 M > ■ 20s. i ntenat eche ui them conte} the 1 \e concei ^ iij na i i. '>^~>- THOMAS BERTHELET. 43 Item yc of tlie Acte for bouchers to selle at their libertie, by weyghte or otherwise; eche of them conteynyng one holle leafe of basterde paper, at Id the pece. 41s. 8d. Item yc of the Acte for murdre and malicius bloudshed within the Courte; eche of them conteynyng iij hole leaves dim. of Bas- terde paper at iijd ob. the pece. Summa 71. 5s. lOd. Item xij of the Acte concernyng certeyne Lordships, translated from the Countie of Denbigh to the Countie of Flynt; eche of them conteynyng one hoolle leaffe of basterde paper, at jd the pece. Summa 12d. Item vc of the Acte concernyng false prophesies upon declara- cion of armes, names, or badges; eche of them conteynyng a dim. leafe of basterde paper, at ob. the pece, 20s. lOd. Item yc of the Acte concernyng the translation of the saynctu- arie from Manchestere to Westechester ; eche of them conteynyng one hoolle leaffe dim. of basterde paper, at ob. the pece. Summa 31. 2s. 6d. Item yc of the Acte for worsted yarne in Northef olke ; eche of them conteynyng a hoolle leaffe of basterde paper, at jd the pece. Summa 41 s. 8d. Item yc of the Acte for confirmacion and continuacion of cer- teyne Actes; eche of them conteynyng one hoolle leafe of basterde paper, at jd the pece. Summa 41s. 8d. Item yc of the Acte for the true making of kerseyes; eche of them conteynyng one holle leafe dim, of basterde paper, at jd ob. the pece. Stmma 31. 2s. 6d. Item yc of the Acte expondyng a certeyn Statute concernyng the shippyng of clothes; eche of them conteynyng a dim leafe of basterde paper, at ob. the pece. Summa 20s. lOd. Item for the byndyng of ij Primmers, written and covered with 44 THOMAS BERTHELET. purple velvet, and written abowte with golde, at iijs the pece. Summa 6s. Item delyvered to the Kinges hyghnes, the vj day of Maye, xij of the Statutes made in the Parliament holden in the xxxiijti yere of his moste gracious reigne; at xvjd the pece. Summa 16s. Item delyvered to Mr James, Maister Denes servaunte for the Kinges hyghnes use, the xvjth day of Maye, a greate booke of paper imperiall, bound after the facion of Venice, price 15s. Item delyvered to the seid Maister James, for the Kinges hygh- nes use, another greate booke of paper imperiall, bounde after the Italian fascion, the price 14s. Item delyvered the xiiij day of June, to Maister Daniell, ser- vaunte to Maister Deny, to the Kinges hyghnes use, ij bookes of paper royall, bound after the Venecian fascion, the price, 18s. Item delyvered to Maister Secretory, Maister Wrysley the v day of November, iij dosen bookes of the Declaracion of the Kinges hyghnes title to the soverayntie of Scotland, at iiijd the pece. Summa 12s. Item delyvered to Maister Jones, servaunte to Maister Deny, the XXX daye of December, v Tullius de Offlcijs, bounde in paper bourdes, at xvjd the pece, and one gorgiously gilted for the Kinges hyghnes, price iijs iiid Summa, 10s. Item for byndyng of a paper booke for the Kinges hyghnes, and the gorgious giltyng thereof, delyvered the xiiij day of January to Mr Turner, 3s. 4d. Item delyvered to Maister Hynnige, for the Kinges hyghnes use the vij day of Febr. a greate paper booke of royall paper, bounde after the Yenecian fascion, price 8s. Item delyvered the ix day of February, to my Lorde Chauncel- lour, vjc of the Proclamacions for white meates, at ob. the pece, 25s. THOMAS BERTHELET. 45 Item delyvered the vj day of Marche, iij bookes of "The Insti- tution of a xp'en man," made by the clergy, vnto the Kinges most honerable Counsayll at xxd the pece, 5s. Anno Domini 1543. Item delyvered the vj day of Aprill, to Maister Henry Knyvett, for the Kinges hyghnes, a bridgement of the Statutes, gorgiously bounde, 5s. Item delyvered to the Kinges moost honerable Counsaill, the viiij day of Aprill, iij litle bookes of the Statutes, price xijd Item iij bookes of the vj Articles, price vjd Item iij of the Proclama- cions ageynst Anabaptistes, price vjd Item iij Proclamacions of ceremones, price vj4 Item iij of the Injunccions, price vjd Item iij of holy dayes, price iij 4 Summa. 3 s. 3d. Item delyvered to my Lorde Chauncellour of England the iiij daye of Maye, ijc Proclamacions concernyng the price of suger, con- teynyng one hole leafe of basterde paper, at jd the pece. Summa. 16s. 8d. Item for the byndyng of a booke written on vellim, by Maister Turner, covered with blacke velvet, 16d. Item delyvered to my Lorde Chauncellor, the xxxj day of Maye, vc of the Acte for the advauncement of true religion and abolissh- ment of the contrarie, made out in Proclamacions; eche of them conteynyng iii leaves dim. of greate basterde paper, at iijd. ob. the pece. Summa, 71. 5s. lOd. Item delyvered vc of the Acte for the explanacion of the statutes of willes, made out in Proclamacions ; eche of them conteynyng iii leaves of great basterd paper, at iijd the pece. Summa, 6s. 5d. Item delyvered vc of the Acte agaynst suche parsones as doe make bankeruptes, made out in Proclamacions, eche of them 46 THOMAS BERTHELET. conteynyng two greate leaves of basterde paper, at ijd. the pece. Summa, 41. 3s. 4d. Item delyvered vc of tlie Acte for the preservacion of the ryver of Severne, made oute in Proclamacions ; eche of them conteynyng two small leaves of paper, at jd, the pece ; 41s. 8d. Item delyvered vc of the Acte concernyng collectours and receyvours, made out in Proclamacions; eche of them conteyning a leafe dim. of paper, at jd. the pece. Summa, 41s. 8d. Item delyvered vc of the Acte for the true making of coverlettes in Yorke, made oute in Proclamacions; eche of them conteyning ij smalle leaves of paper, at jd. the pece. Summa. 41s. 8d. Item delyvered vc of the Acte for the assise of cole and woode, made owt in Proclamacions ; eche of them conteynyng a leafe of smalle paper, at ob. the pece. Summa, 20s. lOd. Item delyvered vc of the Acte, that persons, beyng noe common surgions, may mynistre outwarde medycines, made oute in Procla- macions; eche of them conteynyng a leafe of smalle paper, at ob. the pece. Summa, 20s. lOd. Item delyvered vc of the Acte to auctorise certeyne of the Kinges majesties counsaill to sett prices upon wines ; made out in Procla- macions, eche of them conteynyng a leafe of paper, at ob. the pece. Summa, 20s. lOd. Item delyvered vc of the Acte for the true making of pynnes, made out in Proclamacions; eche of them conteynyng halfe a leafe of paper, at ob. the pece. Summa, 10s 5d ^d. Item delyvered vc of the Acte for the true making of frises and cottons in Wales, made oute in Proclamacions; eche of them con- teynyng a leafe of paper, at ob. the pece. Summa, 2 Is. 8d. Item delyvered fiftie of the Acte for pavying of certeyne lanes •I two tT'^Ht-* f '>8'^t<^Ho T !>T,er, at ijd. the pece. nervaiuon of the ryver 0 of them conteynyng two 41s. 8d. ft conremvnsr col. s and m conteyning a the I 1 yc of the s ' 6 in Pro< :i conteyuuig ij of p» mma. 41s. 8d. Item Pj^ i)^ assise of cole and woode, made owt - ng a leafe of smalle S.VI'IX i;iMi|\(, (»|. ,\ ( ()Ll.i;( riOX of SlXTKKXTri-fKX'rdJV tkacts. oute in Procla- «ir, at ob. lie ol the Kinges .„'o; iuadt; out in Procla- ti leate of paper, at ob. the pece. .iiv.^cte for the true makii •ms; eche of ^V^ v , conteynyng .ue r>.. Summa, i - v( |d. of the Acte ' ^ + - • '>>aking of frises and 1' oute in eche of them con- at ob. tl la, 2 Is. 8d. of +>tfi of certeyne lanes THOMAS BERTHELET. 47 and streets in London and Westm., made out in Proclamacions ; eche of them conteynyng ij leaves of smalle paper, at jd. the pece, 4s. 2d. Item delyvered fiftie of the Acte for knyghtes and burgeses to have places in the parliament, for the county-palantyne and citie of Chester, made out in Proclamacions; eche of them conteynyng a leaffe of smalle paper, at ob. the pece; 2s. Id. Item delyvered f ourtie bookes of the Acte for certeyne ordenaunces in the Kinges majesties dominion and principalitie of Wales, at iiijd the pece. Summa 13s. 4d. Item deljrs^ered to the Kinges highnes, the firste day of June, xxiiij bookes in titled "A necessary doctrine for any Christen man," at xvjd. the pece. Summa, 32s. Item delyvered to the Kinges hyghnes, the third day of June xxiiij bookes intitled "A necessary doctrine for any Christen man," at xvjd the pece. Summa, 32s. Item delyvered to the Kinges hyghnes, the iiij day of June, xxiiij of the booke intitled '*A necessary doctryne for any Christen man," at xvjd the pece. Summa, 32s. Item delyvered to Maister Stokeley, the xij day of June, xij Proclamacions for the advancement of true religion, at iijd. ob. the pece; 3s. 6d. Item XX of the Proclamacions of the Acte for explanacion of the statute of willes, at iijd the pece. Summa, 5s. Item xj proclamacions of the Acte of bankerupte, at ijd. the pece. Summa, 3s. 4d. Item XX Proclamacions of the Acte for Severne, at jd. the pece. Summa, 20d. Item XX Proclamacions of the Acte of collectours and receyvours, at jd, the pece, 20d. 48 THOMAS BERTHELET. Item XX Proclamacions of the Acte for making of coverlettes in Yorke, at jd. the pece. Summa, 20d. Item XX of the Proclamacions, that persones beyng noe comon surgions may ministre outewarde medicynes, at ob. the pece. Summa, lOd. Item XX Proclamacions of the Acte for certeyne of the Kinges maiesties counsaill to sett prices of wynes; at ob. the pece. Summa, lOd. Item XX Proclamacions of the Acte for true making of pynnes, at qa the pece, 5d. Item XX Proclamacions of the Acte for true maxing of frises and cottons in Wales; at ob. the pece. Summa, lOd. Summa totalis, cxvijli vj. d. ob. THOMAS AUDELEY, Cancellarius. The consideration of Thomas Berthelet as a printer is foreign to my present purpose; the subject is a large one, and requires special treatment and a long and careful study. There are more works left that were printed by Berthelet than there are of any other of our early English printers, and the greater number of the works he chose for reproduction are important and valuable, — 147 books are known to have been printed by him. Many of Berthelet's types are very beautiful. Some of them are black letter ; perhaps one of the finest founts is that used for the Confessio Amantis of John Gower. Plate II. shows a reproduction of the beautiful title-page of this book, of which I believe the border is one of Berthelet's own designing, or at all events made by the design of the stamps used on his bindings ; the resemblance of many of the black curves printed in this book to those used in gold on the leather will be at THOMAS BERTHELET. 49 once apparent. Whenever any student ventures upon a close exam- ination of the printed work of Berthelet, he will be met with an important initial difficulty, which is, that Berthelet's nephew and successor, Thomas Powell, was misguided enough to leave out the word "late" on several of his imprints; that is to say, he printed many books absolutely as if they had been issued by Berthelet himself, using the same types and the same trade expressions alto- gether. In many instances it will be almost impossible to decide definitely whether a particular book was printed by the master himself or only by his man. In the long list of works printed by Berthelet which is given by Ames, there are statutes dated as early as 1529; and besides official publications, there are numerous miscellaneous books of an important character. Among these are several written by Sir Thomas Elyot and Erasmus; Gower's Confessio Amantis; Lyttyl- ton's Tenures; bibles, dictionaries, plays, and chronicles. On the title-page of a copy of Marcus Aurelius's golden book is an ornamental border. This border consists of a design of boys in procession, one being carried on the shoulders of four others, and has at the top a medallion with two sphinxes; the same design, however, if not the same block, was used by other printers besides Berthelet. Berthelet's own device is a figure of Lucretia stabbing herself, with a landscape in the distance and an architectural frame- work. The colophons in Berthelet's books are found both in Latin and in English, one of the most usual being: — "Imprinted in Fletestrete in the house of Thomas Berthelet nere to the condite at the sygne of Lucrece." Common forms are also: — "Londoni in Aedibus Tho. Bertheleti," "Thome Bertheletus 50 THOMAS BERTHELET. regius impressor exciidebat," and "Impressus Londini in edibus regii impressoris." And of rarer occurrence are the words : — "In Aedibus Thome. Bertheleti typographi regii typis impress," and "Impressum in Flete-Strete prope aquagium sub intersignio Lucretiae Romanae." There is a curious limit given as to price in a note at the end of a copy of the "Doctrine and Erudition for any Christian Man," printed in 1543, which says: "This boke bounde in paper boordes or claspes, not to be sold aboue XYId." A few books were printed from 1556 to 1560 with Berthelet's colophons, after his death, on which the word "late" is prefixed to his name, but this does not appear always to have been done. Thomas Berthelet enjoyed what in his time must have been a very lucrative post. Not only had he his regular fee, but he was also constantly employed in official work, for which he was sepa- rately paid, besides which he had private customers. There are several entries respecting the investment of his property to be found in the Patent Rolls of Henry VIII. Among these there are some which are of interest, as showing how carefully changes of property were noted in those days ; e. g. : — " On payment of a sum of 40 shillings licence was granted to Richard Moryson to alienate two houses in Friday Street to Thomas Berthelet." (Patent Roll. 34 Hen. YIIL, Pt. 11.) Again: "Grant to Thomas Berthelet of messuages and lands in St. Andrews, Holborn, and St. Bride's Fleet Street for a sum of £189. 3. 11." (Patent Roll. 35 Hen. VIII., Pt. III.) And yet another grant is found in the Patent Roll, 36 Henry VIII., Pt. XII., by which Thomas Berthelet received the following property in consideration of a payment of £212. 10. 0.: — THOMAS BEKTHELET. 51 "A house in the parish of St. Bride, known as Salisbury Place formerly in the occupation of Richard Hyde, and before that belong- ing to the dissolved monastery of Godstowe in Oxfordshire. A house in the parish of St. Margaret Moyses in Friday Street in the city of London in the occupation of John Stanes. "Another house in the same parish in the occupation of James Wilson, and various houses also in the same parish in the occupa- tion of William Egleston. "A house in Distaff Lane in the parish of St. Margaret Moyses in the occupation of John Greene. "All the above houses in the parish of St. Margaret's having formerly belonged to the monastery of the Graces near the Tower of London. "Two houses in the parish of St. Bride, Fleet Street, one in the occupation of John Hulson (scriptoris) and the other in the occupa- tion of John Lyons goldsmith (aurifabri), both of which were pre- viously part of the possessions of the Priory and Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem." The will of Thomas Berthelet, Citizen and Stationer of London, is dated September 23, 1555. It directs that his property shall be chiefly divided between his wife Margery and his two sons, Edward and Anthony, to each of whom substantial property in land and houses is left, the elder one receiving the manor of Hilhampton in Hereford. Thomas Powell, his nephew, and all his godchildren are remem- bered, also his wife's sister; and each apprentice receives the value of his own yearly royal fee, four pounds. The will also — Directs that his body shall be buried in the parish church of St. Bride's, Fleet Street, in the Lady Chapel, and gives to his 52 THOMAS BERTHELET. Son and heir, Edward Barthelett, tlie manor of Hilhampton alias Ilhampton, in tlie Co. of Hereford, and land in Harden, messuages and tenements in Fleet Street, Bishopsgate Street, and Friday Street, amounting in all to one third of his estate. To his Younger Son, Anthony Barthelett, he leaves premises in Distaff Lane, Friday Street, Bread Street, St. Sepulchre's parish, St. Andrews, Holborn, with reversion to elder brother, and Thomas Powell, his nephew. To his Wife, Margaret (Margery), he gives property in the parish of St. Andrews, Holborn, "and the house with the ways walks etc, which I reserve for my own use in Crokhorne Alley in the said parish of St. Andrews," — and a house in the parish of St. Sepulchre, with reversion to the two sons and the heirs of Margery, his wife. His goods to be divided into three parts, one to go to his wife, the second to his two sons, with reversion to Christ's Hospital, ''lately erected^ The third part reserved to pay funeral expenses and provide the following: — To Thomas Powell, "nephew," £40 in goods. " Prudence Skynner, goddaughter, 20 shillings. " Martha Salvoine, goddaughter, 20 shillings. " each of his other godchildren six and eightpence. " the church box at St. Bride, 20 shillings. " Christ's Hospital, ten pounds. " Alice Cowper, wife's sister, four pounds in money. " each of his apprentices, four pounds in money or money's worth. " son Edward, gold chain weighing 12 ozs. " " Anthony, gold chain weighing 7 ozs. Residue of goods left to wife, Margery, sole executrix. 52 id Friaay Street, remises in nshy St. as irish ■ a house in . ^ CALF IUXl)lS(Ji.ii),F -.11 1. the two sons antt tn^' s i reseive for ji St. Andi-ews," s walks said cLAri) iGtyxr ouaiio ad :\iai)K with reversion to FOI! TlIK KrX(i. ^'ife, THOMAS BERTHELET. 53 Trustees, John Abingtone, gentleman, clerk of the Queen's woodyard, and John Wekes, citizen and goldsmith, with a legacy of four pounds apiece. Witnesses, Richard Heywood. Edward Ridge. John Hulson. Probate granted 9th Nov^ 1555. He probably died shortly after this will was executed, as there is the following entry in the Stationers' Hall Book A, of the date 1556: "Reed of Margery barthelett wydow XXVI Janu. iiji vis viijd which Tho. Berthelett hyr husbande receuyed of Mr. Chamberlayne to the use of our companye for Mr. andrewes Rewarde at his settynge over to the vyntenners. . . . Item recevyd at the presente tyme of the sayde margery for a rewarde to the copanye for comynge to the sayde thomas bartheletts his buryal xiii iiij." Mrs. Margery eventually married Richard Payne, as is recorded in the Repertories and Journals of the City of London (13 and 15 Hustings Roll 251. Nos. 10. 11); and Richard Grafton, grocer, and the same Richard Payne, gentleman, were appointed trustees of the children of Thomas Berthelet, according to the then custom of the city. CHAPTER III. THE BOOKBINDINGS OF THOMAS BERTHELET, WITH DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS OF SOME TYPICAL EXAMPLES. CHAPTER III. THE BOOKBINDINGS OF THOMAS BERTHELET. As has been shown, Thomas Berthelet lived in troublous times for bookbinding. He doubtless knew of the rich Mediaeval bind- ings, which in his day were rapidly becoming scarce, and he was of course familiar with the old blind-stamped leather work as well as the brown panel stamps which were common at his time. He probably knew, also, the beautiful gold-tooled Italian bindings which came over from the Continent as rarities about the beginning of the sixteenth century. It will never be known with certainty whether Italian workmen came over here and taught Berthelet the art of gold-tooling on leather. If this was not the case, then Berthelet experimented for himself and soon became proficient, but several of his earlier bindings betray the hand of a tyro in this difficult art. In favour of the theory that an Italian gilder came to this country about the time that Berthelet became royal printer to Henry YIII. is the fact that there was at least one binding made for James V., King of Scotland, adorned with gold-tooling, executed on calf by some craftsman endowed with greater technical skill than Berthelet ever showed. This binding is, however, of a weaker design than Berthe- let' s are : his designs are never frittered as this one is ; nevertheless, it must be noted that there are on the Scottish bindings some of the same stamps that Berthelet used, as well as others of a slighter and more ornate character. The volume is figured in the Diction- ary of English Book Collectors, Part V., and in 1894 it belonged to the late Mr. Bernard Quaritch, of 15 Piccadilly, London. 57 58 THOMAS BERTHELET. Berthelet must have foreseen the very decorative possibilities that lay in the direction of gold-tooling on leather, promising indeed to compensate to a great extent for the loss of the beautiful and fast-disappearing Mediaeval bindings in gold, silver, or ivory. He worked very energetically at his new art and quickly mastered it, the gilding on the majority of his books being excellent. His stamps were cut "solid," closely after Italian models, even if those he started with were not actually Italian stamps purchased by him from his problematical teacher. In time these designs became largely modified, but always retained much of the Italian feeling. Indeed, although Berthelet eventually developed a style of his own, the Italian inspiration is evident throughout. He could not have gone to a better school, as it is, with much justification, often held that the Italian gold-tooled bindings on leather of the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries are the finest in taste and altogether the most admirable ever produced. In consequence of the number of foreign books that came over here, it was incumbent on the native English workmen to do what they could to introduce a good style of indigenous work, and Berthelet was the most noted of the six- teenth-century binders who endeavoured to do this. The old Eng- lish idea of the circle entered largely into his later and more orna- mental designs, as also did the diamond, not in itself so original a style, as it frequently occurs elsewhere, amongst other places on books bound for Jean Grolier. The bindings of the books printed by Thomas Berthelet have already in many instances been noticed as examples of fine work- manship, but he has not by any means always been credited with their authorship. There are certain volumes which belonged to Henry VIII. at a period when Berthelet was royal printer, some of which were V decorative po; k ; n^.^, ' her, iH . '.aising indeed g p )eaiitiful and f-ed it, His those him ame ing. . tiis own, inspn-ationp^^E XI. ^ T Vv^ ^ better school, ' much a, often held rfiiVL'aAV^'" I'lMXTED AT zi^Ki<^i^ u4:i. Ki*e fifteenth uii altogether number ) native >({ style L the six- e old Eng- more oma- siv oviHnal a s on ve work- efl with V^III. at 1 which were I I I ! I THOMAS BERTHELET. 59 actually printed by him, on which certain stamps impressed in gold occur with great frequency. Several of these stamps are peculiar, and all of them bear the characteristics of being designed by the same artist, one who quite understood the art of designing curves for bookbindings. There is now little doubt that these bindings issued from Berthelet's workshop, and they may be safely consid- ered to be his workmanship. Unfortunately none of the bindings attributed to Berthelet are signed. There are numerous instances of signed bindings made in England both before and during his time, but these are always on panel stamps, which in all probability were seldom made by Eng- lishmen. The fashion of signing a binding outside has indeed been seldom followed here, although it has been common on continental bindings for a long period. When English workmen have signed their bindings it has generally been by means of a small paper ticket pasted on the inside, or in very small letters or initials impresssed at the lower edge of the inside of the boards. Most of the bindings of the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries had silken ties fixed to the front edges of the boards. This peculiarity was probably a survival of an old custom which pre- vailed during the Middle Ages, when books were largely written on vellum, which is very apt to curl; the ties helped the thick, heavy boards to counteract this tendency. The ties on Berthelet's bind- ings are now nearly all rubbed off, but signs of them can be traced in most cases. In default of a signed binding, we are driven, in Berthelet's case, to probability only with regard to fixing some standard by which to judge his work. The stamps used on all the books printed by Berthelet which are still in their original bindings are fortu- • nately few in number, and nearly all these stamps are found on the 60 THOMAS BERTHELET. first binding described in my list below. The gilding on this bind- ing is bad, and evidently the work of a beginner, and I think it is the first English book ornamented with actual gold-tooling. It is dedicated to Henry VIII. and belonged to him, and my theory is, that the king desired Berthelet to try the new form of decoration on one of his own books, to be marked with his own heraldic devices and special royal badges. Berthelet doubtless considered the gold-tooling, which at that time he alone understood here, was a more distinguished manner of marking his work than the commoner plan of signing his name, as the foreign workmen were in the habit of doing on their large panel stamps. The finest of Berthelet's bindings are all royal; those he made for private owners are rarely very highly ornamented. It is not known what kind of binding he executed before the time of his appointment as royal printer ; indeed, it is quite possible that he did not begin binding until about that period; i. e., 1530. The chief official printing that he did was in the form of statutes, proclama- tions, single sheets, and other publications, which required no bind- ing; but following the fashion of his time, when he did print an actual book, it is highly probable that he also bound it. The stamps he used on his earliest bindings were new to English work, and it seems probable that if they were not actually sent over to him from Italy he cut them closely resembling some Italian model. They were not used after his death, and this disuse of a binder's stamps after his own time is always something of a mystery. Stamps cut in metal for gilding designs on leather are very strong, and as the work they have to do is very light, they would, as a matter of fact, last much longer than they appear to if they were not destroyed purposely. Most great binders seem to have taken steps to insure the discontinuance of the use of their special stamps after THOMAS BEETHELET. 61 their death, and so it is usually conceded that if the general design as well as the special stamps on any binding are similar to those found on any acknowledged work of a particular binder, this binding must then be his own work. Of course, other matters must be in proper accordance with such attribution, — leather, date, and heraldic marks, if any. Also in the case of a binder who produced much work, the fact of a binding having issued from his workshop would entitle it to be called his work, although his own hand may never have touched it. The most important works in which figures and notices of Ber- thelet's bindings will be found are Mr. H. B. Wheatley's book on the "Remarkable Bindings in the British Museum," London, 1889, in which five specimens are figured in colour, none of them attributed to Berthelet, and they are all very bad plates ; in Mr. R. R. Holmes's fine book on "Specimens of Royal Bookbinding from the Royal Library, Windsor Castle," London, 1893, in which two examples are figured, being fine plates in colour by Mr. Griggs, which two plates, with one other, are reproduced in the illustrated Catalogue of the Exhibition of Bookbindings held at the Burlington Fine Arts Club in 1891; Mr. W. Y. Fletcher's "English Bookbindings in the British Museum," London, 1895, in which several of Berthelet's finer bind- ings are naturally included, all shown in splendid colour plates by Mr. Griggs; and in my own monograph on "Royal English Book- bindings," published in 1896, in which there is one bad colour plate and one excellent half-tone (both by Evans) of acknowledged Ber- thelet bindings. Besides these few there are no good plates to be found ; indeed, colour plates of bookbindings have been a source of much tribulation to authors until late years, when Mr. William Griggs, chromo-lithographer to the queen, has made a special study of their production, with the result that he can now produce the * finest work of the kind to be found anywhere. 62 THOMAS BERTHELET. The immense majority of bookbindings made since the intro- duction of printing into England are in some sort of leather, and there is a very wide difference between the most elaborately deco- rated leather binding and the usual rich Mediaeval bindings in precious metals, which they virtually superseded. In Berthelet's bill, quoted in the second chapter, will be found one or two entries which remind us that there really was a sort of connecting link between these two widely divergent schools of book decoration. This link is to be found in the embroidered bindings, some of which, in all probability bound by Berthelet, still remain. These bindings, without being intrinsically valuable, are very ornamental indeed, and as far as appearance goes, they may well have given satisfaction even to the magnificent taste of Henry VHL, without adding to their beauty the strong temptation of being worth relegating to the melting- pot. In the bill already quoted we find entries of books bound in velvet and in satin, and as a fact we also find among Henry VIII.'s books some which not only fit the descriptions to some extent, but having curves and designs upon them which, allowing for the unavoidable differences due to the material, strongly resemble some of Berthelet's curves as used on leather. The velvet bindings, some of which remain that belonged to Henry VII., also take their place as very decorative work; these are adorned in many cases with enamels, a form of ornamentation having, in common with embroidery, a strong claim to preservation because of its beauty, although equally of no intrinsic value. There is nothing to connect these earlier bindings with Berthelet. The one or two embroidered bindings which I venture to attribute to him, and describe below in their chronological order, have certainly in two instances some evidence to that effect inherent in themselves, inasmuch as they have on their edges Berthelet's usual legend painted in gold. ^'^ ■ '.iid tie miro- i^md ' 1 er, and .J ditferonce ! \j deco- iiclet's k valuable, are d, )e8, they may well ^jtion ;ie maLTi I itnFp>A /p:<^j(pf Henry VIII Mig to their ;, miy t\w Strang, > of beine wo aeltins- ■'i*WNri:'fcT)1\^A'Kn bound in S^- page .1 Vtll.'S 3 but ? le some bindings, f ISO take their 110 i t -! Wltii d ' - vv > ^^ome i.i^ii as they i ll gold. THOMAS BEKTHELET. 63 There are other embroidered books of the time of Henry YHL, which were worked for him by his daughter Elizabeth, but although these probably enough were put together for her by Berthelet, the designs upon them have nothing of his about them, having in all probability been designed by the princess herself. Some of these are at the Bodleian Library at Oxford, and others in the British Museum ; the finest of them have been already figured and described.* There certainly are enough specimens left of such ornamental bindings to show that plain leather bindings were not always con- sidered elaborate enough in appearance to compensate entirely for the loss of the gold-jewelled and enamelled productions which immediately preceded them ; and it seems wonderful that bindings made in such apparently fragile materials as velvet and satin should not only be in existence but actually in a very good state of preser- vation, though faded in colour. They are really much more enduring than is generally imagined, but unquestionably numbers of them, worked on velvet, satin, and canvas, have perished or been worn out long ago. Embroidered books were made for all the Tudors, mostly on velvet, and a little later, in the time of Charles I., numbers of them, usually small, were embroidered on satin. The dates of the manuscripts bound in embroidered velvet and satin by Berthelet are not quite certain, but it is probable that his work of this kind in both these materials is the earliest made in England. The greater number of bindings made by Thomas Berthelet belonged, as might be expected, to Henry VHL, Edward VL, or Mary; that is to say, they formed part of the old Royal Library of England. This old Royal Library, or as much as was then left of it, was given by George H. to the British Museum in 1757, and it forms perhaps * Davenport, "English Embroidered Bookbindings." Kegan Paul, London, 1899. 64 THOMAS BERTHELET. the most valued special collection in that institution. It must not, however, be supposed that every old English royal book was really included in this library, for by some means or other a very consid- erable number of them were separated from the rest, and now exist scattered all over England, in private libraries as well as at Windsor. Such books now seldom come into the open market, and if they do, they are generally purchased by the state, and so return to their old companions. Also, royal bookbinders did some work outside their ofi&cial limits, and small bindings of an unimportant kind, evidently the work of Berthelet, are not uncommon in England. They are always charming, and the simplicity of the quiet blind lines running side by side with others in bright gold on the rich brown calf is quite delightful ; such simple covers usually have a rectangular panel with small Italian fleurons at the outer corners, and usually an initial, monogram, or heraldic ornament in the centre. Before printing was used in England, the commonest leather for bindings was goat or sheep, but Berthelet found his favourite Italian bindings were largely bound in calf, a leather having a beautiful surface, and in some ways easier to gild than goat. I believe he was the first English binder to use this leather exclusively ; it was rarely used in England before his time, although it was common on the Continent. His calf bindings, with few exceptions, are still in excel- lent condition, and are always of a beautiful rich brown colour. Many of these volumes have been, I think unnecessarily, rebacked; certainly in all such cases the old backs should have been preserved, which has not always been done. There is, however, no doubt that the calf used on Berthelet' s bindings may still be considered quite sound, whereas books bound in that leather within the last fifty years, or even less, are now all powdering away. In spite of greater chemical knowledge and presumably better processes of tanning and THOMAS BEETHELET. 65 preparing leather, the conclusion that this material, as produced to-day, is not a fitting one for books is forced upon us. Berthelet used also a very decorative white leather, supposed to be deerskin or doeskin, prepared with lime in the same manner as vellum. This leather is soft and creamy in colour; it has a smooth surface and takes gilding to perfection. There are not many instan- ces of its use, but those that do exist are always perfectly strong and sound, except where they show signs of fair wear and tear. The taste for white gilded leather began with Berthelet, and it has been highly esteemed as a style in England almost ever since. Such work was done for all our Tudor sovereigns, but the white deerskin soon gave place to vellum, especially during the time of our Stuart kings; and this, to some extent, has been used to the present day. Probably the strongest and most durable materials used for book- binding at any time have been the white deerskin, white vellum, and white pigskin, the first two mentioned being chiefly used in England, and the last in Germany. This durability is most likely due to the method of preparation and the absence of any dye. Bark-tanned goatskin is also an excellent leather, and was much used in England from the twelfth century onwards. Several of Berthelet's bindings bear legends, and texts, dates, and names, on their sides. These inscriptions are variously arranged, but as a rule they are contained in small long panels, sometimes in circles, and rarely simply impressed on the side of the book as its chief ornament. In the cases where coats of arms are given, the ini- tials of the owner are generally added as well. The lettering on the sides of the books is either in Greek, Latin, French, or English, examples of each of which are described below, and there is never any lettering on the backs of any of them. Except in so far as the wording of these inscriptions is 66 THOMAS BERTHELET. concerned, which often reads consecutively on both sides, the orna- mentation is alike on both boards of all Berthelet's bindings. The fondness for lettering sentences on the outside of his books did not stop, however, at the binding, as Berthelet carried it out also in several instances on the edges of the leaves themselves. The edges of these leaves were usually made a creamy colour, and a legend was painted upon them with gold paint. This legend, "Rex in Aeternum Vive," is a quotation from the Book of Daniel; it is sometimes followed by the mysterious word "Neez " or " Nez," which Mr. Edward Scott of the British Museum considers to be the three first letters of the words, ip Eo-aei ZtjOc, as the phrase was addressed to that king. Whenever this legend is found on a decorative binding of the time of Henry YHL, I should say it is a sure sign of Berthelet's royal work. Fortunately this legend, on some of Berthelet's earliest bindings, is associated with certain stamps of marked character, which can thus be safely considered his, and which enable us, even when they are found on other bindings without the legend, to attribute the work with certainty to him. It is my opinion that all the existing bindings in calf or white deerskin that were made for Henry VHI. and Edward VL, as well as most of those for Queen Mary, were Berthelet's work. The legend on the edges of the leaves of some of Berthelet's books was not, however, the only way in which he decorated them. There are other instances where the whole edge is painted with heraldic designs in colour. This fore-edge decoration was not a new thing even in Berthelet's time, but he seems to have been the first to adopt it in England. To some extent the ornamentation of the edges of rare volumes has been practised ever since, both in this country and abroad. The most elaborate work of the kind was, I THOMAS BERTHELET. 67 believe, from the hand of Samuel Mearne, royal binder to Charles II., and about a hundred years after his time the fashion was revived by James Edwards of Halifax. Both these binders painted the edges of their books so that the pictures showed only when held in a certain position. Possibly the lettering on the edges of some of Berthelet's books may have been suggested to him by the fact that in Mediaeval times, when books were large and were kept on their sides with the front edges forward, it was no uncommon thing to write the title on these edges in large letters. This title lettering is, however, very rarely ornamentally treated ; it is only used as an eminently useful expedient. Berthelet makes it a decorative feature, and substitutes a legend, which may be consid- ered as a sign of royal ownership, for the more usual title of the book. From such collections and libraries in England as have been available to me I have chosen a few typical examples of Berthelet's work for detailed description. I have illustrated as many as pos- sible of the finest specimens in colour plates by Kr. William Griggs, to whom my best thanks are due for the patience with which he has endured my superintendence of his work, and my compliments for the admirable results of his unequalled skill in this particular branch of colour-printing. Each of these colour plates must yet be a little discounted as to the apparent freshness of their appearance. I think that in all prints and photographs old objects gain in this way; nevertheless, most of the books illustrated are really wonderfully preserved. The half-tone and process blocks are also by Mr. Griggs, some of them from my own drawings; the methods of producing tone blocks capable of being printed with type have made great advances in late years, but I feel that in America better results are obtained in this particular branch of art than as yet can be made 68 THOMAS BERTHELET. by English workmen. I have arranged the bindings which I have chosen for detailed descriptions in chronological order, taking the printed date as correct; it may not be actually so in all cases, but under the circumstances I think these dates are probably near enough for all present purposes. 1528-1530 (?). Galteri Deloeni Libellus de tribus Hierarchiis. MS. Dedicated to Henry VIII. Bound in brown calf, and tooled in gold with a few blind lines. The ornamentation consists in a filling in the spaces, mostly triangular, left by the intersections of a par- allelogram aligned with the edges of the boards, and a diamond. In the centre is the royal coat of arms, crowned, cleverly outlined by reversed curves. Between the crown and the top of the shield are two double roses ; above the crown are two stars ; at the sides are two cornucopias. Below the shield are arabesques ; four single daisies, the daisy being a badge used by Henry YIII. and Edward VI. in remembrance of their descent from Margaret of Beaufort; four stars, and stamps representing the crucifixion, and a serpent, with references to texts. The four large triangular spaces between the rectangle and the diamond are ornamented with arabesques, the upper and lower spaces bearing also a stamp of the single daisy. Beyond the diamond come the four large corners, each of which is decorated in a similar way. This binding is a remarkable one, inasmuch as it contains nearly all the small stamps that Berthelet subsequently used in so many combinations, and it is probably the earliest example of gold-tooling on an English leather binding. The gilding is not well executed, and it is likely enough that this is one of his first finished attempts at such work. It is rougher than any other example, but in spite of that it is very effective and rich in appearance. Vitae illustrium Virorum. MS. Bound in brown calf, and gold- tooled with a few lines in blind, and measuring 14^ by 9^ inches. \ HELET. aiTanged the bindings which I have om in chronological order, taking the mav ]iot he actually so in all cases, "S are probably near ^rarchiis. led in s in a tilling >ns of a par- the . and a diamond, it of arras, crowned, cleverly outlined { curves. Between the crown and the top of the shield aboWiitejcoOMTi are two stars; at the sides are CALF ^u^mw A ^:ia^"^V)}M:^fi!4 m Wk cAMvmHfmM^'^'^^^ the iimm mxu%K^\i>''H^m\^^'^^^hv}^i]Mm^-^ i;?4]JUi.v^M-dF(S^^ward VI. jjj r, iiKNKv viii.. lo WHOM 'I'ni: MS. IS Ai)i)i!i;ssi:i^)f Beaufort; four aiid Mamp.-, lUc c '^•i' t^im^l'^nt, with • ' ' 'jn the o, uie upper sy. Beyond > 11 is decorated one, *T '^'^nuch as ^ ,.->ntly iple is not iiis first example, nee. ii calf, and gold- ; 14^ by 9^ inches. THOMAS BERTHELET. 69 About 1528 Henry YHI. made a change in the supporters of his royal shield. His father, Henry Yll., who was very proud of his descent from Cadwallader, the last of the British kings, adopted and used as one of his sup- porters the red dragon which had been a badge of that king. The red dragon was used by both Henry Vn. and Henry VHL as their dexter sup- porter, and with it, as a sinister supporter, they both also used the white greyhound. In or about 1528 Henry VIII. adopted a crowned lion sta- tant as his dexter sup- porter, transferring the dragon to the sin- ister side, and leaving out the greyhound al- together. This lion still remains the dexter supporter of the royal coat of arms of England, but the dragon was discontinued on the accession of James I. to the throne of England, a unicorn, one of the supporters of the ancient Scottish coat of arms, being substituted for it. So that the stamp which forms the principal ornament on this book was prob- ably cut about 1528, certainly not much later; indeed, it is possible 70 THOMAS BERTHELET. that this was one of the books bound by Berthelet for the king before his appointment as royal printer. The coat of arms is con- tained within an oval ribbon bearing the words, "REX HENRICYS YIII. DIEY ET MON DROIT." The coat is ensigned with a large royal crown, has a dragon supporter on the dexter side and a grey- hound on the sinister; above the crown is a fleur-de-lys and a double rose, and two portcullises depend by chains from the lower edge of the shield. The oval is contained within a close rectan- gular panel, the inner angles of which are tilled with an arabesque design. At each outer corner is a leaf of Venetian character. Above and below the rectangle is a crowned double rose, flanked by the letters K H, — mysterious letters, the meaning of which is not yet understood. Beyond this again comes a broad double border of a narrow running pattern containing a fleur-de-lys and a triple floral ornament. This same border occurs on several of Berthelet' s earlier bindings. The inner corners of the rectangular border are filled with a symmetrical design of a vase with flowers and two curves termi- nating in human masks. There were originally some outer lines of small gold-tooling, but these, as well as the corners, have been "repaired" away. On a fly-leaf in this volume is a note which says: "Codex hie fuit olim Henrici YIII., ei Jo. Leylandus Titulum fecit — Yitae illus- trium virorum, etc." John Leyland, the antiquary, was keeper of the king's library about 1530. This book undoubtedly should be with the rest of the old royal library at the British Museum, and its inclusion among the books at Oxford is explained by the Rev. W. Dunn Macray in his book, "The Annals of the Bodleian Library," in which he mentions the interesting fact that in August, 1605, King James I. visited the Bodleian and offered to present to Sir T. Bodley, "from all the THOMAS BERTHELET. 71 libraries of the royal palaces, whatever precious and rare books he might choose to carry away." So that, in fact, instead of feeling that we in London should have the few "outside" royal books returned to us, we should perhaps feel a debt of gratitude to Sir T. Bodley for leaving anything at all in the libraries of the royal palaces, in face of King James's generous offer. 1530 (?). The third volume of a copy of the "Works of St. Chrys- ostom, printed at Basle in 1530, has very kindly been shown to me by Mr. E. Gordon Duff, librarian of the Ryland's Library, Manchester. It is bound in calf, and one side is almost completely destroyed, but the other is in a fairly good condition. It measures 15 by 10 inches, is tooled with gold and blind lines, and bears as a centre ornament a rectangular panel with the royal coat of arms of Henry Vin. ensigned with a large crown, having as a dexter supporter a greyhound and on the sinister side a dragon. This arrangement of the supporters is wrong, but it is possibly unintentional, and due to the forgetfulness of the engraver when he drew the design on his metal plate. Above the crown are two double roses, and above it are scattered impressions of a ring with a dot in the middle. Below the shield are two portcullises, chained, with a few tufts of grass. This handsome coat of arms is enclosed by a border on which are the words, "DIEV ET MON DROIT," and small stamps of a leaf, a single rose, and a fleur-de-lys ; above and below are impressions of a stamp of a large double rose, crowned, flanked by the letters K H. These initials are somewhat of a puzzle. They have been inter- preted as simply meaning King Henry, and perhaps this solution is the easiest way out of the difficulty; but it is not altogether satis- factory. Besides "King," the only other word for which the letter . K is likely to stand is the name "Katherine," and it could only then have stood for either Katharine of Aragon, who was divorced 72 THOMAS BERTHELET. in 1533; Katherine Howard, who was married in 1540 and was beheaded in 1543 ; or Katharine Parr, who was married in 1543 and survived the king. A very decided objection to the theory that the initial K belonged to any of these queens is found in the fact that it precedes that of the king himself, which is not at all likely to have occurred under the circumstances. In the volume to be described presently, where the initials H A are presumed to be those of "Henry" and "Anne," an example is found of the more likely way in which such initials would occur. The inner panel is enclosed, at a considerable distance, by a broad triple border, and the inner corners of this border are curi- ously ornamented with ornamental gold-tooling arranged in quarter- circle form. This style of corner ornamentation was common in Italy, but very rare in England, at the time this book was made. The inner angles of each quarter-circle bear triple impressions from a stamp of trefoil shape bearing small scroll-work of Oriental charac- ter upon it, the ground gold and the design showing in the leather. The segments of circles beyond this inner angle are ornamented con- secutively with a row of fleur-de-lys and single roses alternately; a row of small long-shaped knots, often found on Italian books, and also occurring on one bound for King James V. of Scotland; a row of wavy flames; and beyond all, in the center of the quarter-circle, impressions in gold of a leaf with stalk flanked by two roses. These corners, as well as the inner rectangular panel and the inner line of the outer panel, are all marked by lines of blind-tool- ing, which are mitred at the corners. The outer border consists of an inner line of wavy flames, a broadish line of circles crossed with arabesques, and an outer line THOMAS BERTHELET. 73 of numerous impressions from the small long-shaped knot stamp, and beyond all are a few blind lines. This binding is in many ways a very remarkable one. The gold- tooling upon it is rough, but among the tools which are evidently Berthelet's are others which are not found on any other of his bind- ings. I think it is an early work, and that the existence upon it of the few delicate Italian stamps can be accounted for only by the theory that an Italian workman brought them over with him and taught Berthelet the art of gold-tooling. In the case of this particu- lar volume, it is possible that it was one of those done by Berthelet under the eye of his master, and that he used some of his foreign tools as well as others belonging to himself. Whatever may be the true explanation of these difficulties, there is no doubt that the binding is a most valuable and interesting one, and I thank Mr. E. Gordon Duff very sincerely for having allowed me to see it and to have it photographed for this monograph. The edges are gilded and ornamented with an arabesque design marked upon them by means of successive impressions from a small ring- shaped stamp. The decoration of the corners of the boards of a binding with ornamentation arranged as a quarter-circle was very rare in England until the reign of Queen Elizabeth, at which time it was often found ; then under the Stuart Kings James I. and Charles I. it probably reached its fullest development, and was especially favoured at Little Gidding. It is found on fifteenth-century Italian bindings, used with great skill, so that its occurrence on one of Berthelet's early bindings is not to be wondered at, the curious thing being rather that he did not use it more. As it now is, I think this book is the earliest existing English specimen of the use of this kind of ornamentation. 74 THOMAS BEKTHELET. 1530 (?). An interesting example in which the decoration of a binding is arranged with some reference to the contents of the book occurs on the cover of a French manuscript on ''La Science de Geometric," dedicated to King Henry VHL, and bound for him in white deerskin by Thomas Berthelet. This volume should always have been with the rest of the old Koyal Library of England now in the British Museum, but by some means it became separated, and was recently purchased by the trustees of that institution from Mr. Cornish of Manchester. The sides are ornamented with blind lines and gold-tooling; a large rectangular panel is marked out near the edges of the boards with fleurons at each outer corner; inside the panel near the top are the words, "YIVAT REX," in an ornamental cartouche of architectural elevation ; below this, and filling up most of the remaining space, are three narrow elongated pyramids with triangular bases ; the ground is dotted irregularly with small stars and dots. In the lower part of the panel is the word "GEOMETRIA" and a decorative scroll. This is the only instance I know in which the lettering outside any of Berthelet' s bindings has any reference to the contents of the book. On the white edges are the words, " REX IN AETERNVM VIVE NEZ," ornamentally written in gold in large capital letters. 1534. Bible, Antwerp, 1534. In two volumes. Bound in brown calf, tooled in blind and gold, and measuring 14J by 9 inches. The design on each of these fine volumes is the same, but the lettering upon them is different. The words on volume I. are, "AINSI QUE TOUS MEURENT PAR ADAM— AYSSY TOYS SERONT YIYIFIES PAR CHRIST"; and on volume IL, "LA LOY A ESTE DONNEE PAR MOYSE — LA GRACE ET LA YERITE EST FAICTE PAR JESU CHRIST." These words are in large gilt capitals in short lines, each word where necessary being divided from the next by a 74 \e in decoration of a ' to the coj«t *nts of the book La Science de I md for him in should always ^ nerliind now od, and iioin Mr. ■■.><_■ iUig, a X. )oards with e top are the architectural PL ATP] XIV. . .. ..-.>; A, ■ " ..S\Wl6F'*'^'^^ "^-^ CVUOI'KDIK 1)K XKXOl'llON. I'AlilS. ^^^^^ ^JMtife, arC 1 Oi; KDAVAIM) VI, riiree 'let ide. Ai! of thes. rent. PAR s,.. ,iJb^?.s:ground v\ er part •scroll. • any ; le book. TM VIVE I?. I }»rown The E KiES ;>NNEE E PAR ) 18 in short ( noxt by a THOMAS BERTHELET. 75 small cross-crosslet. The lines are contained in a rectangular panel, with large corner stamps of a vase with flowers and two floral curves terminating in human masks. The triangular spaces thus left above and below the inscription are each filled by a double rose, crowned, flanked by the letters H A, perhaps standing for "Henry" and "Anne." Beyond the panel and touching it is a broad border, made up of a double line of stamps cut in the form of an ornamental fleur-de-lys and a three-lobed flower. Beyond the border is a space broken at the corner with a repetition of the vase stamp, enclosing which was in all probability a narrow fillet variously ornamented with small designs like that which occurs below the lettering on the second volume. Both these volumes have been unfortunately restored in places, but the old patterns have to some extent been preserved, and new stamps cut on the lines of the old ones, as can be seen by reference to a binding now at Oxford which is treated in a \ ery similar way, and which, although it also has received some attention from an inferior binder, has not been restored in a like disastrous manner. 1534. Opus de vera differentia regiae potestatis. Londini, T. Berthelet, 1534; measuring 8 by 5^. This volume is very like that at the Bodleian, already fully described on page 69. The centre stamp is the same, and so are the outer border and corners, but the handsome double border is wanting. The book has been badly repaired; in some cases stamps have been cut after the old patterns, but in others, as for instance the corners next to the oval label, they have been made in a modern arabesque pattern, not like the original. The book itself is a fine specimen of Berthelet' s printing on vellum. The heraldic centre stamp, bearing the dragon and greyhound supporters, is really an anachronism; properly the supporters should be a lion and a dragon; the stamp, 76 THOMAS BERTHELET. however, was seldom used, so Berthelet, having it by him, did not trouble to cut another, as he should have done. 1536. A charming little specimen of Berthelet' s private binding is now in the Ryland's Library at Manchester, and by the courtesy of the librarian, Mr. E. Gordon Duff, I am enabled to describe it. It is a remarkably fine copy of the New Testament, Tyndale's version, printed in London in 1536; there is an inscription inside which shows that in 1676 it belonged to Henry, Duke of Newcastle, and later to Dr. Charles Chauncey. It is bound in brown calf, and has on each side a long upright panel within a border of ornamented circles of Italian design. The panel has on one side a unicorn in the centre, and on the other a talbot, the crest of the Heydon family. There are also some initials upon it, but these do not seem to throw any light upon its ownership. The badges are surrounded with scrolls made up of reversed curves, in Berthelet' s usual manner. At the outer corners of the border are large Italianate fleurons, and the gold lines are supported by others in blind, running parallel to them. There are the remains of two silk ties. 1536. An historically interesting volume has just been be- queathed to the British Museum by the late Baron Ferdinand Rothschild, formerly member of Parliament for Waddesdon, who left altogether a very valuable collection of jewels and manuscripts to the British nation. This volume is very large, measuring about 19^ by 13 J ; it is a manuscript translation in French of the Decameron of Boccaccio, by Laurent de Premierfait, made from a Latin version by Antoine de Aresche, in 1414. The manuscript itself, which is illuminated, was probably made late in the fifteenth century. The binding is in very dark calf, and is tooled in gold, with a few THOMAS BEETHELET. 77 blind lines ; it was made for Edward Seymour, first Duke of Somerset, the Protector, who was beheaded on Tower Hill in 1552. The duke's motto, " FOY POYK DEBVOIR," is contained within an ornamental cartouche in the centre of each cover. The cartouche is enclosed, at some distance, in a diamond stamped with a small roll pattern ; near each of the outer sides of the diamond is an orna- ment made of two impressions of a cornucopia stamp. Along the edges of the boards is a broad Italianate arabesque border ; the inner angles of the border are filled with either the stamp of Plato or that of Dido, already described, enclosed in arabesques, and the outer corners have small fleurons. The volume has been rebacked and some of the gold-tooling restored. The stamps found upon it are generally such as were used by Berthelet early in his career; but as there is no other indication of the date, it must be remembered that my attribution of the work as having been made about 1536 is only conjectural. 1538. Berthelet's "leather" cui'ves turned into gold cord may be clearly seen on the red satin binding of a collection of sixteenth- century tracts bound probably about 1538. This curious volume is, as far as can be ascertained at present, the earliest English book bound in satin. It is very probably Berthelet's work, — indeed, it may actually be one referred to in the Letters and Papers of Henry VIII., Vol. 13, Part 2, p. 539, concerning which we are told that the king paid 6s. 8d. to "Bartlett the king's printer's servant that brought a book covered with crimosin saten embrodered." It meas- ures 12 by 8 inches, and has been stupidly rebacked with leather, but is otherwise in good condition. There is an arabesque border • parallel with the edges of the boards, made full at each of the four corners, and amplified across the centre into a kind of ornamental bridge. Not only are the curves and scrolls strongly suggestive of 78 THOMAS BERTHELET. Berthelet's designs, but on the cream-coloured edges of the book are the words, "REX IN AETERNYM VIVE NEZ," which, as has already been remarked, may of itself be taken as an almost sure sign of Berthelet's work. Many of the scrolls are very similar to those which are used on a velvet binding described under the date 1543, which I think was also bound by Berthelet. 1540 (?). Jul. Claud Iguini oratio ad Hen. VIII. MS. This is bound in dark brown calf, and is ornamented very simply with gold- tooling and blind lines. In the centre is a well-designed stamp of the royal coat of arms, ensigned by a very large crown, and encircled by a garter with buckle, and bearing the motto, "Honi soit qui mal y pense." This design is enclosed between four Greek words, HAI02 HANTAS AAAIENON EHAPKTOT, the signification of which is not clear. A simple rectangular border in gold, made up of suc- cessive impressions of one of Berthelet's happily designed curves, completes a design which, although plain, is yet very charming. 1540. There is a fine specimen of one of Berthelet's bindings in white doeskin in the library of Trinity College, Oxford. It measures about 9 by 6 inches, and is a copy of " Theophylacti in omnes divi Pauli epistolas enarrationes, etc. Basileae, 1540." The sides are fully gilt, and ornamented with scroll-work and royal badges. In the centre is the crowned royal coat of arms of Henry VIII., surrounded by four chief decorative points, bearing, respec- tively, the royal initials, crowned, and crowned badges, double rose, fleur-de-lys, and portcullis. Each of these small designs is con- tained within a framework of golden scrolls, and the remaining space is rather closely filled with a rich tracery of scrolls and ara- besques symmetrically arranged. The broad edges are cream col- oured, and on them in large capitals are the words, "REX IN ETERNUM VIVE." a;, tl -coloured < 'hyQn nf ii.^ i i Vf VT\n tlie book an itself , , ' ^^'""^^ ^« a« an almost sure ' are very similar to ^Yl ^ir ^p" the date WJ/'l Pletes a design which, aW ^ is a fine Vi EX. This is with gold- ^flsigneu ®*amp of with buckle, and I *''^^"' encircled This design is t i , "^^^i soit qui mal HANTA. AAAlE^Oi^l'EHXF^;;;; r^^'^^ <^^ek words, ' 1 .f??^AKKA.^fl^ie ,pct^!^^ «^^-«-^-n of which is I'indings Oxford. It t'heophylacti leae, 1540." •>ii-vvork and royal of iirms of Henry )C- juoie rose, ^8 is con- aing '•-^oii^. ana ara- ' are cream col- •ro the words, -REX IN liie - by four ^ initials, c and portcullis ;iinen(t , owned roj ,. decorative and crowj ^^ach of thes< n a framework of goldei " closely filled with a rich '^ally ; in i.( THOMAS BERTHELET. 79 1541. Elyot. The Image of Governance. T. Berthelet, London, 1541. Bound in white deerskin, and tooled in gold with a few blind lines. In the centre is an irregular panel made up with curves and arabesques, within which are the words, «DIEU ET MON DROIT." The panel is enclosed within an outer line of cleverly arranged scrolls, at the sides of which are the letters H R. An outer rec- tangular border of small S-shaped stamps, with fleurons at the outer corners, encloses the whole, the inner corners being filled with more scroll-work and arabesques. The ground is dotted with stamps of a daisy, a small circle stamp, and a five-pointed star. A single daisy is impressed in gold in the centre of each of the panels on the back, and on the white edges of the book itself the words, "REX IN ETERNUM VIVE," are written in gold in capital letters. 1543. A Bible printed at Zurich in 1543, bound in orange- coloured velvet, which was probably originally some shade of crim- son, is embroidered with designs outlined in gold cord. It measures 15 by 9^ inches, and has been ruinously rebacked with leather. It forms part of the old English Royal Library at the British Museum, and belonged to King Henry VIII. The king's initials, tied together by a knot, are in the centre, within a circle, above and below which are symmetrical curves of like character to those on several of Berthelet' s leather bindings, from which no doubt these are taken. A broad rectangular border encloses the central panel, and is ornamented with large double Tudor roses at each corner, the rest of the border space being clev- erly filled with repetitions, right and left, of a simple fleuron with •leaves. The central circle, as well as the forms of the scrolls used in this binding, are all suggestive of Berthelet's methods of design; and in 80 THOMAS BERTHELET. consideration of the fact that he actually mentions velvet books in his bill as having been bound by himself (p. 43), I think that this binding may be claimed as his with some degree of probability. If the designs were on leather, one or other of Berthelet's known stamps would fit them all. Several of the curves are very similar to those worked on the satin bindings of 1536, already described. The edges of the leaves are elaborately painted in colour, the ground- work being creamy white ; on the upper edge at the top is a winged cherub, in the centre is a large gold fleur-de-lys on a blue ground, enclosed in a red eight-pointed framework, and beneath this is a square panel in which is a flying dove; the remainder of the space is filled with graceful arabesques, with figures and fleurons in gold and colour. The front edge is not in good condition, as it naturally has been more affected by use, and some of the painting is oblit- erated. It is ornamented with five principal designs, all of which are connected by an ornamental framework, — scrolls, flowers, and arabesques in gold and colour. The five designs, beginning at the top, are : a small rectangular cartouche with a figure of God the Father ; the royal coat of arms, crowned, within a laurel wreath tied with white ribbon; a broad oblong of dark colour, on which was most probably the word "BIBLIA" in gold; a large red rose with white centre within a circle; and a small rectangular panel, the design upon which has been worn off. The lower edge, at the bot- tom of the book, has nearest the back a satyr upholding scrolls, in the middle a circle, the design upon which has been obliterated by wear, and near the front edge an arabesque pattern. This is the most highly decorative book edge which exists on any English book of the early sixteenth century, and when it was first done must have attracted much attention and admiration, as it is excellently painted. There is hand-painting in colour inside the THOMAS BEKTHELET. 81 book, especially on the title-page, and it is very probable that the same artist executed all this work, both inside and outside, as there is a great similarity of style. 1546. In Trogum Pompeivm sive Ivstinvm chorographica ad excellentiss. Dominum D. Edwardvm Principem, etc., 1546. A manuscript list of countries and cities mentioned in Trogus Pompeius and in the Epistles of Cicero, addressed to Prince Edward by Petrus Olivarius. Bound in brown calf, rather lighter than usual, measuring 10^ by 7i inches, and bearing in the centre the badge of three ostrich feathers within a prince's coronet, with a label bearing the words, "IHC DIEN," and flanked by the initials E P. Prince Edward never was Prince of Wales, a title which is con- ferred on the eldest son only at the pleasure of the sovereign. The triple-feather badge, which certainly has been associated with this title ever since Edward VI., and has been used as a special badge by all the Princes of Wales since his time, is, however, originally not connected especially with Wales or with any particular son of the sovereign. It was first used by the descendants of Edward III., and appears to have been considered a family badge, borne by them because of their ancestress. Queen Philippa of Hainault. The feathers were the cognizance of the Province of Ostrevant, an appanage of the eldest sons of the House of Hainault. The motto, "IHC DIEN," seems really to have been used by the Blind King of Bohemia, who was killed at Crecy, and the Black Prince adopted it as his own; the two have been inseparable ever since. On this binding the ostrich plume and its belongings are enclosed , within a circle of flames, alternately straight and wavy ; the circle is within an oval cleverly marked by a succession of curved arabesques, in the designing of which Berthelet was very skilled, several of them 82 THOMAS BEKTHELET. being capable of effective and even surprising combinations. They have something of the quality so valued by designers of wall-papers, and fit each other in a very remarkable way. The ground is orna- mentally dotted with roses, stars, and a diamond-shaped floral orna- ment. The arabesque oval has a handsome symmetrical fleuron at the top and bottom, and is enclosed within a rectangular border of rather elaborate design. First is a gold line with ornamental corners ; within it is another gold line, the intermediate space being dotted with small arabesques, single roses, and five-pointed stars ; then comes a richly designed Italianate fillet with roses at each outer corner, and an outer line with fleurons at each of the outer corners. The book is divided into four panels. As is usual on all Berthelet's bindings in calf, there are a few blind lines as well. 1544. A Commentary in Latin on the Campaign of the Emperor Charles V. against the French in 1544, addressed by Antonius de Musica to Henry VIII. ; in manuscript ; measures 12^ by 8^ inches. It is bound in deep brown calf, and tooled in gold with some lines in blind. In the centre, within an upright panel of gold and blind lines with small fleurs-de-lys at the corners, is the royal coat of arms of Henry VIII., cleverly outlined with reversed curves, crowned, and flanked with the letters H R, repeated twice. Directly above and below the central panel are two broad rectangular car- touches made in gold lines, and small arabesques with ''anvil" handles. In each of these cartouches is a legend ; those on the upper cover contain the words, "VERO DEFENSORI FIDEI | ERRO- RVMQVE PROFLIGATORI OPTIMO"; those on the lower cover, "MAXIMO HENRICO OCTAVO | REGI ANGLORVM FRANC. HIBERNIEQVE, P. M. P. P. D. G." No one has yet elucidated the signification of these last letters. The centre panel is flanked on .1// >IT/..1'1 .M ! ' I- /. I. .1 -Ml 111 i/A'i< \:>i/. iLi.1,1), M ■• -lo ,i;i]ii;..ij miiiv/ .[in/.T/;ii/:!/'(>'t r^.MT I/, r/ox / i i/^/ iu ^'ri:-iv rr i/:A'r y:(/ 1/ >: \A )M Md/ S BKRTHELET. le of ^ o even surprising combinations. They ' t. so vn]ned by designers of wall-papers, ^-w. The ground is orna- lond-shaped floral orna- sym metrical fleuron at in a ro ' ^ miliar border of 'inewith icntal corners; die spat-e being dotted -pointed stars ; then comes <--s at each outer corner, and ^le outer comers. The book I on all Berthelet's bindings PI.ATK XM. WIIITK LHATIIKl! HLXDIX,; , ..|. AIKK,.,, ^ i < , I s n X I'lll?}'?^ iP^H^^l^^^^^^ TA.M IN' VK'ITS (,)CA.M ,X s>I\I KyfA^f^tV by AutOUiuS I5AS.. l.-,l,>.'- MADK FoH QI KKK MAI!V ^ bv 8^^ ' •^ in gold with some panel of gold and is the royal With reversed curves, '1 twice. Directly l oad rectangular car- with "anvil" •n the upper l iUEl i EURO- ^ ' cover, ■ KANC. ticidated the i is flanked on » THOMAS BERTHELET. 83 one side by two impressions of a portrait stamp of Plato, and on the other two of Dido, the remaining spaces being sparsely filled with leaf stamps. An outer border of Italian design, with fleurons at each outer corner, encloses the whole. " The small medallion stamps containing portraits of Dido and Plato, which are found on this vol- ume, were often used by Berthelet as the chief ornamentation on small books bound by him. They usually occur singly as a centre ornament within a gold line panel, with small fleurons at the outer corners. 1547. Xenophon. La Cyropedie. Paris, 1547. Bound in rich brown calf, and orna- mented with gold-tool- ing, black fillets, and some blind lines. In the centre is the royal coat of arms of Edward VI., very effectively outlined with arabesques, crowned, and flanked by the letters E R. Above and below the coat is a double rose and two five-pointed stars. The royal shield is contained within two interlaced fillets, out- lined in gold and stained black; the inner is in the shape of an 84 THOMAS BERTHELET. upright diamond; the outer is turned and curved upon itself so as to make a double border. The spaces left between these various curves and lines are filled with gold ornaments, the most noticeable of which is a large stamp of a cornucopia. The other small stamps are arabesques and five-pointed stars. The outer corners are marked by a gilt fleuron, and on the front edge of each board are the remains of two ties. The back probably had double roses stamped in gold between each of the bands, but the book, which is, with this excep- tion, in excellent condition, has recently been restored here with new stamps cut after the old pattern. 1547 (?). In the Advocates' Library at Edinburgh is a fine specimen of Berthelet's work in binding. It was bound for Edward VI. in calf, and bears in the centre his coat of arms flanked by the initials E R, and above and below the coat, on each side, is a long rectangular panel with a kind of handle at each end, like those found afterwards on the horn-books. The legends on the panels read, on the upper cover, "An idle or deceitful hande maketh pore | But a diligent Labourynge hand maketh ryche. Proverb. 10"; and on the undercover, "No man lyghteth a candle and putteth it | in a privie place — neither under a bushell. Luke II." In the panels of the back are, alternately, a small upright lion and a fleur-de-lys. 1548. Among the books bound by Berthelet for King Edward VI. is a small copy of Ptolemy's Geograjia, printed at Venice in 1548. It is simply bound in calf, with a plain gilt line along the edges of the boards, and the words, "Omnis potestas a Deo," in a cartouche in the middle of the side. As far as the binding goes, this volume is one of Berthelet's simplest, and I should not, for that reason, have noticed it here; but the book is remarkable because of the way he has painted the edges. These are pale blue, and are ornamented with heraldic designs on shields. On the upper edge is 84 THELET. d and curved upon itself so as 'ces left between these various ornaments, the most noticeable •opia. The other small stamps Tlie outer corners are marked f each board are the remains :ble i-oses stamped in gold K which is, with this excep- ' V restored here with Libraiy at Edinburgh is a fine iiding. It was bound for Edward 0 his coat of arms flanked by the l^i^ATK xvir.. the coat, on each side, is a long OF ed with "solid" ^u. . , .s in gold of an i lit 'UiVier has a handsome gilt-tooled design ^ ' ^Hos in blind; the pattern of the gilt part is , lui. Therp ;>!•-• f^M!r n->> 1' ■ outer I the panel. iia Galteri Deloeni, ex Capita Gt- ^iiarto etc MS. Dedicated to Edward Vl., and measuring 5| in ci*eam-«oloured deerskin and tooled in blind and gilt. In the centre is the royal coA'fAf lirM%nked by the initials E R, and (i^i'i^*'; !BJi>M(v4 - HJ*i(T<(pftil!):l«^nt\ir.M owe'A^vihk3liAi-3na.ii'ayaii «irDswn. Jr. the r ^•*''1-'^(V^is-''r?^'*iy'Wi^ the double rose. A1m»v<» h I he initial letters is a very graceful stamp t. The up]>er part of the panel is filled with stamps ;