:)DUCTiON OF rmNTING INTO SCOTLAND UNlV-.HS«Tt s Saiitg: of ftmtce^^ttj^gf^e of t)(o ci^otm; Cd|)i^ f^nrofe&ebrpi^gof |>f5 Iiob^ j^oiiuemirof /H^pffs ^ttDiimqubiie c5(m!b!e ^Jif ml of t)^z fame CoiapiU'^ be :^m(ttr x^iUyam mmh^xtit^z im 1020(0 c^Y^ngfa ^oinbur^Ije^n ^cotl^nofeiiDmanf r]?g|?f wdlet em^ i>aOl4t f m tl^e (aio maiSI cri^fKn hfn^ f our nmtft ^mf^ 9ierdneIo:04iU) )i>Ktom0t?^(n(C J4m?0li)^ fero^ {;}lt$ irf5«(ffe» Concerning the other two pieces in the volume we will have some interesting remarks to make later on. Herbert was fortunate enough to obtain from George Paton, Edinburgh, a very exact account of the collection in question, so that it found a Introditction. 9 place in the appendix to the third volume of his great work, which was published in 1790/" George Chalmers, who was already advanced in his typographical researches when Herbert concluded his extensive labours, applied himself with fresh diligence to obtain further information regarding the introduction of printing into Scot- land. He was able to go back, by means of the unique volume just referred to, as far as the year 1508; and he believed that by searching the records deposited in the General Register House, Edinburgh, some additional knowledge would be acquired upon the subject. With this hope he solicited his friend, Mr. William Robertson, one of the functionaries in that establishment, to aid him in his efforts, and that gentleman had the satisfaction of discovering a document which might be said to place the matter at rest. The document was no other than the Patent, or Privilege, granted by James IV. to his " lovitis servitouris Walter Chepman and Andro My liar, burgessis of our burgh of Edinburgh," and "geven under our prive Sel at Edinburgh, the XV day of September, and of our Regne the xxti yer " {1507). It states that these individuals * Tlie Typoj^rapJncal Antiquities of Englaitd, 3 vols., 4to., 1785-90. lo Iniroductiou. "hes at our instance and request, for our pleasure, the honour and proffit of our Reahiie and Liegis, takin on thame to furnis and bring hame ane prent. with all stuff belangand tharto, and expert men to use the samyne. for imprenting within our Realme of the bukis ot our Lawis, actis ot parliament, croniclis, mess bukis, and portuus efter the use of our Realme, with addicions and legendis of Scottis Sanctis, now gaderit to be ekit tharto, and al utheris bukis that salbe sene necessar," &c. It is not essential here to refer more particularly to this most important docu- ment,'"' further than to observe that we are not aware of any other monarch, in the early days of printing, having been so directly instrumental in introducing the typographic art into his kingdom. * Sec Appendix B., where it is given at length. i Device of Walter Chepman. I . II. WALTER CHEPMAN. /~\UR knowledge of Walter Chepman extends ^^ over more than thirty years of his life, and we know that he was a person of wealth and influence, and stood well in the estimation of his sovereign. Walter Chepman, as we have already stated, was a merchant-burgess of the city of Edinburgh, and the presumption is that he was a native of that place. Of his parentage or earlier years we know nothing, and it is not until 1494 that we become acquainted with him, and when he would probably be in the prime of life. He was a man who must have added to excellent natural abilities an education vastly superior to that of the or- 14 Walter CJiCpniau. dinary class of merchants of the period. His tact, prudence, and thorough business habits, early recommended him to the notice of James IV,, whose friendship and favour he had the good fortune to retain. He was frequently employed as a writer of the King's letters, and he enjoyed the honour of being entrusted with the custody of the King's signet. On several occasions he was chosen to conduct negotiations of delicacy and trust, and once, at least, he was sent, along with Stobo, a notary public, on a mission of importance to the English court. Although he engaged in many different kinds of commercial transactions, he was always more or less directly attached to the King's household ; and on the occasion of James's marriage in 1503, he obtained, at the expense of the privy purse, a suit of livery made of English cloth. As a general merchant and importer, Chepman traded in wood for shipbuilding and other pur- poses, in wool, cloths, velvets, damasks, and a variety of other merchandise. He strove to make money in many honest and honourable ways, and in any direction which promised the prospect of increasing his worldly substance. Hence it is not wonderful that we find him Jl'a//i'r Chepman. 15 willing to gratify the king and the Bishop of Aberdeen by undertaking to assist in establishing a printing press in Edinburgh. He was already a man of wealth and property, and therefore able to bear the outlay which such an undertaking would involve. But he expected, no doubt, to be handsomely reimbursed, and he could not but believe that, as a printer, he ought to succeed, seeing that he was assured of royal and episcopal encouragement, and would have his position fenced about with legal securities. Although it is unlikely that he was acquainted with the practical details of the art, his ignorance in this respect would not be allowed to stand in the way, as he would import a staff of skilled workmen, over whom his coadjutor, Androw My liar, would exercise a diligent supervision. In the acquisition of wealth Chepman appears to have been fairly successful, and in 1505 he began to invest his capital in land. In May of that year he purchased the forty shilling freehold estate of Ewerland, within the manor of Cram- mond Regis, from co-heiresses of the name of Dais ; and in the following year he acquired from the abbot and monks of Culross a life-rent of the lands of Meikle-Jergeray, in Perthshire, for i6 IValier Clicpiuau. himsc'lf ;ind his wife Agnes Cockburne, which he held till his death in 1528, but which his widow- appears to have retained for only nine years afterwards. In 1509 he purchased from James Wardlaw, of Riccardton. the estate of Priestfield, now Prestonfield. on the south side of Edinburgh. He possessed several tenements of lands and houses within the city, in one of which, at the foot of the Blackfriars Wynd in the Southgait. or Cowgate, he and Myllar erected their printing press. At the top of the said wynd, in the High-street, he likewise possessed a property — his dwelling-house apparently, upon which, in 1 5 10, he obtained the king's permission to make extensive alterations. Another tenement which he held in the Southgait he afterwards gave up for pious purposes. In 1 5 14 and 15 15, Chepman held the office of Dean of Guild of Edinburgh, a position for which his well-known business habits and re- spectable character as a merchant-citizen so justly fitted him. Yet his official connection with the civic authorities did not exempt him from being called upon to show cause why he had departed from an obligation he had entered into to erect certain buildings on the Borough- Walter Chepman. I / muir. He appears, however, to have satisfied the magistrates that he had erected all he had undertaken to build, in order to fulfil certain designs they had in view. As the buildings referred to were those in connection with a brewery, it would seem as if Chepman had some direct interest in the concern. We have stated that he had the good fortune to retain the patronageof his sovereign, James IV., and it is a significant proof of the worthiness of Chepman's character, that he was privileged to receive special marks of favour from James V. In 151 1, the former king granted him exemption from watching and warding, duties which the in- habitants of the city were called upon, in turn, to perform. He was also exempted from paying stent (a kind of property tax), from attending the king's army, or from bearing any office in the city of Edinburgh against his own consent. All these exemptions were continued by James V. during Chepman's life, and several of them were enjoyed by his v/idow. In 1526, the king gave Chepman a grant of a tavern and booth on the north side of the High- street, which had escheated to the Crown by the death of John Cockburne, a bastard, and into c 1 8 JVaiter Chepnian. which he placed one Isabel Harper. The tavern had been reserved by the king when he came of age, by an act of general resumption, and in March, 1542, most probably after the death of Chepman's widow, the king granted the same premises to another printer, Thomas Davidson. In the same year he obtained a charter of the king's meadow, in feu farm, to himself and to his wife for life, and to their son David, in fee ; paying therefor the sum of lib. 14 scots. From the brief narrative of these details it will be seen that Chepman was a man of property, respectability, and consideration. It is pleasing to be able to add that "no inconsiderable portion of his wealth was devoted to religious purposes. In the last year of the reign of James IV., when the celebrated Gawin Douglas was Provost of the Collegiate Church of St. Giles's, Edinburgh, Chepman erected an aisle on the south side of that church, and there endowed an altar for a priest to officiate, and pray for the salvation of the souls of the king, the queen, for himself, his wife, and also his former spouse, and other re- lations, according to the usual form of such endowments. It was confirmed under the Great Seal on the 21st of August. 1513. Scarcely IVa/U'r CJiepnian. 19 three weeks elapsed when the sad tidings of the king's fate at Floddon reached Edinburgh. " Fifteen years later, towards the close of his own life, Chepman exhibited a fresh instance of his attachment to his old master. Having en- dowed a mortuary chapel in the lower part of the cemetery of St. Giles's Church on the 12th of August, which was confirmed under the Great Seal on the i6th of September, 1528, the priest was enjoined to offer prayers, as usual, not only for the souls of the reigning king, for the founder and his wife, Agnes Cockburne, and for Margaret Kerkettle or Carkettle, his former spouse, but ESPECIALLY FOR THE REPOSE OF THE SOULS OF THE KING, AND NOBLES, AND HIS FAITHFUL SUBJECTS WHO WERE SLAIN AT FlODDON." Chepman does not appear to have survived many months after the confirmation of this pious endowment. About ten years ago Dr. Laing dis- covered in an old Protocol Book an entry which determines this point pretty accurately. It Is there stated that on the 2nd of April, 1529, " proba mulier Agnes Cockburne, relicta quon- dam Walteri Chepman," appeared and delivered to David Chepman, son and heir of the late Walter Chepman, all and whole the goods. 20 ll'\i/fc?' Chcpiuan. moveable and heritable, pertaining to the said David by reason of the death of his said late father. &c. At the same time David Chepman conveyed the silver work specified, and other moveables, in free gift to his mother, Agnes Cockburne.'" Chepman was buried in his own aisle in St. Giles's Church ; and as he had been honoured and esteemed during life, his interment would doubtless be attended with every mark of respect and solemnity of feeling. t We are afraid, how- ever, that his remains were afterwards disturbed by certain proceedings which took place in 1579, when the magistrates of the city "grants and permits that upon the west part of Walter Chepman's lyle fernent the Erie of Murray's tomb salbe broken, and thair ane buriall place be maid for the Erie of Athole." The exact * " Life and Poems of William Dunbar," a work in which the learned editor, Dr. David Laing, displays that thorough research and genial sympathy with his author which characterise all his labours in illustration of the lives and productions of our earliest writers. The " Supplement " to the above work contains an interesting notice of Walter Chepman. t The labours of the late Dr. Wm. Chambers, a worthy follower of Chepman, in bringing to light the tomb of Walter Chepman, and his benevolent efforts in restoring the interior of St. Giles's Cathedral, will always remain as memorials of a great man, who has done so much towards the introduction and diffusion of a cheap and sound literature, with which his name will ever be worthily remembered. Walter Chepnian. 21 locality of Chepman's resting-place is here sufficiently indicated to enable us to point it out at the present day. The deeds of endowment quoted above make us acquainted with the fact that Chepman was twice married ; first to Margaret Kerkettle (who must have died before 1506), and again to Agnes Cockburne, who survived him thirteen or four- teen years. He left a son David, who was a merchant in Edinburgh, and among other bran- ches of industry which he followed he appears to have been a bookbinder, as we find that in March, 1539, the king's treasurer paid him ten shillings scots for "binding and laying about with gold the queen's matin buke." A nephew of Chep- man's, named John Chepman, was a burgess of Edinburgh and a Writer to the Signet. He seems to have been a man of property, and imitated the works of piety of his uncle. In 1537 he granted an annuity of thirty-one merks, out of certain lands and tenements in Edinburgh, for the support of a chaplain at the Altar of St. John, in the aisle built and founded by his uncle. John Chepman's wife was named Isobel Hen- derson. Her name is mentioned in the deed of 1537, and the witnesses are David, Thomas and Robert Chepman. He reserves the patronage 22 Walter CJicpinan. of the chaplaincy to hnnself, the heirs male of his body, his heirs male whomsoever bearing the name of Chepman, his eldest heir female, &c. The chaplain to be one of his own name if any be found of it ; if not, a relative not bearing the name to be preferred to a stranger.'" Of Chepman's widow it is enough to say that she continued to engage in business of one kind or another for at least thirteen years after her husband's decease, and that the king was invariably favourable to her prosperity. * Scottish Arms, ed. by R. R. Stoddart, Edinb., iSSi, Vol. II., p. 143. Seal and Signature of Walter Chepman. ^A .. ■— Device of And row Myllav. III. AND ROW MYLLAR. O ESPECTING Chepman's colleague, An- drow My liar, we regret that our knowledge is extremely scanty. The principal facts known regarding his partnership with Chepman have already been brietiy noted. Of course Chepman was aware of Myllar's antecedents ; but his life as a printer, previous to September, 1507, when his name in connection with Chepman's is men- tioned in the king's Privilege, was concealed from all enquirers until 1869. The first record we have of him is on the 29th March, 1503, when he is paid the sum of ^10 for certain Latin books supplied to the king:'"' on the 22nd December, * The books supplied were: — Decretuin Magmiin ; and Decretalis Sexlus iKiii ClenuHtiiti Scotiis super quatuor lihris. 26 Ancirow Mylla7\ 1507, fifty shillings were paid by the king's treasurer "for iij prentit bukis tane fra Andro Myllaris wyf " ; and the last time we see his name is in the colophons of the productions which issued from his own and his associate Chepman's press in 1508. These few particulars were really all we knew concerning Myllar, and from them we could gather that he was either a bookseller, or added the sale of books to whatever occupation he followed. It is evident that he was out of the country in December, 1507, when the " iij prentit bukis were tane fra Andro Myllaris wyf." For us, the circumstance in the lives of both Chepman and Myllar which has the chief interest, is their direct connection with the introduction of the art of printing into Scotland. We have seen that it was at the instance of the king, James IV., himself, that these two individuals undertook to establish a printing press. Our surprise is, that with his strong love for learning and literature, that monarch did not seek to introduce the art into his kingdom at an earlier period of his reign than 1507. We know that he was the fond patron of men of learning and science, and that he himself was no mean scholar. Androiv My liar. 27 since he was able to speak half-a-dozen languages, besides Latin. He had collected a considerable library of printed and written books ; and he appears, indeed, to have been an ardent biblio- phile, if we may judge by his fondness for sumptuously illuminated and bound volumes. His books were bound in vellum, rein-deer hide, velvet, and other materials, and many of them were lettered with gold, and otherwise orna- mented in a costly style. He employed the most skilful scribes in the country in copying rare and favourite works ; and he displayed in everything relating to literature a taste and refinement not common in Scotland in those rude times. The utility and value of the printing press would obviously often occur to him, and we may take it for granted that the question of introducing the typographic art had been frequently considered by him. But not until some special purpose called for decided action in the matter did he definitively resolve upon it. And this purpose came in due course, when Bishop Elphinstone had prepared his Breviary for the press. In selecting Chepman and Myllar as his active agents, James would be guided by his personal knowledge of their character and qualifications ; 28 Androw My liar. and he must have had full confidence in their ability to carry out his wishes. That they were worthy of this confidence, and that they entered upon their work in good earnest, is evident from the fact that within seven months of the date on which the king granted the patent, several small productions had left their press. J C ^m^ttloi^^^tmtmm Titlepa^e of the Expositio Sequentiarum, 1506. IV. MYLLAR IN FRANCE. T N 1869 a new and important light was thrown upon Myllar by the appearance of the sale catalogue of the books of M. Victor Lazarche, of Tours, which were to be sold in Paris the same year. The catalogue was drawn up by M. A. Claudin, of Paris, who, for a number of years, has devoted the greatest attention to the provincial typography of France. He was struck by the singular character of the device, bearing the name of Androw Myllar, found in a liturgical work dated 1 506. As the book, entitled Expositio Sequentiartiut, was quite new to himself, and entirely unknown to Bibliographers, M. Claudin deemed it worth while to insert facsimiles of 32 Myllaj' in France. both the device and the colophon in the catalogue. £er rotimi annumcantatidatum : uitiiien ?tcgj:o^t€ceaaini finiunt feliatcr. ainno This catalogue fortunately came into the hands of the late Dr. David Laing, who at once recog- nised the device as that used by Androw Myllar in the books printed by him and Chepman in 1508. Dr. Laing urged the authorities of the British Museum to endeavour to secure the Book of Sequences at the sale ; and this they had the satisfaction of doing, although at a cost of ^40. This living, speaking witness is so interesting and important in the history of Androw Myllar, that we venture to consider such testimony cheaply purchased. The work in question does not indicate where it was printed, nor does it give the printer's name, further than that of Androw Myllar on the sill of the device ; but M. Claudin, after a comparison of types, dis- covered that the book was printed with the Myllar in France. v?0 characters used by Laurence Hostingue, who exercised his art, along with Jamet Loys, in Rouen, at the date specified. '" Although it mieht be somewhat rash to conclude from the mere presence of the device that Myllar was the actual printer of the book, yet, why this mark ? Looking at it, however, in connection with what Vv^e do know of him in 1508, we feel less hesitation in attributing the production of the work to him ; but any doubt we might have on this point, and especially concerning the fact that Myllar was a thoroughly-trained practical printer, is at once set at rest by the conclusive evidence which we will immediately set before our readers. Before proceeding to the consider- ation of this, we cannot help noting the curious and interesting coincidence, that the device of England's proto-typographer should be first found in a liturgical work printed for him by William Maynyal at Paris in 1487 ; so that Caxton's hitherto undeciphered device, as well as Myllar's punning one, had a French origin ; * Laurentius Hostingue and Jametus Loys printed an edition of Vocabiila Alagistri Stanbrigii, at Rouen, in 1 5 10, for Martin Coessin, dwelling at Exeter, Martin Coessin had also printed at Rouen, at his own expense, Cato cum Conimcnto, by Richard Goupil. See Ames, p. 486, and Herbert, p. 1530. D 34 My liar in France. a conclusion which might easily be established regarding- Myllar's, from the circumstance that it displays two small shields at the top corners, each charged with \\\r^^ fleurs de lis.'^ As soon as M. Claudin. who is of Scotch extraction, learned that Myllar was a Scotchman, he redoubled his efforts to obtain further infor- mation regarding him, and early in 1878 he was rewarded by discovering that Myllar was actually the printer of a book in 1505. One can imagine the feelings of such a thorough-paced bibliograph as M. Claudin when he stumbled upon a work which yielded all the information he desired. Here is the title of the said volume, which had hitherto escaped the notice of every previous writer: — " Multorum vocabulorum equiuocorum interpretatio. Magistri Johannis de Garlandia : grammatico & latini cupido per maxime neces- saria Incipit." Translated literally, it would read : — " The interpretation of many ambiguous words by Master John of Garland : indispensably needful to the Grammarian and lover of Latin, * It is but right to note tliat shortly after the closing of the London Caxton Exhibition, M. Claudin sent an interesting letter regarding the work above referred to, and its printer, to the editor of La Typologie, Tucker, 15th Nov., 1877. whirli rontains mnn\ jiartirulars concerning Androw Mvllnr. ntatoi;i!atinicupioc5pc£iiiajCimenece(raua3ii Titlepage of Garlandia, 1505, li -^"i liiiiw . £^'' "^ini'ii " x?ci collcgi IcgciD eft cnmldjc mtti i*^ Wj. iitiTamAmi '' iftrf iTi« Deriee of Philippe Ph 44 ^uyuai u '^/ k. partK-.'T-.r-l. 'V'aiter C and h; Jipai .1 iVom the mark of- ' mnl;- nnH female hgures are fii e' rosses on their knees. '^^^ shieia licii, Ciiv, auiials W ' ry elegantly unci- laced in the si non Vostre's ; h\ Alii; a palm Dca.r man's v d of the chast omposing the name of Philippe Pigouchet on the scroll, we have " Walterus Chepman " in a sc: - " bat heavy black letter. M-. Ii and dis- play ig the OUtSU.i<>, ia>-'-v h, ' A shieia mill, contains a mor It.- ^f Mvllar's s I' A l.-icsjmilc, actaa. tlie the of the Device of Philippe Pigouchet » H a a g n &. lb b » I> ^ h a: c c. r ? € t 'D D 3D S^ e dS e 2 JD 9 «© -P P J9 9 e i& » ^ a iD 4 ^ r t n? t « IS t JJf f> s C ft t ( fl i ti n H a 89 v& n^ t» t> U& (0 v$ « 3 FIRS1 r NINE PIECES. TENTH PIECE. ELEVENTH PIECE Comparison o/' Types. ^IIQ Inntt lI^uQ tOiSmtmC I UdttCmd imqp ^tt Utet^ tK^ Part of the Tenth Piece- My liar a Genuine Practical Printer. 5 1 upper corners of the device is a small shield, charged with three flcnis de lis, and in the compartment at the lower margin of the mark is the name of the printer, " Androv myllar," in large Gothic characters. Chepman's device is found in four of the first nine pieces in the interesting volume so often referred to, and Mvllar's in seven. The text is printed with types which have a genuine Norman character, and were likely cut specially for the new Scottish press. The tenth piece is printed with the same characters as are found in many parts of the Expositio Sequejitiaruni of 1506, which we described in the previous chapter. It wants the beginning and the end, but may fairly be attributed to My liar's foreign press. The eleventh piece, entitled, " Here begynneth a gest of Robyn Hode," in which twelve leaves, not consecutive, are present, but the end wanting, is printed with a type identical with that occas- ionally used by Herman Bumgart, who exercised his art at Cologne about the end of the fifteenth century. We were led to this conclusion by examining a copy of Petriis Rai'cnnas, Conipen- dium Jtiris Civilis, which we purchased in October, 1880, and boldly expressed our belief 5 2 My liar a Genuine Practical Printer. in the identity of the types in the Httle treatise, Who Was Scotland's First Printer? published in January, 1881. Mr. Bernard Quaritch was at pains to corroborate our views regarding the identity of the types, and on the i ith May, 1881, wrote as follows : — " The gest of Robyn Hode, to judge from the twelve lines you have chosen, ffflffiffli^niftiffirrttttfffltt From Petrus Ravennas, Compendium, c. 1495-99. is in the very type in which Herman Bumgart printed a religious treatise — P^an xii fruchte niisse zo hoercn. The colophon of this book does not bear either his name or date, but it has the subscription, ' Gedrucht in Coelne up den Alden Mart tzo dem wilden manne,' which corresponds exactly to the subscription of your Petrus Ravennas, ' super antiquum forum in silvestri viro.' Holtrop, in his catalogue of the Royal Library at the Hague, describes the Blame itia0i3ol|pVdt»^ltoi^ ttid0a;puiiemtanwa99s^aiC(i0 Sp^Sooe^fAtlobm^mnclif tntHhvffl S^t ttQia0notteiiucl^ of Isi^bo^i bite tetoan me^ tl^a0rame«t^anbelkiakei)t(Mt$o6JiaUiitu tO0Aab)inbooe nftatOerattlifietiio&tediiite btftpm eft itioioeboo ftau moi^ecrobe^Cbafe^ fi[iatieb^aot»eltdbptt(9b|mebAue|iieetull f itltbat 9bAueCibo(bebar5 oeftm ottbotUB eeS^atm^piiap fotj^bdtosfbmlinjig^tat f/Vsf Page of the Gest of Robyn Mode. I ner c^l l^ad i'dlspiyifi Imilie ni^er^ f^^ met^4 of/|id)iB^(tt&e.t9»9fotuoerelaOptl^acl^(b 3^pm l^oiosp^ tn pour mpn^ 91^(6 mtnt^t fl^m ^mi iapd$ ^(^ j^n ^c te fec$iape0 g@^ Ikbd^ 210 a g^^ Mm mman abpu$mitl^ me* Second Page of the Gest of Robyn Hade. (mp;c|)ii3 Colonic fiipmHc\mfo'^in^ilHc{}a \iK^ Device of Herman Bumgart. My liar a Genuine Practical Printer. 59 Petrus Ravennas as printed by Herman Bum- gart about 1495-99." What connection this piece has with the others we have not been able to make out." It is impossible to over-estimate the value of this volume, containing so many unique relics of our earliest press, since, but for its fortunate preservation, we would have had no proof that the printing-press had been in oper- ation in Scotland so early as April,. 1508, or any evidence that Walter Chepman and Androw Myllar had ever printed in company, or that Myllar ever printed in Scotland at all. It is to be regretted that research has hitherto failed to discover any trace of Myllar after the date on which his name appears in the colophons of his own works (April, 1508). The veil of obscurity, therefore, enshrouds the last days of his life, and we are left to conjecture what we please respecting his fate. We have said enough, we think, to show that Androw Myllar was a trained practical printer, and that when he came to Edinburgh to establish * Dr. David Laing accepted our opinion in reference to these two last pieces, and in the Catalogue of the Caxtoii Exhilntion, 1877, at page 36, after a brief notice of this unique volume^ — which was lent by the Faculty of Advocates — and the enumeration of the several pieces, there is added, "Excepting the two last tracts, all the above are from the press of Chcpnian antl Myllar." 6o My liar a Genuine Practical Pri)Uer. its earliest press, he liad several years of technical experience to aid him. Chepman, on the other hand, had had no opportunity of acquiring a practical knowledge of printing, and we believe that when the Southgait press was put in oper- ation, he was entirely ignorant of the details of the art. But he has undoubted claims to our regard, inasmuch as he was the monied partner in the concern, and supplied the capital, without which the enterprise could not have been carried on. He encouraged the art, like many generous spirits in the early days of printing, but, never- theless, he was not a printer. He has no claim to be regarded as the '' Scottish Caxton," and no title to be ranked among the grand old masters of typography. Androw Myllar, however, stands in a different light. Little by little the evidence has been gathered together, and although the sum may appear small, yet the certainty is great that it was he who first introduced the Art of Printing into Scotland. VI. THE ABERDEEN BREVIARY nr^HE influ(ince exerted by William Elphin- stone, Bishop of Aberdeen, in introducing the art of typography into his native country has already been slightly alluded to, but we think we do not over-estimate it when we say that without that enlightened and worthy prelate's counten- ance, Scotland in all probability would have been without a printing-press for another generation. The patent granted to Chepman and Myllar is so specific on the subject of the Aberdeen Breviary, while all the other material for the new press is left indefinite, that we are forced to the conclusion that the art was introduced chiefly to allow the Bishop facilities for personally superin- tending the production of his service-book. 62 The Aberdeen Breviary. Although the part played by the good Bishop in the production of the Breviary is quite clear, it is singular that we are left in doubt as to the actual printer of what is, so far as we know, the most important work that issued from the first Scottish press. We know that it was at Chep- man's command and expense that the two volumes were printed in 1509 and 15 10, but we cannot with certainty advance beyond this. The titlepage and colophons refer to him in terms which deserve consideration in weighing the evidence whether or not Chepman was the actual printer of the book, and we have prepared facsimiles of these from photographs made by permission of the University of Edinburgh, from the copy in their possession. We believe it is the first time that actual facsimiles of this work have been produced ; the reprint of the Breviary published in 1854, although a magnificent speci- men of typography, is so very much larger than the original, that it conveys a false idea of the appearance of the page. In size the Breviary is an octavo, 5f inches in height, and 3J inches broad; the first volume, Pars Hyemalis, contains in all 400 leaves, and the second volume. Pars .^Estiva, 2>77 leaves. The Aberdeen Breviary. 6 o Although four copies of the Breviary are known, yet all are defective, and it would be impossible to form a complete copy out of the whole. Of the four copies, that in the University of Edin- burgh is the only one possessing a title, and that only to the first volume. A second copy is in the Advocates' Library, the third is the property of the Earl of Strathmore, and the fourth is an imperfect copy of the first volume in the Uni- versity Library, Aberdeen. The type in which the text of these volumes is printed is a small black letter, seventeen lines going to the space of two inches. There are a number of elegant capitals of the kind known as Lombardic, or Missal, and of these there are as many as four sizes of the same letter. They are generally printed in red, and have a bold im- posing effect. The page has, therefore, a pleasing display of contrast ; but the printing is very un- equally executed, for while some of the pages have the text brought out beautifully clear and sharp, there are many which are blurred and disagreeable to look at. The only florid letter in the volumes is on the recto of folio ij of the Psalterium. It is the initial B, of Beatns vir of the first psalm, a letter which almost all our early 64 The Aberdeen Breviary. typographers delighted to embellish, Chepman's is very elegant, measuring a little more than three-quarters of an inch square. Freed from the numerous contractions, the titlepage is as follows : — Breviarii Aberdonensis ad percelebris ecclesie Scotorum potissimum usum et consuetudinem Pars hyemalis : de tem- pore et de Sanctis ac davitico psalterio congruenter Part of Folio ij PsaUerium, Breifiarium Aberdonensis. per ferias diviso : cum Invitatoriis hymnis Anti- phonis capitulis Responsoriis horis feriarum commemoracionibus per anni curriculum necnon commune sanctorum plurimarumque virginum & matronarum ac diversorum sanctorum legendis qua^ sparsim in incerto antea vagabantur : cum Kalendario et mobilium festorum tabula perpetua variisque aliis adjunctis & de novo additis sacer- dotibus plurimum quam necessariis in Edin- burgensi oppido Walteri chepman mercatoris impensis impressa F'ebruariis idibus. Anno iSmt tommmt #arsf ^e^ duetto mttes i)aji;alsdmtt¥:tnm iaoam^p((tm3}at9f(;ia(M£ a$0 tim Denonaaoiiitis CmdotOj^ 1^. Qm^, qufglteame ^A€»3"^< Titlepage of Breviarium Aberdonensis, Pars Hy emails. The Aberdeen Brev2a7y. 67 salutis nostre et gratie. ix. M. supra et quingen- tesimum. Translation : — The winter section of the Aberdeen Breviary principally for the use and practice of the very famous Church of the Scots : for the season and for the saints, with the Davidic psalter suitably divided for the ferial days : with the Invitatories, hymns, Antiphons, chapters, Responses for the hours of the ferial days and for the commemorations throughout the course of the year, As also the common of saints and of very many virgins and matrons, and the legends of various saints, which were previously scattered about in an uncertain way : with a Kalendar and perpetual table of the moveable feasts, with various other appendices and new additions of the greatest possible necessity for priests. Printed in the town of Edinburgh at the expense of Walter Chepman, merchant, on the ides (13th) of February in the year of our salvation and of grace nine above the thousand and five hundredth (1509). The colophon to the first volume is on the verso of the next to the last leaf of the book, and is shown in the facsimile opposite. It may be translated thus : — The end of the winter section of the Aberdeen Breviary chiefly for the F jft 68 71ic Aberdeen Breviary. use of the Scottish Church, by the care and at the expense of the honourable man Walter Chepman, merchant of the city of Edinburgh in Scotland. On the Kalends (ist) of February, in the year 1509 after the birth of Christ, in the twenty-second year of the reign of James the fourth, the most illustrious king of the Scots. Perhaps the most important evidence of Chep- man's share in the production of this work is contained in the colophon to the second volume. As it extends over seventeen lines, we will merely quote the conclusion, in which we are told that the Breviary was "collected with special care and very great labour, by William, Bishop of Aberdeen, not onlv for his own church of Aberdeen, but also for general use of the whole church of Scotland. Printed in the town of Edinburgh by the command and at the expense of the honourable man Walter Chepman merchant in the said town on the fourth day of the month of June in the year of our Lord 15 10." It is difficult to believe that Chepman penned the colophons of these volumes. At least he would scarcely have employed such lofty terms regarding himself. It will be observed that both at the beginning and end his share in the pro- Uhi r5 itaQo% cinoniamUe^. tos omlos co^tsic eat attguo CKrfco Jfnrcophaso lapiCco nopsTbcattiafa.:ori5 mcuro lancttCcm cpm o?j bfir.-licim fefaincccriff fcotfrnrtf pottiTt Ki5 ij^'cmaiis jjflf 3 fm/s ope j:aKtopJ£ic Ijono^abih'gtjf &nr?:cfi opp:5f tTt.etrflfoj{0m ieocia UalenBfs fcb^nnrao (3 Xnfesius Bj.tmf:H.}3v^n :garbfls:ebjr0ftife fo.la^ ^■JniattHaifffl Sctitigicncmat«0!tc fo«fo. :^laH|ab"uat(3 fp.?;)ct»i :?felinsp;icrfjpftti fCK.tjs^^ g^anilaijbatjs, - James IV., his Patent to Chepman and Myllar discovered, 9 ; dir- ectly instrumental in introducing printing, 10 ; a friend to Chep- man, 14 ; grants Chepman ex- emptions, 1 7 ; his fate at Floddon, 19 ; prayers for him endowed by Chepman, 19 ; a patron of learning, 26 ; a bibliophile, 27 ; selects Chepman and Myllar to introduce printing, 27 ; text of his Patent or Privilege to them, 93-94- James V., continues exemptions to Chepman, 17 ; gives him grant of tavern and booth, 17 ; grants same premises to Thomas David- son, 18; prayers for him enjoined by Chepman, 19. Kennedy, Flyting of Dunbar and, 7. Kerkettle, Margaret, first wife of Walter Chepman, 19 ; prayers for her enjoined, 19 ; her mar- riage with Chepman, 21. Knightly Tale of Golagros and Gawane, 7 ; facsimile of colo- phon, 7. Laing, Dr. David, on presentation of volume of Chepman and Myllar's pieces, 3 ; his Life and Poems of William Dunbar, quo- ted, 20 ; receives Catalogue La- zarche, 32 ; urges British 5luseum to purchase Expos. Sequent., 32 ; his opinion of the two last pieces in unique volume, 59. Lament for the Makars, facsimile of page of, 50. Lazarche, Victor, sale catalogue of his library, 31. Loys, Jamet, printer in Rouen, 33 ; prints for ^lartin Coessin, 33. Maying and disport of Chaucer, 4 ; facsimile of colophon, 4 ; of title, 4 ; of last page, 5. Maynyal, William, prints for Cax- ton, 33. Meikle-Jergeray, Lite-rent of lands of, purchased by Chepman, 15. Murray, Earl of, tomb in St. Giles's, 20. Myllar, Androw, associated with Chepman, 3 ; his device in 98 Index. Maying, 4 ; his printing office, 4, 5, 7 ; Patent to, discovered, 9; quoted, 10; coadjutor of Chcpman in establishing print- ing, 15 ; facsimile of his device, 24 ; is paid for books furnished to the king, 25 ; books bought from his wife, 26 ; last mention of his name, 26 ; a bookseller, 26 ; al)roa(l in 1507, 26 ; selected by the king to introduce printing, 27 ; prints several books within seven months of the date of the patent, 28 ; in France, 31 ; his device found in Expos. Sequent., 31 ; French origin of his device, 33 ; prints Garlandia in France, 34 ; a genuine practical printer, 41 ; his device described, 44 ; his position during the printing of the Breviary, 71. Office of Our Lady of Pity, printed by John Story, 72. Orpheus and Eurydice, Tale of, 8 ; facsimile of title, 8. Parliament, Act anent printing Acts of, 3- Patent or Privilege to Chepman and Myllar discovered, 9 ; quoted, 10 ; text of, 93-94- Paton, George, Edinburgh, furnishes Herbert with an account of the unique volume, 8. Perthshire, Meikle-Jergeray in, 15. Pigouchet, Philippe, his device de- scribed, 44 ; facsimile of his device, 45. Portcous of Nohlencs, 4 ; facsimile of colophon, 7- Priestfield, now Prestonfield, pur- chased by Chepman, 16. Printing, History of the Art of, by James Watson, 2 ; first British work on the suliject, 3. Quaritch, Bernard, on Gest of Robyn Node, 52. Ravennas, Petrus, Compcndinnijuri s Civilis, types used in, 51. Riccardton, James Wardlaw of, 16. Robertson, William, discovers the Patent or Privilege to Chepman and Myllar, 9. Robyn Hode, Gest of described, 51 ; facsimile of first page, 53 ; of second_page,_55. Rouen, printers in, 33. St. Andrews, Scotlamfs Complaint printed at, 3. St. Giles's Collegiate Church, Edin- burgh, aisle erected byChepman, 18; mortuary chapel endowed by Chepman, 19 ; Chepman's burial in, 20 ; Chepman's tomb in, 20 ; chaplaincy at altar of St. John in Chepman's aisle endowed, 21. Scotland's Complaint, 3. Scottish Arms, edited by R. R. Stoddart, quoted, 22. Sequentiarum, see Expositio Se- quentiarum. Spotswood, John, Advocate and Professor of Law, author of preface to Watson's History, 2. Stanbrigius, see Vocabula. Stewart, Lord Barnard, see Ballad of. Stoddart, R. R., his Scottish Arms quoted, 22. Story, John, prints Office of Our Lady of Pity, 72. Strathmore, Earl of, his copy of Brev. Aherd., 63. Syr Eglamoure of Artoys, 7. Tale of Orpheus and Eurydice, 8 ; facsimile of title, 8. Tucker. La Typologie, receives letter from A. Claudin, 34. Vocabula Magistri Stanbrigii, print- ed by Ilostingue and Loys, 33. W^ardlaw, James, of Riccardton, sells Priestfield to Chepman, 16. W'atson, James, his History of the Art of Printing, 2 ; first British work on the subject, 3 ; ignorant of the first Scotch Press, 3. Who was Scotland's First Printer ? 52. pnrNTEFis : mtlnp and hutchisov. aberdf.en. -• "-^"-°- ■'■■ C--: A A 000 312 805 mMmmMmm^