54 THE OLD ENGLISH HERBALS 



Bartholomew's book on herbs ends thus : " And here we shall 

 fynysshe and ende in treatyng of the XVII boke whyche hath 

 treated as ye may openly knowe of suche thynges as the Maker 

 of all thyng hath ordered and brought forth by his myghty 

 power to embelyssh and araye the erthe wyth and most specyally 

 for ye fode of man and beast/' 



At the end of the book is the poem which has caused so 

 much controversy amongst bibliographers. In this Wynken de 

 Worde definitely states that Caxton had a share in the first 

 printing of this book at Cologne : — 



" And also of your charyte call to remembraunce 



The soule of William Caxton first pryter of this boke. 

 In laten tonge at Coleyn hyself to auauce 

 That every well disposed man may therein loke," 



In spite of this, modern bibliographers are of opinion that 

 Caxton could not have played even a subordinate part in the 

 printing of this book at Cologne. 



De Worde also refers to the maker of the paper ^ : — 



"... John Tate the yonger. . . . 

 Which late hathe in England doo make this paper thynne 

 That now in our Englysh this boke is prynted Inne." 



There is charm as well as pathos in the verses on the repro- 

 duction of manuscripts in book form, showing us vividly what 

 the recent discovery of the art of printing meant to the scholars 

 of that day. The simile of Phoebus " repairing " the moon is 

 very apt. 



" For yf one thyng myght laste a M yere 



Full sone comyth aege that frettyth all away ; 

 But like as Phebus wyth his hemes clere 

 The mone repeyreth as bryght as ony day 

 Whan she is wasted ryght ; so may we say 

 Thise bokes old and blynde whan we renewe 

 By goodly pryntyng they ben bryght of hewe." 



to gader ye humour that comyth oute therof and drynkyth in stede of wyn. 

 And such drynke quencheth thurste. But it fedyth not nother nourryssheth 

 not, nother makyth men dronke." 



^ In regard to this paper (probably the first made in England for printing) 

 see Bibliography, p. 204. 



