594 PROTOTYPOGRAPHY. 



on one occasion for assistance in deciphering an antiquated English 

 document.* 



In 1485, the presses were removed from the Monastery buildings 

 to premises of Caxton's own in King Street, Westminster. In 1491, 

 Caxton died. He was buried in the churchyard of St. Margaret's 

 Church, close to the Abbey. 



Caxton's career was a prosperous one, and probably accompanied 

 with much personal happiness, actively and tisefully employed as he 



* At the present day, Caxton's English requires, for its ready comprehension, some of the 

 same kind of assistance from a friendly hand which Abbot Esteney sought to obtain from 

 Caxton himself, in regard to English held to be " old " in the reign of Henry VII. I give, as a 

 specimen, the preface to a translation of a French work, entitled " Cato," a paraphrase of the 

 so-called Disticha of Cato, much used in the mediseval schools. We gather from this "prologue 

 or proheyme " what were Caxton's impressions of the rising generation of the city where liis own 

 youth had been passed some forty years previously. The translation was published in 1483. 

 Thus the work is introduced : 



" Unto the noble, auncyent, and renommed cyte, the cyte of London in England^ I, Williarn 

 Caxton, ujftezejm and conjurye of the same, and of the fraternyte and felauship of the mercerye, 

 owe of ryght my servyse and good wyll, and of every dute am bounden naturelly to assiste, 

 ayde, and counoeille, as ferforth as I can to my power, as to my moder, of whom I have 

 receyved my nourcture and lyuynge, and shall praye for the good prosperite and polecye of the 

 same duryng my lyf, for as me semeth it is of grete nede, bycause I have knowen it in my yong 

 age moche more welthy, prosperous, and rycher than it is at this day, and the cause is, that 

 there is almost none that entendeth to the eomyn wele, but only every man for his singuler 

 prouffyte. O whan I remember the noble Romayns, that for the comyn wele of the cyte of 

 Rome, they speute not only theyr moevablo goods, but they put theyr bodyes and lyves in 

 jeopardy, and to the deth, as by many a noble ensample we may see in the actes of Romans, as 

 of the two noble Scipions, Aflfrican and Asyan, Actilius, and many other ; and amonge al other 

 the noble Catho, auctor and maker of this book, whiche he hath lefte for to remayne ever to all 

 the peple for to lerne hit, and to knowe how every man ought to rewle and governe hym in this 

 lyf, as well for the lyf temporall, as for the lyf spyrytuel. And, as in my judgment, it is the 

 beste book for to be taught to yonge children in scole, and also to peple of every age, it is full 

 convenient yf it be wel vnderstanden. And bycause I see that the children that ben borne 

 within the sayd cyte encrease, and prouffyte not like theyr faders and olders, but for the mooste 

 parte, after that they ben comeyn to theyr parfight yeres of discrecion, and rypenes of age, 

 how well that theyre faders have lefte to them grete quantite of goodes, yet scarcely amonge 

 ten two thryue. I have seen and knowen in other londes, dyuers cytees, that of one name and 

 lynage successyvely have endured prosperously many heyres, yea v. or vi. hundred yere, and 

 some a thousand ; and in this noble cyte of London, it can vnnethe contynue unto the thyrde 

 heyr, or scarcely to the second. O blessyd Lord, whan I remembre thys I am al abasshed ; I 

 can not juge the cause, but fayrer, ne wyser, ne bet bespoken children in theyre youghte ben 

 nowher than ther ben in London ; but at their ful rypng there is no carnel ne good corn founden, 

 but chaff for the moost parte. I wote wel there be many noble and wyse, and prove wel, and 

 ben better and richer than ever were theyr faders ; and to thende, that many myght come to 

 honoure and worsliyppe, I entende to translate this sayd book of Cathon, in whiche I doubte 

 not, and yf they wylle rede it, and understande, they moche be the better eonne rewl themself 

 therby ; for among all other bookes this is a singular book, and may well be callyd the regjment, 

 or governaunce of the body and sowle. There was a noble clerk named Pogius, of Florence, 

 and was secretary to pope Eugenye, and also to pope Nyohcolas, which had, in the cyte of 

 Florence, a noble and weU stuffed librai-ye, which all noble straungyers comynge desyred to ' 

 see, and therin they fonde many noble and rare bookes, and whan they had axyd of hym which 

 was the best booke of them alle, and that he reputed for the best, he sayd, that he held Cathon 

 glosed for the best book of his lyberary," &c. 



