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XII. 



A DUBLIN ALMANACK OF 1612. 



By E. R. McCLlNTOCK DIX. 



Plates XXXVI, XXXVII. 



Read Deohmeek 9, 1912. Published Januakv 15, 1913. 



I HAVE pleasure in submitting fur the inspection of the Academy a recently 

 acquired bibliographical treasure, namely, an Almanack composed by 

 Williarii Farmer, and printed in Dublin in the year 1612 by John Francton, 

 King's Printer in Dublin at that time. The items extant of Francton's 

 printing are sufficiently rare to make any additional extant item of great 

 interest, but this Almanack is specially interesting. I had known of its 

 existence for several years past from a MS. list in my possession ; this list 

 gave no clue where a copy of the work was to be found, but the account 

 was so minute in its collation as to satisfy me that the person who made the 

 list had actually a copy before him at the time. So far as I know at present 

 -no extant copy exists but this one, which I have recently purchased at a book 

 auction in Cork. The Almanack is not in its original cover, but was 

 evidently rebound by a former owner in modern times ; and unfortunately it 

 has been cut down by the binder, though not so as to interfere with the 

 print too much, only in some places. We may describe it as a small quarto, 

 though the probability is it was originally of full quarto size. 



The author, William Farmer, describes himself as "Chirurgeon and 

 I'ractitioner in the Mathematical Arts." He calls the work his "Prognostieal 

 Almanack," and it contains a three-fold Calendar, to which I shall refer later 

 on. He states it to be calculated for use in Ireland, but would serve as 

 well for all the north and north-west of England, and refers particularly to the 

 meridian and latitude of the ancient city of Dublin. A large portion of the 

 Almanack is printed in black-letter, and on the title-page there is some 

 j>rinting in red ink. The leaf immediately preceding the title-page has on 

 the recto the Royal arms, and on the verso the arms of Sir Arthur Chichester, 

 who appears to have been Farmer's patron. The verso of the title-page 

 consists of the contents of the Almanack, and a note from the printer to the 

 reader, which reads quaintly : — 



" Gentle Reader — I have taken paines and charges in venturing the 



B.I. A. PROC, VOL. XXX, SECT. C. [45] 



