1 8 Typography and Bibliography. 



in the colophon, " Here endith this prefent Chronicle . . . compiled 

 in a book and alfo enprinted by our fometime Schoolmafter of St. 

 Alban." He was a fchoolmafter, then, and this will account for the 

 nature of his early works, all fcholaftic and all in Latin. Not till the 

 end of his typographical career did he realife the fa6t that the print- 

 ing-prefs, inflead of being the hobby of a few learned men, was the 

 educator of the people, the whole nation ; and then he gave his country- 

 men what they wanted — a hiftory of their own country and a book 

 upon the whole (secular) duty of the gentleman, as then underftood. 



The name of the fchoolmafter-printer is quite unknown. No 

 notice of him is found in the records of the Abbey, nor does he 

 appear in any contemporary document. Yet here, as in Miflrefs 

 Barnes's cafe, imagination has come to the refcue and a legendary 

 name has been provided. 



Finding that the Prologue to the Book of Hawking began with 

 the words, " Infomuch as gentle men and h'onefb perfons have great 

 delight in Hawking;" finding alfo that the St, Alban's Chronicle 

 from the fame prefs began thus : " Infomuch as it is neceffary ; " 

 and bearing in mind that certain old authors had veiled their names 

 in the firft words of their works. Dr. Chauncy arrived at the fagacious 

 conclufion that the St. Albans printer wifhed to veil his name, which 

 really was " Infomuch." The joke, for it almofl feems like one, does 

 not bear even the fcrutiny which itfelf invites, for although the fchool- 

 mafter ufes the words in two other places, in neither cafe are they 

 at the beginning of a chapter.* It ftiould be added that in this the 

 worthy hiftorian of Herefordfhire only followed the lead of both 

 Bale and Pits. 



Was he connected with the Abbey ? I think not. There is not 

 a word to fuggeft fuch a connexion, although we may take it for 

 granted that the Abbot and his fraternity could not have frowned upon 



* On sig. a j redo of " Cote Armour " is " Infomuch as all gentlenefs comes of God j ' 

 and upon sig. Ii lij verfo is " Infomuch that in the fifth quadrat," &c. The ufe of the word 

 in thefe cafes could have no veiled meaning, and it was probably only a peculiarity of 

 di6tion which had become a habit with the fchoolmafter. 



