1585.

Impr. 2: 1585 (CIↃIↃXXCV): (eights) sm. 4^o: pp. [24] + 820 + [10]: p. 11 beg. wee bee farre, p. 111 be not Judges: chiefly Pica English. Contents:—p. (1) title: (3–12) Epistle dedicatorie to queen Elizabeth: (13) “the generall contents of euerie part”: (14–22) “To the Christian Reader”: 1–820 the work, in 4 parts: (1–9) “the speciall contents of euery part”: (9) “Faultes escaped”, i.e. errata.

For the author &c. see Wood’s Ath. Oxon. ii. 169: where it is pointed out that the book has a curious history. Its ostensible purpose is to uphold the doctrine afterwards called “passive obedience” by refuting two books which were regarded as subversive of the Queen’s temporal power, (1) An apologie and true declaration of the institution ... of the tvvo English colleges ... in Rome ... (and) in Rhemes, 1581 (ascribed to card. Will. Allen), (2) A true, sincere and modest defence of English catholiques that suffer for their faith, n. d. (asserted by Antony à Wood to be also by card. Allen). But Wood declares that the Queen “conceiving it convenient for her worldly designs to take on her the protection of the Low-Countries against the King of Spain, did employ our author ... to write the said book” to justify the Netherland revolt. And certain it is that in consequence of the temperance and fairness with which Bp. Bilson treats his subject, the parliamentary party in Charles I’s time used this book to oppose “passive obedience.”

Probably issued about the end of November, 1585. Greek type is used on p. 263 and perhaps elsewhere. Another ed. appeared at London in 1586: an extract from pp. 520–21 was reprinted in 1641 and again in Somers’s Tracts, 2nd ed., iv. 29 (Lond. 1810).

Impr. 1, so also colophon: 1585: (eights) sm. 4^o: pp. [28] + 401 + [19]: p. 11 beg. Opp. Iuuenes, p. 111, Distinctio: chiefly Pica Roman. Contents:—p. (1) Title: (3–7) Epistola nuncupatoria to Robert Dudley, earl of Leicester, chancellor of the University, signed “Iohannes Casus”: (8–10) “Ad studiosos iuuenes vtriusque academiae”: (10) “Prosopopœia Libri Ad Lectorem”: (11) “Honoratissimo suo domino et patrono Comiti Leicestrensi &c. Iosephus Barnesius Typographus Oxonie nsis”: (12–23) Complimentary Latin verses to the author: between (24) and (25), “Tabula virtutum et vitiorum omnium”, a folio leaf printed on one side only: (25–28) Præfatio: 1–401 the work in 6 books: (1–2) “Peroratio ad lectorem”: (4–17) Index: (17) Errata and colophon.

The first book printed at the new Oxford press. The allusions to this and kindred facts are (1) in the “Epistola Nuncupatoria.” Case says of the reasons for dedicating the work to the Earl of Leicester “Unum est nouum hoc præli beneficium, quod te authore nostra Academia nuper recepit ... Prælum hoc nouum (cuius author existis) hunc nouum de moribus libellum pressit. Ne ergo author libelli præli authori videatur ingratus, tibi primùm eiusdem fructum ex animo propinauit ...” (2) the printer himself writes “Admirabilem hanc artem typographicam (Mecęnas amplissime) primum Iohannes Faustus Moguntiæ fauste genuit [the marg. supplies “Anno 1450”], eandem Guilielmus Caxtonus ciuis Londinensis probè aluit & perpoliuit: Laus summa debetur authori qui invenit, laus magna debetur mercatori qui primùm ad nos transuexit ... Londinum diù in hac arte floruit, & non inuideo: Cantabrigia eandem nunc didicit, Oxonia recepit, & certè gaudeo. Nam si characteres typographi sint vera insignia & arma Mineruæ; vbi terrarum potius floreret hæc nobilis scientia, quàm vbi vera publicè docetur sapientia? vt enim à fonte in riuum dulcis aqua, ita hîc quidem à mente in prælum dulcissima Musa fluet. Non nugæ, non aniles fabulæ, non Aristarchi dentata opera hîc excudentur: ea solùm ex his prælis in lucem venient quȩ sapientum calculis approbentur, & Sybillȩ foliis sint veriora. Hoc vnum nunc restat (vir inclytissime) vt hunc librum opus alterius ingenij & pignus laboris mei tuo honori offeram ... Vt ergo Thomas Thomasius collega meus [Cantabrigiensis] suo, ita ego Iosephus Barnesius tibi (vir summe) meo patrono dominoque gratulor: nos ambo & publico pro multis, & priuato nomine pro magnis in nos meritis vobis vtriusque Academiæ patronis deuincti sumus, gratias immortales vterque agimus, maiores in posterum pollicemur”: (3) the Vice-chancellor, J. Underhill, writes “Non dedit hoc seclo prælum Oxoniense priorem [librum] | Doctrinâque dabunt secula nulla parem.” (4) Laurence Humfrey says “Hoc Speculum vobis nunc Oxoniensis alumnus | Porrigit, en præli dat quoque primitias.”

It is clear that neither the Vice-chancellor nor the printer of this volume had any suspicion that there had been printing in Oxford previous to the publication of the present volume, unless “recepit” be a vague allusion to it.

The work is a companion one to the same author’s Summa veterum interpretum in universam dialecticam Aristotelis, Lond., Tho. Vautrollerius, 1584, see 1592. C, 1598. C: and there is even a typographical connexion between the two.

For an account of the author, see Wood’s Ath. Oxon., i. 685. The method adopted by Case is by quaestiones, oppositiones and responsiones in the manner of the disputations in the schools at the time. Other editions were issued at Oxford in 1596, and at Frankfurt in 1589, 1610 and 1625. See 1596. C.

3. Corro, Antonio de. Sermons on Ecclesiastes: see 1586. E.

4. Dudley, Robert, earl of Leicester. [ornament] IN | ADVENTVM ILLVSTRIS-|SIMI LECESTRENSIS COMITIS AD | Collegium Lincolniense. |

Impr. 3: “tertio idus Ianuarij” 1585: (one) 8^o: pp. [2]: chiefly Pica Roman. Contents:—p. (1) title as above: large device of University arms: then “Carmen gratulatorium” of 8 elegiac lines, beg. “Comiter hoc factum est”: then imprint.

Very rare. The visit appears from Wood’s Annals ii. 223 to have been in Jan. 1584/5, and the date of printing 11 Jan. 1584
5. The difficulties in the way of regarding this sheet as the first printing of the new Oxford Press are the form of the date, which usually implies Jan. 1585
6, the assertion of Barnes that the Case was the first production, and the improbability that the Committee of Convocation appointed to consider “de libris imprimendis” on 23 Dec. 1584 would proceed to action so soon as 11 Jan. 1584/5. But the fitness of the earlier date is too obvious to be gainsaid. This piece is probably the first printed sheet issued by Barnes.

Impr. 2a (colophon 4): 1585: sm. 12^o: pp. [28] + 494 + [2] + 140: p. 11 beg. ons, or if, 111 confidence, 2nd p. 11 helpes whatsoeuer, 111 hel should: chiefly Long Primer Roman. Contents:—p. (1) title: (3–8) Bunny’s Epistle dedicatorie to Edwin Sandys, archbp. of York (9–18) Bunny’s “Preface to the reader”: (19–28) “The contentes of ... this booke”: 1–493 [misprinted 439], the work, in 2 parts: (1) title of Bunny’s treatise: 1–140, the treatise: before p. 1 of the treatise is an oblong sheet 5 × 11 in., folded, containing on one side in two divisions “A table ... of the treatise following”: on p. 140 is also a colophon.

Of this book also there is a curious history. Gaspare Loarte, a Spanish Jesuit who spent most of his life at Rome, wrote an “Essercitio della vita christiana” some time before 1569. In 1570, J. Sancer, a friend of Robert Parsons the Jesuit, published a translation into English of one of the three parts of the work. In 1582 Parsons himself published “The firste booke of the Christian Exercise, appertayning to resolution” in two parts, which is practically a new work based on part of the original “Essercitio.” Loarte is mentioned in the preface, but the author only signs his name by the initials, R. P. This was again issued without Parsons’ knowledge in 1584.

In 1585 (or according to Wood and Ames, copied by Herbert and Dibdin, in 1584) Edmund Bunny printed and published the first edition of an adaptation of Parsons’ book fitted for Protestant readers “at London, by N. Newton, for Iohn Wight,” 8^o. The dedication is to the archbp. of York and the preface dated 9 July 1584 at Bolton-Percy. The book was entered at Stationers’ Hall on 28 Aug. 1584. The Oxford edition before us is a reprint of this London edition with no intentional variation, except the omission of the arms of the archbishop of York on the verso of the title of the London issue. Some of the woodcut ornaments and capitals of the two issues are identical.

In “1585, Aug. 30” Parsons again put out his book in a revised and largely augmented form with a new title “A Christian Directorie” which when complete was to consist of three books, the first of which, treating of Resolution, is alone contained in this edition. The preface contains a criticism of the London issue of Bunny’s adaptation, which provoked “A briefe answer vnto those idle and friuolous quarrels of R. P. against the late edition of the Resolution: By Edmund Bunny.” Lond., 1589, 8^o.

Other editions of Bunny’s adaptation of Parsons’ “Christian exercise” are 1586 (Lond., “by I. Iackson and Ed. Bollifant for John Wight,” 12^o; in Herbert’s possession), 1589 (Lond., 12^o: Bohn), 1594 (Lond., 24^o: Bohn), 1609 (Lond., 12^o: Bohn), 1615 (Lond., 12^o). See also next art. Parsons’ own work was several times reprinted: and in 1591 appeared an edition of his “Christian Directorie,” anonymously adapted, as the former work, for the use of Protestants, and with the deceptive title “The second part of the booke of Christian Exercise, appertayning to Resolution, or a Christian directorie ... written by the former authour R. P.” (Lond., 12^o). This was several times reprinted, as in 1592, 1594, 1598, 1615. See also Wood’s Ath. Oxon., ii. 221: and the next art.

Impr. 2a (colophon 4): 1585: sm. 12^o: pp. [30] + 492 + [2] + 140: p. 11 beg. what man, 111 Gospell, which: also p. 11 nounce all, 111 it they should: chiefly Long Primer Roman. Contents:—as preceding article, without the folded “Table” to Bunny’s treatise, viz.:—p. (1) title: (3–9) epistle: (10–19) preface: (20–29) contents: 1–491, the treatise: (1) title: 1–140 Bunny’s treatise, with colophon.

This volume is apparently identical in text (not spelling or punctuation) with the preceding art., but is entirely reset: from p. 252 of this edition (= 254 of the other) the two correspond page for page in Parsons’ treatise.

Impr. 4: 1585: sm. 8^o: pp. [32], signn. A-B⁸: sign. B 1^r beg. passion, that: chiefly Pica English. Contents:—p. (1) title: (3–5) Epistle “to the Christian reader”: (6–30), the sermon, on 1 Kings x. 9: (31–32) “A praier in consideration of the former respects.”

See Wood’s Ath. Oxon., i. 653. The Epistle is dated 27 Nov. 1585, and alludes to Bilson’s book as “euen now comming foorth.”

8. Shepery, John. See 1586. S.

9. Sparke, Thomas. “‘A Sermon preached at Cheanies the 14. of September, 1585, at the burial of the right Honorable the Earle of Bedford, by Thomas Sparke Doctor of Diuinitie.’ The university’s arms. ‘Imprinted at Oxford by him Printer to that famous Vniuersitie.’ My copy is cut so close at bottom that it is uncertain whether there was any date added. Dedicated ‘To—Arthur Lord Gray of Wilton, Knight of—the Garter.—At Bletchley the 25 of September, 1585.—Thomas Sparke.’ The text, ‘Apocal. 14. 13. I heard a voice from heauen’ &c. At the end of the sermon ‘September 22. An. Do. 1585,’ Besides; 110 pages, W. H. 16^o.”

The above is the account of the book in Herbert’s Ames, iii. 1399, in the account of Joseph Barnes’s press at Oxford in 1585. The copy sold in the Heber sale, 9 April 1835, Catal. pt. vi, p. 248, art. 3559 for 8s. was probably Herbert’s. Ames in his Typographical Antiquities (Lond. 1749) gives a shorter title and describes the book as a quarto. Other edd. are Lond. 1585, in eights (pp. [10] + 106), and Oxf. 1594 (with 25 December at end of dedication, pp. [10] + 110): but both are different from the present book, if Herbert’s description may be trusted.