Francoys, by the grace of God King of France, to the Provost of Paris, Bailly of Rouen, Seneschal of Lion, and to all other our justiciars and officials, or to their lieutenants, greeting. Our dear and well-beloved maistre Geofroy Tory of Bourges, bookseller, dwelling in our city of Paris, hath caused it to be said and shown to us that he hath of late translated from the Latin into vernacular French two books, one having been formerly translated from the Greek into the Latin by several learned and commendable authors, entitled: 'La Table du philosophe ancien Cebes, natif de Thebes, et auditeur Daristote,' together with certain moral Dialogues of Lucian; the other originally composed in the Latin tongue by Jehan Baptiste Egnace, entitled: 'Summaire de Chroniques, contenant les gestes et faictz de tous les empereurs Deurope, depuis Iules Cesar jusques a Maximilian'; likewise another book, entitled: 'Les Reigles generales de Lorthographe du langaige francoys'; the which books he is desirous to print, were it our pleasure to permit him so to do, and at the same time to forbid all booksellers, printers, and all other persons whatsoever to print, cause to be printed, or expose for sale the said books—Wherefore is it that we, having regard to the trouble and labour which the said Tory hath had herein, have given unto him license and permission to print, cause to be printed, and expose for sale at a fair and reasonable price, by himself, his servants, agents and factors, the said books above described, during ten years following and subsequent to the printing thereof. Such is our will, etc. Given at Paris the xxviii day of September, in the year of grace M. D. XXIX, and of our reign the XV.
Heruoet.
Next comes the following letter of Tory, by way of preface:—
Geofroy Tory of Bourges, to all studious and true lovers of goodly reading and profitable pastime, doth humbly bid and offer greeting.
I promised you not long since, in the preface to the Table of Cebes and the thirty new Dialogues of Lucian, that I would ere long, by my humble efforts, make for you another new book, which, to my thinking, might afford you pleasing and useful pastime, by enticing you to read and see therein things wherewith your mind might well in due time and place be entertained and deliciously soothed. At this present time (my most honourable lords), as your humble servant, who is entirely devoted to you, I present to you a 'Summaire de Chroniques,' the which I have translated for you, as I translated the said Cebes and Dialogues, from the Latin into French, to the best of my poor ability, forewarning you that, after the manner of Jehan Baptiste Egnatius, the present author, I have neither modified nor changed the meaning of the story in favour of any man whatsoever. Nor is my translation made word for word, because that would have been a too barren style and devoid of charm. I know that, according to Horace ('nec verbo verbum curabit reddere fidus interpres'), a translator should not vex his wits about rendering each word that he translates into a word of his language; but should retain the meaning and set it forth in the best style that shall be possible for him. So I have done the best that I could, as well for the love and respect that I owe you, as not to depart from the pure truth of history, which is of such nature that it will not brook to be in any way turned aside from its purity. Marcus Tullius Cicero doth well enjoin it upon us, when he writes in the second book of his 'Orator': 'Nam quis nescit primam esse historiæ legem, ne quid falsi dicere audeat, deinde ne quid veri non audeat, ne qua suspitio gratiæ sit in scribendo, ne qua simulatis?' 'But who is there [he says] who does not know that the first law of history is to dare to tell nothing that is untrue, and to tell the truth without feigning, to the end that there may be no suspicion of partiality or of envy in that which one writes?' Of a surety history should be entirely true, not only for the reasons already given, but because, as Cicero says a little before the place already quoted: 'Historia est testis temporum, lux veritatis, vita memoriæ, magistra vitas, et nuncia vetustatis.' 'History [he says] is the testimony of the times, the torch of truth, the nurse and life of the memory, teacher and schoolmistress of our life, and messenger of antiquity.' I have chosen to make you a present of a history, and a history abridged to the limits of a summary, rather than of something else, for the reason that while engaging yourselves, you may see therein, as in a mirror, a thousand excellent things, wherefrom you shall be able to hear and recognize innumerable useful suggestions which shall do you good service on occasion in due time and place. Titus Livius says, in the preface to the first book of his first Decade: 'Hoc illud est precipue in cognitione rerum salubre ac frugiferum, omnis te exempli documenta in illustri posita monumento intueri, unde tibi tuasque Reipublicæ quod imitare cupias, unde fœdum inceptum, fœdum exitu quod vites.' 'It is [he says] peculiarly good and useful in the knowledge of things, to see and learn in noble history the teachings of worthy example, by the imitation and likeness whereof you may choose for yourselves and for your country that which you ought to imitate and follow, and that which you ought to avoid as an abomination, at the beginning as well as at the end.' Take therefore in good part, an it please you, this little work, and accept it with a gracious face and expression, as of your kindliness you are wont to do; even so you will invite me, of your courteous and singular grace, henceforward to do better, with the aid of Our Lord Iesus, to whom I pray that he will give to you all his love and blessed grace, at your noble and worthy desire.
At Paris, this X day of April, M. D. XXIX.
On the last leaf of the book we find the Pot Cassé, with these words beneath: 'The printing of this present book was finished at Paris, the XIII day of April, M. D. XXIX,[232] for maistre Geofroy Tory de Bourges, who sells it in said Paris, at the sign of the Pot Casse.'
The only copy that I have seen of this edition was then owned by
M. Ambroise Didot, who courteously permitted me to examine it at my leisure. It was in its original binding with the Pot Cassé. The book is printed in the 'Champ fleury' type.
There are several other editions. I am familiar with two of them, published by Charles L'Angelier, both in octavo, in 1543 and 1544. M. Hippolyte Boyer mentions one of 1541, in his 'Histoire des Imprimeurs et Libraries de Bourges' (octavo, Bourges, 1854), page 27; but I have not seen it: whereas I have had the privilege of examining the other two. Each of them contains 112 leaves (signatures A to O), plus 4 unnumbered ones. The book is illustrated with engravings of two kinds, in addition to the bookseller's mark on the title-page: the first, reproduced several times, represents an emperor, mounted, holding a battle-axe; it is not signed, but is engraved with much delicacy, and embellished with the little cartouches so much affected by Tory. The others represent busts of emperors roughly engraved, which cannot be the work of that artist.
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LA PROCESSION DE SOISSONS DEVOTE ET MEMORABLE FAICTE A LA LOUANGE DE DIEU, POUR LA DELIVRANCE DE NOSSEIGNEURS LES ENFANS DE FRANCE.—On les vend a Paris, a lenseigne du Pot Casse, rue Sainct Iaques, devant lescu[233] de Basle, et en la halle de Beausse, a la mesme enseigne du Pot Casse, devant leglise de la glorieuse Madalaine, avec privilege pour deux ans.