The prints are rude in execution, the foliage of trees being generally indicated simply by horizontal lines (as in a French Ortus Sanitatis of about 1485). The shoes, sword-scabbards, and the like are often entirely black, showing that the cuts were intended to be coloured by hand. They appear to be entirely unknown elsewhere. See plate V.
Copies known.
1. Bodleian. Imperfect. Wanting all ( ), c 3, c 4, g 4, k 4, k 5, o 4, o 5, r 5, s 3, s 4, s 5, s 6, z 1, z 3, z 4. Marked Auct. R. supra 5. The variations of signn. h and i show that this is a later issue than no. 2. Owned by William Little.
2. Bodleian. Imperfect. Wanting all ( ), a-f, g 1, g 2, h 1, i 6, k 1–3, k 6–8, l 3, l 6, l 8, o 3, p 6, r 4–6, t 1, t 6, x 1, x 2, x 7, x 8, y, z: but y 2, y 5 are inserted from Hearne’s fragments. This was William Herbert’s copy: no. 730 in the Utterson sale 1852, where it was bought by the Bodleian for £6 10s.: marked Auct. R. supra 7.
3. John Rylands Library, Manchester. Wanting a 1, a 2 (supplied in manuscript), z 4. Owned by Ratcliffe (sale, no. 1430, £3 2s.), then Alchorne, then Johnes. No. 15409 (E. 237) in the Spencer Library. Dibdin’s collation is very faulty. Signn. h, i are of the later kind.
4. Lambeth Library. Wants z 4 (blank). The variations in signn. h, i are of the later type. Once archbp. Tenison’s copy. Marked once lxiii. 1. 19, now 38. 2. 23. f.
A copy occurred for sale in Rodd’s 1831 catalogue, priced £6 6s.
Fragments:—British Museum (one leaf, y 3, in MS. Harl. 5919, no. 139): Wadham College, Oxford (1½ leaves): Brasenose College, Oxford (several leaves): parts of two leaves (q 6 and another) were offered by A. Iredale, bookseller of Torquay (catal. 31, Oct. 1887, no. 1) for 21s.
The Printing Press at Oxford ceases its work suddenly in 1486
7, and there is no reason for this stop at present known. The printing at St. Alban’s ceased at about the same time. It has been suggested that Rood left Oxford for Cologne, where a Theodericus printed books in 1485 and 1486 in a type similar to that of the Ales and Latteburius. In this case Hunt may have continued for a short time alone, and then relinquished the work.