[310] These Proposals were printed by R. Norton for Timothy Garthwaite at the lesser North Gate of St. Paul’s Church, London, 1652.
[311] It is described by the Rev. H. J. Todd in his Memoirs of the Life and Writings of the Right Rev. Brian Walton, D.D. London, 2 vols., 8vo, 1821. Mr. Todd’s work contains much valuable information respecting the Polyglot.
[312] Among the MSS. in Sydney College is a letter written by Abraham Wheelock to the Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge, dated Jan. 5, 1652, in which, referring to the specimen, he says: “When the sheete, here sent, was printed off, I corrected at least 80 errata in it. It as yet serves to show what letters Mr. Flesher, an eminent printer, my friend and printer of my booke, hath” (Todd’s Memoirs, i, 56). James Flesher, son (?) of Miles Flesher (one of the twelve Star Chamber printers named in the Act of 1637), entered into a bond of £300 to the Stationers’ Company in 1649, and held the office of City printer in 1657. His name occurs in the list of the Brotherly Meeting of Printers as Steward at the 42nd Feast. In 1664 he served, together with Roycroft, on the jury at the trial of John Twyn; see ante, p. [132].
[313] Walton’s Polyglot is supposed to be the second book printed by subscription in England. In 1617, Minsheu’s Dictionary in Eleven Languages was published by subscription, the names of those who took a copy of the work being printed. Minsheu’s venture, however, turned out a failure. In Dr. Walton’s case this mode of publication was, owing to the energy of the promoter and the number of his friends, successful. The subscription was £10 per copy, or £50 for six copies. The estimated cost of the first volume was £1,500, and of succeeding volumes £1,200 each. Towards this, £9,000 was subscribed four months before the first volume was put to press.
[314] Parr’s Life and Letters of Usher. Lond., 1686, fol., p. 590. Dr. Walton received the Protector’s permission to import the paper for his work, duty free.
[315] Origine de l’Imprimerie de Paris. Paris, 1694, 4to, p. 59.
[316] Discours Historique sur les principales editions des Bibles Polyglottes. Paris, 1713, 12mo, p. 209.
[317] This useful little tract was reprinted with improvements in the following year, entitled: “Introductio ad lectionem linguarum Orientalium, Hebraicæ, Chaldaicæ, Samaritanæ, Syriacæ, Arabicæ, Persicæ, Æthiopicæ, Armenæ, Coptæ . . . in usum tyronum . . . præcipuè eorum qui sumptus ad Biblia Polyglotta (jam sub prelo) imprimenda contulerunt. Londini. Imprimebat Tho. Roycroft, 1655. 18mo.” Republished at Deventer in 1658. The Armenian and Coptic alphabets were cut in wood, and reappeared in the Prolegomena of the Polyglot.
[318] “The latter part,” says Bowyer, “is much more incorrectly printed than the former, probably owing to the editor’s absence from the press, or to his being over-fatigued by the work. The Hebrew text suffered much in several places by the rapidity of the publication.”
[319] Rev. Mr. Twells, author of Life of Dr. Pocock.