The auncient Historie and onely trewe and syncere Cronicle of the warres betwixte the Grecians and the Troyans, and subsequently of the fyrst euercyon of the auncient and famouse Cytye of Troye vnder Lamedon the king, and of the laste and fynall destruction of the same vnder Pryam, wrytten by Daretus a Troyan and Dictus a Grecian both souldiours and present in all the sayde warres and digested in Latyn by the lerned Guydo de Columpnis and sythes translated in to englyshe verse by Iohn Lydgate Moncke of Burye. And newly imprinted. An. M.D.L.V. [Colophon] Imprinted at London, in Fletestrete at the sygne of the Princes armes, by Thomas Marshe. Anno. do. M.D.L.V.
B. L. Fo. (111⁄8 × 73⁄4). F. 15.
Title within elaborate woodcut border of the genealogies of the Houses of York and Lancaster (as in E. Halle's 'Union of York and Lancaster' q.v.). Collation: A2B-2C62D-E4, unpaged. 'The pistle to the reader', signed by the editor, Robert Braham. The signature has been printed 'Quod Robert Braham' and an ornament has then been stamped over the 'Quod'. Translator's prologue in verse. Books i-v. Verses to Henry V. 'Lenvoye' and 'Verba translatoris ad librum suum' in verse. Table of contents. Lydgate's 'Troy-book' is a verse rendering of the prose 'Historia Destructionis Troiæ' written in Latin by Guido delle Colonne. This is in its turn based on the French 'Roman de Troie' by Benoît de Sainte-More, the chief sources of which are the 'De Excidio Troiæ' the reputed work of Dares Phrygius, which may have been then extant in a fuller version than we now possess, and the 'Ephemeris Belli Trojani' which goes under the name of Dictys Cretensis. An earlier edition of Lydgate's work had appeared from R. Pynson's press in 1513.
Sinker 307. BM 448.
Here begynneth the boke of Iohan Bochas / discryuing the fall of prĩces / princesses / and other nobles: Translated in to Englysshe by Iohn Lydgate monke of Bury / begynning at Adam and Eue / and endyng with kyng Iohan of Fraunce / taken prisoner at Poyters by prince Edwarde. [Woodcut.] [Colophon] Imprinted at London in flete strete by Richarde Pynson / printer vnto the kynges moste noble grace / & fynisshed the .xxi. day of Februarye / the yere of our lorde god .M .CCCCC .xxvii.
B. L. Fo. (101⁄2 × 73⁄4). G. 2.
Collation: a6A-X62A-2O62P8, folios numbered. Table of contents. Translator's prologue in verse. Nine books, with woodcuts. Verses of the translator at the end. The work is a verse rendering of Boccaccio's 'De Casibus Virorum Illustrium' (prose). Pynson published an edition of the work as early as 1494; the present is the second.
Sinker 32. BM 239.
LYLY, John.
Euphues. The Anatomy of Wyt. Very pleasant for all Gentlemen to reade, and most necessary to remember: wherin are contained the delights that Wyt followeth in his youth by the pleasauntnesse of Loue, and the happynesse he reapeth in age, by the perfectnesse of Wisedome. By Iohn Lylly Master of Arte. Oxon. Imprinted at London for Gabriell Cawood, dwelling in Paules Church-yarde.
B. L. 4o. (71⁄8 × 47⁄8). R. 17. 1.
Collation: A4B-E8F-T4, folios numbered. Epistle dedicatory to William West, Lord Delaware, signed I. Lyly. Address to the readers. At the end is a device of a sable horse (as crest) charged with a crescent of difference encircled by the motto 'Mieulx vault mourir ẽ vertu que vivre en honcte'. This is the device of Th. East. The text of this edition presents peculiarities, which, as Dr Sinker has shown, prove it to be the first. Having been entered to Cawood in the S. R. Dec. 2, 1578, it probably appeared about the close of the year. Two further editions appeared in 1579, viz. the second (undated) the only known copy of which is also in the library (v1a. 4. 14 (2) imperfect) and that (dated) represented by the Malone and Morley copies. For particulars see Bond's 'Lyly' (Oxford, 1902) vol. i. p. 85 etc.
Sinker 547. BM 953.