Notes.
THE CAXTON MEMORIAL.
Few persons having a common object in view, and equally desirous of its attainment, fail in carrying it into effect. The object of "The Caxton Memorial" is obviously to do honour to the first English printer; and if a man's best monument be his own works, it will be necessary to ascertain of what they consist. It is well known that most of the works printed by Caxton were translated from the French, many doubtless by himself. The Prefaces were evidently his own, and the continuation of the Polychronicon was confessedly written by himself. The most valuable contribution to "The Caxton Coffer" would be a list of the works which it is proposed to publish as those of Caxton, with some calculation of their probable extent and cost of production. The originals being in many cases of extreme rarity, it would be necessary to transcribe fairly each work, and to collate it with the original in its progress through the press. The following enumeration of the Translations alone will give some idea of the work to be undertaken:
The Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye. (1471.)
The Game and playe of the Chesse. 1474.
Thymage, or Myrrour of the World. (1481.)
The Historye of Reynart the foxe. 1481.
The laste siege and conqueste of Jherusalem. 1481.
The Golden Legende. 1483.
The Book called Cathon. 1483.