Index Expurgatorius Anglicanus / Or, a descriptive catalogue of the principal books printed or published in England, which have been suppressed, or burnt by the common hangman, or censured, or for which the authors, printers, or publishers have been prosecuted

by W. H. Hart

The printers were threatened with proceedings in the Court of High Commission for printing the same without licence, and Sir Robert Cotton, who admitted the authorship, also ran some risk, as appears from the following letter of the Bishop of London (dated February 15th, 1627) to Secretary Conway, and also the examinations of the stationers and printers.

My very honorable good Lord,

May it please your Lordship, I have found a booke intituled A view of ye long life and raigne of Henry ye third, King of England, which I send your Lordship with the examinations of all that I find guilty of ye setting of it forth under ye hand of ye Register by whom before me there examinacions were taken. The parties ar in custody and I meane to proceede against them by ye High Comission for printing ye booke without licence, leaving the matter of state to your Lordship's wisdome. Sir Robert Cotton acknowledgeth he writt the booke some 15 yeares agone, but denies that he hath any knowledg of or hand in ye now printing of it. Good my Lord, give me leave uppon such occasions as this to repayre to your Lordship, whose wisdome will mutch strenthen my poore endeavors to his Majestie's service in this kind, or any other that lies in my ability and power; and so with my most humble acknowledgment of all your noble favours, I pray to God hartily to bless your Lordship, and remayne

Your Lordship's humble servant,

Geo. London.

From my House, February 15th, 1626.

Februarii 15to,
1626.

A briefe of the severall examinations taken before the Lord Bishop of London thes weeke, touching the booke entituled A veiwe of the long life and raigne of Henry the third, King of England.

Benjamin Fisher, a stationer of the City of London, acknowledgeth that he caused five hundred of those bookes to be printed, and no more; five sheets whereof were printed by one Okes a printer, and one other sheete whereof was printed by Breward Alsope and Thomas Fawcett, two other printers.

Of these books Fisher saith they have vented four hundred and twenty or thereabouts, and names some of the parties unto whom they have vented them: viz.—one hundred of them to one Peter Horson, the rest to severall stationers in the country, and that he bought the copy thereof of one Alsope a printer, and saith it was printed without licence.