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and even the civil government: he therefore strictly commands the university, in virtue of their obedience to the holy see, and under the penalty of being deprived of all graces, indulgences, and privileges granted to them and the university by the said see, that for the future. they suffer none to teach any of the said conclusions; and that they take, or cause to be taken, by his (the pope's) authority, the said John Wiclif, and deliver him up in safe custody to the Archbishop of Canterbury and Bishop of London, or either of them, and that they should take the same course with those that opposed the execution of this bull, or who were defiled with these errors."

Dr. Wielif having notice given him by the heads of the university of his danger, and the tenor of the pope's bull, thought himself obliged to provide for his own safety, and accordingly put himself under the protection of John, Duke of Lancaster, to whom he had been long known, and who had conceived a very good opinion of him for his learning and integrity. And, in consequence, the duke himself, together with Lord Henry Piercy, Earl Marshal, accompanied Dr. Wiclif to St. Paul's on the day fixed for his appearance. This, it is said by an enemy to Dr. Wiclif's memory, the duke did for the doctor's better protection and encouragement, to discountenance the bishop, and to animate and increase Wiclif's sectaries and followers in their course. However this be, there being a vast concourse of people about the church, Dr. Wiclif could not get through the crowd to the place where the court sat. Upon which the earl marshal going first, made use of his authority to disperse the people, and make way for him. But, notwithstanding, such was the greatness of the throng, that it was not without great difficulty that the two lords, and Dr. Wielif, could pass through it; and this therefore making some stir, Bishop Courtney, not being well pleased to see Dr. Wiclif so honourably attended, told the earl marshal, that if he had known beforehand what maistries he would have kept in the church, he would have stopped him out from coming there."

In April following, the delegates sat again for the execution of their commission, in the archbishop's chapel, at Lambeth, where Dr. Wiclif appeared again; not only the London citizens, but the mob presumed to force themselves into the chapel, and to speak in Dr. Wiclif's behalf, to the great terror of the delegates: and the queen mother sent Sir Lewis Clifford to them, to forbid them to proceed to any definitive sentence against him.

Pope Gregory XI. died March 27th, this year, which was a great advantage to Dr. Wiclif, for by his death, an end was put to the commission of the delegates. On the pope's decease the cardinals could not agree in electing a successor. One party chose one Bartholomew, archbishop of Barri, in Naples, who was elected April 8th, this year, and

took on him the name of Urban VI. The other party, which chiefly consisted of French cardinals, and who desired a Frenchman to be pope, chose one Robert, a cardinal, who took the name of Clement VII. This was still a further advantage to Dr. Wiclif, since it was some time in the latter end of the next year before Urban was declared and acknowledged.

On this occasion, the schism that was made by this double election, or choice of two popes, Dr. Wiclif wrote a tract of the Schism of the Roman Pontiffs, and soon after published his book of the Truth of the Scripture, in which he contended for the translating the Scriptures into English, and affirmed that God's will is plainly revealed in two Testaments.

About this time Archbishop Sudbury being beheaded by the rebels under Tyler, William Courtney, Bishop of London, was translated to the see of Canterbury by the Pope's Bull, and had the temporalties delivered to him October 23. The Archbishop had before shewn himself a violent opposer of Dr. Wiclif, and therefore no sooner had he received the pall, but he immediately commenced proceeding against him and his followers.

Dr. Wiclif was now cited and called by the Pope's mandate to appear before the Archbishop of Canterbury and many other doctors of the church, in the church of the Preaching Friars, at London, to answer to the accusation of heretical pravity which was brought against him: and that on the day of his appearance, when it was expected he should have answered to those things which were objected to him, he made the following confession;-" I knowleche that the Sacrament of the Auter is very Goddus boddy in fourme of brede," &c. Being thus overpowered by force, he was obliged to retire to Lutterworth, and live constantly there, in 1382.

Dr. Wiclif, at his parsonage at Lutterworth, still continued his studies and endeavours to promote the reformation of those corruptions which he was convinced had been brought into religion; but he lived but a little while after residing at Lutterworth, being seized with the palsy before he came thither: but of this fit he was so well recovered as to be able to attend his studies, and preach as before.

He would not, however, have been suffered to live, even as he did, and die a natural death, if it had not been for the quarrel betwixt the two popes, and he had not laboured under a distemper which his enemies hoped would soon put an end to his life. And this it accordingly did, two years after, in his church of Lutterworth, on Holy Innocents' day, in hearing mass, about the time of the elevation of the Sacrament, he fell down, being seized with a violent fit of the palsy, and especially in his tongue, so that neither then nor afterwards could he speak till his death, which was the last day of December, 1384.

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WILLIAM CAXTON, the first who introduced, practised, and communicated the most useful and instructive art or mystery of printing in England, was born about the latter end of King Henry the Fourth's reign; and, as himself acquaints us, in the Weald, or woody part of Kent. The custom which had long prevailed of imposing that badge of Norman slavery, the French language, upon our children at the grammar-schools, as is very particularly observed by Ranulphus Higden, and John de Trevisa, being, in the younger years of Caxton, much abated, and the neglect of it accounted no deficiency in education, he was, by the care of his prudent mother, so well instructed and qualified at home in reading and writing, as served his occasions very sufficiently, when he was put out to a genteel trade. But afterwards, by his diligent applieation, he arrived to a considerable proficiency, not only in writing, after a very clear, free, and dexterous manner, that strong hand which was then in most request, as may be seen in some copies of his books at this day, but in attaining both a competent knowledge of the Latin tongue, and to a good perfection in the French, when he was preferred to a considerable charge abroad by his prince.

He was about the age of fifteen or sixteen, when he was put apprentice to Mr. Robert Large, a mercer of much eminence in London, that he

was elected one of the sheriffs in the year 1'430, and, nine years after, lord mayor. He went to settle abroad when his master died, and was deputed and entrusted by the mercers' company to be their agent or factor in Holland, Zealand, Flanders, &c. to establish and enlarge their correspondence, negotiate the consumption of our own, and importation of foreign manufactures, and otherwise promote the advantage of the said corporation, in their various merchandize. It seems that he spent about twenty-three years in those countries, upon this, and such like employments, before we hear of him again; but he had then acquired such an eminent character for his knowledge and experience, his diligence and fidelity, that we find him joined with Richard Whetehill, esq. in a very honourable commission, granted to them by King Edward IV. in the year 1464, to continue and confirm the treaty of trade and commerce, between his majesty and Philip, Duke of Burgundy.

Being a man expert in penmanship and languages, as well as matters of commerce, and by his long conversation abroad with ingenious men, being also acquainted with subjects of literature, which were now become, more than ever, the fashionable pursuit of those parts, through the surprising communication effected by the new invention of printing, of which Caxton must have heard the progress from its very birth, for he had partly attained the mystery of this art; but as he says himself, with great expense. He no sooner appeared in it, than we see him employed by Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy, sister of Edward IV. in translating, out of French, a large volume, and then in printing it himself.

In 1470, King Edward was driven over to his brother-in-law, the Duke of Burgundy's court, to seek succour against his rebellious subjects, where Caxton no doubt paid his obedience to him, and received his majesty's approbation for an engagement in this new art; but the king returned to England without any great assistance, before Caxton completed his said work. He wrought some time upon it at Ghent, but he finished it at Cologne, in the year 1471. Then he returned to Bruges, and presented his performance to the Lady Margaret, who very graciously accepted, and liberally rewarded him for it. He also then dispatched some copies to his other friends and encouragers, who had been impatient for the same; and, no doubt, he sent some of them into England, if he did not then bring them over himself. Hence it is, from this transmission, or introduction of the said specimens or products of the art, that John Stow, and others of our chronologists, have dated Master Caxton's first introducing the art itself among us, in or about that year; though, indeed, we cannot now find that the art was practised in England by him till at least three years after.

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The first book we know of, that Caxton printed in the English tongue, has the following title page:- Here begynneth the volume, intituled, WORTHIES, No. 6.

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and named, The Recuyell of the Historys of Troye; composed and drawen out of dyverce bookes of Latyn into Frensshe, by the Right Venerable persone and Worshipfull man, Raoul le Feure, Preest, and Chapelayn unto the Right Noble Gloryous and Myghty Prynce in his tyme, Philip Duc of Burgoyne, of Braband, &c. in the yeare of the Incarnacion of our Lord God, a thousand four hondred sixty and foure, and translated and drawen out of Frensshe into English by Willyam Caxton, Mercer of the cyte of London, at the commaundement of the Right Hye Myghty and Vertuouse Princesse, his redoubtyd Lady Margarete, by the Grace of God, Duchesse of Burgoyne, &c. Whiche sayd translacion and werke was begonne in Brugis, in the countee of Flaunders, the fyrst day of Marche, the yeare of the Incarnacion of our said Lord God, a thousand foure hondred sixty and eight, and ended and fynyshed in the holy cyte of Colen, the xix day of Septembre, the yeare of our sayd Lord God, a thousand foure hondred sixty and eleven.' The said title page (to distinguish this from subsequent editions) is printed, as well as some other principal parts in the book, with red ink; and it is said to be printed with the same letter as the original edition was in 1464; but the French edition has two wooden cuts in it, and no name mentioned of the person who printed it; but this printer is conjectured to have been an instructor of Master Caxton in his art.

Caxton's great modesty, diffidence, and humble opinion of his abilities, appear in this, as well as all his books. He states in the prologue, That he thought himself so unqualified on account of his unperfectness in both languages, having never been in France, and lived out of England near thirty years, that he was fully in wyll to have lefte it, and accordingly laid it aside for two years after he had begun it, or till 1470; when it fortuned, his ryght redoubted Lady sent for him, to enquire, it seems, what progress he had made in this translation. And when she had seen, or read, five or six quires (or parcels) of it, she found a defaute in the English, but commanded him to amande, and make an end of the residue: accordingly he proceeded in his translation; which, he tells us, he begun in Brugis, the first of March, in the year 1468, continued in Gaunt, and finished in Colen, the 19th of September, 1471.' Having thus finished the translation of this book, he next says,' He deliberated in himself to take the laboure in hand of printing it, together with the third book of the Destruction of Troy, translated of late by John Lydgate, a Monk of Burye, in English rithme.' Of this, Mr. Caxton gives us the following account, full of complaints of the painfulness of it to him:- Thus,' says he, end I this booke; and for as moche

as in wrytynge the same, my penne is worne, myne hand wery, and myn eyen demmed, with overmoch lokyng on the white paper,—and that age creepeth on me daily, and feebleth all the body-and, also, because I

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