THE CAXTON COFFER.

[Proposals of Mr. Randal Minshull, c. 1742.[1]]

[1] This document, though before printed, is as rare as a manuscript. Dibdin had not seen it when he wrote his memoir of Caxton, nor could he prove its existence but by a reference to the Bibliotheca Westiana. It is now reprinted from a copy in the Grenville collection in the British Museum. The specimen is a small folio, in pica type, and on thin laid paper. As my information on Mr. Randal Minshull is at present very scanty, I reserve it with the hope of more fortunate gleanings.—BOLTON CORNEY.

"Proposals for printing an exact and ample account of all the books printed by William Caxton, who was the first printer in England: wherein will be set forth some select chapters from each book, to shew the nature and diction thereof, with all his proems, prologues, epilogues, and tables, in his own words. There will be also interspersed several ancient and curious matters relating to the history of England, and other curious subjects: with a vocabulary of the old English words, and an explanation of them, which will greatly illustrate the ancient English language, as it was written in the reign of Edward III. and continued down to Henry VII. kings of England, as contained in the writings of Thomas Woodstock duke of Glocester, Anthony Woodville earl Rivers, John Gower, Geoffry Chaucer, John Lydgate, and other famous persons.

"By R. Minshull, library-keeper to the right honourable the earl of Oxford deceas'd.

"It is proposed by the editor hereof, as follows: viz.

"I. This work will contain about 200 sheets of paper, printed in the same form of letter and paper, as this specimen.

"II. There shall be no more printed than 500 books, suitable to the proposed number of subscribers.

"III. That for the more expeditious carrying on, and effecting thereof, every subscriber shall pay to the editor two guineas; viz. one guinea at the time of subscribing, and the other guinea upon the delivery of a perfect book in sheets.

"N.B. Proposals will be delivered, subscriptions taken, and proper receipts given for the money, by the editor R. Minshull, at Mrs. Reffers, in Maddox-street, near St. George's church, Hanover-square.

"Received this [  ] day of [  ] 174[] from [  ] one guinea, being the first payment [for] The account of the books printed by William Caxton, according to the above proposals.

"An exact and ample account of all the books printed by William Caxton, &c.

"The first work of William Caxton, appears to be (as he calls it) The recuyell of the historyes of Troye, divided into three parts, the whole containing 778 pages (as numbred by my self, they not being figured in the printing) in a short folio, the paper being very thick and strong: there are no initial capital letters in this book, which shews that he had not formed any at that time. In his preface to this book he declares that he was born in the Weeld of Kent, where he first learned the rudiments of the English tongue; a place wherein he doubts not, is spoke as broad and rude English, as in any part of England: that he never was in France, but that he continued the space of thirty years, for the most part, in Brabant, Flanders, Holland and Zealand.

"He also says, that this history was first translated into French, from several Latin authors, by a certain worshipful man, named the right venerable and worthy Raoul le Feure, priest and chaplain to Philip duke of Burgundy, in 1464; being the fourth year of the reign of king Edward IV. In which year he was employed by that king in conjunction with Richard Whetchill, esq.; to treat and conclude certain actions of commerce between the said king and Philip duke of Burgundy: their Commission, as set forth in Rymer's Fœdera, is as follows; [See Rymer.]

"It was from the said French translation that Mr. Caxton formed this history, in the prologue of which he stiles himself mercer of the city of London; and it was by the command of his royal patroness, Margaret, sister to king Edward IV. after her marriage with Charles, duke of Burgundy, that he undertook it and finish'd it. A description of this noble marriage is largely set forth by John Stow and Hollingshead, in their chronicles; the latter gives the following character and description of this royal princess, viz. 'She was a lady of excellent beauty,'" &c. [See Holinshed.]

JOHN TRADESCANT THE YOUNGER, AN ENGLISHMAN.

Great is the interest attached to the name of Tradescant, and we believe few articles in our journal have been perused with greater satisfaction than those by MR. SINGER and other valued correspondents, which appeared in our third volume (pp. 119. 286. 353. 391. 393.), illustrative of their history. In the same volume (p. 469.) a correspondent, C. C. R., after quoting the following mutilated MS. note, written in pencil in a copy of Dr. Ducarel's Tract on the subject, preserved among the books in the Ashmolean Museum—

"Consult (with certainty of finding information concerning the Tradescants) the Registers of—apham, Kent,"—

suggested that Meopham was the parish referred to, and that search should be made there by some correspondent resident in that neighbourhood. The hint was not, however, taken, and the matter dropped for a time.

At the close of last year we received a communication from a learned and much valued friend, now, alas! no more,[2] telling us that Meopham was the place referred to, and suggesting that we should get extracts from the register for the information of our readers. Upon this hint we acted; but our endeavours, for reasons to which we need not more particularly refer, failed, and it was not until our attention was recalled to the subject by the endeavour that is making, and we trust successfully making, to procure subscriptions for restoring the Tradescant Monument at Lambeth, that we applied to another friend resident in the neighbourhood of Meopham for his assistance in the business. That assistance was (as it has ever been) rendered most cheerfully and most effectually; and we are now enabled to lay before our readers and the Committee of the Tradescant Monument Restoration Fund, the following evidence that John Tradescant the younger was a Man of Kent. It is extracted from the baptismal register of Meopham.

[2] That excellent man and ripe scholar, the Rev. Lancelot Sharpe, who was one of the first, on the