Caxton's Polycronicon

Caxton's Polycronicon: Edition Description

Summary:

    Author: Ranulphus Higden
    Title: Polychronicon: with the continuation 1357-1460 by William Caxton
    Other Authors: trans. from Latin by John Trevisa. Edited, with continuation 1358-1460, by William Caxton
    Place: [Westminster]
    Printer/Publisher: William Caxton
    Date: [1482, between 2 July and 8 October]
    Edition / Issue: 1st edn
    Main Language: English
    Note: The Description of Britain comprises some sections of Liber I of the Polychronicon. The Description's chapter's i-xv, on England, correspond to Polychronicon Liber I , cap. 39-59. An unnumbered chapter of the Description following cap. xv corresponds to Liber I, cap 60. Chapters xvi-xx, on Wales, are written in verse and correspond to Polychronicon Liber I, cap 38 (chapter number omitted in Caxton's edition). Chapter xxi on Scotland, corresponds to Polychronicon Liber I, cap 37. Chapters xxii-xxix on Ireland, correspond to Polychronicon Liber I, cap 32-6. (BMC XI, 118)
    Contents:
      Item 1: Caxton's prologue [sig. a2r-a3v]

        Incipit: (sig. a2r) [headline] Prohemye | gRete thankynges lawde & honoure we merytoryous// | ly ben bounde to yelde and offre vnto wryters of hys// | toryes / whiche gretely haue prouffyted oure mortal | lyf / that shewe vnto the reders and herers by the | ensamples of thynges passyd / what thynge is to be desyred / | And what is to be eschewed / ... |

      Item 2: Table, alphabetical index referring to books and chapters [sig. a4r-]
        Item 3: [Dialogue of the lord and the clerc] [sig. 1.2r-]

          Incipit: sYth the tyme that the grete and high tonr of babilone was | bylded men haue spoken with dyuerse tonges / In such wi// | se that dyuerse men be strange to other... |

        Item 4: Johannes de Trevisa: [Letter addressed to] Thomas, Lord Berkeley, his patron. [sig. 1.4r-]

          Incipit: [W]elthe and worship to my worthy and worshipful lord sir Thomas lord of Barkley . . .

        Item 5: Higden, Ranulphus: Polycronicon [sig. 1.6r-]

          Incipit: Prolicionycion | Prefacio prima ad historiam Capitulum primum / | aFter solempne and wyse wryters of Arte | and of scyence that had swetenes and ly//| kyng al her lif tyme to studye ...

        Item 6: Caxton, William: [Continuation for the years 1387 to 1460.] Higden, Polychronicon, VIII 522-87 [sig. 50.1r-]

          Incipit: (50 1r) [headline] Incipit Liber vltimus CCC lxxxxj | tHenne folowyng this fore wreton booke of Prolicronycon | I haue emprysed to ordeyne this newe booke by the suf// | fraunce of Almyghty god to contynue the sayd werk bryefly / |

        Item 7: Caxton's epilogue to the Polychronicon [sig. 49.4r]

          Incipit: [headline] Liber septimus CCClxxxx | [T]Hus endeth the book uamed Proloconycon made & compiled | by Ranulph monk of chestre / whiche ordeyned it in latyn ... |

        Item 8: Colophon [sig. 55.7r]

          Colophon: And here I make an ende of this lytel werke as nygh as I can | fynde after the forme of the werk to fore made by Ranulph monk | of Chestre / And where as ther is fawte / I beseche them that shal | rede it to correcte it / For yf I coude haue founden moo storyes / | I would haue sette in hit moo / but the substaunce that I can fyn | de and knowe I haue shortly sette hem in this book. to thentente | that such thynges as haue ben done syth the deth or ende of the sa// | yd boke of polycronycon shold be had in remembraunce and not | putte in oblyuyon ne forgetynge / prayenge all them that shall | see this symple werke to pardone me of my symple / and rude | wrytynge / Ended the second day of Iuyll the xxij yere of | the regne of kynge Edward the fourth & of the Incarnacion of | oure lord a thousand four honderd foure score and tweyne / | Fynysshed per Caxton

    Physical Description:

    Object Description:

    Form: Codex

    Format: F°

    Ideal collation: a8, b8, C4, 1-288, [28*]2, 29-488, 494, 508, 52-558. 450 leaves. a1, 11, 15, [28*]2, 558 blank.

    Signatures: Signed to the fold with letter and arabic numeral in the prelims, with arabic numerals in the main text. Leaf 4.3 mis-signed 3.4, 25.2 mis-signed 5.22, 35.3 mis-signed 35.2.

    Foliation and/or Pagination: Foliation in the main text, beginning on leaf 1.2 with I to CCCCxxviij, with errors.

    Layout description:

        Layout:
        • Columns: 1
        • Written Lines: 40
        • Locus: all
        • Overview: 40 lines With head-lines and foliation.

    Type:

    Decoration Description:

    List of Copies:

    Bibliography:

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