386
HISTORY OF PRINTING.
contemned ; and so versed in criticism and other polite literature, that he might have passed for anoUier Robert or Henry Stephens. He died at Namur, and was buried in the church there.
John Booabd was also a printer of catholic works at Louvain, and lived at the sign of the Golden Bible. His works, like those of Fowler, were numerously distributed in England.
11)79, March II. Humphrey Tor was made free of the stationers' company, by his father's copy. He lived at the sign of Uie Helmet, in St. Paul's church yard; he printed little, but Henry Binneman printed for him. William Jones, who bad been an apprentice to Mrs. Toy, was also made free of the company on the above day.
1579. Alaxander Arbdthnett was king's printer for Scotland, and resided at the kirk in the field, Edinburgh, where he printed an edition of the Bible in folio, for the use of Scotland, by the commissioners of the kirk.
1579. An ordinance of Henry III. king of France, forbade all almanack makers to pro- phecy, directly or indirectly, concerning the affairs of the state, or of individuals.
1579, Ang. The DUeoveiy of a Gapmg Gvlf wheretmUt England it like to be twaCUnced by anotlier JPVench marriage, if the Lord forbid not the banes, by letting her maiettie tee the tin ^ pttnithmmt thereof... lUenteAugutti. Anno 1579.
John Stubbs, of Lincoln's Inn, the author, William Page, the publisher, and Hugh Single- ton, the printer, were tried on the statute 1 and 2 of Philip and Mary, against the authors, dis- persers or printers of seditious words, or rumours ; in consequence whereof Stubbs and Page had their right hands cut off with a butcher's knife and a mallet, in the year 1581.* Hugh Singleton was pardoned.
The following is the order of council ad- dressed to the lord mayor of London, for the apprehension of the offenders who were concerned in the above work :
" To the Lord Mayor of London.
"Afterourrighthearty commendations. Where- as there hath been of late printed and published within that city a certain libel, intituled, A DU- coveringe of the gapinge gitlphe, &c. wherein the
- John Stnbbs was a hot-headed Puritan, whom sUter
was nuiTled to Thomas (Taitwiight, the head of that Ac- tion. Thlfl execadon took place upon a scallbld, in the market-place at Westminster. After Stubbs had his richt hand cat off, with his left he pulled off his hat, and cned with a loud voice. " Ood save the queen V* the multitude standing deeply silent, either out of horror at this new and onwonted kind of punishment, or else oat of com- miseration of the undaunted man, whose character was unblemished. Camden, a witness to this transaction, has related It. The author, the printer, and the publisher, were condemned to this barbarous pnnistamcDt. on an act of Philip and Mary, agmtntt the mUhm amtpuilitktn of teditimu writmgt. Some lawyers were honest enough to assert that the sentence was erroneous, for that act was only a temporary one, and died with queen Maiy j but, of these honest lawyers, one was sent to the Tower, and another was so sharply reprimanded, that he reaipied liis place as a Jnd^ in the Common Pleas Other lawyers, as the Lord Chief Justice, who fawned on the prerogative tu more then than afterwards in the Stuart-reicns, as- serted thst queen Mary was a king; and that an act made by any king, nnless repealed, most always exist, because tba king of England never dies. — Cmriot. afUt. vol. s.
autlior has not only rery contemptuously inter- meddled in matters of state touching her majes- ty's person, but also uttered certain things to the dishonour of the duke of Anjou, brother to the French king. Forasmuch as divers of the said books have been very seditiously cast abroad, and secretly dispersed into the hands of snndry of her majesty s subjects, as well the inhabitants of that city, as in other parts of this realm ; with an intention, as much as in them lay, to alter the mind of her highness's good and dutiful subjects, and to draw them into a suspicion and misliking of her majesty's actions, as though the same tended to the prejudice of this realm, and sub- version of the estate of true religion, (now a long time, by the goodness of Almighty God, and her highness's authority, as God's minister, estab- lished and continued among us.) Albeit her majesty hath received such an assured opinion of the luyalty of her said subjects, and specially of the inhabitants of that her city of London, Uiai they will not so easily give credit to tmy such secret sinister devices tending to the impairing and defacing of her highness's good proceedings, especially in the point of religion, where she hath willed us to assure you, that she desireth no longer life than she shall be a maintainer and upholder of the same; yet forasmuch on the one part it behoveth her mtgesty in honour to hare so notorious an injury done to so great a prince, her neighbour, who m such kind and confident sort (all respect of peril and danger laid apart) vouchsafed to do her majesty that honour to come and visit her, repaired by all the ways and means that any way can be devised : so on the other side, her oighness is very desirous, that as hitherto she hath been ven careful (as by her doings hath well appeared) to maintain and continue this realm, both in matters of policy and religion, in such quiet and peaceable estate as hitherto she hath done, and which never any prince did more careful before ; so at this present It should be known unto her subjects what her meaning is; not by any treating or dealing with the said duke of Anjou, who, neither by himself nor his ministers, did at any time press her to do any thing to the prejudice of this state, to inno- vate or infringe any thing in the government which she hath both established, and nitherto by God's goodness and assistance maintained against sundry designs and complots of many enemies, of whom the Lord be thanked, there is at present no such great doubt as was heretofore to be con- ceived ; For these and other good considerations, to the intent that her said subjects give not any credit to such untrue and vain suspicions, her highness hath at this present caused a proclama- tion to be made in her name, to be pnnted and directed thither to be published, at the publishing whereof within that city and liberties in place accustomed, her majesty's pleasure is, that you the lord mayor, accompanied with some good number of the aldermen your brethren, and the shrives now, as in like cases has been accustomed, should be present; and further, for the better confirming of the inhabitants of the said city on
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