,illustration3 ,passionale1 etc41 ,,ms41 circa #aajj ,a4,d4 ,henry ,i4 ,,royal ,,english ,,bookbindings ,by ,,cyril ,,davenport1 ,f4,s4,a4 ,of the ,department of ,printed ,books1 ,british ,museum ,,london ,,seeley ,,and ,,co4 ,,limited1 ,,great ,,russell ,,street ,,new ,,york3 ,,the ,,macmillan ,,co4 #ahif ,,list ,,of ,,illustrations ,,coloured ,,plates ,,page ,i4 ,passionale1 etc41 ,,ms41 circa #aajj ,a4,d4 ,henry ,i4 ,frontispiece ,,ii4 ,penitential ,psalms1 etc41 ,,ms41 sixteenth century ,henry ,,viii4 #af ,novum ,testamentum ,grce4 ,luteti1 #aeej 7gold centres7 ,queen ,elizabeth #af ,,iii4 ,deloenus4 ,libellus de tribus ,hierarchiis1 etc41 ,,ms4 ,henry ,,viii4 #ah ,,iv4 ,greek3 ,,basilikon ,d,,ron4 ,written for ,prince ,henry1 by ,king ,james ,,vi4 of ,scotland4 ,,ms ,james ,i4 #ed ,v4 ,ortelius4 ,theatre of the ,world4 ,london1 #afjf ,do4 #eh ,,vi4 ,new ,testament1 etc4 ,london1 #afdc ,charles ,i4 #ff ,,vii4 ,gil4 ,greek3 ,,parerga1 etc4 ,londini1 #afcb ,do4 #fh ,,viii4 ,order of the ,coronation of ,george ,,iii4 and ,queen ,charlotte4 ,london1 #agfa ,george ,,iii4 #id ,,illustrations ,,in ,,the ,,text ,indentures between ,henry ,,vii4 and ,john ,islippe1 ,abbot of ,westminster1 concerning the foundation of the ,chantrey1 etc41 ,,ms4 ,henry ,,vii4 #aa ,opus eximium de vera differentia ,regi ,potestatis et ,ecclesiastic4 ,londini1 #aecd ,henry ,,viii4 #ae ,description of the ,holy ,land1 in ,french4 ,by ,martin ,brion4 ,,ms4 ,do4 #ag ,le ,chappellet de ,ihesus1 ,,ms41 sixteenth century ,margaret ,tudor1 ,queen of ,james ,,iv4 of ,scotland #ba ,il ,petrarcha4 ,venetia1 #aedd ,queen ,katharine ,parr #bc ,prayers1 etc4 ,malborow1 #aech 7,doublure7 ,edward ,,vi4 #bi ,queen ,mary's ,psalter1 ,,ms4 ,queen ,mary #cc ,prayers1 etc4 ,london1 #aegd-aeia ,queen ,elizabeth #ce ,christian ,meditations1 in ,latin1 #aegj ,do4 #cg ,parker4 ,de antiqvitate ,britannic ,ecclesi4 ,london1 #aegb ,do4 #da ,orationis ,dominic ,explicatio1 per ,l4 ,danaeum4 ,genevae1 #aehc ,do4 #de ,la ,saincte ,bible4 ,lyon1 #aeff ,do4 #dg ,gospels in ,anglo-,saxon and ,english4 ,london1 #aega ,do4 #di ,trogi ,pompeii ,historiarum ,philippicarum epitoma4 ,parisiis1 #aeha ,do4 #ec ,livius4 ,romana ,historia4 ,avreli ,allobrogvm1 #afji ,henry ,prince of ,wales #fa ,collection of ,miscellaneous ,tracts in ,,ms4 ,do4 #fc ,dallington4 ,aphorismes1 ,civill and ,militarie4 ,london1 #afac ,charles ,prince of ,wales #fg ,common ,prayer4 ,london1 #affb ,charles ,,ii4 #fi ,a short ,view of the late ,troubles in ,england1 etc4 ,oxford1 #afha ,do4 #gc ,bible4 ,cambridge1 #afgd ,james ,,ii4 #ge ,euclide4 ,oxford1 #agje ,queen ,anne #gi lfric4 ,an ,english-,saxon ,homily on the ,birthday of ,st4 ,gregory4 ,london1 #agji ,queen ,anne #ha ,account of what passed in a ,conference concerning the ,succession to the ,crown1 ,,ms4 ,george ,i4 #he ,le ,nouveau ,testament4 ,amsterdam1 #agah ,george ,,ii4 #hg ,chandler4 ,a ,vindication of the ,defence of ,christianity4 ,london1 #agbh ,do4 #hh ,common ,prayer4 ,cambridge1 #agfj ,queen ,charlotte #ij ,portfolio containing the ,royal ,letter concerning the ,king's ,library ,george ,,iv4 #ib ,the ,coloured ,plates are printed by ,edmund ,evans4 ,,royal ,,english ,,bookbindings ,,prologue ,it is curious that twice in ,english history the royal libraries have been given to the nation4 ,the ancient royal collection1 containing manuscripts from the reign of ,richard ,,iii41 was added to by each sovereign in turn2 but it seems to have been brought into notice and taken special care of by ,prince ,henry1 the eldest son of ,james ,i4 ,out of his own private income1 this ,prince added largely to the old collection1 and purchased the important libraries of ,lord ,lumley1 of a ,welshman named ,maurice1 and that of ,isaac ,casaubon4 ,on his death the library became the property of ,james ,i41 and after some other changes1 both the old library and that of ,prince ,henry were deposited at ,ashburnham ,house1 where in #agca there was a fire which damaged some of it4 ,it was then removed to the old ,dormitory at ,westminster1 and in #ageg it was presented by ,george ,,ii4 to the nation1 and was handed over to the ,trustees of the ,sloane and ,cottonian ,libraries1 and placed in ,montagu ,house1 then newly purchased as a ,national ,museum4 ,there were at this time in the old royal library about #ae1jjj volumes altogether1 and very many of them were still in their ancient and beautiful bindings4 ,george ,,iii41 finding on his accession to the throne that there was no royal library1 very energetically set to work to form a new collection4 ,he chose his agents very carefully1 and appointed ,sir ,frederick ,barnard to be his librarian4 ,sir ,frederick travelled widely in search of books1 and1 acting partly under the advice of ,dr4 ,samuel ,johnson1 eventually brought together perhaps the finest collection of books ever made by one man4 ,on the king's death the library contained upwards of #fe1jjj volumes1 besides more than #ai1jjj separate tracts and some manuscripts4 ,generally speaking1 the bindings in the ,king's ,library--the name by which ,george ,,iii4's collection is now known in the ,british ,museum--are modern2 but among them are a considerable number of old bindings in good condition1 and it is possible that those which were rebound were mostly in a bad state4 ,unfortunately the crowned monogram of ,george ,,iii4 is generally impressed in a prominent place1 even on such old bindings as have been otherwise preserved intact2 and although valuable as a record it is often a great disfigurement4 ,there is little doubt that ,george ,,iii4's intention was to create a new royal library to remain in the possession of the kings themselves1 but there seems to have been some idea that it would eventually become national property1 as ,dr4 ,frederick ,wendeborn1 a ,german preacher1 well known at ,court1 wrote3 ,the ,king's ,private ,library 444 can boast very valuable and magnificent books1 which1 as it is said1 will at one time or another be joined to those of the ,british ,museum4 ,this prediction was fulfilled in #ahbc1 when ,george ,,iv4 presented it to the nation1 and the fine room now known as the ,king's ,library in the ,british ,museum was built for its reception1 the removal being completed in #ahbh4 ,william ,,iv4 does not seem to have been altogether pleased that the royal libraries should have been twice given away1 as he added a codicil to his will in #ahcc1 bequeathing to the ,crown all his additions to the libraries in the several royal palaces1 with an autograph confirmation dated from ,brighton1 ,november #cj1 #ahcd1 signed and sealed by himself1 declaring that all the books1 drawings1 and plans collected in all the palaces shall for ever continue heirlooms to the ,crown1 and on no pretence whatever to be alienated from the ,crown4 ,the royal library at ,windsor now contains the greatest number of royal bindings now existing in any one collection1 except those at the ,british ,museum1 but it possesses very few that belonged to ,tudor sovereigns4 ,from the time of ,james ,i4 it has a very fine collection4 ,where ,i have not specifically mentioned otherwise1 the books described in the following pages are in the ,british ,museum4 ,they should be to the ,english people especially interesting1 for not only are they national property1 but any of them can be seen with little trouble1 and a considerable number are actually exhibited in the binding show-cases in the ,king's ,library1 or in the ,grenville ,library4 ,,chapter ,i ,,henry ,i4--,,edward ,,vi4--,,henry ,,vii4--,,henry ,,viii4--,,katharine ,,of ,,arragon--,,anne ,,boleyn--,,margaret ,,tudor--,,mary ,,tudor--,,katharine ,,parr ,the rulers of ,england and of ,france have1 ever since the introduction of printing into ,europe1 been great patrons of books1 and moreover have by their individual tastes1 both literary and artistic1 largely influenced the styles of bookbinding prevalent during their reigns4 ,in ,england from the time of ,henry ,,vii4 onwards1 and in ,france from ,louis ,,xii41 a noble series of royal bookbindings exists at the present time1 and may be considered with justice to be typical of the best work done at the different periods4 ,although there are a few great binders who do not appear1 as far as is at present known1 to have worked for royalty1 there is no doubt that most of the great masters of this most fascinating art were at some time or other privileged to work for the sovereign houses of their time1 if indeed they were not actually royal binders4 ,before printing was introduced into ,england in the fifteenth century by ,william ,caxton1 there is little or no record of any special collection of books made by any ,english sovereign4 ,it is possible no such collection ever was made1 but if it were1 all trace and record of it is now lost4 ,rich medival bindings of a decorative character1 such as are not uncommon in other countries1 are unknown in ,england1 and it is supposed that1 for the sake of the valuable metal and gems which were commonly used on such bindings1 they were destroyed under the early ,tudor kings4 ,at the same time1 it seems unlikely that ,henry ,,viii4 or ,edward ,,vi4 would have pulled to pieces any fine bindings1 if they had already formed part of a royal library4 ,it is difficult in the case of antiquities1 the full record of which is not forthcoming1 to be sure of statements which may be made concerning them2 but so many antiquaries and men of mark have already borne testimony at all events to the probable truth of the legend that the coronation book of ,henry ,i4 still exists1 that ,i feel any record of ,english royal bookbindings would be imperfect1 not only without mention of it1 but even without a detailed description4 ,i think1 however1 that without exception every other book ,i shall describe or mention has upon it1 or in it1 some absolute mark of royal ownership1 but on the other hand they are all much later4 ,indeed1 as far as ,i know1 no book of the twelfth century has any mark of ownership upon it1 although the makers' name does rarely occur4 ,the book in question 7,plate ,i47 is quite small1 measuring #g #d-a_/b inches4 ,it is a manuscript on vellum of lessons from the four gospels in ,latin1 written in the twelfth century2 it also contains the whole of the ,gospel of ,st4 ,john except a small portion missing1 and some other ,,mss4 ,the binding is of thick wooden boards1 covered probably with deer-skin4 ,the lower cover has a sunk panel1 and bears a crucified figure of our ,lord cast in bronze1 finely chased and formerly gilt4 ,the corners are guarded with bossed pieces of brass1 stamped with a device of a fleur-de-lis within a circle1 and there is a clasp of leather and brass4 ,the figure of our ,lord appears distinctly old1 but the rest of the metal work has not such evidence of antiquity1 and it seems likely that it is much more recent4 ,inside the book are several manuscript notes by various owners1 the most interesting of which is signed by ,john ,ives1 at ,yarmouth1 ,st4 ,luke's ,day1 #aggb4 ,he says this appears to be the original book on which our ,kings and ,queens took their coronation oaths before the ,reformation4 ,in ,powell's ,repertoire of ,records1 #afca1 at p4 #abc1 he mentions a little booke with a crucifix as being preserved in the chest of the ,king's ,remembrancer at the ,exchequer4 ,mr4 ,thomas ,martin of ,palgrave1 owner of the book in the beginning of the eighteenth century1 at one time lent it to ,mr4 ,thomas ,madox1 author of the ,history of the ,exchequer1 and his opinion was that it was the book formerly belonging to the ,exchequer1 mentioned by ,powell1 and which was used to take the coronation oath upon by all our kings and queens till ,henry ,,viii4 ,it belonged afterwards to ,mr4 ,thomas ,astle1 ,f4,s4,a41 ,keeper of the ,records in the ,tower of ,london1 who died in #ahjc1 and whose library was purchased by the ,marquis of ,buckingham and kept at ,stowe in a beautiful ,gothic room specially built for it4 ,in ,june #ahdi the library became the property of ,lord ,ashburnham1 and from him it was purchased in #ahhc by the ,trustees of the ,british ,museum1 excepting the ,irish ,,mss41 which went to ,dublin4 ,this collection is now known as the ,stowe ,collection4 ,there is a drawing of this book by ,mr4 ,george ,vertue1 presented by him to the ,society of ,antiquaries and still preserved in their library4 ,from the time of ,henry ,i4 until that of ,edward ,,iv4 there is no trace of any ,english royal bindings1 and then only a small one4 ,there is in the library of ,westminster ,abbey a loose leather binding impressed with a panel-stamp of the arms of ,edward ,,iv41 crowned and supported by the two white lions of the ,earls of ,march1 and1 moreover1 at the top the two angels which are afterwards often found on the larger panel-stamps of a similar kind used in the time of ,henry ,,viii4 ,no other binding exists apparently that belonged to ,edward ,,iv41 even if this one did1 but in the wardrobe accounts of his reign are found several notices of binding4 ,one reads1 for binding1 gilding1 and dressing of books1 but does not say what the material is4 ,it was probably leather1 calf or goat1 as gilding on velvet does not seem to have then been thought of1 although the material itself was certainly used1 as in another place it is stated that velvet vj yerdes cremysy figured were delivered for the covering of the books of our lord the king2 and indeed it is curious if the gilding was applied even to leather1 as certainly no instances are known at so early a date of ,english origin4 ,actual instances of the use of velvet for bookbinding occur first among the books of ,henry ,,vii4 and ,henry ,,viii41 and the value1 beauty1 and wonderful durability of it are likely enough to have attracted the notice of royal and learned book lovers4 ,henry ,,vii4 was the first of our kings whose literary tastes have left any mark on our existing collections4 ,he acquired a magnificent series of volumes printed on vellum at ,paris by ,antoine ,verard1 a celebrated ,french printer1 besides other valuable books4 ,this collection is now at the ,british ,museum almost complete1 and it is rebound in velvet4 ,it is likely that the original binding was also velvet1 but record of it is lost4 ,there is1 however1 one magnificent volume that fortunately was so splendid and in so fine a condition that the ruthless rebinder has spared it4 ,this is a copy of the ,indentures made between ,henry ,,vii4 and ,john ,islippe1 ,abbot of ,westminster1 for the foundation of the chantrey4 ,it is written on vellum1 and its counterpart is preserved in the ,public ,record ,office4 ,it is covered in crimson velvet1 edged with gold cord1 and having tassels of crimson silk and gold1 the velvet projecting broadly over the edges4 ,on each side are centre and corner bosses of silver1 gilt and enamelled4 ,the centre bosses bear the royal coat-of-arms wrought in high relief1 with the supporters used by the king--the red dragon of his ancestor ,cadwallader1 and the white greyhound he used both by right of his wife through the ,nevills and his own maternal ancestors the ,earls of ,somerset4 ,the corner bosses bear the portcullis1 the emblem of the castle of ,beaufort in ,anjou1 the residence of ,catherine ,swinford1 and where ,henry's maternal grandfather was born4 ,each of these portcullises is borne upon a white and green ground1 the livery colours of the ,tudors1 and it has been used as a royal badge from the time of ,henry ,,vii4 until the present day4 ,the book is held together by bands of gold braid1 and fastened by beautiful clasps of richly-chased silver-gilt1 with enamelled red roses4 ,appended to the boards are five impressions of the ,great ,seal1 each in a silver box1 with either a portcullis or a red rose upon it4 ,the seals hang by plaited cords of green and gold4 ,there are similar books of ,henry ,,vii4's besides this one4 ,a fine instance was shown at the ,burlington ,fine ,arts ,club ,exhibition of ,binding in #ahia4 ,it is a ,book of ,penalties for non-performance of services in the ,chapel of ,henry ,,vii4 at ,westminster1 and is bound in red velvet1 with tassels and silver-gilt and enamelled bosses like those just described4 ,it has silver clasps1 and four silver boxes containing the seals of the parties to the indenture depend from the lower edge4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #a4--;,indentures between ,henry ,,vii1 and ,john ,islippe1 ,abbot of ,westminster1 concerning the foundation of the ,chantrey1 etc41 ,,ms4 ,on one book1 probably once the property of ,henry ,,vii41 which somehow became separated from the rest1 is found his coat-of-arms impressed on the gilt edges--a curious and early instance of decorative edge-work4 ,a drawing of it was published in ,bibliographica1 vol4 ii4 p4 #cie4 ,it is a ,sarum ,missal1 ,rouen1 #adig1 and was given to ,cardinal ,pole probably by ,queen ,mary1 and eventually purchased by the ,british ,museum4 ,henry ,,viii4 apparently thought much of his library and its proper preservation and extension4 ,he appointed ,john ,leland1 the antiquary1 to be his library keeper1 and gave him a special commission under the ,broad ,seal to travel and collect all kinds of antiquities and make records of them4 ,leland acquired1 under these powers1 many valuable manuscripts from the monasteries1 then so ruthlessly being despoiled of their treasures2 but1 unfortunately1 he does not seem to have been able to preserve any of the precious bindings in which many of them were doubtless encased4 ,there is a considerable amount of documentary evidence concerning the binding of ,henry ,,viii4's books4 ,notices occur in the records of the ,privy ,purse ,expenses of payments for velvet and vellum2 and these two materials are again largely mentioned in the most interesting account now preserved among the additional manuscripts at the ,british ,museum of the royal printer and binder1 ,thomas ,berthelett4 ,this account1 which is very full1 refers to work done during the years #aeda-dc2 and although1 so far1 no actual book has been identified as being one of those mentioned1 yet the bindings we still possess of ,henry ,,viii4's are so generally of the same kind as those described that there seems little doubt that most1 if not all of them1 were bound by ,berthelet4 ,he mentions a ,psalter covered with crimosyn satyne1 and we possess a collection of tracts bound in this manner1 with a delicate tracery of gold cord1 and on the edges is written in gold the words ,,rex ,,in ,,ternum ,,vive ,,neez4 ,this is probably what ,berthelet1 in an entry a little further on1 calls drawyng in gold on the transfile4 ,there are several mentions of books gorgiously gilded on the leather1 and also others where he says books are bound backe to backe none of which seem to have survived1 but there are plenty of instances of the white leather gilt1 so often used4 ,purple velvet was used to cover ij ,primers1 which are now lost2 but we possess a splendid volume covered in this way with embroidery upon it1 and again he says he has bound books after the ,venecian fascion and ,italian fascion4 ,truly the ,italian work of the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries is extremely fine1 and ,berthelet may have seen some specimens of it1 and1 admiring them1 have endeavoured to imitate their peculiar and beautiful gilded tooling4 ,to ,berthelet must be conceded the honour of being the first ,english binder to use gold stamped work on leather1 and he does so with admirable effect4 ,many of his bindings gilded on white leather1 sometimes deer-skin1 sometimes vellum1 are most charming2 indeed1 the taste for vellum has never died out in ,england from ,berthelet's time to the present day1 when we have ,william ,morris's dainty volumes with their green ties4 ,berthelet's books also generally had ties1 but they are now all worn off4 ,a fine instance of this white leather and gold occurs on ,sir ,thomas ,elyot's ,image of ,governance1 printed by ,berthelet in #aeda4 ,it bears the same design on each side4 ,a panel1 enclosed by an ornamental fillet1 contains a very graceful arrangement of curves forming a central space in which are the words ,dieu et mon ,droit2 and at each side of this the royal initials contained in two semicircles left for them4 ,at each of the inner corners is a large set stamp1 and the ground is dotted over with small circles and the daisy--a badge used by the ,tudors probably as a compliment to their ancestress ,margaret de ,beaufort4 ,on the edges are painted in gold the words ,,rex ,,in ,,ternum ,,vive4 ,some of the same stamps are used on another book which is probably ,berthelet's work4 ,it is a manuscript ,latin commentary on the campaign of the ,emperor ,charles ,v4 against the ,french in #aedd1 addressed by ,anthonius de ,musica to ,henry ,,viii4 ,it is bound in brown calf1 and bears within a broad outer fillet a panel containing in the centre the royal coat-of-arms and initials enclosed in an inner rectangular panel2 above and below this are two rectangular cartouches1 with titles of the king and various initials which have not yet been interpreted4 ,flanking the long central panel are medallions of ,plato and ,dido1 favourite stamps afterwards with ,english binders1 but occurring here for the first time4 ,a design which was probably a favourite one of ,berthelet's is found on a copy of ,opus eximium de vera differentia ,regi ,potestatis et ,ecclesiastic1 printed by him in #aecd 7,fig4 #b74 ,there is an instance of the same binding in the ,bodleian ,library at ,oxford4 ,the arms of the king1 with the supporters of the dragon and the greyhound1 occupy the centre of each board4 ,this is enclosed in an oval ribbon bearing the words ,rex ,henricus ,,viii4 ,dieu et mon ,droit1 and the whole is surrounded by an ornamental fillet with decorative corners4 ,above and below the shield are crowned double roses and the initials ,k4 ,h4 ,a collection of sixteenth-century tracts is covered with crimson satin1 and ornamented with an arabesque design outlined in gold cord4 ,this is the earliest ,english book remaining that is bound in satin1 but no doubt many more existed1 as they are so often mentioned in accounts of the time4 ,the satin is always crimson1 and1 curiously enough1 long afterwards under the ,stuarts the use of satin was revived1 but of a white colour4 ,this collection of tracts was certainly enough bound for the king1 as it has the peculiarity of the motto painted on its edges in gold1 ,,rex ,,in ,,ternum ,,vive ,,neez1 which seems to have been a favourite form of decoration of ,berthelet's1 so very likely this is one of his books4 ,velvet1 mentioned also by ,berthelet1 is used to cover a large ,bible printed at ,zurich in #aedc1 but there does not appear very clearly any mark by which it can be identified as his work4 ,it is now of a tawny colour1 but was originally probably crimson1 and on it is outlined an elaborate design in gold cord4 ,a broad outer border has an arabesque pattern arranged diamond-wise1 with large double roses at each corner4 ,within this is a smaller rectangular border1 enclosing a circle with the king's initials bound together by a scroll1 and above and below the circle a repeating arabesque design4 ,on the edges of this book are very elaborate heraldic paintings4 ,a different kind of work altogether covers the splendid ,description de toute la terre ,sainte1 by ,martin de ,brion 7,fig4 #c71 a beautiful manuscript on vellum dedicated to ,henry ,,viii41 and full of illuminated reference to him and his heraldic attributes4 ,it is bound in purple velvet and richly embroidered1 and is the first of a splendid series of embroidered books on velvet executed in ,england4 ,the design is simple1 but it is carried out with such skill and taste that it is altogether most effective4 ,in the centre is the royal coat-of-arms1 the coats of ,france and ,england quarterly1 as borne by our sovereigns from ,richard ,,ii4 to ,elizabeth1 ,edward ,,iii41 who first used the ,french coat1 having originally borne it seme de fleurs-de-lis1 but the number of these having been reduced to three by ,charles ,,vi4 of ,france1 a corresponding change was made in the ,english coat by his son-in-law ,richard4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #b4--,opus eximium de vera differentia ,regi ,potestatis et ,ecclesiastic4 ,londini1 #aecd4 ,henry ,,viii4 ,the bearings on these coats are worked in gold thread on a couched groundwork of silk of the proper colours4 ,the coat is ensigned by a large royal crown worked in gold thread1 freely adorned with pearls on the arches1 the crosses1 and the fleurs-de-lis1 as also on the rim1 which is further ornamented with jewels of coloured silks4 ,the blue ,garter1 with its motto in gold1 and the spaces between the words marked by small red roses1 surrounds the coat4 ,the king's initial ,h4's1 originally worked in seed pearls1 but now only showing the threads1 flank the central design1 and the corners are filled with raised ,lancastrian roses of red silk1 appliqus1 and finished with gold4 ,there is still another kind of binding used for one of the volumes in the ,british ,museum that was made for ,henry ,,viii41 and that is of gold4 ,it is a tiny copy of a metrical version of the penitential and other ,psalms in ,english by ,john ,cheke1 ,clerk in ,chancery1 written on vellum early in the sixteenth century 7,plate ,,ii47 ,it has at the beginning a miniature portrait of ,henry ,,viii41 and is bound in gold1 worked in open-leaf tracery1 with remains of black enamel on many of the leaves and on the border surrounding them4 ,the panels of the back have each a small pattern cut into the metal1 and filled with a black enamel4 ,at the top of each cover is a small ring so that the volume could be attached to the girdle4 ,it is said to have been given by ,queen ,anne ,boleyn when on the scaffold to one of her maids of honour1 and it now forms part of the ,stowe ,collection at the ,british ,museum4 ,a book curiously decorated and bound in calf for ,henry ,,viii4 is a ,bible printed at ,antwerp in #aecd1 and in two volumes4 ,these are large books measuring #ad-a_/b #i inches1 and both of them have been restored at the outer edges4 ,the inner panel1 rectangular with large corners1 encloses on each side sentences in ,french1 above and below which are crowned double roses and the initials ,h4 ,a41 probably standing for ,henry and ,anna4 ,the sentence reads on one side1 ,,ainsi ,,que ,,tous ,,meurent ,,par ,,adam1 and on the other1 ,,aussy ,,tous ,,seront ,,vivifies ,,par ,,christ4 ,the borders and corners are very rich and decorative1 and it is likely that the outer ornamentation1 although it is actually modern1 has been carefully copied from the original4 ,illustration3 ,penitential ,psalms1 etc41 ,,ms41 sixteenth century4 ,gold ,binding4 ,henry ,,viii4 ,illustration3 ,novum ,testamentum ,grce4 ,luteti1 #aeej4 ,gold centres4 ,queen ,elizabeth4 ,a handsome binding in dark brown calf covers an old royal manuscript1 ,jul4 ,claud ,iguini oratio ad ,hen4 ,,viii41 written probably about #aedj4 ,it has blind and gold lines1 and the design is an outer border with an arabesque pattern stamped in gold1 enclosing the royal coat-of-arms1 crowned1 and enclosed within a ,garter4 ,round this again are four ,greek words1 ,greek3 ,,plios ,,pantas ,,alien,n ,,exarkton1 the meaning of which is not clear4 ,on the coat-of-arms it is notable that the three lions of ,england are crowned4 ,this peculiarity occurs sometimes in other books1 but ,i believe heraldically the lions should not be crowned1 and this book is the earliest instance ,i have met with in which they are so shown4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #c4--;,description of the ,holy ,land1 in ,french4 ,by ,martin ,brion4 ,,ms4 ,henry ,,viii4 ,galteri ,deloeni ,libellus de tribus ,hierarchiis1 a manuscript dedicated to ,henry and probably bound by ,thomas ,berthelet1 is one of his most decorative bindings on a small book 7,plate ,,iii47 ,the design is simple1 a rectangle and a diamond fillet interlaced1 enclosing the royal coat-of-arms crowned4 ,in the two lower spaces below the shield are the crucifixion and the serpent in the wilderness with their corresponding texts1 and the rest of the spaces are very fully filled with small stamps of arabesques1 double roses1 single and double daisies1 stars1 and leaves4 ,the execution of the actual gilding is coarse1 and the finish generally is not as perfect as it might be1 but the general effect is excellent4 ,one of the most interesting bindings of any that were made for ,henry ,,viii4 is that which was1 or is supposed to have been1 worked for him by his daughter ,elizabeth4 ,it is part of the old royal library in the ,british ,museum1 and is written on vellum in the ,princess's own most careful and precise handwriting4 ,it is a collection of prayers composed by ,queen ,katharine ,parr1 and translated by ,elizabeth into ,latin1 ,french1 and ,italian1 and dated ,hereford1 ,december #bj1 #aede4 ,the dedication is1 ,illustrissimo ,henrico octavo1 ,anglie1 ,francie1 ,hiberniq4 regi1 fidei defensori4 ,the volume is quite small1 #e-c_/d inches by #d1 and is covered in red silk1 with a gold thread in it1 woven with a very large mesh1 or even possibly made by hand4 ,in the centre of each board is a large monogram worked in a thick cord of blue silk1 through which runs a silver thread4 ,the monogram1 like so many similar arrangements of letters1 causes much difference of opinion among the experts who endeavour to interpret it4 ,my solution is that it is composed of the letters ,a4 ,f4 ,h4 ,,rex1 the meaning of which is ,anglie1 ,francie1 ,hibernique ,rex1 in accordance with the words used by ,elizabeth in her dedication1 and the two ,h's1 worked in a thick red silk cord with a silver thread in it1 which are above and below the monogram1 supply the needful name4 ,i do not know that this interpretation is by any one considered to be the right one1 but it appears to me at all events as plausible as any of the others ,i have heard4 ,at each corner is a heartsease of purple and gold and small green leaves4 ,this most curious and interesting binding is in many ways nearly allied to that made for ,queen ,katharine ,parr1 which is now at the ,bodleian ,library at ,oxford1 and which ,i shall presently describe4 ,this binding is also considered to be the work of the ,princess ,elizabeth1 and ,i think that the similarity in the peculiar groundwork1 the identity of the pansies in the corners1 and the use of braid or very thick thread in each1 producing a maximum of effect with a minimum of labour1 are all strong reasons for believing that both volumes are the work of the same hand1 namely1 that1 of the ,princess herself4 ,illustration3 ,deloenus4 ,libellus de tribus ,hierarchiis1 etc41 ,,ms4 ,henry ,,viii4 ,the ,bodleian binding is in very fair condition1 but the ,british ,museum one is1 unfortunately1 in a very dilapidated state4 ,luckily1 however1 it has not been restored1 so what is left can be safely examined and relied upon4 ,english royal bindings1 of old date especially1 now rarely come into the open market1 but in the latter part of last year a most interesting specimen that belonged to ,henry ,,viii4 was purchased by the ,british ,museum4 ,it is a manuscript on the science of geometry1 written on paper and dedicated to the king4 ,it is bound in white leather1 and has many signs that it is the work of ,thomas ,berthelet4 ,there is an outer border of blind and gold lines1 with solid arabesques at the outer corners1 and stars in the inner corners4 ,the centre of each board bears a geometrical design of triangles and lines filled in with stars and dots4 ,in the upper part of each board is a cartouche bearing the words ,,vivat ,,rex1 and at the lower part a similar cartouche with the word ,,geometria1 followed by an arabesque ornament4 ,written in gold on the white edges are the words ,,rex ,,in ,,ternum ,,vive ,,neez4 ,there is no book of ,berthelet's1 except this one1 on which the decoration has any reference to the contents of the volume4 ,it is indeed probable that this is actually one of the first books in which there has been any endeavour to make the outside decoration agree with the subject-matter inside4 ,the word ,nez1 or ,neez1 which usually occurs after the ,rex in ternum ,vive so frequently painted on the edges of ,henry ,,viii4's books1 has been a puzzle for some time4 ,mr4 ,e4 ,l4 ,scott of the ,british ,museum suggests that it may stand for the first letters of the words ,greek3 ,nabouchodonosr esaei zthi1 as the king to whom the words are addressed in the ,book of ,daniel is ,nebuchadnezzar4 ,this explanation ,i have already given in ,bibliographica1 part viii4 ,in the sixteenth century in ,england a great many books were decorated in what is called blind1 that is to say1 without the use of gold-leaf1 with large panel-stamps4 ,two of these stamps bear the royal coat-of-arms1 with supporters ensigned with the crown4 ,the larger of them has above the crown a double rose and two angels bearing scrolls1 and dependent from the shield1 by chains1 are two portcullises4 ,the smaller and inferior stamp has1 in the upper portion1 representations of the sun and moon1 with usually the ,cross of ,st4 ,george and the arms of the ,city of ,london4 ,the first of these stamps may1 ,i think1 have been originally cut for the king's own use2 but the second is undoubtedly a trade stamp4 ,the signification of it probably is1 that the binder who used it was a ,freeman of the ,city of ,london4 ,i have given figures of these designs in the ,queen of ,june #bj1 #ahia1 in illustration of a paper on early ,london bookbindings4 ,the stamp with the angels is often used in conjunction with the stamps of ,katharine of ,arragon and ,anne ,boleyn1 to be hereafter described2 and ,i mention it here because it is not at all uncommon1 and is very generally supposed to be actually royal1 but1 as far as ,i have been able to ascertain1 there is no instance of its use upon a book which is known to have been so1 and now it is generally considered to be only a trade stamp4 ,in judging stamps of this kind1 it must not be forgotten that they were cut in hard metal and only used on soft leather1 so that they would last a very long time indeed4 ,generally1 some other evidence of the ownership of the book should be adduced beyond a mere existence of a single stamp4 ,for ,katharine of ,arragon a large panel-stamp was cut bearing her coat-of-arms impaled with that of ,england1 crowned1 and having two angels as supporters4 ,an example of this occurs on a copy of ,whittington1 ,de octo partibus orationis1 ,london1 #aeba4 ,on the other side of the book is the large stamp of the king's arms already described4 ,a similar stamp was used with the substitution of the arms of ,queen ,anne ,boleyn for those of ,queen ,katharine4 ,there is now no instance of the use of either of these stamps on a royal book4 ,george ,vertue1 in his notes on the ,fine ,arts1 says that small gold books were given to ,queen ,anne ,boleyn's maids of honour2 and he describes one of these little bindings which is1 unfortunately1 lost4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #d4--,le ,chappellet de ,ihesus1 ,,ms41 sixteenth century4 ,margaret ,tudor4 ,there is1 however1 one exquisite golden binding in existence which may be something like the books mentioned1 only this one is recorded as having been given to the queen by one of the ladies of the ,wyatt family4 ,it is at present the property of ,lord ,romney1 who is himself a descendant of that family1 in whose possession it has always been since the sixteenth century4 ,it is a ,book of ,prayers1 and measures #b-a_/d inches in length1 #a-c_/h inch in breadth1 and three-quarters of an inch in thickness4 ,the designs upon it are most delicate and beautiful arabesques1 very nearly resembling designs made by ,hans ,holbein for jewellery4 ,these designs are left in low relief1 the groundwork being cut away to a slight degree and filled with black enamel1 so that the arabesques show in gold on a black ground4 ,the back is panelled and decorated in the same way1 as also are the clasps1 of which there are two4 ,there are rings at the two lower edges1 for the suspension of the book at the girdle4 ,it resembles much the little gold book described already as having belonged to ,henry ,,viii41 especially the back4 ,it is figured and fully described in vol4 xliv4 of ,archologia at p4 #bfj4 ,another book which belonged to ,anne ,boleyn1 and is said to have been with her on the scaffold1 is in the ,british ,museum4 ,it is a copy of the ,new ,testament in vellum1 in ,english1 printed at ,antwerp in #aecd by ,martin ,emperowre4 ,it has1 unfortunately1 been rebound for ,mr4 ,cracherode1 but still bears on its gilt and gauffred edges the words ,anna ,regina ,angli written in red4 ,henry ,,viii4 made a most unjust will1 confirmed nevertheless by ,parliament and also acted up to by ,edward ,,vi41 by virtue of which the succession to the throne of ,england was settled upon the descendants of his younger sister ,mary1 instead of those of his elder sister ,margaret4 ,the three grand-daughters of the ,princess ,mary were the ,ladies ,jane1 ,katherine1 and ,mary ,grey4 ,lady ,jane ,grey1 indeed1 did come to the throne1 as she was crowned ,queen of ,england on the death of ,edward ,,vi41 but she enjoyed the dignity but a short time1 as nine days afterwards she was imprisoned in the ,tower1 and on ,february #ab1 #aeed1 was beheaded1 aged only seventeen years4 ,her sisters both died prisoners4 ,edward ,,vi41 wishing to secure the ,protestant succession1 had named ,lady ,jane ,grey as his successor1 but the ,roman ,catholic influence was at the time strong enough to neutralise the king's wishes1 and the party of the ,princess ,mary prevailed for the present1 the succession eventually reverting to its proper channel1 the line of the ,princess ,margaret1 who married ,james ,,iv41 ,king of ,scotland4 ,one volume alone remains that bears upon its binding evidence of having belonged to ,margaret ,tudor1 and this is one of great beauty4 ,it was presented to the ,british ,museum in #ahfd by the ,earl of ,home1 and is a manuscript of prayers with miniatures of ,french work called ,le ,chappellet de ,ihesus et de la ,vierge ,marie 7,fig4 #d74 ,it belonged first to ,anna1 wife of ,ferdinand1 ,king of the ,romans in the sixteenth century4 ,it is bound in green velvet and has silver clasps and bosses1 partly gilt4 ,the clasps have the letters ,i4,h4,s4 upon them1 gilded1 and the attachments of the clasps to the volume have the letters ,,anna on them1 one letter on each1 gilded4 ,these were evidently made for the first owner of the book4 ,then when it became the property of ,queen ,margaret1 she added her name1 ,,margverite1 on the sides in a very pretty manner1 each letter1 in silver1 forming the centre of a double or ,tudor rose1 gilded4 ,the inner rose has its petals smooth1 and the outer one has its petals roughened1 as are also the little leaves between each petal4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #e4--;,il ,petrarcha4 ,venetia1 #aedd4 ,queen ,katharine ,parr4 ,henry ,,viii4's younger sister ,mary married first ,louis ,,xii4 of ,france1 and afterwards ,charles ,brandon1 ,duke of ,suffolk1 and there is one binding in the ,british ,museum1 purchased in #ahfe1 which belonged to her as ,duchess of ,suffolk4 ,it is an ,herbal printed at ,frankfort in #aece1 and is bound in dark calf1 decorated with blind lines and gold stamped work4 ,the broad outer border has at first sight the appearance of a roll stamp1 but it is not actually so1 the effect being produced by the successive impressions of a long rectangular stamp having engraved upon it a pattern which1 on being repeated1 gives the appearance of a continuous design4 ,the design on this stamp is original and simple1 and has no ,italian origin at all4 ,the inner panel has mitre-lines in blind at each of the angles1 the points of junction with the outer border being covered with a fleur-de-lis1 and then converging lines meet an inner rectangular line which encloses the royal coat-of-arms of ,england1 crowned1 the two upper corner-spaces being occupied by double roses1 and the two lower by the portcullis badge and chains1 all impressed in gold4 ,at the sides of the inner panel are the initials ,m4 ,s41 presumably standing for ,mary ,suffolk4 ,the workmanship of this curious volume is coarse and irregular1 but there is a boldness about it that is not without charm1 and the design itself is well balanced and effective4 ,queen ,katharine ,parr has the reputation of having herself worked the cover of a copy of ,petrarch printed at ,venice in #aedd1 and bound in purple velvet 7,fig4 #e74 ,it is embroidered in coloured silks and gold and silver thread4 ,the design is a large coat-of-arms1 that of ,katharine herself1 with many quarterings1 the first being the coat of augmentation granted to her by the king4 ,the coat is surmounted by a royal crown1 but the supporters are those of the families of ,fitzhugh and ,parr2 so the work was probably done before ,katharine was married to ,lord ,seymour1 but after the king's death4 ,the work is somewhat faded1 and the scroll-work in gold cord at the corners is pulled out of place1 no doubt the result of bad re-covering1 but altogether it is in excellent condition1 and is a fine specimen of royal workmanship4 ,the ,princess ,elizabeth worked the cover of ,the ,miroir or ,glasse of the ,synneful ,soul for ,queen ,katharine4 ,it is said to have been worked when the ,princess was only eleven years old1 and it is certainly possible as the workmanship is simple1 indeed such as a clever girl might easily do4 ,it is braid work of gold and silver on a blue silk ground4 ,this ground is probably woven with a very large mesh1 and is similar to that used by the ,princess on the little ,book of ,prayers she worked for her father4 ,the initials of the queen1 ,k4 ,p41 occupy the place of honour in the centre1 and are enclosed in an elaborate interlaced arrangement of lines and knots of braid1 and in each corner1 in high relief1 is a heartsease1 ,elizabeth's favourite flower4 ,the volume is now in the ,bodleian ,library at ,oxford4 ,it is1 moreover1 an interesting proof of the learning of the ,princess ,elizabeth1 as she says it was translated by herself out of ,frenche ryme into ,english prose1 joyning the sentences together as well as the capacitie of my symple witte and small lerning coulde extende themselves1 and it is charmingly dedicated ,to our most noble and vertuous quene ,katherin1 to whom ,elizabeth1 her humble daughter1 wisheth perpetuall felicitie and everlasting joye4 ,,chapter ,,ii ,,edward ,,vi4--,,mary ,,and ,,elizabeth ,there are specimens of books bound for ,edward ,,vi4 in the ,british ,museum1 both before and after his accession to the throne4 ,most1 if not all of these1 in leather1 are probably the work of ,thomas ,berthelet1 as they have many points in common1 and he continued the ,king's printer servaunt1 and furnished him also with bindings4 ,the earliest of these is a manuscript by ,petrus ,olivarius1 ,in ,trogum ,pompeium et in ,epistolas familiares ,ciceronis1 ,chorographica1 presented by the author to ,prince ,edward in #aedf1 and it bears in the centre the ,prince of ,wales' feathers within a flamed circle4 ,a somewhat more elaborate binding1 with the royal coat-of-arms of ,england within a flamed circle1 occurs on another manuscript1 a translation by ,william ,thomas of a book of travels1 which is also dedicated to the king4 ,a similar design to this last book is found on the binding of ,xenophon1 ,la ,cyropdie1 printed in ,paris in #aedg4 ,it is covered in rich brown calf1 and each panel is ornamented with an interlacing fillet1 coloured black1 enclosing an inner diamond1 in the centre of which is the royal coat-of-arms1 with ,e4 ,r4 and a double rose above and below4 ,the spaces are filled with arabesques1 cornucopi1 and small stars4 ,the colouring of the fillets1 with black stain on calf1 is a characteristic of ,berthelet's work for ,edward ,,vi4 and ,mary4 ,this peculiarity does not occur1 as far as ,i know1 on any of those he bound for ,henry ,,viii41 so it may be considered that the black fillets1 often interlaced in a masterly way1 and frequently arranged in semicircular forms1 are evidence of the later work of this master of his art4 ,at the same time1 many of the smaller stamps used on these later volumes are found also on the earlier examples4 ,but whereas in the earlier style so-called ,italian designs are used1 it appears to me that in his later and finer style ,berthelet has given us a very noble series of books decorated in an original and strikingly effective manner4 ,the contrast of the rich brown calf with the black of the fillets and the rich gold of the stamped lines and designs is often beautiful4 ,the finest example of this style is to be found in the ,museum copy of ,cardinal ,bembo's ,historia ,veneta1 printed at ,venice in #aeea4 ,it is a large book measuring #ab #i inches1 and the single black fillet is most cleverly interlaced with corners1 circles1 and semicircles1 in such a manner as1 in fact1 to form a triple border1 in the centre of which is the royal coat-of-arms1 itself surrounded by a line of curves finished at the ends with double roses and arabesques1 and flanked at each side with the crowned initials of the king4 ,in a circle at the upper part of the board is the motto ,dieu et mon droyt2 and in a corresponding circle at the lower part is the date ,,mdlii4 ,the spaces throughout are filled with arabesques1 cornucopi1 double roses1 and small stars4 ,the back of the book is curiously arranged so as to look like the front1 so that it appears to have no back at all4 ,gualteri ,deloeni ,commentarius in tres prima ,capitula ,geneseos1 etc41 a manuscript dedicated to ,edward ,,vi41 is bound in a very delightful and simple manner1 and one which1 for a small book1 is nearly perfect in taste4 ,it is covered in rich brown calf1 and ornamented with blind lines and gold--a contrast which ,berthelet uses1 especially on small bindings4 ,the blind work in these cases appears to be purposely darkened1 which can easily be done by using the tools hot1 or by the addition of a little printer's ink4 ,in the centre of this binding is the royal coat-of-arms surmounted by a crowned double rose4 ,this is flanked by two cornucopi2 at the sides of the shield itself are the king's initials1 ,e4 ,r41 and under each of them the daisy with stalk and leaves4 ,the same cornucopia stamp is used at each of the four inner corners1 and each of the four outer corners is ornamented with a conventional floral stamp4 ,king ,edward ,,vi4 not only had his bindings stamped with his royal badges1 but the edges also sometimes came in for a share of attention1 as on a copy of ,la ,geografia di ,claudio ,ptolemeo1 printed at ,venice in #aedh4 ,on the front or fore-edge of the book is the royal coat-of-arms of ,england1 painted on a blue ground2 on the upper edge is the coat-of-arms of ,france1 and on the lower the golden harp of ,ireland4 ,the side space on each of these edges is filled up with a delicate arrangement of interlacing strap-work in black1 and further ornamented with fine gold scrolls and the initials ,e4 ,s4 ,r41 also in gold4 ,one of ,edward's books1 however1 has actually the first instance in an ,english book of a decorated doublure1 the name by which we understand the inner side of the boards of a book4 ,mr4 ,herbert ,horne1 in his most excellent work on the ,binding of ,books1 mentions1 and gives a plate of1 an instance of this kind of decoration occurring on a copy of ,petrarch1 printed at ,venice in #aecb4 ,it is an arrangement of interlaced lines of silver with two figured stamps1 and is said to be the earliest ,european example4 ,edward ,,vi4's doublure 7,fig4 #f7 is not much later1 as it was probably bound about #aedg1 and1 like nearly all doublures1 it is in a wonderful state of preservation2 in fact1 it may be said to be the only instance of a sixteenth-century painted book that is at all in its original state1 as the pigment used upon them is extremely delicate1 and chips off freely4 ,the book1 a small duodecimo1 is covered in crimson velvet1 much worn1 and is a collection of certeine prayers and godly meditacyons1 printed at ,malborow in #aech4 ,the inner side of each of the boards is covered with calf1 and the design is outlined in gold and filled in with colour4 ,this colour is not quite like oil-paint1 but resembles closely the enamel colours which have of late years been so well known4 ,it has little penetrating quality1 lying evenly on the top of the leather1 and dries with an even and polished surface4 ,the king's arms1 crowned1 occupy the centre of the board1 the arms in the correct heraldic colours and the crown of gold1 silver1 blue1 and green4 ,the king's initials1 stamped in gold1 are on each side of the shield4 ,a rectangular border of green encloses the coat-of-arms1 and at each of the inner corners is a daisy in gold1 and above and below the arms is a semicircular projection from the green border1 coloured blue4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #f4--,prayers1 etc4 ,malborow1 #aech 7,doublure74 ,edward ,,vi4 ,there is yet another volume which for many years has been by the ,british ,museum authorities attributed to ,edward ,,vi41 but ,mr4 ,w4 ,y4 ,fletcher1 in his splendid volume on the ,english ,bookbindings in the ,british ,museum1 considers it to be ,elizabethan4 ,there is no doubt that the volume in some ways fits a description of one that was presented to that queen by the ,university of ,oxford at ,woodstock in #aege1 but ,i think the difference in the dates of printing and presentation is a weak point in the argument4 ,the book was printed in #aedd at ,zurich1 and it certainly seems curious that a book printed thirty-one years before should be offered as a present to a reigning sovereign4 ,so for the present ,i shall adhere to its former description in the show-case in the ,king's ,library1 and describe it here in its place as having been bound for ,edward ,,vi4 ,it is covered in green velvet1 with a border parallel to the sides stamped in gold and bearing the legends1 ,,esto ,,fidelis ,,usque ,,ad ,,mortem ,,et ,,dabo ,,tibi ,,coronam ,,vit--,,apoc4 #b on one side1 and on the other ,,fidem ,,servavi ,,qvod ,,svperest ,,reposita ,,est ,,mihi ,,corona ,,jvstiti--#b ,,tim4 #d4 ,in the centre of each cover is the royal coat-of-arms enclosed within a ,garter1 crowned1 appliqu in pieces of coloured silk and stamped in gold1 beautifully designed and beautifully executed1 and the first instance of velvet or silk stamped in gold that is known to me4 ,on the gilt edges designs are stamped1 or gauffred as it is called1 and painted4 ,on the front edge the arms of the ,university of ,oxford4 ,on the upper edge a crowned ,tudor rose with the initials ,e4 ,r41 and on the lower a portcullis with the same initials4 ,there are other instances where the similarity between the emblems and initials of these two sovereigns1 ,edward ,,vi4 and ,elizabeth1 causes considerable doubt as to which of them was actually the owner1 and ,i think that generally the date of the printing of such books must be considered as some authority1 although among the arguments for or against the attribution of a binding to any particular owner1 or author1 it may be said that the date of the printing of the book must generally be esteemed at a small value4 ,a book which has some of the peculiarities of ,berthelet's work upon it is found in a copy of ,bude's ,commentarii ,lingu ,grc1 printed at ,paris in #aedh4 ,it is covered in calf1 and has a rectangular border running parallel with the edges of the boards on each side4 ,this border is coloured black1 but it has the uncommon addition of stamped arabesques in gold upon this black4 ,at the outer corners are arabesques in outline1 and in the inner corners double roses stamped in gold4 ,in the centre a framework of two interlaced squares1 stained black1 enclose the royal coat-of-arms and initials4 ,the same workman who executed this binding also made one for ,queen ,mary1 which ,i shall describe further on4 ,at ,windsor there is a fine little binding on a copy of ,strena ,galteri ,deloeni3 ex capite ,geneseos quarto deprompta1 etc4 ,it is bound in white leather1 and ornamented with the royal coat-of-arms in the centre1 flanked by the letters ,e4 ,r41 and surrounded by a scattered arrangement of double roses1 daisies1 cornucopi1 and stars1 all enclosed in a small decorated border4 ,it is probably by ,berthelet1 and is in excellent condition4 ,in the ,british ,museum there are instances of bindings in white leather made for ,henry ,,viii4 and for ,mary1 but there is no instance of one made for ,edward ,,vi41 so that this ,windsor binding is of considerable interest apart from its beauty4 ,a copy of ,herodotus' and ,thucydides' works1 bound together in one cover1 belonged most likely to ,edward ,,vi4 ,it is part of the old royal library1 and is bound in brown calf1 with a broad outer border of ,italian character enclosing the royal coat-of-arms1 crowned1 within a flamed circle4 ,the flamed circle first occurs1 as may have been noted1 on the volumes bound for ,edward when ,prince of ,wales1 and it is afterwards used on several of his later volumes1 and also on many that were bound for ,queen ,mary4 ,what the meaning of this flamed circle is ,i have not been able to conjecture1 it may possibly only be intended for ornament4 ,berthelet1 doubtless1 liked to use circles or parts of circles on his bindings1 and in this taste he was following the lead of much more ancient ,english binders1 as the circle is characteristic of the splendid blind stamped ,english work of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries4 ,thomas ,berthelet died1 according to an entry in the ,stationers' ,company ,register1 in #aeef4 ,so that it is just possible he bound books for ,queen ,mary4 ,but ,i think that ,berthelet was quickly copied1 and it is very easy to copy the style or even the actual stamps of any binder2 and if the binding of ,cardinal ,bembo's ,history of ,venice be taken as a test example of ,berthelet's best work1 which ,i think it fairly may be1 it will be seen that although ,mary's bindings have some points of resemblance there are also many wide differences4 ,berthelet avowedly acknowledged the beauty of ,italian originals1 but ,i do not find that he actually copied any one of them1 and he1 moreover1 very soon left them behind4 ,there is a certain recrudescence of this ,italian manner distinctly apparent in many of the books bound for ,queen ,mary1 and ,i imagine this to be the work1 not of ,berthelet himself1 but of one of his imitators or successors1 or perhaps one of his own workmen4 ,a good example of this ,italian-,english style is found on the binding of the ,epitome omnium operum ,divi ,aurelii ,augusti1 etc41 printed at ,cologne in #aedi4 ,a very handsome broad border containing an elaborate arabesque is parallel to the edges of the boards4 ,this encloses an inner black fillet interlaced with a diamond1 in the middle of which is the royal coat-of-arms within a flamed circle1 and at each side1 in the angles formed by the intersection of the diamond points and the inner rectangular lines1 are the initials ,m4 ,r4 ,the spaces throughout are filled in with arabesques1 single roses1 and circles4 ,a very similar design occurs on the binding of a manuscript poem by ,myles ,haggard1 addressed to the queen1 and another on a copy of ,bonner's ,profitable ,doctrine1 printed in ,london in #aeee4 ,entirely different in manner of decoration is the binding of the ,commentary on the ,new ,testament1 in ,latin1 by ,aurelius ,augustinus1 printed at ,basle in #aedb1 and which came to the ,british ,museum as part of the old royal library4 ,it is covered in white leather1 and ornamented with gold tooling of a very elaborate kind4 ,a broad inner rectangular panel1 broken outwards at each side1 contains a diamond1 and the spaces in and about these leading lines are filled with arabesques1 royal arms1 and royal emblems1 roses1 fleurs-de-lis1 and portcullises4 ,although the general design of the original decoration of this book has doubtless been preserved1 it has been grievously tampered with1 and no reliance can be put on any of the small detail work now existing upon it--a most unlucky circumstance1 as it is unlike any other royal book in the general arrangement of its ornamentation1 and so of special interest4 ,so again different1 but in a much less important manner1 is the little calf binding of a ,livre faisant mention de sept parolles que ,n4 ,s4 ,jesuchrist dit en l'arbre de la croix1 printed at ,paris in #aede1 and bound for ,queen ,mary4 ,it is decorated with blind and gold lines1 and dotted all about in the most reckless manner with ,m's and ,i's1 meaning doubtless ,mary the ,first4 ,in the centre of each cover there is a knot1 the same knot exactly as is used in the sculptures on our ,houses of ,parliament to tie together the initials ,v4 ,r4 of our present ,most ,gracious ,queen1 and surrounding the knot are four ,m's4 ,the ,i's are down the edge of the boards nearest to the back4 ,the little book is of great interest1 as it never could have been in any way a ,state copy1 but was most likely a favourite book of the queen's1 and so decorated with her initials only--leaving heraldry for once out of the scheme4 ,the most splendid of the books that ,queen ,mary has left for us to admire is a manuscript of ,psalms and ,hymns in ,latin and ,french of very beautiful workmanship1 known as ,queen ,mary's ,psalter4 ,it came to the ,british ,museum with the old royal library4 ,it is bound in crimson velvet and has gilt clasps and corners1 and on each side a large piece of embroidery appliqu4 ,this embroidery is much worn2 it is on canvas1 and some of it is actually gone1 but it seems to have been a conventional pomegranate1 and this is all the more likely as such a design would have been a probable one for ,queen ,mary to use1 as she had an excuse to do so by virtue of her mother's right to the emblem of ,arragon4 ,the clasps are engraved with the dragon1 lion1 portcullis1 and fleur-de-lis1 and in spite of the damage done to the volume by time and wear1 it is still a splendid specimen of magnificent binding4 ,by an inscription at the end of the volume we are informed that it was rescued from the hands of some seamen who were preparing to carry it abroad by ,baldwin ,smith1 who presented it to ,queen ,mary in #aeec4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #g4--,queen ,mary's ,psalter1 ,,ms4 ,a book of hours in illuminated manuscript is beautifully bound for ,queen ,mary1 and is finished in an unusually delicate manner4 ,it is in calf1 and has blind and gold lines4 ,an outer border has stamps within it at intervals1 in a similar style to one already described as having belonged to ,edward ,,vi4 ,in the centre of the book is a delicate stamp of the royal coat-of-arms with the letters ,m4 ,r4 ,at ,stonyhurst ,college is preserved ,queen ,mary's own ,hor in laudeum ,beatissim ,virginis ,marie1 ,lugduni1 #aeeh4 ,it is covered in figured red velvet projecting over the boards at the lower edges1 and with small tassels at each corner4 ,on the lower cover is the crowned coat-of-arms in silver1 enamelled in the proper colours4 ,single ornamental letters ,r4,e4,g4,i4,n4,a4 are arranged in couples in three lines round it4 ,on the upper board are the letters ,m4,a4,r4,i4,a41 also in silver4 ,the first two at the two top corners1 the ,r crowned in the middle1 and the two last letters in the two lower corners4 ,the ,r in the centre is flanked by a double rose and the pomegranate of ,arragon1 both in silver4 ,there are two silver clasps of ornamental pattern4 ,it was shown at the ,burlington ,fine ,arts ,club ,exhibition on ,bookbindings in #ahia1 and there is a fine plate of it in their ,illustrated ,catalogue4 ,the bindings of ,edward ,,vi4 and ,mary1 having as a chief ornament the ,english coat-of-arms1 nevertheless bear with them no supporters4 ,henry ,,vii4 and ,henry ,,viii41 until #aebh1 used the same supporters1 the dragon on the dexter side and the white greyhound on the sinister2 and when ,henry ,,viii4 made a change and adopted the crowned lion as one of his supporters1 he omitted the greyhound and changed the side of the dragon1 so that his successors bore as their supporters a lion crowned on the dexter side and the red dragon on the sinister1 and so they occur on several ,elizabethan bindings4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #h4--,prayers1 etc4 ,london1 #aegd-aeia4 ,queen ,elizabeth4 ,the bindings executed for ,queen ,elizabeth may be conveniently divided into three classes--those bound in1 or ornamented with1 gold2 those bound in velvet or embroidered2 and those bound in leather4 ,in this order ,i shall describe them4 ,the gold1 as far as ,i know it1 is always enamelled1 the velvet is generally embroidered1 and the leather is frequently inlaid with other and differently coloured leathers4 ,the peculiarity of sunken panels1 borrowed apparently through the early ,italian bindings from ,oriental originals1 is a remarkable speciality of ,elizabethan work2 as is also the first use of large corner-stamps to any extent4 ,there certainly are instances of corner-stamps on ,henry ,,viii4 bindings1 but they are rare2 whereas with ,elizabeth and her immediate successors the use of such stamps is very usual4 ,the finest1 as well as the most interesting1 of the golden books made for ,elizabeth is one containing prayers and devotional pieces by ,lady ,elizabeth ,tyrwhitt1 printed for ,chris ,barker1 ,london1 #aegd4 ,it also contains the queen's prayers1 a collection out of other works1 and part of an ,almanack for #aehc-ia 7,fig4 #h74 ,in #agij it belonged to the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,ashley1 and it was presented to the ,british ,museum in #ahid by ,sir ,wollaston ,franks4 ,it measures #b-a_/d inches by #a-c_/d4 ,on each side is a sunken panel1 round which is a flat border containing texts from ,scripture1 engraved and run in with black enamel4 ,the upper cover of the book has a representation in gold of the serpent in the wilderness and the stricken ,israelites4 ,the serpent on the tree and others on the ground1 and the figures of the people1 are all carved in very high relief1 and enamelled in colours2 the flesh being represented by white4 ,the serpents are in blue4 ,round this design are the words ,,make ,,the ,,afyrye ,,serpent ,,an ,,setit ,,vp ,,fora ,,sygne ,,thatas ,,many ,,asare ,,bytte ,,mayeloke ,,vponit ,,an ,,lyve4 ,on the lower cover a similar panel contains a representation of the judgment of ,solomon1 worked in a similar way4 ,round this runs the legend1 ,,then ,,the ,,kyng ,,ansvered ,,an ,,sayd ,,gyve ,,her ,,the ,,lyvyng ,,child ,,an ,,slayetnot ,,for ,,sheis ,,themother ,,therof--#a ,k4 #c ,c4 ,the back is divided into four panels1 each of which has a delicate and graceful arabesque engraved and run in with black enamel1 as also have the two clasps4 ,there are two rings at the top1 in order that the book might be worn at the girdle4 ,there is no real record as to who worked this enamel1 but it is credited to ,george ,heriot1 afterwards goldsmith and banker to ,james ,i41 and founder of the ,george ,heriot ,hospital at ,edinburgh4 ,it is in very good condition1 and but little of the enamel has chipped off4 ,it is now preserved in the ,gold ,room at the ,british ,museum4 ,it is the only one of ,elizabeth's golden books that is worked in high relief1 and such work is undoubtedly of the greatest rarity4 ,for actual beauty of workmanship1 it would be difficult to find any specimen of finer execution than that which occurs on the binding of a little volume of ,christian meditations in ,latin printed in #aegj1 and bound in rose-coloured velvet1 with clasps1 centre-pieces1 and corners all bearing delicate champlev enamel-work on gold 7,fig4 #i74 ,the book is quite a small one1 measuring #e #c-a_/d inches1 and the workmanship on the gold is of corresponding delicacy4 ,in the centre of each cover a thin diamond of gold is fixed1 the outline being broken in each case by a series of small decorative curves4 ,each diamond is further ornamented with the ,tudor rose1 ensigned with the royal crown1 and flanked by the initials ,e4 ,r4 ,the rose is red with small green leaves1 the cup of the crown is blue1 and the initials are in black enamel4 ,the whole of the vandyked edge of the diamond is bordered with a thin line of blue enamel1 and the remaining spaces are filled up with small floral sprays having green leaves and red and blue flowers4 ,the corner-pieces are ornamented in a similar way with set patterns of arabesques and flowers in red1 blue1 green1 and yellow enamels1 as also are the clasps4 ,these enamels are all what is called translucent1 and many of the colours are remarkable for their brilliancy and beauty1 as well as for the skill with which they are used4 ,the engraving of the gold plate1 which is filled by these enamels1 is also of remarkable beauty4 ,george ,heriot again is credited with this work1 with perhaps some show of probability4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #i4--;,christian ,meditations1 in ,latin1 #aegj4 ,queen ,elizabeth4 ,one more book in the ,british ,museum has champlev enamels upon it1 evidently by the same workman4 ,it is a ,new ,testament in ,greek printed at ,paris in #aeej4 ,it is now bound in green velvet1--but this probably was the original material in which it was covered1--and in the centre of each of the boards is a diamond-shaped panel of gold1 #b-c_/d inches in length and #b-a_/d in breadth 7,plate ,,ii47 ,judging from the analogy of the smaller book just described1 there probably were originally corners and clasps to this book1 but they are now gone4 ,each of the diamonds has originally borne rich-coloured enamels1 but by far the greater part of this has chipped off1 only small pieces remaining here and there in corners4 ,on the upper cover the diamond contains the royal coat-of-arms of ,england1 surrounded with floral sprays1 roses1 and flies4 ,the diamond on the lower cover of the book has a red rose1 crowned1 contained in a circular border1 the spaces within and without the circle being filled with similar sprays to those upon the other side4 ,among them are acorns and flies again4 ,the delicate engraving on the gold of both these diamonds can be very well studied1 as the marks of the engraving are easily apparent4 ,paul ,heutzner visited ,england in #aeih1 and examined the royal library at ,whitehall4 ,in his ,itinerarium he says3 ,the books were all bound in velvet of different colours1 chiefly red1 with clasps of gold and silver1 some having pearls and precious stones set in their bindings4 ,it is rather curious he should have mentioned red1 because1 although there are many books in velvet that were bound for ,queen ,elizabeth1 the only one ,i know of in red is the little volume described above1 all the rest being in green1 black1 or purple4 ,dibdin1 in his ,bibliomania1 says that ,princess ,elizabeth1 when she was a prisoner at ,woodstock in #aeee1 worked a cover of a little book which is now in the ,bodleian ,library at ,oxford4 ,it now contains a small copy of the ,epistles of ,st4 ,paul printed by ,barker in #aegh1 so that1 if ,dibdin is right in saying that ,elizabeth worked it when she was at ,woodstock1 it cannot have been worked for the book it now covers4 ,certainly1 the embroidered portion has been at some time or other relaid in its present position1 and considerable damage has resulted from the operation4 ,inside is a note in ,elizabeth's handwriting1 in which she says3 ,i walke manie times into the pleasant fieldes of the ,holye ,scriptures1 where ,i plucke up the goodlie green herbes of sentences by pruning1 eate them by reading1 chawe them by musing1 and laie them up at length in the hie seat of memorie by gathering them together1 so that having tasted thy swetenes1 ,i may the less perceave the bitterness of this miserable life4 ,the material is1 or was1 black velvet1 but the pile is entirely gone1 except in a few protected corners4 ,the design is outlined in silver cord1 and the raised portions are worked with silver guimp4 ,an outer border1 with lettering1 encloses in each case a central design4 ,the motto on the border of the upper cover reads1 ,,celum ,,patria ,,scopus ,,vit ,x ,p ,v ,s4 ,,christus ,,via1 ,,christo ,,vive4 ,that round the lower cover1 ,,beatus ,,qui ,,divitias ,,scriptur ,,legens ,,verba ,,vertit ,,in ,,opera4 ,within the border1 on the upper cover1 is a ribbon arranged in a long oval bearing the words ,,eleva ,,cor ,,sursum ,,ibi ,,ubi ,e4 ,c4 7i4e4 est ,christus74 ,the ,e and the ,c are in larger type1 and between them is a heart in raised work1 through which passes a stem1 the lower end of which has two small leaves and the top a flower4 ,on the lower cover a similar ribbon bears the words ,,vicit ,,omnia ,,pertinax ,,virtus ,e4 ,c4 ,these two last letters1 ,dibdin says1 means ,elizabetha ,captiva1 in support of his theory that it was worked by her at ,woodstock4 ,in the centre of the oval on this lower cover is an eight-petalled flower with stem and two leaves4 ,the record of this book is remarkably clear4 ,but1 besides this1 there is little doubt1 judging it by other work of ,queen ,elizabeth1 that it was executed and probably designed by herself4 ,all the books credited to her with any show of probability are worked in braid or thick cord1 and the designs on each are of a simple character4 ,the most decorative of all the embroidered books worked for ,queen ,elizabeth is now1 unfortunately1 in the worst condition of any of them4 ,it is a copy of ,bishop ,christopherson's ,historia ,ecclesiastica1 ,louvanii1 #aefi1 divided into three volumes1 each measuring about #f inches by #c-a_/b4 ,it is covered in green velvet1 and each side is ornamented in the same way4 ,in the centre a long oval shield1 appliqu1 in silks of the proper colour4 ,the bearings1 worked in gold thread1 are enclosed in an oval of pink satin studded with a row of small pearls4 ,surrounding this is a decorative ,elizabethan border worked in gold thread and pearls4 ,the rest of the board is closely covered with a rich design of arabesques and roses in gold cord and guimp1 the roses being ,tudor1 with red silk centres and pearl outer petals1 and ,york1 worked entirely with small seed pearls4 ,the narrow outer border1 formed by an interlacing ribbon outlined in gold cord1 has an inner row of seed pearls along its entire length2 and many of the spaces all over the side of the book have small single seed pearls in them4 ,the back is divided into five panels1 bearing alternately white and ,tudor roses of the same kind of work as those on the sides of the book1 only on a larger scale4 ,there have also been many supplementary pearls on the back of the book4 ,a large majority of the pearls are unfortunately now missing1 as is also a great part of the gold cord1 so that the above description is in fact a restoration4 ,but every pearl and every piece of cord that is wanting has left a distinct impression on the velvet4 ,one of the most celebrated of all embroidered books done in ,england was executed for ,queen ,elizabeth4 ,it is a large book measuring #aj inches by #g1 and is an account by ,matthew ,parker1 ,archbishop of ,canterbury1 ,de antiqvitate ,britannic ,ecclesi1 etc4 ,it was privately printed by ,john ,day at ,lambeth ,palace in #aegb for the ,archbishop1 being the first book of the kind issued in ,england4 ,it is supposed to have been a presentation copy to the queen4 ,it is covered in deep green velvet4 ,on both covers the outer border is worked in gold1 in a pattern resembling a wooden park paling1 and it is probable that each side is meant to represent a park1 thereby indicating the author's name of ,parker4 ,within this paling on the upper cover is a design of a large rose-tree with ,tudor roses1 and ,yorkist and ,lancastrian roses1 all growing upon it4 ,besides these flowers there are heartsease1 daisies1 carnations1 and others whose species is difficult to determine4 ,in the four corners of the park are four deer1 their eyes being indicated with little black beads1 some gambolling1 some feeding1 and on the groundwork are many grass-tufts of gold thread4 ,the central design on the under cover is not by any means so fine4 ,it has several plants scattered about it4 ,there are two snakes brilliantly worked in gold and silver cord and coloured silks1 and five deer like those on the other side4 ,originally there were red silk ribbons to tie the book together at the front edges1 but there is only a trace of them now left4 ,the back is divided into five panels1 bearing alternately white and ,tudor roses1 with leaves1 stems1 and buds4 ,it is said that ,archbishop ,parker kept in his own house painters 444 writers1 and bookbinders1 so it is very likely that this book was bound under his own eyes4 ,it is said that only twenty copies of it were printed1 and that no two were alike4 ,it contains the biographies of sixty-nine ,archbishops1 but not ,parker's own4 ,this omission was afterwards supplied by the publication of a little satirical tract1 in #aegd1 entitled ,histriola1 a little ,storye of the ,actes and ,life of ,matthew1 now ,archbishop of ,canterbury4 ,the two title-pages and the leaf with the ,archbishops' coats-of-arms are vellum1 and the woodcuts1 borders1 and arms throughout the volume are emblazoned in gold and colours4 ,it is now part of the old royal collection in the ,british ,museum4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #aj4--,parker4 ,de antiqvitate ,britannic ,ecclesi4 ,london1 #aegb4 ,queen ,elizabeth4 ,a small copy of the ,new ,testament in ,greek1 printed at ,leyden in #aegf1 is covered in white ribbed silk1 and embroidered in gold1 for ,queen ,elizabeth4 ,each board has the same pattern upon it2 in the centre the royal arms of ,england1 ensigned with the crown1 and surrounded by the ,garter1 in both of which are inserted several seed pearls4 ,this is surrounded by an irregular border of thick gold cord1 interlaced1 in which are leafy sprays of single and double roses4 ,the arrangement of this border is admirably designed4 ,the colours of the arms1 the ,garter1 and the red roses are painted1 probably in water-colours1 on the silk itself--the earliest specimen of such work that is known to me4 ,from the delicacy of the material on which the embroidery is done1 and the high projection of many of the threads1 the book has evidently got into very bad condition at a remote period2 and it has been entrusted to some one to repair1 who has removed all the original binding and re-inlaid it on new boards1 the result being that he has increased the damage already existing4 ,a little book1 ,orationis ,dominic ,explicatio1 per ,lambertum ,danaeum1 printed at ,geneva in #aehc1 is covered in black velvet1 and ornamented with a very effective design1 worked with broad gold cord 7,fig4 #aa74 ,an outer arabesque border1 having also flowers of silver guimp1 encloses an inner panel which has two white roses in the centre1 and a red rose in each of the inner corners4 ,each of these roses has a little green leaf at the junction of the petals1 and they are apparently outlined with silver thread4 ,it is1 however1 often difficult with old books to say for certain whether a thread has been gold or silver1 as the gold cord has a tendency to wear white1 and the silver cord often turns yellow4 ,the contrast of colour on this little book is very charming even now1 and it must have been particularly beautiful when it was first done4 ,it has the remains of ties at the front edges of red silk and gold cord4 ,there is another embroidered book belonging to the old royal collection in the ,british ,museum that seems to have been bound for ,queen ,elizabeth4 ,it is a copy of ,the ,common ,places of ,dr4 ,peter ,martyr1 translated by ,anthonie ,marten1 printed in ,london in #aehc1 and dedicated to the queen4 ,it is covered in blue purple velvet1 and ornamented with silver wire and guimp4 ,there is an outer border formed of double lines1 made easily and effectively by means of a spiral wire flattened down1 giving the appearance of small overlaid rings4 ,this border encloses a series of clusters1 formed with stitches of silver guimp1 arranged in a basket-work pattern4 ,in the centre is an ornament of diamond shape1 outlined with the same silver-wire edge and enclosing again the basket-work design1 and the four inner corners are filled up with quarter circles of the same work4 ,the book has been rebacked1 and it is not in very good condition2 but the effect of the silver on the deep purple ground still has a very admirable effect4 ,the broad gilt edges are very handsomely and elaborately decorated with gauffred work of ,elizabethan character4 ,a ,bible1 printed in ,london in #aehc1 was embroidered and bound for ,queen ,elizabeth1 and presented to her in #aehd1 and is now in the ,bodleian ,library at ,oxford4 ,it is a folio book1 measuring almost #ag #ab inches1 and is bound in crimson velvet4 ,upon each board is a very graceful design of rose-branches1 intertwined4 ,there are four large roses and two smaller ones1 all embroidered in silver and gold braid and coloured threads1 with here and there a few small pearls4 ,a narrow border runs round the edge1 embroidered in gold thread and coloured silk4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #aa4--,orationis ,dominic ,explicatio1 per ,l4 ,danaeum4 ,genevae1 #aehc4 ,queen ,elizabeth4 ,a remarkable binding on calf1 executed for ,queen ,elizabeth1 is on a large ,bible printed at ,lyons1 measuring #af-a_/b inches by #aa1 each board being double 7,fig4 #ab74 ,the upper board is pierced in several places1 showing underneath it a lower level covered with green calf1 and decorated with small stars and arabesques4 ,the upper boards on both sides of the book are elaborately stamped in gold and painted in enamel colours1 and in each case an oval1 painted panel occupies the centre4 ,the upper cover of the book has in the central oval a charming sunk miniature portrait of ,elizabeth as a young woman1 dressed in jewelled robes and head-dress1 and carrying a sword or sceptre4 ,the portrait is enclosed in a very delicately painted frame of jewelled goldsmith's work4 ,this painting is unfortunately damaged1 especially in the face1 and it seems to be executed in opaque water-colours1 varnished1 on vellum4 ,immediately round the miniature1 on the leather1 is a very elaborately painted and gilded oval ribbon with the words ,,elizabeth ,,dei ,,gratia ,,ang4 ,,fran4 ,,hib4 ,,regina4 ,the broad1 irregular1 oval border itself has a design of interlacing fillets and floral emblems of considerable beauty1 winged horses and ,cupids1 all picked out in colours4 ,this very large stamp1 measuring #i inches in length1 which is now and then found on books other than royal1 is the largest ,english stamp known to me4 ,there are cartouches left in the upper leather above and below this central arrangement1 and they are of a similar ornamentation and colour1 as are also the very handsome corners4 ,the other side of the book is similarly decorated1 with the differences that the centre painting1 by the same hand1 is the royal coat-of-arms of ,england in an egg-shaped1 oval form1 surrounded by the ,garter1 within an ,elizabethan scroll4 ,over the crown is a canopy of green and red1 and the supporters of the lion and red dragon are in their proper places4 ,underneath the coat is the motto ,,dieu ,,et ,,mon ,,droit on an ornamental panel1 and the legend lettered on the leather immediately surrounding the painting reads ,,posui ,,deum ,,adivtorem ,,meum4 ,on the lower cartouche on this side is the date of the binding1 ,,mdlxviii4 ,this binding1 when new1 must have been one of the finest and most elaborately decorated of any of the leather bindings made for an ,english sovereign4 ,the back of the volume1 nearly #e inches in width1 is also very finely ornamented with an ,elizabethan pattern outlined in gold and coloured in keeping with the rest of the ornamental work4 ,its present condition is unfortunate4 ,the restorations1 which have been largely added1 have1 however1 the merit of being at once apparent1 as little or no trouble has been in this case taken to reproduce the old stamps4 ,the gilt edges are beautifully gauffred1 and are picked out here and there with colour4 ,the design is a complicated arabesque with masks1 and on the lower edge a curious design of an animal resembling a unicorn4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ab4--,la ,saincte ,bible4 ,lyon1 #aeff4 ,queen ,elizabeth4 ,one more beautiful book in the old royal collection that belonged to ,elizabeth has double boards4 ,the outer edges on this instance are interesting1 as there is1 in fact1 an elongated head-band running along their entire length and joining the edges of the two boards4 ,it is covered in very dark morocco1 and decorated in blind and gold stamped work4 ,in the centre of each cover is a sunk oval medallion1 on which is painted the royal coat-of-arms of ,england1 surrounded by the ,garter2 the two supporters holding up the crown in their paws4 ,flanking the crown are the letters ,e4 ,r4 ,the motto ,,dieu ,,et ,,mon ,,droit is on a red panel with a blue border at the lower portion of the oval1 and the groundwork of the whole is silver4 ,the medallion is enclosed in a richly designed broad border of strap-work1 enriched with dots and arabesques1 all in gold4 ,towards the upper and lower corners are four silver double roses with gold crowns4 ,in each corner is a quarter circle of vellum1 pierced and richly gilded in a pattern of strap-work and floral sprays4 ,all the foregoing is enclosed in a border of blind work1 and an outer edging ornamented with a succession of small set stamps4 ,there are traces of green ribbons1 both on the front edges of the book and at the upper and lower edges4 ,it is a copy of ,les ,qvatre ,premiers ,livres des ,navigations et ,peregrinations ,orientales de ,n4 ,de ,nicolay1 printed at ,lyons in #aefh1 and probably bound at the same time4 ,the book is especially remarkable for its vellum corners1 which are actually inlaid2 that is to say1 a corresponding piece of morocco is cut out and replaced by the vellum4 ,this process1 which1 of course1 adds immensely to the power of a binder in decorating the outside of a book1 is one which1 so far as ,i am aware1 does not occur before on any ,english binding4 ,it is a fashion that was much followed in the next century both by ,french and ,english binders4 ,in the great majority of instances1 however1 the added leather is not actually inlaid1 but only scraped or cut very thin1 and superimposed4 ,the remarkable manner in which the two last books described are made up with double boards is worthy of special notice1 and has not1 ,i think1 ever been used since on any sumptuous binding4 ,the fashion is one1 nevertheless1 which was much used with great effect on fine ,italian bindings made towards the end of the fifteenth century1 and there are two books of this kind that belonged to ,elizabeth1 and were bound for her in ,italy after the ,italian fashion1 now in the ,british ,museum4 ,vellum inlays for ,queen ,elizabeth occur in their finest form on a presentation copy from ,matthew ,parker1 ,archbishop of ,canterbury1 of ,hores ,historiarvm1 per ,matthvm ,westmonasteriensem ,collecti1 etc41 printed in ,london in #aegj4 ,it is probable that this volume was bound in ,archbishop ,parker's own house4 ,it is covered in calf1 and the centre1 border1 angles1 and side-pieces are inlaid in white vellum1 and richly stamped in gold4 ,the actual centre of the boards has the royal coat-of-arms of ,england1 with crown and ,garter stamped in gold1 enclosed in a vellum oval of strap-work and arabesques1 with the letters ,e4 ,r4 at the sides4 ,the inner parallelogram has large corners stamped in gold1 and is edged with a black fillet1 the entire field on the calf being decorated with a seme of triple dots4 ,the book has two gilded clasps1 and the edges of the leaves are gilt1 gauffred1 and painted4 ,a small panel on each of the angle-pieces1 which are otherwise ornamented with designs of military trophies1 drums1 trumpets1 shields1 swords1 and cuirasses1 bears the initials ,j4 ,d4 ,p4 ,these letters are supposed to mean ,john ,day1 ,printer4 ,john ,day printed books at ,lambeth for ,archbishop ,parker2 and these corner-pieces do occur on books printed by him and bound in a very similar way to the volume now described1 so there is some show of probability in the interpretation4 ,a field covered with a succession of impressions from the same stamp has no name in ,english1 but in ,france it is known as a seme1 its use having come into fashion in that country a little earlier than the date of this book4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ac4--;,gospels in ,anglo-,saxon and ,english4 ,london1 #aega4 ,queen ,elizabeth4 ,a smaller example1 with centre-piece and angle inlays only1 in all other ways exactly resembling the book just described1 was printed in ,london1 #aega 7,fig4 #ac74 ,it is a copy of the ,gospels printed by ,john ,day1 and is the dedication copy1 as is stated in a ,,ms4 note on the title-page--,presented to the ,queen's own hands by ,mr4 ,fox4 ,a copy1 printed in ,london in #aege1 of ,grant's ,grc ,lingu ,spicilegium is covered in brown calf1 and was bound for the queen4 ,it has large corners stamped in gold from set stamps4 ,in the centre it bears a fine stamp of the royal coat-of-arms1 crowned1 and surrounded by the ,garter1 and decorated with ,elizabethan scrolls4 ,the remainder of the groundwork is covered with a seme of small roses4 ,among the old royal manuscripts is a curious book1 ,scholarum ,etonensis ovatio de adventu ,regin ,elizabeth1 #aefc1 covered in white vellum and stamped in gold4 ,it bears in the centre the royal coat-of-arms enclosed in an oval ornamented border1 and has large corner-pieces impressed from a set stamp1 the field having a seme of small stars4 ,the work upon this binding is of a curiously unfinished character1 and it is probably the work of some unskilled local workman4 ,the gilt edges are gauffred in a floral design1 with some white colour here and there4 ,anne ,boleyn bore1 as one of her many devices1 a very decorative one of a crowned falcon holding a sceptre1 standing on a pedestal1 out of which is growing a rose-bush bearing white and red blossoms 7,fig4 #ad74 ,this badge occurs first in an illuminated initial letter to her patent of the ,marquisate of ,pembroke1 and at her coronation1 in a pageant at ,whitehall1 an image of the falcon played a prominent part4 ,the origin of it is not very clear1 but it may have been derived from the crest of ,ormond1 a white falcon1 which is placed under the head of the ,earl of ,wiltshire1 ,queen ,anne's father1 on his tomb4 ,it was in turn adopted by ,queen ,elizabeth1 and was exhibited on the occasion of her visit to ,norwich1 in #aegh1 as her own badge2 and it occurs also on the iron railing on her tomb in ,henry ,,vii4's chapel4 ,the queen bore it on several of her simpler bindings impressed in the centre of each board1 with usually a small acorn spray at each corner4 ,there are several books ornamented like this in the library of ,westminster ,abbey1 and there are examples at ,windsor4 ,the ,british ,museum possesses few1 the best example being a copy of ,justinus' ,trogi ,pompeii ,historiarum ,philippicarum epitoma1 etc41 printed at ,paris in #aeha4 ,it originally had two ties at the front edge4 ,at ,windsor a few bindings of ,elizabeth's are still preserved2 among them1 a copy of ,paynell's ,conspiracie of ,catiline is bound in white leather1 and bears the royal arms within a decorative border4 ,it has large corners impressed by a set stamp1 and has a seme of small flowers4 ,a copy of ,spenser's ,faerie ,queene1 printed in ,london in #aeij1 also in the ,windsor ,library1 bears in the centre a crowned double rose1 in the centre of which is a portcullis1 and ,e4 ,b4 at each side of it4 ,the crowned rose was a favourite design with ,elizabethan bookbinders2 but unless there be corroborative evidence of royal possession1 ,i do not think that the existence of this stamp is of itself a sufficient proof of such exalted ownership4 ,mr4 ,andrew ,tuer1 in his admirable ,history of the ,horn-,book1 gives a figure of one which was exhibited in the ,tudor ,exhibition in #ahij1 where it was described as the ,horn-,book of ,queen ,elizabeth4 ,it is said to have been given by the queen to ,lord ,chancellor ,egerton of ,tatton1 and it has been preserved in his family ever since4 ,the letterpress is covered with a sheet of talc1 and the back and handle are ornamented with graceful silver filigree work1 that on the back being underlaid with red silk4 ,mr4 ,tuer thinks that the type used on this ,horn-,book resembles some used by ,john ,day1 the printer already mentioned2 and if so1 it is not altogether unlikely that ,archbishop ,parker himself may have presented this beautiful toy to the queen1 as well as the more serious works in velvet and inlaid leather4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ad4--;,centre stamp from ,trogi ,pompeii ,historiarum ,philippicarum epitoma4 ,parisiis1 #aeha4 ,although ,mary ,queen of ,scots was not directly one of the sovereigns of ,england1 yet she is so intimately connected with them1 both by her ancestry1 her own history1 and her descendants1 that the few bindings remaining that belonged to her may well be included among these ,i am now describing4 ,the bindings that were done for her when she was ,dauphiness1 or ,queen1 of ,france1 are1 like the ,scottish ones1 of great rarity4 ,these ,french bindings are always bound in black1 and very often have black edges2 and the only two bindings known to me that belonged to her when ,queen of ,scotland are in such dark calf that it is almost black also4 ,the first and finest of these volumes is a copy of the ,black ,acts1 printed at ,edinburgh1 #aegf4 ,it is called ,black ,acts from the character of the type1 and is a collection of the ,acts and ,constitutions of ,scotland in force during the reigns of the ,jameses and ,mary herself4 ,the outer border on each side of the book is impressed in gold1 and consists of a broad arabesque design4 ,within this border is a representation of the full coat-of-arms of ,scotland--a lion rampant1 within a tressure flory counter-flory4 ,the tressure should be double1 but in this instance it is single4 ,the lion and the tressure are coloured red4 ,dependent from the shield is the collar and badge of the ,order of ,st4 ,andrew4 ,a royal helmet1 crowned1 is placed above the shield1 and has a handsome mantling1 coloured yellow4 ,on the crown is the crest of ,scotland--a crowned lion sejant1 holding in one paw a sceptre and in the other a sword4 ,the lion is coloured red4 ,the ancient supporters of ,scotland1 two white unicorns1 are at each side of the shield2 each bears a collar shaped like a coronet1 with a long chain4 ,two standards are supported behind the shield2 one bears the coat-of-arms of ,scotland1 and the other ,st4 ,andrew's ,cross1 both being in their proper colours4 ,across the top of these standards is a white scroll bearing the words ,,in ,,defense1 and on similar scrolls just above the heads of the unicorns are the words ,,maria ,,regina4 ,there are a few thistles in outline scattered about4 ,the workmanship of this piece of decoration is unlike that on any other book ,i know4 ,it is what is called all made up by a series of impressions from small stamps1 curves1 and lines1 and in places it seems to be done by hand by means of some sort of style drawn along on the leather1 the mark being afterwards gilded4 ,the appearance1 indeed1 is that of a drawing in gold-outline on the leather4 ,the colour1 which is freely used1 is some sort of enamel1 most of which has now chipped off1 but enough of it is left to show what it has been originally4 ,the book came to the ,museum by gift from ,george ,,iv4 ,the edges are gauffred1 with a little colour upon them4 ,the other book that belonged to ,mary ,queen of ,scots was1 in #ahhb1 in the library of ,sir ,james ,gibson ,craig4 ,it is a folio copy of ,paradin's ,chronique de ,savoye1 printed at ,lyons in #aeeb1 and in ,edinburgh ,castle there is a list of treasures belonging to ,james ,,vi41 and his hienes deerest moder1 dated #aegh1 in which this book is mentioned4 ,it is bound in dark calf1 decorated in blind and gold4 ,each board has a broad border in blind nearly resembling that on the ,black ,acts4 ,in the centre of each side is the royal coat-of-arms of ,scotland in gold1 crowned4 ,above1 below1 and on each side of it is a crowned ,m4 ,the crowned ,m is also impressed in gold at the outer corners of each board1 and it is also in each of the seven panels of the back4 ,illustration3 ,greek3 ,,basilikon ,d,,ron4 ,m4,s4 ,written for ,prince ,henry1 by ,king ,james ,,vi4 of ,scotland4 ,james ,,vi4 of ,scotland1 whatever may have been his faults1 certainly had the merit of knowing how to advise his son4 ,in #aeei he wrote the curious ,basilicon ,doron for his ,dearest son ,henry1 the ,prince4 ,he writes as for a ,prince of ,scotland1 and about the ,scottish people1 and when it was first issued there were many doubts as to its authorship4 ,the original manuscript of this work is now part of the old royal library in the ,british ,museum2 and although a study of this most interesting manuscript will amply repay anybody who cares to read it1 it is as well specially interesting because of the beautiful binding with which it is covered 7,plate ,,iv47 ,we know from documents that in #aehj ,john ,gibson had been appointed binder to the ,king of ,scotland1 and that when he came to ,london this office was granted to ,john and ,abraham ,bateman2 and1 although no binding is certainly known to have been executed by either of these1 ,i think it very probable that the binding of the ,basilicon ,doron may1 for the present at all events1 be attributed to ,john ,gibson4 ,it is covered in deep purple velvet1 and the ornaments upon it are cut out in thin gold1 and finished with engraved work4 ,the design on each board is the royal coat-of-arms of ,scotland1 with supporters1 crowned1 and enclosed within the collar of the ,order of the ,thistle1 dependent from which is the badge with ,st4 ,andrew4 ,the supporters are the two unicorns standing upon a ribbon1 on which is the legend1 ,,in ,,my ,,defense4 ,,god ,,me ,,defend4 ,above the crown are two large letters1 ,j4 ,r4 ,the corners and two clasps of the book are made in the form of thistles1 with leaves and scrolls4 ,unluckily much of this gold work is gone1 but in the figure ,i have restored it where necessary4 ,the decoration altogether has a most rich and beautiful effect1 and ,i know of no other book decorated in the same way4 ,indeed1 books of any sort bound for ,james when he was king of ,scotland are of the greatest rarity1 and it is quite possible that this is the only existing specimen2 although when he came to ,england a very large quantity of books were bound for him1 the majority of which still remain4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,,james ,i4--,,henry ,,prince ,,of ,,wales--,,charles ,i4--,,charles ,,ii4--,,james ,,ii4--,,william ,,and ,,mary--,,anne ,up to the present1 as far as bookbinding is concerned1 ,i have only recorded one change in the royal coat of ,england1 when ,henry ,,viii41 in #aebh1 altered his supporters1 but on the accession of ,james ,i4 to the throne of ,england a much greater and more important change took place4 ,not only was the shield of ,scotland added1 but also that of ,ireland1 which1 although ,elizabeth seems to have used it sometimes1 was never before officially adopted4 ,the harp of ,apollo ,grian has1 equally with the ,scottish coat1 remained an integral part of our royal shield ever since4 ,the coats of ,france and ,england were now quartered and placed in the first and fourth quarters1 the coat of ,scotland in the second quarter1 and the coat of ,ireland in the third4 ,with minor changes and additions1 this coat remained the same until the reign of ,george ,,iii41 who1 in #ahja1 finally omitted the coat of ,france4 ,as to the supporters1 ,james ,i4 retained the crowned lion of ,henry ,,viii41 and substituted one of his white unicorns for the red dragon of ,cadwallader2 and these supporters remain unaltered to the present day4 ,the fashion of stamping in gold on velvet1 one example of which ,i have already described as having been done for ,edward ,,vi4 or ,elizabeth1 was practised to a considerable extent for ,james ,i41 and there are several examples of it4 ,james evidently thought much of the ,tudor descent1 by virtue of which he held his ,english throne2 and he used the ,tudor emblems freely4 ,one large stamp was cut for him with the coat-of-arms just described within a crowned ,garter1 all enclosed in an ornamental oval border1 in which are included the falcon badge of ,queen ,elizabeth1 the double rose1 portcullis1 and fleur-de-lis of the ,tudors1 and the plume of the ,prince of ,wales4 ,this stamp commonly occurs on leather bindings1 but it also occurs1 used with great effect1 stamped in gold or velvet4 ,a very charming specimen of this is on a copy of ,bogusz1 ,greek3 ,,diaskepsis ,metaphysica1 printed on satin at ,sedan1 #afje1 which is bound in crimson velvet1 and has two blue silk ties at the front edge4 ,at each of the four corners of the large stamp are four small decorative stamps4 ,it is a presentation copy to ,james ,i41 and has an autograph of ,henry ,prince of ,wales inside the cover4 ,in the ,manuscript ,department of the ,british ,museum1 belonging also to the old royal library1 is a small book bound in dark green velvet1 in the centre of which is stamped1 in gold1 the royal coat-of-arms within an ornamental border1 into which is introduced the design of a thistle4 ,an outer border of gold lines has decorative stamps at each corner4 ,the manuscript is about the introduction of ,christianity into ,england4 ,these two designs1 or amplifications of them1 are the only ones that ,i have met with on stamped velvet bindings done for ,james4 ,there are a considerable number of books still remaining that belonged to ,james1 bearing the royal coat-of-arms with supporters and initials1 bound in leather4 ,they often bear upon them rich semes1 which form of ornamentation was used for ,james ,i4 more than for any other sovereign4 ,the semes generally consist of small lions passant1 thistles1 tridents1 fleurs-de-lis1 stars1 or flowers4 ,books of this kind1 with heavy corner-pieces1 are so widely known that detailed description of them is hardly necessary2 but there are modifications1 some of which render the bindings of greater interest4 ,one of these is a calf binding on ,ortelius1 ,theatrum ,orbis ,terrarum1 printed in ,london in #afjf 7,plate ,v47 ,it measures #bc inches by #ad1 and when in its original state1 was doubtless one of the finest bindings done for ,james ,i4 ,the full coat-of-arms1 with small inlays of red leather1 is further coloured by hand1 and is enclosed within a rectangular border4 ,between this and the corner-pieces is a very elaborate and graceful design of twining stems1 leaves1 and arabesques4 ,the binding has been largely repaired1 but the new stamps have been accurately copied from the old ones2 and1 except the outer border which is new1 the design upon it is probably in all material points the same as it was originally4 ,another instance of a departure from ,king ,james's stereotyped pattern occurs on ,thevet's ,vies des hommes illustres1 printed at ,paris1 #aehd4 ,the crowned coat-of-arms in the centre1 with the initials ,j4 ,r41 have inlays of red leather in the proper places1 and the remainder of the board is so closely and intricately1 with an ornamental design of dotted strap-work1 interlaced with arabesques that no description can give much idea of it4 ,the volume measures #ae-a_/b #aj-a_/b inches1 and it is in perfect condition4 ,some doubt has been thrown upon the nationality of this most beautiful work1 but ,mr4 ,fletcher1 in his splendid volume of ,english ,bookbindings in the ,british ,museum1 has included it in his list4 ,so perhaps in the future we may claim it as our own4 ,there is one little point about it which1 ,i think1 may be considered as a reason for thinking it ,english work1 and that is that the lions on the ,english coats are full face4 ,on all the ,french bindings ,i know that were done for ,english sovereigns the lions are always shown side face4 ,a volume in the ,manuscript ,department of the ,british ,museum1 containing ,english and ,italian songs with music1 is bound in dark blue morocco1 with unusually good corners1 and the field adorned with large and beautiful stars4 ,large stars used in the field also occur on a vellum binding of the ,abbot of ,salisbury's ,de ,gratia et perve verantia ,sanctorum1 printed in ,london1 #afah4 ,it is without the usual corner-stamps1 and is in a most wonderful brilliant condition4 ,a little volume of ,king ,james's ,meditations on the ,lord's ,prayer1 ,london1 #afai1 is covered in deep purple velvet1 with silver centre-piece1 corners1 and clasps4 ,on the corners are engraved designs of the cross pate1 thistle1 harp1 and fleurs-de-lis1 all crowned4 ,the corner with the crowned harp is1 ,i believe1 the first instance of this badge occurring on a book4 ,the clasps are in the form of portcullises4 ,the centre oval medallion has the royal coat-of-arms1 ,garter1 and crown engraved upon it4 ,at the ,burlington ,fine ,arts ,club a fine specimen of binding for ,king ,james ,i4 was exhibited by ,mr4 ,james ,toovey4 ,it is bound in white vellum1 stamped in gold4 ,in the centre are the royal arms1 and it has large corner-stamps of unusual design1 containing a sun with rays and an eagle1 the ground being thickly covered with a seme of ermine spots4 ,the border seems to be imitated from one of the old rolls of sporting subjects1 which are mostly found on blind-tooled books at a much earlier period4 ,it has squirrels1 birds1 snails1 dogs1 and insects4 ,at ,windsor there are a good many specimens of ,jacobean bindings1 all of them similar in character to one or other of the ,british ,museum specimens that ,i have described at length4 ,illustration3 ,ortelius4 ,theatre of the ,world4 ,london1 #afjf4 ,james ,i4 ,anne of ,denmark1 the queen of ,james ,i41 does not appear to have possessed many books4 ,there are only two in the ,british ,museum that belonged to her1 both of which are bound in vellum4 ,the larger of the two1 ,tansillo1 ,le ,lagrime di ,san ,pietro1 ,vinegia1 #afjf1 has a gold-line border with small floral corners1 and in the centre the queen's paternal arms with many quarterings1 the most important of which are ,denmark1 ,norway1 and ,sweden4 ,the coat is crowned1 and above it are the letters ,a4 ,r42 and the queen's own motto1 ,la mia grandezza viene dal eccelso1 is contained on a ribbon half enclosing the coat4 ,prince ,henry1 the eldest son of ,james ,i41 showed more taste for literary matters than any of his predecessors1 although he was much addicted to all manly exercises4 ,he not only took great interest in the books he already found in his father's library1 but he materially added to it by further collections of his own4 ,in #afji he purchased the library of ,lord ,lumley1 who had been his tutor1 and which was the finest then in ,england1 except that of ,sir ,robert ,cotton4 ,this library had originally belonged to ,henry ,fitz-,alan1 ,earl of ,arundel1 ,lord ,lumley's father-in-law1 and it had been largely increased since his death4 ,prince ,henry only possessed the library for three years1 as he died in #afab1 but during this time he made many important additions to it4 ,not many of the original bindings remain upon the ,earl of ,arundel's books1 and those that do are usually simple4 ,there is one specimen in the ,british ,museum that is especially good2 it bears a cameo of a white horse1 galloping1 with an oak spray in his mouth1 in an oval medallion1 and if there were many others like it1 ,prince ,henry destroyed much beautiful work when he had them rebound4 ,it must be supposed that the bindings of both ,lord ,arundel's and ,lord ,lumley's collection were in a bad state when ,prince ,henry acquired them1 as they now are almost invariably in bindings that were made for him after #afaj1 when he was made ,prince of ,wales4 ,on the ,prince's death1 his library1 which was then kept at ,st4 ,james's1 reverted to the king1 and served largely to augment the old royal library1 which had not been very carefully kept up to the present time1 and which1 even afterwards1 suffered various losses4 ,the majority of ,prince ,henry's rebindings are designed in a fashion which has been very adversely criticised1 but nevertheless they are not all without interest4 ,the commonest decoration found upon them consists of a large royal coat-of-arms of ,england within a scroll border with thistles1 stamped in gold1 having the label of the eldest son in silver4 ,at the corners are very large stamps1 either crowned double roses1 fleurs-de-lis1 lions rampant1 all in gold1 or the ,prince of ,wales' feathers in silver4 ,books bearing this design are more frequently met with outside the large royal collections than any others1 as at one time or another many examples have become separated from the rest4 ,but there are other books bound for the ,prince the designs on which are often original and effective4 ,perhaps the best of these is on a copy of ,livy's ,romana ,historia1 ,avreli ,allobrogvm1 #afji 7,fig4 #ae74 ,in this instance the ,prince of ,wales' feathers form the central design1 impressed in silver and gold1 and with the initials ,h4 ,p4 at the sides of it1 all enclosed in a border composed of a dotted ribbon arranged in right angles and segments of circles1 enriched at the corners with ornamental arabesques4 ,this design is particularly pleasing1 and it is likely that it was executed by the same binder who bound the edition of ,thevet's ,vies des hommes illustres1 described above1 for ,james ,i41 the peculiar design of the dotted ribbon appearing in both instances4 ,petrus de ,crescentiis1 ,de omnibus agricultur partibus1 ,basile1 #aedh1 has the ,prince of ,wales' feathers in silver1 with ,h4 ,p4 at the sides1 and on two upright labels the words ,o et presidium ,dulce decus meum4 ,it has very heavy corner-stamps4 ,a little book of ,commentaries of ,messer4 ,blaise de ,monluc1 ,bordeaux1 #aeib1 has a small ,prince of ,wales' feathers in the centre1 and very pretty angle-stamps of sprays of foliage1 the feathers still being in silver4 ,rivault1 ,les ,clemens d' ,artillery1 ,paris1 #afjh1 is remarkably pretty4 ,it is a small book bound in olive morocco1 and has a tiny ,prince of ,wales' feathers in an oval in the centre1 stamped in gold and silver1 within a broad border of sprays of foliage4 ,there are large angle-pieces of the same sprays1 all enclosed in a border stamped in gold4 ,a common design is the coat-of-arms1 with label within an ornamental border1 ensigned with a prince's crown1 enclosed in a single line rectangle1 at the corners of which are small stamps of the ,prince of ,wales' feathers1 crowned roses1 crowned fleurs-de-lis1 and crowned thistles4 ,there are several examples of this design1 both in the ,british ,museum and at ,windsor4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ae4--,livius4 ,romana ,historia4 ,avreli ,allobrogvm1 #afji4 ,henry1 ,prince of ,wales4 ,pandulphi ,collenucii ,pisaurensis ,apologus cui titulus ,agenoria and other tracts in one collection was dedicated to ,henry ,,viii41 and originally his property 7,fig4 #af74 ,it afterwards belonged to ,magdalen ,college1 ,oxford1 and they presented it to ,prince ,henry1 for whom it was enclosed in a magnificent cover of crimson velvet1 thickly embroidered with an elaborate design in gold and pearls4 ,the edges of the cover project freely beyond the boards of the book1 and have a rich gold fringe4 ,the ,prince of ,wales' feathers1 thickly worked in pearls1 forms the centre of the design4 ,the coronet is of gold1 and the motto is in gold letters on a blue silk ground4 ,the very beautiful broad border contains a rich arabesque design with flowers thickly worked in seed pearls1 and the inner angles have sprays in gold and pearls4 ,there are innumerable single pearls dotted about4 ,both for beauty of design and richness of execution1 this cover is certainly one of the finest specimens of late embroidery work in ,england4 ,with the exception of a few pearls missing1 and some gold braid about the motto1 it may be considered to be in a very fair condition4 ,another crimson velvet book1 ,becano ,baculus ,salcolbrigiensis1 ,oppenheim1 #afaa1 was bound for ,prince ,henry4 ,it has the ,prince of ,wales' feathers in the centre1 impressed in gold and silver1 with a simple gold line round the edge4 ,it is much faded1 and the velvet is now more orange than crimson1 but it is interesting as being the only instance in the ,british ,museum of a stamped velvet book done for ,prince ,henry4 ,prince ,charles used two of the stamps which were first used by his brother ,henry--the large coat-of-arms1 with silver label1 and the ,prince of ,wales' feathers4 ,each of these is usually flanked by the letters ,c4 ,p41 and the ,prince of ,wales' feathers are always stamped in gold instead of silver4 ,in cases where ,charles has used the coat-of-arms1 the corners are filled with a full arrangement of leaf sprays and arabesques4 ,a fine example of this style1 bound in olive morocco1 occurs on a binding of ,dallington's ,aphorismes1 ,civill and ,militarie1 ,london1 #afac1 now in the ,british ,museum4 ,an example of the ,prince of ,wales' feathers used alone on dark blue morocco is in the library at ,windsor4 ,during the reign of ,charles ,i4 several small1 thin books were bound in vellum1 stamped in gold 7,plate ,,vii474 ,some of them were done for him both as prince and as king4 ,a very good example covers a collection of ,almanacks1 dated #afbd4 ,in the centre is an ornament composed of four ,prince of ,wales' feathers arranged as a star1 the corners are filled with large stamps1 the remainder of the boards are filled with semes of flaming hearts4 ,this particular book was probably a favourite one of the ,prince's1 as it contains his signature and other writings4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #af4--;,collection of ,miscellaneous ,tracts in ,,ms4 ,henry ,prince of ,wales4 ,the styles of ornamentation used on large books for ,james ,i4 were generally followed by his son1 but often the outer borders are of a broader and more decorative kind4 ,an instance of this is found on the dark morocco binding of ,raderus's ,theological ,biography1 printed at ,munich in #afbh1 a large book with a broad decorative border1 corner-pieces1 coat-of-arms1 and seme of thistles1 roses1 and fleurs-de-lis4 ,a small book with coat-of-arms in the centre1 within the ,garter1 crowned1 and bearing on each cover the legend ,,tibi ,,soli ,o ,,rex ,,charissime1 is in the ,manuscript ,department of the ,british ,museum1 on a collection of treatises presented to the king4 ,there is a handsome border round the book1 the ground of which is covered with a seme of crosses1 and the letters ,c4 ,r4 are on either side of the coat-of-arms4 ,the book has two silver clasps1 on one of which is engraved the ,scottish crest1 and on the other three crowns4 ,the panels joining the clasps to the book are engraved with emblematic figures4 ,a copy of ,hippocratis et ,galeni opera1 ,paris1 #afci1 in several volumes1 bears in the centre of each board the full royal coat-of-arms and supporters1 enclosed in an octagonal border1 within a rectangle1 in the inner corners of which is a handsome stamp of floral sprays1 and at the outer corners the crowned monogram of ,king ,charles and his wife ,henrietta ,maria4 ,they are large books1 measuring #ag #aa inches4 ,a very decorative little book is covered in red velvet1 with silver mounts4 ,it is a copy of the ,new ,testament1 printed in ,london1 #afdc4 ,on each side1 in the centre1 are medallion portraits of the king and his queen1 in pierced and repouss silver1 within ornamental borders4 ,on the panels of the clasps are engraved figures emblematic of the elements1 and on the corner clasps emblematic figures of ,charity1 ,justice1 ,hope1 ,fortitude1 ,prudence1 ,patience1 ,faith1 and ,temperance4 ,although embroidered books were largely produced during the reign of ,charles ,i41 not many of them were made for himself4 ,one exists in the ,british ,museum1 on a manuscript of ,montenay's ,emblemes ,chrestiens1 which is written by ,esther ,inglis1 who was a calligraphist of great repute from the time of ,queen ,elizabeth to that of ,prince ,charles4 ,she is said to have been nurse to ,prince ,henry2 and it is probable that she worked the binding of the manuscript4 ,it is covered in crimson satin1 and embroidered in gold and silver cord with a few pearls4 ,in the centre is the ,prince of ,wales' feathers enclosed in a laurel wreath1 and round it a very handsome border1 with arabesques at the inner corners4 ,a copy of the ,psalms1 printed in ,london in #afdc1 is covered in white satin and embroidered4 ,it may have belonged to ,king ,charles1 and was purchased by the ,british ,museum in #ahhh4 ,in the centre1 in an oval medallion1 is a minute portrait of the king1 wearing a crown with miniver cape and red robe1 with the jewel of the ,garter flanked by the letters ,c4 ,r4 ,enclosing this is an arrangement of arabesques and flowers1 worked respectively in silver or gold guimp and coloured silks4 ,there is no record with the book1 but it is quite possible that it was worked for the king4 ,it is one of the smallest embroidered books existing1 measuring little more than #c inches by #b4 ,at ,windsor there is a copy of the ,book of ,common ,prayer1 printed in #afch4 ,it is bound in blue velvet1 and richly embroidered in silver guimp4 ,in the centre are the ,prince of ,wales' feathers1 enclosed within a circular ,garter1 and surmounted by a prince's coronet1 with ,c4 ,p4 on either side of it4 ,below are the rose and the thistle4 ,a rich outer border of arabesques encloses the central design4 ,her ,majesty lent this book to the ,burlington ,fine ,arts ,club in #ahia4 ,it was figured in the ,queen of ,august #ae1 in the same year4 ,there are several other bindings at ,windsor that belonged to ,charles2 among them a particularly charming specimen covers a copy of ,ecphrasis ,paraphraseos1 ,g4 ,buchanani in ,psalmos1 #afbj4 ,it is a small book1 and bears the ,prince of ,wales' feathers in the centre1 within a border of crosses1 pate1 and fleurs-de-lis1 surrounded by the ,garter4 ,it has large corner-stamps and a seme of fleurs-de-lis4 ,the other bindings made for ,charles ,i4 in the same library generally bear the royal coat-of-arms and large corner-stamps1 and dates often occur upon them4 ,illustration3 ,new ,testament1 etc4 ,london1 #afdc4 ,charles ,i4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ag4--;,dallington4 ,aphorismes1 ,civill and ,militarie4 ,london1 #afac4 ,charles ,prince of ,wales4 ,charles himself certainly took very considerable interest in bookbinding1 and abundant evidence of this is found in the history of ,nicholas ,ferrar's establishment at ,little ,gidding1 in ,huntingdonshire1 the beginning and ending of which was synchronous with ,charles's reign4 ,the king visited ,little ,gidding more than once1 and always evinced the liveliest interest in its work1 a very important part of which was bookbinding4 ,the most remarkable feature about these ,little ,gidding bindings1 which were the work of amateur hands1 was the stamped work on velvet1 which actually reached its highest development under the auspices1 and probably by the hands1 of some of the ,collet family1 nieces of ,nicholas ,ferrar4 ,they bound books for ,charles and for both his sons2 but1 unfortunately1 no specimen of their finer stamped work done for either of these princes is in the ,british ,museum4 ,the copy of the ,harmony of the ,four ,gospels1 known as ,greek3 ,,monotessaron1 which was given to ,charles when ,prince of ,wales in #afdj1 is now in the library of the ,earl of ,normanton4 ,it measures #bd-a_/b #af inches1 and is bound in green velvet1 stamped elaborately in gold4 ,a ,concordance of the ,four ,evangelists1 which was probably made for ,james1 ,duke of ,york1 about #afdj1 is now the property of the ,marquis of ,salisbury1 and is kept at ,hatfield4 ,it measures #bj #ad inches1 and is bound in purple velvet4 ,among the small stamps upon it is one of a fleur-de-lis4 ,the ,whole ,law of ,god1 as it is delivered in the ,five ,books of ,moses1 is another ,little ,gidding harmony1 which was probably made for ,prince ,charles4 ,it measures #bi #bj inches1 and is bound in purple velvet1 and decorated with gold stamp-work of a similar kind4 ,it was probably made about #afdb1 and now belongs to ,captain ,gaussen4 ,the whole history of ,little ,gidding is most interesting2 and1 from a binding point of view1 its existence during the reign of ,charles ,i41 and his kindly appreciation and patronage of it in the midst of all his own troubles1 will always mark his reign as an important epoch in ,english bookbinding4 ,illustrations of many of the ,little ,gidding bindings are given in ,bibliographica1 part vi4 ,no particular binding seems to have been made during the period of the ,commonwealth1 at all events ,i have never been able to discover one in any of our large libraries2 but1 to make up for this1 during the reign of ,charles ,,ii4 we have a profusion of royal bindings1 many of which are of considerable beauty4 ,the appointment of ,samuel ,mearne as royal bookbinder to ,charles ,,ii4 was in force from #affj to #afhc1 and no doubt long before this ,mearne was well known as a fine binder4 ,there is a good deal of documentary evidence concerning ,mearne1 chiefly relating to bindings of ,bibles and ,prayer ,books bound for the royal chapels1 and others for the royal library at ,st4 ,james's4 ,he decorated his bindings in three styles1 easily distinguishable from each other4 ,books bound in the first1 or simplest1 style are always covered with red morocco1 and have a rectangular panel of gold lines stamped on each side1 having at the outer corners fleurons1 or the device of two ,c's1 adosss1 crowned1 and partly enclosed within two laurel sprays4 ,this device occurs commonly on ,mearne's books4 ,the backs of these volumes are often richly stamped with masses of small floral designs1 and the lettering is remarkably clear and good4 ,there are numbers of examples1 both in our royal libraries and in the hands of private owners4 ,although they cannot be called very ornamental1 they nevertheless are of excellent workmanship1 and are always in good taste4 ,illustration3 ,gil4 ,greek3 ,,parerga1 etc4 ,londini1 #afcb4 ,charles ,i4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ah4--;,common ,prayer4 ,london1 #affb4 ,charles ,,ii4 ,the second division are bound in red or dark morocco1 the boards being decorated with what is known as the ,cottage design1 usually having the crowned monogram in the centre1 the remaining spaces being more or less filled with masses of small stamped work4 ,the fillets and many of the flowers and ornaments are often picked out with black stain4 ,the third division are bound in red or black morocco1 ornamented with mosaic work of coloured leathers--red1 yellow1 green1 and white4 ,many of these books are so intricate in their design that they deserve special mention2 but it may be said1 generally1 that the leading motive upon them is a modification or elaboration of the cottage design1 so called because its leading motive is in the shape of the gable of a cottage roof4 ,one of the earliest bindings done for ,charles is a copy of the ,bible and ,prayer ,book1 printed at ,cambridge1 #affj4 ,it is a large book covered in red morocco1 and has a rectangular panel and border1 with the royal coat-of-arms in the centre1 all richly decorated with small gold stamp-work4 ,the binding is not very characteristic of ,mearne1 although it is often considered to be his work1 and bears some of his stamps4 ,neither the crowned monogram which is used upon it1 nor the crowned dove bearing an olive branch1 is found on any other bindings by ,mearne4 ,the stamp of the dove with the olive branch is of course symbolical of ,charles's return to the throne of his ancestors4 ,the book may have been bound for special presentation to ,charles on his accession to the throne4 ,in the royal library at ,windsor are several specimens of ,charles ,,ii4 bindings4 ,among them are three copies of ,charles ,i4's ,eikon ,basilike4 ,one of them is bound in dark blue morocco1 with large royal coat-of-arms and supporters1 crest and crown4 ,another in olive morocco is delicately stamped with arabesques1 and the crowned initials ,c4 ,r42 it has two silver clasps1 with medallion portraits of ,charles ,i4 ,another is bound in calf1 having in the centre of each board a decorative portrait medallion of ,charles ,i4 in silver1 within an ornamental border of figures and arabesques1 having also engraved silver corner-pieces on the two front corners4 ,in the same library a copy of the ,bible1 #affj1 and ,taylor's ,rule of ,conscience1 #afgf1 are bound respectively in black and red morocco1 and are brilliant specimens of ,samuel ,mearne's work4 ,the boards are covered with many irregular small panels1 each closely filled with small stamped work4 ,the ,bible was lent to the ,burlington ,fine ,arts ,club in #ahia1 and is figured both in their ,catalogue and in ,mr4 ,holmes's book of the bookbindings at ,windsor4 ,a copy of the works of ,charles ,i41 #affb1 now at ,windsor1 is a beautiful example of ,samuel ,mearne's inlaid work4 ,it is bound in deep red morocco1 with an inner panel marked with white leather4 ,in the centre is the royal coat1 with supporters and crest2 and the remainder of the boards1 especially the corners1 are ornamented with elaborate inlays of green and yellow leather1 and richly stamped in gold4 ,the ,british ,museum is also rich in ,charles ,,ii4 bindings4 ,the ,common ,prayer1 printed in ,london in #afbb1 measuring #ag-a_/d #aa-a_/b inches1 was bound for him in black morocco1 elaborately inlaid1 and stamped in gold 7,fig4 #ah74 ,a broad1 yellow1 rectangular panel encloses at the present time a stamp of the coat-of-arms of one of the ,georges4 ,this1 of course1 is a subsequent addition1 and it is impossible to say for certain whether there was originally any stamp in the centre of the book or not2 but probably there was a crowned initial4 ,the inner sides and corners of this panel are ornamented with mosaics of white1 red1 and yellow leather1 with gilded sprays and small stamps4 ,the outer edges of the panel have at the top and bottom a cottage arrangement1 filled in with small dotted scale ornament1 and further decorated with red mosaic inlays1 having gold stamps and sprays4 ,a somewhat similar arrangement at the sides has scale patterns and red mosaics1 and the crowned initials of the king are impressed at the roof angles4 ,the gilt front edges of this volume are decorated with paintings of incidents chosen from the life of ,christ1 executed under the gold1 and only visible when held in a certain position4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ai4--;,a short ,view of the late ,troubles in ,england1 etc4 ,oxford1 #afha4 ,charles ,,ii4 ,a copy of the ,book of ,common ,prayer1 printed in ,london1 #affi1 is covered in red morocco1 and bears upon each board a modification of the roofed pattern1 stained black1 and broken by curves at the upper and lower points and at the sides4 ,in the centre1 the crowned ,c's are enclosed in a small inner fillet1 coloured black1 and supplemented with very delicate arabesque stamped work in gold4 ,the inner angles of the roof and sides are filled with scale patterns in dots4 ,above and below the centre-piece are bold leaf sprays4 ,the corners and spaces throughout are filled with very close gold stamped arabesques1 circles1 and small flowers4 ,it has an elaborate outer border of an enlarged scaled pattern filled with small stamps4 ,the book is a very beautiful one1 and is1 in some ways1 the finest specimen of ,mearne's work existing4 ,it has frequently been figured4 ,under the gilding on the front edges is a painting1 having as its centre motive the design of the crowned ,c's and the laurel branches already mentioned4 ,this method of painting under the gold1 which appears to have been first done by an artist of the name of ,fletcher1 is frequently found on ,mearne's bindings4 ,the custom dropped into disuse after his time1 until it was revived by ,edwards of ,halifax about a hundred years later4 ,a copy of the ,scottish ,laws and ,acts of ,james ,i41 ,edinburgh1 #affa1 is covered in red morocco4 ,it has in the centre a large irregular panel1 inlaid in black morocco1 bearing the royal coat-of-arms1 crowned1 within the ,garter1 and the initials ,c4 ,,ii4 ,r41 the rest of the black panel being thickly gilded with ornamental sprays4 ,there are large angle-pieces of yellow leather1 richly stamped1 and at the sides1 upper1 and lower edges of each board are urns carrying large branching sprays1 with flowers inlaid in yellow and black leathers4 ,a short ,view of the late ,troubles in ,england1 ,oxford1 #afha 7,fig4 #ai71 is bound in red morocco1 and ornamented all over the boards with small1 irregular panels1 outlined by broad gold lines1 and filled with mosaics of black and yellow leather1 all ornamented thickly with small gold stamp-work4 ,in the centre1 on a black panel1 are large ornamental initials1 ,c4 ,r41 crowned4 ,although this binding has many points in common with ,samuel ,mearne's work1 it is lacking in finish1 and it is probably the work of his son ,charles1 who afterwards succeeded him as royal binder4 ,a copy of ,fox's ,book of ,martyrs1 ,london1 #afda1 also bound in ,mearne's fashion1 bears upon its front edges1 under the gilding1 a portrait of the king in his coronation robes4 ,it is figured in ,bibliographica1 part viii41 and is signed ,fletcher4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #bj4--;,bible4 ,cambridge1 #afgd4 ,james ,,ii4 ,there are in the ,british ,museum two large volumes of an ,english ,atlas1 measuring #bc #ae inches4 ,the first of them bears the large ornamental initials ,c4 ,r4 crowned4 ,it has a modification of the cottage design1 arranged in an interlacing fillet of yellow leather1 within which is a symmetrical arrangement of irregular panels1 inlaid with black and yellow morocco1 all richly edged and filled in with small gold stamped work1 picked out with silver4 ,the second volume is ornamented in a similar manner with inlays1 but has not the outer border or the initials4 ,although there are many of ,mearne's bindings to be found in the large private libraries throughout ,england1 probably the finest is that which belongs to the ,earl of ,crewe1 at ,crewe ,hall4 ,it covers a folio ,book of ,common ,prayer1 #affb1 and bears the cottage design1 outlined in yellow leather1 with scale pattern4 ,there are fine mosaics of red1 yellow1 and green leathers in the corners of the inner panel1 covered with close gold stamp-work and floral sprays4 ,the crowned ,c's are in the centre within an ornamental border1 and outside the yellow panel are red and green mosaics1 thickly covered with small gold work4 ,mr4 ,almack1 in his valuable ,bibliography of the ,king's ,book or ,eikon ,basilike1 gives a plate of a binding that covers an edition of #afdi1 but which was bound for ,charles ,,ii4 by ,samuel ,mearne4 ,it bears the royal coat-of-arms1 with garter and crest1 within a rectangular panel enriched with small gold stamps4 ,it is in red morocco4 ,several of the editions of the ,eikon bear the initials ,c4 ,r4 upon their covers1 with other emblems1 but it is most likely that these letters refer to the author rather than to the owner4 ,mr4 ,e4 ,h4 ,lawrence lent to the ,burlington ,fine ,arts ,club ,exhibition of ,bookbindings an exquisite specimen of ,samuel ,mearne's work4 ,it is a collection of anthems1 with music1 bound in dark blue morocco4 ,it is elaborately stamped in gold1 with a curved adaptation of the cottage design1 closely filled in with masses of small gold work along the inner and outer edges4 ,the crowned monogram1 with laurel sprays1 is in the centre of each of the sides1 and it has a rich double border of scale patterns filled with gold stamped work4 ,in the library at ,windsor are several bindings that were done for ,james ,,ii41 but they are generally of a simple kind1 bearing heraldic devices in the centre enclosed in rectangular panels of more or less elaboration4 ,at the ,british ,museum are some ,jacobean bindings of a more ornamental kind4 ,one of these1 a ,cambridge ,bible of #afgd1 is bound in crimson velvet1 and has rich silk ties with bullion fringe 7,fig4 #bj74 ,it is heavily embroidered in gold1 silver1 and coloured silks1 and bears in the centre the crowned initials ,j4 ,r4 enclosed in a strap border intertwined with rose sprays and other floral designs4 ,in each of the corners is a cherub's head with wings4 ,there are two volumes1 each measuring #ah #ab inches4 ,although1 from the size of these books and the splendid colour1 they are undoubtedly of imposing appearance1 neither the design nor the workmanship can be considered of a high quality4 ,belonging to the ,king's ,library in the ,british ,museum are two specimens1 almost exactly alike except for their size1 which may1 for the present1 be considered the finest that were done for ,james ,,ii4 ,one of these is a ,common ,prayer1 printed at ,oxford in #afha4 ,it is bound in red morocco1 and has a black cottage fillet1 broken at the angles and at each side4 ,the crowned monogram ,j4 ,r41 with laurel spray1 occurs in several places on the boards4 ,the remaining spaces are closely filled with small gold stamped work1 similar to that used by ,samuel ,mearne4 ,the book is an unusually fat one1 and bears upon its broad front edges1 under the gold1 the most elaborate painting ,i have found in such a position4 ,it has the full coat-of-arms of ,england1 with supporters1 crown1 and crest1 enclosed in an elaborate border of flowers1 cherubs1 and ribbons4 ,this painting is in remarkably fine condition1 but1 like all this class of work1 the appearance of it depends very largely upon the manner in which it is displayed4 ,the companion volume is a ,bible of #afhe4 ,it is bound in an almost identical way2 but the painting on the edge1 although brighter1 is not to be compared with it1 either for size or excellence4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ba4--;,euclide4 ,oxford1 #agje4 ,queen ,anne4 ,a note at the beginning1 signed ,g4 ,sarum1 says that this was the book which lay before ,his ,majesty above two years in the closet of his chappell1 and afterwards it was the property of the ,archbishop of ,canterbury1 and then of the ,bishop himself4 ,at ,windsor there is a small book bound for ,mary of ,modena in red morocco1 with the royal coats of ,england and ,este1 crowned1 and enclosed within a cordelire des veuves1 the rest1 with the field1 being occupied with small panels ornamented in the ,mearne fashion4 ,at the ,british ,museum is a copy of ,walter's ,poems1 printed in #affh1 that was dedicated by him to the ,duchess of ,york1 with an autograph poem4 ,it is bound in black morocco1 and bears the arms of ,england1 with a label1 impaled with those of ,este1 with supporters1 and surmounted with a prince's coronet4 ,above and below the coat-of-arms are curves and arabesques in dotted gold work1 picked out with silver1 all enclosed in a rectangular border of a ,mearne pattern4 ,the bindings of ,william and ,mary are not remarkable in any way1 except for their peculiar arrangement of the quarterings of the royal coat4 ,a fine copy of ,veues des belles maisons de ,france1 bound in red morocco1 has in the centre a crowned shield within a ,garter1 the bearings being--first1 the coat of ,england2 second1 the coat of ,scotland2 third1 the coat of ,france2 fourth1 the coat of ,ireland2 over all the scutcheon of ,nassau4 ,in each corner is a handsome crowned monogram1 ,w4 ,m4 ,the volume is at ,windsor4 ,in the same library is a copy of the ,statutes of the ,order of the ,garter1 bound in dark blue morocco1 and bearing in the centre1 within a ,mearne border1 the royal coat-of-arms1 crowned1 with ,garter4 ,on the dexter side is the ,cross of ,st4 ,george2 on the sinister side1 the coat of ,england with the quarterings in their proper order4 ,in the ,british ,museum are other bindings of ,william and ,mary1 but they are also of small importance from a decorative point of view4 ,they often bear the crowned initials ,w4 ,r4 enclosed in laurel sprays1 and are ornamented with lines and small sprays in gold1 mostly after the ,mearne fashion4 ,a copy of the ,memoirs of the ,earl of ,castlehaven1 ,london1 #afha1 has the coat arranged in the following curious manner3 first1 ,england2 second1 ,scotland2 third1 ,ireland2 fourth1 ,france1 with scutcheon of ,nassau over all4 ,it almost seemed as if ,william considered that the coat of ,france had been borne long enough by ,english sovereigns1 and it occupied the place of honour until he deposed it from that proud position2 but ,i believe it was only upon his bookbindings that he took these liberties with the fleurs-de-lis4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #bb4--lfric4 ,an ,english-,saxon ,homily on the ,birthday of ,st4 ,gregory4 ,london1 #agji4 ,queen ,anne4 ,the finest of ,queen ,anne's bindings at ,windsor is a copy of ,flamsteed1 ,historia ,coelestis1 #agab4 ,it is bound in red morocco1 and has in the centre the full arms of ,england with supporters4 ,the arms are quartered as follows3 first and fourth1 ,england and ,scotland impaled2 second1 ,france2 and third1 ,ireland2 all within mitred panels1 ornamented with small arabesques and floral sprays at the angles and sides4 ,in the same library is also a binding with the monogram of ,william1 ,duke of ,gloucester1 son of ,queen ,anne1 with a prince's coronet enclosed in a triple-bordered panel1 with sprays and acorns4 ,in the ,british ,museum the richest binding done for ,queen ,anne is on a copy of the ,english ,euclide1 ,oxford1 #agje 7,fig4 #ba74 ,it is a large book1 and the centre is occupied by a cottage design divided into four panels1 each of which is thickly filled with small gold stamped work4 ,at the upper and lower edges of the boards are the words ,,anna ,d4 ,g41 under a royal crown1 upheld by two cherubs2 above which is a scroll bearing the words ,,vivat ,,regina4 ,the outer corners and the sides are filled with scale ornaments and floral sprays of a branching character4 ,another volume bound for ,queen ,anne1 in the ,british ,museum1 is ,an ,english-,saxon ,homily on the ,birthday of ,st4 ,gregory1 by lfric1 ,archbishop of ,canterbury1 ,london1 #agji 7,fig4 #bb74 ,it is covered in red morocco1 and stamped in gold with a cottage design1 and bears the crowned monogram ,a4 ,r41 with laurel sprays and other small stamps scattered about4 ,the designs on all these volumes of the later ,stuart sovereigns have no very distinctive character1 and1 except where they are frank imitations of ,mearne's work1 they show little inventive power4 ,on the legislative union of ,england and ,scotland in #agjf1 the first and fourth quarters of the royal coat bore the coats of ,england and ,scotland impaled1 the second quarter the coat of ,france1 and the third that of ,ireland4 ,it is important to remember this change1 as the first quarter continued to be used in the same way on ,queen ,anne's books and on those of her successors until #ahja4 ,,chapter ,,iv ,,george ,i4--,,george ,,ii4--,,george ,,iii4--,,george ,,iv4--,,william ,,iv4 ,on the succession to the ,english crown passing to the ,hanoverian line1 another important change was made in the royal coat of ,england4 ,george ,i4 substituted for the fourth quarter1 which had been hitherto a repetition of the first1 the arms of his family1 ,brunswick1 impaling ,luneburg1 and in the base point the coat of ,saxony1 over all an escutcheon1 charged with the crown of ,charlemagne1 as a badge of the office of ,high ,treasurer of the ,holy ,roman ,empire4 ,george ,,ii4 bore the same coat as did ,george ,,iii4 up to #ahja1 when1 on the legislative union of ,great ,britain and ,ireland1 the coat was officially altered to first and fourth ,england2 second1 ,scotland2 third1 ,ireland1 with over all an escutcheon1 bearing the arms of the royal dominions in ,germany1 ensigned with the electoral bonnet1 which was again changed to the ,hanoverian royal crown when ,hanover was elevated to the rank of a kingdom in #ahaf4 ,this last coat was used by ,george ,,iv4 and ,william ,,iv41 and1 without the ,hanoverian escutcheon1 it is the present royal coat of ,england4 ,the bindings of ,george ,i4 and ,george ,,ii4 are generally much alike4 ,there are good specimens of each at ,windsor4 ,they are generally in red morocco1 with either coats-of-arms in the centre or monograms4 ,at ,windsor there is one bound in vellum1 it is a manuscript ,report on ,states of ,traytors1 #agag1 and bears the full royal coat in the centre1 enclosed in rectangular mitred borders1 with delicate gold stamped work at the sides4 ,in the ,british ,museum is a finely stamped ,account of ,conference concerning the ,succession to the ,crown1 #agai1 very delicately and tastefully ornamented1 having the coat-of-arms in the centre1 with crowned initials at the corners1 and delicate gold work of floral sprays and curves borrowed from ,le ,gascon1 a great ,french binder4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #bc4--;,account of what passed in a ,conference concerning the ,succession to the ,crown1 ,,ms4 ,george ,i4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #bd4--,le ,nouveau ,testament4 ,amsterdam1 #agah4 ,george ,,ii4 ,there are several of ,george ,,ii4 bindings at ,windsor1 made for him when he was ,prince of ,wales4 ,these generally bear the ,prince of ,wales' feathers as a chief motive1 and they often have broad borders1 much of the ornamentation of which contains stamps of crowns1 sceptres1 and birds1 which are attributed to ,eliot and ,chapman4 ,there are other inlaid bindings made for ,george ,,ii4 which often have doublures4 ,some of these are figured in ,mr4 ,holmes's ,bookbindings at ,windsor4 ,bindings of a similar kind that were made for ,frederick ,prince of ,wales1 and for his wife1 the ,princess ,augusta1 are also preserved at ,windsor4 ,these have always heraldic centres1 and generally the broad ,eliot and ,chapman outer borders4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #be4--;,chandler4 ,a ,vindication of the ,defence of ,christianity4 ,london1 #agbh4 ,george ,,ii4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #bf4--;,common ,prayer4 ,cambridge1 #agfj4 ,queen ,charlotte4 ,for ,george ,,iii41 both when ,prince of ,wales and ,king1 books were bound with coloured inlays by ,andreas ,lande4 ,there are specimens of his work both in the ,british ,museum and at ,windsor1 they are not in particularly good taste4 ,during the reign of ,george ,,iii4 a remarkable ,english bookbinder worked in ,london4 ,this was ,roger ,payne2 and1 although he himself does not seem to have bound any royal books1 he strongly influenced many who did1 more particularly ,kalthoeber1 who bound many of the books in the ,king's ,library at the ,british ,museum4 ,although these bindings are by no means so good as their originals1 they are a very great advance upon their immediate predecessors2 and a delicately worked and effective instance covers a copy of the ,gutenburg ,bible now at the ,british ,museum4 ,another ,english binder of note1 ,james ,edwards of ,halifax1 also flourished in the reign of ,george ,,iii4 ,this binder has not1 ,i think1 received sufficient appreciation1 as he discovered an entirely new way of treating vellum by which it was rendered transparent4 ,he painted designs on the under side of the vellum and bound his books with it1 the result being that1 if the vellum is clean on the outside1 the protected painting underneath it is as fresh as when it was first done4 ,a fine example of this curious work is on a copy of a ,prayer ,book1 printed at ,cambridge1 #agfj1 which belonged to ,charlotte of ,mecklenburg1 queen of ,george ,,iii4 7,fig4 #bf74 ,her arms1 in proper heraldic colours1 are in the centre of the upper cover1 enclosed by a blue and gold border of ,etruscan design4 ,at the lower edge is a miniature of a ruin in monotone1 and at each side of the coat and above it are ornamental scrolls1 with conventional flowers1 birds1 animals1 and figures4 ,on the lower cover is a central oval1 with an allegorical figure in monotone1 enclosed in a similar border to that on the upper cover1 at each side of which are flowering trees in urns1 birds1 etc41 and in each panel of the back is also a decorative design4 ,altogether this is the prettiest royal binding done at this period4 ,it has the crowned initials ,c4 ,r4 painted in silver inside the upper cover1 and on the front edge1 in an oval1 is a painting of the ,resurrection under the gold4 ,between this and the edges1 painted for ,james ,,ii41 there were no books adorned in this way for royal owners4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #bg4--,portfolio containing the ,royal ,letter concerning the ,king's ,library4 ,george ,,iv4 ,the bindings done for ,george ,,iv41 at ,windsor1 are generally bound in red morocco1 with heraldic centres and broad borders1 sometimes inlaid with coloured leathers4 ,the borders are sometimes like those used by ,eliot and ,chapman1 and sometimes conventional patterns4 ,a good example in the ,british ,museum is on the cover of the letter written to ,lord ,liverpool by the king in #ahbc1 concerning the gift of his father's library to the nation4 ,a copy of the ,book of ,common ,prayer1 which belonged to ,william ,,iv41 and is now at ,windsor1 is bound in blue morocco4 ,it bears in the centre the star of the ,order of the ,garter1 within a crowned ,garter1 dependent from which is an anchor1 and at the sides ,g4 ,r4 ,,iii4 ,there are anchors in the corners1 and a decorative outer border4 ,the generality of the books belonging to him have the usual heraldic centres1 within borders designed in more or less good taste4 ,the king presented to the ,british ,museum1 and signed with his own name1 an ,inventory of the ,crown ,plate1 #ahcb4 ,it is bound by ,william ,clark1 and bears in the centre the full royal coat-of-arms1 and has a handsome rectangular border of triple gold lines1 broken at each side by bold arabesque ornaments4 ,,epilogue ,in the foregoing detailed descriptions ,i have included only the work of ,english binders4 ,there are1 however1 many books existing that have been bound for ,english royal personages abroad4 ,instances of these occur notably for ,henry ,,viii41 ,elizabeth1 ,james ,i41 ,henrietta ,maria1 ,henrietta ,anna1 ,charles ,,ii41 the ,chevalier ,st4 ,george1 and ,cardinal ,york4 ,it will be noticed that generally the ornamentation of ,english royal books is heraldic1 and that crowned initials are constantly used from the time of ,henry ,,viii4 to ,william ,,iv4 ,to understand the royal coat-of-arms of ,england it is necessary1 at all events1 to note the larger rearrangements of the various quarterings1 which on the ,tudor bindings were simply ,france and ,england1 quarterly4 ,the two great changes took place on the accession of the ,stuart line1 when the coats of ,scotland and ,england were introduced2 and on the accession of the ,hanoverian line1 when the family coat of the ,guelphs was introduced4 ,there are several minor alterations and additions1 but these ,i have mentioned as they have occurred1 and the only other important change to remember is concerning the supporters4 ,from the time of ,henry ,,vii4 until #aebh these were a dragon and a greyhound1 and from that time until ,elizabeth they were a lion and a dragon4 ,since the time of ,james ,i4 they have been a lion and unicorn4 ,badges are constantly found on ,tudor and early ,stuart bindings4 ,they are the well-known ones of ,tudor origin--the double rose1 portcullis1 pomegranate1 fleur-de-lis1 and falcon4 ,the fleur-de-lis remains longest of these4 ,the ,prince of ,wales' feathers is commonly found on books from the time of ,edward ,,vi4 ,the styles of bindings used by these great royal houses have also characteristics common to each of them4 ,the bindings of the ,tudor period are most diversified in styles1 and the majority of the leather books are either bound by ,thomas ,berthelet1 royal binder to ,henry ,,viii41 and his successors1 or in his style4 ,under ,elizabeth1 the ,italian fashion of double boards1 the upper of which is pierced1 was used for very choice work4 ,berthelet took his inspiration originally from ,italian models1 but shortly developed a style of his own4 ,vellum was much used in connection with gold stamped work1 the first use of which in ,england is credited to this binder4 ,illustration3 ,order of the ,coronation of ,george ,,iii4 and ,queen ,charlotte4 ,london1 #agfa4 ,george ,,iii4 ,the bindings of the early ,stuart period may be considered remarkable for the extensive use of what are called semes1 successive and symmetrical impressions from small stamps powdered over the sides of the book2 and the stamped velvet work done at ,little ,gidding is one of the glories of the reign of ,charles ,i4 ,samuel ,mearne was royal binder to ,charles ,,ii41 and many of his bindings are of great beauty4 ,his influence on ,english bookbinding remained for a very long time1 weakening gradually1 until superseded by the newer style introduced by ,roger ,payne4 ,in the time of ,george ,,iii4 there was some improvement in royal bindings due to the imitators of ,roger ,payne1 another binder1 whose influence was strongly felt after his death4 ,eliot and ,chapman1 during the eighteenth century1 introduced the use of broad borders with small stamps1 among which are frequently found crowns and sceptres2 and many of these are found on royal bindings4 ,names of many royal binders1 from early times1 are preserved in various records1 but there is considerable uncertainty about the work of most of them2 and1 although many lists exist of books bound for certain kings by certain workmen1 very few of them have been identified4 ,from the constant appearance of personal badges of different kinds1 it may be considered likely that1 especially among the earlier sovereigns1 considerable personal interest has been taken in the covering of their books4 ,we even find the livery colours of the ,tudors--green and white--duly used on some of their bindings2 and the prevalence of red and blue1 the livery colours of the ,hanoverian line1 is common enough among the ,georgian bindings4 ,,list ,,of ,,most ,,important ,,works ,,consulted ,almack4 ,a ,bibliography of the ,king's ,book4 ,london1 #ahif4 ,burlington ,fine ,arts ,club4 ,catalogue of ,bookbindings4 #ahia4 ,edwards4 ,lives of the ,founders of the ,british ,museum4 ,london1 #ahgj4 ,fletcher4 ,english ,bookbindings in the ,british ,museum4 ,london1 #ahie4 ,holmes4 ,specimens of ,bookbinding selected from the ,royal ,library1 ,windsor ,castle4 ,london1 #ahic4 ,horne4 ,the ,binding of ,books4 ,london1 #ahid4 ,prideaux4 ,an ,historical ,sketch of ,bookbinding4 ,london1 #ahic4 ,tuer4 ,history of the ,horn-,book4 ,london1 #ahif4 ,willement4 ,regal ,heraldry4 ,london1 #ahba4 ,and various articles on ,bookbinding in ,archologia1 ,bibliographica1 ,the ,gentleman's ,magazine1 and ,the ,queen newspaper4 ,transcriber's ,notes3 ,passages in italics are indicated by italics4 ,the original text includes ,greek characters4 ,for this text version these letters have been replaced with transliterations4