Untitled - Monoskop

GRANT OF PRIVILEGE AND PERMISSION TO PRINT
Other applicants evidently preferred to begin their petition by asking the
court's leave to publish the book, and follow this up by asking that others should
be prevented from doing so. When granting a request presented in this form the
Parlement usually, though not invariably, gave its leave and said so explicitly.
Among the earliest requests for Parlement privileges were those submitted
by greffiers for the Coutumes of their district. The text of the Coutumes was so
the business of the Parlement itself that it was natural for the
eminently
greffiers to begin by asking for leave to have it printed (e.g. 'Us . . .
requeroient
que, pour les recompenser de leurs peines, leur feust permis icelles Coustumes
faire imprimer a leur prouffict', PA 1510, 2) and then seek the exclusive rights
in it. Some other applicants followed suit. Jean Petit sought permission as well
as privilege for Raulin's sermons ('il requeroit permission luy estre faicte de
exposer et mettre en vente ung livre intitule Opus sermonum'} and the Parlement
audit Petit libraire
gave it ('Et tout considere la court a permis et permet
mettre et exposer en vente ledit livre', PA 1512, i). However, there are
in which no reference whatever is
throughout the period Parlement privileges
made either to permission having been sought or to permission having been
granted: 1
these are indeed more numerous than those where permission is
mentioned. There are even cases where the applicant began by asking per-
mission and where the court in its reply made no reference to this but simply
granted the request for a privilege (PA 1515, i).
Whether or not the arret mentioned expressly the seeking or giving of
permission, the Parlement often recorded that it had taken steps to satisfy
itself about the contents of the book before reaching its decision. Frequently it
appointed commissioners to 'visit' or inspect the copy submitted by the
applicant and to report on it. An early example uses the words 'oy le rapport
des commissaires deputez par la court a visiter ledict livre' (PA 1510, 3). A
common formula was 'Oy le rapport de certain commissaire commis a veoir et
visiter ledict livre' (e.g. PA 1512, i ) . Such a commissioner might be a member
of the court itself: thus, 'Oy le rapport de certain conseiller d'icelle court'
(PA 1512, 9). More often the task was probably delegated to a member of a
court like the Chambre des Enquetes. Sometimes a specialist opinion was sought.
Thus before granting a privilege for Le mirouer de penitence the Parlement
consulted the Penitentiary of the diocese of Paris, recording that it had heard
the report of 'Maistre Jehan Bricot, docteur en theologie, et Penitencier de
Paris, auquel ledit livre a este par ordonnance de ladite court communique'
(PA 1512, 3). For a commentary on the Sentences by Guillermus de Rubione,
the Parlement heard the report of its own commissioner and also of certain
theologians which it had summoned with him to give their opinion, 'ouy le
raport de certain commissaire commis a veoir et visiter ledit livre, appeles
avec luy aucuns Theologiens, et ouy leur raport' (PA 1518, 3). For the first
1
E.g. PA 1512, 9; 1514, i; 1514, 5; 1514, 9; 1514, 10; 1515, 2; 1516, 8; 1517, i; 1517, 2; 1517, 6;
15*7, 7; 1518, i; 1518, 3; 1519, 3; 1520, i.
1 06