Untitled - Monoskop

DATING AND DURATION OF PRIVILEGES
it meant that, as long as Petit and Hangest were both alive, they could go on
invoking the privilege of 24 July 1515 for Hangest's new publications. Petit
was a powerful figure in the French book-trade; Hangest was wealthy and
aristocratic and could wield considerable influence. Even so, such a grant
created a remarkable precedent and it was not until many years later that it
was in fact matched by any 'package' privilege. It may, incidentally, serve as a
warning that if a privilege sometimes seems to be wrongly dated because it
covers a book dealing with events which had not yet taken place when the
privilege was granted, the possibility that it formed part of a generously
worded 'package' privilege should not be forgotten.
Another substantial three-year 'package' privilege, though not on the scale
of the two obtained by Jean Petit, was the one granted to Regnault Chaudiere
at Saint-Germain-en-Laye on 3 May 1519 (CH 1519, 6). Chaudiere had been
to the court at Saint-Germain exactly a month before to get a privilege for two
separate works of Claude de Seyssel (CH 1519, 4, 3 April 1519), but this time
he had secured the magnum opus of Seyssel, La grant monarchic de France, and had
lined up in addition at least four other new books. The privilege of 3 May
1519, signed 'Par le roy, 1'evesque de Troyes, confesseur, et aultres presens,
Gedoyn', is printed in its entirety in each of these five books, except that only
the book in question is named, the other titles being omitted. Thus, as in the
two Jean Petit 'package' privileges already described, it is only comparison of
the books with each other which reveals that it is the same privilege which is
invoked by all of them. (Gedoyn's signature, which was evidently very hard to
decipher, was misread as Hedoyn by four of them and as Godoyn by one: this
is the only variation between them.) Chaudiere's was a more restricted
before he
publishing 'package' than those ofJean Petit: even so, it was 1521
had brought out all five books covered by his privilege of 3 May 1519.
Seyssel's La grant monarchic de France was completed on 2 1 July 1 5 19; Z, Livre de
la discipline d'amour divine on 28 November 1519; Ravisius Textor's Officina on
27 November 1520; Le Cirier's Tractatus de iure primogeniturae on i February
152 1 (Chaudiere specifies that this is calculo romano, i.e. new style); while Quatre
vqyes spirituelles pour aller a Dieu is undated.
Lesser 'package' privileges obtained from the royal chancery which have
come to light, relating to a group of three different books, often similarly omit
any mention of other books covered by the same privilege when printed or
summarised by the beneficiary. (CH 1514, 3; 1515, 7; 1517, i; and 1519, 3 if
we treat Patricius' De regno, and the French translation of it as two separate
items.) None of them show any notable delay, on the privilege-holder's part,
in using the privilege.
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