Untitled - Monoskop

DISPLAY AND ADVERTISEMENT OF PRIVILEGES
when they intended to print the text in full elsewhere in the book, and said so.
Thus Claude Chevallon printed on the title-page 'Cum gratia et priuilegio
biennii ut proxima patebit pagella', referring to what was on the verso
(PA 1519, 4(1, 2, 3, 5) ), though he omitted to mention the privilege at all on
the title-page in another book in the same series (PA 1519, 4(4)). And
Gaspard Philippe of Bordeaux printed 'Cum priuilegio ad triennium ut in fine
sequentis tabule', referring to the position at the end of the table of contents
which he had chosen to display the text of his Letters Patent (CH 1520, 10).
Conrad Resch even printed a full summary of his privilege on the title-page of
a book by Gervase Waim, directing attention to its contents and explaining
exactly where it was to be found 'in instrumento e facie libri impresso' when
the document is indeed printed verbatim facing the first page of the text of the
book (CH 1519, 1(1).
Not all privilege-holders thought it necessary to provide any particulars.
From 1507 onwards, books are to be found, printed and published in France,
which bear only the words 'Cum priuilegio' or 'Cum gratia et priuilegio' or
'Avec privilege'. In the course of making the present study, I have found
formula is distinct from
seventy-three, and there are probably more. (This
'Cum priuilegio regis', which at least shows that the authority which issued
the grant was the royal chancery.) A further twenty-two add to this formula
the duration of the privilege, the earliest example of this variant coming from
Durand Gerlier (CP 1517, 2). The first use of the 'Cum priuilegio' formula,
with no further particulars, seems to be at Lyon (CP 1509, 2). The largest
number found for any one year is twenty-two, in 1520. It appears to decline in
There is no reason to
popularity after this, for the remaining years up to 1526.
doubt that an authentic privilege lay behind these uninformative
announcements. Henri Estienne, being the holder of valid Parlement privileges,
put only 'Cum priuilegio ne quis temere hoc ab hinc duos annos
imprimat' (PA 1512, 7), and 'Cum priuilegio' (PA 1518, 7) in the books in
question. It would have been a grave offence to claim a privilege where there
was none, and an offence easily exposed.
Publishers and printers who put only 'cum priuilegio' on the title-page
presumably relied upon being asked for details by any fellow-members of the
booktrade who desired to reprint that book when it was no longer protected by
privilege. Sometimes requests to be shown the privilege are indeed antici-
pated. Badius said on the title-page of his own edition of Quintilian,
'Vaenundantur cum gratia et priuilegio', and then 'Priuilegii forma, cuius
prolixior est explicatio, apud Badium est, qui omnibus iure petentibus eius
vidende faciet potestatem.' It was in fact a Parlement privilege, for two years,
in the Parlement
granted on 1 6 January 1516, as we know from the entry
register (PA 1516, 2). On another occasion, Badius made a longer statement
to the same effect on the last page of a book (CP 1519, 2):
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