Untitled - Monoskop

SEEKING AND GRANTING PRIVILEGES
in very cramped quarters. It was in circumstances like these, rather than in
the pomp displayed in Du Prat's monument, that Vincent Cigauld is likely to
have obtained his privilege at Issoire (CH 1516, 2) or Jean Petit at Sancerre
(CH 1521,3).
So eager were some applicants to seize an opportunity of securing a
privilege from the royal chancery that they might seek it for a book which they
could not have ready until several months later- quite a serious matter if the
concession ran from the date of the grant itself (e.g. CH 1514, I (i))- or hold
up a book, which had been completed and dated some time before, until they
could publish it under royal Letters Patent.
Most publishers who sought privileges were content to receive the grant in
their own name, or, in the case of a shared enterprise, their own name plus
that of a partner. Some, however, took the precaution of having their partner
or partners included unnamed, knowing probably that the book would be
published in association with another firm but not having yet completed the
arrangements. Jean Petit's summary of his privilege for the Chronica cronicarum
begins with the words, 'Le roy nostre sire a donne privilege quatre ans a Jehan
Petit, libraire jure de 1'universite de Paris '(et a ses compaignons) pour ceste
presente Carte' (CH 1521, 3): the book was published five months later in
partnership with Frangois Regnault. An earlier privilege obtained by Petit,
for a whole 'package' or programme of books all eventually published by
partnerships which were headed by Petit, must have contained a similar
provision. 1
Occasionally the exclusive right to sell the books, for the period covered by
the privilege, is expressly stated to cover the publisher's factors and agents.
and sell a book 'ou faire vendre et
Symon Gruel had the sole right to print
adenerer tant par luy que ses facteurs entremetteurs' (CH 1520, 6). Michel Le
Noir 'et ses commys' are included in an earlier privilege (CH 1513, 3).
Exceptionally, Francis I granted after his return in 1527 a book-privilege in
the form of Lettres Closes (CH 1527, i) addressed direct to the beneficiary,
Jacques Colin, 2 for editing and arranging for the printing of various translations
by the late Claude de Seyssel of Greek historians, for four years. It was
however primarily a commission to Jacques Colin to do this, preceded by a
preamble declaring the king's interest in promoting learning: the privilege
was an additional encouragement and partial reward ('affin que vous et
vosditz commis soiez plus soigneulx et ententifz a la conduicte dudict euvre et
aucunement rembource et recompense des fraiz et vaccacions que vous y
conviendra faire'). There are clear reasons for this unusual procedure.
1 See below, pp. 1314.
2 On Colin see V. L. Bourrilly, Jacques Colin, abbe de Saint-Ambroise (Paris, 1905), and H. Michaud,
La grande chancellerie, 1
p. 8 1 . On one occasion an author obtained a privilege in the form of Lettres
closes addressed 'Au prevost de Paris ou son lieutenant', beginning 'Supplie humblement nostre
bien ayme Le Moyne sans froc . . .' in favour of Pasquier Le Moyne, the king's portier, for L'ardant
miroir de grace, Paris, 3 August 1519 (CH 1519, 9).
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