Department of Printed Books: Acquisitions from the ... - British Library

Parron . . . anni presentis millesimi quingentesimi
tercii pronsticon [sic] libellus.
[RichardPynson,]z^DGcembcr 1502. 4":a-c'^.
The only known copy of one of the earliest
surviving prognostications published in
England. Parron, an Italian, was attached on a
semi-official basis to the court of Henry VII and
produced a series of prognostications in Latin
and English in 1498-1503. Bernard Capp in
Astrology and the Popular Press (1979), notes
that Parron's prognostications are sycophantic
in tone but that he 'disappeared abruptly—
perhaps as a result of the embarrassing death of
the queen at the age of thirty-seven after he had
predicted that she would live to be eighty'. A
contemporary manuscript note after the colophon
reads 'a richardo pynson incorrecte impressa
ut patet per correctionem pennae': and
there are indeed several manuscript corrections
of misprints in the same hand.
494.10.
C.i45.f.i.
*A S u M or a brief collection of holy signes, sacrifices
and sacraments, euen since the beginnmg
of the worlde. And the true originall of the
sacrifice of the masse. Translated out of
French into Englishe by N. Lynge. Printed by
Rouland Hall, 1563. 8«: a" A-L^ M".
The French original of this work is untraced.
The translator in his preface explains his
intention of clearing away the accretions of
idolatry and superstition that surround the
Christian sacraments and purging 'the church
of England fro so many blinde and dumme
ceremonies'. The author ascribes the blame for
the gradual corruption of the early Christian
practices to the early Bishops of Rome wbo were
imposing the heathen practices of Numa Pompilius,
the pre-Christian King of Rome. This
edition is the first of four editions listed in the
STC. With Hall's device {McKerrow 142) on
the title-page.
23433.
103
*WHEATHILL, Anne. A handfull of holesome
(though homelie) hearbs, gathered out of
the goodlie garden of Gods most holie word;
for the common benefit and comfortable exercise
of all such as are deuoutlie disposed. Collected
and dedicated to all religious ladies,
gentlewomen, and others. Imprinted by
H. Denham, 1584. 12°: a-n^-^ (the first leaf in
each gathering is signed in the upper case).
Anne Wheathill describes herself on the titlepage
as 'gentlewoman' but nothing further is
known about her. This most attractively produced
book comprises forty-nine prayers, each
page within a woodcut border, and with Denham's
device {McKerrow 214) on the verso of
the last leaf. The prayers are remarkably readable,
clear and unpretentious, though whether
this is just an illusion caused by tbe clear type or
has something to do with the sex of the author
it is difficult to say. Only one other copy is
recorded (at the Folger library).
25329. C.i45.f 13.
*WHITTINGTON, Robert. Roberti Whittintoni
. . . lucubraitones [sic]. De synonimis . . .
De epithetis . . . De veterum romanorum
magistratibus. Impressiim p me wynandu dc
worde, 1519. 4^': A» B" C** D"^ E^
This is one of ten grammatical tracts by
Whittington which were used extensively in
schools in the early sixteenth century and which
were printed predominantly by Wynkyn de
Worde. Due to heavy use, all such grammars are
rare today. The Lucubrationes is a kind of
dictionary used by pupils in the second form to
learn Latin composition. The work is in three
main parts: the first lists Latin synonyms
alphabetically by their English equivalent (e.g.
softely/sensim, paulatim, lente, peditentim
[su]); the second lists Latin epithets or nouns
used for people or things as tbey occur in
classical literature (e.g. coluber/tortilis, gelidus,
intortus, tortuosus); the third gives Latin explanations
of terms in Roman government.