york00orns

THE NEW LEARN'ING. 221
The importing and selling of printed books was
carried on in the first decade of the sixteenth century
by a brother of Frederic Freez, Gerard by
name, who afterwards adopted the surname of
Wanseford. In all likelihood he also was a " bukeprynter."
" We may plausibly conjecture," says
Mr. Davies, " that the two Dutchmen who ultimately
settled at York, had, before they migrated to England,
belonged to that noble band of printers of
whoni the great AVynkyn de \Vorde was one, who
are said to have worked under Faust and Caxton at
Mentz and Koln."^ Certain it is from Gerard's will,
which bears date 3rd October, 15 10, that Wynkyn de
Worde was an intimate friend of the testator. The
statute passed i Richard III.,c. ix., by which foreign
printers and stationers were invited to come to England,
and the encouragement given by it to the
importation of printed books gave unquestionably
no trifling impetus to the progress of the art itself in
this country.
All this was silently preparing the way for what is
known as the New Learning. It was assuredly needful
that some effort should be made to promote the
cultivation of a higher literature, both in tlie grammar-schools
and in the universities of England. In
the former no instruction whatever was given in the
Greek language, whilst in the latter its study was
discouraged in every possible way. It was even
declaimed against from the pulpit as an infallible
source and fountain of heresy and irreligion.
' " Memorials of York Tress," p. 9.