English in Print from Caxton to Shakespeare to Milton

3. “For the Regulating of Printing”

“ f o r t h e r e g u l a t i n g o f p r i n t i n g ” 83 3“for the regulating of printing” 3.1 The Byble in Englyshe, that is to saye the content of all the holy scrypture, bothe of ye olde and newe testament, truly translated after the veryte of the Hebrue and Greke textes, by ye dylygent studye of dyverse excellent learned men, expert in the forsayde tonges. [Paris: Francis Regnault] and [London]: Richard Grafton and Edward Whitchurch , Cum privilegio ad imprimendum solum, April 1539. dmh 46; ESTC s122342; STC 2068. Shelfmark: uiuC iuq00027. The effort to control the distribution of texts predates printing. In 1401, the De haeretico comburendo, an act of Parliament,threatened anyone found with “books or any such writings of wicked doctrine and opinion” (i.e., Wycliffite or Lollard views) with fines, imprisonment , and even death by burning.1 Henry VIII followed in this tradition, forbidding the Bible in English and all “erroneous,” “blasphemous and pestiferous Englishe books” in a proclamation of 1530 (STC 7775). Though his views on the Bible and the Reformation may have shifted after his divorce, his interest in controlling the press remained steadfast. In November 1538, Henry VIII issued an act requiring every book printed in England to pass “examination made by some of his grace’s privy counsayle, or other suche as his highnes shall appoynte” (STC 7790). Significantly, the Act of 1538 transferred the role of censor from the clergy to secular authorities. 3.1, title page “ f o r t h e r e g u l a t i n g o f p r i n t i n g ” 85 In addition to repeated acts and proclamations concerning printing during the Tudor period,there also arose a system of granting privileges to print particular titles or genres.The practice of granting royal privileges to printers and booksellers might be said to begin under Henry VII, who made Peter Actors Stationer to the King in 1485; the first official Printer to the King was William Faques, so named in 1504. Faques and his successor, Richard Pynson (as of about 1506), printed official state documents (as well as other books) and were permitted to distinguish their imprints with the phrase “cum privilegio regali”(with royal privilege).Soon other printers asked for the privilege to print certain texts,especially profitable ones such as primers, prayer books, Bibles, and law books. In return for a fee to the crown, they might then include the phrase “cum privilegio.” The Act of 1538 is also noteworthy because it required even those with printing patents to submit their texts to the Privy Council for review and to add the phrase “ad imprimendum solum”(for exclusive printing) to their statement of privilege. The first edition of the Great Bible, shown here, is the first book to include this new phrase.There is no doubt it was submitted to the king’s Privy Council, for it was produced at the urging of the king’s chief advisor, Thomas Cromwell (c. 1485–1540). The text is Miles Coverdale’s revision of the Matthew Bible (item 4.14).Like the outlawed Bibles that preceded it,this Bible was to be printed on the Continent.The publishers,Richard Grafton and Edward Whitchurch, arranged for Francis Regnault to print it in Paris. However, the inquisitor-general of France stopped the project, forcing Grafton and Whitchurch to complete the work in London. The Great Bible was the second complete English Bible printed in England, following Richard Taverner’s unauthorized Bible of the same year. The Great Bible went through seven editions between 1539 and 1541.Its large format was required since Henry VIII’s Injunctions of 1538 mandated that the Bible be available for public reading in every church throughout England.It is the first “authorized”English Bible. Literature: Bruce 1978, 67–80; Hotchkiss and Ryrie 1998, item 8.5; Mozley 1953, 201–305; Price and Ryrie 2004, 49–63. 3.2 The prymer in Englishe and Latine after Salisbury vse set out at length wyth many prayers and goodlye pyctures. [London]: The assygnes of John Wayland, 1557. ESTC s122886; STC 16080. Shelfmark: uiuC iua02556. 3.2, fol. dd8v (detail) 86 C a t a l o g o f t h e e x h i b i t i o n...