Below the title is a woodcut of a male and female centaur or satyr shaking hands, repeated before Dialogue xc. enclosed within borders of two different patterns, and at the back of the title are two other half-length woodcuts at the top, of an old and a young man talking, and at the bottom, of an old man and a young prince holding a sceptre. Then follows the prologue, one page, and "the Table, shewyng the natures and effectys of all Creatures by the maner of persuasyon," five pages, at the end of which is another cut, also repeated before Dialogue xcviii. The work then commences, the first Dialogue being "Of the Sonne and the Mone." As examples of these and of the curious woodcuts, we give the one "Of a Luce and a Tenche," Dialogue xliiii. And "Of the Wolf and the Asse," Dialogue cvii. This latter cut is repeated on the recto of the last leaf of TT iv., occupying the whole page. Vppon a tyme ther was a Fissler that fisshed and hydde his hook in sotellye, and shewid unto the fissh the delycyous bayte. A Luce and a Tenche beholdynge tho plesaunte bayte desyrid it greatlye. But the Luce was wytty, and sayd to the Tenche, This mete seemyth very good and delicate, but neuerthelesse I trowe that it be putte here to deceyue Fisshes. Therfor let us forsake it, that we be not loste by the fowle apetyte of glotonye. Tenche then spoke and sayde, It is but folye to forsake soe goode a morsell and so delycyous, for a lytle vayne dred. For rather I myself shal attaste of it first, and dyne with it with great plesure and swettenesse. And tarye thou and behold my chaunce. And whyle that she swalowyd in the mete, she felte the hookys that were hydde. And she wolde fayne haue returnyd bakwarde. But the Fissher pluckyd her up to him, and the Luce fledde swyftelye bye, and sayd thus, Of other mennys sorowe corected mote we be Saye that fro parell we nowe escape free. So we owe to be ware by correccyon and hurte of other men, as sayth Caton, The hurte of thy neyboure moste chastise thee: and Seneca saith, Goode it is to espye what is to be lefte by th' punyshment of others: and also he sayth, A wyseman amendeth his own fawt by consyderaceyon of another manys fawte: and also the same clerke saith, He is wyse that can disspose well his besynes, and beware of harm to himself by example of other men, as Isop reherseth in his Fablis. That a Lyon was syke and faynte, and laye in his cave. To whome there came dyuers beastes to vysyte hym in his infirmyte. And when he sawe auauntage and they were nere hym, he caught Them and ete them. At laste came the Foxe unto him for cause of vysita cyon, and stode all withoute, before the mouth of the caue, and wolde not entyr in to the caue for he dredde to come nere the Lyon. To whome the Lyon sayde, Come hyder my dere sustre that we may frendely and louyngly talke togeder. The Foxe answerde and sayde thus to the Lyon, Certaynly I espye well the fotynge of dyuers bestis goynge inwarde. But I see noon comynge outwarde; and therefore pardone me for I will come no nere. Of the Wolf and the Asse. The wolf on a tyme sawyd with the asse, but ye asse labowrid full truly aboue. the wolf was malycyous, and drewe the sawe vndernethe, sekynge an Occasyon to deuowre the asse. wherfore he made quarell agayne him and sayde. Why doyste thow throwe the duste into myn Ien, the asse answerde and sayde, I doo not so to the, but I gouern the sawe perfightly aftyr my wytte and connynge. If thow wilt sawe aboue I am pleasyd, and I shal labowre beneth trulye. To whom the wolf sayde I can not. But and yf thow throwe any more duste in to myn Ien, I shal put owte both thyn Ien. and they thus sawynge the wolf blewe with all his power wyllynge y the duste shulde flye in to the Ien of his felowe, but ye tymber stoppid it, and cawsid the dust to fall in to the Ien of the wolf, and he was greuously paynid and sware that he wolde ouirthrowe the portars and berars. But the tymber fell sodeynly by the rightfull jugement of God and oppressed the wolf and kylled hym. The asse lept and sauyd himself and sayde. Many one that thinkith his Neybowre to kyll Is slayne with that same swerde sore agayn his wil. Thus doo malycyows people that laye nettis to deceyue ther neybowris, and to take them. But as it is wrytten Eccle. xxvii. He that ordeynith a pitte for his Neybowre shal fall in to it him self, as Isope inducith a fable and shewith yt he yt labowrith to disceyue other folkes, god shall suffir him to be begilyd and dampnyd, and forth he bringeth an example and saith That on a tyme a mous came to a grete waterside, and durste not swym ouir, and a frogge espied him, and thoughte to deceyue him, and sayde. Thou art welcome brodir and frende. It is sayde that frendeship is prouyd in necessite. Wherfor come with me, for I can swym right wele. The mous trustid wel and suffirde him self to be fast bownde to the foote of ye Frogge, and as they swam the frogge descendyd in to the watir and drownyd the mous and kylled her. and at the laste ther came a kyte fleynge ouir and espied the mows and caught her and the Frogge also and ete them both. and therfore saith Isope. So mote they perissh y wil speke fayre and deceyue, for it is worthy that punysshment retourne to him that causith it. It will thus be seen from the quotations we have made, and the specimens of the cuts here given, that the Volume is highly curious and full of interest; and we cannot but feel surprised that it has not been described at length by any of our bibliographers, except by Mr. Haslewood in his elegant reprint of the work noticed in our next article. It is remarkable also that a work of so much interest, and so frequently reprinted abroad, should have been confined to this one solitary English impression. So that it can scarcely be wondered at that it should have become so rare. It is believed to have been translated by John Rastall, and may perhaps be considered as one of the earliest volumes of Fables that was published in this country. It is seldom that a copy of this rare and curious work occurs for sale by auction. A copy damaged by worms sold in Heber's Cat., pt. viii. No. 718, for 77. 108.; Inglis's ditto, 127. 58.; White Knights ditto, pt. i. No. 1351, 157.; and Gardner's ditto, No. 638, 307. There are copies in the British Museum, and in the Bodleian Library. : Collation Sig. A to X four leaves each, then A A to TT4 in fours. The Colophon is on the reverse of TT3 as given at the commencement. The last leaf on the recto is a repetition of the woodcut to the Dialogue of the Wolf and the Asse; on the reverse, those of "the Ape that wrote bookes, and of a beaste callyd Bubalus that was a shomaker." Bound by Charles Lewis. In Fawn coloured Morocco, gilt leaves. *DIALOGUES (The) of Creatures Moralised. Applicable and edifying to every merry and jocund matter, and right profitable to the governance of men. Edited by Joseph Haslewood. London, Printed by Bensley and Son, for Robert Triphook, 37, St. James's Street. 1816. 4to, pp. 296. Owing to circumstances of an unfortunate kind this very handsome reprint by Mr. Haslewood of the Dialogues of Creatures. Moralised is now become almost as rare as the original work. Of the ninety-eight copies which were printed by Bensley all save forty-two were destroyed in the calamitous fire which took place on their premises, and proved so destructive. This elegant reprint contains a Dedication to James Bindley, Esq., and a copious Introduction by the Editor, giving an account of the original English edition and a list of some of those other numerous foreign editions, including a few other particulars, to which we have been ourselves indebted, shewing the popular nature of the subject. The reprint is profusely adorned with woodcuts of the fables belonging to the work, besides the representations of some of the curious ornamental capital letters given as head and tail pieces which add so much to the interest of the reprint. It is to be regretted however that the cuts belonging to the Dialogues are not taken from the English edition, so as to make it an exact fac-simile of the original, but are adopted from a folio Latin edition printed at Gouda by Gerard Leeu in 1481. Bindley's copy of the reprint sold at his sale, pt. ii. No. 557, for 27. 98. ; Strettell's ditto, No. 810, 37. 38. There were two copies taken off on Large Paper. Collation: The Title, Dedication, Introduction and list of Contents 16 VOL. III. PART I. DD |