demaunded of myn exequutors for delapidations. Also wheras Mr. Kempe, one of my Lorde Chancellors gent", became bounden unto me for my Lorde byshoppe of London in iije li, which bounde I thynke is forfeyted by my said L. byshope's defalte, myght it please your woorshyppe allso to be of counsell with me agaynst my saide L. Byshoppe, who hath sundrie wayes injured me, rather then agaynst Mr. Kempe, whom my L. ought to save harmelesse: I shall be much bounden unto your woorshyppe, unto whom I am bolde to sende a poore tooken, for the antiquitie rather then for the value of the same. And so ceassynge further to troble your woorshyppe, I commende the same vnto the moste protection of allmightie Godde. 7 Julij, 1590. 25 Wood bye to my Alexandre Nowell [The following is the inclosure.] One howse in Carter Lane in London joynynge closse to the Deane of Paules howse by one common walle, was freelie letten without takynge of any fyne by the Deane of Paules to a schollar in the Universitie of Cambridge, beinge hys kynseman, towardes the mayntenaunce of hym at his studie, the rente beinge vli, iijs. iiijd. The sayd schollar parted with the said lease to one James Walton, a kynsman of hys, for the somme of xli. The said James Walton parted with the said lease to one James Readfearne, for the somme of xxli. The said lease was made over by the said Readfearne to one James Farrington for a greate somme of money, as is reported. The said Farrington converted firste a parte of the said tenemente, next joynynge unto the said Deane of Paules howse by one common walle, and closse to the cheeke poste of the said Deanes back gate, into a taverne : at the which the Deanes back gate the resorters unto the said taverne doo usuallie unloade them selves of all their drinke taken in the said taverne. Out of the which taverne, offten after xi of the clocke in the night, outcries, filthye and blasphemous wordes are hearde by suche servantes of the Deane as doo lye neare unto yt. And for that the said tenement was inclosed with a mayne stone walle, beinge part of the bounders of the Churchyarde of Paules, granted by the Kinges of Englande unto the Deane and Chaptre of the same, it is covenanted in the said lease that the tenante, his executors, administrators and assignes at their owne propre costes and charges, all the said tenemente with the appurtenances shall mainteyne in all maner of reparations, aswell in greate tymber, stone and leade, as in all other thinges necessarie: which mention of stone was speciallie made for the savynge of the sayd mayne stone walle, beinge the bounder of the churchyarde. Whiche clause notwythstandinge, the said Farrington hath cleane taken downe and caried awaye all the stone of the said mayne walle, which was twoe foote and three inches thicke, and above tenne foote highe, and in lengthe above one hundrethe and fortie foote notwythstandinge he was forbidden by the sayd Deanes servantes, and by the Deane hym selfe put in remembraunce of the said covenante. By the takynge awaye of the which walle, beinge part of the bounders of the churchyarde, the said Deane may be charged for delapidations by hys successor, to the undooynge of his executors. CAMD. SOC. 12. T And whereas even at this presente greate offences are taken with such as converte one tenemente into many small tenementes, the said Farrington hath notwithstandinge, besydes the foresaid taverne, made viij other smale tenementes, buylded with smale tymber, lathe, and some with soe many doores into; and besydes the open doore to the taverne, a privie doore is made to the same. Soe that wheras before there was but twoe doores in the mayne stone walle, one for the inne, and an other for the stable, now there be eleaven doores to those most weake walles, to the greate daunger of the sayd Deane and hys howse, beinge severed from that multitude of entrees and weake buildinges only by one lowe bricke walle, over the which any man may easelie passe. PATENT TO SERES, THE PRINTER. [The following document throws considerable light upon the interesting subject of early printing. (Vide Dibdin's Ames, iv. 195.) William Seres, the elder, was servant to Lord Burghley while he was only Sir W. Cecill, and by the aid of his master procured a patent, dated 4th March, 7 Edw. VI. (Strype's Memor. i. 378, 504), for printing Primers, &c. By what succeeds, it appears (and it is a new point in his biography) that he was long imprisoned and deprived of his books by Queen Mary, and that, to compensate him, Elizabeth, in 1558, gave him the privilege of sole printing not only Primers but Psalters. In 1571 he wished his son to be joined in the patent, and a new grant was made out accordingly. Many years afterwards (subsequent to the death of William Seres, the father, who is supposed to have died before 1579,see Stat. Ordinances, B. fol. 433 b, as quoted by Dr. Dibdin,-though Lord Ellesmere, in a note at the end of the grant, states that the death of William Seres, the father, occurred about 1581,) the validity of the grant of 1571 was questioned, on the ground that no surrender of the grant of 1558 was extant in Chancery. To clear up all doubt a new patent was conceded in 1591, and from the indorsement, in the handwriting of Lord Burghley,-"forasmuch as some question is made touchyng the former Grant, I pray you to cause a new book to be made," we may conclude that it was at his Lordship's instance. In Archæologia, xxv. p. 108, Sir Henry Ellis has inserted Barker's account of the patent granted to William Seres. What succeeds is the draft of the new patent sent to Lord Ellesmere and corrected by him. Among other corrections, he struck out a clause empowering the Sheriffs of London, on behalf of William Seres and his assigns, "to breake uppe and destroy all and every the presses of suche impressions, wheresoever the same may be founde, and to bind suche person or persons with sufficyent seuertie to their good behaviour, as shall presume to offend in any thinge contrary to the purport and intention of theis our Letters Patentes." The note for the information of the Queen, at the end, is in the handwriting of Lord Ellesmere.] Indorsed, in another handwriting, "Mr. Seres Patent ;" and by Lord Ellesmere, "23 Junij, 1591." ELIZABETH, &C. To all printers, bookesellers, and all other our subjectes, greetinge. Whereas by our former Letters Patentes under our Great Seale, bearinge date at Westminster the thirde day of July, in the first yeare of our Raigne, recitinge that where we were duly informed how our late loving subject William Seres, the elder, by the name of William Seres of our citie of London, stacioner and bookseller, had, by the late graunt of our deere brother of worthie memorye, Kinge Edward the Sixt, license to print all maner of Prymers that then were and that from thenceforth shoulde be sett forth agreeable to the booke of Common Prayer at the same tyme established. And in the tyme of our late deere sister, Quene Marye, was not onelie defeated thereof to his great losse, but also was ymprisoned longe tyme and depryved of great multitude of the Prymers, and also of other great nomber of bookes, which tended to his utter undoinge, We, by the same Letters Patentes, were pleased to geve and graunt by the same for us, our heires and successors, of our speciall grace, mere motion and certen knowledge, did geve and graunt full power and authorytie to our said loving subject, William Seres, and his assignes, for and duringe the terme of his naturall lief, to ymprint or cause to be ymprinted, aswell all manner of bookes of pryvatt prayers usually and commonly called or taken for Prymers, as also of Psalters, both in great volumes and in small, in Latyn or Englishe, which then were or att any tyme after that shoulde be sett forth and permitted by us, our heires and successors, or by any other persons thereto authorized by us, to be had, redd, used and taught of our lovinge subjectes, throughout our realmes and dominions, duringe the said terme of his naturall lief, any other priviledge or any other order before that graunted or taken to the contrary notwithstandinge, as by the same our Letters Patentes, amongest other thinges, more plainelie appeareth. And where also in other our Letters Patentes, under our great seale, bearing date at Gorhambury, the xxiij daie of August, in the xiijth yere of our Raigne, yt is conteyned, that the said William Seres, having surrendered to us in due forme the same Letters Patentes as is aforesaid to be cancelled, to the intent notwithstanding that we our Letters Patentes to him the said William Seres the elder, and William Seres the younger his sonne, would vouchsaffe to graunt in forme as after in the said other Letters Patentes ensueth, wherein wee, of our speciall grace, mere motion and certen knowledge, by the said other Letters Patentes, bearinge date on the said xxiijd daye of August, in the xiijth yere of our Raigne, did geve and graunt |
