Part 5 (1/2)

William Horman, who is presumed to have been the author of the _Introductoriue; in 1477 he becae, Oxford, and he was eventually chosen Vice-Provost of Eton He survived till 1535 Froleaned that Horman was a pupil of Dr Caius, poet-laureate to Edward the Fourth

Of the _Gradus Comparationum_ the subjoined may be received as a specimen:--

”What nownes e that maye be made more or lesse: as fayre: fayrer: fayrest: black, blacker, blackest How rees of comparacyon ben there? iij the positiue ? coedre? For he is the groude and the begynner of all other degrees of coparyson Hoe ye the colysshe lysshe endeth in r, as re? for he passeth his posityue with engysshe lisshe endeth in est: as moost fayre or fayrest, aria_ of William Horman, 1519, is perhaps one of the most intrinsically curious and valuable publications in the entire range of our early philological literature It would be easy to fill such a slender volume as that in the hands of the reader with sa the store, but I must contentand instructive:--

”Physicians, that be all sette to wynne money, bye and sylle our lyues: and so ofte tyreat and a sore pryce _Aniociantur, &c_

”Papyre fyrste was ypt: and syth it is rude pressed and sreattest and hyest of pryce: is papyre iustissimum papyrum, &c_

”The prynters haue founde a crafte to make bokis by brasen letters sette in ordre by a frae hathe alraphia librarioru qstu pene exhavsit_

”Yf the prynters take e of theyr moldis: the warke is vtterly iven without the Latin equivalents, which have no particular interest

”Scryueners write with blacke, redde, purple, gren, blewe, or byce: and suche other

Parchement leues be wonte to be ruled: that there et: also streyte lynes of equal distaunce be draithyn: that the wryttyngchourles can not suffre yoge children to be mery

I haue lefte my boke in the tennys playe

This ynke is no better than blatche

Frobeynes prynt is called better than Aldus: but yet Aldus is neuer the lesse thanke worthy: for he began the fynest waye: and left sauple by the whiche other were lyghtly provoked and taughte to deuyse better

There is come a scoolle of fysshe

The tems is frosne ouer with yse

The trompettours blowe a fytte or a ood felowes that haue swete mouthes

The mokis of charter-house: neuer ete fleshe len

We shall haue a iuncket after dyner

Serue ht