Divi Cypriani Epistolarum volumina ducenta septuagintaquinque. CC.LXXV. Biblie cum opusculo Aristee volumina quingenta quinquaginta.

D.L.

Silii Italici cum. C. Calphurnio et Hesiodo volumina ducenta septuagintaquinque. CC.LXXV. Orationum. M. Tul. Ciceronis cum Invectivis omnibus in Antonium. Verrem. Catilinam et ceteros volumina ducenta septuagintaquinque. CC.LXXV. P. Ovidii Nasonis Metamorphoseos et Elegiarum omnium volumina quingenta quinquaginta.

Nicolai de Lyra volumina Mille Centum.

D.L. M.C.

Horum omnium voluminum summa ut tua pietas perspicit pater Beatissime nisi fallimur efficit codices duodecies mille quadringentos septuaginta quinque; acervum quidem ingentem et nobis Impressoribus tuis ad ferendum qua parte restat intolerabilem: propter eam quam in initio epistole posueramus necessitatem. nam ingens sumptus ad victum necessarius cessantibus emptoribus ferri amplius a nobis nequit. Et ementes non esse nullum est gravius testimonium quam quod domus nostra satis magna plena est quinternionum inanis rerum necessariarum. In te igitur clementissime pater qui es sapientissimus doctissimusque, spes nostra sita est, in te subveniendi nostre necessitati est copiarum ne pereamus. Da nobis subsidium de excelso throno majestatis tue; parati sumus pro clementie tuo arbitrio de nostra merce id est de impressis quinternionibus nostris tibi tot tradere: quot volueris et quibus volueris. Tua incredibilis mansuetudo subveniat nobis de aliquo officio ut possimus nos et nostros alere. Impensa est facta in solius Nicolai de Lyra a nobis voluminibus tanta ut amplius nihil nobis supersit ad vivendum. Si venderemus opera nostra non solum a tua pietate nihil peteremus: Sed ultro in presentium temporum articulo in quo te plurium egere non nescimus: ipsi nostra offerremus. faciemusque quotiens tuo adjumento fortuna nobiscum usa esse videbitur fronte sereniore. Interea pater sancte adjuvent nos miserationes tue: quia pauperes facti sumus nimis. Sis perpetuo sospes et felix pater Beatissime. Rome. xx. Marcii. M.CCCC.LXXII. Pontificatus tui Clementissimi Anno Primo.

[TRANSLATION.]

It was a common and familiar belief among the Gentiles, most holy father, Pope Xystus the IV., that all other beings obeyed the Gods, but that the twelve Gods themselves, even those distinguished as chiefs, and named the great Gods, obeyed Necessity alone. For She exercises a tyrannical sway among all the deities, without any appeal. Now, your wisdom and benignity, more than anything else, can prevent this from seeming to be affirmed with truth amongst Christians also, and that you will graciously deign to prevent it, the humble servants of your Holiness, Conrad Sweynheim and Arnold Pannartz, our printers and the first workers in this most useful art of impressing, and the greatest printers in the city, implore, at the feet of your Holiness, venerating the ground upon which you tread: I, your devoted subject, have written other letters in my own name, this I have written in theirs, to the august person of your predecessor first, and to your own afterwards. The prayer of the printers, who are now struggling with such a mass of paper, and are ready to give way under it,

unless your benevolence assists them; is this, most holy Father: We, first of all, introduced an art of so great utility from Germany into your Roman court, at much labour and expense, in the time of your predecessor. Through our example we incited other book printers to make a like attempt. Whilst the rest, on account of the greatness of the expenses, either entirely or in great part, failing in this important undertaking, stuck fast, as it were, in the difficult part of the road; we, with more vigorous determination and with redoubled energy, yet with the greatest difficulty, have held on. Now at last, yielding in strength and spirit alike, we implore your august aid. If you will read the list of works printed by us, Father, you, a man of such Majesty and apostolic dignity, will wonder that either paper or designs (types) could be supplied for such a number of books. And that you may have the opportunity of reading it, distracted as you are with the cares of the Pontificate-this letter to you shall contain nothing in addition. When you have heard merely the names of such great authors, if we understand your kindliness, you cannot but come to our assistance, nor will you be prevented, by any pressure of business or difficulty whatsoever, from doing so. The books, which will be noticed by you, most holy Father, in their own order in the list submitted, have been printed by our efforts.

[Here follows the list of books.]

The sum of all these volumes, as you will see, Holy Father, in your Goodness, comes, unless we mistake it, to 12,475, a vast pile and intolerable for us, your printers, on whom it rests to bear through the need we have mentioned in the beginning of the letter. For we can no longer meet the immense outlay required for support, when purchasers fail. And there is no stronger evidence of the dearth of purchasers than the fact that our house, which is spacious enough, is full of Books and empty of the necessities of life. In you, beneficent Father, who are most wise and learned, rests our hope, in you lies the power to help us in our need, and save us from destruction. We are prepared at your direction to give from our goods, i.e., from the books printed by us, as many as you wish and to whom you wish. May your kindliness, which is beyond belief, help us by one service or another to maintain ourselves and families. We have incurred such expense on the volumes of Nicolaus de Lyra alone, that we have nothing left to live on. If we could only sell our works, we not only refrain from asking anything of your goodness, but would even contribute from our own means in the present juncture, when we are aware that your Holiness has many needs. And this we will do when Fortune by your assistance shall be seen to turn to us a brighter look. Meanwhile, Holy Father, may your compassion relieve us, for we are in extreme poverty. May you have constant health and happiness, most Holy Father.

Rome, 20 March, 1472, first year of your most clement reign.

J

MISERERES

IN

MANCHESTER

THE

CATHEDRAL.

BY THE REV. E. F. LETTS, M.A.

HE Cathedral, once Collegiate Church, of Manchester contains a series of the most elaborately carved stalls. While their massive solidity has withstood the ravages of time for four centuries, the delicacy of the tabernacle work remains unrivalled in perpendicular work. I will not describe the upper part of the stalls, but will confine myself to the actual seats themselves, upon the lower side of which, unseen to any except the penetrating and inquisitive antiquary, are carved most curious bosses of wood. The church of Manchester was apostolic-that is, everything goes in twelves: twelve clerestory windows in choir and nave, twelve bays, twelve altars, and so twelve stalls on each side of choir, with niches for twelve times twelve saints, which, however, seem never to have been placed in them. Besides these side stalls there were three return stalls on each side at the western end, for the purpose of shutting in and protecting from draught the entire choir. These were connected with massive doors and covered with an elaborate screen, from which the gospel was read and sermons preached to the laity in the nave, and upon which the holy rood or rod, ie.,

the crucifix, stood, accompanied by the figures of S. Mary and S. John. The socket of this rood can still be seen under the organ case.

There being then thirty stalls, the same number of sub-cellæ or misereres are found under the seats, fifteen on each side, of which three are return stalls, i.e., facing east, and twelve north and south.

The use of the bracket or miserere was, as its name imports, to show a little mercy upon tired legs and backs during the recitation of the psalms in the daily offices. It was a quasi seat when the real seat was turned up to lean against, but too shallow to sit upon, and if the occupant tried to do so the whole seat revolved upon its pivots and threw the sitter forward. The ancient offices of the church

to be said daily were seven,-lauds, prime, terce, sext, nones, vespers, and compline, besides, of course, the daily celebration (often more than once) of the holy eucharist. For convenience' sake lauds and prime were said together, one after the other, but early in the morning; they are coincident with and closely resembling our modern morning prayer. Likewise terse, sext, and nones were often said at noon, while vespers and compline (which again gave the model of our evensong) concluded the day. At each of these offices about four psalms, besides canticles and hymns were recited, 4 × 7 = 28 + 7 canticles + 7 hymns=42 standings to sing daily, besides endless versicles. and responses. Our predecessors must not therefore be considered lazy because they allowed some slight assistance to tired limbs. Having described the use of the miserere, our next consideration is its form and appearance. The ledges of the misereres in Manchester Cathedral are septagonal in shape, moulded in triplet at the outer edges, and so beautifully let into the back of the seat that not one of them seems ever to have started or got loose. Below these

ledges are groups of carved oak in the shape of bosses, and upon these groups the fancy of the medieval artist seems to have run riot. I know of no cathedral in England where the subjects are treated more racily and freshly than here. Perhaps the sub-cellæ of King Henry VII.'s chapel at Westminster Abbey approach the nearest to ours in point of excellence. Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Cheshire were, I think, visited by one particular carver about the beginning of the sixteenth century, as one can almost trace the same hand in the "Little Red-riding-hood" of Chester Cathedral, "The blacksmith shoeing a goose" and "The friar fox preaching to the geese" of Whalley Abbey, as identical with "The sow playing the bagpipes for her sucklings to dance to," of Manchester. The same with Punch wheeling his wife Judy in a barrow is shown at Ripon, while at S. John's, Beverley, no less than fifteen of our subjects are repeated with the same flowers, fruit, and surroundings, the same touch and the same spirit, putting it beyond a doubt that the same carver was employed upon both churches, if not the others. After a very careful examination, I have come to the conclusion that three separate hands were employed in carving our misereres. The first one, who is facile princeps, is noted for his scenes. His figures, whether human or animal, are extremely good, and he gets in all the details in a truly wonderful and comprehensive way; each group tells its own story, and like Hogarth's pictures, the more you look at them the more you see in them. The under carving is wonderful.

The second carver delights almost exclusively in fabulous animals, which are often most ingenious and grotesque, but neither in delicacy of finish nor originality of conception can he be compared to the first.

The third hand is evidently that of an apprentice. The subjects are clumsy attempts to copy the second carver's