782, 813, 819-20). He printed for
the use of scholars small editions of classical works. In 1585 he issued
in octavo the Latin Grammar of Peter Ramus, and in 1587 the Latin
Grammar of James Carmichael in quarto (Hazlitt, _Collections and Notes_,
3rd series, p. 17). He was also the compiler of a Dictionary, first
printed about 1588, of which five editions were called for before the
end of the century.

Thomas died in August 1588, and the University, on the 2nd November,
appointed John Legate his successor, as 'he is reported to be skilful
in the art of printing books.' On the 26th April 1589 he received as an
apprentice Cantrell Legge, who afterwards succeeded him. From 1590 to
1609 he appears in the parish books of St. Mary the Great, Cambridge, as
paying 5s. a year for the rent of a shop. He had the exclusive right of
printing Thomas's Dictionary, and he printed most of the books of
William Perkins. He subsequently left Cambridge and settled in London.

[Illustration: FIG. 27.--Device used by John Legate.]

The books printed by these two Cambridge printers show that they had a
good variety of Roman and Italic, very regularly cast, besides some neat
ornaments and initials. Whether these founts belonged to the
University, or to Thomas in the first place, is not clear. Nor do these
books bear out the Bishop of London's statement as to Thomas being
ignorant of printing; on the contrary, the presswork was such as could
only have been done by a skilled workman.

In addition to the foregoing, there were several secret presses at work
in various parts of the country during the second half of the century.
The Cartwright controversy, which began in 1572 with the publication of
a tract entitled _An Admonition to the Parliament_, was carried out by
means of a secret press at which John Stroud is believed to have worked,
and had as assistants two men named Lacy and Asplyn. The Stationers'
Company employed Toy and Day to hunt it out, with the result that it was
seized at Hempstead, probably Hemel Hempstead, Herts, or Hempstead near
Saffron Walden, Essex. The type was handed over to Bynneman, who used it
in printing an answer to Cartwright's book. It was in consequence of his
action in this matter that John Day was in danger of being killed by
Asplyn.

A few years later books by Jesuit authors were printed from a secret
press which, from some notes written by F. Parsons in 1598, and now
preserved in the library of Stonyhurst Co