he common use of the
same ornaments points in the same direction. The only difference between
the black letter in use by Pynson in the first years of the sixteenth
century and that of his contemporaries, is the occurrence of a lower
case 'w' of a different fount.

In 1509 Pynson is believed to have introduced Roman type into England,
using it with his scholastic type to print the _Sermo Fratris Hieronymi
de Ferraria_. In the same year he also issued a very fine edition of
Alexander Barclay's translation of Brandt's _Shyp of Folys of the
Worlde_. In this, the Latin original and the English translation are set
side by side. The book was printed in folio in two founts, one of Roman
and one of black letter. It was profusely illustrated with woodcuts
copied from those in the German edition.

About 1510 Pynson became the royal printer in the place of W. Faques,
and continued to hold the post until his death. At first he received a
salary of 40s. per annum (_see_ L. and P. H. 8, vol. 1, p. 364), but
this was afterwards increased to L4 per annum (L. and P. H. 8, vol. 2,
p. 875). In this capacity he printed numbers of Proclamations, numerous
Year-books, and all the Statutes, and received large sums of money. In
1513 he printed _The Sege and Dystrucyon of Troye_, of which several
copies (some of them on vellum) are still in existence. Other books of
which he printed copies on vellum are the _Sarum Missal_ of 1520, and
_Assertio Septem Sacramentorum_ of 1521.

Besides these and his official work, Pynson printed numbers of useful
books in all classes of literature. The works of Chaucer and Skelton and
Lydgate, the history of Froissart and the Chronicle of St. Albans; books
such as _AEsop's Fables_ and _Reynard the Fox_, romances such as _Sir
Bevis of Hampton_ are scattered freely amongst works of a more learned
character. On the whole he deserves a much higher place than De Worde.
It is rare, indeed, to find a carelessly printed book of Pynson's,
whilst such books as the Boccaccio of 1494, the Missal printed in 1500
at the expense of Cardinal Morton, and known as the Morton Missal, and
the _Intrationum excellentissimus liber_ of 1510 are certainly the
finest specimens of typographical art which had been produced in this
country.

[Illustration: FIG. 10.--Richard Pynson's Device.]

Pynson's earliest device, as Mr. Duff has noted, resembled in many ways
that of Le Talleur, and consisted of his initials cut on wood. In 1496
he u