onge other of your servantes sendes unto
yow peas. helthe. Joye and victorye upon your Enemyes/ Right highe
puyssant and." The text ends on the seventy-third recto, thus:--"And
sende yow thaccomplisshement of your hye noble. Joyous and vertuous
desirs Amen:/: Fynysshid the lastday of Marche the yer of our lord god.
a. thousand foure honderd and LXXIIII. *. *. *. *." The seventy-fourth
leaf is blank.

It is unnecessary to say that this book seldom comes into the market.
The recorded sales are very few. In 1682 R. Smith sold a perfect copy
for 13s. 2d. In 1773 J. West's copy was bought by George III. for.L32
0s. 6d. Alchorne's imperfect copy was bought by Inglis for L54 12s., and
at the sale of his books found a purchaser in Lord Audley for L31 10s.,
and was again transferred, in 1855, to the possession of Mr. J. Cunliffe
for L60 l0s. 0d.[3] Mr. J. Holford's copy was bought at the Mainwaring
sale for L101.

The last copy offered for sale was described in one of Mr. Bernard
Quaritch's catalogues issued in 1872, and the account given by that
veteran bibliopole is well worth reproduction.

CAXTON'S GAME AND PLAY OF CHESS MORALIZED, (translated 1474) FIRST
EDITION, folio, 65 LEAVES (of the 72), bound in old ruffia gilt, L400.

[Blackletter: Fynyshid the last day of Marche the yer of our Lord God,
a thousand foure hondred and lxxiiii....]

An extremely large, though somewhat imperfect copy of

THE FIRST BOOK PRINTED IN ENGLAND, from Caxton's press.

Mr. Blades quotes 9 copies (4 perfect, 5 imperfect), the present is the
10th known copy, and is TALLER than even the Grenville--hitherto the
tallest known copy; my copy measures 11-1/8 inch in height by 8 in
width, whilst the Grenville copy (also imperfect) is only 11
inches high.

COLLATION of _my copy_:

[Blackletter: This Booke conteyneth iiii traytees] 1 _leaf_.
[Blackletter: This first chapiter of the first tractate] 1 _leaf_.
[Blackletter: The trouthe for to do Justice right wysly,]
etc. to the end 62 _leaves_.
_The last leaf with the date:_
[Blackletter: In conquerynge his rightful inheritance,]
_ending:_ [Blackletter: fynyshed], _etc._ 1474 1 _leaf_.
-------------
65 leaves.

My copy wants therefore 7 leaves, the two blank ones being out of
question. The imperfections inc