hlets. The first dated book printed in England was
Lord Rivers's translation (revised by Caxton) of _The Dictes or sayengis
of the philosophres_ (1477). From this time until his death in 1401
Caxton was busy writing and printing. His services to English
literature, apart from his work as a printer (see TYPOGRAPHY), are very
considerable. His most important original work is an eighth book added
to the _Polychronicon_ (vol. viii. in the Rolls Series edition) of Ralph
Higden. Caxton revised and printed John of Trevisa's work, and brought
down the narrative himself from 1358 to 1460, using as his authorities
_Fasciculus temporum_, a popular work in the 15th century, and an
unknown _Aureus de universo_. In the year before his death he complained
in the preface to his _Eneydos_ of the changing state of the English
language, a condition of things which he did as much as any man to
remedy. He printed Chaucer's _Canterbury Tales_ (1478? and 1483),
_Troilus and Creseide_ (1483?), the _House of Fame_ (1483?), and the
translation of Boethius (1478?); Gower's _Confessio Amantis_ (1483), and
many poems of Lydgate. His press was, however, not worked for purely
literary ends, but was a commercial speculation. For the many
service-books which he printed there was no doubt a sure sale, and he
met the taste of the upper classes by the tales of chivalry which issued
regularly from his press. He printed Malory's _Morte d'Arthur_, and
himself translated from the French the _Boke of Histories of Jason_
(1477?), _The Historye of Reynart the Foxe_ (from the Dutch, 1481 and
1489?), _Godfrey of Boloyne_ or _The Siege and Conqueste of Jherusalem_
(1481), _The Lyf of Charles the Grete_ (1485), _The Knyght Parys and the
Fayr Vyenne_ (1485), _Blanchardyn and Eglantine_ (1489?), _The Foure
Sonnes of Aymon_ (1489?); also the _Morale Proverbs_ (1478), and the
_Fayttes of Armes and of Chyualrye_ (1489) of Christine de Pisan. The
most ambitious production of his press was perhaps his version of the
_Golden Legend_, the translation of which he finished in November 1483.
It is based on the lives of the saints as given in the 13th century
_Legenda aurea_ of Jacobus de Voragine, but Caxton chiefly used existing
French and English versions for his compilation. The book is illustrated
by seventy woodcuts, and Caxton says he was only encouraged to persevere
in his laborious and expensive task by the liberality of William, earl
of Arundel. The idleness which he so