alwayes, that they from hensforth truely do observe, kepe, and obey this

his present gracis proclamation and commaundement. Also his highnes commaundeth all mayres, sheriffes, bailliffes, constables, bursholders, and other officers and ministers within this his realme, that if they shall happen by any meanes or wayes to knowe that any person or persons do herafter bye, receyve, have, or deteyne any of the sayde erronious bokes, printed or written anywhere, or any other bokes in englisshe tonge printed beyonde the see, or the saide erronious bokes printed or written in the frenche or duche tonge, contrarie to this present proclamation, that they beinge therof well assured, do immediatly attache the said person or persons, and brynge hym or them to the kynges highnes and his most honorable counsayle; where they shalbe corrected and punisshed for theyr contempte and disobedience, to the terrible example of other lyke transgressours.

Moreover his highnes commaundeth, that no maner of person or persons take upon hym or them to printe any boke or bokes in englisshe tonge, concernynge holy scripture, not before this tyme printed within this his realme, untyll suche tyme as the same boke or bokes be examyned and approved by the ordinary of the diocese where the said bokes shalbe printed: And that the printer therof, upon every of the sayde bokes beinge so examyned, do sette the name of the examynour or examynours, with also his owne name, upon the saide bokes, as he will answere to the kynges highnes at his uttermost peryll.

And farthermore, for as moche as it is come to the herynge of our sayde soveraigne lorde the kynge, that reporte is made by dyvers and many of his subjectes, that it were to all men not onely expedyent, but also necessarye, to have in the englisshe tonge bothe the newe testament and the olde, and that his highnes, his noble men, and prelates, were bounden to suffre them so to have it: His highnes hath therfore semblably there upon consulted with the sayde primates ... discrete, and well lerned personages, in divinite forsayde, and by them all it is thought, that it is not necessary th ... to be in the englisshe tonge, and in the handes of the commen people; but that the distrib ... the said scripture ... denyenge therof dependeth onely upon the discretion of the superiours, as ... to the malignite of this present tyme, with the inclination of the people to erroni ... the olde in to the vulgare tonge of englysshe, shulde rather be the occasyon of ... people, than any benfyte or commodite to warde the weale of their soules. And ... e have the holy scripture expouned to them by preachers in theyr sermons, ac ... this tyme, All be it if it shall here after appere to the kynges highnes, that his sa ... rse, erronious, and sedicious opinyons, with the newe testment and the olde, corrup ... ge in printe: And that the same bokes and all other bokes of heresye, as well ... termynate and exiled out of this realme of Englande for ever: his highnes e ... great lerned and catholyke persones, translated in to the englisshe tonge, if it sha[ll] than seme t ... conv ... his highnes at this tyme, by the hoole advise and full determination of all the said primates, and ... discrete and subs ... lerned personages of both universites, and other before expressed, and by the assent of his nobles and others of his moste hon[orab]le Counsayle, wylleth and straytly commaundeth, that all and every person and persones, of what astate, degre, or condition so ever he or they be, whiche hath the newe testament or the olde translated in to englysshe, or any other boke of holy scripture so translated, beynge in printe, or copied out of the bokes nowe beinge in printe, that he or they do immediatly brynge the same boke or bokes, or cause the same to be broughte to the bysshop of the dyocese where he dwelleth, or to the handes of other the sayde persones, at the daye afore limytted, in fourme afore expressed and mencioned, as he wyll avoyde the kynges high indignation and displeasure. And that no person or persons from hensforth do bye, receyve, kepe, or have the newe testament or the olde in the englisshe tonge, or in the frenche or duche tonge, excepte suche persones as be appoynted by the kinges highnes and the bisshops of this his realme, for the correction or amending of the said translation, as they will answere to the kynges highnes at theyr uttermost perils, and wyll avoyde suche punisshement as they, doynge contrary to the purport of this proclamation shall suffre, to the dredefull example of all other lyke offenders.

And his highnes further commaundeth, that all suche statutes, actes and ordinances, as before this tyme have been made and enacted, as well in y^e tyme of his moste gracious reigne, as also in the tyme of his noble progenitours, concernying heresies, and havynge and deteynynge erronyous bokes, contrary and agynst the faythe catholyke, shall immediatly be put in effectuall and due execution over and besyde this present proclamation.

And god save the kynge.

Tho. Bertheletus, Regius impressor excusit.
Cum privilegio.

LATIN—LATINER.

It is interesting to note the great variety of significations in which the word Latin has been used. Sometimes it means Italian, sometimes Spanish, sometimes the Romance language. Again, it has been used as synonymous with language, learning, discourse; or to express that a matter is plain and intelligible.

Muratori, in describing the "Cangiamento dell' Lingua Latina nella volgare Italiana," observes,—

"Così a poco a poco il volgo di questa bella Provincia [Italia], oltre adottare moltissimi vocaboli forestieri, andò ancora alterando i proprj, cioè i Latini, cambiando le terminazioni delle parole, accorciandole, allungandole, e corrompendole. In somma se ne formò un nuovo Linguaggio, che Volgare si appellava, perchè usato dal Volgo d'Italia."—Muratori, Della Perfetta Poesia Italiana, tomo i. p. 6., ed. Venez., 1730.

So Boccaccio, giving an account of the intention of his poem, the "Teseide," writes,—

where, as in the letter to La Fiammetta, prefixed to this poem, vulgar latino is evidently Italian ("Trovata una antichissima storia ... in latino volgare ... ho ridotta"), and not the Provençal tongue, as Mr. Craik suggests in his Literature and Learning in England, vol. ii. p. 48., where he supposes Boccaccio to have translated from, and not, as is clear, into, latino volgare.

Dante repeatedly uses Latino for Italiano, as in Purgatorio, xi. 58.:

And in Inf. xxii. 65.:

In Paradiso, iii. 63.,

latino evidently means easy, clear, plain. "Forse contrario di barbaro, strano," says Volpi, "noi Lombardi in questo significato diciamo ladin." The "discreto latino" of Thomas Aquinas, elsewhere in Paradiso (xii. 144.), must mean "sage discourse." Chaucer, when he invokes the muse, in the proeme to the second book of "Troilus and Creseide," only asks her for rhyme, because, saith he,—