Bound by Alfred Matthews in three-quarter levant morocco with blind tooling, gilt edges.  Leaf 10-1/2 x 8 in.

Peter van Os, of Breda, was actively engaged in printing at Zwolle from 1479 till the end of the century, except for the three years 1481-1484.

The English translation of the “Vitas Patrum,” which was the closing labor of Caxton’s life, was printed in 1495 by Wynken de Worde with this colophon:  “Thus endyth the moost vertuouse hystorye of the deuoute and right renowned lyues of holy faders lyuynge in deserte, worthy of remembraunce to all wel dysposed persons which hath be_n_ translated oute of Frenche into Englisshe by William Caxton of Westmynstre late deed and fynysshed at the laste daye of hys lyff.”

24.  HIGDEN, RANULPH.  Polychronicon, translated into English by Trevisa
    and continued by Caxton. [Westminster].  William Caxton, [1482].

Fol. 1, blank. Fol. 2^a:  Prohemye. [G]Rete thankynges lawde & honoure we merytoryously ben bounde to yelde and offre vnto wryters of hystoryes, whiche gretely haue prouffyted oure mortal lyf, that shewe vnto the reders and herers by the ensamples of thynges passyd, what thynge is to be desyred. [Fol. 4-20, alphabetical table; 21, blank; 22-24, dialogue between the Clerke and the Lorde on translation, Trevisa’s epistle to Lord Berkeley; 25, blank.] Fol. 26^a:  Prolicionycion.  Prefacio prima ad historiam. [A]Fter solempne and wyse wryters of Arte and of scyence.... Fol. 389^b:  God be thanked of al his dedes.  This translacion is ended on a thursdaye the eyghtenth daye of Apryll the yere of our lord a thousand thre hondred and .lvij.  The xxxj yere of Kyng Edward the thyrd after the Conquest of Englond, the yere of my lordes age Syr thomas lord of berkley that made me make this translacion fyue and thyrtty. [390^a, Caxton’s epilogue to Trevisa; 390^b, blank.] Fol. 391^a:  Jncipit Liber vltimus. Fol. 449^a:  Ended the second day of Juyll the xxij yere of the regne of kynge Edward the fourth & of the Incarnacion of oure lord a thousand foure score and tweyne.  Fynysshed per Caxton. Fol. 449^b, 450, blank.

Folio.  Sign. a-b^8, C^4, 1-28^8, [28*^2], 29-48^8, 49^4, 50^8, 52-55^8, 450 leaves, of which five (a, 1; 1, 1; 1, 5; 28*,2; 55, 8) are blank.  The folios of sign. 1,2-55,7 are numbered 1-ccccxxviii (blanks 1, 5 and 28*,2 counted as iv and ccxxvi), with many errors which are mostly corrected on the following leaves, but in the case of fol. ccxli on the verso of the same leaf.  There is, however, no clx, and ccccxiii is duplicated, errors which balance each other and do not disturb the final numeration.  The omission of a signature 51 is accidental, the text continuing without a break.  The purpose of the unsigned single sheet following sign. 28, consisting of one printed and one blank leaf, was evidently to carry the last remaining leaf of the fourth book and thereby make possible