As a later example we may cite from Sir Peter Leycester’s Historical Antiquities (1673), where we find this note:  ``Reader, By reason of the author’s absence, several faults have escaped the press:  those which are the most material thou art desir’d to amend, and to pardon them all.’’

Printed mistakes are usually considered by the sufferers matters of somewhat serious importance; and we picture to ourselves an author stalking up and down his room and tearing his hair when he first discovers them; but Benserade, the French poet, was able to make a joke of the subject.  This is the rondeau which he placed at the end of his version of Les Metamorphoses d’Ovide:—­

 ``Pour moi, parmi des fautes innombrables,
   Je n’en connais que deux conside’rables,
   Et dont je fais ma de’claration,
   C’est l’entreprise et l’exe’cution;
   A mon avis fautes irre’parables
   Dans ce volume.’’

According to the Scaligerana, Cardan’s treatise De Subtilitate, printed by Vascosan p 98in 1557, does not contain a single misprint; but, on the whole, it may be very seriously doubted whether an immaculate edition of any work ever issued from the press.  The story is well known of the serious attempt made by the celebrated Glasgow printers Foulis to free their edition of Horace from any chance of error.  They caused the proof-sheets after revision to be hung up at the gate of the University, with the offer of a reward to any one who discovered a misprint.  In spite of all this care there are, according to Dibdin, six uncorrected errors in this edition.

According to Isaac Disraeli, the goal of freedom from blunders was nearly reached by Dom Joze Souza, with the assistance of Didot in 1817, when he published his magnificent edition of As Lusiadas of Camoens.  However, an uncorrected error was discovered in some copies, occasioned by the misplacing of one of the letters in the word Lusitano.  A like case occurred a few years ago at an eminent London printer’s.  A certain book was about to be printed, and instructions were issued that special care was to be p 99taken with the printing.  It was read over by the chief reader, and all seemed to have gone well, when a mistake was discovered upon the title-page.

It may be mentioned here, with respect to tables of errata, that they are frequently neglected in subsequent books.  There are many books in which the same blunders have been repeated in various editions, although they had been pointed out in an early issue.

CHAPTER VI.

MISPRINTS.