Vitas patrum

Abstract

An edition of: Vitae patrum. Sometimes attributed to St. Jerome. The title is xylographic (white on black). Colophon reads: Thus endyth the moost vertuouse hystorye of the deuoute [and] right renommed lyues of holy faders .. translated out of Frensshe in to Englysshe by Wyllyam Caxton of Westmynstre late deed, and fynysshed it at the last daye of his lyff. Enprynted in the sayd towne of Westmynstre be my Wynkyn de Worde the yere of our lorde .M.CCCC.lxxxxv. and the tenth yere of our souerayne lorde kyng Henry the seuenth. Signatures: 2A a-o p⁶ q-x y¹⁰ z-2t 2v-2x⁶. Prologue, 2A2r, begins: Here foloweth the right deuoute, moche lowable, [and] reco[m]mendable lyff of the olde auncyent holy faders hermytes, late translated out of latyn in to frenshe, and dylygently corrected in the cyte of lyon, ye yere of our lord. M.CCCC.lxxxvi. vpon that whiche hath be wryten and also translated out of Greke in to Latyn, by the blessyd [and] holy saynt Saynt Ierome .. [and] other solytarye relygyouse persones after hy[m] and after in the yere of our lorde .M.CCCC.lxxxxi. reduced in to Englysshe .. There are variants of 2A1, q2.7, and the colophon. "One L copy has some leaves reprinted c. 1529 w. a woodcut of about that date"--STC. Reproduction of the original in the British Library.