Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1908-12-30
first book issued from the presse at
the RED Pale"

when Caxton saw with mourning, the
noble and virtuous Earle" who
had been his patrons brought to the
block by the factions of that bloody
time, the presses of the almonry had
given England all the best English
poetry then in existence, Chaucer
being the especial favor;te of Caxton.
The old Chronicle of Brut," long
neglected, was hunted up and
translation OF Boethius, one of the
Eneid. and the essays of Cicero were
given to the public. The translations
that the indefatigable printer made
for his press would cover almost
five thousand closely printed pages.
He was now man of nearly seventy,
but he plunged into the tolls of his
new occupation with joyous energy
that never seemed to flag.
Among the group that gathered
round his work and encouraged it we
see some figures we should not ex-
pect. Tiptoft, the cruel Earl OF Wor-
cester, known as "The Butcher" and
feared and hated as few men were,
even in that tragic time, was one of
CaXton's most constant and apprecia-
tive friends, and the honest printer
sorrowed truly when he fell. what
great loss was It," he cried, "of that
noble and well disposed lord"
Which must have appeared like irony
to most Of the world.
The terrible hunchback, Richard,
visited the shop Of the Red Pale, and
CaXton dedicated to him his edition
of "The Order of Chivalry." The
Earl of Arundel, when the printer
hesitated to go on with "The Golden
Legend" on account of it's length,
promised him yearly fee of a buck
In summer and a doe in winter, once
1t was done. Both York and Ian
caster patronized the sturdy crafts
man, and his "Facts of Arms" one
of the last products Of his press, was
printed at the command of Henry
VII, then newly come to the throne:
so that the chances and changes of
the Wars of the Roses touched him
but lightly after all.
CaXton's books are all in black let
ter. He was very careful about his
English and did great work in set
Ting the character Of our literary
tongue. Yet nowadays his English
appears queer enough, as witness the
following hand bill, and the little
rhyme which he sets at the close of
one Of his books:
"At Westministre, of fevener, the
Xxx day
And Of Kyng Edward the XVII yere
vraye."
'Emprinted by Caxton
In fevener the colde seson."
But though his style may seem of
doubtful polish, there was one thing
about our patriarch Of English print
ers that was never doubtful for mo-
ment-his sense Of high mission to
his time. He was a shrewd man. low
ing success at his chosen craft; yet
he never printed line that had not
the aim of making literature better
and bringing 1t nearer to the hearts
of his countrymen. To make his liv-
ing, outside Of the books he loved and
translated, he must also print service
books for the priests, sermons for the
preachers, books of chivalry and ad-
venture for the nobility, and tales
and songs for the people, as busily as
his presses would work. Yet he never
set his name to anything which he
did not believe would have an influ-
ence for good upon the reader. 1t is
this high aim in his daily calling,
joined with the simple, strong relig-
ious faith of the man, that makes
us love William Caxton as we read
about him. And it was this feeling
that led him to seek out and publish
his most famous work of all, the
"Morte d'Arthur" Of good old Thomas
Mallory which in it's four hundred
leaves Of black letter gives the "no-
bic history Of the San Graal, and of
the most renowned Christian King,
Arthur, which ought to be remember
ed among us Englishmen before all
Christian Kings"
So in 1885, out of the little shop
under the Red Pale, where the old
man OF seventy-four bent over his
press, besides his Life of Charles
the Great" came out that wondrous
procession Of brave knights and love-
ly ladies, Of Arthur and Gawain, Of
Lancelot and Tristan, Of Elaine and