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Catalogue of Books printed by Dayc.
  
  
  
  
  
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Catalogue of Books printed by Dayc.

1639. The Freeman's Oath.

1639. An Almanack, calculated for New England. By Mr.
Pierce, Mariner. The year begins with March.

1640. The Psalms in Metre, Faithfully translated for the Use,
Edification, and Comfort of the Saints in Publick and Private,
especially in New England. Crown 8vo. 300 pages. I have no
doubt that it is the first book printed in this country. The type is
Roman, of the size of small bodied English, entirely new, and may
be called a very good letter. In this edition there are no Hymns
or Spiritual Songs; it contains only the Psalms, the original long
preface, and "An Admonition to the Reader" of half a page, at the
end of the Psalms after Finis.—This "admonition" respects the tunes
suited to the psalms. The second edition in 1647, contained a few
Spiritual Songs. The third edition, revised and amended by President
Dunster, &c., had a large addition of Scripture Songs and
Hymns, written by Mr. Lyon. The first edition abounds with
typographical errors, many of which were corrected in the second
edition. This specimen of Daye's printing does not exhibit the
appearance of good workmanship. The compositor must have been
wholly unacquainted with punctuation. "The Preface," is the
running title to that part of the work. "The" with a period, is on
the left hand page, and "Preface," on the right. Periods are
often omitted where they should be placed, and not seldom used
where a comma only was necessary. Words of one syllable, at the
end of lines, are sometimes divided by a hyphen; at other times
those of two or more syllables are divided without one; the spelling
is bad and irregular. One thing is very singular—at the head of
every left hand page throughout the book, the work "Psalm" is
spelled as it should be; at the head of every right hand page, it has
an e final thus, "Psalme." Daye was probably bred a pressman;
the press work is passable.

This was commonly called The Bay Psalm Book, but afterwards
The New England Version of the Psalms. The Rev. Thomas
Prince, of Boston, who published a revised and improved edition in
1758, gives, in his preface, the following account of its origin and of
the first edition printed by Daye, viz: "By 1636 there were come
over hither, near thirty pious and learned Ministers, educated in the
Universities of England; and from the same exalted Principles of
Scripture Purity in Religious Worship, they set themselves to


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translate the Psalms and other Scripture Songs into English Metre
as near as possible to the inspired Original. They committed this
Work especially to the Rev. Mr. Weld, and the Rev. John Eliot[10] of
Roxbury, well acquainted with the Hebrew, in which the Old Testament,
and with the Greek, in which the New, were originally written.
They finished the Psalms in 1640, which were first printed by Mr.
Daye that year, at our Cambridge, and had the Honor of being the
First Book printed in North America, and as far as I find in this
whole New World."[11]

1640. An Almanack for 1640.

1641. A Catechism, agreed upon by the Elders at the Desire of
the General Court.[12]

1641. Body of Liberties. [This book contained an hundred
Laws, which had been drawn up pursuant to an order of the General
court by Nathaniel Ward, pastor of the church in Ipswich. Mr.
Ward had been a minister in England, and formerly a practitioner
of law in the courts of that country.][13]

1641. An Almanack for 1641. [One or more almanacs were
every year printed at the Cambridge press. In all of them the
year begins with March.]

1642. Theses, etc., in Latin, of the first graduates in Harvard
College.

1647. The Psalms in Metre. Faithfully translated for the use,
Edification and Comfort of the Saints, in public and private, especially
in New England. Cro. 8vo, 300 pages.

[This was a second edition, somewhat amended, and a few Spiritual
Songs added. After this edition was published, the Rev. Henry
Dunster, President of Harvard College, and a master of the Oriental
languages, and Mr. Richard Lyon, educated at a university in
Europe, were appointed a committee further to revise and improve
the psalms, which service they performed in two or three years;


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when another edition was published, with the addition of other
scriptural songs. This revised version went through numerous
editions, in New England. It was reprinted in England and Scotland;
and was used in many of the English dissenting congregations,
as well as in a number of the churches in Scotland—it was added
to several English and Scotch editions of the Bible; and, went
through fifty editions, including those published in Europe][14]

1647. Danforth's [Samuel] Almanack. "Cambridg, Printed
1648." The typography is rather better than usual.[15]

1648. The Laws of the Colony of Massachusetts; drawn up by
order of, and adopted by, the General Court, etc. Folio. I have
not found a copy of this work.

1648. [About] Astronomical Calculations. By a Youth. [Urian
Oakes, then student at Cambridge; where he was afterwards settled
in the ministry, and elected president of Harvard College.] The
Almanack had the motto—Parvum parva decent; sed inest sua
gratia parvis. The year in which this was published is not ascertained,
nor by whom printed.[16]

1649. Danforth's [Samuel] Almanack. "Cambridg, Printed."

Besides the works already enumerated, there were many
others printed by Daye; but no copies of them are now
to be found.[17]

Although I have not been able to discover a copy of the
laws, printed in 1648; yet, respecting this edition, there
is the following record, viz:


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"At a General Court of Elections held at Boston 8th month,
1648. It is ordered by the court that the Booke of Lawes now at
the presse may be sould in Quires, at 3s. the booke, provided that
every member of this court shall have one without price, and the
Auditor Generall and Mr. Joseph Hills; for which there shall be
fifty in all taken up to be so disposed by the appointment of this
court." Appendix D.

Samuel Green, was the son of Bartholomew and Elizabeth
Green, who, with their children and other relations,
were among the early settlers of Cambridge. Samuel
Green, then only sixteen years of age, arrived with Governor
Winthrop. He was in Cambridge eight years before Daye
came from England; but was unknown as a printer
until about 1649, nearly eleven years after Daye's arrival.
Some writers, since the year 1733, erroneously mention
Green as "the first who printed in New England, or in
North America."[18]

All the records I have examined are silent respecting
the cause of Daye's relinquishing the management of the
press; nor do they give any reason why his place in the
printing house was supplied by the appointment of Green.
The similarity of Green's first printing to that of Daye's,
induces me to believe that Green was unacquainted with
the art when he undertook the management of the press,


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and that he was assisted by Daye, who continued to
reside in Cambridge; and whose poverty, probably, induced
him to become, not only an instructor, but a
journeyman to Green.

By the records of the colony, it appears, that the
president of the college still had the direction of the
concerns of the printing house, and made contracts for
printing; and that he was responsible for the productions
of the press, until licensers were appointed. I have
extracted the following from the records of 1650 and 1654:

"At a third meeting of the General Court of Elections
at Boston, the 15th of October, 1650, It is ordered that
Richard Bellingham, Esquir, the Secretary, and Mr. Hills,
or aney Two of them, are appointed a Comittee to take
order for the printing of Lawes Agreed vppon to be
printed, to determine of all Things in reference thereunto.
Agreeing with the President ffor the printing of them with
all Expedition and to Alter the title if there be Cawse."

"At a General Court of Elections, held at Boston, the
third of May, 1654. It is ordered by this Court that
henceforth the Secretary shall, within tenn dayes after
this present sessions, and so from time to time, deliver a
copie of all Lawes that are to be published unto the
President or printer, who shall forthwith make an Impression
thereof to the noumber of five, Six, or Seven hundred
as the Court shall order, all which Coppies the Treasurer
shall take of and pay for in wheate, or otherwise to Content,
for the Noumber of five hundred, after the rate of
one penny a Sheete, or eight shillings a hundred for five
hundred sheetes of a Sorte, for so many sheetes as the
bookes shall contajne, and the Treasurer shall disterbute
the bookes, to every magistrate one, to every Court one,
to the Secretary one, to each towne where no magistrate
dwells one, and the rest amongst the Townes that beare
publick charge with this jurisdiction, according to the


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noumber of freemen in each Towne. And the order that
Ingageth the Secretary to transcribe coppies for the Townes
and others, is in that respect repealed."[19]

"At a General Court held at, Boston 9th of June, 1654,
Upon Conference with Mr. Dunster, [president of the
college] and the printer in reference to the imprinting of
the Acts of the General Court, whereby we understand
some inconveniencies may accrue to the Printer by printing
that Law which recites the agreement for printing.
It is therefore ordered, that the said law be not put forth
in print, but kept amongst the written records of this
Court."

Whether Green was, or was not acquainted with printing,
he certainly, some time after he began that business,
prosecuted it in such a way as, generally, met approbation.
He might, by frequenting the printing house, when it was
under the care of Daye, have obtained that knowledge of
the art, which enabled him, with good workmen, to carry
it on; be this as it may, it is certain that as he proceeded
with the execution of the business, he seems to have
acquired more consequence as a printer; his work, however,
did not discover that skill of the compositor, or
the pressman, that was afterwards shown when Johnson,
who was sent over to assist in printing the Indian Bible,
arrived.

In 1658, Green petitioned the general court for a grant
of land. The court took his petition into consideration,
and determined as follows, viz.

"At the Second Sessions of the General Court held at
Boston the 19th of October, 1658, in answer to the Peticōn
of Samuel Green, of Cambridge, printer. The Court


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judgeth it meete for his Encouragement to graunt him
three hundred acres of Land where it is to be found."

In 1659, the records of the colony contain the following
order of the General court. "It is ordered by this Court
that the Treasurer shall be and hereby is empowered to disburse
out of the Treasury what shall be necessary tending
towards the printing of the Lawes, to Samuel Greene, referring
to his Pajnes therein or otherwise." This edition
of the Laws was ordered to be printed December 1658,
and was finished at the press, October 16th, 1660.

From the Manuscript records of the commissioners of
the United Colonies, who were agents for the corporation
in England for propagating the gospel among the Indians
in New England, we find that in 1656 there were two
presses in Cambridge, both under the care of Green. One
belonged to the college, which undoubtedly was the press
that Mr. Glover purchased in England, and Daye brought
over to America; the other was the property of the
corporation in England. There were types appropriated
to each.

The corporation, for a time, had their printing executed
in London; but when the Indian youth had been taught
to read, &c., at the school at Cambridge, established for
the purpose, and Mr. Eliot and Mr. Pierson had translated
Primers and Catechisms into the Indian language for the
common use of the Indians, and eventually translated the
Bible, it became necessary that these works should be
printed in America, under the inspection of the translators.
For this reason the corporation sent over a press
and types, furnished every printing material for their
work, and even paid for mending of the press when out of
repair. In September, 1654, the commissioners in the
United Colonies found that a sufficient quantity of paper
and types for the purpose of executing the works which
were projected had not been received, they therefore,


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wrote to the corporation in England for an augmentation
to the value of £20.[20] The articles arrived in 1655.

Green judging it necessary to have more types for the
Indian work, in 1658, petitioned the General Court to
that purpose. The court decided thereon as follows, viz.

"At a General Court holden at Boston 19th of May,
1658. In answer to the Peticōn of Samuel Green, printer,
at Cambridge, The Court Judgeth it meete to Comend
the consideration therof to the Comissioners of the United
Colonjes at their next meeting that so if they see meete
they may write to the Corporation in England for the
procuring of twenty pounds worth more of letters for the
vse of the Indian Colledg."

When the press and types, &c., sent by the corporation
in England, for printing the Bible and other books in the
Indian Language, arrived they were added to the printing
materials belonging to the college, and altogether made a
well furnished printing house.[21] The types were very good,
and the faces of them as handsome as any that were made
at that time; they consisted of small founts of nonpareil,
brevier long primer, small pica, pica, english, great primer,
and double pica; also, small casts of long primer and pica
Hebrew, Greek, and blacks. The building occupied for a
printing house, was well suited to the business. It had
been designed for a college for the Indian youth.


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Green now began printing the Bible in the Indian language,
which even at this day would be thought a work of
labor, and must, at that early period of the settlement of
the country, have been considered a business difficult
to accomplish, and of great magnitude. It was a work of
so much consequence as to arrest the attention of the
nobility and gentry of England, as well as that of King
Charles, to whom it was dedicated. The press of Harvard
college, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was for a time, as
celebrated as the presses of the universities of Oxford and
Cambridge, in England. Having obtained many particulars
relating to the printing of this edition of the Bible, I
will follow Green through that arduous undertaking.

In 1659, Hezekiah Usher, merchant, and bookseller, of
Boston, agent for the corporation, charges that body £40
paid Green for printing "the Psalms and Mr. Pierson's
Cattechisme," &c., and credits 80 £ in printing types; he
also gives credit for one hundred and four reams of paper
sent by the corporation toward printing the New Testament
"in the Indian language." The corporation in a
letter dated London. April 28, 1660, and directed to the
commissioners, observes. "Conserning youer Printing
the New Testament in the Indian Language, a sheet
whereof you haue transmitted to vs, wee concurr with
youerselues therin, and doe approue of that prouision you
have made for printing the same conceiueing and offering
as our judgments that it is better to print fifteen hundred
than but a thousand; hopeing that by incurragement
from Sion Collidge, with whom we haue late conference,
you may bee enabled to print fifteen hundred of the
Ould Testament likewise."

Usher, in his account rendered to the corporation in
1660, debits the stock of the corporation with two hundred
reams of printing paper, "bought since he rendered his
last account," and with printing ink and types, and


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"setting them in the presse," the gross sum. of £120 1 8;
and, to "cash paid Mr. Green for distributing the ffont of
letters and printing six sheets of the New Testament in
Indian att four pounds per sheet, £24."

In September 1661, the commissioners, who that year
met at Plymouth, wrote to Mr. Usher; and among other
things, thanked him for his "care in prouiding Matterials
and furthering the printing of the Bible, and desire the
continuance of the same vntill it bee Issved;" and to
"pay Mr. Green for printing the same as formerly; "also
to "demaund and receiue of Mr. Green the whole Impression
of the New Testament in Indian, now finished; and
take care for the binding of two hundred of them strongly
and as speedily as may bee with leather or as may bee
most serviceable for the Indians; and deliuer them forth
as you shall haue direction from any of the commissioners
for the time being of which keep an exact account that
soe it may bee seen how they are Improved and disposed
of; alsoe, wee pray you take order for the printing of a
thousand coppyes of Mr. Eliotts Catichismes which we
vnderstand are much wanting amongst the Indians, which
being finished, Receiue from the Presse and dispose of
them according to order abouesaid."

The agent, in his account current with the corporation
in 1662, has, among other charges, one for "Disbursements
for printing the Bible as per bill of particulars £234 11 8."[22]


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This bill was only for one year ending September, 1662.
At that time Green, by direction, gave to the commissioners:

"An account of the Vtensils for printing belonging to the Corporation,
in the custody of Samuell Green of Cambridge Printer and giuen
in vnder his hand, viz:

The presse with what belongs to it with one tinn pann and two frisketts.

Item two table of Cases of letters [types] with one ode [odd] Case.

Item the ffontt of letters together with Imperfections that came
since.

Item one brasse bed, one Imposing stone.

Item two barrells of Inke, 3 Chases, 2 composing stickes one ley
brush 2 candlestickes one for the Case the other for the Presse.

Item the frame and box for the sesteren [water trough.]

Item the Riglet brasse rules and scabbard the Sponge 1 galley 1
mallett 1 sheeting [shooting] sticke and furniture for the chases.

Item the letters [types] that came before that were mingled with the
colledges."

At the meeting of the commissioners in September, 1663,
the agent charges the corporation with the balance due for
printing the Bible, which he paid that month to Green, in
full for his services, £140 12 6. Green, at this meeting,
gave in an account of all the printing paper he had received
at different times, from the corporation and their agent,
amounting to 469 reams; 368 reams of which he had used
in printing the Bible, 30 reams in printing two Catechisms,
and there remained in his hands 71 reams.

At the meeting of the commissioners in September,
1664, among the articles charged in the agent's account


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with the corporation, was the following bill of sundries
paid to Green, viz:
                     
"To expences about the presse for mending it; makeing 
new Chases, and to twenty seauen skins for balls &c.  £ 4 4 4 
To two smale Chests to put the Bibles in [20 Copies] that 
were sent to England.  5 0 
To printing the Indian Psalmes to go with the Bible, 13 
sheets att 2 lb per sheet,  26 0 0 
To printing the Epistle dedicatory to the Bible,  1 0 0 
To printing Baxter's Call in Indian, eight sheets at 50s. 
per sheet,  20 0 0 
To printing the Psalter in Indian, 9 sheets, at 20s.  9 0 0 
To one yeares board of Johnson,  15 0 0 

The agent, in his account for 1669, charges, "Cash
paid Green for binding and clasping 200 Indian Bibles
at 2 s. 6 d. £25.—For binding 200 Practice of Piety
at 6d. £5.—For do. 400 Baxter's Call at 3s. per 100,
12s." &c.

I have made a calculation from the documents I have
seen, and find the whole expense attending the carrying
through the press, 1000 copies of the Bible, 500 additional
copies of the New Testament, an edition of Baxter's Call
to the Unconverted, an edition of the Psalter, and two
editions of Eliot's Catechism, all in the Indian language,
including the cost of the types for printing the Bible, and
the binding a part of them, and also the binding of a part
of Baxter's Call, and the Psalters, amounted to a fraction
more than £1200, sterling. The Bible was printed on a
fine paper of pot size, and in quarto. After the first
edition of the Bible, and some other books in the Indian
language, had been completed at the press belonging to
the corporation for propagating the gospel, &c., the corporation
made a present of their printing materials to the
college. On this occasion the government of the college
ordered as follows:


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"Harvard Colledge Sept. 20, 1670. The honorable
Corporation for the Indians having ordered their Printing
Presse, letters, and Vtensils to be delivered to the
Colledge, the Treasurer is ordered forthwith to take order
for the receivcing thereof, and to dispose of the same for
the Colledge use and improvement."[23] Green, by direction,
gave to the president a schedule of the articles, and
valued them at £80. That sum must have been very low.
With these types he began another edition of the Indian
Bible.[24]

Some small religious treatises having been published in
1662, which the general court, or some of the ruling
clergy, judged rather too liberal, and tending to open the
door of heresy, licensers of the press were appointed;[25]
but on the 27th of May, 1663, the general court "Ordered
that the Printing Presse be at liberty as formerly, till this
Court shall take further order, and the late order is
hereby repealed."[26] After this order was passed, a more
free use of the press seems to have been made; this
immediately arrested the attention of government, and
soon awakened their fears; and the following rigid edict
was in consequence passed, viz.

"At a General Court called by order from the Governour,
Deputy Governour, and other Magistrates, held at
Boston 19th of October 1664. For the preventing of
Irregularyties and abuse to the authority of this Country,
by the Printing Presse, it is ordered by this Court and the
authority thereof, that theeir shall no Printing Presse be
allowed in any Towne within this Jurisdiction, but in


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Cambridge,[27] nor shall any person or persons presume to
print any Copie but by the allowance first had and
obtayned under the hands of such as this court shall from
tjme to tjme Impower; the President of the Colledge,
Mr. John Shearman, Mr. Jonathan Mitchell and Mr.
Thomas Shepheard, or any two of them to survey such
Copie or Coppies and to prohibit or allow the same
according to this order; and in case of non observance
of this order, to forfeit the Presse to the Country and be
disabled from Vsing any such profession within this Jurisdiction
for the tjme to Come. Provided this order shall
not extend to the obstruction of any Coppies which
this Court shall Judge meete to order to be published
in Print."[28]

Government appears not only to have required a compliance
with the above law, but to have exercised a power
independent of it. The licensers of the press had permitted
the reprinting of a book written by Thomas à
Kempis, entitled Imitation of Christ &c., a work well
known in the Christian world. This treatise was represented
to the court by some of its members, in their
session in 1667, as being heretical; whereupon the court
passed an order as follows: "This Court being informed
that there is now in the Presse reprinting, a book that
Imitates of Christ, or to that purpose, written by Thomas
Kempis, a popish minister, wherein is contayned some
things that are lesse safe to be infused amongst the people
of this place, Doe comend to the licensers of the Presse
the more full revisale thereof, and that in the meane tjme
there be no further progresse in that work."


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In 1671, the general court ordered an edition of the
laws, revised, &c., to be printed. Heretofore the laws had
been published at the expense of the colony. John Usher,
a wealthy bookseller, who was then or soon after treasurer
of the province, made interest to have the publishing of
this edition on his own account. This circumstance produced
the first instance in this country of the security of
copyright by law. Usher contracted with Green to print
the work, but suspecting that Green might print additional
copies for himself, or that Johnson, who was permitted to
print at Cambridge, would reprint from his copy, two
laws, at the request of Usher, were passed to secure to
him this particular work. These laws are copied from
the manuscript records; the first was in May, 1672, and
is as follows, viz: "In answer to the petition of John
Vsher, the Court Judgeth it meete to order, and be it by
this Court ordered and Enacted, That no Printer shall
print any more Coppies than are agreed and paid for by
the owner of the Coppie or Coppies, nor shall he nor any
other reprint or make Sale of any of the same without the
said Owner's consent upon the forfeiture and penalty
of treble the whole charge of Printing and paper of the
quantity paid for by the owner of the Coppie, to the
said owner or his Assigns."

When the book was published, Usher, not satisfied
with the law already made in his favor, petitioned the
court to secure him the copyright for seven years. In
compliance with the prayer of his petition, the court in
May, 1673, decreed as follows: "John Vsher Having
been at the sole Chardge of the Impression of the booke
of Lawes, and presented the Governour, Magistrates,
Secretary, as also every Deputy, and the Clark of the
deputation with one. The Court Judgeth it meete to
order that for at least Seven years, Vnlesse he shall have
sold them all before that tjmc, there shall be no other or


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further Impression made by any person thereof in this
Jurisdiction, under the penalty this court shall see cause
to lay on any that shall adventure in that Kind, besides
making ffull sattisfaction to the said Jno Vsher or his
Assigns, for his chardge and damage thereon. Voted by
the whole court met together."

A revised edition of the laws of the colony was put to
the press in 1685. Respecting this edition the court
"Ordered, for the greater expedition in the present revisal
of the Laws they shall be sent to the Presse Sheete by
Sheete, and the Treasurer shall make payment to the
Printer for the same, Paper and work; and Elisha Cook
and Samuel Sewall Esqrs. are desired to oversee the
Presse about that work."

There is among the records of the colony for 1667,
one as follows: "Layd out to Ensign Samuel Green of
Cambridge printer three hundred Acres of land in the
wilderness on the north of Merrimacht River on the west
side of Haverhill, bounded on the north east of two little
ponds beginning at a red oak in Haverhill," &c. "The
court allowed of the returne of this farme as laid out." By
the records of the earliest English proprietors of Cambridge,
it appears that Green was the owner of several
valuable tracts of land in and about that town.

Green often mentioned to his children, that for some
time after his arrival in New England, he, and several
others, were obliged to lodge in large empty casks, having
no other shelter from the weather; so few were the
huts then erected by our hardy and venerable ancestors.
He had nineteen children; eight by his first wife, and
eleven by a second, who was daughter of Mr. Clarke,
an elder in the church in Cambridge, and to whom he
was married Feb. 23, 1662.[29] Nine of the children by


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the second wife lived to the age of fifty-two years, or
upwards.

The Cambridge company of Militia elected Green to
be their captain; and, as such, he bore a commission for
thirty years. He took great pleasure in military exercises;
and when he became through age too infirm to walk
to the field, he insisted on being carried there in his chair
on days of muster, that he might review and exercise his
company.[30]

He was for many years chosen town clerk. And in the
Middlesex Records, vol. I, is the following particular, viz:
"At a County Court held at Cambridge the 5th 8th
month 1652, Samuel Green is alowed Clearke of the
Writts for Cambridge."

Green continued printing till he became aged. He was
a pious and benevolent man, and as such was greatly
esteemed. He died at Cambridge, January 1st, 1702,
aged eighty-seven years.

Until the commencement of the revolution in 1775,
Boston was not without one or more printers by the name
of Green. These all descended from Green of Cambridge.
Some of his descendants have, for nearly a century past,
been printers in Connecticut. One of them, in 1740,
removed to Annapolis, and established the Maryland
Gazette, which was long continued by the family.

No printing was done at Cambridge after Green's death.
The press was established in this place sixty years; and,
about fifty of them, Green, under government, was the
manager of it. He was printer to the college as long as
he continued in business.

Soon after his decease, the printing materials were
removed from Cambridge and probably sold. It does
not appear that the corporation of the college owned any


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types after this time till about the year 1718, when Mr.
Thomas Hollis, of London, a great benefactor to the college,
among other gifts, presented to the university a
fount, or cast, of Hebrew, and another of Greek types,
both of them of the size of long primer. The Greek was
not used till 1761, when the government of the college
had a work printed entitled, Pietas et Gratulatio Collegii
Cantabrigiensis apud Novanglos, dedicated to King George
III, on his accession to the throne; two of these poetical
essays being written in Greek, called these types into
use. They were never used but at that time, and were in
January, 1764, destroyed by the fire that consumed Harvard
hall, one of the college buildings, in which the types
and college library were deposited; the cast of Hebrew
escaped, having been sent to Boston some time before to
print Professor Sewall's Hebrew Grammar.

The following is a catalogue of the books that I have
ascertained were printed by Green, and by Green and
Johnson; the greater part of them I have seen. Those
in which Marmaduke Johnson was concerned, have the
names of the printers added.

 
[10]

Eliot who translated the Bible into the Indian language.

[11]

The reverend annalist is here in an error. Printing was introduced
into Mexico, and other Spanish provinces in America, many years before
the settlement of the English colonies in North America.

[12]

This work is mentioned in Gov. Winthrop's Journal.

[13]

The Body of Liberties had been revised and altered by the general
court, and sent to every town for further consideration. This year the
court again revised and amended the laws contained in that book, and
published and established them as an experiment for three years.

Mr. Ward was the author of The Simple Cobler of Agawam, a book
celebrated in New England in the seventeenth century.

[14]

It was first published in London, by John Blayne, bookseller, 1652.

[15]

Memorandum by Mr. Thomas—[Inquire of John Farmer the date of an
Almanack printed at Cambridge by Matthew Daye.

Matthew Daye, I presume, was a brother or son of Stephen Daye. He
is not noticed as a printer in any record. I have discovered nothing
printed by him but this almanac. It was undoubtedly done in Stephen
Daye's office by his permission.]

The Almanac referred to as in the possession of Mr. Farmer, the well
known antiquary, is now in the rich collection of George Brinley, Esq.,
of Hartford, Conn. The date is 1647. The imprint "Cambridge printed
by Mathew Daye; and to be sold by Hezekiah Usher, at Boston." For
notice of Mathew Daye, see Mass. Hist. Soc. Proceedings, III, 154.

[16]

It is mentioned by Mather in his Magnalia, by Holmes in his History
of Cambridge
, in Hist. Soc. Coll., and by others.

[17]

A list of all known publications in this country before 1776, is
appended to his edition.—H.

[18]

"December 28th, deceased here Mr. Bartholomew Green, one of the
deacons of the South Church; who has been the principal printer of this
town and country near forty years, in the 67th year of his age."

"His father was Capt. Samuel Green the famous printer of Cambridge,
who arrived with Gov. Winthrop in 1630. He used to tell his children
that, upon their first coming ashore, he and several others were for some
time glad to lodge in empty casks, to shelter them from the weather.
This Capt. Green was a commission officer of the military company at
Cambridge for above 60 years together. He died there Jan. 1,1701–2,
aged 87, highly esteemed and beloved both for piety and a martial genius.
He had nineteen children, eight by the first wife, and eleven by his second,
who was a daughter of Elder Clark of Cambridge."—Boston News Letter,
Jan. 4,1733.

[19]

I have quoted ancient records in many instances, as they not only
give facts correctly, but convey to us the language, etc., of the periods in
which they were made.

[20]

All the sums are in sterling money.

[21]

General Daniel Gookin, who lived in Cambridge, and who, in 1662,
was appointed one of the two first licensers of the press, mentions in his
work, entitled Historical Collections of the Indians of New England dedicated
to King Charles II, that "the houses erected for the Indian college, built
strong and substantial of brick, at the expense of the Corporation in
England for propagating the Gospel in New England, and cost between
300l. and 400l. not being improved for the ends intended, by reason of
the death and failing of Indian scholars, was taken to accommodate
English scholars, and for placing and using the Printing Press belonging
to the college," &c. This building was taken down many years since.
It stood not far from the other buildings of the college.

[22]

The following is the bill of particulars, as charged by Green, viz:

                       
To mending of the windowes of the printing house,  £ 1 0 5 
To pack thrid and uellum,  5 6 
To 2 barrells of Inke and leather for balls,  20 0 0 
To hide for the presse being broken,  1 0 0 
To 160 Reams of Paper Att 6s. per ream,  48 0 0 
To printing the Title sheet to the New Testament,  1 0 0 
To printing 1500 Cattechismes,  15 0 0 
To printing 21 sheets of the Old Testament, att 31b. 10s.
per sheet Mr. Iohnson being absent, 
73 10 0 
To printing 25 sheets with his healp att 50 shill. per
sheet, 
62 10 0 
To binding 200 Testaments att 6 d. a peece,  5 0 0 
To Mr. Johnsons board,  7 5 9 
£234 11 8 
[23]

College Records vol. I.

[24]

The New Testament, of which five hundred octavo copies were
printed, was first put to the press, and finished, in 1681, and the whole
Bible completed hi 1686.

[25]

Major Daniel Gookin and the Rev. Jonathan Mitchell were the first
appointed licensers of the press. [Ancient records of the colony.]

[26]

Ancient, records of the colony.

[27]

By this order it should seem that another press had been set up, or
what is most probable, intended to be, in Boston. But I have not found
any book printed in Boston, or in any other town in Massachusetts,
excepting Cambridge, until the year 1674.

[28]

Ancient manuscript records of the colony.

[29]

Middlesex Records of Marriages and Deaths, vol. III.

[30]

Boston News Letter, Jan., 1733.