Sir Egerton Brydges also quoted from a Household Book an interesting list of about the same date as the above—
| Anno 1564. | ||
|---|---|---|
| Iteme, for booke of the dysease of horses | iiijd | |
| Iteme, for printing the xxv orders of honest men | xxd | |
| Iteme, pd for a Lytlton in English | xijd | |
| Iteme, for a diologge betwine the cap and the heade | ijd | |
| Iteme, pd for the booke of the ij Englishe lovers | vjd | |
| Iteme, for a French booke called the historye de noster ternes | xvjd | |
| Iteme, pd for iij French bookes, the on called Pawlus Jovius | xxs | 32 |
In the days before copyright acts authors and publishers often tried to safeguard their property by obtaining patents. These were sometimes for a particular book, as, for instance, Richard Field, printer, in February 1592 was granted the sole licence to print “Orlando Furioso translated into English verse by John Harrington.” More often, however, patents were granted to printers allowing them the sole privilege of printing certain classes of books. A licence “to imprint all manner of books concerning the common laws of this realm” was granted to Richard Tottell; one for primers and books of private prayers to William Seres; one to print all manner of songs of musick to Thomas Tallis and William Bird; one for dictionaries generally to H. Binneman; and one for almanacks and prognostications to James Roberts and Richard Watkins.28 Gradually by purchase or inheritance nearly all the monopolies came into the possession of the Stationers’ Company. Certain printers, however, made a practice of pirating some of the most popular English privileged books. The Company resisted, and memorialised Lord Burghley in October 1582, with a complaint of the opposition met with in making their search in the printing-house of one “who printed all kinds of books at his pleasure.”29