Here begynneth a lytell Cronycle, translated and imprinted at the cost and charge of Rycharde Pynson, by the commaundement of the ryght high and mighty prince Edwarde duke of Buckingham, yerle of Gloucester, Staffarde, and of Northampton. Imprinted by the sayd Richarde Pynson, printer unto the kinges noble grace. (No date.) Fol. B.L.
In the Grenville collection. The volume consists of forty-eight leaves. On the verso of fol. 35, “Here endeth the boke of thistoris of thorient partes cōpyled by a religious man frere Hayton, frere of Premonstre order, somtyme lorde of Court and cosyn german to the kyng of Armeny, upon the passage of the holy lande. By the commaundement of the holy fader the apostle of Rome, Clement the V, in the citie of Potiers: which boke I, Nicholas Falcon, writ first in French, as the frere Hayton sayd with his mouth, without any note or example; and out of French I have translated it in Latyn for our holy fader the pope. In the yeere of our lorde god 1307.”
Mr. Grenville, in his manuscript note, says: “The present is the only translation into English, and from the circumstances of its being printed by Pynson, and having been (when in Mr. Heber’s collection) bound with two other works (Mirrour of good Maners and Sallust), both translated by Barclay, was probably also translated by him. It is a book of extraordinary rarity, no perfect copy that can be traced having previously occurred for public sale.”
The earliest French edition was printed at Paris, in 1529, with the title—
