about one-fourth of which are now represented only by single copies. Of
the Polychronicon, Seymour de Ricci's "Census of Caxtons" (1909)
enumerates forty known copies (very few of them entirely complete),
evenly divided between public and private libraries. To this list he
adds, under the heading "Present owners untraced," forty-eight copies
(nos. 41-88) which appeared at sales between 1698 and 1901, some of them
possibly identical with copies already described as "known." In this
second division is found the present copy (no. 79), purchased by the
donor of this collection at the Smets sale, New York, May, 1868, in calf
binding, with the name of the owner "A.A. Smets, Savannah, May 28, 1836"
on the fly-leaf. It was at once sent to Francis Bedford for binding,
with instructions to have the "inlaying, repairing etc. done over in
the very best manner, by the best restorer in France or England." Bound
in brown morocco, richly blind-tooled, with Tudor rose, fleur-de-lis and
acorn emblems. Leaf 10-1/4 × 7-1/2 in. The Smets fly-leaf and the
original instructions sent to Mr. Bedford with the volume and returned
by him with an added note over his own signature, laid in.

Other copies of the Polychronicon which have passed through Mr.
Bedford's hands have been bound in the same style, among them the
Menzies copy, sold New York, November, 1876, which de Ricci wrongly
conjectured might be identical with the Smets.


25. ORDINARY OF CHRISTIAN MEN. London, Wynkyn de Worde, 1506.

_Fol. 1^a._ TITLE: Thordinary of Crysten men [woodcut below.] _Fol.
1^b-4^b, table of contents._ _Fol. 5^a_ [woodcut above]: Here begynneth
a notable treatyse and ful necessarye to all crysten men for to knowe &
it is named the Ordynary of Crystyens or of crysten men. _Fol. 217^b_: