Richard Pynson’s Edition of the Long Accidence Grammar at New College Library, Oxford

Abstract

Elementary Latin grammars in English teaching morphology, comparison and syntax were in great demand in schools in the early Tudor period. The output of cheap teaching texts by the early English printers Wynkyn de Worde and Richard Pynson reflect this demand. They published several versions in many editions, each in a large number of copies. Most of these school texts, however, have disappeared without any trace. The grammar here discussed represents an edition which has been neglected by most bibliographers. It is a fragment of four leaves which contains part of the discussion of the eight parts of speech. It is unique in several respects: it is the only copy known of the Long Accidence grammar printed by Richard Pynson and it differs from the editions of his competitors in England and in the Low Countries in its textual features.