in Latin to Dr. Wideman of Augsburg
on the subject of books. He was also looked upon by the Government as an
authority on matters concerning his business. Under his partnership with
Bonham Norton, he secured a large share in the Royal business. John
Norton bequeathed him a legacy of L10, and a similar sum to his wife.

John Bill died in 1632, and on the 26th August of that year the whole of
his stock was assigned to Mistress Joyce Norton, the widow of John
Norton, and Master Whittaker. The list fills upwards of two pages of
Arber's _Transcripts_ (vol. iv. pp. 283-285), and includes the following
notable works:--

Beza's _Testament_ in Latin, Camden's _Britannia_, Comines' _History_,
Cornelius Tacitus, Du Moulin's _Defence of the Catholique Faith_,
Gerard's _Herball_, Goodwin's _History of Henry VIII._, Plutarch's
_Works_, Rider's _Dictionary_, Spalato's _Sermons_, Usher's _Gravissimae
questiones_, Verstegan's _Restitution of Decayed Intelligence_.

The reversion of John Norton's patent for Greek and Latin books had been
granted in 1604 to Robert Barker (Dom. S. P. 1604), but the year
following Norton's death it was granted to Bonham Norton for thirty
years (Dom. S. P. I., vol. 72, No. 5), and he also seems to have
acquired the patent for printing grammars.

Bonham Norton was the only son of William Norton, stationer of London,
who died in 1593, by his wife Joan, the daughter of William Bonham. He
took up his freedom on the 4th February 1594, and was Master of the
Stationers' Company in the years 1613, 1626, and 1629, and must have
been one of the richest men in the trade. He was joined with Thomas
Wight in a patent for printing _Abridgements of the Statutes_ in 1599,
and later with John Bill in a share of the Royal printing-house. He is
frequently mentioned in wills and other documents of this period. At the
time of John Norton's death Bonham had a family of five sons and four
daughters. He died intestate on the 5th April 1635, and administration
of his estate was granted to his son John on the 28th May 1636 (Admon,
Act Book 1636).

On the 9th May 1615 an order was made by the Court of the Stationers'
Company, upon complaint made by the master printers of the number of
presses then at work, that only nineteen printers, exclusive of the
patentees, _i.e._ Robert Barker, John Bill, and Bonham Norton, should
exercise the craft of printing in the city of London. There is nothing
in the work of these men, judged as spec