ease you to command that this petition, by your
sagenesses granted, may be entered of record for time to come, for
the love of God and as a work of charity."

Gutenberg's printing press, which used movable type of small
blocks with letters on them, was brought to London in 1476 by a
mercer: William Caxton. It supplemented the text-writer and
monastic copyist. It was a wood and iron frame with a mounted
platform on which were placed small metal frames into which words
with small letters of lead had been set up. Each line of text had
to be carried from the type case to the press. Beside the press
were pots filled with ink and inking balls. When enough lines of
type to make a page had been assembled on the press, the balls
would be dipped in ink and drawn over the type. Then a sheet of
paper would be placed on the form and a lever pulled to press the
paper against the type. Linen usually replaced the more expensive
parchment for the book pages.

The printing press made books more accessible to all literate
people. Caxton printed major English texts and some translations
from French and Latin. He commended different books to various
kinds of readers, for instance, for gentlemen who understand
gentleness and science, or for ladies and gentlewomen, or to all
good folk. There were many cook books in use. There were convex
eyeglasses for reading and concave ones for distance to correct
near-sightedness. The first public library in London was
established from a bequest in a will in 1423.

Many carols were sung at the Christian festival of Christmas.
Ballads were sung on many features of social life of this age of
disorder, hatred of sheriffs, but faith in the King. The legend of
Robin Hood was popular. Town miracle plays on leading incidents of
the Bible and morality plays were popular. Vintners portrayed the
miracle of Cana where water was turned into wine and Goldsmiths
ornately dressed the three Kings coming from the east. In York,
the building of Noah's Ark was performed by the Shipwrights and
the Flood performed by the Fishery and Mariners. Short pantomimes
and disguising, forerunners of costume parties, were good
recreation. Games of cards became popular as soon as cards were
introduced. The king, queen, and jack were dressed in contemporary
clothes. Men bowled, kicked footballs, and played tennis. In
London, Christmas was celebrated with masques and mummings. There
was a great tree in the main market place and evergr