es himself as
leading a life of ease, when, "having no great charge or occupation," he
set about finishing the translation of Raoul le Fevre's "Recueil des
Histoires de Troye," which he had commenced two years before, in 1469.
The original was the first book he printed, and this translation the
third. Of Caxton's pursuits and travels abroad, we know little more than
that in his peregrinations he confined himself, for the most part, to
the countries of Brabant, Flanders, Holland, and Zealand, and finally
entered into the service, or at least the household, of Margaret,
Duchess of Burgundy, who encouraged him to finish his translation of Le
Fevre's "History of Troy," assisted him with her criticisms upon his
English, and amply rewarded him upon the completion of his labor. From
the prologues and epilogues of this work we discover that he was now
somewhat advanced in years, and that he had learnt to exercise the art
of printing, but by what step he had acquired this knowledge cannot be
discovered; his types only show that he acquired it in the Low
Countries. He does not appear to have seen any of the beautiful
productions of the Roman, Venetian, and Parisian presses before he had
caused his own font of letters to be cut.

The original of Raoul's "History," the "Oration of John Russell on
Charles, Duke of Burgundy, being created a Knight of the Garter," and
the "Translation" of Raoul, were, as far as we know, Caxton's first
three works; the last finished in 1471. A "Stanza," by Wynkyn de Worde,
notices an edition of "Bartholomoeus, de Proprietatibus Rerum," as
printed by Caxton at Cologne (about 1470), but the actual existence of
this edition is unknown. Nor has more certain information yet been
obtained of the exact period of Caxton's return to his native country.
The usual supposition has been that he brought the art of printing into
England in 1474, and this date is indicated by the figures which are
united in the centre of his device as a printer. In 1477, however, he
had undoubtedly quitted the Low Countries and taken up his residence in
the vicinity of Westminster Abbey, where and in which year he printed
his "Dictes and Sayings of the Philosophers." Stowe says he first
exercised his business in an old chapel near the entrance of the abbey;
but a very curious placard, a copy of which, in Caxton's largest type,
is now at Oxford in the late Mr. Douce's library, shows that he printed
in the Almonry. It is as follows: "If