In England also the crier was an early institution, for we find one Edmund le Criour mentioned in a document dated 1299. Even when the crier was the pre-eminent advertiser, the poster, or at least the handbill, had its place. At first the bills were written, but almost as soon as Caxton introduced the newly-discovered art of printing they were produced by that method. Perhaps the earliest English poster is that by which Caxton, about the year 1480, announced the "Pyes of Salisbury Use," at the Red Pole in the Almonry at Westminster. The size of this broadside is five inches by seven, and the text runs as follows: "If it please any man spirituel or temporel to bye our pyes of two or thre comemo-racio's of Salisburi use, emprunted after the form of this prese't lettre, which ben wel and truly correct, late hym come to West-monster, into the almonestrye at the reed pole ane he shall have them good and chepe. "Supplico stet cedula." The "pyes" in question, it may be noted, were a series of diocesan rules. It is in the sixteenth century that we meet with the poster properly so called. For example, we have a royal proclamation of Francois I relating to the police of the city of Paris, which runs: "Nous voulons que ces presentes ordonnances soient publiees tous les moys de l'an, par tous les quarrefours de cette ville de Paris et faux bourgs d'icelle, a son de trompe et cry public. Et neantmoins quelles soient attachees a un tableau, escriptes en parche-main et en grosse lettre, en tous les seize quartiers de ladite ville de Paris es esdietz faux bourgs, et lieux les plus eminents et apparens d'iceulx, afin qu'elles soient cognues et entendues parfun chacun. Et qu'il ne soit loysible oster les dictz tableaux, sur peine de punition corporelle, dont les dictz commissaires auront la charge chacun en son quartier." The words "attachees a un tableau, escriptes en parchemain et en grosse lettre" leave no doubt that the poster as we now know it was a usual method of advertisement in the reign of Francois Ier. The _affiche_ soon after received the attention of the French legislature, for the production and exhibition of posters of certain kinds in France, was expressly forbidden by "un arret du Parlement" dated the 7th of February, 1652. To publishers and booksellers, however, the privilege of posting the titles of their new books was specially reserved.