The next printer to be noticed is John Overton, if indeed he ever existed, for it may be stated at once that nothing is known of him but his name. This is found in the colophon of Bale’s _Catalogue of British Writers_ from the time of Japhet, son of the most holy Noah, up to the year 1548, which states explicitly that the book was printed at Ipswich in England by John Overton on July 31, 1548. On the other hand we find on the title-page of a number of copies a no less definite statement that the book was printed at Wesel by Theodoricus Plateanus on July 31, 1548. One thing is clear from an examination of the book itself, and that is that it was certainly printed abroad, and Bale himself, in the introduction which he wrote to John Leland’s little book, entitled _The laborious journey and search of John Leland_, writes, “Since I returned home again from Germany where as I both collected and emprinted my simple work _De Scriptoribus Britannicis_.” Most writers have tried to make the two statements agree by suggesting that the main body of the book was printed abroad and brought over in sheets, and that it was completed after its arrival with two sheets printed by Overton at Ipswich. But these sheets unfortunately are in exactly the same type as the rest of the book. The Ipswich colophon occurs in all copies of the book, but the Wesel imprint only in some. A possible explanation may be found in the legal restrictions regarding the importation of foreign books. As regards copies sold abroad it would not matter where they were printed, but imported copies might meet with difficulties. Hence perhaps the Ipswich colophon and the suppression of the Wesel imprint. The suspicion which gathered round the book and its imprints naturally spread to the printer himself, Theodoricus Plateanus. Was he a real person or not? Like John Overton, his name was only known from its occurrence in this book, and it was often assumed to be fictitious. A recent fortunate discovery made by Mr Murray of Trinity has proved that he was a genuine printer. Fragments of several books in Latin and German were found used in the binding of an English law-book, and on one of these was a colophon, dated 1548, the same date as Bale’s _De Scriptoribus_, “Drück tho Wesel by Dirick van der straten,” and leaves of Bale’s book were among the fragments. The discovery is particularly fortunate, not only as supplying the printer’s real name, which may enable us to trace him further, but also as showing us new founts of type undoubtedly used by him, and which were used also in several foreign printed English books which up to now could only be conjecturally assigned to certain towns or presses. Besides the _De Scriptoribus Britannicis_ several other of Bale’s works can now be definitely assigned to him.