Gutenberg and Early Printing

l>y " Schurener de Bopardia." In both editions Gutemberg is called " Jacobus," James, and is said to be a native of Strasburg. Under the same year John Mentelin is mentioned as a printer at Strasburg. t Fischer, Typograph. Seltenheit. S. 44, late. Lieferung. In this instrument Gutemberg describes himself as " Henne Genssfleisch von Sulgeloeh, genennt Gudinberg." U2 INVENTION OF mentioned in the document. As there appears to be a distinction also between " instrument " and " gezuge," translated utensils and materials, he supposes that the latter word may be used to signify the metal of which the types were formed. He observes that German printers call their old worn-out types " der " Zeug literally, " stuff," and that the mixed metal of which types are composed is also known as " der Zeug, oder Metall." * It is to be remembered that the earliest printers were also their own letter-founders. The work called the Catholicon, compiled by Johannes de Balbis, Januensis, a Dominican, which appeared in 1460 without the printer's name, has been ascribed to Gutemberg's press by some of the most eminent German bibliographers. It is a Latin dictionary and introduction to grammar, and consists of three hundred and seventy-three leaves IP)' large 1'ipliii sixe. Fischer and others are of opinion that a Vocabulary, printed at Kll'eld, in Latin, Altavilla, near Mentz, on 6th November. 1 Hi", was executed with the same types. At the end of this work, which is a i|iiart<> of one hundred and sixty-five leaves, it is stated tn have lieen begun by Henry 15echtermuntze, and finished by his brother Nicholas, iind Wigaml Spyess de Orthenberg.t A second edition of the vinie work. printed by Nicholas Bechtermunt/e, appeared in 1469. The following extract from a letter written by Fischer to Professor Zapf in 1 su:{. contains an account of his researches respecting the Catholicon and Vocabulary: "The frankness with which you retracted your former opinions respecting the printer of the Catholicon of 1460, and agreed with me in assigning it to Gutemberg, demands the respect of every uiihias>ed inquirer. I beg now merely to mention to you a discovery that I have made which no longer leaves it difficult to conceive how the Catholicon types should have come into the hands of Bechtermuntze. From a monument which stands before the high altar of the church of Kll'eld it is evident that the family of Sorgenloch, of which that of Gutemberg or Cu'iislleisch was a branch, was connected with the family of Bechtermuntze by marriage. The types used by Bechtermuntze were not only similar to those formerly belonging to Gutemberg, but were the very same, as I always maintained, appealing to the principles of the type-founder's art. They had come into the possession of Bechtermuntze by inheritance, on the death of Gutemberg, and hence Dr. Homery's reclamation." J I'nmaria quaslani Document pp. 2634. . - per henricum bethtermuncze pie memorie in altavilla ert inchoatum. et demo lub anno dfii M.CCCCLIII. ipo die Leonardi confesaorig qui ftiit quart* die mensis novembria p. nyoolaum bechtenuQcze fratrem dicti Henrici et WygandQ Spyew de orthenberg conummato." There U a copy of this edition in the Royal Library at Paris. t Typographic*. Seltenheit 8. 101, 5te. Liefenmg. TYPOGRAPHY. 143 Zapf, to whom Fischer's letter is addressed, had previously com- municated to Oberlin his opinion that the types of the Catholicon were the same as those of an Augustinus de Vita Christiana, 4to, without date or printer's name, but having at the end the arms of Faust and Scheffer. In his account, printed at Nuremberg, 1803, of an early edition of " Joannis de Turre-cremata explanatio in Psalterium," he acknowledged that he was mistaken ; thus agreeing with Schwartz, Meerman, Panzer, and Fischer, that no book known to be printed by Faust and Scheffer is printed with the same types as the Catholicon and the Vocabulary. Although there can be little doubt of the Catholicon and the Elfeld Vocabulary being printed with the same types, and of the former being printed by Gutemberg, yet it is far from certain that J'echtermuntze inherited Gutemberg's printing materials, even though lie might be a relation. It is as likely that Gutemberg might sell to the brothers a portion of his materials and still retain enough for himself. If thev came into their possession by inheritance, which is not likely, Cutcmherg must have died some months previous to -Mil November, l-Ki", the day on which Nicholas Bechtermunt/e and YVvgand Spyess finished the printing of the Vocabulary. If the materials had been purchased by Bechternumtze in Gutemberg's lifetime, which seems to be the most reasonable supposition, Conrad Homery could have no claim upon them on account of money advanced to Gutemberg, and consequently the types and printing materials which after his death came into Homery's possession, could not be those employed by the brothers Bechtermuntze in their establishment at Elfeld.* By letters patent, dated at Elfeld on St. Anthony's day, 14C5, Adol- phus, archbishop and elector of Mentx, appointed Gutemberg one of his courtiers, with the same allowance of clothing as the rest of the nobles attending his court, with other privileges and exemptions. From this period Fischer thinks that Gutemberg no longer occupied himself with business as a printer, and that he transferred his printing materials to Henry Bechtermuntze. " If Wimpheling's account be true," says Fischer, " that Gutemberg became blind in his old age, we need no longer be surprised that during his lifetime his types and utensils should come into The two following works, without date or printer's name, are printed with the same types as the Catholicon, and it is doubtful whether they were printed by Gutemberg, or by other persons with his types. 1. Matthei de Cracovia tractatus, seu dialogus racionis et consciencie de sumpcione pabnli salutiferi corporis domini nostri ihesu christi. 4to. foliis 22. 2. Thome de Aquino summa de articulis fidei et ecclesie sacramentis. 4to. foliis 13. A declaration of Thierry von Isenburg, archbishop of Mayence, offering to resign in favour of his opponent, Adolphus of Nassau, printed in German and Latin in 1462, is ascribed to Gutemberg : it is of quarto size and consists of four leaves. Oberlin, Annales de la Vie de Gutenberg. INVENTION OP the possession of Bechtcrmuntze." The exact period of Gutemberg's decease has not been ascertained, but in the bond or deed of obligation executed by Doctor Conrad Homery the Friday after St. Matthias's day,* 1468, he is mentioned as being then dead. He was interred at Mentz in the church of the Kecollets, and the following epitaph was composed by his relation, Adam Gelthaus t : " D. o. M. s. "Joanni Genszfleisch, art is impressorije repertori, de omni natione et lingua uptime merito, in nominis sui memoriam immortalem Adam Grlthiius posuit. Ossa ejus in ecclesia D. Francisci Moguntina feliciter rubant." From the last sentence it is probalile that this epitaph was not placed in the rhiireh wherein Gutemberg was interred. The following inscription was composed by Ivo 'NVittich, professor of law and member of the imperial chamber at Aleut/ : .In. Guttenbergensi, Moguntino, qui primus omnium literas aere imprimendas inveiiit, liac nrte de orbe toto bene merenti Ivo Witigisis hoc saxiim pro inonimento posnit M.D.VII." This inscription, according to Serarius, who jirofesses to liave seen it, and who died iii lu'oil, was placed in front of the school of law at Mentz. This house had formerly belonged to Gutemberg, and was supposed to be the same in which lie first commenced printing at Mentz in conjunction with Faust.' From the documentary evidence cited in the preceding account of the lit'.' of ( Jiitemberg, it will lie perceived that the art of printing with moveable types was not perfected as soon as conceived, but that it was a work of time. It is highly probable that Gutemberg was occupied with his invention in 1 l-.'ili ; and from the obscure manner in which his " admirable discovery" is alluded to in the process between him and the Drytzehns in 1 Hi!, it does not seem likely that he had then proceeded beyond making experiments. In 1449 or 14.50, when the sum of 800 florins was advanced by Faust, it appears not unreasonable to suppose that he had so far improved his invention, as to render it practically available without reference to Scheffer's great improvement in casting the types from matrices formed by punches, which was most likely discovered between 14">2 and 1455. About fourteen years must have St Matthias's day is on 24th Fcliruary. t In the instrument dated 1434, wherein Guteinterg agrees to release the town-clerk of Mentz, whom he had arrested, mention in made of a relation of his, Ort Gelthus, living at Oppenbeim. hum," which Schicpflin, mistaking the word, has printed in his Documenta, he translates " Artgeld domo," the house of Artgeld. p. 4, " Artgeld : Serarii Historia Mogunt lib. I. cap. xxxviL p. 159. Heineken, Nachrichten von Kunstleni und KunM-Sachen, 2te, Theil, 8. 29!. - In the colophon to " Trithemii Breviarium historianim de origine Regum et Gentis TYPOGRAPHY. 1 45 elapsed before Gutemberg was enabled to bring his invention into practice. The difficulties which must have attended the first establishment of typography could only have been surmounted by great ingenuity and mechanical knowledge combined with unwearied perseverance. After the mind had conceived the idea of using moveable types, those types, whatever might be the material employed, were yet to be formed, and when completed they were to be arranged in pages, divided by proper spaces, and bound together in some manner which the ingenuity of the inventor was to devisQ. Nor was his invention complete until he had contrived a PRESS, by means of which numerous impressions from his types might be perfectly and rapidly obtained. Mr. Ottley, at page 285 of the first volume of his Eesearches, informs us that " almost all great discoveries have been made by accident ;" and at page 196 of the same volume, when speaking of printing as the invention of Lawrence Coster, he mentions it as an " art which had been at first taken up as the amusement of a leisure hour, became improved, and was practised by him as a profitable trade." Let any unbiassed person enter a printing-office ; let him look at the single letters, let him observe them formed into pages, and the pages wedged up in forms ; let him see a sheet printed from one of those forms by means of the press ; and when he has seen and considered all this, let him ask himself it' ever, since the world began, the amusement of an old man practised in his hours of leisure was attended with such a result? "Very few great discoveries," says Lord Brougham, " have been made by chance and by ignorant persons, much fewer than is generally supposed. They are generally made by persons of competent knowledge, and who are in search of them." * Having now given some account of the grounds on which Gutem- berg's claims to the invention of typography are founded, it appears necessary to give a brief summary, from the earliest authorities, of the pretensions of Lawrence Coster not only to the same honour, but to something more ; for if the earliest account which we have of him be true, he was not only the inventor of typography, but of block-printing also. The first mention of Holland in connexion with the invention of typography occurs in the Cologne Chronicle, printed by John Kcelhoff in 1499, wherein it is said that the first idea of the art was suggested by the Donatuses printed in Holland ; it being however expressly stated in Francorum," printed at Mentz in 1515 by John Seheft'er, son of Peter Scheffer and Christina, the daughter of Faust, it is stated that the art of printing waa perfected in 1452, through the labour and ingenious contrivances of Peter Scheffer of Qernsheim, and that Faust gave him his daughter Christina in marriage as a reward. * On the Pleasures and Advantages of Science, p. 160. Edit. 1831, L J46 INVENTION OF the same work that the art of printing as then practised was invented at Meutz. In a memorandum, which has been referred to at page 123, written by Mariangelus Accursius, who flourished about 1530, the invention of printing with metal types is erroneously ascribed to Faust; and it is further added, that he derived the idea from a Donatus printed in Holland from a wood-block. That a Donatus might be printed there from a wood-block previous to the invention of typography is neither impossible nor improbable ; although I esteem the testimony of Accursius of very little value. He was born and resided in Italy, and it is not unlikely, as has been previously observed, that he might derive his iiifiirin;ition I'nnn the Cologne Chronicle. .lolm Van /uyren, who died in 1594', is said to have written a book to pi-nve that typography was invented at Harlem; but it never was printed, and the knowledge that we have of it is from certain fragments of it preserved by Scriverius, a writer whose own uncorroborated testimony on this subject is not entitled to the slightest credit. The substance of Xiiyn-n's account is almost the same as that of Junius, except that lie docs not mention the inventor's name. The art according to him was invented at Harlem, hut that while yet in a rude and imperfect state it was carried bv a stranger to Mentz, and there brought to perfection. Theodore Cooriihert, in the dedication of his Dutch translation of Tully's ( Mliccs to tin 1 magistrates of Harlem, printed in l.">61, says that he had frequently heard from respectable people that the art of printing was invented at llarlcin, and that the house where the inventor lived was pointed out to him. He proceeds to relate that by the dishonesty of a workman the art was curried to Mentx. and there perfected. Though he says that he was informed by certain respectable old men both of the inventor's name and family, yet, for .some reason or other, he is careful not to mention them. When he was informing the magistrates of Harlem of their city being the nurse of so famous a discover}, it is rather strange that he should not mention the parent's name. From the conclusion of his dedication we may guess why he should be led to mention Harlem us the place where typography was invented. It appears that he and certain friends of his, being inflamed with a patriotic spirit, designed to establish a new printing-oflice at Harlem, " in honour of their native city, for the profit of others, and for their own accommodation, and yet without detriment to any person." His claiming the invention of printing for Harlem was a good advertisement for the speculation. The next writer who mentions Harlem as the place where printing was invented is Guicciardini, who in his Description of the Low Coun- tries, first printed at Antwerp in 1567, gives the report, without vouching for its truth, as follows : " In this place, it appears, not only from the general opinion of the inhabitants and other Hollanders, but from the TYPOGRAPHY. 147 testimony of several writers and from other memoirs, that the art of printing and impressing letters on paper such as is now practised, was invented. The inventor dying before the art was perfected or had come into repute, his servant, as they say, went to live at Mentz, where making this new art known, he was joyfully received ; and applying himself diligently to so important a business, he brought it to perfection and into general repute. Hence the report has spread abroad and gained credit that the art of printing was first practised at Mentz. What truth there may be in this relation, I am not able, nor do I wish, to decide ; con- tenting myself with mentioning the subject in a few words, that I might my not prejudice [by silence the claims of] this district."* It is evident that the above account is given from mere report. What other writers had previously noticed the claims of Harlem, except Coorn- hert and Zuyren, remain yet to be discovered. They appear to have been unknown to Guicciardini's contemporary, Junius, who was the first to give a name to the Harlem inventor; a "local habitation" had already been provided for him by Cooruhcrt. The sole authority for one Lawrence Coster having invented wood- engraving, block-printing, and typography, is Hadrian Junius, who was born at Horn in North Holland, in 1511. He took up his abode at Harlem in 1560. During his residence in that city he commenced his Batavia, the work in which the account of Coster first appeared, which, from the preface, would seem to have been finished in January, 1575. He died the 16th June in the same year, and his book was not pub- lished until 1588, twelve years after his decease.t In this work, which is a topographical and historical account of Holland, or more properly of the country included within the limits of ancient Batavia, we find the first account of Lawrence Coster as the inventor of typography. Almost every succeeding advocate of Coster's pretensions has taken the liberty of * Ludovico Guicciardini, Descrittione di tutti i Paesi Bassi : folio, Anversa, 1581. The original passage is given by Meennan. The original words altre memorie translated in the above extract " other memoirs " are rendered by Mr. Ottley " other records." This may pass ; but it scarcely can be believed that Guicciardini consulted or personally knew of the existence of any such records. Mr. Ottley also, to match his " records," refers to the relations of Coornhert, Zuyren, Guicciardini, and Junius as " documents." t Junius was a physician, and unquestionably a learned man. lie is the author of a nomenclator in Latin, Greek, Dutch, and French. An edition, with the English synonyms, by John Higins and Abraham Fleming, was printed at London in 1585. The following passage concerning Junius occurs in Southey's Biographical Sketch of the Earl of Surrey in the " Select Works of the British Poets from Chaucer to Jonson :" " Surrey is next found distinguishing himself at the siege of Landrecy. At that siege Bonner, who was afterwards so eminently infamous, invited Hadrian Junius to England. When that distinguished scholar arrived, Bonner wanted either the means, or more probably the heart, to assist him ; but Surrey took him into his family in the capacity of physician, and gave him a pension of fifty angels." L2 148 INVENTION OF altering, amplifying, or contradicting the account of Junius according as it might suit his own line of argument ; but not one of them has been able to produce a single solitary fact in confirmation of it. Scriverius, Seiz, Meerman, and Kerning are fertile in their conjectures about the thief that stole Coster's types, but they are miserably barren in their proofs of his having had types to be stolen. " If the variety of opinions," observes Naude, speaking of Coster's invention, " may be taken as an indication of the falsehood of any theory, it is impossible that this should IK? true." Since Naude's time the number of Coster's advocates has been increased by Sri/. Meerman, and Koning ; * who, if they have not been able t<i produce any evidence of the existence of Lawrence Coster as a printer, have at least been fertile in conjectures respecting the thief. Tliev have not strengthened but weakened the Costerian triumphal arch raided liv Juiiius, for they have all more or less knocked a piece of it a\av ; and even where they have pretended to make repairs, it has meivly II.TII "one nail driving another out." .Inning's aeeoiint of Coster is su])]>osed to have been written about I.MIs; ;md in iirde]- tn do justice to the claims of Harlem I shall here i,> M I'aitlifiil translation of the " document," according to Mr. Ottley, -n|inii which they are I'nunded. After idluding, in a ]ireliiuinary rhetiirii-al llouri>h, to Truth being the daughter of Time, and to her being eiiiieealed in a well. Junius thus proceeds to draw her out. " It he is the best witness, as 1'lutarch says, who, bound by no favour my and led l>y ii" partialit v, freely and fearlessly speaks what he thinks, testimony mav deservedly claim attention. I have no connexion through kindred \itli the deceased, his heirs, or his posterity, and I expect on this account neither favour nor reward. What I have done is performed through a regard to the memory of the dead. I shall therefore relate what 1 have heard from old and respectable persons who have held ollices in the city, and who seriously affirmed that they had heard what they told from their elders, whose authority ought justly to entitle them to credit." "About a hundred and twenty-eight years ago.t Lawrence John, called the churchwarden or keeper,* from the profitable and honourable office which his family held by hereditary right, dwelt in a large house, which is yet standing entire, opposite the Royal Palace. This is Knning'x Dissertation on the Invention of Printing, which was crowned by the Society of Science* of Hark-in, was first printed at Harlem in the Dutch language in 1816 It was afterwards ahriilgcd and translated into French with the approbation, and under the revision, of the author. In 1817 he published a first supplement ; and a second appeared in 1820. * Reckoning from 13fi8, the period referred to would be 1440. " .K.lituiis Ciwtosvc." The word " Ko*ter" in modern Dutch is synonymous with the English "f<cxton." TYPOGRAPHY. U9 the person who now on the most sacred ground of right puts forth his claims to the honour of having invented typography, an honour so nefa- riously obtained and possessed by others. Walking in a neighbouring wood, as citizens are accustomed to do after dinner and on holidays, he began to cut letters of beech-bark, with which for amusement, the letters being inverted as on a seal, he impressed short sentences on paper for the children of his son-in-law. Having succeeded so well in this, lie began to think of more important undertakings, for he was a shrewd and ingenious man ; and, in conjunction with his son-in-law Thomas I'eter- he discovered a more glutinous and tenacious kind of ink, as lie found from experience that the ink in common use occasioned hints. This Thomas Peter left four sons, all of whom were magistrates ; and I m incut i< this that all may know that the art derived its origin from a respectable and not from a mean family. lie then printed whole figured pages with the text added. Of this kind I have seen specimens executed in the infancy of the art, being printed only on one side. This was a book com- posed in our native language by an anonymous author, and entitled Speculum Nostrm Salutis. In this we may observe that in the first pro- ductions of the art for no invention is immediately perfected the blank pages were pasted together, so that they might not appear as a defect. He afterwards exchanged his beech types for leaden ones, and subsequently he formed his types of tin, as being less flexible and of greater durability. Of the remains of these types certain old wine-vessels were cast, which are still preserved in the house formerly the residence of Lawrence, which, as I have said, looks into the market-place, and which was afterwards inhabited by his great-grandson Gerard Thomas, a citizen of repute, who died an old man a few years ago. "The new invention being well received, and a new and unheard-of commodity finding on all sides purchasers, to the great profit of tin- inventor, he