1823.] 
yet extant, and printed for the first 
time by Schopflin, in his ‘“ Vindicie 
Typographic,” and since republished 
by Meerman. 
From these judiciary acts atid docu- 
ments, we learn, that John Gutenberg 
was a mah of an inventive turn, ever 
occupied with ingenious projects in 
the mechanical -arts; that ‘he was, 
originally, of Mentz, born of noble 
parents, and that he was long a resi- 
dent in the city of Strasburgh, where 
he acquired the right of ‘citizenship ; 
and that, in the qualities of a moble 
and citizen, his name is to be found, 
marked down in the year 1439, in the 
Register or Roll of those liable to the 
impost on wine, in the same city. 
According to allappearance, this cir- 
cumstance must have led into error, 
such as have fixed upon Strasburgh as 
the place of his birth. 
We further learn that John Guten- 
berg, in 1437, was summoned to 
appear before the officiality or acting 
justiciaries, by Anne zur Isernen 
Thur, to whom he had engaged him- 
self by promise of marriage. It is 
commonly thought that he afterwards 
mairied her, as, in the same Register, 
there appears the name of Anne de 
Gutenberg, as if from the name of her 
husband. 
Further matters of a law-process 
were instituted against John Guten- 
berg in 1439, by George and Nicholas 
Dritzehen, brothers, in the city of 
Strasburgh, by which we may discern 
the traces of the first experiments in 
the art of printing. 
Gutenberg was in possession of 
several secrets in the arts; and made 
discovery of a part of them! to certain 
individuals known ‘by the names of 
Andrew Dritzehen, John Riffe, and 
Andrew Heilmann, for the sum of 160 
florins. With these persons lie con- 
tracted a partnership, limited to cer- 
tain stipulated objects or articles. 
Andrew Dritzehen.andA. Heilmann, 
having been one day to visit. Guten- 
berg, at St. Arbogaste, a little out of. 
the gates of Strasburgh, where he’ 
lived, found him busily engaged, in 
private, with some unknown art, the 
secret of which he carefully preserved. 
They were eager to acquire the know- 
ledge of it, and he agreed to'a further 
partnership of five years with them, on 
two ulterior conditions, that they should 
pay him another ‘sum of 250 florins, 
100 in ready money, and the remain- 
der payable at a set time, and that, 
while the partnership was in force, if 
Origin and early Progress of the Art of Printing. 
391 
any one ofthe partners should die, the 
survivors should pay, to the heirs of 
the defunct, the sum’ of 100° florins; 
other effects remaining in common. 
Andrew Dritzehen was indebted ‘to 
Gutenberg, in the sum of 85 florins, 
when he died; George and Nicolas 
Dritzehen, on the death of their’bro- 
ther, required to succeed him in the 
partnership ; which being refused, they 
instituted a suit, before the magistrate 
of Strasburgh, against Gutenberg, 
as head of thepartnership; Gutenberg 
according to the last contract, was di- 
rected, by an order of the magistrate, 
dated December 12, 1439, to pay fit- 
teen florins to the heirs, to:;complete the 
stipulated sumof 100. He was cleared 
however, ‘and acquitted, with respect 
towhat George and Nicholas Dritzehen 
had demanded. 
It will now be requisite to consider 
the ‘depositions of some of ‘the wit- 
nesses. Anne, wile of John Schultheiss, 
wood-cutter, declared that Laurent 
Beildeck came to her house, ‘where 
Nicholas Dritzehen then was, and,‘ re- 
porting the death of Andrew D: added, 
he-has left forty pieces arranged'in ‘a 
press; Gutenberg begs of you ‘to:re- 
move or take them to pieces, that they 
may not be seen or known, © Her 
husband, John 8. made a declaration, 
nearly to the same purport. f 
Conrad Sahspae, turner, ‘deposed 
that Andrew Heilmann came ‘to his 
house, in La Rue des Marchands, and 
said: Andrew Dritzehen is dead, and, 
as you made the press, and are welt 
acquainted with the matter, remove 
and take to pieces what is on the press, 
that no one may discover what it is. 
Laurent Beildock, a domestic ‘of 
Gutenberg, deposed that his’ master 
had sent him to Nicholas Dritzchen, 
on the death of his brother Andrew, 
desiring ‘him ‘to let no one ‘see the 
press that was in his house. | His 
master had further ordered him to-go 
immediately to the presses, to open 
the one with two serews, to take the 
pages to pieces, and to place the ‘pie 
ces in the press, or else upon it, for, in 
that'case, no one could make out the 
secret, font 
Anthony Heilmann deposed, that 
Gutenberg. had sent ‘his servant, a 
little before: Christmas, to the two 
Andrews, Andrew Dritazchen and 
Andrew Heilmann, to:demand allthe 
forms, which were undone, in presence 
of him, (the witness,) as somethings 
wanted correction.. Heilmann added, 
that aftet the death of Andrew, as 
' many 
