A N T I O U I TIES. 



379 



the present method was invented 

 there, yet the' sample of printing 

 was obtained from the Dutch edi- 

 tions of Donatus. Polydore Virgil 

 wrote thus: " Joh. Gutenberg Teu- 

 tonicus, equestri vir dignitate, ut 

 ab ejus civibus accepimus, primus 

 omniu' in Monguntio Germaniae 

 oppido imprimendar' Literar' arteni 

 excogitavit ; decima sexto deinc 

 anno (qui fuit A. Sal. 1458). Con- 

 radusjhomo itidem Germanus, arte 

 in Italia' attulit." Hadrian Junius 

 mentions printing at Menlz, 1442; 

 but with Costar's types. Caxton 

 (as Meerman notes) 1482, set the 

 invention of the art in 1455 ; about 

 that time, indeed, it became public 

 and general ; as Palmer of Pisa, Po- 

 lydore Vergil, and Werner's Fas- 

 ciculus Tempor' evince. It ensued 

 en the separation of Faust's Artists. 

 But John Mentel exercised the art 

 at Strasburg about 1444. Wint- 

 pheling (who died 1528) says, that 

 Gutenberg had an imperfect know- 

 ledge of printing at Strasburg; 

 though Peter Scheller's sonJohnas- 

 serts, that " Gutenberg invented 

 (rather founded) printing at Mentz, 

 1450; where his father and John 

 Faust improved it " i:,lse\vhere, he 

 explains this of types. John Scott, 

 1531, attributes the invention to 

 John Mental 1444. And Spiegel, 

 the emperor Maximilian's secretary, 

 Wrote, that "John Mentel, at Stras- 

 burg in the year 14-14, invented 

 the art of printing ;" see Seiz. 

 About the year 1458, both Gu- 

 tenberg and Mentel could stamp 

 300 sheets daily. But I think that 

 Gutenberg's eldest brother was a 

 workman with Coslar, and fied to 

 his brother at Strasburg, but afrer- 

 wards repaired to Mcntz. This 

 accounts tor the re))ort that the art 

 was broughtfrom Strasburg lliither. 



How else could Gutenberg, who 

 resided at Strasburg, from 1434 to 

 1444, learn the art from his elder 

 brother ; except, indeed, he visited 

 him at Harlem, or both brothers 

 served Costar, and about 1434 re- 

 moved with the types first to Stras- 

 burg; for Seiz quotes an old manu- 

 script, that says, they resided there, 

 1444; whence the eldest brother 

 retired to Mentz about 1440. John 

 Dun, a goldsmith, attested that he 

 sold to Gutenberg, articles useful 

 in printing about 1436. Thus at 

 Harlem were invented wooden 

 types, both fixed and moveable, 

 about 1430; cut single letters of 

 lead about 1436 ; and cast leaden 

 types about 1438. Gutenberg 

 introduced the art at Strasburg 

 about 143p. His elder brother at 

 Mentz about 1440; he printed un- 

 der Faust's auspices in 1442. Af- 

 terwards Gutenberg came thither ; 

 and metalline types were cut for 

 the Bible, 1450 ; and used for the 

 Pslater, 1457 ; when the art as 

 aforesaid became general. SchefFer, 

 Faust's son-in-law, invented, or at 

 least improved, cast types; with 

 which Buiandus was printed, 1459. 

 Therefore, considering the early 

 account of printing at Strasburg, 

 given by Scott and Spiegel, and 

 tiiat the book De Miseria Lotharii 

 was dated 1446, why doth Blain- 

 ville (who recites an epigram, dated 

 1454, attributing the invention of 

 printing to Germany) suspect, aftei* 

 Misson, the date of the book on 

 Predestination, at Spire, which is 

 1446 ; the date of the Leonard des 

 Utino ; a book whose type greatly 

 resembles thcspecimcns of Mentel'K 

 press, in Meerman ; and bears 

 every mark of a most ancient per- 

 formance in tliat art. The large 

 introductory capitals are not print-. 



ed 



