658 A. D. 1440. 



Odober 13'" — In a treaty between King Henry and the duke of Bret- 

 agne a mutual freedom of commercial intercourfe between the fubjects 

 of both was ftipulated : and, in order to guard againfl piratical depred- 

 ations at fea, the commanders of all veflels, fitted out in the ports of 

 either country, were obliged to find fecurity before their departure, that 

 they (hould not commit any depredations on the fubjects of the other, 

 and judges were to be appointed in each port, Who, without the formal- 

 ities of law, fliould do fummary jufl;ice upon the offenders and their 

 feciu-ities, or, failing them, vipon the inhabitants of the place. [Fcsd- 

 era, V. x, p. S03.] Such fecurities for the peaceable condud of veflels 

 upon the fea were now become fo common, that it will henceforth fcarce- 

 ly be neceflliry to mention them. 



Odober 28"" — The duke of Orleans, after a captivity of twenty-five 

 years in England, agreed to pay 100,000 nobles for his ranfom, whei-eof 

 he paid 40,000 in hand, advanced to him by four Florentine .merchants 

 in London. Having reprefented to King Henry, that he never fliould 

 be able to pay up the remaining 60,000, unlefs his vaflals had the liberty 

 of trading to the dominions of England, the king granted licences to a 

 great number of them to import wine, iron, fait, linen cloths (' toilles'), 

 and other merchandize, from any place in the obedience of his adverf- 

 ary of France, in veflels not exceeding 200 tuns burthen nor carrying 

 above 20 men, or in carts, &c. to his dominions on either fide of the 

 water, they paying the ufiaal cufl;oms, &c. \Fcedera, V. '^,pp. 777, 783, 

 812-826.] 



Pliny obferves that paper confers immortality upon the works of man. 

 That beautiful and juft eulogium may with fi:ill more propriety be ap- 

 plied to the art of printing, which befl;ows furer immortality, together 

 with univerial circulation, upon all works worthy of prefervation; which, 

 by retidering books cheap, has brought knowlege within the reach of 

 all mankind, and has done a thoufand times more than the ledures of 

 all the philofophers of antiquity in difpelling the thick mifi: of ignor- 

 ance, diffufing the lights of learning and fcience, and enlarging the 

 powers of the mind. This mofl: valuable art appears to have been in- 

 vented about this time : and the honour of the invention has been very 

 keenly contefted by the partizans of Gutenburg, Fuft, and Laurence. 

 Gutenburg is faid to have printed at StrafiDurg in the year 1440, and 

 afterwards at Mentz, his native city, where he aflimied John Fufl; as a 

 partner. According to others, Fuft was the original inventor. And 

 John Laurence of Harlem is alfo faid to have invented the art fome 

 years before this time *. The firft rude eflliys were made with wooden 



* Gutenburg has tlie moll numerous, and the firft types, ruddy cut In wood, nmong which there 

 moft anticnt, evidences in favour of his priority of are fonic containing whole words, (fo that the 

 invention. In honour of him, the invention has modern logography is no new invention) are dill 

 been commemorated by a jubilee held in the for- prcferved in that city nlong with fomc impreffions 

 tieth year of every fuccccdinjj ccjitury : aud the of the firft printing, which exhibit the imperfec- 



tiOB 



