ORIGIN AND PROGRESS 



nJ -v 



tion rxtant, particularly one in his majesty's library, where there" 

 is a fair copy of the New Testament, of the same place and date, 

 printed on vellum. If the pretended edition of 1450, without the 

 Colophon was compared with this of 1462, the question, whether 

 they are different editions or not, would be decided. 



In 1465, Fust and Schoeffer printed at Mentz an edition of 

 Tully's Offices, and in the next year another edition of the same 

 work. Some have asserted, that these were one and the same 

 book, but both the editions are in his majesty's library, which I 

 have seen. The Colophon to that first printed is as follows : 



Presens Marci Tullij clarissimu" opus. Jo. 

 hannes Fust, Mogiftinus ciyis. no" atrame* 

 to. plumali ca~na neq~ aerea. Sed arte qua. 

 dam perpulcra. Petri manu pueri met fell, 

 citer eflfeci finitum. Auno M.cccc. Ixv. 



The second edition hath this Colophon : 



Presens Marci Tullij clarissimu" opus. Jo- 

 hannes Fust Mogu~tinu$ civis. no" atrame". 

 to, plumali ca~na neq~ aerea. Sed arte qua. 

 dam perpulcra. manu Petri de Gernshem 

 pueri met feliciter effeci finitum. Anno M. 

 cccc.lxvi. quart a diemensisfebruarij^Sfc. 



From the year 1462 the art of printing spread very rapidly 

 through Europe, and was encouraged by the sovereigns of every 

 nation. In 1465 the Institutes of Lactantius, were printed in the 

 Sublacensian monastery near Rome : this is said to have been the 

 first attempt towards printing in Italy ; a fair copy of this book if 

 in his majesty's library ; the letters are partly Gothic. 



John Member printed at Augsburg in 1466. 



In 1467, printing was practised at Rome, by Sweynheim and 

 Pannartz. Their 6rst book was Cicero's Familiar Epistles. In 

 the next year they printed several books. In 1469 they published 

 an elegant edition of Aulus Gellius. In the same year John de 

 Spira produced from his press at Venice his most beautiful edition 

 of Pliny's Natural History ; which is printed in elegant Roman 

 types, in a manner which would do credit to the present time;, 



