404 ORJG1H AND PROGRESS 



language. A fine copy of this edition is in the library of the 

 Royal Society, and another in earl Spencer's, and two more in 

 the British Museum. 



In 14<j3, a fine folio edition of Isocrates was printed at Milan, 

 by Gorman and Sebastian. All the above works are prior in time 

 to those of Aldus, who is erroneously supposed to have been the 

 first Greek printer ; but the beauty, correctness, and neatness of 

 his editions place him in a much higher rank than his prcdeces. 

 sors ; and his characters in general were more elegant than any 

 before used. He was born in 1445, and died in 1515, and was the 

 inventor of the Italic characters, which are still used, called from 

 him Aldine or Cursive. The Greek editions of the celebrated fa. 

 mily of Stephens are much esteemed. 



Printing in Hebrew was practised as early as 1477, when the 

 Psalms appeared in that language. In 1482 the Pentateuch was 

 printed. In 1484 the prior Prophets ; the posterior, in 1486. 

 The Hagiographia, in 1487, and the whole Bible Text in one vo- 

 lume at Sancino with vowel points by Abraham fil. Babbi Hhaiim 

 in 1488. 



The first Polyglott work was printed at Genoa 1516, by Pefr 

 Paul Porrus, who undertook to print the Pentaglott Psalter of Au. 

 Austin Justinian, bishop of Nebo. It was in Hebrew, Arabic, 

 Chaldaic, and Greek, with the Latin verses, glosses, and scholia, 

 which last made the eighth column in folio. In 1518 John Potken 

 published at Cologne, the Psalter in Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and 

 Ethiopia. In the year 1522 the Complutensian Bible, consisting 

 of six large folio volumes, was printed under the auspices of that 

 great man, cardinal Ximenes. A polyglott Pentateuch, was printed 

 at Constantinople in 1546, and another in 1547. 



In the year 1636 the congregation, pro propaganda Fide, at 

 Rome, had types for the Samaritan, for the Syriac, both Fshito, 

 and Estrangelo, for the Coptic, for the Armenian, and for the He- 

 raclean or ancient language of the Chaldees. Since which time 

 they have cast types for the Gentoo, Tartar, Bramin, Bengalese, 

 Malabaric, and several other Asiatic languages. 



Some years ago Ferdinand the late prince of Parma furnished 

 that University which he re-established, with the types of twenty 

 different eastern languages, which appear in a most magnificent 

 book printed at Parma, at the Royal press in 1775, on the mar. 

 riage of the prince of Piedmont with Mary Adelaide Clothilda of 



