PROTOTYPOGRAPHY. 587 



2:>i"ivate library to his grandson Balthasar Moret, his heir and suc- 

 cessor. Among the products of Christopher Plantin's press was a 

 polyglot bible in eight volumes folio, published under the auspices of 

 Philip II. of Spain. 



Finally, I name the Dutch Elzevir family, members of which, 

 between 1583 and 1683, obtained great celebrity as printers. The 

 first Elzevir (or Elsevier), Louis, began to print at Leyden in 1583. 

 His brothers, connexions and descendants, were established as printers 

 in various places in Holland, but chiefly at Amsterdam and Utrecht. 

 In this dynasty Louis I., Louis II., Louis III., are to be distinguished; 

 other Elzevir names are Matthew, OEgidius, Jodocus, Bonaventure, 

 Daniel, Abraham, and Peter. The list of the Elzevir publications, 

 embracing the whole range of literature ancient and contempo- 

 raneous, including works in Hebi'ew, Syriac and Arabic, fills seven 

 octavo volumes. The Elzevir print is quickly to be recognized on 

 account of a certain pleasant opemiess and clearness in the fashion of 

 the type. The foolish story about the use of silver type seems to 

 have arisen out of the sound of the name Elzevir or Elsevier. It is 

 said that some of the Elzevirs employed female compositors. (The 

 device of a printer in the offlcina Elzeviriana at Leyden in 1617 was 

 an open music-book, with notes: his name was Godefridus Basson.) 



Although in the course of the preceding narrative I was brought 

 more than once into the neighbourhood of Bruges, I reserved my 

 mention of that city until now, in order that in association with its 

 name I might introduce our own William Caxton. 



The city of Bruges, situated not many miles inland from the port 

 of Ostend, and connected with that port by a canal, was, du.ring the 

 era in which we are interesting ourselves, the capital of the Dukes 

 of Burgundy, who held there a splendid court. These dukes, in 

 addition to their own proper domain, Upper Burgundy (Franche 

 Conit^), had by degrees become lords also of other vast territories. 

 They were nominal vassals of the German Emperors and of the 

 French Kings, but far surpassed both these potentates in resources 

 and real power. Under the German Empire they held Burgundy 

 proper. East Flanders, Luxembourg, Alsace, the duchies of Brabant 

 and Limberg, the marquisate of Antwerp, the counties of Hainault, 

 Holland, and Zealand ; to the French King they did homage for the 

 counties of Ponthier, Amiens, Yermandois, Nevers, and Namur. 



From 1419 to 1467 Philip the Good was the reigning duke, a 

 munificent patron of art and promoter of commerce and industry. 



