154 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. (April, 1913. 
for the Society, and are received with applause and gratitude 
by all lovers of history.' 
famous Prester John had asked from Europe, clever 
typographers and artisans of every kind.? 
This happened probably in 1514 or shortly before. Among 
the things which the Emperor asked from King D. Manuel 
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bringing them to their destination. Besides many other things, 
Leite was to procure for the Emperor two organs, an organist, 
and two painters, and the King added: ‘* You shall also take 
77 
to the Emperor. Almost half a century later, they tried to 
comply with his wishes in another way; for, in 1560, while 
1536 and admitted to the Society of Jesus in 1555, joined to 
the study of Rhetoric the office of Prester John’s printer. 
After completing his studies in Goa, the typographer of 
Valencia was ordained a Priest in 1564, his death taking place 
on August 23, 1588.4 
© possess concerning this first printing-press in India 
some trustworthy particulars which Father Beccari has just 
brought to light in his tenth volume, and we proceed to give 
ere a summary of them. 
The first batch of Jesuit missionaries embarked at Belem, 
on the Tagus, and left for Ethiopia on March 29, 1556, four 
months before the death of St. Ignatius of Loyola. It consisted 
_' Ten volumes in large 4°, accompanied by erudite prefaces and 
copious indexes have been published under the title Rerum Athiopicarum 
Scriptores Occidentales Inediti a seculo XVI ad XIX, curante C. Beccari, 
S.J. Rome excudebat C. de Luigi, 1903-1910. 
n 
de Bibli - »y Postaphos et in omni genere artifices.’’ Cf. Boletum 
vwolrographia Portugueza e Revista dos Archivos Nacionaes, Coimbra, 
1880, vol. II, n. I, p. 17. 
8 Cf. Boletim, Op. cit pp. 18-23. The original li isb 
; a etim, Op. cit., pp. : ists are at Lisbon, 
- — Rega da Torre do Tombo, Corpo edivoaokoghed. parte 1a, mago 
Peg Som. MSS. le Aicsts Registro de Cartas do Collegio de S ae 
ly 9gg-, quo the Boleti h J - ti. 
loguea of vaste oe y oletim de Bibliographia, p. 17 
