V ol. III. Mifcellanea C urioji. 2 15 



fedlion, and without Alteration from the 

 primitive Inftitution, efpecially upon the Ac- 

 count of their Art of Printing, which gave 

 a hint to the Inventers of that admirable 

 and moft ufeful of all Inventions (for the 

 Common Wealth of Learning) the way of 

 Printing here in Eur of e. For Paulus Jcvius 

 affirms that the firft occafion of that Inven* 

 tion in Germany^ was a German Merchant, 

 who returning out of China into his owa 

 Country, related what he had obferved con- 

 cerning the PraAice of it as ufed in that 

 Country. And tho' the Chinefg way be 

 wholly differing as to the method of comj;)o- 

 fing, from what was invented and perfeded 

 here : Yet fuch an intimation was enough to 

 an ingenious Artift to improve the firft Con- 

 trivance, and make it more accomodate to 

 the literal way of Writing with us : And as 

 our way may poffibly be now brought to the 

 greateft Perfeftion for exaftnefs and expedi- 

 tion, fo without doubt muft be their way of 

 Printing any thing juft as it is written, fince 

 I find, that they can ingrave their Stamps 

 for a Sheet, as loon as one of our Compok- 

 ters can fet and correft a Sheet of our literal 

 Charafter, and when fb done, one Man alone 

 will pjint off 1 500 Sheets in one Day. And 

 though 'tis generally believed to be much the 

 fame with our Wooden Cuts for Printings' 

 yet from' Ibme Obfervations I have made, I 

 ^relieve it to be much another way ^ of which 

 \ flia 11 hereafter fay more when I defcribe their 

 other Arts of Pottery, Staining, ^Vernifli-' 

 iiig, &c. 



p 4 



