II. An EJfay on the Invention of Printing, by 
Mr. John Bagford 5 with an Account of his Collect- 
ons for the fame, by Mr. Humfrey Wanley, F.R.S. 
Conmnicated in two Letters to Dr. Hans Sloan e, 
5, Seer. 
T HE Antiquity of Printing, and the fir ft Inventors, 
hath been treated of by many Authors: I fhall 
now only give a fhort account of the Obfervations I have 
made in many Years from old Books of feveral forts and ■ 
kinds. The general notion of molt Authors isjhat yve had 
the hint from the Chittejes •, but I am not in the Ieaft in- 
clined to be of that Opinion, for at that time of day we 
had no knowledge of them. I think we might more 
probably take it from the Ancient Romans, their Medals, 
Seals, and the Marks or Names at the bottom of their Sa- 
crificing Pots, which Antiquities we ■ had" attto'figft' oar 
felves in-Europe, rather than fetch it fo far. But if it be 
certain, that Cards are as old as our King Henry VI. no- 
thing that I have feen or confidered of, feems to give fa 
fair an hint for Printing, as the making of Cards ; as it 
is evident by the firft Specimen of Printing at Harlem , 
and by feme Books in the Bodleian Library at Oxford, one 
in Junius's Col left ion , another in Archbifhop Laud’s, and 
a third in the fame, being the Lives of the Rujhtan Saints 
in a thin Folio 5 the Leaves are not pafted together as the 
former two, but cut on Wooden Blocks, and illuminated. 
There is alfo another rare Specimen of the firft in that- 
valuable Collision of Archbifhop Parser, in Bennet Col- 
lege Library at Cambridge , bound up with a MS. Book j 
this was (hown me at firft by Mr. Bullord , and differs very 
much from them at Oxford j it is the Life of Chrijl in Fi- 
14 II ■ gures 
