( 2400 5 
flier improving this Art with great Secrefy, till it became 
known, and fpread it felf over all Europe. Sometimes you 
have their Names to the Books they Printed at the end, 
and fometiraes not ; fomtimes with Dates as high as the 
Year 1457, as the Pfalms Printed by them, now in the 
Emperor's Library , which Lambecius mentions in his Bibli. 
*tbeca, 'and as low as the Year 1490 ^ and for this we 
have the Authority of Erafmus, in a Preface to Livy, 
Printed at Bafil by Froben , in 15 . . 
Asfor John Gutter burgh, tho* by abundance of Authors 
he is faid to be the firft Inventor of Printing, we cannot 
find one Book with His Name and Printing 5 but this re- 
quires a longer Confideration, which in its due place I 
lhall take notice of; 
We may rationally con jefture, that Printing with Plates 
of Pewter, Brafs, or Iron, either Graved or Eat with 
Aqua fortis, was firft praftiS'd by the- WdrJfihg<Jold%rths 4 
for they have a way of taking off the Impreffions of their 
Work, by the Smoak of a Lamp, which, perhaps, gave 
the Hint to the Graving on Brafs. We have a dark Sto- 
ry of it in fome Authors, but 1 (half inlarge upon this 
Subjed. 
Having ? treated of Printing to fatisffe the Cunotis, I 
fhall fay fomething of the feveral Advances ‘and Improve- 
ments- it hath Received. 
The Harlem Printing at firft was a Book with Piduresy 
they took off- the Impreffion with a Lift coiledup, as the 
Card-makers ufe the fame to this day. 
But when they came to ufe -Angle' Types, they made ufe~ 
©f (Iron ger Paper, with Vellum and Parchment": Them 
they made ufe of a Prefs, altho’ they afterwards con trrvaT 
and made it more ufefti], as Ifhail treat of in another place. 
Neither was their Ink for Printing brought to Perfefh’- 
•on at the firft, but improved 1 by degrees. 
Rowling-prefs Printing was hot Tifed in England till 
.Sing James the Firjl) and then brought from Antwerp uy 
mt foduftrious -John-SpeeL,. if 
