424  Memarrs of Aldus Manutius, or the Elder Aldus. [June 1, 
the most suitable place for the execution 
_ofhis favourite plan. He repaired thi- 
ther in 1488, according to his own ac- 
count, in his preface to ‘* Aristotelis Or- 
ganum,” fol. 1495, in which he says, he 
had been seven years employed in the 
arduous undertaking of establishing a 
press. His first publication was ‘the 
small poem of Museus, which he printed 
in Greek and Latin, in 4to. 1494, This 
first edition was succeeded by the Greek 
Grammar of Lascaris, in 4to, published 
also in 1494, 
In 1495; he published a collection of 
Grammatical treatises by Theodorus,A pol- 
jJonius and Herodianus, and applied him- 
self diligently in collecting, comparing, 
and correcting the writings of Aristotle, 
which had never been published in 
Greek, although many Latin editions of 
them had appeared in the 15th century. 
The first volume of this important work 
appeared in 1495 ; it was completed in 
1498, and its masterly exeeution placed 
Aldus very high both as a printer and a» 
an editor. 
During this period he was not em- 
ployed with the works of Aristotle alone ; 
many .other interesting editions issued 
from his press; in which the just taste 
which directed his choice is eminently 
conspicuous. The cotemporary printers, 
whether at Venice or elsewhere, misled 
by the prevailing taste of that age, or 
yielding to interest, printed only books 
of jurisprudence, or scholastic and mys- 
tical works ; and very few gcod ones of 
ancient literature and ph ilosop| ay..’o' He 
was reserved for the genius of Aldus to 
change this system, and to give anew di- 
rection to the press, which from that pe- 
riod. produced less. scholastic trash; and 
nothing proved more efticacious towar ds, 
renewing the universal study of ancient 
h terature, than the resolution of this man 
who’ deveted lis whole life to republish 
its principal works. . The writings of 
Aristotle, Plato, Xenophon, Homer bce. 
&c. which had been hitherto confined to 
a few learned men, and possessed by few- 
libraries, were thus placed within the 
reach of every reader. 
After having published a collection of 
' Greck editions for the execution of which 
he had so much desired the establisli- 
ment of a press, he employed himsclt 
with the literary master-pieces of anciezt 
and modern Rome: and the classical 
works which, he intended to publish im 
that language, were preceded by a Latin 
Grammar.ofhisown. Thathis worksmight . 
be read by others as well as scholars by 
Lewes 
‘ enstoer pieces: 
profession, and not at the desk alone, or 
in libraries, he formed the excellent design 
of printing a collection of classics, i 8vo. , 
(Enchiridii forma) which in one conve- 
nient, cheap, and portable volume, should _ 
contain alinost as much as a quarto, or a 
folio. To attain this end, he at first in- 
vented a type, the idea of which we are 
assured was suggested by the writing of 
Petrarca, and concerting with Francis 
de Bologna, a skilful engraver, who had. 
drawn and engraved all the other types be- 
longing to his press, he caused him to ex- 
ecute this well known italic, the first 
which was ever made of the kind, and 
which for a long time was called-‘* Aldi- 
no,” from his name. 
In 1501, appeared his Virgil, in 8vo. 
the first book printed in the new type, 
which was soon generally used. This 
Tittle italic of Aldus; so different from the 
Gothic or Semi-gothic, caused a revolu- 
tion in the press. Patents for the exclu-. 
sive use of it, were granted to Aldus for 
ten years, in 1502, by the senate of Ve- 
nice; and in the same year, by Pope 
Alexander VI. This patent was renew- 
ed for fifteen years by Julius I. in 1513, 
and again by I.eo X. in the following No- 
vember; and besides these patents for his 
type, Aldus obtained en for his nu- 
_ merous editions. 
From the year 1502, some printers at 
Lyons counterfeited. the 8vo. editions of 
Aldus, in Latin and Italian, as they were 
There appeared succes- 
sively, Virgil, Horace, Dante, Petrarca, 
Juv ‘enal, aie Persius, Martial, Lucan, 
Ovid, &e, &c. These editions-of the 
same form, printed in a neat, though ra- 
ther heavy italic, were without date, and 
without any kind of mark; but every 
thing was copied in them, even the pre- 
faces which Aldus or his editors zene- 
rally placed ‘at the beginning of them. 
During the years 1501-2-3-4-5, the Al- 
dine press was constantly employed, ane 
successively published the best Greek, - 
Latin and Italian authors; and each 
month produced at least a volume either 
in folio or octavo. Mille et amplius ali- 
cujus boni autoris volumina singulo quo- 
que mense emittimus ex Academia nos- 
tra,” he says in his preface to Euripides, | 
8vo. 1503. 
Every thing in these book was ‘excel- 
lent; as to their literary merit, they were 
and typographicaliy €X- 
amined, the composition wili be found ta 
be even and well displayed, the press- 
work of.a fine colour, and almost alw ays 
uniform; the nik of $0 ‘ie a quality, 
that 
