Human Industry, Chapter 5
CAP. V.
foreign: OF Printing, and Printing-Presses.
THis is a divine benefit afforded to mankind,De invent. rerum. saith Polydor Virgil; an Art that is second or inferiour to none; (saith Cardan) either for wit or usefulness: it puts down hand-writing for neatness and expedition; for by this, more work is dispatched in one day, then many Librarians or book-writers could do in a year.
—Quam nulla satis mirabitur aetas
Ars Coelo delapsa viris; consumere nata
Materiem, veloxque omnes transcribere libros,Readi inventa adespota.
Cum positis, quadrata acie (miro ordine) signis.
This Art by multiplying books, hath multiplyed knowledge, and hath brought to our cognizance both persons and actions remote from us, and long before our time, which otherwise had perished in oblivion, and never come to our ears.
To whom we owe this Invention, we do not certainly know, it is one of the Inventa Adespota, of the masterless Inventions.
Laus veterum est meruisse omnis praeconia famae,
Et sprevisse simul—
Ancient Worthies were more studious of doing good then ambitious of Fame or praise for so doing. That it is a Dutch invention is agreed upon by most voices.
O Germanica muneris repertrix
Quo nihil utilius dedit vetustas,
Libros scribere quae doces premendo.
But whether higher or lower Germany shall have the honour of it, is yet in strife and undecided; and in the upper Germany, whether Mentz, or Basil, or Strasburg; for all these do chalenge it, and do no less contend for the birth place of this mistery, then the Grecians Cities did for the Cradle of Homer. The general voice is for Mentz, and one John Guttemberg Fust (as others term him) a Knight and Citizen of that City to have been the true Father or Inventor of this Art, about the year 1440. as we have heard it boldly affirmed by the Citizens of that City, saith Polydor, l. 2. de Invent. rerum. c. 7. for a testimony hereof they produce a copie of Tully's Offices printed in parchment, and preserved in the Library of Ausburg, bearing this memorandum at the latter end of it, Praesens M. Tullii opus clarissimum Jo. Fust Moguntinus Civis, non Atramento plumali Cannâ, ne… ▪ aereâ, sed arte quâ dam per pulchrâ manu Petri Gerskeim pueri mei foeliciter effeci, finitum Anno 1440. die 4o mense Feb. This is cited by Salmuth in his Annotations on Pancirollus, who stands stifly for Germany (his own Country) in this point, and cites another argument from the Library of Francfort, wherein an old copie of the decisions of the Rota are kept; at the latter end thereof it is said, that it was printed in Civitate Moguntiae, artis impressoriae inventrice & elimatrice primâ.
But Hadrianus Junius a very learned man of the Low Countries, is as stiff on the other side for Haerlem, and thinks to c…ry it clearly from the High Dutch, and make the Town of Haerlem the birth place of this Noble Art: You may see what esteem men do make of it, when they do so zealously strive and contend for the original Invention of it. his Junius tells us (in his History of the Netherlands) that one Laurence John, a Burger of good Note and Quality of Haerlem, was the first Inventer of it, and saith that he made Letters first of the barks of Trees, which being set and ranked in order, and clapt with their heels upward upon paper, he made the first essay and experiment of this Art: At first he made but a line or two, then whole pages, and then books, but printed on one side only. Which rudiments of the Art Junius saw in that Town.
After this the said Lawrence made Types or characters of Tin, and brought the Art to …urther perfection daylie: but one John Faustus (infaustus to him) whom he had employed for a Compositor, and who had now learn'd the mystery, stole away by night all the Letters and other Utensils belonging to the Trade, and went away with them to Amsterdam first, thence to Collen▪ and lastly to Mentz, where he set up for himself, and the first fruit and specimen of his Press there, was the Doctrinal of one Alexander Gallus, which he printed Anno Dom. 1440. Thus far Junius from the relations of sundry grave ancient Burgomasters of Haerlem. Hegenitz a Traveller saith, that the house of Lawrence John is yet standing in the Market place of Haerlem, with this Inscription in golden Letters over the door,
Memoriae sacrum.
Typographiae Ars Artium Conservatrix, hic primum inventa, circa An. 1440.
Vana quid Architypos & Praela (Moguntia) jactas?
Harlemi Archetypos praela que nota scias.
Extulit hic monstrante Deo Laurentius Artem
Dissimulare virum hunc, dissimulare Deum est.
So Petrus Scriverius, who calls it palladium praesidium & tutelam Musarum, & omnis Doctrinae. Joseph Scaliger contends that the first Printing was upon wooden Tables, the Letters being cut or carved in them, and he saith, that he had seen Horologium Beatae Mariae (to wit) our Ladies hours done upon Parchment after such a manner, in his answer against Shcioppus, called Confutatio Fabulae Burdomanae. Yet let not the Germans or any others be too proud of this Invention, for the Chinois had such an art long before the Europeans saw or heard any thing of it, as it is affirmed by Parus Maffeus, and sundry others of his fellow-Jesuites that have travelled that Country. One Nicol. Trigault that had been of late years in that Country affirms, that that Nation had this art above 500 years since. But their Printing and ours do very much differ from one another, for they do not print by composing of Letters, but as we use for Maps and such pieces, they make for every leaf a board or table with characters on both sides, which is more laborious, and less neat then the European way, as Gonsalvo Mendoza a Spanish Frier and others do affirm of it. Now if our Printing surpass for neatness and expedition. and is so far different from that of the Chinois as is before alledged, it is a signe that the Germans did not borrow from them this art; so that the praise and commendation of this Invention remains to them whole and entire without diminution.
Mrs. Joan Elizabeth Weston, one of the Muses of England, hath composed a Latine Poem (among sundry others of her compositions) in the praise of this art, which is indeed the preserver of all other arts.
AS Printing it self is praise worthy, so some Print-houses deserve here to be remembred, especially that of Christopher Plantin at Antwerp, which a Traveller doth not stick to call Octavum orbis miraculum, the eighth wonder of the world. He describes it thus. Over the Gate is Plantine's own Statue, made of Freeze-stone, and of Moret his Son in Law, and Successor in the Office, and also of Justus Lipsius with his Motto,
—Moribus Antiquis.
Here are twelve Presses, and near upon an hundred sorts of Characters: two sorts of Syriac, ten of Hebrew, nine of Greek, forty seven of Latine, and the rest of several other Languages, with Musical characters of sundry sorts, and admirable brass cuts for Frontispieces of books. Here that excellent work called the King of Spain's Bible was done.
The first Printing Press in England was set up in Westminster Abby by Simon Islip Anno 1471. and William Caxton was the first that practised it there, as Stowe in his Survey of London affirms.