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HISTORY OF PRINTING.

at the end of the book, not without some pious ejaculation or doxology.

The date was likewise omitted or involred in some crampt circumstantial period, or else printed either at full length, or by numerical letters, and sometimes partly one and partly the other; thus, one thousand CCCC and Ixxiiii, Sec, but all of them at the end of the book.

There were no variety of characters, no inter- mixture of romau and italic, they are of later invention, but their pages were continued in a Gothic letter of the same size throughout.

They printed but few copies at once, for 200 or 300 were then esteemed a large impression ; though upon the encouragements received from the learned, they increased their numbers in proportion.

We shall here mention something concerning their book-binding, an account of which we find in Scaliger, who tells us, that his grandmother had a printed Psalter, the cover of which was two inches thick ; in the inside was a kind of cupboard,* wherein was a small silver crucifix, and behind it the name of Berenica Codronia de la Scala. This book seems to have been printed with blocks of wood, but probably bound the same way as the rest.

We conclude this portion with an observa- tion of M. Monoye concerning the phrase, Libri editi, which we hope the curious will be pleased with : he tells us that this phrase was used be- fore the invention of printing, and signified only books published and dispersed abroad in some considerable number, in opposition to those that were writ fair to be set up in libraries, which were called Libri scripti. Whether this obser- vation be as certain as it is curious we shall leave to the judgment of our readers. — Luckombe.

1475. In this year appeared the first separate edition of the New Testament in Latin, in a small quarto form, for the convenience of general readers. Prefixed to the epistle of St. Jerom, which precedes the text, is a notice in Latin, by the printer, explaining the cause of the publica- tion, of which the following is the substance : " It is the general cry, that every believer, who professes to have any knowledge of letters, is bound to have an acquaintance with the Holy Scriptures, and more narticulariy with that part of the bible, called uie New Testament. It is certain, however, that but few persons have the means of procuring the whole of the bible, and that many, even of the rich, prefer portable vo- lumes. Induced by these considerations, as well as by the influence of ray superiors, professors of sacred theology, and overcome by the zeal of certain monks and secular clergy, I'have attempt- ed, I hope, under favourable auspices, to print the present convenient volume, containing the whole of the New Testament, with a view to the glory of God ; and shall be satisfied, if it afford benefit to any one." It is printed in double co-

ver of which was a recess for a relic) and the lelic!— a human toe ! '.—Hantanl.
 * 1 had a book In my hands a few days since, In the co-

lumns, with a delicate Gothic type. To the Aw Testament is subjoined, " Liber luwmo de chrit. tianarum rerummemoria prolog. — Dibdio's BM, Spencer, vol. I. p. 32, Note.

Haymo, the author, was the disciple of Alcuin, in the ninth centun', a monk of Fulda, and after- wards bishop of Halberstadt. The work itself is an abridgment of ecclesiastical history. — Cam.

In this year, an edition of the Dutch bible was printed at Cologne, in 2 vols, folio ; at Delft, in 1477, in 2 vols, folio, and also in 4to. Another at Goudo, in 1479. These translations are said to have been mixed with many fabulous nanv tives ; and were probably made at an eatliei period than that of their being printed. Theji are supposed to have been preceded by an edition of the Pour Gospels, printed in 1472.

1475. Printing introduced into the following places in this year : —

Reggio,^y Abraham Garton.

Barcelona, by Nicholas Spindeler.

Saragossa, by Matthew Flandrus.

Pieve di Sacco, a small town belonging to tk late republic of Venice, by R. Mescullwn, sur- named Kotzi.

Pignerol, by James de Rouges, or Rubeis.

Vicenza, by Herman Lichtenstein.

Lubec,by Lucas Brandis de Schafz.

Burgdorff, printer unknown.

Blauburren, a small town in the kingdom of Wirtemberg, printer's name unknown.

Cagli, R. de Fano and Bernard de Betgaan.

Casole, John Fabri.

Modena, Joan Vurster.

Perugia, by Henry Clayn, of Ulm.

Placentia, John Peter.

1476. Diid, JoBii Muller, commonly called Regiomontanus, from his native place. Mods Regius, or Konigsberg, a town in Fianconia, was born in 1436, and became the greatest u- tronomer and mathematician of his time. Hav- ing first acquired grammatical learning in his own country, he was admitted, while yet a boy, into the academy at Leipsic ; from whence he removed, at only "fifteen years of age, to VienM, to enjoy the superior advantages afibrded to his pursuits, by the learned professors in that uni- versity. After some years the cardinal Bes- sarion arrived at Vienna, and soon formed an acquaintance with the youthful asti'onomer, who, in order to perfect his knowledge of the Greek tongue, accompanied the cardinal to Borne, where he stu(Ged under Theodore Gam, a learned Greek. In 1463 he went to Padua, where he became a member of the Univeisity. In 1464 removed to Venice, to meet and attend his patron Bessarion.* He returned the same year with the cardinal to Rome, where he made some stay, to procure the most curious books: those he could not purchase, he took the pains to transcribe, as he wrote with great facility and elegance : and others he got copied at a great

• Amonff other cariosities in the Ubrary of I'WJ^ there is a manuscript BMet Riven to the doctors "^* university, bjr cardinal Bessarion, in grateful acluwwicof - ment of their hospitable treatment of liim.

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