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HISTORY OF PRINTING.

Gloucester, youngest brother of Edward IV. was acknowledged by the chief nobility, protector of the realm, and of the person of his nephew, Edward V. son of the last monarch, which event took place in the palace of the bishop of London. The duke assumed the style, on this occasion, of " brother of kings, protector and defensor, great chamberlain, constable, and lord high admiral of England." On June 22, he ascended the throne as Richard III. It was that memorable Sunday when Dr. Shaw, a brother of the lord mayor preached at St. Paul's cross, from this singular text, " Bastard slips shall not strike deep roots ;" and thence proceeded, by the appointment of Gloucester, to show the illegitimacy of the infant princes sons of Edward IV.

At this period instead of a pamphlet being published, to furnish the advocates of the ad- ministration with plausible arguments on great political measures, it was usual to announce the court creed from Uie pulpit at St. Paul's cross — 80 we find that Richard III. employed Dr. Shaw Vo support his claim to the crown ; a^d about fifteen years before, the great earl of Warwick employed his chaplain, Dr. Goddard, to convince the people that Hen^ VI. ought to be restored, and that Edward IV. was an usurper. In it Jane Shore, the mistress of Edward IV. did pe- nance ; there the cause of queen Catharine, the first wife of Henry VIII. was assailed ; and the titles of the princesses Mary and Elizabeth were disputed.

William Collingboume, Esq. who has given bis name to two juaces in Wiltshire, was tried and executed for posting some satirical rhymes upon the church doors against Richard III. and his ministers.

1483. An act of parliament was made for pro- hibiting the Italians from importing and selling their wares in England by retail, &c. excepting books written or printed : this act runs thus —

" Provided always, that this act, or any parcel thereof, or any other act made, or to be made in this said parliament, shall not extend, or be in prej udice, disturbance, damage, or impediment, to any artificer, or merchant stranger, of what nation or country he be, or shall be of, for bringing into this realm, or selling by retail, or otherwise, any books written or printed, or for inhabiting within this said realm for the same intent, or any scri- vener, illuminor, reader, or printer of such books, which he hath, or shall have to sell by way of merchandise, or for theirdwelling within this said realm, for the exercise of the said occupations ; this act, or any part thereof notwithstanding." This act was revoked by Henry VIII. in uie year 1535.

1483. Gttido Mercator or Guy Marchand is said to have commenced the art of printing in this year. His impressions were numerous ; but Chevillier has assigned to him a distinguished

5 lace amongst the most ignorant printers of his ay. In r^ity a book was printed by him in this year with this title — ^' Elegantiarum viginta Prceeepto ;" which title is reprinted on the second leaf; and the volume thus concludes, Eleganti-

arum viginta Pracepto. Instead of this printer's name, his impressions sometimes have merely this notice, tn domo Campi Gaillardi. Some of them exhibit on the reverse of the final page the representation of a Cordwainer at work, with all the implements «f his profession about him : which this printer may therefore be supposed ta have adopted as his whimsical device. He con- tinued to exercise the profession till 1505, and his press gave birth to various interesting Gothic impressions.

1483. Printing introduced into the following places in the course of this year : —

Magdeburg, by A. Rauenstein andJ. Westval.

Stockholm, John Snell, a German printer, in- vited into Sweden by the administrator Stein Sture, and produced his first book in this year.

Ghent, by Arnold Ctesaris.

Troyes, by William le Rouge, his name first appears to a work in the year 1492.

i^chiedam, no printer's name.

Haerlem, by John Andriesson. Formula No- vitorum, 1483, is the most ancient book, with « date, printed at Haerlem ; Santander is of opinion that Uiis was the first book printed in that city.

Culemberg by John Veldener.

Leyden, by Henry Heynrici.

Pisa, by Laurentius and Angelus Florentini : produced their first work in 1484.

Gironne, by Matthew Vendrell.

1483, Aug. 30, died Louis XI., commonly called the Tiberius of France. St. Foix informs us, that kings were usually addressed by the titles of most illuttriout, or your serenity, or your grace, but that the custom of giving them that of majesty was only established by Louis XI., a prince the least majestic in all his actions, his manners, and his exterior — a severe monarch, but no ordinary man. ' The manners of this monarch were most sordid; in. public audiences he dressed like the meanest of nis neople, and affected to sit on an old broken cnair, with a filthy dog on his knees. In an account found of his household, this majestic prince has a charge made him for two new sleeves sewed in one of his old doublets.

For a particular account of this sing^ar mo- narch see the novel of Quentin Durward, by Sir Walter Scott, in the second volume of which the following beautiful eulogium on the art of printing is expressed by Galeotti Martivalle the astrologer, in an interview with Louis. It must, however, be premised that judical astrology was one of the prevailing delusions of the age. " Be- lieve me that, in considering the consequences of this invention, I read with as certain augury, as by any combination of the heavenly bodies, the most awfiil and portentous changes. When I reflect with what slow and limited supplies the stream of science hath hitherto descended to us; how difficult to be obtained by those most ardent in its search ; how certain to be neglected by all who regard their ease ; how liable to be diverted, or ^together dried up, by the inva- sions of barbarism ; can I look forward without wonder and astonishment, to the lot of a suc-

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