Page:A dictionary of printers and printing.djvu/227

 218

HTISTORY OF PRINTING.

I

at soon as possible, and then depart ; unless you come hither, like another Hercules, to lend him some friendly assistance ; for here will be vjork sufficient to employ you, and as many as enter this place." These words were afterwards used for the same purpose by the learned Oporinus, a printer of Basil.

It ought not, however, to he forgotten, that Aldus, conscious that his single labours were inadequate to the diffusion of literature, assem- bled around him a circle of the most learned men of the age, some of whom lived in his house, and were entirely supported by him. The re-imion of these eminent scholars was by him- self termed Aldi Neacademia: the academy was formed about the year 1600. The members met, for a few years only, at stated times, and discussed various literary questions. During the short continuance ot this literary society, (which was broken up by the death of its mem- bers and other circumstances) it rendered the most essential services to the interests of litera- ture.

Not a volume is known to have issued from the Aldine press from the years 1510 to 1515, chiefly from the state of public affairs ; and in that year, both the republic of literature, and his own fitmily, sustained an irremediable loss by the death of this great printer and promoter of literature, who spared neither labour nor expense, — and equally prodigal of his purse and his life — sacrificed private to public considera- tions. — On the death of Aldus, Andrea d'AsoIa, his father-in-law, conducted his printing concerns with great ability, (aided by his two sons Fran- cesco and Federico) during the minority of Aldus's children, from 1516 to 1529: and on the decease of Asola in that year, the printing- office continued closed till 1533, when the sons of Aldus and Asola re-opened it, in partnership ; their works are dated in eedibus haredum Aldi Manutii Ronumi et Andrete Atolani Soceri. The direction was confided to Paul Manutius, the third son of Aldus, who was born in 1512, and was in no respect inferior to his father in learn- ing and typographical skill.

Peter Alcyonius, Marcus Musurus, Demetrius Chalcondylas, and Alexander Bondinus, were the learned correctors to the Aldine press.

We have already described the mark of Aldus, and have only to add, that Cardinal Bembus presented him with a silver medal, which had the head of the emperor Titus on one side, and on the reverse a dolphin twisting itself round an anchor.

Aninteresting account of thiscelebrated family, of which the uneal descendants continued for upwards of a century to carry on the business of printing, together with a most minute and accu- rate description of the books executed by them, may be found in Renouard's Annates de Vimpri- merie det Aides, 3 vols. 8vo. Paris 1803-1809, ibid, 1825. A copy of the first book printed by Aldus in italic type, with the following title, Virgiliusi Venet : apud Aldum, 8vo. 1501, was sold at Mr. Dent's sale for £2:) 2>.

We cannot conclude our notice of this emi- nent printer, without taking (from Greswdl's Early Parisian Greek Press J a cursory view of the origin and progress of Greek TvpocRiipRr in Italy ; and to bring the inquiry down to that period at least when, by the labour and enter- prise of Aldus Manutius, Greek impressions, which had been antecedently very rare, were brought into comparatively general usage: for to the example of that meritorious typographer it is doubtless principally to be attribut^ that the art of Greek printing became familiar to many of the CisaJpine cities and universities early in the sixteenth century, and was practised by individual typographers of that age too nu- merous for our present distinct mention.

It is agreed that the oldest specimens of Greek printing consist of detached passages and citations, found in a very few of the first printed copies of Latin authors, such as Lactantiui, n Monasl. Sublacensi, anni 1465; the AultuGd- lius and Apuleius of Sweynheim and Pannartz of 1469 ; and some works of Bessarion, Roma, tine anno. In all these, it is remarkable that the Greek typography is legibly and creditably executed, whereas the Greek introduced into the Qfficia and Paradoxa of Cicero, Mediolam, per Ani. Zarotum, anni 1474, is so deformed as to be scarcely legible. The first printed entirely- Greek book is Laicarsit Grammatica Gr.Mem- lani, ex recognitione Demetrii Crelentit, per Dionysium Paravisinum, 4to. The character of this rare volume is elegant and of a moderate size ; resembling that in which the same Gram- mar again appeared anno 1499. The same work, or a portion of it, was repeated Graet, H cum Lalina interpretatione, at Milan, anno 1480, 4to: and the next year, viz. anno 1481, from the same place and press issued Psalteriim Gracum cvm Latina recognitione, both these under the revision of Joannes Crestoni, a monk of Placentia. Mattaire believes the printer of these several impressions of Milan to nave been the same Dionysius Paravisinus.

Venice, which had hitherto vied with other cities both in the number and skill of its Latin typographers, had indeed sufScient cause of jea- lousy on observing the palm of earliest Greek printing thus home away by Milan; yet she suffered ten years to elapse before the com- mencement of an actual rivalship in the same department. In 1486, that city produced in sacred literature a Psalterixim Grtecum, in pp)- fane, Homeri Batrachamyomachia. The first was executed by Alexanaer, and the latter by Leonicus, both Cretans. Mattaire describes the character of the Psalter as exhibiting a very antique and singular appearance. The Batra- chomyomachia, nothing more legible than the former, is however furnished wiUi accents and breathings. It also exhibits certain Greek scho- lia found in no early edition besides; and what is more singular, they are arranged between the lines of the poem, trf singulis carminibvs iitter- lineare superstet scholium. Both these scholia and the title page are printed en rouge. Such

VjOOQ IC