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HISTORV OF PRINTING.

which he was remunerated by the house of^rds. Offilby translated Virgil and Homer iaiS Eng- lish verse; an Aeeotmt of Japan, folio; au|^(/<u, folio; the Fables of ^sop, in verse, two vhlumes 8vo.; and a Book of Roads, 8vo. He iied at London, and was buried in the churc]f of St. Bride, Fleet-street. i

1676. News Jrom Sussex; or, the harharoxa Robber strangely convicted. 4to. P

1676. News from St. John's Street of a Mon- ster brought forth by a Sow. 4to. Sold at Mr. Bindley's sale for £3 7s.

1676, March 23. Poor Robin's Intelligence, from the beginning of the world to the day of the date hereof. Printed by A. P. and T. H. for the general assembly of hawkers, No. I.

1677. Died, Uscan, or Osoas, minister of Erivan, the seat of the Armenian patriarch,* and editor of the first printed Armenian bible. Manuscript copies of the bible were become so scarce in Arminia, that a single copy cost 1200 livres, or £60. Such being the rarity of copies of the scriptures, a council of Armenian bishops, assembled in 1662, resolved to call in the art of printing, of which they had heard in Europe. For this purpose they applied first to France; but the Roman catholic church having refused their request, Uscan was sent to Europe about th^year 1662, by Acopus (Jacobus) Carractri, patriarch of the Armenians, fur the purpose of having an edition of the Armenian scriptures printed under his inspection. According to the commission of the patriarch he went to Rome, where he remained fifteen months, and then re- moved to Amsterdam, where he established an Armenian press, and printed the bible in 1666, 4to., and an edition of the new testament in 1688, in 8vo., which was reprinted in 1698, in a smaller form. His chief assistant was Solo- mon De Leon, a deacon, his nephew, who after- wards married a young lady at Marseilles; his

frinters' names were Etzmiatzneus and Sergius. n 1669 Uscan obtained permission from the king of France to establish an Armenian print- injf office at Marseilles, under the restriction of printing nothing contrary to the Catholic faith. The court of Rome immediately adopted every precaution to prevent any errors being inserted in the publications printed by the Armenians of Marseilles. A written confession of faith was demanded from Uscan, and an Armenian priest, named John Agolp, was sent to watch the press. Whilst Uscan, who was a man of great pru- dence, lived, the printing establishment was conducted peaceably; but after his death several law suits were commenced. These being ter-

to Persia, in 1808 and 1809, he was met about fourmiles from Ispahan, by an advanced part of the inhabitants. First came the merchants of the city, in nmnber about three hundred, all in their separate classes. Then fol- lowed a deputation from the Armenian clergy, composed of the bishop and chief dignitaries, in their sacerdotal robes. They carried sillien banners, on which was painted the Passion of our Saviour. The bishop, a reverend old man with a white beard, presented the Evangelists, bound in crimson velvet, to the envoy, and proceeded on with his attendant priests, chanting their etaorch s«vice.
 * When the British envo)', »lr Hurford Jones, was sent

miaated, Solomon De Leon continued the estab- lishment, but not 'without considerable un- easiness, occasioned by Thomas Herabied, as Armenian priest, who had been appointed in- spector of the press, in the place of John Agolp. The printing establishment was finally tnns- ferred to Constantinople. — Le Long.

\677,March28. Dted,WKKCESVAVs HoLLt( an eminent copper-plate engraver, of whom it is stated, that he usea to work for Uie booksetleis at the rate of fourpence per hour. He was born at Prague, in 1607, and died, in great poveitv, at Westminster. His works. amount to nearly two hundred and forty prints.

1677. Died, James Lascaille, a celebiBtrd printer in Holland, whose press was famous fnr the number of beautiful and accurate editions which issued from it. He was esteemed so excellent a poet that, in 1663, he was honoured with the poetic crown by the emperor Ijeopoii. James Lascaille was born in 1610 of an illustri- ous family at Geneva, which removed to Hollasd. His daughter, Catharine Lascaille, who died June 8, 1711, was so much admired for her poetic talent, as to be called the Dutch Sappho, and tenth Muse. A collection of her poems wis printed in 1728, with several tragedies, whid, although they were not written accordine' to the ordinary rules of the drama, frequently tascmtr marks of superior genius.

1677. The earliest Almanack published ia Scotland commenced in this year, by Mr. Forbes, of Aberdeen, under the title of a new PrognoHi- cation, calculated for North Britain; which was embellished by the armorial bearings of Aber- deen on the title-page. Mr. Forbes continued to publish this almanack until the vear 1700.

1677, July 13. Died, SiB William Bebkx- LEV, governor of Virginia from the year 1670, and who, while in that colony, made the follow- ing reply with regard to the press : — " I thank God there is no free schools nor printioe, and I hope we shall not have these uundred years. God keep us from both. He was buried at Twickenham, near London.

1677. A type foundry was established at the university of Oxford, the matrices of which were severally given by Bishop Fell,* in 1667, and Mr. Junius, in 1677. The university stiH possess some very valuable unique matenals al these foundries, and published in the years 1706 and 1770, specimens which are now to be found only in the collections of the curious, bnt whidi Mr. Rowe Mores, p. 28, says, are " no credit te that learned body," and "not so accurate ts might have been expected from an archetypt- graphus and the curators of the Sheldonian.

1677. Sir Thomas Davies, lent, lord mayor, gave two large silver cups, weight 124 oz. OdWts. on his translation from the company of statioB- ers to the company of drapers. In 1667 he was chosen au assistant of the stationers' companT,«iid master in 1668-1669. " Aug. 4, 1673. Ordeied,

June 13, 1035, died July lO, ifiSS, and was burM is Chrlrt Church, Oxford.
 * John Fell, bishop of Oxford, was born at Longwcrth,

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