Page:History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic Vol. II.djvu/231

207 CLASSICAL LEARNING. — SCIENCE. 207 dom."^® Monopolies for printing and selling books chapter for a limited period, answering to the modern copy- '- — - right, were granted to certain persons, in con- sideration of their doing so at a reasonable rate. ^'' It seems to have been usual for the printers to be also the publishers and venders of books. These exclusive privileges, however, do not appear to have been carried to a mischievous extent. Foreign books, of every description, by a law of 1480, were allowed to be imported into the kingdom, free of all duty whatever ; an enlightened provision, which might furnish a useful hint to legislators of the nineteenth century. ^^ The first press appears to have been erected at JfgJ^^pjfj Valencia, in 1474 ; although the glory of prece- dence is stoutly contested by several places, and especially by Barcelona. ^^ The first work printed was a collection of songs, composed for a poetical contest in honor of the Virgin, for the most part in 35 Archivo de Murcia, apud blecimiento de nuestros Reynos." Mem. de la Acad.de Hist., torn. 39 Capmany, Mem. de Barcelo- vi. p. 244. na, tom. i. part. 2, lib. 2, cap. 6. — 37 Mendez, Typographia Espa- Mendez, Typographia Espaiiola, nola, pp. 52, 332. pp. 55, 93. 38 Ordenancas Reales, lib. 4, tit. Bouterwek intimates, that the 4, ley 22. — The preamble of this art of printing was first practised statute is expressed in the follow- in Spain by German printers at ing enlightened terms; " Conside- Seville, m the beginning of the rando los Reyes de gloriosa me- sixteenth century. (Bouterwek, moria quanto era provechoso y Geschichte der Poesie und Bered- honroso, que a estos sus reynos se samkeit, (Gottingen, 1801 - 17.) truxessen libros de otras partes band iii, p. 98.) — He appears to para que con ellos se hiziessen los have been misled by a solitary ex- hombres letrados, quisieron y or- ample quoted from Mayans y Sis- denaron, que de los libros no se car. The want of materials has pagasse el alcavala Lo more than once led this eminent qual parece que redunda en prove- critic to build sweeping conclusions cho universal de todos, y en enno- on slender premises.