Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 12.djvu/250

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [9 th s. XIL SEPT. 26, iocs.

It has also been suggested that Adolphus Rusch, Mentelin's son-in-law, was the printer. There can be no doubt that some of the 11 books were printed at a very early date. In the University library at Basle is pre- served a copy of the ' Rationale ' of Durandus which contains the following MS. note : ** M. Johannes Ulricus Suriant Decanus com- parauit expensis facultatis Arcium, 1464." Dr. Bernoulli, Oberbibliothekar, vouches for the authenticity of this note. Now this is a very remarkable statement, for one must remember that this book is printed in Roman type, and the first known book in that type, the * Ciceronis Epistple ad Familiares,' was printed by Sweynheim & Panartz in 1467, therefore the words Roman type are altogether a misnomer. Another important date is found in a MS. note in the copy of the ' Opus de Uniuerso ' of Rabanus Maurus in the Biblio- theque Rationale at Paris, which reads thus : 14 Est Ambrosii de Cambray juris utriusque doctoris etcanoniciparisiensis, 1467, 20 Julii." This book is also in Roman type, and the year 1467 is the very year in which Sweyn- heim & Panartz printed their first book in Roman characters. The late Mr. Russell Martineau showed that the R printer's edition of Plutarch's ' Yitee Parallels ' was printed from the edition of Ulric Hahn, Rome, about 1470 ; he found that fol. 313-16 were nonsensical, and on comparing the two editions discovered that the R printer had printed from a copy of Hahn's edition in which these leaves were bound thus 313, 315, 314, 316.

Hain noticed that in the copies of the * De Contemptu Mundi' and the * De Uita Solitaria' at Munich and also at Vienna the date 1473 was subscribed. The ' De Con- ceptione Uirginis Marie ' of Bollanus con- tains a dedicatory epistle to Nicolas Marcellus, Doge of Venice from August, 1473, to Decem- ber, 1474 ; therefore, even if this be the first edition, it could not have been printed till towards the close of the former year. The Latin Bible does not appear to be at all an early issue. Turn to Isaia xxxvii. 29, "ponani ergo circulum in naribus tuis, et frenum in labiis tuis, et reducam te in viam, per quam venisti " ; and again in Liber IV. Regum xix. 28, " ponam itaque circulum in naribus tuis," &c. Now in the early editions of the Bible in Latin the word auribus," not " naribus," is used ; the first time that " naribus " occurs is in Peter bchoeffer's edition of 1472.

The bull of Sixtus IV. 'De Fratribus Men- dicantibus' is dated 1478; the indulgence to those who should contribute to the rebuilding

of the church of SS. Mary, Andrew, and Amandus at Urach, which had been burnt down, was probably issued before 20 March, 1479. Now this indulgence is in Latin and German, both printed on the recto of a folio leaf ; the Latin is the Roman type of the R printer, the German is one of those types much used in South Germany at that time, and known under the general name of " Typis Reyserianis," from their resemblance to the types of the two Reysers. These types, with some slight differences, were used by various printers, and this indulgence consisting of only thirty-two lines, it is difficult to say who the printer was.

If any of the readers of * N. & Q .' possess copies of any of these books which contain early MS. notes, names of early possessors, or of the binder, or can show that Ambrosius de Cambray was living at Paris in 1467, I shall be extremely obliged. I am afraid that it is of no use to ask for any information about Johannes Suriant. S. J. ALDRICH.

New Southgate.

THE MANUSCRIPT JOURNAL OF A LONDON CITIZEN.

(See ante, p. 203.)

" Tuesday, July 2nd [1816]. Messrs. Bruce, Simion & Co., Bankers, stopped payment and caused great consternation in the commercial world.

"Thursday, July llth. A Rout at the Mansion house, at which the Prince of Saxe Coburg was present. The Duke of Wellington was also ex- pected, but did not go This morning the Prince

Coburg, with another Illustrious personage, received the freedom of the City.

"Monday, July 15th. About this time the frame Breakers attacked Messrs. Heathcote&Co.'s manu- factory at Loughboro, and destroyed property to the am 4 of []15,000.

" Tuesday, July 16th. A Man prophesied about this time that the world would shortly be at an end, and even fixed the day for Thursday, the 18th inst. From the very unaccountable state of the weather his doctrine gained considerable credit among the more credulous order of the people, and so alarmed one Old woman as to be the cause of putting a period, alias, a full stop to her career in this world by hanging herself. The quantity of rain which fell in this Month exceeds anything ever witnessed before by the oldest inhabitants, and caused the greatest distress in most parts of the country. Immense quantities of hay was spoiled in every part of this country, and every vegetable production was very backward.

"Thursday, July 18th.-This day (agreeable to the opinion of all but the weak and credulous) the preacher s Prophesy respecting the destruction of the universe, was proved to be false. The morning was fair but the day turned out wet as usual.

Iriday, July 19th.-More wet and nothing else. Saturday, July 20th.-For a wonder we had a fine day.

" Wednesday and Thursday [July 24th and 25th]. steam boats becoming in use on the Thames.