About this time, Dr. Buckenham, prior of the Blackfriars, preaching at Cambridge, with great pomp and prolixity, showed the dangerous tendency of having the scriptures in English, and the heretical opinions of Latimer, who had just become a staunch supporter of the reformers. "If that heresy," said he," should prevail, we should soon see an end of every thing useful among us. The ploughman reading that if he put his hand to the plough, and should happen to look back, he was unfit for the kingdom of God, would soon lay aside his labour; the baker, likewise, reading that a little leaven will corrupt the whole lump, would give us very insipid bread; the simple man likewise finding himself commanded to pluck out his eyes, in a few years we should have the nation full of blind beggars." 1516. Died, Trithemius, the celebrated abbot of Spanheim. He had amassed about 2000 | manuscripts, a literary treasure, which excited such general attention, that princes and eminent men travelled to visit Trithemius and his library. He was fond of improving steganography, or the art of secret writing; having published several curious books on this subject, they were condemned, as works full of diabolical mysteries; and Frederic II., elector palatine, ordered Trithemius's original work, which was in his library, to be publicly burnt. The following extracts will show to the reader that those who have laboured most zealously to instruct mankind, have been the very individuals who have suffered most from ignorance; and the discoverers of new arts and sciences have hardly ever lived to see them accepted by the world. Gabriel Naudé, in his apology for those great men who have been accused of magic, has recorded a melancholy number of the most eminent scholars, who have found, that to have been successful in their studies was a success which harassed them with continual persecution, a prison or a grave! Virgilius, bishop of Saltzburg, having asserted that there existed antipodes, the archbishop of Mentz declared him a heretic, and consigned him to the flames. Galileo was condemned at Rome publicly to disavow sentiments, the truth of which must have been to him abundantly manifest. "Are these then my judges?" he exclaimed in retiring from the inquisitors, whose ignorance astonished him. In 1597 he wrote to Kepler, stating that he had made many discoveries which he durst not publish, "owing to the fools who worshipped previous systems." The priests preached against him, and to their eternal disgrace, in the year 1632, he was arraigned and tortured, and at the age of seventy made to abjure, publicly on his knees, and to curse his own book and doctrines, and sentenced for the next three years to remain in prison, and to repeat once a week the seven penitential psalms. To all this he submitted, to escape the fate of Bruno. who for similar opinions had been burnt at Rome but thirty-two years before. Milton visited him in | prison, and tells us, he was then poor and old. The confessor of his widow, taking advantage of her piety, perused the manuscripts of this great philosopher, and destroyed such as in his judg ment were not fit to be known to the world! Cornelius Agrippa, a learned physician, and friend of Trithemius, Erasmus, Melancthon, and other eminent scholars, and who also held various state offices at Mentz, was compelled to fly his country, and the enjoyment of a large income, merely for having displayed a few philosophical experiments, which now every school-boy can perform; but more particularly having attacked the then prevailing opinion, that St. Anne had three husbands, he was obliged to fly from place to place. The people beheld him as an object of horror; and when he walked, he found the streets empty at his approach. He died in an hospital in the year 1534. In those times, it was a common opinion to suspect every great man of an intercourse with some familiar spirit. The favourite black dog of Agrippa was supposed to be a demon. When Urban Grandier, another victim to the age, was led to the stake, a large fly settled on his head: a monk, who had heard that Beelzebub signifies in Hebrew the God of Flies, reported that he saw this spirit come to take possession of him Mr. De Langear, a French minister, who em ployed many spies, was frequently accused of diabolical communication. Sixtus V., Marechal Faber, Roger Bacon, Cæsar Borgia, his son Alexander VI., and others, like Socrates, had their diabolical attendant. Jerome Cardan, an eminent astrologer and mathematician, and who died at Rome in the year 1576, was believed to be a magician. An able naturalist, who happened to know something of the arcana of nature, was immediately suspected of magic. Even the learned them selves, who had not applied to natural philoso phy, seem to have acted with the same feeling as the most ignorant; for when Albert, usually called the Great, an epithet he owed to his nam De Groot, constructed an ingenious piece u mechanism, which sent forth distinct voca sounds, Thomas Aquinas was so much terrife at it, that he struck it with his staff, and, to th mortification of Albert, annihilated the curios labour of thirty years! Descartes was horribly persecuted in Hollan when he first published his opinions. Voetiu a bigot of great influence at Utrecht, accus him of atheism, and had even projected in mind to have this philosopher burnt at Utrec in an extraordinary fire, which, kindled on eminence, might be observed by the seven p vinces. This persecution of science and gen lasted till the close of the seventeenth century With a noble perception of his own geni lord Bacon, in his prophetic will, thus expres himself:-" For my name and memory, I le it to men's charitable speeches, and to fore nations, and the next ages." Before the ti of Galileo and Hervey the world believed in stagnation of the blood, and the diurnal moveability of the earth: and for denying these the one was persecuted and the other ridiculed. The intelligence and the virtue of Socrates were punished with death. Anaxagoras, when be attempted to propagate a just notion of the Supreme Being, was dragged to prison. Aristotle, after a long series of persecution, swallowed poison. Heraclitus, tormented by his Countrymen, broke off all intercourse with men. The great geometricians and chymists, as Gerhert, Roger Bacon, and Cormelius Agrippa, were | abhorred as magicians. Pope Gerbert, as bishop Ocho gravely relates, obtained the pontificate by having given himself up entirely to the devil'; thers suspected him too of holding an interarse with demons; but this was indeed a devilish age! This list of persecuted genius might be much enlarged, but sufficient names ad punishments for opinions which are now held as orthodox, will show the predominance which ignorance once held over the human mind. 1516. The first edition of the New Testament, is Greek, was published by John Froben, at Bal. The design of publishing this edition nated with Froben, who engaged Erasmus to the editor; for Beatus Rhenanus, who was some time one of the correctors of Froben's in a letter addressed to Erasmus, dated 17th, 1515, makes the proposal, in the wing terms: "Petit Frobenius abs te NoTestamentum pro quo tantum se daturum licetur, quantum alias quisquam :" "Froben ests you to undertake the New Testament, which he promises to give you as much as other person." During the time he was oyed upon it, Erasmus lodged in the house + Frohen, as appears from the subscription at 's ead of the first edition, which is, “ Basilim, aubus Johannis Frobenii Hammelburgensis, Mex Februario, anno MDXVI." The publication of this work raised a host of ies against Erasmus, some of whom cend his temerity, whilst others laboured to affix tigma of inaccuracy and heresy upon him; e of the colleges at Cambridge forbade it e brought within its walls. It was printed n, in two columns, with the notes at the and reprinted in 1519, 1522, 1527, and , accompanied with a Latin Version; and *as readings, selected from several manu"P, the works of the fathers, and the vulgate. 1916. The first bookseller who purchased maTipts from the authors, and had them printed Lers, without possessing a press of his own, John Otto, at Nuremberg. The first printers executed their different works er own expense, and sold them themselves, : their agents, at their risk. It was therenecessary to employ large capitals; paper si other materials, as well as labour, being dingly dear, and the purchasers being but ; partly from the high prices of books, and 66 partly from the illiteracy which so generally prevailed. These causes reduced many of the early printers to poverty; as was the case of Sweynheym and Pannartz, at Rome; and we also find that Faust made a journey to Paris in order to dispose of his bibles. At length the printers relieved themselves by confining their attention solely to printing, and leaving the bookselling part of the business to others. This we find, created a distinct profession of booksellers, who caused the books sold, to be printed at their own expense, and thus became publishers. In 1545, two booksellers of this kind, appeared at Leipsic, of the name of Steiger and Boskopf. The books were to Franckfort on the Mayne. Sometimes rich people of all conditions, and particularly eminent merchants, engaged in this branch of the profession, as we have already shewn. Henry Stephens, the second, at Paris, was printer to Ulric Fugger, at Augsburg, from whom he received a salary. In some editions from the year 1558 to 1567, he subscribes himself Henricus Stephanus, illustris viri Hulderici Fuggeri typographus. 1517. It is not exactly ascertained when the art of printing was introduced into the university of CAMBRIDGE; but it is generally supposed that the first work was Erasmus's de Conscribendis Epistolis. As Erasmus was then resident at Cambridge, he no doubt took care of his own works. Linacer's Latin version of Galenus de Temperamantis, printed by John Siberch in 1521, is given by Dr. Cotton, as the earlist dated volume. A few Greek words and abbreviations are here and there interspersed in Linacre's work, which is the earliest appearance of Greek metal types in England. Of this edition of Linacer's translation of Galen, the Bodleian library contains an exquisite specimen printed upon vellum, in the original binding, having the royal arms impressed on the sides; being the identical copy which Linacer presented to king Henry VIII. Henry gave it to bishop Tonstall; from whom, passing through various hands, it came at length into the possession of Thomas Clayton, master of Pembroke college, and regius professor of physic in the university of Oxford, who gave it to the Bodleian library in the year 1634.--Cotton. Dr. Robert Wakefield, chaplain to king Henry VIII. published his Oratio de Laudibut, &c., but he was obliged to omit his whole third part, because the printer, (Wynkyn de Worde) had no Hebrew types. There are, however, some few Hebrew and Arabic characters introduced; but they are extremely rude, and evidently cut in wood; and the first of sort used in England. 1517. Bachmeister, in his Essay on the St. Petersburg library, asserts that printing was exercised at Wilna, a populous city of European Russia, so early as this year; and cites an edition of the Acts of the Apostles of that date, a copy of which he declares to be in the patriarchial library at Moscow. Henderson also notices printing at Wilna in 1525. In 1583 the Socinians established a press here.—Wilna is the capital of Lithuania, and has a bishop's see, a | Paris, after many meetings held in the Sorbonne, castle, a royal palace, and an university erected so early as 1570. drew up a censure of the heresies of Luther. It was solemnly proclaimed, in a general assembly held on the 15th of April, 1521; and Jodacus Badius one of the sworn printers, in virtue of his oath of obedience, was enjoined to print it with fidelity and exactness; all others of the profession being interdicted from interfering with the impression or sale, under pain of deprivation of their privileges. In the exacerbation produced, more especially by the reformation, the right of censure, became in the hands of bigotry and ignorance, an engine of tyranny and of persecution. The doctors of the Sorbonne were the first to enter into the discussion of the Lutherian proposition; and they commenced with this sentiment in their preamble, "That flames, rather than reasoning, ought to be employed against the arrogance of Luther." By virtue of this condemnation, the parliament caused Luther's books to be burned in the porch of Notre Dame. 1517. The first act of open hostility against the Church of Rome, by Martin Luther, was in this year, by affixing to the gate of the church of Wittemberg twenty-four propositions relating to the sale of indulgences. Two years had not elapsed, from the time of Luther's first appearance against indulgences, before his writings found their way into Italy. In a letter, addressed to the reformer, by John Froben, the celebrated printer at Basil, the following information is conveyed:-Blasius Salmonius, a bookseller at Leipsic, presented me, at the last Franckfort fair, with several treatises composed by you, which being approved by all learned men, I immediately put to the press, and sent six hundred copies to France and Spain. They are sold at Paris, and read and approved of even by the Sorbonists, as my friends have assured me. Several learned men there have said, that they-During a series of years, the Sorbonne were for a long time have wished to see such freedom in those who treat divine things. Calvas also, a bookseller of Paris, a learned man, and addicted to the muses, has carried a great part of the impression into Italy. He promises to send epigrams written in praise of you by all the learned in Italy; such favour have you gained to your-brity. self, and the cause of Christ by your constancy, courage, and dexterity." Under the date of September 19, 1520. Burchard Schenk, a German nobleman, writes to Spalatinus, chaplain to the elector of Saxony: "According to your request, I have read the books of Martin Luther, and I can assure you, that he has been much esteemed in this place for some time past. But the common saying is, Let him beware of the Pope! Upwards of two months ago ten copies of his books were brought here and immediately purchased, before I had heard of them; but in the beginning of this month, a mandate from the pope and patriarch of Venice arrived, prohibiting them; and a strict search being instituted among the booksellers, one perfect copy was found and seized. I had endeavoured to purchase that copy, but the bookseller durst not dispose of it." In the year 1519, Charles V. was elected emperor. In 1520, the disputes had proceeded so far, and the boldness of Luther had so much increased, that Leo X. thought it proper to issue his bull in condemnation of forty-one propositions, which Luther had published subsequently to the former. In the same year he addressed to the Pope his book on Christian Liberty; a work which was censured by the universities. He was at length excommunicated by the Pope; in return for which he wrote against "the execrable Bull of Antichrist." "They excommunicate me," said he; "I excommunicate them. Let us break their "bonds in sunder, and cast their yoke from off our necks." His next proceeding was to compose and publish a defence of the condemned articles. The faculty of divines of the university of engaged in repressing Lutheran propositions. The heterodox were never tired of writing, the Sorbonne of censuring, and the parliament of sanctioning informations against distributors of heretical books now forgotten; and which, if left unnoticed, might never have acquired cek In consequence of the bull of Luther's condemnation, his writings were publicly burnt at Rome. Luther, by way of reprisals, destroyed the decretals, and in particular the bull by which he had been condemned, with all the works of the anti-reformers, in a public fire behind the walls of Wittemberg. This is said to have taken place on the 10th of December, 1521. 1518. The emperor Maximilian granted a privilege to Peter Schoeffer, the grandson a Faust, which is inserted at the end of Ling printed by him, for the sole power of printing that author for ten years; and for six years, t all the other books he should print thereafter, i consideration of Faust having invented the al of printing. This must certainly be considere the first privilege granted to a printer. Signe JAC SPIEGEL. 1519. Bachmeister remarks that one of th first books printed in the Russian or Slavoni language was the Pentateuch, in 4to, and print at Prague, on good paper, in beautiful Cyrilli characters, and with few or no abbreviatio There is a preface to each book; and a su mary of contents to each chapter. The chapt are not divided into verses. The whole adorned with wood-cuts, capitals, and vigneti It was translated into the Slavonian langu by Francis Scorino, a physician. Dr. Cotton, however, observes, that this been preceded by some other parts of script in the year 1517 and 1518. In 1487 a Bohemian version of the Ps and in the following year the first edition of Bohemian bible, were executed in the city Prague, and a copy of the latter is preserve the public library of its university. 1520, July 24. Died HENRY STEPHANUS, OF in the English language STEPHENS, and in French ESTIENNE, the first of an illustrious and nost distinguished family of printers. Their history has been written by the industrious Mattaire; and his Historia Stephanorum presents them to us, not as mere mechanical artists, but as the great patrons of literature, and ranking mong the most learned men of the age in which they lived; a period extending from the early part of the sixteenth century to the commencement of the seventeenth, and during which Lacy published, beside almost innumerable classical and grammatical works, of many of which they were the authors as well as printers,-fortyve editions of the Bible, in different languages, three editions of Concordances, and forty-eight ditions of Commentaries by various authors. Heary Stephens would be an interesting subject of our curiosity, if he had no other claims upon it than as the founder of that distinguished family of printers; and more especially as the father of Francis, Robert, and Charles, all conspicuous as scholars, and as artists in the same locis aliquot incuria nostra aberratum est." profession. But the memorials of his personal On another occasion, having accidentally exstory are scanty and uncertain. Neither is it pressed the word febris by an æ, he makes this Easy to ascertain the precise date of his profes-jocular apology: "foebrem longam sibi ChalcoC al commencement. Panzer says that the graphus delegit, tametsi febris correpta sit minus eological precedence as an artist is due to periculosa." On some occasions, typographers Jus Badius Ascensius.-Stephens was a who thus felt for the honour of the press, and inter of the university of Paris, in conjunc- regretted every blemish as a stain upon their with that of Wolffgang Hopyll, in the own characters, added to the subscriptions of their editions the names of their correctors. Such He used the arms of the university, in common with one or two other Parisian typographers: but all uncertainty was removed by the initials of each, which were respectively added. With those arms he generally connected or intermixed other fanciful ornaments. Of such variety the Quincuplex Psalterium, furnishes an amusing specimen; for there, the title being included by a circular ring, and externally by a capacious parallelogram, the space intervening, after exhibiting the ecu or shield at the top supported by angels, and a blank shield at the bottom with like supporters, is completely filled up with a complicated festoon of flowers, interwoven by other angelic figures: the initials H. S. appearing within the verge of the ring. Year 1196. In the impression of some particular works, e name of Henry Stephens is found occasiony in conjunction with those of Jean Petit, of Deis Roce, and of Jodocus Badius, respectively. But as a separate printer he appears first in an pression of the Ethica Aristotelis, translated by Leonardus Aretinus, and in some other treates of Aristotle, Latin, in 1504: subscribing s: per Henricum Stephanum in vico clausi Belli e regione schola decretorum: and Panhas enumerated more than one hundred distat impressions by him. Chevillier speaks very highly of Stephens for the general accuracy of his impressions, and the ingenuous concern expressed by him on the discovery of a few errors which had escaped timely observation. He introduces a list of twenty errata, subjoined to the Apologetic of Erasmus against Latomus, 1519, 4to, by this confession : 66 was the frequent practice of Stephens; whence we learn that besides other men of eminence, the celebrated Beatus Rhenanus at one time discharged for him that office. He does not appear to have printed any works in the vernacular or French language; willing probably to discriminate himself from the crowd of his cotemporaries as a learned printer. His impressions seem to consist wholly of Latin works; amongst which, besides those of the several descriptions already mentioned, are a translation of Dioscorides by Ruellius, some Opuscula of Galen, and other medical writers; and in a word, such other scientific books as were, under that aspect of literature, most popular in the university. The productions of his press are not in general arkably superior to those of his cotemporaeither in point of intrinsic interest and meof professional execution. They are for -most part such as might be expected from age of so rude a character. His types were only those which are denominated roman: sch as Mattaire considers not inelegant for period. But sometimes he employed a es of semi-gothic and abbreviated characfounded in imitation of manuscripts, and wach in use among the early printers of Paris. From a review of the productions of Stephins's press, as enumerated by Mattaire and Panzer, it will appear, that three several scholars of this period found almost exclusive employ-phens; viz. e regione scholæ Decretorum. for his professional exertions, by works of which they were either the original authors, or least the avowed editors. These were Charles Bille, Jaques le Fevre, and Josse Clictou, a To terminate our account of this venerable founder of the family of Stephens, as Panzer enumerates no works printed by him after the commencement of the year 1520, we may conclude that Peignot is correct in asserting that he died in the month of July in that year. He says, moreover, "the circumstance happened at Lyons;" but mentions no authority. The six latest productions of his officina, ejusdem anni, bear the excudebat of Simon Colinæus; who subjoins the usual designation of Henry Ste tor of the Sorbonne. The widow of Henry Stephens was married to Simon de Colines, an eminent printer at Paris. It is a little singular, that the use and convenience of the catchword did not occur to the Parisian printers til the year 1520.—Chevillier. 1520. About this period died Robert Whitinton. He was a most laborious grammarian, and, according to Berkenhout, was born at Litchfield, about the year 1480, and educated under Stanbridge, in the school at the gate of Magdalen college, Oxford. He afterwards became a member of the university; but in which hall or college is not known. In 1501 he began to teach a grammar school, probably in London, as all his books were printed there. In 1513, having supplicated the congregation of regents at Oxford, that he might be laureated, he was accordingly, with a wreath of laurel, decorated in the arts of grammar and rhetoric; and was at the same time, admitted to the reading of any of the logical works of Aristotle; that is to the degree of bachelor of arts; which was, at that time, esteemed equal to the degree of doctor of grammar or rhetoric. From this time he wrote himself Protovates Angliæ. Where he died is uncertain. Besides the numerous editions of Grammars which he wrote, and which were printed by Wynkyn de Worde, he was the author also of the following:-two Latin Epistles to Cardinal Wolsey, preserved in manuscript in the Bodleian library at Oxford: two Latin Epistles to William Hormann, London, 1521, 4to. and translations with the Latin text, of Cicero's Offices, Tully of Old Age, and Erasmus of Good Manners of Children. 1520. JULIAN NOTARY Commenced his labours at Westminster; although Ames, following Bagford, believes him to have printed in France before he came to Britain. It is certain that he had a French associate named John Barbier, whose name appears conjoined with Notary's in the Salisbury Missal; whence Ames supposed that the volume was printed on the continent, and that Notary was also a Frenchman. His earliest residence in England was in King-street, Westminster; as he states in the colophons to such of his books as were executed in the end of the fifteenth, and the first two years of the following century: but, about 1503, he removed to the parish of St. Clement, and took up his abode near Temple-bar. The Golden Legend was "accomplysshed and fynysshed at Tempell barr the xvi daye of Feuerer the yere of our lorde a Thousande. ccccc.iij." but the Hours of the Blessed Virgin, which was printed in the same year, speaks of him as living at "London without Tempell barre in Saynt Clement parysshe at the sygne of the thre kyngs."* The Sermones Discipuli, which appeared in 1510, states that Notary's dwelling place was "in the suburbs, com *These three kings, which Notary, in the colophons to his Manipulus Curatorum, and Postilla of 1508 and 1509, calls "the three holy kings," formed one of the religious emblems of his time; since they were intended to represent those Eastern Magi who were led by a star to Bethlehem, to adore the infant Saviour. They were called Melchior, who offered to him gold; Balthazar, who offered to him frankincense; and Jaspar, who offered to him myrrh. Their bodies were supposed to have been translated to Cologne, in Germany; whence they were usually denominated the Three Kings of Cologne; and Wynkyn de Worde printed four editions of their history in 1511 and 1530 | monly called Tembell-barre," and in the same passage he is said to be printer and bookseller. The colophon to the Cronycle of England, 1515, shews that he had removed his residence and sign to "powlys chyrche yarde besyde ye west dore by my lordes palyes;" or as the imprint to the Lyfe of Saynt Barbara, 1518, more clearly expresses it, " my lorde of Londons palayse at the signe of the thre kynges." The time of Julian Notary's death, is altogether unknown; and the catalogue of his labours which follow, is too imperfect to furnish any very correct data concerning him. His earliest work is dated the 20th of December, 1498, and some of his books bear the date of this year; but whether this period formed the extremes of his typographical life, will probably now never be known. He printed in the whole twenty-three books; amongst which is an edition of the Shepherd's Calender, containing the following description of the months, and which may be amusing to the poetical reader: January. I make me to be called Janyuere In my time is great stormes of coldeness For vnto me no moneth of the yere May compare if I aduance me doubtlesse For in my time was, as clerks do expresse, Circumcysed the Lord omnipotent And adoured by kynges of the Orient. February. I am february the most hardy In my season the pure mother virginall Offered her sonne in the temple truly Making to God a present speciall Of Iesu Christ the kynge of kynges all Betwene the armes of the bishop Symon To whom pray we to haue his remission. March. March am I called in noblesse florishinge Which amonge monthes am of great noblesse For in my tyme all the frutes do budde & springe To the seruyce of man in grete largesse And leuf is in the tyme of holynesse That euery man ought to haue repentaunce Of his sinnes done by longe continuance. Apryll. Amonge all monthes, I am lusty Aprill Freche and holsome, vnto eche creature And in my tyme the dulcet dropes distill Called cristall, as poetes put in scripture Causing all stones the longer to endure In my time was the resurrection Of God and man by diuine election. Maye. Of all the monthes in the yere I am kinge Who of my season taketh right gode hede July. If that my time were praysed all a right Amonge all monthes I am one of the chiefe For I enripe thorow great force and might Fruites of the earth, to man & beastes reliefe Feedynge horses, kynes, muttons, & strong bief With other properties that I could tell But I must pass-I may no longer dwell. |