Concerning the Original of Printing.

IT would certainly redound very much to the dishonour of printers, if the original of this noble art should not be transmitted to posterity: Since it is by printing alone, that the earliest actions of antiquity are brought down to the present age. For this art, by multiplying books, hath multiplied knowledge, and brought to our cognisance both persons and things vastly remote from us, and long before our time; which otherwise had perished in oblivion, and been as things which never had a being.

I have therefore endeavoured, in this short essay, to rescue from the iron-teeth of time, the original of that noble mystery, which gives immortality even to learning itself, and is the great conservator of all arts and sciences.

And yet, to whom the world is indebted, for this excellent invention, we do not certainly know. This being one of the inventa adespota of the masterless inventions, of which the only reason, that can be assigned, is,

Laus veterum est meruisse omnis præconia famæ,

Et sprevisse simul

Brave men more studious were, in former days,
Of doing good, than of obtaining praise.

That it is a Teutonick invention, is agreed upon by most voices. From hence the poet sings,

O Germanica! muneris repertrix,
Quo nihil utilius dedit vetustas;
Libros scribere, quæ doces premendo.

Which may thus be paraphrased,

O noble German! author of this gift,

(Which ev'n to heav'n itself thy fame does lift)
Antiquity ne'er yet divulg'd that thing

Which did more profit unto mankind bring;

Or unto learned labours more incite,

Since, by the press, thou dost large volumes write.

But, whether Higher or Lower Germany shall have the honour of it is yet a controversy undecided: And in the Upper Germany, whether Mentz or Basil, or Strasburg, for all these do not only challenge it, but contend no less for the birth-place of this noble mystery, than the Grecian cities did for the cradle of Homer. Which, by the way, is no small indication of the just value which the world has of it, since there is such striving for the honour of its original. The general voice is for Mentz, and that one John Guttemberg (or Fust, or Faustemberg, as others term him) a knight and citizen of that city, was the true father and inventer of this

art, about the year 1440. And that the occasion of it was, he having cut the letters of his name out of the bark of a tree, which was green, and full of sap, and afterwards putting them into a fine linnen handkerchief, the letters impressed upon the linnen their own characters: This first inspired him with the thoughts of making characters of metal, that might make an impression upon paper, which he afterwards effected. This is strongly affirmed by the citizens of Mentz, saith Polydore Virgil, lib. ii. cap. 7. de invent. rerum : And for proof hereof they produce a copy of Tully's Offices, printed in parchment, and preserved in the library of Augsburg, having this memorandum at the latter end of it, · Præsens M. Tullii opus clarissimum, Jo. Fust, Moguntinus civis non atramento plumali canna, neque area, sed arte quadam perpulchra manu Petri Gersheim, pueri mei, fœliciter effeci: Finitum, anno 1440. Die quarto Mens. Feb.' In English thus: I John Fust, citizen of Moguntia, have happily effected the present most illustrious work of Mark Tully, performed neither by pen and ink, nor brass, but by a certain art, purely by the fair hand of my son Peter Gersheim: Done in the year 1440, on the fourth day of February.' This is cited by Salmuth, in his annotations on Pancirollus, who stands stifly for Germany (his own country) in this point: And also cites another argument from the library of Francfort, wherein an old copy of the decisions of the Rota are kept; at the latter end thereof it is said,That it was printed in civitate Moguntia artis impressoriæ inventrice & elimatrice prima; that is, In the city of Moguntia, being the first inventer and refiner of the art of printing."

But, nothwithstanding all these evidences for High Germany, yet Hadrianus Junius, a very learned man of the Low-Countries, is as stiff, on the other side for Haerlem, making that the birth-place of this noble art. This Junius (in his history of the Netherlands) tells us, That one Laurence John (others call him Laurence Coster) a burgher of good note and quality in the city of Haerlem, was the first inventer of it;' and saith, That he made letters at first of the barks of trees (as was before said of the other) which being set and ranked in order, and put with their heels upwards upon paper, he made the first essay and experiment of this art: At first he made but a line or two, then whole pages, and then books, but printed on one side only:' Which rudiments of the art, Junius says, he saw in the town.

And then to turn John Guttemberg, or Fust, or Faustus, quite out of doors, he gives us this further account: That, after this, the aforenamed Laurence John made types or characters of tin, and brought the art to further perfection daily: But one John Faustus (though he proved Infaustus to him) who was his servant and had learned the mystery, stole away all the letters, and other utensils belonging to the trade; and, after several removes, set up for himself at Mentz, making as if he were the first inventer of it; (whereas, if what Junius says be true, he had only stole it from Laurence John) and the first book, he printed there, was the

Doctrinal of one Alexander Gallus, which he printed in the year 1440.

This is further confirmed by Hegenitz, who saith, that house the of Laurence John is yet stauding in the market-place of Haerlem, with this inscription in golden letters over the door :

Memoriæ Sacrum.

Typographic Ars, Artium Conservatrix, hic primum Inventa, circa Annum MCCCCXL.

That is,

Sacred to Memory.

The Art of Printing, the Preserver of Arts, was first invented here, about the year MCCCCXL.

And underneath, these verses:

Vana quid archetypos & præla Moguntia jactas?
Haerlemi archetypos prælaque nota scias.

Extulit hic, monstrante Deo, Laurentius artem ;
Dissimulare virum hunc, dissimulare Deum est.

Which I have thus paraphrased,

Moguntia, why do you thus vainly boast
Of archetypes and presses, at your cost,
Whereas at Haerlem they were first, thou know'st..
There to Laurentius first, inspir'd by heav'n,
The knowledge of this noble art was giv'n.
To rob the man, who did this art reveal,

Is a like crime as 'tis from heav'n to steal.

Thus I have given the different pleas of both parties; yet will not pretend to determine which is in the right, but leave the decision to the reader's judgment.

But this is certain, that, though, the chief honour is due to the inventer, yet that perfection and beauty, that printing is now arrived to, is very much owing to them that came after, many in the present age having not a little contributed thereto, here in England, where it is at as great perfection as in any part of the world. And it is as true as strange that, where printing was invented, the art is almost lost, and did never there arrive to any great perfection.

Printing has been in China, above two-thousand years; but their way is so vastly different from the method we use in Europe, that no comparison can be made between them, the former having so many boards, as they have pages in their book, on which their characters are carved, one representing (or standing for) a man, another an house, &c. as they have occasion to place them; and of

these characters they have such great numbers, that few of them know the one half; they not making use of four and twenty letters to make words, as is used here. This way of the Chinese was not heard of, till within these very few years.

It is well known of the Turks, that they have not the learning, the art in trades, or war, as their neighbours the Germans; and the chief reason is, they have not printing among them, which they will not suffer; for fear, as is thought, it should undermine their false religion, and plant Christianity in its stead.

SCOTLAND CHARACTERISED:

IN A

LETTER WRITTEN TO A YOUNG GENTLEMAN,

TO DISSUADE HIM FROM AN INTENDED JOURNEY THITHER.

Scotica si diris devotum, terra tulisset
Cainum; non alias exul peragraverat oras.
Ipsa suis contenta malis: Non indiga pestis
Externa: Infensi satiasse numinis iras.

Cleaveland translated.

By the Author of 'The Trip to North Wales.' 1701. Folio. Containing four Pages.

IT

was not without the greatest surprise in the world, that I heard, from my Lady your mother, your intentions led you to our neighbouring kingdom of Scotland, to perfect and give the grace-stroke to that very liberal education, you have so signally improved in England. I confess, it is very irksome, to some spirits, to be contradicted and thwarted in either their expressions, or designs and they do, with such an unpersuadable obstinacy, cherish their own ideas, that you might as well expect grapes from thistle, as to make them change their party, though upon the most demonstrative arguments, that can be produced. But I hope better things of you; and do not in the least doubt, but you are so much reason's humble servant, that, if I convince you this ramble of yours will neither be for your credit, pleasure, nor advantage (which I shall make the topicks of my discourse) you will even stay where you are, and not hazard three things so very precious to all rational creatures; and, if you meet with any harsh, rugged expressions in this epistle, I hope you will do me the justice to believe, that it was nothing, but a grateful sense of my own obligations, and a

hearty desire of your welfare, that extorted them from me. And let so much suffice, by way of preface.

You are now advanced to those years, in which, if ever, men begin to consider and propose some end to themselves in what they do. But, under favour, if, by going into Scotland, you imagine to improve your intellect, you are as wide of your purpose, as if you should take West-Chester in your way from London to Dover; and, before. I will believe, that ever any man, that has lived a gentleman, or fellowcommoner, in either of our two Universities, and a little tasted of the education of an inn of court (as you have done) can ampliate his understanding by grazing in the Caledonian forest, I will subscribe to the calling in of the Jews, and the Pope's being turned protestant.

I will not deny, but Scotland has formerly given very eminent scholars to the world; nay, I will go further, there are no finer gentlemen in the world, than that nation can justly boast of; but then they are such as have travelled, and are indebted to other countries for those accomplishments that render them so esteemed, their own affording only pedantry, poverty, brutality, and hypocrisy.

van.

To make this evident, give me leave a little to pursue my proposed method: And here pleasure (which influences most people, young especially, that care not much to look forwards) leads the Now, Sir, you would take him for a very unaccountable man, that should pretend to regale his nose with asa fætida, or, in the heat of summer, take sanctuary in a bagnio, for coldness; and yet you do the same thing in effect, when you make the tour of Scotland for diversion.

For the charms of conversation (which, considering man as a sociable creature, are most universally desired) it may be presumed, Nebuchadnezzar, when turned out a grasing, had full as eligible companions, as you are like to meet with; and you might, with as much safety, enter into a league of friendship with a cannibal, who would upon the first opportunity eat you up, as with a Scotchman ; for what Sir John Chardin says of the Mingrelians, may be truly applied to them, That they are perfidy itself. "The most sacred ties, as oaths and the like, are snapped asunder by them with as much ease, as the new cords were by Sampson. And there is nothing amongst them, to their very kings (of which the last age afforded us a very memorable example) that is not vendible. Civility is not so much as known in the idea amongst that proverbially clownish people. The conscience of a custom-house officer, the integrity of a knight of the post, the modesty of a common prostitute, and the courage of a town-bully amount to full as much.

Their women are, if possible, yet worse than the men, and carry no temptations, but what have at hand suitable antidotes; and you must be qualified for the embraces of a Succubus, before you can break the seventh, or one article of the tenth commandment here. The skin of their faces looks like vellum; and a good Orientalist