FIFTEENTH CENTURY.
107
Pater writes for the cause of Gutenberg and Stiasbuig, in the first instance ; and Gutenberg, Faust and Schoeffer in the second, at Mentz ; be observes, that he had some of woodenjcharacters when a boy.
Ririnus loudly exclaims against thepretendons of Haerlem, and favours Mentz ; Faust bean thehurel.
That great bibliographer, the Rev. T. F. Dib- din, in his TypograMcal Antiquities, is in favour of Gutenberg and Faust at Mentz, for its perfec- tion: he is of opinion that the knowledge of block-printing was derived from the Chinese, and probably may be some hundred years more ancient, in Europe, than has generally been imagined.
The late talented John M'Creery, in his poem at the Prat, gives the honour to Mentz, Guten- berg, Faust, and Schoeffer.
MiMTz ! proad city, long thy fame eqjor FW with the Press thy grlory ne'er shall die, Stm mar thy grurdian battlements withstand The ruthless shock of War's destructive hand; Where GDrsNBBRo with toil incessant wrought The imitatlTe lines of written thoug:ht ; And as his art-a nobler effort made. The sweeping lever his commands obey'd ; Elastic balls the sable stains supply, Llj^o'er the form the sheeted tympans fly ; The beaateoos work returning leaves tuft^ As with alternate force the ajtle rall'd. Bis bosom now uziboanded Joys expand, A printed volume owns his forming hand 1 The curious work from sculptor'd blocks Imprest, The rising glories of his art confest !
To give to distant times a name more dear. To spread the blessing tliro' a wider sphere, Scaosmn and Favst with kindling ardour fir'd. Lent the strong aid that thirst of fame inspir'd ; The stotilwm block, ^th rude onchanging form. One cad coold answer, but one task ^wrfonn. Tin FaDST, with all his powers of genius ripe. Struck the One die, and cast the moving type, Thst ever, as the curious artist will'd , In some new station some new office Ul'd.
With ancient Mintz, onrcent'ral point of art. In die prond race the neighbouring cities start, Smadlng, as liicht diverges from its source. The exeat invention through a distant course i Thmogin; around, the candidates for feme To brcatlie new life in countless numbers came. Press for the meed 'which we alone bestow, The source from which immortal honours flow.
Mr. Willett, in the Archaologia, (vol. xi.) has giTenamost interestingdisquisition on the Origin of Printing ; from the body of evidence given, ne demonstratively rejects the pretensions of Haeriem, and decides in favour of Mentz.
Johnson, in his Typographia, (vol. 1) rejects the pieteasions of Haerlem, and awards the palm to Gutenberg, jun. Faust, and Schoeffer, though last, not least, to Geinsfleisch, or Gutenbierg, sen. whotmqnestionablyproduced the first printed
»0OK.
Hansard, in his 7W>9ra;>Ata,awardsto Guten- benr the high appellation of Father of Printing : to Schoeffer that of Father of Letter-founding : Md to Faust that of the Generous Patron, by whose means the wonderous discovery, " The Nurse and Preserver of the Arts and Sciences," was brought so rapidly to perfection.
Malinkrot, who handles this subject with great »m and discernment, hath, with indefatigable industry, collected tesUmonies from both sides of
the question, ttom the promulgation of the art to the time in which he wrote, 1640, and placed them, in the following order, in the b^[inning of his works: —
For Mentz, before the dispute was started by Dr. Junius 62
Those who have written on the same side, since Junius 47
109 Those who have written in favour of
Haerlem 13
Those who are neuters 11
24
By this list, it appears that the numbers are greatly in favour of Mentz.
The following inscription set up at Mentz, in the inner court of the college of lawers, by Ives of Witigen, or Venea, doctor of laws, and pro- fessor of that university, is a strong proof that printing was first practised in Mentz.
JOBANNI ODTTENBEROENSI MOOUNTINO,
QUI PRIMUS OMNIUM LITERS MRK
IMPRIMENDAS INVENIT,
HAC ARTE DE TOTO ORBE BENE MERENTI ;
IVO WITI0ENSI8
HOC 8AXUM PRO MONUMENTO POSDIT.
Englished (Aim ;
IVES OF WITIGEN
ERECTED THIS MONUMENT
TO THE MEMORY OP
JOHN OUTTENBERG MOGUNTIN,
WHO FIRST INVENTED THE ART OF
CASTING FUSIL TYPES.
And in the oldest books printed at Mentz, yet discovered, are inscriptions which style that city. " The mother and inventress of printing."
In order to prevent any misunderstanding that might arise from an apparent confusion of names, in reading any early histories of typography, it may be useful to notice that in the various docu- ments necessary to be referred to, John Guten- berg is variously called Johanni* Gutenberg — de Mogvnlia* — Genesfleisch, aliai nuncupatus Gu- tenberg de Moguntta — Geruefieitch junior, dictus Gutenberg — GatuJUitch, dictut Sulgeloch vel Sorgeloch.
An ample testimony in favour of Schoefferf is given by Jo. Frid. Faustus of Aschaffenburgh, from papers preserved in his family; "Peter Schoeffer of Gemsheim perceiving his master Faust's design, and being himself ardently de- sirous to improve the art, found out, by the good
• Ho)(mice, Hogoonee, Moguntia, Maynce, were the ancient names of the city called Mentz.
t The sifmiflcation of Schoeffer, in Latin, is Ottilia ; in English, SAepAenf— Gutenberg signifies, in English, Oood. kitL — John Faust or Fust, is by many supposed to have derived his name ftt>m Fauttiu, happy ; and Doctor Favttut seems to carry an air of grandeur in the appellation ) bnt very erroneously so 1 tor John Fntat, or FM*t, la no more than JoAn Hand, whence our word /((.—Nichols' Origin of Printatg.
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