FIFTEENTH CENTURY.
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which he afterwards chansed for leaden ones. His son, Peter Schoeffer, added many other im- prorements to the art. This Donatus, and the CanfatUmalia, were first printed in the year 1 450. He certainlv took the hint from the Donatut printed in itolland upon wooden planks."
Ndther the writer of the Cologn Chronicle, nor Mariangelus Accursins, positirely asserts that the old mediod of printing with blocks of wood was the ground-work of the new one : they only affirm, uiat the method of printing; by fau t^pes was found out at Mentz bv John Faast, and improTed by Peter Schoefler ; that they printed some books in the year 1460 ; that there was a Donatut printed before that time io Holland upon wooden planks ; and that from this hint, or pattern, Faust began to print with brass types. They do not say that the Donatut ms printed at Haerlem ; neither do they men- tioa by whom it was printed ; they do not even hint at Coster : aware that it was unknown in Holland till 1575, the year in which Junius died, that any such book had been printed there. If any snch information had reached that author, as it would have favoured his cause, he would aot hare failed to mention it.
ScaHger's original opinion was, that this rude inrention belonged to the ci^ of Dort, though he af^rwards declared himself for Haerlem.
Mr. Maittaire is of opinion that Coster's pre- tentions are very ill founded ; and seems to think that he was initiated into the art by Gutenberg, who removed at first to Strasburg, soon after the sentence was pronounced against him by the jod^ of Mentz; and, either suspecting his sai^ there, or dreading a further prosecution bam Fwst for the money adjudged to him by the decree and deed, or for some other cogent letson, afterwards settled at Haerlem, where he taught Caster the art of printing, and practised it with him there about me year 1459.
As the Donatut has been several times men- tioned among the writers of the controversy, it may be necessary, lest it should be supposed to have something excellent in it, to say, that its merit, as well as that of the Art Manendi, the Uittary of the ApociUypte, the Hittory of the BiUt, the Speeuium Humana Salvationit, and the Sptighd, consist only in being among the very itst essays in the art of Printing, before the in- vention of fnsile types.
From Accursius 8 account, it is clear that the Donatut bore no date, or name of place, or printers it also appears that Donatut was the name of the author, not of the book ; and that it was a gram- mar for boys ; for so Rocba calls it ; consequently not so tiiflmg a work as it has been deemed by those authors who call it a primer.
Another observation, which deserves to be no- ticed, is the printing the Catholicon upon wooden planks, cat with a knife, after the manner of the Chinese; and the bible, with separate types, which is the only method that deserves the appel- lation of printing : this appears plain, from the words " when they came to print the bible," &c. from which we may infer, that this sacred book
was the first the anthois of this art made choice of to signalize the original fruits of the invention.
Having given the most material points res- pecting Uie claims of Haerlem and Mentz, we shall now proceed to state those in favour of Strasburg. With respect to the claims of John Mentil, or Mentilius, little need be advanced to set them aside ; according to the most favourable accounts, he did not practice the art before 1440 ; ' others state 1 444: but the most probable opinion is, that he did not beg^ before the dispersion of the Mentz printers, becauseif he had produced works prior to this event, a rivalship must have been the consequence. The first work from his press (now known) bears the date of 1471.
John Mentilius, a physician at Paris, has stre- nuously defended the cause of his namesake of Strasburg; but his endeavours have not advanced the cause of Mentilius one tittle beyond what had been done by his predecessors.
The principal argument which the defenders of Mentilius have set forth, is the title of nobiliw conferred upon him by the emperor Frederic III. Thiscireumstance was handed down by the grand- daughter of Mentilius, who married J. Schottien ; and he gave it publicity in the Ptolemaic Geogra- phy, -pnateA at Strasburg, 1530. It has been asserted, that he was induced to, make this boast, from the conduct of John Schoefier, of Mentz, who had previously announced in his Colophut, that the discovery was made by John Faust, his grandfather by his mother's side. In consequence of the above-mentioned grant of the title of nobi- lity, we are informed that, in 1520, he be^an to prefix his family arms to all the books which he afterwards printed: adding,
" TTiat they were granted to John ifentiliui, thefirit inventor of printing."
A variety of evidence might be adduced in favour of Mentilius, had it not been superceded by Schoeflin's discovery of a document of the law- suit before-mentioned at Strasburg, 1439. Jacob Wimphelingius informs us, that Mentilius ac- quired a fortune by printing his works in a correct and elegant manner : therefore, if Gutenberg claims the honour of the invention, the profitable harvest was reaped by Mentilius. The chief and only merit of Mentilius, appears to have been that of becoming rich, by adopting the art, after it had been established, as his own : for the dip- loma contains not a word of the invention of printing
The Rev. Archdeacon Coxe, in his Hittory of the Houie of Auttria, gives the following de- scription of the Invention and Art of Printing : — " It took its rise about the middle of the fifteenth century, and in the course of a few years reached that height of improvement which is scarcely surpassed even in the present times. The in- vention was at first rude and simple, consisting of whole pages carved on blocks of wood, and only imprest on one side of the leaf ; the next step was the formation of moveable types in wood, and they were afterwards cut in metal, and finally rendered more durable, regular, and elegit, by being cast or founded.
Diaitized by
