Page:A dictionary of printers and printing.djvu/490

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SEVENTEENTH CENTURY.

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eompanioD of his, Robin Goodfellow. Richard Tailton. London : printed for and to be sold by Francis Grove, on Snow Hill, at the signe of the Wind Mill, neere unto St. Sepiuchie's Church. Richard Tarlton was a celebrated actor, writer, and jester ; he died Sept. 3, 1568.

1629. TTu Merekandizet of Popith Priettt; or a DUcovery of the Jesuitet Trumpery, newly packed in England ; laying open to the world how cunningly they cheate and ahute people, with their false, deceitfull, and counterfeit Wares. Written in French by John Chauaman, and truiy translated into English. Printed at Lon- don, for Henry Gosson, and are to be sold at his shop, on London Bridge. Small 4to.

16^, Oct. 28. The company of stationers were called npun for £60 4s. as their quota* of jG4,300 expended br the city for pageants and other solemnities, and beautifying the city, on the late entrance-time of his majesty passing through the same for his coronation,'!' and for other necessary and public services of the city.

1630. Humphry Lownes gave £20 to the stationers' company. He was elder brother of Matthew Lowues, (noticed at page 476 an(«,) and was born about 1666. He was bound ap- prentice to William Lownes, in 1d80. His first shop was at the west door of St. Paul's, and he lived afterwards at the Star on Bread-street-hill. He was under warden in 1616, and 1626. There was an earlier Humphry Lownes, who was upper warden in 1615, and died before 1620. The name of Lownes was long famous in the trade.

1629. Among the most eminent English book- binders, of early times, the family of Ferrars stands distinguished for the taste and skill dis- played in their works. They were settled at Little Gedding, in the county of Hertford, in the reign of James I. and is chiefly known for the ascetic piety of its members ; but as industry formed an essential part of their rule, the family was taught the art of bookbinding in all its parts. The fame of their work reached the ears of Charles I. to whom a splendid Concordance of the Four Exangelists was exhibited, adorned with many beautiful pictures, and bound by one of Nicholas Ferrars' nieces, " all wrought in pold, in a new and most elegant fashion." Dr. Wordsworth, in his Ecclesiastical Biography, — ' V. has given several instances of the magni-

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ficent works executed by individuals of this family.

1630. The German Intelligencer. Nathaniel Butter, the active newsmonger of the times, was influenced by his interest to tell — "News, old news, and such news as you never heard of;" — and converted his Weeily Newt into half- yearly columns, under the above title.

16;)0. Died, Jonn Kepler, a celebrated Ger- man astronomer, and author of many valuable discoveries in that science. He was born De-

  • This wu refuted mccordinff to the proportion of

110 quarters of com (at which the company of stationers ^rere in ^neral rated on an assessment for proTisious] to 10.000.

t King Chiles I. was crowned Feb. t, \6t6.

cember 27, 1571, at Weil, near Wirtemberg. In the year 1620, he published, at Sagan, a consi- derable town of Prussian Silesia, some Ephemer- idei, which perhaps may have been the earliest attempts at printing in that town; as the co- lophon to his book states, that the printing of it was commenced at Lintz, and finished at Sagan. It was executed in the ducal printing office, which (as we learn from one of Kepler's dedications) was erected at the beginning of the year 1630.

It appears that Kepler bad been living at Lintz, where he had published several of his works ; but when in the year 1627 or 1628, some civil commotions overthrew the printing establish- ment, and compelled the printer to fly, he began to look out for some auiet place of residence, where he might pui'sue his celestial observations. At this conjuncture he found a friend in Albert duke of Friesland and Sagan, who granted him a house and an annual pension, and likewise promised him a press : he took up his residence at Sagan in the month of July, 1 628. He had previously purchased a supply of types, figures, &c., with which his former Ephenveris had been printed, and these he brou^t with him : his press appears to have been furnished to him before the close of 1628. He continued here until his death.

1630. Died, Frederick Morel the younger, who was probably exceeded in learning by none of the Parisian printers contemporary with Robert or Henry Stephens; and he certainly surpassed the greater part of them in diligence, in the number and variety of his impressions, and in the special labour which he bestowed upon them. To this ardent typographer scholars are indebted for the first appearance of many curious Greek tracts and larger works, theologi- cal, rhetorical, poetical, and scientific, which he drew from the repositories of the Bibliotheque Royale, and generally illustrated with able translations; imitating in poetical works the measures of the Greek originals. Perhaps so many literary honours were scarcely ever ac- cumulated upon any other individual. Mait- taire observes, that he was appointed "Typo- graphus Regius," "Regius Interpres," Pro- fessor utriusque Linguie et Eloquentise," Archi- typographus," (probably a newly created distinc- tion,) and lastly, " Professorum Regiorum De- canus." Many of, or perhaps all these honours he bore, at one and the same time. We are certified by die subscription found in his impres- sion- of the Acta Concilii Nicani, anni 1599, that in his person the ofiices of Professor Regi- us, and Arcbitypographus Regius, were then united ; and we observe a similar combination of other honours of bis incidentally mentioned in several other of his impressions : " De quanto honoris culmine," (says Maittaire,) " nunc tern- poris decidit ars typograpfaica !"

La Caille believes that Frederic Morel (the younger) was appointed king's printer in gene- ral, so early as in the year 158], tiis father being then living. This title was fully confirmed to

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