FIFTEENTH CENTURY
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two bundled other persons had commenced the DTofession, the principal of whom were, Vinde- line de Spin, 1470-1477 ; Nicholas Jenson, 1470- 1488 ; Christopher Valdarfer, 1470-1471 ; John de Colonia, 1471-1487; John de Colonia and J. Manthen de Ghemetzem, 1473, &c.; Francis Rennerde Hailbrun, 1471-1494 ; Leon Achates, 1472-1478 -, Gabriel Peter de Tarvisio, 1472- 1478; Christopher Arnold, 1472-1479; Jacob Rabeus, 1472-1481 ; and Nicholas de Franck. foidia, 147:)-1600.
149!2. Died Lorenzo de Medicis, sumamed the Great, and the Father of Letters, was an Oloatrioas grandson of Cosmo de Medicis, and bom in the year 1448. He was a great mer- chant, and as great a statesman, equally fit to entertain an ambassador as a factor. His public services so recommended him to the Florentines, that they declared him chief of the republic ; and he was so unirersally esteemed by the princes of Europe, that they often made him the arbiter of their diflferences. — There was a time when the arts and sciences rendered Florence " the bright- est star of star-bright Italy," but that time is eone, the Medici, Dante, Michael Angelo, and Leonardo da Vinci, are no more; nevertiheless Florence, on account of her glorious monuments of art, and the remembrances of former times, is still one of the most interesting places in Eu- rope. Besides the library belonging to the uni- reisi^, there are the Medicean gallery and library, with 120,000 volumes, among which are 3,000 of the earliest specimens of the typo- graphical art, and 8,000 manuscripts ; and the Marncelliana with 50,000 volumes, and a select collection of engravings. There are many splen- did private galleries and libraries. In the Eng- lish burying ground the remains of SmoUet and Homer repose.
1492. Printing introduced into the following places in the course of this year : —
Ingoldstad, by Peter Appian, who was so great an astrologer, that the emperor Charles V. made him a present of 5000 crowns of gold, for writing Opus Caetarum Aitronomicum.
Leiria,by Abraham, son of Don Samuel Dortas, a Hebrew printer.
Tzenna, or Zinna, in Saxony, no printer's name.
1493. Liber Fettivalit, We$tmiruter. Quarto. This is the first production of Wynkyn de Worde, who had succeeded to the press and materials of Caxton, at Westminster. — Wynkyn de Worde was a foreigner, born in the dukedom of Lor- rain, as appears by the patent-roll in the Chapel of the Rolls. Our first printer, Caxton, when resident abroad, might probably have met with him there, and engaged him to come over to England as a servant or assistant, as John Faust at Mentz had his lad, or servant, Peter Schoef- fer, whom they chose for their ingenuity and piomising parts; and their after works shew th^ were not mistaken in their choice.
He continued in some capacity with Caxton till his master's death, 1491, and printed at his house in Westminster afterwards. He finished
some volumes which had been begun by Caxton, viz. the Canterbury Talet; and Hilton's Sc^ of Perfection. The last, Mr. Maittaire dates in the year 1494, and Mr. Bagford, in 1495, who gives it as the first impression done in Wynkyn de Worde's name. By living with Caxton he naturally fell into the company and acquaint- ance of the leamed and noble of this kingdom, on account of this new art, as soon appeared by the first works he printed, and stylea himself, "Printer to Margaret, Sec, the king's gran- dame." In the 7th of Henry VII. 1491, he printed the acts of parliam^t with the king's arms, &c., and dwelt at his master's house at least six years, as may be seen by several books mentionea as printed by him at Westminster, in Caxton 's house, till the acts printed in the 11th and 12th of Henry VII. when he printed at the end, with the same cut, and a similar cipher to Caxton's ; " also in Fleet-street, at the sygn of the Sonne, by Wynken de Worde."
Afterwards he prol>ably kept both shops for some time, where, by himself and his servants, he performed all the parts of the business, and furnished others dwelling in London. Mr. Palmer, in his Histtny of PrinttM, says, he printed several Latin, as well as English, vo- lumes, but no Greek. He continued printing with great applause till 1533, if not beyond that time. He was a person of great accomplish- ments in learning, as well as strictness in mo- rals; and though he was the immediate succes- sor to Caxton, the improvements he made were very considerable ; for oy his genius, and great scope of &ncy, he formed such a variety of sorts ana sizes of letter, that for several years after few equalled, none excelled, him therein. For it may be observed, the most ancient printers did every part of the business belonging to books by themselves, or under their direction, even to the binding and selling them. His skill in the art is much commended : and at his setting up for himself, his first care was to cut a new set of punches, which he sunk into matrices, and cast several sorts of printing letters, which he after- wards used. If De was the manual operator in cutting and casting in his own foundry, it is an incredible improvement which he made in the art ; or, if he had his types from abroad, not- withstanding it robs him of the glory of the letter, yet his excellent method of disposition, composition, and press-work, shews him to have excelled his master, and even to rival any of his cotemporaries abroad. There is one circum- stance that induces many to think that he was his own letter-founder ;* which is, that in some of his first printed books, the veij letter he made use of is the same used by all the printers in
- Mr. Palmer, the )>rtiiter uid author, says, the same
were used bj all the printers of his dar, and believes ther were strnck from the punches of Wynkyn de Worde. I have no doabt bat that they are itilt in existence : the old specimen-book of William Caslon, now before me (edit. 17SA), confirms this opinion i and old English, reaJ old Bnghahf would hare been still in use, but for tiie modern ■ cut, non-descript, sui ipeneris, radical -reformed old-Enc- lish black, which is forced upon printers of our day.— Hamard.
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