214
HISTORY OF PRINTING.
the master of the sentences, (Peter Lombard ;) and the highest degree, that of doctor of divi- nitr, did not admit a man to the reading of the scnptures." — Brituh Biography.
In the year 1510, the university of Wittem- berg registered in its acts, Andrew Carolostad, afterwards one of the reformers, as being tuffi- eientiainnu, fully qualified for the degree of doctor, which he then received ; though he after- wards acknowledged, that he never began to read the Bible till eight years after he had re- ceived his academical honours. Albert, arch- bishop and elector of Mentz, having accidentally found a Bible lying on a table, in 1530, opened it, and having read some pages, exclaimed, " Indeed, I do not know what this book is ; but this I see, that every thing in it is against us."
1510, Aug. 23, Died Ulric Gerino, who for a period of forty years had exercised the profession of a typographer in the city of Paris, and whose labours we have already noticed under the year 1470, see page 131 anle. To show the industry and zeal of Gering and his early associates in the progress of typographv. Panzer has enume- rated seven hundrea ana fifty-seven titles of Parisian impressions before the close of the 15th century ; and at the end of the year 1507, in which the first Greek press was established at Paris, the foregoing number appears to have been increased by two hundred additional im- pieasions, exclusive of a few which this diligent bibliographer has enumerated in the supplemen- tary volumes of his extensive work. From Pan- zers list Mr. Gresswell has selected those articles which appear most curious and interesting ; and illustrated them by such notices as in the course of his own reading he had been enabled to collect
Gering bequeathed to the college de Mon- taigu* the half of lus property, and the third part of his debts, amounting together to upwards of 25,000 Hvres — a sum sufficient to purcaase, not indeed a village, but the estate or farm of Dan- net or Annet; and in additiou to that " la maison de Veseley," adjoining the site of the college, where they afterwards erected their Grammati- corum classes. — Gering had, on his first exercis- ing the art, no Greek characters; nor did he afterwards provide more than were sufficient for the introduction of single words, or at the most of some few lines of Greek, into his impressions. Of the third series of Gering's impressions, as given by Chevillier, the earliest date is 1489, and the latest 1598. In those which bear the date of 1494, and the subsequent ones, the name of Remboltis united with his. In the year 1409 Rembolt began to print in his own separate name ; and continued the establishment till 151 9, in which year he died.
- In tbe year ugC, Eiumas became a pensioner or
scholar of this college ; and by his account, it was then a miieraUe place indeed \ His wretched apartment was In a nuwt lUsfiiuting situation. He was fed on rotten eggs and soar wine. The discipline was as cruel as the ^t was abaminablei and he is said to have contracted there a diacaaed haUt of body, which continued during the re- mainder of lu* life.— /or/iM.
After the exertion of Gering, and his cotem- poraries, the printers of Paris appear for a time to have declined rather than increased in ardour for the diffusion of classical literature. Yet on other accounts the Gothic press of Paris, by which it maybe designated, to distinguish it from the mure learned irrgyrimeriet established there in after times, will be found an interesting subject of inquiry. Many of its productions are strongly indicative of the national manners and character. Those which pertain to the ecclesi- astical ritual, and devotional subjects, possess, says Mr. Gresswell, a singularity of embellish- ment, and magnificence of execution which ai« almost peculiar to them. The early poetry of the French — ^their chronicles — their romances of chivalry — and the kindred fruits of their Gothic press are equally characteristic : and to the Eng- lish reader, the connexion of their literature with our own, rather the influencs which it had upon the speculations and manner of our own country, and the direction and tone which it gave to our pristine habits and pursuits, must render early French typ<^fraphy a subject of particular curio- sity. — Paritum Typography.
1511, Sept. Died William Faques, aprinter in the city of London, who states himself to have been a native of Normandy, and that he learned the art of printing at Rouen, with John de Bourgeois, from whence he came over to this country for the improvement of his fortune. He is supposed to have resided in England for little more than five or six years; and although Ames could not discover any patent constituting him king's printer, yet it will be found that he was certainly possessed of that office, since he men- tions it va the colophon to the Ptalter which he printed in 1504. He was excellent in his pro- fession ; and his types, which were peculiarly good, are thought to have been used by Wynkyn de Worde after his death, which it is imagined took place at this period. His name does not appear to any books printed abroad, and seven is all that is known in this country.
William Faques used one principal device, which consisted of two triangles crossed, the one white and the other black, with an inscription upon each. The words upon the white triangle are taken from Psalm xxxvii. 16, given accord- ing to the Latin Vulgate, in whidi the Ptalm stands, as xxxvi. " A morsel with the righteous man, is better than the riches of many of the wicked ones." The passage inscribed on the black triangle is from iPrcnxrbt xvi. 32, " Better is the meek than the strong man : and he who ruleth his soul than he that taketh a city." Be- sides this device, Faques had also a cypher, con- sisting of a black-letter capital G., contiuning a small 1 in the centre of it ; and an arrow cut in outline, pointing to the left, passing horizontally through iL
151 1 . On the feast of St. Margaret, the miracle play of the holy martyr St. George, was acted on a stage in an open field at Bassingbome, in Cambridgeshire, at which were a minstrel and three waits hired from Cambridge, with a pro-
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