234
HISTORY OF PRINTING.
children ; brothers against sisters, and sisters against brothers. Persecution was not confined to one part of the kingdom ; its baleful influence spread far and wide; and from one end of the land to the other, there was a continual struggle between truth and superstition. Hundreds were burned at the stake ; a great number confined tu monasteries, and condemned to live upon bread and water ; others were sentenced to bear a fagot at the market-cross, to be burned on the cheek, to repeat certain prayers upon Sunday and Fri- day ; they were to fast upon bread and water the remainder of their lives, except on Fridays, when a little ale was allowed them. " The clergy," says Dr. Henry, " were very sensible of their danger from the translation of the scrip- tures, and the progress of printing, that they ex- erted all theirpower to prevent the circulation of the Neto Testament in English, which they represented as perfect poison to the souls of christians ; but all their efforts were ineflectual." " Cardinal Wolsey declaimed," says Mr. Baxter, in his Cure of Church Dividom, "against the art of printing, as that which would take down the honour and profit of the priesthood, by making the people as wise as they."
In uie Apology of Sir Thomas More, printed in 1533, mention is there made of one Segar, a bookseller, of Cambridge, who was prisoner in his house for heresy four or five days ; and though it was reported, that Sir Thomas had used him ill, he vindicates his conduct. Of Segar, says Herbert, I have seen no books, either printed by or for him.
1531. Dr. VanTroiljin hxi Letters on Iceland, mentions that a printing press was established at Hoolum, a' town on the northern coast oflceland, by John Areson, bishop of that place, from which issued a work entitled Breviarium Nidarosiense,* of this date. The following notice of the general state of typography in Iceland, is extracted from Sir George Mackenzie's Travels in that island, during the year 1810. " The firet printing press was erected, at Hoolum, about the year 1530, under the auspices of John Areson, who was at that time bishop of this see.f Though an illite- rate and uncultivated man, he was extremely ambitious ; and wished to avail himself of all the means which literature might afford lor the pro- motion of his influence in the country. With
- The only copy of this volume which was linown to be
remaining was in the library of Ames MagnBei, and was consumed in the fire of Copenhagen In 172s.
t Some time after the death of bishop Areson, this press aimears to have been removed from Ifoolom. In the year 1563 we find it at work at Breidabolstad i from whence having been purchased by bishop Gadbrand Thorlakson, together with all the materials, it was at first erected by him at Nupufell, in the valley of Eynfiord ; but soon afterwards, for greater convenience towards his meditated work, the Icelandic Bible, the bishop restored it to Hoolum. After resting (or more than a century, the press travelled to Skalholt : was brought back to Hoolum in 1704 : and in 1799, being put into the hands of the Ice- landic literary society, vfas by them erected at Leira, where it now remains. In the year 15S4 the first edition of the Icelandic Bible was printed here, (1000 copies i) a second, in 1044, (also lOOO copies;) and another, in two Tolames folio, in 1728, bearing the imprint, Hoolum i Hiallla-dttI, of Marteine Amodityne. — Cotton.
this view he procured as his secretary, a Swede of the name of Mathirason, who, coming over to Icelauad, brought with him a printing press, and made a small establishment for its use. The types were originally of wood, and very rudely formed ; and the only works issuing uom the press during the first forty years after its institu- tion, were a few Bremariet, Church Rituals, and Calendars. In 1574, however, Gudbrand Thorlakson, bishop of Hoolum, made vety great improvements in the printing establishment at that place, providing new presses and types, some of which were constructed by his own hand, and bestowing the utmost care upon the correc- tion of every work which was printed during his lifetime. Before the centuty had elapsed, a number of valuable publications made their appearance, greatly improved in their style of composition, and displaying a neatness and even elegance of execution, vety remarkable at this early period of the use of printing in the country." p. 57.
" The printing-establishment at Hoolum, which had fallen into decline, and another, which in the year 1773, was instituted at Hrappsey, an island in the Breide Fiord, were purchased by the Icelandic society [about 1794] ; and a printing-office, under their management, esta- blished at Leira, in the Boigar-Fiord Syssel (on the south-western coast). From this press have issued, for the use of the society, fifty or sixty different works; some of them translated, but the greater number original, and comprising a very great variety of subjects; history, poetry, divinity, law, medicine, natural history, and rural economy." p. 309.
" We visited in onr way the only printing- office now in Iceland, (1810,) which is close to Leira, in a small and miserable wooden build- ing, situate in the midst of a bog. This esta- blishment is at present kept up Dy the literaiy* society, of which Mr. Stephenson is at the head- He has the sole management of the press ; and few other people now give it employment,* none liking to submit their works to a censor who is reckoned too severe, but {)erhaps without much reason. This state of the press is, however, ex- tremely injurious to the literature of Iceland. Two men are engaged in the printing-office : they have a press of the common construction, and make their own ink of oil and lamp-black. There are eight founts of types; six Gothic, and two Roman ; with a few 'Greek characters. We found a small collection of books, which had been printed here within the last few years, and remained here for sale. We purchased several of these, among which was Pope's Estay on Man, translated into Icelandic verse. Dur- ing the last winter the printing-office, with all its contents, was vety nearly swept away by a flood ; and at the present time the building is in a state of wretched repair." p. 161.
- A good and BtifBdent reason for which is gives by
Mr. HendervoD, at p. 7. of the second volume of bis " Journal."
VjOOQ IC
