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HISTORY OF PRINTING.
Jenson, seem to hare brought the art to its ut- most perfeotion. And yet it is a lamentable instance of the perverted taste of those times, that these ancient printers were obliged to change their beautiful Roman type, for the old and dis- agreeable Gothic, which tney did in about seven years, viz. anno 1477.
The Spiras had the two following learned men for their correctors, viz. : Christopher Berardus, of Pisauro; and George' Alexandrinus. John Spira, the elder brother, is reported to hare been the first who put the diiection-word at the bot- tom of the page. He died in 1470, and was succeeded br Windiline, who conducted the business, on nis own account, until 1472, when he took John de Cologne as a partner ; but the connexion was of short duration. Windiline Spira, in consequence of an earnest solicitation of some eminent law counsellors, quitted Venice, and went to Germany, where he printed, in the year 1471, some considerable volumes, without the name of the place. But baring, soon after the decease of his brother, entered into an en- gagement not to reside out of Venice, he returned uiither, and continued printing with great repu- tation until the year 1477, when he began to adopt the Gothic character. In this he was fol- lowed by ereiy other printer, and even by the celebrated N. Jenson ; yet Jenson still preserved neatness and uniformity, whilst the others were much degenerated.
By an order of the senate of Venice, John and Windiline de Spira, had the exclusive privilege granted to them of printing the letters of Cicero and Pliny, for fire years, in consequence of the beauty of their impressions.
There has been some disagreement about who was the first printer in Venice. Haittaire, who had a particular regard for his countryman, Jenson, seems to think him the first ; but without much reason, as the following verses will evince ; the^ are found at the end of an edition of Tully's Eputlet at Venice; in this year, the first work of another famed printer, John de Spira, who, in the four following verses, at the end of the book, claims the honour of being the first who had printed in that city :
Frimiu In Adrlwai founia Imprefllt abite Urbe Ubroa Spirt genltns de atirpe Johumcs. In rellquii fit qaanta, videi, spes. Lector, habenda. Qum Ubor hit prlmai cnlami roperaverlt Aitem.
It is the more general opinion, confirmed by the testimony of cotempora^ writers, that Jenson was the first printer at Venice : but these verses o( John de Spira, published at the time, as well as in tiie place in which Uiey both lived, and without any contradiction from Jenson, amount to a conviction in favour of Spira, not easily to be now removed.
Nicholas Jenson is allowed, by the generality of writers, to have been a Frenchman ; and as he was one of the first of that nation that became eminent in the art of printing, his countrymen have been more than ordinarly lavish in bis praise: they consider him the only printer of merit in that age, and that the productions of
his press were iar superior to those of any other.
Folydore Virgil highly commends Jenson mj his partner, another John de Cologne, for their improvements in the art; and Sabellicns sap, that Jenson and his partner, John de Cologne, excelled all the printers of their time, in the richness and elegancy of their impressions The learned Onmibonus Leonicenus, who prepued copies for Jenson, and corrected some of his editions, has left an excellent character of him, affixed to his Quintilian, printed in 1471, in which he extols his types, and speaks of him u one to whom the greatest share of the inventioD of typography was due. For which reason, writers on tnis subject express their astonishment, that so great a master of typography shoald have introduced at Venice theGoUucchaiacteis; in which he printed his bibles, divinity, and law books. The first work printed by Jenson in the Gothic chmacters was, St. Austin's De Cintte Dei, 1475, and the last of bis works is dated I48I. — ^Nicholas Jenson died in the year 1481.
John and Windiline de Spira, were natives of Germany ; but from what particular place is now unknown ; but, like others, might derive their names from the place where they were bon.— John de Spira died at Venice, in the year 14TO.
Windiline is supposed to hare died in the year 1477, no impression of his bearing a later date.
1470, April. A curious deed of sale, of the Latin edition of the bible by Faust andSchoeffer, informs us, that Herman de Statten, agent of Faust and Schoeffer, sold a copy of it to William Toumerille, bishop of Angers, for forty golden crowns, in 1470. The manuscript memorandnm, in Latin, was found in one of the rellum copiei of this bible; the following is the sense: "I Herman, a German, workman of the honest and discreet John Guymier, sworn bookseller of the university of Paris, acknowledge to have told to the illustrious and learned master William, of Toumeville, archbishop and canon of Angien, my most respectable lord and master, a bible at Mentz, printed upon rellum, in two volumes, for the price and sum of forty crowns, which I have absolutely receired, which also I ratify by these presents, promising to abide by the same, and guaranteemg my lord, purchaser of the said bible, against any one who would dispossess him. In ratification of which I have hereunto affixed jaj seal, this 5th day of the month of April, in the year of our Lord MCCCCLXX. Herman, — Dibdin's Bihlioth. Spencer. I. p. 16, note.
1470. Conrad Winters introduced the ait of printing at Cologne ; here Caxton received the first rudiments of the art The author of the Cologne chronicle affirms that printing was intro- duced there next to Mentz. But whether the first printers who settied at Cologne neglected to add their own as well as the city's name to their editions, or whether the volumes were too incon- siderable to be preserved ; it is certain there is not any book witn an authentic date before this year by Conrad Wintere. Notice has been taien of John KoelhofiT ; but as his date is older than either himself or the invention of printing, it is
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