SIXTEENTH CENTURY.
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muveability of the earth : and for denying these the one was persecuted and the other ridiculed.
The intelligence and the virtue of Socrates were punished with death. Anaxagoras, when be attempted to propagate a just notion of the Supreme Being, was dragged to prison. . Aris- totle, alter a long series of persecution, swal- lowed poison. Heraclitus, tormented by his countrymen, broke off all intercourse with men. The great geometricians and chymists, as 6er> bert, Roger Bacon, and Cornelius Agrippa, were abhorred as magicians. Pope Gerbert, as bishop Otho gravely relates, obtained the pontificate by having given himself up entirely to tlie devil; others suspected him too of holding an inter- course with demons; but this was indeed a devilish age ! This list of persecuted genius might be much enlarged, but sufficient names and punishments for opinions which are now held as orthodox, will show the predominance which ignorance once held over the human mind.
1516. The_/!r»< edition of the New Testament, M Greek, was published by John Froben, aC Basils The design of publishing this edition originated with Froben, who engaged Erasmus as the editor; for Beaius Rhenanus, who was for some time one of the correctors of Froben's press, in a letter addressed to Erasmus, dated April 17th, 1519, makes the proposal, in the following tenns : " Petit Frobenius abs te No- vum Teitmnenlum pro quo tantum se daturum pollicetur, quantum alias quisquam :" " Froben requests you to undertake the New Tettament, for which he promises to give you as much as any other person." During the time he was employed upon it, Erasmus lodged in the house of Froben, as appears from the subscription at the end of the first edition, which is, " Basilite, in iedibus Jobannis Frobenii Hammelburgensis, Mense Febniario, anno mdxvi."
The publication of this work raised a host of enemies against Erasmus, some of whom cen- snied his temerity, whilst others laboured to affix the stigma of inaccuracy and heresy upon him ; and one of the colleges at Cambridge forbade it to be brought within its walls. It was printed in folio, in two columns, with the notes at the end ; and reprinted in 1519, 152-2, 1527, and 1535, accompanied with a. Latin Version; and vatiotu readings, selected from several manu- scripts, the works of the fathers, and the >-ulgate.
1616. The first bookseller who purcha.<ied ma- Doscripts from the authors, and hajd them printed by others, without possessing a press of his own, was John Otto, at Nuremberg.
The first printers executed their different works at their own expense, and sold them themselves, or by their agents, at their risk. It was there- fore necessary to employ large capitals ; paper and other materials, as well as labour, being exceedingly dear, and the purchasers being but few ; partly from the high prices of* books, and
- Ibe New Teatament in Greek, written with hia own
hand, i* with other.relics (indndlog his sword uid pencil) to be Men at Basil.
partly from the illiteracy which so generally prevailed. These causes reduced many of the early printers to poverty ; as was the case of Sweynneym and Fannartz, at Rome; and we also find that Faust made a joumev to Paris in order to dispose of his bibles. At length the printers relieved themselves by confining their attention solely to printing, and leaving the bookselling part of the business to others. This we find, created a distinct profession of book- sellers, who caused the books sold, to be printed at their own expense, and thus became publishers. In 1545, two booksellers of this kind, appeared at Leipsic, of the name of Steiger and Bodcopf. The books were to Franckfort on the Mayne. Sometimes rich people of all conditions, and particularly eminent merchants, engaged in this branch of the profession, as we have already shewn. Henry Stephens, the second, at Paris, was printer to Ulric Fugger, at Augsburg, from whom he received a salary. In some editions from the vear 1558 to 1567, he subscribes him- self Henncus Stevhanus, illmtris n'rt Hulderiei Fuggeri typographus.
1517. It is not exactly ascertained when the art of printing was introduced into the university of Cambrioge ; but it is generally supposed that the first work was Erasmus's de Conscribendis Epistolis. As Erasmus was then resident at Cambridge, he no doubt took care of his own works. Linacer's Latin version of Galenus de Temperamantis, printed by John Siberch in 1521, is given by Dr. Cotton, as the earlist dated volume. A few Greek words and abbreviations are here and there interspersed in Linacre's work, which is the earliest appearance of Greek metal types in England.
Of this edition of Linacer's translation of Galen, the Bodleian library contains an exquisite specimen printed upon vellum, in the original binding, having the royal arms impressed on the sides ; being the identical copy which Linacer presented to king Henry VIII. Henry gave it to bishop Tonstall; from whom, passing through various nands, it came at length into the pos- session of Thomas Clayton, master of Pembroke college, and regius professor of physic in the university of Oxford, who gave it to the Bod- leian library in the year 16.^. — Cotton.
Dr. Robert Wakefield, chaplain to king Henry VIII. published his Oratio de Laudilmt, Ire.; but he was obliged to omit his whole third part, because the printer, (Wynkyn de Worde) had no Hebrew types. There are, however, some few Hebrew and Arabic characters introduced ; but they are extremely rude, and evidently cut in wood ; and the first of sort used in England.
1517. Bacbmeister, in his Essay on the St. Petersburg library, asserts that printing was exercised at Wilna, a populous city of European Russia, so early as this year; and cites an edition of the Acts of the Apostles of that date, a copy of which he declares to be in the patriarcbial library at Moscow. Henderson also notices printing at Wilna in 1525. In 1583 the So- cinians established a press here. — ^Wilna is the
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