/.
SIXTEENTH CENTURY.
225
1520, Jvltf 24. Died Henbv Stepuanus, or in the English language Stephens, and in Frrach Estienne, the firet of an illustrious and most distinguished family of printers. Their history has been written br the industrious Mat- taire; and his Hutoria Stephanorum presents them to us, not as mere mecnanical artists, but as the great patrons of literature, and ranking among the most learned men of the age in which they lived; a period extending from the early part of the sixteenth centimr to the com- mencement of the seventeenth, ana during which they published, beside almost innumerable clas- sical and grammatical works, of many of which they were the authoisas well as printers, — forty- fire editions of the Bible, in different languages, three editions of Concordances, and forty-eight editions of Commentariet by various authors.
Henry Stephens would be an interesting sub- ject of our curiosity, if he had no other claims upon it than as the founder of that distinguished fiunily of printers; and more especially as the father of Francis, Robert, and Charles, all con- ^icaous as scholars, and as artists in the same profession. But the memorials of his personal history are scanty and uncertain. Neither is it easy to Ascertain the precise date of his profes- aonal commencement. Panzer savs that the chronological precedence as an artist is due to Jodocus Badius Ascensius. — Stephens was a printer of the 'university of Paris, in conjunc- tion with that of Wolffgang Hopyll, in the year 1496.
In the impression of some particular works, the name of Henry Stephens is found occasion- ally in conjunction with those of Jean Petit, of Denis Roce, and of Jodocus Badius, respectively. But as a separate printer he appears nrst in an impression of the Ethica Arittotelit, translated by Leonardus Aretinus, and in some other trea- tises of Aristotle, Latin, in 1504: subscribing thus : per Hmricwm Stepkanum in vico clausi Brtmetli e regione ichola decrttorum : and Pan- zer has enumerated more than one hundred dis- tinct impressions by him.
The productions of his press are not in general remarkably superior to those of his cotempora- ries, either in point of intrinsic interest and me- rit, or of professional execution. They are for the most part such as might be expected from tm age of so rude a character. His types were comnMHily those which are denominated roman : and such as Mattaire considers not inelegant for that period. But sometimes he employed a species of semi-gothic and abbreviatea charac- ters, founded in imitation of manuscripts, and much in use among the early printers of Paris.
From a review of the productions of Ste-
fhens's press, as enumerated by Mattaire and
- aiizer, it will appear, that three several scholars
of this period found almost exclusive employ- ment for his professional exertions, by worcs of which they were either the original authors, or at least the avowed editors. These were Charles Boville, Jaques le Fevre, and Josse Clictou, a doctor of the Surbonne.
He used the arms of the university, in com- mon with one or two other Parisian typogra- phers : but all uncertainty was removed by the mitials of each, which were respectively added. With those arms he generally connected or. in- termixed other fanciful ornaments. Of such variety the Quincuplex Pialterium, furnishes an amusing specimen; for there, the title being included by a circular ring, and externally by a capacious parallelogram, the space inten-ening, after exhibiting the ecu or shield at the top sup- ported by angels, and a blank shield at the bot- tom with like supporters, is completely filled up with a complicated festoon of flowers, interwoven by other angelic figures: the initials H. S. ap- pearing within the verge of the ring.
Chevillier speaks very highly of Stephens for the general accuracy of his impressions, and the ingenuous concern expressed by him on the dis- covery of a few errors which had escaped timely observation. He introduces a list of twenty errata, subjoined to the Apologetic of Erasmus against Latomus, 1510, 4to, by this confession : " locis aliquot incuria nostra aberratum est." On another occasion, having accidentally ex- pressed the word fehrit by an a, he makes this jocular apology: "foebiem longam sibi Chalco- graphus aelegit, tametsi febris correpta sit minus periculosa." On some occasions, typographers who thus felt for the honour of the press, and regretted every blemish as a stain upon their own characters, added to the subscnptions of their editions the names of their correctors. Such was the frequent practice of Stephens; whence we learn that besides other men of eminence, tlie celebrated Beatus Rhenanus at one time discharged for him that office.
He does not appear to have printed any works in the vernacular or French language; willing probably to discriminate himself from the crowd of his cotemporaries as a learned printer. His impressions seem to consist wholly of Latin works; amongst which, besides those of the several descriptions already mentioned, are a translation of Dioscorides by Ruellius, some Opiucula of Galen, and other medical writers; and in a word, such other scientific books as were, under that aspect of literature, most popu- lar in the university.
To terminate oOr account of this venerable founder of the family of Stephens, as Panzer enumerates no works printed by him after the commencement of the year 1520, we may con- clude that Peignot is correct in asserting that be died in the month of July in that year. He says, moreover, " the circumstance happened at Lyons;" but mentions no authority. The six latest productions of his offieina, nusdem amni, bear the excudebat of Simon Cofinseus; who subjoins the usual designation of Henry Ste- phens; viz. e regione tcholae Decretorum.
The widow of Henry Stephens was married to Simon de Colines, an eminent printer at Paris.
It is a little singular, that the use and conve- nience of the catchword did not occur to the Parisian printers til the year 1520. — Chevillier.
2 G
VjOOQ IC
