SIXTEENTH CENTURY.
343
this year, lamented by all, but by hone more than Erasmus, who wrote bis epitapb in Greek and Latin. He was succeeded in nis business by his son Jerome Froben, and his son-in-law Nicolas Episcopious, who carried on the busi- ness with the same reputation.
1537. After this time no printer is supposed to have redded at Oxford for the space of sixtv years, for which chasm there is no reason assignea. We have already noticed the introduction of printing into the city of Oxford ; and without entering upon any oi the disputes Id question, it only remains at this time to notice those of whom we hare etrtain dates. Theodoric Rood, a native of Cologne, printed at Oxford in 1480, bat his first book is disputed ; it is supposed that ke continued in business to 1485 ; and that he had a partner called Thomas Hunte, an English- man ; only four books are known to bare been printed by these individuals, and one of these was ■ot known till 1735, unless we admit that Hunte ms the printer of the three annonymous books in 1468 and 1479. From these we are obliged to descend to the year 1606, when Pynson or Wynkyn de Worde printed for the university till 1518, when John ScoMr* printed for them, •nd lived in St. John's, Baptist's-lane, who was mcceeded by Charles Kyireth, a Dutchman, who resided m the city for a short time, in whose name we have only one book in 1519. Anthony Wood, in his Hittory of the Antiquitiet of Oxford, says that Theodoric Rood was suc- eeeded by Scolar, and he by Peter Treveris, who in 1525, removed to Southwark. — See Cotton's Typoyraphieal Gazetteer, Dibdin, Home, Stc.
1528. i)»n< John Amerbach, one of the most excellent and learned printers of his time. He was at first a student at Paris, under the famous Lapidanos, who invited the three Germans to that city. Amerbach followed his studies until be attained the degree of master of arts ; and went to Basil in 1481 , where he set up a print- ing-press, and became very famous in the science of typography. The exact place of his birth is not determined. Orlandi rails him a Parisian, though perhaps on no other account than that he studied so long in that university. His name ii onquestionably German.
Amerbach's first care, when he engaged in the printing-line, was to get a complete fount of round roman. His next was to procure some of the best correctors of that age, of whom, though no person was more capable than him- self, he had a greater number than any of his cotemporaries. He was so careful and diligent in this province, that he would not let one sheet pass unrevised by himself. Reuchlin says, that
- John Scolar, printer to the TTnlvenity of Oxford,
Rettal in a book which he had printed, an edict of the ehancellor, nnder hli official a«d, e^)oinlng that for a period of seven yean to come, no person should venture to piint that worlc. or even to sell copies of it elsewhere printed within Oxford and Its precincts, under pain of fotteHiDg the copies, and ftjlBg a line of five pounds ttnVmg and other penaMc*. Dnjinc the cenaofiliip of the press thnrnghout Kngland, the vice-chancellor was the aodioTized liceocer of all books printed at the Unl- venitj.— Ingram's jr«iiioria;i a/ Offtr*.
he was a man of excellent genius, highly valu- able for the neatness and correctness of his works, and well skilled in several arts and sciences.
As Amerbach was a pious man, and zealous in the cause of religion, which appears from all his prefaces ; so he made choice of consecrating his labours to that branch of learning, in prefe- rence to any other. This induced him to en- gage in printing the works of all the antient latners, a task hitherto unattempted by any printer. He began with an edition of St. Aus- tin, which he did not finish until 1505, in the old Gothic. What he had most at heart was to publish St. Jerome's works ; which as he knew was impossible to be done without a competent skill in the Latin, Greek, and Hebrew tongues (the last of which he was too old and fuU of business to learn,) he made bis three sons, youths of bright parts, divide that province among themselves; who, having studied those lan- guages, were obliged by nim, whether he lived or died, to finish that edition ; which they faith- fully performed. The greatest part of these par- ticulars are communicated by Erasmus in his prefaces to St. Austin and St. Jerome.
Jodocus Badius, an eminent printer, savs, he was a man of indefatigable industry, and oon> summate skill in oorrecting the errors of comint copies. And adds, tlutt if all printers would follow the example of John Amerbach, their productions would b« in much higher repute than they are.
Boniface, his eldest son, who died in I5A2, was for thirty years law professor at Basil, five times rector of the university, and went through the different offices of the magistracy with the reputation of a man of great integrity. In 1659 was printed at Basil, 4to., the BiSliotheca Amer- backiana, a scarce work, which throws consider- able light on the /futory o/iVnKtn^.
1 528, Oct. 2. 7^ obedieneeofa chrutian num, and how ckrittenruUn ought to goveme ; wherein alto, yf thou vyirke diligently, thou thalt fynde eyet to perceave the crafty eonveyaunce jf all iugglert. At Marlborow in the land of Hesse, the seconde daye of October, mdxxviii, by me Hans Luft. In this book Tindall asks, what is the cause why, we may not have the old tettament translated as well as the new, which they had burnt. Octavo. Marlborow, is a fictitious name for Marpurg, in Germany, the capital of Upper Hesse, where the art of printing was introduced in 1627 ; and it is, in all probability, this town which William Tindall designates, in his Englith tramlation of the Pentatewh of the year 1530, and in many other works printed about this time, as Marlhormc in the land of Heue.
1528, AprU 6,Died Albert DcRE»,the cele- brated engraver on wood. This individual may be called Uie father of the German school of painting; he was also an excellent and inde- fatigable engraver, a writer on painting, per- spective, geometry, and on civil and military arohitecture. But it is as an engraver that he is chiefly known to us; and we think we may venture to say, that then is no name so cele.
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